Tuesday, July 17, 2012 - DT 26855

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26855
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Setter Jay
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26855]
Big Dave's Review Written By Falcon
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 reviewed this puzzle for Big Dave's blog when it originally appeared in the UK in May. The puzzle just happened to be published on the very day that Big Dave changed the service provider hosting his site (which explains some of the comments in the introduction to my review at Big Dave's site). Should you wish to learn more about this change, you can read Big Dave's explanation here.

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.

14a   Chap returning holding friend’s petroleum jelly (6)

In my review on Big Dave's blog, I have used the word "mate^[5]" as the Brits do, as an informal term (1) for a friend or companion • my best mate Steve or (2) as a friendly form of address between men or boys • ‘See you then, mate.’

16a   One of Garibaldi’s dithers indecisively crossing river (3,5)

Giuseppe Garibaldi^[5] (1807–82), Italian patriot and military leader of the Risorgimento. With his volunteer force of ‘Red Shirts’ he captured Sicily and southern Italy from the Bourbons in 1860-61, thereby playing a key role in the establishment of a united kingdom of Italy.

18a   Rep sleeps outside, full of booze — wow! (8)

One British reader questioned the substitution of "man!" for "wow!". In the way of an example, I referred him to Shania Twain singing Man! I Feel Like a Woman.

24a   The osprey flies as if by magic (3,6)

Whereas a North American would likely utter merely "presto", someone from Britain would say "hey presto". Hey presto^[5] is a British exclamatory phrase announcing the successful completion of a trick, or to suggest that something has been done so easily that it seems to be magic • press the start button and, hey presto, a copy comes out the other end.

26a   Scandal about wreck being a bargain (4,5)

Circa is a preposition (often used preceding a date) meaning approximately • the church was built circa 1860. It may be abbreviated as either c. or ca.^[5]

27a   Disheartened fool has finished early and done a bunk (5)

Bunk^[4] is British slang for a hurried departure, usually under suspicious circumstances (especially in the phrase do a bunk).

28a   Jumper for European royal outside strongroom (4-7)

By tradition, British monarchs use initials formed from the Latin version of their first name followed by either Rex or Regina (Latin for king or queen, respectively). Thus Queen Elizabeth's initials are ER^[5] — from the Latin Elizabetha Regina.

2d   Instruction to stop book on a saint (5)

Primarily a British term, the Authorized Version (AV)^[5] is an English translation of the Bible made in 1611 at the order of James I and still widely used, though never formally ‘authorized’. It is also called the King James Bible — a name by which it is undoubtedly better known in North America.

4d   Get back to area in African river flowing North (6)

The Niger River^[7] is the principal river of western Africa, extending about 4,180 km (2,600 mi).

6d   Denies Newcastle entrances! (7)

While Newcastle may refer to either of two communities in England, only one fits the wordplay of the clue. The one of interest, an industrial city located in NE England, is a port on the River Tyne whose full name is Newcastle upon Tyne. The second is an industrial town in Staffordshire, England, just south-west of Stoke-on-Trent whose full name is Newcastle-under-Lyme.

19d   Teacher ducks covering chemistry classes originally, getting wind (7)

A sirocco^[5] is a hot wind, often dusty or rainy, blowing from North Africa across the Mediterranean to southern Europe. In cricket, a duck^[5] is a batsman’s score of nought [zero] • he was out for a duck. Based on this, in cryptic crosswords, a duck is code for the letter O (which looks like a zero).

Sir^[5], of course, is used as a polite or respectful way of addressing a man, especially one in a position of authority. Although I am not entirely sure why this should be particularly applicable to a teacher — as opposed to any other profession, I strongly suspect that British school students may traditionally address male teachers as "Sir". As evidence of this usage, we might look to the 1967 British film, To Sir, with Love^[7], about an immigrant from British Guiana starting a teaching career in the tough East End of London. Or, on the other hand, the use of the word Sir as a substitute for teacher may, in fact, be a direct reference to the movie.

22d   Problem seeing the writer’s work on one article (6)

An opus (abbreviation op.)^[10] is a an artistic composition, especially a musical work.

It is a common cryptic crossword convention for the creator of the puzzle to use terms such as setter, compiler, author, or writer to refer to himself or herself. To solve such a clue, one must usually substitute a first person pronoun (I or me) for whichever of these terms has been used  in the clue.  Today's setter has used a possessive form (writer's) meaning that a possessive pronoun is required for the substitution.

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