Friday, August 27, 2010 (DT 26251)

This puzzle, by an anonymous setter, was originally published in The Daily Telegraph on Thursday, May 27, 2010

Introduction

I rather enjoyed doing this puzzle - perhaps, in part, because I was able to complete it without touching my Tool Chest. Libellule remarks on the number of anagrams as well as on "just how much first and last letters are used". I also noticed this latter attribute, but I would also point out that the number was about the same as appeared in yesterday's puzzle by Jay (see my blog on DT 26250) - without drawing comment from the Brits.

Today's Glossary

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

Used in Clues:

gaol - [Collins English Dictionary] noun & verb British a variant spelling of jail.

Used in Solutions:

chemist - noun 1 British a shop where medicinal drugs are dispensed and sold , and in which toiletries and other medical goods can be purchased [Note: in North America, a drug store or pharmacy]; a person authorized to dispense medicinal drugs [Note: in North America, a druggist or pharmacist].

tyre - [American Heritage Dictionary] noun Chiefly British variant of tire².

Today's Links

Libellule's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26251].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

25a Buyers must score to get high (9)

Here, we have what I thought to be a rather unusual anagram indicator, the phrase "to get high", which operates on the fodder MUST SCORE to produce a word meaning "buyers".

3d Accepted foreign coins with greed (10)

We have yet another anagram indicator, "foreign", which I found to be a bit alien. It operates on {COINS + (with) GREED} to create a word meaning "accepted".

5d So there! Something Norman shouted? (9)

Australian golfer Greg Norman might shout something other than "So there!" if his tee shot should go astray. The definition is "so" and the wordplay is THERE + FORE (something Norman shouted).

Greg Norman's nickname is The Great White Shark, and the Brits were like sharks in a feeding frenzy attacking this clue which clearly did not resonate with readers on the other side of the pond.

6d Thin piece taken from cheese dish (4)

The definition is "thin" with the solution being RARE (as might be said in referring to the atmosphere at high altitudes). The wordplay is BIT (piece) deleted from (taken from) RAREBIT (cheese dish).

16d Be prompt after pub meal (8)

The definition is "meal" with the wordplay being {BE + CUE (prompt)} following (after) BAR (pub) producing the solution BARBECUE.

By the way, Oxford lectures us as follows: "Barbecue is often misspelled as barbeque. This form arises understandably from the word's pronunciation and from the informal abbreviations BBQ and Bar-B-Q. Although almost a quarter of citations in the Oxford English Corpus are for the -que spelling, it is not accepted in standard English". This must surely make it one of the most misspelled words in the English language!

Most dictionaries either don't list the barbeque spelling, redirect one to the barbecue listing, or define barbeque as a variant spelling of barbecue. Wiktionary is the only other reference source I found which suggests that the barbeque spelling may not be acceptable, saying "This spelling [barbeque] is often considered incorrect and a result of misunderstanding".

19d I trap barque finally at sea? (6)

I am sure the setter intended this to be an & lit. (all-in-one) clue, although Libellule will acknowledge only that it is "an attempt at an all in one – but its a bad attempt". Read as wordplay, the clue is an anagram (at sea) of I TRAP E (barque finally; i.e., the final letter of the word "barque"). Read another way, the clue is a statement that a pirate might make as a hint to someone trying to guess his occupation.

Signing off for today - Falcon