Tuesday, February 9, 2010 (DT 26066)

This puzzle was originally published Thursday, October 22, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

A fairly easy, but nonetheless enjoyable, puzzle today. I was able to complete it correctly without needing to crack open my Tool Chest.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

chuffed - adjective Brit. informal delighted.

RE - abbreviation Royal Engineers (this abbreviation is often seen in puzzles, although the proper term is apparently REME, for Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers)

RM - abbreviation (in the UK) Royal Marines.

Today's Links
Libellule's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 26066].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

12a Topping characteristic Australian dish with curry (5)

When I saw this clue, I wondered if maybe the Post had misprinted it. However, a check with Libellule's review shows that it is worded the same as it was in the Telegraph. My concern centres on the use of A meaning Australian, which I think perhaps should have been Austrian (as A is the International Vehicle Registration code for Austria - the IVR code for Australia being AUS). Nevertheless, I seem to stand virtually alone, as the only comment about this on Big Dave's site was from Franny who said "as an Aussie, couldn’t think what it had to do with Australia".

23a Ways of getting round heart bypasses? (4,5)

The solution is RING ROADS, with my interpretation being that this clue is a double definition with one of the definitions being cryptic. As I see it, the non-cryptic definition is "bypasses" and the cryptic definition is "ways of getting round heart", in which "heart" implies the heart (i.e., core) of a city, for example. On Big Dave's site, the setter of the puzzle (Jay), comments "23ac was intended to be a cryptic definition, and the the round for RING and ways for ROADS is pure serendipity!". Although a strict reading of this comment might lead one to the conclusion that the entire clue was intended to be a cryptic definition, I don't believe a careful analysis of the clue supports such a notion. Therefore, I can only assume that the setter may have been referring to the clue in a rather loose fashion meaning that "(the first part of) 23ac was intended to be a cryptic definition".

7d Planner's diplomacy before ruling on one article (9)

I missed the fact that "ruling" might mean in command. I had surmised that IC came from 1C, a graduation (ruling) on a thermometer indicating 1 degree Celsius (or centigrade). Interestingly, I had great difficulty finding any dictionary that contained a listing supporting this sense of the word ruling. I finally found one on Infoplease (ruling - noun 3. ruled lines).

Signing off for today - Falcon

Monday, February 8, 2010 (DT 26065)

This puzzle was originally published Wednesday, October 21, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

Today's puzzle was rather enjoyable, despite (or maybe because of) the fact that it took a fair amount of effort to complete. It took me a while to get started. I sometimes think that cryptic crosswords are like knitted socks - once you find the right strand to pull on, the whole thing readily unravels.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

afters - plural noun Brit. informal the dessert course of a meal.

japan - noun a black glossy varnish of a type originating in Japan.

Horatio Nelson - English naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars

oval - a cricket field in general or more specifically, The Oval, a cricket ground in London, England

ready - noun (readies or the ready) Brit. informal available money; cash.

Today's Links

Tilsit's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 26065].

A Note on Linking Words

Tilsit's comment about what he apparently sees as a superfluous S in 1a (a point on which I beg to differ) has prompted me to write a few lines about linking words.

However, first I must set the stage for my argument. Most cryptic crossword clues consist of two parts, (1) a definition of the solution and (2) wordplay that provides hints to finding the solution (exceptions would include double definitions, cryptic definitions, and & lit. clues). There is a school of thought that likes to think of these two components of a cryptic crossword as two equal entities sitting in the two pans of a balance scale. This is visually displayed by inserting a fulcrum symbol ("/\") into the clue to show the dividing line between the definition and the wordplay. In some cases, these two components may abut each other directly. In other cases, there may be a linking word between the two components.

An example from today's puzzle of a clue without a linking word is:

15a Parts /\ left off playground items (5)

where the solution is SIDES, the definition is "parts", and the wordplay is "L (left) deleted from (off) SLIDES (playground items)".

An example from today's puzzle of a clue with a linking word is:

1a Kick the bucket, cutting end of lobster /'s\ tail off (8)

where the solution is DECREASE, the definition is "tail off", and the wordplay is "DECEASE (kick the bucket) containing (cutting) R (end of lobster; i.e., last letter in the word lobster)".

