The National Post has skipped DT 26157 which was published in The Daily Telegraph on Saturday, February 6, 2010
Introduction
It was a fairly typical "Monday" puzzle today. I completed it - but needed help from Rishi to understand the wordplay in 2d. While I now know what the setter intended, I still have reservations about the accuracy of the clue.
Today's Error
1a Top man realizing some manoeuvring is required (13)
It took me a long time to realise that some undoubtedly well-meaning ignoramus in the production cycle had taken it upon himself (or herself) to Americanize the spelling of the word "realising" in this clue. The clue should read:
- Top man realising some manoeuvring is required (13)
Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle
Used in Clues:
cert - noun Brit. informal 1 an event regarded as inevitable. 2 a competitor, candidate, etc. regarded as certain to win.
Used in Solutions:
Bleak House - a novel by Charles Dickens
Elector (or Prince-elector) - a member of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Holy Roman Emperors.
snip - noun 4 informal a thing that is easily achieved.
Today's Links
Rishi's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26158].
Commentary on Today's Puzzle
2d He votes for a European king (7)
I believe this may be intended to be a double definition, where the first definition is "he votes" having the solution ELECTOR and the second definition is "European king". However, according to Wikipedia, the Electors (or Prince-electors) were not necessarily kings. On the other hand, it may be meant to be a cryptic definition - in which case it would seem to be neither cryptic nor correct (as the Prince-electors voted for an emperor, and not a king).
3d Forced to bring up the cheese (4)
Like Rishi, I initially had the solution reversed, with the cheese heading up. In his review, he questions whether the phrase "bring up the cheese" is meaningful. Perhaps the cheese is stored in a cellar and must be brought up to the kitchen before being served.
15d Turf out? Of course (5)
Early this morning, I could make no headway with this clue. Strangely, after spending most of the day at the golf course, the answer came easily. In response to Rishi, I wouldn't say that a divot is necessarily the sign of a bad shot.
22d News item - though a cert favourite comes last (7)
In this clue, not only must we substitute one Briticism for another, but the Briticism in the clue takes on slightly different meanings in the surface reading and cryptic analysis.
The definition is "news item" with the solution being SNIPPET. The wordplay is SNIP (cert) + (comes last) PET (favourite).
In the surface reading, cert takes on the second meaning shown in Today's Glossary ("a competitor, candidate, etc. regarded as certain to win"). However, in the cryptic analysis, cert takes on the first meaning ("an event regarded as inevitable") which is equivalent to snip ("a thing that is easily achieved").
Signing off for today - Falcon
Argh! Yes, the Americanized spelling of 1A had me stymied for a bit until I realized it. It's not the first time the National Post has done this sort of "editing" to a clue.
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