Sunday, February 26, 2012 - ST 4470

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times ST 4470
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times Sunday, January 29, 2012
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4470]
Times for the Times Review Written By Dave Perry
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star Saturday, February 18, 2012

Introduction

There is some quite tricky wordplay in today's puzzle — which is compounded by a generous helping of new (to me, at least) British expressions.

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.

6a   Half-heartedly shake inverted sack? (5)

In informal British speech, to give someone the elbow^[5] means to reject or dismiss someone • (i) I tried to get her to give him the elbow; (ii) she decided to give tradition the elbow.

9a   Perhaps stroke on back follows argument (5)

In the sport of rowing, the stroke^[5] (or stroke oar) is the  the oar or oarsman nearest the stern of a boat, setting the timing for the other rowers. "On" is used in the sense of "on the subject of" (or, equivalently, "re").

11a   Snow leopards vulnerable? £1000 for charity event (9,4)

A sponsored walk^[7] is another (seemingly British) name for a walkathon (fundraiser).

14a   Jumbo jet finally loaded, but it can't fly (7)

The sizes of clothing that North Americans would describe as plus-size^[7] (or often big and tall in the case of men's clothing) would be called outsize (OS)^[5] in Britain.

16a   The pens or anything used primarily as a writer (7)

The wordplay is THE (from the clue) containing (pens) OR (from the clue) + the first letters (primarily) of A(nything) and U(sed) producing THOREAU. The definition is "a writer", while "as" serves as a link word indicating equality between the wordplay and definition.

17a   Rebounding shot — see another kind of shot (7)

The wordplay is a reversal (rebounding) of NIP (shot; a small serving of liquor) + SPOT (see) giving TOPSPIN. Topspin^[5] is a fast forward spinning motion imparted to a ball when throwing or hitting it, often resulting in a curved path or a strong forward motion on rebounding. Strictly speaking, topspin would seem to be a characteristic of a shot rather than a kind of shot.

24a   He asked questions — Samsung moved forward (9)

Magnus Magnusson^[7] (1929 – 2007) was a television presenter [host], journalist, translator and writer. He was born in Iceland but lived in Scotland for almost all of his life, although he never took British citizenship. He came to prominence as a BBC television journalist, and was best known as the presenter [host] of the BBC television quiz programme Mastermind^[7], which he hosted for 25 years.

26a   Russian tipple, spirit associated with very excessive intake (5)

In ancient Egypt, ka^[5] was the supposed spiritual part of an individual human being or god, which survived (with the soul) after death and could reside in a statue of the person.

2d   Welsh city with parking and yellow lines clear (7)

The wordplay is {W (with) + P (parking) + OR (yellow; as a heraldic tincture)} contained in (lines) NET (clear) giving NEWPORT. Newport^[7] is a city in South Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about 12 miles (19 km) east of Cardiff.

4d   I demolished recent walls to put up switch (11)

The wordplay is {I + an anagram (demolished) of RECENT} containing (walls) HANG (to put up) giving INTERCHANGE.

6d   Morse's first name and last always stated (9)

Inspector Morse^[7] is a fictional character in the eponymous series of detective novels by British author Colin Dexter, as well as the 33-episode 1987–2000 television adaptation of the same name.

Morse's first name, "Endeavour", comes from the vessel HMS Endeavour, as Morse's mother was a Quaker (Quakers have a tradition of "virtue names") and his father was a fan of Captain James Cook.

The author of the Morse novels, Colin Dexter, is a fan of cryptic crosswords, and Morse is named after champion setter Jeremy Morse, one of Dexter's arch-rivals as a clue-writer in the crossword world.

7d   Second-class wrench that is good for building worker (7)

In Britain, a rick^[4] is a wrench or sprain, as of the back. Brickie^[5] is an informal British name for a bricklayer.

18d   Cocktail stick's weight and length reduced (4,3)

Pink gin^[5] is a British drink consisting of gin flavoured with angostura bitters.

