Saturday, January 30, 2010 - Sounds Right To Me

Introduction

While it may sound like there is more than one right answer in today's puzzle by Cox and Rathvon, you will see that there is really only one.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle (including ones that may be new to visitors from outside North America)

English - 6. Sports (sometimes lower case) a. a spinning motion imparted to a ball, esp. in billiards

phat - hip-hop slang meaning great, excellent, first-rate, terrific, superb

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

17a Taking hour, change cockpit instrument (9)

My first thought was that hour is strictly only an example of TIME (as a duration), and therefore that the clue might have been better worded as "Taking perhaps an hour, change cockpit instrument". However, I then realized that TIME can mean hour, as in the query "What time is it?" which is equivalent to asking "What is the hour?".

26d Cool selection of top hats (4)

Phat is hip-hop slang denoting excellence. The Online Etymology Dictionary has the following to say about the word: "hip-hop slang, "great, excellent," 1992, originating perhaps in the late 1980s and meaning at first "sexiness in a woman." The word itself is presumably a variant of fat (q.v.) in one of its slang senses, with the kind of off-beat spelling preferred in street slang (cf. boyz). The spelling is attested as far back as 1678, as an erroneous form of fat (a classical over-correction; see -ph-). This spelling is said by some to be an acronym, but various versions are given: "pretty hot and tasty," or "pretty hips and thighs" among them. These, too may have been innovations given as explanations to women who felt insulted by the word."

Solution to Today's Puzzle

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

Across

1a {SACRED RITE}* - anagram (busted) of SECRET RAID

6a P(L)UG - PUG (boxer) contains (swallows) L (large); pug: a pugilist, not a dog

10a CHAP|AT|I - CHAP (bloke) AT I (Roman numeral for one); chapati: (in Indian cookery) a flat coarse unleavened bread resembling a pancake

11a PIC|AS|SO - PIC (picture) AS (like) SO; Pablo Picasso: Spanish painter, draughtsman and sculptor

12a C|AROUSER - C (cocktail's first [letter]) AROUSER (stirrer)

13a A|BOUT - A BOUT (ring engagement; i.e., a boxing or wrestling match)

15a TOLLS - double definition

17a AL(TIME)TER - ALTER (change) containing (taking) TIME (hour)

19a G(A|RIBALD)I - GI containing (captures) A RIBALD (vulgar); Guiseppe Garibaldi: Italian military and political figure

21a DEB(U)T - U (university) contained in (in) DEBT (financial trouble)

23a R|OVER - R (right) OVER (above):Rover: common name for a dog

24a JO|KINGLY - JO (Meg's sister) KINGLY (regal); sisters Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy March are the principal characters in Louisa May Alcott's novel Little Women

27a _GE_|LATIN - LATIN following (after) GE (middle [letters of] aGEs)

28a ENGLISH* - anagram (all around) of SHINGLE

29a TIDE~ - sounds like (from the sound of it) TIED (even)

30a CARTWRIGHT* - R (run) contained in (into) anagram (revised) of WHIG TRACT

Down

1d SACK - double definition, "item for carrying" and "fire, as in dismiss from employment"

2d C(HAG)ALL - HAG (crone) contained in (breaking into) CALL (song, as that of a bird)

3d ERA|TO - ERA (significant period) TO; Erato: muse of lyric poetry, especially love and erotic poetry

4d REIN|STALL - REIN (equestrian control) preceding (before) STALL (delay)

5d TAPER - double definition

7d LA|SH OUT - LA (the Spanish; i.e., Spanish word meaning "the") SHOUT (yell)

8d {GHOST WRITE}* - anagram (when dancing) of WORE TIGHTS

9d S|CRAMMED - S (sardines initially; i.e., first letter of sardines) CRAMMED (packed)

14d {STAGE RIGHT}* - anagram (changing) of GREAT SIGHT

16d SYBARITE* - anagram (weird) of BESTIARY

18d T(RICKI)EST - TEST (exam) containing (catches) RICKI (Ms. Lake); Ricki Lake: American actress and television talk show host

20d R(EVIL)ED - EVIL (like Satan) contained in (dressed in) RED

22d BALLING~ - sounds like (out loud) BAWLING (crying)

24d JUNTA* - anagram (odd) of JAUNT

25d NIGER* - anagram (crooked) of REIGN

26d _P|HAT_ - hidden in (selection of) toP HATs

Signing off for today - Falcon

Friday, January 29, 2010 (DT 26058)

This puzzle was originally published Tuesday, October 13, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

If today's puzzle were a hole on a golf course, I think it would be a moderately easy straightaway par four, with very few hazards to catch one's ball.

Today's Glossary

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

copper - noun 2 Brit. coins of low value made of copper or bronze.

deal - noun fir or pine wood (as a building material).

mega - adjective informal 1 very large. 2 excellent.

penny - noun (pl. pennies (for separate coins); pence (for a sum of money)) 1 a British bronze coin worth one hundredth of a pound. 2 a former British coin worth one twelfth of a shilling and 240th of a pound. 3 N. Amer. informal a one-cent coin.

Today's Links

Gazza's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 26058].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

1a Coppers accepting a new punishment (7)

A copper is a penny (British coin). According to Oxford (see definitions Today's Glossary), it would seem that the proper term for two coppers would be two pennies (which would have a value of two pence). However, let's not split hairs - the setter clearly intends for us to see coppers as pence.

Canada and the U.S. (as well as other countries) each have a coin that is popularly (if unofficially) known as the penny. According to Wikipedia, the official name for the U.S. penny is cent (U.S. Mint) or one-cent piece (U.S. Treasury) and the official name for the Canadian penny is one-cent piece (Royal Canadian Mint).

Canada used British currency prior to introducing its own in the mid-nineteenth century. Apparently Canada originally had both a one-cent piece and a two-cent piece. The value of the former was equivalent to a British half-penny, and the latter was worth the same as a British penny. Likely due to this equivalence in value, the Canadian two-cent piece was known as a penny. When the two-cent piece was discontinued, the name penny became applied to the one-cent piece. This may have, at least in part, been due to influence from south of the border where the U.S. one-cent piece was popularly known as the penny.

I know from stories that I heard my mother tell that British currency continued to circulate in Canada side-by-side with Canadian currency well into the twentieth century. In particular, she spoke of a store-keeper who was notorious for cheating kids who bought candy at his establishment - he would give them only one-cents worth of candy for a British penny despite the fact that the coin was worth two-cents. Long gone are the days when a penny could buy something of value.

16a Small talk on journalist's spread (9)

Gazza doesn't like the use of "on" in this clue, commenting "On, as a directive, should really only be used in a down clue." This is probably based on a feeling that on means on top of. However, one does often see this construction in an across clue, and I think that one might make a case that a part can be added on the side of something just as well as on the top of something (e.g., a holster on my hip).

