Monday, October 31, 2011 - DT 26625

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26625
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Monday, August 8, 2011
Setter Rufus
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26625]
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 █ - solved with aid of checking letters provided by 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 26623 and DT 26624 which were published in The Daily Telegraph on Friday, August 5, 2011 and Saturday, August 6, 2011 respectively.

Introduction

This puzzle struck me as too easy for a Giovanni, so it did not surprise me greatly to discover that the National Post had skipped ahead to a Rufus puzzle.

I managed to whittle the clues down to two before resorting to my Tool Chest. One of these (10a), I certainly should have solved easily given the amount of time that I spent on a golf course this summer. However, that meaning for "clubs" just never entered my mind. As for the other (7d), I had identified the solution but could not convince myself that it was, in fact, correct. The checking letter provided by 7d was additional support for this option. Finally, a search for possible words matching the checking letters turned up only two other candidates - neither of which appeared to be viable. So I opted to go with this choice, even though I wasn't entirely satisfied with my understanding of the wordplay. After reading Libellule's hint, I think that I now have it figured out (see Notes on Today's Puzzle section below).

Finally, in case you missed them, over the weekend I posted reviews for the puzzles which were published last Thursday and Friday.

Notes on Today's Puzzle

This commentary is intended to serve as a supplement to the review of this puzzle found at Big Dave's Crossword Blog, to which a link is provided in the table above.

11a   How’s that for charm? (6)

In cricket, an appeal⁵ is a call (by the bowler or fielders) on the umpire to declare a batsman out, traditionally with a shout of ‘How’s that?’.

12a   Take out file and look for one with non-hereditary entitlement (4,4)

In the UK, a life peer⁵ is a peer whose title cannot be inherited - with a peer being a member of the nobility in Britain or Ireland, comprising the ranks of duke, marquess, earl, viscount, and baron. In the British peerage, earldoms and baronies were the earliest to be conferred; dukes were created from 1337, marquesses from the end of the 14th century, and viscounts from 1440. Such peerages are hereditary, although since 1958 there have also been non-hereditary life peerages. All peers were entitled to a seat in the House of Lords until 1999, when their number was restricted to 92 as an interim reform measure

15a   Expedition to the French metropolis goes round river (8)

This clue uses expedition⁵ in a formal (and, for myself at least, relatively uncommon) way, meaning promptness or speed in doing something.

26a   State aid distributed by Home Office (5)

The Home Office (HO)⁵ is the British government department dealing with domestic affairs, including law and order, immigration, and broadcasting, in England and Wales.

28a   The Greeks probably regarded it as a capital investment (5,2,4)

This is one of those clues that I sort of get, but am left wondering whether there is some additional bit of cleverness that I'm missing. However, it would seem that the clue refers simply to the fact that Troy was the capital city of King Priam's realm and the Greeks expended enormous resources in carrying out a ten-year long siege.

Troy⁵ (in Homeric legend) was the city of King Priam, besieged for ten years by the Greeks during the Trojan War. It was regarded as having been a purely legendary city until Heinrich Schliemann identified the mound of Hissarlik on the NE Aegean coast of Turkey as the site of Troy. The city was apparently sacked and destroyed by fire in the mid 13th century bc, a period coinciding with the Mycenaean civilization of Greece.  Also called Ilium.

2d   Plant seen in neat border (5)

Neat⁵ is an archaic word meaning a bovine animal. An oxlip⁵ is a woodland Eurasian primula with yellow flowers that hang down one side of the stem.

4d   Forget to order vermouth (4)

In the UK, the Order of Merit (OM)⁵ is an order founded in 1902, for distinguished achievement, with membership limited to twenty-four people. As well, 'it'⁵ is a dated, informal British term for Italian vermouth, apparently found principally in the name of the cocktail gin and it.

7d   Make converse? (7)

I believe that the misdirection here is that setter expects us to read this clue as 'make (someone) talk'. However, it is actually a cryptic definition (as signalled by the question mark) asking for the converse (opposite) of the word make (create).

References: 
¹ - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition
² - Search Chambers - (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)
³ - TheFreeDictionary.com (American Heritage Dictionary)
⁴ - TheFreeDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
⁵ - Oxford Dictionaries Online (Oxford Dictionary of English)
⁶ - Oxford Dictionaries Online (Oxford American Dictionary)
⁷ - Wikipedia

Signing off for today - Falcon

Saturday, October 29, 2011 - Trick or Treat?

Introduction

Today's puzzle from Cox and Rathvon has a suitable Halloween theme.


Errata for Today's Puzzle

23d   Talk about land in African (5)

I would guess that there may be a small typo in this clue and that it was intended to read:

• 23d   Talk about land in Africa (5)

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

2d   Take the lead in Kismet with skill lately practiced (4,3)

To my way of thinking, the clue would be more apt had it read:

• 2d   Take the lead in Kismet with skill not lately practiced (4,3)

as I think that a "skill not lately practiced" would serve as a better definition here.