22d   Club's extra security (5)

In Britain, in addition to its more general meaning of shelter or protection sought by people in danger, cover^[5] may mean protection by insurance against a liability, loss, or accident • your policy provides cover against damage by subsidence.

Key to Reference Sources: 

^[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)
^[9]   - Infoplease (Random House Unabridged Dictionary)
^[10] - CollinsDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, February 19, 2012 - ST 4469

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times ST 4469
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times Sunday, January 22, 2012
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4469]
Times for the Times Review Written By Dave Perry
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star Saturday, February 11, 2012

Introduction

This puzzle is a bit of a reprieve from some of the difficult fare we have experienced in recent weeks.

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   Give indication of not knowing how to get through exam (4)

The two definitions in this double definition are "give indication of not knowing" and "how to get through exam" (although I debated whether to append the word "how" to the end of the first definition or, as I chose to do, attach it to the start of the second one). In the former, if someone were required to answer a series of questions in a game, they would say "pass" to skip a question for which they did not know the answer and immediately move on to the next.

9a   Refined graduate with first from Newnham jumps into river (6)

Newnham^[7] could refer to any of several communities in England having that name. The most prominent is likely Newnham^[7], a district of the city of Cambridge in which several Cambridge University colleges are situated, including Newnham, Wolfson, Robinson, Selwyn, and Darwin.

The River Ure^[7] is a river in North Yorkshire, England, approximately 119km long from its source to the point where it changes name to the River Ouse

14a   When pressed gaoled poisoner only half admitted faults (10)

Gaol^[5] is an alternative British spelling for jail.

16a   Young oafs — boorish and surly, primarily (4)

Yob^[5] is British slang for a rude, noisy, and aggressive youth [origin: back slang for boy].

3d   Pleasant, but not loud, tune (3)

In music, forte (abbreviation f)^[5] is a direction meaning either loud (as an adjective) or loudly (as an adverb).

3d   Guru made movements in water going against current (5)

In physics, I^[5] is the symbol for electric current.

8d   From which ideas may be launched but many flop (11)

The first part of this cryptic definition refers to springboard^[5] in the sense of a thing that lends impetus or assistance to a particular action, enterprise, or development, while the later part alludes to a diving board (from which one might do a belly flop).

15d   Quickly leaves when it's time for bed (6,3)

British commentators at Times for the Times (supported by Oxford Dictionaries) point out that light out^[5] (meaning to depart hurriedly) is a North American expression.

18d   After West Indies cheeky girl goes to a place in Kansas (7)

Chit^[5] is a derogatory British term for an impudent or arrogant young woman • she is a mere chit of a girl.

19d   Rider showing lack of sleep (7)

H. Rider Haggard^[7] (1856 – 1925) was an English writer of adventure novels set in exotic locations, predominantly Africa, and a founder of the Lost World literary genre.

25d   Some work shifting sand (3)

In physics, the erg^[5] is a unit of work or energy, equal to the work done by a force of one dyne when its point of application moves one centimetre in the direction of action of the force. That much I knew. What was new to me is that erg^[5] can also mean an area of shifting sand dunes in the Sahara. I did expend some thought on how an egg-timer might factor into the clue.

Key to Reference Sources: 

^[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)
^[9]   - Infoplease (Random House Unabridged Dictionary)
^[10] - CollinsDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, February 12, 2012 - ST 4468

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times ST 4468
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times Sunday, January 15, 2012
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4468]
Times for the Times Review Written By Dave Perry
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star Saturday, February 4, 2012

Introduction

After last week's severe challenge, it is a relief to return to a more normal exercise.

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   Type of guide for tourists (7)

Like Dave Perry, I failed to see the reference to a computer font and this term for a "guide for tourists" was also new for me (understandably so, as it seems to be chiefly a British expression). In Britain, a courier^[5] may be a person employed to guide and assist a group of tourists • he worked as a courier on a package holiday to Majorca.

