Sunday, December 20, 2009 (ST 4354)

This puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on November 8, 2009

Introduction

I felt that today's puzzle leaned a bit toward the difficult end of the scale - in part due to the rather convoluted wording of a few of clues.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

Colchester Native - the native oyster, ostrea edulis (when harvested in the Colchester fishery)

Foulness - an island on the east coast of Essex, England

Sir Peter Lely - 17th century Dutch painter

Links to Solutions

A review of today's puzzle by talbinho can be found at Times for the Times [ST 4354].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

4a Not positive it's found, for example, in an oyster (8)

I puzzled for a long time over the wordplay here before feeling I really understood it. The definition is given by "not positive" (NEGATIVE). If we were to delete the word "found" from the clue, the wordplay would be quite straightforward, "It (the solution, NEGATIVE) is EG (for example) in NATIVE (an oyster)". However, when the word "found" is inserted in the clue, I find that I then need to mentally insert extra words in the clue for the cryptic reading to make sense to me, as follows, "It (the solution) is found by putting EG in NATIVE" or "It (the solution) is the result had one found EG in NATIVE".

Native is an informal reference to a native oyster, in the same way that one might refer to a McIntosh apple as a McIntosh or a Mac.

11a One promise nearly everyone makes (5)

At first, I thought this might be an example of the rarely seen & lit. clue. The clue itself is a definition of AVOWAL. The clue also contains the wordplay "A (one) VOW (promise) AL {ALL without the final L (nearly everyone)}". However, since the word "makes" seems to be superfluous to the cryptic reading, it appears that it does not completely satisfy the criteria for an & lit. clue.

16a Hole crab made, injuring him? (?)

Yet another clue that made me think. The solution is an anagram of HOLE CRAB, but is the anagram indicator made or made injuring? If the latter, then the definition would be the rather vague "him" signifying BACHELOR. However, if the former, why would "injuring him" mean BACHELOR?

At least I seem not to be alone in my thinking, as talbinho comments "a poor clue with no real definition".

26a Disgusting state of Essex island? (8)

In his review, talbinho supposes that the solution to this clue is "probably tricky for overseas solvers". Actually, an Internet search on "Essex island" returned a list headed by the blatantly obvious solution.

15d Mixed in tea, beer's held to set one against it (8)

When one sees an 's in a clue, one must decide whether it signifies a possessive (not in this case), a contraction for is (once again, not in this case), or a contraction for has (bingo). Since the latter is the case, ALE (beer) is the container in this container-type clue. Otherwise (i.e., if the 's had stood for is), ALE would have formed the contents.

Substituting the essentially equivalent phrase "held by beer" for "beer has held", we can find the solution as an anagram (mixed) of IN TEA contained in (held by) ALE (beer).

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, Deccember 13, 2009 (ST 4353)

This puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on November 1, 2009

Introduction

I found this to be a rather difficult puzzle - with more than the usual quota of obscure British expressions. Even after completing it, I was left in the dark about the wordplay for several clues. Luckily, I could rely on talbinho for an explanation.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

CAB - abbreviation 1 Citizen's Advice Bureau [Chambers] or Citizens’ Advice Bureau [Oxford] or Citizens Advice Bureau [Wikipedia]: one of a network of independent charities throughout the UK that give free, confidential information and advice to help people with their money, legal, consumer and other problems.

CAMRA - abbreviation Campaign for Real Ale: an independent, voluntary, consumer organisation based in St. Albans, England, whose main aims are promoting real ale and the traditional British pub. It is now the largest single-issue consumer group in the UK, and is a founding member of the European Beer Consumers' Union (EBCU).

fortissimo - music (abbreviation ff) adj very loud.

gash² [Collins] - adj Slang [probably Brit.] surplus to requirements; unnecessary, extra, or spare

ginger nut - [probably Brit.] noun a ginger-flavoured biscuit (cookie: the British term for cookie is biscuit, I don't know what name they have for biscuits) [known in North America as a ginger snap]

Herm - one of the Channel Islands

OR - abbreviation 3 military other ranks (by extension, men)

rom or Rom - noun a male Gypsy

soak - noun 2 informal a heavy drinker

Links to Solutions

A review of today's puzzle by talbinho can be found at Times for the Times [ST 4353].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

13a A new hint to have sparkling wine for first course (9)

Since antipasti is the plural of antipasto, I wondered if there might be an inconsistency (in number) with the definition "first course". However, upon reflection, I concluded that a course could well consist of a number of antipasti.

20a Idiotic, a bunch of beer enthusiasts beginning to troll around - such may be found on the road (10)

Thankfully, this clue is easily solved from the definition (such as may be found on the road) and checking letters. The convoluted wordplay involving the obscure (at least to North American audiences) group of British beer fanciers was far more challenging - so much so that I only got it by reading talbinho's review. The wordplay is as follows:

MAD (idiotic) A CAMRA (bunch of beer enthusiasts) T (beginning to troll), all of which is reversed (around) to give TARMACADAM.

28a Italian city with university good for mathematician (6)

Like talbinho, I questioned "Italian city with university" as a definition for Turin, although Wikipedia does say, "Turin is home to one of Italy's oldest universities, the University of Turin, which still ranks among the best universities in Italy."

3d Group turned into old rockers, strapped up (8)

Despite having found the correct solution, the wordplay escaped me. I even had to reread talbinho's explanation a couple of times to comprehend what he was trying to explain. I think that the easiest way to understand the solution is to think of it as replacing the phrase "Group turned into old rockers" by the phrase "band aged"; i.e., when the band (group) aged, they became "old rockers".

9d One will get soak on island? Weather map may show that (8)

Deciphering the wordplay was far more difficult than finding the solution (which was pretty obvious from the definition and checking letters). A better knowledge of the Channel Islands and a better acquaintance with British slang terms for drunkards would have helped immensely.

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, Deccember 6, 2009 (ST 4352)

This puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on October 25, 2009

Introduction

I'm a bit late this week in posting my blog. It is certainly not due to the puzzle being overly taxing - as it was anything but difficult. I just had a very busy Sunday.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

M1 - a major motorway (highway) in England linking London and Leeds.

RE - abbreviation Royal Engineer (or sapper - noun 1 a military engineer who lays or detects and disarms mines. 2 Brit. a soldier in the Corps of Royal Engineers.)

Links to Solutions

A review of today's puzzle by talbinho can be found at Times for the Times [ST 4352].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

1a Desires new form - stays required (7)

As in this example, one often sees words like "required" or "needed" appearing in clues. The implication of such constructions is usually that a word matching the definition is required (or needed) as the solution. Thus, this clue can be viewed as a terse presentation of what could be stated more verbosely as "The solution is an anagram (new form) of DESIRES, one which is required to be a word meaning 'stays'".

12a Overtaking inch into middle of coastal road (8)

Only after having solved this clue on the basis of the definition (coastal road) together with a couple of checking letters was I able to work out the wordplay. The use of "overtaking" as an anagram indicator seems rather dubious - a point on which talbinho concurs in his review.

