Tuesday, November 30, 2010 (DT 26330)

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26330
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Friday, August 27, 2010
Setter Giovanni
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26330]
Big Dave's Review Written By Gazza
Big Dave's Rating
Difficulty - ***	Enjoyment - ****

Introduction

It is an enjoyable puzzle today - and I definitely found it to be tad more difficult than Gazza's three stars would indicate.

Today's Glossary

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

Appearing in Solutions:

Anselm of Canterbury (c. 1033 – 1109) - a Benedictine monk, a philosopher, and a prelate of the church who held the office of Archbishop of Canterbury from 1093 to 1109.

go west - UK informal If something goes west, it is lost, damaged or spoilt in some way: I couldn't get a ticket - that's my last chance to see the show gone west.

sidesman - noun British a churchwarden's assistant, who performs such duties as showing worshippers to their seats and taking the collection during a church service.

Signing off for today - Falcon

Monday, November 29, 2010 (DT 26329)

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26329
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Thursday, August 26, 2010
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26329]
Big Dave's Review Written By Big Dave
Big Dave's Rating
Difficulty - **	Enjoyment - ***

Introduction

I got off to a roaring start today and, for a time, thought I might not need to open my Tool Chest. However, I was to discover that there are enough Briticisms in the puzzle to make it challenging to complete. I am sure that the Brits would have found it considerably less difficult.

Today's Glossary

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

on - noun Cricket

• a.  (modifier) relating to or denoting the leg side of a cricket field or pitch: the on side; an on drive [see definition of leg in Appearing in Solutions below]

Appearing in Solutions:

at a stroke - phrase by a single action having immediate effect: attitudes cannot be changed at a stroke

black - verb 2 British dated refuse to handle (goods), undertake (work ), or have dealings with (a person or business) as a way of taking industrial action: the printers blacked firms trying to employ women

black spot - 1 British a place or area marked by a particular trouble or concern: an unemployment black spot; an accident black spot

bull's-eye - noun [American Heritage Dictionary] 6. A piece of round hard candy; [Collins English Dictionary] 8. a peppermint-flavoured, usually striped, boiled sweet

The online dictionaries provide various spellings for this word, with the American Heritage Dictionary showing it as either bull's-eye or bulls eye, Chambers as bull's-eye, Collins as bull's-eye, and Oxford as bullseye.

ch - abbreviation 3 chess check

cob ¹ - noun 4 a powerfully built, short- legged horse

end ¹ - [Collins English Dictionary] noun 11. Sport either of the two defended areas of a playing field, rink, [court,] etc.

Hyde Park Corner - a major intersection in London, England, located at the south-east corner of Hyde Park where Park Lane, Knightsbridge, Piccadilly, Grosvenor Place and Constitution Hill converge

leg - noun 13. Cricket

• a.  the side of the field to the left of a right-handed batsman as he faces the bowler
• b.  (as modifier) a leg slip; leg stump

Perseus ¹ - noun Greek myth a son of Zeus and Danaë, who with Athena's help slew the Gorgon Medusa and rescued Andromeda from a sea monster

snook ¹ - [Collins English Dictionary] noun

1. any of several large game fishes of the genus Centropomus, especially C. undecimalis of tropical American marine and fresh waters: family Centropomidae (robalos) 
2. Australian the sea pike Australuzza novaehollandiae

tea - noun 3 chiefly British a light afternoon meal consisting typically of tea to drink, sandwiches, and cakes; British a cooked evening meal.  See also high tea.

Signing off for today - Falcon

Saturday, November 27, 2010 - Held Together with Duct Tape

Introduction

Today's puzzle by Cox and Rathvon might well have been created by Canadian television character Red Green, well known as a champion of duct tape ("the handyman's secret weapon").

Today's Errata

14a Duct tape U.N. distributed is marked? (5,5)

I would suggest that the numeration might more appropriately be given as (5,1'4).

Today's Glossary

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

Appearing in Solutions:

yard - noun 1 North American the garden of a house (for the benefit of our British visitors)

For the benefit of North Americans who may be confused by the above definition taken from a British dictionary, the words yard and garden have somewhat different meanings in North America and Britain.

Solution to Today's Puzzle

Legend:	"*" anagram; "~" sounds like; "<" letters reversed
	"( )" letters inserted; "_" letters deleted

Across

1a CAPITULATED* - anagram (unravelling) of DUCT TAPE ALL

9a LOT|USES - LOT (Abraham's nephew) + USES (takes advantage of)

10a C(OWS)LIP - CLIP (piece of film) containing (capturing) OWS (hurt expressions)

11a SUMATRA* - anagram (new) of TRAUMAS

12a LOESSER~ - sounds like (listened to) LESSER (minor) [songwriter Frank Loesser]

13a Y(A)RD - {Y (yellow) + RD (road)} containing A

14a {COUPS D'ETAT}* - anagram (fixed) of SO DUCT TAPE

18a PUNCTUATED* - anagram (distributed) of DUCT TAPE UN

19a C(L)UB - CUB (kid) containing (holding) L (large)

22a ARSENAL* - anagram (distributed) of NRA SALE [NRA: National Rifle Association]

25a {G(ENER)AL}< - reversal (back) of {LAG (delay) containing (holding) RENE (Russo; actress Rene Russo)}

26a ME(MO P)AD - MOP (wipe) contained in (inside of) MEAD (noted anthropologist; Margaret Mead)

