Sunday, November 24, 2013 — ST 4561

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 1, 2013 but has been backdated to place it in the proper sequence in the Blog Archive.

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times ST 4561
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times Sunday, October 27, 2013
Setter Tim Moorey
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4561]
Times for the Times Review Written By Dave Perry
Dave Perry's Solving Time ★★★
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star Saturday, November 16, 2013
Date of Publication in The Vancouver Sun Saturday, November 23, 2013[Note 2]
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 █ - solved with aid of checking letters provided by solutions from Times for the Times
Notes [1] This puzzle appears on the Sunday puzzles pages in the Saturday, November 23, 2013 edition of The Ottawa Citizen. [2] Due to the paywall that has been erected on its web site, I am no longer able to verify the puzzle that is published in the Vancouver Sun.

Introduction

As I worked off and on at this puzzle over the course of the past week — interspersed with several other puzzles — it is somewhat difficult to formulate a proper assessment of it. While I did find it fairly difficult, my lack of sustained concentration on the puzzle may have contributed to that feeling.

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. The underlined portion of the clue is the definition.

Across

1a   Concerned with the Borders, stays in Peebles (7)

Borders^[5] refers to the boundary and adjoining districts between Scotland and England. Peebles^[7] is a burgh in Peeblesshire in the Local Government area of Scottish Borders, lying on the River Tweed.

In the Scottish dialect (as well as South African dialect), stay^[5] means to live permanently ⇒ where do you stay?. Thus, in Peebles (a town in the Scottish lowlands), "stays" would be a synonym for "resides", whereas in most places it would merely indicate a sojourn.

5a   Reading players disheartened about holding United (7)

Reading Football Club^[7] is an English professional football [soccer] club, based in Reading (pronounced RED-ing), that plays in The Championship (properly called the Football League Championship) which is the second level of league football in England.

Manchester United Football Club^[7] (often referred to as Man U or simply United) is an English professional football [soccer] club, based at Old Trafford [football stadium] in Old Trafford [district of Manchester], Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League (the top level in the English football league system).

Reading and United currently play at different levels of the English football league system — and therefore presumably would not face each other. However, Reading did compete in the 2012–13 Premier League season, having gained promotion at the end of the 2011–12 season, after winning The Championship. Alas, for them, their good fortune did not last. Reading is competing in The Championship again this season, having been relegated after one year back in the top flight.

9a   What in music could be represented as sliding? (9)

While I realized that it was not the first time that I had encountered this musical term in a puzzle, it was stored away so deeply in my mind that I could not force it to the surface. It certainly would have helped immensely had I recognized that the clue contains an anagram.

In music, a glissando^[5] (plural glissandi or glissandos) is a continuous slide upwards or downwards between two notes.

10a   Letter showing first from Oxford? Excellent! (5)

Mega^[5] is a [seemingly British] informal term meaning excellent ⇒ it will be a mega film. In North America, the term seems to be seen only in the alternate sense of very large or huge ⇒ he has signed a mega deal to make five movies.

Omega^[5] is the last letter of the Greek alphabet (Ω, ω).

11a   Toy gun seen behind bandit's back (6)

12a   Vocal pieces fare well together in headphones (8)

In a neat piece of wordplay, "fare well together" indicates 'farewell'.

In Britain, ta-ta^[5] is an informal way to say goodbye ⇒ well, I’ll say ta-ta, love.

Cans^[5] is a [possibly British] informal term for headphones.

14a   New pay cut with Post Office work is loony (10)

In music, Op. (also op.)^[5] is an abbreviation meaning opus (work). It is used before a number given to each work of a particular composer, usually indicating the order of publication.

16a   Shock comes from having rear-end chopped off in daring display (4)

18a   Former Prime Minister's in a hole, according to reports (4)

Pitt^[5] is the name of two British Tory statesmen:

• William, 1st Earl of Chatham (1708–78); known as Pitt the Elder. As Secretary of State (effectively Prime Minister), he headed coalition governments 1756–61 and 1766-8. He brought the Seven Years War to an end in 1763 and also masterminded the conquest of French possessions overseas, particularly in Canada and India.
• William (1759–1806), Prime Minister 1783–1801 and 1804-6, the son of Pitt the Elder; known as Pitt the Younger. The youngest-ever Prime Minister, he introduced reforms to reduce the national debt.

19a   A consumer out to lunch eats one? (4,6)

22a   Youngster gets sporting start on horse in front of Her Majesty (8)

A tee^[5] is a cleared space on a golf course, from which the ball is struck at the beginning of play for each hole ⇒ he smashes the ball off the 15th tee.

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

23a   US is unwanted in troubled Austrian capital (6)

Obviously the solution has to be Vienna. Not!

Tirana^[5] is the capital of Albania, on the Ishm River in central Albania; population 407,000 (est. 2009). Founded by the Turks in the 17th century, it became capital of Albania in 1920.

26a   Caught try by forward in the end (5)

I believe that the surface reading is meant to evoke the sport of rugby, in which a try^[5] is an act of touching the ball down behind the opposing goal line, scoring points and entitling the scoring side to a kick at goal.