22a I withdrew, then had a meal - to get thin? (8)

My interpretation is that this is an example of what might be called indirect wordplay (which may not be the recognized way of describing such a clue, but being unaware of any other, I'll settle for it). One first has to translate "I withdrew" into "I came back" which indicates a reversal (back) of I CAME or EMACI which is followed by (then) ATE (had a meal) to produce EMACIATE (to get thin).

29a Marshal reportedly is old naval hero (7)

Sir Walter Raleigh was an "English courtier, navigator, colonizer, and writer" - but was he a "naval hero". Since the description seemed not to raise the hackles of the Brits, the clue presumably could not have been too far off the mark.

21d Bird's taken off from motorway with something on a leaf (6)

While the wordplay here is not as blatantly indirect as in 22a, I find it still requires a bit of interpretation on the part of the solver to determine what action is needed to find the solution. If a bird "takes off", it goes up. Consequently, since this is a down clue, the wordplay is instructing us to reverse the word "bird" (i.e., make it go up).

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, November 29, 2009 (ST 4351)

This puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on October 18, 2009

Introduction

I completed today's puzzle still having question marks in my mind concerning a few of the clues.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

afters - singular noun, Brit colloq dessert; pudding.

ladette - noun Brit. 1. A young woman who behaves in a manner similar to a young man, namely being boisterous and loud and drinking to excess.

polythene - noun chiefly Brit. a tough, light, flexible plastic made by polymerizing ethylene, chiefly used for packaging. ORIGIN contraction of polyethylene. Beatles fans will surely remember Polythene Pam.

RSC - abbreviation 1 Royal Shakespeare Company: a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, England

TV - abbreviation 2. Slang transvestite.

wind up - noun 1 Brit. informal an attempt to tease or irritate someone. [Note that Oxford spells it wind-up, with a hyphen]

Links to Solutions

A review of today's puzzle by talbinho can be found at Times for the Times [ST 4351].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

27a Forgetting one's complaint (8)

Talbinho seemed to like this clue fairly well, "... a much better CD." However, it took me quite a while to get my head around it - perhaps I am just obtuse. I finally came to the conclusion that the thrust of the clue is that if one is suffering from amnesia, they may well be unable to remember what illness they have (forgetting one's complaint) - and therefore would be described as being AMNESIAC.

4d Angry lady's maid on TV (5-7)

I did get the correct answer; but I was definitely puzzled by the wordplay. I looked in vain for a British television show called (or dealing with a) CROSS-DRESSER. It did not help that I did not think that a dresser is necessarily a "lady's maid". My understanding was reinforced by the fact that every reference I consulted defined it similar to Oxford, namely "noun 2 a person who looks after theatrical costumes". I initially thought that "lady's maid" might be an abigail.

19d Two-piece practised here with explosive results (6)

A ''two-piece" is a BIKINI, and clearly the latter part of the clue relates to Bikini Atoll, a U.S. nuclear test site from 1946-1958. I was not convinced that I fully grasped the wordplay and thought that Talbinho might provide some guidance. However he was not much impressed with this clue, stating "Bikini Atoll was a nuclear testing site, but the second definition ('practised here with explosive results') is horribly worded."

At that point, I decided to undertake some further research which led me to think that it perhaps is not such a bad clue - if one understands a bit about nuclear physics. In an atomic (fission) bomb, two sub-critical masses of fissile material are combined into a single super-critical mass (the amount of material needed to start an exponentially growing nuclear chain reaction). Thus could "two-piece" refer to the bomb (consisting of the two sub-critical masses of fissile material) that was tested ("practised") at Bikini Atoll "with explosive results". It still may not be the smoothest reading clue but perhaps it is not as bad as it originally might seem.

Should this reading of the clue be correct, then it would not be a two-part clue at all, but rather a cryptic definition with "two-piece" also serving as an additional reference to the swimsuit.

By the way, I found the story of the origin of the name bikini for the swimsuit rather interesting. "[T]he bikini swimsuit was named after the island in 1946. The two-piece swimsuit was introduced within days of the first nuclear test on the atoll, and the name of the island was in the news. Introduced just weeks after the one-piece 'Atome' was widely advertised as the 'smallest bathing suit in the world', it was said that the bikini 'split the atome'."

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, November 22, 2009 (ST 4350)

This puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on October 11, 2009.

Introduction

It was a rather busy weekend and I still have not had time to complete the Sunday cryptic crossword. However, I am posting the link to Times for the Times for the benefit of those who may be looking for it.

Links to Solutions

A review of today's puzzle by talbinho can be found at Times for the Times [ST 4350].

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, November 15, 2009 (ST 4349)

This puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on October 4, 2009

Introduction

Although this puzzle was quite a quick solve, and the wordplay was anything but obscure, I found the puzzle to be very entertaining with most of the clues being very nicely phrased.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

Midshipman Easy - a 1935 British adventure film

mo - Brit. a short while, a moment

prat - the buttocks

rum - Brit. odd, peculiar

Links to Solutions

A review of today's puzzle by talbinho can be found at Times for the Times [ST 4349].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

11a See out trial runs? Impossible in this game (7,8)

Talbinho writes "another good anagram, but lacking an indicator". I (as did a number of those leaving comments on Times for the Times) supposed that "impossible" is intended to be the anagram indicator.

26a Lively guy involving women in lark? (7)

Surely, given that the solution is SWINGERS, this is a clue on which the imagination could really run wild. I wondered whether the word has the same connotation in Britain as it does in North America. Oxford provides the following definitions (among others) for the verb swing: "be lively, exciting, or fashionable" and "swap sexual partners or engage in group sex". While the setter may have intended the former, I would expect that the later may well be the more common understanding in North America.

2d Twist and Shout succeeded for many (9)

Although I was not able to find a reference, apparently S is an abbreviation for succeeded. I presume that this would be in the sense that Elizabeth II succeeded George VI, and that you might find this notation in tables of royal lineages, as an example. Nevertheless, I do not rule out the possibility that I may be informed that it is a cricket or football term.

7d Jack, perhaps, is, in short, behind (5)

I guess that I couldn't see the wordplay for the commas - surely, this clue contains almost the highest density of commas possible in a sentence. More to the point, I had no idea that prat is slang for the buttocks.

13d Midshipman not staying relaxed (4-3)

In my search for an explanation as to why midshipman equates to easy, I found a reference to the 1935 British film, Midshipman Easy (see Today's Glossary). However, talbinho's review hints that easy may, in general, be a term for a midshipman - though I was not able to find it in a dictionary. If that is indeed the case, the name of the film may actually have been derived from this association, or - on the other hand - perhaps the term arose from the film (or the book on which the film was based).

22d M East national upset in a short time (5)

In this clue, "upset" is not an anagram indicator, but rather it is a reversal indicator and "short time" is not a min (minute) but a mo (moment).