Solution to Today's Puzzle

Legend:	"*" anagram; "~" sounds like; "<" letters reversed
	"( )" letters inserted; "_" letters deleted; "†" explicit in the clue

Across

1a   {WILL-O'-THE-WISP}* - anagram (confused) of WHITE PILLOWS

Will-o'-the-wisp (also ignis fatuus) is a phosphorescent light that hovers or flits over swampy ground at night, possibly caused by spontaneous combustion of gases emitted by rotting organic matter. Also called friar's lantern, jack-o'-lantern,  wisp.

9a   {TEST RUN}* - anagram (off) of TURN SET

10a   MA(CAB)RE - CAB (hack) contained in (carried by) MARE (horse)

11a   HEAT|H - HEAT (raise the temperature of) + H (high)

12a   S(CARE|CR)OW - {CARE (concern) + CR (credit)} contained in (in) SOW (broadcast [seeds])

The Scarecrow is a character in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, a children's novel written by L. Frank Baum which was originally published in 1900. It has since been reprinted numerous times, most often under the name The Wizard of Oz, which is the name of both the 1902 stage play and the 1939 film version.

13a   CAT|A|COMB - CAT (dude) + (with) A (†) + COMB (barber's implement)

15a   SCON(C)E - SCONE (tea biscuit) containing (accommodating) C (cup)

17a   RIDING - double definition; "travelling" & "electoral district"

A riding is an electoral district in Canada. Used in this sense, the term seems to be unique to Canada.

19a   STEW(A|RD)S - STEWS (frets) containing (about) {A (†) + RD (road)}

22a   HOB(GO)BLIN_ - HOBBLIN(g) {HOBBLING (limping) endlessly; i.e., "hobbling" without its last letter} containing (receiving) GO (stab; meaning 'attempt')

23a   GUST|O - O ([looks like] bagel) following (after) GUST (blast [of wind])

25a   STILT|ON - STILT (pole for walking) + ON (†)

26a   H(A|BIT)AT - A BIT (somewhat) contained in (clad in) HAT (head covering)

27a   JACK-O'-LANTERN - anagram (lost) of ON JANET CLARK

Janet Clark would appear to be merely a convenient name that has been contrived by the setters.

Down

1d   W|ITCH - W (with) + ITCH (craving)

2d   LO(ST AR)T - STAR (take the lead) contained in (in) LOT (kismet; meaning 'fate')

Kismet is a play written in 1911 by Edward Knoblock. The title means Fate or Destiny in Turkish and Urdu. The play ran for an extraordinary two years in London. The play was subsequently revived, and the story was later made into the popular 1953 musical.

3d   OPRAH< - reversal (returned) of HARPO (silent actor [Harpo Marx])

Oprah Winfrey - among many other things - is an American talk show host.

4d   H(AND|S)OME - {AND (too) + S (small)} contained in (inside) HOME (residence)

5d   WOM_|BAT - WOM (60% of women; i.e., the first 3 of the 5 letters in WOM(en)} + BAT (try to hit)

A wombat is a burrowing plant-eating Australian marsupial which resembles a small bear with short legs.

6d   S(A|C|RED) COW - SCOW (boat) containing (carrying) {A (†) + C (Conservative) + RED (Bolshevik)}

7d   OBERON* - anagram (wild) of BORNEO

Oberon (also spelled Auberon) is a fairy king of the fairies in medieval and Renaissance literature. He is best known as a character in William Shakespeare's play, A Midsummer Night's Dream, in which he is Consort to Titania, Queen of the Fairies.

8d   SE(AWE)EDS - SEEDS (sources) containing (filled with) AWE (wonder)

13d   C(AR CH)ASE - ARCH (principal; think of 'arch enemy') containing (wearing) CASE (suit; in the sense of lawsuit)

14d   C(ON|SORT)IA - {ON (scheduled) + SORT (class)} contained in (held by) CIA (spy agency)

16d   STENDHAL* - anagram (novel) of SHETLAND

Marie-Henri Beyle (1783 – 1842), better known by his pen name Stendhal, was a 19th-century French writer.

18d   DEBRIS* - anagram (new) of BRIDES

20d   RO(SET)TE - ROTE (one way to learn) containing (about) SET (established)

21d   PLAN|CK - PLAN (design) + CH (check)

Max Planck (1858 – 1947) was a German physicist who is regarded as the founder of the quantum theory, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1918.

23d   GAB|ON - GAB (talk) + ON (about)

24d   OF|TEN - OF (connected with) + TEN (decade)

Signing off for today - Falcon

Friday, October 28, 2011 - DT 26622

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26622
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Thursday, August 4, 2011
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26622]
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 █ - solved with aid of checking letters provided by puzzle solving tools █ - unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Big Dave's blog █ - reviewed by Falcon for Big Dave's blog

Introduction

Upon solving 12d, I thought that this puzzle might have been created by RayT. However, Big Dave does not identify it as such and awards it only two stars for enjoyment (which would be abnormally low for a RayT puzzle). So I guess we have to assume that it is another effort by one of the mystery setters.

Today, there is a great deal of discussion on Big Dave's site regarding the rating given to puzzles. A good many writers seem to feel that the level of difficulty should be higher. Well, I would say that this puzzle was not a piece of cake for me - but, then, it was liberally sprinkled with Briticisms. Even when I have encountered them before, they do not necessarily pop quickly to mind. Sometimes they gradually rise to the surface, often only entering my consciousness on the fourth, fifth or sixth time I revisit the clue.

