Thursday, June 7, 2012 - DT 26819

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26819
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Setter Jay
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26819]
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

Today's puzzle is a stroll in the park compared to the extremely challenging offering we were presented with yesterday.

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.

12a   Out of practice in game with pen (5)

Rugby union (RU)^[5] is a form of rugby played in teams of fifteen, in contrast to rugby league^[5], which is played in teams of thirteen.

13a   Band question opening of orchestra after standing (6,3)

Status Quo^[7], are an English rock band whose music is characterized by their distinctive brand of boogie woogie rock. They have recorded over 60 chart hits in the UK, more than any other rock group, 22 of which have reached the UK Top Ten. Although they would appear to be virtually unheard of in North America, they do seem to have a small following (as evidenced by this Status Quo in North America Web Page).

15a   Restricted cover including young child (7)

One meaning of mite^[5] is a small child or animal, especially when regarded as an object of sympathy • the poor little mite looks half-starved.

20a   Reject work — it’s a numbers game! (5)

In Britain, bin^[5], when used as a verb, can mean (1) to  throw (something) away by putting it in a bin • piles of junk that should have been binned years ago or (2) discard or reject • the whole idea had to be binned. When used as a noun, it can mean (1) a receptacle in which to deposit rubbish or (2) [used with a modifier] a capacious receptacle for storing a specified substance • a compost bin. Only the latter usage (i.e., a large storage container) is common in Canada.

23a   Poor entry resulting from failure of corporation? (5,4)

A corporation^[3,4] is a humorous term for a large paunch or pot belly.

1d   Spider monkey’s first in van, with hearts trembling (10)

A harvestman^[3,4] is a spider that is better known in North America as a daddy longlegs.

2d   Glen has love for a shot at tennis (6)

In tennis, squash, and some other sports, love^[5] is a score of zero or nil • love fifteen. The resemblance of a zero written as a number (0) to the letter O leads to the cryptic crossword convention of love equating to this letter.

6d   Italy is protective of black wading bird (4)

The International Vehicle Registration (IVR) code for Italy is I^[5].

7d   All out attack under officer? (7,6)

I didn't find all out listed as a noun in any dictionary, so I think one has to do as Big Dave has done and interpret all out to infer "a cessation of work in which all are out". Chambers does have all-out^[2] as an adjective meaning (in reference to a strike, for example) with everyone participating..

9d   Person just looking for skipper to support opportunities (6-7)

A window^[5] may be an interval or opportunity for action • the parliamentary recess offers a good window for a bid.

4d   Promotes nation state (10)

In chess, to queen^[5] is to convert a pawn into a queen when it reaches the opponent’s back rank on the board.

16d   Hear about a user involved in the Exchequer (8)

I would parse this clue differently than Big Dave did. I think it is TRY (hear) containing (about) an anagram (involved) of {A USER}.

17d   Mitt supports American TV company’s growth (8)

There was no mention on Big Dave's site that the surface reading is likely a reference to Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney^[7].

22d   Spot of clairvoyance on the Fourth of July? (4)

... and a bit of hindsight in the syndicated puzzle where the spelling error that appeared in The Daily Telegraph has been corrected.

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