Sunday, August 26, 2012 - ST 4496

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times ST 4496
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times Sunday, July 29, 2012
Setter Jeff Pearce
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4496]
Times for the Times Review Written By Dave Perry
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star Saturday, August 25, 2012
Date of Publication in the Vancouver Sun Saturday, August 18, 2012

Introduction

This puzzle appeared in Britain during the first weekend of the recently-held Games of the XXX Olympiad. I did twig early on to the fact that the theme was in some way related to the Olympics, but it took me quite some time to figure out precisely what it was. I was pleased that I managed to successfully decipher the names of a few of the athletes solely through the wordplay. Nevertheless, I did need extensive help from my puzzle solving tools to complete the puzzle. I surely would have performed better had I been familiar with more than a couple of the British gold medallists featured in the puzzle.

Note: As Dave Perry has done an admirable job of identifying all the British athletes appearing in the puzzle, I have not felt it necessary to duplicate his effort.

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   25 15 arm Charles's girlfriend (7)

The indicator "25 15" is a cross-reference to clues 25d and 15d. To complete the current clue, substitute the solutions to the cross-referenced clues in place of the indicators, giving "Gold medallist arm Charles girlfriend". Charles refers to King Charles II of England whose mistress was actress Nell Gwyn^[7] .

12a   25 15 Switzerland move to higher position — though dropping point with a draw (8)

The International Vehicle Registration (IVR) code for Switzerland is CH^[5] [from French Confédération Helvétique 'Swiss Confederation']. The second part of the charade is RISE (move to a higher position) with the E deleted (though dropping point [of the compass]).

18a   Starts to get 'orrible dizzy spell — sitting here? (4)

The gods^[5] is a British term for the gallery in a theatre • they sat in the gods.

27a   25 15 — Secure boat on river outside harbour (9)

The River Ouse^[5] might refer to any of four English rivers.

1. (also Great Ouse) a river of eastern England, which rises in Northamptonshire and flows 257 km (160 miles) eastwards then northwards through East Anglia to the Wash near King’s Lynn.
2. a river of NE England, formed at the confluence of the Ure and Swale in North Yorkshire and flowing 92 km (57 miles) south-eastwards through York to the Humber estuary.
3. a river of SE England, which rises in the Weald of West Sussex and flows 48 km (30 miles) south-eastwards to the English Channel.
4. (also Little Ouse) a river of East Anglia, which forms a tributary of the Great Ouse.

28a   Ordinary person regarded as certain to qualify (7)

A double definition, the definitions being "ordinary" and "person regarded as certain to qualify" ('having great natural talent' as in the 1984 Robert Redford film The Natural).

4d   Den left with a strain (4)

"Strain" in a musical sense.

5d   Fool overturned trophies revealing parts of boxers' kit (10)

In Britain, mug^[5] is an informal term for a stupid or gullible person • they were no mugs where finance was concerned. A shield^[5] is a sporting trophy shaped like a shield, consisting of an engraved metal plate mounted on a piece of wood : team captain Ben Hall collected the winners' shield. In the UK, the clothing (and, it would seem, protective equipment) used for an activity such as a sport is called a kit^[5] • a football kit. A gumshield^[5] is a pad or plate held in the mouth by a sports player to protect the teeth and gums. The term used for this device in North America is mouthguard^[6].

6d   Check identification when carrying 25 plant (6)

The cross reference here is to clue 25d only. Or^[5] is gold or yellow, as a heraldic tincture. In heraldry, a tincture^[5] is any of the conventional colours (including the metals and stains, and often the furs) used in coats of arms.

8d   25 15s with good shots in the archery (7)

The wordplay is W (with) + INNERS (good shots in the archery). In archery and shooting, an inner^[5] is (1) a division of the target next to the bullseye or (2) a shot that strikes the inner • the Doctor found the bull, and held it to the close, while Servis only scored inners.

17d   Being sneaky, China let international hide a complex substance found in membranes (8)

The anagram indicator would seem to be "being sneaky". 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.