As an aside, one might well question why "cutting" means "containing". I found many definitions and shades of meaning for cut and cutting in the dictionary, but failed to find one that satisfied me as fitting the usage in this clue. I think the idea must be to imagine that the two parts of DECEASE act as blades to cut R off the end of the word lobster (and they continue to hold it after having made the cut). There may well be a better explanation and I would certainly be pleased to see it.

However, my real point is that the 's serves as an abbreviation for the word is in the cryptic reading of this clue (although it is used to form the possessive form of lobster in the surface reading). Thus the clue is really saying:

1a Kick the bucket, cutting end of lobster /is\ tail off (8)

which is telling us that the wordplay (here on the left) is equal to the definition (here on the right).

Linking words often express the idea of equality. In addition to is, such words may include equals or in. The use of the word in for this purpose has generated some controversy. Having studied a bit of mathematics, I like to think in terms of set theory where a set A is said to be contained in (or just in) set B if all the elements of set A are also found in set B. If A is in B and B is in A, then A = B. Thus, from this perspective, if A = B, it is correct to say that A is in B. I am not sure if there is a corresponding grammatical explanation for this usage - but again, I would be pleased to see one.

Another group of linking words have the connotation of creating. They include such words as create, make, provide and produce. The structure of such clues is often of the form "The wordplay produces the definition" or "The definition is produced by the wordplay". To me, this seems quite logical in that if one follows the instructions in the wordplay, one produces the solution which is defined by the definition. However, I have also seen the converse of these structures (i.e., "The definition produces the wordplay" or "The wordplay is produced by the definition"). While to my way of thinking this latter construction makes less (if any) sense, one must acknowledge that it does exist - like it or not.

Recovering from a Brain Cramp

It would appear that I suffered a major brain cramp yesterday while writing the original piece. Somehow, I managed to get "in" and "on" totally scrambled. My apologies for that bit of confusion. Since the paragraph in question really does not fit into the theme of the article above, I have removed it include it in a corrected form below.

The word on can have various meanings in a cryptic crossword clue. In a down clue, it is often found in a charade type clue where it would usually indicate that one component of the charade precedes another (in other words, that the first component is stacked on top of the second). In an across clue, the word on can be used in a charade type clue to indicate that one component of the charade is adjacent to another. This would be a similar usage to saying, "The cowboy wore a holster on his hip". Usually in such a case A on B seems to mean AB but I'm not certain that there is a rule saying that it couldn't mean BA (it would just depend on which hip you choose to wear your holster).

Signing off for today - Falcon

Saturday, February 6, 2010 - Small Change

Introduction

While today's puzzle by Cox and Rathvon starts out with some big money, by the time we are half-way done, we are begging for small change. We finish with a change for a small one - baby, that is.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle (including some North American terms that might be new to overseas visitors)

American League - one of the two leagues (the other being the National League) constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada

dime - noun N. Amer. a ten-cent coin

gendarme - a member of the French national police organization constituting a branch of the armed forces with responsibility for general law enforcement

nickel - noun 2 N. Amer. informal a five-cent coin

nickel-and-dime - adjective N. Amer. of little importance; petty

Wit (or W;t) - a play written by American playwright Margaret Edson which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1999

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

24a Jude Law film set in frigid mining area (9)

Perhaps this clue might have (better ?) read "Michael Caine film set in frigid mining area".

14d Interstate close to home, seriously (2,7)

It took me a while to see the wordplay here, but eventually the penny dropped. Similar to the U.K. where M stands for motorway, in the U.S., I stands for Interstate (or, more formally, the Interstate Highway System, or, in its full glory, the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways).

The longest Interstate route is I-90 running from Boston, Massachusetts to Seattle, Washington - a distance of over 4800 km (3000 miles). The longest north-south route is the I-95, running from the Canadian border (at Houlton, Maine/Woodstock, New Brunswick) to Miami, Florida - a distance of almost 3100 km (over 1900 miles) - along the way traversing fifteen states plus the District of Columbia.

