Sunday, February 23, 2014 — ST 4574

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times ST 4574
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times Sunday, January 26, 2014
Setter Jeff Pearce
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4574]
Times for the Times Review Written By Dave Perry
Dave Perry's Solving Time ★★★
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star Saturday, February 15, 2014
Date of Publication in The Vancouver Sun Saturday, February 22, 2014[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 █ - solved but without fully parsing the clue █ - unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Times for the Times █ - solved with aid of checking letters provided by solutions from Times for the Times █ - yet to be solved
Notes [1] This puzzle appears on the Sunday puzzles pages in the Saturday, February 22, 2014 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

Today's offering from Jeff Pearce is relatively gentle. However, I expect a much tougher challenge next week from Anax.

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   Copy funny strip cartoon but leave out the ducks (10)

In cricket, a duck^[5] is a batsman’s score of nought [zero] ⇒ he was out for a duck. This is similar to the North American expression goose egg^[5] meaning a zero score in a game. In British puzzles, duck is used to indicate the letter "O" based on the resemblance of the digit "0" to this letter.

6a   Hibiscus conceals bird (4)

9a   Loot left for nark (10)

In Australia and New Zealand, nark^[10] is another name for a spoilsport.

10a   Smear Tory cut short by runs (4)

In Britain, blue^[5] is an informal term for a supporter of the Conservative Party.

In the UK [as is also the case in Canada], a Tory^[5] is a member or supporter of the Conservative Party.

Originally, the term Tory referred to a member of the English political party opposing the exclusion of James II from the succession. It remained the name for members of the English, later British, parliamentary party supporting the established religious and political order until the emergence of the Conservative Party in the 1830s.

12a   Use key and take off bolt (6)

13a   Bitterness from grub at the club (8)

Wormwood^[5] is a woody shrub with a bitter aromatic taste, used as an ingredient of vermouth and absinthe and in medicine. The term can also mean a state or source of bitterness or grief ⇒ The survivors of the 1996 election were relegated to a kind of mute opposition, forced to sip wormwood from the cup of their own brewing.

15a   Cool fire eater dancing with Romanian girl initially (11)

The International Vehicle Registration (IVR) code for Romania is R^[5]. However, I would say that this is not how the setter has chosen to clue R in this clue. Since the clue contains the word "Romanian" (rather than "Romania"), the wordplay would seem to be an anagram (dancing) of {FIRE EATER + (with) the initial letters of Romanian and Girl (Romanian girl initially)}.

18a   Detain judge after driving, perhaps, to church (11)

The wordplay is RATE (judge) following (after) {IN CAR (driving, perhaps) + (to) CE (church; Church of England}.

As a charade indicator, the word "to" is used in the sense of "pressed against" — as in expressions such as "shoulder to the wheel" or "nose to the grindstone".

The Church of England^[10] (abbreviation CE^[10]) is the reformed established state Church in England, Catholic in order and basic doctrine, with the Sovereign as its temporal head.

21a   Nobleman that's, by the way, first (8)

An earl^[5] is a British nobleman ranking above a viscount and below a marquess [the third highest of the five ranks of nobility — duke, marquess, earl, viscount, and baron].

22a   Secret about to be concealed by composer (6)

Thomas Arne^[5] (1710–1778) was an English composer noted for ‘Rule, Britannia’ (whose words are attributed to James Thomson) and for his settings of Shakespearean songs.

24a   Like a royal but not grand (4)

25a   Cooked kebabs and Egyptian food campers might have (5,5)

E^[10] is the symbol for Egypt or Egyptian.

26a   Stretch of water? Not so fast! (4)

The Solent^[5] is a channel between the northwest coast of the Isle of Wight and the mainland of southern England.

27a   Yank in one ripping novel making one sad (10)

Down

1d   Quality assurance worker finally left plant (6)

2d   Cold remedy includes it now! (2,4)

To see the wordplay, read it as "cold, remedy includes it".

3d   Picture with airports left out (4-8)

4d   Ready for gym after bible studies (4)

PE^[5] is the abbreviation for physical education (or Phys Ed, as it would likely be called by most school kids).

Religious instruction^[10] (abbreviation RI^[10]) is another name for religious education^[10] (abbreviation RE^[10]).

