Saturday, July 30, 2011

Saturday, July 30, 2011 - Going Through the Paces

Introduction

In today's puzzle from Cox and Rathvon, the setters put a horse through its paces - four of which you will find hidden in the solutions. Clues 1a and 30a are also hints to the theme.

The blog posting is a bit late as I was away from home most of the day and was confronted with computer issues upon my return.


Solution to Today's Puzzle
Legend: "*" anagram; "~" sounds like; "<" letters reversed
"( )" letters inserted; "_" letters deleted

Across

1a   GAIT~ - sounds like (announced) GATE (opening)

3a   STAGE COACH - double definition (one cryptic); "vehicle" & "drama instructor"

9a   I|PA(NE)MA - {I (myself) + PA (dad) + MA (mom)} containing (around) NE (northeastern)

11a   SOMEWAY~ - sounds like (aloud) {SUM (total) + WEIGH (measures on a scale)}

12a   {DIE WALKURE}* - anagram (new) of EUREKA WILD
Die Walküre (The Valkyrie) - the second of the four operas that form the cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung), by Richard Wagner.
13a   _ETNA_ - hidden in (part) Vietnamese

15a   _EAGLE - BEAGLE (dog) with the first letter deleted (the wordplay actually tells us to use only the portion of the word following the leader, or first letter)

17a   DECANTERS* - anagram (strange) of AND SECRET

18a   BET|ROTH|ED - BET (wager) + ROTH (Philip of literature; i.e., American novelist Philip Roth) + ED (education; as in Phys Ed or Sex Ed)

21a   RODE|O - RODE (travelled) + (on) O (loop)

23a   DO|RM - DO (decorate; as in 'do the bedroom in pink') + RM (room)

24a   GALLOPHILE - anagram (recklessly) of ILL GO HELP A

27a   C(O)URSER - CURSER (one swearing) containing (about) O (old)
courser1 - [Collins English Dictionary] noun 2. a hound or dog trained for coursing [noun 1. hunting with hounds or dogs that follow their quarry by sight.]
28a   MAD|ON|NA - MAD (crazy) + ON (about) + NA (North America)

29a   {SCHOOL YEAR}* - anagram (changing) of REAL CHOOSY

30a   ARNO - anagram (horses around) of ROAN
Arno - a river in the Tuscany region of Italy.
Down

1d   G|RIDDLE - G (good) + RIDDLE (puzzle)

2d   I|MAGE - I (island) + MAGE (wizard)

4d   T(HANK)ED - TED (Theodore) containing (while hugging) HANK (Henry)

5d   GAS|TRIC_ - GAS (hot air) + TRIC_ (trick mostly; i.e., "trick" with the last letter deleted)

6d   COMB_ - COMBO (jazz group) with the last letter deleted (all but one member of)

7d   A|T WIT|S END - A + TWIT (bonehead) + SEND (dispatch)

8d   HEYDAYS~ - sounds like (pronounced) {HAY (grass) + DAZE (stupor)}

10d   {EVA PERON}* - anagram (agitated) of OVER A PEN
 María Eva Duarte de Perón - (1919 – 1952), the second wife of Argentinian President Juan Perón (1895–1974) and served as the First Lady of Argentina from 1946 until her death in 1952. She is often referred to as simply Eva Perón, or by the affectionate Spanish language diminutive Evita.
14d   INTREPID* - anagram (out) of PRINT DIE

16d   GO TH|ROUGH - GOTH (rock [music] style that's dark) + (and) ROUGH (crude)

18d   BO|DICES - BO (Ms. Derek; American actress Bo Derek) + DICES (gambles)

19d   HE(A)T RAY - {HE (male) + TRAY (server)} containing (carrying) A

20d   DIL<|EMMA - reversal (flipped) of LID + EMMA (Madame Bovary)
Madame Bovary (1856) is Gustave Flaubert's first published novel and is considered his masterpiece. The story focuses on a doctor's wife, Emma Bovary, who has adulterous affairs and lives beyond her means in order to escape the banalities and emptiness of provincial life.
22d   O(REGAN)O - REGAN ([King] Lear's kid) contained in (gets into) OO (doughnuts; i.e., letters shaped like doughnuts)
Regan is a fictional character in William Shakespeare's tragic play, King Lear. She is the second of his three daughters.
25d   _INNER - DINNER (meal) with the first letter deleted (starting late)

