Wednesday, May 25, 2011 (DT 26489)

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26489
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Setter Jay
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26489]
Big Dave's Review Written By Pommers
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

For the second day running my Tool Chest sat idle. However, it was quite an enjoyable exercise with several clues to stretch the brain muscles.

Today, Big Dave welcomes a new addition to his circle of bloggers as Pommers delivers his first review. He and I will be sharing duties reviewing the "Wednesday" puzzles for Big Dave - with Pommers carrying the bulk of the load.

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.

fell³ - noun a hill or stretch of high moorland, especially in northern England.

hotel - noun 2 a code word representing the letter H, used in radio communication.

retsina - noun a Greek white or rosé wine flavoured with resin.

*tyre - noun automotive U.K. spelling of  tire³

Appearing in Solutions:

climbing frame - noun British a structure of joined bars or logs for children to climb on.

ICI - abbreviation Imperial Chemical Industries (Limited).

intermediate - [The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition] noun a racing car tyre with tread between that on a slick and a wet tyre.

*Isle of Man - an island in the Irish Sea which is a British Crown dependency having home rule, with its own legislature (the Tynwald) and judicial system; population 82,000 (est. 2009); capital, Douglas. The island was part of the Norse kingdom of the Hebrides in the Middle Ages, passing into Scottish hands in 1266 for a time, until the English gained control in the early 15th century. Its ancient language, Manx, is still occasionally used for ceremonial purposes.

*L² - abbreviation [5^th entry] British (on a motor vehicle) learner driver.

*L or l - U.K. money pounds [Latin librae]

moor¹ - noun chiefly British a tract of open uncultivated upland, typically covered with heather.

*OR - abbreviation [3^rd entry] Military, British other ranks (as opposed to commissioned officers).

redwing - noun 1 a small migratory thrush that breeds mainly in northern Europe, with red underwings showing in flight. Turdus iliacus, family Turdidae 2 any of a number of red-winged birds, especially the American red-winged blackbird. Several species, in particular Agelaius phoeniceus, family Icteridae

Signing off for today - Falcon