Monday, October 8, 2012 - DT 26926

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26926
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Setter Unknown (possibly Shamus)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26926]
Big Dave's Review Written By Gazza
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
Notes This puzzle appears on the Monday Diversions page in the Friday, October 5, 2012 edition of the National Post. This puzzle is a pangram - a puzzle in which every letter of the alphabet appears at least once in the solutions to the clues.

Introduction

Many of the Brits commenting on Big Dave's Crossword Blog believe that this puzzle was set by Shamus. I have to admit that I failed to notice that it was a pangram.

On a housekeeping note, I am still playing catchup in my efforts to update the blog to cover the days I was away over the Thanksgiving weekend.

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   Bank on much litter? (6)

I recognized that we needed a litter of pigs, but I mistakenly thought it was spelled "furrow" — which might conceivably also be a bank. Pressed for time, I failed to verify my answer before visiting Big Dave's blog.

12a    An inquest performed close to Brixton Prison (3,7)

HM Prison Brixton^[7] is a local men's prison, located in Brixton area of the London Borough of Lambeth, in inner-South London, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service.

San Quentin State Prison^[7] is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men located in unincorporated San Quentin, Marin County, California, United States. Opened in July 1852, it is the oldest prison in the state. California's only death row for male inmates, the largest in the United States, is located at the prison.

13a    Disapproving of an American cocktail (3-9)

Old-fashioned^[4] is a seemingly British term meaning quizzically doubtful or disapproving ⇒ she did not reply, but gave him an old-fashioned look.

16a    A fireball, Annie Oakley? (8,4)

Annie Oakley^[7] (1860 – 1926), born Phoebe Ann Moses, was an American sharpshooter and exhibition shooter. Oakley's amazing talent and timely rise to fame led to a starring role in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show, which propelled her to become the first American female superstar.

Oakley's most famous trick is perhaps being able to repeatedly split a playing card, edge-on, and put several more holes in it before it could touch the ground, while using a .22 caliber rifle, at 90 feet.

22a    Classical composition from Brahms, on a tape (6)

Johannes Brahms^[7] (1833 – 1897) was a German composer and pianist.

23a    Which dear French stateswoman? (8)

Cher^[8] is the French word meaning dear.

5d   Move elsewhere on Jura, possibly letting daughter move in (7)

Jura^[7] is an island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland, situated adjacent and to the north-east of Islay.

6d   Steaks done differently in city on the Loire (9)

Initially, I was looking for the solution to be a "city on the Loire" that happened to be an anagram (differently) of STEAKS DONE. As it turns out, the "city on the Loire" is part of the wordplay. Tours^[7] is a city in central France, situated on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast.

9d   Arm of the Irish Sea — a master in it, adrift (5,6)

The Menai Strait^[7] is a narrow stretch of shallow tidal water about 25 km (16 mi) long, which separates the island of Anglesey from the mainland of Wales.

14d   Female is hard on night-watchman in Welsh port (9)

Fishguard^[7] is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales.

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