Solution to Today's Puzzle

Legend:	"CD" Cryptic Definition; "DD" Double Definition
	"*" anagram; "~" sounds like; "<" letters reversed
	"( )" letters inserted; "_" letters deleted

Across

1a C(A|PIT)AL - {A PIT (mine)} contained in (in) CAL (California); Capital is "money for developing" as in money raised to establish a business

5a P(ERIW)IG - ERIW {reversal of (going the wrong way) WIRE (strand of metal)} contained in (in) PIG (slob); the 's is short for is and serves as a linking word between the wordplay and the definition (hairpiece)

9a LAR(G)E* - anagram (confused) of REAL containing (about) G (green); Green Giant - a brand name of General Mills for fresh, frozen and canned produce

10a GO(RE VID)AL - GOAL (objective) containing (about) REVID {reversal (on the rebound) of DIVER (aquatic athlete)}; Gore Vidal - American writer

11a ISHMAEL* - anagram (nomadic) of EMIL HAS; Ishmael - according to Islamic tradition, ancestor of Northern Arab people

12a MOO|CHER - MOO (call from a bovine) CHER (actress); Cher - American entertainer, born Cherilyn Sarkisian

13a PE(N|NY) P|INCHING - {PEP (energy) INCHING (moving gradually)} containing (around) N (northern) NY (New York)

17a NICKEL-AND-DIME - NICE (French resort) containing (keeping) {K (grand; one thousand) ELAND (antelope) DIM (poorly lit)}

21a OR|BITER - OR BITER (one that attacks; e.g., a dog); orbiter: craft that circles, e.g., spacecraft

23a PA(ROLE)D - ROLE (part) contained in (written in) PAD (tablet)

24a CO(AL FIE)LD - ALFIE (Jude Law film) contained in COLD (frigid); Alfie: 2004 film starring English actor Jude Law

25a _TIMOR_ - hidden in (section of) balTIMORe

26a W(INGS) IT - anagram (new) of SIGN contained in (in) WIT

27a LAYETTE - YET (still) contained in (wearing) LATE (bygone)

Down

1d C(ALL|I)OPE - COPE (manage) containing (including) {ALL (everything) adjacent to (with) I (one)}

2d PART|HEN|ON - PART (leave) HEN (chicken) ON (just next to; as a holster on one's hip)

3d THE(RAP)Y - RAP (talk) contained in (among) THEY (those guys)

4d LEG|AL - LEG (part of trip) AL (American League)

5d PARAMECIA* - anagram (out of order) of A PAIR CAME

6d R(A|VIOL)I - {A VIOL (string)} contained in (found in) RI (Rhode Island)

7d WI(D)TH - D (diameter) contained in (inside) WITH (accompanying)

8d G(A|L)ORE - GORE (pierce) containing (gains) {A L (pound; pound sterling, £)}

14d I|N EAR|NEST - I (Interstate) NEAR (close to) NEST (home)

15d GUIL(LEMO)T - GUILT (remorse) containing (about) {anagram (disturbed) of MOLE}

16d GEN(D|ARM)E - GENE (hereditary unit) containing (given) {D (low grade, as in school) ARM (weapon)}

18d CU(T-O)FFS - TO contained in (put in) CUFFS (turned up hems)

19d DO|R|O|THY - DO (make) R (elevator's last; i.e., last letter of the word elevator) O (operator; i.e., telephone operator - a vanishing occupation) THY (your); Dorothy (fantasy girl) from the children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

20d MO|SCOW - MO (Missouri) SCOW (boat)

22d BRA|IN - IN (popular) following (after) BRA (supporting underwear)

23d _PED|AL_ - hidden in (features) wrapPED ALien

Signing off for today - Falcon

Friday, February 5, 2010 (DT 26064)

This puzzle was originally published Tuesdsay, October 20, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

Today's puzzle was average to above average in terms of difficulty, requiring me to dig into my Tool Chest quite early in the solving process. I finished suspecting that I may have missed nuances in the wordplay for a few clues.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

notecase - noun a wallet.

pants - plural noun 1 Brit. underpants or knickers. 2 chiefly N. Amer. trousers. 3 Brit. informal rubbish; nonsense.

special - noun 2 a special person, such as a member of the special police constabulary • The specials were drafted in to control the fans.

