Sunday, September 12, 2010 (ST 4393)

This puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on August 8, 2010

Introduction

I found today's puzzle a bit on the difficult side - one that required liberal use of my Tool Chest and one on which I found myself pursuing several false leads and venturing down a fair number of dead end streets.

Error in Today's Puzzle

There is an error in today's puzzle (confirmed by the setter) in the following clue:

3d Finished second, then first (4)

The clue should have read:

3d Finish second, then first (4)

The definition is "finish" and the wordplay is S (second) + (then) TOP (first) giving us STOP.

Before discovering (at Times for the Times) the existence of this error, I tried valiantly to produce a credible explanation for "finished" being the definition and thought that I just might have succeeded. I supposed that stop might mean finished, as in the use of the word STOP in telegram style writing in place of periods at the end of sentences (indicating that the sentence was finished). Note: although modern Morse code contains symbols for punctuation, I suspect that these may be later additions to the code which did not exist in the early days of the telegraph, thereby explaining the use of the word "stop" to represent a period.

In pursuing this idea, I discovered that the word period (meaning a punctuation mark) is chiefly a Scottish and North American usage. In England, this punctuation mark is (apparently, at least for the most part) referred to as a full stop, or just stop for short. According to Chambers:

full stop - noun a punctuation mark (.) used to indicate the end of a sentence or to mark an abbreviation. Also (especially Scottish and N Amer) called period.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

Appearing in Solutions

cor - exclamation British informal expressing surprise, excitement, admiration, or alarm: Cor! That‘s a beautiful black eye you’ve got!

ER -abbreviation Queen Elizabeth [from Latin Elizabetha Regina]

henry - (abbreviation: H) noun Physics 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

OR - abbreviation Military, British other ranks (as opposed to commissioned officers)

stop - noun 1 British dated a punctuation mark, especially a full stop

full stop - noun British a punctuation mark (. ) used at the end of a sentence or an abbreviation

Templar - [Collins English Dictionary] noun 2. (Law) (sometimes not capital) British a lawyer, especially a barrister, who lives or has chambers in the Inner or Middle Temple in London

ton² - noun [mass noun] fashionable style or distinction: riches and fame were no guarantee of a ticket — one had to have ton; Origin: French, from Latin tonus (see tone)

ton² - 3. donner le ton: French phrase meaning "to set the tone" or "to set the fashion"

traveller - noun (usually Traveller) British a Gypsy or other nomadic person

Links to Solutions

A review of today's puzzle by talbinho can be found at Times for the Times [ST 4393].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

1a English monarch gentle here, surrounded by prize people in top seats (5,2,3,5)

The definition is "people in top seats" who are PEERS OF THE REALM, those who occupy seats in the House of Lords (the Upper Chamber in the British Parliament). The wordplay is {E (English) + ER (Elizabetha Regina; or Queen Elizabeth) + SOFT (gentle) + HERE} contained in (surrounded by) PALM (prize). I suppose the palm being referred to here is the Palme d'Or (Golden Palm), the highest prize awarded to competing films at the Cannes Film Festival.

9a My! French fashion reaches a town in Italy! (7)

The definition is "town in Italy" and the wordplay is COR (my) + TON (French fashion) + (reaches) A. The town we are searching for is Cortona. Although, I have heard of the Italian towns of Ortona and Cortina (well, actually Cortina d'Ampezzo), this community is new to me. Cor is a British exclamation expressing surprise, excitement, admiration, or alarm - you can decide which one most appropriately fits today's clue.

15a It's ridiculous, that's plain to see - there must be change at the outset (7)

As the clue tells us, "It [the solution] is [a word meaning] ridulous" which turns out to be RISIBLE. The wordplay is VISIBLE (plain to see) with a change in the first letter (at the outset). In other words, we must change the V in VISIBLE to an R to produce RISIBLE.

17a Carriages in Australia - territory to the West (7)

These carriages transported me down one of several dead end streets on which I travelled today. A victoria is a type of carriage and Victoria is also the name of a state in Australia. Unfortunately, as a candidate solution, it also has three strikes against it. First, it contains the wrong number of letters; second, the state is located in the southeastern part of Australia, rather than the western part; and third, for this interpretation to work, both the definition (carriages) and the solution would probably need to be in the singular. Perhaps a clue somewhat along the lines of "Carriage in Australia - territory to the Southeast (8)" might lead to the solution VICTORIA.

