Introduction
Today's puzzle seems to offer proof of my recent observation that the general pattern of puzzles becoming progressively more difficult through the week doesn't always hold true. I found it to be considerably less difficult than yesterday's puzzle - and only needed to resort to my Tool Chest for help with a couple of clues.
Today's Glossary
Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle
gaol - [Collins English Dictionary] noun & verb Brit a variant spelling of jail
knock for six - Brit. informal utterly surprise
naff - Brit. informal verb 1 (naff off) go away 2
tiddler - noun Brit. informal 1 a small fish. 2 a young or unusually small person or thing
Today's Links
Gazza's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26118].
Commentary on Today's Puzzle
4d Repeat endless rubbish, usually naff initially (5)
It took a while for the penny to drop here. I recognized that the solution is RERUN, but at first I thought that the definition might be "repeat" with "usually naff initially" indicating UN (the initial letters of the words "usually naff"). That would have left the first part (RER) being clued as "endless rubbish". I searched in vain for a four letter word matching the pattern RER? and meaning rubbish. Eventually, it hit me that this is most likely intended to be an &lit. clue in which the entire clue is both the definition and the wordplay. The wordplay instructs us to use the initial letters of "repeat endless rubbish usually naff" producing RERUN. The clue also is a snide comment on the quality of television programming which the setter characterizes as ceaseless repetition of trash, most of which would have been considered tasteless on first showing.
1d Lads' mags? (6)
I thought that there must be more to this clue than what is immediately evident - but apparently not. It seems that it is merely a cryptic suggestion that boys read COMICS. In my research, I did stumble across the fact that an otherwise unidentified early twentieth century American cartoonist signed his work LADS. However, I deemed this to be far too obscure to be relevant.
13d Bowled over and knocked for six (10)
My initial reaction to this clue was rather negative. "Bowled over" means the same thing in Britain as it does in North America, namely ASTONISHED. Furthermore, "knocked for six" is a British term meaning astonished. Clearly, if this were intended to be simply a double definition, it would be a very poor one as both definitions mean exactly the same thing. However, after a bit of deliberation, I concluded that the two parts of the clue are intended to have a cricket connotation - which would no doubt be lost on many North Americans (and perhaps even some Brits!). An over is a period in a cricket match during which six balls are bowled, so I suppose a bowler would be said to have "bowled an over" or, more tersely "bowled over". Furthermore, a ball hit such that it crosses the boundary of the field in the air counts for six runs. Thus, a cricket player might have bowled an over and, when he got his chance as batsman, hit (knocked) the ball for a six-pointer. This would be somewhat analogous to the summary of a baseball game which might state "The player pitched four innings and hit a home run." Does reading the clue in the context of a cricket game make it acceptable? I'll let you be the judge.
Footnote: Since the Brits were nearly unanimous in their condemnation of this clue (due to the two definitions being essentially identical) and none of them raised the cricket connotations, I am left to wonder whether - having been burned so often in the past by cricket related clues - I am beginning to see allusions to cricket where none are intended.
Signing off for today - Falcon
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