26d   OSLO - the first letters (leaders) of O(cean) S(tudy) L(ook) O(ver)

Signing off for today - Falcon

Friday, July 29, 2011

Friday, July 29, 2011 - DT 26544

Puzzle at a Glance
Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number
DT 26544
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Setter
Ray T
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26544]
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
- reviewed by Falcon for Big Dave's blog

Introduction

My Tool Chest didn't get quite as strenuous a workout as the chart above might suggest. I did resort to it fairly early in the solution process, but once I had found two or three solutions with its help, I was able to set it aside for a while. However, the chart shows the point where I first made use of these electronic aids.

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.

bird - noun 3 British informal a young woman or a man's girlfriend.

ginger group - noun British a highly active faction within a party or movement that presses for stronger action on a particular issue [a description which sounds like it might fit the Tea Party faction within the U.S. Republican Party]

Appearing in Solutions:

beater - noun 1 a person who hits someone or something, in particular: [1st subentry] a person employed to raise game birds for shooting by striking at the ground cover.

*ER - abbreviation Queen Elizabeth. [from Latin Elizabetha Regina]

groyne (US groin) - noun a low wall or sturdy timber barrier built out into the sea from a beach to check erosion and drifting.

optic - noun 3 British trademark a device fastened to the neck of an inverted bottle for measuring out spirits.

*tick1 - noun 2 [2nd entry] British informal a moment: I shan't be a tick; I'll be with you in a tick

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   Nauseating quote compiler raised (6)

The appearance of "compiler" or "setter" in a clue is often a reference to the creator of the puzzle, in which case these words generally must be substituted my a first person pronoun such as "I" or (as is the case today) "ME".

The definition is "nauseating" and the wordplay is a reversal (raised) of {CITE (quote) + ME (compiler)} producing the solution EMETIC.

Signing off for today - Falcon

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Thursday, July 28, 2011 - DT 26543

Puzzle at a Glance
Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number
DT 26543
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Setter
Jay
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26543]
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

{Placeholder Text}

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.

charlie - noun 4 a code word representing the letter C, used in radio communication.

Appearing in Solutions:

bit1 - noun 5 North American informal a unit of 12 1 / 2 cents (used only in even multiples).

do1 - verb 5 [4th entry] British informal swindle: a thousand pounds for one set of photos — Jacqui had been done

lay reader - noun (in the Anglican Church) a layperson licensed to preach and to conduct some religious services , but not licensed to celebrate the Eucharist.

mate1 - noun 3 British informal [a] a friend or companion: my best mate Steve [b] used as a friendly form of address between men or boys: ‘See you then, mate.’

nutmeg - Soccer, informal noun 3 an instance of playing the ball through an opponent's legs. verb play the ball through the legs of (an opponent). [Origin: extended use of obsolete nutmegs ‘testicles’]

*or2 - noun gold or yellow, as a heraldic tincture.

tied house - noun British a public house which may only sell the beer of a particular brewery.

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   Gold coin in America in circulation (5)

In his review, Pommers ponders (with respect to a bit being an eighth of a dollar) "As far as I know there isn’t actually a coin in circulation of this value but I may be wrong there.".

In the 18th century, American colonists used one ounce silver coins made by the Spanish. These "pieces of eight" were worth eight reales (and were equivalent to one dollar). Apparently these coins would often  literally be cut into eight pieces (bits) with each bit being worth an eighth of a dollar (12.5 cents). Thus two bits would be a quarter dollar and four bits a half dollar, etc. Although these coins have long since gone out of circulation, the terminology persists (with only the even multiples being used as they correspond to multiples of quarters).

13a   In America, one shoots a man on board (5)

I mistakenly entered PLEBE (a freshman at a US military academy), as that certainly seemed to satisfy the first part of the clue ("In America, one shoots"). As for the rest of the clue, I presumed it must relate to some obscure British meaning.
  • plebe - noun US informal a newly entered cadet or freshman, especially at a military or naval academy.
Signing off for today - Falcon

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Wednesday, July 27, 2011 - DT 26542

Puzzle at a Glance
Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number
DT 26542
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Setter
Unknown
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26542]
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

It is a fairly easy puzzle today. Gazza comments that "It seems to have a North American bias". Well, there may be a few North American references - but they are sprinkled lightly over a solid base of Briticisms.

