Sunday, February 27, 2011 (ST 4417) - Déjà Vu

Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times ST 4417 Puzzle Number of Original Publication in The Sunday Times ST 4393
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times Sunday, January 23, 2011 Date of Original Publication in The Sunday Times Sunday, August 8, 2010
Link to Times for the Times Review Times for the Times [ST 4417] Link to Original Times for the Times Review Times for the Times [ST 4393]
Times for the Times Review Written By Dave Perry Original Times for the Times Review Written By talbinho
Date of Original Publication in the Ottawa Citizen Sunday, September 12, 2010
Original Ottawa Citizen Cryptic Crossword Forum Review Ottawa Citizen Cryptic Crossword Forum [ST 4393]
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star Saturday, February 19, 2011 Date of Original Publication in the Toronto Star Saturday, September 4, 2010

Introduction

If you felt a sense of déjà vu enveloping you as you worked your way through this puzzle, you would have good reason. The puzzle is a repeat of one originally published in the Ottawa Citizen on September 12, 2010. Those who read last weeks Times for the Times review would have had a head's up that this was coming, as Peter Biddlecombe (who recently assumed the post of Puzzles Editor for The Sunday Times) wrote there:

Apologies in advance for 4417 - unfortunately a repeat of a puzzle from August last year (4393), caused at least in part by a change of crossword editor. I'm already checking other "pipeline" puzzles to ensure that this doesn't happen again.

I had also been alerted to this occurrence by Peter in an email received about a month ago, in which he said:

One warning about a future puzzle.  Sunday Times crossword no. 4417, published on 23 Jan, was an accidental repeat of no. 4393 (8 Aug 2010).  I’ve made arrangements for this puzzle to be replaced in the syndicated version by another crossword from the same setter.  By my reckoning this will be the puzzle in the Ottawa Citizen on 27 February.  So on that day you’ll have no Sunday Times report at Times for the Times to refer to.  The substitute puzzle will at some point be made available to Times Crossword members, and it’s possible that Times for the Times will have a report on it.

It seems that the Ottawa Citizen and Toronto Star - or more likely some common entity higher up in the syndication chain - has declined to avail themselves of the substitute puzzle that Peter refers to in his email. Consequently, I get a bit of a respite today as I merely have to provide a link to my review of the earlier puzzle rather than (as I was fearing) write a full review of a puzzle for which no British review had been done.

As for the puzzle, it was definitely easier that second time around. In September, I wrote "I found today's puzzle a bit on the difficult side - one that required liberal use of my Tool Chest ...". Today, on the other hand, I was able to complete it without resorting to the use of my electronic aids. However, several of the clues still taxed my brain power considerably - even after having seen them before.

Changes from the Originally Published Version

There are three changes from the original puzzle. The error at 3d (discussed in my original review) has been corrected. As well, two clues have been rewritten.

26a   Ship about to be joined by big aggressive person, not British (7)

The clue in the original version of the puzzle was:

• 26a   Ship's hands my good fellow mentioned (7)

7d   Confuse designated driver, bringing beer around (5)

In its original incarnation, the clue read:

• 7d   It's bad having beer, designated driver admitted (5)

In yet another change, I wrote in my review of the original puzzle "The town we are searching for [in 9a] 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." Since that time, I have had the occasion to visit Cortona, a lovely walled medieval town in eastern Tuscany immortalized in Under the Tuscan Sun, a 1996 memoir by American author Frances Mayes and the 2003 film of the same name.

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

7d   Confuse designated driver, bringing beer around (5)

A comment on Times for the Times ("My only query was DD for 'designated driver' which seems such a new concept. It's not in Collins or the SOED but it's in Chamber's much to my surprise.") prompted me to do my own perusal of the dictionaries. The writer is likely referring to The Chambers Dictionary, 11th edition, as this abbreviation does not appear on Search Chambers (which is based on Chambers 21st Century Dictionary). While I did find various meanings for the abbreviation DD (among them being Doctor of Divinity, dishonourable discharge, demand deposit, and direct debit), I found designated driver only in the acronyms section at TheFreeDictionary.com - where it appears as one of 194 possible meanings for this abbreviation.

13d   A hoarder's prayer - to have gold (9)

I'm surprised that I did not include the following definition in my glossary for the original review:

collect² - [Collins English Dictionary] noun Christianity a short Church prayer generally preceding the lesson or epistle in Communion and other services

or² - noun gold or yellow, as a heraldic tincture

We certainly see the latter one frequently enough for it to be familiar, but I can't even recall looking up the first one on the initial time through the puzzle.

