Sunday, March 30, 2014

Sunday, March 30, 2014 — ST 4579

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times
ST 4579
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Setter
Tim Moorey
Link to Full Review
Times for the Times [ST 4579]
Times for the Times Review Written By
Dave Perry
Dave Perry's Solving Time
★★★★
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Date of Publication in The Vancouver Sun
Saturday, March 29, 2014[Note 2]
Falcon's Experience
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└────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘
Notes
[1] This puzzle appears on the Sunday puzzles pages in the Saturday, March 29, 2014 edition of the Ottawa Citizen.
[2] Unverified as a paywall bars access to the The Vancouver Sun website.


Introduction

This puzzle opened on a Canadian note.  While I was able to solve several clues on my first pass through, my progress soon slowed to a crawl as the remainder of the clues proved more of a challenge. I was pleased at having been able to work out several heretofore unheard of words based on the wordplay.

Notes on Today's Puzzle

This commentary is intended to serve as a supplement to the review of this puzzle found at Times for the Times, to which a link is provided in the table above.

Definitions are underlined in the clue, with subsidiary indications being marked by means of a dashed underline in semi-all-in-one (semi-& lit.) clues and cryptic definitions.

Across


1a   On a bay. perhaps in a Canadian constituency (6)

It's always feels good to get the solution to the first clue right off the top. In Canadian politics, riding[7] is a colloquial term for a constituency or electoral district. Officially, "electoral district" is generally used, although government documents sometimes use the colloquial term.

Historically, in England, the word "riding" denoted a third part of something, especially a county. As alluded to by Dave Perry, the three former administrative divisions of the English county of Yorkshire were North Riding, East Riding and West Riding.

5a   Pointed remarks brought about trouble for the island (8)

9a   One lofty newspaper never failing to appear (2,3,5)

The Times[7] is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register (it became The Times on 1 January 1788). The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times (founded in 1821) are published by Times Newspapers, since 1981 a subsidiary of News UK, itself wholly owned by the News Corp group headed by Rupert Murdoch. The Times and The Sunday Times do not share editorial staff, were founded independently and have only had common ownership since 1967.

10a   New eatery with no starter lacking taste (4)

Caff[5] is an informal British name for a cafe.

Naff[5] is an informal British term meaning lacking taste or style he always went for the most obvious melody he could get, no matter how naff it sounded.

11a   Leave leaders in battle ie desert (4)

The Gobi Desert[5] is a barren plateau of southern Mongolia and northern China.

12a   Duke's with another Duke (10)

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington[5] (1769–1852) was a British soldier and Tory statesman who served as Prime Minister from 1828–30 and again in 1834. Known as the Iron Duke, he served as commander of the British forces in the Peninsular War (1808–14) and in 1815 defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo, so ending the Napoleonic Wars.

Duke Ellington[5] (1899–1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader; born Edward Kennedy Ellington. Coming to fame in the early 1930s, Ellington wrote over 900 compositions and was one of the first popular musicians to write extended pieces. Notable works: Mood Indigo (1930).

14a   AB and C is where I'm said to be at (6)

In the Royal Navy, able seaman[5] (abbreviation AB[5]), is a rank of sailor above ordinary seaman and below leading seaman.

16a   No good a Conservative embracing Unionist of little worth (8)

A Tory[4] is a member or supporter of the Conservative Party in Great Britain or Canada. Historically, a Tory was a member of the English political party that opposed the exclusion of James, Duke of York from the royal succession (1679-80). Tory remained the label for subsequent major conservative interests until they gave birth to the Conservative Party in the 1830s.

Prior to Irish independence in 1920, a Unionist[4] was a supporter of the union of all Ireland and Great Britain. Since 1920, the term signifies a supporter of union between Britain and Northern Ireland.

18a   Get seats prepared as play ready to start (5,3)

If the play is ready to start, then clearly the stage has been set.

20a   Ministers cut about 500 by beginning of September (6)

D[5] is the Roman numeral for 500.

22a   Heather is embraced by William in Essex town (10)

Like Dave Perry, I wanted to incorporate LING in the solution. While I needed to scour the atlas to find the Essex town, not knowing of its existence is likely excusable for someone who grew up some 3000 miles away from it.

Erica[5] is a plant of the genus Erica (family Ericaceae), especially (in gardening) heather.