27a   After one disembarked, coaches left in entrance (9)

In the cryptic reading, entrance^[5] is used as a verb meaning to fill (someone) with wonder and delight, holding their entire attention ⇒ I was entranced by the city’s beauty.

28a   It's rumoured tango dance has authority (4,3)

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

Hey^[10] (or hay) is (1) a circular figure in country dancing or (2) a former country dance in which the dancers wove in and out of a circle.

The wordplay is T (tango) + HEY (dance) + (has) SAY (authority).

29a   Like the main cocaine supply (7)

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

It always seems to slip my mind that, in situations such as this, supply^[5] must be interpreted as an adverb meaning in a supple way.

Down

1d   Trendy and socially aware resort's needing no introduction (5-2)

The term right-on^[10] is used in the sense of modern, trendy, and socially aware or relevant   ⇒ the young, right-on student crowd rather than [what may be a North American usage] absolutely right or perfectly true^[3].

Brighton^[5] is a resort on the south coast of England, in East Sussex; population 127,700 (est. 2009).

2d   Literary genre returns in terrific scenes (3-2)

3d   Girl's an unhealthy colour in bar (8)

Di is surely the most popular girl's name in Crosswordland.

4d   Siemens staff, but not the number one, all there (4)

The surface reading refers to Siemens AG^[5], a German multinational engineering and electronics conglomerate headquartered in Munich and Berlin. It is the largest Europe-based electronics and electrical engineering company.


In physics, the siemens^[5] (abbreviation S) is the SI unit of conductance, equal to one reciprocal ohm.

5d   One comes between Prince and pop singer, a temperamental lady (5,5)

In the surface reading, Prince^[7] (mononym of Prince Rogers Nelson) is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and actor.

Madonna^[7] (mononym of Madonna Louise Ciccone) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, author, director, entrepreneur and philanthropist.

6d   Son to share cultural heritage in rests (6)

7d   Boxing ace Prescott hit onlooker (9)

John Prescott^[7], Baron Prescott is a British Labour politician who was the Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007. During the 2001 election campaign, Prescott was campaigning in Rhyl, Denbighshire when farmer Craig Evans threw an egg at him, which struck him in the neck. Prescott, a former amateur boxer, responded immediately with a straight left to the jaw. The incident, overshadowing the launch of the Labour Party manifesto on that day, was captured by numerous television crews. Tony Blair [at the time, British Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party] responded succinctly, stating, "John is John". A National Opinion Polls (NOP) survey found that the incident appeared to do no public harm to Prescott, and may even have benefited his standing amongst male voters.

8d   How unruly dogs need to be taken for tricks (5,2)

In Britain, a lead^[5] is a strap or cord for restraining and guiding a dog or other domestic animal ⇒the dog is our constant walking companion and is always kept on a lead. The word leash^[5] (which would be more commonly used in North America) also seems to be used in the UK.

13d   New play about pop, it seems (10)

15d   Decrepit and remote cathedral church (5,4)

Notre Dame^[5] is a Gothic cathedral church in Paris, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, on the Île de la Cité (an island in the Seine). It was built between 1163 and 1250 and is especially noted for its innovatory flying buttresses and sculptured facade.

17d   House paper offers stock in great demand (3,5)

18d   Large sum of money recently stolen gets random criticism (7)

Pots of money^[5] is an informal expression meaning a very large amount of money ⇒ people who’ve got pots of money in the bank.

20d   No end of alarm, climate's changing? That can be stretched (7)

21d   Criticise the German patrol cars (6)

In German, das^[8] is one of the forms taken by the definite article.

In Britain, a panda car^[5] (or, presumably, just panda) is an informal name for a small police patrol car (originally black and white or blue and white).

24d   Trouble on navy deck (5)

The Royal Navy^[5] (abbreviation RN^[5]) is the British navy.

25d   One's heard order for starter is a pudding (4)

Sago^[5] is an edible starch which is obtained primarily from the sago palm [Metroxylon sagu, family Palmae] as well as from any of a number of other palms or cycads. The pith inside the trunk is scraped out, washed, and dried to produce a flour or processed to produce the granular sago (sago 'pearls') used in the West. Sago pudding (which may also be called simply sago) is a sweet dish [i.e., dessert] made from sago and milk. While I am personally not familiar with sago, I am certainly well acquainted with tapioca which apparently is a very similar product.

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)
^[11] - TheFreeDictionary.com (Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary)

Signing off for this week — Falcon

Sunday, November 17, 2013 — ST 4560

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times ST 4560
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times Sunday, October 20, 2013
Setter Dean Mayer (Anax)
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4560]
Times for the Times Review Written By Dave Perry
Dave Perry's Solving Time Not indicated[Note 2]
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star Saturday, November 9, 2013
Date of Publication in The Vancouver Sun Saturday, November 16, 2013[Note 3]
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 █ - solved with aid of checking letters provided by solutions from Times for the Times
Notes [1] This puzzle appears on the Sunday puzzles pages in the Saturday, November 16, 2013 edition of The Ottawa Citizen. [2] Dave Perry comments "I can't really give a solving time for this one ... I did find it one of Dean's trickier ones, though, and I had to revisit it several times."  [3] Due to the paywall that has been erected on its web site, I am no longer able to verify the puzzle published in the Vancouver Sun.