Notes on Today's Puzzle

This commentary is intended to serve as a supplement to the review of this puzzle found at Big Dave's Crossword Blog, to which a link is provided in the table above.

1a    Jaunt in the direction of old city (4)

This "old city" has become a cryptic crossword convention. Ur⁵ was an ancient Sumerian city on the Euphrates, in southern Iraq. It was one of the oldest cities of Mesopotamia, dating from the 4th millennium bc, and reached its zenith in the late 3rd millennium bc .

9a    British island shortly joined by a state abroad (4)

The Isle of Wight (IOW)⁵ is an island off the south coast of England, a county since 1974; population 131,700 (est. 2009); administrative centre, Newport. It lies at the entrance to Southampton Water and is separated from the mainland by the Solent and Spithead.

13a    Source of proclamations restraining very large crook (7)

Outsize (OS)⁷ is a designation used in the UK for what, in North America, would be called 'plus size' (ladies') or 'big and tall' (men's) clothing.

14a    Worker defending short aim before religious type, we hear, in game (4,3,4)

I failed to completely decipher the wordplay here, missing the fact that "defending" serves here as a containment indicator (presumably used in the sense of sheltering or protecting).

18a    Plant produced by sweetheart with varied luck in Home Counties (11)

The "Home Counties" are located around London in the SE of England.

21a    Elder maybe brought round a backward province cadet (7)

Northern Ireland (NI) is a province in the UK.

22a    Mythical horseman transmitted dread reportedly? (7)

This is a homophone (sounds like) clue that is based on the idiosyncrasies of British pronunciation. The expression 'sent awe' (transmitted dread) would be pronounced (in parts of Britain, at least) to sound like CENTAUR.

5d    Note last part of inquiry getting short-tempered (9)

In British music notation, a crotchet⁵ is a note having the time value of a quarter of a semibreve or half a minim, represented by a large solid dot with a plain stem.  Also called a quarter note.

6d    British woman with rock bun that’s littered battle site (11)

The Battle of Bannockburn⁵ was a battle which took place near Stirling in central Scotland in 1314, in which the English army of Edward II, advancing to break the siege of Stirling Castle, was defeated by the Scots under Robert the Bruce.

17d    Republican First Lady holds bible classes for Amnesty (8)

"Bible classes" here equates to 'religious instruction' (RI). Wikipedia, in an article on Religious education,  says "in England the term religious instruction would refer to the teaching of a particular religion, with religious education referring to teaching about religions in general". In a second article, this one on Religious Education (note the subtle difference in capitalization of the titles of the two articles), Wikipedia states "Religious Education (RE) is a compulsory subject in the state education system in the United Kingdom. Schools are required to teach a programme of religious studies according to local and national guidelines.".

References: 
¹ - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition
² - Search Chambers - (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)
³ - TheFreeDictionary.com (American Heritage Dictionary)
⁴ - TheFreeDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
⁵ - Oxford Dictionaries Online (Oxford Dictionary of English)
⁶ - Oxford Dictionaries Online (Oxford American Dictionary)
⁷ - Wikipedia

Signing off for today - Falcon

Thursday, October 27, 2011 - DT 26621

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26621
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Setter Jay
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26621]
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 █ - solved with aid of checking letters provided by puzzle solving tools █ - unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Big Dave's blog █ - reviewed by Falcon for Big Dave's blog

Introduction

Pommers seems to have breezed through this puzzle. As for myself, I came up short with six clues left to solve and had to resort to help from my Tool Chest. With a bit of assistance, I solved three of the remaining clues and the checking letters that they provided enabled me to finish the puzzle. I got the correct solution to 5d and 8d without fully understanding the wordplay (until I read Pommers' explanations).

Notes on Today's Puzzle

This commentary is intended to serve as a supplement to the review of this puzzle found at Big Dave's Crossword Blog, to which a link is provided in the table above.

10a.    Discard shot game (5)

According to Oxford, bin⁵ is a British word. However, it is used commonly in Canada as a noun - but not so much as a verb. In Britain, it is used informally as a verb to mean 'throw (something) away by putting it in a bin' ("piles of junk that should have been binned years ago"), 'discard or reject' ("the whole idea had to be binned"), or (in the phrase bin someone off) "end a relationship with someone" ('she was a bit weird so I binned her off').

11a.    Share beds (9)

An allotment⁵ is a plot of land rented by an individual for growing vegetables or flowers. The UK dictionaries characterize this as a British term, but we do have allotment gardens in Ottawa. Here, though, one would almost invariably see the word used as an adjective rather than on its own as a noun.

21a.    Eccentric degree students are after rum (7)

The cryptic crossword convention of L meaning learner or student arises from the L-plate⁷, a square plate bearing a sans-serif letter L, for learner, which must be affixed to the front and back of a vehicle in many countries if its driver is a learner under instruction. Learner plates are rare in North America, with Wikipedia mentioning only British Columbia and New Jersey as jurisdictions requiring their use. By the way, Ontario uses the term beginner driver for someone learning to drive, whereas most jurisdictions around the world (including other Canadian provinces) would seem to use the term learner driver.