18d   Swimmer, 19, in the middle chasing German (7)

Place the middle letters of the solution to 19a (__UDGEON__) after (chasing) G (German) to get a type of fish. A gudgeon^[5] is a small edible European freshwater fish, often used as bait by anglers.

20d   Exercise in river and street is hardest to understand (7)

The River Dee^[7] is a 70-mile (110 km) long river that travels through Wales and England and also forms part of the border between the two countries. It is also the name of at least three other rivers^[7] in the U.K. PE^[5] is the abbreviation for Physical Education.

24d   Cutter's second going 25 tree in New Zealand (5)

The kauri^[5] (or kauri pine) is a tall coniferous forest tree with broad leathery leaves, which produces valuable timber and dammar resin. It grows in warm countries from Malaysia to New Zealand. The symbol for the chemical element gold is Au^[5]. A kris^[5] is a Malay or Indonesian dagger with a wavy-edged blade.

The wordplay is KRIS (cutter) with the S (second) deleted (second going) containing (round) AU ([chemical symbol for] gold [25]).

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, August 19, 2012 - ST 4495

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times ST 4495
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times Sunday, July 22, 2012
Setter Tim Moorey
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4495]
Times for the Times Review Written By Dave Perry
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star Saturday, August 11, 2012
Date of Publication in the Vancouver Sun Saturday, August 18, 2012

Introduction

It was the four-letter words that did me in today. I only managed to solve about half of them.

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   Military movements in quiet border districts (4,7)

Having the wrong solution for 2d nixed my chances here, although I did get the second word correct.

The notion of "movements" being used in the musical sense never occurred to me. A dead march^[5] is a slow, solemn piece of music suitable for a funeral procession. Marches^[5] are an area of land on the border between two countries or territories, especially between England and Wales or (formerly) England and Scotland • the Welsh Marches.

I would say that this clue is more a cryptic definition than a double definition, although it has aspects of both types of clue. I don't think that dead marches are literally "military movements". However, the clue plays on the fact that a march could be either a military movement or a piece of music. The second part ("quiet border districts") alludes to Marches that are 'dead' (i.e., dull and uninteresting; perhaps having no nightlife).

9a   Potty train

With a grandson approaching that stage, I couldn't stop focusing on toilet training.

Potty^[5] is British slang for (1) mad or crazy • he’s driving me potty or (2) extremely enthusiastic about or fond of someone or something • she’s potty about you. Loco^[5] is used in Britain as a short form for locomotive • (i) Britain’s most famous steam loco; (ii) [as modifier] loco sheds.

10a   Emma Squires jazzed up religious work (7,4)

To the best of my knowledge, Emma Squires is nothing but a convenient made-up name.

16a   Island thoroughfares announced (6)

Rhodes^[7] is an island in Greece, located in the eastern Aegean Sea. It is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of both land area and population, and also the island group's historical capital.

19a   Membership embraces the Ashes (6)

The Ashes^[5] is a trophy for the winner of a series of Test matches in a cricket season between England and Australia. The name comes from a mock obituary notice published in the Sporting Times (2 September 1882), with reference to the symbolical remains of English cricket being taken to Australia after a sensational victory by the Australians at the Oval^[7] (a cricket ground in London, England). A Test match is an international match in cricket or rugby, typically one of a series, played between teams representing two different countries.

21a   Get support from songwriter, one replacing number (4,2)

Replace the first N (number) in LENNON (the surname of songwriter John Lennon^[7]) with an A (one) to create a phrase (4,2) meaning support.

23a   After bill issued, huge sums showing items with a charge (4)

"Issued", meaning released, indicates that BILL must be removed from BILLIONS (huge sums) to get IONS (items with a charge).

27a   One at 16 runs away, a social misfit (4)

Here "16" is a cross-reference indicator to clue 16a. Insert the solution to clue 16a in its place to reveal the clue in its entirety "One at Rhodes runs away, a social misfit". Since Rhodes is an island in Greece, "One at Rhodes" would be a GREEK. Take away R (runs) and you are left with GEEK (a social misfit).

28a   Cake provided by host caterer abroad? (11)

A Sachertorte^[5] is a chocolate gateau (cake) with apricot jam filling and chocolate icing. I had never heard of this dessert but it certainly sounds delicious.

