Sunday, January 30, 2011 (ST 4413)

The Sunday London Times Puzzle Number ST 4413
Publication Date in The Sunday London Times Sunday, December 26, 2010
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4413]
Times for the Times Review Written By Dave Perry
Publication Date in the Toronto Star Saturday, January 15, 2011

Introduction

If you have been wondering what happened to the blog, a confluence of events has caused some disruption to service. First, I was not able to find time to complete the puzzle that was published in the Ottawa Citizen on January 23, 2011. As a result, I didn't visit Times for the Times, thereby missing the news of extensive changes (outlined below) affecting both the London Sunday Times and the Times for the Times blog.

I now discover that ST 4412, published in the U.K. on December 19, 2010 was a special Christmas Jumbo puzzle. Clearly, a different puzzle has been syndicated in its place. I expect to complete that puzzle and provide a review sometime this coming week.

Finally, I would like to extend my congratulations to Peter Biddlecombe (aka xwd_fiend) on his appointment as Puzzles Editor at The London Sunday Times. Peter has been a bit of a mentor to me as I established this blog, gently guiding me back on course when I stumbled along the way.

Catching up on Recent Changes in London

There has recently been a series of changes affecting both The London Sunday Times and the Times for the Times website.

• Barbara Hall retired from her post as Crossword Editor for The Sunday Times at the end of December. For your information, the announcement makes reference to The Times Crossword Club, a paid subscription service of The Times.
• Beginning in January, Peter Biddlecombe took over as Crossword Editor for The Sunday Times. Prior to his appointment, Peter was the organiser of (and a major contributor to) the Times for the Times blog. He has also been a welcome visitor to this site, commenting under the alias of xwd_fiend.
• Andy Wallace (linxit) has taken over Peter's former role as organiser of the Time for the Times blog.
• After nearly four years spent blogging the Sunday Times crossword, Neil Talbott (aka talbinho) has also decided to call it a day. Dave Perry takes over the London Sunday Times crossword blog.

Today's Glossary

Selected abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions appearing in today's puzzle

Appearing in Solutions

AB² - abbreviation [1^st entry] able seaman, noun a rank of sailor in the Royal Navy above ordinary seaman and below leading seaman

brae - noun Scottish a steep bank or hillside

cock-a-hoop - adjective extremely and obviously pleased, especially about an achievement

Origin: (mid 17th century) from the phrase set cock a hoop, of unknown origin, apparently denoting the action of turning on the tap and allowing liquor to flow (prior to a drinking session)

Co-op - informal name for The Co-operative Food, a brand devised for the supermarket and convenience store business of the UK's consumers' co-operative movement

El Niño - an opera-oratorio by the American composer John Adams

ex-service - adjective British denoting or relating to former members of the armed forces: ex-service personnel

poco - adjective Italian little

Prado - the Spanish national art gallery in Madrid, established in 1818

private practice - noun  [2^nd entry] British medical practice that is not part of the National Health Service

rum² - adjective British informal, dated odd; peculiar: it's a rum business, certainly

Solution to Today's Puzzle

It seems that the style of Dave Perry's comments is even more economical than was that of Neil Talbott. I struggled with how best to include additional explanation, without rewriting the whole review. I settled on providing annotations to his comments. In the review which follows, Dave Perry's text appears in black and my annotations in red. You can connect to Times for the Times via the link in the table above to see the original review and comments.

Legend:
Cryptic device	Symbols used by Falcon	Symbols used by Dave Berry
cryptic definition		cd
double definition		dd
anagram	SOLUTION*	(fodder)*
homophone (sounds like)	SOLUTION~	"fodder"
reversal	SOLUTION<	rev
insertion	( )
removal	_	strikeout (like this)
substitution	[L/R] or [L]...[R]

