Wednesday, February 9, 2011 (DT 26395)

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26395
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Thursday, November 11, 2010
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26395]
Big Dave's Review Written By Big Dave
Big Dave's Rating
Difficulty - ***	Enjoyment - ***
Falcon's Performance ┌────┬────┬────┬────┐ ████████████████████ └────┴────┴────┴────┘

Introduction

I made good progress on the lower half of the puzzle today, but seemed to be at an impasse with a substantial portion of the upper half remaining unsolved. However, after a trip to the gym followed by lunch, I sat down with my cup of tea and the rest of the clues gradually became clear. Well, all but one. I struggled to understand the wordplay for 16a, and even once it came to me, I retained a degree of uncertainty as the two definitions seemed to be virtually the same.

Today's Glossary

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

Appearing in Clues:

The meanings listed in this section may reflect how the word is used in the surface reading of the clue. Of course, that meaning may be contributing to the misdirection that the setter is attempting to create.

Tempranillo - noun

• a variety of wine grape grown in Spain, used to make Rioja wine
• a red wine made from the Tempranillo grape

Westminster - an inner London borough which contains the Houses of Parliament and many government offices; full name City of Westminster

sundowner - noun 1 British informal an alcoholic drink taken at sunset

Appearing in Solutions:

Ag¹ - symbol the chemical element silver

diabolo - a juggling prop consisting of a spool which is whirled and tossed on a string tied to two sticks held one in each hand

it¹ - pronoun 8 (usually ‘it’) informal sexual intercourse or sex appeal

nitride - noun Chemistry a binary compound of nitrogen with a more electropositive element

sneak - noun informal 1 [1^st entry] British (especially in children‘s use) someone who informs an adult or person in authority of a companion’s misdeeds; a telltale [Note: North American tattletale]

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.

16a   Take it out of drain (7)

This appears to be a double definition where the first definition is "take it out of" and the second is "drain" with the solution being FATIGUE. In the first definition, "it" is used in the sense of 'sex appeal' (as in 27d). However, methinks the two meanings are really pretty much the same thing.

26d   Cancel a few sundowners (4)

Having recently seen the term "sundowner" in another puzzle, I thought that I knew what it means - Australian slang for a hobo, in particular one who shows up at sundown (too late to be made to work for his meal, but not too late to be offered a meal). However, it seems that the term has a different meaning in Britain, where it is a drink consumed at sunset. Of course, the meaning is only of significance in the surface reading of the clue - either meaning sufficing to hide the solution.

Signing off for today - Falcon