Strand tube station - a subway station in London, England that is no longer in service

tuppence - noun Brit. 1 the sum of two pence, especially before decimalization (1971).

uni - noun informal university.

Today's Links

Gazza's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 26064].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

11a Coat seen misshaped by a wallet (8)

In the U.K. where pieces of paper money are known as notes, it seems only natural that a wallet would be called a notecase. On the other hand, in North America, where pieces of paper money are called bills, the equivalent accessory is called a billfold.

12a Complete agreement on university issue (6)

The solution was quite evident from the definition and checking letters; the wordplay might have been easy if I had been familiar with uni as an informal term for university. I thought university might signify merely U. Issue is used in the sense of offspring.

27a Tube station to which the pressman was abandoned (8)

Strand tube station could refer to either of two subway stations in London, England - one of which has been abandoned and the other consolidated and renamed.

3d Compel firm to visit A&E, for example, and church (6)

Here A&E is not the North American cable specialty channel, Arts & Entertainment, but the British term for a hospital Emergency Room, namely the Accident and Emergency department.

4d Within reach entrance is bolted oddly (10)

We seem to encounter (or maybe not) a few rather odd anagram indicators in today's puzzle, but - strangely enough - oddly is not among them. Instead, oddly indicates that we are to take the odd letters of the words "is bolted". My downfall seems to have been thinking that I might have to take the odd letters of the entire phrase "entrance is bolted".

7d Beginning to develop "ants" as in "pants" (8)

Here is that odd anagram indicator that I mentioned in my commentary on 4d. It turns out that it may not be so odd after all. I had presumed that pants was being used in the sense of "gasps for breath" - which left me unsure of the rationale for it being used as an anagram indicator. However, pants can mean rubbish (nonsense) in Britain - something I only gleaned from a comment by a visitor to Big Dave's site.

By the way, pants in Britain are what we would call underpants and what we would call pants, would be known to them as trousers.

Originally, I had also thought that dressing in 23a might be a bit of an iffy choice for an anagram indicator, but on further checking realized that it can mean "decorate or arrange in an artistic or attractive way".

So I guess I must retract my statement in 4d about odd anagram indicators.

16d Made from, for example, seedless grapes whisked up (but not scrambled).

I thought that I must be missing some nuance in the wordplay for this clue. My interpretation was the same as Gazza's original take on it. However, a visitor to Big Dave's blog points out that we both missed that "seedless grapes" indicates that one is to remove "rape" from "grapes" to get GS. The wordplay is thus, in part, "EG (for example) GS (seedless grapes)" or EGGS. As for the rest of the rest of the wordplay, perhaps "Made from eggs, whisked up (but not scrambled)" is just intended to be the recipe for an omelette.

The "but not scrambled" could also be a hint that there is no anagram in the clue. I infer from the discussion on Big Dave's site that this clue may be similar to a seemingly legendary one that did involve an anagram.

By the way, I discovered that rapeseed oil, which contains high levels of erucic acid, is a bitter tasting oil used for lubricating machinery and as a fuel. Canola, a cultivar of rape, produces edible oils because it has lower levels of erucic acid. Canola was developed in Canada and the name derives from CANadian Oil Low Acid. I had long believed that Canola oil was merely rapeseed oil under a different name - Canola presumably being more palatable to the ear than rape. It turns out that Canola oil actually has significantly different properties than true rapeseed oil.

Signing off for today - Falcon

Thursday, February 4, 2010 (DT 26063)

This puzzle was originally published Monday, October 19, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

The National Post has skipped DT 26062 which was published on Saturday, October 17, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

For a puzzle published in the U.K. on a Monday, this one exhibits a more than average degree of difficulty.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

run - verb 41 cricket to score a run by, or as if by, running.

Tourist Trophy - noun an award given to the winner of the motorcycle races that are held annually on the Isle of Man. Often shortened to TT.