Across
1	PO(LIT + I)CO - {LIT (turned on) + I (one)} contained in (in) POCO (a little Italian) My Italian is practically non-existant, but I did Spanish at school, and I remember 'un poco' is a little in Spanish, so I assume Italian is the same.
5	[S]CARES[S] - SCARES with initial S moved to the end.
10	INTER ALIA - Ingenious and easily my COD. BAN in AL(BAN)IA is literally INTER ALIA.
11	{S|YRIA}< - AIRY (open) + S (society) rev (backed)
12	AB|ODE~ - AB ([able] seaman) + "OWED" {sounds like (reported) in debt}
13	EX-SERVICE - The best I can come up with here is (ovERSEXed)* + VICE, but for 'endlessly' to mean 'remove two letters from both the beginning and the end' seems a helluva stretch. Can anyone offer something better?
14	E|F|FRONTERY* - Edgar (Elgar's first; i.e., first letter of 'Elgar') + F (loud; abbreviation for the musical direction forte) + (ENTRY FOR)* {anagram (tricky) of ENTRY FOR} Note: "Elgar" has become "Edgar" during the journey between the puzzle and the review at Times for the Times
17	BRA|E - BRA (what's close to bust) + E (English) - It makes a change to clue BRA without using the word 'support'.
19	RYES~ - RYES = "RISE" {sounds like (mentioned) RISE (increase)}
20	PR|I|MA DONNA - PR (pair) + I (one) + MADONNA (rock star) - Although I'm not entirely sure I can think of any Madonna hits that could comfortably be labelled as rock songs.
22	CO(CK-A-HO*)OP - (A HOCK)* {anagram (ordered) of A HOCK} in CO-OP (store)
24	E|PACT - thE (end of the; i.e., final letter of 'the') + PACT (formal agreement) - An epact is the number of days by which the last new moon has preceded the beginning of the year. Not a word I knew.
26	_IAM|BI_ - hidden in willIAM BIg
27	ERADICATED* - (CREATED AID)* {anagram (somehow) of CREATE AID}
28	EL NINO - ON (taking place) + IN + La fenicE (empty La Fenice; i.e., the interior letters deleted) rev (recalled) - Again, I'm not entirely happy with 'empty' meaning the first and last letters of a two-word phrase. I would have preferred a single word like lounge, lodge or even lighthouse. El Niño is a 21st century opera-oratorio by American composer John Adams. I've not heard of it before, but it wasn't hard to deduce from the checkers.
29	CO(HE[L/R]EN)T - HELEN with the L changed to an R, in COT
Down
1	PRIVATE PRACTICE - cd
2	LET GO - rev (coming up - in a down clue) hidden (some) word  in "grOG TELl"
3	TURNED-ON - dd "excited by" and "TV working"
4	CH|LO_E - CH (children) + LOvE {LOVE (like very much) with the V deleted (not Very)}
6	{A|SSERT}< - TRESS + A rev (up) - TRESS = lock (of hair), an old chestnut.
7	{EARLIER ON}* - (sIERRA LEONe)* - Another instance of the first & last letters being removed from a two-word phrase. I'm not saying it's wrong, I'm just personally not very keen on it. anagram (revolted) of _IERRA LEON_ (insiders in Sierra Leon; i.e., letters remaining after the first and last letters have been deleted)
8	STATE (DEPART)MENT - STATE + DEPARTMENT - Can 'department' mean 'an act of departing'? I imagine it probably can, but I couldn't find it defined as such anywhere. No, it's DEPART within STATEMENT, thanks to Kevin Gregg below
9	BASS D|RUM - RUM (odd) preceded by (first) BASS (fish) + D (departs)
15	FRENCHMEN - cd - chaps from Nice
16	TURNOVER - More of a weak joke than a cryptic def.
18	ADHESIVE - Another very weak cryptic def.
21	M(ALI)AN - MAN (fellow) containing (boxing) ALI (champion fighter; American boxer Muhammad Ali)
23	PR|ADO - PR (publicity; public relations) + ADO (trouble)
25	ADA|GE - ADA (girl) + (with) GE (large US corporation; General Electric) - Saw = Adage is another old chestnut which I should've spotted earlier than I did.