After writing the above, I see that the subject of "on" in across clues is discussed on Big Dave's Blog (including a couple of contributions from Anax, himself a setter of cryptic crosswords, although he is not the compiler of today's puzzle). That discussion revolves around "on" (and other similar words) as used in British place names.

5d Excellent compiler with good answer (4)

The setter of today's puzzle appears to blow his own horn in this clue. The compiler is the setter of the puzzle, and he is referring to himself in the first person (ME) followed by (with) G (good) A (answer).

It would appear that mega may be used as a standalone expression meaning either very large or excellent in Britain. I might well use it in the former sense but generally only as a prefix.

18d Where deal may be cut? (8)

I initially thought the answer to this cryptic definition might be sawmills. I was on the right track, but the answer turned out to be SAWHORSE.

In Britain, deal means "fir or pine wood (as a building material)" or, presumably, what we in North America would call lumber. In Britain, lumber has a totally different meaning, being "disused articles of furniture that inconveniently take up space".

I can just imagine the image that might be conjured up in the mind of a Brit upon hearing a North American say "I built my house out of lumber".

Signing off for today - Falcon

Thursday, January 28, 2010 (DT 26057)

This puzzle was originally published Monday, October 12, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

The National Post has skipped DT 26056 which was published on Saturday, October 10, 2009 in the Daily Telegraph

Introduction

Expecting to find the usual gentle Monday puzzle (based on the day it appeared in the U.K.), I was surprised to find a rather more difficult one than usual - a view to which the Brits even seem to subscribe. Not only did it have the dreaded grid with the over-abundance of four-letter words, but it had some challenging (though very clever and quite enjoyable) wordplay - not to mention being full of cricket jargon.

Behind the Scenes at the Cryptic Crossword Shop

If you have ever wondered how a cryptic crossword is created, you may be interested in reading an article by Anax (a setter of puzzles for The Times and The Independent - two well-known British newspapers) entitled Actually Setting: The anatomy of a crossword which accompanied the review of today's puzzle on Big Dave's site.

Today's Glossary

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

jellied eels - traditional English dish

knock for six - phrase Brit. informal utterly surprise

over - noun cricket 1 a series of six (or formerly in Australia eight) balls bowled by the same bowler from the same end of the pitch

reebok (alternative spelling of rhebok) - noun a small South African antelope with a brownish-grey coat, a long slender neck, and short straight horns.

slur - noun 3 Music a curved line indicating that notes are to be slurred

wicket - noun 1 cricket a a row of three small wooden posts stuck upright in the ground behind either crease; b the playing area between these; c a batsman's stand at the wicket; d a batsman's dismissal by the bowler • 45 runs for two wickets. 2 (in full wicket gate or wicket door) a small door or gate, especially one that can open separately within a large door or gate.

zero-rate - verb Chiefly British To exempt from paying a value-added tax.

Today's Links

Big Dave's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 26057].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

12a Gates - secured by catches? (7)

I feel like my knowledge of cricket terms took a quantum leap today (I won't say understanding, as knowledge and understanding are not necessarily the same thing).

When I read Big Dave's review of this clue, at first it appeared to make no sense. I knew that wickets are the three posts topped by a bail (or, as I was to discover from Oxford, actually two bails) at either end of the pitch. Through doing a bit of research prompted by Big Dave's remarks, I find out that the playing area between the wickets is also called a wicket, as is a batsman's stand at the wicket, not to mention a batman's dismissal by the bowler. So it seems a batsman could incur a wicket (be dismissed by a bowler) while in his wicket (stance, I presume) in front of the wicket (the stumps and bails) at one end of the wicket (the pitch). I do hope the Brits will be understanding and forgive me if I have screwed this up terribly. This terminology could easily drive one silly - but more on that latter (see commentary on 5d).

I also learned that the pitch is not the entire cricket field but merely the area between the wickets (in other words, the wicket). Knowing that the wicket is the pitch, suddenly the expression sticky wicket begins to make sense. I had always supposed this referred to the stumps and bails, perhaps ones that were difficult for some reason to knock down. Rather, it is "a pitch that has been drying after rain and is difficult to bat on".

Therefore, in a straightforward reading of this clue, gates are WICKETS which may be secured (held closed) by catches. However, there is also an underlying reading based on cricket terminology, in which WICKETS are dismissals which may be secured (obtained) by catches (a fielder catching a batted ball).

19a Frozen like eels, say? (5)

Although Big Dave thinks this is "the best homophone in a long time!", it may be one of those "sounds like" clues that works better for some than for others. The setter intends the solver to recognize that gelid (frozen) sounds like jellied (arising from the English dish jellied eels).

It would seem that each of these words is pronounced differently on opposite sides of the Atlantic (you can find both the American and British pronunciations for these words at the links given above). Based on these sound references (sound as in audible rather than correct), the American pronunciation of gelid is "gel-id" (two distinct syllables with a short i) while the British pronunciation sounds more like "jide" (a single syllable with a long i). On the other hand, the American pronunciation of jellied is "jel-leed" (the ie being pronounced as a long e), while the British pronunciation would appear to be "jel-led" (with the ie being pronounced as a short e).

Ironically, from these samples, it would seem to my ear that the best audible match occurs between the American pronunciation of gelid and the British pronunciation of jellied.

Judging by the comments on Big Dave's blog, even the Brits (with their broad range of regional dialects) were divided on how well this clue works - so I wouldn't be surprised to see a comment from the U.K. saying that they don't really talk that way at all.

21a Decorations gained by irregular force's squadron leader (7)

Having ?????OS as a partial solution based on checking letters, and thinking that "irregular force" might be the Territorial Army (TA), I considered for a time that the solution might be TATTOOS. However, that theory was shot down once I had solved 12d.

24a Publicly announced as having no added tax (6)

An item that is exempt from VAT is said to be zero-rated. Since a zero looks like the letter O, we get O RATED.

A value added tax is a taxation system that goes by different names in various jurisdictions around the world. In Canada, both the GST (Goods and Services Tax) and HST (Harmonized Sales Tax) are examples of value added taxes, while the PST (Provincial Sales Tax) is not. The value added tax imposed in the U.K. is known simply by its generic name, usually abbreviated to VAT.

5d He doesn't go out with his mates (4)

As it was for many of the Brits today, this was the last clue to be solved (and yes, it is a four-letter word). My first thought was that it might refer to a cricket player, someone who (like a designated hitter in baseball) doesn't take the field when his team is not batting. A search to validate that idea proved fruitless, although in the course of my search I did learn what a silly point is (but back to that latter).

My next thought was that the answer might be STAG. However, that didn't work very well. In Britain, mates refers to one's male friends, so a guy might very well be out stag with them. If mate is interpreted as spouse, then since the word is used in the plural, our protagonist would need to be a polygamist.

Finally, I clued into the fact that we are dealing with buddies who adopt different approaches to deal with a labour situation.

