Thursday, October 18, 2012 - DT 26935

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26935
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Friday, August 3, 2012
Setter Giovanni (Don Manley)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26935]
Big Dave's Review Written By Libellule
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

Often the clues that trip one up are not (at least in hindsight) the most difficult clues in the puzzle. However, for some reason they create some sort of mental block that one just can not get past. That was the case today, where I needed to call upon my electronic aids for 9a and 14a. Once they were solved, 2d became a piece of cake. My error came on 12a, where my solution matched the checking letters and definition but not the wordplay.

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.

9a   Apes a composer of anthems and madrigals (7)

Orlando Gibbons^[7] (1583 – 1625) was an English composer, virginalist and organist of the late Tudor and early Jacobean periods. One of the most versatile English composers of his time, Gibbons wrote a quantity of keyboard works, around thirty fantasias for viols, a number of madrigals, and many popular verse anthems.

10a   Gangster and sweetheart getting everywhere (3,4)

American mobster Al Capone^[7] (1899 – 1947) would certainly seem to to have taken control of organized crime in Crosswordland. Yesterday, "sweetheart" was use to clue the letter E — but that is not the case today.

11a   Inedible 25 and bread sent back (3)

The number "25" in the clue indicates a cross-reference to clue 25. You must substitute the solution to 25d (there being no 25a) in place of the cross-reference indicator to reveal the full clue. Tin^[5] is dated British slang for money ⇒ Kim’s only in it for the tin.

12a   Raymond slithers, says Spooner? Anyone would, making these trips! (6,5)

A spoonerism^[7] is an error in speech or deliberate play on words in which corresponding consonants, vowels, or morphemes are switched. It is named after the Reverend William Archibald Spooner (1844 – 1930), Warden of New College, Oxford, who was notoriously prone to this tendency.

Perhaps a falconism could be defined as the inability to see past an initial wrong answer even when the correct one is staring one in the face. The first thing to pop into my mind was SLEDGE RIDES and I spent a not inconsiderable amount of time trying to understand how the wording of the clue might lead to REG SLIDES.

17a   Maiden with opportunity to fling old shoe (8)

In cricket, a maiden^[5], also known as a maiden over, (abbreviation M)^[5] is an over in which no runs are scored. An over^[5] is a division of play consisting of a sequence of six balls bowled by a bowler from one end of the pitch, after which another bowler takes over from the other end.

19a   Short account in which African dictator appears to be bitter (6)

Idi Amin Dada^[7] was the military dictator and third President of Uganda from 1971 to 1979.

26a   Belief Greek character’s got in head (7)

Onion^[1] is a slang term for the head (although I could only find this meaning in The Chambers Dictionary).

6d   Solemn person to cry in the East End (3)

East London is the northeastern part of London, United Kingdom. Although without an official definition, it is generally considered to include all of Greater London east of the City of London and north of the River Thames. The East End of London, also known simply as the East End, is a subset of East London, corresponding to areas close to the the medieval walled City of London.

A cockney^[5] is a native of East London [specifically the East End], traditionally one born within hearing of Bow Bells (the bells of St Mary-le-Bow^[7] church). Cockney is also the name of the dialect or accent typical of cockneys, which is characterised by dropping the H from the beginning of words and the use of rhyming slang^[5].

An owl^[4] is a person who looks or behaves like an owl, especially in having a solemn manner.

8d   This water swirling accounts for lost branch line (7,7)

The Bristol Channel^[7] is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It extends from the lower estuary of the River Severn to the North Atlantic Ocean. It takes its name from the English city of Bristol, and is over 30 miles (50 km) across at its widest point.

16d   Let biro flow — time to get stuck into that text (8)

In Britain, a biro^[5] is a kind of ballpoint pen. Although the name is a British trademark, it would seem to be used generically (in the same way that kleenex has become a generic term for facial tissue). It is named after László József Bíró (1899 – 1985), Hungarian inventor of the ballpoint pen.

18d   Talk over water in the Loire valley? One may well have wine! (7)

"Water in the Loire valley" indicates the French word for water (eau^[8]), the Loire Valley being a major wine producing region of France.

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