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, January 23, 2011 (ST 4257)

The Sunday London Times Puzzle Number ST 4257
Publication Date in The Sunday London Times December 30, 2007
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4257]
Times for the Times Review Written By jackkt
Publication Date in the Toronto Star Saturday, January 22, 2011
Notes Somewhere along the syndication chain, someone has dipped into the archives for a puzzle to replace ST 4412 which was a Jumbo Christmas Puzzle published in the U.K. on December 19, 2010 (the Sunday prior to Christmas)

Introduction

The puzzle published today by the Ottawa Citizen is a substitute for ST 4412, a Jumbo Christmas Puzzle, that was published in The Sunday London Times on December 19, 2010.  As this puzzle seems not to have appeared in the U.K. (at least, I have not been able to trace it), there is no review of the puzzle at Times for the Times.  The puzzle is one that was first published in the U.K. - and, almost certainly, in the Ottawa Citizen - three years ago. Later in the blog, I describe how I tracked down this information. However, it is a shame that The Sunday London Times couldn't have corrected the error in the puzzle before recycling it. Before I discovered the review on Times for the Times, I prepared my own review of the puzzle. Thus readers have the choice of two solutions.

I found this to be rather more challenging than the typical puzzle from The Sunday London Times. My Tool Chest received a severe workout, but in the end I succeeded in completing it. However, I felt like a tightrope artist working without a safety net, having no British blog to fall back on.

A Bit of Detective Work

You might be wondering how I managed to track down the review at Times for the Times for this puzzle. Well, I started by visiting other blogs that cover the syndicated Sunday London Times puzzle. This puzzle appears in the Toronto Star on Saturday, usually eight days prior to its appearance in the Ottawa Citizen. However, the Toronto Star reversed the order of this puzzle (ST 4257) and the following puzzle (ST 4413), meaning that this puzzle was published in the Toronto Star on Saturday, January 22, 2011 (the day before it appeared in the Ottawa Citizen). Lasbrisas, the author of the Saturday Star Cryptic Forum, through some incredible feat of memory recognized that the puzzle had been published in the Toronto Star on January 19, 2008. From that I was able to deduce that the puzzle might have been published in the U.K. in late December 2007. It was also likely published in the Ottawa Citizen on or around Sunday, January 27, 2008. And despite being three years old, the puzzle is still as good as new - complete with error!

Errata for Today's Puzzle

12a   Paintings, etc, left in box in tissue (9)

As confirmed by the setter in a posting on Times for the Times, the clue should read:

• Paintings, etc, I left in box in tissue (9)

with an "I" before "left". The setter says "The setter thanks you for the feedback and can confirm that his clue for 12A had 'I' before 'left'-- please blame the printers!".

The definition is "tissue" for which the solution is CARTILAGE. The wordplay is {ART (paintings, etc.) + I + L (left)} contained in CAGE (box).

Today's Glossary

Selected abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions appearing in today's puzzle

Appearing in Clues

bob³ - noun British informal a shilling

on - (also on side) noun Cricket the leg side (or, simply, leg), noun 5 the half of the field (as divided lengthways through the pitch) away from which the batsman's feet are pointed when standing to receive the ball.  The opposite of off.

Appearing in Solutions

Blackpool Tower - a tourist attraction in Blackpool, Lancashire in England which was inspired by the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It rises to 158m (518 ft 9 inches) and opened to the public in 1894.

cor - exclamation British informal expressing surprise, excitement, admiration, or alarm: Cor! That‘s a beautiful black eye you’ve got!

County Down  - one of six counties that form Northern Ireland (named after its county town, Downpatrick)

DUP - (Ulster) Democratic Unionist Party, an extreme Loyalist political party in Northern Ireland, co-founded by Ian Paisley in 1972

go² - noun a Japanese board game of territorial possession and capture

inamorato - noun a person's male lover

Lacerta - Astronomy a small and inconspicuous northern constellation (the Lizard), on the edge of the Milky Way between Cygnus and Andromeda

leg - (also leg side, on or on side) noun 5 the half of the field (as divided lengthways through the pitch) away from which the batsman's feet are pointed when standing to receive the ball.  The opposite of off.