Introduction

Not only did I find this to be a very difficult puzzle, I have struggled for most of the last week to solve some various serious computer glitches. I needed a fair amount of help from my electronic puzzle solving aids to complete this puzzle. Even then, there were several clues where I was unable to explain the wordplay even having the correct solution.

Writers at Times for the Times point out that there is a "theme" to this puzzle. It pays homage to Alton Towers, the most visited theme park in the UK. In addition to the park itself, nine of the park's rides (past or present) are found in the solutions.

Notes on Today's Puzzle

This commentary should be read in conjunction with the full review at Times for the Times, to which a link is provided in the table above. The underlined portion of the clue is the definition.

Across

1a   Good to keep bowing? I'll wait (6)

Arc^[10], as a verb, means to form an arc. Thus to "keep bowing" is to "arc on".

A garçon^[5] (literally 'boy' in French) is a waiter in a French restaurant or hotel.

5a   Nerve gas? (8)

Backchat^[5] is an informal British term for rude or cheeky remarks made in reply to someone in authority ⇒ don’t interrupt! I’m not used to backchat or defiance!.

9a   Son's offence, stealing glossy handbags (9)

Glossy^[3] is a chiefly British term for a popular magazine printed on smooth-coated stock.

In Britain, handbags^[10] is a humorous term for a confrontation that does not lead to serious fighting, especially among soccer players. [from the idea of women fighting with their handbags]

10a   Academician will accept it as subject of education (4)

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

Educating Rita^[7] is a 1980 stage comedy by British playwright Willy Russell that was the basis of a 1983 Academy Award winning film. 

11a   Spoils  one associated with war (4)

The name of the Greek god Ares^[5] came to me almost immediately, so it is indeed puzzling why it took me so long to think of his Roman counterpart.

In Roman mythology, Mars^[5] is the god of war and the most important Roman god after Jupiter. The month of March is named after him.

13a   Number one is holding tight, lying about job (9)

14a   Pick up trousers? No, just shell suit (6)

In Britain, a shell suit^[5] is a casual outfit consisting of a loose jacket and trousers with elasticated waist, having a soft lining and a shiny polyester outer shell.

15a   Commitment against replacing shooter - there's no sense in it (8)

I arrived at the correct solution with the aid of a Word Finder program — but needed Dave Perry's review to understand the wordplay.

Oblivion^[5] is the state of being unaware or unconscious of what is happening around one ⇒ they drank themselves into oblivion.

17a   Singer, one from New Zealand, entertains married ladies regularly (3,5)

Kiwi^[5] is an informal term for a New Zealander.

Kim Wilde^[7] (born Kim Smith) is an English pop singer, author, DJ and television presenter who burst onto the British music scene in 1981. In 1987 she had a major hit in the US when her version of The Supremes' classic "You Keep Me Hangin' On" topped the charts.

19a   I'm happy, in the early rounds, not to start from the back (6)

This is another case where I only twigged to the wordplay after reading Dave Perry's review.

A prelim^[5] is an event which precedes or prepares for another, in particular ... a preliminary round in a sporting competition ⇒ the prelims of the 400-meter free relay.

20a   Trunk full of powdered chalk in prison (5,4)

The Black Hole of Calcutta^[5] was a dungeon 6 metres (20 feet) square in Fort William, Calcutta (now Kolkata), where perhaps as many as 146 English prisoners were confined overnight following the capture of the city by the nawab of Bengal in 1756. Only twenty-three of them were still alive the next morning.

23a   You will turn over when being promiscuous (4)

Here I totally failed to grasp the simple, yet elegant, wordplay. It is a reversal (will turn ) of YE (you) containing (over) AS (when).

24a   Synthesizer producing low note (4)

25a   David's wife cleans the man's soul (9)

In ancient Egypt, ba^[5] was the supposed soul of a person or god, which survived after death but had to be sustained with offerings of food. It was typically represented as a human-headed bird. This is not to be confused with ka^[5], the supposed spiritual part of an individual human being or god, which survived (with the soul) after death and could reside in a statue of the person.

In the Bible, Bathsheba^[5] is the mother of Solomon. She was originally wife of Uriah the Hittite, and later one of the wives of David.

27a   Where situation is tense, unhappy in there (8)

Like Dave Perry, I solved 27a first — thereby giving me the solution to 13a.

28a   Run out then run in to say prayers (6)

In cricket, run out^[5] (abbreviation ro^[2]) means to dismiss (a running batsman) by breaking the wicket with the ball, or with the ball in the hand, while he is out of his ground^[10] (the area from the popping crease back past the stumps, in which a batsman may legally stand).

On cricket scorecards, the abbreviation R^[5] denotes run(s).

Down

2d   Dipstick quietly dropped from hand (3)

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

3d   Sailors from Irish port take convoluted course (9)

Cork^[5] is a county of the Republic of Ireland, on the south coast in the province of Munster. It is also the name of the county town of Cork, a port on the River Lee; population 190,384 (2006).

4d   Man's humour recalled one's fierce rival (7)

This is another instance where I was not able to decipher the wordplay until I read Dave Perry's review.

