Saturday, January 7, 2012 - Birds of Prey

Introduction

I feel right at home in this flock of raptors that have flown in along with 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

1a   GO (BUS)T - GOT (understood) containing (about) BUS (large vehicle)

4a   S(TAP)LING - SLING (supportive band) containing (around) TAP (faucet)

9a   OR|LEANS - OR (on the other hand) + LEANS (slopes)

Orléans is a city in north-central France, about 130 kilometres (81 mi) southwest of Paris. In 1429, the city was liberated from the Plantagenets by Joan of Arc earning her the title "la pucelle d'Orléans" (the maid of Orléans).

11a   AR(MEN)IA - MEN (players) contained in (breaking into) ARIA (song)

Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. A former republic of the Soviet Union, it is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia to the north, the de facto independent Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and Azerbaijan to the east, and Iran and the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan to the south.

American Kestrel

12a   {AMERICAN KESTREL}* - anagram (mistakenly) of NICK RARE MALTESE

13a   G(ALL|I)UM - {ALL (everything) + I (†)} contained in (found in) GUM (muck)

15a   P(AG)AN - PAN (nature deity [in Greek mythology]) containing (given) AG ([chemical symbol for] silver)

18a   P|LEAD - P (bit [i.e., first letter] of Pencil) + LEAD (graphite)

20a   HANOVER - HOVER (linger) containing (around) AN (one)

Queen Victoria was a member of the House of Hanover.

Northern Goshawk

23a   {NORTHERN GOSHAWK}* - anagram (flying) of THRONG SAW HONKER

26a   TAG|A|MET - TAG (label) + A (one) + MET (encountered)

Tagamet™ is a trade name used by GlaxoSmithKline for cimetidine, a histamine H₂-receptor antagonist that inhibits the production of acid in the stomach. It is largely used in the treatment of heartburn and peptic ulcers.

27a   RUB|ICON - RUB (polish) + ICON (symbol)

The Rubicon is a shallow river in northeastern Italy, about 80 kilometres long, running from the Apennine Mountains to the Adriatic Sea through the southern Emilia-Romagna region, between the towns of Rimini and Cesena. The idiom "Crossing the Rubicon" means to pass a point of no return, and refers to Julius Caesar's army's crossing of the river in 49 BC, which was considered an act of insurrection.

28a   R(ALLY)ING - ALLY (friend) contained in (in) RING (band)

29a   TEENS|Y - TEENS (span between twelve and twenty) + Y (years)

Note: In the cryptic reading, the 's is a contraction for is and serves as a link word between the definition (minute [tiny]) and the wordplay (span between twelve and twenty years).

Down

1d   G(LOB)AL - LOB (toss) contained in (in) GAL (gallon)

Bald Eagle

2d   B(ALD*) EAGLE - BEAGLE (dog) containing (circling) an anagram (confused) of LAD

3d   SP(AN)IEL - SPIEL (long story) containing (about) AN (one)

Note: Once again, in the cryptic reading, the 's is a contraction for is and serves as a link word between the wordplay (long story about one) and the definition (dog).

5d   T|HANK - HANK ([common nickname for] Henry) with T (time) preceding it (at the front)

6d   P(UMPS) UP - PUP (youngster) containing (about) UMPS (baseball figures)

7d   _INNER - [D]INNER (meal) with the first letter deleted (after the opening)

8d   {GOAL LINE}* - anagram (bats) of LIE ALONG

10d   S|LAVISH - S (second) + LAVISH (shower)

Note: Yet again, in the cryptic reading, the 's is a contraction for is and serves as a link word between the definition (menial) and the wordplay (second shower).

14d   MAN(A)GER - MANGER (rustic eating place) containing (accommodating) A (†)

Gyrfalcon

16d   GYRFALCON* - anagram (oddly) of CORNY FLAG

17d   SPI(N)STER* - N ([chess notation for] knight) contained in (surrounded by) an anagram (playing) of PRIESTS

19d   DA(HOME)Y - DAY (period of time) containing (keeping) HOME (house)

Prior to 1975, the west African country now known as the Republic of Benin was called Dahomey.

21d   VI(SIB)LE - SIB (family member) contained in (occupying) VILE (base)

22d   SK(INN)Y - INN (lodge) contained in (in) SKY (ethereal region)

24d   REGAL< - reversal (brought back) of LAGER (brew)

25d   RA(T O)N - RAN (hurried) containing (outside) TO (†)

Signing off for today - Falcon