Sunday, April 3, 2011 (ST 4422)

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times ST 4422
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times Sunday, February 27, 2011
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4422]
Times for the Times Review Written By Dave Perry
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star Saturday, March 26, 2011

Introduction

For a while, I was beginning to feel that I would not be able to complete this puzzle. However, with extensive assistance from my electronic friends I was able to prevail in the end. As usual, there are several British references in the puzzle - with at least one or two of them being quite obscure.

Today's Glossary

Selected abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions appearing in today's puzzle.

[An asterisk beside an entry merely indicates that it has been taken it from a Cumulative Glossary of entries which have previously appeared, in either this blog or its companion blog, the National Post Cryptic Crossword Forum.]

Appearing in Clues

Meanings listed in this section may reflect how the word is used in the surface reading of the clue. Of course, that meaning may be contributing to the misdirection that the setter is attempting to create.

daily - noun informal 2 (also daily help) British dated a woman who is employed to clean someone else's house each day

jolly - [Collins English Dictionary] noun 3. Brit slang a Royal Marine

Royal Marines - a British armed service (part of the Royal Navy) founded in 1664, trained for service at sea, or on land under specific circumstances

Appearing in Solutions

accelerando - Music adverb & adjective (especially as a direction) with a gradual increase of speed

• noun an accelerando passage

ASBO - noun British a court order which can be obtained by local authorities in order to restrict the behaviour of a person likely to cause harm or distress to the public [Origin: abbreviation of antisocial behaviour order]

char² - British informal a charwoman

*local - noun British informal a pub convenient to a person's home: a pint in the local

pants - plural noun 3 British informal rubbish; nonsense: he thought we were going to be absolute pants

RM - abbreviation [3^rd entry] (in the UK) Royal Marines

Royal Marines - a British armed service (part of the Royal Navy) founded in 1664, trained for service at sea, or on land under specific circumstances

Commentary 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.

17d   Who may be working in Dover and Tees? (9)

Most people will likely recognize Dover, a port on the English channel - renowned for its white chalk cliffs. Tees, on the other hand, may be a less familiar British port - in fact, it may well not exist. There is, however, a River Tees in northern England.

22d   What's quickly seen in recurrent spare capacity (5)

In my case, the solution was not seen very quickly at all. However, I did eventually detect it lurking there reversed (as indicated by "recurrent") in the clue.

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, March 27, 2011 (ST 4421)

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times ST 4421
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times Sunday, February 20, 2011
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4421]
Times for the Times Review Written By Dave Perry
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star Saturday, March 19, 2011

Introduction

The electronic aids in my Tool Chest saw heavy action today, as I found this puzzle to be quite challenging.

Today's Glossary

Selected abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions appearing in today's puzzle.

[Items marked with an asterisk are from a Cumulative Glossary of entries appearing, since the beginning of this year, in either this blog or its companion blog, the National Post Cryptic Crossword Forum.]

Appearing in Clues

Meanings listed in this section may reflect how the word is used in the surface reading of the clue. Of course, that meaning may be contributing to the misdirection that the setter is attempting to create.

Courage - in the U.K., a brand of beer brewed by Courage Brewery.

Sir Jacob Epstein (1880–1959) – American-born British sculptor who helped pioneer modern sculpture.

Das Rheingold (The Rhine Gold) - first of the four operas comprising Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung)

sauce - noun 3 informal, chiefly British impertinence; cheek

tinnie - (alternative spelling of tinny) noun 1 Australian /NZ informal a can of beer

Appearing in Solutions

Dr William Gilbert ("WG") Grace (1848–1915) – English amateur cricketer who is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest players of all time, having especial significance in terms of his importance to the development of the sport

patchouli - noun 1 an aromatic oil obtained from a SE Asian shrub, which is used in perfumery, insecticides, and medicine 2 the strongly scented shrub of the mint family from which patchouli is obtained. Pogostemon cablin, family Labiatae

