Tuesday, November 8, 2011 - DT 26632

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26632
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26632]
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 █ - 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

As I began to work through this puzzle, I realized that I didn't have a clue (quite literally). Having earlier posted the missing clue, I am now back with my review.

Given that I completed the puzzle without calling on my electronic assistants, I would say that it is at the lower end of the three star range for difficulty. By the way, this is the first time that I recall ever having seen a puzzle be awarded five stars for enjoyment. That too, may be a bit generous on Gazza's part - perhaps resulting from having endured so many dreadful Tuesday puzzles in the past.

Today's Errata

The following clue is missing from the puzzle published in the National Post.

27d   Forage for food (4)

The wording of the following clue has been changed.

1d   Following aubergine starter, taste a madras dish containing hot nuts (2,3,2,1,6)

It appeared in the Daily Telegraph as:

• 1d   Following aubergine starter, taste a madras concoction containing hot nuts (2,3,2,1,6)

where the word "dish" was originally "concoction".

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.

7a   First name that might get 13 going? (8,6)

On early automobiles, a starting handle⁵ was a crank for starting the engine of a car.

12a/16a   Much nicer in Kensington? One can skate over that (3,4)

It seemed quite appropriate for this to be the first clue that I solved today. I'm not sure whether there is an ice rink in Kensington⁷, but there is a shop selling ice skates located next to Kensington Gardens⁷.

13a   Non-drinker in real fuddle with gin ending in a heap (10)

A gin⁵ (or gin trap) is what a leghold (or foothold) trap⁷ is known as in Britain.

18a   Go hard over second hill-ridge (7)

Hog's Back Falls, Ottawa

In geology, a hogback⁴ (or hog's back) is a narrow ridge that consists of steeply inclined rock strata. This term should certainly be familiar to residents of Ottawa.

20a   Art movement is representative of US bar teddy boy hairstyle (4)

This clue is a real melange of elements. Dada⁵ was an early 20th-century movement in art, literature, music, and film, repudiating and mocking artistic and social conventions and emphasizing the illogical and absurd. Dada was launched in Zurich in 1916 by Tristan Tzara and others, soon merging with a similar group in New York. It favoured montage, collage, and the ready-made. Leading figures were Jean Arp, André Breton, Max Ernst, Man Ray, and Marcel Duchamp. The US bar is represented by a district attorney (or DA for short). In Britain, the hairstyle known in North America as a ducktail⁵ is somewhat indelicately - to North American ears, at least - referred to as a duck's arse⁵ (or DA). In 1950s Britain, a Teddy boy⁵ was a young man of a subculture characterized by a style of dress based on Edwardian fashion (typically with drainpipe trousers, bootlace tie, and hair slicked up in a quiff) and a liking for rock-and-roll music.The name comes from from Teddy, pet form of the given name Edward (with reference to Edward VII's reign).

24a   Enthusiast oddly not a good man to make case (4)

Whether you choose to remove ST (a good man) or AST {A + ST (good man)}, the result is the same.

25a   The things that go on in the back of a car break girl’s heart (4,6)

We call them tail lights, and the Brits call them rear lights⁵ (or rear lamps).

1d   Following aubergine starter, taste a madras dish containing hot nuts (2,3,2,1,6)

In Britain, an eggplant is known as an aubergine⁵. I'm not sure why the word "concoction" (used in the puzzle in Britain) was changed to "dish" for the syndicated version (see Today's Errata section above). The original word certainly seems to be a better anagram indicator to me. Still, I suppose that a case can be made for dish⁵ as an anagram indicator. It might be meant in the sense of to "put food on to a plate before a meal" (implying that the various items of food are arranged on the plate) or to "dispense something in a casual or indiscriminate way". In British slang, dish also means to utterly destroy or defeat (thus, by destroying the original structure, we are left with a different structure).

3d   An idiot committing a crime (2,2)

After a bit of looking, I found that a tit is how a Brit might refer to 'a despicable or unpleasant person'⁴ or 'a contemptible person'¹. While the expression may not be as common on this side of the Atlantic, I suppose one might find it used here in a similar fashion. The phrase 'at it' means "engaged in some activity, typically a reprehensible one".

4d  Legendary fighter for the crown sees wedding stopped by cold and rain initially (7)

It seems that one must do a bit of lateral thinking to understand the wordplay in this clue. If one interprets "fighter for" as "supporter of", then the unicorn (together with the lion) supports the crown on the British coat of arms. I needed to read Gazza's hint before twigging to this interpretation. The clue could have worked as "Legendary supporter of the crown sees wedding stopped by cold and rain initially". The setter chooses to add an additional level of complexity to the clue that would seem to be beyond what is normally seen in these puzzles (perhaps a level of difficulty that would be more appropriate to what he Brits refer to as The Toughie - a more difficult cryptic crossword puzzle that also appears in the Daily Telegraph).

5d   Greek character’s cheek attracting audible anger in writer (6,4)

Brits (or some of them, at least) pronounce 'wrath' to sound like 'Roth'.

6d   Shapeless Arsenal without Walcott and Bendtner up front having substitute ultimately to blame (10)

Arsenal Football Club⁷ is a professional English Premier League football (soccer) club based in North London. Theo Walcott⁷ is an English footballer of Jamaican descent who plays for Arsenal and the England national team. Nicklas Bendtner⁷ is a Danish international footballer who currently plays for Sunderland (another English Premier League club) on loan from Arsenal (the loan having been announced at the end of August subsequent to the appearance of this puzzle in the UK). Cesc Fàbregas⁷ (mentioned by Gazza) is a Spanish footballer who played for Arsenal from 2003 to 2011. On August 15, 2011 (the day before this puzzle appeared in Britain), he signed with Barcelona for "an initial fee of £29 million (€34 million [close to $50 million]) with a further £4 million (€5 million [about $7 million]) in variables". Thus, as it turns out, Arsenal is without Fàbregas and  Bendtner for the 2011-2012 season (rather than Walcott and Bendtner). Since the puzzle would have been set some time in advance of its appearance, the topicality of the clue is undoubtedly a serendipitous coincidence.

8d  Yearn to drink Courage from this? (4-4,6)

Courage⁷ is a brand of British beer. In British slang, neck⁵ means to swallow something, especially a drink (after necking some beers, we left the bar) and bottle⁵ is the courage or confidence needed to do something difficult or dangerous (I lost my bottle completely and ran).

14d   Mainland bishop coming in to tea bringing company to Iona at last (5,5)

Right Reverend⁵ (abbreviation RR) is a title given to a bishop, especially in the Anglican Church. Iona⁵ is a small island in the Inner Hebrides, off the west coast of Mull (itself an island off the western coast of Scotland). It is the site of a monastery founded by St Columba in about 563.

22d   Pretentious? Me? (3)

Miss Piggy's trademark question.

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

Signing off for today - Falcon