Monday, November 25, 2013 — DT 27256

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27256
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Setter Jay (Jeremy Mutch)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27256]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog 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

I found this to be a very enjoyable puzzle — but certainly more challenging than scchua's 1.5 star difficulty rating would lead one to expect. After the first read through, I had only two or three solutions filled in. However, based on that beachhead, I was able to complete most of the puzzle on my own before calling in my electronic reinforcements to to help conquer the few remaining holdouts.

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. The underlined portion of the clue is the definition.

Across

1a   Victims of loose links (10)

Remember this meaning of "links". One never knows when one may encounter it again.

6a   Prison record from the East covering start of action (4)

In Britain, gaol^[5] is a variant spelling of jail.

10a   Legislation on parking agreements (5)

11a   Dog, for example, during affectionate dressing-down (9)

Carpet^[5] is British slang meaning to reprimand severely ⇒ the Chancellor of the Exchequer carpeted the bank bosses.

12a   The home designed by born monster (8)

13a   The principle of men being banned from apartment block (5)

In Britain, the word tenement seems not to carry the negative connotation that it does in North America. In Britain, a tenement^[4] is merely a room or flat [apartment] for rent, whereas in North American, a tenement^[3,11] is generally regarded as a rundown, low-rental apartment building — often overcrowded and located in a poor section of a large city — whose facilities and maintenance barely meet minimum standards.

15a   Marksmen executed demonstrators (7)

I have observed that an execution in Crosswordland almost invariably involves beheading.

17a   Speak with authority of French demand (7)

In French, de^[8] is a preposition meaning of'.

19a   Fellow worried about international criminal (7)

Lowlife is another word that seems to have different shades of meaning on either side of the Atlantic. In North America, a lowlife^[3] is a person of low social status or moral character (but not necessarily a criminal). In Britain, on the other hand, the term lowlife^[4] seems to refer specifically to a member or members of the underworld.

21a   Strikingly unauthorised act, perhaps? (7)

22a   Credit son getting correct marks (5)

In Britain, tick^[5] (used in the phrase on tick) means on credit ⇒ the printer agreed to send the brochures out on tick. The term apparently originates as a short form for ticket in the phrase on the ticket, referring to an IOU or promise to pay.

24a   Suffering mainly attached to confined military headquarters (8)

27a   Drugs coming from church beset by criminal actions (9)

I spent too much time in the wrong church.

28a   Put forward work at home before the end of June (5)

In music, Op. (also op.)^[5] is an abbreviation meaning opus (work). It is used before a number given to each work of a particular composer, usually indicating the order of publication.

29a   Great number  killed (4)

30a   Changing trains, chap gets bitter (10)

Down

1d   Do better than expected initially, finding something to wear (4)

2d   Races around Washington, now dismissing new inviolate institution (6,3)

3d   Land in water after a passage (5)

4d   Lots besieging terribly coy businessmen of great power (7)

5d   Her date goes off and gets grounded (7)

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".

7d   Foreign article admitting fabrication (5)

8d   To run away before one final check is valid (10)

Leg it^[5] is an informal British expression meaning to run away ⇒ he legged it after someone shouted at him. Ironically, the term can also mean to travel by foot or walk ⇒ I am part of a team legging it around London.

In chess, check^[10] is the state or position of a king under direct attack, from which it must be moved or protected by another piece. Checkmate^[10] (often referred to as simply mate^[10]) is the winning position in which an opponent's king is under attack and unable to escape.

9d   Active moves covering right and left upright (8)

14d   A few drops of the hard stuff? (10)

16d   Discharge coming from Eastern embassy (8)

18d   Hermit's answer -- it must be found in new task (9)

An anchorite^[5] is a religious recluse.

20d   Voids member with links supporting Spain (7)

I hope you took my advice at 1a.

In many Commonwealth countries (including Britain and Canada), a member of the House of Commons or similar legislative body is known as a Member of Parliament^[10] (or MP^[5] for short).

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

21d   House turns on Tory with no limits (7)

The House of Windsor^[7] is the royal house of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms. It was founded by King George V by royal proclamation on 17 July 1917, when he changed the name of his family from the German Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (a branch of the House of Wettin) to the English Windsor, due to the anti-German sentiment in the British Empire during World War I.

