Introduction
I found this to be a very difficult puzzle. I was totally unable to solve one clue, and there were several more for which I had little or no comprehension of the wordplay. The difficulty is probably due in large part to the extraordinarily large number of Briticisms found in today's puzzle.
Today's Glossary
Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle
Appearing in Clues
advert1 - noun British informal an advertisement.
Blue Peter - a nautical signal flag or a British children's television programme.
china - noun British A term of address, usually friendly. Derived from the cockney rhyming slang china plate, meaning mate. E.g."Alright china! How's it going then?"
duck3 - noun Cricket a batsman's score of nought: he was out for a duck.
Hampton Court (Palace) - a royal palace in London, England known for its hedge maze.
Making Money - possibly a reference to a fantasy novel by Terry Pratchett.
office - noun 11 (especially usual offices) euphemistic, slang a lavatory.
uni - noun university.
Appearing in Solutions
battledore - noun 1a An early form of badminton played with a flat wooden paddle and a shuttlecock.
River Cam - a river in England.
camp2 - [Collins English Dictionary] Informal adjective 1. effeminate; affected in mannerisms, dress, etc. 2. homosexual. [Note: observe that the accompanying definition for camp from the American Heritage Dictionary contains no reference to effeminate or homosexual behaviour]
The Football Association (also known as simply The FA) - a governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man.
ginger nut - noun British a hard ginger-flavoured biscuit (also called ginger snap). [Note: biscuit is the British term for cookie]
milksop - noun derogatory, old use a weak, effeminate or ineffectual man or youth.
prefect - noun 1 chiefly British (in some schools) a senior pupil who is authorized to enforce discipline.
River Lee - a river in England.
vert1 - noun green, as a heraldic tincture.
Links to Solutions
A review of today's puzzle by talbinho can be found at Times for the Times [ST 4387].
Commentary on Today's Puzzle
1a Ann and this 25 chap could be wearing salmon pink (7)
I was totally flummoxed by this clue - well, perhaps not totally as I did recognize the cross reference in the wordplay. The number "25" is a cross reference to clue 25d (it must be 25d as there is no clue 25a). To solve the clue we must substitute the solution to the cross-referenced clue into this clue, giving us:
- Ann and this camp chap could be wearing salmon pink (7)
- Ann and this effeminate chap could be wearing salmon pink (7)
In his review, talbinho describes this clue as a "composite anagram". The clue tells us that:
- ANN and MILKSOP could be wearing salmon pink (7)
- ANN and MILKSOP could be an anagram of salmon pink (7)
14a Record "Making Money" when it's broadcast - that's showing good taste (10)
The word "broadcast" is often used as an anagram indicator, but here it is employed as a homophone (sounds like) indicator. The definition is "showing good taste" having the solution DISCERNING. The wordplay is DISC (record) + ERNING [sounds like (when it's broadcast) EARNING (making money)].
18a Item of furniture used in Blue Peter - middle part (4)
I felt that the solution must be SEAT, but could not decipher the wordplay in the clue. The wordplay, clearly explained by talbinho, is not difficult - but neither is it obvious (at least, not to me).
22a Boastful type takes night flyer around Uni (8)
Like one of the Brits, I thought that a word must have been omitted from the clue as there would appear to be nothing in the clue to account for the word BIG in the solution.
23a Container with parrot's snack (6)
The definition is "snack" with the solution being CANAPE. The wordplay is CAN (container) + (with) APE (parrot). Ape means to mimic and parrot means to repeat something that another has said (i.e., verbally mimic); so, in this sense, ape means parrot.
26a He wrote about most of the The Office (5)
This is another case where I thought I knew the solution without knowing why. The definition is "he wrote" and the writer in question is (T.S.) ELIOT. "The Office" is a British euphemism for toilet, "about" is a reversal indicator, and "most" is a truncation indicator. Thus, "most of The Office" is TOILE (deleting the final letter from the word "toilet") and reversing this gives ELIOT.
4d One carried in China vessel (4)
The definition is "vessel" with the solution being PAIL. The wordplay is I (one) contained in (carried in) PAL (china). China is British slang for pal, having come from Cockney rhyming slang. Rhyming slang is "a type of slang that replaces words with rhyming words or phrases, typically with the rhyming element omitted. For example butcher‘s, short for butcher’s hook, means 'look' in Cockney rhyming slang". Similarly, in this case, china, short for china plate, means 'mate'.
25d Effeminate prince carrying flower (4)
This is a rather complex clue. The definition is "effeminate" with the solution being CAMP (seemingly a British usage of the word). The wordplay is P (prince) following (carrying) CAM (flower). Here, "flower" means something that flows (rather than something that blooms); that is, a river and the one we are looking for is the River Cam. Since this is a down clue, if P is "carrying" CAM, then CAM is on top of P (and, consequently, P follows CAM when read top to bottom).
Signing off for this week - Falcon
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