Monday, September 20, 2010 (DT 26272)

This puzzle, by Rufus, was originally published in The Daily Telegraph on Monday, June 21, 2010

The National Post has skipped DT 26270 and DT 26271 which were published in The Daily Telegraph on Friday, June 18, 2010 and Saturday, June 19, 2010 respectively.

Introduction

If you like cryptic definitions as much as I do, you probably enjoyed this puzzle.

Today's Glossary

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

Used in Solutions:

hock³ - noun British a dry white wine from the German Rhineland

knock-down - adjective [attributive] 1 informal (of a price) very low [used earlier to refer to reserve prices set at an auction]

Today's Links

Libellule's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26272].

"Today" the Brits are occupying themselves watching matches at Wimbledon as they await the coming of the first warm days of summer. Rather ironic, as the first days of fall will soon be upon us. Visiting Big Dave's site is an interesting experience, not only must one contend with the differences in British language and customs but also the time warp.

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

1a He's after a feline clutching a strip of leather - disaster! (11)

In his hint, Libellule shows how the solution might be arrived at as a simple charade. However, one must keep in mind that the reviews on Big Dave's site are just that - hints, not necessarily complete explanations. In this clue, we actually have a hybrid clue - a containment type clue where both the container and the contents are charades. The wordplay is {CAT (feline) + HE (he [i]s after)} containing (clutching) {A + STROP (strip of leather)}.

2d A mother for the first orphan? (4)

One should just enjoy this clue and not think too deeply about it. If you consider an orphan to be someone without parents, then Adam (being not only the first man, but the first human) must have been an orphan. However, most dictionaries define an orphan as "a child whose parents are dead". If Adam never had parents, then obviously they couldn't have died and Adam would therefore not meet the conditions to be called an orphan. Not only that, was Adam ever a child?

12d Top dog of the Variety Club? (5,6)

Variety Club, or more formally Variety, the Children's Charity, is an international charitable organization with roots in show business. As the Variety International website explains:

The vernacular of the circus is employed in the Variety structure with the Chapters called “Tents” and the members “Barkers.” The Board of Directors of Variety International, their Associations, and Tents, are called “Crews,” as they are relied on to “build” our Tents worldwide. They are composed of the following elected officers:

President – “Chief Barker": Calls or attracts people to the Tents

Vice Presidents – “First and Second Assistant Chief Barker": Provide assistance in attracting members

Treasurer – “Dough Guy": Literally the “dough” (slang) or “money” guy

Secretary – “Property Master": Is responsible for crew needs

Publicist – “Press Guy”: Handles all publicity and press releases

President Emeritus – “Big Boss”

International Office – “Big Top"

Signing off for today - Falcon