Tuesday, April 23, 2013 — DT 27098

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27098
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Monday, February 11, 2013
Setter Rufus (Roger Squires)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27098]
Big Dave's Review Written By Libellule
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

I needed a gentle nudge from my electronic helpers for a few clues today. For both 1a and 13a, the first thing to come to mind proved to be incorrect; but it also seemed to get stuck in my mind and completely block out any other possibility from coming to the surface.

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   Musical passages for beginners? (8)

The first thought to come to mind was ETUDES — and, no matter what I did, I could not dislodge it from my mind.

6a   More than one rock group? (6)

The Rolling Stones^[7] are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. In 2012 the band celebrated their 50th anniversary. The band will kick off the North American leg of their 50 and Counting tour next month in Los Angeles, coming to Toronto for two concerts — on May 25 and June 6.

9a   Corrects final part in a script (6)

10a   Rex -- Joy's brother perhaps (8)

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).

11a   Profit from hobby (8)

12a   Cheat with contract (4,2)

13a   A despatch note? (5,7)

In this case, it was DEATH SENTENCE that blocked out all other possibilities.

Despatch^[4] is a less common spelling of dispatch.

16a   Sign language comes before volumes of words (12)

I was only familiar with diction^[3,4,11] in its other meaning of enunciation or elocution.

19a   Confused brides refuse (6)

21a   Sort of error made by clumsy tic-tac man? (8)

In the UK, tic-tac^[5] (also spelled tick-tack) is a kind of manual semaphore used by racecourse bookmakers to exchange information.

23a   Drawing instruments -- possibly rulers (8)

It may just be me being obtuse, but the second definition seems to fall flat.

24a   Workers' associations in unison perhaps (6)

25a   Highballs for winter sportsmen? (6)

Despite arriving at the correct solution, I failed to uncover the correct explanation for the clue. My research led me in the direction of a highball^[5] being a drink consisting of a spirit, especially whisky, and a mixer such as soda, served with ice in a tall glass. However, I was not able to track down a drink matching this description. While there is a drink called a skier's toddy consisting of Kahlua, Triple Sec, hot chocolate and marshmallows, it is obviously served hot — not cold — and in a mug — not a highball glass.

As I was to discover, skier is a variant spelling of skyer^[5], a cricket term for a a hit which goes very high.

26a   The class rioting which scholars carry out (8)

It took me quite some time to get the solution to this clue, as I do not associate this term with school children. Oxford Dictionaries Online defines a satchel^[5] as a bag carried on the shoulder by a long strap and closed by a flap, used especially for school books. The term satchel might be used in North America for such a bag, but not when used by school children. In this context, it would almost certainly be called a schoolbag.

Down

2d   A trying delay (6)

I recognized that we were in a courtroom setting, but the term would not come to mind until all the checking letters had been assembled.

3d   Weapon point caught in material (5)

Thinking that the wordplay was {N (point) + C (caught)} contained in (in) LAE led me to expend a great deal of time and effort looking for a fabric called "lae". Doh!

The correct wordplay is N (point) contained in (caught in) LACE (material).

4d   Reckless person's crazy road speed (9)

5d   Extend  a term of imprisonment (7)

6d   Disunity  somewhere in former Yugoslavia (5)

Split^[5], the second-largest city of Croatia, is situated in the Mediterranean Basin on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centred around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its bay and port.

7d   Fringes for old-fashioned garments (9)

8d   Time soon modifies feelings (8)

13d   Decide to put off when on my own (9)

14d   A spirit to woo results in engagement for Henry (9)

The Battle of Agincourt^[5] was a battle in northern France in 1415 during the Hundred Years War, in which the English under Henry V defeated a large French army. The victory, achieved largely by use of the longbow, allowed Henry to occupy Normandy.

15d   Close associate in team given boot (8)

In Britain, side^[7] is another term for a sports team.

17d   Dire Straits would be recording ones (7)

Dire Straits^[7] were a British rock band, formed in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (lead vocals and lead guitar), his younger brother David Knopfler (rhythm guitar and backing vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar and backing vocals), and Pick Withers (drums and percussion). Dire Straits' career spanned a combined total of 15 years. The band originally split up in 1988, but reformed in 1991. Dire Straits disbanded for good in 1995 when Mark Knopfler launched his career full time as a solo artist.

18d   Four may opt out from revelry in the flesh (6)

20d   Measures taken for the sake of progress (5)

22d   Hibernian flag on hospital (5)

A flag^[4] is any of various plants [including the iris] that have long swordlike leaves.