Having struck out with Victoria, I eventually determined that we are looking for different carriages, LANDAUS. The wordplay is AUS (Australia) preceded by (to the West; i.e., to the left) LAND (territory).

27a Response making engagement impossible after you've given someone a ring? (8,7)

The setter creates a surface reading designed to make us look for a response along the lines of "My dear man, I cannot marry you for my heart belongs to another". However, in reality, the response we are seeking is a more mundane "The number you have dialed is no longer in service".

5d Henry wants port, but mother's denied the little beast (7)

The definition is "the little beast" and the wordplay is H (henry; SI unit of inductance) + AMSTER {AMSTERDAM (port) having deleted (is denied) DAM (mother)} which results in the solution HAMSTER.

14d Narrator full of endless jabber - would you believe his tales? (9)

This is a cryptic definition in the form of a partial & lit. clue. The clue as a whole describes a Traveller, a British term for a Gypsy. Imbedded in the clue is the following wordplay: TELLER (narrator) containing (full of) RAV (endless jabber; i.e., RAVE with the last letter deleted).

This clue reminds me of a personal encounter that I had with just such a person when I pulled into a scenic lookoff in Ireland. I was immediately approached by a woman with a tale of woe in which one misfortune after another eventually led to catastrophe (much like a Thomas Hardy novel). In brief, as I recall, it involved a long journey with sick children in an unreliable car that was nearly out of gas (petrol) to visit a dying relative. Taking pity on her in her miserable condition, I charitably handed over a small sum of money (enough to enable her to purchase sufficient gas to get her to her destination). That prompted yet another chapter in the saga, even more heart-wrenching than the first. However, starting to become suspicious, I declined to advance any further funds. As I enjoyed the scenic view and took a few photographs, I also observed as she attempted to pull the same scam on every other tourist upon their arrival.

23d It's taking minimal time with language (5)

This would appear to be an & lit. clue. The wordplay is T (minimal time; i.e., the first letter of the word "time") + ERSE (language). Read as a whole, the clue is equivalent to saying "It [the solution] is [a word meaning] taking minimal time with language" (similar to the wording in 15a). At first I thought that the phrase "taking minimal time with language" would need to define a noun (TERSENESS). However, I have eventually (and somewhat falteringly) accepted that it might also define an adjective (TERSE).

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, September 5, 2010 (ST 4392)

This puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on August 1, 2010

Introduction

Although it took me some time to find a starting point, having finally gained a foothold, the solution to the puzzle unfurled fairly smoothly.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

Appearing in Clues

kit¹ - noun 2 British the clothing used for an activity such as a sport: a football kit.

rota - noun 1 British a list showing when each of a number of people has to do a particular job: a cleaning rota.

Appearing in Solutions

Banco - another name for the parlor game, Bunco. [Note: this definition appears on the Wikipedia disambiguation page but not in the article itself.]

dehisce - verb [no object] technical (of a pod or seed vessel, or a cut or wound) gape or burst open.

escallop - noun 2 another term for scallop (sense 2 of the noun)

• scallop - noun 2 (usually scallops) each of a series of convex rounded projections forming an ornamental edging cut in material or worked in lace or knitting in imitation of the edge of a scallop shell.

fret⁴ (also sea fret) - noun Northern English a mist coming in off the sea; a sea fog.

red rag (as in the expression a red rag to a bull) - an object, utterance, or act which is certain to provoke someone: the refusal to discuss the central issue was like a red rag to a bull.

trestle - noun short for trestle table, a table consisting of a board or boards laid on trestles.

twinset - noun chiefly British a woman's matching cardigan and jumper.

Victoria plum - noun British a plum of a large red dessert variety.

Links to Solutions

A review of today's puzzle by talbinho can be found at Times for the Times [ST 4392].

It seems that talbinho is in a rather testy mood today, finding much fault with the puzzle. While I certainly took issue with some aspects of the puzzle myself, I did think he might have been a bit harsh in some of his criticisms. I rather liked the mirrored pairing of 14a and 16d (with their mutual cross-references) for which he commented that "[16d is] not great: this is essentially the same clue as 14ac". On the other hand, he is right on target in most of his comments. If nothing else, this puzzle generated more comment on Times for the Times than I have seen in quite some time.

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

1a Softwood tradesperson (7)

The definition is "tradesperson" who happens to be a PLUMBER. The wordplay is P (soft; from the musical direction piano, denoting a soft or quiet musical passage) + LUMBER (wood).

