Monday, August 16, 2010 (DT 26240)

This puzzle, by Giovanni, was originally published in The Daily Telegraph on Friday, May 14, 2010

The National Post has skipped DT 26239 which was published in The Daily Telegraph on Thursday, May 13, 2010

Introduction

I got well into today's puzzle before I needed to pop open the Tool Chest. I didn't manage to work out the wordplay for 21d, in part due to the fact that I had never heard of poet Andrew Marvell, and in part because I carelessly failed to notice my notation to revisit this clue before reading Gazza's review.

Today's Glossary

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

Used in Solutions:

CID - abbreviation Criminal Investigation Department, the detective branch of the British police force.

flat² - noun chiefly British a set of rooms forming an individual residence, typically on one floor and within a larger building containing a number of such residences: a block of flats.

L² - abbreviation 2 learner driver.

Lens - a city in northern France.

(Andrew) Marvell - 17^th century English metaphysical poet.

Ted - noun British informal a Teddy boy.

Teddy boy - noun British (in the 1950s ) a young man of a subculture characterized by a style of dress based on Edwardian fashion (typically with drainpipe trousers, bootlace tie, and hair slicked up in a quiff) and a liking for rock-and-roll music. Origin: from Teddy, pet form of the given name Edward (with reference to Edward VII's reign).

Yorkshire - the largest county in the United Kingdom, it is subdivided into three ridings (as I inferred from Wikipedia) or "used to be split into three Ridings" (according to Gazza).

Today's Links

Gazza's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26240].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

10a Part of the country in which you'll find more than one riding (9)

I thought perhaps Yorkshire might be a hotbed of equestrian activity, but apparently the ridings to which reference is made in the clue are actually Parliamentary constituencies. Perhaps I just have horses on the brain as the National Capital Show Jumping Tournament is currently underway in Ottawa - with horses and riders from around the world competing.

21d With lines reduced by half, poet's producing wondrous things (7)

After spending some time trying to decipher the wordplay (after having found the solution), I marked this clue as one that I should revisit before reading Gazza's review - then forgot to do so. I had been fixated on "lines reduced by half" being VER - the first half of the word "verses" (lines) - the letters of which appear in the solution in a scrambled order. Even if I had remembered to take another crack at it, it is doubtful whether I could have figured it out.

Signing off for today - Falcon

Saturday, August 14, 2010 - In the Wine Cellar

Introduction

In today's puzzle, Cox and Rathvon invite us down to their wine cellar for a tasting. Departing from standard practice, though, they start us off with a sparkling wine and then proceed to offer us the reds before the whites.

Today's Glossary

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

Used in Solutions:

Ellen Burstyn - American actress, who has worked in film, stage and television.

Agnes Moorehead (1900-1974) - American actress who played Endora on the 1960's television series Bewitched.

Pinotage - noun 1. a red grape variety of South Africa, a cross between the Pinot Noir and the Hermitage; 2. any of the red wines made from this grape.

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

19a "Fantastic ole guy"? (6)

This is an & lit. (or, as some prefer to call it, an all-in-one clue). The entire clue (read one way) serves as the definition, and (read another way) is the wordplay. In this case, "Fantastic ole guy" is an example of a brief EULOGY, while the wordplay is an anagram (fantastic) of OLE GUY.

21a Speaker's observed change in wine (8)

In this clue, the definition is "wine" with the correct selection from the wine list being SAUTERNE. This is a homophone (sounds like) clue, indicated by "speaker's", with SAW TURN (observed change) sounding like SAUTERNE.

The word "speaker's" could be either a possessive, a contraction for "speaker is" or a contraction for "speaker has". In this case, the correct choice is the first one (a possessive) - with the idea conveyed by the phrase "speaker's observed change" being "speaker's uttering of 'observed change'".

5d Big Ben sadly losing power (6)

The setters probably had the bell in the London clock tower in mind when they conceived this clue. However, with riders from around the world currently here in Ottawa for the National Capital Show Jumping Tournament, and with Ian Millar and his horses doing very well in competition, perhaps we should accept this as a tribute to Ian's world champion show jumping horse, Big Ben (1976-1999).

27d Retracted crazy wild guess (4)

The definition is "wild guess" and the wordplay is a reversal (retracted) of a word meaning "crazy". My first guess proved to be too wild as I discovered that, although NUTS does mean crazy, its reversal STUN does not fit the definition. However, my second STAB at the answer proved more successful.

