Monday, June 26, 2017 — DT 28403

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28403
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Monday, April 17, 2017
Setter Rufus (Roger Squires)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28403]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Miffypops
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 █ - solved but without fully parsing the clue █ - unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Big Dave's Crossword Blog █ - solved with aid of checking letters provided by solutions from Big Dave's Crossword Blog █ - reviewed by Falcon for Big Dave's Crossword Blog █ - yet to be solved

Introduction

The long layoff may have caused my puzzle solving skills to become a bit rusty as I needed a bit of help from my electronic assistants to decipher the southwest corner — although the comments on Big Dave's Crossword Blog indicate that I am far from alone in having difficulty in this area.

I invite you to leave a comment to let us know how you fared with 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.

Primary indications (definitions) are marked with a solid underline in the clue; subsidiary indications (be they wordplay or other) are marked with a dashed underline in all-in-one (&lit.) clues, semi-all-in-one (semi-&lit.) clues and cryptic definitions. Explicit link words and phrases are enclosed in forward slashes (/link/) and implicit links are shown as double forward slashes (//). Definitions presented in blue text are for terms that appear frequently.

Across

1a   Give way under pressure and opt out -- /it's/ laughable (8)

6a   Place and time /for/ an insect (6)

9a   Make attractive // object -- listening device (6)

10a   Fruit // that was once revered in China (8)

11a   Got there, unusually, /but/ not by oneself (8)

12a   A very loud manner, /yet one may find/ romance (6)

"very loud | very loudly" = FF (show explanation )

Fortissimo^[5] (abbreviation ff^[5]) is a direction used in music to mean either (as an adjective) very loud  or (as an adverb) very loudly.

hide explanation

13a   Unswerving // with determination to stay unmarried (6-6)

16a   Union demonstration? (7,5)

19a   This by itself would be in a gradual process (6)

21a   Prepare to create a scene (8)

23a   Terrible /outcome for/ lad Freud confused (8)

24a   Pretentious air put in as // private remarks (6)

Side^[5] is an informal British term for a boastful or pretentious manner or attitude ⇒ there was absolutely no side to him.

25a   Give the call sign (6)

26a   Embark on an expedition -- /or/ an explanation (3,5)

The implied sense of the clue is "Embark on an expedition -- or [embark on (offer)] an explanation".

Down

2d   And nothing in Royal Marines /is/ left to chance (6)

"Royal Marines" = RM (show explanation )

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

hide explanation

3d   Firm's con supported by this // island? (5)

4d   Ruined temple // right in way, nobody turns up (9)

5d   Met Blur, excitedly -- // many were carried away by it and lost their heads (7)

A tumbrel^[10] is a farm cart for carrying dung, especially one that tilts backwards to deposit its load. A cart of this type was used to take condemned prisoners to the guillotine during the French Revolution.

Scratching the Surface

Blur[7] are an English rock band, formed in London in 1988. In the early 1990s, the band became central to the Britpop music and culture movement, and achieved mass popularity in the UK, aided by a chart battle with rivals Oasis in 1995 dubbed the "Battle of Britpop". In 1997, their single "Song 2"[7] went to #6 in the US and #1 in Canada on the alternative rock charts. I must admit that I have never heard of the band. It does not constitute even a blur in my mind!

6d   Fashionable lad welcomes in // girl (5)

7d   Measure husks first /for/ the bird (9)

The chaffinch^[5] is a Eurasian and North African finch, typically with a bluish top to the head and dark wings and tail.

8d   Animated /by/ pride -- it's not right (8)

13d   Divert /from/ byway (9)

As a noun, sidetrack^[5] denotes a minor path or track ⇒ the horse took a sidetrack which led uphill.

14d   Parade, /seeing/ April here (5,4)

If April [is] here, then March [is] past — as are January and February.