As for biotechnology meaning ergonomics, this is a new usage for me. As Gazza observes, Chambers shows this as a North American usage. On the other hand, the Collins English Dictionary identifies this meaning of biotechnology as terminology specific to the field of Psychology (where it has quite a different meaning from the better known one from the field of Biochemistry).

By the way, Gazza responds to a comment dealing with the themed puzzle published in the U.K. on Easter Monday (and in the National Post on July 19) with the suggestion "... in the case of a themed puzzle based on a specific date I think if/when it’s syndicated there’ll be a note printed with it saying something like: This puzzle first appeared in the UK on Good Friday/ St. Patrick’s Day or whatever." No, Gazza, that doesn't happen. Solvers of the syndicated puzzle (at least subscribers to the National Post) are left to figure that out for themselves. While it is not a major issue for me as I track (for the purpose of my blog) the date when the puzzle was originally published, many solvers would certainly not have a clue. Keep in mind that the puzzle is not identified by number and - in fact - is not even identified as having originated with The Daily Telegraph.

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.

assume - [American Heritage Dictionary] verb 4. To put on; don: The queen assumed a velvet robe.

drawing room - noun [1st entry] a room in a large private house in which guests can be received and entertained. [Origin: mid 17th century (denoting a private room attached to a more public one): abbreviation of 16th-century withdrawing-room ‘a room to withdraw to’]

fellow - noun 3 [2nd entry] British an incorporated senior member of a college: a tutorial fellow

Appearing in Solutions:

*char3 - (also cha or chai) noun British informal tea.

*don1 - noun 1 British a university teacher, especially a senior member of a college at Oxford or Cambridge

emmet - [Collins English Dictionary] noun 1. British an archaic or dialect word for ant 2. Cornish dialect a tourist or holiday-maker

Guthrie - a city in and the county seat of Logan County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City Metroplex.

Woody Guthrie - (1912 – 1967) American singer-songwriter and folk musician (born in Okemah, Oklahoma) whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, traditional and children's songs, ballads and improvised works.

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

lounge - noun 1 [3rd entry] British a sitting room in a house.
sitting room - noun chiefly British a room in a house in which people can sit down and relax.
*mo - noun [in singular] informal, chiefly British a short period of time: hang on a mo!

vert1 - noun green, as a heraldic tincture: [postpositive] three piles vert

Signing off for today - Falcon

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Tuesday, July 26, 2011 - DT 26541

Puzzle at a Glance
Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number
DT 26541
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Monday, May 2, 2011
Setter
Rufus
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26541]
Big Dave's Review Written By
Libellule
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
Notes
The National Post has skipped DT 26540 which was published in The Daily Telegraph on Saturday, April 30, 2011


Introduction

On the first read through, I was not able to solve a single across clue. The down clues proved less obstinate, and once I had established a foothold, the solutions began to fall into place. I did myself no favour by putting EMIGRES at 29a, making the southwest quadrant impossible until I discovered my error. I also had a hard time seeing that "look" in 3d is not evoking SEE. Furthermore, the Greek nymph at 20d is one with whom I was not familiar, and the party at 16d is known in North America as a dietary supplement to reduce flatulence.

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 Solutions:

beano - noun British informal a party.

Calypso - a nymph in Greek mythology, who lived on the island of Ogygia, and who is remembered most for her role in Homer's Odyssey, in which she keeps the fabled Greek hero Odysseus [Ulysses] on her island so she could make him her immortal husband. According to Homer, Calypso kept Odysseus hostage at Ogygia for seven years.

slur - noun 3 Music a curved line used to show that a group of two or more notes are to be sung to one syllable or played or sung legato.

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

26a   A slight mark on the music (4)

Without giving a full explanation, Libellule indicates that the solution (SLUR) to the clue relates to a printing term meaning 'to blur or smear' and a music term meaning 'to glide over a series of notes smoothly without a break'. Try as I might, I cannot parse the clue to incorporate these elements (verbs). If one were to use the nounal equivalents of these verbs, I suppose one might consider the clue to be a semi & lit. (all-in-one) clue where the entire clue would be a definition of a musical slur ('a curved line used to show that a group of two or more notes are to be sung to one syllable or played or sung legato') and "a slight mark" might refer to a printing slur ("a blur or smear"). However, I don't like this explanation very much.

