Wednesday, September 29, 2010 (DT 26279)

This puzzle, by Shamus, was originally published in The Daily Telegraph on Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Introduction

After being subjected to a somewhat strenuous workout yesterday, my Tool Chest enjoyed a bit of a respite today - seeing only limited action. Despite this, Gazza still awarded the puzzle three stars for difficulty as well as three more for enjoyment.

Today's Glossary

Selected abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

Used in Clues:

biscuit - noun 1

• British a small baked unleavened cake, typically crisp, flat, and sweet: a chocolate biscuit [North American cookie]
  
• North American a small, soft round cake like a scone

Used in Solutions:

brandy snap - noun British a crisp rolled gingerbread wafer, usually filled with cream

Rupert Brooke (1887 – 1915) - an English poet known for his idealistic war sonnets written during the First World War

c - abbreviation Cricket (on scorecards) caught by: ME Waugh c Lara b Walsh 19

corporation - noun 3 dated , humorous a paunch [Note: a meaning found in both British and American dictionaries, but new to me; Gazza dates the expression to the mid-18^th century]

crust - noun 3 British informal a living or livelihood: I've been earning a crust wherever I can

henry (abbreviation H) - noun Physics the SI unit of inductance, equal to an electromotive force of one volt in a closed circuit with a uniform rate of change of current of one ampere per second

hotel - noun 2 a code word representing the letter H, used in radio communication

pi² - adjective British informal short for pious

twiddle - noun [likely British] an unnecessary decoration, especially a curly one [Note: this sense of the word was found in Collins, Chambers and Oxford but not in the American dictionaries that I consulted]

Today's Links

Gazza's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26279].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

Definitions posing as wordplay

There are two instances in today's puzzle where phrases that - on first glance - would appear to be anagram indicators are actually definitions. By a strange coincidence, these were also the first two clues that I solved today.

• 10a Old theologian left yard in a strange way (5)
• 2d Tot was first in a confused state (6)

The phrases "in a strange way" and "in a confused state" would both make excellent anagram indicators. However, today they are both definitions. I must say that encountering these two clues right off the start left me oddly addled.

12a Exercise equipment separated by European fellow holding record (4,3)

Gazza repeats a claim that I have seen several times recently, that EP (or Extended Play) is "an old record format no longer seen anywhere except in crosswords". However, the term is now applied to compact discs and music downloads and seems to be very much in use. Here is what Wikipedia has to say on the subject:

An extended play (or "EP" in common speech) is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play (SP) records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length compact discs and music downloads as well. ... In the United Kingdom, the Official Chart Company defines a boundary between EP and album classification at 25 minutes of length or four tracks (plus alternative versions of featured songs).

27a Test option scribbled in piece of paper (4-2,4)

Gazza tells us that the solution "is normally spelt 4-2,4" and it is in the National Post. Apparently, in the U.K., the numeration was given as "(4,2,4)". Perhaps the editors at the Daily Telegraph responsible for the syndication of the puzzle read Big Dave's blog. More likely, though, is that there may have been a discrepancy between the printed and online versions in Britain (when this happens, the version appearing in the National Post is almost invariably the former).

Signing off for today - Falcon