15d   High-class // sports science award, we hear (8)

Sports science^[7] (also known as sports and exercise science, sports medicine or exercise physiology) would appear to be a primarily British term for a discipline that studies how the healthy human body works during exercise, and how sport and physical activity promote health and performance from cellular to whole body perspectives. The study of sports science traditionally incorporates areas of physiology (exercise physiology), psychology (sport psychology), anatomy, biomechanics, biochemistry and biokinetics.

In the thread arising from Comment #24 on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, LabradorsruleOK suggests that "PE could loosely be said to be the forerunner of Sports Science" and "thence sports science award = PE degree".

PE^[5] is the abbreviation for physical education [or Phys Ed, as it was known in my school days].

17d   Ball game // lost by the witless? (7)

18d   Maintain // a lock that must turn (6)

20d   Small // arch (5)

Arch^[7] is an adjective meaning deliberately or affectedly playful and teasing [i.e., mischievous] ⇒ a somewhat arch tone of voice.

Elfin^[5] is an adjective denoting (of a person or their face) small and delicate, typically with a mischievous charm ⇒ her black hair suited her elfin face.

22d   Foreign friend /and/ another on leave (5)

The implied reading of the clue is "Foreign friend and another [friend] on leave".

Ami^[8] is the masculine form of the French word meaning 'friend'.

Amigo^[8] is the masculine form of the Spanish word meaning 'friend'. 

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)
^[11] - TheFreeDictionary.com (Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary)
^[12] - CollinsDictionary.com (Webster’s New World College Dictionary)
^[13] - MacmillanDictionary.com (Macmillan Dictionary)

Signing off for today — Falcon

Saturday, June 24, 2017 — See You in the Funny Papers

Introduction

I am back in the saddle after an extended break. I see that during my absence the blog did serve effectively as the forum for which it was intended. I would especially like to thank Henry who stepped up to the plate to provide solutions during my absence.

Today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon may well have raised a smile or two.

I invite you to leave a comment to let us know how you fared with the puzzle.

Solution to Today's Puzzle

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 █ - solved but without fully parsing the clue █ - yet to be solved

Legend:	"*" anagram; "~" sounds like; "<" letters reversed
	"( )" letters inserted; "_" letters deleted; "†" explicit in the clue
	Primary indications (definitions) are marked with a solid underline in the clue; subsidiary indications (be they wordplay or other) are marked with a dashed underline in all-in-one (& lit.) clues, semi-all-in-one (semi-& lit.) clues and cryptic definitions. Explicit link words and phrases are enclosed in forward slashes (/link/) and implicit links are shown as double forward slashes (//).

Across

1a   Sad Sack/’s/ barrel (4)

CASK* — anagram (sad) of SACK

Backstory

Sad Sack[7] is an American comic strip and comic book character created by Sgt. George Baker (1915–1975) during World War II. Set in the United States Army, Sad Sack depicted an otherwise unnamed, lowly private experiencing some of the absurdities and humiliations of military life. The title was a euphemistic shortening of the military slang "sad sack of shit", common during World War II. The phrase has come to mean "an inept person" or "inept soldier". The comic strip ran from 1942 to 1957 (during World War II in the US military magazine, Yank, the Army Weekly, and following the war in newspaper syndication) and the comic books were published from 1949 to 1982.

3a   Standing between two streets, Archie /is/ most uptight (10)

ST(ARCHIE)ST — ARCHIE (†) contained in (between) {ST + ST (two streets)}

Backstory
Archie Andrews[7], created in 1941 by publisher John L. Goldwater and artist Bob Montana (1920–1975) in collaboration with writer Vic Bloom, is the main character in an American comic book series published by Archie Comics, as well as a syndicated comic strip, the long-running Archie Andrews radio series and various animated television series.