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, November 8, 2009 (ST 4348)

This puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on September 27, 2009

Introduction

A fairly average puzzle - but one that seems to have provided quite a bit of grist for the blog.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

CH - abbrev. Companion of Honour: a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour, an order (decoration) of the Commonwealth realms

dress circle - a circular or curving division of seats in a theater, opera house, etc., usually the first gallery, originally set apart for spectators in evening dress

Hansard - an official printed daily report of what has happened in the British (or Canadian) parliament

hock - Brit. a dry white wine from the German Rhineland

quarrel - a short heavy square-headed arrow or bolt for a crossbow or arbalest

The Order of the Companions of Honour

Most dictionaries state that this is a British order, and I have written in another blog that it is an order of the Commonwealth of Nations. It would appear that the former assertion is incomplete and the latter, upon reflection, is an overstatement. This seems to be a case of that which is concise not being true and that which is true not being concise. As near as I can determine, the correct interpretation would be that it is an order of the Commonwealth realms (a fairly small subset of the nations within the Commonwealth of Nations), being those members of the Commonwealth who have the Queen as their Head of State. Although even the Queen's own website is vague on this point, it would appear that the Queen makes these awards in her respective roles as sovereign of each realm. Thus, when she confers the honour on a citizen of the UK, she does so as Queen of the United Kingdom. Equally, when she confers the honour on a citizen of Canada, she does so as Queen of Canada. Therefore, it can be said that this is a British order for some recipients, a Canadian order for other recipients, an Australian order for yet others, etc. Therefore, the dictionaries' statement that this is a British order would seem to be - at best - incomplete. I believe if this were considered to be a British honour, then Canadian citizens would be forbidden from accepting it (remember Conrad Black who relinquished his Canadian citizenship in order to accept a British knighthood).

Links to Solutions

A review of today's puzzle by talbinho can be found at Times for the Times [ST 4348].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

11a She's returning us to hospital for a brief spell (5)

Whether you favour the British spelling (sanitorium) or favor the American spelling (sanitarium), "a brief spell" (abbreviation) of this hospital remains the same.

19a Its ugly facial features resultant from a growth? (7)

There is an anagram in this clue, although I managed to overlook it - perhaps because the checking letters pretty much gave the solution away.

28a Keen, clear-cut incisiveness needed, in this position? (5-4)

Even after solving this clue, it continues to cry out to me that I have overlooked some nuance in the wordplay - and it would appear that talbinho feels the same way.

5d Hock - his and her new, alternative tipple (7)

I had questions about the wordplay in this clue, essentially the same ones raised by talbinho.

16d Providing her services with small charge (9)

I, as did talbinho, found the wording of this clue somewhat questionable. In my opinion, it would have been better worded "One providing her services with small charge".

18d Shrank from having quarrel end nastily outside (8)

I figured out that "shrank" is NARROWED where "end nastily outside" accounts for the N...ED (anagram of END as a container). But I mistakenly presumed that "quarrel" is ROW, leaving me perplexed as to where the AR comes from - having never before encountered the other meaning of "quarrel" as an ARROW. I expected that talbinho's review would clear up the confusion, but as he accepted "arrow" without comment, I was forced to do some additional research.

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, November 1, 2009 (ST 4347)

This puzzle was "originally" published in The Sunday London Times on September 20, 2009

Introduction

In the text above, you may have observed that I placed quotation marks around the word originally. The reason for doing this is that talbinho, in his blog at Times for the Times, has identified that much of the puzzle is not at all original, having been recycled from a puzzle published in the Times in July 2008 (which would have subsequently appeared in the Citizen in the late summer or early fall of 2008). This was before I started this blog and I do not remember doing the puzzle myself. In any event, I certainly do not profess to have the remarkable power of recall that talbinho so obviously possesses. Since the puzzle was as good as new to me, I rather enjoyed doing it. I also enjoyed reading the comments on Times for the Times, especially sotira's anecdote about the newspaper astrology columnist fired for recycling predictions.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

Arkle - a famous Irish Thoroughbred racehorse

sp - abbrev. starting price: horse-racing the final odds that are offered on a horse just before the race begins

Links to Solutions

A review of today's puzzle by talbinho can be found at Times for the Times [ST 4347].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

17a Problem about copper - short, fat and beefy (8)

Although I got the correct solution, I was not able to fathom the wordplay. I discovered from talbinho's review that my difficulty arose from blindly assuming that "about" must be a container indicator, when, in reality, it is a reversal indicator.

4 Boy's final poem (6)

Even after determining the correct solution, I had to ponder the wordplay in this clue for quite a while before understanding it. As has been pointed out to me (probably on more than one occasion), "'s" (apostrophe-s) can have several meanings; among which are the possessive, an abbreviation for "is", and an abbreviation for "has". In this case, it is the latter. Thus the clue is equivalent to, "Boy has final poem" and the wordplay is SON (boy) has (charade indicator) NET (final). I have noticed that the word "has" often seems to be used as a charade indicator (as though it meant "plus").

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, October 25, 2009 (ST 4346)

This puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on September 13, 2009

Introduction

The Brits had some rather scathing opinions regarding the quality of this puzzle - chief amongst them being the major error in the clue at 22a. Once again, the Times neglects to correct the puzzle in syndication. I expect that my stock line of "giving us colonials the true British experience" is beginning to wear a bit thin. Hopefully, "Today's Errors" does not become a regular feature of this blog!

Today's Errors

22a Worried about oil plant (8)

Supposedly the answer ABUTILON is an anagram (worried) of ABOUT OIL. However, the letters do not match, leading me to theorize that the anagram fodder should be ABOUT LIN, where LIN might possibly be a British term for linseed oil. However, I could find no evidence to support such a supposition, and Talbinho, in his review at Times for the Times, confirms that there is, in fact, an error in the clue.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

abutilon - flowering maple

CH - abbrev. Companion of Honour: designates a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour, an order of the Commonwealth of Nations which has as its insignia an oval medallion

RE - abbrev. Royal Engineers: a corps in the British Army

theodolite - a surveying instrument for measuring horizontal and vertical angles

tick - Chiefly Brit. a moment

transit - (noun, defn. 5) a surveying instrument similar to a theodolite that measures horizontal and vertical angles

Links to Solutions

A review of today's puzzle by talbinho can be found at Times for the Times [ST 4346].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

13d Abandoned hotel to die in transit, in America (10)

This was the second last clue to be solved and I may only have solved it due to having spent a couple of summers working as a surveyor while at university. In this clue, "abandoned" is seemingly serving as an anagram indicator, although "in transit" would, at first blush, appear to be the more obvious choice. The answer, THEODOLITE, is a surveying instrument and is an anagram of HOTEL TO DIE. The wordplay in the clue suggests that the instrument is called a theodolite in Britain and a transit in America. I am not sure on what basis "abandoned" qualifies as an anagram indicator.

