Wednesday, September 30, 2009 (DT 25930)

This puzzle was originally published Saturday, May 16, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

Today's puzzle had a bit of a split personality. I got off to a rapid start, making good progress through a series of fairly easy (and somewhat pedestrian) clues. However, about halfway through the puzzle, progress ground to a crawl. The remainder of the puzzle proved to be considerably more challenging - and interesting. I completed the puzzle; however, without fully understanding the wordplay for a couple of clues.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

Acol - a bridge bidding system devised in Britain

d - (abbrev., lower case) in the UK prior to 1971, a penny or pence (from the Latin denarius)

hunter - (noun, defn. 2) a watch with a hinged cover protecting the glass

Mumbles - a village, with adjacent headland, in Swansea, Wales

naff - (adj., defn. 2) Brit. tasteless, vulgar

tosh - Brit. nonsense

try it on - (phrases) Brit. deliberately test someone's tolerance or attempt to deceive or seduce someone

Today's Links

As this was a Saturday prize puzzle in the UK, we have both day-of-publication hints from Gazza (sitting in for Big Dave), which may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 25930] -Hints, as well as Peter Biddlecombe's post-submission-date review at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 25930]-Review.

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

19a Be careful, hunter has sex appeal (5,2)

Before reading Peter Biddlecombe's review, I did not fully comprehend the wordplay in this clue, as it had slipped my mind that a "hunter" is a type of watch. Peter characterises this association as a crossword cliché - and (now that he mentions it) I must admit that I do recall having encountered it in a previous puzzle.

27a A fellow in Newfoundland who is vulgar (4)

This clue is rather dated, as the name of the province was officially changed in 2001 to Newfoundland and Labrador, resulting in the abbreviation being changed from NF to NL.

20d Attempt to do something risky - with a dress in a shop? (3,2,2)

This is another clue for which I did not fully comprehend the wordplay - even after reading Peter Biddlecombe's review. After some more research, I discovered that "try it on" is a British expression meaning "deliberately test or attempt to deceive or seduce someone" (Oxford) or "to attempt to deceive someone, or to test their patience or tolerance" (Chambers). According to Peter, we are to reuse the phrase "to do something risky" in both definitions (i.e., read the clue as "attempt to do something risky" and "to do something risky with a dress in a shop"). While I can see that an attempt to deceive or seduce someone might well be considered risky behaviour, I am not sure that I understand why trying on a dress would be (unless I were the one trying it on!).

Signing off for today - Falcon

Tuesday, September 29, 2009 (DT 25929)

This puzzle was originally published Friday, May 15, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

I found today's puzzle to be a rather fun one to do but very challenging - definitely much more difficult than any of those published recently; and I was pleased to see that the Brits (for once) appear to share my opinion. I did complete the puzzle, but I had to open the Tool Chest early and make extensive use of the puzzle solving tools found there. In the end, I remained mystified by the wordplay in one clue - but, understandably so, as the clue printed in the National Post was incorrect.

Error Alert

Clue 7d as printed in the National Post is incorrect. Here is the correct version:

7d Metallic material that could be seen in inro (7,4)

For an explanation of the solution, see Libellule's review on Big Dave's blog.

[For the benefit of readers without access to the National Post, it misprinted "inro" as "into".]

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

Elia - pen name of English essayist Charles Lamb

lurgy - Brit. any highly infectious non-specific disease

marg - Brit. margarine

SE - abbrev. South-East: the region of England comprising London and surrounding areas

Today's Links

Libellule's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 25929].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

7a Dispute about prosperous region being less moral? (5)

This was the last clue to be solved - and one that I spent a lot of time on. Very early, I had penciled in WORSE, but as I was not able to reconcile the wordplay, I was more than a little uncertain about it. However, as I progressed, the checking letters (W?R?E) produced a pattern matching WORSE - but I was still unable to sort out the wordplay. A search for words matching the checking letters turned up only two possibilities - WORSE and WARRE. But that created quite a dilemma since the two words are synonyms. Since both words fit the definition and the pattern of checking letters, the differentiator would have to be the wordplay (which was baffling me). In the former option (WORSE), I could see that "prosperous region" could be a reference to the South-East (SE) of England around London. I thought that "about" might be a containment indicator but got nowhere with that approach. As for the second option (WARRE), "dispute" could be WAR and "about" could be RE, but that left "prosperous region" unaccounted for. I was just about to toss in the towel, when the answer hit me like a bolt out of the blue - "dispute" is ROW and "about" is a reversal indicator. Voilà!

Signing off for today - Falcon

Monday, September 28, 2009 (DT 25928)

This puzzle was originally published Thursday, May 14, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

Today's puzzle, while not especially difficult, contains a number of interesting clues having smooth surface readings that, in many cases, very nicely conceal the underlying wordplay.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

OB - abbrev. old boy: (defn. 1) Brit. a former male pupil of a school

RE - abbrev. Royal Engineers: the Corps of Royal Engineers in the British Army (also known in Britain as sappers)

Today's Links

Gazza's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 25928].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

9a Plain dish with a bun in the middle (7)

To my mind, the leap from "bun in the middle" to "the middle letter of bun" is a bit of a stretch. But then again, all's fair in love, war and crossword puzzle clues.

21a Cheer very quietly during a double somersault (7)

Although easily finding the solution based on the definition and the checking letters, I must admit that I had no idea how one gets from "a double somersault" to "A LAUD" until I read Gazza's review (after which I gave myself a good swift kick for having missed the fairly obvious wordplay).

Signing off for today - Falcon

Saturday, September 26, 2009 - Highly Intelligent People in High Places

Introduction

Today's puzzle is a typical Cox and Rathvon creation with their trademark clever wordplay and smooth surface readings.

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

In today's puzzle, we see the word "on" used as a positional indicator in two different senses in two separate clues. In the first case,

2d Red vehicle on land (9)

the definition is CARNATION (red) and the wordplay is CAR (vehicle) preceding (on) NATION (land). Since this is a down clue, the positional indicator (on) shows that the first string (CAR) is placed on top of the second string (NATION) to form the solution (CARNATION).

As a positional indicator, on can also signify that one string is to be added onto an another string, which is how I believe it is used in the second case,

7d Bigwig reversed prohibition on body odour? (5)

where the definition is NABOB (bigwig) and I would interpret the wordplay as BAN (prohibition) first being added to (on) BO (body odour) to get the intermediate string BOBAN, which is then reversed to get the final solution NABOB.

