Friday, July 2, 2010 (DT 26194)

This puzzle, by Rufus, was originally published in The Daily Telegraph on Monday, March 22, 2010

The National Post has skipped DT 26193 which was published in The Daily Telegraph on Saturday, March 20, 2010

Introduction

I was doing exceptionally well on this puzzle until I arrived in the northwest corner. At that point, I needed to call into action virtually every weapon in my arsenal. These last few clues put up quite a struggle, but in the end I prevailed.

By the way, please note that the National Post will begin its summer publication schedule next week, during which period there will be no print edition of the Post produced on Mondays. There is a note to readers in today's paper stating, "Starting July 3 and continuing until Sept. 4, Monday's diversions page [on which the crossword puzzles and a number of other regular features appear] will run in Saturday's paper. Please look for your Friday solutions in [the] Weekend Post [section]."

Today's Glossary

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

Used in Clues:

bitter - noun 1 [mass noun] British beer that is strongly flavoured with hops and has a bitter taste.

Used in Solutions:

breeze block - noun British a lightweight building brick made from small cinders mixed with sand and cement.

simple - noun chiefly historical a medicinal herb, or a medicine made from one.

tot¹ - noun 2 chiefly British a small amount of a strong alcoholic drink such as whisky or brandy.

Today's Links

Rishi's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26194].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

17a Perfect tone (5)

Does perfect really mean the same thing as sound? To me, perfect means ideal, while sound is merely serviceable. However, it would appear that my view is not aligned with that of today's setter.

28a William's heart makes him a pasty fellow (4-7)

Initially I supposed that bill-sticker (although virtually all dictionaries spell it billsticker) was a Briticism. However, this idea was refuted when I found the word in both American and British dictionaries. I might have suspected that my lack of familiarity with the word was an indication that this profession might have largely disappeared, if it were not for the large number of posters I see adorning utility poles and construction site hoardings.

Signing off for today - Falcon