Tuesday, May 22, 2012 - DT 26807

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26807
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Setter Jay
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26807]
Big Dave's Review Written By Falcon
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

This is a puzzle that I reviewed on Big Dave's blog when it appeared in The Daily Telegraph in March. I did recognise it as such fairly quickly, but a few clues still managed to provide a bit of mental exercise – even on the second time around.

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   Break journey and check insurance, with traffic finally disappearing (4,4)

In the UK, cover^[5] means protection by insurance against a liability, loss, or accident • your policy provides cover against damage by subsidence. This seems to be the equivalent of the North American term coverage^[5], the amount of protection given by an insurance policy.

9a   Status conferred by cardinal’s address? (8)

Eminence^[5] (His/Your Eminence) is a title or form of address given to a Roman Catholic cardinal • His Eminence, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey.

17a   Hat, or top of trilby, seen in bog (5)

Trilby Hat

Trilby^[5] is a chiefly British term for a soft felt hat with a narrow brim and indented crown. A trilby is very similar to a fedora. In fact, some would say that fedora is just an American term for a trilby. According to the web site of one British hat company, "Lock & Co, a London based hat company founded in 1676 do actually classify the two items as different.  They believe a trilby to have a shorter brim which is angled down at the front and slightly turned up at the back. The fedora has a much wider brim which is more level. (as sported by Indiana [Jones])." [read more]

20a   Batsman’s need for bottle? (6)

A batsman^[5] is a player, especially in cricket, who is batting or whose chief skill is in batting. The corresponding term in baseball for a player who is batting would be batter^[5]. In baseball, a player whose chief skill is batting would likely be called a slugger^[3,4]. British readers might see bottle^[5] as the courage or confidence needed to do something difficult or dangerous • I lost my bottle completely and ran.

21a   Gyrating banshees? They’re history! (3-5)

In Irish legend, a banshee^[5] is a female spirit whose wailing warns of a death in a house • the little girl dropped her ice cream and began to howl like a banshee.

26a   The origins of interesting old tale about Whit (4)

This clue is making a bit more timely appearance in the National Post than it did in The Daily Telegraph. In Britain, Whit^[5] is short for Whitsuntide^[5], the weekend or week including Whit Sunday. Whit Sunday^[5] (US Whitsunday) is the seventh Sunday after Easter, a Christian festival commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2). Also called Pentecost (which is the name that I know it as). Should you care a whit, the approaching weekend is Whitsuntide.

3d   Spurs resting in play for budgetary control (5,7)

Tottenham Hotspur Football Club^[7], commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English football [soccer] club based in Tottenham, London, that plays in the Premier League.

6d   House of sin welcoming a tabloid paper? (8)

This clue generated just as much of a chuckle on its encore appearance as it did on its initial performance. A vicarage^[5] is the residence of a vicar^[5], which (in the Church of England) is an incumbent of a parish where tithes formerly passed to a chapter or religious house or layman. This is in contrast to a rector^[5], who is the incumbent of a parish where all tithes formerly passed to the incumbent. These terms have somewhat different meanings in other religious denominations.

8d   Ladyboys getting married? In this part of Scotland! (8)

Question marks and exclamation points are indicators that something about the clue is a bit out of the ordinary. When the two appear in the same clue, it is a clear warning that we need to fully engage our powers of lateral thinking.

Ladyboy^[5] is a term used in Thailand for a transvestite or transsexual.

British readers didn't seem to appreciate my initial illustration so I added a second.

12d   Acting on behalf of band touring Spain here (12)

The International Vehicle Registration (IVR) code for Spain is E^[5] (from Spanish España).

19d   Barrel — good gun metal (8)

A Sten gun^[5] is a type of lightweight British sub-machine gun.

22d   Rod’s gardens in Kent area finally flower (6)

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew^[7], usually referred to as Kew Gardens, is 121 hectares of gardens and botanical glasshouses [greenhouses] between Richmond and Kew in southwest London, England which is home to the world's largest collection of living plants. Kent^[5] is a county on the SE coast of England.

