Sunday, January 27, 2013

Sunday, January 27, 2013 - ST 4518

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times
ST 4518
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Setter
Jeff Pearce 
Link to Full Review
Times for the Times [ST 4518]
Times for the Times Review Written By
Dave Perry
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star
Saturday, January 19, 2013*
Date of Publication in the Vancouver Sun
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Falcon's Experience
┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐
███████████████████████████████████
└────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘
Legend:
- solved without assistance
- incorrect prior to use of puzzle solving tools
- solved with assistance from puzzle solving tools
- solved with aid of checking letters provided by puzzle solving tools
- unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Times for the Times
Notes
*The Date of Publication in the Toronto Star is unconfirmed as there is no posting on the Saturday Star Cryptic Forum for that date.

Introduction

This is by far the easiest puzzle we have seen in quite some time — a welcome relief after the daunting challenge we were faced with last week. British Christmas crosswords are like Christmas dinners, way more than one should consume at one sitting.

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.


Across


1a   Scottish fellow is outside right for this country (4)

In Crosswordland, you will find that a Scotsman is almost invariably named Ian.

3a   Try rings if cooking — Chinese style? (4-6)

Words can't do double duty in crossword clues, so "cooking" is an anagram indicator — and not technically part of the definition. However, the construction of the clue (together with the question mark) clearly convey the idea that "Chinese style" implicitly refers to cooking.

10a   Information on literary style (5)

Gen[5] is British slang for information ⇒ you’ve got more gen on him than we have.

11a   With Conservative gone, New Labour act to turn around city (4,5)

The Conservatives[7] (C[5] being the abbreviation for a Conservative) and Labour[7] are British political parties. New Labour[7] refers to a period in the history of the British Labour Party from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s, led by Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

Ulan Bator[7] is the capital and by far the largest city of Mongolia. [It is popularly believed to be the only capital city in the world that is colder than Ottawa — although this week, apparently, even that was untrue.]

12a   Bored pupil’s view is often  disregarded (3,2,3,6)

To go out (of) the window[5] (with respect to a plan or pattern of behaviour) is to no longer exist or disappear all pretence at unity went out of the window as cabinet colleagues traded insults.

14a   Legendary King returned traitor — one of five (7)

Tarquin[5] is the anglicized name of two semi-legendary Etruscan kings of ancient Rome — Tarquinius Priscus (reigned circa 616-circa 578 BC) and Tarquinius Superbus (reigned circa 534-circa 510 BC).

In Britain, the short form for quintuplet is quin[4] whereas, in the US and Canada, it is quint.

15a   Gave up and ended resistance (7)

This double definition is spoiled by the fact that "gave up" can mean "ended resistance" (surrendered). The clue is only valid if yield[3] (in the first definition) is interpreted in some other sense such as to give forth by or as if by a natural process, especially by cultivation ⇒ a field that yields many bushels of corn.

17a   Spice girl hosts one act about to be nice on the ear (7)

Melanie Chisholm[7] is a British singer-songwriter, actress and businesswoman professionally known as Melanie C. She is one of the five members of the Spice Girls (a British pop group), in which she was nicknamed "Sporty Spice".

19a   After party theres strong drink. I swallowed tranquilliser (7)

Librium[5] is a trademark for chlordiazepoxide[5], a tranquillizer of the benzodiazepine group, used chiefly to treat anxiety and alcoholism. The Liberals[7] (abbreviation Lib.[5]) are a British political Party.

My first attempt to formulate this drug failed when I tried to use the wrong political party as an ingredient Labour[7] (abbreviation Lab.[5]).


20a   Being drunk dad quarrels with one officer (8,6)

23a   Work too hard? Try some cricket and have a shot at golf (9)

In cricket, an over[5] is a division of play consisting of a sequence of six balls bowled by a bowler from one end of the pitch, after which another bowler takes over from the other end. In golf, drive[5] means to strike (a ball) from the tee, typically with a driver I’m driving the ball really well and my irons are good.

24a   Some comedy about Republican seen in the fringe (5)

Skirt[10] is used in the sense of a margin or outlying area.

25a   Near London, supply banned stuff that dodgy athletes seek (10)

Nandrolone[5] is an anabolic steroid with tissue-building properties, used unlawfully to enhance performance in sport.

Admittedly being inept in chemistry, my first attempt at formulating this drug had an A and O reversed.

26a   Wise men having no leader for years (4)

Down


1d   How the drummer should play  quickly (2,4,4)


2d   Dad's sister tours a river and lake with nothing on (2,7)

The River Ure[7] is a stream in North Yorkshire, England, approximately 74 miles (119 km) long from its source to the point where it changes name to the River Ouse.

