Sunday, September 30, 2012 - ST 4501

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times ST 4501
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times Sunday, September 2, 2012
Setter Tim Moorey
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4501]
Times for the Times Review Written By Dave Perry
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star Saturday, September 22, 2012
Date of Publication in the Vancouver Sun Saturday, September 29, 2012
Notes This puzzle appears on the Sunday Puzzles pages in the Saturday, September 29, 2012 edition of The Ottawa Citizen.

Introduction

I solved maybe half the clues on my own and the rest with some electronic assistance. I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit that I was at a loss to explain the wordplay for 11a without Dave Perry's guidance.

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   Carp or grouse? Both (4)

I concur with Dave Perry's assessment of this clue.

4a   Deep thoughtfulness in report by former PM (5,5)

Among the first British Prime Ministers with five-letter surnames to come to mind were John Major^[7] and Tony Blair^[7]. I needed some electronic assistance to recall Gordon Brown^[7], who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010.

The phrase in a brown study^[5] means absorbed in one’s thoughts [apparently from brown in the sense 'gloomy'].

11a   What’s essential to making learners play? (4,4)

As my mother used to say, the solution is "hiding in plain sight".

13a   Dutch painter seen around Netherlands Antilles barely (6)

Sir Peter Lely^[7] (1618 – 1680) was a painter of Dutch origin, whose career was nearly all spent in England, where he became the dominant portrait painter to the court.

It is not the International Vehicle Registration (IVR) code^[7] (NA) for the Netherlands Antilles that we need today, but the Internet country code Top Level Domain^[7] (.an). By the way, the ccTLD .na is used by Namibia (whose IVR is NAM).

Dave Perry's mention of "ISO country codes" refers to ISO 3166 (and, more specifically, to ISO 3166-1 alpha-2^[7]). With a few exceptions, a country's Internet ccTLD is the same as its ISO 3166 two-letter country code. One notable exception is the United Kingdom, whose ccTLD is .uk while its ISO 3166 two-letter country code is GB.

The Netherlands Antilles, an autonomous Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, was dissolved on 10 October 2010. After dissolution, the "BES Islands" of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba became special municipalities of the Netherlands proper, while Curaçao and Sint Maarten became constituent countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, along the lines of Aruba, which separated from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986.^[7] [read more ...]

The two-letter country code for the Netherlands Antilles (AN) was deleted from ISO 3166-1 in December 2010 but is reserved for a period of five years to allow users to transition to the new codes assigned to the constituent elements of the former country which have replaced it.

17a   Litter and bitter in sound (4)

In Britain, bitter^[5] is beer that is strongly flavoured with hops and has a bitter taste ⇒ a pint of bitter.

The definition for litter contained in British dictionaries seems to vary somewhat from that found in American dictionaries. For instance, Collins English Dictionary defines litter^[4] as a means of conveying people, especially sick or wounded people, consisting of a light bed or seat held between parallel sticks. The American Heritage Dictionary, on the other hand, says that a litter^[3] is a flat supporting framework, such as a piece of canvas stretched between parallel shafts, for carrying a disabled or dead person; or, in other words, a stretcher. The dictionaries do agree on what a bier^[3,4] is — a platform or stand on which a corpse or a coffin containing a corpse rests before burial.

18a   Stand in Tube having been jostling with Tutsis (10)

The Tube is (a) a British trademark for the underground railway system in London, England ⇒ a cross-London trek on the Tube or (b) a train running on the Tube ⇒ I caught the tube home.

20a   Sort of boasting heartlessly in disorderly house (6)

Bagnio^[5] is an archaic name for a brothel.

"Heartlessly" directs us to remove an unspecified number of letters from the middle of the word BOASTING. If the fodder contains an even number of letters (as is the case with "boasting"), one must remove an even number of letters. If the fodder were to contain an odd number of letters, one would remove an odd number of letters. The string remaining after the removal process always contains an even number of letters — half of which preceded the letters removed from the fodder and half of which followed them. Thus today we remove the ST from the middle of BOASTING and are left with BOA + ING.

"Sort of" is an anagram indicator directing us to rearrange (sort) the letters remaining after completing the removal process described above. Thus we rearrange the letters BOAING to get BAGNIO.

23a   Floor tiler alongside one group of learned people (8)

The wordplay is an anagram (floor) of TILER + AT (alongside; as in "Look for us at (alongside) the canal.") + I ([Roman numeral for] one).

For cryptic purposes, floor^[5] serves as an anagram indicator which I believe is based on it being a verb meaning to baffle (confuse or mix up).

