Sunday, November 27, 2011 - ST 4456

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times ST 4456
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times Sunday, October 23, 2011
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4456]
Times for the Times Review Written By Dave Perry
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star Saturday, November 19, 2011

Introduction

I found some of the wordplay today to be quite tricky. I needed to dip into my Tool Chest early and often for assistance.

Notes 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.

7a   What's behind bar? Tango (4)

Tango^[7] is a carbonated soft drink sold primarily in the United Kingdom and Ireland as well as Sweden, Norway and Hungary. In the cryptic reading, "bar" means 'but' (as in "all but one were successful") and "tango^[5] " is a code word representing the letter T, used in radio communication.

9a   Even British Airways facing cut (8)

Of course the solution is BALANCED (not BALANCING, as shown in Dave Perry's review). [At least I'm not the only blogger to occasionally make a typo].

10a   Haggard tart heads off for her older relative? (6)

I initially thought that this clue might contain a reference to British novelist H. Rider Haggard^[7] . If so, it would be a bit of planned (or unplanned) misdirection by the setter.

11a   Woody entrance to field initially sunken (6)

For me, this was the last clue to be solved. I was quite positive that there must be an F involved in the solution, but was unsure whether it was being clued by "entrance to field" or "field initially". As it turns out, it is the former. The wordplay is F {entrance to field initially; i.e., the first letter of (entrance to) "field" is placed first (initially)} + ALLEN (Woody; i.e., American filmmaker Woody Allen^[7] ). To understand the intent of the clue, we must mentally insert a pause in the cryptic reading of the wordplay "Woody, entrance to field initially".

17a   Fools train having drunk gallons, left to drop (7,5)

In his review, Dave Perry says "I'm not quite sure why 'train' = STRING". Lest any readers be similarly perplexed, train^[5] may mean 'a series of connected events or thoughts' which is similar to string^[5] in the sense of 'a sequence of similar items or events'.

20a   Ford's blooming strike off (5,3)

The definition is "strike off" with the solution being CROSS OUT. I believe the wordplay is CROSS (ford; as "to ford a river") + (has; where, in the cryptic reading, the 's is interpreted as "has") OUT (blooming; as in "It must be spring, the dandelions are out").

21a   Being excessively close to Washington restricts a North American city (6)

I certainly hope that no local reader failed to solve this clue. I wonder - should we take this clue to be a bit of political commentary?

22a   Home Alone? Boots may be holding it (6)

Home Alone^[7] is a 1990 American comedy film about an eight-year-old boy, played by Macaulay Culkin, who is mistakenly left behind when his family flies to Paris for their Christmas vacation. Boots^[7] is a leading pharmacy chain in the United Kingdom, with outlets in most high streets (primary business streets) throughout the country. As an alternative - and, in my opinion, less likely - interpretation, a boot^[5] is the trunk of a car in the UK.

26a   Subject of talk: northern hollows and heights (3,7)

The Mendip Hills^[7] (commonly called the Mendips) is a range of limestone hills to the south of Bristol and Bath in Somerset, England.

2d   An amusing situation repeatedly found in popular British novels (3,5)

I initially suspected that "an amusing situation" might be 'a gag'. However, I eventually came to the realization that it is 'a gas'. The "popular British novels" are Aga sagas. An Aga saga is a type of popular novel, set in middle England and populated by the middle classes of the sort that typically own Aga cookers. Agas are kitchen ranges, often very large and expensive, that are seen as epitomizing the prosperous and cosy middle-class English country lifestyle. [read more^[7]]

4d   A nut's what might be said to be under the bed (5)

I recall a tour guide in Texas explaining that the "proper" pronunciation for the name of the nut is puh-KAWN, not PEE-can, explaining that a PEE CAN was what his father used to carry in the car on long family trips to cut down on the number of pit stops.

6d   Doctor Who's after run of publicity from these? (4,5)

I wondered where the O came from, but o' is a short form for 'of' (as in o'clock). Doctor Who^[7] is a British science fiction television programme which should be familiar to most readers on this side of the Atlantic due to its widespread distribution in North America.

8d   Chicken pieces smelling bad in vans of Tesco and Sainsbury (6)

Tesco^[7] and Sainsbury^[7] are respectively the largest and third largest grocery retailers in the UK.

