Tuesday, January 31, 2012 - DT 26709

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26709
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Monday, November 14, 2011
Setter Rufus
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26709]
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 26708 which was published in The Daily Telegraph on Saturday, November 12, 2011

Introduction

Today we have a typical offering from Rufus - the master of the cryptic definition. It is not too difficult a puzzle, but it did take a bit of surfing to decipher 8a. It is no wonder that I needed to resort to my electronic assistants, as the clue utilises a bit of new (to me) Cockney rhyming slang. Not only is the solution Cockney rhyming slang, but the term with which it rhymes is itself 'normal' British slang.

Roger Squires (aka Rufus), who created this puzzle, holds the Guinness record for being the most prolific crossword setter in the world. You can learn more about this fascinating individual from An Interview with Roger Squires at Crossword Unclued.

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.

8a   Short of capital (7,4)

Boracic lint^[7] is Cockney rhyming slang for skint^[5], which itself is British slang meaning (of a person) having little or no money available • I’m a bit skint just now. Boracic lint was a type of medical dressing made from surgical lint that was soaked in a hot, saturated solution of boracic acid and glycerine and then left to dry. It has been in use since at least the 19th century, but is now less commonly used.

11a   Lady love is after the money (4)

The pound^[5] (also pound sterling) is the basic monetary unit of the UK, equal to 100 pence. The proper symbol for the pound is £, but it seems that this is often written as L^[4].

12a   About turn in Old Ireland (4)

Erin^[5] is an archaic or literary name for Ireland.

17a   It’s something to build on (4)

Initially, I thought that there might be more to this clue and tried to figure out some way to incorporate an anagram of ITS into it. However, the clue is merely a cryptic definition.

26a   Heat too much water? (4)

In Scottish and Northern English dialects, a burn^[5] is a small stream.

27a   Late payments? (5,6)

In the UK, a death duty^[5] was a tax levied on property after the owner’s death (replaced officially in 1975 by capital transfer tax and in 1986 by inheritance tax).

28a   Working in MPH, AA meet required speed (11)

The Automobile Association (The AA)^[7] is a British motoring association founded in 1905. Its counterparts in North America would be the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) and the American Automobile Association (AAA).

2d   Insect audible in Asian country (4)

In the UK, apparently, Laos^[4] is pronounced so that it sounds like louse^[4]. I would say that the American pronunciations seem to provide a better match than the British ones. You can judge for yourself by listening to the sound samples at the referenced links.

3d   Caught, suspended and reformed (7)

On cricket scorecards, the abbreviation c^[5] indicates caught (by) • ME Waugh c Lara b Walsh 19.

5d   The coalminer’s dog, Rex (7)

Rex^[4] (Latin for king, abbreviated as R^[5]) is part of the official title of a king, now used chiefly in documents, legal proceedings, and inscriptions on coins. It may be used following a name (e.g. Georgius Rex, or GR, for King George^[5]) or in the titles of lawsuits, e.g. Rex v. Jones: the Crown versus Jones^[5] (which would often be written simply as R. vs Jones).

10d   Free newspaper? (11)

The Independent^[7] is a British national morning newspaper published in London. Nicknamed the Indy, it was launched in 1986 and is one of the youngest UK national daily newspapers. The daily edition was named National Newspaper of the Year at the 2004 British Press Awards.

20d   Ghost in the ruins of Hampton (7)

Although there seems to be an almost endless list of places in the UK with Hampton^[7] in their names, I presume Hampton^[7] may refer to a suburban area, centred on an old village on the north bank of the River Thames, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in England.

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)

Signing off for today - Falcon

Monday, January 30, 2012 - DT 26707

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26707
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Friday, November 11, 2011
Setter Giovanni
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26707]
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 needed a bit of electronic help today - primarily due to being hampered by a long-running British soap opera with which I had no previous acquaintance.

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   A roguish one about to become lawless (8)

To my eye, Gazza's hint would seem to fail to account for all the letters in the solution (but I may be reading it incorrectly). Roguish^[5] is used in the sense of playfully mischievous. "A roguish (something)" would be AN ARCH (something) with the article A becoming AN (thus accounting for the missing N). I do see that this is clarified in the course of some discussion in the comments section on Big Dave's site.