24a   Man’s behind transport for people who are late (6)

As Dave Perry points out, this is two puzzles in a row from Tim Moorey in which the word arse has made an appearance. Arse^[6] is the British spelling for ass^[5], in the sense of a person’s buttocks or anus. I was rather surprised to see it characterized as a "British spelling" rather than  a "British word". However, taking into consideration the British pronunciation (which would be sort of like "ahse"), it definitely sounds quite similar to the North American pronunciation of "ass" and not at all like the North American pronunciation of "arse" (which always strikes me as sounding especially vulgar). In Britain, the term certainly seems to be considered less vulgar than is the case in North America. Collins English Dictionary has the following to say on this subject:

arse^[4] ... Usage: Dating back at least a thousand years, and taboo till around the middle of the 20th century, this venerable "Anglo-Saxon" word now seems unlikely to cause offence in all but the most formal contexts. Its acceptability has possibly been helped by such useful verb formations as "to arse about" and "I can't be arsed".

27a   Oath from regulars in Red Guard (4)

Egad^[5] is an archaic exclamation expressing surprise, anger, or affirmation.

2d   Source of milk coming from 3 directions (3)

I suppose it could be considered "three cardinal compass points", but would more accurately be described as two with one repeated.

4d   … with lover going round in strapless top (7)

The wordplay is BEAU (lover) containing (going round) AND (with). The setter employs an inverted sentence structure without punctuation which might have been written "with; lover going round" had he not wished to create a bit of misdirection.

A bandeau^[5] is a woman’s strapless top formed from a band of fabric fitting around the bust ⇒ a bandeau bikini top.

5d   What could be connected with bar and, I’m sad, hundreds being lost? (3-5,7)

The wordplay is an anagram (what could be) of {[C]ONNE[C]TED + (with) BAR + (and) IM + SAD with the two Cs (C being the Roman numeral for one hundred) deleted (being lost)}.

7d   Will give agreement time after big game (9)

A Test (short for Test match)^[5] is an international cricket or rugby match, typically one of a series, played between teams representing two different countries ⇒ the Test match between Pakistan and the West Indies.

8d   Replicated ’ ousing for rabbits? Nonsense! (6,5)

In Britain, double Dutch^[5] is slang for language that is impossible to understand; or, in other words, gibberish ⇒ instructions written in double Dutch. This likely is gibberish to most North Americans, who will understand double dutch^[3] (or double Dutch) to be a game of jump rope in which players jump over two ropes swung in a crisscross formation by two turners.

18d   Put up with a corporation (7)

A corporation^[3,4] is a humorous term for a large paunch or pot belly.

19d   Little people put appeal up around church (7)

Titch^[5] is an informal British term for a small person ⇒ the titch of the class. "It"^[9] is a slang term for sex appeal. The expression, although having appeared in the writing of Rudyard Kipling as early as 1904, appears to have come into widespread use as a result of the 1927 film It^[7] starring Clara Bow (who became known as the 'It girl'^[7]).

25d   The main element of research (3)

The main^[5] is an archaic or literary term for the open ocean.

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, September 23, 2012 - ST 4500

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times ST 4500
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times Sunday, August 26, 2012
Setter Dean Mayer (Anax)
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4500]
Times for the Times Review Written By Dave Perry
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star Saturday, September 15, 2012
Date of Publication in the Vancouver Sun Saturday, September 22, 2012
Notes This puzzle appears on the Sunday Puzzles pages in the Saturday, September 22, 2012 edition of The Ottawa Citizen.

Introduction

As usual, Anax throws some pretty tricky wordplay at us — some of which admittedly went over my head. However, I was under a bit of time pressure today, so my failure to decipher all the clues is — at least, in part — due to not devoting sufficient time to unravel the complications.

I would like to extend a belated Happy Birthday to Anax who, judging by Dave Perry's remarks, apparently turned 50 on September 6.

Revisiting ST 4494

You may have noticed that Anax left a comment on my review of ST 4494 (which appeared in The Ottawa Citizen on August 12, 2012). I meant to acknowledge his comment but it seems to have slipped my mind until now. He points out that "observant solvers [obviously I am not within that group] may have noticed a 'hello' to my ST setting colleagues hidden in the first and last pairs of across answers". The first two pairs of across answers were HADJ EFFORTLESS DISAPPEAR CEASE and the last two pairs were WORST IMPRECISE GROUSEMOOR EYED. Hidden in these two word strings, one finds the names of the other two Sunday Times cryptic crossoword setters, Jeff Pearce and Tim Moorey.

A hidden feature such as this is known as a Nina which Tilsit has explained on Big Dave's Crossword Blog as follows:

I think I shall start this review by introducing you to a new word. Or at least a word whose meaning you are not familiar with. NINA. What is it, O wise one, you ask? Well, gentle reader, it’s a word that has been adapted by crossword setters to mean something hidden in a crossword that you may not be aware of. Quite a few puzzles have Ninas, although you’d never know if you were not looking for them.