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, February 20, 2011 (ST 4416)

The Sunday London Times Puzzle Number ST 4416
Publication Date in The Sunday London Times Sunday, January 16, 2011
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4416]
Times for the Times Review Written By Dave Perry
Publication Date in the Toronto Star Saturday, February 12, 2011

Introduction

Today's puzzle was definitely more difficult than usual - as attested to by several individuals on Times for the Times. Not only was there a lot of difficult wordplay, there are a lot of British terms appearing in the puzzle (as one can readily see from the exceptionally long glossary today). I felt that some readers might need more explanation than provided by Dave Perry in his review at Times for the Times, so I have produced a more extensive review than I normally do. However, I can't promise to do this every week.

Today's Glossary

Selected abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions appearing in today's puzzle.
[Items marked with an asterisk are from a Cumulative Glossary of entries appearing, since the beginning of this year, in either this blog or its companion blog, the National Post Cryptic Crossword Forum.]

Appearing in Clues

bob³ - noun British informal a shilling

• used with reference to a moderately large but unspecified amount of money: those vases are worth a few bob

*on - (also on side) noun Cricket the leg side (also leg) [see definition in following section]

Appearing in Solutions

beer cellar - noun

1. an underground room for storing beer
2. a basement bar where beer is served

bidet - noun a low oval basin used for washing one's genital and anal area

bowdlerise - (alternative spelling of bowdlerize) remove material that is considered improper or offensive from (a text or account), especially with the result that the text becomes weaker or less effective

cave² - exclamation British school slang, dated look out! [Origin: Latin, imperative of cavere 'beware']

Edith Cavell (1865–1915) - English nurse; full name Edith Louisa Cavell. During the First World War she helped Allied soldiers to escape from occupied Belgium. She was subsequently executed by the Germans and became a heroine of the Allied cause. Mount Edith Cavell, a mountain located in Canada's Jasper National Park, was named in her honour in 1916.

Cilla - English female given name, originally the diminutive form of Priscilla and less frequently Drusilla. It first appeared in the 20th Century.

count² - noun [from a British perspective] a foreign nobleman whose rank corresponds to that of an earl

l. (lowercase L) - archaic pound(s)

*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.

muffin - noun

1. a small domed spongy cake made with eggs and baking powder: blueberry muffins
2. (North American English muffin) a flat circular spongy bread roll made from yeast dough and eaten split , toasted, and buttered

P² - abbreviation (on road signs and street plans) parking

P(2) - abbreviation 8. physics pressure

para¹ - noun informal 1 a paratrooper

pompon - alternative spelling of pom-pom

porter¹ - noun 2 dark brown bitter beer brewed from malt partly charred or browned by drying at a high temperature [originally made as a drink for porters]

rag² - [Collins English Dictionary] noun 1. British a boisterous practical joke, esp one on a fellow student

raga - noun

• (in Indian classical music) each of the six basic musical modes which express different moods in certain characteristic progressions, with more emphasis placed on some notes than others
• a piece using a particular raga

refresher - noun 2 Law, British an extra fee payable to counsel in a prolonged case

rosella - noun an Australian parakeet with vivid green, red, yellow, or blue plumage. Genus Platycercus, family Psittacidae: several species

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

side - noun 5 [2^nd entry] British a sports team

wake¹ - noun [Collins English Dictionary]

• 3. the patronal or dedication festival of English parish churches
• 5. (usually plural) an annual holiday in any of various towns in northern England, when the local factory or factories close, usually for a week or two weeks

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.

11a   Look out for English nurse who's shed a couple of pounds (4)

I must confess to having gotten this one wrong, having put in CARE which I thought could certainly mean "look out for". Even though I have gazed up at Mount Edith Cavell on visits to the Rockies, the name failed to pop into my head. The definition is "look out" with the solution being CAVE - an archaic British schoolboy warning meaning "Look out!", based on the Latin imperative 'cave' (beware). The wordplay is CAVELL (English nurse) with the final two Ls deleted (who's shed a couple of pounds).

2d   Away for time, some soldier potentially dropped (4)

The definition is "soldier potentially dropped" for which the solution is PARA, a British term for a paratrooper (a soldier who could be dropped from a plane). The wordplay is PART (some) with A (away) replacing T (time).

'A' as an abbreviation for "away" may come from the sports pages where one often finds tables showing games as being played at home (H) or away (A).