In the UK [as is also the case in Canada], a Tory^[5] is a member or supporter of the Conservative Party. Originally, the term referred to a member of the English political party opposing the exclusion of James II from the succession. It remained the name for members of the English, later British, parliamentary party supporting the established religious and political order until the emergence of the Conservative Party in the 1830s.

23d   Remedy protecting independent physicist (5)

Marie Curie^[5] (1867–1934), a Polish-born French physicist, and her husband Pierre Curie (1859–1906), a French physicist, were pioneers of radioactivity. Working together on the mineral pitchblende, they discovered the elements polonium and radium, for which they shared the 1903 Nobel Prize for Physics with A.-H. Becquerel. After her husband’s accidental death Marie received another Nobel Prize (for chemistry) in 1911 for her isolation of radium. She died of leukaemia, caused by prolonged exposure to radioactive materials.

25d   A wheat, perhaps, that has future growth potential? (5)

Here we encounter yet another example of common words that have significantly different meanings in Britain and North America. The plant known in North America (as well as Australia and New Zealand) as corn^[5], is called maize^[5] in the UK. In Britain, corn refers to the chief cereal crop of a district, especially (in England) wheat or (in Scotland) oats.

As the proverb states, "Great oaks from little acorns grow."

26d   Fellow trapped in the broken lift (4)

From the perspective of the surface reading, lift^[5] is the British name for an elevator^[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

Saturday, November 23, 2013 — A Thoughtful Former President

Introduction

Once again, we get a puzzle from Cox & Rathvon with no clear theme. Today, I've dipped into the down clues for inspiration for a title.

Solution to Today's Puzzle

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

Across

1a   MANITOBA* — anagram (upset) of BOATMAN I

Lake Manitoba^[7] is Canada's thirteenth largest lake (4,624 km²) and the world's 33rd largest freshwater lake. It is located in the Canadian province of Manitoba, which is named after the lake.

5a   MA(G)MAS — G ($1000) contained in (invested in) {MAMA (Mom) + S ('s)}

9a   MU|SINGLY — MU (Greek character) + SINGLY (alone)

Mu^[5] is the twelfth letter of the Greek alphabet (Μ, μ).

10a   S(HER)PA — HER (that woman) contained in (into) SPA (whirlpool)

11a   _REE|VE_ — hidden in (appearing in) fREE VErse

12a   CO|DESIGNS — CO-DESIGNS (shares the invention of)

14a   SHILLEGAGHS* — anagram (shaking) of HELLISH GALS

A shillelagh^[5] is a thick stick of blackthorn or oak used in Ireland, typically as a weapon.

18a   C(OF|FEE T)ABLE — CABLE (wire) containing (wrapping) OF FEET (pedal; as an adjective)

21a   AS|I|A M|IN|OR — AS I AM (the way I live) + IN (†) + OR (Oregon)

23a   N(O)UNS — NUNS (sisters) containing (penning) O (Orator's first [letter])

24a   LEEWAY — spoonerism of WE LAY

25a   STRANG(L)E — L ([Roman numeral for] fifty) contained in (taken in by) STRANGE (bizarre)

26a   DUSTIN_ — DUSTING (housework) with the final letter deleted (never ending)

27a   _EDITION[⇒S] — SEDITION (treason) with the initial letter becoming the final letter (front to back)

Down

1d   M(EMOR<)Y — reversal of ROME (The Eternal City) contained in MY (†)

The history of Rome^[7] spans more than two and a half thousand years, since its legendary founding in 753 BC. Rome is one of the oldest continuously occupied cities in Europe. It is referred to as "The Eternal City", a notion expressed by ancient Roman poets and writers.

2d   NO|SHED — NO (†) + SHED (outbuilding)

3d   TENNESSEE* — anagram (roaming) of TEENS SEEN

Dixie^[5] is an informal name for the Southern states of the US. It was used in the song ‘Dixie’ (1859), a marching song popular with Confederate soldiers in the American Civil War.