The Nina is actually named after the daughter of American artist Al Hirschfeld, who would hide things in his drawings that are related to Nina, his daughter. And so crossword setters happily nicked the idea for their puzzles as well. Some contain little messages like HAPPY BIRTHDAY or suchlike around the perimeter or in the rows between the answers. Sometimes some of the answers are linked in a sort of private joke. Some of you may know that I compile puzzles for the Independent General Knowledge Jumbo series (as Harbinger, I’m in this Saturday’s paper by the way!) and in July, a puzzle of mine read HAPPY BIRTHDAY BERYL across the top, as a tribute to my lovely sister who was celebrating her birthday on the day it was published. The Sunday Telegraph recently had a General Knowledge puzzle where a lot of the answers were the names of Toughie Crossword compilers. The Telegraph Crossword actually has a sort of famous history of Ninas going back to World War II, where the then setter Leonard Dawe published several puzzles that inadvertently contained the top secret codenames of the D-Day beaches just before the landings happened, and he was hauled in for questioning.   Although that article says it was coincidence, Dawe was a teacher and used to encourage his pupils, some of whom were sons of RAF Officers, to supply words for him to put in the puzzles.

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   To go down on record describing doctor's round (3,3,4)

I was unable to complete this one, despite having got as far as FOR THE D_O_ (although I had reservations concerning the second O). My downfall was supposing that the definition must be "to go down on record" (FOR THE ****).

I learn from Dave Perry that the definition is "to go down". I could find this expression in only one dictionary, The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition, which defines for the drop^[1] as an informal term meaning about to be relegated or about to be hanged (which suggests that the clue might better have read "About to go down ...").

In British sports (and also in international sports competitions such as IIHF tournaments), relegation is the demotion of a sports team to a lower division. For instance, if relegation were to be introduced to North American hockey, the team that finished last in the NHL standings would play the next season in the AHL and its spot in the NHL would be assumed by the AHL Calder Cup champions.

As Dave Perry outlines, the wordplay is FORTH (on) + EP (record) containing (describing) {DR (doctor) + O (round; a letter that has a round shape)}. I think that forth is used as in the following example "after spending the night at the inn, we went forth ["went on" or continued our journey] the next morning".

The use of "describe" as a containment indicator is a common cryptic crossword convention. This device relies on describe^[3] being used in the sense of to trace the form or outline of • describe a circle with a compass. Thus, in today's clue, we have EP containing (describing) DRO with the rationale for the wordplay being that the container (EP) forms an outline around the contained entity (DRO) in a similar manner to the circumference of a circle forming an outline around the circular area contained within it.

10a   On one form of deism it's allowed (11)

The wordplay is "on one form of deism it" and the definition is "allowed". The 's (a contraction for is in both the surface reading and the cryptic reading) serves as a link word (expressing equality) between the wordplay and the definition.

In cricket, the  on^[5] (also called the on side) is 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. Another term for this side of the field is the leg side^[5] (also called just the leg).

13a   Perhaps one is glad to get by (9)

The wordplay is "perhaps one is glad" and the definition is "by". "To get" is a link phrase (expressing outcome) between the wordplay and the definition — i.e., one must execute the wordplay "to get" the solution specified by the definition.

14a   Ancient bloke keeps going home with date (6-6)

Coffin-dodger^[10] is a humorous (and seemingly British) term for an old person. I quickly realized that the definition could not be "ancient bloke" and that it must therefore be merely "ancient" (which can be a noun as well as its more commonly encountered role as an adjective). In the solution, "off" is used as in the example "He shouted 'I'm off now', as he dashed out the door."

18a   Noise that larks circling parrot find attractive (4,1,5,2)

Lark^[5] is a verb which in British usage means to enjoy oneself by behaving in a playful and mischievous way ⇒ he’s always joking and larking about in the office.

23a   Note gun's provided with recoil? (5)

Like Dave Perry, I spent a moment or two trying to find rev as an abbreviation for revolver. Fortunately for me, the penny quickly dropped —  "gun" is used in the sense of "to gun an engine".

24a   Memorise poet — Byron, possibly Lawrence (5,2,4)

Edward Lear^[7] (1812 – 1888) was a British artist, illustrator, author, and poet, renowned today primarily for his literary nonsense, in poetry and prose, and especially his limericks, a form that he popularised. His best known piece is undoubtedly "The Owl and the Pussycat"^[7].

Lord Byron^[7] was a Scottish poet and a leading figure in the Romantic movement. He is regarded as one of the greatest British poets and remains widely read and influential.