Billericay[7] is a town and civil parish in Essex, England. It is a commuter town located 28 miles (45 km) east of central London with a population of around 36,338 (2011 census),

24a   Collars seen over in Brisbane (4)

Brisbane[5] is the capital of Queensland, Australia; population 1,945,639 (est. 2008). It was founded in 1824 as a penal colony.

26a   Network provided in organisation for ladies (4)

The Women's Institute (WI)[5] is an organization of women, especially in rural areas, who meet regularly and participate in crafts, cultural activities, and social work. Now worldwide, it was first set up in Ontario, Canada, in 1897, and in Britain in 1915.

27a   Junior male swamped by lowest voice in choral work (1,5,4)

The Mass in B minor[7] (BWV 232) by German composer Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) is a musical setting of the complete Latin Mass. The work was one of Bach's last compositions, not completed until 1749, the year before his death.

29a   Young woman going around SW1? Actually it's W4 (8)

SW1 and W4 refer to postcodes within the London postal district[7] . Postcode is the British equivalent to postal code (Canada) or ZIP code (US).

The SW1 postcode district[7] includes such prestigious addresses as Buckingham Palace, the House of Commons and the House of Lords, and 10 Downing Street (the residence and office of the British Prime Minister).

The W4 postcode district[7] covers Chiswick[7], a district of west London, England, and part of the London Borough of Hounslow.

30a   Meat Loaf song at first adopted by robust tenor (6)

Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday) is an American musician and actor best known by his stage name Meat Loaf[7].

Haslet[5] is a chiefly British term for a cold meat consisting of chopped or minced pork offal compressed into a loaf before being cooked.


Down


2d   Ravel trio including new opening (5)

The surface reading may be a reference to Maurice Ravel[5] (1875–1937), a French composer whose works are somewhat impressionistic in style, employing colourful orchestration and unresolved dissonances. Notable works: the ballets Daphnis and Chloë (1912) and Boléro (1928) and the orchestral work La Valse (1920).

3d   First wife getting left out of testaments brings animosity (3,4)

4d   Enter into conflict with police officer and head for ... (2,7)

DS[10] is the abbreviation for Detective Sergeant.

5d   ... bad jolt, losing position initially (3)

6d   Sage used in supper is hit (5)

A rishi[5] is a Hindu sage or saint.

7d   One's drunk around noon and in the evening (2,5)

I had to search through three dictionaries, but I was eventually able to find one which listed the abbreviation for noon as n[2].

8d   Drifting naturally around France (3-6)

The International Vehicle Registration (IVR) code for France is F[5].

13d   Type of fringe for the nut (7)

15d   I air things dubiously but not good to be racist (4-5)

17d   Yacht so mighty close to mishap at sea (5,4)

Gipsy Moth IV[7] is a 54 ft (16 m) ketch that Sir Francis Chichester commissioned specifically to sail single-handed around the globe, racing against the times set by the clipper ships of the 19th century. The name, the fourth boat in his series, all named Gipsy Moth, originated from the de Havilland Gipsy Moth aircraft in which Chichester completed pioneering work in aerial navigation techniques.

On 27 August 1966 Chichester[7] sailed his yawl Gipsy Moth IV from Plymouth in the United Kingdom and returned there after 226 days of sailing on 28 May 1967, having circumnavigated the globe, with one stop (in Sydney, Australia). By doing so, he became the first person to achieve a true circumnavigation of the world solo from West to East via the great Capes. The voyage was also a race against the clock, as Chichester wanted to better the typical times achieved by the fastest fully crewed clipper ships during the heyday of commercial sail in the 19th century.

The first recorded solo circumnavigation of the globe was achieved by the Nova Scotian born, naturalised American Joshua Slocum[7], in 1898 but it took him three years with numerous stops – Slocum also took up the harder challenge of sailing east to west, against the prevailing wind.

19d   After a change of direction, young women become hunting types (7)

In Scotland, a gillie[5] is a man or boy who attends someone on a hunting or fishing expedition.

21d   Parties engaging a lot of upright, highly energetic people (7)

23d   Mostly poor performer on the field is a teacher (5)

Rabbit[5] is an informal term for a poor performer in a sport or game, in particular (in cricket) a poor batsman he was a total rabbit with the bat.

A rabbi[5] may be (1) a Jewish scholar or teacher, especially one who studies or teaches Jewish law or (2) a person appointed as a Jewish religious leader.