According to Wikipedia, "In secular usage, religious education^[7] is the teaching of a particular religion (although in England the term religious instruction would refer to the teaching of a particular religion, with religious education referring to teaching about religions in general [as a school subject]) and its varied aspects — its beliefs, doctrines, rituals, customs, rites, and personal roles." 

5d   Fan copied rail magazine (10)

As an anagram indicator, fan^[10] would be used in the sense of to agitate or move (air, smoke, etc) with or as if with a fan.

7d   Graduate left with just a shoe and hat (8)

Having never heard of either the shoe or the hat, I didn't feel to bad about failing to solve this without the help of my electronic assistants.

A balmoral^[5] can be either (1) a round brimless hat with a cockade or ribbons attached, worn by certain Scottish regiments or (2) a heavy laced leather walking boot.

8d   Mum's more embarrassed as destroyer of confidential material (8)

11d   Fresh pine tree balm is thick (12)

As an anagram indicator, fresh^[10] would be used in the sense of novel or original ⇒ a fresh outlook.

14d   Fragrance from sweet drink (10)

Although I forgave myself for missing 7d, I kicked myself for not solving this one without help from my electronic assistants.

Have^[10] is used in the sense of to to eat, drink, or partake of ⇒to have a good meal.

16d   Lively person's flash dance (8)

One definition of fire^[10] is a flash or spark of or as if of fire.

17d   Expert turned over twig without seeing creature (8)

A scion^[5] is a young shoot or twig of a plant, especially one cut for grafting or rooting.

19d   Fabric's first for dress then a cloak (6)

20d   Take a little time and relax with paper's last puzzle (6)

23d   European guy and Henry make a mistake (4)

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.

Herr^[5] is (1) a title or form of address used of or to a German-speaking man, corresponding to Mr and also used before a rank or occupation ⇒ (i) good morning, Herr Weber; (ii) my trip with the Herr Doktor was postponed or (2) a German man.

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, February 16, 2014 — ST 4573

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times ST 4573
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times Sunday, January 19, 2014
Setter Tim Moorey
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4573]
Times for the Times Review Written By Dave Perry
Dave Perry's Solving Time ★★★★
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star Saturday, February 8, 2014
Date of Publication in The Vancouver Sun Saturday, February 15, 2014[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 █ - solved but without fully parsing the clue █ - unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Times for the Times █ - solved with aid of checking letters provided by solutions from Times for the Times █ - yet to be solved
Notes [1] This puzzle appears on the Sunday puzzles pages in the Saturday, February 15, 2014 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

I found today's puzzle to be a good — but certainly not daunting — challenge. Now, if only I had been better briefed on French opera ...

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   Not entirely sure this fellow fitted for clubbing – not with it! (7,5)

This is an & lit. (all-in-one) clue. In accordance with one reading, the entire clue is the definition, while under a different interpretation, it constitutes the wordplay.

The clue parses as an anagram (for clubbing; getting beaten into shape?) of {SUR_ (not entirely SUR[E]; with the final letter deleted) + THIS (from the clue) + F (fellow; member of a society) + F__TED (F[IT]TED not with IT; with IT deleted).

In the surface reading, clubbing^[5] denotes going out to nightclubs ⇒ she enjoys going clubbing in Oxford.

8a   Back packs fail to be more immediately available (7)

9a   Star is able to get work (7)

Canopus^[5] is the second-brightest star in the sky, and the brightest in the constellation Carina. It is a supergiant, visible only to observers in the southern hemisphere.

In music, an opus^[5] is a separate composition or set of compositions.

11a   No room for French opera in city over there (4)

It is obvious that my knowledge of geography surpasses my familiarity with opera. I had little trouble identifying the French city, but the French opera failed to leap to mind.

Caen^[5] is an industrial city and river port in Normandy in northern France, on the River Orne, capital of the region of Basse-Normandie; population 113,249 (2006).

Carmen^[7] is an opera by the French composer Georges Bizet (1838–1875). The opera was first performed at the Opéra-Comique in Paris, on 3 March 1875, and at first was not particularly successful. Its initial run extended to 36 performances, before the conclusion of which Bizet died suddenly, and thus knew nothing of the opera's later celebrity.

12a   Blonde vacuous type bores US agent (4-6)

In the US. a Fed^[5] is a federal agent or official, especially a member of the FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigation] ⇒ I don’t think he has any friends since he grassed to the Feds.