2d   Flat race, say not quite finished (4)

I had — with some uncertainty — entered OVER (finished) here, although I was unable to justify the wordplay. This, of course, caused me grief on 1a. The definition, as I was eventually to discover, is "flat" (EVEN) and the wordplay is EVENT (race, say) with the final letter deleted (not quite finished).

A flat race^[5] is a horse race over a course with no jumps, as opposed to a steeplechase or hurdles.

3d   Abba perhaps charged up (4)

In the New Testament, Abba^[5] means God as father • ‘Abba, Father,’ he said, ‘all things are possible to you’. Of course, the setter probably expects us to think of the Swedish pop group ABBA^[7].

4d   One parliamentarian initially claimed outgoings for summits (6)

In Britain, outgoings^[5] refers to a person’s regular expenditure • if your outgoings regularly exceed your incomings, you have a problem. According to Dave Perry, exes is a "colloquialism for expenses", although I was not able to find this meaning in any of my dictionary sources.

This clue is rather topical as there has been a major scandal unfolding in Britain over a number of years concerning members of Parliament claiming expenses to which they are not entitled.^[7]

6d   English teacher missing end of term break (6)

The definition is "break" (EASTER) and the wordplay is E (English) + MASTER (teacher) with the M deleted (missing end of terM).

In Britain, a male schoolteacher is known as a master^[5].

13d   To enjoy drunken spree, fool with no date opening an ale (2,2,1,6)

According to Collins English Dictionary, the abbreviation nd^[10] stands for no date.

The definition is "to enjoy drunken spree" (GO ON A BENDER) and the wordplay is GOON (fool) + (with) {ND (no date) contained in (opening) BEER (an ale)}.

21d   Letter of comfort held within ambit of lawyer (6)

Ambit^[5] means the scope, extent, or bounds of something. Thus the "ambit of lawyer" means the first and last letters of LawyeR.

24d   Victor maybe to clasp Oscar (4)

Victor Hugo^[5] (1802–85) was a French poet, novelist, and dramatist; full name Victor-Marie Hugo. A leading figure of French romanticism, he brought a new freedom to French poetry, and his belief that theatre should express both the grotesque and the sublime in human existence overturned existing conventions. His political and social concern is shown in his novels. Notable works: Hernani (drama, 1830) and Les Misérables (novel, 1862).

Oscar^[5] is a code word representing the letter O, used in radio communication.

25d   Cook perhaps set about Eastern buffet (4)

Contrary to Dave Perry's statement "so 'bat' is the well-disguised definition", the definition is actually "buffet", where buffet^[5] is used in the sense (especially in reference to wind or waves) to strike repeatedly and violently or batter • rough seas buffeted the coast. The wordplay is BAT ([Alistair] Cook) containing (set about) E (Eastern) to produce the solution BEAT (buffet).

Alistair Cook^[7] (not to be confused with Alistair Cooke^[7]) is is an English international cricket player. He is a left-handed opening batsman who plays county cricket for Essex and International cricket for England. In cricket, bat^[5] — among other things — means a person batting or, in other words, a batsman • the team’s opening bat.

And would I have been able to figure this out without Dave Perry's help. Never in a million years!

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, August 12, 2012 - ST 4494

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times ST 4494
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times Sunday, July 15, 2012
Setter Dean Mayer (Anax)
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4494]
Times for the Times Review Written By Dave Perry
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star Saturday, August 4, 2012
Date of Publication in the Vancouver Sun Saturday, August 11, 2012

Introduction

Today's puzzle was certainly a formidable challenge. I was able to complete most of the bottom half of the puzzle without aid but needed every tool at my disposal for the top half. I came close to throwing in the towel on a couple of occasions, but persevered and eventually finished it — although without completely understanding the wordplay in a couple of instances.

By the way, did anyone notice an acknowledgement by the Citizen of their cock-up (as the Brits would call it) from last weekend where they published the wrong puzzle (repeating ST 4492 instead of printing ST 4493). I certainly didn't see any mea culpa from the editor.

