Sunday, March 27, 2011

Sunday, March 27, 2011 (ST 4421)

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times
ST 4421
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Link to Full Review
Times for the Times [ST 4421]
Times for the Times Review Written By
Dave Perry
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star
Saturday, March 19, 2011

Introduction

The electronic aids in my Tool Chest saw heavy action today, as I found this puzzle to be quite challenging.

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

Meanings listed in this section may reflect how the word is used in the surface reading of the clue. Of course, that meaning may be contributing to the misdirection that the setter is attempting to create.

Courage - in the U.K., a brand of beer brewed by Courage Brewery.

Sir Jacob Epstein (1880–1959) – American-born British sculptor who helped pioneer modern sculpture.

Das Rheingold (The Rhine Gold) - first of the four operas comprising Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung)

sauce - noun 3 informal, chiefly British impertinence; cheek

tinnie - (alternative spelling of tinny) noun 1 Australian /NZ informal a can of beer

Appearing in Solutions

Dr William Gilbert ("WG") Grace (1848–1915) – English amateur cricketer who is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest players of all time, having especial significance in terms of his importance to the development of the sport

patchouli - noun 1 an aromatic oil obtained from a SE Asian shrub, which is used in perfumery, insecticides, and medicine 2 the strongly scented shrub of the mint family from which patchouli is obtained. Pogostemon cablin, family Labiatae

Pork pie (or Porkie pie, often shortened to porkie) - Cockney rhyming slang term for 'lie'

put up - (put someone up) phrase 2 propose someone for election or adoption: the party had put up a candidate in each constituency

Ottorino Respighi (1879–1936) – Italian composer, musicologist and conductor. He is best known for his orchestral Roman trilogy: Fontane di Roma - "Fountains of Rome"; Pini di Roma - "Pines of Rome"; and Feste Romane - "Roman Festivals".

start - noun 2 a sudden movement of surprise or alarm

HM Prison Wormwood Scrubs (informally "The scrubs") - a Category B men's prison, located in the Wormwood Scrubs area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, in inner west London, England.

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.

26a   Arrogant type appearing in court and causing a disturbance (7)

I didn't fully get the wordplay in this clue and Dave Perry does not give a detailed explanation. The definition is "arrogant type" for which the solution is UPSTART. The wordplay would seem to be UP (appearing in court; i.e., up on charges) + START (causing a disturbance). On further reflection, I have to conclude that start is used in the sense of 'a sudden movement of surprise or alarm'.

2d   Changed key before end of Rhinegold (7)

Sitting here at my keyboard, I can't believe that I missed the wordplay here - with the solution literally staring me right in the face. The definition is "changed", with the solution being ALTERED. The wordplay is ALT (key on a computer keyboard) + ERE (before) + D {ending letter in (Rhinegol)D}. I presume that "Rhinegold" is an anglicized version of Das Rheingold (an opera by Richard Wagner). However, it might possibly be a reference to the British publisher Rhinegold Publishing.

6d   Angry male present? (3,2)

There were a few negative comments regarding this clue on Times for the Times. Personally, I thought it was fine, although I only managed to decipher the wordplay when I took a second look after completing the puzzle. The definition is "male" with the solution being HET UP. The first step in deciphering the wordplay is to replace "present" with 'put up' - as in to 'put up candidates for election' (a timely example in Canada, with an election having just been called) or, as Dave Perry suggests, to 'to put up a defence'. The wordplay then becomes 'male put up' which can be decoded as HE (male) + TUP {a reversal (up, this being a down clue) of PUT}.

21d   This snack is an East End invention (4,3)

A cockney is a native of East London (i.e., of the East End). Cockney rhyming slang for a 'lie' (invention) is PORK PIE.

24d   Try tinnie at the front - it's Courage (5)

I believe in the surface reading that "tinnie" is Australian/New Zealand slang for a can of beer and "Courage" is a brand of British beer. Although not at all difficult, I admit that I didn't figure out the wordplay until I read Dave Perry's review. It is HEAR (try; as a court case) + T {the front letter of T(innie)} giving HEART (courage).

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Sunday, March 20, 2011 (ST 4420)

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times
ST 4420
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Link to Full Review
Times for the Times [ST 4420]
Times for the Times Review Written By
Dave Perry
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star
Saturday, March 12, 2011

Introduction

Unlike Dave Perry, I did not romp through most of this puzzle. There are a number of quite obscure words and a couple of British references in this puzzle that were certainly new to me. While I did manage to work out most of them from the wordplay,  I did not understand the wordplay at 24a until I read Dave Perry's review. And, of course, I would have finished much sooner if I hadn't dallied so long at the Windmill Theatre.

