Sunday, May 27, 2012 - ST 4483

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times ST 4483
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times Sunday, April 29, 2012
Setter Tim Moorey
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4483]
Times for the Times Review Written By Dave Perry
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star Saturday, May 19, 2012
Date of Publication in the Vancouver Sun Saturday, May 26, 2012

Introduction

There is some very tricky wordplay in today's puzzle. Although I managed to complete the puzzle, there were several clues for which I was not able to fully understand the wordplay – at least not before reading Dave Perry's review.

I've added an entry in Puzzle at a Glance to show the publication date of the puzzle in The Vancouver Sun. I expect that this date will almost always be the day before the puzzle appears in the Ottawa Citizen. I do note that The Vancouver Sun refers to the feature as London Sunday Times Cryptic Crossword while the Ottawa Citizen calls it The Sunday London Times Crossword. Since the name of the British Newspaper is The Sunday Times, neither title would seem to be entirely accurate.

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   Such is American wearing notably loud dicky? (10)

In addition to being a false shirt front, dicky^[5] is used in Britain as an adjective meaning (in reference to a part of the body, a structure, or a device) not strong, healthy, or functioning reliably • a pianist with a dicky heart.

2a   Frothy drink said to be in mug (4)

Phiz^[10] (also phizog) is British slang for the face or a facial expression • an ugly phiz. [Origin: colloquial shortening of physiognomy]

14a   Profits improved by including pop in a Sunday Times piece? (5,2,5)

Even after reading Dave Perry's explanation, I did not fully understand the wordplay. It was only when I actually typed out the clue, that the penny finally dropped regarding the origin of the PER.

The definition is a "Sunday Times piece" – not an article, but literally a piece ripped from a page of the newspaper. The wordplay is {an anagram (improved) of PROFITS + PER (in a)} containing (including) PA (pop) to give STRIP OF PAPER.

17a   Harry, say seen behind coaches in an anorak (12)

In Britain, a trainspotter^[5] is a person who collects train or locomotive numbers as a hobby. The term is also used, often in a derogatory fashion, for a person who obsessively studies the minutiae of any minority interest or specialized hobby • the idea is to make the music really really collectable so the trainspotters will buy it in their pathetic thousands. An anorak^[5] is a waterproof jacket, typically with a hood, of a kind originally used in polar regions. An anorak (of Greenland Eskimo origin) would seem to be similar to, if not simply another name for, a parka^[10] (of Aleutian origin). In Britain, anorak is also an informal, derogatory term for a studious or obsessive person with unfashionable and largely solitary interests • with his thick specs, shabby shoes, and grey suit, he looks a bit of an anorak. The British English informal sense dates from the 1980s and derives from the anoraks worn by trainspotters, regarded as typifying this kind of person.

20a   English soldiers in temporary accommodation to get flat? (8)

A British flat^[10] would be called an apartment in North America. In Britain, a tenement^[4] is a room or flat for rent. In the UK, the word does not seem to have the negative connotation that it carries in North American, where a tenement^[3] is a rundown, low-rental apartment building whose facilities and maintenance barely meet minimum standards.

22a   State information about kick-off (6)

Chambers does have KO^[2] as an abbreviation for kick-off.

25a   Hospital nurse bandaging wife's cut (4)

EN^[2] is the abbreviation for Enrolled Nurse, presumably a shortening of State Enrolled Nurse^[2] (SEN) which, in Britain, is a nurse who is qualified to perform many, but not all, nursing tasks. This is in contrast to a State Registered Nurse^[2] (SRN) who has taken advanced training and is therefore qualified to perform all nursing tasks.

26a   Just have two ends to disentangle (4-6)

The definition is "just" and I got the solution (EVEN-HANDED) with the help of the checking letters. However, I must confess to having missed the wordplay. It is an anagram (to disentangle) of {HAVE + END + END (two ends)}.