I was surprised to see lumber used to mean "wood", as Oxford shows this as a North American meaning. In Britain, according to Oxford, lumber means "articles of furniture or other household items that are no longer useful and inconveniently take up storage space". Is this evidence of North American usage creeping into Britain?

14a Youngster keen to be prepared could be going on sixteen (3,5)

In this clue, the word "sixteen" is a cross-reference to clue 16d. While the word has the sense of "sixteen years of age" in the surface reading, it must be replaced by the solution to clue 16d for the cryptic analysis, giving "Youngster keen to be prepared could be going on JAMBOREE". The the clue is a cryptic definition of a BOY SCOUT, someone whose motto is "Be prepared" and who might eagerly anticipate attending a jamboree, a large gathering of Scouts who rally at a national or international level.

In cross-reference clues such as this, it has been my experience that it is more common for the number to appear as a numeral rather than be spelled out, as here. However, this just proves that we solvers must be prepared for whatever setters throw at us. [Note: Peter Biddlecombe, in a comment on Times for the Times, suggests that spelling out the word is a work around necessitated by a deficiency (bug) in the software used by the Times for their online version.]

25a Model heard to struggle with folding table? (7)

The model is one produced by Henry Ford, the Model T as it turns out. The definition is "folding table" and the wordplay is T (model) + RESTLE {sounds like (heard) WRESTLE (to struggle)} resulting in the solution TRESTLE. Apparently a trestle (trestle table) can be folded - or, at least, the setter seems to think so. Given that it would appear to be merely some boards laid across a pair of trestles, I have to wonder how one would fold it! Perhaps the meaning of the term has been expanded to include some type of folding table.

5d Rotten scale cut off seafood (8)

The definition is "seafood" and the wordplay is ESCAL {an anagram (rotten) of SCALE} + LOP (cut off) with the solution being ESCALLOP. However, according to Oxford, escallop is a synonym for scallop only in the sense of "an ornamental edging" and not when used to mean "seafood".

6d Soft edge on girl's bloomers (9)

I played with this clue for a long time - and it brought a smile when the penny finally dropped. The word "bloomer" can have several meanings in Britain. In addition to a lady's undergarment, it can be a stupid mistake or a loaf of bread. However, today it is a flowering plant.

8d Kit worn to match cause of test win dispute (7)

The surface reading is all about cricket with "kit" being the British term for team uniform, "match" being the cricket game, and "test" (short for "test match") being "an international cricket or rugby match, typically one of a series, played between teams representing two different countries". However, the cryptic reading seems to have little to do with cricket. "Kit" would appear to be a British term for clothing, in general. Although neither Oxford nor Chambers give this definition explicitly, it is implicit in the expression "get one's kit off" which Chambers deliciously defines as "slang to remove one's clothes, especially prior to sexual intercourse". Thus the definition is "kit worn to match" or TWINSET (a woman's matching cardigan and jumper) and the wordplay is an anagram (dispute) of TEST WIN.

As for the words "cause of", I would consider them to be link words between the definition and wordplay. Link words are words or expressions that convey either the idea of equality between the definition and wordplay (e.g., the clue takes the form 'definition' is 'wordplay') or the idea of causality, that executing the wordplay produces the definition, (e.g., the clue takes the form 'wordplay' makes 'definition'). The equality or causality may be expressed in either direction (i.e., it may appear as either 'definition' is 'wordplay' or 'wordplay' is 'definition'). Link words expressing equality may be words and expressions such as is, equals, is equivalent to, while examples of those expressing causality are makes, creates, produces, happens, arrives (see 20d).

16d Spree where lad of 14 meets more troops? (8)

Turnabout being fair play, this clue cross-references clue 14a. Again, in the surface reading, the number suggests "14 years of age" but in the cryptic reading "lad of 14" is the BOY SCOUT from clue 14a. Thus, the clue is interpreted as "Spree where BOY SCOUT meets more troops?", a cryptic definition for JAMBOREE, a rally where members of many scout troops gather.

In this clue, note that the setter has chosen to display the number as a numeral.

20d Change rota as vessels arrive (6)

The definition is "vessels" (in this case, blood vessels) and the wordplay is an anagram (change) of ROTA AS producing the solution AORTAS. What role does the word "arrive" play? I had to think about this question long and hard before concluding that one must interpret "arrive" in the sense of "happen". If one does so, and adds a bit of extra punctuation (which is often a requirement in the cryptic reading of clues), the result is "Change rota as, vessels happen". In other words, if one changes the order of the letters in ROTA AS, one gets a word meaning "vessels". Note that, due to the inverted word order in the clue, the link word "arrive" actually appears at the end of the clue with the definition in the middle (the latter, while typically frowned on in American puzzles, is considered permissible in British puzzles).