Pork pie (or Porkie pie, often shortened to porkie) - Cockney rhyming slang term for 'lie'

put up - (put someone up) phrase 2 propose someone for election or adoption: the party had put up a candidate in each constituency

Ottorino Respighi (1879–1936) – Italian composer, musicologist and conductor. He is best known for his orchestral Roman trilogy: Fontane di Roma - "Fountains of Rome"; Pini di Roma - "Pines of Rome"; and Feste Romane - "Roman Festivals".

start - noun 2 a sudden movement of surprise or alarm

HM Prison Wormwood Scrubs (informally "The scrubs") - a Category B men's prison, located in the Wormwood Scrubs area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, in inner west London, England.

Commentary 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.

26a   Arrogant type appearing in court and causing a disturbance (7)

I didn't fully get the wordplay in this clue and Dave Perry does not give a detailed explanation. The definition is "arrogant type" for which the solution is UPSTART. The wordplay would seem to be UP (appearing in court; i.e., up on charges) + START (causing a disturbance). On further reflection, I have to conclude that start is used in the sense of 'a sudden movement of surprise or alarm'.

2d   Changed key before end of Rhinegold (7)

Sitting here at my keyboard, I can't believe that I missed the wordplay here - with the solution literally staring me right in the face. The definition is "changed", with the solution being ALTERED. The wordplay is ALT (key on a computer keyboard) + ERE (before) + D {ending letter in (Rhinegol)D}. I presume that "Rhinegold" is an anglicized version of Das Rheingold (an opera by Richard Wagner). However, it might possibly be a reference to the British publisher Rhinegold Publishing.

6d   Angry male present? (3,2)

There were a few negative comments regarding this clue on Times for the Times. Personally, I thought it was fine, although I only managed to decipher the wordplay when I took a second look after completing the puzzle. The definition is "male" with the solution being HET UP. The first step in deciphering the wordplay is to replace "present" with 'put up' - as in to 'put up candidates for election' (a timely example in Canada, with an election having just been called) or, as Dave Perry suggests, to 'to put up a defence'. The wordplay then becomes 'male put up' which can be decoded as HE (male) + TUP {a reversal (up, this being a down clue) of PUT}.

21d   This snack is an East End invention (4,3)

A cockney is a native of East London (i.e., of the East End). Cockney rhyming slang for a 'lie' (invention) is PORK PIE.

24d   Try tinnie at the front - it's Courage (5)

I believe in the surface reading that "tinnie" is Australian/New Zealand slang for a can of beer and "Courage" is a brand of British beer. Although not at all difficult, I admit that I didn't figure out the wordplay until I read Dave Perry's review. It is HEAR (try; as a court case) + T {the front letter of T(innie)} giving HEART (courage).

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, March 20, 2011 (ST 4420)

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times ST 4420
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times Sunday, February 13, 2011
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4420]
Times for the Times Review Written By Dave Perry
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star Saturday, March 12, 2011

Introduction

Unlike Dave Perry, I did not romp through most of this puzzle. There are a number of quite obscure words and a couple of British references in this puzzle that were certainly new to me. While I did manage to work out most of them from the wordplay,  I did not understand the wordplay at 24a until I read Dave Perry's review. And, of course, I would have finished much sooner if I hadn't dallied so long at the Windmill Theatre.

Today's Glossary

Selected abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions appearing in today's puzzle.

[Items marked with an asterisk are from a Cumulative Glossary of entries appearing, since the beginning of this year, in either this blog or its companion blog, the National Post Cryptic Crossword Forum.]

Appearing in Clues

Meanings listed in this section may reflect how the word is used in the surface reading of the clue. Of course, that meaning may be contributing to the misdirection that the setter is attempting to create.

Harrogate (or Harrogate Spa) - a spa town in North Yorkshire, England.