11a   Spot a reversal in Tory psephology (4)

Although one really doesn't need to know this to solve the clue, psephology^[5] is the statistical study of elections and trends in voting.

19a   Wife smothering Jack in sugar leads to jocularity (7)

Again I found myself in the same boat as Dave Perry, never having heard of this type of sugar. Jaggery^[5] is a coarse dark brown sugar made in India by evaporation of the sap of palm trees.

20a   Free Y-fronts cut badly showing lots of cheek (10)

The fodder here is "free Y-fronts". "Cut" is an indicator to delete the final letter ("s") and "badly" is an anagram indicator. Y-fronts^[2] is a British term for men's or boys' underpants with [an inverted] Y-shaped front seam.

Briefs^[7] are a type of short, tight underwear and swimwear, as opposed to styles where the material extends down the legs.

Briefs were first sold on January 19, 1935 by Coopers, Inc., in Chicago, Illinois. They dubbed the new undergarment the "Jockey" because it offered a similar degree of support as the jockstrap. In North America, "Jockey shorts" or "Jockeys" is often used as a generic term for men's briefs.

In the UK, briefs were first sold in 1938. In Britain, the term "jockeys" has not caught on and briefs are often referred to as "Y-fronts". The term derives from the inverted Y-shape formed by the seams at the front of the underpants which purports to allow easy access to the penis for urination. The colloquialism is used even when the fly opening may differ in style, and not actually form the shape of the inverted letter "Y" fly on Cooper Jockey brand briefs.

In Australia, briefs are referred to as "jocks", but should not be confused with jockstraps (more specifically used by athletes) which expose the buttocks. Australians generally use the word briefs to refer to the bikini-style underwear for men, which do not have the Y-front opening.

In the United States, a slang term for briefs is "tighty-whiteys" (with various spellings and inversions: "tidy-whities", "whitie-tighties", etc.). The exact origin of the term is unknown, but it has often been used as an epithet.

In recent years, a hybrid called boxer briefs has become popular. Like boxers, they have short legs, but like briefs, they are made of elastic, snug-fitting material. A shorter version of boxer briefs are called trunks.

25a   Leaders missing, check overdue copy (7)

The wordplay is {[L]IMIT (check) + [L]ATE (overdue)} where "leaders missing" indicates that the first letter of each word is to be deleted.

26a   A spot perhaps close to grass lands (7)

"A spot perhaps" indicates that a spot is an example of the word needed in the solution. A spot^[5] (short for spotlight^[5]) is a lamp projecting a narrow, intense beam of light directly on to a place or person, especially a performer on stage.

27a   Early star or moon will excite one (10,5)

Astronomer Royal^[7] is a senior post in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. From 1675 until 1972 the Astronomer Royal was Director of the Royal Observatory Greenwich. After the separation of the two offices the position of Astronomer Royal has been largely honorary, though he remains available to advise the Sovereign on astronomical and related scientific matters, and the office is of great prestige.

3d   Truck turned over in American garden (4)

In Britain, as in North America, a dray^[5] may be a a low cart without fixed sides, used for carrying heavy loads. However, in Britain the term can also refer to any other vehicle (in particular, a truck) or sledge used to carry a heavy load.

In Britain, the word garden^[5] refers to the piece of ground adjoining a house, typically cultivated to provide a lawn and flowerbeds.

Note: In the U.K., the term garden is applied to what in North America would be called a yard. In North America, the term garden would generally be used in relation to the part of the yard used specifically to grow flowers or vegetables, and would exclude that part of the yard used as a lawn.

5d   Leaves from tea scattered during holidays (7)

In Britain, vac^[5] is an informal term for vacation.

6d   Charlie and Heather laughing quietly (9)

Ling^[5] is another name for the common heather of Eurasia.

13d   Black whole nuts are in Pavlova? (9)

Pavlova^[5] is a dessert consisting of a meringue base or shell filled with whipped cream and fruit, which was named after Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova^[5] .