Solution to Today's Puzzle

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

Across

1a CHAMP|AGNES - CHAMP (winner) + AGNES (American actress Agnes Moorehead)

6a FLOW< - reversal (backing up) of WOLF (big bad animal, a reference to the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood)

9a NIRVANA* - anagram (wild) of IVAN RAN

10a BURSTYN~ - sounds like (from the audience) BURST IN (suddenly entered)

12a RAD|II - RAD (radical) + II (Roman duo; i.e., Roman numeral for the number two)

13a PI|NOT|AGE - hidden in (a bit) philipPI NOT AGEd

15a CA(BERNE)T - BERNE (Swiss capital; i.e., capital city of Switzerland) contained in (swallowed by) CAT (kitty)

17a HOSTEL~ - sounds like (sounding) HOSTILE (mean)

19a EULOGY - anagram (fantastic) of OLE GUY

21a SAUTERNE~ - sounds like (speaker's) {SAW (observed) + TURN (change)}

24a R|IE|SLING - {IE (that is) + SLING (cast)} following (after) R (year's end; i.e., the final letter in the word "year")

25a {NAOM|I}< - reversal of (while facing west; i.e., as text running right to left on the page) {I + MOAN (pronounce in misery)} 28a TOR(TON)I - TON (2000 pounds) contained in (in) TORI (doughnuts)

29a TEEMING~ - sounds like (heard) TEAMING (making a squad)

30a BU(S)T - BUT (yet) containing S (sulphur; i.e., the symbol used in chemistry for this element)

Down

1d CONTRACTED - double definition; "made a deal" and "downsized"

2d A(IRE)D - AD (spot) containing (full of) IRE (anger)

3d PEA|TIER - PEA (vegetable) + TIER (row)

4d GR|APPLES - GR (pair of green; i.e., the first two letters of the word "green") + APPLES (fruit)

5d EBBING* - anagram (sadly) of BIG BEN

7d LIT|I|GATOR - LIT (set fire to) + I (one) + GATOR (reptile)

8d WAND* - anagram (breaking) of DAWN

11d RATIO* - anagram (dotty) of IRA TO

14d FLEE|TINGLY - FLEE (run) + TINGLY (feeling nervously excited)

16d BILLIARDS* - anagram (mixed up) of BIRD IS ALL

18d DAUGHTER* - anagram of (changing of) THE GUARD; "clan" used in the sense of family

20d GUST|O - GUST (blow) + (with) O (zip)

22d _T|ANGEL|O_ - hidden in (some) brighT ANGEL Offers

23d FINISH~ - sounds like (heard) FINNISH (Scandinavian)

26d OR|ION - OR + ION (particle); Orion (star cluster; i.e., constellation)

27d STAB< - reversal (retracted) of BATS (crazy)

Signing off for today - Falcon

Friday, August 13, 2010 (DT 26238)

This puzzle, by Jay, was originally published in The Daily Telegraph on Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Introduction

An enjoyable puzzle that I worked on while basking in the sun at the lake. However, I could not complete it until I arrived home and had access to my Tool Chest. It was a couple of four-letter Briticisms (26d and the reversal in 19a) that I was not able to come up with on my own.

Today's Glossary

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

Used in Solutions:

cob - noun 1 British a round loaf of bread.

M² - abbreviation 10 British Motorway, followed by a number, as in M1.

meet - adjective archaic suitable or proper: it was not meet for us to see the king's dishonour.

prep - noun informal 1 British (especially in an independent school) schoolwork that is set to be done outside lessons; a period set aside for this.

snip - noun 2 British informal a surprisingly cheap item; a bargain: the wine is a snip at £3.65.

Today's Links

Big Dave's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26238].

Signing off for today - Falcon

Thursday, August 12, 2010 (DT 26237)

This puzzle, by Ray T, was originally published in The Daily Telegraph on Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Introduction

I needed to pop open the Tool Chest with three clues remaining to be solved in the north west quadrant. Once I had identified the builder's tool in clue 1a (which was previously unknown to me), the solutions to the remaining two clues became obvious.

