Monday, December 31, 2012

Monday, December 31, 2012 - DT 26998

Puzzle at a Glance
Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number
DT 26998
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Setter
Unknown
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26998]
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
Notes
This puzzle appears on the Monday Diversions page in the Monday, December 31, 2012 edition of the National Post.

Introduction

I hope that you noticed two puzzles are included in today's edition of the National Post. I sat down to write today's review only to discover that I had solved tomorrow's puzzle. Luckily today's puzzle was much the easier of the two and I was able to knock it off in rather quick fashion.

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.

5a   What cricketers might do, say? (7)

In general, the objective of each team in cricket[7] is to score more runs than the opposing team. However, in Test cricket (a match between national teams), it is not only necessary to score the most runs but also to dismiss the opposition twice in order to win the match, which would otherwise be drawn. Therefore, the captain of a batting team which has built up a large lead may declare the innings closed prematurely in order to allow the opposition to bat (and thus gain an opportunity to dismiss them). As a captain, the key to victory is picking the right time to declare. Should he declare too early, the other team may score more runs than his team has amassed and thereby win. On the other hand, if he were to declare too late, the match may end before his team can dismiss the other team (resulting in a draw, even though his team may have a substantial lead in runs).

12a   Private meal with no starter (5)

Starter[5] is a chiefly British term (but certainly one not unheard in Canada) meaning the first course of a meal.

17a   One who gives orders, upset nerd (9)

There is a rule for solving cryptic crosswords that says that punctuation in a clue is to be ignored. Of course, there is an exception to every rule. Here the wordplay is COMMA (,) + NDER {an anagram (upset) of NERD}.

19a   Bottle never drunk (5)

The entire clue could be regarded as a cryptic definition. In fact, I spotted that before the anagram became apparent. In Britain, bottle[5] is a slang term for the courage or confidence needed to do something difficult or dangerous I lost my bottle completely and ran.

26a   Scoffing servicemen get old in dispatch (7)

A mess[3] may be either (1) a group of people, usually soldiers or sailors, who regularly eat meals together; (2) food or a meal served to such a group; or (3) a mess hall.

27a   What brides might put on  grooms (7)

It may appear that the underlining in Gazza's hint encompasses the entire clue. However, this is an artifact of WordPress (the blogging software used by Big Dave) in which two adjacent blocks of underlined text appear to run together.

28a   Regret impertinent talk about heads of department needing education (7)

As Gazza mentions, sass[5] is a North American term for impudence or cheek. The Brits would say sauce[5]. As an aside, in British cookery, sauce is used only in the sense of a liquid or semi-liquid substance served with food to add moistness and flavour (i) tomato sauce; (ii) the stock cubes can be added to soups and sauces. The alternative meaning of stewed fruit, especially apples, eaten as dessert or used as a garnish is apparently a purely North American usage.

1d   Loaded rifles the law destroy in the end (7)

Rifle[5] is used in the sense of to search through something in a hurried way in order to find or steal something (i) she rifled through the cassette tapes; (ii) [with object] she rifled the house for money. The word rifle carries the connotation that the search is done in such a manner as to leave the items rifled in a disorganized state.

4d   Put on knitted jumper for media (9)

Knit[5] can mean to unite or cause to unite (i) [no object] disparate regions had begun to knit together under the king; (ii) [with object] the experience knitted the men together. From this, one can certainly easily see how this could indicate that one is to concatenate the words "jumper for media". However, it is more difficult to see that this necessarily indicates that there is a hidden word present. The secret is to interpret the clue as "a word meaning ‘put on’ joined together the phrase ‘jumper for media’" (as eXternal points out in a comment at Big Dave's site).

16d   Noel Edmonds finally involved in its March broadcast (9)

Gazza opines "oh no! and it’s only mid-October." The timing of the clue is far more appropriate today than when it originally appeared in the UK.