I have to say that the usage example above is a bit bizarre — certainly not a statement that one would expect to hear from a US hood. Grass^[5] is British slang meaning to inform the police of someone’s criminal activities or plans ⇒ someone had grassed on the thieves. This expression may derive from rhyming slang (grasshopper = copper).

13a   Mix-up, for example remains of 19 (7)

... "remains" is an ANAGRAM of "seminars" ([the solution to clue] 19).

15a   Thought about lives being wasted (7)

18a   Ministry studies the latest stuff at home (3,4)

In the UK, MOD^[5] stands for Ministry of Defence.

Con^[5] is an archaic term meaning to study attentively or learn by heart (a piece of writing)  ⇒ the girls conned their pages with a great show of industry.

In Britain. the term mod cons^[5] refers to the amenities and appliances characteristic of a well-equipped modern house that contribute to an easier and more comfortable way of life ⇒ the property has all mod cons. Presumably, it is an shortened version of modern conveniences.

20a   Cameron could be refreshed here? (7)

The is likely intended to be a reference to David Cameron^[5], a British Conservative politician who has been Prime Minister of the UK since 2010 (in coalition with the Liberal Democrats).

Menorca^[5] is the Spanish name for Minorca^[5], the most easterly and second-largest of the Balearic Islands [an archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea off the eastern coast of Spain]; population 92,434 (2008); capital, Mahón.

21a   What's furthest down flask in bag? (10)

"Bag" is used as a verb meaning to capture.

23a   Endless platform for men (4)

25a   One aquatic bird pecked another (7)

26a   Great worry about very short time surrounded by ... (7)

In the UK, mo^[5] [abbreviation for moment] is an informal term for a short period of time ⇒ hang on a mo!.

27a   ... narrow-minded attitude? It's Americans at fault (12)

It took quite a while to realize that my first attempt, CARTESIANISM^[10], was incorrect.

Down

1d   Employee who shouldn't be in the limelight? (9)

2d   Not appropriate to drop female in one (4)

3d   Colt perhaps and mare gambolling under a tree (7)

4d   Not harming the environment in Scottish ridge shows good behaviour (7)

In Scottish and Irish dialects, a drum^[5] is a long, narrow hill, especially one separating two parallel valleys.

5d   Entourage in hot French town working (7-2)

Contrary to the indication in the review at Times for the Times, this is a charade and not a container type clue. The wordplay is H (hot) + ANGERS (French town) + ON (working).

Angers^[5] is a town in western France, capital of the former province of Anjou; population 156,965 (2006).

6d   Quick attack capturing pawn (5)

In chess, P^[10] is the symbol for pawn.

7d   Roma clip spoilt broadcast (8)

Roma^[10] is another name for Gypsy.

10d   The German turned up in blue (3)

In German, das^[8] is one of several variants of the definite article.

14d   Famous politician involved with lover's toe (9)

This clue could refer to either of two former US presidents (one from either major party):

• Franklin D. Roosevelt^[5] (1882–1945) was an American Democratic statesman, 32nd President of the US 1933–45; full name Franklin Delano Roosevelt; known as FDR. His New Deal of 1933 helped to lift the US out of the Great Depression, and he played an important part in Allied policy during the Second World War. In 1940 he became the first American President to be elected for a third term in office and he subsequently secured a fourth term.


• Theodore Roosevelt^[5] (1858–1919) was an American Republican statesman, 26th President of the US 1901-9; known as Teddy Roosevelt. He was noted for his antitrust laws and successfully engineered the American bid to build the Panama Canal (1904–14). He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906 for negotiating the end of the Russo-Japanese War. 

16d   Huge flans served up – that's the plan (9)

17d   Game plans on the radio (8)

In the UK, the board game chequers^[10] [spelled checkers in the US] also goes by the name draughts^[10].

19d   Meeting house not available, right? (7)

20d   Mum's blemish needs a cosmetic (7)

In the cryptic reading, the 's is to be interpreted as a contraction for has, making the wordplay MA (mum) + ('s; has) SCAR (blemish) + (needs) A (from the clue).

21d   Roll up for the essential part (3)

22d   Tax once levied on fruit? It helped to some extent (5)

A tithe^[5] is one tenth of annual produce or earnings, formerly taken as a tax for the support of the Church and clergy.

