Monday, August 9, 2010 (DT 26233)

This specially themed puzzle was originally published in The Daily Telegraph on Thursday, May 6, 2010

Introduction

It did not take long for me to spot the theme of this puzzle - which made the solution of some of the clues relatively easy (a good thing, perhaps, as I failed to pick up on the reference to Colonel Blimp). May 6, 2010 was the the date of the general election in the U.K. The Labour government of Gordon Brown went down to defeat, to be replaced by a coalition of the Conservative Party (led by the new Prime Minister David Cameron) and the Liberal Democrat Party (under the leadership of Nick Clegg).

Today's Glossary

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

Used in Clues:

(Colonel) Blimp - a British cartoon character who is "pompous, irascible, jingoistic and stereotypically British" - not to mention, conservative.

M25 motorway - (also known as the London Orbital) a 117-mile (188 km) orbital motorway that almost encircles Greater London in the United Kingdom.

rep² - noun informal repertory: once , when I was in rep, I learned Iago in three days; a repertory theatre or company.

Used in Solutions:

ben¹ - noun Scottish (especially in place names) a high mountain or mountain peak: Ben Nevis.

(Norman) Clegg - character on the long-running BBC sitcom Last of the Summer Wine.

demo - noun 1 chiefly British a public demonstration: a peace demo.

orbital - adjective British (of a road) passing round the outside of a town.

Trot - noun informal, chiefly derogatory a Trotskyist or supporter of extreme left-wing views.

Today's Links

Big Dave's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26233].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

5a Mitchell, say, made stage entrance tackling lead in rep (7)

I thought the reference was to American actor Cameron Mitchell, but Big Dave claims it is to the fictional character of the same name in the Canadian-American television series Stargate SG-1. Frankly, I think that my choice just might better fit the sense of the clue.

Signing off for today - Falcon