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

Meanings listed in this section may reflect how the word is used in the surface reading of the clue. Of course, that meaning may be contributing to the misdirection that the setter is attempting to create.

Harrogate (or Harrogate Spa) - a spa town in North Yorkshire, England.

Remploy Ltd - a government owned company in the United Kingdom which provides employment and employment placement services for disabled people.

Appearing in Solutions

amaranthine - [American Heritage Dictionary] adjective 2. Eternally beautiful and unfading; everlasting.

autodidact - noun a self-taught person

*read - verb 5 chiefly British study (an academic subject) at a university: I'm reading English at Cambridge; [no object] he went to Manchester to read for a BA in Economics.

sati (also suttee) - noun the former Hindu practice of a widow throwing herself on to her husband's funeral pyre

Tantalus - Greek Mythology a Lydian king, son of Zeus and father of Pelops. For his crimes (which included killing Pelops) he was punished by being provided with fruit and water which receded when he reached for them. His name is the origin of the word tantalize.

touraco (alternative spelling of turaco) - noun a fruit-eating African bird with brightly coloured plumage, a prominent crest, and a long tail. Family Musophagidae (the turaco family): three genera, especially Musophaga and Tauraco, and several species. The turaco family also includes the go-away birds and plantain-eaters.

Windmill Theatre (later The Windmill International) - a variety and revue theatre in Great Windmill Street, London, England famous for its nude tableaux vivants.
Tableau vivant is French for "living picture." The term describes a striking group of suitably costumed actors or artist's models, carefully posed and often theatrically lit. Throughout the duration of the display, the people shown do not speak or move. The approach thus marries the art forms of the stage with those of painting/photography, and as such it has been of interest to modern photographers. The most recent hey-day of the tableau vivant was the 19th century with virtually nude tableaux vivants or "poses plastiques" providing a form of erotic entertainment.

In his review, Dave Perry provides a link to a fascinating history of the Windmill Theatre (extensively illustrated with pictures that are definitely worthwhile checking out).
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.

24a   Ridicule wife's sacrifice, wanting progress (8)

The definition is "ridicule" for which the solution is SATIRISE. The wordplay is SATI (wife's sacrifice; Hindu practice of a widow throwing herself on to her husband's funeral pyre) + (wanting) RISE (progress). Here "wanting" seems to want to be a charade indicator.

28a   Feeling apprehensive about Oxford, finally gaining scholarship (8)

The definition is "feeling apprehensive about", with the solution being DREADING. The wordplay is D (Oxford finally; i.e., the final letter in "Oxford") + READING (gaining scholarship). In Britain, reading means to attend university, thereby 'becoming educated' or, in other words, "gaining scholarship". The surface reading of the clue is designed to make us think of a financial award, but we must see past this to find the cryptic meaning.

3d   Blunder admitted by teacher rarely (3)

The definition is "blunder" and the solution is hidden in (admitted by) teachER Rarely.

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Sunday, March 13, 2011 (ST 4419)

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times
ST 4419
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Link to Full Review
Times for the Times [ST 4419]
Times for the Times Review Written By
Dave Perry
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star
Saturday, March 5, 2011

Introduction

I found this to be probably the most difficult puzzle that I have run into in a very long time. I needed copious amounts of aid from my electronic assistants - and still finished without understanding the wordplay in 14a. As it turns out, the clue relies on an apparently common British expression meaning 'extremely drunk' - but one that I am totally unfamiliar with, as I dare say are most North Americans.

In his review, Dave Perry wonders (in regard to 20a) "how well does [the expression "boring old farts"] transfer abroad?". Actually, very well, as this is quite a common expression in North America. However, I can't say the same for several other British expressions, such as bladdered (to which I have alluded above) as well as elevenses, outsize (OS),  charlie (which I did discover should not be confused with charlies), and especially carcase (a spelling that apparently does not exist outside the U.K.).

Today's Errata

One thing that seems to have transferred abroad quite well is the obvious spelling error in 3d:
  • 3d   One Cathoilic in event remains (7)

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

The meanings listed in this section may reflect how the word is used in the surface reading of the clue. Of course, that meaning may be contributing to the misdirection that the setter is attempting to create.

daily - noun informal 2 (also daily help) British dated a woman who is employed to clean someone else's house each day

flipping - adjective [attributive] British informal used for emphasis or to express mild annoyance: are you out of your flipping mind?; [as submodifier] it's flipping cold today

*leg - noun 5 (also leg side, on or on side) Cricket 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.

