Monday, March 25, 2013 — DT 27075

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27075
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27075]
Big Dave's Review Written By Deep Threat
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★★	Enjoyment - ★★★
Falcon's Experience ┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐ ███████████████████████████████████ └────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘ 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 27074 which was published in The Daily Telegraph on Monday, January 14, 2013.

Introduction

I thought that for one week, at least, we might find ourselves aligned with the British weekly publication schedule. However, the editors at the National Post have thrown a spanner into the works by skipping the puzzle that was published in the UK on Monday January 14. Thus we are presented today with a 'Tuesday' puzzle. It is a bit on the easy side — so still a gentle start to the week.

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.

Across

1a   Choose  the best  tool (4)

3a   Surpassing food, kosher (5-5)

9a   Accomplished daughter, single (4)

10a   Block, centre reportedly for US government agency (5,5)

The Peace Corps^[10], established in 1961, is an agency of the US government that sends American volunteers to developing countries, where they work on educational and other projects.

11a   Mad sort, eccentric achieving fame (7)

13a   Old leader in tragedy greeting jealous husband (7)

Othello^[7] is the title character in Shakespeare's Othello (c.1601–1604). Othello is a Moorish prince living in Venice, an ambassador of the Moors. After time in Venice, Othello is appointed general in the Venetian Army. His officer Iago tricks him into believing that his wife Desdemona is having an affair with his Lieutenant, Michael Cassio. Othello kills his wife out of jealousy by suffocating her in her sleep, only to realize that his wife was faithful, at which point he commits suicide.

14a   Change involving clubs causes argument (11)

18a   The password confused union rep (4,7)

21a   Remove from auxiliary court (7)

22a   Severe, the south wind close to shore (7)

Auster^[10] is a poetic name for the south wind.

23a   One who's often overly emotional in play group (5,5)

Queen^[7] are a British rock band formed in London in 1970, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury (lead vocals, piano), Brian May (guitar, vocals), John Deacon (bass guitar), and Roger Taylor (drums, vocals).

24a   No end of prime cheese (4)

Prime^[5] is used in the sense of to prepare (someone) for a situation, typically by supplying them with relevant information  ⇒ the sentries had been primed to admit him without challenge.

25a   Massive statue by a lake (10)

26a   Band's hit (4)

Down

1d   Stand in front of pavilion at Leeds ground (8)

Leeds^[5] is an industrial city in West Yorkshire, northern England; population 441,100 (est. 2009). It developed as a wool town in the Middle Ages, becoming a centre of the clothing trade in the Industrial Revolution. In Britain, a pavilion^[5] is a building at a cricket ground [field] or other sports ground, used for changing and taking refreshments. In the cryptic reading, ground is to be interpreted as the past participle of the verb 'to grind'.

2d   Film fan ordered nice high teas (8)

A cineaste^[5] is (1) a filmmaker or (2) a person who is fond of or knowledgeable about the cinema.

4d   Fish in river swallowed by ray (5)

The bream^[5] is a greenish-bronze deep-bodied freshwater fish (Abramis brama) native to Europe. Beam (as mentioned by Deep Threat in his review) is a pseudonym used by Ray Terrell (whom we know as RayT) when he sets Toughie puzzles in The Daily Telegraph.

5d   Successes against Conservatives? Independent candidates initially restrained (9)

6d   Bribes help to bring in sponsors? Just the opposite (4-7)

Backhander^[5] is British slang for a secret and illegal payment; in other words, a bribe ⇒ a fortune had been paid in backhanders to local officials.

7d   In a jaunty manner, first-rate lines written about the Italian (6)

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.

In Italian, the masculine form of the definite article is il^[8].

8d   Tyrant posted abroad (6)

Abroad^[5] is used in the sense of freely moving about ⇒ hospital inmates abroad on the streets of the town.

12d   Challenges mother, unfortunately, over in African port (3,2,6)

Dar es Salaam^[5] is the chief port and former capital of Tanzania; population 2,930,000 (est. 2007). It was founded in 1866 by the sultan of Zanzibar. Its Arabic name means ‘haven of peace’.