Noel Edmonds[7] (born 22 December 1948) is [a 64 year old] English broadcaster and executive, who made his name as a DJ on BBC Radio 1 in the UK. He has presented [hosted] light entertainment television programmes, including Multi-Coloured Swap Shop, Top of the Pops, The Late, Late Breakfast Show and Telly Addicts. He currently presents [hosts] the Channel 4 game show Deal or No Deal and the Sunday edition of Sky1's Are You Smarter Than A Ten Year Old? and previously the topical Sky1 show, Noel's HQ.

18d   This compiler has a certain restraint (7)

It is a common cryptic crossword convention for the creator of the puzzle to use terms such as compiler, setter, author, or writer to refer to himself or herself. To solve such a clue, one must usually substitute a first person pronoun (I or me) for whichever of these terms (today, it being expanded to "this compiler") has been used  in the clue.

Measure[3] is used in the sense of appropriate restraint or moderation ⇒ "The union of . . . fervor with measure, passion with correctness, this surely is the ideal" (William James).

21d   Everlasting conclusions about the French (7)

Les[8] is the plural form of the French definite article.
Key to Reference Sources: 

[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)
[9]   - Infoplease (Random House Unabridged Dictionary)
[10] - CollinsDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
Happy New Year — Falcon

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Saturday, December 29, 2012 - A Capital Idea

Introduction

Today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon takes us on a tour of capital cities around the world.













Solution to Today's Puzzle

Legend: "*" anagram; "~" sounds like; "<" letters reversed

"( )" letters inserted; "_" letters deleted; "†" explicit in the clue

Across


1a   ADD|IS| A|BABA — ADD (sum; as a verb) + IS (†) + (next to) A (†) + BABA (cake)
Addis Ababa[7] is the capital city of Ethiopia.
6a   ELBA< — a reversal of (in returning) ABLE (skilled)
Elba[5] is a small island off the west coast of Italy, famous as the place of Napoleon’s first exile (1814–15).
9a   RUM|BA_ — RUM (drink) + (with) BA ([first] half of BA[ND])

10a   NOSE GUARD* — an anagram (awfully) of DANGEROUS
In American and Canadian football, a nose guard[7] (also known as a nose tackle or middle guard) is is a position played by a defensive lineman. In general, the nose guard lines up at the middle of the defensive line across the line of scrimmage from the offense's center before the play begins. In this position, frequently taking on the center and at least one if not both of the offensive guards, the nose guard is considered to be the most physically demanding position in football [thus the surface reading is quite appropriate].
12a   PEN|ELOPE — PEN (writer; either literally a writing instrument or figuratively a scribe) + ELOPE (run off romantically)
In Greek mythology, Penelope[7] was the wife of Odysseus, who was beset by suitors when her husband did not return after the fall of Troy. She put them off by saying that she would marry only when she had finished the piece of weaving on which she was engaged, and every night unravelled the work she had done during the day.
13a   APLOMB* — an anagram (smashed) of LOB PAM
I would say that the surface reading is more than likely an allusion to former American professional tennis player Pam Shriver[7]. During the 1980s and 1990s, she won 133 top-level titles, including 21 women's doubles titles and one mixed doubles title at Grand Slam tournaments. She also won a women's doubles gold medal at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul with Zina Garrison as her partner, although her usual doubles partner was Martina Navratilova. Outside contenders might include Pam Whytcross[7], a former professional tennis player from Australia, or Pam Teeguarden[7], a former American professional tennis player.
15a   YM(C)A — YMA (singer Sumac; Peruvian singer Yma Sumac[7]) containing (keeps) C ([musical] key)
Stories published in the 1950s claimed that Yma Sumac was an Incan princess, directly descended from Atahualpa (the last sovereign emperor of the Inca Empire prior to the Spanish conquest). Her New York Times obituary reported that "the largest and most persistent fabrication about Ms. Sumac was that she was actually a housewife from Brooklyn named Amy Camus, her name spelled backward. The fact is that the government of Peru in 1946 formally supported her claim to be descended from Atahualpa."