2d   Game restarts right away playing with Lions? True (4-4)

In rugby union, a line-out^[2] is the method of restarting play when the ball goes into touch, the forwards forming two parallel lines at right angles to the touchline and jumping for the ball when it is thrown in. Rugby league abolished line-outs in 1897. Instead, a scrum takes place 20 metres infield from the spot where the ball went out and where a line-out would take place in rugby union.^[7]

The Lions^[7] are the Great Britain national rugby league team. So, if the Lions play rugby league (as opposed to rugby union), would not game restarts be done via scrums rather than line-outs?

4d   Finished first of store deliveries (5)

In cricket, an over^[5] is a division of play consisting of a sequence of six balls bowled (delivered) by a bowler from one end of the pitch, after which another bowler takes over from the other end.

6d   Cheers much reduced parking in the end (6-3)

Even though I found the correct solution, I was not able to reverse engineer the wordplay prior to reading Dave Perry's review. Even working from his review, it took a bit of thinking to sort out the solution.

Toodle-pip^[5] (an alternative form of toodle-oo) is an informal, dated British exclamation meaning good-bye • we’ll see you later, toodle-oo (or toodle-pip)!

The definition is "cheers" and the wordplay is {OODLE[S] (much) with the final letter deleted (reduced) + P (parking)} contained in (in) TIP (the end).

12d   Feathery seeds were first introduced in the City here (11)

Yet another clue where the wordplay eluded me. It is LED (were first) contained in (introduced in) THIS TOWN (the City here).

19d   Live near Hertfordshire town in cave (6)

Ware^[7] is a town in Hertfordshire, England. Cave^[5] is dated British school slang meaning look out! [Origin: Latin, imperative of cavere 'beware']

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, May 20, 2012 -ST 4482

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times ST 4482
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times Sunday, April 22, 2012
Setter Dean Mayer (Anax)
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4482]
Times for the Times Review Written By Dave Perry
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star Saturday, May 12, 2012

Introduction

Today marks somewhat of a milestone, as it is the third anniversary of the first post to this blog which happened on May 17, 2009. The blog has evolved over the course of those years, but the raison d'être remains the same – to attempt to make The Sunday London Times Crossword more accessible to Canadian readers by explaining the many British references found therein. I am a native-born Canadian and thus British English is a foreign language to me. My knowledge of Briticisms comes from an electronic stack of British dictionaries combined with a few years of experience in doing British cryptic crossword puzzles. I don't always get things right, but I think it's safe to say that the bloomers are fewer and farther between now than they were in the early days of the blog.

There is a lot of tricky wordplay in this puzzle – and definitely more than the normal quota of clues in which the solution involves at least a partial reversal. I probably finished about half the puzzle on my own before turning to my electronic aids for assistance.

At least I didn't need to guess who compiled this puzzle, as Dave Perry has clearly identified the setter to be Dean Mayer (Anax).

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.

3a   Reason for guttering port buildings here in Ireland (7)

Wicklow^[7] is a port located south of Dublin on the east coast of Ireland.

In the surface reading, "guttering" seems to be used in the sense of "installing gutters on". Although I was not able to find this sense of the word in the British dictionaries, the American Heritage Dictionary does define gutter^[3] as a verb meaning to provide with gutters.

The clue is a double definition, with the first being "reason for guttering". Gutter^[5], in reference to a candle or flame means to flicker and burn unsteadily. I believe the second definition is a terse way of stating "port buildings [are found] here in Ireland". Thus, while "here in Ireland" could have sufficed to clue this Irish town, Anax has given us a bit of additional information to help – or possibly hinder – us in identifying this Irish port.

10a   Old lady not topless with this French rope (9)

Ce^[8] is a masculine form of the French demonstrative adjective meaning 'this'. Like Dave Perry, I had to chuckle when the penny finally dropped.

11a   Drying floor the wrong way leads to lecture (11)

Both floor^[5] and pave^[5] seem to be used as verbs, with the former meaning to provide (a room or area) with a floor and the latter meaning to cover (a piece of ground) with flat stones or bricks. While one would generally think of one referring to interior work and the other to exterior work, I suppose they are somewhat related tasks.