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   Hospital radio presenter describes American pilgrimage (4)

In Britain, the host of a radio or television program is called a "presenter".  "Describes" is used in the sense of to trace the outline of something (as a skater describes figures on the ice).

3a   Removing frost, feels a breeze? (10)

"Removing" here is an anagram indicator. Remove^[5] is used in the dated sense of to change one’s home or place of residence by moving to another place.

9a   Fly paper said to be rubbish (9)

The definition is "fly" and the anagram indicator is "to be rubbish".

11a   Stop putting earth in box (5)

In Britain, earth^[5] (abbreviation E^[10]) means an electrical connection to the ground, regarded as having zero electrical potential • ensure metal fittings are electrically bonded to earth. In North America, an electrical connection to the earth is known as a ground^[5]. I love the way Oxford mirrors the definitions — in Britain, an earth is a connection to the ground and, in North America, a ground is a connection to the earth!). Of course, earth can also be used as a verb meaning to connect (an electrical device) with the ground • the front metal panels must be soundly earthed [or, in North America, grounded].

12a   Instructions for PC might be easier to do on PC (9,5)

The anagram indicator is "might be".

14a   Ball you casually hit for six lifted over this? (8)

To knock or hit (someone) for six^[5] is an informal British expression meaning to utterly surprise or overcome someone • this business has knocked her for six. Here it is used as an anagram indicator, operating on the fodder "lifted". Appropriately, the expression "hit for six" is an allusion to cricket where a ball hit in the air beyond the boundary of the field scores 6 runs. The outfield is the area of the cricket ground just inside the boundary.

I had most of the wordplay here but was trying to derive the O from the word "over" which is a division of play in cricket. Instead, as I learned from Dave Perry, the O comes from "ball" (which looks like the letter O).

15a   Holiday that is extremely short taken by footballers (6)

In Spanish-speaking countries, a fiesta is a festival or religious holiday, especially a saint's day^[3,4]. In Britain, the term is also used to mean a holiday or carnival^[4].

The wordplay is {IE (that is) + ST (extremely short; the extreme letters of ShorT)} contained in (taken by) FA (footballers; Football Association^[7], the governing body of English football [soccer]}.

17a   Setter's play on words embodies good challenge (6)

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 substitute a first person pronoun (I or me) for whichever of these terms has been used  in the clue. In this clue, the setter adds a verb to the mix (in the cryptic reading), requiring us to replace "setter's" (a contraction for "setter is") with "I'm" (a contraction for "I am").

22a   Dockland garage's dodgy secret? (5-3-6)

Docklands is the semi-official name for an area in east and southeast London, England. It forms part of the boroughs of Southwark, Tower Hamlets, Newham and Greenwich. The docks were formerly part of the Port of London, at one time the world's largest port. They have now been redeveloped principally for commercial and residential use. Well-known landmarks in the Docklands are the O2 entertainment district and the Canary Wharf financial district.

24a   Best (or not) (5)

Believe it or not, best^[5] — meaning to outwit or get the better of (someone) • she refused to allow herself to be bested — and worst^[5] (meaning to get the better of or defeat • this was not the time for a deep discussion—she was tired and she would be worsted ) are synonyms.

25a   Rough rogue's progress around city (9)

I wonder if a capital C got lost during the journey across the Atlantic — or is the lower case c just a bit of cryptic misdirection. In any event, "city" is standing in for The City (defined below). Furthermore, the setter uses it as a surrogate for the EC postcode area (postcode being the British equivalent of the Canadian postal code or American zip code).

The City^[5] is (1) short for the City of London or (2) 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. 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).

The EC (Eastern Central) postcode area^[7] (also known as the London EC postcode area) is a group of postcode districts in central London, England. It includes almost all of the City of London as well as parts of several other London Boroughs.

26a   Rough rogue's opportunity around hunting area (6,4)

A moor^[5] is a tract of open uncultivated upland, typically covered with heather — which is also known as a heath^[5].

27a   Spotted fish in sound (4)

Ide^[5] is another term for orfe^[5], a silvery freshwater fish of the carp family, which is fished commercially in eastern Europe.