Today's Links

Big Dave's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 26063].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

1a Cut and ran (6)

We start off today with a term from the game of cricket, where run as a verb may mean to score (by, or as if by, running). I suppose this is not dissimilar to the use of the word homer as a verb in baseball (meaning to hit a home run). For example, one might hear an announcer say "The player singled in the second (inning) and homered in the sixth (inning)". In cricket, a batsman (after hitting the ball) may run back and forth between the two creases in front of the wickets as many times as possible before the opposing team has retrieved the ball. The batsman scores one run for each trip in either direction. Thus, if the batsman runs to the far crease and back, he would score two runs and one might say he ran two (scored two runs).

There is a fair bit of discussion today at Big Dave's site on the subject of cricket terminology. It would seem that not all Brits are cricket fans or even knowledgeable about the game.

12a Deck or dock made shipshape (4)

Big Dave identifies this as a triple definition, with the three definitions for trim being deck (a verb, as in "Deck the halls with boughs of holly ..."), dock (a verb, as in dock a dog's tail), and shipshape (an adjective meaning trim in the sense of tidy). I would think that the word "made" serves as a linking word (expressing equality between the two parts of the clue):

Deck or dock /made\ shipshape (4)

I actually parsed the clue slightly differently (and not necessarily correctly):

Deck /or\ dock made shipshape (4)

where I reasoned that "made shipshape" meant "trimmed" which when docked (has its tail cut off) becomes "trim".

It may not have been the best route to a solution, but it got me there.

20a Yet brunettes may also enjoy it (3,2,3,4)

Between a combination of the wordplay and the checking letters, I was able to work out the solution to this cryptic definition, FUN OF THE FAIR. According to Big Dave, this is truncation of a seemingly well-known British expression "All the fun of the fair". While I was unable to find it in my reference sources, I did find a couple of examples. The first is in an article in The Independent on British country fairs. The second is a musical production by that name slated to open in April at the Garrick Theatre in London, based on an album by British singer David Essex.

7d How a witness may appear to Noah in a new guise (2,4)

I had always thought that one testified "under oath", but it seems that one can also testify "on oath". So the witness may be on or under - but apparently not to the side.

11d They have lots to attract buyers (7,5)

The sale of these lots would not be handled by real estate agents, but by auctioneers.

21d Turning points in making purchases (6)

The purchases here are not commercial transactions, but instances of leverage (of the physical kind, not the financial variety).

22d Know-all makes notes in exercise book (6)

Not long ago we saw books meaning OT (Old Testament). Here we have book meaning NT (New Testament). Either OT or NT may serve as substitutions for book or books since each one is a book comprised of a collection of books.

Signing off for today - Falcon

Wednesday, February 3, 2010 (DT 26061)

This puzzle was originally published Friday, October 16, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

Conquering this puzzle proved to be quite satisfying, perhaps due to the fact that the solution did not come quickly or without effort. It was yet another puzzle where I found it hard to find a starting point. I thought that maybe I might have found it a bit on the hard side due to the number of Briticisms present. However, I note that Gazza gave it four stars for difficulty - as well as giving it four stars for enjoyment. I have to admit that I finished still scratching my head about the wordplay for a few clues.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

ACAS - abbreviation (in the UK) Advisory, Conciliation, and Arbitration Service.

CERN - noun acronym (Physics / Atomic Physics) Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire; an organization of European states with a centre in Geneva for research in high-energy particle physics, now called the European Laboratory for Particle Physics

deanery - [Collins English Dictionary] noun 2. (Christianity / Ecclesiastical Terms) the group of parishes presided over by a rural dean

rural dean - [Collins English Dictionary] noun (Christianity / Ecclesiastical Terms) Chiefly Brit a clergyman having authority over a group of parishes

Hampstead - (Placename) a residential district in N London: part of the Greater London borough of Camden since 1965; nearby is Hampstead Heath, a popular recreation area

honesty - noun 2 a plant with purple or white flowers and round, flat, translucent seed pods; so named from its seed pods, translucency symbolizing lack of deceit.

