Friday, November 27, 2009 (DT 25999)

This puzzle was originally published Wednesday, August 5, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

The puzzle today was a fair bit easier than some that we have seen recently - but quite enjoyable to do, just the same.

Today's Glossary

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

garden - Brit. a piece of ground adjoining a house, typically cultivated to provide a lawn and flowerbeds (known in North America as a yard)

TA - abbrev. Territorial Army: British volunteer force

Today's Links

Big Dave's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 25999].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

10a I retain control through lack of any motion (7)

In popular usage inertia is used to mean "lack of any motion". However, to a scientist it has a different meaning, where inertia is "[t]he resistance of a body to changes in its momentum. Because of inertia, a body at rest remains at rest, and a body in motion continues moving in a straight line and at a constant speed, unless a force is applied to it." So, to a scientist, inertia is not a lack of motion, but resistance to a change in motion.

2d An easy win makes you cross (4,4)

Incorrectly choosing PUSH OVER disrupted my progress in the northwest quadrant for a while. I should have known better, as pushover is a single word, is it not - but then again, Oxford shows walkover as a single word.

15d Priority for coppers admitting breaking creed (10)

Either PREFERENCE or PRECEDENCE matches the definition and the checking letters. However, only one satisfies the wordplay.

16d Standard by which to judge American garden staff (9)

The wording of this clue puzzled me, and I was even more confused when I found that Chambers defined yard as "noun 3 N Amer a garden". I thought to myself, "There is no way that a yard is the same thing as a garden". Things eventually became clear when I discovered that what we in North America call a yard, the British would apparently call a garden. For the benefit of British readers, in the context of a North American home, the term garden is generally applied to an area of land specifically used to grow flowers or vegetables - and typically would not include the lawn. A yard is "noun 1. the ground that immediately adjoins or surrounds a house, public building, or other structure", and may consist of the lawn, the garden and even the driveway.

Signing off for today - Falcon