Like a few who commented at Big Dave's site, I saw this clue a bit differently - as a double definition. According to this line of thought, one definition would be "a slight" (meaning 'an insult caused by a failure to show someone proper respect or attention') which is akin to a slur ('an insinuation or allegation about someone that is likely to insult them or damage their reputation') in that both could be insults (although somewhat different in nature). The second definition would be "mark on the music" which would use slur as a the musical term (as above).

Signing off for today - Falcon

Monday, July 25, 2011

Monday, July 25, 2011 - DT 26539

Puzzle at a Glance
Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number
DT 26539
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Friday, April 29, 2011
Setter
Giovanni
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26539]
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
Notes
This puzzle appears on the Monday Diversions page of the Saturday, July 23, 2011 edition of the National Post

Introduction

You should very quickly realize that today's puzzle appeared in the U.K. on the day that Prince William and Kate Middleton were wed. It should not only rekindle memories of that event, but also remind us of their recent visit to Canada which certainly seems to have endeared the royal couple in the hearts of Canadians.

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.

camp follower - noun [a] a civilian who works in or is attached to a military camp. [b] a person who is nominally attached to a group but does not make a substantial contribution to its activities: cynical opportunists and camp followers

Appearing in Solutions:

Father Ted - a comedy series set in Ireland that aired on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom over three series from 21 April 1995 until 1 May 1998, including a Christmas special, for a total of 25 episodes. [The series was also carried by television networks in Ireland and Australia, but seemingly not in Canada or the U.S.]

groat - noun historical [1st enty] any of various medieval European coins, in particular an English silver coin worth four old pence, issued between 1351 and 1662.

Levi1 - noun 1. Old Testament a.  the third son of Jacob and Leah and the ancestor of the tribe of Levi (Genesis 29:34) b.  the priestly tribe descended from this patriarch (Numbers 18:21-24)

Liverpool Football Club - English professional football club, based in Liverpool, Merseyside, that plays in the Premier League. The second most successful club in the history of English football, Liverpool have won 18 league titles, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups. Liverpool is the most successful English club in European competition, having won five European Cups, the last in 2005, three UEFA Cups and three UEFA Super Cups.

mid-on - noun Cricket [a] a fielding position on the on side near the bowler. [b] a fielder at mid-on.
*on - (also on side) noun Cricket the leg side (or, simply, leg), noun 5 the half of the field (as divided lengthways through the pitch) away from which the batsman's feet are pointed when standing to receive the ball.  The opposite of off.
myrmidon - noun a follower or subordinate of a powerful person, typically one who is unscrupulous or carries out orders unquestioningly: one of Hitler's myrmidons

*N3 - symbol chess knight.

Niobe - Greek Mythology the daughter of Tantalus. Apollo and Artemis, enraged because Niobe boasted herself superior to their mother Leto, killed her children and turned her into a stone.

paternoster - noun 1 (in the Roman Catholic Church) the Lord's Prayer, especially in Latin. 2 (also paternoster lift) a lift consisting of a series of linked compartments moving continuously on an endless belt.

[English] rose - noun an attractive English girl with a delicate, fair-skinned complexion regarded as typically English.

Signing off for today - Falcon

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Saturday, July 23, 2011 - Italian on the Menu

Introduction

In today's puzzle from Cox and Rathvon, the setters drop in to an Italian deli for soup, cheese, pasta and dessert - all purchased on credit.