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

Monday, May 21, 2012 - DT 26806

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26806
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26806]
Big Dave's Review Written By Gazza
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 This puzzle appears on the Monday Diversions page of the  Friday, May 18, 2012 edition of the National Post

Introduction

I actually did this puzzle before doing Friday's puzzle, having failed to realize that the National Post had published Monday's puzzle in the Friday edition of the paper (as today, being Victoria Day, is a national holiday in Canada and a day on which the National Post does not publish). Consequently, now as I finally find time to write the blog, my recollection of the puzzle is a bit stale.

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   Old wife sat bare (7)

I kicked myself vigorously when my electronic assistants presented the solution to this clue for my consideration.

5a   Imitating policeman leads to your insisting ‘Not guilty!’ (7)

I blew it on this one, opting for COPPING. I supposed that copping might mean acting like a cop. Furthermore, copping a plea^[5] is a North American expression meaning to engage in plea bargaining. Granted, one doesn't plead 'Not guilty', rather one pleads guilty to a lesser charge.

11a   Kept quiet and reticent (9)

The musical direction, piano^[3,5] (abbreviation p^[5]), meaning either soft or quiet (as an adjective) or softly or quietly (as an adverb) is immediately followed by ...

12a   Instrument loudly followed by another? (5)

... the musical direction for loud, forte (abbreviation f)^[5].

17a   Somehow drain mere to reveal what’s left (9)

Mere^[5] is a British (and chiefly literary word) meaning a lake or pond • the stream widens into a mere where hundreds of geese gather. The word should actually be fairly familiar to those from the Ottawa area as it appears in the name Kingsmere, the estate of former Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King.

25a   Little change in great desire for modelling (7)

Another instance which elicited a well-deserved kick. I really was becoming quite bruised at this point.

26a   At college, degree brings advance in status (7)

In Britain, up^[5] means at or to a university, especially Oxford or Cambridge • they were up at Cambridge about the same time.

27a   Pleasure from French kissing conspicuous person (7)

De^[8] is a French preposition meaning 'from'.

2d   Starter missing from meal up at high table (7)

Another kick – yet more bruises!

3d   Poles seen in Ely maybe, making impression (5)

A see^[5] is the place in which a cathedral church stands, identified as the seat of authority of a bishop or archbishop. A diocese^[5] is a district under the pastoral care of a bishop in the Christian Church. The Diocese of Ely^[5] is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury, headed by the Bishop of Ely, who sits at Ely Cathedral in the city of Ely.

5d   Composer died in prison? (5)

John Cage^[7] (1912 – 1992) was an American composer, music theorist, writer, and artist. Cage is perhaps best known for his 1952 composition 4′33″, which is performed in the absence of deliberate sound; musicians who present the work do nothing aside from their presence for the duration specified by the title. The content of the composition is not "four minutes and 33 seconds of silence," as is sometimes assumed, but rather the sounds of the environment heard by the audience during performance.

14d  Twitter about winter in France, and what one might be doing (9)

Hiver^[8] is the French word for 'winter'.

20d   Clegg’s first to be taken in by new leader’s broadcast (7)

Nick Clegg^[7] is the British Liberal Democrat Leader since 2007 and currently the Deputy Prime Minister and Lord President of the Council (with special responsibility for political and constitutional reform) in the British coalition government of which David Cameron is the Prime Minister.

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

Saturday, May 19, 2012 - Any Route Will Do

Introduction

In today's puzzle from Cox and Rathvon you may have to go over, under, through or around - but you should reach your destination in the end.











Solution to Today's Puzzle

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

Across

1a   RAM|A - RAM (run into) + A (†)

Rama^[5] is the hero of the Ramayana, husband of Sita. He is the Hindu model of the ideal man, the seventh incarnation of Vishnu, and is widely venerated, by some sects as the supreme god.

