Monday, March 28, 2011 (DT 26436)

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26436
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Thursday, December 30, 2010
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26436]
Big Dave's Review Written By Big Dave
Big Dave's Rating
Difficulty - ★★★	Enjoyment - ★★
Falcon's Performance ┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐ ███████████████████████████████████ └────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘ Legend: █ - solved without assistance █ - incorrect prior to use of puzzle solving tools █ - solved with assistance from puzzle solving tools █ - unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Big Dave's blog

Introduction

I felt compelled to open the Tool Chest fairly early in the game today. It did help me solve a few clues, but was of little use with some others. In the end, I was able to solve (or, more correctly, was forced to solve) some of the remaining clues without its help (consequently, my performance was actually a bit better than it would appear from the chart). Ironically, I knew what Oxford deems to be the 'British' name for the bicycle with one large wheel and one small wheel, but did not know the so-called 'North American' term for it.

Today's Glossary

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

[Items marked with an asterisk are from a Cumulative Glossary of entries appearing, since the beginning of this year, in either this blog or its companion blog, the Ottawa Citizen Cryptic Crossword Forum.]

Appearing in Clues:

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.

Sir Isaiah Berlin - (1909–97), Latvian-born British philosopher who concerned himself with the history of ideas. Notable works: Karl Marx (1939), Four Essays on Liberty (1959), and Vico and Herder (1976).

penny-farthing - noun historical an early type of bicycle, made in Britain, with a very large front wheel and a small rear wheel

• farthing - noun a former monetary unit and coin of the UK, withdrawn in 1961, equal to a quarter of an old penny

• A farthing (on the right) was about the size of a North American penny and a British penny (on the left) was about the size of a North American half dollar (50-cent piece), with their juxtaposition resembling the shape of the rather strange-looking bicycle to which they lent their names

Harold Pinter - (1930–2008), English dramatist, actor, and director. His plays are associated with the Theatre of the Absurd and are typically marked by a sense of menace. Notable plays: The Birthday Party (1958), The Caretaker (1960), and Party Time (1991). Nobel Prize for Literature (2005).

Appearing in Solutions:

addition - French bill (e.g., at a bar or restaurant)

cult - noun 2 a person or thing that is popular or fashionable among a particular group or section of society: the series has become a bit of a cult in the UK; [as modifier] a cult film

*D² - abbreviation [7^th entry] Germany (international vehicle registration) [from German Deutschland]

Edgar Degas - (1834–1917), French painter and sculptor; full name Hilaire Germain Edgar Degas. An Impressionist painter, Degas is best known for his paintings of ballet dancers.

*M² - abbreviation 10 British Motorway, followed by a number, as in M1

*p - abbreviation [4^th entry] Music piano (softly [or quietly])

ordinary - noun 8 historical, chiefly North American a penny-farthing bicycle

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   Boss heads off into own workshop (6)

This clue generated probably the most discussion at Big Dave's site. The definition is "workshop" with the solution being STUDIO. The wordplay is STUD (boss; as on a shield) + IO (heads off into own; i.e., the head letters off of the words 'into' and 'own'). The natural inclination seems to be to think of "heads off" meaning 'remove and discard the heads, using the remainder' (as might be the case in preparing fish). However, here it means 'remove and use the heads'. Think of a recipe calling for the use of the heads off two stalks of Brussels sprouts.

22a   Priest revealed how the animals got on to the ark (6)

Judging by the illustration chosen by Big Dave, the solution would appear to be true for all the animals with the exception of the rabbits. I suppose it is understandable why Noah would not want a pair of rabbits aboard!

While it seems to be almost universally believed that Noah took only two of every living creature on board the ark, the Bible tells us that he actually took seven pairs of most creatures. "Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth." [Genesis Chapter 7, Verse 2-3]

26a   Want new grass to be cut at the start (4)

The definition is "want" for which the solution is NEED. The wordplay is N(ew) + (r)EED (grass to be cut at the start; a word meaning grass from which the starting letter has been deleted). Of course, for those who grew up in the sixties, a different type of grass might come to mind - and one having a synonym that works equally well in the context of this clue.

Signing off for today - Falcon