4d   Make strong but not huge after training (7)

5d   Route for traffic going to theatre district if attending blockbuster’s opening (7)

Broadway[5] is a street traversing the length of Manhattan, New York. It is famous for its theatres, and its name has become synonymous with show business.

Attending[10] is used in the archaic sense (which is very close to its French roots) of waiting for. Thus BROADWAY would be only ROADWAY prior to the arrival of its opening letter {waiting for (attending) Blockbuster's opening [letter]}.

The only thing that entered my mind was RAILWAY —  which, obviously, didn't even fit. For some reason, my brain refused to make the tiny leap to the correct solution.

6d   Barrister boned roasted bird (5,9)

7d   Up against rook in this opening (5)

Into[10] is used in the sense of against or up against ⇒ he drove into a wall. This is the type of clue that I think of as a recipe, i.e., a list of instructions. In these type of clues, the instructions are run together and we must mentally insert breaks in the correct spots to decipher the correct instructions. Here, we are told at Step 1 to start with a word meaning "up against" (which is INTO). Then at Step 2 we are instructed to insert R (rook; chess notation) into the result from Step 1.

8d   He’s right, and happy about it (4)

I'm not sure if the solution is a reference to anyone in particular. The only right-wing British politician named Gary that I was able to identify is Conservative backbencher Gary Streeter[7] whose chief call to fame appears to be that he "is a committed Christian who believes in faith healing". Dave Perry does not indicate that the name has any special significance.

9d   Islander put green light in sink (14)

Light[10] is employed in the sense (especially with respect to birds) to settle or land after flight.

13d   Overshadows stupid judge while un the outside (10)

16d   Finally untangled spool with fish gradually disappearing (9)

A ling[5] is any of a number of long-bodied edible marine fishes, in particular a large East Atlantic fish (Molva molva) related to the cod which is of commercial importance.

18d   Warm  drink (7)

19d   It’s light to carry (7)

21d   You might see her and "tails" in sequential run (5)

Dave Perry reports that it took him "a while post-solve to see the wordplay". I only saw it when he pointed it out. The solution is a word that together with TAILS might constitute the fodder for an anagram (run) that would produce the outcome SEQUENTIAL.

22d   Blue  feathers (4)

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, January 20, 2013

Sunday, January 20, 2013 - ST 4517

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times
ST 4517
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Setter
Dean Mayer (Anax)
Link to Full Review
Times for the Times [ST 4517]
Times for the Times Review Written By
Dave Perry
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Date of Publication in the Vancouver Sun
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Falcon's Experience
┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐
███████████████████████████████████
└────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘
Legend:
- solved without assistance
- incorrect prior to use of puzzle solving tools
- solved with assistance from puzzle solving tools
- solved with aid of checking letters provided by puzzle solving tools
- unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Times for the Times
Notes
This puzzle appears on the Sunday Puzzles pages in the Saturday, January 19, 2013 edition of The Ottawa Citizen.

Introduction

What a shock it was to open the paper and find today's puzzle staring at me! I know it has long been the practice of The Sunday Times to publish an oversize puzzle at Christmas, but these have always been excluded from syndication as long as I have been doing this puzzle (several years now). In previous years, the giant puzzle would either be simply skipped or a replacement puzzle would be resurrected from the archives. The puzzle, with its 23 x 23 grid (as compared to the usual 15 x 15 grid) contains 56 clues (roughly double the normal number).

I confess that I had solved scarcely a handful of clues when I resorted to my electronic aids. With their help, I did manage to complete the puzzle, albeit with a couple of question marks where I was still in the dark on the wordplay. I did not even make an attempt to track which clues I solved unaided — thus, today, the clues are simply highlighted in yellow. Also, due to the number of clues, the scale of the chart above had to be altered — with each gradation today representing 10 clues rather than the usual 5.

I could not actually verify that this puzzle appeared last week in The Saturday Star, as no puzzle was posted on the Saturday Star Cryptic Forum site for that date. However, the cries of consternation that do appear there leave little doubt that our friends in Toronto did have an opportunity to enjoy this puzzle.

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.

Across


1a   Artist’s mum not quite prepared for icy roads (8)

RenĂ© Magritte[7] (1898 – 1967) was a Belgian surrealist artist. Grit[5] means to spread grit and often salt on (an icy road) (as adjective gritting) a council [local level of government] gritting lorry [truck].

5a   As drunk might say, takes a drink (8)

... takes a picture, that is.