3a   S(MOOT)H OVER_ - SHOVER (pusher) containing (maintains) MOOT (debatable)

9a   CART(O)ON or CARTO(O)N - O (doughnut) contained in (in) CARTON (box)

11a   F(AINT)LY - FLY (insect) containing (outside) AINT (isn't)

12a   {PUTTER AROUND}* - anagram (oddly) of RAP TURNED OUT

15a   _OGRES_ - hidden in (in) prOGRESs

16a   TIGHTROPE* - anagram (wrong) of RIGHT POET

18a   A(BUN)DANCE - BUN (roll) contained in (in) {A (†) + DANCE (ball)}

20a   SHELL - double definition; "this lady is going to" [she'll (she will)] & "bomb"

21a   {BREAK|THROUGH}~ - sounds like (in the sound) {BRAKE (stopper) + THREW (tossed)}

25a   {RAN WILD}* - anagram (mobile) of DRAWL IN

Mobile^[7] is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama. As is typical across the Southern US, residents of Mobile speak with a characteristic drawl.

26a   ASPIRIN_ - ASPIRING (shooting) with the final letter deleted (mostly)

27a   {GOING UNDER}* - anagram (badly) of NUDE GRINGO

28a   _UZIS_ - hidden in (stocks) HormUZ ISland

An Uzi^[5] is a type of sub-machine gun of Israeli design. Hormuz Island^[7] is an Iranian island in the Persian Gulf, located in the Strait of Hormuz.

Down
1d   RECIPROCAL* - anagram (adjusted) of PRICE CAROL

2d   M(ORATOR|I)UM - {ORATOR + I (†)} contained in (caught in) MUM (silent)

4d   MAN(HAT)TAN - {MAN (mister) + TAN (brown)} containing (obtains) HAT (lid)

5d   OR(F)EO - OREO (cookie) containing (bearing) F (female)

Orfeo is the title character from L'Orfeo^[7], a Baroque opera by Claudio Monteverdi, with a libretto by Alessandro Striggio which was written in 1607. It is based on the Greek legend of Orpheus, and tells the story of his descent to Hades and his fruitless attempt to bring his dead bride Eurydice back to the living world.

British readers should substitute "biscuit" for "cookie" in the clue, as that is what a cookie is known as in Britain. Oreo^[7] is a trademark for a popular sandwich cookie marketed in the US by the Nabisco division of Kraft Foods and in Canada under Kraft's Christie brand. Since its 1912 introduction, Oreo has become the best selling cookie in the United States. The Oreo has only been widely available in the UK only since 2008.

6d   HAIRNET* - anagram (ruined) of THE RAIN

7d   VET|O - VET (old soldier) + (with) O (nothing)

For the benefit of British readers, vet^[5] is an informal North American term for veteran.

8d   RAYS~ - sound like (audibly) RAISE (lift)

10d   O|PENS - O (old) + PENS (prisons; penitentiaries)

13d   {ROSE| QUARTZ}~ - sounds like (to an audience) {ROWS (line's) + QUARTS (measures)}

14d   CELLPH|ONES - sounds like (in conversation) SELF (personality) + OWNS (possesses)

17d   {GREAT DANE}* - anagram (destroyed) of TEA GARDEN

19d   DAR(L)ING - DARING (brave) containing (acquires) L (large)

20d   S|TRIP - S (southern) + TRIP (excursion)

22d   A(U)DEN - {A (†) + DEN (room)} containing (outside) U (university)

W. H. Auden^[7] (1907 – 1973) was an Anglo-American poet, born in England, later an American citizen, regarded by many as one of the greatest writers of the 20th century.

23d   DR|AG - DR (Doctor) + AG ([chemical symbol for] silver)

24d   ANT|I - ANT (member of a colony) + I (†)

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

Friday, May 18, 2012 - DT 26805

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26805
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Monday, March 5, 2012
Setter Rufus
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26805]
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 26804 which was published in The Daily Telegraph on Saturday, March 3, 2012

Symbols:
En dash : –
Em dash : —
Bullet : •
Superscript : ^[5] .