A Note on Transits and Theodolites

Based on my recollection of my surveying experience from some thirty years ago, both terms were in use at that time in Canada. Contrary to talbinho's assertion, a theodolite is not used to measure distances, but rather to measure horizontal and vertical angles. While both transits and theodolites are used for this purpose, a theodolite (as I recall) is a far more sophisticated instrument than a transit.

I am pleased to see my recollection confirmed by Wikipedia. Apparently, a "transit theodolite" was originally a theodolite that could be transited (i.e., the telescope could be rotated around its horizontal, transverse axis [by the way, I saw one dictionary describe transit as "to rotate horizontally" which is, at best, misleading and, at worst, erroneous.]) However, "In the middle of the 20th century, "transit" came to refer to a simple form of theodolite with less precision, lacking [certain] features". One would commonly see transits used on construction sites. In my summer job as a student, I worked with the Geodetic Survey of Canada doing first-order horizontal control surveys (surveys used in the production of high precision topographical maps) and we, of course, used very sophisticated and precise theodolites and other instruments.

Talbinho's confusion about theodolites measuring distance may arise from their use in the process of triangulation. By knowing the length of one side of a triangle and the angles of two corners, one can calculate the lengths of the other two sides. In triangulation, one would measure the length of one side of the triangle using a tape measure (or other distance measuring instrument) and the angles of two corners using a theodolite (or transit). Thus, while a theodolite does not measure distance directly, it is used in the process of triangulation which establishes distances.

One of the major purposes for transiting a survey instrument (be it a transit or a theodolite) is to compensate for errors in the calibration of the instruments. By first taking a set of measurements with the telescope in one position, then transiting the telescope and repeating the measurements, and averaging the results of the two sets of measurements, certain inaccuracies in the calibration of the instrument cancel each other out, thus providing a more accurate result.

Enough about surveying.

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, October 18, 2009 (ST 4345)

This puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on September 6, 2009

Introduction

Although today's puzzle was not overly difficult, the challenge was somewhat elevated by the two errors present in 19a.

Today's Errors

19a Entertaining lass could show ogreish curls (6,4)

There is an error in the clue (which was present when originally published in The Times). The clue should read:

19a Entertaining lass could show ogrish curl (6,4)

The setter of the puzzle explained the errors thus on Times for the Times, "Blame me the setter for the extra S and the ST keyboarder for the extra E. Oh dear, sorry, a rare occurrence of two independent cock-ups in one clue! I've notified the crossword editor in case the puzzle gets reprinted."

Well, the setter's heads up to the crossword editor seems to have been in vain, as we have the evidence published in today's Ottawa Citizen that the ST editor took no action to correct the puzzle in syndication.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

County Meath - Irish county, north-west of Dublin

Lord North - Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1770 to 1782

Plymouth Argyle - English football (soccer) club

the gods - (noun, defn. 4) theatre the gallery (the upper floor in a theatre, usually containing the cheapest seats or the part of the audience seated there)

circle - (entry 3, defn. 3) theatre the section of seats above the main level of the auditorium, usually comprising the dress circle and the upper circle (and, presumably below the gallery)

Links to Solutions

A review of today's puzzle by talbinho can be found at Times for the Times [ST 4345].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

22a PM who is opposed to East-West partnership? (5)

Although I got the correct solution, I had an uneasy feeling that I had missed something in the wordplay. However, talbinho put my mind at ease, making me aware that I had overlooked the fact that "East-West partnership" is a reference to the game of bridge.

29a Traffic starts to disappear slowly across part of London (8)

In his review, talbinho wonders about "EALING - possibly an awkward reference for overseas subscribers?". I found the solution from the definition and checking letters, and then ran to my reference sources to see if a district named Ealing really exists in London - and, indeed, it does.

4d More elevated clique won't be far below the gods (5,6)

Despite completely missing the theatrical reference in this clue, I still managed to come up with the correct solution.

I presume that the terminology used in the clue and its solution may be British - or maybe I am just too provincial. I am personally familiar with the seating plan of the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, where the levels are designated Orchestra (main level of the auditorium), Mezzanine (presumably equivalent to the Dress Circle), Amphitheatre (presumably equivalent to the Upper Circle) and Balcony (presumably equivalent to the Gallery - or "the gods").

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, October 11, 2009 (ST 4344)

This puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on August 30, 2009

Introduction

Monday is Thanksgiving Day in Canada, and I will be away from home for the weekend. Thus no regular blog this week. However, I have provided a link to the anticipated puzzle on the Times for the Times website.

Links to Solutions

A review of today's (expected) puzzle by talbinho (who has returned after being absent the last couple of weeks) can be found at Times for the Times [ST 4344].

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, October 4, 2009 (ST 4343)

This puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on August 23, 2009

Introduction

I found it to be a relatively easy puzzle today for The Sunday London Times. I was able to solve all but a couple of clues without aids of any kind. There does seem to be a grammatical error in one of the clues as well as an incorrect solution for one of the clues in the solution grid. As both of these errors seem to have also appeared in The Sunday London Times, I guess we can look at it as the Citizen merely recreating the "true British experience" for us on this side of the pond.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

sledging - cricket offensive remarks made by a fielder to a batsman in order to break their concentration (sounds like what North Americans would call ''trash talking")

TA - abbrev Territorial Army: in the UK: a fully trained volunteer force intended to provide back-up to the regular army in cases of emergency

Links to Solutions

A review of today's puzzle can be found at Times for the Times [ST 4343].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

19a Being 16 volunteers returned to nurse (6)

I understood enough of the wordplay to obtain the solution, but some of the wordplay still eludes me. "Volunteers" is TA (Territorial Army) which is reversed (returned) and "to nurse" is TEND, giving ATTEND. I presume "16" is a cross reference to clue 16a, and that the intent is to indicate "Being at a cello performance". But how one gets that from "Being listen" or "Being try to hear some cellist ensemble" beats me.

17d Happens to give off water vapour (9)

I was glad to see that the British bloggers picked up on the grammatical error in the clue; it should be "happen", rather than "happens".

18d One makes good support, with metal right at the bottom (8)

My solution was RESTORER, and there is clear agreement on the British blogs that this is the correct solution (regardless of what the solution grid states). A RESTORER is "one who makes good" (i.e., repairs); "support" is REST, metal is ORE (there is an extensive discussion on this point on Times for the Times), and "right" is R, which is placed "at the bottom", (i.e., end) of a down entry. The solution grid indicates that the solution is LECTURER; however, there seems to be no way for that solution to be correct.

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, September 27, 2009 (ST 4342)

This puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on August 16, 2009

Introduction

I rather enjoyed today's puzzle which contained several quite clever cryptic definitions.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

beef tea - Brit. a hot drink made with a beef extract

custom - (noun, defn. 2) Brit. regular dealings with a shop or business by customers

neat - (entry 2) archaic an ox, bull or cow, etc.

over - (noun, defn. 1) cricket a series of six balls bowled (or, in other words, deliveries) by the same bowler from the same end of the pitch

Links to Solutions

It appears that talbinho may have been vacationing this week in August. At any rate, a stand-in provides the solution for today's puzzle, which can be found at Times for the Times [ST 4342].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

11a High winds? (9)

While this would be an excellent clue for JET STREAM, I do not find it at all well-matched to AIRSTREAM. The jet stream is a high speed airstream found at high altitudes. However, an airstream, in general, may be of any speed and at any altitude.