Rum⁵ is an informal and dated British expression meaning odd or peculiar ("it’s a rum business, certainly").

30a.    Bitter rating sent abroad (10)

In Britain, a rating⁵ is a non-commissioned sailor in the navy.

1d.    Left order for rounded projection (4)

The Order of the British Empire⁵ is an order of knighthood instituted in 1917 and divided into five classes, each with military and civilian divisions. The classes are: Knight or Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE), Knight or Dame Commander (KBE/DBE), Commander (CBE), Officer (OBE), and Member (MBE). The definition in the clue may be slightly erroneous, as OBE would appear to be the abbreviation for Officer of the Order of the British Empire (not for the order itself).

2d.     August never varies on revolutionary island in the Med (9)

Elba⁵ is a small island off the west coast of Italy, famous as the place of Napoleon’s first exile (1814–15).

5d.     For example, Channel traffic might precede them (7)

I'm reluctant to classify this as an all-in-clue (as Pommers' suggests). But then, I'm at a loss to offer a better alternative. In the first part ("For example, Channel"), the Channel [Islands] are an example of ISLANDS. The second part is "traffic might precede them", which it does in 'traffic islands'.

The Channel Islands⁵ are a group of islands in the English Channel off the NW coast of France, of which the largest are Jersey, Guernsey, and Alderney. Formerly part of the dukedom of Normandy, they have owed allegiance to England since the Norman Conquest in 1066, and are now classed as Crown dependencies.

7d.     Deal with engineers trapped in rubbish (5)

Tat⁵ is an informal British term for tasteless or shoddy clothes, jewellery, or ornaments ("the place was decorated with all manner of gaudy tat")

8d.     Corner with talk of flowers? (10)

I couldn't see the wordplay here, as I was splitting the clue in the wrong place. The definition is "corner with talk" (not merely "corner"). In Britain, a buttonhole⁵ can mean a flower or spray worn in a buttonhole on the lapel of a jacket. I was vainly trying to make something out of the phrase "talk of flowers".

References: 
¹ - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition
² - Search Chambers - (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)
³ - TheFreeDictionary.com (American Heritage Dictionary)
⁴ - TheFreeDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
⁵ - Oxford Dictionaries Online (Oxford Dictionary of English)
⁶ - Oxford Dictionaries Online (Oxford American Dictionary)
⁷ - Wikipedia

Signing off for today - Falcon

Wednesday, October 26, 2011 - DT 26620

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26620
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26620]
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

My struggle with this puzzle was a bit more strenuous than Gazza's two stars would suggest. However, after burning the midnight oil (and more) last night doing the review for Big Dave's site, my brain may understandably not be in top form. Meanwhile the Brits on Big Dave's Blog are reliving their childhood.

Notes on Today's Puzzle

This commentary is intended to serve as a supplement to the review of this puzzle found at Big Dave's Crossword Blog, to which a link is provided in the table above.

11a   Dealing with fish food? The reverse (8)

The website Search Chambers^[2] (which is based on Chambers 21st Century Dictionary) has only two entries under tack, whereas The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition has seven. The third of these defines tack^[1] as "noun food generally, fare especially of the bread kind, such as hard tack (ship biscuit), soft tack (loaves)".

15a   Addict starts to undergo self-elected rehabilitation (4)

Self-elected rehabilitation would seem not to be a standard clinical term. A google search returned only a single instance of it being used - which happens to be in Gazza's review of today's puzzle on Big Dave's site. I may have just doubled its frequency of appearance on the Internet.

19a   Regularly took only spade? (4)

"Regularly" indicates that the solver must select a regular series of letters - which may be either the odd ones (as today) or the even ones. Such clues generally contain no specific direction as to which of the two possible series is required. Sometimes a setter will use terms such as "oddly" or "evenly" which, of course, do clearly specify which series is intended.

25a   At full speed, completely exhausted (3,3)

I thought that "completely exhausted" should be "all in" ('He was all in after a hard day at work') rather than all out. In fact, Collins^[4] and Oxford^[5] define all in in this manner as "completely exhausted; tired out" and "exhausted" respectively. But, never fear, Chambers^[1] defines all in as "exhausted" and all out as "completely exhausted". I'm guessing that all in may mean exhausted in the sense of tired out and all out in the sense of used up - but that is only a guess. However, it does seem to create the possibility for a cryptic clue along the lines of 'All in or all out' with the solution being 'exhausted'.

2d   Woodpecker’s very loud in university surroundings (6)

Yaffle^[5] in British dialect is another term for green woodpecker, a large green and yellow woodpecker with a red crown and a laughing call, found from Europe to central Asia.

Bagpuss (mentioned in several comments on Big Dave's blog) is a 1974 UK children's television series, frequently rerun there, about toys that come to life when their owner leaves the room. The title character is "an old, saggy cloth cat, baggy, and a bit loose at the seams". Another character is a wooden woodpecker bookend that becomes the drily academic Professor Yaffle (based on the philosopher Bertrand Russell).