12d   Up-to-date position from selectors at ground (6,5)

"Up-to-date position" is LATEST SCORE. I guess "position" might be considered to equate to 'score' with "how well did you score in the competition?" having a similar meaning to "what was your position in the final standings?". The wordplay is an anagram (ground; as a verb) of SELECTORS AT.

18d   Yahoo's that corrupted on a test (2,5)

If you look very carefully at the surface reading, it makes little sense. You can read it as either "Yahoo is that corrupted on a test" or "Yahoo has that corrupted on a test", neither of which have much meaning. However, I only noticed this when I tried to parse the clue. I think the brain may subconsciously adjust the words to produce the more meaningful "Yahoo that's corrupted on a test". In the cryptic reading, the definition is "Yahoo has that" with the wordplay being an anagram (corrupted) of ON A TEST. Yes, a Yahoo has no taste.

21d   Individual cases I caught being delayed (2,3)

The definition is "being delayed" and the wordplay is ONE (individual) containing (cases; as a verb) {I + C (caught; an abbreviation appearing on scorecards in cricket)}.

References: 
^[1] - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition
^[2] - Search Chambers - (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)
^[3] - TheFreeDictionary.com (American Heritage Dictionary)
^[4] - TheFreeDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
^[5] - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford Dictionary of English)
^[6] - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford American Dictionary)
^[7] - Wikipedia
^[8] - Reverso Online Dictionary (Collins French-English Dictionary)

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, November 20, 2011 - ST 4455

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times ST 4455
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times Sunday, October 16, 2011
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4455]
Times for the Times Review Written By Dave Perry
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star Saturday, November 12, 2011

Introduction

Although I completed the puzzle, I got 3d solely from the definition and 26a seemed to be the only conceivable word which matched the checking letters. In both cases, I needed Dave Perry's explanation to understand the wordplay.

Notes 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.

1a   Very high liquid content in this food (4)

The well-hidden wordplay is SO (very) + UP (high).

3a   Poor, but thought to satisfy according to Spooner (6-4)

 The wordplay alludes to a Spoonerism, a verbal error in which a speaker accidentally transposes the initial sounds or letters of two or more words, often to humorous effect, as in the sentence "you have hissed the mystery lectures" [named after the Reverend W. A. Spooner (1844–1930), an English scholar who reputedly made such errors in speaking].

10a   Dance outfit - a party's on (8)

In the surface reading, the 's is a contraction of is. However, in the cryptic analysis, it must be read as a contraction of has and is a charade indicator. Thus the wordplay is RIG (outfit) + A (explicit in the clue) + DO (party) + (has) ON (explicit in the clue).

26a   Great cup of tea's gulped down (10)

Once again, the 's takes on different meanings in the surface and cryptic readings. In the wordplay, we have THING (cup of tea) containing (has gulped) UNDER (down). Dave Perry explains why "cup of tea" becomes THING. I missed the wordplay in this clue myself. The best stab that I could make is the "thundering tea" which is a part of the "three cups of tea" served to guests by the Bai people of China.

3d   My round swallowed by pub's dog (5)

In Britain, coo^[5] is an informal exclamation used to express surprise (‘Coo, ain’t it high!’ Mary squeaked) and public house is the formal term for pub.

5d   Went thick as did smoke - extremely dismal in there (7)

The definition is "went thick" with the solution being CURDLED. As I see it, the wordplay is CURED (did smoke) containing (in there) DL (extremely dismal; i.e., the extreme [outer] letters of DismaL) with the word "as" serving as a link word between the definition and wordplay.

References: 
^[1] - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition
^[2] - Search Chambers - (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)
^[3] - TheFreeDictionary.com (American Heritage Dictionary)
^[4] - TheFreeDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
^[5] - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford Dictionary of English)
^[6] - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford American Dictionary)
^[7] - Wikipedia
^[8] - Reverso Online Dictionary (Collins French-English Dictionary)

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, November 13, 2011 - ST 4454

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times ST 4454
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times Sunday, October 9, 2011
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4454]
Times for the Times Review Written By Dave Perry
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star Saturday, November 5, 2011

Introduction

I must have been off my form today, as I found this puzzle more than a little difficult and needed lots of assistance from my electronic aids to complete it. After the struggle that I endured, it was rather disheartening to read Dave Perry's comments regarding how easy he found it to be.

