Friday, June 22, 2012 - DT 26832

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26832
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Thursday, April 5, 2012
Setter Ray T
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26832]
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

Ray T is fairly gentle with us today. The puzzle does have the trademark reference to Queen and a bit of rather subdued innuendo.

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   Lady Muck initially rich as one’s poor (11)

Lady Muck^[5] is a British epithet for  a haughty or socially pretentious woman : it’s that woman, Lady Muck herself—who does she think she is?

14a   Stagger one regularly getting into scrap? (6)

In Britain, a totter^[5] is a person who makes a living by salvaging saleable items from dustbins [garbage cans^[5]] or rubbish^[5] heaps [trash^[5] piles] • Coney Street in York was a totter’s paradise on Tuesday morning. It would seem that rubbish is a chiefly British expression (although not  uncommon in Canada) and trash is a distinctly North American term.

Steptoe and Son^[7] (mentioned by Big Dave) is a British sitcom about two rag and bone men (persons who collect unwanted household items and sell them to merchants) living in Oil Drum Lane, a fictional street in Shepherd's Bush, London. Four series were broadcast by the BBC from 1962 to 1965, followed by a second run from 1970 to 1974. It was remade in the US as Sanford and Son^[7], which ran on the NBC television network from 1972 to 1977.

23a   Cove encircles the Italian city (5)

Cove^[5] is dated British slang for a man • he is a perfectly amiable cove.

27a   Touch of wind over relish (5)

On cricket scorecards, O^[5] appears as an abbreviation for over^[5], a sequence of six balls bowled by a bowler from one end of the pitch, after which another bowler takes over from the other end. As for Big Dave's comment "not the relish produced by last night’s Apprentices", the "plot" summary for the April 4, 2012 episode of the British television series The Apprentice is "The Apprentice contestants attempt to impress Lord Sugar with creative condiments."

28a   Red setter returned, secured around rear (11)

As a cryptic crossword convention, the creator of the puzzle will often use terms such as setter, compiler, author, or 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. Ass^[3,4] is apparently a North American term – the usual British expression being arse^[3,4]. However, ass seems to be well enough known to the Brits that the term elicited no comment on Big Dave's site. Obviously, one would have to conclude that these terms are considered to be less vulgar in Britain than they are in North American – perhaps due to the seeming lack of a sexual connotation to the words in Britain.

4d   De Niro nicely demonstrates sneering (6)

Robert De Niro^[7] is an American actor, director and producer.

5d   Lord Muck initially in list supporting aristocrat (8)

Lord Muck^[5] is British slang for a haughty or socially pretentious man.

15d   ’Time’, track’s gripping Queen previews (8)

It wouldn't be a Ray T puzzle without a mention of his favourite band, Queen. By tradition, British monarchs use initials formed from the Latin version of their first name followed by either Rex or Regina (Latin for king or queen, respectively). Thus Queen Elizabeth's initials (or, in Big Dave's terminology, cypher) are ER^[5] - from the Latin Elizabetha Regina.

19d   Ray, a French bachelor in bed (7)

Un^[8] is the masculine singular form of the French indefinite article.

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, June 21, 2012 - DT 26831

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26831
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Setter Jay
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26831]
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

Pommers rates the difficulty of puzzles on the basis of his solving time. I tend to rely more on how many clues I am able to solve before calling in the electronic reinforcements. Of course, that is somewhat affected by how much time I have available to spend on the puzzle. On days when I am pressed for time, I would pop open the Tool Chest sooner than I would on days when I can relax and devote more time to the puzzle.

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   Shortly finding barrister after case of intimidation (2,5)

Brief^[5] is an informal British name for a solicitor or barrister • it was only his brief’s eloquence that had saved him from prison.

10a   Talk nonsense — pressure to cause irritation (7)

My concept of 'rattle' would be to alarm. However, Chambers Thesaurus gives the following list of synonyms: UNNERVE, disconcert, unsettle, disturb, confuse, upset, put off/out, shake, alarm, throw off balance; colloquial faze, put someone’s nose out of joint.

11a   Poor toolmaker ignoring a king’s instruction to musician (7)

In music, tremolo^[5] is a wavering effect in a musical tone, produced either by rapid reiteration of a note, by rapid repeated slight variation in the pitch of a note, or by sounding two notes of slightly different pitches to produce prominent overtones. No where did I find it defined as a musical direction, but I suppose that a composer might well indicate that a piece of music is to be performed in this manner.