3d   Violently tend to cause damage (4)

The term prang^[5] (used by Gazza in his review) is British slang for a crash involving a motor vehicle or aircraft.

6d   Flower’s quality to represent diamond — that’s fake (10)

Here we encounter a cryptic crossword convention where "flower" is used to mean 'river' - something which flows (think of it rhyming with blower).

13d   Snoop and snitch, roughly (4,6)

Snitch^[2] is British slang for the nose.

References: 
^[1] - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition
^[2] - Search Chambers - (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)
^[3] - TheFreeDictionary.com (American Heritage Dictionary)
^[4] - TheFreeDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
^[5] - Oxford Dictionaries Online (Oxford Dictionary of English)
^[6] - Oxford Dictionaries Online (Oxford American Dictionary)
^[7] - Wikipedia

Signing off for today - Falcon

Tuesday, October 25, 2011 - DT 26619

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26619
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Monday, August 1, 2011
Setter Rufus
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26619]
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 26618 which was published in The Daily Telegraph on Saturday, July 30, 2011.

Introduction

I did not call on my electronic assistants today - not so much because they were not needed but simply because they were well beyond reach. The posting comes a bit late as I have been occupied writing a review of tomorrow's Daily Telegraph puzzle for Big Dave's Crossword Blog. We should see that puzzle in the National Post sometime near the end of January.

Notes on Today's Puzzle

6a   Some card games that may be supplied by a stationer (6)

In Britain, a rubber² is another name for an eraser.

12a   Go away to see a relative about five (6)

Avaunt⁵ is an archaic exclamation meaning go away ("avaunt, you worm-faced fellows of the night!").

13a   Supporters groan — it stops play (12)

A new meaning for me, protagonist² can mean a leader or champion of a movement or cause. Chambers² characterizes this usage as "non-standard" and Oxford⁵ says "The basic sense of protagonist, as originally used in connection with ancient Greek drama, is‘ the main character in a play’. Some traditionalists object to the looser use to refer to a number of characters (rather than just the main one ) in a play, film, etc., as for example the play’s half-dozen protagonists were well cast; , although this is both common and well established. Traditionalists also dislike the meaning ‘a supporter of a cause’, as in he’s a strenuous protagonist of the new agricultural policy. This sense, recorded from the 19th century, probably arose by analogy with antagonist, the pro- in protagonist being interpreted as meaning ‘in favour of’. In fact, prot- here derives from the Greek root meaning ‘first’".

16a   Key man in the penal system (6,6)

In Britain, a warder⁵ is a guard in a prison. I initially did myself no favour by entering PRISON WARDEN.

23a   He has one pound, about to invest in foreign capital (8)

The pound⁵ (also pound sterling) is the basic monetary unit of the UK.

25a   Going from Ringway to finish in Belgian port (6)

Ringway⁵ is a civil parish within the City of Manchester, England and the site of Manchester Airport. Ostend⁵ is a port on the North Sea coast of NW Belgium, in West Flanders. It is a major ferry port with links to Dover, England.

2d   His leader expresses his opinion (6)

In Britain, a leader (also leading article) is an article in a newspaper, etc written to express the opinions of the editor.

6d   Wine jar I recycled when empty (5)

Rioja⁵ is a wine produced in La Rioja, Spain. The phrase "when empty" is another way of saying "with nothing in it".

7d   Officer getting a rough ride on ship (9)

Doctor Who⁷ (mentioned by Libellule in his review) is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior appears as a blue police box. The show has had fairly widespread distribution in North America and apparently is currently available in Canada on the SPACE specialty channel on cable and satellite.

15d   Develops way through mountain peaks (8)

Ben⁵, found especially in place names, is Scottish for a high mountain or mountain peak. For instance, Ben Nevis⁷, in Scotland, is the highest mountain in the British Isles.

22d   Unexpectedly met with greeting — not returned (3,2)

It would seem from Libellule's explanation that hit on, as used here meaning "unexpectedly met", may not be an idiomatic expression per se, but rather merely a way of suggesting ran into or crashed. Oxford⁵ gives another meaning for hit on which might conceivably fit, "discover or think of, especially by chance" (also a common usage in North America). However, in North America, the phrase can also mean to "make sexual advances towards".

References: 
¹ - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition
² - Search Chambers - (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)
³ - TheFreeDictionary.com (American Heritage Dictionary)
⁴ - TheFreeDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
⁵ - Oxford Dictionaries Online (Oxford Dictionary of English)
⁶ - Oxford Dictionaries Online (Oxford American Dictionary)
⁷ - Wikipedia

Signing off for today - Falcon

Monday, October 24, 2011 - DT 26617

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26617
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Friday, July 29, 2011
Setter Giovanni
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26617]
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 was satisfying to finish this puzzle without aid from my Tool Chest. However, the clues where I first found the solution and then puzzled over the wordplay was certainly not small in number. Several of the British expressions were new to me - in particular "do a bunk", "ding-dong" and "dodder".