Humour is used in the sense of a body fluid. There is quite a bit of discussion on Times for the Times as to whether or not this is stretching the definition. I found several dictionaries which defined the term in this sense — some narrowly, some more broadly. Collins English Dictionary defines humour^[10] fairly narrowly as any of various fluids in the body, especially the aqueous humour and vitreous humour. Chambers 21st Century Dictionary provides a similar definition for humour^[2], viz. a specified type of fluid in the body ⇒ aqueous humour. The American Heritage Dictionary defines the word (for which it naturally uses the American spelling, humor^[2]) a bit more broadly as a body fluid, such as blood, lymph, or bile (in addition to its meanings of aqueous humor and vitreous humor). The broadest definition is found in the Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary which defines humor^[11] as any animal or plant fluid, especially one of the body fluids once regarded as determining a person's constitution: blood, phlegm, black bile, or yellow bile.

Thus if we allow that humour may be "any animal or plant fluid" then "man's humour" could certainly include semen.

5d   Pig trotter finally taken from cut of meat (5)

Alas, for me, the word "breast" just does not evoke images of a cut of meat!

6d   As they say, dice completely white? (3,4)

Here "dice" is a verb used in cooking rather than a noun used in the casino.

White^[5] can be used as a noun to refer to a white thing, in particular the white ball (the cue ball) in snooker or billiards.

7d   Toymaker's soldiers used in Toy Story presentation (5)

Corgi Classics Limited^[7] is the current reincarnation of a British toymaker that manufactures die-cast models of cars and other vehicles.

Computer-generated imagery^[7] (abbreviation CGI^[5]) is the application of computer graphics to create or contribute to images in art, printed media, video games, films, television programs, commercials, and simulators.

8d   Theme park possibly roped into changes (5,6)

In tow (also on tow^[5]) means being towed by another vehicle or boat ⇒ (i) his boat was taken in tow by a trawler; (ii) the shallop [a type of sail boat] remained on tow when the ships left for the mainland.

Alton Towers Resort^[7] is a theme park and resort located in Alton, England, UK. In 2012, it was the most visited theme park in the United Kingdom and 9th most visited theme park in Europe.

12d   A fancy mobile, to a Henry Fielding character (6,5)

Although the woman appearing in the solution is a character in a novel by Henry Fielding, the setter uses only the author's surname in the definition.

The henry^[5] (abbreviation H) is the SI unit of inductance, equal to an electromotive force of one volt in a closed circuit with a uniform rate of change of current of one ampere per second. In the clue, the setter introduces a bit of cryptic misdirection by capitalizing the first letter of 'henry'.

Amelia Booth is the title character in Amelia^[7], a sentimental novel written by English author Henry Fielding (1707–1754) and published in December 1751. It was the fourth and final novel written by Fielding.

15d   United emerged victorious? We wouldn't all say that (3)

This is another tricky bit of wordplay that I only understood after reading Dave Perry's review.

The definition is "united" for which the solution is ONE. This is a homophone clue with a rather unusual homophone indicator, with the wordplay being sounds like WON (emerged victorious) to some people (we wouldn't all say that). Here the homophone indicator ("we wouldn't all say that") must be interpreted as 'sounds like ... to some people".

16d   Mum solves cryptic when eating dessert? (9)

In the UK, ice^[5] may refer to a  portion of water ice^[5], a dessert consisting of frozen fruit juice or flavoured water and sugar. As well, it could refer to an ice cream or ice lolly^[5], a piece of flavoured ice or ice cream on a stick (the former is known in North America as a popsicle^[5] and the latter would usually be referred to simply as ice cream on a stick).

18d   I'll bake pie that's nice (7)

Pie^[10] is a variant spelling of pi meaning, as a noun, a jumbled mixture and, as a verb, to mix up.

In the past, I have seen clues which have used this meaning of pie. However, I only recall seeing it used as a past participle (pied), making the wordplay much easier to explain. However, 'pie' could be either a noun or the present tense of the verb.

If pie is intended to be a noun, then the wordplay may involve interpreting the wordplay as 'a jumbled mixture of [the letters] ILL BAKE'. The rationale for this interpretation is that if an 'apple pie' is a pie [made] of apples, then it logically follows that an 'ILL BAKE pie' would be a pie (jumbled mixture) [made] of ILL BAKE.

On the other hand, if pie is intended to be a verb, then the wordplay may need to be read as "I'll bake; pie that". That is, interpret the wordplay to be a series of instructions where we start with the letters ILL BAKE; then pie them (mix them up).

Since pie is a transitive verb, the setter could have written the clue in Yoda-speak:

Pie I'll bake is nice.

19d   Author in topless attire upset poet (7)

Edmund Spenser^[5] (circa 1552–99) was an English poet. He is best known for his allegorical romance The Faerie Queene (1590; 1596), celebrating Queen Elizabeth I and written in the Spenserian stanza.

21d   Nettle right at the bottom of pasture (5)

Dave Perry comments "I didn't like this one as there's no indication that the R is being moved." I have observed that, at times, crucial bits of information may be implicit in cryptic crossword puzzles.

22d   Work can be involved (3,2)

In music, Op. (also op.)^[5] is an abbreviation meaning opus (work). It is used before a number given to each work of a particular composer, usually indicating the order of publication.