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, August 29, 2010 (ST 4391)

This puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on July 25, 2010

Introduction

It has taken me a week to get around to writing this blog, having solved the puzzle last Sunday. Luckily I make annotations on the puzzle as I work through it with ideas for inclusion in the blog. Otherwise, I would be at a total loss after so much time has elapsed.

By the way, should it appear that I am extraordinarily prescient due to my mention of aspects of next week's puzzle, that is not the case. I actually wrote this review after having written the review for next week's puzzle.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

Appearing in Clues

Stenhousemuir - a small town in the district of Falkirk, Scotland.

Appearing in Solutions

M² - abbreviation 10 British Motorway, followed by a number, as in M1 (a major north–south motorway in England connecting London to Leeds).

Links to Solutions

A review of today's puzzle by talbinho can be found at Times for the Times [ST 4391].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

1a In a way groovy chaps 22 (8)

Here the "22" indicates a cross reference to clue 22d (we know it is 22d because there is no 22a in the puzzle). To solve the clue, one must substitute the solution to 22d into the clue in place of the cross reference indicator. Moreover, one must add a bit of additional punctuation, as the clue actually has an inverted sentence structure. Thus the clue is interpreted as "In a way, groovy chaps cargo" (an atrocious surface reading both before and after the substitution). The definition is "cargo" and the wordplay is {HIP (groovy) + MEN (chaps)} contained in (in) ST (a way; i.e., abbreviation for "street") with the solution being SHIPMENT.

In the online version of the puzzle in the U.K., the numeral "22" was missing, thus producing a clue lacking a definition. In a comment on Times for the Times related to next week's puzzle, Peter Biddlecombe suggests that the missing "22" is due to a deficiency in the software used by the Times to produce its online edition whereby it is incapable of displaying a numeral at the end of a clue. He postulates that this is the reason why a cross reference clue in next week's puzzle spells out the cross reference in words rather than displaying it as a numeral (as is customary).

6a Notice model without hint of togs (6)

The definition is "notice" and the wordplay is POSER (model) containing (without; meaning "outside of" rather than "lacking") T (hint of togs; i.e., first letter of the word "togs"). In his review talbinho states "'hint of' for 'first letter of' is an indicator usually reserved for advanced cryptics; it's not allowed in the daily puzzles".

10a Tea gardens displayed big 6 downs (5,5)

Here we have another cross reference clue but this time, as there are clues numbered 6a and 6d in the puzzle, the setter must specify which clue is being referenced (in this case, 6 down). Note that the setter also makes the cross referenced word plural in the process (6 downs). So we begin by substituting the solution to clue 6d into the present clue, giving us "Tea gardens displayed big pets". The definition is "big pets" and the wordplay is an anagram (displayed) of TEA GARDENS giving, as a solution, GREAT DANES.

12a Wonderful! I'm about to rest outside yard (8)

Or, perhaps, not so wonderful. The definition would seem to be "wonderful" and the wordplay (after undoing the inverted sentence structure) is {ALIGHT (to rest) containing (outside) MI [a reversal (about) of IM]} + Y (yard). However, this produces an extra I (pity there wasn't an extra eye at the editor's desk).

14a Hold son? (4,6)

The definition is "hold" (in this case, one used in wrestling). The rest of the clue is actually "inverse" wordplay, a rarely encountered type of clue. Rather than being given the wordplay and working out the result, we are presented with the result (son) and must find the wordplay that would produce it. Thus, since "half nelson" (half of the word "nelson") is "son", the solution is HALF NELSON. The setter uses the question mark as a signal that there is something unusual about the clue. It is up to the solver to figure out just what that unusual feature might be.

18a Fruit and veg left at end of dinner (4)

The definition is "fruit" and the wordplay is PEA (veg) + (left at) R (end of dinner; i.e., the last letter in the word "dinner") producing the solution PEAR.

Although I could be wrong, I believe that the word "left" may play a key role in the cryptic reading of this clue (in addition to being important to the surface reading). In an across clue, a clue of the form "A on B", according to fairly well-established convention, means B+A. Similarly, I would think that "A at B" might be interpreted similarly ("B+A"). However, the setter has inserted the word "left" ("A left at B") indicating (to my mind, at least) that A is to the left of B, giving the result A+B.

