Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Wednesday, December 9, 2009 (DT 26009)

This puzzle was originally published Monday, August 17, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

The National Post has skipped DT 26008 published Saturday, August 15, 2009 in the Daily Telegraph

Introduction

Today Ottawa is experiencing its first major snowfall of the winter. Having risen late this morning and spending the morning at the gym and the early part of the afternoon clearing the snow from my driveway, it was mid-afternoon before I had a chance to tackle the puzzle. Luckily, it was not too difficult and I completed it in a very respectable time.

Today's Glossary

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

E-boat - noun a German torpedo boat used in the Second World War.

MB - abbreviation 1 Medicinae Baccalaureus (Latin), Bachelor of Medicine.

slip - noun 10 cricket a one of three fielders (first slip, second slip and third slip) standing near to and roughly in line with the wicket-keeper on the on side; b (often slips) this fielding position.

sneak - verb 3 Brit. informal inform someone in authority of a person’s misdeeds.

trooper - noun 2 chiefly Brit. a ship used for transporting troops.

Whit - noun Whitsun or Whitsuntide, in the Christian church: the week beginning with Whit Sunday, particularly the first three days.

Whitstable - a seaside town in Kent, England, famous for its oysters

Today's Links

Gazza's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 26009].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

6d It takes pluck to remove it (6)

As it turns out, the solution is not FEATHER. However, taking into consideration Gazza's reservations about the real solution, it just might be a better fit.

19a Go quietly to spill the beans (5)

Working on the assumption that "spill" must be an anagram indicator led me astray on the wordplay. Despite this, as well as the fact that the British slang meaning of sneak was totally unknown to me, I still managed to find the correct solution from the definition and checking letters.

Signing off for today - Falcon

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