10a   Is Dizzee Rascal this fast? (5)

Dylan Kwabena Mills, better known by his stage name Dizzee Rascal[7], is an English rapper.

13a   Catching a cold, feel so bad — be humiliated (4,4)

14a   We set out targets which they try to reduce (6-8)

16a   Not involved in Gillian McKeith’s work? (5,7,3,7)

Gillian McKeith[7] is a Scottish nutritionist, television presenter, and writer.

She is the former host in the UK of Channel 4's You Are What You Eat and Granada Television's Dr Gillian McKeith's Feel Fab Forever, and as of 2010 presents Eat Yourself Sexy on the W Network in Canada. She is the author of several books about nutrition, including You Are What You Eat (2004), and Dr Gillian McKeith's Ultimate Health Plan (2006).

She is not a medical doctor but received her doctorate from the controversial and now defunct Clayton College of Natural Health[7], a non-accredited American distance-learning natural health college which was based in Birmingham, Alabama, offering classes in various forms of alternative medicine.

She claims that she can diagnose ailments by examining people's tongues and stools. In Britain, motion[10] can mean (1) the evacuation of the bowels or (2) excrement. Used in this sense, motion would appear to be synonymous with bowel movement.

19a   Heart won’t be affected by a fall in this condition (5,2,3,5)

21a   Protective cover left in sink you returned (6)

22a   Old duck with steering system on water (5)

Whelm[10] is an archaic term meaning to engulf entirely with or as if with water [i.e., an old word meaning duck].

23a   Pervert making detectives run the wrong way (7)

A detective inspector (DI)[5] is a senior police officer in the UK. Within the British police, inspector[7] is the second supervisory rank. It is senior to that of sergeant, but junior to that of chief inspector. Plain-clothes detective inspectors are equal in rank to their uniformed counterparts, the prefix 'detective' identifying them as having been trained in criminal investigation and being part of or attached to their force's Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

24a   Damaging kitchenware when examining sink? (9)

Potholing[5] is a British expression meaning to explore underground potholes as a pastime they went potholing in the Pennines. A pothole[5] is a deep natural underground cave formed by the erosion of rock, especially by the action of water. Sink[5] is short for sinkhole[5], a cavity in the ground, especially in a limestone formation, caused by water erosion and providing a route for surface water [or automobiles] to disappear underground.
In September 2012, a sinkhole in Ottawa swallowed a car.
26a   Do grey cells get starved? (8)

Nous[5] is an informal British term meaning common sense or practical intelligence if he had any nous at all, he’d sell the film rights.

"Do" and "rave" can each mean a party.  I would think that "grey cells" (brain) is intended to mean common sense ⇒ "If you only used your grey cells, you wouldn't find yourself in so much trouble!".

28a   Clever Conservative worried with bloke circling round (8)

30a   X’s forward projection (5)

A tenon[5] is a projecting piece of wood made for insertion into a mortise in another piece. X is the Roman numeral for ten. On means "forward" as in the phrase "Move on".

32a   Certainly / certainly not reported as true (1,4)

This is one of the clues that I needed some assistance from Dave Perry to understand the wordplay. The definition is "true" — a response that you might make to a statement to acknowledge that you understood that it was correct. The wordplay in this homophone clue is sounds like (reported) {AYE (certainly) / NO (certainly not)}.

34a   Was competitor overly quiet in race vehicle? (4,4)

Piano[3,5] (abbreviation p[5]), is a musical direction meaning either soft or quiet (as an adjective) or softly or quietly (as an adverb).

35a   Who leans back on a building initially? (8)

In Britain, an abseiler[5] is someone who descends a rock face or other near-vertical surface by using a doubled rope coiled round the body and fixed at a higher point ⇒ [as a verb] team members had to abseil down sheer cliffs to reach the couple. Rather than abseil, the term used in North America is rappel[5] (which is an alternative term in Britain).

The clue is a semi & lit. clue. As the clue indicates, someone abseiling down the side of a building would start their descent by leaning back from the top edge of the building. The wordplay is {a reversal (back) of RELIES (leans)} following (on) {A (from the clue) + B (Building initially)}.

37a   Man’s battle — for there you are! (3,6)

Where an American magician might say "Presto"[5], a British conjuror would say "Hey presto"[5] a phrase announcing the successful completion of a trick, or to suggest that something has been done so easily that it seems to be magic ⇒ press the start button and, hey presto, a copy comes out the other end.

The wordplay is HE (man) + ('s; contraction for has) + YPRES ([First World War] battle) + TO (for).