9a   After a while, Mr. Capp/’s/ sideways (7)

LATER|AL — LATER (after a while) + AL (Mr. Capp; American cartoonist Al Capp, creator of Li'l Abner)

Backstory
Alfred Gerald Caplin (1909–1979), better known as Al Capp[7], was an American cartoonist and humorist best known for the satirical comic strip Li'l Abner (see 19a), which he created in 1934 and continued writing and (with help from assistants) drawing until 1977. He also wrote the comic strips Abbie an' Slats (in the years 1937–45) and Long Sam (1954).

11a   Stormy // night’s beginning penned by Peanuts character (7)

VIOLE(N)T — N (night's beginning; initial letter of Night) contained in (penned by) VIOLET (Peanuts character)

Backstory

Violet Gray[7], is a fictional character featured in the long-running syndicated daily and Sunday comic strip Peanuts, created by Charles M. Schulz (1922–2000). She was initially a major character, until she began to fade into the background. Violet is best known as a jealous girl who likes bragging and, along with her friends Patty (her best friend) and Lucy (the ringleader of the trio), often teases and torments Charlie Brown. Peanuts ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, continuing in reruns afterward.

12a   Confess about Broom Hilda, for example, // making changes (9)

S(WITCH)ING — SING (confess) containing (about) WITCH (Broom Hilda, for example)

Backstory

Broom-Hilda[7] is an American newspaper comic strip created by cartoonist Russell Myers. Distributed by the Tribune Media Services, it depicts the misadventures of a man-crazy, cigar-smoking, beer-guzzling, 1,500-year-old witch and her motley crew of friends. The original idea for Broom-Hilda came from Elliott Caplin, brother of Li'l Abner cartoonist Al Capp (see 9a). He described the main character to Myers, who responded with a sketch of the witch and several samples. Caplin, acting as Myers' business manager, submitted these to the Chicago Tribune Syndicate. Introduced in 1970, it became an immediate success.

13a   Small and yellow // dog in a comic (5)

S|AND|Y — S (small; abbrev.) + AND (†) + Y (yellow; abbrev.)

Backstory

Little Orphan Annie[7] was a daily American comic strip created by Harold Gray (1894–1968) and syndicated by the Tribune Media Services. The strip took its name from the 1885 poem "Little Orphant Annie" by James Whitcomb Riley, and made its debut on August 5, 1924, in the New York Daily News. Following Gray's death in 1968, several artists drew the strip and, for a time, "classic" strips were rerun. The strip's popularity declined over the years; it was running in only 20 newspapers when it was cancelled in 2010. The plot follows the wide-ranging adventures of Annie, her dog Sandy and her benefactor Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks. Sandy enters the story in a January 1925 strip as a puppy of no particular breed which Annie rescues from a gang of abusive boys. The girl is working as a drudge in Mrs. Bottle's grocery store at the time and manages to keep the puppy briefly concealed. She finally gives him to Paddy Lynch, a gentle man who owns a "steak joint" and can give Sandy a good home. Sandy is a mature dog when he suddenly reappears in a May 1925 strip to rescue Annie from gypsy kidnappers. Annie and Sandy remain together thereafter.

14a   Girl’s name // in great wizard’s place (6)

IN|GR|ID — IN (†) + GR (great; abbrev.) + ID (wizard's place)

Backstory

The Wizard of Id[7] is a daily newspaper comic strip created by American cartoonists Brant Parker (1920–2007) and Johnny Hart (1931–2007). Beginning in 1964, the strip follows the antics of a large cast of characters in a shabby medieval kingdom called "Id". From time to time, the king refers to his subjects as "Idiots". (The title is a play on The Wizard of Oz, combined with the Freudian psychological term Id, which represents the instinctive and primal part of the human psyche.) The strip, originally drawn by Parker and written by Hart, is currently drawn and written by Hart's grandsons, Mason and Mick Mastroianni.

15a   Ruffled, Dilbert’s // shown anger (8)

BRISTLED* — anagram (ruffled) of DILBERTS

Backstory
Dilbert[7] is an American comic strip written and illustrated by Scott Adams, first published on April 16, 1989. The strip is known for its satirical office humor about a white-collar, micromanaged office featuring engineer Dilbert as the title character.