27a OR|LAND|O - OR + LAND (country) + O (band)

28a {CUT-AND-PASTE}* - anagram (unusual) of DUCT TAPES AN

Down -
1d C(A|TAM)AR|AN - {CAR (auto) + AN (one)} containing {A + TAM (hat)}

2d PE(SET)A - SET (collection) contained in (in) PEA (green)

3d TUSC|ARORA - sounds like (heard) {TUSK (canine) + AURORA (dawn)}

4d LOCAL - double definition; "neighbourhood" and "diet" (lo-cal)

5d TOWHEADS* - anagram (eccentric) of WHO DATES

6d _DE|LIS_ - hidden in (includes) arcaDE LISting

7d FL(ASH)Y - ASH (residue) contained in (eaten by) FLY (winged insect)

8d SPIRIT~ - sounds like (in the ear) SPEAR IT (jab it)

15d {PEER GROUP}* - anagram (radical) of EG OR UPPER

16d T(OLE)RANCE - OLE (cheer) contained in (in) TRANCE (ecstasy); [Note: the setters have used an inverted sentence structure]

17d ST(AND) PAT - ST PAT (March honoree; i.e., St. Patrick) containing (around) AND

18d P(S)ALMS - PALMS (what a fortune teller reads) containing S (second)

20d B(A|L)LOT - {A (one) + L (left)} contained in (with ... on the outside) BLOT (messy mark)

21d ANGLES - double definition; "old Brits" and "viewpoints"

23d SUMAC< - reversal (returned) of CAMUS (existentialist author; Albert Camus)

24d LA|DEN - LA (Los Angeles) + DEN (study)

Signing off for today - Falcon

Friday, November 26, 2010 (DT 26328)

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26328
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Setter Jay
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26328]
Big Dave's Review Written By Crypticsue
Big Dave's Rating
Difficulty - **	Enjoyment - ****

Introduction

Crypticsue awarded this puzzle just two stars for difficulty. This does not surprise me, as the electronic aids in my Tool Chest saw very little service today. And, as she notes, it is a very enjoyable puzzle.

Today's Chamberisms

The 'bible' for the Daily Telegraph puzzle is The Chambers Dictionary, 11th edition. Although Chambers does have an online site, it is based on a different dictionary, The Chambers 21st Century Dictionary (a somewhat smaller tome with considerably fewer entries that focuses primarily on words in everyday use). Therefore, given that setters love to use archaic or obscure words, the website may sometimes not contain words appearing in the puzzles. Such seems to be the case today, even with a word that hardly seems terribly obscure.

I won't repeat my 'mistake' of the other day when I flagged a spelling as a possible error only to be informed by Big Dave that the spelling did, in fact, appear in Chambers. However, I will note that sometimes Chambers contains spellings that seem to exist nowhere else - with the following clue serving as a case in point.

Since most solvers on this side of the Atlantic would likely not possess their own copy of Chambers, I think it is worthwhile pointing out instances (such as we see today) where the spelling (in this case, specifically the numeration) appears to vary from the norm. Consequently, rather than label such instances as errors, I will dub them Chamberisms (on the assumption that they can be found in the famous red book).

9a Layer of subsoil difficult to sift (4-3)

The solution to this clue is undoubtedly far more commonly spelled without a hyphen. In fact, an investigation into the spelling of the word reveals:

• the word does not appear in the Chambers 21st Century Dictionary online in either form - hyphenated or unhyphenated
• both Oxford Dictionaries Online (hyphenated version, unhyphenated version) and the Collins English Dictionary (hyphenated version, unhyphenated version) show the word as existing only in the unhyphenated form
• a search at Onelook Dictionary Search for the unhyphenated version of the word shows that it appears in 20 general dictionaries as well as a number of specialized dictionaries
• a search at Onelook Dictionary Search for the hyphenated version of the word provides two links - one to Wordnik and one to Wikipedia. However, upon following the link to Wordnik, one is informed "The definitions below are for [the unhyphenated version of the word]. The examples and other data are for the variant you requested, [the hyphenated version of the word].". Thus, there are no dictionary entries for the hyphenated version - only examples of it having been [mis?]spelled that way in general use. The Wikipedia link redirects to an article in which the word is consistently spelled without a hyphen.

Even some of the Brits writing on Big Dave's site questioned the hyphenation of this word. However, Gnomethang and Big Dave confirm that the word is hyphenated in The Chambers Dictionary, 11th edition.

Today's Glossary

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

Appearing in Clues:

biscuit - noun 1

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

Lord North - Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford, KG, PC (1732 – 1792), more often known by his courtesy title, Lord North, was Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1770 to 1782, leading Great Britain through most of the American War of Independence.

Appearing in Solutions:

bloater - noun a herring cured by salting and light smoking

bye ¹ - noun 2 cricket a run scored from a ball which the batsman has not hit or touched.
bye-law - alternative [likely primarily British] spelling of bylaw [Collins] or by-law [Oxford]

According to Wikipedia, "In the context of local laws, “bylaw” is more frequently used in this context in Canada, the United Kingdom and some Commonwealth countries, whereas in the United States, the words code, ordinance or regulation are more frequent".

ginger - adjective 2 a said of hair: reddish-orange in colour; b reddish-brown in colour.