Sumac (who was born Zoila Augusta Emperatriz Chávarri del Castillo) adopted the stage name of Imma Sumack (also spelled Ymma Sumack and Ima Sumack) before she left South America to go to the United States. The stage name was based on her mother's name, which was derived from Ima Shumaq, Quechua for "how beautiful!" although in interviews she claimed it meant "beautiful flower" or "beautiful girl".
16a   W|ELLINGTON — W (western) + ELLINGTON (Duke; American composer, pianist and big-band leader Duke Ellington[7])
Wellington[7] is the capital city of New Zealand.
19a   MONTEVIDEO* — anagram (shot) of NOTED MOVIE
Montevideo[7] is the capital city of Uruguay.
20a   SPA|T — SPA (spring) + T (time)

23a   T(AM)EST — TEST (exam) containing (around ) AM (morning)

25a   ST(ONE) AGE — ONE (individual) contained in (in) STAGE (theatre)

27a   BILL|A|BONG — BILL (check) + A (†) + BONG (water pipe)
Billabong[5] is an Australian term for a branch of a river forming a backwater or stagnant pool, made by water flowing from the main stream during a flood.
28a   CHAR|D — CHAR (on a grill, blacken) + D (low-grade; poor academic result)

29a   _E|CHO_ — hidden in (hiding in) thE CHOrus
In Greek mythology, Echo[5] was a nymph deprived of speech by Hera in order to stop her chatter, and left able only to repeat what others had said.
30a   BRAT(IS)LAVA — IS (†) contained in (into) {BRAT (kid) + LAVA (rock)}
Robert James "Bob" Ritchie, known by his stage name Kid Rock[7], is an American musician, rapper and singer-songwriter.

Bratislava[7] is the capital city of Slovakia.

Down


1d   A|TROPHY — A (†) + TROPHY (kind of reward)

2d   DO|MINI|CAN — DO (make) + MINI (little) + CAN (fire; dismiss from employment)

3d   S|TABLE — S (small) + TABLE (furniture)

4d   {BON APPETIT}* — an anagram (playing) of TIBETAN POP

5d   BUS|H — BUS (large vehicle) + H (hit; as a baseball term)
George Herbert Walker Bush[7] served as the 41st President of the United States (1989 – 1993). His son, George Walker Bush[7] was the 43rd President of the United States (2001 – 2009).
7d   {LLA|NO}< — a reversal (seen from the back) of {ON (†) + ALL (everyone)}

8d   AU|DUB|ON — AU (gold; Au[5] being the symbol for the chemical element gold) + DUB (title; as a verb) + ON (lit)
John James Audubon[7] (Jean-Jacques Audubon) (1785 – 1851) was a French-American ornithologist, naturalist, and painter. He was notable for his expansive studies to document all types of American birds and for his detailed illustrations that depicted the birds in their natural habitats. His major work, a color-plate book entitled The Birds of America (1827–1839), is considered one of the finest ornithological works ever completed. Audubon identified 25 new species.
11d   GA(PIN)G — PIN (peg) contained in (caught in) GAG (jest)

14d   {SLEEP TIGHT}* — an anagram (dancing) of THE PIGLETS

17d   TO|P B|A|NANA — TO (†) + PB (lead; Pb[5] being the symbol for the chemical element lead) + A (†) + NANA (grandma)

18d   {RED SEA}* — an anagram (strangely) of ERASED

19d   MU(TAB)LE — TAB (bill) contained in (wearing) MULE (slipper)

21d   {THE IDEA}* — an anagram (breaks) of A DIET HE

22d   K|NICKS — K ($1000) + NICKS (cuts)
The New York Knickerbockers[7], popularly known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City, New York. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
24d   MU(L)CH — L (left) contained in (in) MUCH (lots)

26d   BOAR — sounds like (one hears) BORE (not very interesting)
The plural form of boar may be either boar or boars.[5] Bore[5] seems to be used in the sense of a tedious or annoying situation or activity ⇒ when one's alone, cooking is a bore which might also be stated as when one's alone, cooking is not very interesting. The "are" from the word "aren't" in the clue serves as a link word between the definition and the wordplay.
Key to Reference Sources: 

[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)
[9]   - Infoplease (Random House Unabridged Dictionary)
[10] - CollinsDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
Signing off for today — Falcon

Signing off for the moment — Falcon

Friday, December 28, 2012

Friday, December 28, 2012 - DT 26997

Puzzle at a Glance
Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number
DT 26997
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Monday, October 15, 2012
Setter
Rufus (Roger Squires)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26997]
Big Dave's Review Written By
Libellule
Big Dave's Rating
Difficulty - ★★ Enjoyment - ★★★
Falcon's Performance
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└────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘
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 26996 which was published in The Daily Telegraph on Saturday, October 13, 2012.

