Monday, November 7, 2011 - DT 26631

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26631
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Monday, August 15, 2011
Setter Rufus
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26631]
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 26630 which was published in The Daily Telegraph on Saturday, August 13, 2011

Introduction

After a strenuous workout on Friday, my electronic assistants nearly got to take the day off. However, I was finally forced to call them into action to help me find the British serenade at daybreak.

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.

9a   Trip that lasts some months in the US (4)

The Oxford Dictionaries website says that fall⁵ is the North American term for autumn.

The word fall⁷ actually came to North America from England. Before the 16th century, harvest was the term usually used to refer to the season, as is common in other West Germanic languages to this day (cf. Dutch herfst and German Herbst). However, as more people gradually moved from working the land to living in towns (especially those who could read and write, the only people whose use of language we now know), the word harvest lost its reference to the time of year and came to refer only to the actual activity of reaping, and autumn, as well as fall, began to replace it as a reference to the season. The term fall came to denote the season in 16th century England. During the 17th century, English emigration to the British colonies in North America was at its peak, and the new settlers took the English language with them. While the term fall gradually became obsolete in Britain, it became the more common term in North America. In Canada, I would say that the terms fall and autumn are used interchangeably and with roughly equal frequency.

22a   Money that is needed for the club (7)

Brass⁵ is British slang for money and brassie⁵ is an old-fashioned name for a number two wood in golf.

28a   In France we may show common sense (4)

In Britain, nous⁵ means common sense; in France, nous⁸ means 'we'.

7d   A rousing outdoor performance (4,6)

In Britain, the singing of a large number of birds before dawn each day, particularly during the breeding season, is known as a dawn chorus⁵.

13d   Meeting of the hands due? Opt for a change, exhausted (7,3)

In Britain, the term clapped out⁵ is used to describe something (for instance, a vehicle or piece of machinery) that is worn out from age or heavy use and unable to work or operate.

14d   Not quite enough to make the GI drunk (5)

The solution has nothing to do with the common North American blood alcohol limit of 0.08%. In Britain the expression have one over the eight⁵ means have one drink too many (probably from the assumption that the average person can drink eight pints of beer without getting drunk).

15d   Heath Robinson’s heart beat (5)

William Heath Robinson⁷ (signed as W. Heath Robinson, 1872 – 1944) was an English cartoonist and illustrator, best known for drawings of eccentric machines. In the UK, the term "Heath Robinson" has entered the language as a description of any unnecessarily complex and implausible contraption, similar to "Rube Goldberg" in the U.S. It is perhaps more often used in relation to temporary fixes using ingenuity and whatever is to hand, often string and tape, or unlikely cannibalisations. Its popularity is undoubtedly linked to Second World War Britain's shortages and the need to "make do and mend".

19d   Criticising roofing materials (7)

In Britain, to slate⁵ is to criticize severely.

23d   Feeling of grief in this way starts never-ending quarrel (6)

The wordplay is a charade which "starts" with SO (in this way) and continues with R (never-ending; i.e., the ending letter of  'never') + ROW (quarrel). The definition is "feeling of grief" with the solution being SORROW.

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 (Oxford Dictionary of English)
⁶ - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford American Dictionary)
⁷ - Wikipedia
⁸ - Reverso Online Dictionary (Collins French-English Dictionary)

Signing off for today - Falcon