Introduction
A rather enjoyable and not terribly difficult puzzle to start the week (although, in Britain, it was a Wednesday puzzle). The Winter Olympics are over, Canada has competed superbly, and I must now buckle down and tackle all those chores that I have ignored for the last two weeks.
Today's Glossary
Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle
b. - abbreviation 2 cricket bowled.
(Gentleman Usher of the) Black Rod - noun (in the UK) the chief usher of the Lord Chamberlain’s department of the royal household, who is also usher to the House of Lords.
don - noun 1 a university teacher, especially a senior member of a college at Oxford or Cambridge.
Michel Ney - French soldier and military commander during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.
nippy - adjective informal 1 quick; nimble.
outhouse - [Collins English Dictionary] Brit. noun 1. a building near to, but separate from, a main building; outbuilding
short leg - noun cricket 1 a fielding position near, and in line with, the batsman on the leg side. 2 a fielder who takes up this position.
starter - noun 2
Twickenham (Stadium) - the largest rugby union stadium in the U.K.
Today's Links
Tilsit's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 26083].
Commentary on Today's Puzzle
10a Criminal slot machine? (6)
One could well infer from the definitions in Oxford that a slot machine in Britain might be more commonly known as a fruit machine. This led me to think that this clue might appear to be more cryptic to the Brits than it did to me. However, there was no hint of this on Big Dave's site. The clue also seemed a bit wanting in my mind as a slot machine is known as a one-armed bandit, not merely a bandit.
12a Seemingly endless English learnt abroad (7)
Like Tilsit, I initially had reservations about "abroad" being used as an anagram indicator. As he states, "Anagram indicators are supposed to indicate motion of some description." However, upon investigation, I was reminded that abroad can mean "at large; in circulation". Ergo, objection withdrawn.
16a No mixer, one from our capital fellow ignored (5)
While I got the correct solution based on the definition (no mixer), I could not quite complete the wordplay (although I came fairly close). The wordplay is LONDONER (one from [the British] capital) with DON (fellow) removed (ignored). My mistake was trying to start with LONDON rather than LONDONER.
20a Go with suit and tie (5)
As Tilsit analyzes the clue (in the context of a card game), he sees it as a double definition. Looked at another way, it could be close to being an & lit. (all-in-one) clue with one reading being a triple definition. An accessory would be said to MATCH if it were to "go with [one's] suit and tie". Also "go with" can mean MATCH, "suit" can mean MATCH (admittedly, in pretty much the same sense as "go with") and tie can mean MATCH (as in the score of a game).
28a Shed, old ramshackle hut by river (8)
It seems that, in Britain, an outhouse could be any outbuilding on a property, whereas in North America, it is a very specific outbuilding (a small, enclosed structure having one or two holes in a seat built over a pit and serving as an outdoor toilet).
6d Race official from course (7)
Tilsit muses "Unless I am missing something, a weak cryptic definition for the starter of a race course. Not terribly misleading." However, he seems not to have considered that STARTER could refer to the first course of a meal, making the clue somewhat stronger. After writing this, I see a visitor to Big Dave's blog has left a similar comment.
I had initially guessed that STARTER might refer to the first event on a race card (although I was not able to find that definition in the dictionaries I consulted) and that the "official" might be the starter at a golf course (the official who manages tee offs on the first hole).
17d Usher in dark bar (5,3)
The Parliaments of a number of Commonwealth countries have positions similar to the British position of Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod. In Canada, the position has been known as the Usher of the Black Rod of the Senate of Canada since 1997 when the first woman was appointed to the position.
Signing off for today - Falcon
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