9a   Oxford college’s rustic porch is vandalised (6,7)

Although I had never heard of the college, it is fairly obvious that the wordplay is an anagram and I was able to work out the correct solution. Corpus Christi College^[7] (corporate designation The President and Scholars of the College of Corpus Christi in the University of Oxford) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.

10a   Disallow sin in botanical body (8)

The first word to come to mind was OVERTURN which fit the definition but did not work in any other capacity. It did, however, hobble progress for a bit in the northwest corner.

27a   Emma is one English maiden stabling horse (6)

In cricket, a maiden, also known as a maiden over, (abbreviation M)^[5] is an over in which no runs are scored. An over^[5] is a division of play consisting of a sequence of six balls bowled by a bowler from one end of the pitch, after which another bowler takes over from the other end.

2d   Get better engineers on top of roof? (7)

The Royal Engineers (RE)^[5] is the name of the field engineering and construction corps of the British army.

3d   One for ventilating anger in middle of Carmarthen (5)

Carmarthen^[7] is a community in, and the county town of, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It lays claim to being the oldest town in Wales.

5d   Walkers heading off may be country folk (7)

Even after getting the correct solution, the definition remained a complete mystery to me. The Archers^[7] is a long-running British soap opera broadcast on the BBC's main spoken-word channel, Radio 4. It was originally billed as "an everyday story of country folk", but is now described on its Radio 4 web site as "contemporary drama in a rural setting". With over 16,600 episodes, it is both the world's longest running radio soap and, since the axing of the American soap opera Guiding Light in September 2009, the world's longest running soap opera in any format.

13d   Pumped for information, being exposed down below maybe?! (9)

Recognizing what a magnificent opportunity that this clue provided to Gazza for creative illustration, I turned with eager anticipation to Big Dave's site. Alas, the opportunity must indeed have been far too tempting as the illustration (much commented upon on Big Dave's blog) seems to have been removed. Is it time to reactivate the "Stop Censorship" campaign?

20d   Weird upper-class grandma enthralling children at the outset (7)

In Britain, U^[5] is used informally as an adjective with respect to language or social behaviour meaning characteristic of or appropriate to the upper social classes (U manners). The term, an abbreviation of  upper class, was coined in 1954 by Alan S. C. Ross, professor of linguistics, and popularized by its use in Nancy Mitford's Noblesse Oblige (1956).

24d   Beast in river almost squashing duck (5)

In cricket, a duck^[5] is a batsman’s score of nought • he was out for a duck. In cryptic crossword puzzles, duck often indicates O as the letter "O" looks like the number "0".

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)

Signing off for today - Falcon

Saturday, January 28, 2012 - Exploration & Adventure

Introduction

We meet a trio of explorers and adventurers in today's puzzle from Cox and Rathvon.














Solution to Today's Puzzle

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

Across

8a   {MERIWETHER LEWIS}* - anagram (wild) of WHERE LIMITS WERE

Route followed by the Lewis & Clark Expedition

Meriwether Lewis^[7] (August 18, 1774 – October 11, 1809) was an American explorer, soldier, and public administrator, best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition also known as the Corps of Discovery, with William Clark. Their mission was to explore the territory of the Louisiana Purchase, establish trade and sovereignty over the natives near the Missouri River, and claim the Pacific Northwest and Oregon territory for the United States before European nations. They also collected scientific data, and information on indigenous nations. President Thomas Jefferson appointed him Governor of Upper Louisiana in 1806.

10a   S(TERN)UM - TERN (sea bird) contained in (in) SUM (addition)

11a   FOR|MICA - FOR (†) + MICA (volcanic form of rock)

Formica^[7] is a brand of composite materials manufactured by the Formica Corporation. In common use, the term refers to the company's classic product, a heat-resistant, wipe-clean, plastic laminate of paper or fabric with melamine resin. When it was developed, the mineral mica was commonly used for electrical insulation. Because the new product acted as a substitute “for mica”, the inventors coined the name “Formica” This was in fact a preexisting word, the Latin for a genus of ant insects, but that meaning did not dilute its use as a trademark.