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)

Signing off for today — Falcon

Monday, April 22, 2013 — DT 27097

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27097
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Saturday, February 9, 2013
Setter Cephas (Peter Chamberlain)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27097 - hints] Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27097 - review]
Big Dave's Review Written By Big Dave (hints) crypticsue (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

Introduction

It has been a very busy day and unfortunately I have yet to find time to even look at today's puzzle. A link to the review of this puzzle on Big Dave's Crossword Blog is provided above. Given that this puzzle was published by The Daily Telegraph on a Saturday, it was a prize puzzle and thus there are two postings related to the puzzle on Big Dave's site — a day of publication posting containing hints for selected clues and a full review posted following the contest submission date. Most — if not all — of the comments from readers of Big Dave's blog will be found on the hints posting.

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)

Signing off for today — Falcon

Saturday, April 20, 2013 — Feathered Friends

Introduction

What better way to spend a beautiful — if somewhat chilly — spring day than by doing a bit of bird watching. In today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon, not only do we find ourselves encircled by a quartet of avians on the outskirts of the puzzle — but even make a bonus sighting in the interior.

Solution to Today's Puzzle

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

Across

1a   {BARNACLE GOOSE}* — anagram (crazy) of BARCELONA GOES

9a   ROU(G)E — ROUE (libertine) containing (receives) G (grand; slang for one thousand)

10a   BALL|IS|TIC — TIC (jerk) following (after) {BALL (big dance) + IS (†)}

11a   OBE(SIT)Y — SIT (pose) contained in (kept in) OBEY (mind)

12a   A|L|LAYER — A (†) + L (large) + LAYER (hen in action)

The whimsical nature of layer being defined by a "hen in action" is indicated by the the question mark.

13a   PETTY| CASH — PETTY (music's Tom; American musician Tom Petty^[7]) + (and) CASH ([music's] Johnny; American musician Johnny Cash^[7] (1932 – 2003)).

15a   SOL(V)E — SOLE (only) containing (around) V ([Roman numeral for] five)

17a   R|USES — R (Russia's leader [first letter]) + USES (employs)

19a   HER|BA|LIST — HER (the lady's) + BA LIST (roster [list] of bachelors [BA, Bachelor of Arts])

Once again, the setters flag the whimsical nature of the clue with a question mark.

21a   DOMINGO* — anagram (dancing) of DOOMING

Plácido Domingo^[5] is Spanish-born tenor. His performances in operas by Verdi and Puccini have met with particular acclaim.

23a   _S|A|RACE|N_ — hidden in (in the middle) of joinS A RACE Never

24a   SITUATION* — anagram (moving) of TO TUNISIA

25a   A|LONG — A (†) + LONG (pine)

26a   OYSTERCATCHER* — anagram (anagrams) of SAY THE CORRECT

Down

1d   {BIRD OF PARADISE}* — anagram (mistakenly) of PAID FOR SIDEBAR

2d   ROU(LET)TES — LET (permitted) contained in (in) ROUTES (paths)

A roulette^[5] is a tool or machine with a revolving toothed wheel, used in engraving or for making slit-shaped perforations between postage stamps.

3d   AMEN|IT|Y — AMEN (I agree) + (with) IT (†) + Y (yes)

4d   LOB|BY — LOB (hit a tennis shot) + BY (through; by means of)

5d   GAL|LAG|HER — LAG (delay) contained in (between) {GAL (young lady) + HER (†)}

Gallagher^[7] is an American comedian and prop comic, known [apparently to some people] for smashing watermelons as part of his act.

6d   O(RIO)LES — OLES (Mexican cheers) containing (about) RIO (Brazilian resort; Rio de Janeiro^[7])

7d   _ENTRY — [S]ENTRY (guard) with the first letter deleted (after opening; the part following the first letter)

8d   SCARLET T|AN(A)GER — SCARLETT (O'Hara of Tara) + (with) ANGER (outrage) containing (about) A (†)

Scarlett O' Hara^[7] is the protagonist in Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel Gone with the Wind and in the later film of the same name. Tara is the name of the O'Hara family plantation.

14d   APHRODITE* — anagram (badly) of ATROPHIED

In Greek mythology, Aphrodite^[5] is the goddess of beauty, fertility, and sexual love. She is variously described as the daughter of Zeus and Dione, or as being born from the sea. Her Roman equivalent is Venus.