4d   BILL (CLINT)ON — CLINT (Eastwood; American actor, film director, producer and composer Clint Eastwood^[7]) contained in (is in) {BILL (charge) + ON (with respect to)}

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.

6d   ATHOS* — anagram (put in a new order) of HAS TO

The Three Musketeers^[7] is a novel by French writer Alexandre Dumas (1802–1870), first serialized in March–July 1844. Set in the 17th century, it recounts the adventures of a young man named d'Artagnan after he leaves home to travel to Paris, to join the Musketeers of the Guard. D'Artagnan is not one of the musketeers of the title; those are his friends Athos, Porthos and Aramis, inseparable friends who live by the motto "all for one, one for all", a motto which is first put forth by d'Artagnan.

7d   MORTGAGE* — anagram (badly) of GAMER GOT

8d   SPARS|EST — SPARS (boxes) + EST (established)

13d   DELI|BERATED — DELI (seller of foods) + BERATED (put down)

15d   {LIE IN WAIT}* — anagram (cryptically) of INITIAL WE

16d   S|CRAWLED — S (splashed at first; first letter of Splashed) + (and) CRAWLED (swam)

17d   OFF(I|C)ERS — OFFERS (gifts) containing (including) {I ([Roman numeral for] one) + C (piece of cake; initial letter of Cake)}

In the cryptic reading of the clue, the 's is a contraction for the verb is.

19d   BURG|OO — BURG (hamlet) + OO (two eggs; two letters whose shape resembles that of an egg)

Burgoo^[7] is a chiefly nautical term for a thick porridge.

20d   ASSES|S — ASSES (donkeys) + S (second)

22d   MI(A)MI — MIMI (woman in La Bohème) containing (acquires) A (†)

Mimi is a principal character in La bohème^[7], an opera by Italian composer Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924) that was first performed in 1896.

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, November 22, 2013 — DT 27255

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27255
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27255]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog 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

Three quadrants went in without much difficulty but the southwest proved to be a different matter. I spent as much time on it as I did on the rest of the puzzle combined. In the end, I needed a bit of aid from my electronic assistants to finish.

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. The underlined portion of the clue is the definition.

Across

7a   Distinctive clothing, note, I brought into special sports meeting (7)

In Britain, a gala^[5] is a special sports meeting, especially a swimming competition ⇒ we met at a swimming gala.

In the UK, re^[5] is a variant spelling of ray^[5] which (in tonic sol-fa) is the second note of a major scale. However, re^[3,11] is the only spelling found in a sampling of American dictionaries.

9a   Petition about it after oil's spilt (7)

10a   Impish youngster, beginning to swagger, theatrically exaggerated (5)

11a   Scriptwriter having tipple with performer right away (9)

12a   Street band likes playing for idle amusement (4,3,8)

Skittles^[5] is a game played with wooden pins, typically nine in number, set up at the end of an alley to be bowled down with a wooden ball or disc. Beer and skittles^[5] is a British expression meaning amusement or enjoyment ⇒ life isn’t all beer and skittles.

13a   Show about the climate (7)

I found a couple of examples in which wear can mean show or display. Wear^[5] can mean to exhibit or present (a particular facial expression or appearance) ⇒ they wear a frozen smile on their faces. Furthermore, wear^[5] is a nautical expression meaning (of a ship) to fly (a flag) ⇒ any British registered boat may wear the red ensign.

16a   Judge  a person willing to provide a testimonial (7)

In Britain, referee^[5] is the name used for a person willing to testify in writing about the character or ability of someone, especially an applicant for a job ⇒ the subject of a bad reference can sue the referee for libel.

19a   Realm of fantasy provided by castles in Spain? (5-6-4)

Cloud cuckoo land^[5] is a state of absurdly over-optimistic fantasy ⇒ anyone who believes that the Bill will be effective is living in cloud cuckoo land. The term comes from the name of the city built by the birds in Aristophanes' comedy Birds. While this term is to be found in all my usual British dictionaries, I did not find it in either of the two American dictionaries that I consulted (American Heritage Dictionary and Random House Unabridged Dictionary). Although Oxford Dictionaries Online spells it as three separate words, the term is hyphenated in The Chambers Dictionary^[1], the Chambers 21st Century Dictionary^[5], and Collins English Dictionary^[4].

