Friday, November 23, 2012 - DT 26967

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26967
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Monday, September 10, 2012
Setter Rufus (Roger Squires)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26967]
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 26966 which was published in The Daily Telegraph on Saturday, September 8, 2012.

Introduction

Puzzles set by Rufus are generally not difficult but they are always highly enjoyable. He is particularly regarded as a master of the cryptic definition. Such clues define the solution through the use of an unexpected or whimsical interpretation of the clue. Thus in 3d, the phrase "sent flying" conjures up the image of running into someone and knocking them off their feet. However, the solution relies on a totally different interpretation of the clue. Sometimes the effect that the setter is hoping to achieve depends on the reader being familiar with the common British usage of a term. Such is the case today with 2d. If the first thought that comes to mind when one reads the clue is a line of camels packing goods across the desert, then much of the effect is lost. The setter expects readers to think of a caravan as being what North Americans would call a trailer. I have been doing these puzzles long enough now that I am becoming familiar with many British expressions and actually find myself falling for the misdirection in cases where I would once have missed it entirely (and might very well have commented "Hardly very cryptic").

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   In fairness, breaking bail is a likelihood (11)

This may be a reference to cricket where a bail^[5] is either of the two crosspieces bridging the stumps of the wicket, which the bowler and fielders try to dislodge with the ball to get the batsman out ⇒ the Lancashire captain was at full stretch as the wicketkeeper took off the bails.

10a   Poet takes orders (5)

John Keats^[5] (1795–1821) is an English poet. A principal figure of the romantic movement, he wrote all of his most famous poems, including ‘La Belle Dame sans Merci’, ‘Ode to a Nightingale’, and ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn’, in 1818 (published in 1820).

11a   Cavalryman turns back not thinking about us (6)

A hussar^[3] is (1) a horseman of the Hungarian light cavalry organized during the 15th century or (2) a member of any of similar, ornately uniformed European units of light cavalry.

13a   Try, to prevent a try? (6)

In rugby, a try^[5] is an act of touching the ball down behind the opposing goal line, scoring points and entitling the scoring side to a kick at goal.

19a   Supplies rushed on board (6)

As is customary in cryptic crosswords, "on board" implies on board a steamship (abbreviation SS^[5]). The phrase "on board" acts as a containment indicator with the container being an implicit SS.

27a   Honour Seb Coe in a sculpting (9)

Sebastian Coe^[7], often known as Seb Coe, is a British former athlete and politician. As a middle-distance runner, Coe won four Olympic medals, including the 1500 metres gold medal at the Olympic Games in 1980 and 1984. Following his retirement from athletics, he was a Member of Parliament for the Conservative Party from 1992–97, and became a Life Peer in 2000. He headed the successful London bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympics and became chairman of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games. He is currently a vice-president of the International Association of Athletics Federations as well as chairman of the British Olympic Association.

28a   Give a Royal Marine's guard order to salute (7,4)

The Royal Marines (RM)^[5] is a British armed service (part of the Royal Navy) that was founded in 1664, and trained for service at sea, or on land under specific circumstances.

2a   Well-equipped place for caravans en route (5)

Here, "well-equipped" literally means a place equipped with a well. In Britain, a caravan^[5] is a vehicle equipped for living in, typically towed by a car and used for holidays ⇒ they spent a fishing holiday in a caravan. In North America, such a vehicle would be known as a trailer^[5].

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, November 22, 2012 - DT 26965

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26965
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Friday, September 7, 2012
Setter Giovanni (Don Manley)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26965]
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

My electronic assistants may have expected to have the day off today. However, I did have to call on them to help me identify the region of New Zealand called for in 2d.

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   One looking for clues left in houses? (6)

Sherlock Holmes^[7] is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

10a   Something on meal table in lounge (4)

Before the correct solution dawned on me, I did briefly consider that the answer might be LEAN, as in the nursery rhyme where we are told that the wife of Jack Sprat^[7] could "eat no lean".

18a   Elvis in huge theatre initially drowned by instrument (8)

Not Elvis Presley but, rather, the husband of Canadian jazz artist Diana Krall.