12a   {SKI PATROL}* - anagram (prepared) of SALT PORK I

14a   LAS|ED - LAS (the Spanish; i.e., Spanish word for 'the') + ED (editor)

15a   {MARTIN FROBISHER}* - anagram (straying) ON BRITISH FARMER

Frobisher's Route

Sir Martin Frobisher^[7] (c. 1535 or 1539 – 1594) was an English seaman who made three voyages to the New World to look for the Northwest Passage. Thinking he had found gold ore, he mined and carted hundreds of tons of it back to England where, after years of smelting, it was realized that it was merely worthless iron pyrite. As an English privateer/pirate, he collected riches from French ships. He was later knighted for his service in repelling the Spanish Armada in 1588.

18a   RO(AS)T - AS (while) contained in (dividing) ROT (baloney)

20a   _ASSIST__ANT_ - [b]ASSIST + [c]ANT with the first letters of each word deleted (without leads)

23a   LE(BAN)ON - BAN (curse) contained in (picked up by) LEON (author [Leon] Uris^[7])

Curse (in the sense of an invocation of harm or punishment) is an archaic meaning of ban^[5] • the land might be smitten by the ban which once fell upon the Canaanites.

24a   ALL|IS|ON - ALL (everything) + IS (†) + ON (working)

Mose Allison^[7] is an American jazz blues pianist and singer.

25a   {SIR FRANCIS DRAKE}* - anagram (at sea) of FAIR SKIN SCARRED

Circumnavigation route followed by Sir Francis Drake

Sir Francis Drake^[7], Vice Admiral (1540 – 1596) was an English sea captain, privateer, navigator, slaver, and politician of the Elizabethan era. He was second-in-command of the English fleet against the Spanish Armada in 1588. He also carried out the second circumnavigation of the world, from 1577 to 1580.

Down

1d   A|MUSES - A (†) + MUSES (guiding spirit's)

2d   CREE|PIER - CREE (first nation) + PIER (structure on a lake)

3d   R(WAND)A - RA (sun god) containing (holding) WAND (baton)

4d   STEM< - reversal (on the way back) of METS (N.L. [National League] team)

The New York Mets^[7] are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division.

5d   B(ED|FELL)OWS - {ED (Edward) + FELL (took a spill)} contained in (in) BOWS (boats' prows)

6d   A|WAITS - A (†) + WAITS (singer named Tom [Waits]^[7])

7d   I|SLANDER - I (†) + SLANDER (throw mud on)

Baffin Island^[7] in the Canadian territory of Nunavut is the largest island in Canada and the fifth largest island in the world. It is the site of Frobisher Bay, the destination of Sir Martin Frobisher's three voyages of discovery to the New World.

9d   LORE|LEI - LORE (folk tales) + (with) LEI (garland)

Lorelei^[7] is a rock in the Rhine River, a serious hazard for shipping and subject of many legends, poems, and songs. The name Lorelei or Loreley comes from a Germanic legend about a beautiful maiden named Lorelei who waited for her lover on a rock at the narrowest and shallowest point of the Rhine River. He never returned, so she jumped off the rock to her death. The legend is that her spirit remains at the rock, seeking revenge against her unfaithful lover. She sits on the rock, now named for her, combing her long hair and singing softly. Sailors are so enchanted by her beauty that they crash their ships into the rock or run aground in the shallow water.

13d   REF|RAINING - REF (football official; referee) + (before) RAINING (showering)

15d   M(URAL)IST - MIST (fog) containing (put ... around) URAL (mountain range)

The Ural Mountains^[7], or simply the Urals, are a mountain range that runs approximately from north to south through western Russia, from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the Ural River and northwestern Kazakhstan. Their eastern side is usually considered the natural boundary between Europe and Asia.

16d   IN(TO)NER - INNER (secret) containing (about) TO (Toronto)

TO^[7] is a common Canadian nickname for Toronto. It may come from the initials Toronto, Ontario or from the first two letters of Toronto.