André Maginot - French politician who as minister of war (1922-1924 and 1929-1932) proposed a line of fortification, called the Maginot Line, along France's border with Germany. Thought to be impregnable, the line was bypassed and later captured by the Germans (1940)

MB - abbreviation 1 Bachelor of Medicine. Latin Medicinae Baccalaureus.

minicab - noun Brit. a car that is available for hire as a taxi but can only be ordered in advance.

RA - abbreviation 1 (in the UK) Royal Academician or Royal Academy.

U - abbreviation Upper Class (as applied to language)

up - adverb 9 formal to or at university • up at Oxford.

Today's Links

Gazza's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 26061].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

1a Negotiators faced with ruin - they're shaken (7)

I kicked myself for not getting the wordplay here, as ACAS is right there for the looking in Oxford. I got hung-up thinking that ACA was some sort of professional society (Association of Chartered Accountants, perhaps). Why I might think accountants would be negotiators, I have no idea.

26a Ray may be sought in this room (3,6)

This was actually the first clue to be solved. While my first attempt, SUN PARLOR, turned out to be a little too formal, I definitely had the right idea. Once I had found the solution to the intersecting clue 23d, I was able to identify the desired room.

28a Unstable baby with aim to get round edge of table (7)

Try as I might, I was not able to get my head around the complete wordplay here. It turns out that my aim was firmly fixed on the leading edge of table when I should have been focusing on the trailing edge. Here aim means try as in its first instance on the sign that one often sees posted in the "Gents" - WE AIM TO PLEASE; YOU AIM TOO, PLEASE.

1d Vehicle doctor keeps at home, one vehicle not right (7)

I'm not sure that an MB (Medicinae Baccalaureus or Bachelor of Medicine) degree even exists in Canada. However, judging from its frequent appearance, it certainly exists in cryptic crossword land. From my personal experience, Canadian medical students generally take a pre-med course at the undergraduate level, usually graduating with a B.Sc., before going on to med school for their MD. But I could be wrong.

2d Toy, not the first to be put in sack (5)

I got that toy meant trifle (as to toy with one's affections), but I did not twig to the fact that sack (to plunder, pillage and destroy a town) means the same as rifle (search through something hurriedly to find or steal something) - or, if not an exact match, it is at least a fairly close facsimile. The solution is formed by deleting the T from TRIFLE (with the deletion indicated by "not the first to be put in"). I got misled by erroneously thinking that the deletion instruction was merely "not the first" and therefore was left looking for a word meaning "to be put in sack" (rather than just "sack") as the definition.

17d Stops talking about bashes at Oxford? (5,2)

Despite having encountered this meaning for lam in at least one previous puzzle, I failed to recognize that about=C (circa) and bashes=LAMS. Although this definition is found in American dictionaries, I think lam is more apt to mean "to flee, especially from the police" on this side of the Atlantic.

Signing off for today - Falcon

Tuesday, February 2, 2010 (DT 26060)

This puzzle was originally published Thursday, October 15, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

This was probably not a very difficult puzzle for the Brits. However, the fairly high number of Briticisms made it rather challenging for those of us on this side of the pond. I did complete the puzzle, and - with the possible exception of one clue - felt that I understood the wordplay. A digression into the world of Tracey Emin caused my solving time to be greatly extended.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

do - verb 14 colloq to cheat someone.

Tracey Emin - eminent (?) British artist, member of the Royal Academy, nominated in 1999 for the Turner Prize, an annual prize presented by the Tate Gallery to a British visual artist under the age of 50.

(the) Gents - noun informal 2 Brit. a men’s public toilet.

grass - verb 2 (often grass on) Brit. informal inform the police of someone’s criminal activity or plans.

nark - noun 1 chiefly Brit. a police informer.

nark - verb chiefly Brit. annoy.

nick - verb 2 Brit. informal steal.

tat - noun Brit. informal tasteless or shoddy articles.

Today's Links

Libellule's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 26060].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

9a A survey at cross purposes? (4,4)

This is the clue for which I was uncertain as to whether I had fully understood the wordplay. It is a cryptic definition with the solution EXIT POLL. As Libellule explains in a response to a query, "cross purposes" (as I had suspected) is intended to suggest the X with which one marks one's ballot.

