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