24a   Finds time to go wandering (5)

Find^[5] is used as a noun meaning a discovery of something valuable, typically something of archaeological interest • he made his most spectacular finds in the Valley of the Kings. This collection of finds might well be called a trove.

26a   What you might say about your underwear? (1-6)

Beware clues ending in question marks. Y-fronts^[5] is a British trademark for men’s or boys' underpants with a branching seam at the front in the shape of an upside-down Y. How might one describe the word "your"? Well, 'Y' fronts it and 'OUR' finishes it. [I recall having been exposed to Y-fronts in a previous puzzle, but I must confess that I needed a gentle nudge from Dave Perry for that final bit.]

1d   Is freighter full of iron from Calais for ships at Dover? (3,7)

Another question mark. Here "is" is used in the sense of "acts as" or "performs the role of". Thus "is freighter" clues CARRIES (a freighter carries cargo). Calais^[7] is a town and major ferry port in Northern France across the English Channel from Dover, England. Car ferries run between Dover and Calais. Fer^[8] is the French word for iron.

3d   Boxing ring surrounded by unusually nice steel bench (3,5,7)

It seems that boxing has long been referred to as "the noble art" or "the noble science". According to the Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, Eleventh Edition noble art is short for "noble art of boxing" and noble science is short for "noble science of defense". [Reference]

Henry Fielding wrote in his novel Tom Jones (published in 1749), "This matter then, which put an end to the debate mentioned in the last chapter, was no other than a quarrel between Master Blifil and Tom Jones, the consequence of which had been a bloody nose to the former; for though Master Blifil, notwithstanding he was the younger, was in size above the other's match, yet Tom was much his superior at the noble art of boxing."

During the 1500's, "The Corporation of Masters of the Noble Science of Defence", or the "Company of Masters", was an organized guild offering instruction in the traditional English forms of self-defense. [read more]

4d   Unable to feel for insectivore (6)

The equivalence of "for" and "at" took a while to register. I initially thought that it might work in the sense of "I''ll be there at five o'clock" and "I'll be there for five o'clock". An even better example might be "The band was selling copies of its new CD for $10.00" or "... at $10.00")

6d   Senior MP's scrap leading to awkward time in case (7,8)

In Britain, bin^[5] is used as a verb meaning to throw (something) away by putting it in a bin (a receptacle in which to deposit rubbish) • piles of junk that should have been binned years ago. The use of the word to mean a receptacle is certainly far from being unheard of in Canada (I have a compost bin in my back yard – or, for British readers, my back garden). However, the word is virtually never used as a verb here.

16d   NCO material (8)

In the Catholic Church, the corporal^[7] (from Latin corpus "body") is a square white linen cloth, now usually somewhat smaller than the breadth of the altar, upon which the chalice and paten, and also the ciborium containing the smaller hosts for the Communion of the laity, are placed during the celebration of the Eucharist (Mass).

19d   Good news about artist's unknown relative (6)

RA^[5] is the abbreviation for Royal Academician, a member of the Royal Academy of the Arts^[5], an institution established in London in 1768, whose purpose is to cultivate painting, sculpture, and architecture in Britain.

In algebra, y is used as symbol to represent an unknown quantity.

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, May 13, 2012 - ST 4481

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times ST 4481
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times Sunday, April 15, 2012
Setter Jeff Pearce
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4481]
Times for the Times Review Written By Dave Perry
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star Saturday, May 5, 2012

Introduction

Today we encounter at least three British military organisations, a couple of British automobiles that have not been produced for several decades and former and current British Olympic athletes.

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.

5a   Soldiers look around for protection from the elements (7)

In the UK, para^[5] is an informal short form for paratrooper. Lo^[5] is an archaic exclamation used to draw attention to an interesting or amazing event • and lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them.

9a    A soldier's fuss about sick animal (9)

The Royal Marines (RM)^[5] is a British armed service (part of the Royal Navy) founded in 1664, trained for service at sea, or on land under specific circumstances.

11a   Old teacher gets martial arts practitioner in bad temper (6)

Pendant^[4] is an archaic term for a schoolmaster or teacher (thus the definition being "old teacher" in the clue). Dave Perry explains from whence the more modern (but itself not-so-new) meaning of the word arises.