16d   LOINCLOTH* — L (left) + anagram (awfully) of  COOL THIN

18d   _S|AND|ALS_ — hidden (some) in sockS AND ALSo

20d   A|B(R)EAST — A (†) + BEAST (brute) containing (keeping) R (right)

22d   ME(T)RO — T (time) contained in (caught in) anagram (new) of ROME

23d   SONIC* — anagram (scattered) of COINS

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)

Signing off for today — Falcon

Friday, April 19, 2013 — DT 27096

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27096
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Friday, February 8, 2013
Setter Giovanni (Don Manley)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27096]
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

As usual, Giovanni serves up some satisfying fare on which to end 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

8a   Examines notices either side of bridge (8)

9a   China perhaps and gold that is linked to part of Scripture (6)

 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.

10a   Bird nesting in window ledge (3)

11a   Nibbled, we hear, and said to be sort of cross (8)

In the Christian Church, a pectoral cross^[5] is a cross or crucifix worn on a long chain around the neck so that it rests on the chest, worn especially by bishops, abbots, and priests.

12a   At home, then not at home to some extent (2,1,3)

13a   Sort of good time  that rooftop prisoners have in the dark? (5,2,3,5)

On the tiles^[5] is British slang meaning having a lively night out ⇒ it won’t be the first time he’s spent a night on the tiles. In the second (cryptic) definition, "tiles" refers to roofing tiles. In fact, it would seem that the reference in the first definition is also to roofing tiles, with the phrase "a night on the tiles" being "derived from the custom among cats of having fun at night on rooftops, which in Britain are often made of tiles".

15a   An Italian poet's movement not showing any sign of hurry (7)

Dante^[5] (1265 – 1321), full name Dante Alighieri, was an Italian poet. His reputation rests chiefly on The Divine Comedy (circa 1309–20), an epic poem describing his spiritual journey through Hell and Purgatory and finally to Paradise. His love for Beatrice Portinari is described in Vita nuova (circa 1290-4).

In music, andante^[5] (as an adjective or adverb) is used as a direction meaning in a moderately slow tempo. The word is also used as a noun to denote a movement, passage, or composition marked to be performed andante.

18a   Man's man? (7)

Douglas^[5] is the capital of the Isle of Man; population 27,200 (est. 2009).

21a   Italian debt is so bad -- so will Eurozone suffer this? (15)

24a   Fate of idiot with hope half gone (6)

In Greek mythology, Clotho^[5] is one of the three Fates^[5], the three goddesses who preside over the birth and life of humans. Each person was thought of as a spindle, around which the three Fates (Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos) would spin the thread of human destiny.

In Britain, a clot^[5] is a foolish or clumsy person ⇒ Watch where you’re going, you clot!.

25a   No longer performing on stage? That's tough (8)

26a   It's no good harbouring a worry constantly (3)

27a   Ornament showing mammal rolling over captured by worker (6)

Despite having correctly deciphered the structure of the clue, I drew a complete blank on the animal.

28a   Complete description of shapes lacking any angularity? (3-5)

Down

1d   This person occupying the old-fashioned province as an Arab (6)

Northern Ireland^[5] (abbreviation NI^[5]) is a province of the United Kingdom occupying the NE part of Ireland; population 1,775,000 (est. 2008); capital, Belfast. According to Oxford Dictionaries Online, Northern Ireland is the only major division of the United Kingdom to hold the status of province, with England and Scotland being considered countries, and Wales a principality.

2d   Support reduced when Right gets in with children going under (6)

In the surface reading, "Right" seemingly referring to a political faction.

3d   Novelist making rotten bachelor reform -- about time! (9,6)

Charlotte Brontë^[5] (1816 – 1855) was an English novelist who authored Jane Eyre (1847), Shirley (1849), and Villette (1853).

4d   Cut off -- one thus gets behind schedule (7)

5d   This officer in short could appear to be politically correct (6,9)

6d   Very good sailor? Not if he's doing this! (8)

Cryptic crosswords, being a work of art, are not always viewed the same by all observers.While Gazza indicates that only the latter part of this clue constitutes the definition, I am going to opt for the entire clue being a cryptic definition. I would say that this is what scchua (a fellow blogger at Big Dave's site) would refer to as WIWD (wordplay intertwined with definition).

Pi^[5] is an informal British short form for pious. In Britain, a rating^[5] is a non-commissioned sailor in the navy ⇒ the rest of the new crew was made up of naval ratings [so named from the position or rating held by a sailor, recorded on a ship's books].