23a   Take turns to change a ten, counterfeit (9)

24a   Ask compiler, ultimately, for puzzle (5)

25a   Very serious  furthest from the centre (7)

26a   Getting on one in crazy game (3,4)

Down

1d   Angry, beak finding weapon (8)

A beak^[5] is a projection at the prow of an ancient warship, typically shaped to resemble the head of a bird or other animal, used to pierce the hulls of enemy ships.

2d   Hit and run, being negligent (8)

3d   What may make CID honest? (6)

The wordplay is Question: What may make CID? Answer: C AND ID.

The Criminal Investigation Department (seemingly better known by its abbreviation CID^[2]) is the detective branch of the British police force.

4d   Adaptable electric current feeding factory (6)

In physics, I^[5] is the symbol for electric current.

5d   German playwright's second terrifying work (8)

Friedrich von Schiller^[5] (1759–1805) was a German dramatist, poet, historian, and critic. Initially influenced by the Sturm und Drang movement, he was later an important figure of the Enlightenment. His historical plays include the trilogy Wallenstein (1800), Mary Stuart (1800), and William Tell (1804). Among his best-known poems is ‘Ode to Joy’, which Beethoven set to music in his Ninth Symphony.

6d   Data acquiring university prestige (6)

8d   Elegance shown by good people (5)

9d   One following singular speaker (7)

14d   Deserter in a potty situation (8)

In Britain, po^[5] is an informal name for a chamber pot.

The word gazunder^[5] (used by Big Dave in his review) is defined in all my regular online dictionaries [that is, in all the British online dictionaries] as an informal British term meaning to lower the amount of an offer that one has made to (the seller of a property), typically just before the exchange of contracts ⇒ the couple have just been gazundered in one of London’s most expensive areas.

In this sense, gazunder is a humorous blend of the words gazump and under. Gazump^[5] is an informal British term meaning to make a higher offer for a house than (someone whose offer has already been accepted by the seller) and thus succeed in acquiring the property ⇒ the trio are fuming after they were gazumped by a property speculator. The word comes from the Yiddish word gezumph meaning to overcharge.

However, my copy of The Chambers Dictionary has a couple of additional meanings for gazunder^[1], (1) a chiefly Australian term for a chamberpot and (2) a low ball in cricket. These latter meanings apparently derive from the pronunciation of goes under in informal speech.

15d   Savoury dish produced by boy, eaten by libertine (7)

A roulade^[5] is a dish cooked or served in the form of a roll, typically made from a flat piece of meat, fish, or sponge, spread with a soft filling and rolled up into a spiral.

17d   Highwaymen following, so adopt changes (8)

A footpad^[5] is a highwayman operating on foot rather than riding a horse.

18d   Disgustingly loaded, having gold deposited -- here? (2,6)

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.

El Dorado^[5] is the name of a fictitious country or city abounding in gold, formerly believed to exist somewhere in the region of the Orinoco and Amazon Rivers.

19d   Yellow head of cage bird (6)

20d   County circle upset staff at first (6)

Dorset^[5] is a county of SW England; county town, Dorchester.

21d   To stay the course means working (4,2)

Means^[5] is used in the sense of financial resources or income ⇒ a woman of modest but independent means.

Keep^[5] is used in the sense of (1) food, clothes, and other essentials for living ⇒ the Society are paying for your keep; or (2) the cost of the essentials for living.

22d   Some of what's eaten on a cruise ship? (2,3)

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, November 21, 2013 — DT 27254

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27254
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Monday, August 12, 2013
Setter Rufus (Roger Squires)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27254]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog 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
Notes The National Post has skipped DT 27252 and DT 27253 which were published in The Daily Telegraph on Friday, August 9, 2013 and Saturday, August 10, 2013 respectively.

Introduction

The National Post has skipped a couple of puzzles, so today we get a Rufus creation rather than the expected offering from Giovanni.

