Introduction
I found today's puzzle a bit on the difficult side - one that required liberal use of my Tool Chest and one on which I found myself pursuing several false leads and venturing down a fair number of dead end streets.
Error in Today's Puzzle
There is an error in today's puzzle (confirmed by the setter) in the following clue:
3d Finished second, then first (4)
The clue should have read:
3d Finish second, then first (4)The definition is "finish" and the wordplay is S (second) + (then) TOP (first) giving us STOP.
Before discovering (at Times for the Times) the existence of this error, I tried valiantly to produce a credible explanation for "finished" being the definition and thought that I just might have succeeded. I supposed that stop might mean finished, as in the use of the word STOP in telegram style writing in place of periods at the end of sentences (indicating that the sentence was finished). Note: although modern Morse code contains symbols for punctuation, I suspect that these may be later additions to the code which did not exist in the early days of the telegraph, thereby explaining the use of the word "stop" to represent a period.
In pursuing this idea, I discovered that the word period (meaning a punctuation mark) is chiefly a Scottish and North American usage. In England, this punctuation mark is (apparently, at least for the most part) referred to as a full stop, or just stop for short. According to Chambers:
full stop - noun a punctuation mark (.) used to indicate the end of a sentence or to mark an abbreviation. Also (especially Scottish and N Amer) called period.Today's Glossary
Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle
Appearing in Solutions
cor - exclamation British informal expressing surprise, excitement, admiration, or alarm: Cor! That‘s a beautiful black eye you’ve got!
ER -abbreviation Queen Elizabeth [from Latin Elizabetha Regina]
henry - (abbreviation: H) noun Physics the SI unit of inductance, equal to an electromotive force of one volt in a closed circuit with a uniform rate of change of current of one ampere per second
OR - abbreviation Military, British other ranks (as opposed to commissioned officers)
stop - noun 1 British dated a punctuation mark, especially a full stop
full stop - noun British a punctuation mark (. ) used at the end of a sentence or an abbreviationTemplar - [Collins English Dictionary] noun 2. (Law) (sometimes not capital) British a lawyer, especially a barrister, who lives or has chambers in the Inner or Middle Temple in London
ton2 - noun [mass noun] fashionable style or distinction: riches and fame were no guarantee of a ticket — one had to have ton; Origin: French, from Latin tonus (see tone)
ton2 - 3. donner le ton: French phrase meaning "to set the tone" or "to set the fashion"traveller - noun (usually Traveller) British a Gypsy or other nomadic person
Links to Solutions
A review of today's puzzle by talbinho can be found at Times for the Times [ST 4393].
Commentary on Today's Puzzle
1a English monarch gentle here, surrounded by prize people in top seats (5,2,3,5)
The definition is "people in top seats" who are PEERS OF THE REALM, those who occupy seats in the House of Lords (the Upper Chamber in the British Parliament). The wordplay is {E (English) + ER (Elizabetha Regina; or Queen Elizabeth) + SOFT (gentle) + HERE} contained in (surrounded by) PALM (prize). I suppose the palm being referred to here is the Palme d'Or (Golden Palm), the highest prize awarded to competing films at the Cannes Film Festival.
9a My! French fashion reaches a town in Italy! (7)
The definition is "town in Italy" and the wordplay is COR (my) + TON (French fashion) + (reaches) A. The town we are searching for is Cortona. Although, I have heard of the Italian towns of Ortona and Cortina (well, actually Cortina d'Ampezzo), this community is new to me. Cor is a British exclamation expressing surprise, excitement, admiration, or alarm - you can decide which one most appropriately fits today's clue.
15a It's ridiculous, that's plain to see - there must be change at the outset (7)
As the clue tells us, "It [the solution] is [a word meaning] ridulous" which turns out to be RISIBLE. The wordplay is VISIBLE (plain to see) with a change in the first letter (at the outset). In other words, we must change the V in VISIBLE to an R to produce RISIBLE.
17a Carriages in Australia - territory to the West (7)
These carriages transported me down one of several dead end streets on which I travelled today. A victoria is a type of carriage and Victoria is also the name of a state in Australia. Unfortunately, as a candidate solution, it also has three strikes against it. First, it contains the wrong number of letters; second, the state is located in the southeastern part of Australia, rather than the western part; and third, for this interpretation to work, both the definition (carriages) and the solution would probably need to be in the singular. Perhaps a clue somewhat along the lines of "Carriage in Australia - territory to the Southeast (8)" might lead to the solution VICTORIA.
Having struck out with Victoria, I eventually determined that we are looking for different carriages, LANDAUS. The wordplay is AUS (Australia) preceded by (to the West; i.e., to the left) LAND (territory).