3d Redress, to fanatics, is breaking out (12)

The Stones may not have been able to get it, but I did.

7d Book for American gents? (4)

If you are puzzled by the pun in Nubian's comment at Big Dave's site, OTT is British slang meaning over the top. He may also be intending OT to suggest book. However, I think he may have missed the Mark (one pun deserves another) on a couple of points. OT (Old Testament) and NT (New Testament) are often used in cryptic crosswords as substitutions for books (plural), although I do have a dim recollection of once having seen one or the other of them used for book (singular) - which, as I recall, drew howls of protest. The other weakness in the pun is that the book of John is not found in the OT.

8d ? (8)

Initially, I had no idea what the solution might be; and, once the penny had dropped, I was left clueless.

17d Okay about Turner Prize nominee being girly (8)

Tracy Emin sounds like one of those people who are "famous for being famous" with a reputation (?) built on outrageous deeds. Wikipedia sums up her career as follows. "In 1997, her work Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963–1995, a tent appliquéd with names, was shown at Charles Saatchi's Sensation exhibition held at the Royal Academy in London. The same year, she gained considerable media exposure, when she appeared drunk and swearing on a live Channel 4 TV discussion. In 1999, she was a Turner Prize nominee and exhibited My Bed — an installation, consisting of her own unmade dirty bed with used condoms and blood-stained underwear."

The Brits seem to have always had an affection for the absurd. After all they have given us Monty Python and the game of cricket. The Turner Prize appears to be no exception. [Warning: those who appreciate the finer things in life may wish to skip the following recap of selected highlights from the history of the award.] In 1997, "[t]he winner, Gillian Wearing, showed a video 60 minutes of Silence (1996), where a group of actors were dressed in police uniforms and had to stand still for an hour (occasional surreptitious scratching could be observed). ... A drunken Tracey Emin walked out of a live Channel 4 discussion programme, presented as part of the coverage of the award." In 1999, "[g]reatest attention was given to Tracey Emin's exhibit My Bed, which was a double bed in a dishevelled state with stained sheets, surrounded by detritus such as soiled underwear, condoms, slippers and empty drink bottles. Two artists, Yuan Chai and Jian Jun Xi, jumped onto the bed, stripped to their underwear, and had a pillow fight. Police detained the two, who called their performance Two Naked Men Jump Into Tracey's Bed. They claimed that her work had not gone far enough, and that they were improving it. Charges were not pressed against them. Emin also displayed two-dimensional artwork and videos. She was commonly thought to have been the winner (and is still sometimes referred to as such), although in fact the Prize was given to Steve McQueen for his video based on a Buster Keaton film." In 2001, "Controversy was caused by the eventual winner, Martin Creed's work, The Lights Going On and Off, which was an empty room with the lights going on and off." Madonna, in presenting the prize, aroused additional controversy when she uttered an obscenity on live TV before the 9 p.m. "watershed" drawing an official rebuke by the Independent Television Commission. In 2003, "The Chapman Brothers (Jake and Dinos Chapman) were given what was generally felt to be a long-overdue nomination, and caused press attention for a sculpture, Death, that appeared to be two cheap plastic blow-up sex dolls with a dildo. It was in fact made of bronze, painted to look like plastic." If this brief summary has left you hungry for more, you can read further here.

19d Paparazzi's risky venture (4,4)

In his comments at Big Dave's blog, Vince suggests that, since the solution is in the singular, the clue should necessarily read "Paparazzo's risky venture". I'm not sure that I would agree, as I think one could regard long shot as a style of shot (as opposed to a close up, for example), and its use in the singular would be equivalent to one saying something like "Many artists hone their craft on the still life."

24d Grass is a source of irritation (4)

This clue serves up a triple whammy of Briticisms. One must first know that grass is British slang meaning to inform. Second, one must also know that nark is yet another British slang term for inform. And, finally, one must know that nark is also British slang meaning to annoy.

Signing off for today - Falcon