2d   It falls down from 9 (7)

This is a highly irregular clue employing a device that I have never before encountered.While I managed to find the correct solution, I had little idea why it was correct.

Usually a number in a clue indicates a cross-reference to the solution of another clue. Therefore, I was trying to incorporate "disappear" (the solution to 9a) into this clue — which would produce "It falls down from disappear"! Reading Dave Perry's review at Times for the Times, I discovered that the cross-reference indicator is the phrase "down from 9". Thus the word we need is not the solution to 9a, but rather a word starting at grid location 9 and going down (or, in other words, part of the solution to 1d). To further complicate matters, we need only the first four of the eight letters which are found there (i.e., we need DROP rather than DROPONIC).

Substituting this into the present clue, we get "It falls drop (7)", a double definition (with an extremely ugly surface reading) having the solution DESCENT.

4d   Not hard to run around team with ball, oddly (8)

The definition is "not hard" and the wordplay is FLEE (run) containing (around) {XI (team) + BL (ball, oddly; the odd-numbered letters of BaLl) to give FLEXIBLE. An eleven^[5] (Roman numeral XI) is a sports team of eleven players • at cricket I played in the first eleven.

5d   One opens two circles in a row? (6)

The definition is (I think) "in a row" and the wordplay is A (one) contained in (opens; splits) {O ([first of] two circles) + ring ([second of] two circles)} to give OARING.

I don't think the definition can be merely "row" since row and oar are synonyms as verbs — thus rowing and oaring are synonyms. However, row^[10] can also be a noun meaning an act, instance, period, or distance of rowing. Therefore, "in a row" would mean "in an act of rowing" which could be shortened to simply "rowing" (or OARING).

8d   Colour of sun on gardens (4)

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew^[7], usually referred to as Kew Gardens, is 121 hectares of gardens and botanical glasshouses [greenhouses] between Richmond and Kew in southwest London, England which is home to the world's largest collection of living plants.

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, August 5, 2012 - ST 4493

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times ST 4493
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times Sunday, July 8, 2012
Setter Jeff Pearce
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4493]
Times for the Times Review Written By Dave Perry
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star Saturday, July 28, 2012
Date of Publication in the Vancouver Sun Saturday, August 4, 2012
Notes The Ottawa Citizen has mistakenly reprinted ST 4492 which appeared in last weekend's paper. For a link to ST 4493, see my post from earlier today.

Introduction

Although it employs several less commonly seen clue types and cryptic devices, this puzzle was certainly not overly difficult. I did, however, find it to be highly entertaining.

Readers of the Ottawa Citizen may have experienced a sense of déjà vu when they turned to the Sunday Times cryptic crossword this weekend. The Citizen mistakenly reran last week's puzzle (ST 4492) rather than the puzzle that should have appeared this week (ST 4493). Fortunately, The Vancouver Sun printed the correct puzzle. You will find a link to ST 4493 in my post from earlier today.

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   Dial not affected by pressure? (4-4)

A question mark — or an exclamation point — in a clue is quite often a flag that there is something a bit unusual about the clue. In this clue, the setter gives us the result of some cryptic wordplay and expects us to find the wordplay that would generate it. "Dial" is a reversal of the word 'laid' — or, as a cryptic crossword compiler might phrase it, 'laid back'.

5a   Boat returns understanding there's a terrifying creature in the sea (6)

A kraken^[10] is a legendary sea monster of gigantic size believed to dwell off the coast of Norway.

12a   Emperor penguin finally gets rave review (5)

Marcus Cocceius Nerva^[10] (?30–98 ad) was Roman emperor from 96–98 ad.

13a   Alice sang new number (9)

Here, "number" is used in the whimsical cryptic crossword sense of something that numbs.

17a   Find a bar to eat food quickly and lock up (4)

My interpretation was the same as that of Dave Perry — that this clue is a triple definition ("a bar" & "to eat food quickly" & "lock up").

19a   Misery guts starts to moan and pester (4)

A new word for me here, as well as a new meaning for an old word. In Britain, if you describe someone as a misery guts^[10], you mean they are miserable when they could or should be happy. Mope^[10] can be used as a noun (news to me) meaning a gloomy person.

