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