Another possibility, although probably unlikely, is that it comes from the British designation for highways, where 'A' is "used to indicate a main road other than a motorway" [A(1) symbol 5]. Thus "a way" might become 'A' (requiring one to split "away" into two words).

5d   Financial training for the Bar? (9,6)

This clue is a cryptic definition and is a play on words involving the British term 'refresher' meaning "an extra fee payable to counsel in a prolonged case". Thus, I surmise that the setter is suggesting that a REFRESHER COURSE might be training taken by lawyers on how to collect fees from clients.

Solution to Today's Puzzle

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

Across

1a   SPAR|_E PARTS - SPAR (dispute) + [D]EPARTS {DEPARTS (leaves) with the D deleted (Democrat going)}; "for" is a link word between the wordplay and the definition

8a   TRIO - TRI[P/O] {TRIP (outing) with O (ring) replacing (for) P (parking)}

10a   RAG|A|MUFFIN - {A + MUFFIN (roll)} following (after) RAG (horseplay); "seen on" is a link phrase between the definition and the wordplay

11a   CAVE__ - CAVE[LL] (English nurse [Edith Cavell]) with the final two Ls (pounds) deleted (whose shed a couple of pounds); "for" is a link word between the definition and the wordplay

13a   RO(SELL)A_ - SELL (trade) contained in (in) ROA[D] (street reduced; i.e., with the final letter deleted); "for" is a link word between the wordplay and the definition

15a   C(LOVE)N - LOVE (nothing; a score of zero in tennis) contained in (in) CN (case of confusion; i.e., the exterior letters of C[ONFUSIO]N)

16a   A(LIEN)S - AS (for instance) containing (maintaining) LIEN (right to take property)

17a   UNDER THE COUNT|ER - UNDER THE COUNT (position of foreign nobleman's mistress) + ER (ever disheartened; E[VE]R with the interior letters deleted); "and" is a link word between the wordplay and the definition

18a   SEE|SAW - SAW (maxim) following (seen behind) SEE (spot); "with" is a link word between the wordplay and the definition

20a   BIG TOE - BIG (great) + TOE (digital feature)

21a   LANO*|LIN< - an anagram (written off) of LOAN + a reversal (coming back) of NIL (nothing)

22a   EMIT< - reversal (sent back) of TIME (magazine)

25a   BEER CELLAR - cryptic definition

26a   _AD|_EN - {[M]AD (crazy) + [M]EN (fellows)} with the initial letter of each word deleted (losing their heads); "in" is a link word between the wordplay and the definition

27a   STEPS A|SIDE - STEPS (flight [of stairs]) + A SIDE (first team; as contrasted with the B side, for example)

Down

2d   PARA - PAR[T/A] {PART (some) with A (away) replacing (for) T (time)}

3d   _RA|GA_ - hidden in (flagged by the question mark) IndiRA GAndhi; "'s" (is) is a link word between the wordplay and the definition

4d   POMPON - POMP (splendid display) + ON (in progress); "from" is a link word between the definition and the wordplay

5d   REFRESHER COURSE - a cryptic definition of a training course for British lawyers - one presumably dealing with the collection of fees from clients

6d   S|CILLA - S (bob; shilling) + (seen with) Cilla (a lady); "and" is a link word between the definition and the wordplay

7d   {POWER SURGE}* - anagram (upset) of GROUPS WERE; "by" is a link word between the wordplay and the definition

9d   REA_|L E_|STATE_ - {REA[R] (back) + LE[G] (on) + STATE[D] (said)} with the final (terminal) letter deleted from each (to be lacking terms)

12d   BOWDLERIS*|E_ - anagram (out) of {LIBE[L] (cut libel; i.e., LIBEL with the final letter deleted) + WORDS} + E (upfront in edition; i.e., the first letter of E[DITION]); this is an & lit. (all-in-one) clue in which the entire clue constitutes the definition (although, as Dave Perry points out, one that is "forced")

13d   RE(TRI_)AL - {TRI[P] with the final letter deleted; pressure (P) off} contained in (into) REAL (genuine)

14d   ALBUM|IN - ALBUM (book) + IN (at home); "taken from" is a link phrase between the definition and the wordplay

15d   COUPS D'ETAT - anagram (out) of A DESPOT CUT

19d   WAKE|N|S - WAKE (festival) preceding (before) {N (North) + S (South); game (bridge) partners)}

20d   BIDETS* - anagram (abroad) of BEDSIT; "from" is a link word between the definition and the wordplay

23d   _ILLS - [B]ILLS (invoices) with the initial letter deleted (unopened); "can lead to" is a link phrase between the wordplay and the definition

24d   _ARI|D_ - hidden in (in) KalahARI Desert

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, February 13, 2011 (ST 4415)

The Sunday London Times Puzzle Number ST 4415
Publication Date in The Sunday London Times Sunday, January 9, 2011
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4415]
Times for the Times Review Written By Dave Perry
Publication Date in the Toronto Star Saturday, February 5, 2011

Introduction

Although the puzzle was a fairly quick solve today, I seem to have used up any saved time - and more - with a rather long-winded blog.

