Monday, July 18, 2010 (DT 26213)

This puzzle, created by Ray T, was originally published in The Daily Telegraph on Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Introduction

With six clues remaining, I was at an impasse and had to peek at a few of Gazza's clues. I discovered that I had an incorrect solution at 24a which was blocking progress in the southeast quadrant. That, together with a couple of possible Briticisms - ensure meaning protect and instant meaning this month - did me in.

Today's Glossary

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

Used in Clues:

extra time - noun football, etc additional time allowed at the end of a match because of time lost through injury, or in order to achieve a decisive result.

girlie girl - noun A woman who behaves in a predominantly feminine manner (that is, who is not by any means a tomboy).

tick⁴ - noun British colloquial credit • buy it on tick.

Used in Solutions:

ensure - [Collins English Dictionary] verb 2. to make safe or secure; protect.

hooker - noun 3 rugby the forward whose job is to hook the ball out of a scrum.

inst. - abbreviation instant, i.e., of or in the current month (see instant adj 4). • my letter of the 14th inst.

instant - adjective 4 (abbreviation inst.) relating to or occurring in the current month.

L² - abbreviation 2 learner driver.

Maud - a poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson

neurone - [American Heritage Dictionary] noun Chiefly British Variant of neuron.

Today's Links

Gazza's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26213].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

20a Fixes charge, say (5)

Despite fully understanding the intent of this clue, I could not think of any word that satisfied it until I read Gazza's review. My downfall was in not thinking of the correct meaning of fix. I thought of repairing and bribing, but overlooked the idea of securing or attaching.

24a Imperfectly m-master pronunciation? (7)

In meaning, STUTTER was close - but, as a solution, it thwarted my efforts in most of the southeast quadrant.

23d Match tied before extra time (5)

If you watched some of the FIFA World Cup matches this summer, you probably understand the surface reading here. Extra time in soccer is somewhat equivalent to overtime in hockey, although it also includes injury time.

Signing off for today - Falcon