There were five Battles of Ypres[7] during World War I, occurring in the autumn of 1914, the spring of 1915, the summer and autumn of 1917, the spring of 1918 and the autumn of 1918 respectively.

39a   Recorded regularly, torn up by imitator (2,5)

41a   Ice  is brilliant (5)

43a   Fairy runs in next to tower (6)

44a   Become angry or distressed (4,4,4,3)

I think for the clue to work, one must consider that the word "become" to be implicitly included in the second definition (i.e., the second definition is "become distressed" rather than merely "distressed").

46a   Pooh before bare-all Nativity play? That’s about right (1,4,2,4,6,5)

Winnie-the-Pooh[7], also called Pooh Bear, is a fictional anthropomorphic bear created by A. A. Milne. The first collection of stories about the character was the book Winnie-the-Pooh (1926), and this was followed by The House at Pooh Corner (1928). Milne also included a poem about the bear in the children’s verse book When We Were Very Young (1924) and many more in Now We Are Six (1927). All four volumes were illustrated by E. H. Shepard.

Hyphens in the character's name were dropped by Disney when the company adapted the Pooh stories into a series of features that became one of its most successful franchises.

49a   Wild animal spoor — hope camel’s around (5,4,5)

The Marco Polo sheep[7] (Ovis ammon polii) is a subspecies of argali sheep, named after Marco Polo. Their habitat is the mountainous regions of Central Asia. Marco Polo sheep are distinguishable mostly by their large size and spiraling horns.

51a   Hotel accommodates American lover of Nelson (8)

Emma, Lady Hamilton[7] (1765 – 1815) is best remembered as the mistress of British admiral Horatio Nelson and as the muse of English portrait painter George Romney.

52a   Eased empty suitcase into sleeping place (5)

I went through the same struggle as Dave Perry, supposing that a "sleeping place" must be a BED. The land of Nod[10] is an imaginary land of sleep.

53a   Failure to drop first point shows indiscretion (8)

Usually found in place names, ness[5] means a headland or promontory Orford Ness.

54a   Ruler makes Russian girl rich if one moves to break her heart (8)

Down


1d   To thaw edges of mistletoe, start to lower temperature (4)

2d   Plastic bag’s too much like empty fuel cylinder (3-6)

OTT[5] is an abbreviation for and informal British expression meaning over the top ⇒ presenting him as a goalscoring Superman seems a bit OTT. A gas-bottle would be a container for bottled gas[10] or bottle gas, i.e., butane or propane gas liquefied under pressure in portable containers and used in camping stoves, blowtorches, etc. [In Canada, this would be called a gas cylinder.]

3d   Private, possibly, young soldier saved around end of film (11)

Saving Private Ryan[7] is a 1998 American epic war film set during and following the invasion of Normandy in World War II. It starred Tom Hanks and was directed by Steven Spielberg. Noted for its graphic and realistic portrayal of war, the film is especially notable for the intensity of its opening 27 minutes, which depicts the Omaha Beach assault of June 6, 1944. Afterwards, it follows United States Army Rangers Captain John H. Miller (played by Tom Hanks) and seven other soldiers as they search for a paratrooper, Private First Class James Francis Ryan (Matt Damon), who is the last-surviving brother of four servicemen.

4d   Bird keeps bill silent (5)

The British name for a chickadee is tit[5] (or titmouse).

6d   Ready to dominate these negotiations? (10,9)

Readies[5] (or the ready) is British slang for available money or cash.

7d   Why gin is in another drink (3)

8d   Indentation on clubs — help with shot in golf game (5,3,4)

Pitch and putt[7] is an amateur sport, similar to golf. The maximum hole length for international competitions is 90 metres (100 yd) with a maximum total course length of 1,200 metres (1,310 yd). Players may only use three clubs; one of which must be a putter. The game is played from raised artificial teeing surfaces using a tee and it has its own handicap system. The game was developed mainly in Ireland since the 1940s, but is today a growing sport all over the world.

9d   Officer beginning to think about troops most likely to crawl (9)

In the British army, a sergeant major (abbreviation SM)[5] is a warrant officer whose job is to assist the adjutant of a regiment or battalion ( regimental sergeant major) or a subunit commander (company sergeant major, battery sergeant major, etc.). In the US army, the position is a high rank of non-commissioned officer, above master sergeant and below warrant officer.

10d   Put out Status Quo’s 1974 disco hit (4,3,4)

Status Quo[7], also colloquially known as The Quo or just Quo, are an English rock band whose music is characterized by their distinctive brand of boogie rock. However, it was not The Quo who had the 1974 hit song, "Rock the Boat"[7], but rather the California pop and soul trio, the Hues Corporation[7].