Introduction

Libellule awarded this puzzle two stars for difficulty. While I wouldn't disagree, I would certainly put it at the upper end of two star territory, especially in light of the Briticisms that it contains —. some of which were new, some of which I remembered, and some of which I had previously encountered but failed to recognize.

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   Clean motor off to get set for a rally? (5,5)

Monte Carlo[5] is a resort in Monaco, forming one of the four communes of the principality; population 14,600 (est. 2008). It is famous as a gambling resort and as the terminus of the annual Monte Carlo rally.

10a   The greatest amount of pride? (5,5)

According to Oxford Dictionaries Online, the lion's share[5] is a British term meaning the largest part of something. However, this expression is also very commonly heard in Canada. The explicit indication of apostrophes in the numeration seems to be a hit and miss affair — and today we find the latter.

11a   Office workers go to a Scottish island (6)

Staffa[5] is a small uninhabited island of the Inner Hebrides, west of Mull. It is the site of Fingal’s Cave[5] and is noted for the clustered basaltic pillars that form its cliffs.The cave  is said to have been the inspiration of Mendelssohn’s overture The Hebrides (also known as Fingal’s Cave).

15a   One's young and in form (7)

In Britain, a hare's lair is known as a form[5]. A leveret is a young hare in its first year[5].

18a   African menagerie's toilet, say? (4)

Loo[5] is an informal British term for a toilet. A Zulu[5] is a member of a South African people traditionally living mainly in KwaZulu-Natal province.

21a   Rude and very Scottish sort of hut (7)

Unco[5] is a Scottish word that can mean (1) as an adjective, unusual or remarkable; (2) as an adverb (used as a submodifier), remarkably or very it’s got an unco fine taste; or (3) as a noun, a stranger or (in the plural) news.

22a   Tragically be match for a Shakespearean hero (7)

Macbeth[5] (circa 1005 – 1057) was king of Scotland 1040 – 1057. He came to the throne after killing his cousin Duncan I in battle, and was himself defeated and killed by Malcolm III. Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth considerably embroiders the historical events.

24a   Gold glow of chestnut (6)

The symbol for the chemical element gold is Au[5].

27a   The tears we shed for a loved one (10)

In Britain, shed can mean to accidentally allow (something) to fall off or spill a lorry shed its load of steel bars. Thus should the letters which form the words THE TEARS WE be shed, they might end up rearranged into a different pattern.

29a   I tell tutor about one spreading rubbish (6,4)

In North America, a person who carelessly drops litter in a public place would be called a litter bug. In Britain, such an individual would be known as a litter lout[5].

2d   Party rising in power in old Scandinavia (4)

In Scandinavian mythology, Odin[5] is the supreme god and creator, god of victory and the dead. Wednesday is named after him.

3d   Money box of very poor quality? (6)

Tin[5] is dated British slang for money Kim’s only in it for the tin. It would seem that box and pot are merely two types of container.

5d   Old Spanish coin about a pound (4)

The pound[5] (also pound sterling) is the basic monetary unit of the UK, equal to 100 pence. While the symbol for pound is £, it is often written as L[10]. The real[5] is a former coin and monetary unit of various Spanish-speaking countries.

8d   A money-making contact (5,5)

The Midas touch[5] is the ability to make money out of anything one undertakes. The phrase alludes to Greek mythology, where Midas[5] was a king of Phrygia, who, according to one story, was given by Dionysus the power of turning everything he touched into gold.