By the way, a silly point is a fielder who "stands unusually close to the batsman". I'm not sure if silly alludes to the fact that a reasonable person would deem it silly to stand in such an exposed position or is a reference to the player's mental state after having been beaned by the ball. In addition to the silly point, there are various other silly positions in cricket (how fitting).

8d Supporters with lots of hard facts (5,5)

I am ashamed to admit that I failed to detect a key bit of wordplay here. I thought that "supporters" in this clue was literally referring to BRASS TACKS which might be used to pin up (support) a poster, for example. It seems that somehow I failed to see BRAS (supporters) on STACKS (lots). Some may find it to be a rather appropriate clue, since a woman who benefits greatly from such a garment is often described as stacked.

Signing off for today - Falcon

Wednesday, January 27, 2010 (DT 26055)

This puzzle was originally published Friday, October 9, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

I found the puzzle to have split personalities today, clearly delineated by a diagonal line drawn from the top left corner to the bottom right corner. I completed virtually all of that part of the puzzle lying above this line fairly readily. However, completing the part below the line was like pulling teeth. I completed the puzzle with one incorrect solution (27a) and with three or four clues for which I had only a partial understanding of the wordplay.

Today's Glossary

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

all but - ... very nearly ... • He all but drowned.

duck's arse (in North America, duck's ass, and - in either case - abbreviated DA) - noun informal a man’s hairstyle in which the hair is slicked back on both sides and tapered at the nape [I must say that I don't remember ever having heard it called this. To me, it was a ducktail.]

retail therapy - noun Jocular the action of shopping for clothes, etc. in order to cheer oneself up

tranny - noun informal 1 chiefly Brit. a transistor radio 2 a transvestite

Today's Links

Gazza's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 26055].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

11a Salt a runner used in run? (9)

While this clue seemed to give many of the Brits difficulty, I solved it quite handily. It did, on a couple of counts, give rise to a lot of discussion on Big Dave's blog. The first had to do with cycle meaning run. To my mind, a run can be a series, and a cycle is one repetition (run) of a repeating series.

The other question arose from a lack of familiarity on the part of many writers with the term cyclamate. Growing up in a home with a diabetic father, I was well aware of the existence of artificial sweeteners. In the sixties, as I recall, the two leading types were cyclamate and saccharin. Since then, additional options have appeared on the market.

The U.S. banned cyclamate in 1969 over claims (apparently now refuted) that it causes cancer. Wikipedia reports,"Although the FDA has stated that a review of all available evidence does not implicate cyclamate as a carcinogen in mice or rats, cyclamate remains banned from food products in the United States." Through some strange twist, artificial sweeteners that are formulated with saccharin in the U.S. (where cyclamate is banned) are formulated with cyclamate in Canada (where saccharin is banned to all but diabetics). The problem would apparently occur not from ingesting one or the other of these substances but from ingesting a mixture of the two. It appears that one country has chosen to ban the first, while the other country has banned the second. It would seem that the only ones at risk are those who regularly cross the border, thereby (unknowingly?) ingesting both. At the time of the cyclamate cancer scare in the sixties and seventies, I seem to recall that the labels of products such as diet soft drinks would prominently proclaim "Contains no cyclamates".

27a God dressed like a tranny, all but (5)

Auto buffs may think that the reference is to a transmission, but it really is to a transvestite. However, it seems that the Brits may have envisioned a transister radio. A rather limited knowledge of Indian deities also proved to be a handicap for me here.

The use of "all but" in this stand-alone fashion seems a bit questionable. Chambers clearly shows it is to be used in the middle of a phrase such as "He all but drowned".

3d Spent time in place, struggled to get around it (7)
Well said! I certainly spent time on this clue and struggled to get my mind around the wordplay. My problem was that I incorrectly thought the solution was of the form VIS(IT)ED, rather than VI(SIT)ED where, had I been correct, the "it" in the clue would be the contents in this container-type clue.

5d Artist arrived in front of audience, being filmed (2,6)

Like Gazza, I was puzzled by the lack of instructions for ordering the elements in what appears to be a charade-type clue, that would seem to parse as:

RA (artist) CAME (arrived) ON (in front of audience) /\ ON CAMERA (being filmed)

However, a visitor to Big Dave's site suggests that this may not be a charade-type clue at all (or, if it is, that it doesn't parse as I have shown above). Rather, one must perform a phrasal substitution, where:

"Artist arrived in front of audience" = "On came the artist" = ON CAME RA (Royal Academician)

Signing off for today - Falcon

Tuesday, January 26, 2010 (DT 26054)

This puzzle was originally published Thursday, October 8, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

A fairly easy puzzle today, but still quite an enjoyable one. It definitely provided a much needed respite allowing the mental muscles to recover from yesterday's strenuous workout.

Today's Glossary

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

estate car - noun Brit. a car incorporating a large carrying area behind the seats and an extra door at the rear [a station wagon to North Americans]

Today's Links

Gazza's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 26054].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

1d Swindles tearaways? (3-4)

I did not find tearaway listed as a noun in any of the sources that I consulted, but did find it as an adjective at Infoplease meaning "designed to be easily separated or opened by tearing: a box with a tearaway seal". I guess it wouldn't be the first adjective to undergo conversion to a noun.

There may be some misdirection in the wordplay that is not obvious to North Americans. In the U.K., tearaway can mean "a person who behaves in a wild or reckless manner".

5d A tar containing a measure of acidity? (7)

This clue would appear to be either an & lit. (all-in-one) clue or, more likely, a partial & lit. clue. The solution is ASPHALT. If one considers the definition to be the entire clue, then it would be a true & lit. clue. However, I see little justification for doing so. If the definition is merely tar, it would seem to be a partial & lit. clue.

The wordplay (which uses the entire clue) is:

A SALT (tar) containing PH (a measure of acidity)

There was much discussion at Big Dave's site concerning scientific inaccuracies in crossword puzzles arising from the faulty definition for toluene in 25a. There may also be a bit of a scientific inaccuracy in this clue; however, it is mitigated by the fact that this usage is not only fairly widespread in common parlance but is found in Chambers.

Are tar and asphalt the same thing? While the terms are probably used rather interchangeably in non-scientific circles, it would seem according to most sources (and I stand to be corrected on this point by a competent chemist) that tar comes from the distillation of wood or coal (in which case it is more fully known as coal tar) while asphalt comes from petroleum distillation (and can also occur naturally).

For instance, Collins defines tar as "any of various dark viscid substances obtained by the destructive distillation of organic matter such as coal, wood, or peat" and asphalt as "any of several black semisolid substances composed of bitumen and inert mineral matter. They occur naturally in parts of America and as a residue from petroleum distillation: used as a waterproofing material and in paints, dielectrics, and fungicides" and, as a second definition, "a mixture of this substance with gravel, used in road-surfacing and roofing materials". At the cited sites, you can also see very similar definitions from the American Heritage dictionary.