Thomas Edward Lawrence (1888  — 1935), known professionally as T. E. Lawrence^[7], was a British Army officer renowned especially for his liaison role during the Arab Revolt against Ottoman Turkish rule of 1916-18. The breadth and variety of his activities and associations, and his ability to describe them vividly in writing, earned him international fame as Lawrence of Arabia, a title which was used for the 1962 film based on his World War I activities.

25a   Ditch water in some red earth (3)

This clue is easy enough in hindsight but I could not fathom it until I read Dave Perry's review. In the cryptic reading, "ditch" is used as a verb (meaning to dump). Thus we must remove (ditch) MERE (water) from SOme reD to get the surface of the ground, with the grass growing on it. Mere^[5] is a British (and chiefly literary word) meaning a lake or pond ⇒ the stream widens into a mere where hundreds of geese gather. The word should actually be fairly familiar to those from the Ottawa area as it appears in the name Kingsmere, the estate of former Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King.

27a   Corrupt Tory edict limits one who oversees business news? (4,6)

The term city editor^[5] has a different meaning in Britain than in North America. On the other side of the Atlantic, it is a person dealing with financial news in a newspaper whereas, on this side, it is a person dealing with local news in a newspaper. The British usage may arise from the fact that the City (short for City of London) is used as an eponym for the financial and commercial institutions located in the City of London ⇒ (i) the Budget got a stony reception from the City; (ii) [as modifier] a City analyst. This is similar to the usage of Wall Street as an eponym for financial institutions in New York City. Note that the City of London^[5] is not the city of London, but merely the part of London situated within the ancient boundaries and governed by the Lord Mayor and the Corporation^[5] (which, in Britain, is a group of people elected to govern a city, town, or borough ⇒ the City of London Corporation).

1d   It may make one look better to deal with stuff (4,4)

In Britain, a face pack^[5] is a cosmetic preparation spread over the face and left for some time to cleanse and improve the condition of the skin ⇒ (i) she was applying a face pack; (ii) weekly face packs are beneficial.

3d   I pick a horse up on country trip (13)

In the solution, cull^[5] is used in the sense (new to me) of (1) to select from a large quantity or obtain from a variety of sources ⇒ anecdotes culled from Greek and Roman history or (2) with the archaic meaning of to pick (flowers or fruit) ⇒ fresh culled daffodils.

Horse^[5] is a slang term for heroin, as is H^[5].

5d   0-0 draw in United match? Better than that! (5)

The wordplay here took a bit of pondering to figure out — even after having arrived at the correct solution. Actually, it is not so much the wordplay that is difficult, but figuring out where the definition starts. The wordplay is "0-0 draw in United" which is interpreted as OO (0-0) containing (draw in) UTD (United) [start with OO; then draw in UTD]. The definition is "match? better than that!". If you do better than match, you OUTDO.

Utd^[5] is an abbreviation for United (in names of soccer teams) ⇒ Scunthorpe Utd. Although the word United is commonly found in the names of football [soccer] teams in Britain, it is almost certainly a reference to the Manchester United Football Club^[7] (often referred to as simply United), an English professional football club, based at Old Trafford [football stadium] in Old Trafford [district of Manchester], Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League (the top level in the English football league system). Manchester United is undoubtedly referred to as United (rather than Manchester) to distinguish it from its cross-town rival Manchester City (known as City).

7d   Simple game with short piece of wood (6)

Rugby union (RU)^[5] is a form of rugby played in teams of fifteen, in contrast to rugby league^[5], which is played in teams of thirteen.

8d   Cheshire town with one capsized ship (6)

Widnes^[7] is an industrial town in Cheshire, England located on the northern bank of the River Mersey.

17d   Nasty, but it won't start to block my passage (8)

Once again, even though I had the correct solution, the wordplay escaped me. The definition (which was clear enough) is "passage". The wordplay is ORRID {HORRID (nasty) without its initial letter (but it won't start)} contained in (to block) COR (my).

Cor^[5] is an informal British exclamation expressing surprise, excitement, admiration, or alarm ⇒ Cor! That‘s a beautiful black eye you’ve got!

19d   Lost? Put on a little light (6)

Here "a little light" is used to clue LED^[5] (light-emitting diode).

20d   Tribesman wants wild area (6)

The Tswana^[5] are a southern African people living in Botswana, South Africa, and neighbouring areas.

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, September 16, 2012 - ST 4499

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times ST 4499
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times Sunday, August 19, 2012
Setter Jeff Pearce
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4499]
Times for the Times Review Written By Dave Perry
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star Saturday, September 8, 2012
Date of Publication in the Vancouver Sun Saturday, September 15, 2012
Notes This puzzle appears on the Sunday Puzzles pages in the Saturday, September 15, 2012 edition of The Ottawa Citizen.