Remploy Ltd - a government owned company in the United Kingdom which provides employment and employment placement services for disabled people.

Appearing in Solutions

amaranthine - [American Heritage Dictionary] adjective 2. Eternally beautiful and unfading; everlasting.

autodidact - noun a self-taught person

*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.

sati (also suttee) - noun the former Hindu practice of a widow throwing herself on to her husband's funeral pyre

Tantalus - Greek Mythology a Lydian king, son of Zeus and father of Pelops. For his crimes (which included killing Pelops) he was punished by being provided with fruit and water which receded when he reached for them. His name is the origin of the word tantalize.

touraco (alternative spelling of turaco) - noun a fruit-eating African bird with brightly coloured plumage, a prominent crest, and a long tail. Family Musophagidae (the turaco family): three genera, especially Musophaga and Tauraco, and several species. The turaco family also includes the go-away birds and plantain-eaters.

Windmill Theatre (later The Windmill International) - a variety and revue theatre in Great Windmill Street, London, England famous for its nude tableaux vivants.

Tableau vivant is French for "living picture." The term describes a striking group of suitably costumed actors or artist's models, carefully posed and often theatrically lit. Throughout the duration of the display, the people shown do not speak or move. The approach thus marries the art forms of the stage with those of painting/photography, and as such it has been of interest to modern photographers. The most recent hey-day of the tableau vivant was the 19th century with virtually nude tableaux vivants or "poses plastiques" providing a form of erotic entertainment.

In his review, Dave Perry provides a link to a fascinating history of the Windmill Theatre (extensively illustrated with pictures that are definitely worthwhile checking out).

Commentary 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.

24a   Ridicule wife's sacrifice, wanting progress (8)

The definition is "ridicule" for which the solution is SATIRISE. The wordplay is SATI (wife's sacrifice; Hindu practice of a widow throwing herself on to her husband's funeral pyre) + (wanting) RISE (progress). Here "wanting" seems to want to be a charade indicator.

28a   Feeling apprehensive about Oxford, finally gaining scholarship (8)

The definition is "feeling apprehensive about", with the solution being DREADING. The wordplay is D (Oxford finally; i.e., the final letter in "Oxford") + READING (gaining scholarship). In Britain, reading means to attend university, thereby 'becoming educated' or, in other words, "gaining scholarship". The surface reading of the clue is designed to make us think of a financial award, but we must see past this to find the cryptic meaning.

3d   Blunder admitted by teacher rarely (3)

The definition is "blunder" and the solution is hidden in (admitted by) teachER Rarely.

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, March 13, 2011 (ST 4419)

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times ST 4419
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times Sunday, February 6, 2011
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4419]
Times for the Times Review Written By Dave Perry
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star Saturday, March 5, 2011

Introduction

I found this to be probably the most difficult puzzle that I have run into in a very long time. I needed copious amounts of aid from my electronic assistants - and still finished without understanding the wordplay in 14a. As it turns out, the clue relies on an apparently common British expression meaning 'extremely drunk' - but one that I am totally unfamiliar with, as I dare say are most North Americans.

In his review, Dave Perry wonders (in regard to 20a) "how well does [the expression "boring old farts"] transfer abroad?". Actually, very well, as this is quite a common expression in North America. However, I can't say the same for several other British expressions, such as bladdered (to which I have alluded above) as well as elevenses, outsize (OS),  charlie (which I did discover should not be confused with charlies), and especially carcase (a spelling that apparently does not exist outside the U.K.).

Today's Errata

One thing that seems to have transferred abroad quite well is the obvious spelling error in 3d:

• 3d   One Cathoilic in event remains (7)

Today's Glossary

Selected abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions appearing in today's puzzle.

[Items marked with an asterisk are from a Cumulative Glossary of entries appearing, since the beginning of this year, in either this blog or its companion blog, the National Post Cryptic Crossword Forum.]