Solution to Today's Puzzle

Legend:	"CD" Cryptic Definition; "DD" Double Definition
	"*" anagram; "~" sounds like; "<" letters reversed
	"( )" letters inserted; "_" letters deleted

Across

1a {ROCKY MOUNTAINS}* - {O MAN SKI COUNTRY} perhaps

9a MARAUDERS* - {DRAMA SURE} misrepresented

10a L(I)BRA - {L (leader's foremost) + BRA (supporter)} around (carrying) I (one)

11a A_|MAL_|GAM_ - unfinished As MALe GAMe

12a LI(V)ABLE - LIABLE (apt) around (when housing) V (five)

13a PRIOR - DD

14a {TOP-DRAWER}< - {REWARD (prize) + POT (kitty)} reversed (returned)

17a SUNBATHER* - foolishly {HUNT BEARS}

19a W(ORS)E - ORS (alternatives) inside (adopted by) WE (the two of us)

20a P(IRATE)D - IRATE (mad) inside (in) PD (police department)

23a STOLLEN~ - sounds like (reportedly) STOLEN (ripped off)

25a RA|DII - RA (sun god) + DII (Roman Numeral 502)

26a A|SIA M|IN|OR - A + SIAM (former neighbour of Viet Nam) + IN + OR (Oregon)

27a INTELLIGENTSIA* - {AN ELITE LISTING} perhaps

Down

1d RUM|BA - RUM (drink) + BA (Bachelor of Arts)

2d CAR|NATION - CAR (vehicle) preceding (on) NATION (land)

3d YOU|N|GER - {N (northern) GER (German)} following (is after) YOU

4d OVERMATCH* - breaking {CHARM VOTE}

5d NASA|L - NASA (Apollo 13 group) + L (left)

6d AL|L OVER - AL (Pacino) + LOVER (fan)

7d NAB|OB - reversed {BAN (prohibition) following (on) BO (body odour)}

8d C(A|REF)REE - CREE (a tribe) around (includes) {A + REF (whistle-blower)}

13d PASSPORT - PAS (Pop's) + SPORT (fun)

15d PER(I)SHING - PERSHING (American general) around I (one)

16d WARP|LANES - WARP (distort) + LANES (paths)

18d ASTAIRE - sounds like (for the audience) A STAIR (step)

19d WO(OD)MAN - OD (overdose) inside (taken by) WOMAN (female)

21d RA(DO)N - RAN (managed) around (keeping) DO (party)

22d DRAWL - DRAW (sketch) + L (Liberal)

24d NORMA< - {A + M (male) + RON (Ronald)} reversed (comes back)

Signing off for today - Falcon

Friday, September 25, 2009 (DT 25927)

This puzzle was originally published Wednesday, May 13, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

Once again, I managed to get down to two clues remaining unsolved before being forced to dig into the Tool Chest. I finished with one wrong answer.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

Boris Johnson - mayor of London, England and, seemingly, a bicycle enthusiast

programme - Brit. program

Today's Links

Big Dave's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 25927].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

12a Regular supporter of Boris Johnson? (4)

The checking letters limit the solution to the pattern "?I?E". However, this really isn't very limiting as Chambers WordWizard provides 133 possible matches to this pattern. I had several theories, amongst them AIDE. Or, perhaps he has a talent for gambling and is supported by DICE, or has mobster connections and is supported by VICE, or has a drinking problem and is supported by WINE, or is supported by a rich WIFE. Finally, I settled on R (regular) plus ITE (supporter) to give RITE (which turned out to be anything but right).

22a Cost of zero fare? (10)

Having mistakenly put FREEZE for 20d seriously held me up on solving this clue. With this error in place, a search for words matching the checking letters returned no candidates. By removing checking letters one at a time and repeating the search, I found the correct solution for this clue and also discovered that my initial attempt at an answer for 20d was incorrect.

Signing off for today - Falcon

Thursday, September 24, 2009 (DT 25926)

This puzzle was originally published Tuesday, May 12, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

In terms of difficulty, I found today's puzzle to be pretty much on a par with the one published yesterday. Once again, I got down to two clues remaining before having to dig into the Tool Chest for help. In each case, a search for words matching the checking letters produced very short lists of possible solutions from which it was a trivial matter to select the correct one.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

carburettor - Brit. carburetor

Today's Links

Gazza's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 25926].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

The last two clues to be solved were:

14a Upset first person held back by drink (8)

Although there is nothing especially remarkable about this clue, and the wordplay is obvious once the solution is known, I just could not seem to get my head around it.

18d A source of delivery in the main? (8)

This is a clever cryptic definition, where delivery is used in the sense of "the act of saving or setting free" and "in the main" represents the sea.

Signing off for today - Falcon

Wednesday, September 23, 2009 (DT 25925)

This puzzle was originally published Monday, May 11, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

I found today's puzzle to be slightly more difficult than yesterday's - which once again puts me at odds with the Brits. While it took me considerably longer to complete today's puzzle, I was able to solve all but one clue unaided. The length of time required to finish the puzzle was increased by having two incorrect entries which remained undiscovered for quite some time.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

gin - Brit. trap (entry 2, defn. 1)

gong - Brit. medal (defn. 2)

lido - Brit. (1) a fashionable beach resort; or (2) a public open-air swimming pool

Today's Links

Tilsit's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 25925].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

8a Score with reverse billiards shot? Excellent (3-5)

I was hoping to complete the puzzle without the aid of my puzzle solving tools. However, being unable to figure out either this clue or 1d, I was forced to dip into the Tool Chest. Even missing the first letter, a search on the remaining checking letters returned only one possible solution. As soon as I had the solution to this clue, the solution to 1d became immediately obvious.

13a Something much appreciated by card-players (1,4,4)

An incorrect solution here (as well as at 24a) slowed my progress considerably on the right-hand side. My initial solution was "A GOOD HAND", which I still think may be a superior match to the wordplay than the solution that the setter envisioned. Since "a hand" can mean applause, "a good hand" would clearly show much appreciation.

24a What dictionaries do about it is quite clear (8)

This was where I temporarily had my second incorrect solution - with my original attempt being "DEFINING".