The sizes of clothing that North Americans would describe as plus-size^[7] (or often big and tall in the case of men's clothing) would be called outsize OS^[5] in Britain.

19a   Former tennis champ put on the scales, we hear (4)

Virginia Wade^[7] is an English former tennis player. She won three Grand Slam singles championships and four Grand Slam doubles championships. She won the women's singles championship at Wimbledon on 1 July 1977, in that tournament's centenary year, and remains the last British woman to have won a Grand Slam singles tournament.

23a   A maiden and friend hoarding gold with no concern for ethical values (8)

In cricket, a maiden^[5], also known as a maiden over, (abbreviation M)^[5] is an over in which no runs are scored. An over^[5] is a division of play consisting of 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.

 Or^[5] is gold or yellow, as a heraldic tincture. In heraldry, a tincture^[5] is any of the conventional colours (including the metals and stains, and often the furs) used in coats of arms.

26a   Church in which the French soldiers will be given money and fruit (10)

Le^[8] is the masculine singular form of the French definite article. Tin^[5] is dated British slang for money ⇒ Kim’s only in it for the tin.

28a   Old Greek graduate stuck within that time (6)

Thebes^[5] (home of the Thebans) was a city in Greece, in Boeotia, north-west of Athens. Thebes became a major military power in Greece following the defeat of the Spartans at the battle of Leuctra in 371 BC. It was destroyed by Alexander the Great in 336 BC.

There was also an ancient city in Upper Egypt which was known to the Greeks as Thebes. Its ruins are situated on the Nile about 675 km (420 miles) south of Cairo. It was the capital of ancient Egypt under the 18th dynasty (circa 1550–1290 BC) and is the site of the major temples of Luxor and Karnak.

2d   Old volunteers work in region of South Island (5)

My initial stab at this one was OTAWO which was fairly close. I got the first two elements of the charade but stumbled on the final bit.

Otago^[7] is a region of New Zealand in the south of the South Island.

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.

7d   What Euclid saw as a triangle? (5)

Euclid^[7] (circa 300 BC), also known as Euclid of Alexandria, was a Greek mathematician, often referred to as the "Father of Geometry" [so the clue is quite apt].

16d   City that may be built when the incoming waves have been destructive? (9)

Newcastle^[5] is the name of two communities in England. Newcastle upon Tyne is an industrial city and metropolitan district in NE England, a port on the River Tyne. Newcastle-under-Lyme is an industrial town in Staffordshire, in England, just south-west of Stoke-on-Trent.

20d   Look towards the setting sun, being most depressed (6)

Lo^[5] is an archaic exclamation used to draw attention to an interesting or amazing event ⇒ and lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them.

22d   King and his son maybe half cut before noon (5)

In Greek mythology, Priam^[7] was the king of Troy at the time of its destruction by the Greeks under Agamemnon. The father of Paris and Hector and husband of Hecuba, he was slain by Neoptolemus, son of Achilles.

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, November 21, 2012 - DT 26964

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26964
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Thursday, September 6, 2012
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26964]
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 managed to decipher some new British terms found in today's puzzle. However, there was nothing at all particularly British about the one clue where I needed help from my electronic assistants.

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   To sing and dance about a 5-0 rout is heartless (6)

I hope it is not heartless to point out that Pommers is a bit off the mark with his comment "the Roman numerals for 5 and 0". There was no zero in the numbering system used by the Romans. The symbol for zero^[7] was only introduced by the Arabs in the 10th century and Arabic numbers were not adopted by Europeans until the Middle Ages.

9a   It's common sense there's a purpose in feeling sick (8)

Nous^[5] is an informal British term meaning common sense or practical intelligence ⇒ if he had any nous at all, he’d sell the film rights.

10a   Copper approaching end of tether with hardly any time to be indoors (6)

Cu^[5] is the symbol for the chemical element copper.