Appearing in Clues

The meanings listed in this section may reflect how the word is used in the surface reading of the clue. Of course, that meaning may be contributing to the misdirection that the setter is attempting to create.

daily - noun informal 2 (also daily help) British dated a woman who is employed to clean someone else's house each day

flipping - adjective [attributive] British informal used for emphasis or to express mild annoyance: are you out of your flipping mind?; [as submodifier] it's flipping cold today

*leg - noun 5 (also leg side, on or on side) Cricket the half of the field (as divided lengthways through the pitch) away from which the batsman's feet are pointed when standing to receive the ball.  The opposite of off.

Mayo¹ - a county in the Republic of Ireland, in the north-west in the province of Connacht; county town, Castlebar

Appearing in Solutions

bladdered - adjective British informal extremely drunk

char² - noun 1 British informal a charwoman

charlie - noun 1 British informal a fool

Chinook - noun 1 a member of an American Indian people originally inhabiting the region around the Columbia River in Oregon

*eleven - cardinal number [6^th entry] a sports team of eleven players: at cricket I played in the first eleven

elevenses -plural noun British informal a short break for light refreshments, usually with tea or coffee, taken at about eleven o'clock in the morning

*on - (also on side) noun Cricket the leg side (or, simply, leg) [see the definition for leg in the Appearing in Clues section above]

OS - abbreviation (as a size of clothing) outsize, the British term equivalent to the North American terms plus size (for women's clothing) and big and tall (for men's clothing).

rot - noun 3 informal, chiefly British nonsense; rubbish: don't talk rot; [as exclamation]‘Rot!’ she said with vehemence

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, March 6, 2011 (ST 4418)

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times ST 4418
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times Sunday, January 30, 2011
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4418]
Times for the Times Review Written By Dave Perry
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star Saturday, February 26, 2011

Introduction

The Brits seem to have found this puzzle on the easy side. However, I found it to be fairly challenging.

Today's Glossary

Selected abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions appearing in today's puzzle.

[Items marked with an asterisk are from a Cumulative Glossary of entries appearing, since the beginning of this year, in either this blog or its companion blog, the National Post Cryptic Crossword Forum.]

Appearing in Clues

biscuit - noun 1 British a small baked unleavened cake, typically crisp, flat , and sweet: a chocolate biscuit [Known in North America as a cookie.]

• North American a small, soft round cake like a scone

cookie - noun 1 North American a sweet biscuit 3 Scottish a plain bun

dishy - adjective informal

1. chiefly British (of a man) sexually attractive.
2. North American scandalous or gossipy: she's the perfect candidate for a dishy biography

Windies - colloquial name for the West Indian cricket team

Appearing in Solutions

brandy snap - noun British a crisp rolled gingerbread wafer, usually filled with cream

canon¹ - noun 4 Music a piece in which the same melody is begun in different parts successively, so that the imitations overlap

draughts - noun British a board game for two players, played on a draughtboard. Each player starts with twelve disc-shaped pieces in three rows along one side of the board , and moves them diagonally with the aim of capturing all the opponent's pieces. [Known in North America as checkers.]

*or² - noun gold or yellow, as a heraldic tincture

PE - [2^nd entry] abbreviation physical education

père - French father

*R² - abbreviation [13th entry] Cricket [not to mention baseball] (on scorecards) run(s)

RU - [3^rd entry] abbreviation rugby union

rugby (also rugby football) - noun a team game played with an oval ball that may be kicked, carried , and passed from hand to hand. Points are scored by grounding the ball behind the opponents‘ goal line (thereby scoring a try) or by kicking it between the two posts and over the crossbar of the opponents’ goal.  See also rugby league and rugby union

rugby league - noun a form of rugby played in teams of thirteen, originally by a group of northern English clubs which separated from rugby union in 1895. Besides having somewhat different rules, the game differed from rugby union in always allowing professionalism.