11d   As “on” isapplies to “in” or “out” (13)

Prepositional[10] is an adjective meaning containing or relating to a preposition — a part of speech, examples of which are "on", "in" and "out".

12d   One believes hoarding sulphur is to stop (6)

The symbol for the chemical element sulphur is S[5].

15d   Creator’s not a composer (6)

Brahma[5] is the creator god in Hinduism, who forms a triad with Vishnu and Shiva. Brahma was an important god of late Vedic religion, but has been little worshipped since the 5th century AD. The wordplay is BRAHMA[']S (creator[']s) without the second A (not A) — and, of course, without the apostrophe.

17d   Nurses help out with TV/ radio research (6,4,9)

18d   A desire to cover £ 1000 charge is a bit difficult (10)

I found the solution to be awkwardish[10] in more ways than one  — but it is to be found in at least one dictionary.

20d   Surely you might say “bump off”? (2,5)

25d   Bounty character inherited it — hopeful about that (10)

27d   Son, after cavorting naked with very bad examples of facial hair (7,6)

29d   Girl taken outside to dress up (7)

31d   Best Father Christmas show on TV (3,2,3,4)

The wordplay here had me scratching my head until I saw Dave Perry's remark that "'Christmas' here is strictly superfluous, and only present for thematic surface reasons." However, when I researched a little further, I found that the reference to Christmas is not at all superfluous.

Top of the Pops[7], also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1964 and 2006. Each weekly programme consisted of performances from some of that week's best-selling popular music artists, with a rundown of that week's singles chart. Additionally, every year there was a special edition of the programme on Christmas Day featuring some of the best-selling singles of the year. Although the weekly show was cancelled, the Christmas special has continued.

33d   Precisecommand”? (4,3,4)

Word is a synonym (word) for command, as in "Do nothing 'til I give you the word".

36d   Location of ring, very loud (3-8)

38d   Your loaf’s kneaded cooking ingredient (4,5)

40d   Start to rummage through small chocolate-box (6)

Chocolate-box[5] is a British expression meaning (in regard to a view or picture) pretty in a conventional or idealized way chocolate-box cottages lining narrow streets.

42d   Boy singing Messiah entertains old queen (9)

By tradition, the ciphers (monograms) of British monarchs use initials formed from the Latin version of their first name followed by either Rex or Regina (Latin for king or queen, respectively). Thus the cipher of Queen Elizabeth is ER[5] — from the Latin Elizabetha Regina.

45d   He interviews Father Christmas shortly before November (6)

I had supposed that the solution might be bagman[10], but was not able construct any sort of persuasive argument for this choice. Along the way, though, I did learn that the meaning of this term varies markedly around the world. In the UK, it means a travelling salesman; in Canada, it is a political fundraiser; in the US, a person who collects or distributes money for racketeers; and, in Australia, a tramp or swagman, especially one on horseback.

As it turns out, the solution is actually the name of a British television personality. Jeremy Paxman[7], is an English journalist, author and broadcaster. He has worked for the BBC since 1977, and is known for his forthright and abrasive interviewing style, particularly when interrogating politicians. His regular appearances on the BBC2's Newsnight programme have been criticised as aggressive, intimidating and condescending, and also applauded as tough and incisive.

November[5] is a code word representing the letter N, used in radio communication.

47d   Upset after a letter? Send one online (1-4)

48d   Key’s edge (4)

In the Scottish dialect, inch[5] means a small island or a small area of high land. The term now exists primarily in place names Inchkeith.

50d   Female part in the Nativity (3)

Hen[10] is perhaps intended as an informal term for a woman regarded as gossipy or foolish. However, in the Scottish dialect, it used as an affectionate term of address to a girl or woman and I really like you too, hen[5].
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, January 13, 2013

Sunday, January 13, 2013 - ST 4516

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times
ST 4516
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Setter
Tim Moorey
Link to Full Review
Times for the Times [ST 4516]
Times for the Times Review Written By
Dave Perry
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Date of Publication in the Vancouver Sun
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Falcon's Experience
┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐
██████████████████████████████████
└────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘
Legend:
- solved without assistance
- incorrect prior to use of puzzle solving tools
- solved with assistance from puzzle solving tools
- solved with aid of checking letters provided by puzzle solving tools
- unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Times for the Times
Notes
This puzzle appears on the Sunday puzzles pages in the Saturday, January 12, 2013 edition of The Ottawa Citizen.