15d   Military command connected with revolution (5-4)

16d   Unconcerned about a heartless judge (8)

17d   Person supporting that woman through a depression (8)

19d   Models changed rarely (6)

20d   Air  filter (6)

22d   Ring any number in department (5)

"I suggest that you check with someone who is an expert in that field, it not being my department".

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, March 23, 2013 — Let's Get Cooking

Introduction

Be prepared to spend some time in the kitchen. There are many ways to cook food and in today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon we get to experience a fair number of them.

Solution to Today's Puzzle

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

Across

1a   {WHOLE W}*HEAT — anagram (wildly) of WE HOWL + HEAT (cook)

6a   FR(A)Y — FRY (cook) containing (having) A (†)

9a   S(HE)ET — HE (†) contained in (put in) SET (matching group)

10a   ZO<|ROASTER —reversal (brought back) of OZ (wizard) + ROASTER (chicken to cook)

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz^[7] is a children's novel written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow which was originally published in 1900. It has since been reprinted numerous times, most often under the name The Wizard of Oz, which is the name of both the popular 1902 Broadway musical and the well-known 1939 film adaptation.

Zoroaster^[5] (circa 628-circa 551 BC), Persian prophet and founder of Zoroastrianism; Avestan name Zarathustra. Little is known of his life, but traditionally he was born in Persia and began to preach the tenets of what was later called Zoroastrianism after receiving a vision from Ahura Mazda.

12a   A|BIG|AIL — A (†) + BIG (huge) + AIL (pain)

13a   SORVINO* — anagram (crooked) of VISOR ON

Mira Sorvino^[7] is an American actress who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Mighty Aphrodite (1995). Her father, Paul Sorvino^[7] is an American actor known for his roles as Paulie Cicero in the 1990 gangster film Goodfellas and Sgt. Phil Cerreta on the television series Law & Order.

14a   RI(CHAR)D| NIX|ON — {RID (free) + NIX (veto) + ON (†)} containing (holding) CHAR (cook)

Richard Milhous Nixon^[7] (1913 – 1994) was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974, when he became the only president to resign the office.

19a   ROB|BE-(GRILL)ET — {ROB (hold up) + BEET (veggie)} containing (split by) GRILL (cook)

Alain Robbe-Grillet^[7] (1922 – 2008) was a French writer and filmmaker who was one of the figures most associated with the Nouveau Roman (new novel) trend.

22a   _INTON|ER_ — hidden (from) in ClINTON ERa

William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton^[7] (born William Jefferson Blythe III) is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001.

23a   GATEMAN< — reversal (written backwards) of  NAMETAG (ID badge)

25a   CHES|S TEAM — CHES (Guevara's; Che's) + STEAM (cook)

Ernesto "Che" Guevara^[7] (1928 – 1967), commonly known as el Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and military theorist. A major figure of the Cuban Revolution, his stylized visage has become a ubiquitous countercultural symbol of rebellion and global insignia within popular culture.

26a   MI(A)MI — MIMI ([musical] note repeated) containing (about) A (†)

Mi^[3] is the third tone of the diatonic scale in solfeggio.

Miami^[7] is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County. It is the principal, central, and most populous city of the Miami metropolitan area, and the most populous metropolis in the Southeastern United States.

27a   S|PAN — S (small) + PAN (cook's vessel)

28a   STEW|A|RDESS* — STEW (cook) + (with)  A (†) + an anagram (torn) of DRESS

Down

1d   WISEACRE* — anagram (confused) of WIRE CASE

2d   ONE-PIECE — sounds like (we hear) WON PEACE (gained serenity)

3d   EXTRA* — anagram (mad) of AT REX

4d   HAZE|L — HAZE (smoggy air) + L (left)

5d   A|R(REST)ING — REST (others) contained in (in) {A (†) + RING (criminal gang}

7d   R(ET)AIN — ET (movie alien) contained in (inside) RAIN (shower)

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial^[7] (often referred to simply as E.T.) is a 1982 American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg. It tells the story of a lonely boy who befriends an extraterrestrial, dubbed "E.T.", who is stranded on Earth. He and his siblings help the extraterrestrial return home while attempting to keep it hidden from their mother and the government.