27a Response making engagement impossible after you've given someone a ring? (8,7)
The setter creates a surface reading designed to make us look for a response along the lines of "My dear man, I cannot marry you for my heart belongs to another". However, in reality, the response we are seeking is a more mundane "The number you have dialed is no longer in service".
5d Henry wants port, but mother's denied the little beast (7)
The definition is "the little beast" and the wordplay is H (henry; SI unit of inductance) + AMSTER {AMSTERDAM (port) having deleted (is denied) DAM (mother)} which results in the solution HAMSTER.
14d Narrator full of endless jabber - would you believe his tales? (9)
This is a cryptic definition in the form of a partial & lit. clue. The clue as a whole describes a Traveller, a British term for a Gypsy. Imbedded in the clue is the following wordplay: TELLER (narrator) containing (full of) RAV (endless jabber; i.e., RAVE with the last letter deleted).
This clue reminds me of a personal encounter that I had with just such a person when I pulled into a scenic lookoff in Ireland. I was immediately approached by a woman with a tale of woe in which one misfortune after another eventually led to catastrophe (much like a Thomas Hardy novel). In brief, as I recall, it involved a long journey with sick children in an unreliable car that was nearly out of gas (petrol) to visit a dying relative. Taking pity on her in her miserable condition, I charitably handed over a small sum of money (enough to enable her to purchase sufficient gas to get her to her destination). That prompted yet another chapter in the saga, even more heart-wrenching than the first. However, starting to become suspicious, I declined to advance any further funds. As I enjoyed the scenic view and took a few photographs, I also observed as she attempted to pull the same scam on every other tourist upon their arrival.
23d It's taking minimal time with language (5)
This would appear to be an & lit. clue. The wordplay is T (minimal time; i.e., the first letter of the word "time") + ERSE (language). Read as a whole, the clue is equivalent to saying "It [the solution] is [a word meaning] taking minimal time with language" (similar to the wording in 15a). At first I thought that the phrase "taking minimal time with language" would need to define a noun (TERSENESS). However, I have eventually (and somewhat falteringly) accepted that it might also define an adjective (TERSE).
Signing off for this week - Falcon
Re SLT, 3D: "Finished second, then first". Should I be worried or gratified that I logged on this evening to rant about this clue only to discover that it's this week's very first subject? :-)
ReplyDeleteMike
In 5D ("Henry wants port...") I didn't even go to the unit in physics. I just took it to mean "H" from the traditional designation for Kings and Queens of England -- in the same way as the "E" in "ER" means "Elizabeth" (Regina). Henry is certainly a common enough King's name, given there were VIII of them.
ReplyDeleteMike
Hi Mike,
ReplyDeleteWelcome back.
Regarding your first comment, it would appear that I lieterally "stole your thunder" ;-)
As for your second comment, like you, when I first encountered this substitution, I also supposed that "H" came from King Henry (and even wrote that on one of my early posts). I was quickly corrected, however, by one of the experienced British visitors who regularly drop by the site. It seems that the first letters of names are permissible only in certain limited cases, including combinations such as ER (for Elizabetha Regina) or entries in the ICAO/NATO spelling alphabets that happen to be given names (such as Romeo and Oscar).
This subject was actually discussed on the Times for the Times posting dealing with this puzzle (just follow the link above in the blog). A reader commented "I realised from this blog that for years I've been assuming Henry=H from the king rather than the unit.". To which, talbinho replied "Yes, 'henry' = H is one of those abbreviations that most cryptic crossword solvers know and probably many fewer understand. In fact I have a friend (a good solver) who set a puzzle a while back of which I looked over a draft version, and it was clear from the clues that he thought (from solving experience) that any personal name in a clue could indicate its initial in the answer.
A similar one from my own experience is 'won' = W, which for years I'd assumed came from football league tables but is in fact the Korean currency. I should probably have asked myself at some point why 'lost' = L wasn't allowed, but it never occurred to me.".
Cheers
Falcon
Geez, I gotta read the LINKS too??? :-)
ReplyDeleteActually, I confess that was my first visit to the talbinho site and I found it especially interesting in the back-and-forth in his comments.
As always, the attention to detail in your own replies and the ever broadening circle of related sites is very much appreciated.
Mike
Re: "Geez, I gotta read the LINKS too??? :-)"
ReplyDeleteMost definitely!
In my blogs covering the syndicated British puzzles (this one and another that I write dealing with puzzles published in the National Post), I do not give solutions for every clue as this has already been provided by the British blogs to which I link. I try to comment on a few clues where I think additional explanation may be helpful (especially for neophyte solvers) or where differences between British and North American language and customs may affect the understanding of the clue. And sometimes I just write about something in the puzzle that happens to catch my fancy.
By the way, I have just noticed that I seem to have neglected to put a link to my National Post Cryptic Crossword Forum blog in the sidebar - an oversight that I will correct as soon as possible.
Falcon