The lone contrarian voice (among the several sources that I consulted) on this question seems to be Chambers which defines tar as "a dark sticky pungent liquid obtained by distillation of coal or wood, or by petroleum-refining, which is used in road construction, as a wood preservative and also as a component of some antiseptics". Wikipedia, on the other hand, clearly makes a distinction between the two substances, stating "Asphalt or bitumen can sometimes be confused with tar, which is a similar black thermo-plastic material produced by the destructive distillation of coal".

Since Chambers is regarded as the Bible for the DT cryptic crossword, the clue seemingly passes muster. However, as in this case, I sometimes find definitions in Chambers that seem to be at variance to those in other reference sources.

Signing off for today - Falcon

Monday, January 25, 2010 (DT 26053)

This puzzle was originally published Wednesday, October 7, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

I knew it was going to be a bad day as soon as I saw today's grid - sporting more than its share of four-letter words. I threw in the towel, having penciled in one very unlikely possibility at 10a and without having any candidate whatsoever for the slot at 2d. And to top it off, I was to find out that I had overlooked an unsolved clue.

I had even cheated inadvertently at 6a, as I had taken an early peek at Big Dave's site for guidance on 14d and couldn't help but see Tilsit's intro dealing with the controversy concerning 6a.

Today's Glossary

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

brown bread - Cockney rhyming slang for dead (Ref: Tilsit's review at Big Dave's blog)

Chase the Ace - a card game

earner - noun 2 slang an easy and sometimes dishonest way of making money.

Jack the Lad - noun informal a brash, cocky young man (ORIGIN nickname of Jack Sheppard, 18th-century thief)

nous - noun 1 Brit. informal practical intelligence

public school - noun 1 (in the UK) a private fee-paying secondary school. 2 (chiefly in North America) a school supported by public funds.

tout - noun (also ticket tout) Brit. a person who buys up tickets for an event to resell them at a profit

Today's Links

Tilsit's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 26053].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

6a Victim was The Third Man (4)

According to Big Dave's blog, this clue originally appeared in the U.K. as:

6a His victim was The Third Man (4)

which had Cain and Abel reversing their roles in this Biblical drama. Judging by the chatter at Big Dave's site, the error was corrected on the Daily Telegraph's online site at some time during the day of publication (although the puzzle presumably was incorrect in the print edition). Amazingly enough, the error has also been corrected in the syndicated version, which is the first time that I can recall seeing that happen.

9a Perhaps between 3 and 7 years old represented thus ... (3-7)

It is an interesting coincidence, but only yesterday the Ottawa Citizen published a Sunday London Times cryptic crossword puzzle containing a clue with a leading ellipsis (see here for my review) and today we get in the National Post a Daily Telegraph puzzle with a trailing ellipsis.

On several occasions, I have encountered puzzles with paired ellipses (one at the end of one clue and the other at the start of the following clue) which indicate that the two clues are linked in some manner (I believe this device generally, if not always, indicates that the wordplay encompasses both clues).

In the Sunday London Times puzzle yesterday, the leading ellipsis was used to show that the clue number was part of the clue. The clue was:

• 4 ... am ill with child? (7,8)

which is to be read as "4 a.m., ill with child", a cryptic definition for MORNING SICKNESS ("4 a.m." being a clue to morning and "ill with child" suggesting sickness during pregnancy).

In today's puzzle, the trailing ellipsis is used to show that the numeration is being incorporated into the clue. Thus the clue is to be read as "Perhaps between 3 and 7 years old represented thus: (3-7)". The solution is AGE-BRACKET, shown by the range "3-7" with the additional clue of it being enclosed in parentheses (a type of bracket).

10a Like the onset of WW2 intelligence (4)

NOUS is a British term for intelligence (not of the military kind). After discovering from Tilsit's review that this is the solution, I had a very dim recollection of having seen this term in a crossword at some time in the distant past. However, it certainly didn't pop to mind today. Tilsit explains the wordplay well in his review. In a desperate last-gasp attempt, I had made an extremely feeble stab at an answer with TOPS (the first few letters of Top Secret).

15a Where you might find 5 under control (2,4)

In this clue, the numeral 5 is a cross reference to the solution to 5d (which is THE ACE). You might find "the ace" IN HAND which can also mean under control. There may also be a reference here to card games (e.g., bridge), since a player is said to control a suit when holding the outstanding high card in that suit.

16a Source of shady income for only the middle-class? (6)

Although I totally missed the wordplay here, I did get the correct solution (mainly from the checking letters and the "source of ... income" definition). Not being cognizant of the British slang term earner (an easy and sometimes dishonest way of making money), the presence of the word shady was a complete mystery to me. I also missed the middle-class (middle of lEARNERs) wordplay.

21a Vulgar one ain't from a public school! (7)

Just remember that a public school in Britain would be called a private school in North America!

2d Look - is this a wind-up? (4)

I obviously threw in the towel too early, as it is extremely embarrassing not to have found the solution to this clue. I guess I exhausted myself on 10a and had no fight left to tackle this clue (pardon the pun). As a result, the setter was easily able to reel me in.

4d Miracle taxman OK to fiddle! (11,4)

There is a rule for solving cryptic crossword puzzles that says "Ignore punctuation." There is a corollary to this rule that states "There is an exception to every rule."

12d Solved buying an admission ticket? ______ ____, he didn't charge much! (7,3)

Tilsit says that the two blanks in the clue should be of length 6 letters and 4 letters respectively, and so I have typed them that way (apparently, as published in the U.K., one could actually discern the specific number of blank spaces in each word). However, as near as I can determine, the clue (as printed in the National Post, merely two continuous blank lines) has them at 7 letters and 3 letters. Although I won't claim to have perfectly understood the wordplay in this clue, I did see the THOUGH TOUT bit.

13d Tend to go up or down (7)

Initially I thought this might be a palindrome (a word or phrase that reads the same backward as forward). However, that turned out not to be the case. An example of a palindrome is the word level which might be clued (in a down clue) as:

• Not inclined to go up or down (5)

14d A farm employee, I am randy - dreadfully! (7)

I was so convinced that this clue must be producing the solution DAIRYMAN (anagram of I AM RANDY) that I actually snuck a peek at Big Dave's site to see if there might be an error in the puzzle (as this solution would be too long to fit the grid).

20d Northern Ireland party about to enforce exile (6)

I found the correct solution mainly through the definition (to enforce exile), but neglected to verify my take on the wordplay before visiting Big Dave's site. I see from Tilsit's review that I had managed to overlook the obvious and had concocted a rather imaginative alternative explanation, which may give some a bit of a chuckle. I had supposed that BANISH might be an anagram (about) of BANSHI (which I had wrongly supposed might be an alternative spelling of BANSHEE). I was interpreting party in the sense of a person rather than an occasion.

