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