6d Politician entering government to screw up (6)

In this clue, "to screw up" does not mean to make a mistake. Rather, it means to wrinkle. Although I only recall having heard it used in this sense in the phrase "screw up one's face", it appears that the word may be more commonly used in this sense in Britain (Tilsit provides as an example "screwing up paper").

20d Mum, listen for a change (6)

My initial suspicion that "listen" might be a homophone (sounds like) indicator proved false.

Signing off for today - Falcon

Tuesday, September 22, 2009 (DT 25924)

This puzzle was originally published Saturday, May 9, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

This was one of the easiest puzzles that I can remember. I had most of it complete in well under an hour without aids of any kind, although the final two clues did require that I open the Tool Chest. However, yet again I find myself out of sync with the Brits - many of whom seemed to find this puzzle rather difficult.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

DE - former British Department of Employment (ref: Peter Biddlecombe)

Today's Links

As is usual when it is a Saturday prize puzzle in the U.K., there were a lot of questions pertaining to it on AnswerBank - in fact, I found nineteen of them. For some time, I have been seriously considering dropping the links to AnswerBank as I find the site adds very little - if anything - to what is available on Big Dave's blog. Despite these misgivings, I have continued to include these links, primarily out of habit, so long as the volume of questions was not too onerous. However, the large number of questions today is the straw that broke the camel's back (actually, it is more like a bale of straw). So, from today forward, no more links to AnswerBank.

In case anyone wishes to perform their own search of AnswerBank, the search page is located here. Since questioners on AnswerBank use a number of variants of the puzzle number in their queries, to find "all" of the questions related to a puzzle, one must perform multiple searches. For example, for today's puzzle, I searched on the following terms (without the quotation marks): "DT 25924", "DT 25,924", "DT25924", and "DT25,924" - which respectively produced eight, eight, two and one questions - for a total of nineteen. When performing a search on AnswerBank, make sure that "Site" is selected, rather than "Web".

You may find Big Dave's day-of-publication hints at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 25924]-Hints and Peter Biddlecombe's review at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 25924]-Review.

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

5a Worker spotted cutter (7)

I made the solution of 6d difficult by initially entering HACKSAW here. I see from Big Dave's blog that I was not alone in making this error.

21a River mud broadcast (4)

This was the last clue to be solved. I was totally fixated on "broadcast" being an anagram indicator. It is not, rather it is a homophone (sounds like) indicator.

27a Willingly left (7)

This was the second last clue to be solved. I was hung up on thinking that this must be a double definition. However, it turned out to be a cryptic definition which I only discovered when a search on the checking letters turned up only one possible solution.

6d Disagreement at employment department on swelling (4)

I initially got the solution based on the definition and checking letters, and then attempted to reverse engineer the wordplay. The only explanation that I could come up with was E (employment) D (department) ON all reversed. I must say that I was somewhat skeptical of "disagreement" as a reversal indicator and E and D as abbreviations for "employment"and "department". As it turns out, the correct explanation (see Peter Biddlecombe's review) is somewhat different. However, it relies on a department of the British government that (based on Peter's comments) no longer exists.

20d Fellow goes to one island (not Madagascar initially) capital (7)

Peter provided a fine explanation of this clue until he said "Managua is capital of Guatemala". Of course, Managua is the capital of Nicaragua. The capital of Guatemala is Guatemala City. I think this lapse can be excused, as (a couple of clues earlier) Peter had stated that it was getting late.

And, likewise, it is getting late here.

Signing off for today - Falcon

Monday, September 21, 2009 (DT 25923)

This puzzle was originally published Friday, May 8, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

It was at least a moderately difficult puzzle today. I had an incorrect solution to one clue and did not fully understand the wordplay on three others. There is also an error in one of the clues.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

burn - Scot. a small stream

cor - Brit. exclamation expressing surprise or pleasure

gong - Brit. a medal or decoration

hare - Brit. to run fast

MBE - Member of the Order of the British Empire

Trot - slang a Trotskyist (follower of Leon Trotsky)

Today's Links

I found no questions on AnswerBank discussing today's puzzle.

Libellule's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 25923].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

1a Support for basic form of lighting (11)

Despite having the wrong number of letters, I think "candelabra" would be a fitting solution for this clue.

29a No sort of railway? Often that's so at that time! (4)

I found the solution from the first part of the clue, but was unable to decipher the wordplay in the second part of the clue. I learned from Libellule's review that the implication is that "There is no el at Noel" (i.e., the trains don't run at Christmas).

30a Agreement to smuggle in gin that's ill-gotten shipload (11)

There is an error in this clue (see comment from Giovanni, the setter of the puzzle, on Big Dave's Blog). The clue should read:

30a Agreement to smuggle in gin and money that's ill-gotten shipload (11)

Once again, the Daily Telegraph has syndicated a faulty puzzle - warts and all.

2d Host has upset distinguished painter? Gosh! (4)

I came up with an incorrect solution for this clue. My stab at an answer was ACME, based on MC (host) upset (reversal indicator). As for the rest of the wordplay, it obviously did not seem to fit - so I was (with good reason) not at all confident in this choice.

At least, "distinguished" was spelled correctly in the National Post - unlike in the DT online version, according to Libellule.

5d Left-winger's progress at steady pace (4)

I failed to connect TROT to Leon Trotsky, leaving me in the dark as to the meaning of the wordplay.

6d Gosh, fixed around front of leg, there's a piece of armour! (7)

The second clue including the exclamation "Gosh!" - and both caused me problems. Being unfamiliar with the British expression "cor", I did not fully comprehend the wordplay in this clue - despite getting the correct solution.

Signing off for today - Falcon

Saturday, September 19, 2009 - Double or Nothing

Introduction

Today's puzzle, by Cox and Rathvon, displays the setters' usual clever wordplay and is notable for the fact that all entries are either two words or a hyphenated word.

Today's Glossary

Some references found in today's puzzle that may be unfamiliar to readers outside North America

G-man - US slang an agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

go - Japanese board game

Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - US government tax collection agency

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

27a Outstanding player left second, getting in place for a sacrifice (3-4)

While a knowledge of baseball is not essential to finding the solution to this clue, it does help one appreciate the surface reading. For readers (particularly those outside North America) who may not be familiar with baseball, I will attempt to offer an explanation.

