Sunday, September 19, 2010 (ST 4394)

This puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on August 15, 2010

Introduction

It has been a busy week and it has taken me nearly that long to find time to solve this puzzle and produce the blog. Here we find yet another puzzle that is marred by an error in a clue. In fact, there may even have been two errors when it appeared in the U.K. If so, one of them has been corrected in syndication.

Error in Today's Puzzle

I'm afraid that this section is becoming a regular feature of the blog.

6d An amendment alleged to fall within the law (9)

This clue should presumably read:

6d An amendment is alleged to fall within the law (9)

The definition is "to fall within the law" and the wordplay is an anagram (an amendment) of IS ALLEGED to produce the solution LEGALISED.

Today's Glossary

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

Appearing in Solutions

scarf² - noun 1 a joint connecting two pieces of timber or metal in which the ends are bevelled or notched so that they fit over or into each other

SP - abbreviation starting price, noun the final odds at the start of a horse race

training college - noun (in the UK) a college where people, typically prospective teachers, are trained

Links to Solutions

A review of today's puzzle by talbinho can be found at Times for the Times [ST 4394].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

1a Curriculum on track here? (8,7)

This is a cryptic definition for a TRAINING COLLEGE, a type of British educational institution. There is considerable discussion concerning this clue at Times for the Times. The general consensus is that "track" relates to a running track which is used for athletic training. However, one reader suggested that "track" might be a reference to railway trains.

26a Where letter-boxes might be fitted at home? (7)

I believe that the definition is "at home" for which the solution is INDOORS, with the wordplay being "where letter boxes might be fitted", which is IN DOORS.

This clue could almost be considered a double definition if not for the difference in numeration between the two results. Due to this difference, I think the clue must be considered to be a standard cryptic clue having a definition and wordplay. I would also say that the setter could equally well have chosen to make the numeration (7) or (2,5), with the two elements of the clue merely changing roles depending on which numeration is used.

Note: Do not be confused by the presentation of this clue in talbinho's review at Times for the Times, where he shows a breakdown of the wordplay (IN DOORS) rather than the solution (INDOORS). For most clues (in his blog on today's puzzle, at least), he shows either the solution or the solution followed by a breakdown of the wordplay (in the form "SOLUTION; wordplay"). However, in the case of a few clues (including this one), he gives only a breakdown of the wordplay. Another instance of this involving a very similar type of clue can be found at 8d where a breakdown of the wordplay (EVER GREEN) appears rather than the solution (EVERGREEN). Another example is at 5d where a breakdown of the wordplay is given as "CLIP + PER". This occurs in instances where the solution and the breakdown of the wordplay are so similar that it is undoubtly redundant to show both.

27a Vulnerability of French sword fight reduced - to a point (15)

The definition is "vulnerability" and the wordplay is DE (of French) + FENCE (sword fight) + LESS (reduced) + (to) NESS (a point).

I have to wonder if the word "fight" may have been inserted into the clue in syndication. In his review, talbinho struggles to justify "'sword' = FENCE" and none of the British readers correct him.

8d Always jealous, having no garden shed? (9)

I may have enjoyed this clue more than talbinho, who comments "the definition seems to be a dubiously-worded pun on 'shed' as in 'shedding leaves'". The setter warns us that there is something out of the ordinary (one might even say dubious) about the clue through the use of the question mark. The premise of this clue is that if one had evergreens in one's garden, no shedding would occur there. I must say that I did smile when the penny finally dropped. However, try convincing the owner of pine trees of the validity of the statement. These trees shed needles at a prodigious rate.

By the way, as used in Britain, the word garden is somewhat akin to the word yard in North America, meaning "an area of land, usually one adjoining a house, where grass, trees, ornamental plants, fruit, vegetables, etc, are grown". While in North America, the term garden would generally refer strictly to the flower beds and vegetable plots around a home, in Britain the term would also encompass the lawn. In Britain, the word yard would mean "a piece of uncultivated ground adjoining a building, typically one enclosed by walls or other buildings". In North America, the land around a home would be called a yard, irrespective of whether it is cultivated or enclosed.

The British usage of garden and the North American usage of yard are probably not entirely synonymous. A British garden includes only the "cultivated" areas of land around a house, whereas the North American concept of yard includes all land surrounding a house, including flower beds, vegetable plots, lawns, trees, driveways, areas occupied by outbuildings, etc. However, they are close enough in meaning (at least in the eyes of some British setters) that I have seen the word yard clued as "American garden" in British puzzles.

Signing off for this week - Falcon