23d I'm disturbed by some dismissals from security (4)

When I threw in the towel, I didn't realize that this clue was still hiding in the corner unsolved. It's probably just as well, as I am sure I could have spent an endless amount of time on it without ever figuring out the rather obscure cricket terminology employed.

Signing off for today - Falcon

Saturday, January 23, 2010 - Drawing a Line in the Sand

Introduction

Today's puzzle by Cox and Rathvon may concern squabbles in the kindergarten classroom - or perhaps grander issues.

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

5a Attacked a Doctor wearing headwear (3,2)

In the solution to this clue, the abbreviation D is substituted for the word Doctor. I am not sure that this usage is well recognized on a stand-alone basis, although it does often exist as part of a larger entity, in terms such as MD (Medicinae Doctor, Doctor of Medicine) and PhD (Philosophiae Doctor, Doctor of Philosophy). Other frequent substitutions for doctor that one may encounter in cryptic crosswords are MB (Medicinae Baccalaureus, Bachelor of Medicine) and MO (Medical Officer).

Solution to Today's Puzzle

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

Across

1a SAND BOX - Spoonerism of BANNED SOX

5a H(A|D) AT - A D (doctor) contained in (wearing) HAT

9a {PINE NUT}< - {TUNE (strain, in musical sense) NIP (small bite)} reversed (retracting) 10a REM|OVAL - OVAL (office in the White House) following (after) REM (sign of dreaming: Rapid Eye Movement sleep)

11a {DOT MATRIX}* - anagram of (redesigned) DITTO MARX

12a M(IL)AN - MAN (guy) containing (going around) IL (the Italian: Italian word meaning the) /\ MILAN (capital of Lombardy)

13a MI|MI|CRY - MI MI (repeating note: as in do, re, mi, ...) CRY (shout)

15a SP(LAY)ED - SPED (hurried) containing (around) LAY (place)

17a CA|ROME|D - CA (around, abbreviation of circa) ROME (Italy's capital) adjacent to (by) D (day)

20a VAT(I)CAN - VAT (tank) CAN (fire, as in dismiss) containing (surrounding) I (one)

22a L|OVER - L (left) OVER (on)

23a DA(SH|BOAR)D - SH (quiet, as in a request to be quiet) BOAR (hog) contained in (breaking into) DAD (father)

25a PAL|OMAR - PAL (buddy) adjacent to (standing by) OMAR (actor Omar Sharif) /'s\ PALOMAR (observatory)

26a T|ALI|BAN - T (Turkey's leader; i.e., first letter of Turkey) adjacent to (and) ALI (caliph) BAN (outlaw) /\ TALIBAN (Islamist group)

27a LA|DEN - LA (Los Angeles) adjacent to (with) DEN (study)

28a {TURF WAR}< - reversal of (returned) {RAW (unprocessed) FRUIT (orchard product) with the letter I removed (losing one) = RAW FRU_T} Down

1d SANCTUM* - anagram of (off) CUTS MAN

2d NIN(J)A - J (jack, as in card game) contained in (boards) NINA (explorer Christopher Columbus' ship)

3d BET(A) RAY - BETRAY (commit treachery) containing (capturing) A /\ BETA RAY (radioactive emission)

4d XER(O)XES - O (ring) contained in (kept by) XERXES (Persian king Xerxes the Great)

5d HAM (O|ME)LET - HAMLET (Danish prince) containing (eating) {O (egg, the letter O visually resembles an egg) adjacent to (with) ME}

6d D(EVIL)RY - EVIL (wicked) contained in (getting into) DRY (unproductive)

7d _TAL|ON_ - hidden in (embedded in) ornamenTAL ONion

8d EPI(DEMI)C - EPIC (tale) containing (about) DEMI (Moore of moviedom: actress Demi Moore)

14d CAME|RAMEN - CAME (arrived) adjacent to (with) RAMEN (noodle soup)

16d DIN|G (D)ONG - DIN (racket) adjacent to (by) GONG (percussion instrument) containing D (poor, as a grade at school)

18d REVILED< - reversal of (from the rear) DELIVER (rescue)

19d DIDEROT* - anagram of (awfully) ODD RITE; French philosopher Denis Diderot

20d VIS(IT)OR - VISOR (shade) containing (enveloping) IT (Italian)

21d CL|AMBER - CL (chemical symbol for chlorine) adjacent to (with) AMBER (old resin)

22d L(APE)L - LL (lines) containing (about) APE (monkey)

24d B(E)LOW - E (end of bridge; i.e., last letter of the word bridge) contained in (in) BLOW (windstorm)

Signing off for today - Falcon

Friday, January 22, 2010 (DT 26052)

This puzzle was originally published Tuesday, October 6, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

Today was definitely one of those days when I appeared to be on the same wavelength as the setter. I was able to complete the puzzle in a very respectable time without the aid of any tools. Nevertheless, I did not necessarily find the clues to be simplistic. In many cases, I just seemed to know the solution almost through intuition.

Today's Glossary

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

Diss - a town in Norfolk, England

fell - noun a hill or stretch of high moorland, especially in northern England

leg - noun 7 cricket a (also leg side) the side of the field that is to the left of a right-handed batsman or to the right of a left-handed batsman; b a fielder positioned on this side of the field.

on - adjective 6 cricket on the side of the field towards which the bat is facing, usually the batsman's left and the bowler's right. Opposite of off.

oven glove - noun a padded glove for handling hot dishes from an oven [while it is difficult to determine whether or not this term is a Briticism, I personally would call this item an oven mitt]

Territorial Army (abbreviation TA) - noun in the UK: a fully trained volunteer force intended to provide back-up to the regular army in cases of emergency.

Today's Links

Gazza's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 26052].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

6d Graceful manner and energy on expert gaining name (8)

The wordplay here had me stumped until I remembered that leg and on are both cricket terms for the side of the field to the left of a right-handed batter (we saw these terms not too long ago in DT 26043).

Chambers (online version) does not provide a definition for on as a noun. However, it is trivial to extrapolate the appropriate definition from the one given for on as an adjective (see Today's Glossary):

• on - noun cricket the side of the field towards which the bat is facing, usually the batsman's left and the bowler's right. Opposite of off.

Chambers defines off as:

• off - noun 2 cricket the side of a field towards which the batsman's feet are pointing, usually the bowler's left.

It would seem that the lexicographer who composed these definitions has assumed that the majority of cricket players bat right-handed.

The solution is:

ELEGANCE (graceful manner) /and\ E (energy) LEG (on) ACE (expert) containing (gaining) N (name)

Signing off for today - Falcon

Thursday, January 21, 2010 (DT 26051)

This puzzle was originally published Monday, October 5, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

The National Post has skipped DT 26050 which was published on Saturday, October 3, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

As is typical of "Monday" puzzles (the day on which it appeared in the U.K.), today's offering was not very difficult. I did, nevertheless, find solving it to be quite an enjoyable exercise. However, I prematurely indulged in a bit of self-congratulatory celebrations only to find out from Big Dave that my solution for one clue was incorrect.