I definitely found this puzzle to be considerably more difficult than the two stars awarded to it by Libellule. It did contain some new Briticisms — as well as some old ones that did not come readily to mind. I also might have been disadvantaged as — not realizing that it was a Rufus puzzle — I failed to tune to the right wavelength. To make matters worse, I continue to be distracted by computer issues.

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. The underlined portion of the clue is the definition.

Across

1a   Looking round for a letter (8)

I don't think that it would be unreasonable to classify the first part of this clue as a definition ...

6a   Vessel  showing nationality? (6)

... whereas categorizing the second part of this clue as a definition may perhaps be a bit more of a stretch. A ship is showing nationality when it has a "flag on".

9a   Passed shuffled cards (6)

10a   A course for non-drivers (8)

I initially thought that the solution might be PAVEMENT — pavement^[5] being the British name for a sidewalk^[5].

11a   State  carriage for a queen (8)

Victoria^[5] is a state of SE Australia; population 5,313,823 (2008); capital, Melbourne. Originally a district of New South Wales, it became a separate colony in 1851 and was federated with the other states of Australia in 1901.

A victoria^[5] is a light four-wheeled horse-drawn carriage with a collapsible hood, seats for two passengers, and an elevated driver’s seat in front ⇒ Atlanta 's finest could promenade in phaetons , victorias and tallyhos pulled by gleaming horses.

Victoria^[5] (1819–1901) was  queen of Great Britain and Ireland 1837–1901 and empress of India 1876–1901. She succeeded to the throne on the death of her uncle, William IV, and married her cousin Prince Albert in 1840. She took an active interest in the policies of her ministers, but largely retired from public life after Prince Albert’s death in 1861. Her reign was the longest in British history.

12a   Sally is kind, that is the end of it (6)

13a   Deep study (12)

16a   What the crafty bounder kept? (3,4,5)

Bounder^[5] is old-fashioned British slang for a morally reprehensible person or, in other words, a cad.

19a   Twice Bill and I get stuck together touching a gum tree (6)

Usually, the term gum tree refers to the eucalyptus. However, it would seem that the setter has a different tree in mind today.

A gum tree^[5] is a tree that exudes gum, especially a eucalyptus.

An acacia^[5] is a tree or shrub of warm climates which bears spikes or clusters of yellow or white flowers and is typically thorny. Various species of acacia yield gum.

21a   One will appreciate people with good taste (8)

... because he would like to make a meal of them.

23a   Spotted things to play with (8)

24a   What's needed -- no huge changes (6)

25a   Note sent back for the cheese-maker (6)

Tenner^[5] is British slang for a ten-pound [bank] note.

26a   Try to get in the act, though very unpopular (8)

Down

2d   Diminish value of child-bearing? (6)

The clue appeared in the National Post as:

2d   Diminish value of child?bearing ? (6)

This is not the first time that I have noticed a hyphen mutating into a question mark in the National Post.

3d   Young trainee acted badly (5)

4d   Lear's wry smile that's bright and penetrating (5,4)

Perhaps the clue is alluding to Edward Lear^[5] (1812–88), the English humorist and illustrator. He wrote A Book of Nonsense (1845) and Laughable Lyrics (1877). He also published illustrations of birds and of his travels around the Mediterranean. It certainly would seem to be a more apt choice than King Lear^[5].

Read the definition as being "[something] that's bright and penetrating".

5d   Stop in a few bars (7)

6d   Sweets for kids (5)

Sweet^[5] is the British term for a sweet dish forming a course of a meal; in other words, a pudding or dessert. Fool^[5] is a chiefly British name for a cold dessert made of pureed fruit mixed or served with cream or custard ⇒ raspberry fool with cream.

7d   Short and in character? (9)

I considered marking this clue as a double definition. However, in the end I opted for a cryptic definition where the sense of the clue is "a short form of 'and' that can be expressed in a (single) character".

8d   Rejected just for being unqualified (8)

13d   Notice job is to be relocated -- protest (9)

14d   Container for spread (5,4)

In the UK, the solution is written as two words (green belt^[4]) whereas in North America, it is a single word (greenbelt^[3,11]).