12a   Professional impression is met without the writer (7)

As a cryptic crossword convention, the creator of the puzzle will often use terms such as setter, compiler, author, or 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. Thus, in today's clue, the phrase "is met without the writer" becomes "is met without me".

19a   Heath Robinson’s pulse? (5)

William Heath Robinson^[7] (signed as W. Heath Robinson, 1872 – 1944) was an English cartoonist and illustrator, best known for drawings of eccentric machines. In the UK, the term "Heath Robinson" has entered the language as a description of any unnecessarily complex and implausible contraption, similar to "Rube Goldberg" in the U.S. It is perhaps more often used in relation to temporary fixes using ingenuity and whatever is to hand, often string and tape, or unlikely cannibalisations. Its popularity is undoubtedly linked to Second World War Britain's shortages and the need to "make do and mend".

21a   Substitute for modesty? (7)

As a sports term, a reserve^[2] is an extra player or participant who can take another's place if needed; in other words, a substitute.

25a   American English sailor with the French may be of service (7)

In the Royal Navy, able seaman (abbreviation AB)^[5]. is a rank of sailor above ordinary seaman and below leading seaman. Le^[8] is the masculine singular form of the French definite article.

3d   Not well and not working — show embarrassment (3-6)

In Britain, off-colour^[2] means slightly unwell or not in good health. In North America (spelled off-color in the US), it means (in reference to humour), rude or smutty.

5d   Soft soap or other toiletry item (7)

Flannel^[4] is a British expression meaning (1) indirect or evasive talk or (2) deceiving flattery. In the UK, it also means a small piece of cloth used to wash the face and hands (also known as a face cloth).

Although Collins indicates that the equivalent US and Canadian term is washcloth, I personally would tend to say face cloth. I think washcloth is mainly a US term. As with many words, Canadians tend to use a mix of British and American terms (sometimes interchangeably, as is the case with face cloth and washcloth). Unfortunately, American terms seem to be supplanting British terms due to the pervasive influence of American media.

6d   Viewer partly drinking son’s wine (7)

Retsina^[5] is a Greek white or rosé wine flavoured with resin [and, judging by Pommers' comment, rather nasty stuff].

7d   Award given for plum hybrid (8,5)

In Britain, a Victoria plum^[5] is a plum of a large red dessert variety.

19d   Thousand-kilogramme gold cover for car (7)

A tonne^[4] is a unit of mass equal to 1000 kg or 2204.6 pounds. Also called (not in technical use) metric ton (although that is precisely – or, perhaps, imprecisely – the definition provided by The American Heritage Dictionary^[3]). The symbol for the chemical element gold is Au^[5].

20d   Gunners on Rome’s river returning for a snack (7)

In the UK, the Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA)^[7], is the artillery arm of the British Army. Rarebit^[5] (also called Welsh rabbit) is a dish of melted and seasoned cheese on toast, sometimes with other ingredients.

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, June 20, 2012 - DT 26830

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26830
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26830]
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

It took considerable effort, but I eventually was able to complete the puzzle without help from my electronic assistants. I would definitely have finished sooner had I spelled languor correctly to begin with.

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   Town is accommodating quiet jam makers by church (7)

Ipswich^[7] is the county town of Suffolk, England.

Piano^[3,5] (abbreviation p^[5]), is a musical direction meaning either soft or quiet (as an adjective) or softly or quietly (as an adverb). [It seems like this musical term makes an appearance about every second day.]

The Women's Institute (WI)^[5] is an organization of women, especially in rural areas, who meet regularly and participate in crafts, cultural activities, and social work (and, apparently, making jam). Now worldwide, it was first set up in Ontario, Canada, in 1897, and in Britain in 1915. Interestingly, Oxford  Dictionaries characterises the abbreviation for this organization with Canadian origins as being "British".

13a   Dogs, perhaps, heard in part of supermarket (5)

The Isle of Dogs^[7] is a former island in the East End of London that is bounded on three sides by one of the largest meanders in the River Thames. It is no longer truly an island, as the waterway on its north side has been interrupted by a strip of infilled land.

19a   Manage to follow shop’s principal range (5)

I invested a lot of time trying to justify "range" being a STOVE. As I eventually came to realise, "range" is being used in quite a different sense in this clue.