Notes on Today's Puzzle

References: 
¹ - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition
² - Search Chambers - (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)
³ - TheFreeDictionary.com (American Heritage Dictionary)
⁴ - TheFreeDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
⁵ - Oxford Dictionaries Online (Oxford Dictionary of English)
⁶ - Oxford Dictionaries Online (Oxford American Dictionary)
⁷ - Wikipedia

7a   In Britain, uni is apparently a commonly used short form for university, so a "uni doc" would be a 'university doctor'. Student drivers in the UK must display an L (for 'learner') on their vehicles. Thus, in cryptic crosswords, the words "student" or "learner" appearing in a clue often signify the letter L.

As well, in Britain, the degree required to practice medicine is a Bachelor of Medicine (MB, from Latin Medicinae Baccalaureus), which is equivalent to a North American Doctor of Medicine (MD, from Latin Medicinae Doctor). The degree of Doctor of Medicine also exists in Britain, but it is an advanced degree pursued by those who wish to go into medical research. Physicians in Britain are still addressed as Dr. despite not having a doctoral degree.⁷

8a   In Britain, a class or year in a school is called a form⁵. Thus the British would say 'fifth form' whereas North Americans would say 'fifth grade'.

13a   An able seaman⁵ (abbreviation AB) is a rank of sailor in the Royal Navy above ordinary seaman and below leading seaman. In Britain, bunk off⁵ means to abscond or play truant from school or work and "do a bunk⁵" is to make a hurried or furtive departure or escape.

21a   Under the British system of film classification⁷ a U (for 'universal') rating indicates that a film is suitable "for all the family" (or at least for children over 4 years of age). In his review, Gazza refers to this as the "old film classification", although one would gather from the Wikipedia article cited that it is still in use.

23a   A decalitre is 10 litres (approximately 2.2 Imperial gallons or 2.6 US gallons).

25a   Litotes⁵ is ironical understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of its contrary. For example, by using "not inconsiderable" rather than "extensive" (which Gazza cleverly manages to slip into his review).

2d   In the UK, the Territorial Army⁵ (TA) is a volunteer force locally organized to provide a reserve of trained and disciplined manpower for use in an emergency. Cum is Latin for 'with' and is found in phrases such as summa cum laude (with the highest distinction).

5d   In Britain, a ding-dong⁵ is a fierce argument or fight.

7d   The membership of the Upper House of the British Parliament, the House of Lords, comprises the Lords Spiritual (26 senior bishops of the Church of England) and the Lords Temporal (life peers appointed by the Monarch and hereditary peers). Thus the Lords Temporal are the "'unspiritual' peers". By the way, the formal title of the House of Lords is The Right Honourable the Lords Spiritual and Temporal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Parliament assembled.⁷

14d   The Tate Gallery⁵ (or simply the Tate) is a national museum of art at Millbank, London, founded in 1897 by the sugar manufacturer Sir Henry Tate (1819–99) to house his collection of modern British paintings, as a nucleus for a permanent national collection of modern art. It was renamed Tate Britain in 2000, when the new Tate Modern gallery opened.

17d   The Criminal Investigation Department² (CID) is the detective branch of the British police force.

19d   The definition given by Search Chambers for dodder is "to move in an unsteady trembling fashion, usually as a result of old age". Oxford Dictionary of English⁵, Collins English Dictionary⁴ as well as American Heritage Dictionary³ all provide similar definitions. However, I should have known to skip these sources and go directly to the "bible" (The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition)¹ where the definition is "to shake, to tremble, to totter or progress unsteadily, as a result of age; to potter; to ramble in talk; to be decrepit in mind or body".

Signing off for today - Falcon

Saturday, October 22, 2011 - Parlez-vous français?

Introduction

In today's puzzle, Cox and Rathvon present a selection of French expressions. They should not give most solvers too much difficulty as most are well known with many of them having entered the English language.

You may also notice that I have introduced a new symbol today in Solution to Today's Puzzle, where I use a dagger (†) to indicate that a word is explicitly contained in the clue.

Solution to Today's Puzzle

Legend:	"*" anagram; "~" sounds like; "<" letters reversed
	"( )" letters inserted; "_" letters deleted; "†" explicit in the clue

Across

1a   AU COURANT - AN (article) contained in (in) {A (†) + U (university) + COURT (†)}

Here we have the first of today's French phrases, "au courant" meaning informed or up-to-date.

6a   G|ALAS - G (gee) + ALAS (too bad)

9a   ALP|HA - ALP (peak) + HA (reaction to a gag)

Fraternities and sororities (from the Latin words frater and soror, meaning "brother" and "sister" respectively) are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. The term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States. The terms fraternity and sorority are ambiguous in that some organizations of each type are coed. Furthermore, some all-female organizations style themselves as fraternities for women.

The names of fraternities and sororities generally consist of two or three Greek letters, often the initials of a Greek motto, which may be secret. For example: Phi Beta Kappa (Society), from phi (φ) + beta (β) + kappa (κ), initials of the society's Greek motto, "φιλοσοφια βιου κυβερνητης" (philosophia biou kybernētēs), meaning "philosophy is the guide of life". The main thought behind the use of Greek letters is that the fraternities and sororities have a Hellenic way of thinking.