15d   Account will be provided once date is amended (8)

17d   A cricket club, not new to exploitation, in the dock (7)

CC^[5] is the  abbreviation for cricket club.

18d   Collide with end of bridge? A bad one might (6)

This is a semi & lit. (semi-all-in-one) clue where the entire clue is the definition. Untangling the contorted sentence structure employed by the setter, the definition states "A bad one might collide with end of bridge".

The wordplay is "collide with end of bridge" which parses as BARGE (collide with) + E (end [final letter] of bridgE).

In what would seem to be a British usage, barge^[5] means (chiefly in a sporting context) to run into and collide with (someone), typically intentionally ⇒ (i) you can use this method to barge an opponent; (ii) just barge the other skater off the ball.

Bargee^[5] is a chiefly British name for a person in charge of or working on a barge.

20d   Sailor dismissed roughly (5)

In the Royal Navy, able seaman (abbreviation AB)^[5], is a rank of sailor above ordinary seaman and below leading seaman.

22d   Is about to study religious pictures (5)

Con^[5] is an archaic term meaning to study attentively or learn by heart (a piece of writing)  ? the girls conned their pages with a great show of industry.

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, November 20, 2013 — DT 27251

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27251
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Thursday, August 8, 2013
Setter RayT (Ray Terrell)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27251]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog 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

I needed some help from my electronic assistants to complete this puzzle. Not only did it contain a few words that I had not encountered previously, but I was distracted by my ongoing computer issues.

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. The underlined portion of the clue is the definition.

Across

1a   Way of life after getting into the habit? (11)

10a   Tenor with power covering Queen. Idiot ... (5)

The regnal 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 regnal cipher of Queen Elizabeth is ER^[5] — from the Latin Elizabetha Regina.

11a   ... halfwit revealed by design or amusement (9)

12a   Every other bird in a former embrace (9)

13a   Greek character, goddess embodying first of Titans (5)

Theta^[5] is the eighth letter of the Greek alphabet (Θ, θ).

In Greek mythology, the Titans^[5] are the older gods who preceded the Olympians and were the children of Uranus (Heaven) and Gaia (Earth). Led by Cronus, they overthrew Uranus; Cronus' son, Zeus, then rebelled against his father and eventually defeated the Titans.

In Greek mythology, Theia^[7] (sometimes written Thea or Thia), also called Euryphaessa was one of the female Titans.

14a   Broad giving needle in silence (6)

16a   Lops head off plant (8)

Asphodel^[5] is a Eurasian plant of the lily family, typically having long slender leaves and flowers borne on a spike.

18a   'On the Beach' is prosaic for the audience (8)

I fully expected that there would be quotation marks in the British edition of the puzzle — and I was not disappointed.

On the Beach^[7] (1959) is a post-apocalyptic drama film directed by Stanley Kramer and written by John Paxton, based on Nevil Shute's 1957 novel of the same name and starring Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire and Anthony Perkins.

Littoral^[5] is an adjective meaning relating to or situated on the shore of the sea or a lake ⇒ the littoral states of the Indian Ocean.

20a   Sailor is catching case of dengue and survives (6)

In the Royal Navy, able seaman (abbreviation AB)^[5], is a rank of sailor above ordinary seaman and below leading seaman.

Abide^[5] (with respect to a feeling or memory) means to continue without fading or being lost ⇒ at least one memory will abide.

23a   River Test finally divided (5)

The setter gives us one river in the clue but is looking for another in the solution.

The River Test^[7] is a river in Hampshire, England having a total length of 40 miles (64 km). Its upper reaches are renowned for the excellent quality of its fly fishing for trout.

The Trent^[5] is the chief river of central England, which rises in Staffordshire and flows 275 km (170 miles) generally north-eastwards, uniting with the River Ouse 25 km (15 miles) west of Hull to form the Humber estuary.

24a   Terrible shower seek solutions, losing head (9)

26a   Standard of France in ruined memorial (9)

The International Vehicle Registration (IVR) code for France is F^[5]. 

An oriflamme^[5] is the sacred scarlet banner of St Denis, given to early French kings by the abbot of St Denis on setting out for war.