4d Grove school? (7)

Until I read the review on Times for the Times, I had no idea at all what "grove" had to do with ACADEMY. While there is a Grove Academy in Dundee, Scotland, that seems a bit too obscure to be the source of the reference. As it turns out, the reference comes from Paradise Regained by John Milton, in which the poet refers to "The olive grove of Academe". This information comes from Bartlett's Familiar Quotations - although it was anything but familiar to me.

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, September 20, 2009 (ST 4341)

This puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on August 9, 2009

Introduction

Today's puzzle was fairly challenging - and one containing a couple of surprisingly vulgar clues. Once one got over the "Did I really just read that!" reaction, the clues were quite solvable.

Links to Solutions

A review of today's puzzle by talbinho can be found at Times for the Times [ST 4341].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

13a Disposal business you wouldn't want to be high up in! (8)

Like talbinho, I had reservations about this clue. Does "high" refer to the stench one would encounter in this business? As talbinho suggests, it may refer to being "up to your waist" (or, worse yet, "up to your neck") in it. Taken another way, one might prefer to be "high up in it" as opposed to being "low down in it".

15a State of hotel working shown in complaint to do with plates (8,4)

Despite finding the correct solution (having recognized the presence of an anagram), the wordplay totally baffled me. No wonder - it relies on Cockney rhyming slang where "plates" (plates of meat) means "feet".

18a Novel that's reportedly never read on the road (7,5)

Like talbinho, I failed to pick up on the fact that "reportedly" refers to a word in the clue ("reportedly never read" intended to be interpreted as "never red") rather than a word in the solution. Despite this, for some reason, I did recognize the title of the novel from the checking letters. Apparently, the novel was considered very risqué when it was published in the 1940s - being denounced by the Catholic Church and banned in several US states (which, of course, propelled it to become the best-selling US novel of the 1940s). As a teenager, while helping my mother organize items stored in our attic, I stumbled across a copy of the book. My mother promptly stashed it away, intimating that it was not fit reading for me. That only served to make me search it out and read it. I must say, I was somewhat disappointed. What had been so controversial in the 1940s, was pretty tame by the standards of the 1960s.

23a Most of the bottom covering inset, somehow showing pretension (8)

In this clue, "most of the bottom" is arse without the final letter (i.e., ARS) - a somewhat surprising word to encounter in a crossword puzzle. However, in Britain, it would seem that arse is not considered to be such a vulgar term as it is in North America. While North Americans would be more likely to say "ass" than "arse", the latter term is also used here (sometimes for emphasis or effect). Of course, it seems that the standard of what is acceptable is changing. Today, one frequently hears the words "ass" and "piss" (but the latter, it seems, only in the sense of "piss off") used on mainstream television shows. I guess if George Carlin were to be reincarnated, his routine "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television" would now be considerably shorter.

24a Taking optimistic view, bowled in a big game (2, 4)

Cricket fans, no doubt, had an easy time with this clue. I got the solution just from the definition part ("taking optimistic view"). If I had made an effort, I might have figured out that "bowled" is B and "a big game" is "A TEST".

27a Absorb what computing students must do (4,2,2)

Having worked my entire career in Information Technology (IT), how did I fail to comprehend the wordplay in this clue?

28a Knight, say, is a madman (6)

I guess that I'm so conditioned to seeing "say" used as a homophone indicator, that I totally missed the wordplay here - despite, I am sure, having seen it somewhere previously in a puzzle.

3d Small party in furore: "Spectator" (7)

Respect is a small British political party.

4d No yen for the other in the corner! (4)

In this clue, "the other" is a euphemism for NOOKY (vulgar slang for sexual intercourse). Since "no yen" is "no Y", the result is NOOK.

20d Extension overlooking army unit is furthest from the centre (7)

The army unit in question is the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME).

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, September 13, 2009 (ST 4340)

This puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on August 2, 2009

Introduction

I found this to be quite a difficult puzzle, although I was able to complete it. However, much of it was solved through sheer brute force - searching through lists of candidate solutions generated from the checking letters and then working out the wordplay after the fact.

Links to Solutions

A review of today's puzzle by talbinho can be found at Times for the Times [ST 4340].

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, September 6, 2009 (ST 4339)

This puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on July 26, 2009

Introduction

Today's puzzle features a shrew who seems to go by many names.

Links to Solutions

A review of today's puzzle by talbinho can be found at Times for the Times [ST 4339].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

26a Stuffed balls at high tea (7)

In cricket, the act of bowling the ball is referred to as a "ball" and a set of six balls is called an over. Although there is no explicit mention of six in the clue (unless we are to infer that high tea is served at six o'clock), there seems to be enough information for the Brits to discern an OVER in the clue. Interpreting high as an anagram indicator for "tea" then gives OVERATE.

3d Full name of the playful shrew? (9)

There seems to be a plethora of variants to the spelling of Kate's full name, as one can see from the extensive discussion of this point on Times for the Times.

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, August 30, 2009 (ST 4338)

This puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on July 18, 2009

Introduction

A fairly straightforward puzzle today.

Links to Solutions

A review of today's puzzle by talbinho can be found at Times for the Times [ST 4338].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

4d Simple to obtain a port, in Spain (9)

The port in Spain is TARRAGONA, and a simple is a medicinal herb. However, I was unable to find any reference to tarragon having medicinal properties.

13d Ancient site giving splendour to London district (7)

Luckily, this clue was not too difficult to solve once the checking letters had been found. The solution is comprised of POMP (splendour) plus EII (E11) to give POMPEII, where E11 is a postcode district in London (talbinho identifies the location). Unlike postal codes in Canada, which have a standard format (ANA NAN), postcodes in the UK can have a variety of formats (AN NAA, ANN NAA, AAN NAA, AANN NAA, ANA NAA, or AANA NAA) where A indicates an alphabetic character and N a numeric character.

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, August 23, 2009 (ST 4337)

This puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on July 12, 2009

Introduction

I found this to be an extremely difficult puzzle. I almost threw in the towel several times, but persevered and, in the end, completed it successfully (albeit after spending most of the morning and nearly all the afternoon working on it). Therefore, it gave me a great deal of satisfaction to see on Times for the Times that even the Brits found it quite difficult.

The difficulty of the puzzle was further exacerbated by the fact that there were errors in two of the clues. I would undoubtedly have saved myself considerable time and effort if I had only remembered that these, in fact, had been identified in comments to last week's puzzle on Times for the Times. But, like talbinho, this fact slipped my mind and I ended up having to discover the errors for myself.

