Thursday, July 14, 2011 - DT 26531

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26531
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Setter Jay
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26531]
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

It is a rather difficult puzzle today, with lots of Briticisms - my Tool Chest received quite a strenuous workout.

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.

carpet - verb 2 British informal reprimand severely: the Chancellor of the Exchequer carpeted the bank bosses

Appearing in Solutions:

can² - noun 2 (the can) North American informal prison.

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

charlie - noun 1 British informal a fool.

fete - noun [a] British a public function, typically held outdoors and organized to raise funds for a charity, including entertainment and the sale of goods and refreshments:a church fete [b] chiefly North American a celebration or festival.

hooey - noun informal, chiefly North American nonsense: the emphasis on family is pretentious hooey

hooley - noun informal, chiefly Irish a wild or noisy party.

[Gustav] Holst - (1874–1934), English composer, of Swedish and Russian descent; full name Gustav Theodore Holst. He made his reputation with the orchestral suite The Planets (1914–16). Other notable works: Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda (1908–12).

it² - noun British informal, dated Italian vermouth: he poured a gin and it

lights - plural noun the lungs of sheep, pigs, or bullocks, used as food, especially for pets.

pong - British informal noun a strong, unpleasant smell. verb smell strongly and unpleasantly.

refresher - noun 2 Law, British an extra fee payable to counsel in a prolonged case.

short - noun 1 British a drink of spirits served in a small measure.

sprog - British informal, humorous noun 1 a child. 2 a military recruit or trainee. verb have a baby.

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.

13d   Women who do are fools to accept a date (10)

The definition is "women who do" with the solution being CHARLADIES. The wordplay is CHARLIES (fools) containing (to accept) {A + D(ate)}. 'Charlie' is British slang for a fool. The phrase "women who do" may carry some meaning for the Brits that I am missing. However, I do note that the definitions for charwoman in several dictionaries contain contain the phrase "a woman hired to do ..." followed by terms such as cleaning, housework, chores, etc.

Signing off for today - Falcon