26d   Excellent start to radio broadcast (3)

A1^[4][5] or A-one^[3] meaning first class or excellent comes from a classification for ships in The Lloyd's Register of Shipping where it means equipped to the highest standard or first-class.

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)
^[11] - TheFreeDictionary.com (Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary)

Signing off for this week — Falcon

Sunday, November 10, 2013 — ST 4559

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times ST 4559
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times Sunday, October 13, 2013
Setter Jeff Pearce
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4559]
Times for the Times Review Written By Dave Perry
Dave Perry's Solving Time ★★
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star Saturday, November 2, 2013
Date of Publication in The Vancouver Sun Saturday, November 9, 2013[see note]
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 █ - solved with aid of checking letters provided by solutions from Times for the Times
Notes This puzzle appears on the Sunday puzzles pages in the Saturday, November 9, 2013 edition of The Ottawa Citizen. Due to the paywall on its web site, I am no longer able to verify the puzzle that appears in the Vancouver Sun.

Introduction

Despite not being overly difficult, the puzzle contained a heavy dose of British references. As I was familiar with many of them, them true number really only became apparent when I sat down to compose the blog.

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. The underlined portion of the clue is the definition.

Across

1a   Press feature Royal in her skimpy underwear (6)

R^[10] as a symbol for Royal is found in Collins English Dictionary.

5a   Old market is key in Atlantic port (6)

Rialto^[5] is an island in Venice, containing the old mercantile quarter of medieval Venice. The Rialto Bridge, completed in 1591, crosses the Grand Canal between Rialto and San Marco islands.

Rio de Janeiro^[5] (commonly known as Rio) is a city in eastern Brazil, on the Atlantic coast; population 6,093,472 (2007). The chief port of Brazil, it was the country’s capital from 1763 until 1960, when it was replaced by Brasilia.

9a   How might I describe old railwaymen in sport? (3,6)

This is an inverse wordplay type of clue — specifically an inverse reversal. The solution to the clue consists of a reversal indicator and its fodder, with the result of the reversal being found in the clue itself. The phrase "old railwaymen" refers to the NUR (National Union of Railwaymen), a defunct railway union. The solution is RUN AROUND which, in cryptic crossword terms, could be used as wordplay indicating a reversal (around) of RUN.

The National Union of Railwaymen^[7] (NUR) was a trade union of railway workers in the United Kingdom which came into being in 1913 through the merger of three former unions. In 1990 the NUR merged with the National Union of Seamen to form the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) and ceased to exist as a separate union.

Sport is used as a verb meaning to play in a lively, energetic way^[5] or frolic^[3] ⇒ the children sported in the water.

10a   Grade and another entertainment mogul (4)

"Grade" can be interpreted in two senses in this clue.

First, grade^[5] can mean simply a particular level of rank, quality, proficiency, or value.

Second, as is alluded to by the word "another" in the clue, it is a reference to Lew Grade^[5], Baron Grade of Elstree (1906–1998), a British television producer and executive who was born in Russia; born Louis Winogradsky. A pioneer of British commercial television, he served as president of ATV (Associated Television) from 1977 to 1982.

J. Arthur Rank^[5], 1st Baron Rank (1888–1972) was an English industrialist and film executive; full name Joseph Arthur Rank. In 1941 he founded the Rank Organization, a film production and distribution company that acquired control of the leading British studios and cinema chains in the 1940s and 1950s.

11a   Remove obstruction in river (6)

Let^[5] is a formal term meaning obstruction, the phrase "without let or hindrance" meaning without obstruction or impediment ⇒ rats scurried about the house without let or hindrance.

In racket sports, a let^[5] is a circumstance under which a service is nullified and has to be taken again, especially (in tennis) when the ball clips the top of the net and falls within bounds [or, in squash, when one of the players has been obstructed] ⇒ he was obstructed and asked for a let.

12a   Touring East a fiancée acquires a soothing lotion (4,4)

14a   Old fiddler hid silver in some bread (8)

Nicolò Paganini^[5] (1782–1840) was an Italian violinist and composer. His virtuoso violin recitals, including widespread use of pizzicato and harmonics, established him as a major figure of the romantic movement.

The symbol for the chemical element silver is Ag^[5] from Latin argentum.

16a   Drink to politician’s first seat (4)

18a   The talent  present (4)

19a   Fags on offer – extremely dodgy at a low price (3,1,4)

21a   Force into the service  of many Chinese folk? (8)

Shanghai^[5] is a city on the east coast of China, a port on the estuary of the Yangtze; population 11,283,700 (est. 2006). Opened for trade with the west in 1842, Shanghai contained until the Second World War areas of British, French, and American settlement. It was the site in 1921 of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party.

In the first definition, shanghai^[5] is used as a verb meaning to force (someone) to join a ship lacking a full crew by drugging them or using other underhand means ⇒ they specialized in drugging and robbing sailors, sometimes arranging for them to be shanghaied aboard tramp boats.

In the second definition, I suspect that the name of the city might be being used as an adjective (as in "Shanghai Metro", the name of the rapid transit system serving the city of Shanghai) with the definition being "of many Chinese folk". However, I could be wrong, and the setter may have intended the phrase "many Chinese folk" to simply be a reference to the city itself.