19a   Comic strip // testing site aboard ship (3,5)

LI(L AB)NER — LAB (testing site) contained in (aboard) LINER (ship)

Backstory

Li'l Abner[7] was a satirical American comic strip that appeared in many newspapers in the United States, Canada and Europe, featuring a fictional clan of hillbillies in the impoverished mountain village of Dogpatch, USA. Written and drawn by Al Capp (1909–1979), the strip ran for 43 years, from 1934 to 1977. It was distributed by United Feature Syndicate. Comic strips had typically dealt with northern urban experiences before Capp introduced Li'l Abner, the first strip based in the South. Although Capp was from Connecticut, he spent 43 years teaching the world about Dogpatch. According to American writer M. Thomas Inge, an authority on popular culture and comic art history, Capp "had a profound influence on the way the world viewed the American South."

21a   Iraqi ruler once // covered by Charles Addams (6)

_SAD|DAM_ — hidden in (covered by) CharleS ADDAMs

Backstory
Charles Samuel "Chas" Addams[7] (1912–1988) was an American cartoonist known for his darkly humorous and macabre characters, who became known as The Addams Family. His work appeared regularly in The New Yorker and occasionally in other magazines.

24a   Sluggo’s associate // can degenerate in New York (5)

N(ANC*)Y — anagram (degenerate; postpositive adjective) of CAN contained in (in) NY (New York; abbrev.)

Backstory

Nancy[7] is an American daily and Sunday comic strip, originally written and drawn by Ernie Bushmiller (1905–1982) and distributed by United Feature Syndicate. The character of Nancy, a slightly chubby and precocious eight-year-old, first appeared in the strip Fritzi Ritz about the airheaded flapper title character. Larry Whittington began Fritzi Ritz in 1922, and it was taken over by Bushmiller three years later. Sluggo Smith, introduced in 1938, is Nancy's best friend (sometimes described as Nancy's boyfriend). Sluggo is Nancy's age and is a poor ragamuffin-type from the wrong side of the tracks. He is portrayed as lazy, and his favorite pastime seems to be napping.

26a   A large roll, one in BC, // launched as a projectile? (9)

B(A|L|LIST|I)C — {A (†) + L (large; abbrev.) + LIST (roll) + I ([Roman numeral for] one)} contained in (in) BC (†)

Backstory

B.C.[7] is a daily American comic strip created by cartoonist Johnny Hart (1931–2007). Set in prehistoric times, it features a group of cavemen and anthropomorphic animals from various geologic eras. B.C. made its newspaper debut on February 17, 1958, and was among the longest-running strips still written and drawn by its original creator when Hart died at his drawing board in Nineveh, New York, on April 7, 2007. The strip is now produced by Hart's grandsons Mason Mastroianni (head writer and cartoonist) and Mick Mastroianni (writer for both B.C. and Hart's other creation, The Wizard of Id), and Hart's daughter Perri (letterer and colorist).

27a   Wager about limp // item cherished by Linus (7)

B(LANK)ET — BET (wager) containing (about) LANK (limp)

Backstory
Linus van Pelt[7] is a character in Charles M. Schulz's comic strip Peanuts. The best friend of Charlie Brown, Linus is also the younger brother of Lucy van Pelt and older brother of Rerun van Pelt. He first appeared in 1952. Linus spoke his first words in 1954, the same year he was shown with his security blanket.

28a   Active buff in Momma/’s/ state (7)

M(ON|TAN)A — {ON (active) + TAN (buff)} contained in MA (Momma)

Backstory
Momma[7] is an American comic strip by Mell Lazarus that debuted in 1970. Initially distributed by the Publishers-Hall Syndicate, it later was handled by Creators Syndicate and published in more than 400 newspapers worldwide. Creators Syndicate announced Momma 's (and Mell Lazarus') death July 10, 2016 in a comic strip memorial that included other grieving comic strip characters.

