Wednesday, July 28, 2010 (DT 26221)

This puzzle was originally published in The Daily Telegraph on Thursday, April 22, 2010

Introduction

While not a terribly difficult puzzle today, there are enough Briticisms and other obscure references to create a fair bit of a challenge.

Today's Glossary

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

Used in Clues:

Adamite - [Collins English Dictionary] noun 2. a nudist, esp a member of an early Christian sect who sought to imitate Adam.

brew - verb 5 (especially brew up) to plan or prepare something • brew up trouble.

Tourist Trophy - noun an award given to the winner of the motorcycle races that are held annually on the Isle of Man. Often shortened to TT.

Used in Solutions:

Enid Blyton - English writer of children's books.

Derby - a city in the East Midlands region of England.

introit - noun Christianity a hymn, psalm or anthem sung at the beginning of a service or, in the Roman Catholic Church, as the priest approaches the altar to celebrate Mass.

local - noun 2 British someone's nearest and most regularly visited pub.

local derby - [Derby³] noun 1 (3^rd bullet) British a sports match between two rival teams from the same area.

pop¹ - [Collins English Dictionary] noun 3. Informal a try; attempt have a pop at goal.

raki or rakee - noun an aromatic alcoholic liquor drunk in the Levant, Greece and Turkey.

rural dean - noun in the Church of England: a clergyman with responsibility over a group of parishes.

titch or tich - noun British colloquial a very small person.

Today's Links

Big Dave's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26221].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

11a Possible reason attempt to secure TT is dashed? (3,4)

I recognized TT immediately as the trophy awarded to the victor in the Isle of Man motorcycle race (it having appeared often in previous puzzles), which - together with the numeration and checking letters - allowed me to get the correct solution. However, the wordplay was another matter, and I had to read Big Dave's review to discover that one meaning for "attempt" is POP (at least in Britain). A subsequent search for this meaning through several dictionaries (Oxford, Chambers) came up empty until I eventually found it in Collins.

Signing off for today - Falcon