Solution to Today's Puzzle

Legend: "*" anagram; "~" sounds like; "<" letters reversed
"( )" letters inserted; "_" letters deleted

Across

1a   SCAM< - reversal (sent back) of MACS (Apple products)

3a   MAS|CARP|ONE - MAS (Mom's) + CARP (gripe) + (with) ONE

9a   C(A|R)AMEL - CAMEL (ungulate) containing (eating) {A + R (piece of rock; i.e., first letter of Rock)}

11a   IGNITED* - anagram (rum) of DIETING
 rum2 - adjective British informal, dated odd; peculiar: it's a rum business, certainly
12a   MINE|ST(R)ONE - MINE (dig) + {STONE (pit) containing (about) R (right)}

13a   TIER - double definition; "grade" & "someone making macrame" (i.e., someone tying knots)

15a   RE|D A(RM)Y - RE ([musical] note) + {DAY (date) containing (holding) RM (room)}

16a   IVANHOE* - anagram (dress) of I HAVE ON
dress - verb 3 treat or prepare (something) in a certain way
18a   SO|LO(I)NG - SO LONG (I'll see you) containing (about) I (one)

21a   PICADOR~ - sounds like (for hearing) PICK A DOOR (choose an opening)

23a   TONY - double definition; "stylish" & "theatre award"

24a   TOR(TELL|IN)I - {TELL (report) + IN} contained in (interrupting) TORI (doughnuts)
torus - noun (plural tori or toruses) 1 Geometry [a] a surface or solid formed by rotating a closed curve, especially a circle, about a line which lies in the same plane but does not intersect it (e.g. like a ring doughnut). [b] a ring-shaped object, especially a large ring-shaped chamber used in physical research.
26a   P(LAST)IC - LAST (at the end) contained in (in) PIC (movie)
A store clerk's question "Paper or plastic" might mean 'cash or credit [card]'.
27a   HI T|HERE - HIT (attacked) + HERE (present)

28a   Z(A|BAG|L|I)ONE - {A + BAG (sack) + L (left) + I (one)} contained in (wearing) ZONE (belt)

29a   ON|US - ON (upon) + US (Canada's neighbour)

Down

1d   S(YCAM<)ORES - SORES (wounds) containing (keeping) {a reversal (back) of MACY (Fargo actor)}
William H. Macy - American actor who was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as Jerry Lundegaard in Fargo.
2d   A|PRONE|D - {PRONE (lying) + D (down)} following (behind) A (one)

4d   ALLERGY* - anagram (corrected) of LARGELY

5d   CHI|ANTI - CHI (Greek character) + ANTI (opposed to)

6d   RUNG - double definition; "called up" & "part of a ladder"

7d   O|ST|RICH - O (circle) + ST (stone [British unit of weight]) + RICH (flush)

8d   EIDER - anagram (shot) of DEER I

10d   MIST|RAIN - MIST and RAIN are each a 'forecast for wet weather'

14d   LANCELOT - LOT (fortune [in the sense of 'fate']) following (going after) LANCE (jousting weapon)

17d   EAR(LINES)S - EARS (some corn) containing (having) LINES (rows)

19d   LINEAR B - hidden in (found in) deLI NEAR Beef

20d   GNOCCHI* - anagram (clumsy) of {CHICaGOaN, i.e., CHICAGOAN with the two A's deleted (twice dropping A) }

21d   PIT|CH IN - PIT (depression) + (with) CHIN (talk)

22d   D(RIVE) IN - DIN (noise) containing (surrounding) RIVE (split)

23d   TOP|AZ - TOP (most prominent) + AZ (Arizona)

25d   STAG< - reversal (sent back) of GATS (pistols)

Signing off for today - Falcon

Friday, July 22, 2011

Friday, July 22, 2011 - DT 26538

Puzzle at a Glance
Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number
DT 26538
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Setter
Unknown
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26538]
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
- reviewed by Falcon for Big Dave's blog

Introduction

As you can see from the chart above, I needed a fair bit of assistance from my Tool Chest today. I was therefore relieved to see that Big Dave had awarded (if somewhat grudgingly) four stars for difficulty. I did learn a new expression today - one which I am sure will come to mind every time I grate nutmeg into my eggnog. Finally, I failed to recognize that the surface reading of 25a is likely a reference to the John and Lorena Bobbitt affair in which she hacked off part of the family jewels (but apparently left the nutmegs intact).

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 Solutions:

byre - noun British a cowshed.

The Express (informal name for the Daily Express) - British daily middle market tabloid newspaper.

demo - noun informal 1 chiefly British a public demonstration: a peace demo

E2 - abbreviation 2 earth.

