Friday, December 28, 2012 - DT 26997

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26997
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Monday, October 15, 2012
Setter Rufus (Roger Squires)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26997]
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
Notes The National Post has skipped DT 26996 which was published in The Daily Telegraph on Saturday, October 13, 2012.

Introduction

Libellule awarded this puzzle two stars for difficulty. While I wouldn't disagree, I would certainly put it at the upper end of two star territory, especially in light of the Briticisms that it contains —. some of which were new, some of which I remembered, and some of which I had previously encountered but failed to recognize.

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   Clean motor off to get set for a rally? (5,5)

Monte Carlo^[5] is a resort in Monaco, forming one of the four communes of the principality; population 14,600 (est. 2008). It is famous as a gambling resort and as the terminus of the annual Monte Carlo rally.

10a   The greatest amount of pride? (5,5)

According to Oxford Dictionaries Online, the lion's share^[5] is a British term meaning the largest part of something. However, this expression is also very commonly heard in Canada. The explicit indication of apostrophes in the numeration seems to be a hit and miss affair — and today we find the latter.

11a   Office workers go to a Scottish island (6)

Staffa^[5] is a small uninhabited island of the Inner Hebrides, west of Mull. It is the site of Fingal’s Cave^[5] and is noted for the clustered basaltic pillars that form its cliffs.The cave  is said to have been the inspiration of Mendelssohn’s overture The Hebrides (also known as Fingal’s Cave).

15a   One's young and in form (7)

In Britain, a hare's lair is known as a form^[5]. A leveret is a young hare in its first year^[5].

18a   African menagerie's toilet, say? (4)

Loo^[5] is an informal British term for a toilet. A Zulu^[5] is a member of a South African people traditionally living mainly in KwaZulu-Natal province.

21a   Rude and very Scottish sort of hut (7)

Unco^[5] is a Scottish word that can mean (1) as an adjective, unusual or remarkable; (2) as an adverb (used as a submodifier), remarkably or very ⇒ it’s got an unco fine taste; or (3) as a noun, a stranger or (in the plural) news.

22a   Tragically be match for a Shakespearean hero (7)

Macbeth^[5] (circa 1005 – 1057) was king of Scotland 1040 – 1057. He came to the throne after killing his cousin Duncan I in battle, and was himself defeated and killed by Malcolm III. Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth considerably embroiders the historical events.

24a   Gold glow of chestnut (6)

The symbol for the chemical element gold is Au^[5].

27a   The tears we shed for a loved one (10)

In Britain, shed can mean to accidentally allow (something) to fall off or spill ⇒ a lorry shed its load of steel bars. Thus should the letters which form the words THE TEARS WE be shed, they might end up rearranged into a different pattern.

29a   I tell tutor about one spreading rubbish (6,4)

In North America, a person who carelessly drops litter in a public place would be called a litter bug. In Britain, such an individual would be known as a litter lout^[5].

2d   Party rising in power in old Scandinavia (4)

In Scandinavian mythology, Odin^[5] is the supreme god and creator, god of victory and the dead. Wednesday is named after him.

3d   Money box of very poor quality? (6)

Tin^[5] is dated British slang for money ⇒ Kim’s only in it for the tin. It would seem that box and pot are merely two types of container.

5d   Old Spanish coin about a pound (4)

The pound^[5] (also pound sterling) is the basic monetary unit of the UK, equal to 100 pence. While the symbol for pound is £, it is often written as L^[10]. The real^[5] is a former coin and monetary unit of various Spanish-speaking countries.

8d   A money-making contact (5,5)

The Midas touch^[5] is the ability to make money out of anything one undertakes. The phrase alludes to Greek mythology, where Midas^[5] was a king of Phrygia, who, according to one story, was given by Dionysus the power of turning everything he touched into gold.

13d   Return to  a fairground attraction? (10)

The British idea of a switchback differs totally from the North American concept. In Britain, a switchback^[5] is a road, path, or railway with alternate sharp ascents and descents ⇒ (i) the path was a switchback of hills and wooded dales; (ii) [as modifier] it is a switchback journey with many ups and downs. In the UK, switchback is also another term for a roller coaster. In North America, a switchback is a 180° bend in a road or path, especially one leading up the side of a mountain ⇒ (i) the trail soon leads robustly straight up, with few switchbacks; (ii) [as modifier] a switchback road. Thus, in North America, a switchback is effectively a hairpin turn (British hairpin bend) on an ascending or descending route.

14d   Cut Sophia Loren's initials on a tree (5)

Sophia Loren^[5] (born Sofia Scicolone) is an Italian actress who has starred in both Italian and American films, including the slapstick comedy The Millionairess (1960) and the wartime drama La Ciociara (1961) [an Italian language film released in English under the title Two Women], for which she won an Oscar.

Of interest, La Ciociara translates roughly as The Woman, yet the film was called Two Women when released in English. The Oscar awarded to Sophia Loren for her performance in this film marked the first time an acting Oscar had been given for a non-English-speaking performance.

15d   A substitute for healing, perhaps (5)

In Britain, a locum^[5] is a person who stands in temporarily for someone else of the same profession, especially a cleric or doctor.

23d   Just happened to be wicked (6)

Fell^[5] is a literary term meaning (1) of terrible evil or ferocity or (2) deadly ⇒ the fell disease that was threatening her sister. Collins English Dictionary characterises the usage as archaic rather than literary.^[10]

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