Introduction

Today's puzzle is definitely less challenging than some of those to which we have recently been subjected.

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   Old table put behind trophy cabinet (8)

Board^[5] is an archaic term for a table set for a meal ⇒ he looked at the banquet which was spread upon his board.

5a   Epic novel about a Conservative that could make you puke (6)

The word "about" can play many roles in a cryptic crossword clue. It may be a codeword for C (circa), CA (circa), or RE. It may be an insertion indicator or a reversal indicator. Today, it seems to be a charade indicator — despite the consensus at Times for the Times being that there is an error in the clue. I would submit that "about"^[10] should be a perfectly valid charade indicator, used as a preposition meaning near or close to (in space or time).

10a   Male visits sleazy Soho inn at start of evening for dodgy booze (9)

Soho^[7] is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable transformation. It now is predominantly a fashionable district of upmarket restaurants and media offices, with only a small remnant of sex industry venues.

12a   This object can be reserved if seen before end of sale (5)

The solution is a word meaning to raise objections or show reluctance (clued by "this [verb meaning to] object"). If positioned before (seen before) E (end of salE), it would form an adjective meaning (of a woman or her behaviour) reserved, modest, and shy.

22a   The Chancellor's position relative to Number 10? (9)

10 Downing Street^[7], colloquially known in the United Kingdom as "Number 10", is the headquarters of Her Majesty's Government and the official residence and office of the First Lord of the Treasury, an office now invariably held by the Prime Minister. The house next door, 11 Downing Street (commonly known as Number 11), is the official residence of the Second Lord of the Treasury in Britain, who in modern times has always been the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

24a   Person in tent disposes of medium skip (5)

The surface reading does not seem to make much sense. "Skip"^[5] may have been used in the British sense of a large transportable open-topped container for building and other refuse [known as a dumpster^[5] in North America] ⇒ I’ve salvaged a carpet from a skip.

26a   Scorer left gear outside when changing (5)

Edward Elgar^[7] (1857 – 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestral works including the Enigma Variations, the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, concertos for violin and cello, and two symphonies.

29a   Having no idea how this puzzle started! (8)

... but I do know precisely how it started — the setter sat down with an empty grid and no clues.

2d   Expert setter upset after introduction (5)

It is a common cryptic crossword convention for the creator of the puzzle to use terms such as setter, compiler, author, or writer to refer to himself or herself. To solve such a clue, one must usually substitute a first person pronoun (I or me) for whichever of these terms has been used  in the clue. Today, the setter complicates matters a tad by requiring us to insert a reversal of me (which he clues by "setter upset").

3d   Spectator and one of our rivals? (8)

The surface reading is no doubt intended to make us think of The Spectator^[7], a conservative-leaning weekly British magazine owned by the same people who own The Daily Telegraph^[7]. The Observer^[7], the world's oldest Sunday newspaper, is a sister paper to the daily The Guardian^[7], and takes a similar liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is a rival, both commercially and ideologically, to The Sunday Times (the paper which publishes this puzzle).

The Sunday Times^[7] is a national Sunday broadsheet newspaper in the United Kingdom which occupies a dominant position in the quality Sunday market. The Sunday Times is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News International, which is in turn owned by News Corporation. Times Newspapers also owns The Times, but the two papers do not share editorial staff, were founded independently and have only had common ownership since 1967.

4d   Polish right for small flower (5)

It is a whimsical cryptic crossword convention that "flower" can be used to mean river (something that flows). Here we start with SHINE (a verb meaning "polish"), then replace the initial S (for "small") with R (for "right") to get RHINE (a river).

21d   Accuse cleaner, say, on return (6)

In Britain, char^[5] is another name for a charwoman^[5], a dated term for a woman employed as a cleaner in a house or office.

23d   Be effective in controlling poise during dance (5)

In physics, poise^[5] (abbreviation P^[10]) is a unit of dynamic viscosity, such that a tangential force of one dyne per square centimetre causes a velocity change one centimetre per second between two parallel planes separated by one centimetre in a liquid.

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, September 9, 2012 - ST 4498

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times ST 4498
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times Sunday, August 12, 2012
Setter Tim Moorey
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4498]
Times for the Times Review Written By Dave Perry
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star Saturday, September 1, 2012
Date of Publication in the Vancouver Sun Saturday, September 8, 2012
Notes This puzzle appears on the Sunday Puzzles pages in the Saturday, September 8, 2012 edition of The Ottawa Citizen.