13d   Return to  a fairground attraction? (10)

The British idea of a switchback differs totally from the North American concept. In Britain, a switchback[5] is a road, path, or railway with alternate sharp ascents and descents (i) the path was a switchback of hills and wooded dales; (ii) [as modifier] it is a switchback journey with many ups and downs. In the UK, switchback is also another term for a roller coaster. In North America, a switchback is a 180° bend in a road or path, especially one leading up the side of a mountain (i) the trail soon leads robustly straight up, with few switchbacks; (ii) [as modifier] a switchback road. Thus, in North America, a switchback is effectively a hairpin turn (British hairpin bend) on an ascending or descending route.

14d   Cut Sophia Loren's initials on a tree (5)

Sophia Loren[5] (born Sofia Scicolone) is an Italian actress who has starred in both Italian and American films, including the slapstick comedy The Millionairess (1960) and the wartime drama La Ciociara (1961) [an Italian language film released in English under the title Two Women], for which she won an Oscar.

Of interest, La Ciociara translates roughly as The Woman, yet the film was called Two Women when released in English. The Oscar awarded to Sophia Loren for her performance in this film marked the first time an acting Oscar had been given for a non-English-speaking performance.

15d   A substitute for healing, perhaps (5)

In Britain, a locum[5] is a person who stands in temporarily for someone else of the same profession, especially a cleric or doctor.

23d   Just happened to be wicked (6)

Fell[5] is a literary term meaning (1) of terrible evil or ferocity or (2) deadly the fell disease that was threatening her sister. Collins English Dictionary characterises the usage as archaic rather than literary.[10]
Key to Reference Sources: 

[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)
[9]   - Infoplease (Random House Unabridged Dictionary)
[10] - CollinsDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
Signing off for today — Falcon

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Thursday, December 27, 2012 - DT 26995

Puzzle at a Glance
Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number
DT 26995
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Friday, October 12, 2012
Setter
Giovanni (Don Manley)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26995]
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

I would agree with Gazza's assessment of this puzzle. I would say the needle on the difficulty meter was centred in three star territory — making the puzzle no walk in the park but definitely doable with a bit of concentration.

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.

5a   Gong given to performer who tried to bring reform? (8)

Gong[5] is an informal British term for a medal or award. A Companion of Honour (abbreviation CH) is a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour[7], an order of the Commonwealth realms[7] founded by King George V in June 1917 as a reward for outstanding achievements in the arts, literature, music, science, politics, industry or religion. A Chartist is a proponent of Chartism, a UK parliamentary reform movement of 1837–48, the principles of which were set out in a manifesto called The People’s Charter and called for universal suffrage for men, equal electoral districts, voting by secret ballot, abolition of property qualifications for MPs, and annual general elections.

Here one can read the definition as being the question "Who tried to bring reform?" with the answer to the question being the solution to the clue.

11a   Name given to complete crackpot (6)

Nutter[5] is British slang for a mad or eccentric person.

16a   In the course of fights thrash Greeks (8)

A Spartan[5] is a citizen of Sparta[5], a city in the southern Peloponnese in Greece, capital of the department of Laconia; population 14,400 (est. 2009). It was a powerful city state in the 5th century BC, defeating its rival Athens in the Peloponnesian War to become the leading city of Greece.

21a   Idiot journalist blabbered (6)

Prat[5] is British slang for an incompetent or stupid person or, in other words, an idiot. This usage is relatively recent, dating from the 1960s. An older meaning of prat is as an informal term for a person’s buttocks — which may suggest where the first mentioned usage originated.

26a   Name of nurse in Italian city (8)

Florence Nightingale[5] (1820–1910) English nurse and medical reformer. In 1854, during the Crimean War, she improved sanitation and medical procedures at the army hospital at Scutari, achieving a dramatic reduction in the mortality rate. She was born in Florence in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany (now part of Italy)[7].

2d   What's used for painting sacred building, with pounds spent on artist (7)

The pound[5] (also pound sterling) is the basic monetary unit of the UK, equal to 100 pence. While the symbol for pound is £, it is often written as L[10] A Royal Academician (abbreviation RA[5]) is a member of the Royal Academy of Arts[5], an institution established in London in 1768, whose purpose is to cultivate painting, sculpture, and architecture in Britain.