22a   Countless heads of rebel insurgents are discovered behind well (6)

24a   Beat a Tibetan monk (4)

26a   Stubborn soldier – after power - returned and was in charge (3-6)

27a   Cut off top of noisome flower (6)

The setter uses flower in a whimsical cryptic crossword sense meaning something that flows — in other words, a river.

The Severn^[5] is a river of SW Britain. Rising in central Wales, it flows north-east then south in a broad curve for some 290 km (180 miles) to its mouth on the Bristol Channel.

28a   Before opening of theatre you must arrange clean knife (6)

Down

2d   Cook has his order for Root (11)

3d   One cat or 16 for a pound (5)

4d   Plant’s poor drainage (8)

5d   The Sun is said to be  what Man Utd fans buy? (3-3)

I suppose that red is an appropriate colour for this clue. I wrongly guessed that the solution might be RED-HOT, thinking that a red-hot might be some sort of food sold at soccer stadiums.

In Britain, a tabloid newspaper is known as a red top^[5] (from the red background on which the titles of certain British newspapers are printed).

Manchester United Football Club^[7] (often referred to as Man Utd in newspaper headlines) is an English professional football [soccer] club, based at Old Trafford [football stadium] in Old Trafford [district of Manchester], Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League (the top level in the English football league system). The team's home uniform consists of a red top and white shorts [and a large commercial endorsement].

6d   The first animals to be included in the dictionary? (9)

7d   Chap lacking hint of sun won’t! (3)

It is highly unlikely that STAN could TAN in the absence of Sun.

8d   Extremists cut finger and nail off (7,6)

13d   Desperate Cameron goes round with Liberal – Sparks will fly from this! (5,6)

The wordplay is an anagram (desperate) of CAMERON containing (goes around) {AND (with) + L (Liberal)}.

David Cameron^[5] is a British Conservative statesman, Prime Minister since 2010 (in coalition with the Liberal Democrats); full name David William Donald Cameron.

The Liberal Party^[5] in Britain emerged in the 1860s from the old Whig Party and until the First World War was one of the two major parties in Britain. In 1988 the party regrouped with elements of the Social Democratic Party to form the Social and Liberal Democrats, now known as the Liberal Democrats; a small Liberal Party still exists. Although I believe that Lib.^[5] may be the more common abbreviation for the party, Chambers 21st Century Dictionary indicates that L^[2] may also be used.

15d   Slender cardinal you texted in a gallery (9)

Here, attenuate^[5] is an adjective (a rarely seen usage) meaning reduced in force, effect, or physical thickness ⇒ the doctrines of Christianity became very attenuate and distorted.

The Tate Gallery^[5] (commonly known simply as the Tate) is a national museum of art in London, England founded in 1897 by the sugar manufacturer Sir Henry Tate (1819–1899) to house his collection of modern British paintings, as a nucleus for a permanent national collection of modern art. It was renamed Tate Britain in 2000, when the new Tate Modern gallery opened.

17d   Dandy’s ring absorbs funny maiden (8)

George Bryan Brummell^[5] (1778–1840) was an English dandy; known as Beau Brummell. He was the arbiter of British fashion for the first decade and a half of the 19th century, owing his social position to his friendship with the Prince Regent.

In Britain, bell^[5] is used as a verb meaning to telephone (someone) ⇒ no problem, I’ll bell her tomorrow.

Rum^[5] is dated British slang meaning odd or peculiar ⇒ it’s a rum business, certainly. 

In cricket, a maiden^[5], also known as a maiden over, (abbreviation M)^[5] is an over in which no runs are scored. 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.

20d   Pianist’s short friend is carrying his work (6)

Frédéric Chopin^[5] (1810–49) was a Polish-born French composer and pianist. Writing almost exclusively for the piano, he composed numerous mazurkas and polonaises inspired by Polish folk music, as well as nocturnes, preludes, and two piano concertos (1829; 1830).

In Britain, china^[5] is an informal term for a friend (or, as the Brits would say, a mate^[5]). This comes from Cockney rhyming slang, where china is the shortened form of china plate which rhymes with 'mate'.

In music, Op. (also op.)^[5] is an abbreviation meaning opus (work). It is used before a number given to each work of a particular composer, usually indicating the order of publication.

23d   Cook managed without hazardous substance (5)

The verb to do may well be associated with cooking most frequently when used as a past participle ⇒ a steak that is well done.

25d   Idiot parking in place where ambulances go (3)

A&E^[5] (accident and emergency) is the British term for the Emergency Department in a hospital ⇒ an A&E department.

The wordplay is P (parking) contained in (in) {A + (&) E} (place where ambulances go).

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)
^[11] - TheFreeDictionary.com (Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary)

Signing off for this week — Falcon

Sunday, November 3, 2013 — ST 4558

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times ST 4558
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times Sunday, October 6, 2013
Setter Tim Moorey
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4558]
Times for the Times Review Written By Dave Perry
Dave Perry's Solving Time ★★★
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star Saturday, October 26, 2013
Date of Publication in The Vancouver Sun Saturday, November 2, 2013[see note]
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 █ - solved with aid of checking letters provided by solutions from Times for the Times
Notes This puzzle appears on the Sunday puzzles pages in the Saturday, November 2, 2013 edition of The Ottawa Citizen. Due to the paywall on its web site, I am no longer able to verify the puzzle that appears in the Vancouver Sun.