Introduction

Even the Brits would seem to have struggled with this puzzle, judging by the comments on Times for the Times. My experience was not unlike that reported by Dave Perry — finding the left hand side to be much less difficult than the right hand side. As it was for him, 28d and 30a were also my last two in. I did spend a great deal of time on them, but it paid off in obtaining the correct solutions.

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   He's tight with a packet (10)

I have to admit that I failed to see the anagram and treated this as a straight cryptic definition. The clue is an & lit. — one in which the entire clue serves as both the definition and the wordplay. I would say that tight, as an anagram indicator, is used in the sense of drunk (implying confused or mixed up). Packet^[5] is British slang for a large sum of money ⇒ a hectic social life could cost a packet.

9a   In which, heartlessly, you slam crackpot? (6)

This is a semi-& lit. clue — one in which the entire clue serves as the definition but (unlike a full-fledged & lit. clue) only a part of the clue forms the wordplay. In the definition, I would say that slam^[5] is used in the sense of to push or put something somewhere with great force ⇒ Charlie slammed down the phone. Thus the clue, as definition, is telling us that the solution is a place where one might heartlessly put an eccentric or foolish person with great force.

10a   Rocket on for very short meal? Count me out! (8)

Rocket takes on a couple of British meanings in this clue. In the surface reading, rocket is presumably being used as the British name for arugula^[5] (which, on its own, would not constitute a very satisfying meal). As a definition, rocket is an informal British term meaning a severe reprimand ⇒ he got a rocket from the Director.

14a   International for a short time retained cap (4)

In Britain, an international^[5] is (1) a game or contest between teams representing different countries in a sport ⇒ the Murrayfield rugby international or (2) a player who has taken part in an international game or contest [the latter being the sense in which the word is used in this clue]. Also, in Britain, cap^[5] can mean a cap awarded as a sign of membership of a particular sports team, especially a national team ⇒ he has won three caps for Scotland or (2) a player to whom a cap is awarded ⇒ a former naval officer and rugby cap [the former being the sense in which it is used here].

17a   At home Miliband embraces brother? It's natural (6)

Ed Miliband^[7] is a British Labour Party politician, currently the Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition in the British House of Commons.

20a   What's nearly coming from me, perhaps touring desert? (3,5)

In the tonic sol-fa system in music, me^[5] is the preferred British spelling (the American spelling being mi^[3]) for the third note of a major scale. [It would appear that mi is an alternative spelling in the UK, but the only spelling in the US.]

If one interprets "touring" as meaning 'going around', the justification for using it as a containment indicator becomes clear.

23a   Virtually nothing stopping new ideas? No need for comment (6,4)

"Virtually nothing" clues NOUGH (NOUGHT (nothing) with the last letter deleted). "Stopping" is used in the sense of plugging — and, thus, is a containment indicator.

27a   One's mad giving a clue like this (6)

In this across clue, the 's is a contraction for has (a charade indicator) in the cryptic reading. Thus the wordplay is A (one) + (has) CROSS (mad). Of course, in the surface reading, the 's is a contraction for is.

30a   Company banks new and old money in Tallinn. (4)

Tallinn^[7] is the capital of Estonia. Prior to the adoption of the Euro, the currency of Estonia was the kroon which was subdivided into 100 senti (singular, sent).

I would say that company^[5] is to be interpreted in the sense of the person or group of people whose society one is currently sharing ⇒ he was silent among such distinguished company and that set^[5] is used in the sense of a group of people with common interests or occupations or of similar social status ⇒ it was a fashionable haunt of the literary set.

2d   Essential to replace back of breeching in pack horse (7)

According to Oxford Dictionaries, breeching^[5] is the hair or wool on the hindquarters of an animal, although The American Heritage Dictionary restricts the animals to which it applies to just "a sheep, goat, or dog"^[3]. Another meaning for breeching^[5] is a strong leather strap passing round the hindquarters of a horse harnessed to a vehicle and enabling the horse to push backwards. However, this later definition does not seem very applicable in the case of a mustang^[5], an American feral horse which is typically small and lightly built.

4d   Garden perhaps showing pear tree finally cropped (5)

Graeme Garden^[7] is a Scottish comedian. The Comice^[5] is a large yellow dessert pear of a late-fruiting variety that is cultivated commercially.

6d   No good leaving stylist's division during employment for painter? (3,6)

Although I had the correct solution, I hadn't seen the wordplay as I was doing the puzzle and I neglected to revisit the clue before reading Dave Perry's review. Parting^[5] is the British term for the a line of scalp revealed in a person’s hair by combing the hair away in opposite directions on either side ⇒ his hair was dark, with a side parting (in North American parlance, a part ⇒ the part in her hair was white and straight).

