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)

René 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” is — applies 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   Precise “command”? (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