23a Having stroke at hospital department is unmistakeable (6)

Perhaps our setter should spend less time at the Ear, Nose and Throat Department and pay a few visits to the Eye Clinic.

3d Father's head teacher finally (5)

I suspect talbinho meant to write "PATER; PATE + teache[R]" rather than "PATER; PATE + TEACHE[r]".

8d Topless prime time occurrence (5)

The definition is "occurrence" and the wordplay is EVEN (topless prime; i.e., the prime number SEVEN with its first letter deleted, "topless" as this is a down clue) + T (time) producing EVENT.

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, August 22, 2010 (ST 4390)

This puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on July 18, 2010

Introduction

I thought that some of today's clues were very strangely worded indeed. In several instances, the solution process involved finding a word that fit the space available and then reverse engineering the wordplay. Sometimes I reached a point where I had unused pieces in both the clue and the solution, and therefore had to conclude that the leftover part of the clue could only be, for example, the missing anagram indicator needed to produce the solution. Or, as talbinho says so much more elegantly, "the question mark here appears to mean 'this clue doesn't really make cryptic sense, but you should be able to work out the answer'".

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

Appearing in Solutions

AB² - abbreviation 1 British able seaman.

ethyne - noun chemistry acetylene.

goanna - noun Australian term for monitor (lizard), a large tropical Old World lizard with a long neck, narrow head, forked tongue, strong claws, and a short body. Monitors were formerly believed to give warning of crocodiles. Origin: mid 19th century, alteration of iguana.

optic - noun 3 British trademark a device fastened to the neck of an inverted bottle for measuring out spirits.

pass over - euphemistic die: by the time I reached the hospital she had passed over. [I am familiar with the similar euphemisms pass away and pass on (both of which are also listed by Oxford), but pass over is new to me.]

read - verb 5 chiefly British study (an academic subject) at a university: I'm reading English at Cambridge; [no object] he went to Manchester to read for a BA in Economics.

red grouse - a medium sized bird of the grouse family which is found in heather moorland in Great Britain and Ireland.

Links to Solutions

A review of today's puzzle by talbinho can be found at Times for the Times [ST 4390].

The title of talbinho's review is Abelia Bloomer. This is a play on words with bloomer being both a plant producing flowers as well as a British expression meaning "a serious or stupid mistake". The comments on Times for the Times regarding today's puzzle are scathing - and quite justifiably so.

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

5a Stand for party on returning from expedition (6)

The typo in talbinho's review should be self-evident, but for the sake of completeness his commentary should read "TRIPOD; rev. of DO (= 'party') after TRIP".

24a Showing ingenuity found centre in metropolis (6)

I would have thought that this clue should read:

• Showing ingenuity found centre in a metropolis (6)

The definition is "showing ingenuity" for which the solution is ACUITY. The wordplay is U (found centre; i.e., the middle - or centre - letter of the word "found") contained in (in) A + CITY (metropolis). Perhaps the setter intended for us to equate "metropolis" with "a city".

25a Breaking of trust by three small boys (8)

The definition is "breaking of trust" with the solution being BETRAYAL. Apparently, the three young lads are BET, RAY and AL. I've certainly known people having the later two names but I've yet to meet a man named Bet - and that seems to be the case for the Brits, as well.

2d Sailors given essayist a honeysuckle (6)

Should not this clue have read:

• Sailor given essayist a honeysuckle (6)

or, perhaps:

• Sailor's given essayist a honeysuckle (6) [where the 's is a contraction for "has"]
  

The definition is "honeysuckle" for which the solution is ABELIA (the genus of the honeysuckle). The wordplay is AB (sailor; abbreviation for able seaman) + ("given" or "has given") ELIA (pen name of English essayist Charles Lamb).

By the way, the clue in the syndicated puzzle is totally different from what was originally published in The Sunday London Times (the first time that I can recall having seen this happen - we usually get the puzzles with all their errors, just as they appeared in the UK). The version published in Britain was:

• Honeysuckle I label incorrectly (6)

where the wordplay is intended to be an anagram (incorrectly) of I LABEL which supposedly gives the solution ABELIA (which clearly doesn't work). One might conclude that the inclusion of the word "incorrectly" in the clue was highly appropriate!