Introduction

I become bogged down in the southeast corner and even my electronic assistants provided little relief. I eventually threw in the towel and sought illumination from Times for the Times.

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.

Across


1a   Beer cans beginning to bother expert (4)

4a   Since the situation is so bad, anaesthetic ether initially not used (2,4,4)

9a   Military aide involved in plan for terror (6)

10a   Access for transport (8)

11a   Rhythm is reversed in satisfactory round (8)

Canon[4], as a musical term, denotes a piece of music in which an extended melody in one part is imitated successively in one or more other parts. A round[4] is a part song in which the voices follow each other at equal intervals at the same pitch.

13a   You’ll find them in oceans? Not normally! (6)

14a   Try hard to get back into base for burrowing rodents (6-4)

16a   Singer in the nude, get her off! (4)

17a   Cold bass recalled by polar explorer (4)

Dry[10] is presumably used in the sense of lacking warmth or emotion; cold ⇒ a dry greeting.

Richard Byrd[5] (1888–1957) was an American explorer, naval officer, and aviator. He claimed to have made the first aircraft flight over the North Pole (1926), although his actual course has been disputed. He was the first to fly over the South Pole (1929).

18a   Traders out to acquire a Lely? Not half! (3,7)

Sir Peter Lely[5] (1618–80) was a Dutch portrait painter who was resident in England from 1641. He became principal court painter to Charles II. Notable works include Windsor Beauties, a series painted during the 1660s.

20a   Helium’s omitted from wordbook? Bull! (6)

The symbol for the chemical element helium is He[5].

21a   Central characters in December’s traditional cheer (8)

23a   State and its way of expressing individuality gets trouble (8)

24a   Repeatedly lengthy talk about seat that’s flexible to the end (3,3)

Sag bag[10] [presumably a British term] is another name for beanbag[10], a very large cushion loosely filled with foam rubber or polystyrene granules so that it moulds into a comfortable shape: used as an informal low seat.

26a   This is the time for a tip? (7-3)

Dave Perry calls this a double definition. However, by my reckoning it is a cryptic definition.

27a   RAC competitor contracted this girl (4)

I knew that RAC provides what the Brits refer to as "breakdown cover" or what we in North America would call emergency roadside assistance. I also recognized that we needed to shorten the name of a competitive breakdown cover provider to get a girls name. However, even though it was staring me in the face, I failed to recognize the service because I neglected to include the definite article.

The Royal Automobile Club[7] (RAC) is a British private club. Founded in 1897 with the aim of encouraging the development of motoring in Britain, today the Royal Automobile Club is one of London’s finest private members' clubs. Like many other "gentlemen's clubs" in London today, the Royal Automobile Club now has women as well as men as members.

RAC Limited[7] is a private limited company based in the United Kingdom supplying roadside assistance as well as other products and services for motorists. It started its existence as part of the Royal Automobile Club but has since been divested. 

The Automobile Association (The AA)[7], a British motoring association founded in 1905, was demutualised in 1999 to become a private limited company which currently provides breakdown cover and other motoring-related services.

Down


2d   Female stole Bishop Noah’s heart (3)

3d   Lord Archer’s one on two counts (2- 3)

Jeffrey Archer, Baron Archer of Weston-super-Mare[7] is an English author and former Conservative politician whose political career ended with his conviction and subsequent imprisonment (2001–03) for perjury and perverting the course of justice.

4d   Not directly declared, one politician lived out of centre (7)

5d   Extreme point of turnaround? It’s D (3,3,2,3,4)

After due consideration, I concluded that the two "definitions" here must be "extreme point of turnaround" (i.e., once you reach the end of the road, you have no choice but to turn back) and "D" which is the last letter (end) of 'the roaD'.

My first thought was that the definitions might be "extreme point" (the end of the road) with "of turnaround, its D" being the second, indicating that D is the last letter of "turnaround" (which I supposed might be a type of road in Britain). However, Oxford Dictionaries Online characterises turnaround[5], meaning a space for vehicles to turn round in, especially one at the end of a driveway, as being a North American usage — rather than British.

6d   Charges a levy reportedly (7)

7d   Letters supporting stores getting strong protection (5,4)

8d   Ravel orchestrated short and sweet Viennese composition (11)

Maurice Ravel[5] (1875–1937) was a French composer. His works are somewhat impressionistic in style, employing colourful orchestration and unresolved dissonances. Notable works: the ballets Daphnis and ChloĂ« (1912) and BolĂ©ro (1928) and the orchestral work La Valse (1920).

Of course, "ravel" has quite a different meaning in the cryptic reading.