25d   Beat time in fleet HQ (5)

28d   Bug found in church no end of a shock at first (3)

In Scottish and Northern English dialects, kirk[5] means church.
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

Monday, March 24, 2014

Sunday, March 23, 2014 — ST 4578

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times
ST 4578
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Setter
Dean Mayer (Anax)
Link to Full Review
Times for the Times [ST 4578]
Times for the Times Review Written By
Dave Perry
Dave Perry's Solving Time
★★★
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star
Saturday, March 15, 2014
Date of Publication in The Vancouver Sun
Saturday, March 22, 2014[Note 2]
Falcon's Experience
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└────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘
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, March 22, 2014 edition of the Ottawa Citizen.
[2] Unverified as a paywall bars access to the The Vancouver Sun website.
[3] Unverified as there is no posting on the Saturday Star Cryptic Forum for March 15, 2014.

Introduction

While this puzzle provided a satisfying challenge, it was certainly less formidable than some that he has produced recently.

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   Dancing helps, to female adult (3-5)

In Britain, top-shelf[5] (said of magazine) means pornographic while, in North America, the term denotes of a high quality or excellent ⇒ some top-shelf cars are shipped overseas.

6a   Skirt or skirts for boy? I don't know (6)

One might say pass[5] when one does not know the answer to a question, for example in a quiz.

9a   I rest in Greek character's location (6)

Mu[5] is the twelfth letter of the Greek alphabet (Μ, μ).

10a   Stagger around in said gunfight location (2,6)

11a   Doctor to pay those providing treatment? (10)

12a   One thousand and one staff (4)

13a   S P A D E could be represented thus (6-6)

17a   A film is not what the answer is (7,1,4)

Without a Clue[7] is a 1988 British comedy film directed by Thom Eberhardt and starring Michael Caine and Ben Kingsley.

19anbsp;  What fun, being left out of circle (4)

20a   Reduced demonstrating in Lincoln (1,3,6)

Lincoln[5] is a city in eastern England, the county town of Lincolnshire; population 86,800 (est. 2009). It was founded by the Romans as Lindum Colonia.

Abraham Lincoln[5] (1809–1865) was an American Republican statesman, 16th President of the US 1861-5. His election as President on an anti-slavery platform helped precipitate the American Civil War; he was assassinated shortly after the war ended. Lincoln was noted for his succinct, eloquent speeches, including the Gettysburg Address of 1863.

The phrase à bon marché[10] is French for at a bargain price.

22a   Perfect, catching ambassador with trousers down? (2,3,3)

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

23a   Expel from class (6)

In certain British schools, a remove[10] is a class or form [grade], especially one for children of about 14 years, designed to introduce them to the greater responsibilities of a more senior position in the school.

24a   Somebody's gutted by support network (6)

25a   Short skirts are straining the church (8)

Down


2d   Gap over 25 (8)

The numeral 25 is a cross reference indicator directing the solver to insert the solution to clue 25a in its place to complete the clue.

In cricket, an over[5] (abbreviation O[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.

3d   Lace, one that may be found on running shoe (5)

4d   Crack troops in alien gear (9)

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial[7] (often referred to simply as E.T.) is a 1982 American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg. It tells the story of a lonely boy who befriends an extraterrestrial, dubbed "E.T.", who is stranded on Earth. He and his siblings help the extraterrestrial return home while attempting to keep it hidden from their mother and the government.

5d   Absolutely unique as this grid entry? (4,3,2,6)

The definition certainly is "absolutely". As for the wordplay, I interpret it to indicate that what sets this clue apart is the fact that its solution runs "from top to bottom" in the grid.

6d   Bill has to cut through weed (5)

The wordplay is ACC (bill; account) contained in (has to cut) BY (through; by means of).

Baccy[5] is an informal British term for tobacco.

7d   Adam Price shot first aider (9)

Adam Price[7] is a politician in Wales, and a former Member of the UK Parliament.

8d   Bag that's square, of course (6)

Apparently s is an abbreviation for square, although I failed to find it listed as such in any of my dictionaries.

14d   Wife opening a brothel around Derby (6,3)

Derby[5] is a city in the Midlands of England, on the River Derwent; population 244,700 (est. 2009).

Bowler[5] [known in North America as a derby[5]] is a chiefly British name for a man’s hard felt hat with a round dome-shaped crown.

15d   Boat is able to cross a river (9)

The Tamar[5] is a river in southwestern England which rises in northwest Devon and flows 98 km (60 miles) generally southwards, forming the boundary between Devon and Cornwall and emptying into the English Channel through Plymouth Sound.