Today's Glossary

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

Appearing in Clues

journo - noun [seemingly British] colloquial, originally Australian a journalist

lords and ladies - noun The European wake-robin (Arum maculatum) - those with purplish spadix the lords, and those with pale spadix the ladies. Range: Lords and ladies is very common across most of the British Isles, being absent only from North Scotland. It also occurs frequently in Europe.

Description: Wild arum or lords and ladies (just one of this abundant plant’s local names), has a striking appearance when in flower. From amongst the shiny-green, black-speckled, arrow-shaped leaves, arises a tall slender cowl. This opens on one side to reveal a slender purple spike. This ‘spadix’ is the true flower of the wild arum, and it gave rise to another of the plant’s local names ‘cuckoo pint’. This derives from the time of the flower’s appearance – usually with the first cuckoos – whilst ‘pint’ (once pronounced to rhyme with ‘mint’) is an Old English slang for ‘pintle’, meaning penis.

Appearing in Solutions

River Cam - a tributary of the River Great Ouse in the east of England

fete - noun

• British a public function, typically held outdoors and organized to raise funds for a charity, including entertainment and the sale of goods and refreshments: a church fete
• chiefly North American a celebration or festival

form - noun British informal a criminal record: they both had form

matt (also matte or US mat) - adjective (of a surface or colour) dull and flat ; without a shine: prints are available on matt or glossy paper; a matt black

mo - noun [in singular] informal, chiefly British a short period of time: hang on a mo!

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.

11a   Another term for some cur - a scallywag? (6)

While one might well suspect the definition to be merely "scallywag", making that determination will leave one struggling to find the wordplay (a ruse to which I fell victim). The clue is actually an & lit. and the entire clue serves as the definition, with the wordplay indicating that the solution is hidden (some) in cuR A SCALlywag.

14a   Daft drink for lords and ladies (10)

The definition is "lords and ladies", one of the many common names for a plant having the scientific name of Arum maculatum. I am familiar with this plant from its previous appearance in a Daily Telegraph puzzle (DT 26324) published in the National Post on November 23, 2010. The solution is another common name for this plant, CUCKOOPINT, with the wordplay being CUCKOO (daft) + PINT (drink).

A visitor to Times for the Times states "According to the OED [Oxford English Dictionary], the word is hyphenated, cuckoo-pint". Another member of the same stable, Oxford Dictionaries online (which I believe to be based on the Oxford Dictionary of English), has it as two words 'cuckoo pint'.

As for other dictionaries, Search Chambers gives the spelling as cuckoo-pint while the American Heritage Dictionary and Collins English Dictionary both favour 'cuckoopint' (thus giving our setter some support).

By the way, following a bit of impreciseness in a previous post, I was gently informed by the Brits that the Oxford Dictionary of English is not at all the same thing as the Oxford English Dictionary. Although both reference works belong to the Oxford University Press family, they seem to be more like distant cousins than siblings - and I have observed that it is not uncommon for them to disagree on the spelling of words. According to Wikipedia "[The Oxford Dictionary of English] is not based on the Oxford English Dictionary and should not be mistaken for a new or updated version of the OED. It is a completely new dictionary which strives to represent as faithfully as possible the current usage of English words." (which, I presume, implies that the OED represents a more historical - and, no doubt, scholarly - perspective).

18a   Prince follows cleaner reflecting on ceremony (4)

Sometimes there may be more than a single valid interpretation for a clue, as this clue illustrates would seem to illustrate.

Here the definition is "ceremony" with the solution being POMP.

My interpretation of the wordplay was:

• {reversal (reflecting) of MOP (cleaner)} + (follows) P (prince)

That is, 'P (prince) follows POM {reversal (reflecting) of MOP (cleaner)} = POM + P

Dave Perry (at Times for the Times) chose what seems to me to be a more convoluted explanation:

• reversal (reflecting) of {P (prince) + MOP (cleaner)}

which relies on the clue being interpreted as '[first] prince; [then (follows)] cleaner'.

