Friday, September 10, 2010 (DT 26263)

This puzzle, by an unknown setter, was originally published in The Daily Telegraph on Thursday, June 10, 2010

Introduction

Although Tilsit awards this puzzle only two stars for difficulty, some of the Brits protest that it deserves more. Certainly, with its difficult Briticisms, it rates at least three stars on this side of the Atlantic.

Today's Glossary

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

Used in Solutions:

geyser - noun 2 British a gas-fired water heater through which water flows as it is rapidly heated

Goss crested china - collectibles typically in the form of small white glazed porcelain models, made from 1858 to 1939, carrying the coat of arms of the place where they were sold as a souvenir

inner - noun (in archery and shooting) a division of the target next to the bullseye

let¹ - verb 3 [with object] chiefly British allow someone to have the use of (a room or property) in return for regular payments: she let the flat to a tenant; they've let out their house

let¹ - noun British

• a period during which a room or property is rented: I‘ve taken a month’s let on the flat
• a property available for rent: an unfurnished let

tarmacadam - noun another term for tarmac

tarmac - noun [mass noun] (trademark in the UK)

• material used for surfacing roads or other outdoor areas, consisting of broken stone mixed with tar
• (the tarmac) a runway or other area surfaced with tarmac or a similar material

U³ - adjective British informal (of language or social behaviour) characteristic of or appropriate to the upper social classes: U manners

Today's Links

Tilsit's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26263].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

1a Club overhauls counselling and welfare, for example (6,8)

The definition is "counselling and welfare, for example" calling for the solution SOCIAL SERVICES. The wordplay presumably is SOCIAL (club) + SERVICES (overhauls). I wondered if a word was omitted in the clue as I was only able to find social defined as a function organized by a club and not a club per se. However, I infer from Tilsit's review that we are supposed to infer "club" to mean "type of club" thereby inserting an adjective where a noun seems to be called for. (I see that I am inferring an inference - a sure sign of uncertainty).

18a 'L' is for 'hirer' (6)

This is a double definition where the two definitions are "L" and "hirer" and the solution is LETTER. While the use of the term let in the sense of to rent does exist in North America (or, at least, did at one time), I would say that its use has diminished dramatically. Today, one might (rarely) see a sign advertising "Room to let" but, in conversation, one would almost certainly say that they rented an apartment rather than let an apartment.

22a Contacted the fruit centre (4)

The definition is "contacted" and the wordplay calls for the middle letters (centre) of the word ORANGE (fruit) for which the solution is RANG. As I have mentioned in a recent blog, clues of this type often specify the middle letter of a word with an odd number of letters or the middle two letters of a word with an even number of letters. Occasionally, in such clues, we will need to use larger portions of the fodder (the material on which the clue indicator operates). Today, however, so much of the fodder is required to be retained that we merely need to peel this fruit.

21a Sailor with two other men seen on the road (10)

The definition is "road" and the wordplay is TAR (sailor) + (with) {MAC + ADAM (two other men)} giving us TARMACADAM (a longer version of the word tarmac). The term tarmac is commonly used in North America to refer to an airport runway, but I don't recall ever having heard it used in relation to a road. Even when talking about a runway, I am sure one would - in all probability - refer to a tarmac as a paved surface, not a tarmacked surface.

24a Repeatedly imitating a mountain nymph, in German (7)

The definition is "repeatedly imitating" and the wordplay is ECHO (a mountain nymph [in Greek mythology]) + IN + G (German). Tilsit teases us with the statement "If you look in Chambers how G comes to mean German – it is rather a nasty connotation". Unfortunately, Chambers does not share this information in their free, online (abridged) version.

25a I hoot as a result of a sneeze (7)

The clue is an anagram of I HOOT AS resulting in the solution ATISHOO. It seems the British may even sneeze differently than North Americans. Here one would likely see the sound of a sneeze spelled variously as achoo, ahchoo or atchoo.

3d Make good a wager (4)

Apparently the expression "make good" must mean help in Britain - but I could find no reference to support this theory. Thus the definition would be "make good" with the wordplay being A + BET (wager) producing, as a solution, ABET.

8d Crafty person's noisy domestic heater (6)

Despite getting the right solution (from the checking letters and definition), I had a question mark against this clue as I did not understand the wordplay. While Tilsit did not completely resolve my issues with the wordplay, he did provide sufficient information to trigger a recollection that the word "geyser" is pronounced differently in Britain and North America (you can hear the two pronunciations for yourself here). In Britain, it is pronounced GEE·ZEH, while in North America, it is pronounced GUY·ZER. The clue also relies on the pronunciation of another word, geezer, which is also pronounced differently in Britain and North America. In Britain, it is GEE·ZEH, while in North America, it is GEE·ZER. Thus, in Britain, geyser is pronounced exactly like geezer, while, in North America, these words are not only pronounced differently than they are in Britain, they are pronounced differently from each other.

The definition is "domestic heater" for which the solution is GEYSER (which, in Britain, is "a gas-fired water heater through which water flows as it is rapidly heated"). The wordplay tells us that the solution sounds like (noisy) GEEZER (crafty person). Even the latter part is not entirely straightforward. Chambers defines geezer as a colloquial expression for "a man, especially an old man, often one who is odd in some way" and crafty as "clever, shrewd, cunning or sly".

Signing off for today - Falcon