14d   Trick issue for Jersey? (3,6)

The Jersey Royal^[7] (presumably referred to colloquially as simply a Jersey) is a cultivar of potato grown only in Jersey^[7] (a British Crown Dependency which is the largest of the Channel Islands).

16d   Preposterous hunt relay attacked (9)

"Preposterous" would have served admirably as an anagram indicator, but that is not the role assigned to it today. Instead, it plays the definition. "Attacked", which seems far less suited to the part, must stand in as the anagram indicator today.

23d   Herb, a serially chaotic character (5)

Basil Fawlty is a character played by comedian John Cleese in the British television series Fawlty Towers^[7]. For once, we have a British program that will be familiar to many Canadian viewers.

Key to Reference Sources: 

^[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)
^[9]   - Infoplease (Random House Unabridged Dictionary)
^[10] - CollinsDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, February 5, 2012 - ST 4467

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times ST 4467
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times Sunday, January 8, 2012
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4467]
Times for the Times Review Written By Dave Perry
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star Saturday, January 28, 2012

Introduction

I got off to a late start on tackling this puzzle. On top of that, I recalled reading comments at Times for the Times (in the posting for last week's puzzle) that remarked upon the very difficult nature of this week's puzzle. [Note: since the review at Times for the Times is not posted until one week following the date on which the puzzle is published in London, those who post comments will have already received the subsequent puzzle to the one on which they are commenting.] The warnings proved accurate, as this turned out to be one of the most difficult solving challenges that I've ever encountered. In fact, I was not able to complete the lower left-hand corner (and most of what I was able to solve was only achieved through the extensive use of virtually every electronic aid at my disposal) and had to rely on a couple of solutions from Times for the Times. In addition to those clues, there were also several instances where I had the correct solution but had little - or no - idea how to interpret 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   Theatre, with openings re-allocated, spoils engagements (10)

I did manage to get the correct solution - without completely understanding why. I guessed correctly that footlights^[10] might mean theatre in the sense of the acting profession or the stage (although Dave Perry suggests that it is a reference to the Cambridge University Footlights Dramatic Club^[7], commonly referred to simply as the Footlights, an amateur theatrical club in Cambridge, England, founded in 1883 and run by the students of Cambridge University.). I also recognized that "engagements" were FIGHTS and that "spoils" were LOOT. However, I wrongly thought that "openings" must somehow be signalling that an anagram (re-allocated) of LOOT is contained in FIGHTS. However, as Dave Perry explains, the correct interpretation is that the initial (opening) letters of LOOT and FIGHTS are exchanged (re-allocated).

21a   Stick around a day for race for digger drivers (8)

Despite having written down "__THURS_" on a list of possible solution patterns (together with "___SUNS_" and "___TUES_", the other days of the week that might have fit), I failed to find the solution. As I was to learn (with some prompting from Dave Perry), digger^[10] is archaic slang for an Australian or New Zealander, especially a soldier (often used as a term of address) and the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000^[7] is an Australian touring car race. I did spend a fair bit of time trying to make DREDGERS work, thinking that they might be "digger drivers" (people who drive digging machines).

1d   Influence of pro limiting performer (6)

It took a bit of deliberation to come to terms with this clue. Oxford defines act^[5] as a performing group while Collins has act^[10] as those giving a performance - both of which tend to suggest that an act consists of more than one performer. However, I suppose a solo act would qualify (although the dictionary definitions don't seem to stretch quite far enough to include it).

2d   Very big author pens very big extract (6)

The definition is "extract" with the solution being OSMOSE (although having consulted several dictionaries, I am unable to find any clear support for this meaning).

The wordplay relies on a knowledge of British clothing labels. The sizes of clothing that North Americans would describe as plus-size^[7] (or often big and tall in the case of men's clothing) would be called outsize OS^[5] in Britain. As usual, the setter uses "author" as a reference to himself (or herself, as the case may be) intending for us to replace this in the solution with a first person pronoun (in this case ME). Thus the wordplay is OS (very big) + ME (author) containing (pens) OS (very big).