4d   Country club joined by academic, international ace (9)

A don[10] is a member of the teaching staff at a university or college, especially at Oxford or Cambridge. Macedonia[5] is a landlocked republic in the Balkans; population 2,066,700 (est. 2009); official language, Macedonian; capital, Skopje. Formerly a constituent republic of Yugoslavia, Macedonia became independent after a referendum in 1991. M

17d   Soldier only briefly gets overhead protection (7)

In the UK, para[5] is used as an informal short form for paratrooper.

18d   Block a series of steps with two pianos? That looks dotty! (7)

Piano[3,5] (abbreviation p[5]), is a musical direction meaning either soft or quiet (as an adjective) or softly or quietly (as an adverb).

20d   Drunk sat in a part of the wine cellar -- to kick his habit? (7)

For some reason, Oxford seems to think that the word bin is British in every sense. However, the word is certainly in use in Canada in some senses. One meaning of bin[5] is a partitioned stand for storing bottles of wine.
Key to Reference Sources: 

[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)
[9]   - Infoplease (Random House Unabridged Dictionary)
[10] - CollinsDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
Signing off for today — Falcon

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Wednesday, December 26, 2012 - DT 26994

Puzzle at a Glance
Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number
DT 26994
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Setter
Unknown
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26994]
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
Notes
This puzzle appears on the Dec. 26 Diversions page in the Monday, December 24, 2012 edition of the National Post.

Introduction

It was 1d which was my nemesis today. It is hardly the most difficult clue in the puzzle, but I seemed to have a mental block with respect to it. I gave myself a good, swift kick when WordFinder presented me with a list of potential answers.

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   Care when news is broadcast? Negative reaction with it returning (9)

It seems that the BBC and the CBC both broadcast the late evening news at the same hour.

11a   First clue about son, a son of Abraham (5)

You need to use a less concise abbreviation for the first clue than the one that I employ.

14a   Calm Frenchman taken with the Home Counties? (6)

The Home Counties[5] are the counties in the SE of England surrounding London, into which London has extended. They comprise chiefly Essex, Kent, Surrey, and Hertfordshire.

16a   Basic commodity like corn getting soft inside (6)

Piano[3,5] (abbreviation p[5]), is a musical direction meaning either soft or quiet (as an adjective) or softly or quietly (as an adverb).

23a   Look and dress shown by round character (5)

I came up with an answer here based on the wordplay and checking letters, but it took some detective work to (1) confirm its existence and (2) to establish its British pedigree. The situation did not look promising when I failed to find decko listed at Oxford Dictionaries Online. However, things took a turn for the better when Search Chambers revealed that dekko or decko[2] (usually have or take a dekko) is slang for a look. Collins English Dictionary has decko[10] as slang which can be used both (1) as a noun meaning a peek or a glance or (2) as a verb denoting to peek or glance (at something). However, Collins also has a separate (unlinked) entry for dekko[10] which characterises it as British slang meaning a look; glance; view (especially in the phrase take a dekko (at)). Revisiting Oxford, I found that dekko[5] is an informal British expression meaning a quick look or glance come and have a dekko at this.

26a   Precautions a team, not English, organised? Much fuss about nothing (1,5,2,1,6)

A storm in a teacup[7] is a British idiomatic expression meaning a small event that has been exaggerated out of proportion. It is equivalent to the North American expression a tempest in a teapot.

1d   Crusty dish associated with good bars? (7)

As mentioned in the introduction, this clue proved to my stumbling block today.

2d   Practice session before dance and sport (7)

In cricket, a net[10] is either (1) a pitch surrounded by netting, used for practice or (2) a practice session in a net. On a cricket field, a pitch[10] is the rectangular area between the stumps, 22 yards long and 10 feet wide (a bowler at one end delivers a ball to a batsman at the other end).

Netball[7] is a ball sport played by two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. Games are played on a rectangular court with raised goal rings at each end. Each team attempts to score goals by passing a ball down the court and shooting it through its goal ring. Players are assigned specific positions, which define their roles within the team and restrict their movement to certain areas of the court. During general play, a player with the ball can hold onto it for only three seconds before shooting for a goal or passing to another player. The winning team is the one that scores the most goals. Netball games are 60 minutes long. Netball is most popular in Commonwealth nations, specifically in schools, and is predominantly played by women.

