Thursday, November 11, 2010 (DT 26315)

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26315
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Setter Shamus
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26315]
Big Dave's Review Written By Gazza
Big Dave's Rating
Difficulty - ****	Enjoyment - ***

Introduction

I got off to a quick start this morning and thought the puzzle might be a breeze. However, the northeast quadrant brought me back to earth with a thud. This was the same region in which Gazza (not to mention many others among the Brits) was held up. In the end, persistence paid off and I managed to finish.

Solving Tip: Abbreviations

When I first took up the pastime of cryptic crosswords (not unlike many newcomers to this field), I supposed that setters were quite arbitrarily using the first letter of almost any word as an abbreviation. However, such is not the case. There are well established conventions covering many aspects of cryptic crosswords, including the use of abbreviations. In some cases, these conventions are broadly respected in puzzles appearing in many publications. In other cases, the practices may be specific to an individual publication. And, of course, they are only enforced at the whim of the puzzle editor.

Judging by comments from Big Dave et al, an abbreviation must appear in The Chambers Dictionary (specifically the 11th edition) to be used in a Daily Telegraph puzzle. According to Wikipedia, The Chambers Dictionary "is widely used by British crossword solvers and setters, and by Scrabble players (though it is no longer the official Scrabble dictionary). It contains many more dialectal, archaic, unconventional and eccentric words than its rivals, and is noted for its occasional wryly humorous definitions." The Search Chambers website is based on the Chambers 21st Century Dictionary, a considerably smaller dictionary (at 1664 pages) than The Chambers Dictionary, 11th edition (at 1904 pages).

Quite often, abbreviations will be used in Daily Telegraph puzzles that cannot be found on the Search Chambers website - an example being C for 'college' in today's puzzle. However, I have every confidence that they would be found in the larger volume.

Today's Glossary

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

Abbreviations:

C ^* - College

E ² - 3 East 8 English

PTO (or pto) - please turn over

S ² - 5 Society 6 South

s - 1 a second or seconds of time

^* not found in Chambers 21st Century Dictionary (online version)

Appearing in Solutions:

John  Clare - (1793 – 1864) English poet, considered to be among the most important 19th-century poets

let - noun British a property available for rent: an unfurnished let

moonshine - [Collins English Dictionary] noun

2. US and Canadian illegally distilled or smuggled whisky or other spirit

3. foolish talk or thought

Note: I would think the former definition is far more likely to come to mind for a North American

on the nail - in hand; on the spot; immediately; without delay or time of credit; as, to pay money on the nail; to pay cash on the nail

put paid to - Chiefly British To finish off; put to rest: "We've given up saying we only kill to eat; Kraft dinner and freeze-dried food have put paid to that one" (Margaret Atwood) [Note: as demonstrated by the example, a quote from Canadian writer Margaret Atwood, usage of this expression is obviously not confined to Britain]

shop girl - noun dated a female shop assistant

Sooty - a British glove puppet bear and TV character popular in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and other countries [but not Canada, to the best of my knowledge]. The children's television show which bears his name has continued in various forms since the 1950s and, according to the Guinness Book of Records, is the longest-running children's programme in the UK.

Waterloo station - a major railway terminus in central London, located in the Borough of Lambeth

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

11a Lose ability to cope as a keen chess player? (2,2,6)

Gazza comments "I don’t think that the chess bit works very well." Perhaps that explains why I initially wrote in IN TO PIECES (thinking that 'into pieces' might mean "as a keen chess player"). I then spent some time trying to determine whether 'in to pieces' might be a British variant of the expression 'go to pieces').

27a Make known notes by poet (7)

How fast does information on Wikipedia change? When I first opened the Wikipedia page on poet John Clare, I was quite taken aback by the obscene entry I discovered there. I quickly realized that someone had vandalized the site. I figured that I should perhaps repair the damage, but before I could act on my good intentions someone had beaten me to the punch. Net elapsed time from time of vandalization to rapair - four minutes. [For those unfamiliar with the inner operations of Wikipedia, previous versions of a page are accessible together with the time and date on which the version was created and who created it].

2d A barely achieved condition? (6)

I take my hat off to the setter for this fine cryptic definition. But, then again, why stop at just my hat.

This was my favourite clue of the day (even before seeing Gazza's illustration) - and the first one to be solved.

6d Enclose marine creature (4)

Like at least one of the Brits, the first word to come to mind was CLAM, and even though it only satisfies one part of the double definition, I could find no alternative for a long time - only arriving at the correct solution once I had all the checking letters.

8d Miss benefiting consumers? (4,4)

I suppose the solution must be shop girl, but it is definitely a shame that it was not showgirl.

Signing off for today - Falcon