Origin: (mid 19th century) named after Rugby School (see Rugby), where the game was first played

rugby union - noun a form of rugby played in teams of fifteen. Unlike rugby league, the game was originally strictly amateur, being opened to professionalism only in 1995.

snap - noun 4 British a card game in which cards from two piles are turned over simultaneously and players call ‘snap’ as quickly as possible when two similar cards are exposed [Note: a game that is also played in Canada - at least, I recall having played it]

• [as exclamation] said when one notices that one has or does the identical thing to someone else: ‘Snap!’ They looked at each other's ties with a smile.

speed camera - noun a roadside camera triggered by speeding vehicles, taking either video footage or a photograph of the vehicle with a record of its speed

TR - abbreviation Turkey (international vehicle registration)

Commentary 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.

17d   20 not starting to attack fall guy (9)

This is a cross-reference type of clue, where "20" indicates that we must insert the solution to clue 20d at this point in the clue. Doing so, the clue becomes:

• Abscond not starting to attack fall guy (9)

The definition is "fall guy" for which the solution is SCAPEGOAT. The wordplay is SCAPE {eSCAPE (abscond) without its first letter (not starting)} + {GO AT (to attack)}.

20d   Muscles ultimately required to stop prisoner's bolt (7)

The definition is "bolt" as '(of a person) move or run away suddenly in an attempt to escape' with the solution being ABSCOND. The wordplay is {ABS (muscles) + D [final letter (ultimately) of requireD]} containing (to stop) CON (prisoner) giving us ABS(CON)D.

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, February 27, 2011 (ST 4417) - Déjà Vu

Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times ST 4417 Puzzle Number of Original Publication in The Sunday Times ST 4393
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times Sunday, January 23, 2011 Date of Original Publication in The Sunday Times Sunday, August 8, 2010
Link to Times for the Times Review Times for the Times [ST 4417] Link to Original Times for the Times Review Times for the Times [ST 4393]
Times for the Times Review Written By Dave Perry Original Times for the Times Review Written By talbinho
Date of Original Publication in the Ottawa Citizen Sunday, September 12, 2010
Original Ottawa Citizen Cryptic Crossword Forum Review Ottawa Citizen Cryptic Crossword Forum [ST 4393]
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star Saturday, February 19, 2011 Date of Original Publication in the Toronto Star Saturday, September 4, 2010

Introduction

If you felt a sense of déjà vu enveloping you as you worked your way through this puzzle, you would have good reason. The puzzle is a repeat of one originally published in the Ottawa Citizen on September 12, 2010. Those who read last weeks Times for the Times review would have had a head's up that this was coming, as Peter Biddlecombe (who recently assumed the post of Puzzles Editor for The Sunday Times) wrote there:

Apologies in advance for 4417 - unfortunately a repeat of a puzzle from August last year (4393), caused at least in part by a change of crossword editor. I'm already checking other "pipeline" puzzles to ensure that this doesn't happen again.

I had also been alerted to this occurrence by Peter in an email received about a month ago, in which he said:

One warning about a future puzzle.  Sunday Times crossword no. 4417, published on 23 Jan, was an accidental repeat of no. 4393 (8 Aug 2010).  I’ve made arrangements for this puzzle to be replaced in the syndicated version by another crossword from the same setter.  By my reckoning this will be the puzzle in the Ottawa Citizen on 27 February.  So on that day you’ll have no Sunday Times report at Times for the Times to refer to.  The substitute puzzle will at some point be made available to Times Crossword members, and it’s possible that Times for the Times will have a report on it.

It seems that the Ottawa Citizen and Toronto Star - or more likely some common entity higher up in the syndication chain - has declined to avail themselves of the substitute puzzle that Peter refers to in his email. Consequently, I get a bit of a respite today as I merely have to provide a link to my review of the earlier puzzle rather than (as I was fearing) write a full review of a puzzle for which no British review had been done.