Introduction

I sat down to write today's blog only to discover that I had solved the wrong puzzle. With the coming Monday being Victoria Day, a national holiday in Canada, and a day on which the National Post does not publish, both the Friday and Monday puzzles appeared in today's paper. I found that I had inadvertently completed Monday's puzzle having failed to notice that there were two pages of puzzles and other diversions.

Fortunately, I was able to do today's puzzle fairly quickly given that it was by Rufus and not overly difficult. However, there were a couple of clues for which the wordplay was unfathomable for me.

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.

14a   Exaggerate one’s role playing at cover (7)

To understand the surface reading of the clue, it helps to know a bit about cricket. Cover^[5] is short for cover point^[5], which is (1) a fielding position a little in front of the batsman on the off side and halfway to the boundary or (2) a fielder at cover point. The boundary^[2] is the marked limits of a cricket field. See 12d for a definition of off side.

22a   He has publicity consultant as boss (7)

The American Heritage Dictionary and Collins English Dictionary both have a tribal chief as the first listed meaning of headman^[3,4] and each also gives one other meaning. However, these alternate meanings bear no resemblance. The British reference work gives a foreman or overseer while the American reference has a headsman^[3,4] (executioner).

23a   Studio that is later converted (7)

Technically, is this not an indirect anagram - a sin for which Rufus was roundly chastised four weeks ago in DT 26781. An indirect anagram is a clue in which the anagram fodder does not appear explicitly in the clue. In DT 26781, the solver was required to substitute a synonym for a word in the clue to obtain the anagram fodder. In today's clue, we must substitute an abbreviation for a word in the clue to produce the fodder. In the previous instance, many people were willing to forgive the transgression, given the obvious nature of the substitution required. I would say that today's occurrence is an even less serious violation. On the other hand, it is a second offence. Then again, it did not raise a peep from those who commented at Big Dave's site.

24a   It may be kept or eaten (4)

I thought I was being very clever when I wrote in CAKE, based on the old adage you can't have your cake and eat it too. Unfortunately, that is not what the setter had in mind. I eventually discovered the error of my ways when the penny dropped on 13d.

30a   Those on the board who make plans (11)

Draughtsman^[5] is the British spelling of draftsman^[5], a person who makes detailed technical plans or drawings. In Britain, a draftsman^[5] is a person who drafts legal documents • parliamentary draftsmen seem to delight in complicating even the simplest provision. In Britain, draughts^[5] is the name of the board game known in North America as checkers^[5].

I failed to see the reference to the board game and supposed that the clue was referring to a drafting board (or drawing board^[5]).

5d   Player giving lead on pitch (4)

Like Libellule, I guessed the solution from the checking letters but did not understand the wordplay. The surface reading is clearly intended to misdirect us to a sports theme. In Britain, a pitch^[5] is either (1) an area of ground marked out or used for play in an outdoor team game : a football [soccer] pitch or (2) in cricket, the strip of ground between the two sets of stumps • both batsmen were stranded in the middle of the pitch. See Libellule's review for an explanation of the musical interpretation of the wordplay.

6d   Church to lease out a place in London (7)

Chelsea^[5] is an area of West London, England.

12d   Eliminated outstanding cricket side (8,3)

The cricket lesson continues. Here "side" refers not to a team but to a side of the cricket field itself. In cricket, the off^[5]  (also off side) is the half of the field (as divided lengthways through the pitch ) towards which the batsman's feet are pointed when standing to receive the ball.  The other side of the field is known either as the leg^[5] (also leg side) or on (also on side).

20d   Fellow tripper, perhaps (7)

I had the correct solution, as the only words that seemed to fit the checking letters were PARTNER and PARDNER. However, I failed to see the dance reference in the wordplay.

26d   River claims lives twice (4)

The Isis^[7] is the name given to the part of the River Thames which flows through the city of Oxford, England.

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

Thursday, May 17, 2012 - DT 26803

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26803
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Friday, March 2, 2012
Setter Giovanni
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26803]
Big Dave's Review Written By Gazza
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
I was able to solve about three quarters of this puzzle without much difficulty. However, the final quarter proved very resistant and I needed to use virtually every tool at my disposal to crack them.

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.