16d   No challenge? Gulp! (8)

I have to admit that I failed to see the wordplay here. This is an inverse wordplay style clue — one in which an element of the clue could be produced by wordplay found in the solution. Thus, in this clue, the definition is "no challenge" for which the solution is PUSHOVER. The word "gulp" could be an anagram (OVER) of PUSH (plug; promote through advertising).

18d   I will not head to your shed (6)

20d   Winged Messenger's initial warning (5)

21d   River bird's one raised by wolf (5)

In Roman mythology, Remus[5] is one of the traditional founders of Rome, with his twin brother Romulus[5]. The twin sons of Mars by a Vestal Virgin, Romulus and Remus were abandoned at birth but were found and suckled by a she-wolf and brought up by a shepherd family. Remus is said to have been killed by Romulus during an argument about the new city.
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, March 16, 2014

Sunday, March 16, 2014 — ST 4577

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times
ST 4577
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Setter
Jeff Pearce 
Link to Full Review
Times for the Times [ST 4577]
Times for the Times Review Written By
Dave Perry
Dave Perry's Solving Time
★★★
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star
Saturday, March 8, 2014[Note 3]
Date of Publication in The Vancouver Sun
Saturday, March 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, March 15, 2014 edition of the Ottawa Citizen.
[2] Unverified as a paywall bars access to the The Vancouver Sun website.
[3] Unverified as there is no posting on the Saturday Star Cryptic Forum for March 8, 2014.

Introduction

As Sunday Times crosswords go, I would say that this one was not overly difficult. Consequently, my electronic reinforcements saw only limited action today.

Notes on Today's Puzzle

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

Across


1a   Drivers on-board ship, in private accommodation (7)

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

The club is not to be confused with RAC Limited[7] [a competitor of the AA (Automobile Association), the British counterpart to the CAA (Canadian Automobile Assocication) or AAA (American Automobile Association)], an automotive services company which the club formerly owned, whose principal services are roadside assistance and general insurance.

5a   Rodent emerges from River Thames in a storm (7)

The Thames[7] is a river of southern England, flowing 338 km (210 miles) eastwards from the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire through London to the North Sea.

9a   Fare rises with changes in structure (5,4)

A appropriate meal on the eve of St Patrick's Day.

10a   Robot made from lots of metal this writer backed (5)

It is a common cryptic crossword convention for the creator of the puzzle to use terms such as compiler, setter, (this) author, (this) writer, or this person to refer to himself or herself. To solve such a clue, one must generally substitute a first person pronoun (I or me) for whichever of these terms has been used in the clue.

In Jewish legend, a golem[5] is a clay figure brought to life by magic. The word is given the additional meaning of robot in both Oxford Dictionaries Online[5] and The Chambers Dictionary[1]

In a discussion of the "hubris theme" in the golem tradition, Wikipedia says "The theme also manifests itself in R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots), Karel Čapek's 1921 play which coined the term robot; ... while Čapek denied that he modeled the robot after the Golem, there are many similarities in the plot."

11a   Introduction taken from story like "The Fields"? (6)

The title of the book may possibly be a convenient invention by the setter. However, there is actually a novel by that name. The Fields[7] is the second work in The Awakening Land[7] trilogy by American novelist Conrad Richter (1890–1968). The series, which traces the lives of a frontier family in the early 19th-century Ohio Valley, includes The Trees (1940), The Fields (1946), and The Town (1950) — the latter work winning the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1951.

12a   Medicine put outside is returned in case (8)

Case[10] is used in the sense of a specific condition or state of affairs; or, in other words, situation.

14a   Person dies suffering mental anguish (10)

16a   Turn back, about to discover monster (4)

Turn[2] is used in the sense of an opportunity or duty that comes to each of several people in rotation or succession ⇒ her turn to bat.

18a   Return of Friends is a hit (4)

The American television sitcom Friends[7] did air in the UK, so Brits would undoubtedly by familiar with the programme.

19a   Cut high crime rate here (10)

Tenderloin[5] is an informal North American term for a district of a city where vice and corruption are prominent. It was originally a term applied to a district of New York, seen as a ‘choice’ assignment by police because of the bribes offered to them to turn a blind eye [an allusion to tenderloin, a choice cut of meat which officers on the take could well afford to eat].