7d   Smacks taking on sailing vessels (11)

This is another case where I needed a gentle nudge from Dave Perry to see the wordplay which is KNOCKS (smacks) containing (taking; consuming, as you would a pill) ABOUT (on; concerning). Dave Perry says he is not familiar with knockabouts "as a type of ship". His lack of familiarity is understandable, as Oxford Dictionaries characterizes knockabout^[5] as being a North American term. Ship may also be a rather grandiose description for this small yacht or dinghy.

8d   High priest takes in a tramp (7)

Dave Perry comments "I've come across 'High' as an anagrind before, but I find it a bit of a stretch." Well, if "tight" (4a) can be an anagram indicator (anagrind), why not "high"? It just depends on your drug of choice.

12d   In sum, Russian money and power gets a place in the Middle East? (7,4)

In Britain, to tot^[5] (tot something up) means to add up (or sum) numbers or amounts ⇒ he picked up the account book and totted up some figures. Rouble^[5] is the British spelling for ruble, the basic monetary unit of Russia and some other former republics of the USSR, equal to 100 kopeks.

The solution is not "a place in the Middle East" per se, but something of which "a place in the Middle East" might be an example. As Dave Perry points out, "The DbE [Definition by Example] is indicated by the question mark.".

13d   Set about reconstructing Italy? No (3,4)

In Britain, set about^[5] can mean to attack (someone) ⇒ the policeman began to set about him with his truncheon.

19d   Gunners coming from behind new area line (7)

The wordplay is ARSE (behind) + N (new) + A (area) + L (line). Arsenal Football Club (whose nickname is The Gunners) is an English Premier League football [soccer] club based in Holloway, London. Arse^[6] is the British spelling for ass^[5], in the sense of a person’s buttocks or anus. This term does not seem to carry the same degree of vulgarity in Britain as it does in North America — although one of the Brits did comment that the clue "was a bit cheeky". [Strangely, the word arse seems to appear only in the US English Dictionary and not in the British & World English Dictionary at Oxford Dictionaries!]

21d   Scores made by Wigan forward in tests (5,2)

Wigan^[5] is a town and metropolitan district in NW England, near Manchester whose English Rugby League team is named the Wigan Warriers^[7]. In rugby^[5], a try is the act of touching the ball down behind the opposing goal line, scoring points and entitling the scoring side to a goal kick. A Test (short for Test match)^[5] is an international cricket or rugby match, typically one of a series, played between teams representing two different countries ⇒ the Test match between Pakistan and the West Indies. On^[5] (in the solution) would seem to be used in the sense of (1) indicating continuation of a movement or action ⇒ he drove onor (2) further forward; in an advanced state ⇒ time’s getting [moving] on.

24d   Pot shown by German novelist ... (5)

Günter Grass^[7] is a German novelist, poet, playwright, illustrator, graphic artist, sculptor and recipient of the 1999 Nobel Prize in Literature who is widely regarded as Germany's most famous living writer.

26d   ... so push bicycle regularly taken out! (3)

The only reason that I can fathom for the ellipses linking this clue and the previous one is to justify starting the current clue with "so" (which happens to be the definition).

28d   Thing that's essential to nearest and dearest (3)

Res^[9] (Latin for 'thing') is a term used in the field of Law to mean (1) an object or thing or (2) a matter.

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, September 2, 2012 - ST 4497

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times ST 4497
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times Sunday, August 5, 2012
Setter Dean Mayer (Anax)
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4497]
Times for the Times Review Written By Dave Perry
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star Saturday, August 25, 2012 As no solution was posted for August 25 on the Saturday Star Cryptic Forum, I can only presume that this puzzle was published as expected.
Date of Publication in the Vancouver Sun Saturday, September 1, 2012

Introduction

Dave Perry says that he "read all the way through the across clues until I got to 24 before I could write one in". In my case, I immediately wrote in 1a and then read all the way to 25a before I could write in another. I completed perhaps half of the puzzle in several sessions over the course of two days before calling in my electronic assistants. I finally threw in the towel with only 20d left to complete. I'm glad that I didn't spend any more time on this clue than I did as I would never have solved it in a month of Sundays.

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   After swapping starters, didn't bite sandwiches? (6,5)

In the surface reading, starters^[5] is a British term for the first course of meal. However, in the cryptic analysis, it indicates the first letters of the two words forming the solution. The definition is "sandwiches" with the solution being PACKED LUNCH. The wordplay tells us that if we were to swap the first letters of these words, we would get LACKED PUNCH (didn't bite).