John Locke (1632 – 1704) - English philosopher and physician regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers and widely known as the Father of Liberalism

M² - [1^st entry] abbreviation Cricket (on scorecards) maiden, noun 2 (also maiden over) an over in which no runs are scored

OR - abbreviation [3^rd entry] Military, British other ranks (as opposed to commissioned officers).

para¹ - informal noun 1 a paratrooper

s - abbreviation [3^rd entry] shilling(s)

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

This commentary should be read in conjunction with the full review at Times for the Times, to which a link is provided in the table above.

16d   He could pour out oration to ensnare a maiden, maybe (9)

This is a semi & lit. (all-in-one) clue. The entire clue forms the definition, while the wordplay forms only part of the clue. The wordplay is an anagram (possibly) of {ORATION TO containing (ensnare) [A + M (maiden)]}

21d   Victor would carry this plant around hospital (7)

The definition, "this plant", is situated in the middle of the clue, which is a somewhat unusual location - but not one that is unheard of (in British puzzles, at least). The sense of the clue is that if one were to place the name of the plant (CAMPION) around the letter H (hospital) - or, in other words, insert an H into the name - the result would be CHAMPION, a word meaning "victor".

Solution to Today's Puzzle

Legend:	"*" anagram; "~" sounds like; "<" letters reversed
	"( )" letters inserted; "_" letters deleted

Across

1a   {BLACKPOOL TOWER}* - anagram (in which you could find) of TOP LOCAL BREW OK

10a   RE(C|OR)D|S - {RED (left-wing) + S (society)} containing (probed by) {C (Conservative) + OR (men; ordinary ranks)}

11a   E(LEG)ANT - {E (English) + ANT (worker)} containing (that's kept) LEG (on; cricket term - see Today's Glossary)

12a   C(ART|I|L)AGE - {ART (paintings, etc.) + I + L (left)} contained in CAGE (box)

I can only conclude that there is an error in the clue, as published. See Commentary on Today's Puzzle

13a   SU|GAR< - reversal (about) of {RAG (tease) + US (American)}

14a   DRAG|ON - DRAG ON (to continue in boring fashion)

15a   STRIDE|NT - STRIDE (walk) + NT (starts with nettles and thorns; i.e., the first letter of each of "nettles" and "thorns")

18a   LOCKE|D UP - LOCKE (English philosopher John Locke) + (joins) DUP (Ulster party; Democratic Unionist Party)

20a   MARC|US - MARC (brandy) + (to) US (you and me)

23a   TWIST - double definition; "one who wanted more" (Oliver Twist) & "wind" (in the sense of entwine)

25a   SCHOOL|MEN - SCHOOL (Rugby) + MEN (players)

In reality, one must read the wordplay as a unit with "Rugby players, perhaps" indicating that these are but a single example of 'school men', as Eton players, for example, would also be 'school men'.

26a   ARAP<|A|HO - reversal (taking ... back) of PARA (soldiers) + (to) A + HO (house)

27a   REALIZE* - anagram (through a combination of) of {IRE + (and) ZEAL}

28a   S|HOPPING| A|ROUND - S (old bob; shilling) + HOPPING (travelling) + A + ROUND (fixed route)

The setter likely uses the phrase "old bob" as the shilling is part of a former currency system in the U.K. that is no longer used.

Down

2d   LA|CERT|A - LA (Hollywood, etc?; Los Angeles) + CERT (sure thing) + A (ace)

3d   COR|TIS|ONE - COR (gosh) + TIS (it's) + ONE (a)

4d   _PAS|CAL_ - hidden in (in) setuP A SCALlywag

5d   O|MELE(TT)E - O (old) + {MELEE (scrap) containing (inside) TT (dry; teetotal}

6d   [DIS]TRESS - DISTRESS (consternation) with DIS (little girl's) deleted (lost)

7d   W|R|ANGLE - W (wife) + (has) R (right) + ANGLE (view)

8d   {RETURN (T)O SENDER}* - anagram (possibly) of DESERTER ON RUN containing (to have ... inside) T (time)

9d   {CROCODILE TEARS}* - anagram (spurious) of ACTOR CRIES DOLE

16d   IN(A|M)ORATO - anagram (possibly) of {ORATION TO containing (ensnare) [A + M (maiden)]}

See Commentary on Today's Puzzle

17d   RUNS DOWN - double definition; "criticises" & "what NI (Northern Ireland) county boss does"

The boss of County Down obviously 'runs Down'.