Notes 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.

1a   Quietly made call holding a knife (6)

A parang is a Malayan machete. The P comes from p (abbreviation for pianissimo) which, as a musical notation, means 'quietly'.

5a   An Athenian with an unknown element (8)

The letter y (as well as x and z) are commonly used to represent unknown quantities in algebraic notation.

11a   When abroad, one business looking strange (4)

Un is the French word for "one" (therefore, one when abroad). Unco is a Scots word meaning unusual or remarkable.

20a   What binds religious chaps at front of temple (6)

Presumably, "religious chaps" are 'Church of England men' or CE MEN.

22a   Batter fish first - then start to season tripe (10)

The definition is "tripe". The wordplay is WALLOP (batter) with COD (fish) [at the] first followed by (then) S (start to Season). From the wordplay alone, the placement of the S is a bit ambiguous - but only one placement produces a viable solution.

24a   Clobber Royal gong (4)

In Britain, clobber is slang for personal belongings, such as clothes and accessories (a robe, for example) and gong is slang for a medal (perhaps the insignia of an Officer of the Order of the British Empire or OBE).

26a   Runner without a drink in Tokyo (4)

The definition is "drink in Tokyo" with the solution being SAKI (an alternative spelling of sake). I thought the wordplay was indicating that one must remove the letter A (without A) from the name of a runner to obtain the solution. This led to a fruitless search for an athlete named Asaki, Sakai or Sakia. It turns out that the runner is a ski which must be placed outside of (without) the letter A.

30a   Hold mariner with dodgy vision (6)

A 'nelson' is a type of wrestling hold. In the Battle of Copenhagen, British Admiral Horatio Nelson (who had been blinded in one eye in a previous engagement), when advised that the signal to withdraw had been given, raised his telescope to his blind eye and, saying "I really do not see the signal", fought on.

3d   Desperate Dan's very game etc (3,2,2)

Desperate Dan is a character in a British comic book.

5d   Display caviare evenly (3)

We need to use the even letters of "caviare" to form a word meaning "display". Caviare is an alternative spelling of caviar.

6d   At centre of bank you can see its first flower (5)

This is a rather tricky clue. Here "flower" (which happens to be the definition) is used in the cryptic crossword sense of 'something that flows' (in other words, a river). The wordplay tells that "at the centre of" TIER (bank; as a bank of seats), we must place B (its first; i.e., the first letter of 'bank'). The solution is TIBER, the river on which Rome stands.

7d   Idiot holding Laurel's horse (7)

Laurel is Stan Laurel of the comedy team Laurel and Hardy. In the UK, a stupid or gullible person might be referred to as a mug.

8d   Where finally, Gordon Brown has rather short tenure? (6,3)

N (the final letter of "Gordon") + UMBER (brown) + TEN (short tenure) gives us NUMBER TEN, a reference to 10 Downing Street, colloquially known in the United Kingdom as "Number 10", which is the headquarters of Her Majesty's Government and the official residence and office of the First Lord of the Treasury, who is now always the Prime Minister. Gordon Brown is a former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, serving from 2007 to 2010.

13d   Soft soap and cloth (7)

Flannel is a British expression meaning to flatter in order to mislead.

15d   Alternative practitioner in course about Principle of Organon (9)

Organon is a system of logical or scientific rules, especially that of Aristotle.

19d   Band I note is a possible accompaniment to 26 (7)

The number "26" is a cross-reference to clue 26a. The solution to the current clue, SASHIMI (a Japanese dish of thin fillets of raw fish), is a possible accompaniment to the solution to 26a, SAKI (a Japanese liquor made from fermented rice). In music, mi is the third note of a major scale (doh, re, mi, ...).

23d   Pointless request to umpire is to cause dismay (5)

In cricket, an appeal is a call on the umpire (by the bowler or fielders) to declare a batsman out, traditionally with a shout of ‘How’s that?’. If we remove the cardinal point E (east) from APPEAL, we are left with APPAL.