Today's Glossary

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

centre-forward - noun sport in some field games: a the position in the centre of the front line; b a player in this position, usually a striker

gawp - verb Brit. informal stare openly in a stupid or rude manner

jar - noun 2 Brit. informal a glass of beer

jolly - [The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48, entry 3] noun Sailor's slang A marine in the English navy

Royal Marines (abbreviation RM) - marine corp and amphibious infantry component of the United Kingdom Naval Service

Saint George - patron saint of England whose emblem, the Cross of Saint George, is a red cross on a white background

Today's Links

Big Dave's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 26051].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

10a Inspired aim maybe to drink tea out about four (11)

In this clue, the phrase "to drink" would seem to indicate a verb, so I thought that in Britain the word gin might be a verb. However, my research failed to support that theory, so I guess the word "to" is just an extra bit of padding in the clue. The solution is:

IMAGINATIVE (inspired) /\ IMA {anagram of (maybe) AIM} [to] GIN (drink) ATE {anagram of (out) TEA} containing (about) IV (Roman numeral for four)

11a Watch open-mouthed as centre forward moves into space (4)

The first word to come to mind, GAPE, turned out to be incorrect. I eventually settled on the seemingly less suitable term GASP - which I subsequently discovered to be wrong (from Big Dave's review).

The reasoning that led me astray is that a centre forward (Oxford) [or centre-forward (Chambers)] on a football (soccer) team is a striker (noun 2 football a player who has an attacking role) which I thought might possibly be abbreviated S (e.g., on the sports pages).

By the way, the Wikipedia article on this subject would seem to be internally inconsistent (both in spelling and content) stating at one point "Coaches typically field one striker who plays in an advanced position (the centre forward) ..." and later "The striker however varies greatly from the centre-forward." I suppose that is the inevitable result of writing by committee.

4d They may be responsible for reports from the front (7)

This was one of the first clues "solved" today, and my initial choice, CANNONS, seemed to be confirmed by the checking letter provided by 10a. However, I was to eventually find that it is incorrect - but only after it had impeded me considerably in finding solutions to the remaining clues in the northwest quadrant.

Signing off for today - Falcon

Wednesday, January 20, 2010 (DT 26049)

This puzzle was originally published Friday, October 2, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

While relatively easy, today's puzzle was still an enjoyable exercise. However, there was certainly nothing in it to knock your socks off (or, as Gazza says "I didn’t get the “wow” factor from any of the clues"). I was able to complete about three quarters of the puzzle before digging into the Tool Chest - with the northwest quadrant proving to be the most difficult region.

Today's Glossary

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

(House of) Lords - the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom

Territorial Army (abbreviation TA) - noun in the UK: a fully trained volunteer force intended to provide back-up to the regular army in cases of emergency

up - adverb 9 formal to or at university • up at Oxford

Today's Links

Gazza's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 26049].

Signing off for today - Falcon

Tuesday, January 19, 2010 (DT 26048)

This puzzle was originally published Thursday, October 1, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

Today's puzzle was a bit more of a challenge than the one yesterday. It took me a while to find a starting point, but once I did, I was able to make steady progress. I almost surrendered with one clue unsolved, but decided to take one last crack at it before heading to Big Dave's site - and was successful.

This puzzle having been published in the U.K. on Thursday means that Big Dave also released the final review of the prize puzzle that appeared the previous Saturday in The Daily Telegraph (DT 26044). As you may know, for some time now, the puzzles published on Saturday in Britain have not been carried by the National Post. Today when I arrived at Big Dave's site, I inadvertently selected the wrong review. However, I'm glad I did as I discovered not only that the theme of the Saturday puzzle had been Big Dave himself, but I also learned from Tilsit what a Nina is. Should you be curious, you can find the answer at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 26044]-Review.

Today's Glossary

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

flysheet - noun 1 Brit. a fabric cover pitched over a tent to give extra protection against bad weather 2 a tract or circular of two or four pages [Note: in North America, the former would probably be called just a fly and the latter a flyer].

shop - verb 3 informal, chiefly Brit. inform on

toff - noun Brit. informal, derogatory a rich or upper-class person

U² - adjective Brit colloq said especially of language: typical of or acceptable to the upper classes [I wonder how Bono would feel about this definition ;-)]

Today's Links

Libellule's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 26048].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

15a Relaxation provided for professors of heavy metal music? (7,6)

At an early stage in the solving process, I had R???ING ??????. A lot of possibilities might fit this pattern, among them ROLLING STONES and RESTING PERIOD. I must say that it brought a smile to my face when the correct solution finally hit me. Judging by comments on Big Dave's blog, this may be a clue that has been used before (perhaps even overused). However, on encountering it for the first time, I did enjoy it.

22a One rakes it in when the chips are down (8)

In cryptic clues, the most obvious reading is generally not the correct reading. Here, my initial impression was that the indicator of the solution must be the word "it" (i.e., What does one rake in when the chips are down?), and I thought perhaps it might be WINNINGS. I eventually had to erase that attempt, and (following a bit of reflection) I realized that the indicator of the solution is actually the word "one" (i.e., Who rakes it in when the chips are down?).

26a National institution started by old valet (5)

This was the last clue to be solved, but a final concentrated effort achieved success. My initial difficulty arose from associating "national" with British, rather than a foreign national. The clue could have perhaps been phrased "Arab institution started by old valet" - but maybe that would be perceived as too easy.

14d Unattractive quality of American adopting single lunatic (8)

Libellule asks "Did the setter deliberately juxtapose 1d and 17d ...?" I believe he may very well have done so. The obviously well-read Gazza has noted the literary reference in 26a to My Man Jeeves, a collection of short stories by P.G. Wodehouse published in 1919 (thus the old valet). However, no one on Big Dave's blog appears to have picked up on a similar literary reference that I believe is found in this clue. The Ugly American is the title of a 1958 political novel by Eugene Burdick and William Lederer, which (in 1963) was made into a film starring Marlon Brando.

As for the clue in the mirroring position (10d), while a flysheet may not be very literary, it could perhaps be well read.

Signing off for today - Falcon

Monday, January 18, 2010 (DT 26047)

This puzzle was originally published Wednesday, September 30, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

I found today's offering to be a fairly easy puzzle which I completed unaided in near record time - although with one solution that needed to be verified and one bit of wordplay yet to be decoded. Since the troublesome solution turned out not to be in the dictionary, I had to go back to the drawing board on that one. As for the bothersome wordplay, the answer finally hit me just as I was about to throw in the towel and seek assistance from Big Dave's site. Despite its relative ease, I found that this puzzle contained a goodly number of interesting clues and I quite enjoyed working on it.