8d   YAR|ROW — reversal (backed) of RAY + ROW (fight)

Yarrow^[5] is a Eurasian plant (Achillea millefolium) with feathery leaves and heads of small white or pale pink aromatic flowers, which has long been used in herbal medicine. Also called milfoil.

11d   A |PRIOR|I — A (†) + PRIOR (monk) + (and) I (myself)

As an adjective, a priori^[5] means relating to or denoting reasoning or knowledge which proceeds from theoretical deduction rather than from observation or experience ⇒ a priori assumptions about human nature. As an adverb, it means in a way based on theoretical deduction rather than empirical observation ⇒ sexuality may be a factor but it cannot be assumed a priori.

15d   A(BOUND)S — AS (while) containing (keeping) BOUND (tied)

16d   DEBARMENT* — anagram (wrong) of BAR TERMED

17d   C(LAMB)AKE — LAMB (meat) contained in (put in) CAKE (loaf)

Clambake^[5] is a North American term for a social gathering outdoors, especially for eating clams and other seafood.

18d   ST|AND|-INS — hidden in (embracing) soloiST AND INStruments

20d   DISCUS_ — DISCUS[S] (talk over) with the final letter deleted (endlessly)

21d   A|THEN|A — A {face [first letter] of Artemis} + THEN (at that time) + A (†)

Here we encounter two goddesses from Greek mythology. Artemis^[5] is the daughter of Zeus and sister of Apollo. She was a huntress and is typically depicted with a bow and arrows. Athena^[5] (also spelled Athene) is the patron goddess of Athens, typically allegorized into a personification of wisdom.

23d   GAM|OW — GAM (leg) + OW (that hurts; ouch!)

George Gamow^[7] (1904 – 1968), born Georgiy Antonovich Gamov, was a theoretical physicist and cosmologist — notably an early advocate and developer of Lemaître's Big Bang theory. He discovered a theoretical explanation of alpha decay via quantum tunneling, and worked on radioactive decay of the atomic nucleus, star formation, stellar nucleosynthesis and Big Bang nucleo­­synthesis (which he collectively called nucleocosmogenesis), and molecular genetics. [in comparison to which, rocket science is probably simple]

24d   TIMER< — reversal (back) of REMIT (pay)

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, March 22, 2013 — DT 27073

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27073
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Saturday, January 12, 2013
Setter Cephas (Peter Chamberlain)[?]
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27073 — hints] Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27073 — review]
Big Dave's Review Written By Big Dave — hints Prolixic — review
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★★	Enjoyment - ★★★
Falcon's Experience ┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐ ███████████████████████████████████ └────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘ 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 [?] Although the setter of the puzzle is not actually identified on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, I would guess that it may be Cephas.

Introduction

This having been a Saturday prize puzzle in the UK, we find two postings concerning the puzzle on Big Dave's Crossword Blog. On the day of publication itself, there is a posting by Big Dave which includes hints for a limited selection of the clues. Then, on the following Friday (after the closing deadline for the contest has passed), there is a full review by Prolixic (sitting in for crypticsue who was recovering from eye surgery at the time). In case you are wondering, the prize that people are competing for is apparently a pen. I presume that from all the correct entries, one entry — or, possibly, a few entries — are drawn to receive the prized pen(s).

As for today's puzzle, it was not overly difficult and I even managed to solve 1a and 11a despite the fact that I had not previously encountered these British terms.

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.

Across

1a   Unruly youth's beer left on display (5,4)

Lager lout^[5] is British slang for a young man who behaves in an unpleasant or violent way as a result of excessive drinking ⇒ police said he acted like a lager lout and hit an officer.