First, let's deal with "player left second". In baseball, players may "lead off" from a base before the ball is pitched. In this case, the player has left second base moving several feet toward third base. The advantage of this is that the player has a shorter distance to run to reach the next base when the ball is hit. The risk is that the player will be caught off base - that is, the pitcher may throw the ball to a fielder who will attempt to tag the runner (touch the runner with the ball). If the runner is tagged before reaching an open (unoccupied) base (either the base he led off from or the next one), the runner is out.

Second, "getting in place for a sacrifice". A sacrifice is a play in which the batter hits the ball in a manner that will almost certainly result in the batter being put out while allowing a runner already on base to advance to the next base (or beyond). Examples of a sacrifice, are a bunt and a sacrifice fly.

In a bunt, the batter gently taps the ball in such a manner that it rolls slowly down either the first base line or the third base line. The objective is to place the ball in such a position that it is as far away as possible from any infielder on the opposing team. By the time the ball is fielded, there is little possibility of throwing out the runner who was already on base, leaving the fielder with only the the option of throwing to first base to get the batter out.

A sacrifice fly is a ball hit deep to the outfield. It will likely be caught by an outfielder, resulting in the batter being out. However, a runner on second or third base will have time to advance at least one base before the outfielder can return the ball to the infield.

Having the runner who is already on base take a lead off (preferably a long one) [i.e., get in place] will improve the chances for success of the sacrifice play.

Solution to Today's Puzzle

Legend:	"CD" Cryptic Definition; "DD" Double Definition
	"*" anagram; "~" sounds like; "<" letters reversed
	"( )" letters inserted; "_" letters deleted

Across

1ac S(TOW A)WAY - TOW (tug) A (one) caught in (containment indicator) SWAY (wave)

5ac COO|L IT - COO (murmur) LIT (turned on)

9ac {TEA TRAY}* - breaking {A TREATY}

10ac ODD JOBS - went overboard → overdosed → OD'D

11ac {ON TAP}< turned back (reversed) {PAT (completely) + NO (zero)}

12ac TA(KE AF)*TER - TATER (spud) with FAKE plastic (anagram indicator) stuffing (containment indicator)

13ac {NOEL COWARD}* - reworked {OCEAN WORLD}

16ac G-M|AN - GM (General Motors) with AN (one)

18ac _TO-BE_ - segment of Oc[TOBE]r

19ac GREE_|N ACRES - [GREE]t (mostly welcome) + NACRES (materials with lustre)

22ac {LOWER CASE}* - {WORE LACES} undone

24ac D F(L)AT - L (Roman Numeral 50) in (containment indicator) D (Roman Numeral 500) FAT (overweight)

26ac B(LOW-DR)Y - BY taking (containment indicator) LOW (short) DR (drive)

27ac AL(L-S)TAR - L (left) S (second) getting in (containment indicator) ALTAR (place for a sacrifice)

28ac GY(M) RAT_ - [GYRAT]e (endlessly spin) around (containment indicator) M (masculine)

29ac AL (CAP)ONE - CAP (cover) assumed by (containment indicator) ALONE (unaccompanied)

Down

1d S(IT D)OWN - SOWN (planted) outside (containment indicator) IT'D (it would)

2d O|P ART - O (love) and PART (leave)

3d A(IR S)PACE - APACE (quickly) filled by (containment indicator) IRS (tax collection agency)

4d {AS YET}* - YEATS travelling

6d _OLD _HAT - after introductions (delete initial letters) t[OLD] t[HAT]

7d {LION TAMER}* - adjusted {NORMAL TIE}

8d _TEST RUN_ - going through (hidden word indicator) pira[TES TRUN]k

10d O(AK) T|RE|E - A K (king) in (containment indicator) OT (Old Testament) RE (regarding) E (eastern)

14d {ELBOW ROOM}* - {LOWER BOOM} exercising

15d WAR (BAB*)Y - WARY (suspicious) about (containment indicator) A BB shot (anagram indicator)

17d S(AND FL)EA - AND (moreover) FL (Florida) 's beset by (containment indicator) SEA (ocean)

18d {TALK BIG}* - shaking {KGB TAIL}

20d SET F(R)EE - SET (group) FEE (admission price) around (containment indicator) R (mid-April, i.e., the middle letter of April)

21d {GRADE A}~ pronounced (sounds like indicator) GRAY DAY (gloomy weather)

23d E-M(A)IL - EMIL (Jannings) receives (containment indicator) A

25d LE|T GO - LE (French article) on (before in a down clue) T (true) GO (Japanese game)

Signing off for today - Falcon

Friday, September 18, 2009 (DT 25922)

This puzzle was originally published Thursday, May 7, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

Today's puzzle, while quite an enjoyable exercise, is definitely among the easiest that we have seen in quite some time - and, for once, my assessment seems to be in tune with the Brits.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

lag - Brit. a habitual convict

publican - Brit. the keeper of a public house (i.e., the landlord of a pub)

yeoman - a farmer who cultivates his own land, especially a member of a former class of small freeholders in England (defn. 5)

Today's Links

I found no questions on AnswerBank discussing today's puzzle.

Gazza's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 25922].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

5d Increases support for campaign for exercises (4-3)

While the solution was easy to find, I needed Gazza's explanation to understand the wordplay. I was mistakenly trying to construct an explanation around "support" meaning "push".

Signing off for today - Falcon

Thursday, September 17, 2009 (DT 25921)

This puzzle was originally published Wednesday, May 6, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

Today we have a very enjoyable puzzle with lots of clever wordplay - but perhaps a little more challenging than average. I completed it but could not get my head around the wordplay in one clue until I read Tilsit's review.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

duck - cricket a score of zero (noun, defn. 5)

(The) Oval - a cricket ground in London, England

Today's Links

The only question on AnswerBank discussing today's puzzle was answered by providing a link to Big Dave's blog.

Tilsit's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 25921].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

21a In English school fundamentals, not one mistake (5)

I needed Tilsit's explanation to fully comprehend the wordplay here. My initial interpretation had been that the phrase "school fundamentals, not one" was indicating two Rs (three Rs minus one). Perhaps that mistaken approach created a mental block that prevented me from seeing that "not one" equals "none" equals "o".

Signing off for today - Falcon

Wednesday, September 16, 2009 (DT 25920)

This puzzle was originally published Tuesday, May 5, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

The degree of difficulty of today's puzzle was pretty much on a par with those of the last few days.

Today's Links

I found no questions on AnswerBank discussing today's puzzle.