Fraternities and sororities are referred to by the encompassing term "Greek letter organization" and described by the adjective "Greek", as seen in phrases such as "Greek community", "Greek system", "Greek life", or members as "Greeks". An individual fraternity or sorority is often called a "Greek house" or simply "house," terms that may be misleading, since it could be taken to refer to a chapter's physical property, whereas many fraternities and sororities do not have a chapter house. "Chapter" and "organization" are used in these contexts, with the latter referring to the group as a collective entity, and the former referring to a specific division of such entity, though not all fraternities and sororities have multiple chapters.

The use of Greek letters started with Phi Beta Kappa (then a social fraternity and today an honor society) at the College of William & Mary. Several groups, however, do not use Greek letters. Examples include Acacia, FarmHouse, and Triangle, as well as final clubs, eating clubs, secret societies at some Ivy League colleges, such as Skull and Bones at Yale and the military affiliated fraternity the National Society of Pershing Rifles.

10a   C'EST LA VIE - anagram (apart) of IT CLEAVES

"C'est la vie" is French for "That's life" or, in other words, "That's the way the cookie crumbles".

11a   HO|RATIO - HO (laughter, à la Santa Claus) + RATIO (share)

This is a case where one must read the wordplay as an entire phrase to properly understand it - "ho ratio" equating to "share of laughter". Horatio is a character from William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, a friend of Prince Hamlet from Wittenberg University.

12a   {A|BETTOR}~ (or {A|BETTER}~) - sounds like A (†) + BETTER (superior)

13a   MENAGE A TROIS - anagram (ruined) of A TIRESOME NAG

A ménage à trois (literally 'household of three') is a love triangle, a relationship in which three people, such as a married couple and a lover, live together and have sexual relations.

18a   MADE|MO(I)SELLE - MADE (produced) + {MOSELLE (wine) containing (around) I ([Roman numeral for] one)}

Mademoiselle is a title or form of address used of or to an unmarried French-speaking woman, corresponding to Miss. Moselle is a light medium-dry white wine produced in the valley of the River Moselle (a river of western Europe, which rises in the Vosges mountains of NE France and flows 550 km (346 miles) north-east through Luxembourg and Germany to meet the Rhine at Koblenz).

21a   _TER MINI_ - hidden in (some) shorTER MINIskirts

23a   BU(STAR)D - STAR (celebrity) contained in (ticked into) BUD (pal)

I am not familiar with the expression 'ticked into' - perhaps it was meant to be 'tucked into' (meaning to have consumed food heartily). A bustard is a large, heavily built, swift-running bird, found in open country in the Old World. The males of most bustards have a spectacular courtship display. [Family Otididae: several genera and species, including the great bustard (Otis tarda), which is the heaviest flying land bird].

25a   BON (MARCH)E - MARCH (parade) contained in (dressed in) BONE (white colour)

Bon marché means cheap or inexpensive. It literally means 'good market' and I would understand it to equate to the English expression 'a good buy' rather than tawdry.

26a   MA|SON - MA (mother) + (and) SON (child)

27a   E(LOP)E - EE (Cummings) containing (eats) LOP (prune)

E. E. Cummings (1894 – 1962) was an American poet, painter, essayist, author, and playwright. His name is often written by others in lowercase letters as e.e. cummings (in the style of some of his poems), although this is apparently not a style that he himself encouraged.

28a   N'EST-CE PAS - anagram (awful) of APE'S SCENT

This anagram even gives us the apostrophe! "N'est-ce pas" means "Isn't it".

Down

1d   A(NATHEM*)A - {anagram (new) of ANTHEM} contained in (in) AA

AA is almost certainly meant to be Alcoholics Anonymous, although in the UK it could be the Automobile Association (the British counterpart to the CAA or AAA in Canada and the US respectively).

2d   CAPE|RING - CAPE (Batman's attire) + RING (jewelry)

Batman (known as "The Caped Crusader") is a fictional comic book superhero, who has also been portrayed in films and on television.

3d   UNAPT* - anagram (mobile) of PUN AT

Mobile is the third most populous city in the US state of Alabama.

4d   AN|CHOR(AG)E - AN (†) + CHORE (onerous job) containing {AG ([chemical symbol for] silver)}

Anchorage is a city in the US state of Alaska and is the northernmost major city in the United States. The most notable community named Silver City would appear to be a town in the US state of New Mexico which is the home of Western New Mexico University. However, there are several other communities of the same name in the US and Canada.

5d   _TOS|CA_ - hidden in (essential to) alTO'S CAreer

Tosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini  that premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900.

6d   GALLERIES - GALL (offend) + ERIES (members of the Cat Nation)

The Erie were a Native American people historically living on the south shore of Lake Erie. An Iroquoian group, they lived in what is now western New York, northwestern Pennsylvania, and northern Ohio. They were decimated by warfare with the neighboring Iroquois in the 18th century. The Erie were absorbed by other Iroquoian tribes, particularly the Seneca, and gradually lost their independent identity. Erie, in the Iroquois language, means "long tail," referring to the panther, from which circumstance they are often referred to as the Cat Nation.