 A Sachertorte[5] is a chocolate gateau with apricot jam filling and chocolate icing. Gateau[5] is a chiefly British term (obvious imported from French) for a rich cake, typically one containing layers of cream or fruit.

12d   Taste of Indian meal not large for toady (5,6)

15d   Where to find doges in Oxford listings, especially unfavoured ones (9)

18d   Sit on the fence in a second- class spot (7)

19d   A couple of seconds to break into complex maybe — that’s the mission (7)

22d   Just  hurry up! (5)

25d   What’s put away at regular intervals in peacetime (3)
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, January 6, 2013

Sunday, January 6, 2013 - ST 4515

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times
ST 4515
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Setter
Dean Mayer (Anax)
Link to Full Review
Times for the Times [ST 4515]
Times for the Times Review Written By
Dave Perry
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Date of Publication in the Vancouver Sun
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Falcon's Experience
┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐
███████████████████████████████████
└────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘
Legend:
- solved without assistance
- incorrect prior to use of puzzle solving tools
- solved with assistance from puzzle solving tools
- solved with aid of checking letters provided by puzzle solving tools
- unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Times for the Times
Notes
This puzzle appears on the Sunday Puzzles pages in the Saturday, January 5, 2013 edition of The Ottawa Citizen.

The Date of Publication in the Toronto Star is unconfirmed as there is no entry for this date on the Saturday Star Cryptic Forum blog.

Introduction

As is blatantly obvious from the chart above, I didn't make much headway with this puzzle before issuing a call to the troops. Even with their help, I felt compelled to throw in the towel with three clues remaining unsolved. I had identified three words which fit the grid but I was so dissatisfied with them that I didn't even bother to write them in.

It was somewhat of a relief to see that these same three clues (4d, 9d, and 10a) happened to also be the last three clues for Dave Perry. I was thinking of TREAD (doormat) for 4d, COMMON (sense) for 9d, and OLDTIME (for no particular reason other than it fit) for 10a. I might actually have been tempted to go with the first two if the latter had not been so obviously implausible.

In addition to the three clues mentioned above, I had question marks against three others (25a, 26a, and 6d) which all appear on the list of clues for which Dave Perry had reservations. I did take some satisfaction in having correctly understood the wordplay in 13a (which involves a pair of Briticisms) — a clue for which Dave Perry comments "I must be missing something here. All I can see is two words meaning zero being used to clue a third, but there must be more to it than that, surely?". There is.

As a final note, if you read the comments at Times for the Times, you will see that not everyone found this puzzle difficult.

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.

Across


1a   Dead  good (3,2,4,5)

10a   A yellow devil, one nursed by old lady (7)

Cadmium yellow[10] is a very vivid yellow containing cadmium sulphide.

11a   City record buried in volcanic hill (7)

Cologne[10] is an industrial city and river port in W Germany, in North Rhine-Westphalia on the Rhine.

12a   Mother’s reminder to change husbands (7,3)

13a   Love  means nothing (4)

Duck[10] (or ducks) is an informal British term meaning dear or darling used as a term of endearment or of general address. In cricket, a duck is a score of nothing by a batsman.

15a   They describe Scottish island’s backward hills (9)

Arran[10] is an island off the SW coast of Scotland, in the Firth of Clyde.

17a   Ski resort area nearly finished (5)

Aspen[7] is a ski resort community in Pitkin County, Colorado, United States.

18a   Cast left in dump (5)

19a   Try to stop speaking at any time (9)

21a   Turn left and head for footpath that’s in front of hotel (4)

In radio communication, Golf[10] and Hotel[10] are code words that stands for the letters g and h respectively.

22a   Calm detectives entering flat, extremely serious (10)

In Britain, the detective division of a police force is known as the Criminal Investigation Department[10] or CID[10].

25a   Took back good little light with switch (7)

The definition has to be "with switch". Although any example that I can think of sounds ugly, I'll take a stab at constructing one. "The indicator lights, normally green, toggled become red" or "The indicator lights, normally green, with switch become red". I warned you it was ugly!

26a   See lips showing red (7)

Dave Perry asks (in his review at Times for the Times), "Is 'see' for C not an undeclared homophone?" To this, a reader responds "The 'c' in 'crimson' is probably not a homonym, but a footnote abbreviation for Latin 'confer'." However, the usual abbreviation is cf and I was unable to find confer abbreviated as c in any of the dictionaries that I consulted. The Chambers Dictionary gives the following as one meaning of confer:
confer vt ... to compare (obs; now only in use in the abbreviation cf)
By the way, I note that Dave Perry uses the term homophone and the responder uses homonym. This caused me to wonder "What exactly is the difference between these terms and which one is the correct?" A homophone[5] is each of two or more words having the same pronunciation but different meanings, origins, or spelling such as new and knew. A homonym[5] is each of two or more words having the same spelling or pronunciation but different meanings and origins such as pole in the sense of ‘a tent pole’ and pole in the sense of ‘the pole of a magnet’. Based on this, I would vote for Dave Perry's choice.

