Saturday, November 2, 2013 — Looney Tunes & High Lit

Introduction

Today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon features a diverse range of characters — from giants of Canadian literature and a well-respected politician (how long has it been since we've had one of those) to a cartoon character (no, not one of our current crop of politicians).

Given that the National Post today features an article on the Giller Prize^[7], it is perhaps apt that one of today's authors is a former winner (1996) of this prize.

Solution to Today's Puzzle

Legend:	"*" anagram; "~" sounds like; "<" letters reversed
	"( )" letters inserted; "_" letters deleted; "†" explicit in the clue

Across

1a   ADVISE* — anagram (novel) of DAVIES

Robertson Davies^[5] (1913–1995) was a Canadian novelist, dramatist, and journalist who won international recognition with his Deptford trilogy of novels, comprising Fifth Business (1970), The Manticore (1972), and World of Wonders (1975).

4a   SCATTERS — double definition; "disperses" & "people who sing like Ella Fitzgerald"

Ella Fitzgerald^[5] (1917–1996) was an American jazz singer, known for her distinctive style of scat singing.

10a   TOP DRAWER — TOP (toy) + DRAWER (illustrator)

The phrase "illustrator of a toy" is equivalent to "toy illustrator".

11a   R(ACE)D — ACE (one; the lower of the two values that an ace may typically assume) contained in (in) RD (road)

12a   {MARGARET ATWOOD}* — anagram (wilder) of OTTAWA MAD ROGER

Margaret Atwood^[5] is a Canadian novelist, poet, critic, and short-story writer whose notable novels include The Edible Woman (1969), Cat’s Eye (1989), The Blind Assassin (Booker Prize, 2000).

Roger Wilder is, in all likelihood, a name invented by the setters.  However, there was a Roger Wilder^[7] among the passengers on the Mayflower. He died during the first winter in the New World. There is also a rather obscure American jazz pianist by the name of Roger M. Wilder.

14a   T(URN)IPS — TIPS (helpful remarks) containing (about) URN (container)

16a   _L|ATTIC|E_ — hidden in (includes) fulL ATTIC Evidently

18a   RESIGNS — double definition; "quits" & "inks a new contract"

20a   PA|RAG|ON — PA (pop) + RAG (tabloid) + ON (covering)

21a   {LOUIS ST LAURENT}* — anagram (might make) of TRUEST ALLUSION

Louis St. Laurent^[5] (1882–1973) was a Canadian Liberal statesman who served as prime minister of Canada 1948–57.

25a   B(O)ING — O ([letter that looks like a] disc) contained in (possessed by) BING (Crosby; American singer and actor Bing Crosby^[5])

26a   ABSTINENT* — anagram (peculiarly) of BENT SAINT

27a   TIGHTENS~ — sounds like (when you're listening) TITANS (many a mammoth; or, in other words, many mammoths)

28a   HE|ATE|D — HE (that guy) + ATE (consumed) + D (first [letter] of doughnuts)

Down

1d   AL(TIME)TERS — ALTERS (changes) containing (with) TIME (†)

The rationale for using "with" as a containment indicator may be illustrated by the Biblical phrase "woman with child" (meaning a pregnant woman).

2d   VIP|ER — VIP (Very important person) + (on; in a down clue) ER (†)

ER^[7] is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 1994 to April 2009.

3d   S(CREAM)ING — SING (croon) containing (about) CREAM (an old Eric Clapton band)

Eric Clapton^[5] is an English blues and rock guitarist, singer, and composer, known particularly for the song ‘Layla’ (1972) and for his group Cream (1966-8).

5d   CUR|TAIL — double definition, the second cryptic; "shorten" & "what a mutt (CUR) wags"

6d   THREW~ — sounds like (from the sound of it) THROUGH (over)

7d   ENCLOSING* — anagram (ruined) of LONG SINCE

8d   SODA — first letters of (leaders of) Some Orchestras Don't Admire

9d   TWEETS — TREATS (delights) as pronounced by (for) Elmer Fudd

Elmer Fudd^[7] is a fictional Looney Tunes cartoon character whose signature catchphrase is, "Shhh. Be vewy vewy quiet, I'm hunting wabbits".

Had the setters chosen to feature Tweety Pie^[7] in their production, instead of Elmer Fudd, the explanation of the wordplay would have been:

• SWEETS (delights) as pronounced by (for) Tweety Pie.

13d   REINSTATED* — anagram (cuckoo) of NEST A TIRED

15d   REST|O|RING — {O ([letter that looks like a] hoop) + (and) RING (wheel)} following (after) REST (recess)

17d   TURQUOISE* — anagram (bananas) of QUITE SOUR

19d   S(US)TAIN — US (†) contained in (in) STAIN (disgrace)

20d   POLISH — double definition, the first being a definition by example; "European" & "suavity"

22d   IN|GOT — IN (political office-holder) + GOT (acquired)

23d   EVEN|T — EVEN (still) + T (time)

24d   ABUT< — reversal (returned) of TUBA (horn)

In the surface reading the 's is used to form a possessive; in the cryptic reading it is a contraction for is.

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)
^[11] - TheFreeDictionary.com (Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary)

Signing off for today — Falcon