Introduction

After the strenuous workout thrown at us last week, it was a relief to have something a bit less taxing this week.

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. The underlined portion of the clue is the definition.

Across

1a   Head leaving Bedfordshire town is not settled (8)

I solved the clue from the definition and checking letters, then correctly guessed the name of the town.

Dunstable^[7] is a market town and civil parish located in Bedfordshire, England. It lies on the eastward tail spurs of the Chiltern Hills, 30 miles north of London.

5a   Expanding bullet for which abuse is repeatedly rejected (6)

10a   Kitty, beginner in bakery can work to deliver bread fast (9)

Think of "work" as a noun rather than a verb.

A potboiler^[3,4,11] is a mediocre work of literature or art produced merely for financial gain.

An oiler^[5] is a thing that holds or supplies oil, in particular ... an oilcan.

11a   Some went along with cards left after deal (5)

A talon^[3] is the part of the deck of cards in certain card games left on the table after the deal.

12a   Short of capital, mobile phone company cover a certain area (5)

Orange^[7] is a mobile network operator and internet service provider in the United Kingdom, which launched in 1993. It purchased by France Télécom (now Orange S.A.) in 2000, which then adopted the Orange brand for all its other mobile communications activities.

13a   Fool lured in London, say, showing naivety (9)

14a   I note game needing a court (enclosed as shown here) (2,8)

17a   What C Clay became in part of Africa ... (4)

Muhammad Ali^[7] (born Cassius Clay) is an American former professional boxer, generally considered among the greatest heavyweights in the sport's history — and who was nicknamed "The Greatest". In 1974, Ali knocked out George Foreman in a fight held in Kinshasa, Zaire — a bout nicknamed "The Rumble in the Jungle".

19a   ... the greatest! About right for a natural comedian (4)

For me, it was Groucho who leapt to mind. Dave Perry reveals that he "is a sucker for Chico's piano vignettes".

The Marx Brothers^[7] were a family comedy act, originally from New York City, that enjoyed success in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in motion pictures from 1905 to 1949. The core of the act was the three elder brothers, Chico, Harpo, and Groucho; each developed a highly distinctive stage persona. The two younger brothers, Gummo and Zeppo, did not develop their stage characters to the same extent, and eventually left the act to pursue other careers. Gummo was not in any of the movies; Zeppo appeared in the first five films in relatively straight (non-comedic) roles.

A visitor to Times for the Times questioned this clue: "I don't understand what 'natural' is doing in 19ac but maybe I'm missing something that hasn't yet been explained."

Perhaps an incident that occurred at a performance by the Marx Brothers in 1912 might provide an answer. Originally, the Marx Brothers were not a comedy troupe, but a musical group. The performance in question was interrupted by a commotion outside. The audience hurried outside to see what was happening. When the audience returned, Groucho, angered by the interruption, made snide comments about the town and its citizens. Instead of becoming angry, the audience laughed. The family then realized it had potential as a comic troupe. Clearly, Groucho must have been a "natural" comedian as this initial comedy performance was presumably totally unrehearsed.

20a   Distribute again in proper place (10)

22a   Little time to go, fancy Tate Modern or a cathedral? (5-4)

The Tate Gallery^[5] (commonly known simply as the Tate) is a national museum of art in London, England founded in 1897 by the sugar manufacturer Sir Henry Tate (1819–1899) to house his collection of modern British paintings, as a nucleus for a permanent national collection of modern art. It was renamed Tate Britain in 2000, when the new Tate Modern gallery opened.

Tate Modern^[7] is a modern art gallery located in London. It is Britain's national gallery of international modern art and forms part of the Tate group (together with Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool, Tate St Ives and Tate Online). It is the most-visited modern art gallery in the world, with around 4.7 million visitors per year.

Notre Dame^[5] is a Gothic cathedral church in Paris, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, on the Île de la Cité (an island in the Seine). It was built between 1163 and 1250 and is especially noted for its innovatory flying buttresses and sculptured facade.

24a   Get a drink and book a dance (5)

26a   Scandinavian singer is a long time going round Norway (5)

Despite (like Dave Perry) having never heard of this singer, her name was not difficult to decipher from the wordplay.

Agnes Carlsson^[7], also known mononymously as Agnes is a Swedish recording artist. She rose to fame as the winner of Idol 2005, the second season of the Swedish Idol series.

27a   Rattle put in air associated with one Bellini opera (1,8)

I had all the vowels in the proper positions based on the checking letters, so all that I needed to do was place the consonants. I tried several permutations, none of which looked promising. In doing so, I somehow managed to miss the correct permutation which happens to be the only one that looks at all plausible. In the end, I resorted to consulting a list of Bellini operas.

I puritani^[7] (The Puritans), first produced in 1835, is the last opera to be written by Italian composer Vincenzo Bellini (1801–1835).