20   Show magazine work to head of Etchings at Royal Academy (5,5)

The Royal Academy (in full, the Royal Academy of the Arts^[5]) is an institution established in London in 1768, whose purpose is to cultivate painting, sculpture, and architecture in Britain.

22a   Left info about one chap — that's careless! (9)

In Britain, gen^[5] is an informal term for information • you’ve got more gen on him than we have.

27a   Two medics touring Uni with a post-grad to see realistic fiction (9)

In Britain, uni^[5] is short for university • he planned to go to uni.

28a   Delay sailor owing money? (6)

I warned you earlier about those pesky question marks. Another way of saying "owing money" is 'in the red'. Consequently, the clue is equivalent to saying "delay sailor in the red" with the wordplay being TAR (sailor) contained in (in) RED.

1d   Beneath lake's north shore Scotsmen fabricated me? (4,4,7)

The Loch Ness Monster^[7] is a cryptid that is reputed to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. A cryptid^[7] is a creature or plant whose existence has been suggested but is unrecognized by scientific consensus and often regarded as highly unlikely.

2d   Private meal lacks starter (5)

In Britain, the first course of a meal is known as a starter^[5].

3d   Weaves a raised design that bar codes might go into (8)

Unknown to me — and, seemingly, to Oxford — brocade^[10] can be a verb as well as a noun.

4d   About to carry excessive tunic for the priest (5)

A cotta^[5] is a short garment resembling a surplice, worn typically by Catholic priests and servers. The wordplay is CA (about) containing (to carry) OTT (excessive). OTT^[5] is British slang meaning

over the top • presenting him as a goalscoring Superman seems a bit OTT.

7d   Edging along the pavement (9)

In Britain, a pavement^[5] is a raised paved^[5] (i.e., covered with flat stones or bricks) or asphalted path for pedestrians at the side of a road • he fell and hit his head on the pavement [in North American parlance, a sidewalk^[5]]. Kerb^[5] is the British spelling of curb^[5].

8d   How crossword setter might clue old car and sty? A place for pigs! (3,8,4)

Here we get both a question mark and an exclamation point — so we can expect a double dose of cryptic whimsy. The question mark signals that the wordplay is somewhat out of the ordinary, although the setter clearly tells us what he expects — namely, a bit of wordplay that would produce OLD CAR AND STY. These letters are 'an anagram of SCOTLAND YARD' which a crossword setter might clue as 'new Scotland Yard'. The exclamation point warns us that the definition (a place for pigs) is decidedly cryptic. New Scotland Yard^[7] (often shortened to Scotland Yard) is is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, England.

[The name] derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became the public entrance to the police station. Over time, the street and the Metropolitan Police became synonymous. The New York Times wrote in 1964 that, just as Wall Street gave its name to the New York financial world, Scotland Yard did the same for police activity in London. The Metropolitan Police moved away from Scotland Yard in 1890, and the name "New Scotland Yard" was adopted for the new headquarters.

9d   I drive taking a bowler, say, up to see exotic dancer (4,4)

To be precise, Dave Perry should have expressed his hint as "I + RAM about A + HAT all rev" as the {A + HAT} needs to be inserted into {I + RAM} before the whole lot is reversed.

Margaretha Geertruida "Margreet" Zelle (1876 – 1917), better known by the stage name Mata Hari^[7] , was a Dutch exotic dancer, courtesan, and accused spy who was executed by firing squad in France under charges of espionage for Germany during World War I.

23d   One worshipped once — yet, strangely, outside church (5)

In Greek mythology, Tyche^[10] is the goddess of fortune. Her counterpart in Roman mythology is Fortuna.

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, August 5, 2012 - Déjà Vu All Over Again

Introduction

Did you enjoy the puzzle last week? If so, the Citizen editors seem to feel that you might like to repeat the experience as they have rerun ST 4492 this weekend. Luckily, the Vancouver Sun got it right. If you would like a copy of ST 4493, you can download one from here.

Now I'm off to enjoy my morning coffee and tackle the puzzle.

Signing off for the time being - Falcon