19d   CHIC|A|GO - CHIC (elegant) + A + GO (game)

"11" in the clue is a cross-reference to clue 11a. In place of it, you must substitute the solution to 11a, 'elegant'.

21d   C[H]AMPION - CHAMPION (victor) with H (hospital) deleted

See Commentary on Today's Puzzle

22d   S(HER)PA - HER (the woman) contained in (in) SPA (spring)

The setter has used an inverted structure for the clue which I have removed for clarity.

24d   TRA(M)P - M (male) contained in (put in) TRAP (prison)

The allusion to a prison being a trap may be in a poetic sense, as either could be a cage.

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, January 16, 2011 (ST 4411)

The Sunday London Times Puzzle Number ST 4411
Publication Date in The Sunday London Times Sunday, December 12, 2010
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4411]
Times for the Times Review Written By Talbinho
Publication Date in the Toronto Star Saturday, January 8, 2011

Introduction

I found it to be a relatively challenging puzzle today, and needed a fair amount of assistance from the electronic aids in my Tool Chest.

Today's Errata

27d   Love to visit distant Portuguese, 22 (4)

There is an extraneous comma in the clue, which should read:

• 27d   Love to visit distant Portuguese 22 (4)

Today's Glossary

Selected abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions appearing in today's puzzle

Appearing in Clues

Long John Silver - a fictional character and the primary antagonist of the novel Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Appearing in Solutions

advert¹ - noun British informal an advertisement

sitter - noun 3 British informal (in sport) an easy catch or shot

Abbreviations, Acronyms & Symbols

AA - abbreviation [3^rd entry] (in the UK and South Africa) Automobile Association [a counterpart to the CAA (in Canada) or AAA (in the U.S.)]

CAL (Cal.) - abbreviation California

CE - abbreviation [1^st entry] Church of England

CU (Cu) - Symbol the chemical element copper

H² - abbreviation 4 hospital

L (lower case) - abbreviation [1^st entry] (giving position or direction) left: l to r: Gordon, Anthony, and Mark

MB - abbreviation Bachelor of Medicine [from Latin Medicinae Baccalaureus], the professional degree held by medical practitioners in Britain [equivalent to a North American MD (Medical Doctor, from Latin Medicinae Doctor]

RD (Rd) - abbreviation Road (used in street names)

S (lower case) - abbreviation [1^st entry] second(s)

SP (sp.) - abbreviation 2 special

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

This commentary should be read in conjunction with the full review at Times for the Times, to which a link is provided in the table above.

15a   Copper left in genuine panacea (4-3)

Be aware that Talbinho's analysis of this clue at Times for the Times is incorrect (as he himself acknowledges). If you visit the site, make sure to read the comments section.

26a   Wage war when overdrawn? (6)

I confess that I failed to figure out the wordplay in this clue, which is a somewhat tricky one. In general, when we are required to make substitutions, they involve solely elements of the 'fodder' (as opposed to 'indicators'). However, here the substitution involves both fodder and the indicator. In fact, the indicator is not present in the clue as it is originally presented, and is introduced through the substitution. In order to solve the clue, we must first substitute the phrase 'in the red' for "overdrawn?", to get:

• Wage war when in the red

with the wordplay now being WAR contained in (when in) RED or REWARD. The question mark is provided by the setter as a hint that we should expect an unusual feature in the clue.

2d   Drivers taking tank in last part of war movie (6)

Be careful how you read this clue. I had initially had reservations about the wording, not having properly appreciated the role of the word "in". The definition is "movie" and the wordplay is {AA (drivers; Automobile Association - British counterpart to the CAA) containing (taking ... in) VAT (tank)} + R {last part of (wa)R}. I had at first presumed that the containment indicator was merely "taking" and that "in" would therefore have to be serving as a charade indicator (which, of course, would be nonsensical).

