Thursday, October 22, 2009 (DT 25948)

This puzzle was originally published Saturday, June 6, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

Typical of Saturday prize puzzles, this one was not overly difficult - but it did include some cryptic definitions that I found rather appealing. I liked 5d and especially 14a and 12d.

Today's Glossary

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

bumper - (noun, defn. 3) archaic a large glass of an alcoholic drink

steward - (noun, defn. 5) a senior official who monitors a horse race and who has to adjudicate on photo-finishes, enquiries, etc.

Today's Links

Big Dave's date-of-publication hints for today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 25948]-hints and Peter Biddlecombe's post-submission-date review at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 25948]-review.

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

9a Bar drink (6)

I was surprised to see "bumper" defined in Chambers as "Brit a bar on the front or back of a motor vehicle ...". This term is certainly not peculiar to Britain and is also the term used in North America for this part of an automobile.

3d Enquiry agent of course (7)

An agent is a STEWARD, but until I saw Big Dave's hint I could not figure out the rest the wordplay. As it turns out, this is a cryptic definition for the "agent who handles enquiries at a racetrack (course)", who is known as a steward.

Signing off for today - Falcon