5a   Stars seen after second drink — and letters all mingled? (8)

In the UK, mo^[5] is an informal term for a short period of time (hang on a mo!) [abbreviation of  moment].

12a   Take back worker to sports ground (6)

In Britain, rec^[5] is an informal shortened form for recreation ground^[5], a piece of public land used for sports and games..

14a   Criticise a business community’s greed (8)

According to Chambers 21st Century Dictionary, the City^[2] refers to the business centre of a city, especially London.The Oxford Dictionary of English narrows the definition for the City^[5] considerably, saying that it is (1) short for the City of London or (2) the financial and commercial institutions located in the City of London • (i) the Budget got a stony reception from the City; (ii) [as modifier] a City analyst. Note that the City of London^[5] is not the city of London, but merely the part of London situated within the ancient boundaries and governed by the Lord Mayor and the Corporation^[5] (which, in Britain, is a group of people elected to govern a city, town, or borough • the City of London Corporation).

The City of London^[7] is an area in central London, England. In the medieval period it constituted most of London, but the conurbation has grown far beyond it. As the City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, it is now only a tiny part of the metropolis, though it remains a notable part of central London, holds city status in its own right, and is a separate ceremonial county.

It is often referred to as the City (often written on maps as "City") or the Square Mile, as it is just over one square mile (1.12 sq mi/2.90 km²) in area. These terms are also often used as metonyms for the United Kingdom's financial services industry, which continues a notable history of being based in the City.

The term London now refers to a much larger conurbation roughly corresponding to Greater London, a local government area which includes 32 London boroughs including the City of Westminster as well as the City of London. The local authority for the City, the City of London Corporation, is unique in the United Kingdom, and has some unusual responsibilities for a local authority in Britain, such as being the police authority for the City. It also has responsibilities and ownerships beyond the City's boundaries. The Corporation is headed by the Lord Mayor of the City of London, an office separate from (and much older than) the Mayor of London.

19a  Not interesting, attention-grabbing? (6)

As Gazza points out, this is an all-in-one clue. I saw the wordplay clearly enough but I did not have the full picture with respect to the definition until I read Gazza's review.  To properly interpret the definition (which constitutes the entire clue), one must treat it as a list ("interesting, attention-grabbing") with the word "not" applying to all items in the list. Thus the definition could be restated as "Neither interesting nor attention-grabbing". The wordplay is DRY (not interesting) containing (grabbing) EAR (attention) to produce DREARY.

25a   It’s a mess? Maybe setter’s needing short holiday, quick! (4,9)

"Setter" often is a reference to the compiler of the puzzle – but sometimes it is merely a canine animal.

26a   What makes us think of a naughty jumper? (3,5)

I figured out the traffic violation connotation but had dismissed the brothel-related connection – apparently too quickly. Gazza's statement "jump being slang for to have sexual intercourse" prompted me to do a bit of research to see if this new-to-me meaning might specifically be British slang. The results were inconclusive. Chambers 21st Century Dictionary says merely that it is a taboo term that (said of a male) means to have sexual intercourse with someone^[2].  Collins English Dictionary gives the same meaning but states that it is British slang^[10]. On the other hand, the Oxford Dictionary of English specifies that it is vulgar North American slang meaning to have sexual intercourse with (someone)^[5].

6d   Famous but unable to make the final decision? (5)

I figured that "unable to make the final decision" meant NOT ED. However, I was unsure whether "Ed" referred to editor or to someone named Ed (perhaps British Opposition Leader Ed Miliband^[7]). Apparently, it is the former.

The Leveson Inquiry^[7] (mentioned by Gazza) is an ongoing public inquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the British press following the News International phone hacking scandal.

15d   Home on top of Downs occupied by philosopher secure from invaders? (9)

A down^[5] (usually appearing in the plural, downs) is a British name for a gently rolling hill. In particular, the Downs^[3] are two roughly parallel ranges of chalk hills in southeast England. The North Downs extend about 161 km (100 mi) from west to east; the South Downs, about 105 km (65 mi). Both are sheep-rearing areas.