12a   Short author using sentimental language about Republican ruler (8)

I figured out the solution from the definition and checking letters but was not able to resolve the wordplay. I was convinced that the wrong R was the "Republican" and that it was contained in some sort of "sentimental language" following a truncated version of some author's name. Not so. The wordplay is actually (with appreciation for the explanation due to Dave Perry) VERN (VERN[E] with the final letter deleted) contained in (using ... about) GOO (sentimental language) + R (Republican).

14a   Does polish change the appearance of such items? (4-6)

Shop-soiled (or, as Collins English Dictionary prefers, shopsoiled^[4]) is an adjective used in the UK to describe items that are worn, faded, tarnished, etc., from being displayed in a shop or store. The equivalent term in North America is shopworn.

22a   Winner manages to hold in stomach (5,3)

Inner man^[5] is a humorous (seemingly British) term for a man’s stomach • the inner man was well catered for with pizza.

23a   After volunteers returned one entered odd chamber (6)

In the UK, the Territorial Army (TA)^[5] is a volunteer force locally organized to provide a reserve of trained and disciplined manpower for use in an emergency.

26a   Start Triumph in front of church (5)

Triumph Motorcycles Ltd^[7] is the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the UK. Triumph was also a make of automobile manufactured by another firm, Triumph Motor Company^[7], which became defunct in 1984. The dormant marque is currently owned by German automaker BMW.

27a   Curry, perhaps, made from fish in boiled rice (3-6)

John Curry^[7] (1949 – 1994) was a British figure skater who was a five-time British champion and the 1976 European, World and Olympic Champion.

29a   Sculptor put record on piano? No way! (7)

Sir Jacob Epstein^[7] (1880 – 1959) was an American-born British sculptor who helped pioneer modern sculpture.

2d   University teacher upset about scholar being wandering type (5)

In Britain, a don^[5] is a university teacher, especially a senior member of a college at Oxford or Cambridge.

3d   Seeker of sensual pleasure dines with hot totty (8)

Totty^[5] is an informal British term for (1) girls or women collectively regarded as sexually desirable • loads of Italian totty in tight white shorts or (2) a girl or woman, especially one regarded as sexually desirable.

I really can't explain why "totty" qualifies as an anagram indicator. When I came across it while solving the puzzle, I just presumed it might be another British term with a meaning similar to dotty (eccentric or slightly mad).

4d   Small, kind, legal advisor (4)

In Britain, silk^[5] is an informal term for a Queen’s (or King’s) Counsel [so named because of the right accorded to wear a gown made of silk].

Queen's Counsel^[7] (postnominal QC), known as King's Counsel (postnominal KC) during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law. Membership exists in various Commonwealth jurisdictions around the world, while in some other jurisdictions the name has been replaced by one without monarchical connotations. Queen's Counsel is a status, conferred by the Crown, that is recognised by courts. Members have the privilege of sitting within the Bar of court.

As members wear silk gowns of a particular design , the award of Queen's or King's Counsel is known informally as taking silk, and hence QCs are often colloquially called silks.

The practice of appointed Queen's Counsel continues in a number of Canada's provinces, although appointments ceased in Ontario in 1985, and the federal government ceased the practice in 1993. No substitute distinctions have been implemented in these jurisdictions as it is felt that the practice is a form of political patronage and is best discontinued entirely. However, existing title holders continue to use the Q.C. postnominal letters.

5d   Attractive after development is complete? (10)

This was my last one in. It is a cryptic definition of an adjective describing someone who looks attractive in photographs or on film. At one time, this could only be determined once the film had been developed. With the advent of digital photography, I suppose this is no longer the case.

6d   Some games in the stationery cabinet cupboard? (6)

In addition to bridge (which Dave Perry mentions in his review), the term rubber^[2] may also apply to other games such as cricket and tennis. In bridge, specifically, a rubber is a match to play for the best of three or sometimes five games. I think that Dave Perry should have used the phrase "two or more games" rather than "two or more hands" in his comment.

