Monday, August 30, 2010 (DT 26252)

This puzzle, by Giovanni, was originally published in The Daily Telegraph on Friday, May 28, 2010

Introduction

Although Gazza awards this puzzle three stars for difficulty, I would have to think that it is at the lower end of the three star range. Being away from home for the day, I had no option but to persevere without the aid of my Tool Chest and I eventually succeeded in completing the puzzle. I was surprised as I worked on the review to see how many British expressions it contains. Luckily, I had seen most - if not all - in previous puzzles. However, it does show that my vocabulary of Briticisms is expanding - and hopefully my readers are similarly benefiting.

Today's Glossary

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

maiden - noun 2 (also maiden over) Cricket an over in which no runs are scored.

Used in Solutions:

Arden - an area in Warwickshire, England once heavily forested and formerly known as the Forest of Arden (supposedly the setting for William Shakespeare's play As You Like It).

CC - abbreviation Cricket Club.

CS - abbreviation British Civil Service.

don¹ - noun 1 British a university teacher, especially a senior member of a college at Oxford or Cambridge.

grass - verb 2 British informal inform the police of someone's criminal activities or plans: [no object] someone had grassed on the thieves; [with object] she threatened to grass me up.

L - abbreviation archaic pound(s). [Note: archaic according to Oxford]

M² - abbreviation Cricket (on scorecards) maiden over(s).

Norman Mailer (1923 – 2007) - an American novelist, journalist, essayist, poet, playwright, screenwriter and film director.

OS - abbreviation (as a size of clothing) outsize.

RA - abbreviation (in the UK) Royal Academician

RR - abbreviation Right Reverend, a title given to a bishop, especially in the Anglican Church.

Today's Links

Gazza's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26252].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

12d Wolves getting on — part of the drive for promotion? (9)

Gazza says "this is nothing to do with football in spite of the surface reading". To understand his comment, one must be aware that Wolves is the name by which the Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is commonly known. The remainder of the clue continues the football imagery, with promotion taking the meaning "in sport, especially football, the transfer (of a team) to a higher division or league".

Signing off for today - Falcon