22a   Upsets a soldier with son outside the gallery (8)

A GI[5] is a private soldier in the US army ⇒ she went off with a GI during the war. Contrary to popular belief, the term apparently is not an abbreviation for general infantryman, but rather of government (or general) issue (originally denoting equipment supplied to US forces).

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.

23a   Starter of boiled egg on rare meat? (6)

In the surface reading, starter[5] is a chiefly British term [but one not entirely foreign to Canada] meaning the first course of a meal.

26a   Duck died by river (5)

The River Ouse[5] is  a river of northeastern England, formed at the confluence of the Ure and Swale in North Yorkshire and flowing 92 km (57 miles) south-eastwards through York to the Humber estuary. As well, several other English rivers share the name (or variations of it).

27a   A eulogy about tenor's quality (9)

26a   Run to work (7)

Run[2] is used in the sense of to organize, manage or be in control of something ⇒ runs her own business. I would say that this double definition is somewhat compromised by the fact that run can also mean (with respect to machines, etc.) to operate or function ⇒ The presses ran all night [which is precisely the sense in which work is being used in the second definition].

29a   Meeting to talk about sulphur plant (7)

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

Down


1d   Group hiding Twist the thief (7)

In his review, Dave Perry focuses on twist being a verb — which was also my inclination. However, in the course of my research, I stumbled upon some British meanings that suggest that it might more appropriately be considered to be a noun.

Twist[5] is British slang for a swindle, while rig[5] is an archaic term for a trick or swindle.

Although the protagonist was not himself a thief, could the clue be a reference to Oliver Twist[7], subtitled The Parish Boy's Progress, the second novel by English author Charles Dickens (1812–1870), published in 1838? The story is about an orphan, Oliver Twist, who escapes from a miserable existence and travels to London where he meets the Artful Dodger, leader of a gang of juvenile pickpockets, who takes him to the lair of the group's elderly criminal trainer Fagin. Ensnared, Oliver lives with Fagin and his gang of juvenile pickpockets in their lair at Saffron Hill for some time, unaware of their criminal activities.

2d   Girl carrying a dish in the curry house (5)

Raita[5] is an Indian side dish of yogurt containing chopped cucumber or other vegetables, and spices.

3d   Top pilots welcoming top racing driver as hero (8)

In Greek mythology, Achilles[5] was a hero of the Trojan War, son of Peleus and Thetis. During his infancy his mother plunged him in the Styx, thus making his body invulnerable except for the heel by which she held him. During the Trojan War Achilles killed Hector but was later wounded in the heel by an arrow shot by Paris and died.

Graham Hill[5] (1929–1975) was an English motor-racing driver who won the Formula One world championship in 1962 and 1975. He died in an aeroplane crash when his son, Damon Hill, was 15.

His son followed in his footsteps — or, should I say, tyre tracks. Damon Hill is a retired English motor-racing driver who won the Formula One world championship in 1996. He is the son of the late Graham Hill, and is the only son of a world champion to win the title.

4d   Luggage goes on rear part of the aeroplane (4)

Aeroplane[5] is a chiefly British variant spelling of airplane.

Kit[10] might refer to the container used to hold a set of tools, supplies, construction materials, etc, for use together or for a purpose.

On the other hand, kit might be a shortened version of kitbag[10], a canvas or other bag for a serviceman's kit. A kit10] is clothing and other personal effects, especially those of a traveller or soldier (i) safari kit; (ii) battle kit.

Kite[5] is an informal, dated British term for an aircraft.

5d   Welcome a difficult situation (3-2-3-2)

8d   Politician gathers silver — that's just what he might do!(6)

The setter employs the pronoun "that" to effectively use the phrase "gathers silver" twice in the clue. Read the definition as "that (i.e., gather silver) is just what he might do".

I thought this was a reference to the bird — and I suppose, indirectly, it is. Magpie[10] is a British term for a person who hoards small objects.

7d   The northern man interrupting singer's lecture (7,2)

In northern English dialects, the definite article "the" is pronounced t'.

8d   Demolish manor, church and court (7)

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.

13d   When having break stir tea and declare (10)

This is first time that I have never encountered this word. While I did manage to construct it from the wordplay, I nearly rejected it without checking to see if it actually existed.

Asseverate[5] means to make a solemn or emphatic declaration or statement of something I fear that you offer only unsupported asseveration.

15d   Play, on piano, overused phrase (9)

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.