12a   Insist a sure thing's sound (6)

Cert^[5] is an informal British expression meaning (1) an event regarded as inevitable ⇒ of course Mum would cry, it was a dead cert (2) a racehorse strongly tipped to win a race or (3) a person regarded as certain to do something ⇒ the Scottish [goal]keeper was a cert to play. Note that Pommers alludes to the second sense of the word in his hint.

13a   A chick originally in nest -- or older bird? (8)

Although Pommers comments that "... it’s a rather odd definition IMHO! ", I thought the clue was rather clever. A young woman is frequently called a chick and a more mature woman might well be referred to as an "old bird" (my mother would often refer to an eccentric elderly woman as "a queer old bird").

15a   Anorak from free catalogue? No thanks (7)

An anorak^[5] is a waterproof jacket, typically with a hood, of a kind originally used in polar regions.

The words anorak and parka have possibly been used interchangeably, but they are somewhat different garments. Strictly speaking, an anorak is a waterproof, hooded, pull-over jacket without a front opening, and sometimes drawstrings at the waist and cuffs, and a parka is a knee-length cold-weather jacket or coat; typically stuffed with down or very warm synthetic fiber, and with a fur-lined hood.^[7]

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

In Britain, a cagoule^[5] is a lightweight, hooded, thigh-length waterproof jacket.

In his hint, Pommers refers to a trainspotter^[5], a British term for a person who collects train or locomotive numbers as a hobby. It is also often used in a derogatory sense to refer to a person who obsessively studies the minutiae of any minority interest or specialized hobby ⇒ the idea is to make the music really really collectable so the trainspotters will buy it in their pathetic thousands.

In Britain, anorak^[5] is an informal, derogatory term for a studious or obsessive person with unfashionable and largely solitary interests ⇒ with his thick specs, shabby shoes, and grey suit, he looks a bit of an anorak. The term derives from the anoraks worn by trainspotters, regarded as typifying this kind of person.

26a   Regretting using Parisian street that's almost completely jammed (6)

The French word for street is rue^[8].

1d   What was afoot in 'Cakes and Ale'? (6)

Cakes and Ale: or, the Skeleton in the Cupboard^[7] (1930) is a novel by British author William Somerset Maugham.

As is usually the case, the National Post has dropped the quotation marks which appeared in the puzzle when it was originally published in the UK. I have chosen to leave them in.

3d   Sweet rice came cooked (3,5)

In Britain, sweet^[5] is another name for pudding or dessert.

6d   Sharpness of article combined with extremes of emotion (6)

Cum^[5] (the Latin word for with) is used in English as a preposition [usually in combination] meaning combined with or also used as (used to describe things with a dual nature or function) ⇒ a study-cum-bedroom.

7d   Kill hart and doe with clean shot away from the gaze of spectators (3-5)

I concluded that "clean shot" had to mean 'delete DO' but wasn't sure why this should be so. In Britain, do^[5] can mean to do the cleaning for a person or household ⇒ Florrie usually did for the Shermans in the mornings.

8d   Checked time Lawrence returned clutching fizzy water (8)

There was a fundamental flaw in the clue which was published in the print edition of The Daily Telegraph in Britain and which originally appeared on the website. A new clue was eventually posted to the website. You can read the saga on Big Dave's blog.

Fortunately for readers of the National Post, the revised clue has been included in the syndicated puzzle.

This was one of my last ones in as I tried desperately to force fit British army officer T. E. Lawrence^[7] (Lawrence of Arabia) into the solution instead of English novelist D. H. Lawrence^[7].

11d   Change the ending of popular fellow's talks with second half cut (7)

F^[2] is the abbreviation for Fellow (of a society, etc).

17d   To train fruit trees -- cultivated pears -- may take invention (8)

In addition to being (as Pommers mentions) "a frame or trellis where you train fruit trees", espalier^[5] can also be a verb meaning to train (a tree or shrub) to grow flat against a wall ⇒ fruit trees were espaliered some thirty feet apart.

18d   Happy student capers in party clothes (4,4)

In Britain, rag^[2] is a noun [usually used as a modifier] denoting a programme of stunts, parades, and other entertainments organized by students to raise money for charity : rag week.

