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