Monday, June 7, 2010 (DT 26167)

This puzzle was originally published Thursday, February 18, 2010 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

Today we have a relatively less difficult puzzle that I came close to completing unaided. However, I stumbled over the names of a remote Scottish town and a fairly recent British Poet Laureate. Even those were easy to identify using a few instruments from my Tool Chest. I took some satisfaction from being able to correctly piece together, using only the wordplay, the name of the previously unknown-to-me Cornish location.

National Post Summer Publication Schedule

On page 2 of today's National Post, there appears a letter from President & CEO, Paul Godfrey, and Publisher, Gordon Fisher, announcing that the Post will once again this summer not publish a print edition on Monday (a practice that was first introduced last year). This change will take effect on July 5 and continue through Labour Day, September 6. During this period, the letter indicates that up to the minute news coverage will continue to be available (including Mondays, as well as every other day of the week) on the paper's websites, nationalpost.com and financialpost.com. However, it does not specifically mention whether a full Digital Edition of the paper will be produced on Mondays, as was the case last year. This matter is of interest to addicts of crossword puzzles and other Diversions as these features are (to the best of my knowledge) only available online through the Digital Edition.

Error in Today's Puzzle

24a U.S. playwright, single, not in good health (6)

There would appear to be an minor flaw in the numeration indicator for this clue, which should be (1'5) rather than (6). We cannot blame the Post for this mistake, as the puzzle originally appeared with this error in the U.K.

Today's Glossary

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

Used in Clues:

Gunpowder - see Used in Solutions section below

turn - [Collins English Dictionary] noun 18. Theatre chiefly Brit a short theatrical act, esp in music hall, cabaret, etc.

Used in Solutions:

air - [Collins English Dictionary] noun 4. public expression; utterance to give air to one's complaints

Bodmin Moor - a granite moorland in northeastern Cornwall, England

Forfar - the county town of Angus, Scotland

Andrew Motion - Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1999 to 2009

paste¹ - [Collins English Dictionary] noun 5. (Cookery) dough, esp when prepared with shortening, as for making pastry

Gunpowder Plot - a failed attempt to assassinate King James I of England and VI of Scotland by blowing up the British House of Lords during the State Opening of Parliament on November 5, 1605

tum - noun Brit colloq the stomach

vouchsafe - verb literary 1 to agree or condescend to do, give, grant or allow

Today's Links

Libellule's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26167].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

4a In the direction of remote Scottish town (6)

I needed help from my Tool Chest to solve this clue. In concert with Libellule (who qualifies this definition in his review with the comment "according to Chambers"), the word FOR did not jump to mind as meaning "in the direction of", although in hindsight I see that it is perfectly appropriate as in the phrase "I'm heading for home".

16a Fully functional, like an athlete in training first thing? (2,3,7)

Libellule opines that this cryptic definition "doesn't work for [him]". I was relatively okay with it, but did think that it would have been better had it read "... first thing in the morning" (which is the way I interpreted it).

23a Two brutes with it, hitman (8)

This clue is a charade; however, "with" is not a charade operator but, rather, part of the fodder of one of the charade elements. The wordplay is {ASS + ASS (two brutes)} + IN (with it) giving ASSASSIN, or "hitman". Here, "with it" means "in vogue" or, more simply, just "in".

Signing off for today - Falcon