7d   LEV(IT)Y - IT (†) contained in (covered by) LEVY (tax)

8d   STEERS - double definition; "cattle" & "guides" (the latter as a verb)

14d   GRAVITATE* - anagram (repaired) of A GREAT TV I

15d   ROOT (BE)ERS - BE (†) contained in (among) ROOTERS (fans)

16d   C(LEANS) UP - CUP (coffee holder) contains (collects) LEANS (tips)

17d   P(END)ANTS - END (stop) contained in (wearing) PANTS (trousers)

This clue may present a bit of a challenge to any British readers who happen to drop by. In the UK, the term pants means specifically underpants and there the garment known in North America as pants would be called trousers. In Canada, at least, the terms pants and trousers are used interchangeably. Here the term pants might sometimes be used to mean underpants, but only where the meaning would be clear in the particular context. For example, if one were undergoing a medical checkup while wearing nothing but underpants, the doctor might say at some point in the examination, "You can remove your pants now".

19d   STAB|LE - STAB (guess) + LE (the French; i.e., French word meaning 'the')

Le is the French definite article meaning 'the'.

20d   BR(AND)O - AND (†) contained in (in) BRO (brother)

Marlon Brando (1924 – 2004) was an American movie star who played the title role in the 1972 film The Godfather. Brother, on the other hand, would appear to be a figment of the setters' imaginations - although there are Russian and Japanese films with that title.

22d   IN|CAN - IN (†) + CAN (jail)

An Incan (or Inca) was a member of the group of Quechuan peoples of highland Peru who established an empire from northern Ecuador to central Chile before the Spanish conquest. Judging by dictionary entries, only the Inca form is used as a noun in British English (with Incan being solely used as an adjective) whereas in North American English either Inca or Incan can be used as a noun to refer to this people.

24d   SUMAC< - reverse (flipped) of CAMUS (French author [Albert Camus])

Albert Camus (1913 – 1960) was a French author, journalist, and key philosopher of the 20th century.

Signing off for today - Falcon

Friday, October 21, 2011 - DT 26616

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26616
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Thursday, July 28, 2011
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26616]
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

I got off to a slow start, but progress picked up once the grid starting filling in. The last clue to be solved was 7a. I thought at first that the bird I was looking for would likely be a mascot of the Hull Football Club. This proved to be a false lead, although I did discover that Hull FC is a rugby league club from Hull, England that is nicknamed the Airlie Birds (the stadium in which they play being located on Airlie Street). It was only after I had twigged to the solution based on the checking letters that I recalled having encountered Rod Hull and Emu in a previous puzzle. The meaning appearing here for emulate was also unfamiliar to me. I think emulate has lost much of its original meaning and come to mean simply copy.

Notes on Today's Puzzle

1a   Rod Hull (1935 – 1999) was a popular entertainer on British television in the 1970s and 1980s who rarely appeared without Emu, a mute, highly aggressive arm-length puppet of the flightless emu bird. Apparently, the full meaning of emulate is to match or surpass (a person or achievement), typically by imitation (not merely copy).

2a   Enid Blyton (1897 – 1968) was an English children's writer. Among her best known works is The Famous Five series of books (mentioned by Big Dave in his review). In the real world, however, she did not write a novel titled In Particular.

3a   The Old Kent Road is a road in South East London, England and forms part of Watling Street, the Roman road which ran from Dover to Holyhead. The street is famous as the equal cheapest property on the London Monopoly board and as the only one in South London. Being located in East London, it presumably runs through an area inhabited by Cockneys - who are noted for dropping their h'aitches.

14a   Cum, meaning 'combined with' or 'also used as', is used to describe things with a dual nature or function (for example, a study-cum-bedroom). Cum is Latin for with and is found in expressions such as summa cum laude (with the highest distinction).

19a   The French phrase quelque part means somewhere.

2d   Miles Davis (1926 – 1991) was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. In the early 1950s, Davis developed a new form of jazz that became known as cool jazz (the name derives from an album, Birth of the Cool, that Davis released in 1956). However, the style did not prove to be a commercial success - at least for Davis. According to Wikipedia, "[t]his was bitterly noted by Davis, who claimed the invention of the cool style and resented the success that was later enjoyed—in large part because of the media's attention—by white "cool jazz" musicians ([Gerry] Mulligan and Dave Brubeck in particular)."

9d   David Triesman, Baron Triesman is a former Chairman of the Football Association ( the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man), a British politician, a Labour member of the House of Lords and previously a minister in the Labour government under Tony Blair.

13d   Où is the French word for where.

17d   Brussels is the capital of Belgium and hosts the headquarters of the European Union (EU). Brussels is frequently used as a synonym for the EU, in the same way that London, Washington and Ottawa are used to mean the governments of the UK, US and Canada respectively. Reputedly the first rock-and-roll single, Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats' "Rocket 88" was recorded at Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee in 1951 with song composer Ike Turner on keyboards, leading the studio to claim status as the birthplace of rock & roll.

21d   Captain Fantastic was a regular feature of the British children's television series Do Not Adjust Your Set from 1967 to 1968, appearing as a filmed insert between the videotaped sketches. Do Not Adjust Your Set was, in many respects, a precursor to Monty Python's Flying Circus.

Signing off for today - Falcon