I believe that the term ginger is also used in North America in reference to hair colour, although the American dictionaries that I consulted seemed to mention it only in terms of colour in general, whereas the British dictionaries also specifically mentioned it in relation to hair colour. However, the precise hue seems to vary somewhat form dictionary to dictionary: Chambers: reddish-orange (specifically for hair) or reddish-brown; Collins: reddish-brown or yellowish-brown; Macmillan: orange-brown; Oxford: light reddish-yellow; American Heritage Dictionary: a strong brown; Encarta: a yellow color with an orange or brownish tinge; Random House: yellowish or reddish brown; Webster: a sandy or reddish-brown color

ginger nut - noun British a hard ginger-flavoured biscuit [i.e., cookie; in Britain, also called a ginger snap, the name by which it is known in North America]

read - verb 5 chiefly British study (an academic subject) at a university: I'm reading English at Cambridge; [no object]: he went to Manchester to read for a BA in Economics

reader - noun 4 (Reader) British a university lecturer of the highest grade below professor

uni - [likely British] informal university

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

This commentary should be read in conjunction with the review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog, to which a link is provided in the table above.

10a Herring or puffer fish? (7)

I struggled with trying to understand the wordplay here. I presume that it is a double definition with the second being a somewhat cryptic (as flagged by the question mark). A bloater is "a herring cured by salting and light smoking" (some dictionaries say "herring or mackerel"). Although new to me, the term appears in both British and American dictionaries. A puffer fish is "any of several tropical fish capable of inflating their spine-covered bodies to become almost spherical, in response to attacks by predators" - which I suppose could be considered being a bloater (although I was not able to find such a connection explicitly referenced in any dictionary). I thought that I might be onto something when I discovered that pink puffer and blue bloater are medical slang for those afflicted with emphysema and chronic bronchitis respectively. In fact, googling these two words produces almost nothing but hits reflecting this usage. However, in the end, this idea turned out to be nothing but a "red herring".

23a Former Prime Minister executed by one from the Middle East (7)

Just remember that, in Cryptic Crosswordland, execution is almost invariably by beheading.

22d Lord North's warning? (5)

Either this is a very simple - yet elegant - clue, or I am a very simple and obtuse solver today. It took me forever to see the wordplay here, which is simply SIRE (lord) + N (north)! The question mark is an indication that the setter is playing mind games with us.

Signing off for today - Falcon

Thursday, November 25, 2010 (DT 26327)

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26327
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Setter Ray T
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26327]
Big Dave's Review Written By Gazza
Big Dave's Rating
Difficulty - ***	Enjoyment - ****

Introduction

It was a very enjoyable puzzle today, but I found it fairly challenging - my Tool Chest definitely got a good workout today.

Today's Glossary

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

Appearing in Solutions:

don ¹ - noun 1 British a university teacher, especially a senior member of a college at Oxford or Cambridge.

Harley Street - noun a street in central London famous for its large number of medical specialists' consulting rooms

quack - noun British informal a doctor

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

This commentary should be read in conjunction with the review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog, to which a link is provided in the table above.

1a Here, let's try a new treatment? (6,6)

Our first indication that there may be something a bit out of the ordinary about this clue should be the question mark at the end. It is an & lit. clue (or, as some would prefer to call it, an all-in-one clue). The entire clue serves as both the wordplay and the definition. The wordplay is an anagram (new treatment) of HERE LETS TRY A and the definition alludes to the name of a location (here) where one might receive treatment. The solution is HARLEY STREET, a London thoroughfare noted for its concentration of doctor's offices.

9a Old Spice Girl with three hits, say (9)

The definition here is "old", the Spice Girl is English pop-singer Geri Halliwell, and "three hits" refers to a hat trick in cricket, in which "a bowler takes three wickets with three successive balls". The term hat trick actually originated in cricket in the middle of the 19^th century and was only introduced to hockey a century later. The wordplay is GERI (Spice Girl) + ATRIC, which sounds like (say) HAT TRICK as it might be pronounced by an Englishman, especially one with a Cockney accent.

19a Catapult giving son slight wound (9)

Although "wound" means injury in the surface reading, I suspect we may be expected to read it as the past tense of 'wind' (as to wind thread on a spool) in the cryptic reading. Whatever its meaning, it serves as an anagram indicator.

22a I train as a doctor in hospitals (9)

Gazza characterises SANITARIA as "the North American spelling of hospitals for convalescents or the chronically ill". However, this is more properly a U.S. spelling than a North American one. Although the term is rarely used these days, at the turn of 20^th century, a network of hospitals was established in Canada to treat tuberculosis and these institutions were called sanatoria.

3d Hit with side of bat given boundaries (6)

We encounter here another cricket related clue. Unlike a baseball bat, which is round, a cricket bat is flattened (like a paddle) and so has an edge. In cricket, boundary can refer to either the marked limits of a cricket field, a stroke that hits the ball across the boundary line (scoring four or six runs), or the score for such a stroke.

My initial idea here was that the wordplay might be H (hit) + (with) EDGE (side of bat) to give HEDGE. However, I was a bit uncomfortable with the match to the definition which would need to be either "boundaries" or "given boundaries". Eventually, the solution to 11a indicated that this attempt was faulty.

4d African site, green here and there (9)

I believe this is a semi & lit. clue - one in which the entire clue serves as the definition, but the wordplay only makes up part of the clue. Compare this to a true & lit. clue such as 1a where the entire clue constitutes both the wordplay and the definition.

The wordplay in this clue is an anagram (here and there) of SITE GREEN. This can't be a true & lit. clue as the word "African" is not used in the wordplay and it can't be a regular cryptic clue as "African" is not sufficient on its own to be a definition for SERENGETI.