24d   Centres supposing that holding company held up (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)
^[11] - TheFreeDictionary.com (Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary)

Signing off for this week — Falcon

Sunday, February 9, 2014 — ST 4572

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times ST 4572
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times Sunday, January 12, 2014
Setter Dean Mayer (Anax)
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4572]
Times for the Times Review Written By Dave Perry
Dave Perry's Solving Time ★★★★
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star Saturday, February 1, 2014
Date of Publication in The Vancouver Sun Saturday, February 8, 2014[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 █ - solved but without fully parsing the clue █ - 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, February 8, 2014 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

Knowing that the duty roster would have Anax in the setter's chair today, I was prepared for a workout — and he certainly didn't disappoint. As you will see from the chart above, my electronic assistants were called into action early and often today. However, with their support, I did complete the 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. The underlined portion of the clue is the definition.

Across

1a   Said to include part like M25? (7)

The M25 motorway^[7] or London Orbital motorway is a 117-mile (188 km) motorway that almost encircles Greater London, England, in the United Kingdom.

In Britain, a motorway^[5] is a dual-carriageway road [divided highway] designed for fast traffic, with relatively few places for joining or leaving [controlled access].

In British English, orbital^[10] is another name for an orbital road^[10], a highway that circles a metropolitan area; in other words, a ring road   ⇒ a new orbital road round Paris.

This is an example of an adjective being transformed into a noun. Although I definitely believe this practice to be more prevalent in the UK than in North America, it is not entirely absent here. For instance the Trans-Canada Highway is commonly called the Trans-Canada and, similarly, Americans often refer to an interstate highway simply as an interstate. 

5a   College party — left after one round (7)

Balliol College^[7], founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England.

9a   Hound by itself, adorable (9)

10a   Perhaps bent  copper may rely on him? (5)

A "copper", of course, is a police officer. In the surface reading, bent^[5] is used in an informal British sense meaning dishonest or corrupt [in North America, one would undoubtedly say crooked] ⇒ a bent cop.

In the UK, grass^[5] is used informally as a noun to mean a police informer and as a verb meaning to inform the police of someone’s criminal activities or plans ⇒ someone had grassed on the thieves. This expression may derive from rhyming slang (grasshopper = copper).

11a   Technical term for "booby"? (12)

In his review, Dave Perry considers this "Something of a weak clue ...". I might add, a rather unexplainable clue from my perspective. However, I will make an attempt.

Solecistical^[10] is another word for solecistic, an adjective that can be either (1) a grammatical term that means relating to the nonstandard use of a grammatical construction or (2) a formal term that denotes relating to any mistake, incongruity, or absurdity.

I was unable to find any evidence of booby being used as an adjective. However, in the UK, boob^[10] means an embarrassing mistake or blunder. Consequently, I suppose that booby might conceivably be used as adjective; for instance, "a booby performance" being one riddled with boobs.

As another possibility, booby might be another term for boob (in the sense of a mistake). In which case, perhaps we should interpret the clue as though it were phrased "technical term that might be applied to a 'booby'".

By the way, does Dave Perry make a Freudian slip when he refers to "booby" as a "breast" (when I think he intended to say "breach")?

14a   Half of country hampered by present decline (8)

I arrived at a different explanation than did Dave Perry — one which I believe is also valid.

Since "hampered" means "held back", it is both a containment indicator (held) and a reversal indicator (back). On this basis, I parsed the clue as GNA {a reversal (hampered) of ANG (half of ANG[OLA])} contained in (hampered) STATE (present).

15a   Chain that Romeo is not after (6)

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

Of course, it comes before — not after:

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

Especially in Spanish-speaking countries or the western US, sierra^[5] is a name for a long jagged mountain chain. 

17a   I shout about lunch? (6)

In Britain, oi^[5] (also oy) is an informal expression used to attract someone’s attention, especially in a rough or angry way ⇒ (i) oi, don’t lean out; (ii) oi, taxi!.

The symbol for the chemical element iodine is I^[5].

18a   Bunker is a mountain around second tee (8)

Ben^[5] is a Scottish term (used especially in place names) for a high mountain or mountain peak ⇒ Ben Nevis. By the way, Ben Nevis^[5] is a mountain in western Scotland. Rising to 1,343 m (4,406 ft), it is the highest mountain in the British Isles.