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, August 15, 2010 (ST 4389)

This puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on July 11, 2010

Introduction

I found this puzzle to be fairly difficult - and relied heavily on my Tool Chest in order to complete it.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

Appearing in Solutions

jumper - [American Heritage Dictionary] noun 4. Chiefly British A pullover sweater. [Note: in North America, a jumper is a type of dress known in the U.K. as a pinafore]

OED - abbreviation Oxford English Dictionary.

post² - noun 1 chiefly British the official service or system that delivers letters and parcels: winners will be notified by post; the tickets are in the post.

pot - noun potshot [Note: this definition appears in both the American Heritage Dictionary (as noun 11) and Collins English Dictionary (as noun 15)].

titch - noun British informal a small person.

Links to Solutions

A review of today's puzzle by talbinho can be found at Times for the Times [ST 4389].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

11a Instruction on, say, propane container is deceptive (7,6)

The definition is "deceptive" with the solution being LEADING ASTRAY. The wordplay in this charade type clue is LEADIN (lead-in; instruction) + (on) GAS (say, propane; i.e., propane is an example of a gas) + TRAY (container). Like talbinho (who writes, "'Instruction' must give 'lead-in', which doesn't seem quite right; perhaps I have misunderstood this clue."), I questioned lead-in meaning instruction. Oxford defines lead-in as "an introduction or preamble which allows one to move smoothly on to the next part of something: the lead-in note". Perhaps that could be deemed to be an instruction of sorts.

There is a fair amount of discussion on Times for the Times regarding this clue. Some writers thought that "instruction" is LEAD with "on" meaning IN (which was apparently true in 1000 A.D.). Others suggested (as had occurred to me) that there might be a mistake in the clue with the word "instruction" having been substituted for the word "introduction".

As I have interpreted the clue, the word "on" is a charade indicator (or charade link word). However, I note that it violates the convention described by Anax (a setter of cryptic crossword puzzles) on Big Dave's site that, in an across clue, "A on B" always means "B + A" ("In an across clue, “on” tags one component to the end of another"). Here A on B (LEADIN on GAS) produces A + B (LEADINGAS).

Then again, here is what Peter Biddlecombe (a champion solver of cryptic crossword puzzles) has to say regarding "Anax’s advice about “A on B” as part of a charade in an across clue".

Although this could logically indicate (A,B) or (B,A), current crossword editors apparently follow a policy that it must indicate B,A. I’ve only known this for a year or so, and will probably never change my approach of just trying the two possibilities for my interpretations of A and B, and seeing which makes a word that fits checking letters and the definition. It’s not going to take me significantly longer, and if I do a puzzle that doesn’t follow this rule, or the editors change their minds, I’m not going to rely on a rule that doesn’t apply. A comment from Don Manley on the announcement posting for this page suggests that the rule is actually specific to the Times puzzle.

As for "specific to the Times puzzle", a convention apparently violated today.

17a Post taken by high-flyer? (7)

This is a cryptic definition of AIRMAIL, post being a British term for mail. In Canada, despite the fact that the organization that delivers the mail is called Canada Post, the fee for delivering mail is called postage, and we might even say that we post a letter, I don't think one would ever hear the mail referred to as the post.

19a Nice sauce fully available a short time ago (4,3)

In this clue Nice refers to the city on the French Riviera and serves as an indicator that we are looking for the French words meaning sauce (JUS; which actually means gravy, a type of sauce) and fully (TOUT). The definition is "available a short time ago" which leads, of course, to the solution JUST OUT.

24a Advertise widely what sounds like the correct entrance (9)

The definition is "advertise widely" with the solution being PROPAGATE. The wordplay in this homophone (sounds like) clue relies on the British speech characteristic of pronouncing "ER" as "A" so that "proper gate" sounds like "propa gate".

25d This is mean end! (3)

Despite having the correct solution, I had difficulty fully understanding the wordplay - even after reading talbinho's explanation. This clue seems to be a double definition, with the second meaning being end = AIM (as in goal). The first definition appears to be mean = AIM (where aim has the meaning "have the intention of achieving; we aim to give you the best possible service"). As for the "This is" part of the clue, I can only surmise that the clue is intended to be a cryptic definition which is saying, in effect "The solution (this) is a word that can have the meaning 'mean' or 'end'".

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, August 8, 2010 (ST 4388)

This puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on July 4, 2010

Introduction

I pretty much completed this puzzle unaided, even though there were some fairly challenging clues. I did need to consult the dictionary for 8d. I had determined all the letters and knew that all the checking letters were Is but needed to figure out where to place all the Vs and Ds.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

Appearing in Solutions

divi-divi - [American Heritage Dictionary] noun 1. A small tree (Caesalpinia coriaria) of the West Indies and South America, having compound leaves and long pods.

tit - noun 5 (old, no longer used) A small horse; a nag.