23d   Spain and France keep striving (6)

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

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, November 20, 2012 - DT 26963

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26963
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Setter Jay (Jeremy Mutch)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26963]
Big Dave's Review Written By Scchua
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

Today's puzzle was not overly challenging — with the exception of the homophone clue where both sides of the homophone are Briticisms. When the solution to 23a finally dawned on me, it brought with it a big smile.

When this puzzle originally appeared in the UK, Pommers suggested that Jay might have slipped 12a into the puzzle thinking that I might be blogging the puzzle. This idea is further supported by several references in the puzzle to engineering and electricity [my career was spent in the field of electrical engineering]. If this was, in fact, Jay's intent, Big Dave messed up his plan by rejigging the duty roster shortly before this puzzle was published.

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   Helicopter ejecting hotel inspector, for example (6)

Hotel^[5] is a code word representing the letter H, used in radio communication.

5a   Restricted dealing in trade covering source of oil (8)

For cryptic purposes, deal^[5] is used in the sense of to distribute (cards) in an orderly rotation to players for a game or round. Thus "dealing in trade" is deciphered as 'distributing the letters forming the words IN TRADE in a particular order'.

11a   City dweller getting personal in match (6)

When I first encountered this usage of tie in a previous puzzle, I surmised that match must somehow denote tie^[5] in the sense (as a verb) to achieve the same score or ranking as another competitor or team ⇒ (i) Norman needed a par to tie with Nicklaus; (ii) [with object] Muir tied the score at 5-5 or (as a noun) a draw ⇒ there was a tie for first place. However, as you will discover if you try, one cannot simply substitute match for tie in any of the foregoing usage examples.

Rather, we have a British meaning of tie^[5] as a sports match between two or more players or teams in which the winners proceed to the next round of the competition  ⇒ Swindon Town have won themselves a third round tie against Oldham. This usage example does not mean that Swindon Town and Oldham played to a draw in the third round. Instead, it means that Swindon Town and Oldham each defeated their respective competitors in the second round and advanced to play each other in the third round.

14a   Good man! Steak and French tart (8)

Et^[8] is a French conjunction meaning 'and'.

25a   Polite and direct person such as Brunel? (5,8)

Isambard Kingdom Brunel^[7] (1806–1859) was an English mechanical and civil engineer who built bridges and dockyards including the construction of the first major British railway, the Great Western Railway; a series of steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship; and numerous important bridges and tunnels. His designs revolutionised public transport and modern engineering.

26a   Fine source of water, I say (4,4)

I started out with VERY WELL and only changed it when I discovered (somewhat belatedly) the solution to 13d.

8d   Facilities in empty European train? (2,5)

Train^[5] may denote a retinue of attendants accompanying an important person ⇒ a minister and his train of attendants. One meaning of suite^[5] is a group of people in attendance on a monarch or other person of high rank ⇒ the Royal Saloon was built for the use of the Queen and her suite.

13d   Not in favour of new form of literature (4-5)

An antinovel^[5] (anti-novel^[1] in The Chambers Dictionary but antinovel^[2] in Chambers 21st Century Dictionary) is a novel in which the conventions and traditions of the genre are studiously avoided. [Does this make The Chambers Dictionary an anti-dictionary since it is so often at odds with other dictionaries?]

17d   Help for a newsreader reporting traffic jam? (7)

Despite having solved a similar clue in the past without assistance, today I only managed to get this one after a gentle nudge from my electronic helpers.

Autocue^[5] is a British trademark for a device which projects an enlarged image of a script on to a clear glass screen in front of a person speaking on television or in public, so enabling the speaker to read their speech while appearing to be looking at the viewers or audience.

The wordplay in this homophone clue is sounds like (reporting) AUTO QUEUE (traffic jam; "a line of waiting vehicles" in the words of Scchua).