17d   HE|AT( SEA)L - HE (man) + {AT (†) + L ([Roman numeral for] fifty)} containing SEA (ocean)

19d   AU|BURN - AU ([symbol for the chemical element] gold) + BURN (torch)

21d   SO|LIDS - SO (very) + LIDS (tops)

22d   T|ENDER - T (time) + ENDER (stopper)

Here, I would say that nice is used in the sense of "requiring careful consideration" (a nice point) and tender in the sense of "requiring tact or careful handling" (the issue of conscription was a particularly tender one).

24d   A|RID - A (†) + RID (free)

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)

Signing off for today - Falcon

Friday, January 27, 2012 - DT 26706

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26706
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Thursday, November 10, 2011
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26706]
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

Introduction

With a bit of perseverance, I managed to complete the puzzle with drawing on support from my electronic assistants. There are, however, a goodly number of British references and expressions to be found in it.

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   Rural company with new driver in US car mostly (7)

I am sure that only neophyte solvers need a reminder that terms such as "new driver", "student", and "learner" are code-words for L – from the L-plate^[7] that must be displayed on vehicles driven by a learner driver^[5] (also known as a learner^[2]) in Britain.

5a   A Northern party a bishop backed in principality (7)

The "bishop" here is not a chess piece but rather one of the ecclesiastical variety. Right Reverend^[5] (abbreviation RR) is a title given to a bishop, especially in the Anglican Church.

To elaborate on Libellule's hint, the wordplay is A (from the clue) + N (Northern) + DO (party) + a reversal (backed) of {A (from the clue) + RR (bishop)}.

11a   A point, right, admitted by friend gets legal authority (10)

Mate^[5] is an informal British term (1) for a friend or companion • my best mate Steve or (2) used as a friendly form of address between men or boys • ‘See you then, mate.’

12a   Pieces for all to see in list (4)

Here "for all to see" is a code phrase for U. Under the British system of film classification^[7] 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).

14a   Chap on tour excitedly grabbing minute close to great historic building (7,5)

Hampton Court Palace^[7] is a royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, Greater London, once owned by King Henry VIII. It has not been inhabited by the British royal family since the 18th century, and today is open to the public, and a major tourist attraction. At first I thought that I might have the wrong palace as this description did not seem to match the location given by Libellule, but on further research I find that Hampton Court Palace sits opposite East Molesey^[7], across the River Thames ... and can be reached by Hampton Court Bridge.

22a   Toughness shown by engineers, source of industry amid quiet (10)

The Royal Engineers (RE)^[5] is the name of the field engineering and construction corps of the British army.

25a   Booze principally drunk here by river — drinkers’ domain? (4,5)

The River Ouse^[5] might refer to any of four English rivers. Although I seem to recall that the Brits often appear to favour the one in Yorkshire, today Libellule opts for the one in Northamptonshire.

1. (also Great Ouse) a river of eastern England, which rises in Northamptonshire and flows 257 km (160 miles) eastwards then northwards through East Anglia to the Wash near King’s Lynn.
2. a river of NE England, formed at the confluence of the Ure and Swale in North Yorkshire and flowing 92 km (57 miles) south-eastwards through York to the Humber estuary.
3. a river of SE England, which rises in the Weald of West Sussex and flows 48 km (30 miles) south-eastwards to the English Channel.
4. (also Little Ouse) a river of East Anglia, which forms a tributary of the Great Ouse.

26a   Foreign language in clubs, say, son ignored (5)

The Inuit^[3] are a group of indigenous people inhabiting the Arctic from northern Alaska eastward to eastern Greenland, particularly those of Canada. The term Eskimo is generally considered offensive, although apparently not it the UK (judging by dictionary entries and general usage). Here is what the American Heritage Dictionary has to say on the subject:

Usage Note: The preferred term for the native peoples of the Canadian Arctic and Greenland is now Inuit, and the use of Eskimo in referring to these peoples is often considered offensive, especially in Canada. Inuit, the plural of the Inuit word inuk, "human being," is less exact in referring to the peoples of northern Alaska, who speak dialects of the closely related Inupiaq language, and it is inappropriate when used in reference to speakers of Yupik, the Eskimoan language branch of western Alaska and the Siberian Arctic. See Usage Note at Eskimo [which elaborates further on the subject].