Links to Solutions

A review of today's puzzle by talbinho can be found at Times for the Times [ST 4388].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

16a Frenzied troll grabbing first mate aft of tanker (8)

I can find no evidence to support talbinho's statement that "a troll is a type of fish" other than that troll, used as a noun, means "a line or bait used in trolling for fish". Troll, when used as a verb, means to "fish by trailing a baited line along behind a boat".

20a Spotted horse? That's material! (6)

Is there such a thing as a calico horse? There are certainly calico cats, and even some insects and fish with calico in their names - but I had trouble finding calico horses. I did find a few hints that such a horse might exist - a quilting store in California called The Calico Horse, a stud farm in British Columbia called Calico Quarter Horses, as well as a California band called Calico Horse. Calico is also a brand of horse trailer, and wild horses roam the Calico Mountains of Nevada. According to a visitor to Times for the Times, this latter reference is the correct one, "Calico horses are wild horses that live in the calico mountains. Not necessarily spotted".

By the way, I discovered that calico fabric is quite different in Britain from what it is in North America. British calico is "a white or unbleached cotton fabric with no printed design" while the North American fabric is "a coarse printed cotton fabric".

Therefore, if a Calico Horse were to exist, perhaps it would be an all white horse in Britain, whereas in North America, it would be a spotted horse.

5d Spin put on all main points, then information screened (8)

There are two plausible solutions matching the wordplay, but only one of them satisfies the checking letters. Unfortunately, I initially fell for the wrong one, thereby seriously compromising my efforts to solve the intersecting clues, 12a and 16a.

The two possibilities are NEWSREEL (the correct solution) and NEWSCAST. In either case, NEWS is "all main points", i.e., the cardinal points of the compass (North, East, West, and South). To this we must add (put on) a word meaning "spin". I had initially interpreted spin in the sense of "to fish with a light rod, lure, and line and a reel with a stationary spool" or, in other words, to cast (to throw something, especially to throw out a lure or bait at the end of a fishing line). However, the meaning that the setter has in mind is "to seem to be whirling, as from dizziness; reel".

15d Bird taking vermin from worn-out nag (8)

The solution to this clue definitely wants to be TITMOUSE. The wordplay certainly seems to suggest that one must delete a word meaning "vermin" from a word (or phrase) meaning "worn-out nag" to get a a word meaning "bird". However, that is apparently not the case at all. The "vermin" of the clue is MOUSE and the "bird" is TITMOUSE (although it could just as easily have been TIT, which is another name for the same bird). But how does "worn-out nag" factor into the equation? Although talbinho shows "worn-out nag" meaning TIT, he provides no further information, so I embarked on some further research. I must say that doing a web search for slang expressions meaning or involving the word "tit" is rather an eye-opening experience. It turns out that tit is an obsolete expression for "a small horse; a nag". I interpret the "worn-out" in the clue to refer to the fact that this meaning of the word "tit" is obsolete. Thus, "tit" is not a word meaning "worn-out nag" but just an old (worn-out) word meaning "nag".

If this is a simple charade (as shown by talbinho in his review), then "taking" must be a link word and "from" a charade indicator. Such a clue might have been constructed as "Bird is vermin on worn-out nag". However, in the clue as presented, I am really struggling to see either "taking" or "from" playing these roles.

This might actually be a better clue for TIT, where one would read the first part of the clue as "Bird, taking vermin from" and parse the clue as:

• TITMOUSE (bird) with MOUSE (vermin) deleted (taking ... from) /\ TIT (worn-out nag)

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, August 1, 2010 (ST 4387)

This puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on June 27, 2010

Introduction

I found this to be a very difficult puzzle. I was totally unable to solve one clue, and there were several more for which I had little or no comprehension of the wordplay. The difficulty is probably due in large part to the extraordinarily large number of Briticisms found in today's puzzle.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

Appearing in Clues

advert¹ - noun British informal an advertisement.

Blue Peter - a nautical signal flag or a British children's television programme.

china - noun British A term of address, usually friendly. Derived from the cockney rhyming slang china plate, meaning mate. E.g."Alright china! How's it going then?"

duck³ - noun Cricket a batsman's score of nought: he was out for a duck.

Hampton Court (Palace) - a royal palace in London, England known for its hedge maze.

Making Money - possibly a reference to a fantasy novel by Terry Pratchett.

office - noun 11 (especially usual offices) euphemistic, slang a lavatory.

uni - noun university.