17d   You'll see one shuffling to work in Vegas? (8)

18d   Difficult character's neither good nor bad? (2-3-2)

This clue is a bit difficult to explain. It is a cryptic definition that relies on a play on words involving two expressions.

The definition, so-and-so[5], is an informal term for a person who is disliked or is considered to have a particular characteristic, typically an unfavourable one nosy old so-and-so!.

So-so[5] is an adjective meaning neither very good nor very bad (i) a happy ending to a so-so season; (ii) ‘How are you?’ ‘So-so.’.

The expression "so-so" could be described as consisting of the words 'so and so'.

20d   Harbour's extremely risky for a cannon (7)

Harbour[5] is used in the sense of to keep (a thought or feeling, typically a negative one) in one’s mind, especially secretly she started to harbour doubts about the wisdom of their journey.

In billiards and snooker, cannon[5] is the British term for carom[5], a stroke in which the cue ball strikes two balls successively. A nursery[10] (also called nursery cannon) is a series of cannons with the three balls adjacent to a cushion, especially near a corner pocket.

21d   A Scottish valley without a mineral (6)

Be very careful how you interpret this clue. The wordplay parses as if it were written "A; Scottish valley without; a". That is, you start with A (from the clue), then you place GLEN (Scottish valley) around it (without), and finally you append the second A from the clue.

Galena[5] is a bluish, grey, or black mineral of metallic appearance, consisting of lead sulphide. It is the chief ore of lead.

24d   Young's last game against the Spanish is sloppy fare (5)

Rugby union[10] (abbreviation RU[5]) is a form of rugby football played between teams of 15 players.

In Spanish, el[8] is the masculine singular form of the definite article. 

25d   Engaged in work at the highest level (4)

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.
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, March 9, 2014

Sunday, March 9, 2014 — ST 4576

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times
ST 4576
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Setter
Tim Moorey
Link to Full Review
Times for the Times [ST 4576]
Times for the Times Review Written By
Dave Perry
Dave Perry's Solving Time
★★★★★
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Date of Publication in The Vancouver Sun
Saturday, March 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
- yet to be solved
Notes
[1] This puzzle appears on the Sunday puzzles pages in the Saturday, March 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

I got off to a quick today, but became completely stymied after solving roughly half the puzzle. From that point onward, my electronic assistants received heavy usage. I eventually threw in the towel and resorted to Dave Perry's review to understand a couple of clues.

Note to Readers

My aim in writing this blog is to supplement the information provided by Dave Perry in his review at Times for the Times. To that end, I provide a link to his review in the table above. In my review, I try to provide explanations for any particularly British references in the puzzle — or in Dave Perry's review — as well as for a wide variety of specialized terms and uncommon abbreviations and symbols. Sometimes these bits of information are essential to solving the clue and sometimes they are merely meant to help one appreciate the surface reading of the clue.

If you still have unanswered questions about a clue after reading my review and that of Dave Perry, I invite you to leave a comment and I would be pleased to provide further explanation on the clue.

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   Fleet Street I'd call shocking, leaking time and time again (10)

Fleet Street[5] is a street in central London in which the offices of national newspapers were located until the mid 1980s (often used as a metonym for the British Press) the hottest story in Fleet Street.

An escadrille[10] [from a French word meaning flotilla] is is a small squadron of ships.

7a   Help, biting cold is bitter! (4)

9a   Penniless former German kingdom in a state (6)

In Britain's current decimal currency system, a penny[5] is a bronze [coloured] coin and monetary unit equal to one hundredth of a pound (and is abbreviated p).

Prussia[5] is a former kingdom of Germany. Originally a small country on the southeastern shores of the Baltic, under Frederick the Great it became a major European power covering much of modern northeastern Germany and Poland. After the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1 it became the centre of Bismarck’s new German Empire, but following Germany’s defeat in the First World War the Prussian monarchy was abolished.

10a   Struggling learner fills in (8)

The cryptic crossword convention of L meaning learner or student arises from the L-plate[7], a square plate bearing a sans-serif letter L, for learner, which must be affixed to the front and back of a vehicle in various countries (including the UK) if its driver is a learner under instruction. 

In cricket, in[5] means batting ⇒ which side [team] is in?

11a   Theatrical A list mostly showing this lady (4)

I got the gist of the wordplay, but figured that the lady must be LISA. This choice was disproved when I solved 2d. There seemed to be only one other possible arrangement of the letters, although it took some research to confirm that.

