Wednesday, October 6, 2010 (DT 26285)

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26285
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph  Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Setter Ray T
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26285]
BD Reviewer Gazza
BD Rating
Difficulty - **	Enjoyment - ***

Introduction

You have probably noticed a bit of a different look to the blog today. I have collected together some of the information about the puzzle that was previously scattered through the blog and placed it in a single table at the beginning of the blog. You will now be able to see this information at a glance, rather than searching through the blog for it. In the table, you will find The Daily Telegraph sequence number (which does not appear in the National Post), the date on which the puzzle was published in The Daily Telegraph in the U.K., the identity of the setter (if known), a link to a review of the puzzle at Big Dave's Crossword Blog and the identity of the reviewer, as well as the number of stars awarded by the reviewer for difficulty level and enjoyment.

Although both today's puzzle and yesterday's puzzle were awarded two stars for difficulty by the reviewers at Big Dave's site, I certainly found today's puzzle to be considerably more difficult. However, that may not be the case for everyone. Sometimes we just seem to be more in tune with the style of certain setters.

Today's Glossary

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

Appearing in Solutions:

brief - noun 2 British informal a solicitor or barrister: it was only his brief's eloquence that had saved him from prison

River Trent - a major river in England

Today's Links

The link to Big Dave's site is now found in the summary box at the beginning of the blog.

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

11 Double eagle producing handicap (9)

There is a spirited discussion on Big Dave's site regarding an albatross (a score of three under par in golf) being termed a double eagle in the U.S. Most of the comments question why, given that an eagle is two under par, a double eagle would be only three under par. I wondered if the origin might relate to wagering on games, where the payoff for three under par might have been double that for two under par. However, while I found lots of evidence that betting on golf games may have played a part in the emergence of golf scoring terminology, I found no evidence to support my specific hypothesis.

By the way, the scoring terms are birdie (one under par), eagle (two under), albatross (three under), condor (four under) and ostrich (five under). A condor is a hole-in-one on a par-five hole or a score of two on a par-six hole. According to Wikipedia, a condor has only been accomplished four times in history and an ostrich (a hole-in-one) on a par-six hole has never been achieved (and is unlikely to ever to be seen). Par-six holes are over 600 yards in length and are exceedingly rare. In fact, most golfers probably don't even know that such holes exist (and likely would prefer not to know!).

24a Platform for 'Brief Encounter'? (9)

Brief Encounter is a 1945 British film, much of which was shot at Carnforth railway station in Lancashire, England. Thus many of the Brits made the connection to railway platform and entered CARNFORTH here. Not being familiar with the film, I didn't fall into this trap. However, after seeing that COURTROOM would fit the checking letters, I did expend some time in trying to determine whether the film might be a courtroom drama (it's not). The clue is a play on the word brief which is an informal term used in Britain for a lawyer. A courtroom is the platform (or stage) on which lawyers confront (encounter) each other.

4d External protection for canines? (6)

I recognized right away that "canines" were likely teeth. Unlike some of the Brits, I did not write BRACES into the grid. However, having played hockey in my younger days, I did spend time looking for a British expression meaning mouthguard. Oh, in case you are wondering, that is not me in the picture - it is Bobby Clarke of the Philadelphia Flyers in his playing days.

8d One may go down fast (8)

This is a cryptic definition of a TOBOGGAN. What interests me, though, is seeing Gazza illustrate the clue with a picture of a bobsleigh. Checking Oxford, however, I see that toboggan is defined there as "a long, light, narrow vehicle, typically on runners, used for sliding downhill over snow or ice" which certainly sounds an awful lot like a bobsleigh. However, that is not at all what I know as a toboggan, which according to the American Heritage Dictionary, is a "long, narrow, runnerless sled constructed of thin boards curled upward at the front end".

Signing off for today - Falcon