23a   Excellent teacher restraining troublemaker finally, vacant sort (7)

A1^[4][5] or A-one^[3] meaning first class or excellent comes from a classification for ships in The Lloyd's Register of Shipping where it means equipped to the highest standard or first-class. Head^[2] is a colloquial term (perhaps British) for a head teacher or principal teacher.

24a   Like one observant ambassador say hosting big noise (7)

HE^[2] is the abbreviation for His or Her Excellency, where Excellency^[2] (usually His, Her or Your Excellency or Your or Their Excellencies) is a title of honour given to certain people of high rank, e.g. ambassadors.

25a   Skill is a necessity principally for mechanic (7)

An artisan^[5] is defined as a worker in a skilled trade, especially one that involves making things by hand • street markets where local artisans display handwoven textiles, painted ceramics, and leather goods. I know that mechanics^[5] are a skilled workers who repair and maintain vehicle engines and other machinery, but I never considered them to be artisans. However, Oxford also shows an archaic meaning of mechanic to be a manual labourer or artisan • the Mechanics' Institute.

Mechanics' Institutes^[7] were educational establishments formed to provide adult education, particularly in technical subjects, to working men. As such, they were often funded by local industrialists on the grounds that they would ultimately benefit from having more knowledgeable and skilled employees. The world's first Mechanics' Institute was established in Edinburgh, Scotland in October 1821. By the mid-19th century, there were over 700 institutes in towns and cities across the UK and overseas.

1d   Irritates the French following row (7)

Les^[8] is the plural form of the French definite article.

2d   Music-maker from this country left to go into posh sheltered place (7)

To identify the nation to which "this country" refers, remember that the puzzle was originally published in the United Kingdom. In Britain, U^[5] is used informally as an adjective with respect to language or social behaviour meaning characteristic of or appropriate to the upper social classes (U manners). In today's puzzle, the setter clues it as "posh". The term, an abbreviation of  upper class, was coined in 1954 by Alan S. C. Ross, professor of linguistics, and popularized by its use in Nancy Mitford's Noblesse Oblige (1956).

4d   Old despot with empty outburst, thick type (5)

Idi Amin Dada^[7] (c. 1924 – 2003) was the military dictator and third President of Uganda from 1971 to 1979.

5d   Wrongly term claims concocted by lecturer (7)

It seems that only those with access to a copy of The Chambers Dictionary will find that L^[1] is an abbreviation for lecturer.

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, June 19, 2012 - DT 26829

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26829
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Monday, April 2, 2012
Setter Rufus
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26829]
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 26828 which was published in The Daily Telegraph on Saturday, March 31, 2012

Introduction

A couple of clues forced me to call my electronic assistants into action. One was a British highway structure and the second – although not British – is a type of flooring material with which I had not previously been acquainted.

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.

10a   After game, find Scrabble piece that’s on the floor (6,4)

I tried to make the game be MARBLES, even though it contained a superfluous S. Failing that, I then tried to make the solution start with RU (for rugby union). I had to haul out my Tool Chest before I cottoned on to the fact that I should be hunting a different type of game.

I must admit that I have never heard of this type of flooring. Quarry tile^[4] is a square or diamond-shaped unglazed floor tile. The name comes from quarry^[4] meaning a square or diamond shape and not – as I had supposed – an open surface excavation for the extraction of building stone, slate, marble, etc.

11a   Left one with a Shakespearean part (6)

Portia^[7] is the heroine of William Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice.

12a   Humorist better touring the South (7)

Punter^[5] is a chiefly British slang term for a person who gambles, places a bet, or makes a risky investment. It can also mean (1) a customer or client, especially a member of an audience, or (2) a prostitute’s client.

15a   Cracked up as a result of despair (7)

To be cracked up to be^[5], used with a negative, means to be asserted to be (used to indicate that someone or something has been described too favourably) • life on tour is not as glamorous as it’s cracked up to be.

18a   Lake where mill initially stands before the end (4)

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.

22a   Irregular deliveries (2-5)

In cricket, a no-ball^[5] is an unlawfully delivered ball, counting one as an extra to the batting side if not otherwise scored from : we also bowled far too many no-balls and wides. An extra^[5] is a run scored other than from a hit with the bat, credited to the batting side rather than to a batsman. A wide^[5] is a ball that is judged to be too wide of the stumps for the batsman to play, for which an extra is awarded to the batting side.