Gazza's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 25920].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

21d Hooligan boy back on vehicle (6)

In this clue, "boy" is LAD and "back" indicates a reversal, giving DAL. Putting this "on" (after) a vehicle (VAN) gives VANDAL. While this style of construct (i.e., "on" signifying that the former string is placed "after" the latter string) is often seen in an across clue (e.g., see 9a in today's puzzle), methinks it is a bit unusual for a down clue - in which "on" usually signifies "before" (denoting that the former string is piled on top of the latter string to form the solution).

Signing off for today - Falcon

Tuesday, September 15, 2009 (DT 25919)

This puzzle was originally published Monday, May 4, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

Surprise! Surprise! Yesterday, the National Post made a leap forward of over two months. Today the Post jumped right back to where it started from. Thus on Friday, we had DT 25917, on Monday DT 25973, and today DT 25919.

Today's puzzle was of a moderate degree of difficulty. I solved about half the clues unaided and then relied on my puzzle solving tools to help solve the remainder. From Big Dave's review, I discovered that I had an incorrect solution to one clue and I failed to pick up a cricket reference in a second clue.

It seems to be a rather interesting coincidence (given that the puzzles were published over two months apart in the UK) that two answers from yesterday's puzzle also appear in today's puzzle.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

ay - Scots and N. Eng. always (defn. 2)

barmy - Brit. colloq. crazy

lam - Brit. slang to thrash

The Met - The Metropolitan Police Service of Greater London, also known as Scotland Yard

Today's Links

I found no questions on AnswerBank discussing today's puzzle.

Big Dave's somewhat sour review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 25919].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

1a They go off in the direction of the theatre (6)

The solution (EXEUNT) appeared in yesterday's puzzle with a different clue.

5d Not a relation of newlyweds (3,5,4)

While I had a pretty good understanding of the setter's intent for this clue, I managed to come up with an incorrect solution. My attempt at a solution was "Old times' tale", based on "tale" being a "relation" (which is correct) and the seemingly flawed rationale that newlyweds would probably not be reminiscing about "old times".

14a Extra spacious (4)

I must admit that I failed to pick up on the cricket reference in this clue.

20a Go barmy in sort of store (12)

I initially surmised that DEPARTMENTAL STORE was Brit-speak. However, neither Chambers nor Oxford list it, while both list "department store". Perhaps the setter invented the term.

15d Girl, say, tender after taking exercise (5)

The solution (BIPED) also appeared in yesterday's puzzle, but with a different clue. Perhaps that explains why I did not have nearly the difficulty with this clue that many of the Brits seem to have experienced.

By the way, I would like to respectfully suggest a slight modification to the explanation provided by Big Dave. To my mind, the word "after" should be moved so that the explanation reads "this word meaning any animal with two feet is derived from BID (tender) around (after taking) PE (Physical Exercise)".

27d Strike supported by a devout Buddhist (4)

In North America, "lam" means to flee (especially from the police) while, in Britain, it means to beat (i.e., strike) someone.

Signing off for today - Falcon

Monday, September 14, 2009 (DT 25973)

This puzzle was originally published Monday, July 6, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

There were a couple of significant events today. First, the National Post returned to publishing a Monday print edition today, whereas all summer it had published only an online digital edition on Monday.

Second, the Post made a giant leap ahead in the sequence of puzzles - jumping from DT 25917 which appeared on Friday to DT 25973 today (skipping the 55 intervening puzzles). This takes us from the puzzle published in the UK on May 1 to the one published on July 6. Regular readers of this blog will know that the Post occasionally makes such a jump. This is made necessary because the Daily Telegraph publishes six puzzles per week while the Post publishes only five. Consequently, the length of the interval between publication in the Telegraph and the Post gradually lengthens and, from time to time, the Post skips a number of puzzles to shorten this lag.

I found today's puzzle to be moderately difficult. I did complete it, although after solving about half the clues I was forced to pull out my Tool Chest with its many puzzle solving aids. I also thought that I understood all the wordplay - until Tilsit's review showed me that I missed a nuance in one clue.

Today's Links

I found two questions on AnswerBank discussing today's puzzle. They (together with the clues to which they relate) are:

• AnswerBank [DT 25973]-a: 7d
• AnswerBank [DT 25973]-b: 1a

Tilsit's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 25973].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

4d A muscle unaffected by lifting (7)

A ROTATOR is "a muscle that enables a limb, etc. to rotate" and, therefore presumably, is not involved in lifting actions. Until I read Tilsit's review, I had totally missed that "unaffected by lifting" is also a clue that the solution is a palindrome.

Signing off for today - Falcon

Saturday, September 12, 2009 - Mixed-up Actors

Introduction

On the whole, today's puzzle by Cox and Rathvon was not very difficult. It features some rather nice anagrams of the names of a couple of Hollywood stars.

Today's Glossary

For overseas readers, an explanation of some possibly unfamiliar North American references used in today's puzzle

American League - one of the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball in North America

Solution to Today's Puzzle

Legend:	"CD" Cryptic Definition; "DD" Double Definition
	"*" anagram; "~" sounds like; "<" letters reversed
	"( )" letters inserted; "_" letters deleted

Across

1a {MELANIE GRIFFITH}* - {THE FARMING LIFE I}* cast

9a SERENGETI* - {ERNIE GETS}* lost

10a AL|BUM

11a _IGNITE_ - alIGN IT Errantly holding (hidden word indicator)

12a OFFSHOOT* - {SOFT HOOF}* reviewed

14a F(A|L|SE AL)ARM

16a F(L)AN

18a SOME - sounds like (aloud) SUM (figures added)

19a PERSE|PHONE - perse: a shade of blue

22a BALL|A|DRY - ball: blast (a good time, as in "I had a ball.")