Writers on Times for the Times were scathing in their assessments of not only the errors in this puzzle, but of the quality of this particular puzzle, in general. I have commented in the past about the syndicated British puzzles being published in Canada (weeks or months after their publication in the UK) replete with their original errors. It is surprising that the British papers have so little pride in their product that they don't bother to correct these errors when they syndicate the puzzles. Or, perhaps, they just want to provide the colonies with a true British experience!

Links to Solutions

A review of today's puzzle by talbinho can be found at Times for the Times [ST 4337].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

11ac Went by car, right to the end - southeastern limit for vehicles (5)

The "logic" of this clue is that "went by car" is DROVE and by moving R (right) to the end, produces DOVER - presumably the most southeastern point to which vehicles can travel in England. If one were in the mood to quibble (and this puzzle certainly does its best to create such a mood), one might argue that Chunnel trains are vehicles and they certainly travel beyond Dover.

14ac Wild boar blocking friend by curved path (8)

This is the first of the two clues containing an error. The correct clue would be:

14ac Wild boar blocking friend by a curved path (8)

19ac There's not any grass for sniffing (6)

Here "grass" (verb, defn. 3) is British slang for "inform" (as to the police).

20ac Volatile liquid's excellent accompaniment for gin (8)

I will continue to maintain that my initial answer of SCHNAPPS would be a much more appropriate (and tastier) choice.

22ac Play down silly dope's fault - not acceptable for the top people (4-5)

In this clue, "acceptable for the top people" is a reference to U (English) or English usage acceptable to the Upper Class. Therefore, we get "dope's fault - not U" being "dope's falt" which is an anagram of SOFT-PEDAL (as flagged by the anagram indicator silly).

3d Otherworldly type isn't for following Society (5)

I eventually found out that the solution ain't ALIEN.

8d Avoid possibility of loose tile and settle down domestically (4, 2, 3, 4)

This is the second clue with an error. In this case, it is the enumeration that is incorrect. The clue should read:

8d Avoid possibility of loose tile and settle down domestically (4, 2, 4, 3)

In this clue, by the way, "tile" (noun, defn. 6) is an informal term for a hat.

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, August 16, 2009 (ST 4336)

This puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on July 5, 2009

Introduction

I worked at this puzzle on and off all day between doing other things, so it is hard to know how much time I actually spent on it. The bottom right-hand corner did give me the most problems. I ended up with one clue for which I didn't comprehend the wordplay - although it was very nearly two.

Links to Solutions

A review of today's puzzle by talbinho can be found at Times for the Times [ST 4336].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

17ac English public school rule Dan breaks (7)

After doing a great many crossword puzzles, I was beginning to believe that there is only one public school in England (the famous four-letter one on the Thames). Apparently, there must be another at Arundel, although I could find no reference to any likely candidate through a fairly exhaustive Internet search. Aside from some schools in Canada and the US which I quickly dismissed, I found only one entry relating to a school in England - Arundel CE Primary School (but, based on its low-profile Internet presence, this would seem to be a pretty obscure school to rate mention in the puzzle).

By the way, what the Brits refer to as a public school would be called a private school in North America.

25d As a rule, give up second outing (5)

Despite getting the correct solution (from the checking letters and the first part of the clue), I puzzled over the wordplay for a very long time. I had almost resigned myself to throwing in the towel on this one, when the answer hit me.

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, August 9, 2009 (ST 4335)

This puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on June 28, 2009

Introduction

It is always humbling to read the British reviewers discussing their solving times. They seem to complete the entire puzzle in the time it takes me to solve a single clue!

Links to Solutions

A review of today's puzzle by 7dpenguin pinch hitting for talbinho can be found at Times for the Times [ST 4335].

Commentary on This Week's Puzzle

19d Bigot's angry with drink (7)

I am puzzled by the role played by "angry" in this clue. A "bigot" is a REDNECK, and a Redneck is also a cocktail (although it does not appear to be recognized by the International Bartender's Association as an IBA Official Cocktail). I had thought maybe "angry" was RED and "drink" was NECK, but could find no drink called a Neck, although I did find one called a Horse's Neck.

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, August 2, 2009 (ST 4334)

This puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on June 21, 2009

Introduction

I achieved a fairly respectable completion time on this puzzle despite going down one dead end street.

Links to Solutions

A review of today's puzzle by talbinho can be found at Times for the Times [ST 4334].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

There were several new terms for me in today's puzzle, among them ODALISKS (9ac) and USANCE (28ac). However, I managed to work both of them out from the wordplay before going to the dictionary to confirm that these words actually exist. A somewhat similar case is the appearance of ID meaning "fish" in 8d. I searched through many reference sources before finding in Wikipedia (as did an anonymous commenter on Times for the Times) that this is an alternate spelling of ide (with which I am familiar from its frequent appearances in crossword puzzles).

Like those commenting on Times for the Times, I was a bit perplexed by the use of "required" in 19d, as the word seemed totally superfluous to both the cryptic wordplay and the surface reading.

In his blog on Times for the Times, talbinho wonders whether the Nursery Rhyme "Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary" would be known abroad. The Mother Goose rhymes are certainly well known in Canada and the U.S. - and I dare say throughout the English-speaking world.

In his blog , talbinho also expresses some disagreement with the use of "junction" for T. However, I thought this usage was fine, as junction can be defined as "2. A place where two things join or meet, especially a place where two roads or railway routes come together and one terminates" and a T-junction as "a junction where two roads or pipes etc. meet to form a T".

The dead end street that I ventured down was in 27d, where I initially had opted for HAIR as the solution on the basis that hair is often used to symbolize or indicate fineness (e.g., "to adjust a setting just a hair") and hair may need cutting. LAWN as a fabric was yet another new term for me.

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, July 26, 2009 (ST 4333)

This puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on June 14, 2009

Introduction

As I will be away from home on July 26th, I am posting the link for this puzzle in advance - anticipating that the Citizen will adhere to the normal publication cycle.

Links to Solutions

A review of today's puzzle by talbinho can be found at Times for the Times.

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, July 19, 2009 (ST 4332)

This puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on June 7, 2009

Introduction

Today's puzzle was quite straight-forward with a few rather clever clues. I was quite pleased with my solving time - even though it was not at all in the same ball park as talbinho's six minutes and change.

Links to Solutions

A review of today's puzzle by talbinho can be found at Times for the Times [ST 4332].

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, July 12, 2009 (ST 4331)

This puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on May 31, 2009

Introduction

On the whole, not too difficult a puzzle. A couple of missteps initially held me up, but I eventually discovered them and completed the puzzle successfully.

Links to solutions:

A review of today's puzzle by talbinho may be found at Times for the Times [ST 4331].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

1ac Perhaps what Moby Dick had was a great experience! (1, 5, 2,1,4)

Initially, I had selected "A whale of a tale" as the solution for this clue. However, lack of progress on 7d led me to revisit this clue, and I fortunately realized that the solution might be A WHALE OF A TIME. This was confirmed when I solved 7d.