7d   Secret man, I care to be devious (2,6)

14d   Tribe of Israel  to wander about (3)

In the Bible, Gad^[5] is a son of Jacob and the forebear of one of the tribes of Israel.

16d   Winding up Miss Heather (8)

In Britain, to wind someone up^[5] means to tease or irritate someone ⇒ she’s only winding me up.

Ling^[5] is the common heather (Calluna vulgaris), a purple-flowered Eurasian heath that grows abundantly on moorland and heathland.

17d   Showing sagacity, like archbishop briefly coming to cathedral (8)

The Diocese of Ely^[5] is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury, headed by the Bishop of Ely, who sits at Ely Cathedral in the city of Ely.

Desmond Tutu^[5] is a South African clergyman who was Archbishop of Cape Town from 1986 to 1996.  As General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches (1979–84) he became a leading voice in the struggle against apartheid. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.

19d   Floral arrangement that is left up (3)

20d   Criminal -- for instance, gangster, bad at the outset (7)

Al Capone^[5] (1899 – 1947) was an American gangster, of Italian descent. He dominated organized crime in Chicago in the 1920s and was indirectly responsible for many murders, including the St Valentine’s Day Massacre.

22d   Military entertainment  that gets under the skin (6)

23d   Having to confess in front of gathering (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)
^[11] - TheFreeDictionary.com (Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary)

Signing off for today — Falcon

Thursday, April 18, 2013 — DT 27095

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27095
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Thursday, February 7, 2013
Setter RayT (Ray Terrell)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27095]
Big Dave's Review Written By Falcon
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

This puzzle was very enjoyable when I first blogged it for Big Dave's site in February — and nearly as much fun the second time around.

Notes on Today's Puzzle

This commentary is intended to serve as a supplement to the review of this puzzle found at Big Dave's Crossword Blog, to which a link is provided in the table above.

Across

1a   Bodices need ripping to contain one's defiance (12)

9a   Usual hamper containing nearly everything (9)

10a   From a habitat incorporating US city (5)

11a   Angel's harp's played around end of life (6)

12a   Support team which is behind (8)

In Britain, side^[7] is another term for a sports team.

13a   Army without backing for decoration (6)

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.

15a   Ship carrying front of Red Ensign (8)

18a   Vulgar 'bleep' in a broadcast (8)

19a   Composer with a name in German (6)

Richard Wagner^[5] (1813 – 1883) was a German composer. He developed an operatic genre which he called music drama, synthesizing music, drama, verse, legend, and spectacle. Notable works: The Flying Dutchman (opera, 1841), Der Ring des Nibelungen (a cycle of four operas, 1847–74), Tristan and Isolde (music drama, 1859), and the Siegfried Idyll (1870).
 

21a   Disaster of town taking a hit (8)

23a   Toilet's even unoccupied and free (6)

Loo^[5] is an informal British term for a toilet.

26a   Guides for chaps tackling top of Everest (5)

27a   Marine's intense embracing a female (9)

28a   Apathetic rude teen isn't misbehaving (12)

Down

1d   Down payment is returned in store (7)

2d   Sabbath outfit utter oaths (5)

3d   Odds on the man framed by charge being profane (9)

In horse racing, starting price (abbreviation SP)^[10] [likely a British term] means the latest odds offered by bookmakers at the start of a race.

4d   River Po's opening leading to sea (4)

The Po^[7] is a river that arises in the Cottian Alps and flows eastward across northern Italy entering the Adriatic Sea through a delta near Venice.

The Dee^[5] is a river in NE Scotland, which rises in the Grampian Mountains and flows eastwards past Balmoral Castle to the North Sea at Aberdeen. Another river of the same name rises in North Wales and flows past Chester and on into the Irish Sea.

5d   Takes out former wife? Discretion's about right (8)

6d   Look at  watch perhaps (5)

In Britain, clock^[5] means to notice or watch  ⇒ I noticed him clocking her in the mirror.

7d   Amulet of metal is manufactured (8)

8d   Take fast track for job? (6)

14d   Has doled out great deal (8)

Shedload^[5] (a euphemism for shitload) is British slang for a large amount or number.

16d   Drink up, pain takes a time to develop (9)

17d   Biased worker supporting political leader (8)

18d   Cream the French relish (6)

In French, le^[8] is the masculine singular form of the definite article. "Cream" is used in the sense of 'the cream of the crop'.

20d   Grass holding info turned up and welshed (7)

Gen^[5] is British slang for information ⇒ you’ve got more gen on him than we have.