In Britain, a rubber^[5] is a piece of rubber used for erasing pencil or ink marks • a pencil with a rubber at the end. In North America, this would be called an eraser, and a rubber would likely refer to either a condom or one of a pair of waterproof overshoes (or galoshes in Britain).

13d   New Austin limo is a copy (10)

The Austin Motor Company^[7] was a British manufacturer of automobiles. The company was founded in 1905 and merged in 1952 into the British Motor Corporation Ltd. The marque Austin was used until 1987. Since that time the now dormant marque has passed through the hands of several automobile companies and is currently owned by Chinese automaker SAIC. I can't say if Austin ever built a limo – certainly the Austins that I recall were all rather on the small side.

17d   Tuck stomach inside girl's bloomers (8)

Bloomers^[5] are women’s loose-fitting knee-length undergarments, considered old-fashioned. Bloomer^[5] is also an informal and dated British expression meaning a serious or stupid mistake • he never committed a bloomer.

18d   Natter with mate outside before start of gig (7)

In the UK, chinwag^[5] is an informal term meaning to have a chat • he sent her to chinwag with the chiefs. China^[5] is British slang for a friend [from rhyming slang china plate 'mate'].

21d   Old and rare lines we penned for writer (6)

Eric Arthur Blair (1903 – 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell^[7], was an English novelist and journalist. He is best known for the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) and the allegorical novella Animal Farm (1945), which together have sold more copies than any two books by any other 20th-century author.

The use of r.^[10] as an abbreviation for rare is found in Collins English Dictionary.

24d and 8d: If fit, where Radcliffe will be seen this summer, ultimately (1,3,4,3)

Paula Radcliffe^[7] is an English long-distance runner who is the current women's world record holder in the marathon with her time of 2:15:25 hours. Of the seven marathons Radcliffe has run so far, she has won six and set a record in five. She has run four out of the five fastest times in history in the women's marathon.

However, Radcliffe's running career has been plagued by a history of injuries and health issues that are almost too numerous to mention. Among the ailments she has suffered are injuries to her toes, feet, legs, knees, hips, and back as well as a bouts of tonsillitis and bronchitis. On top of the health issues, she has also interrupted her career on two occasions to give birth to her two children.

Although she has competed in two Olympic marathon events, her results have been disappointing. She was the favourite to win a gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. However, she was forced to withdraw from the race after 36 km. due to adverse effects of medication taken to treat an injury to her leg suffered two weeks prior to the event. At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, she cramped during the marathon to the point where she had to stop running and stretch. She resumed the race and finished in 23rd place overall.

She is also remembered for an embarrassing episode at the 2005 London Marathon. Radcliffe won the event with a time of 2:17:42, a world's best time for a women's only race by over a minute. However, that achievement was overshadowed by a notorious moment towards the end when Radcliffe, hindered by runner's diarrhoea and in need for a toilet break, stopped and defecated on the side of the road in view of the crowd and TV cameras which broadcast the incident live. In November 2006, the incident was voted top running moment in history in the UK from a choice of ten 'unforgettable moments'.

Radcliffe – still suffering the lingering effects of a bout of bronchitis – performed poorly last month at the Vienna half-marathon.  In a recent interview, the runner – who has never won an Olympic medal of any kind – admitted that she would be "really, really happy" with a bronze medal at the London Olympics.

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, May 6, 2012 - ST 4480

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times ST 4480
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times Sunday, April 8, 2012
Setter Tim Moorey (?)
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4480]
Times for the Times Review Written By Dave Perry
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star Saturday, April 28, 2012

Introduction

Today, I managed to get down to one clue remaining before breaking out the Tool Chest. As usual, there are lots of British references in the puzzle and even an East Indian one. However, that should not be surprising as the British did carry a lot of words and expressions home from India. It took me so long to compose today's blog that one world leader mentioned in the puzzle was actually removed from office by his electorate as I wrote.

 If I have the rotation correct, then this puzzle should have been set by Tim Moorey but I didn't see anything at Times for the Times to confirm that.