Thus, where I see the clue as 'prince follows {cleaner reversed}', he sees it as '{prince; follows cleaner} all reversed'. The latter interpretation is consistent with a style that one often finds in cryptic crossword puzzles - one that I like to think of as a recipe style of clue. So just like in a recipe where one must follow a series of steps, one must break this type of clue into a series of steps (by - at least mentally - inserting the appropriate punctuation). Thus something like "prince follows cleaner" becomes:

Step 1: [Start with] P (Prince)
Step 2: follows (add) MOP (cleaner)

I did consider whether the word "on" might tip the balance one way or the other between the two explanations. However, I do not see how it adds or detracts from either interpretation. In either case, it would seem to be merely padding to enhance the surface reading.While it might also possibly be a link word between the wordplay and definition, it hardly seems suited to that role.

In the present clue, the mental gymnastics demanded by the latter of these two explanations may not really be necessary (since there seems to be a simpler route to the solution). However, that does not mean that this more round about route is not equally valid to the more straight forward one, as - in this case, at least - all roads would appear to lead to Rome.

1d   Linen flower placed on new crib (7)

In Crosswordese, the word "flower" quite frequently is used (as it is here) by setters with the extrapolated meaning of 'something that flows' - in other words, a river.

4d   Dull European china (4)

The definition is "china" with the solution being MATE ('china' being British rhyming slang for 'mate' - for an explanation, see below). The wordplay is MAT (dull) + E (European).

I am only familiar with seeing the word spelled 'matte'. However, there seems to be little consensus among dictionaries on the spelling of 'mat':

• Oxford Dictionaries online: the principal entry is 'matt' with 'matte' as an alternative and 'mat' being denoted as a US spelling
• Search Chambers: the principle listing is again 'matt' with 'mat' being a seemingly less common ("sometimes") alternative - and 'matte' not being given at all
• Collins English Dictionary: appears to consider 'mat' as the principle spelling, with 'matt' & 'matte' being variant spellings
• American Heritage Dictionary: again 'mat' would seem to be the principal spelling, with 'matte' as an alternative

If you are not familiar with British rhyming slang, you might well wonder "Why is 'china' rhyming slang for 'mate'?". To create an association between two words in British rhyming slang, one starts with a phrase that rhymes with a target word (in this case the phrase 'china plate' rhymes with the target word 'mate'), then one drops the part of the phrase that rhymes with the target word (in this case, drop 'plate') to arrive at the result 'china'.

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, February 6, 2011 (ST 4414)

The Sunday London Times Puzzle Number ST 4414
Publication Date in The Sunday London Times Sunday, January 2, 2011
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4414]
Times for the Times Review Written By Dave Perry
Publication Date in the Toronto Star Saturday, January 29, 2011

Introduction

I found this to be quite an enjoyable puzzle, but some of the wordplay required some heavy concentration to decipher. There is a fair bit of discussion on Times for the Times regarding the style of the explanations given at that site.

In case you missed it, I have somewhat belatedly posted a review of [ST-4257], the puzzle which was published in the Citizen on January 23, 2011. This puzzle, resurrected from three years ago, replaced a Jumbo Christmas Crossword that appeared in The Sunday London Times on December 19, 2010.

Today's Glossary

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

Appearing in Solutions

brougham - noun [1^st entry] historical a horse-drawn carriage with a roof, four wheels, and an open driver's seat in front

Mab - [Collins English Dictionary] noun (in English and Irish folklore) a fairy queen said to create and control men's dreams

Maureen "Little Mo" Connelly (1934 – 1969) - American tennis player who was the first woman to win all four Grand Slam tournaments during the same calendar year

mignonette - noun a herbaceous plant with spikes of small fragrant greenish flowers; Genus Reseda, family Resedaceae: several species, in particular the North African R. odorata, which is cultivated as an ornamental and for its essential oil, and the European wild mignonette (R. lutea)

pish - exclamation dated used to express annoyance, impatience, or disgust

River Ure - a river in North Yorkshire, England, approximately 119km long from its source to the point where it changes name to the River Ouse

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.

11a   The odd fish gets to finish on the far side of the dam (6)

I believe the definition must be "the odd fish" with the solution being WEIRDO. I interpret the wordplay to be DO (to finish) following (on the far side of) WEIR (the dam). While this meaning for 'do' did not spring immediately to mind, Oxford Dictionaries Online defines do¹ [verb sense 2] as "achieve or complete".

Signing off for this week - Falcon