27a   Limit miles covered by old plane perhaps (7)

A plane^[5] (also plane tree) is a tall spreading tree of the northern hemisphere, with maple-like leaves and bark which peels in uneven patches [Genus Platanus, family Platanaceae].

4d   Drink I’d found in park heading north (5)

In Britain, rec^[5] is an informal shortened version of recreation ground^[5], a piece of public land used for sports and games.

5d   A jolly powerful cyclist? (9)

Jolly^[4] is British slang for a member of the Royal Marines (RM)^[5], a British armed service (part of the Royal Navy) founded in 1664, trained for service at sea, or on land under specific circumstances.

6d   Fool caught out in mass of sand (4)

On cricket scorecards, the abbreviation c^[5] indicates caught (by) • ME Waugh c Lara b Walsh 19.

20d   Organised drink, we hear, in Chesterfield, maybe (6)

By capitalizing "Chesterfield", the setter intentionally misdirects us into thinking of a town in Derbyshire, north central England^[5] rather than an item of furniture.

23d   Disinclined to move, artist abandoned unstable terrain (5)

RA^[5] is the abbreviation for Royal Academician, 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.

24d   Perhaps Oxford society has bowling venue at back (4)

Plymouth Hoe^[7] (referred to locally as the Hoe) is  a large south facing open public space in the English coastal city of Plymouth. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon word Hoe, a sloping ridge shaped like an inverted foot and heel. Plymouth Hoe is perhaps best known for the probably apocryphal story that Sir Francis Drake played his famous game of [lawn] bowls here in 1588 while waiting for the tide to change before sailing out with the English fleet to engage with the Spanish Armada.

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)

Signing off for today - Falcon

Thursday, January 26, 2012 - DT 26705

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26705
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Setter Jay
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26705]
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

Although some of the solutions required a good deal of concentrated thought, I did manage to complete the puzzle without calling my electronic assistants into action.

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   A drug dealer’s yacht, and a rope thrown out (10)

I could see that this is quite clearly an anagram, but is the definition "a drug dealer's yacht" with the wordplay being an anagram (out) of ROPE THROWN? Or is the definition "a drug dealer" with the wordplay being an anagram (thrown out) of {YACHT + (and) A ROPE}. The latter turns out to be correct - but we are not looking for the type of drug dealer that first came to mind! In the surface reading, the 's is used to form the possessive of "drug dealer"; however, in the cryptic reading, it is a contraction for 'is' and serves as a link word indicating equality between the definition and wordplay (i.e., definition is wordplay).

10a   Gather there’s action starting in valley (5)

This is the first of a couple of Scottish geographical features seen in today's puzzle. A glen^[5] is a narrow valley, especially in Scotland or Ireland ...

15a   Extend thoroughfare through mountain (7)

... and ben^[5] (especially in place names) is Scottish for a high mountain or mountain peak (such as Ben Nevis, a mountain in western Scotland that rises to 1,343 m (4,406 ft) making it is the highest mountain in the British Isles.).

22a   Muse a long time — and return books (5)

By convention, "books" in a cryptic crossword clue is often a codeword for either the Old Testament (OT) or New Testament (NT).

27a   Soldiers on a date, soldiers with time for change (9)

On first blush, I (like Pommers in his comment) questioned "on" being used in the sense of 'in' as a containment indicator (soldiers on a date). However, one meaning of on^[5] is in the possession of or being carried by (she only had a few pounds on her), thereby seemingly making it very well suited to this purpose. "On" is one of those words with so many shades of meaning that it can mean almost anything one chooses it to mean.

Note: in a comment at Big Dave's site, Gnomethang provides an alternative interpretation:

• Soldiers ON a – in an across clue means MEN after A. Then add D for D(ate) as it is in order in the clue, then some more soldiers (MEN) then the T for change. This wouldn’t work in a down clue!.