As a footnote to my comments yesterday regarding the identity of the setters of the DT puzzles, I should perhaps clarify my remarks (in case I have inadvertently jumped to a false conclusion). I don't actually know that the pseudonyms used for the setters on Big Dave's site are, in every case, ones used by the setters in other publications. In some cases, such as Rufus, they are. In other cases, they may simply be pseudonyms that the setters have chosen to use as visitors to Big Dave's web site. As Big Dave says "today" in a response to a question from a reader, "strictly speaking, we don’t know the names [of the setters]. However the Telegraph uses the same setter(s) each day of the week and most of them have made themselves known to us".

Today's Glossary

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

Used in Clues:

jemmy - noun Chiefly British a jimmy (a short steel crowbar used, especially by burglars, for forcing doors and windows).

Lubango - the capital city of the Angolan province of Huíla.

performance - noun 5 derogatory an instance of outrageous behaviour, especially in public.

Used in Solutions:

bolster - noun 3 building a form of cold chisel, used in cutting stone slabs, etc.

nit¹ - noun informal 2 British a foolish person: you stupid nit!

RA - abbreviation (3^rd entry) (in the UK) Royal Academician.

rig - noun 2 (4^th subentry) a particular type of construction for fishing tackle that bears the bait and hook.

U² - adjective British colloquial said especially of language: typical of or acceptable to the upper classes [thus top class].

Today's Links

Gazza's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26237].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

10a Tackle part, keeping mum for performance (9)

The wordplay here is {RIG (tackle) + ROLE (part)} containing (keeping) MA (mum) which produces RIGMAROLE. The definition is "performance". The meaning of performance that I have cited above in Today's Glossary ("an instance of outrageous behaviour, especially in public") may be a tad strong, but the setter does use the word performance in a sense meaning behaviour that, as the Brits might say, is at least a bit OTT (over the top).

18a Audacious break in using jemmy? (12)

"Audacious" is used in the sense of "bold and daring" - not "disrespectful or impudent".

26a Non-mainstream single, opening of 'Not Fade Away' (5)

Not Fade Away is a song co-written by Buddy Holly and released in 1957 by his band, The Crickets, as the B-side of Oh-Boy!. Ironically, it "was also the last song Buddy Holly ever performed, the night before his fatal plane crash". In his review, Gazza provides a link to a performance of the song.

2d People left solitary on ends of railways? (6)

I thought that the word "solitary" must be doing double duty today, with the definition being "people left solitary" or LONERS and the wordplay being "solitary on ends of railways" or LONE (solitary) + (on) RS (ends of railways; i.e., the first and last letters of the word "railways"). However, Gazza implies that "people left" could itself mean loners. Perhaps this is a British turn of phrase that is foreign to my ear.

5d Good Tories hug reformed characters (9)

I was fortunate to get the solution (RIGHTEOUS) from the definition (good) and checking letters. However, it took a lot of puzzling to figure out the wordplay. I got hung up supposing that the wordplay is RIGHTS (Tories) containing (hug) an anagram (reformed) of some word meaning "characters". In fact, that is not the case at all. The wordplay is an anagram (reformed characters) of TORIES HUG.

17d Knocking out? (8)

I was headed in the right general direction, but slightly off target with my initial attempt at a solution, STUNNING (although, in hindsight, I have to admit that it was perhaps a bit of a stretch). I was forced to backtrack when I discovered that this choice created an impasse at 21a. The two senses that struck me in the case of both words were an action (or result thereof) that might occur in a boxing ring and how one might describe an exceptionally beautiful woman. The meaning of a labour action completely escaped me.

19d Penny left on shelf giving commitment (6)

The word "left" would appear to be superfluous to the clue, not being necessary to either the surface reading or the cryptic reading.

By the way, I think Gazza must have intended to say "a synonym for shelf" in his review.

23d A cloudy, free bitter (5)

I didn't find the letter "C" as an abbreviation for "cloudy" in the online version of Chambers, but I trust that it appears in the unabridged version. However, if you search diligently, you will find it listed here - together with dozens (if not hundreds) of other meanings which it can have as an abbreviation or acronym. [Note: Its appearance in Chambers is confirmed by Libellule in a response to a comment on Big Dave's site. Gazza also states that it is "an accepted abbreviation" without citing a specific source. ]

Signing off for today - Falcon

Wednesday, August 11, 2010 (DT 26236)

This puzzle, by Rufus, was originally published in The Daily Telegraph on Monday, May 10, 2010

The National Post has skipped DT 26235 which was published in The Daily Telegraph on Saturday, May 8, 2010

Introduction

I solved pretty much all of this puzzle unaided with the exception of the north east quadrant (for which I had to dig into the Tool Chest). An incorrect solution initially at 9a was partly to blame for my difficulties.