Of course, on the previous occasion the solution was a bit more obvious. In DT 26746 (which appeared in The Daily Telegraph on 2011-12-27 and the National Post on 2012-03-14), the clue was:

• 9a   Teleprompter showing report of traffic jam (7)

24d   Expert said sexpot needs to get rid of regulars (5)

Here "regulars" refers to a regular series of letters, which almost always means every other letter. However, the setter has not specified whether he is referring to the odd-numbered letters or the even-numbered ones. While regular usually means every other letter, I do vaguely recall at least once having seen "regular" used to refer to a sequence involving every third letter.

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, November 19, 2012 - DT 26962

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26962
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26962]
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

The challenge today was figuring out how much of the clue was part of the definition. There were several instances in which the definition was rather verbose and I found myself trying to utilize too much of the clue as wordplay, rather than as part of the definition. Once I sorted that out, the solution was pretty straightforward.

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   Caught girl with 2/3 of diamonds -- great work (7)

On cricket scorecards, the abbreviation c^[5] indicates caught (by) • ME Waugh c Lara b Walsh 19.

5a   Rats on plants with long, narrow leaves (7)

In the UK, grass^[5] is used informally as a noun to denote a police informer and as a verb meaning to inform the police of someone’s criminal activities or plans ⇒ (i) [no object] someone had grassed on the thieves); (ii) [with object] she threatened to grass me up. This expression may derive from rhyming slang (grasshopper ⇒ 'copper').

13a   Pen -- the French kind (5)

Le^[8] is the masculine singular form of the French definite article.

17a   Quietly said he drew ship at sea: not hard (9)

H^[5] is the abbreviation for hard, as used in describing grades of pencil lead ⇒ a 2H pencil.

19a   Newspaper absorbed by American soldier's talents (5)

The Financial Times (FT)^[7] is a British international business newspaper [which happens to be conspicuously published on pink newsprint].

22a   Pork pie eaten by an extraterrestrial (5)

More rhyming slang. Pork pie^[7] (or Porkie pie, often shortened to porkie) is Cockney rhyming slang for 'lie'.

25a   Head holds sanctimonious belief (7)

Onion^[1] is a slang term for the head (although I could find this meaning nowhere but in The Chambers Dictionary). Pi^[5] is an informal British short form for pious.

26a   Think of wise men in inn going by east and northern deserts (7)

Here "deserts" (in the cryptic reading) does not refer to regions of barren sand but is a verb meaning abandons.

27a   Mum turning less nice after leaving son (7)

Mum^[10] can be either (1) an adjective meaning silent or (2) a noun meaning silence ⇒ mum's the word.

I would infer that "leaving" is used more in the sense of abandoning rather than departing.

1d   Ring company with millions to spend (7)

Some archaic meanings of compass^[5] are (1) to go round (something) in a circular course ⇒ the ship wherein Magellan compassed the world or (2) to surround or hem in on all sides ⇒ we were compassed round by a thick fog.

5d   Shoots Europeans after article is censored (5)

Germ^[5] is used in the sense of the embryo in a cereal grain or other plant seed. In this sense, Collins English Dictionary lists sprout as a synonym for germ^[10].

6d   What bowler might be doing is attractive (9)

In the sport of cricket, an appeal^[7] is the act of a player on the fielding team asking an umpire for a decision regarding whether a batsman is out or not.

According to the Laws of Cricket, an umpire may not rule a batsman out unless the fielding side appeals. There have been occasions when a batsman has otherwise technically been out, but the fielding team neglected to appeal so the umpire did not declare them out. An appeal may be made at any point before the bowler starts his run-up for the next ball.

According to the Laws of Cricket, an appeal is a verbal query, usually in the form of, "How's that?" to an umpire. Since the taking of a wicket is an important event in the game, members of the fielding team often shout this phrase with great enthusiasm, and it has transmuted into the slightly abbreviated form, "Howzat?", often with a greatly extended final syllable. Sometimes the second syllable is omitted entirely, the player emitting an elongated cry of simply "How?"

Most players also raise their arms or point at the umpire as part of the appeal. Some players have established their own trademark appeals as well.