28a   Forget to put it on order (4)

The Order of Merit^[7] (abbreviation OM^[5]) is a dynastic order recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by King Edward VII, admission into the order remains the personal gift of its Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, and is limited to 24 living recipients at one time from these countries plus a limited number of honorary members.

The current membership consists of two members of the Royal Family (Prince Philip and Prince Charles), nineteen Britons, two Australians (one of whom is a British resident), and one Canadian (former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien). Past members from Canada are former Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King, neurosurgeon Wilder Penfield, and former Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson. It would seem that being a former Liberal prime minister gives one a leg up in receiving this honour.

2d   Love to drink up after work (4)

In tennis, squash, and some other sports, love^[5] is a score of zero or nil • love fifteen. The resemblance of a zero written as a number (0) to the letter O leads to the cryptic crossword convention of love equating to this letter.

4d   Carriage upside-down on road crossing (7)

A flyover^[3,4] is another name for an overpass in Britain. A fly^[3,4] is a chiefly British term for a one-horse carriage, especially one for hire.

6d   May come to respect the royal staff (7)

A sceptre^[5] is an ornamented staff carried by rulers on ceremonial occasions as a symbol of sovereignty • imperial regalia of orb and sceptre.

14d   Posh vehicle for baker’s deliveries? (5)

Rolls is a shortened form of Rolls-Royce^[5], a luxury car produced by the British Rolls-Royce company.

15d   Don, still in bed, gets up (3,2)

In the surface reading, the Brits would likely see don^[5] meaning a university teacher, especially a senior member of a college at Oxford or Cambridge.

25d   Fifty stick around, looking far from pleased (4)

Gum^[2] as a noun is (1) any of various substances found in certain plants, especially trees, that produce a sticky solution or gel when added to water, used in confectionery, gummed envelopes, etc. or (2) this or any similar substance used as glue. As a verb, it means to to smear, glue or unite something with gum. However, this is not the meaning that came to my mind. I thought of a stick of (chewing) gum.

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, June 18, 2012 -DT 26827

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26827
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Friday, March 30, 2012
Setter Giovanni
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26827]
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

It took a long time to get into this puzzle – perhaps owing to the fact that I spent several hours on the road before tackling it. There were quite a few British references in the puzzle, some of which I had previously encountered (although I failed to recognize some of them) and some of which were new to me. I also made a few educated (or just plain lucky) guesses - such as the location of the Royal Mint.

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.

11a   German boy certainly not a Bunter type (6)

Billy Bunter^[7] is an obese, short-sighted fictional character featured originally in stories set at Greyfriars School in the United Kingdom weekly boys story paper The Magnet first published in 1908, and has since appeared in novels, on television, in stage plays, and in comic strips. Dieter is a common German boy's name.

12a   What may give cover to one who is lying (7)

I discovered that I needed more than just a blanket.

15a   Senior schoolgirl gets a bit twisted, becoming model (7)

In some British schools, a prefect^[5] is a senior pupil who is authorized to enforce discipline. You may recall the term from The Hollies song "Carrie Anne" (in the song, of course, the term refers to senior schoolboys – I presume).

When we were at school our games were simple
I played the janitor, you played the monitor
Then you played with older boys and prefects
What's the attraction in what they're doing

16a   Frigid upper-class girl with little money once (5)

Gel^[5] is an informal British term for an upper-class or well-bred girl or young woman • fastidiously reared Home Counties gels. A penny (abbreviation d)^[5] is a former British coin and monetary unit equal to one twelfth of a shilling and 240th of a pound. On February 15, 1971 this coin was replaced by the decimal penny (abbreviation p)^[5] a British bronze coin and monetary unit equal to one hundredth of a pound. Thus 1d (one penny) is "little money once" – a small amount of a no-longer used form of currency.

18a   Mist somewhere in Middlesex, we hear (4)

Middlesex^[5] is a former county of SE England, situated to the north west of London. In 1965 it was divided between Hertfordshire, Surrey, and Greater London. Hayes^[7] is a town in the London Borough of Hillingdon, West London - located in the area that was once Middlesex.

21a   Core group of students tackling tricky clue (7)

The National Union of Students (NUS)^[7] is Britain’s confederation of students’ unions. Take your pick whether you prefer to parse the wordplay as NU(CLEU*)S or N(UCLE*)US.

22a   Hoarding pounds, misers unlikely to be such? (7)

L (usually written £) is a symbol for pound (or pounds), the British unit of currency.