Today's Glossary

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

banger - noun chiefly Brit. 2 informal an old car

bushranger - noun 1 US a person living far from civilisation 2 Austral./NZ historical an outlaw living in the bush

calypso - noun a type of popular song originating in the West Indies, usually dealing with current happenings in an amusing way, and often improvised by the singer (while somewhat familiar with calypso, it had never occurred to me that this genre of music is typically of a satirical nature)

clapped-out - adjective informal, chiefly Brit. worn out from age or heavy use

plea - noun 3 Law an excuse or claim of mitigating circumstances

Scotch egg - noun a hard-boiled egg enclosed in sausage meat, rolled in breadcrumbs, and fried

Today's Links

Big Dave's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 26047].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

15d Backwoodsman in awful rush in clapped-out car (10)

The combination of Australian and British slang in this clue proved a little tricky, as this was the instance where my initial stab at a solution (BUSHRUNNER) turned out to be incorrect (actually, nonexistent) when I checked the dictionary. Perhaps I should have seen banger, as I believe this British term it is also heard occasionally in Canada.

20d Spike one member's beer (6)

My first thought was that the 's seemed to be superfluous. However, after some thought I concluded that "member's" may have different meanings in the surface reading and the cryptic reading. In the surface reading it is the possessive (member's ale); however, in the cryptic reading, it probably is intended to mean member has (as in "the member's been re-elected to a second term").

The solution is therefore:

IMPALE (spike) /\ I (one) MP (member) plus (has) ALE (beer)

I seem to recall the verb to have often being used in this manner as a charade indicator.

22d One about to leave country to top the bill with others (2-4)

This is the clue where the wordplay gave me so much trouble. And, no wonder, as it is a reduction-type clue - a style of clue that I often find problematic.

The solution is:

{I (one) CA (about)} removed from (to leave) COSTA RICA (country) /\ CO-STAR (to top the bill with others)

Signing off for today - Falcon

Saturday, January 16, 2010 - Afternoon Delight

Introduction

Today's puzzle, a rather delightful creation by Yankee crossword setters Cox and Rathvon, is full of PMs - one being of the political variety.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle (including those that may be especially obscure to visitors from outside Canada)

Paul Martin - 21st Prime Minister of Canada

sine die - adverb (with reference to an adjournment) with no appointed date for resumption; ORIGIN Latin, ‘without a day’.

Yankee (Yank, for short) - outside the U.S., this term tends to be applied to any American while within the U.S. it tends to be applied primarily to those Americans from the New England states

Solution to Today's Puzzle

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

Across

1a PASS (MUST)ER - PASSER (player getting an assist) containing (outside) MUST (has to)

6a ABBA - double definition

9a RE(VIV)AL - VIV (short form for Vivian) contained in (infiltrates) REAL (true)

10a G(R)ANGES - GANGES (Indian river) containing (covers) R {last of (final letter of) theiR}

12a AUNT~ - sounds like (heard) ANT (insect) [to some people]

13a {PINE MARTEN}* - anagram (bad) of TEMPER IN AN

15a COMB|O - COMB (thoroughly search) O {leader of (first letter of) Our}

16a RAP|IDLY - RAP (chant rhymes) IDLY (lazily)

19a SIN|E DIE - SIN (big mistake) adjacent to (by) EDIE (actress Edie Falco)

20a NO W|A|Y - NOW (present) A Y (fork; as a fork in a road, for example)

23a {PAST MASTER}* - anagram (reworked) of SPAM-TASTER

25a _OS|LO_ - hidden (in) in ontariO'S LOcale

27a TRAINED - cryptic definition; TRAINED (practiced) riding the choo-choo (TRAIN)

28a BAR (COD)E - COD (fish) contained in (filled) BARE (strip)

29a YANK - YANK (pull); Yank {short form for Yankee)

30a {PAUL MARTIN}* - anagram (oddly depicting) of PAINT MURAL; Paul Martin, 21st Prime Minister of Canada

Down

1d PAR|LANCE - PAR (average) LANCE (spear)

2d S(EVEN) AM - SAM (short form for Samuel) containing (keeps) EVEN (still)

3d MO(V)E - V (Roman numeral for five) contained in (kept by) MOE (a stooge); Moe Howard, a member of the Three Stooges comedy act

4d SOLDIERED* - anagram (awfully) of SOILED RED

5d _EAGLE - bEAGLE (dog) with first letter removed (loses its head)

7d BIG|O|TRY - BIG (great) TRY (essay) containing (possesses) O (zero)

8d ASSENT* - anagram (clowns) of SANEST

11d A|MAN|DINE - {A MAN (for each guy)} DINE (have supper)

14d CO(GNOME)N - CON (fool) containing (penning) GNOME (aphorism); for me, this is a new meaning for gnome

17d P(REVERB)AL - REVERB (echo) contained in (apprehended by) PAL (friend)

18d TYRO|LEAN - TYRO (novice) adjacent to (with) LEAN (thin)

19d S(US)TAIN - US (our group) contained in (in) STAIN (disgrace)

21d WA_|SHOUT - WA {first two letters of (pair of) WArriors} SHOUT (cry)

22d S(POT)TY - POT (grass) contained in (in) STY (pigpen)

24d SIDRA* - anagram (wild) of RAIDS; Gulf of Sidra: a body of water on the northern coast of Libya

26d _ARIA_ - hidden (among) in barbARIAns

Signing off for today - Falcon

Friday, January 15, 2010 (DT 26046)

This puzzle was originally published Tuesday, September 29, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

Today's puzzle proved to be a pretty good challenge - but a very enjoyable one.

Revisiting Electric Fires

It has taken some time, but I have finally figured out what an electric fire is. You may recall that this term appeared in Big Dave's review of yesterday's puzzle. An electric fire is what we in North America would call an electric fireplace insert - artificial logs with an electrical element to create the impression of burning logs.

Today's Glossary

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

like the clappers - Brit. informal very fast or hard

Today's Links

Gazza's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 26046].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

2d They arrive followed by empty tails? (6)

. . . and, apparently, leave preceded by their tails. As I understand it, the tails of comets are caused by the solar wind pushing particles or gases away from the comet. As the comet approaches the sun, the tail is therefore behind the comet, but as the comet moves away from the sun, the tail is actually in front of the comet.

Signing off for today - Falcon

Thursday, January 14, 2010 (DT 26045)

This puzzle was originally published Monday, September 28, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

The National Post has skipped DT 26044 which was published on Saturday, September 26, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

I got off to a quick start today, but soon became bogged down. The remainder of the puzzle proved quite a challenge. The Brits, though, seemed to feel that the puzzle was rather easy. Although there were no four-letter words in the puzzle, it was the clue for a five-letter word that stymied me.