23a CRUSOE - castaway Robinson Crusoe; sounds like (while talking) CREW SEW

26a RIGHT

27a TRI(AL DA)TE - actor Alan Alda

28a {ANTONIO BANDERAS}* - {NOT AS DEBONAIR}* sadly

Down

1d MAS|TIFF

2d _LOREN_ - Italian actress Sophia Loren; in (hidden word indicator) FLORENce

3d NINETIES* - EINSTEIN* transformed

4d EVEN - DD

5d RA(IN FO)REST

6d F|RAISE - fraise: French for strawberry

7d IMBROGLIO* - convertible {OR BIG LIMO}*

8d HAMPTON* - Lionel Hampton: U.S. jazz musician; weird PHANTOM*

13d ALL|EGRET|TO - to: before (as in "ten minutes to six")

15d LAM|PLIGHT

17d S(PARK)LED

18d S|IBERIA

20d EYELETS - sounds like (in the sound) ISLETS

21d C(ART)ON

24d STA(I)R

25d DIVA< - AVID (keen) on returning (reversal indicator)

Signing off for today - Falcon

Friday, September 11, 2009 (DT 25917)

This puzzle was originally published Friday, May 1, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

I found today's puzzle to be moderately difficult - while not overly challenging, it was hard enough to require that I dig into my Tool Chest fairly early on in the solution process. Interestingly, the Brits (for the most part) seemed to feel that it was especially difficult.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

Luton - a town in Bedfordshire, England

nick - Brit. slang to steal (noun, defn. 3)

Sir Carol Reed - British film director

Today's Links

I found three questions on AnswerBank discussing today's puzzle. They (together with the clues to which they relate) are:

AnswerBank [DT 25917]-a: 14a, 17a

AnswerBank [DT 25917]-b: 19a, 20d

AnswerBank [DT 25917]-c: 11a, 3d, 18d

Libellule's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 25917].

Signing off for today - Falcon

Thursday, September 10, 2009 (DT 25916)

This puzzle was originally published Thursday, April 30, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

I found today's puzzle to be definitely a bit more difficult than yesterday's, and I had to dig into the Tool Chest fairly early. I did complete the puzzle but without fully comprehending the wordplay on one clue.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

gite - in France: a self-catering holiday cottage

sub - Brit. an advance against one's wages, esp. one granted as a subsistence allowance (noun, defn. 8)

Today's Links

I found no questions on AnswerBank discussing today's puzzle.

Gazza's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 25916].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

9a Singular origin of neglect in French house fire (6)

The wordplay in this clue would surely have been obvious had I only known what a "gite" is (see Today's Glossary).

Signing off for today - Falcon

Wednesday, September 9, 2009 (DT 25915)

This puzzle was originally published Wednesday, April 29, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

This puzzle was not too difficult - at least until I got to the last remaining clue.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

chat - a type of bird

rabbit on - Brit. colloq. to talk at great length, often in a rambling way (verb, defn. 2)

Today's Links

I found one question on AnswerBank discussing today's puzzle. It (together with the clue to which it relates) is:

AnswerBank [DT 25915]-a: 10a

Big Dave's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 25915].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

10a Small bonnet made of wild pansy (4-2-5)

The solution, KISS-ME-QUICK, was returned by the Chambers Word Wizard even though the term is not defined in the online Chambers. In fact, the term is not defined in any of my usual reference sources. I did find a few references on the Internet to a kiss-me-quick being a type of bonnet. Perhaps the best one is the following in an article by Maeve Maddox entitled More Than One Meaning for "Poke":

"NOTE: My Southern grandmother told me that when she worked in the fields, she wore a poke bonnet, This was a cloth hat that tied under the chin. The sides of the bonnet completely protected her face from the sun. Nowadays women go out of their way to get a suntan, even paying to use use tanning beds. In my grandmother’s day, girls did all they could to maintain their pallor. Tanned skin was considered unattractive. She said that another name for that type of bonnet was a “kiss-me-quick.”"

As for the plant, I found a great number of sources showing that Kiss-Me-Quick is one of the common names for Portulaca pilosa, also known as Pink Purslane. I was unable to find a single source that defined it as Wild Pansy.

Signing off for today - Falcon

Tuesday, September 8, 2009 (DT 25914)

This puzzle was originally published Tuesday, April 28, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

I thought that today's puzzle was highly enjoyable with some quite clever clues. Despite that, it was still one of the easiest puzzles that we've seen in quite a while - and, for once, the Brits seem to agree with my assessment. I completed the puzzle in under an hour (which is very good by my standards) without the use of any puzzle solving aids. It did help somewhat that we had seen an element of one of the clues in yesterday's puzzle. I was left a bit puzzled by the wordplay in a couple of the clues, though.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

draught - archaic a quantity of a liquid with medicinal properties (noun, defn. 3)

gate - Brit. confine (a pupil or student) to school or college (verb)

up - Brit. at college or university (adverb, defn. 9)

Today's Links

I found no questions on AnswerBank discussing today's puzzle.

Gazza's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 25914].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

11a Reportedly outstanding on distinct musical instrument (4,4)

This is one of the clues for which I had reservations about my understanding of the wordplay. It made be feel better to see Gazza say "I don’t think the two words sound very similar!". My rather feeble effort at an explanation had "reportedly outstanding" translating to "Youse sharp", spoken in an American mobster accent.

5d Soporific drug helps eating disorder (8,7)

DRAUGHT appeared in yesterday's puzzle with the same rather obscure meaning. In fact, if you check the link in Today's Glossary (which is the same link that I used yesterday), you will note that the example Oxford uses to illustrate the usage is "sleeping draught".

8d High-quality car on left turns on its side? (5,4)

This is the second clue for which I missed part of the wordplay. I failed to recognize that the "left" can mean "over". I looked for all sorts of connections, such as driving on the left, left-wing politics. And, of course, once I figured out that part of the solution was OVER, I just knew there had to be a cricket reference in there somewhere. Yet another example of overlooking the obvious in a quest for the obscure!

Signing off for today - Falcon

Monday, September 7, 2009 (DT 25913)

This puzzle was originally published Monday, April 27, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

I found it to be yet another quite difficult puzzle today - with the upper right-hand corner being especially troublesome. It took me nearly the whole afternoon using every puzzle solving aid at my disposal to complete this puzzle. I nearly capitulated with one clue remaining, but with one final effort I somehow managed to come up with Cresta - more through intuition than anything else.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

Cresta - skeleton sled run at St. Moritz, Switzerland

gin - a trap (defn. 3)

Open Game - a chess opening, also known as a Double King Pawn Game

streamer - judging by Tilsit's comments on Big Dave's blog, a British term for a bad cold (although I was unable to find it in any reference source)

tiddly - Brit. slightly drunk

tiddly - Brit. tiny

Today's Links

I found one question on AnswerBank discussing today's puzzle. It (together with the clues to which it relates) is:

AnswerBank [DT 25913]-a: 1a, 5d

Tilsit's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 25913].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

10a Obtain promotion to board (3,2)

Having missed the public transit aspect of the clue, I was focused on promotion to a company board. I was torn between "get on" as in "serve on a board" and "get in" as in "join an elite circle".