N - [The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition] abbreviation navy

nutmeg - Soccer, informal noun 3 an instance of playing the ball through an opponent's legs.verb play the ball through the legs of (an opponent). [Origin: extended use of obsolete nutmegs ‘testicles’]

pale2 - noun 1 [a] a wooden stake or post used with others to form a fence. [b] a conceptual boundary: bring these things back within the pale of decency

pence - British plural form of penny

roller2 - noun British informal a car made by Rolls-Royce.

*rum2 - adjective British informal, dated odd; peculiar: it's a rum business, certainly

single carriageway - noun [British] a road with only one lane in each direction.

Signing off for today - Falcon

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Thursday, July 21, 2011 - DT 26537

Puzzle at a Glance
Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number
DT 26537
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Setter
Jay
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26537]
Big Dave's Review Written By
Falcon
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

When I originally reviewed this puzzle on Big Dave's site, I wrote that it "... lacks any real “Aha!” moment". That probably explains why it took me a surprisingly long time today to realize that I had actually seen this puzzle before. However, the realization gradually dawned on me that the clues looked vaguely familiar. The answers certainly didn't come automatically, and a few of them required a good deal of thought - even on the second time around. Nevertheless the few British expressions in the puzzle must have been firmly embedded in the recesses of my brain as they popped fairly readily to mind once a few checking letters were in place.

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.

Geordie - British informal noun [a] a person from Tyneside, an industrial conurbation on the banks of the River Tyne, in NE England, stretching from Newcastle upon Tyne to the coast. [b] the English dialect or accent typical of people from Tyneside. adjective relating to Tyneside, its people, or their accent or dialect: Geordie humour

Appearing in Solutions:

quid1 - noun (plural same) British informal one pound sterling: we paid him four hundred quid

quids in - phrase British informal in a position where one has profited or is likely to profit from something.

*steam radio - chiefly UK informal radio, as opposed to television; a radio set, especially an old fashioned one; a radio broadcast.
Steam radio is a British name for radio which seemingly came into use in the 1950s as television made its appearance. The idea behind the phrase is that radio would be obsoleted by television in the same way that steam engines were replaced by diesel locomotives. Today, apparently, some commentators in the U.K. refer in a similar manner to steam television which they see being superseded by programming broadcast over the Internet. For a more complete discussion, see the entry on steam radio at World Wide Words.
Signing off for today - Falcon

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Wednesday, July 20, 2011 - DT 26536

Puzzle at a Glance
Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number
DT 26536
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Setter
Unknown
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26536]
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

Today's puzzle tends toward the easier side, although it is not without an ample dose of Briticisms.

If, on reading the comments posted on Big Dave's site, you are left scratching your head by the term Nina, you can find out more about it at Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26044]. In brief, it is a message hidden in the crossword. Today's Nina is contained in the top and bottom rows of the grid and apparently relates to another puzzle published in The Daily Telegraph on the day that this puzzle appeared.

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.

daily - noun informal 2 (also daily help) British dated a woman who is employed to clean someone else's house each day.

Dunkel (or Dunkles) - a dark German beer. Dunkel is the German word meaning dark, and dunkel beers typically range in colour from amber to dark reddish brown. They are characterized by their smooth malty flavour.[

gen - noun British informal information: you've got more gen on him than we have

*leg - noun 5 (also leg side, on or on side) Cricket the half of the field (as divided lengthways through the pitch) away from which the batsman's feet are pointed when standing to receive the ball.  The opposite of off.

Appearing in Solutions:

broken reed - phrase a weak or ineffectual person.

char2 - noun British informal a charwoman, noun British dated a woman employed as a cleaner in a house or office.

eggshell porcelain - noun a type of very thin translucent porcelain originally made in China

let1 - verb 3 [1st entry] chiefly British allow someone to have the use of (a room or property) in return for regular payments: she let the flat to a tenant; they've let out their house

let2 - verb archaic hinder: pray you let us not; we fain would greet our mother

*mo - noun [in singular] informal, chiefly British a short period of time: hang on a mo!

*on side - (also on) noun Cricket the leg side (also leg) [see entry for leg in Appearing in Clues above]

poly - noun informal 2 British historical a polytechnic, noun an institution of higher education offering courses at degree level or below , especially in vocational subjects. [Usage: In Britain the term polytechnic has largely dropped out of use. In 1989 British polytechnics gained autonomy from local education authorities and in 1992 were able to call themselves universities.]