John Locke^[5] (1632–1704) was an English philosopher, a founder of empiricism and political liberalism.

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

Wednesday, May 16, 2012 - DT 26802

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26802
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Thursday, March 1, 2012
Setter Petitjean
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26802]
Big Dave's Review Written By Big Dave
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

Although I completed the puzzle without outside assistance, I seem to have spent an excessively long time doing so – spread over several solving sessions.

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   Make fun of a learner with deadpan coarse humour (8)

The cryptic crossword convention of L meaning learner or student arises from the L-plate^[7], a square plate bearing a sans-serif letter L, for learner, which must be affixed to the front and back of a vehicle in various countries (including the UK) if its driver is a learner under instruction.

10a   Old-fashioned accommodation for English troops under canvas (8)

The word tenement seems to carry a bit of a different meaning in Britain than it does in North America – and the meaning may even vary regionally within Britain. The British meaning of tenement (at least outside of Scotland) would seem to be a room or flat (apartment) for rent^[10]. In North America and Scotland, the meaning is either (1) a house divided into and let as separate residences or (2) a room or a set of rooms forming a separate residence within a house or block of flats (apartments)^[5,2,10]. I could find no explanation as to why a tenement would be considered to be "old-fashioned accommodation".

The word apartment^[5] would also appear to have a somewhat different meaning in the UK than it does in North America. What we think of as an apartment, the Brits would call a flat. In Britain, only a certain specific type of flat would be called an apartment – typically one that is well appointed or used for holidays (thus, seemingly, an upscale flat). In the plural, the term apartments refers to a set of private rooms in a very large house.

12a   Ex-serviceman’s admitted aim to get thanks may cause feud (8)

Ta^[5] is an informal British exclamation signifying thank you • ‘Ta,’ said Willie gratefully.

As Big Dave points out, the use of veteran (or its short form, vet) to mean "ex-serviceman" is a "North American term".

16a   Place too much importance on bowlers’ speed (8)

"Bowler" refers to a cricket player.

19a   A fresh flower is opening (8)

By convention, "flower" appearing in a clue is often a reference to a river (something that flows). In this case, it is the River Ure^[7], a river in North Yorkshire, England, approximately 74 miles (119 km) long from its source to the point where it changes name to the River Ouse.

24a   Punch-drunk maniac or legendary heavyweight? (8)

Rocky Marciano^[7] (1923 – 1969), born Rocco Francis Marchegiano, was an American professional boxer and the World Heavyweight Champion from September 23, 1952, to April 27, 1956. Marciano is the only champion to hold the heavyweight title and go untied and undefeated throughout his career. Marciano defended his title six times.

2d   Loan ordinary Tottenham player out — that’s brilliance (9)

Tottenham Hotspur Football Club^[7], commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English football (soccer) club based in Tottenham, London, that plays in the Premier League. An individual player, of course, would be a Spur.

5d   Blues’ home game — behind 0-10 (8)

Oxbridge^[5] is a portmanteau word signifying Oxford and Cambridge universities regarded together. In Britain, a blue^[5] is (1) a person who has represented Cambridge University (a Cambridge blue) or Oxford University (an Oxford blue) at a particular sport in a match between the two universities • a flyweight boxing blue or (2) a distinction awarded to a Cambridge blue or an Oxford blue • Adrian’s brother won a rugby blue in December. Big Dave's comment referring to "the dark and light blues" would suggest that the term derives from the colour of the uniforms worn by the teams from the two universities.

7d   Gosh! Soprano melody could be one from ‘The Pirates Of Penzance’ (7)

Cor^[5] is an informal British exclamation expressing surprise, excitement, admiration, or alarm: Cor! That‘s a beautiful black eye you’ve got!

15d   Painful excrescence is damn secure (8)

The Oxford Dictionary of English defines hang^[5] as a dated South African and New Zealand exclamation used to express a range of strong emotions from enthusiasm to anger • hang, but I loved those soldiers!. Collins English Dictionary says that it is slang (usually used with a negative) meaning a damn • I don't care a hang for what you say.