7d I harm Northern city (5)

Phrases such as "going North", "heading North", "towards the North", etc. in a down clue usually are a reversal indicator. Similarly, terms such as "going West", etc. are used as reversal indicators in across clues. The author of the Times for the Times blog, talbinho, obviously feels that the setter has overstepped the bounds in using "Northern" as a reversal indicator. As one meaning of "northern" is "moving towards the north", I can see that this usage might be appropriate. However, another meaning of "northern" is "coming from the north (as the wind)" which means exactly the opposite (i.e., moving towards the south). Oh, the precision of the English language - where a word can be its own antonym!

8d Number on a rabbit displayed with help (13)

In this clue, the setter uses a fairly common trick - so common apparently that talbinho does not even bother to mention it. "Number" here does not mean a numerical quantity, but rather something that makes one numb. A similar trick is the quite frequent use of the word "flower", not as a plant, but as something that flows (viz., a river).

17d Spot a fashionable jersey? (3,6)

Jersey, one of the Channel Islands, is noted (among other things) for its potatoes - like Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Idaho.

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, July 5, 2009 (ST 4330)

This puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on May 24, 2009

Introduction

I'm afraid that I am running a bit behind in updating my blog this week.

I managed to complete this week's puzzle successfully, although I did have concerns regarding the wordplay on a couple of solutions. However, my solving time was nowhere even close to that of talbinho (author of the Times for the Times blog) - who seems to measure performance in minutes while I measure mine in hours.

I have recently discovered that this puzzle appears in the Vancouver Sun on the Saturday prior to its appearance in the Ottawa Citizen. I also noted that the Sun doesn't publish the solution grid until the following week, unlike the Citizen which publishes the solution grid in the same edition as the puzzle. No doubt, this explains interest in my blog from the West Coast. Although I have not checked the other Canwest papers across Canada, I would not be surprised to learn that the puzzle also appears in some of them.

Links to solutions:

For a review of today's puzzle, see Times for the Times [ST 4330].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

27ac Trio's occupation, in book-craft (5,3,2,1,4)

Having figured out most of the solution fairly quickly (THREE MEN IN A ?O?T), it was not too difficult to find the title of the book referred to by the clue. I must say, though, that this was one of those cases where I was left with a distinct feeling of having overlooked some nuance in the wordplay. When Times for the Times did not provide any evidence of this, merely referring to the clue as a cryptic definition, I concluded that I probably had a pretty good grasp of the wordplay after all - with "trio" referring to "THREE MEN", "occupation" suggesting both that they are occupying a boat ("craft") as well as the fact that "bookcraft" (authorship) is an occupation, and - of course - the solution being the title of a book.

16d Cash left aboard at return of oil spill (9)

There appeared to be a clear consensus at Times for the Times that there is misprint in this clue - that "cash" should have been "case". Ironically, this fact did not appreciably slow me down as I merely attributed the unusual meaning for "portfolio" to being just another quirky British expression with which I am unfamiliar!

23d Current resting place (3)

The solution clearly appeared to be ROOST, but, for the life of me, I could not figure out the connection with "current" until I read the review at Times for the Times. Of course, I then discovered that the answer appears in at least two dictionaries - Chambers and Wiktionary.

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, June 28, 2009 (ST 4329)

This puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on May 17, 2009

Introduction

A relatively easy effort for a Sunday Times puzzle, although one clue stumped me.

Links to solutions:

Times for the Times

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

24d When any theatre is set up? Inside, you'll find drama critic (5)

I failed to find the solution to this downer of a clue - correctly interpreting "up inside" would have provided the key to success.

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, June 21, 2009 (ST 4328)

Today's puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on May 10, 2009

Links to Solutions

A full review for today's puzzle is available at Times for the Times.

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

Some of the clues in today's puzzle were, shall I say, thought provoking. If I were in a less charitable mood, I might use synonyms such as questionable and irritating. I found it gratifying, in a number of cases, to see that my opinions on several clues aligned with those of talbinho in his Times for the Times blog.

Perhaps my views were soured by getting the solutions for a couple of clues incorrect.

1ac Recollect entire chain of succession (11)

I have absolutely no problem with this clue - I just think it is worthy of comment. The wordplay suggests that if a set of letters were collected once to form ENTIRE CHAIN, the same set of letters could be collected again (re-collected) in a different order to form another word.

13ac Dial and ring about a false notion (5)

Since IDOLA is the plural of IDOLUM or IDOLON, the clue should have read (IMHO):

13ac Dial and ring about false notions (5)

18ac Choosing to cut off electric halfway through - leading to chaos (8)

Due to a couple of faulty choices - thinking that "choosing" was a verb, rather than a noun; and missing the substitution of "into" for "leading to" - I ended up with ELECTING as a solution (one, of course, for which I could not fully reconcile the wordplay). This error was also directly responsible for my getting 17d incorrect.

20ac Gemstones military commander set off to obtain (6)

I am not sure whether the anagram indicator is intended to be the phrase "off to obtain" or whether the phrase "to obtain" is merely padding to improve the surface reading. I am sure that I have often seen "off" used on its own as an anagram indicator. Certainly, with a modified construction, such as:

Military commander set off to obtain gemstones (6)

the phrase "to obtain" would be quite logical as linking words.

28ac The blue-blooded, overbearing actor is star (11)

Like talbinho, I am mystified by the use of "overbearing" as an anagram indicator.

17d The pools could have formed in them (8)

Not only did I miss the anagram, but due to the error discussed at 18ac, the only possible solution appeared to be ANTHILLS (of course, as with 18ac, the wordplay being irreconcilable).

19d Vehicle surfaces carrying king, the Queen and follower (7)

I initially thought that the solution to this clue might be TRAILER, where I was relying on the following substitutions: "king" → R (rex), "the Queen" → ER, "vehicle" → TRAILER, and "follower" → TAIL. Of course, I had no explanation for the wordplay and the situation was further complicated by the fact that "follower" might also mean TRAILER. Furthermore, this wrong turn imposed an obstacle to solving 26ac. Luckily, I did eventually find the correct solution for 26ac which, in turn, put me back on TRACK for this clue as well.

21d Allure leading girl to love in France (7)

Since no objections were raised on Times for the Times, I presume that the subsitution of "l'amour" for "love" is within the bounds of cryptic license, despite a precise translation of "l'amour" being "the love".

Welcome to summer and Happy Father's Day to all fellow Dads - Falcon

Sunday, June 14, 2009 (ST 4327)

This puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on May 3, 2009

Links to solutions:

A full review of today's puzzle is available on Times for the Times [ST 4327].