24a   Judge a script brought in by boy (6)

Samson^[7] is the third to last of the Judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible) (Book of Judges chapters 13 to 16).

A biblical judge^[7] is "a ruler or a military leader, as well as someone who presided over legal hearings." Following the conquest of Canaan by Joshua until the formation of the first Kingdom of Israel (ca. 1150-1025 BC), the Israelite Tribes formed a loose confederation. No central government existed in this confederation and in times of crisis, the people were led by ad hoc leaders known as judges.

28a   Bird’s merit being expressed audibly (4)

Erne^[4] is another name for the European sea eagle.

29a   Works at Llantrisant maybe and shows a profit (5,5)

Llantrisant^[7], a town in Wales, is the home of the Royal Mint, which manufactures all British coins.

4d   Place in Surrey could be complete with two sovereigns (7)

Dorking^[7] is a historic market town at the foot of the North Downs approximately 21 miles (34 km) south of London, in Surrey, England. R^[5] is the abbreviation for either Regina or Rex (Latin for queen or king, respectively).

5d   Chemical in a shapeless mass not soft (4)

Piano^[3,5] (abbreviation p^[5]), is a musical direction meaning either soft or quiet (as an adjective) or softly or quietly (as an adverb).

12d   A soberness not usually found in ladies (10)

I was convinced that this clue was referring to a restroom^[5] (in the North American sense). In Britain, the Ladies^[5] is a term for a women’s public toilet.

15d   Drinks — any number needed in the mines (5)

In Britain, pint is an informal term for a pint of beer (a pint being the standard measure for a serving of beer in Britain) • we’ll probably go for a pint on the way home.

In his review, Gazza refers to "the letter used in maths". In Britain, the short form for mathematics is maths^[5] ([as modifier] her mother was a maths teacher), rather than math^[5] as it is in North America (she teaches math and science).

19d   The tiniest bit gives a fashion designer hesitation (7)

Mary Quant^[7] is a Welsh fashion designer and British fashion icon, who was instrumental in the mod fashion movement. She was one of the designers who took credit for inventing the miniskirt and hot pants.

20d   Books packaged together in vehicle (7)

Omnibus^[5] is a another (dated) name for a bus • a horse-drawn omnibus.

23d   Desire shown by one bather, primarily to get into pool (6)

In Britain, a lido^[5] is a public open-air swimming pool or bathing beach.

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, June 16, 2012 - Across and Down

Introduction

The theme of today's puzzle from Cox and Rathvon is most appropriate for a crossword puzzle.

I hadn't noticed that the solution published last week for the June 2 puzzle was incorrect. However, even with the corrected solution, the answer to 26a is still SHRUB!






Solution to Today's Puzzle

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

Across

8a   BRU(NET)TE - BRUTE (beast) containing (grabbing) NET (butterfly catcher)

9a   HER(AL)D - AL (Pacino; American actor Al Pacino) contained in (introduced to) HERD (group of followers)

10a   ANG(L)ER - L (left) contained in (in) ANGER (rage)

11a   D|UST BOWL* - D ([Roman numeral for] 500) + anagram (scattered around) of LOW TUBS

12a   C(HAT S)HOW - HATS (occupations) contained in (in) CHOW (food)

Chat show^[4] is the British name for a talk show.

13a   L(A)YING - LYING (telling stories) containing (about) A (one)

14a   {PUTS ONE ACROSS ON}* - anagram (about) of COURTESANS SNOOP

18a   S(TOP) IT - TOP (upper body) contained in (in) SIT (pose)

20a   DISC|LOSE - DISC (recording) + (and) LOSE (come up short)

23a   SHANGHAI* - hidden in (around) barberS HANG HAIrbrushes

24a   NO|D OFF - DOFF (shed) following (after) NO (refusal)

25a   P(RIM)AL - PAL (friend) containing (skirting) RIM (border)

26a   T(REE FER)N - REEFER (joint [of marijuana]) contained in (in) TN (Tennessee)

Down

1d   B|RANCH - B (piece [first letter] of Bread) + RANCH (spread)

2d   INFLATES* - anagram (pitching) of A SNIT ELF

3d   STAR|CH - STAR (celebrity) + CH (church)

4d   {GET DOWN AND DIRTY}* - anagram (sporting) of IN DRAG TWENTY ODD

5d   WHISTLER* - anagram (rum) of SWIRL THE

Rum^[5] is dated British slang meaning odd or peculiar. Whistler^[7] is a ski resort near Vancouver, British Columbia which hosted many events during the 2010 Winter Olympics.