In Britain, bunk^[5] (usually bunk off) means to abscond or play truant from school or work ⇒ he bunked off school all week.

20a   How first letters appear, for example (12)

Although I did solve the clue, I didn't understand the significance of the word "first" until I read Dave Perry's review.

23a   Username one changed to "bonehead" (5)

24a   Reduced temperature in putting on pepper (9)

Pepper is an example of a stimulant, thus Dave Perry's reference to "DBE" (definition by example).

The wordplay is T (reduced [first letter of] Temperature) contained in (in) SIMULANT (putting on).

Simulant^[5] is an adjective meaning simulating — which I assume is a present participle used as an adjective. I must say that I at a total loss as to how one might use "simulating" as an adjective.

While "putting on" and "simulating" are synonymous as verbs, I can't fathom that "putting on" could possibly be used as an adjective — but, then, I also questioned "simulating".

25a   Rejected song for one home nation (7)

26a   Was annoyance driven by desire? (7)

Down

1d   Huge houses work? I'm wrong (4)

The wordplay is OS (huge) containing (houses) OP (work).

The sizes of clothing that North Americans would describe as plus-size^[7] (or often big and tall in the case of men's clothing) would be called outsize (OS^[5]) in Britain.

In music, Op.^[5] (also op.) 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.

2d   No fun being carried (4)

3d   Hairy Hen, term for giant hangover (3,7,5)

I could find no evidence that "Hairy Hen" refers to anything in particular.

4d   A river with new crossing? I'm honoured (8)

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.

5d   Potion is northern broth (6)

In various dialects (Northern English in particular, as well as Canadian and US), brewis^[10] (or brevis) means a thickened broth.

6d   Easy reading, I agree, till truth comes out (5,10)

Although I did not find the term "light literature" in any dictionary, I did find a couple of examples of its use.

An article in Wikipedia on Samuel Fancourt^[7], who established the first circulating library in London in the mid-eighteenth century, states "The library contained two or three thousand bound volumes and about the same number of pamphlets; from a third to a half of the books and pamphlets consisted of theology and ecclesiastical history and controversy, and only about a tenth of it was ‘light’ literature."

Goodreads, self-proclaimed as "the world’s largest site for readers and book recommendations", has a "Light Literature" category.

7d   Is it OK for me to turn clergyman out? (10)

The wordplay is a reversal (to turn) of CAN I (is it OK for me) + CURATE (clergyman).

A curate^[5] is a member of the clergy engaged as assistant to a vicar, rector, or parish priest.

8d   Joe and what he was — a real bargain (4,6)

Joe Loss^[7] (1909–1990) was a British musician popular during the British dance band era, and was founder [and leader] of the Joe Loss Orchestra.

12d   Energy — I'm in place to make a guess (10)

13d   Health & Safety call about papa's tumble (10)

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

16d   Glass bottle may be in this bin as I do juggling (8)

I interpret the definition to mean "glass bottle may be [made from] this [material]".

Obsidian^[5] is a hard, dark, glass-like volcanic rock formed by the rapid solidification of lava without crystallization. According to an article on the website of The Pitt Rivers Museum at the University of Oxford, "When knapped finely using a bone or antler pressure-flaker, its crystalline structure produces an edge that is just as sharp as metal. For this reason it has been used for tools and weapons for thousands of years." However, it is hard to imagine this material being used to make bottles — other than in fantasy role-playing games such as Fallen Sword.

19d   Old country, a country that was unfinished (6)

Siam^[5] was the former name (until 1939) for Thailand.

21d   "Am I bovvered?", Lauren's first communication (4)

"Am I bovvered?" is the catchphrase of Lauren Cooper^[7], a fictional character created by English comedian Catherine Tate^[7]. The replacement of "th" by "v" (or, in this case, "vv" — presumably done to preserve the short "o" sound) is a characteristic of the Cockney dialect (among others).

22d   Boss sees work unfinished (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)
^[11] - TheFreeDictionary.com (Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary)

Signing off for this week — Falcon

Sunday, February 2, 2014 — ST 4571

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times ST 4571
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times Sunday, January 5, 2014
Setter Jeff Pearce
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4571]
Times for the Times Review Written By Dave Perry
Dave Perry's Solving Time ★★★★
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star Saturday, January 25, 2014
Date of Publication in The Vancouver Sun Saturday, February 1, 2014[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, February 1, 2014 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

In this puzzle, I hit a wall just past the two thirds mark. In hindsight, I should have been able to solve a few more clues without the help of my electronic assistants. Perhaps I would have, if I had set the puzzle aside for a while. However, I was anxious to get on with writing the blog and other tasks that were awaiting my attention.