As for the puzzle, it was definitely easier that second time around. In September, I wrote "I found today's puzzle a bit on the difficult side - one that required liberal use of my Tool Chest ...". Today, on the other hand, I was able to complete it without resorting to the use of my electronic aids. However, several of the clues still taxed my brain power considerably - even after having seen them before.

Changes from the Originally Published Version

There are three changes from the original puzzle. The error at 3d (discussed in my original review) has been corrected. As well, two clues have been rewritten.

26a   Ship about to be joined by big aggressive person, not British (7)

The clue in the original version of the puzzle was:

• 26a   Ship's hands my good fellow mentioned (7)

7d   Confuse designated driver, bringing beer around (5)

In its original incarnation, the clue read:

• 7d   It's bad having beer, designated driver admitted (5)

In yet another change, I wrote in my review of the original puzzle "The town we are searching for [in 9a] 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." Since that time, I have had the occasion to visit Cortona, a lovely walled medieval town in eastern Tuscany immortalized in Under the Tuscan Sun, a 1996 memoir by American author Frances Mayes and the 2003 film of the same name.

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

7d   Confuse designated driver, bringing beer around (5)

A comment on Times for the Times ("My only query was DD for 'designated driver' which seems such a new concept. It's not in Collins or the SOED but it's in Chamber's much to my surprise.") prompted me to do my own perusal of the dictionaries. The writer is likely referring to The Chambers Dictionary, 11th edition, as this abbreviation does not appear on Search Chambers (which is based on Chambers 21st Century Dictionary). While I did find various meanings for the abbreviation DD (among them being Doctor of Divinity, dishonourable discharge, demand deposit, and direct debit), I found designated driver only in the acronyms section at TheFreeDictionary.com - where it appears as one of 194 possible meanings for this abbreviation.

13d   A hoarder's prayer - to have gold (9)

I'm surprised that I did not include the following definition in my glossary for the original review:

collect² - [Collins English Dictionary] noun Christianity a short Church prayer generally preceding the lesson or epistle in Communion and other services

or² - noun gold or yellow, as a heraldic tincture

We certainly see the latter one frequently enough for it to be familiar, but I can't even recall looking up the first one on the initial time through the puzzle.

Signing off for this week - Falcon

Sunday, February 20, 2011 (ST 4416)

The Sunday London Times Puzzle Number ST 4416
Publication Date in The Sunday London Times Sunday, January 16, 2011
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4416]
Times for the Times Review Written By Dave Perry
Publication Date in the Toronto Star Saturday, February 12, 2011

Introduction

Today's puzzle was definitely more difficult than usual - as attested to by several individuals on Times for the Times. Not only was there a lot of difficult wordplay, there are a lot of British terms appearing in the puzzle (as one can readily see from the exceptionally long glossary today). I felt that some readers might need more explanation than provided by Dave Perry in his review at Times for the Times, so I have produced a more extensive review than I normally do. However, I can't promise to do this every week.

Today's Glossary

Selected abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions appearing in today's puzzle.
[Items marked with an asterisk are from a Cumulative Glossary of entries appearing, since the beginning of this year, in either this blog or its companion blog, the National Post Cryptic Crossword Forum.]

Appearing in Clues

bob³ - noun British informal a shilling

• used with reference to a moderately large but unspecified amount of money: those vases are worth a few bob

*on - (also on side) noun Cricket the leg side (also leg) [see definition in following section]

Appearing in Solutions

beer cellar - noun

1. an underground room for storing beer
2. a basement bar where beer is served

bidet - noun a low oval basin used for washing one's genital and anal area

bowdlerise - (alternative spelling of bowdlerize) remove material that is considered improper or offensive from (a text or account), especially with the result that the text becomes weaker or less effective

cave² - exclamation British school slang, dated look out! [Origin: Latin, imperative of cavere 'beware']

Edith Cavell (1865–1915) - English nurse; full name Edith Louisa Cavell. During the First World War she helped Allied soldiers to escape from occupied Belgium. She was subsequently executed by the Germans and became a heroine of the Allied cause. Mount Edith Cavell, a mountain located in Canada's Jasper National Park, was named in her honour in 1916.