28a   Bird shot (5)

I initially questioned how shot could mean snipe since, when used as verbs, shot is past tense and snipe is present tense. However, as a noun, snipe^[2] can mean either (1) a sniping shot, i.e., a shot at someone from a hidden position or (2) a quick verbal attack or criticism (a shot). However, you won't find either of these meanings at Oxford Dictionaries^[5].

29a   Raises the temperature in London and breaks fast (4)

The phrase "in London" indicates that we need a word that sounds like the way 'heats' (raises the temperature) would be pronounced in London (in particular, in East London which is home to the cockneys). A distinctive feature of the cockney^[5] accent is the dropping of the letter H from the beginning of words.

1d   Ship making a right turn (4)

In Greek mythology, the Argo was the ship on which Jason and the Argonauts (not the Canadian football team^[7] or the former British football club that never played a match^[7]) sailed from Iolcos to retrieve the Golden Fleece. It was named after its builder, Argus. Surely, readers in Toronto had no difficulty with this clue.

16d     Rock singer’s first suit (8)

While Pommer's very straight forward explanation of the clue is no doubt what the setter had in mind, I interpreted the clue in a rather more complex fashion. I saw it as an all-in-one where the entire clue is a cryptic definition of DIAMONDS - rock singer's first (favourite) suit (wouldn't diamonds naturally have to be Neil Diamond's favourite suit). As for the wordplay, I thought it to be DIAMOND (rock singer) + (has) S {first S(uit)}. Yes, I realize it seems a bit contrived (especially in hindsight), but hardly beyond the bounds of what I have seen some setters deliver.

20d   Seamstresses boxing 1000 pins (7)

Yes, the clue calls for an abbreviation for a thousand - but one derived from Greek, not a Roman numeral.

21d   Expensive hot drink and meal (4,3)

In Britain,according to the Collins English Dictionary, tea^[4] can refer to either (1) afternoon tea, a light meal eaten in mid-afternoon, usually consisting of tea and cakes, biscuits, or sandwiches or (2) high tea, an afternoon tea that also includes a light cooked dish. Chambers 21st Century Dictionary gives a similar definition for the former meaning but defines the latter as either a light cooked meal, usually less substantial than the midday meal, served early in the evening or the main evening meal^[2]. Thus it would seem that high tea is a more substantial meal than afternoon tea and is served later in the day (late afternoon to early evening as opposed to mid-afternoon).

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)

Signing off for today - Falcon

Wednesday, January 25, 2012 - DT 26704

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26704
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26704]
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

Although Gazza awards this puzzle 3 stars for difficulty, I would say (based on my performance) that it would rank at the lower end of the 3 range.

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   Casual tuna Niçoise salad with no end of mayonnaise (10)

Niçois (feminine Niçoise)^[5] means, as a noun, a native or inhabitant of the city of Nice (a city in France) and, as an adjective, relating to Nice or its inhabitants. A salade niçoise^[5] is a salad typically including tuna, black olives, hard-boiled eggs, and tomatoes.

6a   ‘Wrack’ is Emerson, Lake and Palmer touching rock bottom (4)

Wrack^[5] is any of a number of coarse brown seaweeds which grow on the shoreline, frequently each kind forming a distinct band in relation to high- and low-water marks. Many have air bladders for buoyancy. [Genera Fucus, Ascophyllum, and Pelvetia, class Phaeophyceae]

10a   Gold coin in circulation (5)

Bit is used here according to its British definition, not its North American meaning. In British usage (and, according to the Chambers 21st Century Dictionary, an old use), bit^[2] (in compounds) means a coin, especially a small coin • threepenny bit. In North America, bit is used to mean an amount of 12½ cents (used only in multiples of two, two-bits, four bits, six bits - meaning a quarter, a half, and three-quarters of a dollar respectively).

11a   Rail about peers turning out criminal (9)

Technically, a dado^[5] is the lower part of the wall of a room, below about waist height, when decorated differently from the upper part. However, dado^[5] is also used as a shortened version of dado rail^[5], a decorative waist-high moulding round the wall of a room, which also protects the wall from damage. A dado rail^[7], which is also called a chair rail (the name by which I know it), is traditionally part of a dado but is also sometimes applied to a wall without the full dado treatment.