There are many differences with basketball. For instance, there are no backboards; a shot on goal can only be made from within the shooting circle (no three point shots); only certain players may enter the shooting circle (either as attackers or defenders); only two attackers and two defenders may be in the shooting circle at one time; the ball is moved up and down the court through passing and must be touched by a player in each adjacent third of the court (no end to end passes); players can hold the ball for only three seconds at any time and it must be released before the foot they were standing on when they caught it touches the ground again (no dribbling).

3d   Players attending companion, sick fellow, with, perhaps, extra indication of cold? (4-5,6)

I initially hesitated to write in the solution as I was reluctant to believe that the Brits could possibly use the same meteorological term as we do in Canada. I also could not resolve the "players" bit of the wordplay. I suppose after the previous clue, I was conditioned to think in terms of sporting competitors rather than orchestral players. When I finally had all of the checking letters, I had to accept that the solution was the obvious choice, even if I could not justify the first bit of the charade.

4d   Instrument that could be eternal? (8)

The eternal triangle[2] is a relationship involving love and jealousy between two men and a woman, or two women and a man.

6d   Notice leader moving behind part of hospital in historic agreement (7,8)

The most frequently visited area of the Crosswordland Hospital is undoubtedly the ear, nose and throat (ENT[2]) department.

The Entente Cordiale[5] is the understanding between Britain and France reached in 1904, forming the basis of Anglo-French cooperation in the First World War.

7d   Fancy a drink among fruit left out (7)

Mother's ruin[5] (a term alluded to by Pommers) is British slang for gin. The name may derive from the reputed ability of gin, if consumed in large quantity, to induce abortion in pregnant women. An eye-opening account of the effects of gin-drinking on English society in the mid-eighteenth century can be found here.

8d   Sad expression in two notes by a male in East Sussex town (5,2)

Rye[7] is a small town in East Sussex, England, which today stands approximately two miles from the open sea and is at the confluence of three rivers: the Rother, the Tillingham and the Brede. In medieval times, however, as an important member of the Cinque Ports confederation, it was at the head of an embayment of the English Channel and almost entirely surrounded by the sea.

17d   Road covering, a wintry safety measure for traffic round Portsmouth's outskirts (7)

Portsmouth[7] is a port and naval base on the south coast of England, in Hampshire; population 201,800 (est. 2009). The naval dockyard was established there in 1496.

19d   Austere figure in a southern church with nervous habit (7)

The Church of England (CE)[10] is the reformed established state Church in England, Catholic in order and basic doctrine, with the Sovereign as its temporal head.
Key to Reference Sources: 

[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)
[9]   - Infoplease (Random House Unabridged Dictionary)
[10] - CollinsDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
Signing off for today — Falcon

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Tuesday, December 25, 2012 - DT 26993

Puzzle at a Glance
Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number
DT 26993
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Setter
Jay (Jeremy Mutch)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26993]
Big Dave's Review Written By
Scchua
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
This puzzle appears on the Dec. 25 Diversions page in the Monday, December 24, 2012 edition of the National Post.

Introduction

Today, we get a typical - though fairly easy - offering from Jay that originally appeared in the UK in mid-October. Try as I might, I could not get the final clue on my own. It sort of feels like collapsing inches from the finish line in a race.

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   Make the most of saying one's right of course (8)

My initial thought here was OPTIMISE. I find that once one has the wrong idea implanted in one's brain, it is very difficult to get it out.

12a   Some said I put savings back, being daft (6)

Daft[5] is an informal British expression meaning silly or foolish ⇒ don’t ask such daft questions. However, the word is apparently well enough travelled that it appears in The American Heritage Dictionary with no indication of its British roots.[3]

14a   Backing tabloid, captures awards (8)

A dated meaning of the word garland[5] is a prize or distinction.