A couple of the clues are addressed on the Saturday Star Cryptic Forum [ST 4327].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

It was gratifying to see that many of the reservations that I had concerning this puzzle were also raised by talbinho in his Times for the Times post:

• the seemingly extraneous "during" appearing in 1ac
• the wording of 4d
• the use of "fruit" as an anagram indicator in 17d
• the wording of 24d

One that seemingly didn't concern him, but which caused me to think long and hard was:

25ac Sudden inspiration doesn't start in bad weather (9)

Sudden inspiration [BRAINSTORM] doesn't start [-B] → RAINSTORM

bad weather → RAINSTORM

It seems to me that the word "in" is being employed here to represent equality (rather than inclusion) - which does not sound entirely right to my ear.

Having studied mathematics, I know a mathematician would handle this situation by defining the set of all subsets of the entity RAINSTORM to include the entity itself. Having done so, RAINSTORM is "in" RAINSTORM from this mathematical perspective. [Mathematicians - not unlike cryptic crossword setters - are quite adept at defining things to suit their purposes.]

However, I am wondering if there is a linguistic explanation as to why RAINSTORM is "in" RAINSTORM.

A True British Experience - Warts and All

Those of us on this side of the Atlantic now have convincing evidence that we are, indeed, enjoying an authentic British experience with The Sunday London Times cryptic crossword. It seems that, despite appearing here six weeks following its publication in Britain, The London Sunday Times syndicates the exact puzzle that appeared in the paper's U.K. print edition - right down to the errors. The solution to today's puzzle printed in the Citizen indicates that the solution to 22d is PIGOUT - the very same error that a correspondent on Times for the Times reported as having appeared in the print edition of The Sunday London Times.

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, June 7, 2009 (ST 4326)

This puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on April 26, 2009

Links to solutions:

A solution for today's puzzle is available at Times for the Times [ST 4326].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

After checking the solution on Times for the Times, I see a missed a bit of the nuance in the wordplay for:

10ac Two foreign articles we put on are not English pants and vest? (9)

I had taken "put on" to mean "wear" and had missed the WE + ARE - E wordplay.

19ac Floater taking limited number - gosh! (4)

I missed this one entirely. Although being far from confident in my solution, I had settled on NEAT (where "Neat!" would be a slang exclamation meaning "Gosh!").

24ac Foster maybe to admit what he didn't quite do! (5)

I got the correct solution (being the only word that fit), but had no idea of most of the wordplay (other than, possibly, "admit" being "own" - as in "own up"). I guess I've been away from nursery rhymes too long.

1d Having the enemy in to complete a quartet? (4-11)

I got the solution based on part of the clue, but see from Times for the Times that I missed a key aspect of the wordplay dealing with "time".

21d Coloured rod with fish on (6)

I had the correct solution, but wasn't content with my understanding of the wordplay. I am not any happier with the explanation on Times for the Times. The solution given there would seem to imply that "coloured rod" is CRAYON which is composed of "fish" [CRAY] plus "on" [ON]. The problem is that, to the best of my knowledge, while a "crayfish" is a crustacean somewhat similar to a lobster, no fish exists called a "cray". I had assumed that the "fish" was a RAY, but that leaves the "C" unaccounted for. As always, I stand to be corrected.

Signing off for today - Falcon

Sunday, May 31, 2009 (ST 4325)

This puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on April 19, 2009

Introduction

After quickly solving several clues, I thought this puzzle would be easy. However, I soon found that my initial rapid pace was not to endure. I did end up correctly solving all but one clue, even without completely understanding the wordplay associated with a number of them. Thankfully, most of my bewilderment was dispelled by Times for the Times.

Links to solutions:

A full solution and explanation is provided by Times for the Times.

Three of the clues are discussed at the Saturday Star Cryptic Forum. Among them, are two that gave me grief.

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

The Briticism's did me in today. Although I only failed to find the solution to one clue, there were several for which I did not completely follow the wordplay. The clue that I missed is:

25d Nearly leave the army in protest (4)

With virtually no confidence in its correctness, I had settled on VETO as the solution. The term 'demob' never occurred to me as I was solving the puzzle (although, in hindsight, I do remember having encountered it in the past). Also, I would personally use 'demo' as a short form for 'demonstration' only in the sense of a 'product demo' and never in the sense of a 'protest' - although I do see that this latter usage is supported by at least one dictionary. Interestingly, I was surprised to find that most of the dictionaries that I consulted did not include 'protest' among the meanings for 'demonstration'.

While I was able to obtain the correct solution, the wordplay in the following clues was largely lost on me.

1ac Do you get it with an attractive kipper? (6,5)

I did not know that 'kip' is British slang for 'sleep'. A search on 'kipper' did not turn up this meaning. Too late, I discovered that I would have easily found it by searching on 'kip' or 'kipping'.

10ac It could be Parisian cheer - or cheers! (6,5)

I didn't fully understand the wordplay until I saw it explained on Times for the Times. It was the definition of 'cheer' as 'food' that was unfamiliar to me. Even now, I'm not sure I would readily associate toast (even French toast) with "festive food and drink" (which is how I saw it defined in one dictionary).

18ac Oscar is bad about blocking station entrance, leads to certain conflict (9,6)

I solved this through a combination of the constraints imposed by the letters in the cross entries (I presume this may be what the author of Times for the Times refers to as "checking letters") and the phrase "leads to certain conflict". The complex wordplay in the first part of the clue went totally over my head until I saw the explanation on Times for the Times. I was also puzzled as to why 'Oscar' could be abbreviated as 'O' - until I suddenly remembered that it is a constituent of the phonetic alphabet.

27ac Nonsense, mate! (4)

Apparently 'tosh' means 'mate' (pal) to the British, but the only definition I could find, despite checking numerous sources (including dictionaries of British slang), was 'nonsense'.

20d Repair wall front but not top (6)

Kudos to the setter - the wordplay in this very clever clue totally escaped me. (See Times for the Times for an explanation).

Signing off until next Sunday - Falcon

Sunday, May 24, 2009 (ST 4324)

This puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on April 12, 2009

Links to Solutions

A solution to today's puzzle may be found at Times for the Times [ST 4324].

From now on, I will not bother linking to the Toronto Star site unless I find some discussion of potential interest there. Usually this site just publishes the completed grid of the puzzle - which the Citizen prints in the same edition of the paper in which the puzzle appears. I presume the Toronto Star must delay publishing the solution to the puzzle, thus creating the demand for the blog to publish the solution. Rarely - very rarely - this blog has some discussion concerning the puzzle.

Comments on Today's Puzzle

15ac Raw beginners for example, getting taken in by swindles (7)

I take issue, as does Times for the Times, with the use of "i.e." (rather than "e.g.") to mean "for example" in the solution to this clue.

8d Headmaster brought into cooperation with the abused (8)

The comments posted on Times for the Times comprise, for the most part, a discussion concerning whether the usage of "Headmaster" in this clue is appropriate.

Citizen Cryptic Crossword by Susannah Sears

On Sundays, the Citizen also publishes a cryptic crossword puzzle created specifically for the paper by Susannah Sears whose website contains a variety of material of potential interest to cryptic crossword fans.

That's all for this week.