7d Quack heard in the air? (6,6)

I would appear that in addition to its pejorative meaning, the word quack may be used informally in Britain as a synonym for doctor. In North America, the word has such a negative connotation that to call a doctor a quack would almost be an invitation to a suit for defamation.

15d Abstains, is tentatively holding fast (9)

Gazza interprets the definition to be "holding fast" and observes "Holding appears to be doing double duty as part of the definition and as the hidden indicator". However, the definition could equally well be just "fast" (which can mean 'firmly fixed') in which case "holding" is not required to do double duty.

By the way, I find it interesting that the word fast can mean either 'firmly fixed' or 'moving quickly', making it one of those (seemingly many) words in English that are virtually their own antonym.

Signing off for today - Falcon

Wednesday, November 24, 2010 (DT 26326)

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26326
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Monday, August 23, 2010
Setter Rufus
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26326]
Big Dave's Review Written By Libellule
Big Dave's Rating
Difficulty - **	Enjoyment - ***
Notes The National Post has skipped DT 26325 which was published in The Daily Telegraph on Saturday, August 21, 2010

Introduction

My streak of solving puzzles unaided came to a halt today - despite this puzzle having being awarded only two stars for difficulty by Libellule. This just illustrates the point that what one person finds easy, another may find difficult. I also discovered, on reading Libellule's review, that I had made a error on one clue.

Today's Errata

Today, it seems that we may have at least one - and possibly two - errors in numeration.

13a Result of refusing to take things lying down? (5-2, 5)

The review on Big Dave's site shows the numeration for this clue as (5,2,5) which we can take to be the way the puzzle appeared in the online version of The Daily Telegraph - but perhaps not in the print version. This suspicion is strengthened by the fact that a comment refers to the solution as "stand-up fight" - perhaps indicating that the author of the comment may have solved the print version of the puzzle (in which the numeration presumably would have differed from that in the online version).

In my experience, the puzzle in the National Post is almost always identical to that published in the print version of The Daily Telegraph. I have also noticed that errors in the print version of The Daily Telegraph sometimes get corrected in the online version of the paper, but rarely, if ever, get corrected in the syndicated version of the puzzle which appears in the National Post. On occasion, I have seen an error in the National Post that apparently was not present in either the print or online version of The Daily Telegraph - but that is quite rare.

On the other hand, the numeration given in the National Post may not be in error (thereby implying that the version appearing in The Daily Telegraph online version may have been incorrect). Wikipedia defines stand-up fighting as "hand-to-hand combat that takes place while the combatants are in a standing position. The term is commonly used in martial arts and combat sports to designate the set of techniques employed from a standing position, as opposed to techniques employed in ground fighting.". Thus a fight in which the combatants use such techniques would presumably be called a stand-up fight.

21a Their parents' pride and joy (4-4)

I have no idea why the solution is hyphenated as I was unable to find this form in any dictionary. Nevertheless, since the review on Big Dave's site also shows the numeration as (4-4), we can be quite certain that this is the way the puzzle originally appeared in The Daily Telegraph. However, I would think that the numeration should be (4,4).

Today's Glossary

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

Appearing in Clues:

custom - noun 2 British regular dealings with a shop or business by customers: if you keep me waiting, I will take my custom elsewhere

takeaway - noun 1 British a restaurant or shop selling cooked food to be eaten elsewhere: a fast-food takeaway [Note: In North America, called a takeout].

takeout - [Thesaurus] noun 1 - prepared food that is intended to be eaten off of the premises; "in England they call takeout food `takeaway'"

Appearing in Solutions:

lag ³ - noun British informal a person who has been frequently convicted and sent to prison: both old lags were sentenced to ten years' imprisonment

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

This commentary should be read in conjunction with the review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog, to which a link is provided in the table above.

12a Elaborate spread (6)

I had initially entered EXTEND here rather than EXPAND. This then caused me a problem in trying to solve 7d. My error became evident, once I finally found the solution to this intersecting clue.

13a Result of refusing to take things lying down? (5-2, 5)
I mistakenly entered STAND-UP RIGHT here, thinking that it might be the appropriate response to the implied question "What would you do if you refused to take things lying down?". "You would stand-up, right!" meaning "You would stand-up, wouldn't you!" [See also discussion at Today's Errata].

7d Aphrodite's emaciated form (9)

There is quite a bit of discussion on Big Dave's site concerning this clue - in particular regarding the fact that the definition appears in the middle of the clue. This is a clue structure that one sees occasionally in British puzzles. I have seen some observers comment that this is a practice that is permissible (though rarely encountered) in British puzzles, but one that is generally not allowed in American puzzles. However, judging by the outcry that such a structure always seems to provoke, it is a practice that does not seem to be well accepted by the British solving community.

I had no problem with the clue, myself. In fact, I thought it was a rather clever clue.

The definition is "emaciated" and the wordplay is an anagram (form) of APHRODITE with the solution being ATROPHIED. One commenter on Big Dave's blog suggests this may be "an attempt of an &Lit clue". Whether or not this is the case, the clue certainly has to be read as a whole. If one attempts to examine just the individual parts, one is apt to miss the meaning. As Rufus, who set the puzzle, explains on Big Dave's site one must interpret the clue as "the form of Aphrodite which gives a word meaning emaciated is ‘atrophied’". Or, stated a bit more verbosely, the solution is the arrangement (form) of [the letters comprising the word] APHRODITE which gives a word meaning "emaciated".