9a   Randy broadcast boastful talk (3,3)

10a   Found  to be without connection (9)

In Britain, earth^[5] is used as a noun to mean an electrical connection to the ground, regarded as having zero electrical potential ⇒ ensure metal fittings are electrically bonded to earth and as a verb to mean to connect (an electrical device) with the ground ⇒ the front metal panels must be soundly earthed. The equivalent term in North American is ground^[5] (both as a noun and a verb).

I can't help but note the irony that Oxford Dictionaries Online displays in defining earth as a British term meaning an "electrical connection to the ground" and ground as a North American term meaning an "electrical connection to the earth".

11a   Turn to be suspended and be forgotten (2,4)

From The Chambers Dictionary:

• go hang^[1] (slang) to be forgotten, neglected; to be no longer of concern.

12a   Journalist going round states it's a bag (9)

13a   It's a dreadful thing to have (6)

17a   Liable to have a short drink (3)

The standard measure in a British pub is a pint^[5] (abbreviation pt).

19a   Event a lecturer notes heard in the background (10,5)

From The Chambers Dictionary:

• L or L.^[1] (abbreviation) ... lecturer ...

20a   Container that's small not having been finished (3)

21a   Convict brought back raw material in abundance (6)

In British slang, a lag^[5] is a person who has been frequently convicted and sent to prison ⇒ both old lags were sentenced to ten years' imprisonment.

25a   Available for use during religious ceremony (2,7)

It may be splitting hairs, but I am going to diverge slightly from Prolixic's interpretation of the clue. He feels that "during religious ceremony" is a definition, while I prefer to treat it as a charade with the wordplay being IN (during) + SERVICE (religious ceremony). Of course, in the end, all roads lead to Rome.

26a   Rex leaving gloss to fade away (6)

Rex^[4] (Latin for king, abbreviated as R^[5]) is part of the official title of a king, now used chiefly in documents, legal proceedings, and inscriptions on coins. It may be used following a name (e.g. Georgius Rex, or GR, for King George^[5]) or in the titles of lawsuits, e.g. Rex v. Jones: the Crown versus Jones^[5] (which would often be written simply as R. vs Jones).

27a   It's ridiculous vandalising a dirty bus (9)

28a   Pole felt unwell pinned down (6)

29a   Support a railway subsidiary (9)

Down

2d   Article's brought in to invalidate book (6)

3d   The skin of one's teeth? (6)

4d   Be released from seat belt, adjustable and most modern (6)

5d   Inoffensive, lacking power to contain odd one out (15)

6d   Hooter Mom ordered for van (9)

This clue prompted me to wonder if there are Hooters restaurants in the UK. As I discovered, the first one opened in Nottingham in 2010. A review of the restaurant on the Daily Mail website is headlined "Sorry, I found this burger bar more offensive than a lapdancing club". Could being in the presence of all those buxom young women have induced a severe case of "bosom envy" in the female reporter? She does conclude her article by reporting that, as she was leaving the restaurant, a group of young men yelled at her. 'We'd say "show us your tits" but you haven't got any!'.

7d   Main HQ? (5,4)

The main^[5] is an archaic or literary term referring to the open ocean.

8d   Pleasant smell of cloth in the country (9)

14d   Maiden is conveying feeling of suspicion (9)

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.

15d   Irritated initially about candle I ordered from a certain country (9)

16d   One with letters to his name (9)

17d   Wanting wingless insect (3)

18d   Brown toast and nutty starters (3)

22d   Sustained tune to broadcast (6)

Tenuto^[3] is a musical direction meaning so as to be held for the full time value; sustained.

