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

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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 [4^th 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).

Read more: What Is the Value of a Silver Piece of Eight?

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