12a   Loud organ gets a little frightening (8)

In musical notation, the direction for loud is forte (f)^[5].

13a   Always available for panto performance (2,3)

Panto^[5] is short for pantomime^[5], a British theatrical entertainment, mainly for children, which involves music, topical jokes, and slapstick comedy and is based on a fairy tale or nursery story, usually produced around Christmas.

15a   Silly me sing badly? By gum, that’s got about (7)

Muggins^[5] is an informal British expression meaning a foolish and gullible person (often used humorously to refer to oneself) • muggins has volunteered to do the catering.

17a   Transport service following in sudden movement (7)

The reference by Gazza to "one of our armed services" is, of course, to the Royal Air Force (RAF)^[5].

21a   Commotion involving amateur sailors ordered about in hurricane (7)

I guess to the Brits tornado and hurricane are just two names for a violent storm (but then, they probably don't experience these weather events). North Americans would consider them to be quite different phenomena. This seems a bit like saying that a Lamborghini is a Porsche because they both happen to be cars.

The clue also includes a reference to another of the British armed services, the Royal Navy (RN)^[5].

29a   ‘Repast’ is regularly ‘nosh’ (4)

In Britain, nosh^[5] is an informal term for food • filling the freezer with all kinds of nosh. Apparently in North American nosh can be used as a noun to mean a snack or small item of food, although I must say I am only familiar with the word as a verb (meaning to eat food enthusiastically or greedily).

30a   The orchids flourish in a part of London (10)

Shoreditch^[7] is an area of London within the London Borough of Hackney in England. It is a built-up part of the inner city immediately to the north of the City of London, located 2.5 miles (4.0 km) east-northeast of Charing Cross. [Charing Cross^[7] is considered to be the centre of London and sections of the city are frequently described in terms of their location relative to this landmark (which actually no longer exists).]

Although I solved this clue, it was really achieved through a guess constrained by the checking letters.

3d   Absolute lunatic losing head (5)

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

9d   Carefree broadcasting under leadership of Digital European Bureau (8)

The Digital European Bureau seems to be the convenient invention of the setter.

14d   Note that is about 40% of Mancunians consuming fortified wine (10)

A Mancunian^[5] is a native or inhabitant of Manchester. As an adjective, the term means relating to Manchester.

18d   Pulse of unfinished Follett novel capturing era (9)

This is yet another case where I merely tried to place the left-over letters in the most likely pattern possible amongst the checking letters.

21d   Appropriate time to wake up — right? (7)

Trouser^[5] is a British slang synonym for pocket, meaning to receive or take (something, especially money) for oneself.

23d   Naïve beginner appearing in sketch is poor (5)

In British slang, skint^[5] is an adjective that would be used to describe a person having little or no money available • I’m a bit skint just now.

26d   Could be goat starts to meander over the heath (4)

The goat moth^[5] (Cossus cossus)  is a large greyish moth, the caterpillar of which bores into wood and has a goat-like smell.

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)

Signing off for today - Falcon

Tuesday, January 24, 2012 - DT 26703

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26703
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Monday, November 7, 2011
Setter Rufus
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26703]
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
Notes The National Post has skipped DT 26702 which was published in The Daily Telegraph on Saturday, November 5, 2011

Introduction

This puzzle may have been a touch more difficult than a typical offering from Rufus. I definitely required a bit of assistance from my electronic aids to complete it.

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   Proverbially it implies madness (3,2,5)

Some sayings are just so well known that a speaker may not even have to finish them for the listener to know what is meant. Such is the case with today's proverb. A speaker might say merely "Out of sight, ...", assuming that the listener would automatically complete the thought with the implied completion "... out of mind". Of course, "out of mind" could also suggest madness (insanity).

9a   Sweet kid (4)

In Britain, one meaning of sweet^[5] is a pudding or dessert. A fool^[5] (chiefly a British term) is a cold dessert made of puréed fruit mixed or served with cream or custard.

10a   Hold up close to Cork (10)

The capitalization of "Cork" is a bit of misdirection by the setter who would like to mislead us into thinking of the city in Ireland.

