Wednesday, May 2, 2012 - DT 26790

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26790
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Thursday, February 16, 2012
Setter Ray T
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26790]
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

Introduction

I would agree that this puzzle from Ray T was a bit easier than unusual - as the solid blue bar above would seem to prove. It had the obligatory reference to Queen but was lacking the element of naughtiness that we have come to expect from this setter - although Big Dave has done his best to compensate through his contributions in the illustration department.

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   Here’s the best place to start on grid (4,8)

I was thinking crossword grid. Obviously, Big Dave's mind was elsewhere!

8a   Thatcher perhaps and supporter losing head (7)

I'm sure the setter is trying to trick us into thinking of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher^[7].

9a   Element ignited with smell containing iodine (7)

In British Irish slang, hum can be a verb meaning to smell unpleasant • when the wind drops this stuff really hums^[5,10] or (2) a noun meaning a bad smell^[2] or an unpleasant odour^[10].

12a   Producer of Robin’s first line at works (7)

Until I read Big Dave's review, most of this clue went right over my head. Reliant^[7] was a British car manufacturer which was founded in 1935 and became defunct in 2002. Among its products was the Robin^[7], a small three-wheeled car. This is not the same "nice Reliant automobile" that the Barenaked Ladies^[7] sang about in their song "If I Had $1000000"^[7]. That vehicle was a Chrysler K-car^[7] (Plymouth Reliant).

16a   A crowd’s addressed outside for ceremony (9)

I'm not convinced that "addressed" and "sent" are synonymous. I may well address a letter, but surely it is not sent until I have delivered it to the Post Office.

21a   Automatic rifle with jerk bagging duck (7)

In cricket, a duck^[5] is a batsman’s score of nought • he was out for a duck. In cryptic crossword puzzles, duck more often than not indicates O as the letter "O" looks like the number "0".

25a   Denial from fellow American in concrete (7)

I have a minor quibble with Big Dave's hint. Rather than "... the two-letter abbreviation for an American ...", I would have said "... the two-letter abbreviation for American ..." as I believe "American" is used here as an adjective - not a noun.

26a   Paul Rubens is spreading paint colour (8,4)

Sir Peter Paul Rubens^[5] (1577–1640) was a Flemish painter. The foremost exponent of northern Baroque, he is best known for his portraits and mythological paintings featuring voluptuous female nudes, as in Venus and Adonis (circa 1635).

5d   Magazine say, for gossip (7)

Tatler^[7] has been the name of several British journals and magazines, each of which has viewed itself as the successor of the original literary and society journal founded by Richard Steele in 1709. The current incarnation, founded in 1901, is a glossy magazine published by Condé Nast Publications focusing on the glamorous lives and lifestyles of the upper class. The name of the magazine sounds like (say) a person who likes talking about other people’s private lives.

15d   Whip a crew holding middle of oars in ship (9)

Cat^[5] is short for cat-o'-nine-tails^[5], a rope whip with nine knotted cords, formerly used (especially at sea) to flog offenders.

20d   Skinhead that is supporting supporters’ club (7)

In golf, brassie is an informal [and methinks rather antiquated] name for a number two wood.

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