Isla[7] is a feminine given name of primarily Scottish usage, derived from "Islay", which is the name of an island off the west coast of Scotland. It was the fifth most popular name for baby girls born in Scotland in 2010.

Perhaps if I had read the Harry Potter series, I would know the name. Isla Hitchens (née Black), is a fictional character in British novelist J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series

Isla Elizabeth Phillips[7] (born 29 March 2012), daughter of Peter Phillips and the former Autumn Kelly [a Canadian], granddaughter of Princess Anne and Mark Phillips, and great-granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth, is fourteenth in line for the British throne.

12a   Equal to current growth roughly, less good around Californian wine valley (2,1,3,4)

In physics, I[5] is the symbol for electric current.

The abbreviation G[10] for good likely comes from its use in rating school assignments or tests.

Napa Valley AVA[7] is an American Viticultural Area located in Napa County, California, United States.

15a   Walk in line with country code (14)

Being a telecommunications engineer by profession, to me country code meant the country calling codes[7] used in dialling international telephone calls or various other short alphabetic or numeric geographical codes (geocodes)[7] developed to represent countries and dependent areas, for use in data processing and communications.

In Britain, however, country code[10] refers to a code of good practice recommended to those who use the countryside for recreational purposes. At least, that explains the surface reading. In the cryptic reading, the setter uses this term to mean the fundamental political principles on which a state is governed.

17a   Petty officers get the hang of sharing accommodation (14)

I was not familiar with the usage of the term quartermaster[10] in the navy, where it refers to a petty officer with particular responsibility for steering a ship and other navigational duties.

20a   Display by head of Continental during standstills in flights (10)

Continental Airlines[7] was a major U.S. airline, founded in 1934 and headquartered in Houston, Texas. In 2010, the airline merged with UAL Corporation, the parent company of United Airlines. All flights of the combined airline operate under the United banner.

Stasis[5] (plural stases) is a formal or technical term meaning a period or state of inactivity or equilibrium  (i) long periods of stasis; (ii) creative stasis.

22a   One caught between two Kings shows strain (4)

On cricket scorecards, the abbreviation c[5] denotes caught (by).

Rex[5] (Latin for king, abbreviation R[5]) — Latin for king — denotes the reigning king, used following a name (e.g. Georgius Rex, King George) or in the titles of lawsuits (e.g. Rex v. Jones, the Crown versus Jones — often shortened to R. v. Jones).

K[5] is an abbreviation for king that is used especially in describing play in card games and recording moves in chess.

A rick[5] is a wrench or sprain, as of the back.

23a   Something done about exam not at all popular (8)

26a   Murdoch, for example takes a question for Middle Easterners (6)

Dame Iris Murdoch[5] (1919–1999) was a British novelist and philosopher, born in Ireland. She is primarily known for her novels, many of which explore complex sexual relationships and spiritual life. Notable novels: The Sandcastle (1957) and The Sea, The Sea (Booker Prize, 1978).

27a   One brief quote's cut after latest from Port Vale (2-2)

The rather complicated wordplay is A (one) + TA[G] (brief quote) with the final letter deleted ('s [is] cut) following (after) T (latest [last letter] from PorT).

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

A tag[10] is a brief quotation, especially one in a foreign language ⇒ his speech was interlarded with Horatian tags.

Vale[5] is an archaic term for a written or spoken farewell.

Port Vale Football Club[7] is an English association football [soccer] club that plays in Football League One, the third tier in the English football league system. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire, one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent.

28a   Watch component being used (6-4)


Down


2d   Soft drink on bar in games area (6,5)

In Britain, squash[5] is a concentrated liquid made from fruit juice and sugar, which is diluted to make a drink orange squash.

Following a long search, I eventually found bar[10] defined as a particular court of law.

3d   A book on English composer John Bull's not for me (9)

John Bull
While hardly germane to this clue, John Bull[5] is a personification of England or the typical Englishman, represented as a stout red-faced farmer in a top hat and high boots [from a character in a 1712 work by Scottish satirist John Arbuthnot].

The clue actually plays on a couple of other meanings associated with the name.

John Bull[5] (1562 or 1563 – 1628) was an English composer, musician and organ builder. He was a renowned keyboard performer of the virginalist school and most of his compositions were written for this medium.

John Bull Bitter was a beer produced by the now defunct Star Brewery[7] in Romford, England. The brewery closed in 1993.

Sir John Stainer[5] (1840–1901) was an English composer. He is remembered for his church music, including hymns, cantatas, and the oratorio Crucifixion (1887).