15a   Opposed to profits at outset (7)

The wordplay is GAINS (profits) with AT (from the clue) outside of it (outset). The wording in Big Dave's hint amounts to the same thing, but is perhaps less clear.

17a   This way for a place as a head (4)

In Britain, an each-way^[5] bet is one divided into two equal wagers, one backing a horse or other competitor to win and the other backing it to finish in the first three. Place^[5] is a betting term. In Britain,  it means any of the first three or sometimes four positions in a race (used especially of the second, third, or fourth positions). In North America, on the other hand, place refers specifically to the second position (or to a finish no worse than second) and show refers to third place (or a finish no worse than third). Thus (in North America) a bet on a horse to place pays off if the horse finishes in the top two, while a bet on a horse to show would pay off if the horse finished in the top three. Thus, a bet on a horse to place at a British track would be equivalent to a bet for it to show in North America.

29a   China’s sovereign race (5,5)

The Royal Crown Derby Porcelain Company^[7] is a porcelain manufacturer, based in Derby, England. The company, particularly known for its high-quality bone china, has produced tableware and ornamental items since approximately 1750. I presume that the name is commonly shortened to Crown Derby.

4d   Earring found on the railway (7)

A sleeper^[5] is a ring or post worn in a pierced ear to keep the hole from closing. Although the Oxford Dictionary of English characterises this term as British^[5] and the Collins English Dictionary as chiefly British^[4], for some reason the term did not sound particularly foreign to me - so the term may possibly be used in Canada.

5d   A horse for Lady Jane (4)

Lady Jane Grey^[7] (1536/1537 – 1554), also known as The Nine Days' Queen, was de facto monarch of England from 10 July until 19 July 1553. She was the great-grandaughter of Henry VII by his younger daughter Mary, and a first-cousin-once-removed of King Edward VI.

In February 1553, at age 15, Edward VI fell ill. When his sickness was discovered to be terminal, he and his Council drew up a "Devise for the Succession", attempting to prevent the country being returned to Catholicism. Edward named his cousin Lady Jane Grey as his heir and excluded his half sisters, Mary and Elizabeth. However, this was disputed following Edward's death and Jane was queen for only nine days before Edward's half-sister, Mary, was proclaimed Queen (and Lady Jane was imprisoned in the Tower of London).

She was convicted of high treason in November 1553, though her life was initially spared. Wyatt's rebellion in January and February 1554 against Queen Mary's plans of a Spanish match led to her execution at the age of 16 or 17, and that of her husband.

6d   Proceeds to give thanks to college (7)

Takings^[5] would appear to be the British equivalent to what would be called earnings in North America, the amount of money earned by a business from the sale of goods or services • the big test for the shop’s new look is whether it’ll boost takings. In Britain, apparently, a worker or investor may have earnings^[5] but a company has takings. When you think about it, does it not seem to reflect a very socialistic mindset!

In Britain, ta^[5] is an informal way to say thank you.

7d   Gent’s upset about tonight’s riot in the city (10)

Bufo (to whom reference is made by Big Dave in his hint) is one of the bloggers who contribute to Big Dave's site. His produces reviews of the Toughie (another - typically more difficult - cryptic crossword puzzle that appears in the Daily Telegraph) on roughly a once per week basis.

14d   Brush a fur coat (5)

A sable^[2] is an artist's paintbrush made of sable fur [that I found only in Chambers].

15d   This may cause a number to take up weapons (5)

In cryptic crosswords, expressions such as "a number" (or, as I have more often seen, "a large number" or "a great many") indicate a Roman numeral (usually a large one). The particular Roman numeral is not specified, so the solver must select the appropriate one from all of those available. See also 25d.

19d   Top-quality work produced by Form 1C (7)

In Britain, a form^[5] is a class or year in a school, usually given a specifying number. Thus the fifth form would be the linguistic counterpart to the fifth grade in North America and Form 1C would be like saying Grade 1C.

25d   Large number seen in a doctor’s rounds (4)

We are looking for a doctor in the military, a Medical Officer (MO)^[5]. Similar to what we saw in 15d, "large number" refers to a large Roman numeral.

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)

Signing off for today - Falcon