23d   Virginia, having been trapped by Edward twice, sidestepped (6)

24d   Duck's fancy crest hiding egg (6)

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, March 21, 2013 — DT 27072

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27072
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Friday, January 11, 2013
Setter Giovanni (Don Manley)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27072]
Big Dave's Review Written By Gazza
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★	Enjoyment - ★★
Falcon's Experience ┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐ ███████████████████████████████████ └────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘ 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

Having thought that I had done quite well this morning in managing to complete, unaided, what I fully expected to be either a moderately difficult two star puzzle, if not a rather easy three star puzzle, I was more than a little disillusioned to see that Gazza awarded it a single star for difficulty. I also felt that I derived more enjoyment from it than the two stars that he deemed it to merit.

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.

Across

4a   Statement about Bond's boss's bad behaviour (8)

M^[7] is a fictional character in English author Ian Fleming's James Bond book and film series; the character is the Head of Secret Intelligence Service, commonly known as MI6 (Military Intelligence, Section 6), the agency which supplies the UK government with foreign intelligence.

8a   Central heating allowed as protection for a house (6)

The Chambers Dictionary lists c.h.^[1] as an abbreviation for central heating.

9a   A twitching disorder follows small drink -- it's striking (8)

10a   Being poor, obtained pence for pocketing (8)

In Britain, pence^[5] is a plural form of penny. Oxford advises that both pence and pennies have existed as plural forms of penny since at least the 16th century. The two forms now tend to be used for different purposes: pence refers to sums of money (five pounds and sixty-nine pence) while pennies refers to the coins themselves (I left two pennies on the table). The use of pence rather than penny as a singular (the chancellor will put one pence on income tax) is not regarded as correct in standard English.

In Britain's current decimal currency system, a penny^[5] is a bronze coin and monetary unit equal to one hundredth of a pound (and is abbreviated p). In the system formerly used, a penny was equal to one twelfth of a shilling or 240th of a pound (and was abbreviated d, for denarius). The abbreviations apply equally to the plural, pence, as to the singular, penny.

11a   Broadcast  making one irritated (3,3)

12a   Come together, finding a form of solace in church (8)

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.

13a   I see old boy, someone on the tennis court? (8)

In Britain, an old boy^[5] (abbreviation OB^[2])  is (1) a former male student of a school or college ⇒an old boy of Banbury County School or (2) a former male member of a sports team or company ⇒the White Hart Lane old boy squared the ball to present an easy chance from 12 yards. It is also a chiefly British affectionate form of address to a boy or man ⇒ ‘Look here, old boy,’ he said.

16a   Concern for a financial premium (8)

19a   Leaders of national party in cheerful female celebration (3,5)

A hen party^[5] is an informal [seemingly British] term for a social gathering of women, especially a hen night^[5], an informal British term for a celebration held for a woman who is about to get married, attended only by women.

21a   Saint suffering setback, getting feeble inside, twitches (6)

I was initially skeptical about the definition. However, after a bit of research, I concluded that it is correct. Twitch^[10] is used in the sense of to pull or draw (something) with a quick jerky movement; in other words, to tug (at) [from list of synonyms]. Tweak^[5] can mean to twist or pull (something) sharply ⇒ he tweaked the boy’s ear.

23a   Control report about good university (8)

24a   Something very small and new leading to change of routine (8)

25a   Fancy being overwhelmed by scorn at Eton! (6)

Eton College^[7], often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent [private] school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor". It is located in Eton, near Windsor in England, and is one of the original nine English public schools as defined by the Public Schools Act 1868. [Note: In Britain, "public schools" are a special class of private school; what North Americans would call public schools seem to be referred to in Britain by terms such as state-run or state-funded schools].

26a   Decapitate dull principal! (8)

In Britain, head^[5] is short for for headmaster^[5] (a man who is the head teacher in a school), headmistress^[5] (ditto for a woman), or head teacher^[5] (the teacher in charge of a school).

Down

1d   Carriage churning up one path (7)

Historically, a phaeton^[10] is a light four-wheeled horse-drawn carriage with or without a top, usually having two seats. In North America, the term phaeton^[5] was also used for a vintage touring car.