In case you missed Libellule's comment to my blog of Thursday, August 5, 2010, I would point out that although many of the setters are identified on Big Dave's site by a pseudonym (such as is the case today with Rufus), the puzzles actually appear in The Daily Telegraph without attribution. The pseudonyms shown on Big Dave's site are those used by these setters in other publications (e.g., Rufus being the pseudonym of today's setter, Roger Squires, in the Guardian).

Today's Glossary

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

Used in Solutions:

bloomer¹ - noun British informal, dated a serious or stupid mistake. (Origin: late 19th century: equivalent to blooming error.)

bloomer² - noun British a large loaf with diagonal slashes on a rounded top.

(Raymond) Chandler (1888-1959) - Anglo-American novelist and screenwriter "who had an immense stylistic influence upon the modern private detective story, especially in the style of the writing and the attitudes now characteristic of the genre."

(Battle of) Edgehill (October 23, 1642) - the first pitched battle of the First English Civil War.

(David) Lloyd George - known as the Welsh Wizard, "the first and so far only Welsh Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the only Prime Minister to have spoken English as a second language, Welsh having been his first".

(Saint) George - patron saint of England.

HE - abbreviation high explosive.

RN - abbreviation 1 Royal Navy.

Today's Links

Libellule's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26236].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

9a There are strong links between its members (5,4)

I initially penciled in CHAIN MAIL here, but not without a lingering doubt in the back of my mind. As things turned out, my sense of uncertainty was well-founded as this solution proved to be incorrect - which I found out when I was stymied on 5d.

14a Recognise Bill has surplus wealth (8)

The definition is "recognise" with the solution being ACCREDIT. The wordplay is AC (bill; i.e., short for "account" from "bill of account") + CREDIT (surplus wealth). The latter portion of the charade gave me pause but a bit of research reveals that Chambers gives one definition of credit to be "the amount of money available to one at one's bank" (a definition which, I suppose, one could say "fits the bill").

7d Succeed in getting a woman to take it on (7)

Don't be fooled by Libellule's commentary, this is not a container type clue (and Libellule may well have intended his words as merely a hint rather than an analysis of the clue). It is a charade, with the wordplay being IN + (getting) HER (a woman) + (to take ... on) IT.

18d Mistake made by baker (7)

When I saw - almost immediately - the solution to this double definition, in which both meanings are Briticisms, I thought perhaps I should apply for honourary U.K. citizenship. Then again, maybe I've seen this "golden oldie" before.

20d Is inclined to enter the church, subject to purification (7)

In the surface reading, "subject to" is an adverb meaning conditional on. However, in the cryptic reading one must treat the word "subject" as a verb as it would be used in the phrase "subject one to the process of purification".

22d Conception many find immaculate (5)

The definition is "immaculate" with the solution being IDEAL. The wordplay is IDEA (conception) + L (many; i.e., the Roman numeral for fifty).

Words or phrases such as "many" or "a large number" may be used by setters to indicate any large Roman numeral, including L (fifty), C (hundred), D (five hundred) and M (one thousand).

Signing off for today - Falcon

Tuesday, August 10, 2010 (DT 26234)

This puzzle, by Giovanni, was originally published in The Daily Telegraph on Friday, May 7, 2010

Introduction

I was a bit surprised to see that Gazza awarded this puzzle four stars for difficulty. Despite its rather generous serving of Briticisms, I didn't have too much trouble with it (although I definitely needed the help of implements from my Tool Chest).

Today's Glossary

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

Used in Clues:

board - noun 5 a person's meals, provided in return for money • bed and board.

pontoon² - noun 1 (2^nd subentry) a bridge or landing stage supported by pontoons.

Used in Solutions:

beefeater - (or Beefeater) noun British a Yeoman of the Guard, or a Yeoman Warder at the Tower of London, both of whom wear the same Tudor-style ceremonial uniform.