RAF - abbreviation (in the UK) Royal Air Force.

*read - verb 5 chiefly British study (an academic subject) at a university: I'm reading English at Cambridge; [no object] he went to Manchester to read for a BA in Economics.

Appearing at Big Dave's Site:

soldier - noun 3 British informal a strip of bread or toast, used for dipping into a soft-boiled egg.

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.

8a   Duff gen put down leaving country (7)

In the cryptic reading of this clue, "duff" acts as an anagram indicator. However, as duff can take on a broad range of meanings, it is a bit unclear which meaning it takes in either the surface or the cryptic reading. Among the possible choices (as well as some other rather improbable meanings) are:
  • duff1 - noun [usually with modifier] a flour pudding boiled or steamed in a cloth bag: a currant duff
  • duff2 - adjective British informal [a] of very poor quality: duff lyrics [b] incorrect or false: she played a couple of duff notes noun North American & Scottish decaying vegetable matter covering the ground under trees.
  • duff3 - verb informal 1 (duff someone up) British beat someone up. 2 Australian steal and alter brands on (cattle). 3 Golf, British mishit (a shot).
  • duff4 - noun North American informal a person's buttocks: I did not get where I am today by sitting on my duff
  • duff5 - noun (in phrase up the duff) British informal pregnant: it looks like he's got her up the duff
Signing off for today - Falcon

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Tuesday, July 19, 2011 - DT 26535

Puzzle at a Glance
Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number
DT 26535
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Monday, April 25, 2011
Setter
Rufus
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26535]
Big Dave's Review Written By
Libellule
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
Notes
The National Post has skipped DT 26534 which was published in The Daily Telegraph on Saturday, April 23, 2011

Introduction

This puzzle was published in the U.K. on Easter Monday, and has a theme appropriate to the day. In fact, this bit of information is fundamental to being able to solve 16a. The theme does seem a bit strange to those of us receiving the puzzle in syndication, as we in much of Canada bask (or bake) in temperatures in the mid to high 30s. I only needed assistance on 11a - a term that was heretofore totally unknown to me. While 10a was equally unfamiliar, I was able to decipher it correctly from the wordplay.

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 Solutions:

lent lily - noun British the European wild daffodil, which typically has pale creamy-white outer petals. [Narcissus pseudonarcissus, family Liliaceae (or Amaryllidaceae)]

Maundy - noun [a] (in the UK) a public ceremony on the Thursday before Easter (Maundy Thursday) at which the monarch distributes specially minted coins. [b] (also Royal Maundy) Maundy money.

nearside - noun (usually the nearside) British [a] the side of a vehicle nearest the kerb (in Britain, the left). Compare with offside [b] the left side of a horse.

off - noun 1 (also off side [not to be confused with offside, as referenced in the foregoing entry]) Cricket the half of the field (as divided lengthways through the pitch ) towards which the batsman's feet are pointed when standing to receive the ball.  The opposite of leg

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

rank1 - noun 2 [4th entry] British  short for taxi rank (North American taxi stand), a place where taxis park while waiting to be hired.

slog - verb informal 2 [a] hit (someone or something) forcefully and typically wildly, especially in boxing or cricket: batsmen careering down the pitch to slog the ball up in the air [b] (slog it out) British [perhaps not entirely] fight or compete fiercely: they'll be slogging it out in the first round of the cup next Sunday
While I only knew the verb slog in the sense of "walk or move with difficulty or effort" (for instance, used to refer to wading through mud), I am familiar with the expression "slog it out". However, I had always presumed that it must somehow derive from the "walk with difficulty" meaning of slog. The expression makes much more sense now that I now its true basis.
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.

11a   Edge to the left when travelling in Britain (8)

I understood the general intent of the clue, I just had no idea what the British term is. In Britain, they drive on left-hand side of the road with the steering wheel located on the right-hand side of the car. I did think that the clue might be referring to the edge of the road rather than the edge of the vehicle. Consequently, I was thinking that the solution might end in -line (extrapolating from the centreline which would be on the right- that is, presuming the term is used in the U.K.).

Signing off for today - Falcon