Cilla - English female given name, originally the diminutive form of Priscilla and less frequently Drusilla. It first appeared in the 20th Century.

count² - noun [from a British perspective] a foreign nobleman whose rank corresponds to that of an earl

l. (lowercase L) - archaic pound(s)

*leg - (also leg side, on or on side) noun 5 the half of the field (as divided lengthways through the pitch ) away from which the batsman's feet are pointed when standing to receive the ball. The opposite of off.

muffin - noun

1. a small domed spongy cake made with eggs and baking powder: blueberry muffins
2. (North American English muffin) a flat circular spongy bread roll made from yeast dough and eaten split , toasted, and buttered

P² - abbreviation (on road signs and street plans) parking

P(2) - abbreviation 8. physics pressure

para¹ - noun informal 1 a paratrooper

pompon - alternative spelling of pom-pom

porter¹ - noun 2 dark brown bitter beer brewed from malt partly charred or browned by drying at a high temperature [originally made as a drink for porters]

rag² - [Collins English Dictionary] noun 1. British a boisterous practical joke, esp one on a fellow student

raga - noun

• (in Indian classical music) each of the six basic musical modes which express different moods in certain characteristic progressions, with more emphasis placed on some notes than others
• a piece using a particular raga

refresher - noun 2 Law, British an extra fee payable to counsel in a prolonged case

rosella - noun an Australian parakeet with vivid green, red, yellow, or blue plumage. Genus Platycercus, family Psittacidae: several species

*s - abbreviation [3^rd entry] shilling(s)

side - noun 5 [2^nd entry] British a sports team

wake¹ - noun [Collins English Dictionary]

• 3. the patronal or dedication festival of English parish churches
• 5. (usually plural) an annual holiday in any of various towns in northern England, when the local factory or factories close, usually for a week or two weeks

Commentary 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.

11a   Look out for English nurse who's shed a couple of pounds (4)

I must confess to having gotten this one wrong, having put in CARE which I thought could certainly mean "look out for". Even though I have gazed up at Mount Edith Cavell on visits to the Rockies, the name failed to pop into my head. The definition is "look out" with the solution being CAVE - an archaic British schoolboy warning meaning "Look out!", based on the Latin imperative 'cave' (beware). The wordplay is CAVELL (English nurse) with the final two Ls deleted (who's shed a couple of pounds).

2d   Away for time, some soldier potentially dropped (4)

The definition is "soldier potentially dropped" for which the solution is PARA, a British term for a paratrooper (a soldier who could be dropped from a plane). The wordplay is PART (some) with A (away) replacing T (time).

'A' as an abbreviation for "away" may come from the sports pages where one often finds tables showing games as being played at home (H) or away (A).

Another possibility, although probably unlikely, is that it comes from the British designation for highways, where 'A' is "used to indicate a main road other than a motorway" [A(1) symbol 5]. Thus "a way" might become 'A' (requiring one to split "away" into two words).

5d   Financial training for the Bar? (9,6)

This clue is a cryptic definition and is a play on words involving the British term 'refresher' meaning "an extra fee payable to counsel in a prolonged case". Thus, I surmise that the setter is suggesting that a REFRESHER COURSE might be training taken by lawyers on how to collect fees from clients.