27a   Pile of stones roughly hard, not old (5)

28a   Harmful French article, 'Females almost embracing depressions' (11)

In French, un^[8] is the masculine singular form of the indefinite article.

Down

2d   Open's settled on tee (5)

3d   Unending craving for drug (7)

4d   Ethnic test about Britain (6)

5d   Ocean swirls over first one in kayak (8)

I have never considered a kayak to be a canoe, but I am surprised to discover that most dictionaries do.

6d   Tax  period (7)

7d   Throttling, giving a signal to turn around (13)

8d   Single politician's over getting threatened (8)

In many Commonwealth countries (including Britain and Canada), a member of the House of Commons or similar legislative body is known as a Member of Parliament^[10] (or MP^[5] for short).

9d   Foundation stone in Blenheim sat askew (13)

A stone^[5] (abbreviation st^[5]) is a British unit of weight equal to 14 lb (6.35 kg) ⇒ I weighed 10 stone.

Blenheim^[5] (also Blenheim Palace) is the Duke of Marlborough’s seat at Woodstock near Oxford, a stately home designed by Vanbrugh (1705). The house and its estate were given to the first Duke of Marlborough in honour of his victory at Blenheim, a battle in 1704 in Bavaria, near the village of Blindheim, in which the English, under the Duke of Marlborough, defeated the French and the Bavarians.

Foundation^[5] is used in the sense of the action of establishing an institution or organization ⇒ the foundation of a civil service college.

15d   Pedestrian way state overturned poor (8)

17d   Disapprove of endlessly strong husband grabbing rear (8)

19d   Bird in Sun a lot, rolling over (7)

An ortolan^[5] (Emberiza hortulana) is a small Eurasian songbird that was formerly eaten as a delicacy, the male having an olive-green head and yellow throat.

21d   Halves portions, taking little time (7)

22d   Ring around ring's centre like part of conifer (6)

Pineal is an adjective that means resembling a pine cone.

25d   Drug of poppy in use medicinally, initially (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, November 19, 2013 — DT 27250

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27250
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Setter Jay (Jeremy Mutch)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27250]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog 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

In my case, the puzzle proved to be slightly more difficult than the 1.5 stars awarded by scchua. Although, it surely would have helped immensely had I remembered the British name for bingo.

Unfortunately I have fallen behind in my blogging activities as I continue to be plagued by a succession of computer woes, making it extremely difficult to get my posts completed in a timely manner.

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. The underlined portion of the clue is the definition.

Across

1a   The result of engaging comedians? (6,2,4)

9a   Frank to reveal son all right in prison (9)

Despite being a North American term, 'pen' must be reasonably well-known to the the Brits. As scchua mentions in his review, penitentiary^[5] and its short form, pen^[5], are North American terms for a prison for people convicted of serious crimes.

10a   House needs work on wine store (5)

In Britain, house^[5] is old-fashioned term for bingo.

The British version of bingo^[7] bears very little resemblance to the North American game of the same name (or one might say that they are about as similar as cricket and baseball). The British game (formerly called housey-housey) and the North American version both involve matching numbers drawn at random to those on tickets (Britain) or cards (North America). However, the format of British tickets is totally different from that of North American cards — and, consequently, so are the winning combinations. In Britain, it is common for winners to yell "House!" (rather than "Bingo!") when a winning combination is attained.

In Britain, a bin^[4,5] is a partitioned stand for storing bottles of wine.

11a   Offender's secret on right of access (6)

12a   Highly-developed sub used without purpose (8)

In Britain, a sub^[5] is an advance or loan against expected income ⇒ ‘I’ve got no money.’ ‘Want a sub?’

The wordplay is ADVANCE (sub) + D {USED (from the clue) minus (without) USE (purpose)}.

13a   Millions invested in thin-sounding cure (6)

15a   Hang around branch, gathering in great numbers (8)

18a   He trades off support for the crown (8)

19a   Settled engineers in old environment (6)

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.

21a   A call for help, boxing top material considered hazardous (8)

23a   Left one wearing short dress to have fun and games (6)

26a   Find the answer and clear missing sailor (5)

In the Royal Navy, able seaman (abbreviation AB)^[5], is a rank of sailor above ordinary seaman and below leading seaman.

