Monday, October 10, 2011 - DT 26605

Puzzle at a Glance

Vacation Edition While I am on vacation, an abbreviated version of the blog will appear each weekday providing basic information and a link to Big Dave's Crossword Blog for the puzzle expected to be published. This information is a forecast (prepared prior to my departure) based on recent publication patterns for Daily Telegraph syndicated cryptic crossword puzzles appearing in the National Post. Should the National Post happen to depart from the expected pattern, the information will, of course, be incorrect.

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26605
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Friday, July 15, 2011
Setter Giovanni
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26605]
Big Dave's Review Written By Gazza
Big Dave's Rating
Difficulty - ★★	Enjoyment - ★★
Not This puzzle appears on the Monday Diversions page in the edition of the National Post published on Friday, October 7, 2011.

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

Today's puzzle contains several British references. At 13a, the Russian currency appears as rouble, seemingly the preferred spelling in the UK (in contrast to ruble, the more common spelling in North America). Here we also encounter Teachta Dála (usually abbreviated as TD in English), a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas (the Irish Parliament) - a term I learned on my recent visit to Ireland. At 25a, we find Basildon, a town in Essex, England. At 29a, it helps to know that a protest in Britain is known as a demo (short for demonstration). Judging by its appearance in dictionaries, pelter, at 1d, may be more of an American expression than a British one. At 4d, John Nash (1752 – 1835) was a British architect responsible for much of the layout of Regency London. At 7d, most North Americans should have little difficulty with the abbreviation for the Church of England. At 11d, there is an appearance by English actress Eleanor Bron, who - in 1985 - was selected for her authoritative tone to become "the voice of BT" (British Telecom) and can still be heard in the UK on various error messages such as "Please hang up and try again" and "The number you have dialled has not been recognised". Maiden, at 19d, is a cricket term meaning "an over [a division of play] in which no runs are scored". At 24d, a letter is someone who provides accommodation in return for rent.

Signing off for today - Falcon