9a   Different people read about mounted jockeys (3,3,3)

The definition is "different people" (ODD MEN OUT). The wordplay is an anagram (about) of DO followed by an anagram (jockeys; used as a verb) of MOUNTED. I believe that do^[10] is used in the sense of to work at, especially as a course of study or a profession ⇒ he is doing chemistry, what do you do for a living?. In Britain, to read^[5] means to study (an academic subject) at a university ⇒ I’m reading English at Cambridge or (with no object) he went to Manchester to read for a BA in Economics.

10a   County gets US money (5)

Bucks.^[5] is the abbreviation for Buckinghamshire^[5], a county of central England.

11a   The responsibility of those those crushed completely (4,2,3,6)

Down to the ground^[10] is an informal British expression meaning completely or absolutely ⇒ it suited him down to the ground. Thus the definition is "completely" and the wordplay is "the responsibility of those crushed". In a meaning that I wasn't able to find in American dictionaries, down to^[10] denotes the responsibility or fault of ⇒ this defeat was down to me and another way to describe "those crushed" would be "the ground" (just as those who are downtrodden would be called "the downtrodden").

12a   Lodge shares identical houses (6)

The definition is "lodge" and the hidden word indicator is "houses".

14a   Scoff sandwiches left in box in aircraft (8)

This clue includes a container within a container. The definition is "aircraft" and the wordplay is "scoff sandwiches left in box". The second "in" serves as a link word between the wordplay and definition. The wordplay parses as JEER (scoff) containing (sandwiches) {L (left) contained in (in) TIN (box)}.

17a   Excessively happy, as priest in attempt to turn boy (8)

Although I was unable to find it in any other dictionary, overglad^[10] (meaning too glad) does appear in Collins English Dictionary — which does seem to be the dictionary of choice for the Sunday Times crossword.

18a   Call back company writer (6)

Hilaire Belloc^[7] (1870 – 1953) was an Anglo-French writer and historian who became a naturalised British subject in 1902. He was one of the most prolific writers in England during the early twentieth century. In Britain, bell^[5] is used informally as a verb meaning to telephone (someone) ⇒ no problem, I’ll bell her tomorrow?.

22a   Whip is not a thing you can hear (5)

A homophone clue in which I had never heard of either of the two words which sound like each other. A knout^[10] is a stout whip used formerly in Russia as an instrument of punishment. In the dialect of Northern England, nowt^[10] means nothing.

23a   Orderly fellow runs behind one? (9)

Chaprassi^[10] is the name given to an office worker or doorman in India. According to Oxford Dictionaries, the word is spelled chaprasi^[5] and means a junior office worker who carries messages ⇒ his uncle sent the office chaprasi to show him the way. The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition has it spelled chaprassi, chaprassy, or chuprassy^[1] and lists the meaning as an office messenger, a household attendant, or an orderly.

The wordplay is CHAP (fellow) + R (runs; abbreviation found on a cricket scorecard) + ASS (behind) + I ([Roman numeral for] one).

The Brits objected to the use of the word ass — not for its vulgarity, but because it is an Americanism. The Brits would have said arse.

4d   Old farms, some of the best for cattle rearing (6)

A croft^[7] is a fenced or enclosed area of land, usually small and arable with a crofter's dwelling thereon. A crofter is one who has tenure and use of the land, typically as a tenant farmer. The word croft is West Germanic in etymology, and is now most familiar in Scotland, most crofts being in the Highlands and Islands area. Elsewhere the expression is generally archaic.

6d   Pathetically mortal, a credible politician (7,8)

The Liberal Democrats^[7] (Lib Dem) are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which was formed in 1988 by a merger of the Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party. Following the 2010 general election, in which no party achieved an overall majority, the Liberal Democrats formed a coalition government with the Conservatives, with Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg becoming Deputy Prime Minister and other Liberal Democrats taking up ministerial positions.

8d   Orthodox Jew can identify himself (5)

A Hasid^[5] is (1) a member of a strictly orthodox Jewish sect in Palestine in the 3rd and 2nd centuries bc which opposed Hellenizing influences on their faith and supported the Maccabean revolt or (2) an adherent of Hasidism^[5], a mystical Jewish movement founded in Poland in the 18th century in reaction to the rigid academicism of rabbinical Judaism. The latter movement declined sharply in the 19th century, but fundamentalist communities developed from it, and Hasidism is still influential in Jewish life, particularly in Israel and New York.

16d   Wild as a murderer in escape heading north (8)

In the Bible, Cain^[5] is the eldest son of Adam and Eve and murderer of his brother Abel.

19d   Reptile, one suitable for children, in good stories (6)

Here "suitable for children" is a code phrase for U. Under the British system of film classification^[7] a U (for 'universal') rating indicates that a film contains "nothing unsuitable for children".

21d   Heads for the opera, so chooses an opera (5)

Tosca^[7] is an opera by Giacomo Puccini that premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome in 1900.

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