29a   Gore // disturbed; so’s Blondie (10)

BLOODINESS* —anagram (disturbed) of SOS BLONDIE

Backstory

Blondie[7] is an American comic strip created by cartoonist Chic Young which features the eponymous blonde and her sandwich-loving husband. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, the strip has been published in newspapers since 1930. Chic Young drew Blondie until his death in 1973, when creative control passed to his son Dean Young, who continues to write the strip. Over the years, the younger Young has collaborated with a number of artists on Blondie.

Scratching the Surface
The surface reading may possibly be an allusion to American writer Gore Vidal[7] (1925–2012).

30a   Individuals // in Doonesbury (4)

_ONES_ — hidden in (in) DoONESbury

Backstory

The first Doonesbury cartoon, from October 26, 1970 Doonesbury[7] is a comic strip by American cartoonist Garry Trudeau that chronicles the adventures and lives of an array of characters of various ages, professions, and backgrounds, from the President of the United States to the title character, Michael Doonesbury, who has progressed from a college student to a youthful senior citizen over the decades. Created in "the throes of '60s and '70s counterculture," and frequently political in nature, Doonesbury features characters representing a range of affiliations, but the cartoon is noted for a liberal viewpoint. The name "Doonesbury" is a combination of the word doone (prep school slang for someone who is clueless, inattentive, or careless) and the surname of Charles Pillsbury, Trudeau's roommate at Yale University. A daily strip through most of its existence, since February 2014 Doonesbury has run repeat strips Monday through Saturday, and new strips on Sunday.

Down

1d   Heavenly // Alice lets loose (9)

CELESTIAL* — anagram (loose) of ALICE LETS

2d   Smart about alien // background (7)

S(ET)TING — STING (smart) containing (about) ET (alien; extraterrestial)

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.

4d   Pair of kids in narrative // movie with sound (6)

TAL(KI)E — KI (pair of kids; first two letters of KIds) contained in (in) TALE (narrative)

5d   People speaking wildly about silver // destroyers (8)

RAV(AG)ERS — RAVERS (people speaking wildly) containing (about) AG ([symbol for the chemical element] silver)

6d   Nothing in beer ingredient // baskets (5)

H(O)OPS or HO(O)PS — O (nothing; letter that looks like a zero) contained in (in) HOPS (beer ingredient)

7d   Elk’s first broken antler, // with no end (7)

E|TERNAL* — E (Elk's first; initial letter of Elk) + anagram (broken) of ANTLER

8d   Shabby-looking // attorney after trial’s beginning (5)

T|ATTY — ATTY (attorney; abbrev.) following (after) T (trial's beginning; initial letter of Trial)

10d   Regarding cedar’s first branch // to shinny up again (7)

RE|C|LIMB — RE (regarding) + C (cedar's first; initial letter of Cedar) + LIMB (branch)

16d   Close in, catching ocean // mammal in cold water (3,4)

SEA L|I(O)N — {SEAL (close) + IN (†)} containing (catching) O (ocean; abbrev.)

O.^[11] or O^[12] is the abbreviation for ocean.

17d   US party members // scared Tom off (9)

DEMOCRATS* —anagram (off) of SCARED TOM

18d   Bent-over dancing // not allowed (8)

VERBOTEN* — anagram (dancing) of BENT OVER

Scratching the Surface
The surface reading is almost certainly an allusion to twerking[7], a New Orleans style of dance that became a viral sensation when appropriated by Miley Cyrus in a video that was uploaded first to Facebook and then YouTube in March 2013.

20d   Chaney joke on love // in the distant past (4,3)

LON|G AG|O — LON (Chaney; American actor Lon Chaney^[7]) + GAG (joke) + (on; in a down clue) + O (love; nil score in tennis)

22d   Leave the coach, /and/ fall behind detective (7)

DET|RAIN — RAIN (fall) following (behind) DET (detective; abbrev.)