Signing off for today - Falcon

Tuesday, November 23, 2010 (DT 26324)

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26324
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Friday, August 20, 2010
Setter Giovanni
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26324]
Big Dave's Review Written By Gazza
Big Dave's Rating
Difficulty - ***	Enjoyment - ****

Introduction

For the second day in a row, I was able to complete a puzzle unaided which, I believe, is the first time that I have accomplished that achievement. This one is definitely a more substantial challenge than the one presented to us yesterday.

Solving Tip - Cryptic Clichés

Today's puzzle contains a number of instances of standard cryptic substitutions that appear so frequently in puzzles that they can be considered to be clichés. Among them are:

• old lover - EX
• gangster - AL (Capone)
• rocker - TED (short for Teddy Boy; see Today's Glossary)
• sailor - TAR
• the Parisian - LE (French word for 'the')
• ship - SS
• hesitation - ER (when its not UM)
• of French - DE (French word for 'of')

Today's Glossary

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

Appearing in Clues:

bags - noun (bag 3) British dated loose-fitting trousers

maiden (abbreviation M; e.g., in game summaries) - noun 2 (also maiden over) Cricket an over in which no runs are scored

Westminster - [Collins English Dictionary] 2. the [British] Houses of Parliament at Westminster [in London, England]

Appearing in Solutions:

disco - noun 1 a discotheque. 2 a party with dancing to recorded music. 3 the mobile hi-fi and lighting equipment used for such a party. [Note: only the first definition would likely be recognized in North America].

gust - noun a sudden burst of something such as rain, sound, or emotion

lords and ladies - noun The European wake-robin (Arum maculatum) - those with purplish spadix the lords, and those with pale spadix the ladies. Range: Lords and ladies is very common across most of the British Isles, being absent only from North Scotland. It also occurs frequently in Europe.

Description: Wild arum or lords and ladies (just one of this abundant plant’s local names), has a striking appearance when in flower. From amongst the shiny-green, black-speckled, arrow-shaped leaves, arises a tall slender cowl. This opens on one side to reveal a slender purple spike. This ‘spadix’ is the true flower of the wild arum, and it gave rise to another of the plant’s local names ‘cuckoo pint’. This derives from the time of the flower’s appearance – usually with the first cuckoos – whilst ‘pint’ (once pronounced to rhyme with ‘mint’) is an Old English slang for ‘pintle’, meaning penis.

Ted - noun British informal a Teddy boy: (in the 1950s ) a young man of a subculture characterized by a style of dress based on Edwardian fashion (typically with drainpipe trousers, bootlace tie, and hair slicked up in a quiff) and a liking for rock-and-roll music

ton ¹ - noun 4 British informal a hundred, in particular a speed of 100 mph, a score of 100 or more , or a sum of £100: he scored 102 not out, his third ton of the tour

trouser - verb British informal receive or take (something, especially money) for oneself; pocket: they claimed that he had trousered a £2 million advance

South East England - one of the nine official regions of England. Its boundaries include Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex. In common usage, however, the area referred to as the 'south east' can vary considerably [and would likely include London]. The South East is a very prosperous region, having the second largest regional economy in the UK (after London), as well as the second largest GDP per capita (again second behind only London). Finally, I couldn't help but notice that, by some strange twist of geography, the South East Region is located to the south west of the East Region (with London between them).

Signing off for today - Falcon

Monday, November 22, 2010 (DT 26323)

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26323
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Thursday, August 19, 2010
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26323]
Big Dave's Review Written By Big Dave
Big Dave's Rating
Difficulty - **	Enjoyment - **

Introduction

It was not a difficult puzzle today - Big Dave awarded it two stars in this category - and it contained almost no Briticisms. This no doubt explains why I was able to complete it quite rapidly without needing to pull out my Tool Chest.

Today's Glossary

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

Appearing in Clues:

David Cameron - Prime Minister of the U.K. - and a avid cyclist

centre-forward - noun Soccer & [Field] Hockey an attacker who plays in the middle of the field

Appearing in Solutions:

I ³ - symbol Physics electric current

Signing off for today - Falcon

Saturday, November 20, 2010 - National Icons

Introduction

Today's relatively easy offering from Cox and Rathvon serves up a quartet of objects and foods iconically associated with particular nations - not to mention a couple of iconic actresses from the Golden Age of Hollywood.

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

5d Sauces for pair of artists in places with yachts (9)

Our American setters offer us a clue where the definition is "sauces", the solution is MARINARAS, and the wordplay is AR (pair of artists; i..e., first two letters of "artists") contained in (in) MARINAS (places with yachts) or MARIN(AR)AS.

A British setter may well have taken a different tack, giving us "Sauces for artists in places with yachts (9)" where the definition and solution would remain the same, but he wordplay would be RA (Royal Academy) in MARINAS or MARINA(RA)S.

Solution to Today's Puzzle

Legend:	"*" anagram; "~" sounds like; "<" letters reversed
	"( )" letters inserted; "_" letters deleted

Across

1a {SPANISH OMELET}* - {SPAN (period) + IS + LET (allowed)} containing (outside) HOME (house)

9a ICELANDER~ - sounds like (you might say) I SLANDER (badmouth)

10a MARCH - double definition; month (time of year) and genre of music (Sousa piece)

John Philip Sousa (1854 – 1932) - an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era, known particularly for American military and patriotic marches, regarded (at least in the U.S.) as "The March King".