The blog had a visit last week from someone using the alias HeSetsCrosswordsForTheTimes who is without doubt Dean Mayer (Anax) who set last week's puzzle. Welcome to the blog, Dean.

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.

4a   What snooker players do for cases  (10)

In Britain, screw^[5] (in billiards and snooker) is backspin given to the cue ball by hitting it below centre, intended to make it move backwards after striking the object ball. As a verb (used with no object), it means to play a shot with screw • Johnson chose to screw back for the pink.

9a   Country vegetable at back of garden (6)

In Britain, a swede^[5] is a large, round yellow-fleshed root which is eaten as a vegetable. Also called rutabaga in North America.

10a   Like eggs in New York? Too simple (4,4)

In New York – or pretty much anywhere else in North America – over easy^[5] is a term to describe a fried egg that is turned over when almost cooked and fried lightly on the other side, so that the yolk remains slightly liquid. Apparently, the term is not used in Britain; thus the "in New York" qualifier.

11a   Most excellent bit of advice in truth? (2,8)

This is an & lit. clue, one in which the entire clue serves as both definition and wordplay. The wordplay is BEST (most excellent) + {A (bit of advice; first letter of Advice) contained in (in) RIGHT (truth)}. In fact (in truth), one would certainly be well-advised to BE STRAIGHT.

14a   He's to leave US legal profession - its a wrench (1-3)

As Dave Perry mentions in his review (and seems not to fully understand), the Bar^[5] in Britain refers to barristers collectively, whereas in North America it refers to lawyers collectively. In North America we do not have the same clear distinction between barristers and solicitors that exists in Britain. I encountered this in a previous puzzle and this is what I wrote then:

Barristers and solicitors are two classes of lawyer. However, the distinction between them varies in different jurisdictions around the world. The following attempt to differentiate the two classes is likely highly oversimplified.

The UK has a split legal profession in which barristers and solicitors have separate and distinct roles. Solicitors are attorneys which means they can act in the place of their client for legal purposes. However, a solicitor is not a member of the bar and is therefore cannot speak on behalf of a client in court. A barrister is not an attorney and is usually forbidden, either by law or professional rules or both, from "conducting" litigation. This means that while the barrister speaks on the client's behalf in court, he or she can do so only when instructed by a solicitor or certain other qualified professional clients, such as patent agents.

In the US and Canada (with the exception of Quebec), there is generally no legal or regulatory distinction between a barrister and a solicitor - with any qualified lawyer being entitled to practice in either field. In the US, most lawyers call themselves attorneys while in Canada, lawyers will adopt different titles depending on the type of legal practice on which they choose to concentrate (barrister, solicitor, or barrister and solicitor). [read more]

A T-bar^[10] is a T-shaped wrench for use with a socket.

17a   Hostile attack where you may find a policeman sleeping? (6)

In the UK, a hump in the road intended to cause traffic to reduce speed is known as a sleeping policeman^[5].

18a   Work next to Triest possibly rejected – too much for an Italian (6)

Trieste^[5] is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy near the border with Slovenia. Troppo^[10] is an Italian word meaning too much.

23a   Seaman was one to contrive peerage and knockout left! (10)

David Seaman^[7] is an English former football [soccer] goalkeeper who retired from the game in 2004.

25a   Bone china passed around right, with one variety of tea (8)

This was the last one in and I had to use some word finder software to identify candidate solutions. I was presented with three options: parietal, sagittal and varietal. The last word was the only one that I recognized (from my vineyard tours), and I was pretty sure that it was not the one I wanted (despite the similarity between this word and "variety" in the clue). I discovered that the other two words were, in fact, related, with sagittal^[5] being an adjective meaning relating to or denoting the suture on top of the skull which runs between the parietal bones in a front to back direction. The word parietal^[5] can be used either as an adjective (as in the previous sentence) or as a noun being a short form for parietal bone (or, for that matter, any parietal structure). By the way, I wonder what criteria is used to say that the suture runs from front to back as opposed to back to front?