While we're at it, how about a couple of more definitions to round out the list. A homograph[5] is each of two or more words spelled the same but not necessarily pronounced the same and having different meanings and origins, such as bow meaning ‘a knot to tie shoelaces’ and bow meaning ‘to bend the upper body as a sign of respect’. A heteronym[5] each of two or more words which are spelled identically but have different sounds and meanings, such as tear meaning ‘rip’ and tear meaning ‘liquid from the eye’.

27a   Production crew die near igneous rocks (5,9)

Down


2d   Such people have very little in common (15)

3d   First love I trap in stages (10)

A rally[5] is a long-distance race for motor vehicles over public roads or rough terrain, typically in several stages. A gin[5] (or gin trap) is what a leghold (or foothold) trap[7] is known as in Britain.

4d   Simple thing, lifting a doormat (5)

There is a fair amount of discussion on Times for the Times as to whether "a doormat" means TIMID. Anax justifies the clue by saying "The def for TIMID is 'a doormat', so it's a fair substitution in a sentence - "He is timid" / "He is a doormat"." I think I am in the camp of the doubters on this one.

5d   Fresh as nice red rose (9)

6d   Shrewd Mayfair lady pulling plug (4)

The British postcode system[7] is somewhat akin to the Canadian postal code system, although the structure of the codes differ in the two systems. In Canada, codes are of the form A9A 9A9 (where A signifies a letter and 9 a digit), whereas in Britain, codes take the form AXYY 9AA (where A and 9 are defined as in the Canadian system, X can be either a letter or a digit, and Y can be either a letter, a digit, or not present). Postcodes[7] in the Mayfair district of London start with W1 [W1J for Mayfair (south) and W1K for Mayfair (north)]. As Dave Perry comments "I guess Mayfair for W1 is OK, although the postal district of W1 covers a much larger area than just Mayfair - Soho, Chinatown, Marylebone & Fitzrovia are all in there too."

Mayfair[7] (originally called The May Fair) is an area of central London, located within the City of Westminster. The district is now mainly commercial, with many former homes converted into offices for major corporations' headquarters, embassies and also hedge funds and real estate businesses. There remains a substantial quantity of residential property as well as some exclusive shopping and London's largest concentration of luxury hotels and many restaurants. Rents are among the highest in London and the world.

7d   Lecturer goes for surprise rave! (6,9)

In Britain, a Regius professor[10] is a person appointed by the Crown to a university chair founded by a royal patron. There is some discussion on Times for the Times concerning the appropriateness of using the term lecturer (a position low on the totem pole) for one of the most prestigious posts in academia.

8d   Leather satisfies people (7)

9d   One letter with another, in a sense (6)

14d   Nothing published — we did supply everywhere (3,3,4)

In Britain, fanny adams[5] (usually sweet fanny adams) is a slang term (often shortened to: f.a., FA, SFA) meaning absolutely nothing at all [a euphemism for fuck all].

16d   Vehicle may be unstable, so never load rubbish (9)

18d   Easy to digest? Not initially eaten by ambassador before a meal (4,3)

HE[2] is the abbreviation for His or Her Excellency, where Excellency[2] (usually His, Her or Your Excellency or Your or Their Excellencies) is a title of honour given to certain people of high rank, e.g. ambassadors.

The British distinguish between afternoon tea and high tea, although they both may be referred to simply as tea[10]. Afternoon tea[2] is a light afternoon meal at which tea, sandwiches and cakes are served. High tea[2] is a meal served in the late afternoon, usually consisting of a cooked dish, with bread, cakes and tea. Thus one would glean that high tea is a more substantial meal than afternoon tea and is typically served a bit later in the day.

20d   Run one pipe upwards (6)

Pipe[2] is to sing shrilly as a bird does.

23d   They store water through hydrokinetic action (5)

Hydrokinetics[2] is the branch of hydrodynamics which deals with fluids in motion — as compared with hydrostatics[2] the branch which deals with the behaviour and power of fluids which are not in motion.

24d   Amateur orchestra gets further (4)

LSO[2] is the the abbreviation for the London Symphony Orchestra.
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