4d   Choose after study to select candidate again (7)

In Britain, to read[5] means to study (an academic subject) at a university (i) I’m reading English at Cambridge; (ii) he went to Manchester to read for a BA in Economics.

In the UK — although I did not find a specific dictionary reference to validate it — the term readopt is clearly used (with respect to a political candidate) in the sense of renominate. Here are a couple of instances of this usage:
  • William Seymour Blackstone[7] (1809–1881) was an English Conservative MP. Elected in 1832, he served until 1852, when the constituency refused to re-adopt him.
  • James Lockwood[7] (1888–1972) was a British Conservative Party MP who was elected at a by-election in November 1930 following the death of the sitting Labour MP. He was re-elected at the 1931 general election, but the local Conservative Association did not re-adopt him as their candidate for the 1935 election.
5d   Loft accessed by leaving vestibule (3)

6d   Cutting more starts to cheer Treasury (7)

In Britain, a cutting[5] is an article or other piece cut from a newspaper or periodical an archive of newspaper cuttings. I expected clipping[5] to be defined as the North American term for cutting, but it would seem that both terms may be used in Britain.

7d   Grant is uncultivated, not a little loud (5)

The setter uses the phrase "a little loud" to mean 'abbreviation for [a musical direction meaning] loud".

Forte[5] (abbreviation f[5]) is a musical direction meaning (as an adjective) loud or (as an adverb) loudly.

8d   Said to be fashionable place to stay (3)

13d   Where some journalists work now and again (2,5)

The Times[7] is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register (it became The Times on 1 January 1788). The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times (founded in 1821) are published by Times Newspapers, since 1981 a subsidiary of News UK, itself wholly owned by the News Corp group headed by Rupert Murdoch. The Times and The Sunday Times do not share editorial staff, were founded independently and have only had common ownership since 1967. [Of course, the latter publication is where this puzzle originally appeared.]

14d   Labour constraint to restrict a deal (11)

16d   Above on a church, stretch too far on a ladder? (9)

The wordplay is OVER (above) + RE (on [the subject of]) + A (from the clue) + CH (church).

18d   Kindles said to show previous Internet locations (7)

The surface reading is surely intended to evoke the image of an Amazon eReader.

19d   Hearing conventional remarks about Sweden taken up (7)

Noises[10] are conventional comments or sounds conveying a reaction, attitude, feeling, etc. ⇒ she made sympathetic noises.

The International Vehicle Registration (IVR) code for Sweden is S[5].

21d   Girl hearing spending limits is upset (5)

24d   Letter from Doris and others left out (3)

In ancient Greece, Doris[10] was a small landlocked area north of the Gulf of Corinth. Traditionally regarded as the home of the Dorians, it was perhaps settled by some of them during their southward migration.

25d   Fox perhaps is Conservative supporting the party (3)

Who is Dr. Fox? Dave Perry offers a couple of suggestions:
  • Dr. Liam Fox[7] is a British Conservative politician, Member of Parliament for North Somerset, and former Secretary of State for Defence. Fox studied medicine at the University of Glasgow and worked as a GP and Civilian Army Medical Officer before being elected as an MP in 1992.
  • Neil Fox[7] is an English DJ and TV presenter [host], known for many years as Dr. Fox before he became "Foxy" in the 2000s. He is now known simply as Neil Fox.
However, I would like to think that it might be the mythical doctor from whom the Dr. Fox effect[7] derived its name. In a psychology experiment conducted in 1970, an actor delivered lectures to groups of students under the guise of "Dr. Myron L. Fox": "The experimenters created a meaningless lecture on 'Mathematical Game Theory as Applied to Physician Education,' and coached the actor to deliver it 'with an excessive use of double talk, neologisms, non sequiturs, and contradictory statements.' At the same time, the researchers encouraged the actor to adopt a lively demeanor, convey warmth toward his audience, and intersperse his nonsensical comments with humor. ... The actor fooled not just one, but three separate audiences of professional and graduate students. Despite the emptiness of his lecture, fifty-five psychiatrists, psychologists, educators, graduate students, and other professionals produced evaluations of Dr. Fox that were overwhelmingly positive. ... The disturbing feature of the Dr. Fox study, as the experimenters noted, is that Fox’s nonverbal behaviors so completely masked a meaningless, jargon-filled, and confused presentation."

A study, I am sure, that has not been lost on our politicians!
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