27a   Starter's terrible irritation, missing beginning of race (9)

28a   Limited accommodation for replacement stablehand? (8,4)

Down

1d   Surfer in river run over by tanker (7)

Bowser^[4,5] (seemingly a British term) is a tanker [truck] used for fuelling aircraft and other vehicles or for supplying water. Oxford Dictionaries Online describes the term as a trademark. Collins English Dictionary elaborates further on this description, telling us that the word was originally a US proprietary name, from S. F. Bowser, a US inventor, who made the first one in 1885.

The term bowser^[7] is used by water companies in the United Kingdom to refer to mobile water tanks deployed to distribute fresh water in emergency situations where the normal system of piped distribution has broken down or is insufficient. The term rose to prominence in general usage in England in July 2007 when severe flooding in the valley of the River Severn caused interruption of the piped-water supply to a large area of Gloucestershire.

Bowser can also be used to describe a fuel tanker used to deliver fuel to aircraft at airports or airfields. The term is also used to describe refuelling boats used to supply seaplanes.

In Australia and New Zealand, bowser^[4,5] is an obsolete term for a a petrol [gasoline] pump at a filling station.

2d   Giant metal container holding tar, mostly (5)

In Greek mythology, the Titans^[5] are the older gods who preceded the Olympians and were the children of Uranus (Heaven) and Gaia (Earth). Led by Cronus, they overthrew Uranus; Cronus' son, Zeus, then rebelled against his father and eventually defeated the Titans. The term titan today means a person or thing of very great strength, intellect, or importance ⇒ a titan of American industry.

3d   I see what you mean! (3-6)

4d   Duck when crossing east of cork trees (4)

In cricket, a duck^[5] is a batsman’s score of nought [zero] ⇒ he was out for a duck. This is similar to the North American expression goose egg^[5] meaning a zero score in a game. In British puzzles, duck is used to indicate the letter "O" based on the resemblance of the digit "0" to this letter.

5d   Opportunity to employ daughter with new slowing of output (4-4)

6d   Bone up a little, covering Italy (5)

The International Vehicle Registration (IVR) code for Italy is I^[5].

7d   One local, full of cold, is doing nothing (8)

If I had been able to get the solution for 10a (which was likely a snap for British solvers), then the solution to this clue would have likely fallen into place quite nicely.

8d   Food for sexy setter? (3,3)

14d   Food for team changing before dance (8)

16d   Concerned with soldiers providing protection for the audience (9)

The Royal Engineers make a second appearance (see comment for 19a).

17d   Cameron, for example, once admitting second language (8)

David Cameron^[7], Prime Minister of the UK, attended Eton College — in other words, he is an  Etonian^[5], a past or present member of Eton College.

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].

18d   Frost on case of satire gets gruff (6)

The surface reading of the clue may well be an allusion to Sir David Frost^[7] (1939–2013), an English journalist, comedian, writer, media personality and television host. Frost rose to prominence in the UK when he was chosen to host the satirical programme That Was the Week That Was in 1962. His success on this show led to work as a host on US television. He became known for his television interviews with senior political figures, among them The Nixon Interviews with former United States President Richard Nixon in 1977, which were adapted into a stage play and film.

20d   Proper behaviour of French company -- odd! (7)

In French, de^[8]is a preposition meaning of'.

Rum^[5] is dated British slang meaning odd or peculiar ? it’s a rum business, certainly. 

22d   Result of effort getting constituency to adopt women? (5)

In Britain [and, as well, in Canada], a seat^[5] is a parliamentary constituency ⇒ a safe Labour seat in the North-East.

I would say that scchua's comment that the solution to the clue "has nothing to do with politics" betrays a lack of familiarity with the current Canadian political situation. It seems to me that quite a few Canadian politicians have been producing copious amounts of this substance recently.

24d   Line on German chap's game (5)

Otto is a stereotypical German name. In Crosswordland, I have observed that German men are almost invariably named either Otto or Hans.

25d   Revealing feminine apparel? (4)

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