15a   The old old chap? A farmer in times gone by (6)

Yeoman[5], in historical terms, means (1) a man holding and cultivating a small landed estate; a freeholder or (2) a person qualified for certain duties and rights, such as to serve on juries and vote for the knight of the shire, by virtue of possessing free land of an annual value of 40 shillings.

20a   Programme chosen to include the Spanish steps (8)

El[8] is the masculine, singular form of the Spanish definite article. Although "steps" is not capitalized, the clue may be a reference to the Spanish Steps[7] (Italian: Scalinata della Trinità dei Monti), a set of steps in Rome, Italy, climbing a steep slope between the Piazza di Spagna at the base and Piazza Trinità dei Monti, dominated by the Trinità dei Monti church at the top. The Scalinata is the widest staircase in Europe.

23a   Little girl gets second testimonial to give out (10)

It would seem that, nine times out of ten, a "little girl" in Crosswordland will turn out to be named Di.

24a   Small container routed through west of Liverpool (4)

... although the same result could be obtained by routing through east of Liverpool. Liverpool[5] is a city and seaport in NW England, situated at the east side of the mouth of the River Mersey.

25a   Prime Minister rejecting fish after a case of treatment (6)

Clement Attlee[7] (1883 – 1967) was a British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951, and as the Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955.

26a   Illegal occupant, short and stocky, they're regularly chasing (8)

Diego Maradona[7] (mentioned by Scchua in his review) is an Argentine football [soccer] coach as well as a manager and former player who has a short (5' 5"), stocky build. Many experts, football critics, former players, current players and football fans in general consider Maradona to be "the greatest football player of all time". He was joint FIFA Player of the 20th Century with Pelé[7] — a retired Brazilian footballer who is regarded by many experts, players, and fans as "the best player of all time".

3d   Went quickly, getting bitten (6)

Nip[5] is a chiefly (but, by no means, exclusively) British term meaning to move quickly or dart.

4d   Fires half of main agents protecting king (8)

R[5] is the abbreviation for Regina (Queen) or Rex (King) and is used following the name a British monarch ⇒ Elizabeth R or George R.

5d   Fish batter covering last of chips is rubbish (10)

Codswallop[3,4] is a chiefly British slang term meaning nonsense or rubbish.

6d   Legendarily careless cook's adder flan partly sent back (6)

Alfred[7] (849 – 899), known as Alfred the Great, was king of Wessex 871 – 899. Alfred’s military resistance saved SW England from Viking occupation. A great reformer, he is credited with the foundation of the English navy and with a revival of learning.

In January 878, the Danes (Vikings) made a sudden attack on Chippenham, a royal stronghold in which Alfred had been staying over Christmas, killing most of those present, except for King Alfred and a small band who managed to flee. A popular legend tells how Alfred was given shelter by a peasant woman who, unaware of his identity, left him to watch some cakes she had left cooking on the fire. Preoccupied with the problems of his kingdom, Alfred accidentally let the cakes burn.[7]

A flan[3] is a tart with a filling of custard, fruit, or cheese. Presumably, an "adder flan" would be one with a wriggly filling.

8d   Guy perhaps having topless challenge eating fruit (6)

In Britain, guy[5] is the name for a figure representing Guy Fawkes, burnt on a bonfire on Guy Fawkes Night, and often displayed by children begging for money for fireworks. Guy Fawkes[5]
(1570–1606) was an English conspirator who was hanged for his part in the Gunpowder Plot (a conspiracy by a small group of Catholic extremists to blow up James I and his Parliament on 5 November 1605). The occasion is commemorated annually on Bonfire Night (November 5) with fireworks, bonfires, and the burning of a guy.

19d   Points of contention in numbers (6)

Number[5] is a chiefly British term meaning a single issue of a magazine the October number of ‘Travel’.

21d   Feature on head of this zoo losing specs for material (6)

"Specs" is what is known as a visual clue[7] — the letters "oo" looking like a pair of spectacles.
Key to Reference Sources: 

[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)
[9]   - Infoplease (Random House Unabridged Dictionary)
[10] - CollinsDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
Merry Christmas — Falcon