11a S(I)TAR - I contained in (donated to) STAR (celebrity)

12a SE|N(S)ATION - SE (southeast) + {NATION (country) containing (adopts) S (small)}

13a {RICE PAPER}* - anagram (off) of PAIR CREPE

16a A(BET)S - AS (while) containing (holding) BET (wager)

17a Y|EATS - Y (fork; like a fork in a road, for example) + EATS (has dinner)

William Butler Yeats (1865 – 1939) - an Irish poet and dramatist, and one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature.

19a {ROSE PETAL}* - anagram (new) of REAL POETS

21a _N|EARTH|IN|G_ - hidden (interior) in oN EARTH IN Germany

23a OR|SON - OR (Oregon) + SON (boy)

25a F|LAME - F (failing; as a grade at school) + LAME (feeble)

26a THE|REF|ORE - THE + REF (referee) + ORE (rocks)

27a {CANADIAN BACON}* - anagram (hurt) of A BAN ON ACID CAN

Down -
1d {SWISS ARMY KNIFE}* - anagram (sloppy) of KISS IF MY ANSWER

2d A|GENT - A + GENT (male)

3d _IN A TRA|P_ - hidden in (part of) sINATRA Performance

4d HIDES - double definition

5d MARIN(AR)AS - AR (pair of artists; i.e., first two letters of "artist") contained in (in) MARINAS (places with yachts)

6d LAMB(A)DA - LAMBDA (Greek character; i.e., a letter in the Greek alphabet) containing (holding) A

The association of Lambada and the idea of 'dirty dancing' became quite extensive. The appellative forbidden dance was and is often ascribed to the Lambada. This was largely due to

• its links to Maxixe. The true forbidden dance of the early 1920s in Brazil is the Maxixe, because of its spicy lyrics and movements.
• the 1990 movies Lambada and The Forbidden Dance, and
• the short skirts, typical to the Lambada dance, that were in fashion around 1988.

7d TOR(RIDES)T - RIDES (taunts) contained in (in) TORT (legal case)

8d {CHINESE LANTERN}* - anagram (changed) of IN RESET CHANNEL

14d _CH|ARAB|ANC_ - hidden in (essential to) riCH ARAB ANCestors

charabanc - a type of horse-drawn vehicle or early motor coach, usually open-topped, common in Britain during the early part of the 20th century. It was especially popular for sight-seeing or "works outings" to the country or the seaside, organised by businesses once a year.

15d PER|MITTED - PER (by means of) + MITTED (wearing a glove)

18d SO|THE|RN - SO (likewise) + THE + RN (nurse)

• registered nurse (abbreviation RN) - noun North American a fully trained nurse with an official state certificate of competence
• Ann Sothern (1909 – 2001) - an American film and television actress with a career spanning six decades.

20d P(ROVER)B - ROVER (dog's tag) contained in (written in) PB (lead; i.e., the chemical symbol for the element lead)

22d _G|RETA_ - hidden in (in) demandinG RETAke

Greta Garbo (1905 – 1990) - a Swedish actress primarily known for her work in the United States during Hollywood's silent film period and part of its subsequent Golden Age.

24d S(TO)IC - SIC (order to attack) containing (is bracing) TO

 I believe "bracing" here is used in the sense of 'to enclose in braces ("{ }")'.

Signing off for today - Falcon

Friday, November 19, 2010 (DT 26322)

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26322
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Setter Jay
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26322]
Big Dave's Review Written By Crypticsue
Big Dave's Rating
Difficulty - ***	Enjoyment - **/***

Introduction

In her review, Crypticsue observes that she "took a while to get into today’s Jay puzzle". I had a similar experience, needing to resort to a little electronic help after solving only four or five clues. However, once I had found one or two clues using that help, I was then able to get quite a few more clues without assistance. I did end up with a couple of incorrect entries - largely due to carelessness.

Today's Errata

11a Bird song under the baobob tree - finally! (5)

The National Post repeats a spelling error that originally appeared in The Daily Telegraph - the correct spelling of the name of this tree is baobab.

Today's Glossary

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

Appearing in Solutions:

boob ¹ - noun informal

• 1 British an embarrassing mistake
• 2 North American a foolish or stupid person

know-all - noun British informal a person who behaves as if they know everything [Note: the equivalent North American expression is know-it-all]

let ¹ - verb 3 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 [Note: this usage is not unknown in North America, but one would be far more likely to hear rent than let]

piano ² - music adverb softly. adjective soft. noun a passage of music to be played or performed softly.

British Sky Broadcasting Group (or Sky for short) - a public satellite broadcasting company operating in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It is the largest pay-TV broadcaster in The United Kingdom.

U ³ - adjective British informal (of language or social behaviour) characteristic of or appropriate to the upper social classes: U manners

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

This commentary should be read in conjunction with the review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog, to which a link is provided in the table above.

5a Display of food causing strike (6)

An error at 7d compounded by a bit of carelessness led to a mistake here. Having incorrectly entered OPEN RANGE instead of FREE-RANGE at 7d, I came up with PUT OUT as a solution here. For some unknown reason, I failed to notice that the numeration (3,3) of this effort clearly does not match that of the clue. Instead I became preoccupied with trying (albeit, unsuccessfully) to decipher the wordplay. Display could mean put out, as to put out something for viewing. I also thought that strike might somehow be related to out as a cricket term. However, I was totally at a loss to see how food might factor into the wordplay.