2d   Make more than one rise up -- all possibly (9)

3d   Last two of these vats will be set up in the bars (6)

Gazza has pointed out in a comment below that his interpretation of the clue was quite different from mine. This prompted me to take another look through the dictionaries and I now believe that stave^[5] is used in the sense of a strong wooden stick or iron pole used as a weapon — although I would call this a staff [remember Robin Hood and Little John]. Such an implement could also be called a bar^[5], a long rigid piece of wood, metal, or similar material, typically used as an obstruction, fastening, or weapon.

Here is what I originally wrote:

I struggled in my efforts to categorize this clue. The wordplay is clear enough — "last two of these vats will be set up". But what is the definition? I don't think that it is "bars" as Gazza has indicated (staves and bars are not at all the same thing). I toyed with the possibility that it might be an all-in-one clue — the sort that scchua calls WIWD (wordplay intertwined with definition) — but I can't convince myself that the entire clue constitutes a viable definition. That leaves only the option of "in the bars" — which we are presumably intended to interpret as "[something found] in the bars".

Although it would seem to be looking at things in reverse, I suppose that one could think of staves as being found "in the bars". However, I think it would be more correct to say that the bars are on the staves. Here, staves and bars are elements of music notation.

For British musicians, stave seems to be the preferred name for staff. In standard Western musical notation^[7], the staff^[7], or stave, is a set of five horizontal lines and four spaces that each represent a different musical pitch—or, in the case of a percussion staff, different percussion instruments.

In musical notation, a bar^[7] (or measure) is a segment of time defined by a given number of beats, each of which are assigned a particular note value. The word bar is more common in British English, and the word measure is more common in American English, although musicians generally understand both usages. Originally, the word bar derives from the vertical lines drawn through the staff [or stave] to mark off metrical units. In British English, these vertical lines are called bar, too, but often the term bar-line is used in order to make the distinction clear. In American English, the word bar stands for the lines and nothing else.

4d   Ordinary position for cat's-eyes? (6-2-3-4)

The cat's eye^[7] (also cat's-eye^[10] or Catseye^[2]/catseye^[5], the later being a British trademark) is a retroreflective safety device used in road marking and was the first of a range of raised pavement markers. It originated in the UK in 1933 and is today used all over the world. Cat's eye^[2] is also a type of precious stone which resembles the eye of a cat when light is reflected onto it.

5d   Most keen to have a right nuisance quiet at the outset (8)

6d   Centre of planet with hydrogen rising to the top (5)

The symbol for the chemical element hydrogen is H^[5].

7d   Record one French priest as 'lover of good wine'? (7)

In France, a parish priest is called a curé^[4].

14d   Once again putting an end to  selling (9)

15d   What could be wrongly represented as seediest UK region? (8)

The Tees^[5] is a river of NE England which rises in Cumbria and flows 128 km (80 miles) generally south-eastwards to the North Sea at Middlesbrough. Teesside^[5] [which I presume means 'beside the River Tees'] is an industrial region in NE England around the lower Tees valley, including Middlesbrough.

17d   Out of the running these days, the woman with minimal energy (7)

18d   Country embracing trade union law (7)

20d   Useless revolutionary academic full of sentimentality (2,4)

A don^[10] is a member of the teaching staff at a university or college, especially at Oxford or Cambridge.

22d   Outside court a journalist functioned (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

Wednesday, March 20, 2013 — DT 27071

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27071
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Thursday, January 10, 2013
Setter RayT (Ray Terrell)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27071]
Big Dave's Review Written By Big Dave
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★★★	Enjoyment - ★★★★
Falcon's Experience ┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐ ███████████████████████████████████ └────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘ 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

While pommers recuperates from a nasty respiratory infection, Big Dave steps in to review today's puzzle from RayT. Although Big Dave rates it as three stars for difficulty, I would say — based on having finished it unaided — that it sits on the far bottom edge of three star territory. Perhaps I should be a bit more egotistical and crow about having finished a three star puzzle without assistance.

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.