Although technically an appeal is required for the umpire to make a decision, in practice it is often obvious to all that a batsman is out, and the batsman may walk off the field without waiting for the decision of the umpire. This is invariably the case when a batsman is out bowled or to an obvious catch. However, the batsman is always entitled to stand his ground and wait for a decision from the umpire. In cases where he considers he might not be out, such as a catch taken low near the grass or where it is not clear if the ball hit the bat, batsmen will not take the walking option. It is then up to the fielding team to appeal for a decision. Sometimes a batsman will walk even when it is not clear to others that he is out, if in his own mind he is certain he was out; this is considered to be the epitome of sportsmanlike behaviour.

7d   Locks cleaner in Lewisham poolroom (7)

Lewisham^[7] is a district in South London, England, located in the London Borough of Lewisham. It is situated 5.9 miles (9.5 km) south-east of Charing Cross (which is considered to mark the centre of London).

17d   We will need kitchen items -- run out to get knives, maybe (7)

On cricket scorecards, one would find R^[5] employed as an abbreviation for run(s). Although it is also a baseball term, that fact was likely not a consideration for the setter.

23d   Church after evil past (5)

The Church of England (CE)^[10] is the reformed established state Church in England, Catholic in order and basic doctrine, with the Sovereign as its temporal head.

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, November 17, 2012 - As One Might Say ...

Introduction

Today's puzzle from Cox and Rathvon amounts to an exercise in solving homophone clues (clues in which all, or part, of the solution sounds like something found in the clue).

Solution to Today's Puzzle

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

Across

1a   {COMMEN|TATOR}~ — sounds like (announced) {COMMON (widespread) + TATER (source of starch; slangy name for a potato)}

7a   SONNETEER* — anagram (ordered) of NO ENTREES

8a   _RE|AL|M_ — hidden (maintains) in wheRE AL Martino (American singer and actor Al Martino (1927 – 2009))

10a   INS(P)ECT — INSECT (bug) containing (pierced by) P (tip [first letter] of Prong)

11a   NE(I)THER — I ([Roman numeral for] one) contained in (inside) NETHER (of the underworld)

12a   {TROU|SSEAU}~ — sounds like (for hearing) {TRUE (right; in the first way) + SO (right; in the second way)}

14a   HIP|PO — HIP (in) + PO (Post Office)

16a   LEASH* — anagram (wound; past participle of the verb to wind) of HEALS

18a   {CHAM|PAGNE}~ — sounds like (audibly) {SHAM (pretend) + PAIN (to be hurt)}

20a   A|PP|ARE|L — A (†) + PP (ParsniP's ends) + ARE (†) + L (left)

22a   BE|L|FAST — BE (live) + L (large) + (and) FAST (securely)

Belfast^[7] is the capital of, and largest city in, Northern Ireland.

23a   _EGRET — [R]EGRET (sense of loss) with the initial letter deleted (missing the first [letter])

24a   PRIM|ARIES — PRIM (prudish) + ARIES (sign [of the zodiac])

In the US, a primary^[5] (also known as a primary election) is a preliminary election to appoint delegates to a party conference or to select the candidates for a principal, especially presidential, election ⇒ these two republicans should win their primaries easily.

25a   ARCHIMEDEAN~ — sounds like (as some say) AR (dialectal pronunciation of OUR) COMEDIAN (†)

The definition is "of an old philosopher" making the solution an adjective. Archimedes^[5] (circa 287–212 BC) was a Greek mathematician and inventor, of Syracuse. He is famous for his discovery of Archimedes‘ principle (legend has it that he made this discovery while taking a bath, and ran through the streets shouting ’Eureka!'); among his mathematical discoveries are the ratio of the radius of a circle to its circumference, and formulas for the surface area and volume of a sphere and of a cylinder.

Down

1d   CONES|TOGA — CONES (tapering figures) + TOGA (wrap)

Conestoga Wagon

The Conestoga wagon^[7] is a heavy, covered wagon that was used extensively during the late 18th century and the 19th century in the United States and Canada. It was large enough to transport loads up to 8 tons (7 metric tons), and was drawn by horses, mules or oxen.