Solution to Today's Puzzle

Legend:	"*" anagram; "~" sounds like; "<" letters reversed
	"( )" letters inserted; "_" letters deleted

Across

1a   SPAR|_E PARTS - SPAR (dispute) + [D]EPARTS {DEPARTS (leaves) with the D deleted (Democrat going)}; "for" is a link word between the wordplay and the definition

8a   TRIO - TRI[P/O] {TRIP (outing) with O (ring) replacing (for) P (parking)}

10a   RAG|A|MUFFIN - {A + MUFFIN (roll)} following (after) RAG (horseplay); "seen on" is a link phrase between the definition and the wordplay

11a   CAVE__ - CAVE[LL] (English nurse [Edith Cavell]) with the final two Ls (pounds) deleted (whose shed a couple of pounds); "for" is a link word between the definition and the wordplay

13a   RO(SELL)A_ - SELL (trade) contained in (in) ROA[D] (street reduced; i.e., with the final letter deleted); "for" is a link word between the wordplay and the definition

15a   C(LOVE)N - LOVE (nothing; a score of zero in tennis) contained in (in) CN (case of confusion; i.e., the exterior letters of C[ONFUSIO]N)

16a   A(LIEN)S - AS (for instance) containing (maintaining) LIEN (right to take property)

17a   UNDER THE COUNT|ER - UNDER THE COUNT (position of foreign nobleman's mistress) + ER (ever disheartened; E[VE]R with the interior letters deleted); "and" is a link word between the wordplay and the definition

18a   SEE|SAW - SAW (maxim) following (seen behind) SEE (spot); "with" is a link word between the wordplay and the definition

20a   BIG TOE - BIG (great) + TOE (digital feature)

21a   LANO*|LIN< - an anagram (written off) of LOAN + a reversal (coming back) of NIL (nothing)

22a   EMIT< - reversal (sent back) of TIME (magazine)

25a   BEER CELLAR - cryptic definition

26a   _AD|_EN - {[M]AD (crazy) + [M]EN (fellows)} with the initial letter of each word deleted (losing their heads); "in" is a link word between the wordplay and the definition

27a   STEPS A|SIDE - STEPS (flight [of stairs]) + A SIDE (first team; as contrasted with the B side, for example)

Down

2d   PARA - PAR[T/A] {PART (some) with A (away) replacing (for) T (time)}

3d   _RA|GA_ - hidden in (flagged by the question mark) IndiRA GAndhi; "'s" (is) is a link word between the wordplay and the definition

4d   POMPON - POMP (splendid display) + ON (in progress); "from" is a link word between the definition and the wordplay

5d   REFRESHER COURSE - a cryptic definition of a training course for British lawyers - one presumably dealing with the collection of fees from clients

6d   S|CILLA - S (bob; shilling) + (seen with) Cilla (a lady); "and" is a link word between the definition and the wordplay

7d   {POWER SURGE}* - anagram (upset) of GROUPS WERE; "by" is a link word between the wordplay and the definition

9d   REA_|L E_|STATE_ - {REA[R] (back) + LE[G] (on) + STATE[D] (said)} with the final (terminal) letter deleted from each (to be lacking terms)

12d   BOWDLERIS*|E_ - anagram (out) of {LIBE[L] (cut libel; i.e., LIBEL with the final letter deleted) + WORDS} + E (upfront in edition; i.e., the first letter of E[DITION]); this is an & lit. (all-in-one) clue in which the entire clue constitutes the definition (although, as Dave Perry points out, one that is "forced")

13d   RE(TRI_)AL - {TRI[P] with the final letter deleted; pressure (P) off} contained in (into) REAL (genuine)

14d   ALBUM|IN - ALBUM (book) + IN (at home); "taken from" is a link phrase between the definition and the wordplay

15d   COUPS D'ETAT - anagram (out) of A DESPOT CUT

19d   WAKE|N|S - WAKE (festival) preceding (before) {N (North) + S (South); game (bridge) partners)}

20d   BIDETS* - anagram (abroad) of BEDSIT; "from" is a link word between the definition and the wordplay

23d   _ILLS - [B]ILLS (invoices) with the initial letter deleted (unopened); "can lead to" is a link phrase between the wordplay and the definition

24d   _ARI|D_ - hidden in (in) KalahARI Desert

Signing off for this week - Falcon