3d   Mysteriously, is around no longer (8)

Talbinho clearly does not like this clue ("tragic"). This seems to be a semi & lit. where part of the definition is implicit. We are required to interpret the clue as "[The solution is something that,] mysteriously, is around no longer". Thus the entire clue (and more) serves as the definition and the wordplay is an anagram (mysteriously) of IS AROUND. Perhaps, the clue might have been phrased:

• 3d   It, mysteriously, is around no longer (8)

27d   Love to visit distant Portuguese 22 (4) [corrected per Today's Errata]

The "22" is a cross-reference indicator to clue 22d. To solve this clue, one must substitute the solution obtained in 22d in place of the cross-reference indicator, following which the clue becomes:

• 27d   Love to visit distant Portuguese resort (4)

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, January 9, 2011 (ST 4410)

The Sunday London Times Puzzle Number ST 4410
Publication Date in The Sunday London Times Sunday, December 5, 2010
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4410]
Times for the Times Review Written By Talbinho
Publication Date in the Toronto Star Saturday, January 1, 2011

Introduction

As a pleasant change, there seem to be no errors in the clues this week - but there is a rather lengthy glossary. I admit that the word list may be just a bit longer than necessary, as I set myself the challenge of trying to find a dictionary entry for each abbreviation used in the puzzle. According to cryptic crossword convention, setters may only use abbreviations that are drawn from recognized sources. While the 'bible' for The Daily Telegraph puzzles is apparently The Chambers Dictionary, 11th edition, I'm not sure what tome The Sunday London Times editor relies upon. As for myself, I make do with a variety of online dictionaries.

Today's Glossary

Selected abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions appearing in today's puzzle

Appearing in Solutions

brainbox - noun British informal a very clever person.

DD - abbreviation Doctor of Divinity.

deer fence - noun a very high fence that deer should not be able to jump over.

E² - abbreviation [2^nd entry] informal the drug Ecstasy or a tablet of Ecstasy.

Eton College - a boys‘ public school in southern England, on the River Thames opposite Windsor, founded in 1440 by Henry VI to prepare scholars for King’s College, Cambridge. [Note: a 'public' school in Britain would be regarded as a 'private' school in North America.]

public school - noun

• 1 (in the UK) a private fee-paying secondary school, especially one for boarders.
• 2 (chiefly in North America) a school supported by public funds.

F² - abbreviation [5^th entry] female.

GI¹ - noun a private soldier in the US army.

lathi - noun (in South Asia) a long, heavy iron-bound bamboo stick used as a weapon, especially by police.

O³ - abbreviation 4 Old.

or² - noun gold or yellow, as a heraldic tincture.

penalty spot - noun Soccer the point within the penalty area from which penalty kicks are taken.

RA - abbreviation [3^rd entry] (in the UK) Royal Academician, a member of the Royal Academy

Royal Academy of the Arts (also Royal Academy) - an institution established in London in 1768, whose purpose was to cultivate painting, sculpture, and architecture in Britain. Sir Joshua Reynolds was its first president and he instituted a highly influential series of annual lectures.

rep³ - (also repp) a fabric with a ribbed surface, used in curtains and upholstery.

repro - colloquial noun short form of reproduction

SA - abbreviation [2^nd entry] informal, dated sex appeal.

storksbill - noun a European plant related to the cranesbill, with small pink flowers and fruits that have long twisted beaks. Genus Erodium, family Geraniaceae.

TA - abbreviation (in the UK) Territorial Army, a volunteer force locally organized to provide a reserve of trained and disciplined manpower for use in an emergency.

tronc - noun Possibly British (in a hotel or restaurant) a common fund into which tips and service charges are paid for distribution to the staff.

turnpike - [Collins English Dictionary] noun

1. Historical (between the mid-16th and late 19th centuries)
• a.  gates or some other barrier set across a road to prevent passage until a toll had been paid.
• b.  a road on which a turnpike was operated.
2. an obsolete word for turnstile [1].
3. US a motorway for use of which a toll is charged.