Across

1a   Talk about bosom, redhead's put together! (11)

Having become mistakenly fixated on prate being the word clued by "talk", this was my last one in.

9a   Scraps lacking resistance in bars (7)

10a   Attachment of woman welcoming former husband (6)

12a   It's stir following bust for twister (7)

In the cryptic reading, bust is the past participle of the verb to bust. Both bust and torn describe damage, although I'm not necessarily convinced that the words are interchangeable.

13a   Dodgy pal with nice bird (7)

In Britain, bird^[5] is an informal term for a young woman or a man’s girlfriend. Look for this a few more times today.

14a   Frost reportedly wrote in this (5)

Robert Frost^[7] (1874 – 1963) was an American poet, highly regarded for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech.

15a   Album with 'Time' becoming timeless (9)

17a   Sailor hangs around for birds (9)

More birds (see 13a). As for the synonym for hang, you might sling a hammock between two trees.

20a   Moisten food's main ingredient retaining temperature (5)

22a   Awkwardly sit with same painter (7)

Henri Matisse^[7] (1869 – 1954) was a French artist, known for his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship.

24a   Most fashionable bird embracing the French (7)

Another bird (see 13a). In the French language, les^[10] is the plural form of the definite article.

25a   Perceived sixth sense that is dead (6)

26a   Hostelry holds room back reserved (7)

27a   Weighing of certain hands in game (11)

Down

2d   Put back record left in competition (7)

3d   Past master (9)

4d   Floated on top of putrid bog (5)

5d   Lock combination for altering without opening (7)

I think Big Dave intended to type "(A)TERING" in his hint.

6d   Transport bill carrying a team about (7)

Big Dave saw this one way and I another. I parsed it as TAB ([restaurant] bill) containing (carrying) {XI (a [cricket] team) + CA ([the two-letter Latin abbreviation for] about)}. To my mind, either interpretation is valid.

XI is the Roman numeral for eleven^[7], which is the number of players on a cricket team (or a soccer team, for that matter) ⇒ at cricket I played in the first eleven.

7d   Intrepid beating Mount Everest endlessly (11)

8d   Small, voluptuous and dirty (6)

In the cryptic reading, dirty^[7] is used in the sense of dishonest or dishonourable, rather than unclean.

11d   One Knight trying to trap Queen is unusual (11)

In algebraic notation, the usual modern way of recording chess games, the letter N stands for the knight^[7] (K being reserved for the king). By tradition, the ciphers (monograms) of British monarchs are initials formed from the Latin version of their first name followed by either Rex or Regina (Latin for king or queen, respectively). Thus the cipher of Queen Elizabeth is ER^[5] — from the Latin Elizabetha Regina.

16d   Pleasure having bent for punishment (9)

18d   Performer in part is tested (7)

19d   Girls with large behinds, capturing his heart (7)

The usual British slang term for the behind is arse^[10], with ass^[5] being considered an Americanism. The term is apparently considered to be less vulgar in the UK than it is an this side of the Atlantic. Collins English Dictionary has the following to say about arse:

Dating back at least a thousand years, and taboo till around the middle of the 20th century, this venerable "Anglo-Saxon" word now seems unlikely to cause offence in all but the most formal contexts. Its acceptability has possibly been helped by such useful verb formations as "to arse about" and "I can't be arsed".

20d   Trail found in mountain stretch (7)

Ben^[5] (especially in place names) is Scottish for a high mountain or mountain peak (such as Ben Nevis, a mountain in western Scotland that rises to 1,343 m (4,406 ft) making it is the highest mountain in the British Isles.).

21d   Makes out with a wife to swing (6)

23d   More gnarled  tree? (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, March 19, 2013 — DT 27070

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27070
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Setter Jay (Jeremy Mutch)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27070]
Big Dave's Review Written By scchua
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★★	Enjoyment - ★★★
Falcon's Experience ┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐ ███████████████████████████████████ └────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘ 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

We are back to more normal service today after yesterday's puzzle which I found very difficult. Given that I write one every day, you might think that I would have easily got 25d — but that was not the case.