Signing off for today - Falcon

Thursday, November 18, 2010 (DT 26321)

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26321
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Setter Ray T
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26321]
Big Dave's Review Written By Gazza
Big Dave's Rating
Difficulty - ****	Enjoyment - ****

Introduction

Given that Gazza awarded this puzzle four stars for difficulty (as well as a similar number for enjoyment), I felt more than satisfied with my solving time. The bottom right-hand corner was the last part of the puzzle to be completed, and 27a and 21 down were the final two clues to be solved. Interestingly, they share a similar clue structure - perhaps that is an indication that this type of clue is my bête noire.

Today's Glossary

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

Appearing in Solutions:
bent - adjective 2 British slang a dishonest; corrupt • bent officers in the force; b obtained dishonestly; stolen • bent goods.

blackleg - [American Heritage Dictionary] noun 4. Chiefly British A worker who is opposed to trade unions; a scab.

CID - abbreviation Criminal Investigation Department, the detective branch of the British police force

detective inspector (abbreviation DI) - an officer holding the rank of inspector in the Criminal Investigation Department of a British police force

Plain-clothes detective inspectors are equal in rank to their uniformed counterparts, the prefix 'detective' identifying them as having been trained in criminal investigation and being part of or attached to their force's Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

fishmonger - [Collins English Dictionary] noun Chiefly British a retailer of fish

ling ¹ - noun any of a number of long-bodied edible marine fishes:

• a large East Atlantic fish related to the cod (genus Molva, family Gadidae), in particular M. molva, which is of commercial importance 
• a related Australian fish (Lotella callarias, family Gadidae) 
• a similar but unrelated Australian fish (Genypterus blacodes, family Ophidiidae)

sledge - verb Cricket (of a fielder) make offensive remarks to (an opposing batsman) in order to break their concentration [Note: it would appear that sledging is the British equivalent to trash talking.]

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

This commentary should be read in conjunction with the review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog, to which a link is provided in the table above.

24a Amazon I leapt bridging river (4)

In a recent post containing a primer on cryptic crosswords, I wrote about the surface reading of clues. Here is a clue with a very awkward surface reading - one I am sure would not be found in everyday speech. I presume we are supposed to interpret the surface reading along the lines of 'I leapt over the Amazon thereby bridging the river'. The meanings given in the British dictionaries for the verb bridge are "to build or provide a bridge over something" and "to connect or reduce the distance between". American dictionaries also add a slightly different meaning that does include the idea of crossing a gap, "to cross by or as if by a bridge". However, jumping across a river hardly seems to be the same as crossing it on a bridge.

27a Obtain fortune without getting praise (10)

I spent considerable time trying to solve this clue as "a word meaning "obtain" containing (outside) a synonym for "getting praise" - only to eventually discover that it is just the opposite. It is one of those recipe-type clues, where one must:
Step 1 - Start with: ELICIT (obtain)
Step2 - Add: FATE (fortune) outside (without) the interim result from Step 1
Result (getting): FELICITATE (praise)

21d Violent Labour leader's in recovery (7)

This is yet another recipe-type clue on which I fruitlessly expended a lot of effort before seeing the light.
Step 1 - Start with: SAVAGE (violent)
Step 2 - Add: L (Labour leader; i.e., the first letter of "Labour") inside (in) the interim result from Step 1
Result: SALVAGE (recovery)

Signing off for today - Falcon

Wednesday, November 17, 2010 (DT 26320)

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26320
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Monday, August 16, 2010
Setter Rufus
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26320]
Big Dave's Review Written By Libellule
Big Dave's Rating
Difficulty - **	Enjoyment - ***
Note The National Post has skipped DT 26319 which was published in The Daily Telegraph on Saturday, August 14, 2010

Introduction

Today's puzzle was not overly difficult - and contained a minimum of Briticisms.

Today's Glossary

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

Appearing in Clues:

agency - noun 2 a thing or person that acts to produce a particular result: the movies could be an agency moulding the values of the public [Note: perhaps not the sense of the word that most readily comes to mind]

flat 2 - noun chiefly British a set of rooms forming an individual residence, typically on one floor and within a larger building containing a number of such residences: a block of flats

Appearing in Solutions:

rag ² - noun British (usually used as a modifier) a programme of stunts, parades, and other entertainments organized by students to raise money for charity: rag week [or rag day]

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

This commentary should be read in conjunction with the review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog, to which a link is provided in the table above.

9a In which a boxer may drop his guard? (3,6)

I think I initially took the bait, thinking we were looking for a place where a prizefighter might remove his mouth guard. I made a couple of attempts, such as HIS CORNER or THE CORNER, before realizing that today's boxer is not a pugilist at all.

13a When students may collect on the streets (3,3)

Libellule asks "How cryptic is this?". The setter intends us to read "collect" as congregate. However, like Libellule, I readily saw through the intended deception. Most North Americans, even if they interpreted the clue correctly, would likely have difficulty coming up with the British term 'rag day'. I only managed to get it without much delay as I had encountered it in a previous puzzle.

19a Drive to a meeting place? (6)

In addition to the wordplay pointed out by Libellule - namely, A + VENUE (meeting place) - Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition gives avenue and meeting place as synonyms for both forum and concourse. Thus, if we can reasonably assume that words that are the synonyms of the same word are also synonyms of each other, avenue is a synonym of meeting place.