3d   Extended wrong land? (4-5-3)

I reverse engineered the wordplay after having found the solution based solely on the definition and numeration. When I think about it, perhaps reverse engineering is a fitting means to solve a reverse anagram clue (which this is). In a normal anagram clue, the clue would contain an anagram indicator and its fodder (the material on which the anagram indicator operates), while the solution contains the anagram result (the outcome of the anagram operation). In a reverse anagram clue, the placement of the pieces is reversed - with the anagram indicator and fodder being located in the solution and the anagram result in the clue. Such clues typically use some device (such as the question mark in this clue) as a  signal to the solver that there is something a bit out of the ordinary about the clue. In the present example, the definition is "extended" with the solution being LONG-DRAWN-OUT. The latter part of the clue, "wrong land" is the outcome of an anagram operation (as signalled by the question mark) where the anagram indicator (out) and anagram fodder (LONG DRAWN) are found in the solution to the clue.

8d   Landlord fallen on hard times (4,4)

Mine host^[5] is a humorous (Oxford) or archaic (Dave Perry) way of referring to the landlord or landlady of a pub • mine host raised his glass of whisky.

11d   Committee representing everything in London? (7,5)

This is yet another case where I stumbled upon the correct solution without fully understanding why. The definition is "committee" with the solution being WORKING PARTY. As I discovered on Times for the Times, "everything in London" is what is left (_ondo_) after the outer letters of "London" are stripped off (I guess we are to consider that the outer letters form a container for the contents). Of course, "on" means WORKING (as in "the lights are on") and a "do" is a PARTY.

14d   Choice about way she produces paper (10)

A timely example of where BET means "choice" might be "If you don't know what to get her for Valentine's Day, roses are always a safe bet.".

16d   75% tip not exciting? It tends to be busy on a Saturday night (8)

According to Collins, the British expression clubland^[10] refers specifically to the area of London around St James's, which contains most of the famous London clubs. However, Oxford gives clubland^[5] a broader and more generalized meaning, (1) an area of a town or city with many nightclubs or (2) the world of nightclubs and nightclubbers.

19a   City attackers banter with United ace (6)

The surface reading of the clue is all about English football. "City" is Manchester City^[7] and "United" is Manchester United^[7] - two rival football clubs in the English Premier League that played an FA Cup Third Round Proper match on January 8, 2012 (the day that this puzzle was published in the UK - thus accounting for Dave Perry's observation in his review) with United defeating City by a score of 3-2. United subsequently lost 2-1 to Liverpool in a Fourth Round Proper match on January 28, 2012. "Attackers" are forwards.

On the other hand, the cryptic reading is a biblical reference to Joshua bringing down the walls of Jericho.

23d   Clubs given nothing extra, starting from lowest position in league (4)

I recognized that BLOC would fit, but did not bother to write it in as I could see no possible way to justify the wordplay or the definition (in part because I couldn't clearly determine just what part of the clue actually constituted the definition).  The definition is "league" with the solution being BLOC. I suppose we do speak of a "bloc of nations" and, at one time, there was a "League of Nations". The wordplay is a reversal (starting from the lowest position) of {C (clubs; a suit in a deck of cards) + O (nothing) + LB (extra; a cricket term)}.

In Cricket, lb^[5] is the abbreviation for leg bye(s). A leg bye^[5] is defined as a run scored from a ball that has touched part of the batsman’s body (apart from the hand) without touching the bat, the batsman having made an attempt to hit it. A leg bye is one instance of an extra^[5], a run scored other than from a hit with the bat, credited to the batting side rather than to a batsman.

Key to Reference Sources: 

^[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)
^[9]   - Infoplease (Random House Unabridged Dictionary)
^[10] - CollinsDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)

Signing off for this week - Falcon