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   Being against  the bar (7)

5a   When you buy them crabs might be  curried (7)

In the former definition, dress^[10] is used in the sense of to prepare (food, esp fowl and fish) for cooking or serving by cleaning, trimming, gutting, etc. In the latter, it means to to convert (tanned hides) into leather.

Curry^[10] means to to dress and finish (leather) after it has been tanned to make it strong, flexible, and waterproof.

9a   English politician fixes drains (7)

In many Commonwealth countries (including Britain and Canada), a member of the House of Commons or similar legislative body is known as a Member of Parliament^[10] (or MP^[5] for short).

10a   Extremely beautiful introduction without question (7)

11a   Cricket captain introduces fast drivers and scorer (7,8)

Michael Vaughan^[7] is a retired cricketer who represented Yorkshire and England^{[Note 1]}. Vaughan captained England in 51 Tests^{[Note 2]} between 2003 and 2008, winning 26 (a national record) and losing 11; England won all seven home Tests of the 2004 summer under Vaughan, and the pinnacle of his captaincy career came with a 2–1 victory in the 2005 Ashes^{[Note 3]}, eighteen years after England had last won the trophy.

[Note 1] England refers to the England cricket team^[7], the team that represents England and Wales (and until 1992 also Scotland) in international cricket.

[Note 2] A Test (short for Test match)^[5] is an international cricket or rugby match, typically one of a series, played between teams representing two different countries.

[Note 3] The Ashes^[5] is a trophy for the winner of a series of Test matches [which are also commonly referred to as the Ashes] in a cricket season between England and Australia. The name arises from a mock obituary notice published in the Sporting Times (2 September 1882), with reference to the symbolical remains of English cricket being taken to Australia after a sensational victory by the Australians at the Oval [an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth].

The Williams F1 Team^[7] (popularly known simply as Williams) is is a British Formula One motor racing team.

Vaughan Williams^[5] (1872–1958) was an English composer. His strongly melodic music frequently reflects his interest in Tudor composers and English folk songs. Notable works: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis (1910), A London Symphony (1914), and the Mass in G minor (1922).

12a   Kid with crone's odds and sods (6)

14a   Girl put bolt on sty (8)

17a   Faddish diet in Swiss town that causes revolt (8)

Sion^[7] is the capital of the Swiss canton of Valais. As of December 2012 it had a population of 31,207.

18a   Starts to struggle with long herringbone? (6)

In this clue, "starts" is an initialism indicator — an indicator that tells us to select the initial letter(s) from a portion of the fodder. Since the indicator is in the plural, it could signify that we need the first letter from each of multiple words in the fodder or that we need multiple letters (usually two, which is the smallest number to satisfy the criterion) from a single word in the fodder. In this case, the correct choice turns out to be the latter.

The wordplay parses as ST (starts to [first letters of] STruggle) + (with) ITCH (long).

Herringbone^[5] (also herringbone stitch) is a cross-stitch with a pattern resembling herringbone, used in embroidery or for securing an edge.

21a   Citronella, say, I sell with ten percent off (6,9)

24a   Might bad map readers beat it? (3,4)

Dave Perry characterises this clue as a double definition, and I suppose that he may be correct. Certainly, if the clue were phrased as a statement rather than a question, I would have no hesitation in agreeing. That is, if the clue were:

• Bad map readers might  beat it (3,4)

then "bad map readers might" could well lead to the result 'get lost'.

However, when posed as a question, the phrase "might bad map readers" does not seem to stand on its own as a definition. Perhaps those who view the clue as a double definition might argue that the inclusion of the question mark excuses the awkwardness in the first definition.

I may be wrong, but I would prefer to characterise the phrase "might bad map readers" as a subsidiary indication.

25a   Denier abandoned Christ after start of ordeal (7)

As an anagram indicator, abandon^[5] is used in the sense of complete lack of inhibition or restraint ⇒ she sings and sways with total abandon or, as The Chambers Dictionary defines abandon^[1], careless freedom of action.