2d   MEETERS~ — sounds like (speaking of) METRES (distances) [or METERS for US readers]

3d   EVEN|T — EVEN (uniform) + T (time)

4d   TARANTULA* — anagram (weaving) of NATURAL AT

5d   TARNISH — double definition; "get discoloured" & "like a mountain lake?"

The second definition is whimsical (as indicated by the question mark). The setters invent a new word by appending the suffix -ISH (like) to TARN (a mountain lake).

6d   R|EACH — R (run) + EACH (every)

7d   {SCIN|TILL|ATE}~ — sounds like (reportedly) {SIN (act immoral) + TIL (until) + EIGHT (early in the evening)}

To sin only until eight would be to "quit acting immoral early in the evening". On the other hand, one might choose to SCIN|TIL|LATE (sin til late), and continue to enjoy oneself well into the wee hours of the morning. In fact, I initially tried to parse the clue in the latter fashion — which clearly did not jibe with the wordplay.

9d   MARI|ONETTES — sounds like (for an audience) {MARRY (pair up) + ANNETTE'S (Ms. Bening's; American actress Annette Bening^[7])}

13d   EUCALYPTI* — anagram (about) of CLUE A PITY

15d   PYGMALION* — anagram (broken up) of LAY MOPING

In Greek mythology, Pygmalion^[7] was a king of Cyprus who fashioned an ivory statue of a beautiful woman and loved it so deeply that in answer to his prayer Aphrodite gave it life. The woman (at some point named Galatea) bore him a daughter, Paphos.

17d   HERE|TIC — HERE (present) + (next to) TIC (jerk)

19d   PAL|MATE — PAL (friend) + (and) MATE (spouse)

21d   PARK|A — PARK (temporarily set down) + A (†)

22d   B|RIDE — B (second rate) + RIDE (mount)

Isn't "second-rate mount" a rather uncharitable way to refer to a bride?

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, November 16, 2012 - DT 26961

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26961
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Monday, September 3, 2012
Setter Rufus (Roger Squires)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26961]
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 26960 which was published in The Daily Telegraph on Saturday, September 1, 2012.

Introduction

After sitting on the sidelines yesterday, my electronic helpers saw very limited action today as we are presented with the usual gentle fare from Rufus. Rufus is the acknowledged master of the cryptic definition so it is hardly surprising that more than half of the clues that I have chosen to comment on today are of that type.

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   A naturally talented spinner (6)

The setter likely intends that the surface reading carry a cricket connotation. In that sport, a spinner^[5] is a bowler who is expert in spinning the ball.

11a   Quartz watch that doesn't look for real? (5,3)

In the surface reading, quartz watch^[10] refers to a watch that is operated by the vibrations of a quartz crystal controlled by a microcircuit. However, in the cryptic reading, we have a charade of GLASS (quartz) + EYE (watch). Of course, a glass eye is unable to see anything (doesn't look for real).

Quartz^[10] is a short form for quartz glass^[10], a colourless glass composed of almost pure silica, resistant to very high temperatures and transparent to near-ultraviolet radiation (also called silica glass or nitreous silica).

12a   Union left gets in extremely easily (6)

In the UK, US, and several other countries, Equity^[5] is a trade union to which all professional actors must belong.

13a   Horse-racing is fun for Cambridge college? (5,2,5)

Horse racing is known as the sport of kings^[5]. King's College^[7] is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England.

16a   Flat-finding agencies (6,6)

An agency^[5] is a thing or person that acts to produce a particular result ⇒ the movies could be an agency moulding the values of the public.

25a   Promise to uncle, perhaps (6)

Uncle^[5] is an archaic, informal term for a pawnbroker.

5d   Able to pay up five pound in notes, perhaps (7)

The pound^[5] (also pound sterling) is the basic monetary unit of the UK, equal to 100 pence. While the symbol for pound is £, it is often written as L^[10].

6d   Sign sick note for char (5)

In the surface reading, char^[5] is likely used as a shortened version of charwoman^[5], a dated term for a woman employed as a cleaner in a house or office.

22d   Posh vehicle for baker's deliveries? (5)

Rolls^[10] is an informal term for a Rolls-Royce automobile.

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