Mayo1 - a county in the Republic of Ireland, in the north-west in the province of Connacht; county town, Castlebar

Appearing in Solutions

bladdered - adjective British informal extremely drunk

char2 - noun 1 British informal a charwoman

charlie - noun 1 British informal a fool

Chinook - noun 1 a member of an American Indian people originally inhabiting the region around the Columbia River in Oregon

*eleven - cardinal number [6th entry] a sports team of eleven players: at cricket I played in the first eleven

elevenses -plural noun British informal a short break for light refreshments, usually with tea or coffee, taken at about eleven o'clock in the morning

*on - (also on side) noun Cricket the leg side (or, simply, leg) [see the definition for leg in the Appearing in Clues section above]

OS - abbreviation (as a size of clothing) outsize, the British term equivalent to the North American terms plus size (for women's clothing) and big and tall (for men's clothing).

rot - noun 3 informal, chiefly British nonsense; rubbish: don't talk rot; [as exclamation]‘Rot!’ she said with vehemence

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Sunday, March 6, 2011 (ST 4418)

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times
ST 4418
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Link to Full Review
Times for the Times [ST 4418]
Times for the Times Review Written By
Dave Perry
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star
Saturday, February 26, 2011

Introduction

The Brits seem to have found this puzzle on the easy side. However, I found it to be fairly challenging.

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

biscuit - noun 1 British a small baked unleavened cake, typically crisp, flat , and sweet: a chocolate biscuit [Known in North America as a cookie.]
  • North American a small, soft round cake like a scone
cookie - noun 1 North American a sweet biscuit 3 Scottish a plain bun
dishy - adjective informal
  1. chiefly British (of a man) sexually attractive.
  2. North American scandalous or gossipy: she's the perfect candidate for a dishy biography
Windies - colloquial name for the West Indian cricket team

Appearing in Solutions

brandy snap - noun British a crisp rolled gingerbread wafer, usually filled with cream

canon1 - noun 4 Music a piece in which the same melody is begun in different parts successively, so that the imitations overlap

draughts - noun British a board game for two players, played on a draughtboard. Each player starts with twelve disc-shaped pieces in three rows along one side of the board , and moves them diagonally with the aim of capturing all the opponent's pieces. [Known in North America as checkers.]

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

PE - [2nd entry] abbreviation physical education

père - French father

*R2 - abbreviation [13th entry] Cricket [not to mention baseball] (on scorecards) run(s)

RU - [3rd entry] abbreviation rugby union
rugby (also rugby football) - noun a team game played with an oval ball that may be kicked, carried , and passed from hand to hand. Points are scored by grounding the ball behind the opponents‘ goal line (thereby scoring a try) or by kicking it between the two posts and over the crossbar of the opponents’ goal.  See also rugby league and rugby union

rugby league - noun a form of rugby played in teams of thirteen, originally by a group of northern English clubs which separated from rugby union in 1895. Besides having somewhat different rules, the game differed from rugby union in always allowing professionalism.

Origin: (mid 19th century) named after Rugby School (see Rugby), where the game was first played

rugby union - noun a form of rugby played in teams of fifteen. Unlike rugby league, the game was originally strictly amateur, being opened to professionalism only in 1995.
snap - noun 4 British a card game in which cards from two piles are turned over simultaneously and players call ‘snap’ as quickly as possible when two similar cards are exposed [Note: a game that is also played in Canada - at least, I recall having played it]
  • [as exclamation] said when one notices that one has or does the identical thing to someone else: ‘Snap!’ They looked at each other's ties with a smile.
speed camera - noun a roadside camera triggered by speeding vehicles, taking either video footage or a photograph of the vehicle with a record of its speed

TR - abbreviation Turkey (international vehicle registration)

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.

17d   20 not starting to attack fall guy (9)

This is a cross-reference type of clue, where "20" indicates that we must insert the solution to clue 20d at this point in the clue. Doing so, the clue becomes:
  • Abscond not starting to attack fall guy (9)
The definition is "fall guy" for which the solution is SCAPEGOAT. The wordplay is SCAPE {eSCAPE (abscond) without its first letter (not starting)} + {GO AT (to attack)}.

20d   Muscles ultimately required to stop prisoner's bolt (7)

The definition is "bolt" as '(of a person) move or run away suddenly in an attempt to escape' with the solution being ABSCOND. The wordplay is {ABS (muscles) + D [final letter (ultimately) of requireD]} containing (to stop) CON (prisoner) giving us ABS(CON)D.

Signing off for this week - Falcon