I therefore concluded that PARIETAL was the most likely choice, making the definition "bone". I was now left with the task of sorting out the wordplay - and there were several promising leads which failed to pan out. I noticed that the first letter plus the last four letters might be an anagram (passed around) of PLATE (china). However, that would be an indirect anagram and I don't think those are permitted. Another possibility was that the last four letters are a reversal (around) of LATE (passed; deceased). I did eventually figure it out, as follows:

The wordplay is PAL (china) containing (passed around) {R (right) + I (one) + an anagram of (variety of) TEA}.

27a   Note about a don rebuffed with name forgotten? It's "thingummy"! (6)

I had not hear of thingummy^[5] (or thingamy). However, it was not hard to guess what it meant since I was familiar with thingamabob^[5] and thingamajig (if not with thingumabob and thingumajig). They are all informal terms for a person or thing whose name one has forgotten, does not know, or does not wish to mention • one of those thingummies for keeping all the fire tools together.

Similarly, doodah^[10] is an informal British term for an unnamed thing, especially an object the name of which is unknown or forgotten.The equivalent term in Canada and the US is doodad (which also seems to have gained some currency in Britain, judging by remarks at Times for the Times).

In Britain, a don^[5] is a university teacher, especially a senior member of a college at Oxford or Cambridge.

29a   Huge cold beer ordered after lager's off (5-5)

The definition is "huge" and the wordplay is {C (cold) + ALE (beer)} following (ordered after) an anagram (off) of LAGERS. While the word "after" on its own could mean following, I think the phrase "ordered after" is to be interpreted in the sense of 'arranged so that it comes after'.

2d   What's given lead in Government employment policy? (3,4)

The question mark warns that the clue may be a bit unusual in some sense. It is what Dave Perry calls a wordplay-in-solution type clue and one that I have sometimes referred to as a reverse anagram. The solution is the wordplay for an anagram (i.e., the anagram indicator and fodder) and the result of the anagram operation is found in the clue.

The solution is NEW DEAL, with the New Deal^[7] being a series of economic programs introduced by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt between 1933 and 1936. If one were to read this solution as wordplay, it would be an anagram (new) of DEAL which could be LEAD. The actual wordplay in the clue is "What's given lead" which one needs to interpret as "What has given lead?". The answer is an anagram of DEAL – which might appear in a cryptic crossword as "new deal".

3d   Make hay with one of the Kennedys (3)

Ted^[3] means to strew or spread (newly mown grass, for example) for drying. The entry in  The American Heritage Dictionary goes on to say:

Regional Note: In 15th-century England the verb ted meant to spread newly cut hay to facilitate its drying. In the mid-19th century an American inventor produced a machine to ted the hay automatically and called it a tedder. Since modern English is inclined to make verbs out of nouns meaning implements or machines, the noun tedder became a verb with the same meaning as the original word ted. Tedder, a New England verb, also turns up in those parts of the Midwest that received settlers from New England.

8d   Callas stirred a famous house (2,5)

Maria Callas^[7] (1923 – 1977) was an American-born Greek soprano and one of the most renowned opera singers of the 20th century. Born in New York City and raised by an overbearing mother, she received her musical education in Greece and established her career in Italy. Callas made her first appearance at La Scala in Verdi's I vespri siciliani in December 1951, and this theatre became her artistic home throughout the 1950s.

12d   Sarkozy's very casual intrusion (11)

Nicolas Sarkozy^[7] is the 23rd President of the French Republic. In the election held today in France, he was defeated by Socialist François Hollande to whom he is to hand over the reins of power on May 17.

19d   Funny father's sponge cake (3,4)

Baba^[5] is an informal Indian term for father (often as a proper name or as a familiar form of address) • ‘Baba and I have squabbled.’

24d   Anchor from Sky unrestricted has an advantage (5)

Sky^[7] is the brand name for the digital satellite television and radio service of British Sky Broadcasting Group plc^[7] (commonly known as BSkyB), a British satellite broadcasting, broadband and telephony services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. BSkyB is the largest pay-TV broadcaster in the United Kingdom and Ireland with over 10 million subscribers.

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