23d   Priests straddling fifty // beasts of burden (6)

L(L)AMAS — LAMAS ([Buddhist] priests) containing (straddling) L ([Roman numeral for] fifty)

24d   Catch old British // VIP (5)

NAB|O|B — NAB (catch) + O (old; abbrev.) + B (British; abbrev.)

25d   Fine collected by athletic club Ed // joined (5)

Y(OK)ED — OK (fine) contained in (collected by) {Y (athletic club; YMCA/YWCA} + ED (†)}

Epilogue

"See you in the funny papers" is a humorous farewell that apparently was in widespread use from the 1920s through the 1950s.

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)
^[11] - TheFreeDictionary.com (Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary)
^[12] - CollinsDictionary.com (Webster’s New World College Dictionary)
^[13] - MacmillanDictionary.com (Macmillan Dictionary)

Signing off for today — Falcon

Friday, June 23, 2017 — DT 28402

Vacation Edition

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28402
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Saturday, April 15, 2017
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28396 – Hints] Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28396 – Review]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Big Dave (Hints) crypticsue (Review)
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★ / ★★	Enjoyment - ★★★
Notes
As this was a Saturday "Prize Puzzle" in Britain, there are two entries related to it on Big Dave's Crossword Blog — the first, posted on the date of publication, contains hints for selected clues while the second is a full review issued following the entry deadline for the contest. The vast majority of reader comments will generally be found attached to the "hints" posting with a minimal number — if any — accompanying the full review. I am currently on vacation. Today's abbreviated posting was prepared prior to my departure and provides a link to the review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog for the puzzle that I expect to be published today. However, the National Post has been known to alter its publication schedule unexpectedly, so there is no guarantee that my forecast will necessarily prove to be accurate.

Signing off for today — Falcon

Thursday, June 22, 2017 — DT 28401

Vacation Edition

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28401
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Friday, April 14, 2017
Setter Giovanni (Don Manley)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28401]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Deep Threat
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★★★	Enjoyment - ★★★
Notes
I am currently on vacation. Today's abbreviated posting was prepared prior to my departure and provides a link to the review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog for the puzzle that I expect to be published today. However, the National Post has been known to alter its publication schedule unexpectedly, so there is no guarantee that my forecast will necessarily prove to be accurate.

Wednesday, June 21, 2017 — DT 28400

Vacation Edition

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28400
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Thursday, April 13, 2017
Setter Shamus (Philip Marlow)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28400]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Kath
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★★	Enjoyment - ★★★★
Notes
I am currently on vacation. Today's abbreviated posting was prepared prior to my departure and provides a link to the review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog for the puzzle that I expect to be published today. However, the National Post has been known to alter its publication schedule unexpectedly, so there is no guarantee that my forecast will necessarily prove to be accurate.

Signing off for today — Falcon

Tuesday, June 20, 2017 — DT 28399

Vacation Edition

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28399
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Wednesday, April 12, 2017
Setter Jay (Jeremy Mutch)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28399]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By 2Kiwis
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★★	Enjoyment - ★★★
Notes
I am currently on vacation. Today's abbreviated posting was prepared prior to my departure and provides a link to the review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog for the puzzle that I expect to be published today. However, the National Post has been known to alter its publication schedule unexpectedly, so there is no guarantee that my forecast will necessarily prove to be accurate.

Signing off for today — Falcon

Monday, June 19, 2017 — DT 28398

Vacation Edition

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28398
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Tuesday, April 11, 2017
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28398]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Mr Kitty
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★★	Enjoyment - ★★★
Notes
I am currently on vacation. Today's abbreviated posting was prepared prior to my departure and provides a link to the review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog for the puzzle that I expect to be published today. However, the National Post has been known to alter its publication schedule unexpectedly, so there is no guarantee that my forecast will necessarily prove to be accurate.

Signing off for today — Falcon