6d   CR(A|BB)Y - CRY (yell) containing (about) {A (†) + BB (pellet)}

7d   P(LOW) INTO - PINTO (pony) containing (circling) LOW (small)

15d   {UP TO HERE}* - anagram (bananas) of PUREE HOT

16d   NUTS|HELL - NUTS (blast) + HELL (darn)

17d   SO(LID|IF)Y - {LID (top) + IF (condition)} contained in (seen in) SOY (sort of bean)

19d   P(AN)A|MA - {PA (dad) + (and) MA (mom)} containing (going around) AN

21d   SUN|KEN - SUN (bask) + (with) KEN (Barbie's beau)

Barbie^[7] and her boyfriend, Ken^[7], are dolls manufactured by the American toy-company Mattel, Inc.

22d   S(A|FAR)I - SI (Spaniard's assent) containing (about) {A (†) + FAR (distant)}

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, June 15, 2012 - DT 26826

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26826
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Thursday, March 29, 2012
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26826]
Big Dave's Review Written By Digby
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

After spending most of the day on the road, I finally got an opportunity to put my feet up and relax with the puzzle. I was a bit intimidated by Digby's characterisation of the puzzle as being "at the high end of difficulty", but I didn't fare too badly with it.

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   Rudimentary island with nothing beside brewed tea (8)

Inch^[2] is a Scots term, often appearing in place names, meaning a small island.

12a   Frivolous fellow with insolence getting to criticise team’s leader (8)

Fellow^[2] is abbreviated as F^[2] when used in the sense of a member of a learned society.

21a   It’s a team game, therefore cricket club requires one ruling (6)

In Britain, the letters CC would be readily recognized as meaning Cricket Club (just as FC means football club). In his hint, Digby chooses to use Marylebone Cricket Club as an example. The "one ruling" is, of course, our current monarch. By tradition, British monarchs use initials formed from the Latin version of their first name followed by either Rex or Regina (Latin for king or queen, respectively). Thus Queen Elizabeth's initials are ER^[5] - from the Latin Elizabetha Regina.

1d   Movement between points an element in badminton? (7)

In Britain, shuttle^[4] is short for shuttlecock.

3d   Bird circling a river and sailing venue (6)

According to some dictionaries, at least, mina^[2,3] is a variant spelling of myna.

4d   Lorry driver took freight with hand in shift (6,2,3,4)

Knight of the road^[2] is a colloquial, usually facetious term for, among others, a lorry (truck) driver.

5d   Load cook initially found having to cut sign of additives? (8)

E numbers^[7] are codes for chemicals which can be used as food additives for use within the European Union (the "E" prefix stands for "Europe"). They are commonly found on food labels throughout the European Union. Safety assessment and approval are the responsibility of the European Food Safety Authority.

6d   Clean search (5)

I initially had put SWEEP in here. As Digby points out, this proved to be lacking in thoroughness on both counts. It also handicapped me on a couple of the across clues. However, judging by a comment in Digby's review, I was not alone in making this choice.

7d   Equipment with revolutionary name in domestic setting (7)

Ernesto "Che" Guevara (1928 – 1967), commonly known as El Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist who was a major figure of the Cuban Revolution.

14d   Public official with colleagues and money in ME country (9)

In Economics, M^[2] is an abbreviation for money supply (used in the UK to designate its seven categories: M0, M1, M2, M3, M3c, M4 and M5; M0 being the most liquid or readily-available category) • broad money, M3, grew by an annualized 9.7 per cent^[5].

18d   Chap taking in road with sun getting discomfort (7)

The A1^[7] is the longest numbered road in the UK, at 410 miles (660 km). It connects London, the capital of England and the United Kingdom, with Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland.

Under the road numbering scheme^[7] used to classify and identify roads in England, Scotland and Wales, each road is assigned a single letter, which represents the road's category, and a subsequent number, with a length of between 1 and 4 digits. Two schemes exist; one for motorways (multi-lane divided highways), and another for non-motorway roads. Motorways are identified by the prefix M, and non-motorway roads by the prefixes A, B, C, D and U (unclassified).

Alternative systems are used in Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and Jersey, Channel Islands.

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