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.

Across

1a   Perseverance in row as Egypt undergoes change (7,5)

9a   Limited period for structure after backing issue (9)

10a   King George takes no part in struggle for fruit (5)

By tradition, the ciphers (monograms) of British monarchs are initials formed from the Latin version of their first name followed by either Rex or Regina (Latin for king or queen, respectively). Thus the cipher of Queen Elizabeth is ER^[5] — from the Latin Elizabetha Regina — and that of King George was GR^[5] — from the Latin Georgius Rex.

11a   Stand close, anticipating river (6)

The River Ure^[7] is a stream in North Yorkshire, England, approximately 74 miles (119 km) long from its source to the point where it changes name to the River Ouse.

12a   Go away and sell tickets for fight to the death (5-3)

In Britain, tout^[5] means to sell (a ticket) for an event at a price higher than the official one ⇒ he made his fortune touting tickets. The equivalent term in North America is scalp^[5].

13a   Obstruction in the way of listener (6)

15a   Renovation of key service elevator? (8)

In Britain, an elevator^[5] is known as a lift^[5].

18a   Total staff for chap taking weekly payments (8)

Tallyman^[10] is a seemingly British term for a travelling salesman for a firm specializing in hire-purchase. Hire-purchase is the term used in Britain (as well as Australia, New Zealand and South Africa) for buying on what North Americans would call an instalment plan, a system for purchasing merchandise, such as cars or furniture, in which the buyer takes possession of the merchandise on payment of a deposit and completes the purchase by paying a series of regular instalments while the seller retains ownership until the final instalment is paid. One would be led to believe by the wording of the clue that door-to-door sales in Britain typically involve weekly instalments.

19a   Casts off, carrying king in rags ... (6)

R^[5] is the abbreviation for Regina or Rex (Latin for queen or king, respectively).

21a   ... not to mention being terribly late and solitary (3,5)

23a   Give one million -- and some (6)

26a   Star working villages without delay (5)

Elvis Presley^[7] (1935 – 1977) was an American singer and actor. A cultural icon, he is commonly known by the single name Elvis. One of the most popular musicians of the 20th century, he is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or "the King".

Elvis Costello^[7] (born Declan Patrick MacManus) is an English singer-songwriter — and the husband of Canadian jazz singer and pianist Diana Krall.

27a   Investor calls for entertainment venues in Spain (9)

28a   Allergy developed by force in designated area of Parliament (5,7)

A press gallery^[5] is a place reserved for journalists observing the proceedings in a parliament or law court.

Down

1d   Drunk present? That'll teach you! (2,5)

2d   A communist protects last of them with weapons (5)

3d   Hospital and home unshakeable on a case of remedy (9)

4d   Happy, having gone without one young man! (4)

5d   Manage to catch some cricket and try (8)

An over^[5] is a division of play in cricket 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.

6d   Spot a reporter holding up source of inspiration (5)

In Greek and Roman mythology, Erato^[5] is the Muse of lyric poetry and hymns.

7d   Portugal involved in distribution of opiates -- how suitable! (8)

The International Vehicle Registration (IVR) code for Portugal is P^[5].

8d   Go and live with a fool without women (4,2)

14d   Family member engineers crucial uprising with energy (8)

The Corps of Royal Engineers^[7], usually just called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the Sappers, is a corps of the British Army that provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces.

16d   Passing macho types mainly accepted by pearl divers (9)

Here, divers^[5] is an adjective having the archaic or literary meaning of varying types; several ⇒ in divers places.

17d   Declines to accept arrest of aspirants (8)

18d   Rang out, being instructed in broadcast (6)

20d   Doubtful if stays are enough (7)

22d   Light source of labour when editor evacuated (5)

24d   A couple of names -- that is another one (5)

25d   Journal left in loo? (4)

In British slang, names by which one may refer to a toilet include a loo^[5] or the bog^[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