Appearing in Solutions

battledore - noun 1a An early form of badminton played with a flat wooden paddle and a shuttlecock.

River Cam - a river in England.

camp² - [Collins English Dictionary] Informal adjective 1. effeminate; affected in mannerisms, dress, etc. 2. homosexual. [Note: observe that the accompanying definition for camp from the American Heritage Dictionary contains no reference to effeminate or homosexual behaviour]

The Football Association (also known as simply The FA) - a governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man.

ginger nut - noun British a hard ginger-flavoured biscuit (also called ginger snap). [Note: biscuit is the British term for cookie]

milksop - noun derogatory, old use a weak, effeminate or ineffectual man or youth.

prefect - noun 1 chiefly British (in some schools) a senior pupil who is authorized to enforce discipline.

River Lee - a river in England.

vert¹ - noun green, as a heraldic tincture.

Links to Solutions

A review of today's puzzle by talbinho can be found at Times for the Times [ST 4387].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

1a Ann and this 25 chap could be wearing salmon pink (7)

I was totally flummoxed by this clue - well, perhaps not totally as I did recognize the cross reference in the wordplay. The number "25" is a cross reference to clue 25d (it must be 25d as there is no clue 25a). To solve the clue we must substitute the solution to the cross-referenced clue into this clue, giving us:

• Ann and this camp chap could be wearing salmon pink (7)

Since, in Britain, "camp" may mean effeminate, the clue becomes:

• Ann and this effeminate chap could be wearing salmon pink (7)

The definition comes in the middle of this clue (not unheard of in British puzzles) and is "this effeminate chap" with the solution being MILKSOP.

In his review, talbinho describes this clue as a "composite anagram". The clue tells us that:

• ANN and MILKSOP could be wearing salmon pink (7)

The word "wearing" according to Peter Biddlecombe is an anagram indicator. Inserting it into the clue, we have:

• ANN and MILKSOP could be an anagram of salmon pink (7)

Therefore, to solve the clue, we need to remove the letters ANN from SALMON PINK and then find an anagram of the remainder (SALMON PINK - ANN)* = (SLMO PIK)* = MILKSOP.

14a Record "Making Money" when it's broadcast - that's showing good taste (10)

The word "broadcast" is often used as an anagram indicator, but here it is employed as a homophone (sounds like) indicator. The definition is "showing good taste" having the solution DISCERNING. The wordplay is DISC (record) + ERNING [sounds like (when it's broadcast) EARNING (making money)].

18a Item of furniture used in Blue Peter - middle part (4)

I felt that the solution must be SEAT, but could not decipher the wordplay in the clue. The wordplay, clearly explained by talbinho, is not difficult - but neither is it obvious (at least, not to me).

22a Boastful type takes night flyer around Uni (8)

Like one of the Brits, I thought that a word must have been omitted from the clue as there would appear to be nothing in the clue to account for the word BIG in the solution.

23a Container with parrot's snack (6)

The definition is "snack" with the solution being CANAPE. The wordplay is CAN (container) + (with) APE (parrot). Ape means to mimic and parrot means to repeat something that another has said (i.e., verbally mimic); so, in this sense, ape means parrot.

26a He wrote about most of the The Office (5)

This is another case where I thought I knew the solution without knowing why. The definition is "he wrote" and the writer in question is (T.S.) ELIOT. "The Office" is a British euphemism for toilet, "about" is a reversal indicator, and "most" is a truncation indicator. Thus, "most of The Office" is TOILE (deleting the final letter from the word "toilet") and reversing this gives ELIOT.

4d One carried in China vessel (4)

The definition is "vessel" with the solution being PAIL. The wordplay is I (one) contained in (carried in) PAL (china). China is British slang for pal, having come from Cockney rhyming slang. Rhyming slang is "a type of slang that replaces words with rhyming words or phrases, typically with the rhyming element omitted. For example butcher‘s, short for butcher’s hook, means 'look' in Cockney rhyming slang". Similarly, in this case, china, short for china plate, means 'mate'.

25d Effeminate prince carrying flower (4)

This is a rather complex clue. The definition is "effeminate" with the solution being CAMP (seemingly a British usage of the word). The wordplay is P (prince) following (carrying) CAM (flower). Here, "flower" means something that flows (rather than something that blooms); that is, a river and the one we are looking for is the River Cam. Since this is a down clue, if P is "carrying" CAM, then CAM is on top of P (and, consequently, P follows CAM when read top to bottom).

Signing off for this week - Falcon