26a   Rouse swimmer found in drink (5,2)

As a verb, sup^[5] is a dated or Northern English term meaning to take (drink or liquid food) by sips or spoonfuls ⇒ (i) she supped up her soup delightedly; (ii) he was supping straight from the bottle. As a noun, it means (1) a sip of liquid ⇒ he took another sup of wine or (2) in Northern England or Ireland, an alcoholic drink ⇒ the latest sup from those blokes at the brewery.

27a   Cunning actress grabbed by The Saint (7)

Vivien Leigh^[5] (1913–1967) was a British actress, born in India; born Vivian Mary Hartley. She won Oscars for her performances in Gone with the Wind (1939) and A Streetcar Named Desire (1951). She was married to Laurence Olivier from 1940 to 1961.

Janet Leigh^[5] (1927–2004) was a US actress. Best known for her role in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960), she appeared in more than fifty other films, including Little Women (1949) and The Manchurian Candidate (1962).

Simon Templar^[7] is a British fictional character known as The Saint. He featured in a long-running series of books by Singapore-born, British-American author Leslie Charteris (1907–1993) published between 1928 and 1963. After that date, other authors collaborated with Charteris on books until 1983; two additional works produced without Charteris’s participation were published in 1997. The character has also been portrayed in motion pictures, radio dramas, comic strips, comic books and three television series.

Down

1d   Expert carrying a 19 (7)

The number "19" is a cross-reference indicator, signifying that the solution to clue 19d must be inserted here to complete the clue. The solution to 19d is, in fact, the definition in this clue.

2d   Acoustic number promoted by union (9)

I can't explain why I didn't solve this clue without help — especially since I had the first two checking letters.

3d   A joint gets you stoned after a short time (5)

A joint^[10] is one of the parts into which a carcass of meat is cut by the butcher, especially for roasting.

4d   Feel bitter about being posted again (6)

5d   Perv died being tortured and stripped (8)

A perv^[5] is an informal term for a a sexual pervert.

6d   Lemon tile designed to be soothing (9)

Note that the solution is an adjective, not a noun.

7d   Girl's a saucy dish (5)

8d   Large estate seemed strange round London's East End (7)

A demesne^[5] is a piece of land attached to a manor and retained by the owner for their own use ⇒ because labour was cheap, there were ample advantages in cultivating the demesne.

The East End^[5] is the part of London east of the City^{[Note 1]} as far as the River Lea, including the Docklands. Note that the the East End^[7] is part of — and not to be confused with — East London^[7], which covers a much wider area.

[Note 1] Here, the City^[5] is short for the City of London. Note, however, that the City of London^[5] is not the same thing as the city of London, but merely the part of London situated within the ancient boundaries and governed by the Lord Mayor and the Corporation^[5] [in Britain, a group of people elected to govern a city, town, or borough ⇒ the City of London Corporation].

13d   Design detailed necklace about one plant (9)

"Detailed" is a curtailment indicator, signifying the removal of the final letter of a word (removal of tail, or de-tailing).

15d   Old collection of books – making use of 19 in flight? (2,3,4)

The word "books" (in this case, "collection of books") is often used to clue either the Old Testament (OT) or the New Testament (NT).

Once again, the number "19" is a cross reference indicator [see comment for 1d].

16d   Dogs, say, cross over for chunk of bread (8)

Doorstep^[5] is an informal British term for a thick slice of bread ⇒ doorstep sandwiches.

17d   Sot with gins reordered drinks (7)

Stingo^[10] is slang for a strong, sharp alcoholic beverage or old beer. The Chambers Dictionary defines stingo^[1] as obsolete slang for strong malt liquor. I found the word in only one other source, Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) which defines stingo as (1)old beer or (2) sharp or strong liquor ⇒ Shall I set a cup of old stingo at your elbow? - Addison [presumably English writer Joseph Addison (1672–1719)].

19d   Weapon buried to cease fighting (7)

20d   Sailing ships capsized by winds (6)

As a definition, winds is a verb.

22d   South left out of extreme Indian rule (5)

A sutra^[5] is a rule or aphorism in Sanskrit literature, or a set of these on grammar or Hindu law or philosophy.

23d   Second short coffee (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)
^[11] - TheFreeDictionary.com (Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary)

Signing off for this week — Falcon