Today's Glossary

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

fire - noun 4 (also electric fire or gas fire) Brit. a domestic heating appliance that uses electricity (or gas) as fuel

QC - abbreviation 3 Law Queen’s Counsel: a status conferred on lawyers by the Crown in the U.K. and various other Commonwealth countries

River Wear - a river in North East England

Trinity College - any of a great many institutions by this name around the world; Both Cambridge and Oxford universities have constituent colleges with this name. There is also a well known Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, and (closer to home) a Trinity College at the University of Toronto.

Today's Links

Big Dave's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 26045].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

22a This said, repair is immediate (5)

I failed to understand the wordplay here as I had never heard the adage "Least said, soonest mended." I grew up in a school of thought subscribing to the idea that "The squeaky wheel gets the grease". I long ago learned that, when confronted with an adage, one can usually find a contradictory one to support the contrary point of view. For instance, one may always counter "Look before you leap" with "He who hesitates is lost".

1d Being hardened, a summons symbolizes nothing to us (7)

Having complained about the unnecessary "the" in 10a (in fact, there might just be two of them found in that clue), I am surprised that Big Dave did not also comment on the surplus "a" in this clue (which I personally found more bothersome, since it caused me to spend some time looking for a word beginning with "a").

3d Adjoins, yet put in as an extra clue (5)

I started out not liking this clue very much - thinking that "an extra clue" was unnecessary padding. On further consideration, however, I have come to the conclusion that although it may seem to be padding, it is not unnecessary, as it significantly enhances the surface reading. To get the cryptic meaning, I think we are expected to read the clue as:

Adjoins /\ yet put in as (an extra clue)

With a few exceptions (such as double definitions, cryptic definitions and & lit. clues), cryptic crossword clues follow the pattern of "definition + link + wordplay"(or the reverse order). The wordplay is "an extra clue" (in addition to the definition) in finding the correct solution. In this clue, the setter is cryptically (and explicitly) telling us that "the wordplay (an extra clue) is 'yet put in as'".

7d Fire - or part of one (7)

There is a British usage here that I was unfamiliar with - and one that almost slipped by me as I read Big Dave's review. It would seem that the British term for an electric heating appliance is electric fire. In North America one would say electric furnace (generally an appliance used to heat an entire house) or electric space heater (an appliance used to heat a room or a portion of a house). For cooking, one would use an electric stove (often also called an electric range). By the way, our electric heating appliances do contain elements.

When I solved this clue, I presumed that element was being used in the sense of "part of a whole (one)". However, the Brits would undoubtedly easily see the connection to the element of an electric heating appliance.

Signing off for today - Falcon

Wednesday, January 13, 2010 (DT 26043)

This puzzle was originally published Friday, September 25, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

For the last couple of days, I have clearly been on the same wavelength as the setters. However, today is a different story - I am in a totally different frequency band altogether. I did feel somewhat less inept to see that Gazza gave today's puzzle four stars for difficulty. The puzzle has a distinct British flavour today, with a serving of cricket terminology that required a bit of sorting out. Using every resource available to me in my Tool Chest, I was able to solve all but one clue. However, I guess the puzzle had just worn me down to the point that, in the end, I failed to solve a fairly simple and straightforward clue.

Today's Glossary

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

Barb - a breed of horse well-suited to the desert, developed on the Barbary Coast of Africa

leg - noun 6 (also leg side) Cricket the half of the field away from which the batsman’s feet are pointed when standing to receive the ball. The opposite of off.

mobile library - bookmobile

panto - noun Brit. informal a pantomime

punt³ - [American Heritage Dictionary] verb 2. Chiefly British Slang To gamble

punter - noun 1 informal a person who gambles or places a bet. 2 Brit. informal a customer or client.

rip - noun informal, dated 1 a dissolute immoral man

starting price (SP abbreviation) - noun the final odds at the start of a horse race

up - adverb 9 formal to or at university • up at Oxford

Today's Links

Gazza's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 26043].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

18a Drug - horse is given it before lunchtime? (9)

This clue contains a breed of horse (Barb) that I had never heard of, an hour to have lunch that is perhaps a bit on the late side, and the solution is a drug (barbitone) with which I was heretofore unfamiliar.

6d Girl keeps going, wasting little time (4)

When it comes to cryptic crossword puzzles, four-letter words are the bane of my existence. This was the last clue remaining, and despite knowing half the word based on the intersecting clues, I had to surrender and seek assistance at Big Dave's site. From the checking letters (_A_S), I considered that the solution might be LASS - but was unable to decipher the wordplay so as to produce this result. I was kicking myself severely after reading Gazza's review where I discovered that I not only had the right solution, but moreover that the wordplay was almost trivial (at least in 20/20 hindsight).

9d What's accepted, in short, by various punters (8,5)

Of course, the first thing that comes to my mind is that the punter (a kicker in football of the North American variety) accepts the snap (of the football). However, the clue actually utilises at least one - and maybe two - British meanings for punter. In the cryptic reading, a punter is someone who bets on horses. In the surface reading, we may be expected to visualize a "customer or client".

I have to admit that I did not see the hidden word wordplay in this clue, presuming instead that the clue was merely meant to be a cryptic definition for STARTING PRICE. Having read Gazza's review, it would now appear to me that this may be an & lit. (all in one clue). In one reading, the clue is a definition for STARTING PRICE as those bettors (punters) who place bets shortly before the start of a race (in short?) would presumably be accepting the STARTING PRICE (odds at the start of the race). In the other reading, the clue says that the solution (what) is a term whose abbreviation (in short) is hidden in (accepted by) variouS Punters.

Of course, I realize I tread on treacherous ground by proclaiming on this clue - having been shown to be wrong on numerous occasions!

19d Cricketer's leg (6)

This clue, a cryptic definition with a cricket theme, proved to be the excuse for a major digression investigating terminology related to this sport. It took me a while to make sense of (if that is possible when it comes to cricket) this bit of terminology. It seems that leg, in cricket, refers to the on side of the cricket pitch (field). It is interesting to note that, as a noun, the sides of the pitch are referred to as leg and off; however, as an adjective, they are referred to as on and off. Thus the on side is called the leg (or leg side), but presumably not the on. On the other hand, the off side is called simply the off.

The appropriate dictionary citations are provided below. Supplementary reading: those of you interested in furthering your knowledge of the sport of cricket may wish to investigate the meanings of fine leg, long leg, short leg and square leg.

• off - [Chambers] noun 2 cricket the side of a field towards which the batsman's feet are pointing, usually the bowler's left.
• leg - [Chambers] noun 7 cricket a (also leg side) the side of the field that is to the left of a right-handed batsman or to the right of a left-handed batsman; b a fielder positioned on this side of the field. (See also fine leg, long leg, short leg and square leg.)
• off - [Chambers] adjective 6 cricket on the side of the field towards which the batsman's feet are pointing, usually the bowler's left. Opposite of on (adjective 6).
• on - [Chambers] adjective 6 cricket on the side of the field towards which the bat is facing, usually the batsman's left and the bowler's right. Opposite of off (adjective 6).

Signing off for today - Falcon