U (5) - abbreviation 2. Education university.

umbles - (also numbles) noun archaic the entrails of an animal, especially a deer, as used for food.

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

This commentary should be read in conjunction with the full review at Times for the Times, to which a link is provided in the table above.

10a   Perhaps only ten inches below where you're standing? (9)

The definition is "below where you're standing" which is UNDERFOOT. "Ten inches" is but one example (signified by "perhaps") of a measurement that is under one foot (12 inches).

26a   Unoriginal material turning yellow (5)

I have to confess that I missed the wordplay here, thinking that the clue was merely a cryptic definition for REPRO. This was based on the knowledge that photocopies, especially those made using some of the older copying technologies, tended to turn yellow quickly. While this may have been the setter's intent as far as the surface reading goes, the wordplay is actually REP ([upholstery or drapery] material) + a reversal (turning) of OR (yellow [heraldic tincture]).

16d   Packaged underwear provided by Einstein? (8)

Yet again I missed the wordplay - and my shins are now black and blue from self inflicted kicks. One might refer to a very clever person as an Einstein, someone the Brits might call a BRAINBOX. However, if one were to numerate the solution as (3,2,3), one would have a packaged lady's undergarment.

23d   Ecstasy is threefold round this host making his briefest appearance (5)

The definition here (this host) occurs in the middle of the clue - a clue structure that is permissible under British cryptic crossword conventions, but not typically seen in North America (in my experience). The host is EMCEE, and in his "briefest appearance" is MC. Ecstasy is E and when threefold, is EEE, which when put round MC produces EMCEE.

This is an interesting clue, in which the entire clue appears to constitute the wordplay, with the definition in the middle (and forming part of the wordplay). A clue in which the entire clue constitutes the definition and part of the clue is wordplay is called a semi & lit. However, this clue seems to exhibit exactly the opposite characteristics.

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, January 2, 2011 (ST 4409)

The Sunday London Times Puzzle Number ST 4409
Publication Date in The Sunday London Times Sunday, November 28, 2010
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4409]
Times for the Times Review Written By Talbinho
Publication Date in the Toronto Star Saturday, December 25, 2010

Introduction

Despite errors in a couple of clues and a fair dose of Briticisms, I was able to complete this puzzle without resorting to the electronic aids in my Tool Chest.

Let me take this opportunity to belatedly extend Holiday Greetings to readers and wish everyone a happy and prosperous New Year. I'm afraid that I missed posting a few blogs over the Christmas period as I got caught up in social obligations with Christmas visitors. Hopefully, I will soon find the time to catch up with the backlog.

Today's Errata

There are errors in a couple of clues today.

1a Meal without starter not totally delightful? Blow! (5,3)

The correct numeration for the solution to this clue would be (8) - not the (5,3) given. Not even the question mark and exclamation mark can justify this.

19a Come across the bar to interrupt three card players (10)

The solution is a verb in the third person, so the clue should have read:

• 19a Comes across the bar to interrupt three card players (10)

Today's Glossary

Selected abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions appearing in today's puzzle

Appearing in Clues

blow¹ - verb 6 (past participle blowed) [with object] British informal damn: [as imperative]: ‘Well, blow me’, he said, ‘I never knew that.’; [with clause]: I'm blowed if I want to see him again.

starter - 3 chiefly British the first course of a meal. [In Canada, one may find this term used in some restaurants].

Appearing in Solutions

aphrodisia - noun sexual desire especially when violent.

A. J. Ayer (Sir Alfred Jules Ayer) (1910 – 1989)- British philosopher known for his promotion of logical positivism, particularly in his books Language, Truth, and Logic (1936) and The Problem of Knowledge (1956).

CE - abbreviation [1^st entry] Church of England.

CH - abbreviation  [1^st entry] (in the UK) Companion of Honour.

