Thursday, November 5, 2009 (DT 25977)

This puzzle was originally published Friday, July 10, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

Libellule's opinion of today's puzzle might well have come from Goldilocks herself - "Not too difficult, but not too easy either". And I would like to second that opinion.

Today's Glossary

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

barking - Brit. completely mad

Barking - a town in Essex, England

bolshy - (adjective, defn. 1) Brit. bad-tempered and unco-operative; difficult or rebellious

git - Brit. an unpleasant or contemptible person

moggy - Brit. a cat, especially an ordinary domestic cat of mixed breeding

tent - (Collins English Dictionary, entry 3) Obsolete a red table wine from Alicante, Spain

Today's Links

Libellule's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 25977].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

26a Old wine goes into dish for powerful ruler (9)

Perhaps I gave up too easily, but I must admit that I didn't manage to figure out the wordplay for this clue - despite having come up with the correct solution. I had no idea that "tent" is an obsolete term for a red Spanish wine and I seem to have got so fixated on a dish being a bowl or plate or some other piece of tableware, I completely failed to consider that it might be an item of food.

28a Mad place in Essex (7)

I nearly went mad tracking down this town. From the checking letters and definition, I thought that the answer might be Barking, but several sources that I consulted placed that community in London, with no mention of Essex. A list of places in Essex found on Wikipedia did not include Barking, but did list Barling. However, I could see no rationale for the wordplay for the latter. I then found a reference that stated that part of Essex falls within the boundaries of Greater London, which suggested that I may have originally been on the right track. Finally, I found a reference in the Encyclopedia Britannica of 1911 that definitively placed Barking in Essex.
3d Being put on committee over period of time, wasn't bolshy (10)

Finding the correct solution here was easier than understanding the wordplay. The clue uses a definition of co-opt that is new to me, although it is the only definition found in Chambers ("said of the members of a body, etc: to elect an additional member, by the votes of the existing ones"). Oxford, in addition to this meaning ("appoint to membership of a committee or other body by invitation of the existing members"), also includes two additional meanings ("divert to a role different from the usual or original one" and "adopt (an idea or policy) for one’s own use"), these being the meanings with which I am familiar.

25d University? You must allow entrance to a learner (4)

The university in question is American, not British, being Yale. The wordplay is YE (you) must allow entrance (containing) A L (learner). The use of L for learner is commonly found in cryptic crosswords and derives from the learner plates (see image) that must be affixed to vehicles driven by learners (beginner drivers) in Britain. Similar requirements are also in force in many other jurisdictions around the world.

Signing off for today - Falcon