23a Big run on a famous Swiss bank (6)

Not being a habitué of St. Moritz, I must admit that I am not familiar with the Cresta Run skeleton sled track. It does seem that using "Swiss bank" to signify the Alps is stretching credibility to the limit.

1d It's not right for in-law to embrace divorcee (7)

To solve this clue, one must separate the hyphenated word "in-law" into two separate words (in and law) and then replace the second by a synonym (act). I know that the rule is to generally ignore punctuation marks in the clue, but this is the first time I can recall having to apply that rule to hyphens in the middle of words.

2d Angry as a rodent that is trapped (5)

The construction of this clue is similar to 7d in DT 25912 (published in the National Post this Friday past):

[DT 25912]-7d Show preference for Bible quartet included (6)

In each case, the wordplay takes the form "A B contained" and in each case A is contained in B, rather than the other way around.

14d They may make people cold drinks (8)

I was initially puzzled by Tilsit's hint for draught as "an old word for a potion", in that I had assumed that he was using "potion" as a whimsical way to describe beer, for which draught is far from being an "old term" (both here and in the UK). Further research turned up the fact that draught (noun, defn. 3) is an archaic term for "a quantity of a liquid with medicinal properties" (some of us would like to believe that beer fits this definition!).

17d Yet it's not used for shooting the rapids (5,3)

In a similar vein to Big Dave, I interpreted the "spray" reference in SPRAY GUN to refer to the spray created by rushing water splashing off the rocks and as well as the kayak or canoe attempting to navigate them.

By the way, my first attempt at a solution was RADAR GUN, although I guess it was a poor match to the wordplay in that it is used for shooting the "rapids" (i.e., fast-moving vehicles).

Signing off for today - Falcon

Saturday, September 5, 2009 - Mixed Bag

Introduction

There appears to be no discernible theme to today's puzzle by Cox and Rathvon. I did find some of the wordplay to be a bit tricky to figure out.

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

7d A sin involving a bit of rapacity? (7)

This is almost an &lit. clue, one in which the entire clue is both a definition and a cryptic clue.

As a cryptic clue, it is of the container type - as signalled by the indicator involving.

7d A sin [V^ICE] involving (container indicator) A bit of (first letter of) Rapacity? (7) [A|V(A|R)ICE]

As a definition, the clue may be a bit on the weak side, in that avarice is the sin of rapacity. If we were to define avarice as involving only a bit of rapacity, it would raise the question of what to call a sin involving more than a bit of rapacity.

If not truly an &lit. clue, then it is definitely a cryptic definition with strong &lit. traits.

23d Offhand remarks in Senate picked up by assistants (6)

While one might be tempted to think that the word "in" is an indicator of a container-type clue, that is not the case. Rather, it is a linking word joining the definition ("Offhand remarks") and the wordplay ("Senate picked up by assistants"). Although this is a container-type clue, the indicator of this is the phrase "picked up by".

I used to be troubled by this sort of construction in a clue, where the word "in" essentially expresses equality between the definition and the wordplay and, as such, could be replaced by "is" or "equals". Recognizing that such a substitution would spoil the surface reading, and having encountered this type of wording innumerable times in clues, I have come to expect (and accept) it.

Solution to Today's Puzzle

Legend:	"CD" Cryptic Definition; "DD" Double Definition
	"*" anagram; "~" sounds like; "<" letters reversed
	"( )" letters inserted; "_" letters deleted

Across

1ac PAST|A S|A|LAD

6ac HARP - debut of (first letter of) Hans + ARP

9ac GIRTH* - RIGHT with adjustment

10ac TR|ENCHANT - endlessly (delete last letter of) TRy + ENCHANT

12ac T(I|TAN)IC

13ac MAR|TIN|I

14ac MAR(LOW)E

17ac AVER|T - AVER + start of (first letter of) Truce

19ac CAROM - through (hidden word indicator) RebecCA ROMance

21ac ELECTRA* - stirred TREACLE

24ac IMP|EACH

26ac AMADEUS - a rather weak CD, methinks

28ac PASTE|LIST - here tip means lean, as a ship might do

29ac I|VIED

30ac DIDO - DD

31ac FIB|RE|G|LASS - think in terms of an auto body shop, not a gym

Down

1d PI(GS)TY

2d STR(A|T)UM - STRUM taking (surrounding) A + Teacher's first (first letter)

3d ASHEN - here chicken means cowardly

4d ART|I|CHOKE

5d ABE|AM - Abe: Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the U.S.

7d A|V(A|R)ICE - A + VICE involving (surrounding) A + bit of (first letter of) Rapacity

8d PAT|RIOTS - New England Patriots: National Football League team; pat: completely and perfectly (e.g., have something down pat)

11d CURRANT

15d RAM|PAGE

16d EVE|R AFTER - rafter: river runner

18d SCRIMPED* - chopped MDS PRICE

20d RE(POS)ED

22d A|M(ERIC)A

23d A(S)IDE

25d HEIDI - in (hidden word indicator) tHE IDIot

27d A|WING

Signing off for today - Falcon

Friday, September 4, 2009 (DT 25912)

This puzzle was originally published Saturday, April 25, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

Contrary to the Brits, I found today's puzzle - especially the lower half - to be one of the more difficult in quite some time. I had only solved three or four clues before opening the Tool Chest, and even with the use of the puzzle solving aids found there, it took me quite a long time to complete the puzzle.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

AV - abbrev. Authorized Version: the English translation of the Bible that was first published in 1611 under the direction of King James VI and I; also called King James Bible or King James Version

ratty - Brit. informal bad-tempered and irritable (defn. 4)

Rom - a male Gypsy (entry 2)

Toby Jug - a beer jug or mug in the form of a stout old man wearing a three-cornered hat

TT - abbrev. Tourist Trophy: motorcycle races that are held annually on the Isle of Man

up the spout - Brit. informal useless or ruined or (of a woman) pregnant

Today's Links

This being a Saturday prize puzzle in the UK, there was a lot of chatter on AnswerBank concerning it. I found fourteen questions on AnswerBank discussing today's puzzle. They (together with the clues to which they relate) are:

• AnswerBank [DT 25912]-a: 26ac
• AnswerBank [DT 25912]-b: 4d, 19d
• AnswerBank [DT 25912]-c: 4d
• AnswerBank [DT 25912]-d: 16ac, 13d
• AnswerBank [DT 25912]-e: 16ac, 20ac, 27ac, 7d, 21d
• AnswerBank [DT 25912]-f: 27ac, 21d
• AnswerBank [DT 25912]-g: 5d
• AnswerBank [DT 25912]-h: 9ac, 6d, 20d
• AnswerBank [DT 25912]-i: 14ac
• AnswerBank [DT 25912]-j: 17ac, 22ac, 17d, 20d
• AnswerBank [DT 25912]-k: 5d
• AnswerBank [DT 25912]-l: 12ac, 14ac, 4d
• AnswerBank [DT 25912]-m: 17ac
• AnswerBank [DT 25912]-n: 29ac, 3d, 15d

Big Dave's date-of-publication hints for today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 25912]-Hints and Peter Biddlecombe's post-submission-date review at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 25912]-Review.

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

14ac Can, in a way, be one's allotted task (5)

Peter Biddlecombe takes minor issue with the inclusion of "be" in this clue ("... 'be' is surface padding which does nothing in the cryptic reading ..."), although this aspect of the clue presented me with no difficulty. I interpreted it as merely a linking word expressing equality between the two elements of the clue, similar to the commonly seen use of a word such as "is" (which, after all, is just third person singular of "to be").

7d Show preference for Bible quartet included (6)

Like Big Dave, my initial take on this clue was that it called for "quartet" to be included within "Bible". That is, I assumed the meaning was "Bible (with) quartet included". However, the reverse is actually true - "Bible" is included within "quartet". That is, the proper interpretation is "Bible (that) quartet included (within itself)". Nevertheless, I do tend to agree with Big Dave - the construction, if not bad, is certainly awkward.

Signing off for today - Falcon

Thursday, September 3, 2009 (DT 25911)

This puzzle was originally published Friday, April 24, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

I got off to a very good start on today's puzzle, solving two thirds of the clues without assistance. However, the final third of the clues required extensive use of the crossword solving aids in my Tool Chest. Taking pride in having figured out an obscure (to me) cricket reference, I was disappointed when I was forced to throw in the towel with one clue left unsolved - later finding out that I had been undone by a bit of British slang.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

busy - slang a policeman, a detective

leg (also leg side) - cricket the side of the field that is to the left of a right-handed batsman or to the right of a left-handed batsman (noun, defn. 7)

on - cricket on the side of the field towards which the bat is facing, usually the batsman's left and the bowler's right (presumably, a right-handed batsman is assumed in this definition)

OS - Brit. (as a size of clothing) outsize (defn. 4)

rum - Brit. colloq. strange; odd; bizarre (entry 2)

U - abbrev. Universal: a film rating issued by the British Board of Film Classification indicating "all ages admitted", thus "allowing anyone to see" the film.

U - abbrev. upper class (English), thus superior

up - Brit. formal to or at university (adverb, defn. 9)

Today's Links

I found two questions on AnswerBank discussing today's puzzle. They (together with the clues to which they relate) are:

AnswerBank [DT 25911]-a: 20ac, 26ac, 22d

AnswerBank [DT 25911]-b: 20ac

AnswerBank seems to have made changes to their search engine, and I spent some time experimenting with it to figure out how it works. It would appear that the new engine treats commas as a distinct character whereas the old engine ignored them.

Libellule's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 25911].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

5ac Interruption affected us badly, adult admitted (6)

In this clue, "badly" would seem to signal an anagram; however, there is no anagram present. My original reading of the clue was "affected us" being replaced by "HIT US" around (admitted) A (adult) to give HIATUS. That would seem to make "badly" a totally superfluous element in the clue. However, I presume the setter intended "affected us badly" to be replaced by "hit us", where "badly" signifies "negatively".

14ac Animal burrowed with leg at front of garden (6)

While it was not too difficult to determine the solution to this clue from the checking letters, understanding the wordplay was another matter. Suspecting that there might be a cricket reference here, I eventually tracked it down. Both "leg" and "on" are terms used to identify the side of a cricket field to the left of a right-handed batsman (and, presumably, to the right of a left-handed batsman).

20ac Busy person who manages to keep quiet (6)

This clue was my undoing. I had no idea that "busy" was slang for a policeman. The term does not appear in any of my regular reference sources, but I did find it in a dictionary of slang (see Today's Glossary). While this source does not identify it as a British term, a sidebar listing Slang Terms for the Police on the Cop Shows site says bizzies is a "Common Liverpool slang term for the police, it was invented as the police were always too 'busy' to help". I did feel somewhat better seeing that the Brits also appeared to have trouble with this slang term.

I did recognize that "quiet" indicated P (piano). However, I surmised that I was looking for a word meaning "busy" (but, of course, having a different meaning than the one that the setter had in mind) that was made up of a word meaning "person" around ("who manages to keep") P. In reality, I should have been looking for a word meaning "busy" that was made up of a word meaning "person who manages" around (to keep) P. The search was made more difficult by the fact that there were over 300 possible solutions based on the checking letters.

Signing off for today - Falcon

Wednesday, September 2, 2009 (DT 25910)

This puzzle was originally published Thursday, April 23, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

I thought that today's puzzle was a reasonable challenge - not terribly difficult but just difficult enough to give one a sense of satisfaction to have succeeded in solving it. Nevertheless, the Brits seem to have found it exceptionally easy for the most part.

I swear that I detected strains of music in the salt air, with 4d, 7d, and 16d having a musical theme and 11ac, 18ac and 15d displaying a nautical flavour.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

Auntie - Brit. informal the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Today's Links

I found no questions on AnswerBank discussing today's puzzle.

Gazza's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 25910].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

21ac A tyrant needs to look after the lower socio-economic groups (6)

Luckily the solution to this clue was fairly obvious without needing a knowledge of socio-economic theory. In fact, a rather cursory search turned up information on a fair number of socio-economic class models - none of them having an A, B, C, D, E structure.

14d Policeman gets errant criminal as colleague (9)

Since most dictionaries seem to define "copartner" as "partner", the first syllable would almost appear to be redundant. It is sort of like saying "an expectant pregnant woman".

Signing off for today - Falcon