Coco the Clown - according to Wikipedia, "arguably the most famous clown in the UK during the middle decades of the 20th century."

coconut shy - noun British a fairground sideshow where balls are thrown at coconuts in an attempt to knock them off stands.

outlier - noun 3 someone who lives away from their place of work.

pom - noun Australian/NZ informal, often derogatory a British person.

prom - noun informal 2 British short for promenade concert • the last night of the Proms.

Proms - informal name for the BBC Promenade Concerts.

promenade concert - noun British a concert of classical music at which a part of the audience stands in an area without seating, for which tickets are sold at a reduced price. The most famous series of such concerts is the annual BBC Promenade Concerts (known as the Proms), instituted by Sir Henry Wood in 1895.

S² - abbreviation 5 Society.

Laurence Sterne - an 18^th century English novelist.

sub - noun 2 British a subscription.

table - noun 3 the food served at a particular table or in a particular house • keeps a good table.

taramasalata - noun modern Greek a creamy pale pink pâté, made from the eggs of fish, esp. smoked cod’s roe, and served as an hors d’oeuvre.

thearchy - noun (plural thearchies) archaic rule by a god or gods.

Today's Links

Gazza's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26234].

On the day that this puzzle appeared in the U.K., it seems that Gazza and a number of other Brits were "suffering from sleep deprivation, having stayed up half the night watching the election results". There is some discussion regarding the merits - or lack thereof - of The Archies, a virtual garage band founded by Archie Andrews, Reggie Mantle, and Jughead Jones, a group of adolescent fictional characters of the Archie universe, in the context of the animated TV series, The Archie Show. One writer, Lea, states "Got stuck on 4d as hadn’t heard of the pop group (I was in Canada and Australia then)". However, this seems a rather lame excuse as The Archies were certainly big in Canada in their heyday.

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

23a Granted that some carnal thoughts will come along (8)

In the spirit of the clue, I can't resist observing that - like some seemingly buxom lasses - there's lots of padding to enhance this hidden word clue.

24a Pontoon? It's something played with cards (6)

Although I found the correct solution quite readily, I was about to take issue with the definition until I found that Oxford, in fact, defines "pontoon" as a bridge. I had previously only been familiar with pontoon as a support for a bridge or used as a modifier in an expression such as pontoon bridge.

By the way, the surface reading of the clue would be more meaningful (and perhaps more misleading) to the Brits, since pontoon is a name (or, perhaps, the name) in Britain for the card game known in North American as twenty-one or blackjack or in French as vingt-et-un. Apparently, the British also have a card game called black jack, but it is a variation of crazy eights.

Signing off for today - Falcon

Monday, August 9, 2010 (DT 26233)

This specially themed puzzle was originally published in The Daily Telegraph on Thursday, May 6, 2010

Introduction

It did not take long for me to spot the theme of this puzzle - which made the solution of some of the clues relatively easy (a good thing, perhaps, as I failed to pick up on the reference to Colonel Blimp). May 6, 2010 was the the date of the general election in the U.K. The Labour government of Gordon Brown went down to defeat, to be replaced by a coalition of the Conservative Party (led by the new Prime Minister David Cameron) and the Liberal Democrat Party (under the leadership of Nick Clegg).

Today's Glossary

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

Used in Clues:

(Colonel) Blimp - a British cartoon character who is "pompous, irascible, jingoistic and stereotypically British" - not to mention, conservative.

M25 motorway - (also known as the London Orbital) a 117-mile (188 km) orbital motorway that almost encircles Greater London in the United Kingdom.

rep² - noun informal repertory: once , when I was in rep, I learned Iago in three days; a repertory theatre or company.

Used in Solutions:

ben¹ - noun Scottish (especially in place names) a high mountain or mountain peak: Ben Nevis.

(Norman) Clegg - character on the long-running BBC sitcom Last of the Summer Wine.

demo - noun 1 chiefly British a public demonstration: a peace demo.

orbital - adjective British (of a road) passing round the outside of a town.

Trot - noun informal, chiefly derogatory a Trotskyist or supporter of extreme left-wing views.

Today's Links

Big Dave's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26233].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

5a Mitchell, say, made stage entrance tackling lead in rep (7)

I thought the reference was to American actor Cameron Mitchell, but Big Dave claims it is to the fictional character of the same name in the Canadian-American television series Stargate SG-1. Frankly, I think that my choice just might better fit the sense of the clue.

Signing off for today - Falcon