Diocese of Chester - a Church of England diocese in the Province of York based in Chester, covering the county of Cheshire in its pre-1974 boundaries.

Tracey Emin - an English artist and part of the group known as Britartists or YBAs (Young British Artists).

Highlights of her work include Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963–1995, a tent appliquéd with names, exhibited at the Royal Academy in London and My Bed (shown at right), an installation at the Tate Gallery consisting of her own unmade dirty bed with used condoms and blood-stained underwear.

nob¹ - noun British informal a person of wealth or high social position.

OR - abbreviation Military, British other ranks (as opposed to commissioned officers).

OT - abbreviation [2^nd entry] occupational therapy.

pi² - adjective British informal short for pious.

rabbit - noun 2 British informal a conversation: we had quite a heated rabbit about it [from rabbit and pork, rhyming slang for ‘talk’]

Yes, as pronounced by a Brit, pork really does rhyme with talk - you can listen for yourself at TheFreeDictionary.com (pork, talk).

roc - noun a gigantic mythological bird described in the Arabian Nights.

S² - abbreviation 5 Society.

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

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

This commentary should be read in conjunction with the full review at Times for the Times, to which a link is provided in the table above.

9a Society bigwig - the sort I like mixing with? (4)

I had to think long and hard to figure out this clue. The wordplay is simple - S(ociety) + NOB (bigwig). So, what then, is the definition? It is effectively "I". The clue is telling us that the solution is someone who likes to mix with society bigwigs - in other words, a snob.

14a Frightful parish ado about one showing unhealthy randiness? (10)

The wordplay is an anagram (frightful) of PARISH ADO containing (about) I (one). Despite having used "one" in the wordplay, I mistakenly tried to also use it as part of the definition which I took to be "one showing unhealthy randiness". Thus, the solution seemed like it should be a synonym for nymphomaniac. Eventually, after a rather extended dalliance with this clue, I realized that the definition is merely "unhealthy randiness" and "showing" is used as a link word between the wordplay and definition. The solution is APHRODISIA. Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary defines aphrodisia as "sexual desire especially when violent " although general purpose dictionaries define it more benignly as "sexual desire" or "a desire for sexual intimacy".

I wonder, is there a theme emerging in the middle of this puzzle? If we take the three major clues at the centre of the puzzle (12a, 14a and 19a), we get 'feminine aphrodisia encounters'. Could this be a commentary on the work of the young female British artist referenced in 12a?

25a Small unit to crack Metro crime (10)

Those of you who favour American spellings should remember that words in British English often end in -re rather that -er.

3d Put down girl, this person going the wrong way (5)

Like Talbinho, "I wasn't sure about the definition here ('Put down')". Perhaps it is meant in the sense:

• embed - [Collins English Dictionary] verb 3. to fix or retain (a thought, idea, etc.) in the mind.

4d Did something in car, this bringing rage, maybe (7,4)

This is an interesting type of clue, one in which the wordplay is telling us that the solution itself is a bit of wordplay. The definition is "did something in car" and the wordplay specifies that the solution (represented by the pronoun "this" in the clue) is something that might produce RAGE. In a cryptic crossword, RAGE could be an anagram of GEAR. Thus the solution is CHANGED GEAR, something done in a car, as well as an anagram (with CHANGED as the indicator and GEAR as the fodder) that produces "rage".

17d Vehicle bought originally by member of the family is a gem (9)

In a fortuitous coincidence (at least, as far as my ability to solve this clue is concerned), a clue having the same solution appeared recently in a Daily Telegraph Cryptic Crossword published in the National Post (the review for which is still a work in progress). There the clue was:

• 25a Red stone making for an architectural monstrosity (9)

Not only was the usage of this word as the name of a gemstone new to me, I was also unfamiliar with the reference to Prince Charles' contribution to field of architectural criticism.

26d Companion drops out of walk, being hurt (3)

The companion does not so much 'drop out of' as 'drop off of' the walk. Perhaps one could have phrased the clue as:

• 26d Companion falls off of walk, getting hurt (3)

Signing off for this week - Falcon