17d   Elderly relative duty-bound to be wandering (7)

VAT^[5] (value added tax) is a tax on the amount by which the value of an article has been increased at each stage of its production or distribution. This system of taxation is used in Europe, where it is known as the VAT (or, more fully, the EU VAT) and in Canada, where it is called the GST (Goods and Services Tax) or, in provinces where the federal and provincial sales tax systems have been integrated, the HST (Harmonized Sales Tax). This system of taxation is not currently used in the United States.^[7]

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

Tuesday, May15, 2012 - DT 26801

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26801
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Setter Jay
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26801]
Big Dave's Review Written By Pommers
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

I nearly finished without calling in my electronic helpers. However, the heaping helping of Briticisms in 1a were more than I could handle on my own.

If you experienced difficulties accessing Big Dave's Crossword Blog last evening, you were not alone. Big Dave explains what happened here. Everything seems to be back to normal today.

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   Old-fashioned drunk, say, outside holding forelock (7)

There are two new (to me) pieces of British slang in this clue. Squiffy^[2] is an old-fashioned (according to Chambers 21st Century Dictionary) word meaning slightly drunk or tipsy; while quiff^[5] is a chiefly British term for a piece of hair brushed upwards and backwards from a man’s forehead • (i) a boy with a floppy quiff; (ii) a quiff of white hair. Neither Collins English Dictionary^[10] nor the Oxford Dictionary of English^[5] characterised squiffy as being old-fashioned.

11a   Officer a lot of wardens ignore (6)

Ensign^[5] is the lowest rank of commissioned officer in the US and some other navies, above chief warrant officer and below lieutenant. Historically, it was also the lowest rank of commissioned infantry officer in the British army. However, in the later part of the 19th century the rank was, in most instances, replaced by second lieutenant^[7].

12a   Arrest made by head of security in front of tent (4)

A big top^[5] is the main tent in a circus, but I found no evidence that top, on its own, means tent.

14a   Anticipating long life, star played around (12)

My first thought was that forestall does not mean the same thing as anticipate. However, I concluded that anticipate^[5] is used in the clue not in the sense of simply expecting an event but in the sense of to guess or be aware of (what will happen) and take action in order to be prepared • they failed to anticipate a full-scale invasion.

22a   Speaking lines, actors might need them (4)

In Britain, people queue in a queue^[5] rather than line up in a line-up^[5] .

23a   Nearly closed inside — better count takings (4,2)

In Britain, takings^[5] is the amount of money earned by a business from the sale of goods or services • the big test for the shop’s new look is whether it’ll boost takings. In North America, one would likely use the term earnings in this situation, although income, revenue or receipts might also be used. As well, in Britain, cash up^[5] means to count and check takings at the end of a day’s trading • two staff were cashing up at one of the tills. According to the the Oxford Dictionary of English, the equivalent North American term is cash out, but I can't say that I have ever heard it used in that sense.

26a   Volunteers in a cottage in France cause trouble (7)

In the UK, the Territorial Army (TA)^[5] is a volunteer force locally organized to provide a reserve of trained and disciplined manpower for use in an emergency. A gîte^[5] is a furnished holiday house in France, typically in a rural district.

15d   The writer’s back — crazy, pinching hotel cheese! (9)

As a cryptic crossword convention, the creator of the puzzle will often use terms such as setter, compiler, author, or (as today) writer to refer to himself or herself. To solve the clue, one must substitute a first person pronoun (I or me) for whichever of these terms is found in the clue. Today, we get an additional wrinkle with "back" indicating that the pronoun must be reversed (but that also pretty much narrows the choices to a single possibility).

16d   Supporter present for victory in Europe in period before Christmas (8)

I was going to say that this is a trademark Jay clue – but Pommers beat me to it!

19d   Mad dog could be! (7)

Barking^[5] is an informal British term meaning completely mad or demented • (i) we are all a bit barking; (ii) [as submodifier] has she gone completely barking mad? I think the latter instance of usage might be encountered in North America, but definitely not the former.

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