22d   Old lady's touching builder (5)

24d   Small bird capturing large support (5)

The British name for a chickadee is tit^[5] (or titmouse).

25d   Exceptional artist with rise of Queen (4)

It would not be a RayT puzzle without a tip of the hat to his favourite band masquerading as Her Majesty.

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.

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)

Signing off for today — Falcon

Wednesday, April 17, 2013 — DT 27094

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27094
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Setter Jay (Jeremy Mutch)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27094]
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

While I was away, the National Post skipped a couple of puzzles — throwing my forecast into a bit of disarray. I did notice that this had occurred and was able to make a mid-course adjustment to realign my postings (which had been prepared in advance) with the sequence of puzzles that were actually published. The change by the National Post has had the effect of putting us back on the same daily cycle in which the puzzles appeared in the UK. Thus, today, we do get a 'Wednesday' 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.

Across

1a   Bad-tempered professional driver when rally's entered with no friend (6)

4a   New branch not working with film (8)

10a   Instrument from store regularly found in nuclear facility (9)

11a   Small and friendly crowd on the move (5)

12a   May, perhaps, honour after British defeat (7)

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

Chiefly a British term, may^[4] is a name for the blossoms of the hawthorn.

13a   First  to give authorisation (7)

14a   Baffled by a wobbly seat (2,3)

15a   India poetically evoked by one chap -- that's poor (8)

Ind^[4,11] is a poetic or archaic name for India.

18a   Top  bay in Wales (8)

Although the Welsh town is known to me, neither it nor the bay on which it sits came readily to mind.

Cardigan Bay^[7] is a large inlet of the Irish Sea, indenting the west coast of Wales. It is the largest bay in Wales. The town of Cardigan is located toward the southern extremity of the bay, at the mouth of the River Teifi.

20a   Picture bug not caught (5)

On cricket scorecards, the abbreviation c^[5] indicates caught (by) ⇒ ME Waugh c Lara b Walsh 19. [Batsman ME Waugh was caught out by fielder Lara on a ball delivered by bowler Walsh after having scored 19 runs during his innings (time batting)].

23a   Always there's passion surrounding gold (7)

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.

25a   Dish that's a result of endless fiddle by artist? (7)

A Royal Academician (abbreviation RA^[5]) is a member of the Royal Academy of Arts^[5], an institution established in London in 1768, whose purpose is to cultivate painting, sculpture, and architecture in Britain. 

26a   Revelation from twelve-stone imps (5)

27a   Standard workers' co-operative target ball (5,4)

A jack^[5] is a small white ball in [the game of] bowls, at which the players aim. Bowls^[6] is the British term for lawn bowling.

28a   Left outside stewing in social isolation (8)

29a   Put down average on limits of damage (6)

Down

1d   Intellectual bore oddly covered in breakfast food (8)

2d   Suits  for military offensives (7)

3d   Musicians prohibited by audience chasing money (5,4)

Brass^[5] is British slang for money ⇒ they wanted to spend their newly acquired brass.

5d   Temptation on account of offer -- study yield (9,5)

6d   Unfinished vessel loaded with American food (5)

7d   Fixed allowance under old address (7)

8d   A leaf originally used in unexciting Mexican dish (6)

9d   Putting one's foot down developing drug on familiar territory (8,6)

The British version of the expression is stamping ground^[4]. The most common North American version is stomping ground^[3], although stamping ground would seem to be a recognized variant.

16d   Given care after settling grudge (9)

17d   Affected by ruse employed by nurse (8)

In the UK, a State Enrolled Nurse^[5] (abbreviation SEN) is a nurse enrolled on a state register and having a qualification lower than that of a State Registered Nurse.

19d   Contender after a bride's second approach (7)

21d   Charge for accommodating men in theatre (7)

In the British armed forces, other ranks (abbreviation OR)^[5] refers to all those who are not commissioned officers.

22d   A female's mainly short and sweet (6)

In Britain, sweet^[5] is another name for pudding or dessert and afters^[5] is the sweet course following the main course of a meal; pudding ⇒there was apple pie for afters.

24d   Call for independence in view that's incomplete (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)
^[11] - TheFreeDictionary.com (Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary)

Signing off for today — Falcon

Tuesday, April 16, 2013 — DT 27093

Vacation Edition

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27093
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27093]
Big Dave's 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, should the National Post alter its established publication pattern, the puzzle appearing in today's newspaper may vary from my forecast.

Introduction

I am taking some time off to visit family. During my absence, the blog will continue to provide a link to Big Dave's site.

Signing off for today — Falcon