25d   Irish rock star carries German drum (5)

Bono is the lead vocalist for the Irish rock band U2.

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, November 6, 2011 - ST 4453

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times ST 4453
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times Sunday, October 2, 2011
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4453]
Times for the Times Review Written By Dave Perry
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star Saturday, October 29, 2011

Introduction

This puzzle definitely seems to have a degree of difficulty that exceeds what we usually get. I eventually was able to complete it - but only through extensive use of electronic aids and a good deal of reverse engineering.

Notes 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   From whom Sun magazine unopened is ordered in Gloucestershire town (9)

Newent⁷ is a small market town in Gloucestershire, England. I had initially put Newmarket in here, as I found through a Google search that there is a town of that name in Gloucestershire, albeit one that is apparently even more obscure than Newent. I only realized my error when I solved 4d.

Dave Perry makes a comment concerning " 'is ordered' apparently doing nothing". I don't think it is necessarily "doing nothing" but it is seemingly incongruously situated in the middle of the wordplay. I would say the intended sense is "From whom is ordered Sun magazine unopened in Gloucestershire town" or, only slightly more eloquently, "From whom one would order Sun magazine unopened in Gloucestershire town". All in all, a clue with quite an ugly surface reading.

12a   Absolute English fool (5)

A fool⁴ is a British dessert made from a purée of fruit with cream or custard.

13a   Fellow close to the Queen concerning escort (8)

Dave Perry saw the wordplay as CHAP (fellow) + thE (close to the; i.e., closing letter of 'the') + R (Queen; regina) + ON (concerning). I interpreted it a bit differently, as CHAP (fellow) + (close to; i.e., near or beside) ER (the Queen; Elizabetha Regina) + ON (concerning). Which just goes to prove that all roads lead to Rome.

21a   Merchant's an actor (7)

Perhaps I am being a bit picky, but I would say that Dave Perry has a superfluous apostrophe in his solution. To my mind, the solution is SELLERS (from actor Peter Sellers) and the wordplay is SELLER (merchant) + S ('s).

27a   First and second behind Charles perhaps half obscured (5)

Charles, of course, is Prince Charles, heir to the British throne. Mo² is British slang meaning a short while or a moment.

6d   "Dog" is term of abuse - so is this (5)

I only understood the wordplay here after reading Dave Perry's review. It is CUR (dog) + S ("is" must be replaced by "'s" [apostrophe + s] which then gives us the S) + E (term of abuse; i.e., the terminal letter of "abuse").

7d   TV presenter over a long period of time in northern city (9)

In the UK, a television host or news anchor is called a presenter.

8d   Jack to some extent despatched bugs (4)

Again, despite having found the correct solution, I needed Dave Perry's assistance to comprehend the wordplay. I mistakenly supposed that "Jack" referred to 'tar' (sailor) and that "Jack to some extent" was therefore TA ("tar" with the final letter deleted). Of course, my attempts to explain the PS lead to nothing but dead ends.

16d   Dad never gets it as Inter play in friendly (9)

Only die-hard soccer fans likely got the surface meaning of this clue. Football Club Internazionale Milano⁷, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. Friendly⁵ is a British term (which I believe is also used in Canada in reference to games such as soccer and rugby) meaning a game or match that does not form part of a serious competition. Maty⁵ (usually spelled matey) is British slang meaning familiar and friendly or sociable.

20d   For example, bit of pranking in quiet interval (3-4)

Prank⁴, as a verb, means to dress or decorate showily or gaudily or to make an ostentatious display.

21d   Time to drop lies in charges (7)

When Dave Perry says "STORIES (lies) with the T dropped", he is not indicating that the T is deleted. Rather, he means that it drops to a lower rank, from second place in STORIES (lies) to fourth place in SORTIES (charges; i.e., attacks).

References: 
¹ - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition
² - Search Chambers - (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)
³ - TheFreeDictionary.com (American Heritage Dictionary)
⁴ - TheFreeDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
⁵ - Oxford Dictionaries Online (Oxford Dictionary of English)
⁶ - Oxford Dictionaries Online (Oxford American Dictionary)
⁷ - Wikipedia

Signing off for this week - Falcon