Friday, August 5, 2011 - DT 26550

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26550
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Thursday, May 12, 2011
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26550]
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

There were several very challenging clues in this puzzle - even for the Brits. The clues will be even more difficult for those of us on this side of the Atlantic due to some obscure (or, at least, new) Briticisms. The Brits clearly seem not to have enjoyed this puzzle - in fact, I cannot recall previously ever having seen so much invective aimed at a puzzle as is found at Big Dave's site. My favourite clue was the combination 22d & 24a which prompted a large grin when the penny finally dropped. Strangely, this clue was severely panned by many Brits.

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.

Fatty Arbuckle - (1887 – 1933), American silent film actor, comedian, director, and screenwriter. He mentored Charlie Chaplin and discovered Buster Keaton and Bob Hope. He was one of the most popular silent stars of the 1910s, and soon became one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood, signing a contract to make $1 million a year in 1918.

Charlie Chaplin - (1889 – 1977), English comic actor, film director and composer best-known for his work during the silent film era.

Des O'Connor - English comedian, singer and former talkshow host.

knuckle - noun 2. Cookery a joint of veal, pork, etc., consisting of the part of the leg below the knee joint, often used in making stews or stock.

near the knuckle - phrase British informal verging on the indecent or offensive.

Stanley (also known as Port Stanley) - capital and only true city in the Falkland Islands.

tack^[2] - noun food; fare.

Appearing in Solutions:

Basutoland - former name (until 1966) for Lesotho

C or C.- [The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition] abbreviation [3^rd entry] Catholic.

codpiece - noun a pouch attached to a man's breeches or close-fitting hose to cover the genitals, worn in the 15th and 16th centuries. [Origin: from earlier cod ‘scrotum’ (from Old English codd ‘bag, pod’)  + piece]

I³ - abbreviation 2 Institute, or Institution.

matey (also maty) - adjective British informal familiar and friendly; sociable: a matey grin

osso buco - noun an Italian dish made of shin of veal containing marrowbone, stewed in wine with vegetables.

r or r. - [The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition] abbreviation [5^th entry] rule (law).

robber crab - noun a large terrestrial crablike crustacean which climbs coconut palms to feed on the nuts, found on islands in the Indo-Pacific area.  Also called coconut crab. [Birgus latro, family Paguridae]

trop - French too much

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.

14a   Tack that's more than near the knuckle! (4,4)

The surface reading here may be clear to a Brit - but it would be a bit of mystery to anyone else. I had initially supposed that the the clue might be intended to evoke equestrian imagery, in which tack would be riding gear and knuckle would be "a projection of the carpal or tarsal joint of a quadruped" (even though I can't think of any item of tack that would be worn anywhere near the knuckle). However, a bit more research led me to conclude that tack likely means "cheap, shoddy, or tasteless material" and "near the knuckle" is a British expression meaning "verging on the indecent or offensive". Of course, the cryptic reading is all about Italian cuisine.

Signing off for today - Falcon