Tuesday, May 31, 2011 (DT 26494)

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26494
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Setter Shamus
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26494]
Big Dave's Review Written By Gazza
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 █ - reviewed by Falcon for Big Dave's blog

Introduction

I needed a fair amount of assistance from my Tool Chest today, primarily due to the setter having employed a number of words in senses that - although not unknown to me - are not necessarily ones that pop readily to mind. I must say that it was a bit disheartening to see that the puzzle rated merely two stars for difficulty from Gazza.

Today's Glossary

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

[An asterisk beside an entry merely indicates that it has been taken it from a Cumulative Glossary of entries which have previously appeared, 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.

describe - [American Heritage Dictionary] verb 4. To trace the form or outline of • describe a circle with a compass. [Note: thus enclose]

favour - noun 1 [3^rd entry] archaic a thing such as a badge or knot of ribbons that is given or worn as a mark of liking or support.

purse - verb (with reference to the lips) pucker or contract [i.e., compress], typically to express disapproval or irritation • [with object] Marianne took a glance at her reflection and pursed her lips disgustedly; [no object] under stress his lips would purse slightly

Winchester College - an independent school for boys in the British public school tradition, situated in Winchester, Hampshire, the former capital of England. It has existed in its present location for over 600 years and claims the longest unbroken history of any school in England. It is the oldest of the original nine English public schools defined by the Public Schools Act 1868 which also included Eton, Harrow and Charterhouse.

zip - noun 1 (also zip fastener) chiefly British [a] a device consisting of two flexible strips of metal or plastic with interlocking projections closed or opened by pulling a slide along them, used to fasten garments, bags, and other items. [i.e., a zipper] [b] [as modifier] denoting something fastened by a zip • a zip pocket

zip - verb 3 Computing compress (a file) so that it takes less space in storage.

Appearing in Solutions:

lento - Music (especially as a direction) adjective slow or adverb slowly.

nose - noun 3 [2^nd entry] informal a police informer.

pot¹ - noun 3 [possibly British] informal a prize in a sporting contest, especially a silver cup.

rosette - noun 1 a rose-shaped decoration, typically made of ribbon, worn by supporters of a sports team or political party or awarded as a prize.

so - conjunction [2^nd entry] introducing a question following on from what was said previously • so what did he do about it?

*tin - noun 1 [3^rd entry] British informal, dated money.

tinpot - adjective British colloquial cheap or poor quality; paltry or contemptible • tinpot dictator. [Note; although Chambers, Collins and Oxford all characterise this as a British term, it is definitely also well-known in Canada.]

tissue - noun 3 [in singular] an intricate structure or network made from a number of connected items • such scandalous stories are a tissue of lies

wee¹ - adjective chiefly Scottish little • when I was just a wee bairn; the lyrics are a wee bit too sweet and sentimental [Note: In Canada, with its rich Scottish heritage, this word is far from unfamiliar.]

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.

4d   Concern shown after beginning of television series (6)

The definition is "series" for which the solution is TISSUE and the wordplay is ISSUE (concern) following (after) T (beginning of Television). Gazza comments "This word [tissue] means an intricate, complex structure but I can’t see how that means series." To understand why, see the entry for tissue in Today's Glossary where the phrase "a tissue of lies" could equally well be replaced by "a series of lies".

Signing off for today - Falcon