3d Crude, but in a gentle fashion (9)

I totally missed the anagram that Libellule points out, thinking instead that this might be a charade of IN + ELEGANT (in a gentle fashion). I know elegant actually means 'in a graceful fashion', so perhaps it was a bit of a stretch on my part to equate gentle to graceful.

Signing off for today - Falcon

Tuesday, November 16, 2010 (DT 26318)

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26318
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Friday, August 13, 2010
Setter Giovanni
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26318]
Big Dave's Review Written By Gazza
Big Dave's Rating
Difficulty - ***	Enjoyment - ****

Introduction

I found this puzzle to be like a tangled pile of yarn - one must first find an end before the mess can be sorted out. If I remember correctly, I was on my second pass through the clues before I found an end - which happened to be 16a. By some fortuitous coincidence, the solution was also today's Word of the Day, another feature that appears on the National Post's Diversions page. Having solved one clue, I was able to leverage the checking letters it provided to conquer other clues, and so it proceeded until the puzzle was complete. Although there were a few new words today, brendam (writing on Big Dave's site) nicely sums up my feelings when she says "For me a super cryptic Xword because I could literally work out what the word was from the clue, even though I’d never heard of it."

Today's Glossary

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

Appearing in Clues:

gee-gee - noun British informal (in children's use or in racehorse betting) a horse

Appearing in Solutions:

boot - noun 3 British an enclosed space at the back of a car for carrying luggage or other goods [In North America, known as a trunk]

The River Dee - a 70-mile (110 km) long river that travels through Wales and England and also forms part of the border between the two countries. It is also the name of at least three other rivers in the U.K.

dory ¹ - [Collins English Dictionary] noun

• 1. any spiny-finned marine teleost food fish of the family Zeidae, especially the John Dory, having a deep compressed body 
• 2. another name for walleye (the fish)

histologist - noun one who studies the microscopic structure of tissues

ingle - chiefly dialect; origin: early 16th century (originally Scots): perhaps from Scottish Gaelic aingeal 'light, fire', Irish aingeal 'live ember'

• a domestic fire or fireplace
  
• an inglenook
  

Financial Times (FT) - a British international business newspaper, third in world circulation behind New York City-based The Wall Street Journal and India's The Economic Times.

Stephen Fry - English actor, writer, journalist, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club.

nark ¹ - verb British cause annoyance to: women like her nark me

put the boot in (or into someone) - phrase

• kick someone hard when they are on the ground
•  treat someone vulnerable in a cruel way

Sand eel (or sandeel) - the common name used for a considerable number of species of fish, most of them being sea fish of the genera Hyperoplus (greater sandeels), Gymnammodytes or Ammodytes. Many species are found off the western coasts of Europe from Spain to Scotland, and in the Mediterranean and Baltic Seas.

shy ² - verb dated fling or throw (something) at a target: he tore the spectacles off and shied them at her

slush - noun 1 half-melted snow. 2 any watery half-liquid substance; e.g., liquid mud.

Note: I am only familiar with the former usage; however, the latter meaning appears in both American and British dictionaries.

The Sun - a daily tabloid newspaper which is the largest-selling newspaper in the U.K. It and its broadsheet stablemate The Times are published by a subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation.

sundowner - 2 Australian/NZ informal, dated a tramp arriving at a sheep station in the evening under the pretence of seeking work, so as to obtain food and shelter

t' - used in dialects in northern England for “the” [ref: Gazza's review]

An example of usage appears in a comment from Digby, a visitor to Big Dave's blog, who quotes an old saying “The only good thing to come out of Lancashire is t’road back to Yorkshire”

Note: This barb is thrown out during a friendly dispute among the Brits on Big Dave's site today about what constitutes "northern" England.

The Dales (more formally known as the Yorkshire Dales) - an upland area, in Northern England within the historic county boundaries of Yorkshire, most of which lies within Yorkshire Dales National Park.

tweed - noun 1. A coarse, rugged, often nubby woolen fabric made in any of various twill weaves and used chiefly for casual suits and coats

tweeds - noun clothes made of tweed: boisterous Englishwomen in tweeds

weed - noun 2 British informal a contemptibly feeble person

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

This commentary should be read in conjunction with the review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog, to which a link is provided in the table above.

13a Unfairly criticise what you suppose one of the car assemblers might do? (3,3,4,2)

Gazza characterises this as "a clue that might have been devised to confuse our transatlantic cousins". Well, he is correct about the phrase (although I was nearly able to puzzle it out - just needing to consult Oxford to confirm whether the final word was 'in' or 'on'). However, the British term 'boot' meaning the trunk of a car is fairly well known in North America (likely from British movies and television programmes).

21d Plan to cross river is silly (5)

One must do some mental gymnastics to solve this clue. The definition is "plan" and the wordplay is "to cross river is silly". However, we must essentially reverse the order of elements in the wordplay to get the correct cryptic meaning. So just as "To err is human" really means "It is human to err", the wordplay in this clue actually means "It is silly to cross river" or DAFT (silly) containing (to cross) R (river).

24a The northern chaps looking thin and weak in country clothes (6)

Despite obtaining the correct solution (based on the definition and checking letters), I needed Gazza's explanation to understand the wordplay. The definition is "country clothes" which are TWEEDS. The wordplay is T (the northern; i.e., the way the word 'the' is pronounced in dialects in northern England) + WEEDS (chaps looking thin and weak). Weed is British slang for a "a contemptibly feeble person".

Signing off for today - Falcon