28a   Middle East country housing is for regime sycophants (3-3)

29a   Writer using wrong books (8)

Penguin Books^[7] is a former UK publisher that has now become an imprint of Penguin Random House — which is controlled by the German media conglomerate Bertelsmann.

Down

1d   Style any MP "a real runt" and one could be this (15)

A semi & lit. clue.

2d   Stupid person is raising a protest (3-2)

Nit^[5] is a British term for a foolish person ⇒ you stupid nit!.

3d   Overhead for small supermarket better than expected (5,3)

Dave Perry has a better explanation than I managed to come up with. I supposed that "small supermarket" must be denoting SPAR with the initial S removed. This did seem to be a bit strange as I have only seen this construction used to clue the initial letter of a word (as in 22a) — not the removal of the initial letter. Dave Perry suggests that we need to substitute ABOVE (overhead) for S (small) in SPAR (supermarket).

Spar^[7] is a retailer based in the Netherlands that operates approximately 12,500 grocery, convenience and discount stores in 35 countries worldwide, including more than 2,500 stores in the UK — but none in North or South America.

4d   Ring up about one purple shrub (5)

6d   U-turn Maggie finally contrived? Not so (6)

7d   Trouble in a desperate condition endlessly upset eastern leader (5,4)

The Dalai Lama^[5] is the spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhism and, until the establishment of Chinese communist rule, the spiritual and temporal ruler of Tibet.

8d   Model did many a service? She would, wouldn't she! (5,4-6)

Isn't it amazing how the names of those associated with sex scandals seem to stick in one's brain — or is it just me?

This is a really marvellous clue on so many levels. 

Mandy Rice-Davies^[7] is a British former model and showgirl best known for her association with Christine Keeler and her role in the Profumo affair, which discredited the Conservative government of British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan in 1963.

In July 1961, British osteopath Stephen Ward^[7] held a pool party at Cliveden, the Buckinghamshire mansion owned by Viscount Astor during which he introduced Christine Keeler to John Profumo, the British Secretary of State for War. Profumo began having sexual relations with Keeler, unaware that she might also have been having sexual relations with Yevgeni Ivanov, a naval attaché at the embassy of the Soviet Union. When the affair became public, Profumo was forced to resign. In the fallout of the Profumo scandal, Ward was charged with living off the avails of prostitution (on which he was found guilty) and procuring prostitutes (on which he has found not guilty). Ward committed suicide by overdosing on sleeping tablets on the last day of his trial and died before sentence could be pronounced.

During a magistrates court hearing, it was put to Mandy Rice-Davies that Lord Astor denied having had sex with her, to which she replied, “He would, wouldn’t he?”. In his review, Dave Perry incorrectly attributes the quote to Stephen Ward, an error that doesn't escape several visitors to the Times for the Times site.

9d   Korean, for example. appears in London soccer team, one on top of league (8)

Another clue that was easy enough to solve without ever having heard of the British football club.

Leyton Orient F.C.^[7] are a professional football [soccer] club in Leyton, in the London Borough of Waltham Forest, England. They play in Football League One, the third tier in the English football league system, and are known to their fans as the O's.

15d   In SW London district, one's accompanied by singers (9)

My difficulty here came from incorrectly supposing that the solution would be "a SW London district".

Barnes^[7] is a district in south-west London, England, within the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.

One meaning of the preposition to^[10] is accompanied by ⇒ dancing to loud music.

The wordplay is BARNES (London district) containing (in) {I ([Roman numeral for] one) + ('s; in the cryptic reading, a contraction for has) TO (accompanied by)}

16d   Look up a bird and carry on (4,2,2)

A tit^{[Britannica Concise Encyclopedia]} is any of several songbirds closely related to the chickadee, including the great tit (Parus major), found in Europe, North Africa, and Asia and the tufted titmouse (Parus bicolor), native to North America. These birds are called either "chickadees" or "titmice" in North America, and just "tits" in the rest of the English-speaking world.^[7]

18d   Head inspires a right row in public school arrangement (8)

In the UK, a public school^[5] is a private fee-paying secondary school, especially one for boarders [what North Americans would call public schools are referred to in Britain as state funded schools].

Head^[5] is a nautical term for a toilet on a ship or boat ⇒ they were cleaning out the heads.

The bog^[5] is British slang for the toilet.

21d   Sounds like ecstasy reduced for a tenant (6)

E^[5] is an abbreviation for the drug Ecstasy or a tablet of Ecstasy ⇒ (i) people have died after taking E; (ii) being busted with three Es can lead to stiff penalties.

23d   Extract from English and Italian leader (5)

Duce^[5] is an Italian word meaning leader. In 1922, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini assumed the title Il Duce.

25d   Note friend from Paris is in US city (5)

Appropriately enough, mi^[3] is the American spelling of the third tone of the diatonic scale in solfeggio. British dictionaries appear to disagree on the preferred spelling of the name of this note. Chambers 21st Century Dictionary and Oxford Dictionaries Online indicate that the principal spelling is me, with mi being a variant spelling.^[2,5] Collins English Dictionary takes a contrary stance.^[4]

Ami^[8] (plural amis) is the masculine form of the French word meaning 'friend'.

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)
^[11] - TheFreeDictionary.com (Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary)

Signing off for this week — Falcon