This puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on June 14, 2009
Introduction
As I will be away from home on July 26th, I am posting the link for this puzzle in advance - anticipating that the Citizen will adhere to the normal publication cycle.
Links to Solutions
A review of today's puzzle by talbinho can be found at Times for the Times.
Signing off for this week - Falcon
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009 (ST 4332)
This puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on June 7, 2009
Introduction
Today's puzzle was quite straight-forward with a few rather clever clues. I was quite pleased with my solving time - even though it was not at all in the same ball park as talbinho's six minutes and change.
Links to Solutions
A review of today's puzzle by talbinho can be found at Times for the Times [ST 4332].
Signing off for this week - Falcon
Introduction
Today's puzzle was quite straight-forward with a few rather clever clues. I was quite pleased with my solving time - even though it was not at all in the same ball park as talbinho's six minutes and change.
Links to Solutions
A review of today's puzzle by talbinho can be found at Times for the Times [ST 4332].
Signing off for this week - Falcon
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Sunday, July 12, 2009 (ST 4331)
This puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on May 31, 2009
Introduction
On the whole, not too difficult a puzzle. A couple of missteps initially held me up, but I eventually discovered them and completed the puzzle successfully.
Links to solutions:
A review of today's puzzle by talbinho may be found at Times for the Times [ST 4331].
Commentary on Today's Puzzle
1ac Perhaps what Moby Dick had was a great experience! (1, 5, 2,1,4)
Initially, I had selected "A whale of a tale" as the solution for this clue. However, lack of progress on 7d led me to revisit this clue, and I fortunately realized that the solution might be A WHALE OF A TIME. This was confirmed when I solved 7d.
7d I harm Northern city (5)
Phrases such as "going North", "heading North", "towards the North", etc. in a down clue usually are a reversal indicator. Similarly, terms such as "going West", etc. are used as reversal indicators in across clues. The author of the Times for the Times blog, talbinho, obviously feels that the setter has overstepped the bounds in using "Northern" as a reversal indicator. As one meaning of "northern" is "moving towards the north", I can see that this usage might be appropriate. However, another meaning of "northern" is "coming from the north (as the wind)" which means exactly the opposite (i.e., moving towards the south). Oh, the precision of the English language - where a word can be its own antonym!
8d Number on a rabbit displayed with help (13)
In this clue, the setter uses a fairly common trick - so common apparently that talbinho does not even bother to mention it. "Number" here does not mean a numerical quantity, but rather something that makes one numb. A similar trick is the quite frequent use of the word "flower", not as a plant, but as something that flows (viz., a river).
17d Spot a fashionable jersey? (3,6)
Jersey, one of the Channel Islands, is noted (among other things) for its potatoes - like Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Idaho.
Signing off for this week - Falcon
Introduction
On the whole, not too difficult a puzzle. A couple of missteps initially held me up, but I eventually discovered them and completed the puzzle successfully.
Links to solutions:
A review of today's puzzle by talbinho may be found at Times for the Times [ST 4331].
Commentary on Today's Puzzle
1ac Perhaps what Moby Dick had was a great experience! (1, 5, 2,1,4)
Initially, I had selected "A whale of a tale" as the solution for this clue. However, lack of progress on 7d led me to revisit this clue, and I fortunately realized that the solution might be A WHALE OF A TIME. This was confirmed when I solved 7d.
7d I harm Northern city (5)
Phrases such as "going North", "heading North", "towards the North", etc. in a down clue usually are a reversal indicator. Similarly, terms such as "going West", etc. are used as reversal indicators in across clues. The author of the Times for the Times blog, talbinho, obviously feels that the setter has overstepped the bounds in using "Northern" as a reversal indicator. As one meaning of "northern" is "moving towards the north", I can see that this usage might be appropriate. However, another meaning of "northern" is "coming from the north (as the wind)" which means exactly the opposite (i.e., moving towards the south). Oh, the precision of the English language - where a word can be its own antonym!
8d Number on a rabbit displayed with help (13)
In this clue, the setter uses a fairly common trick - so common apparently that talbinho does not even bother to mention it. "Number" here does not mean a numerical quantity, but rather something that makes one numb. A similar trick is the quite frequent use of the word "flower", not as a plant, but as something that flows (viz., a river).
17d Spot a fashionable jersey? (3,6)
Jersey, one of the Channel Islands, is noted (among other things) for its potatoes - like Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Idaho.
Signing off for this week - Falcon
Monday, July 6, 2009
Sunday, July 5, 2009 (ST 4330)
This puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on May 24, 2009
Introduction
I'm afraid that I am running a bit behind in updating my blog this week.
I managed to complete this week's puzzle successfully, although I did have concerns regarding the wordplay on a couple of solutions. However, my solving time was nowhere even close to that of talbinho (author of the Times for the Times blog) - who seems to measure performance in minutes while I measure mine in hours.
I have recently discovered that this puzzle appears in the Vancouver Sun on the Saturday prior to its appearance in the Ottawa Citizen. I also noted that the Sun doesn't publish the solution grid until the following week, unlike the Citizen which publishes the solution grid in the same edition as the puzzle. No doubt, this explains interest in my blog from the West Coast. Although I have not checked the other Canwest papers across Canada, I would not be surprised to learn that the puzzle also appears in some of them.
Links to solutions:
For a review of today's puzzle, see Times for the Times [ST 4330].
Commentary on Today's Puzzle
27ac Trio's occupation, in book-craft (5,3,2,1,4)
Having figured out most of the solution fairly quickly (THREE MEN IN A ?O?T), it was not too difficult to find the title of the book referred to by the clue. I must say, though, that this was one of those cases where I was left with a distinct feeling of having overlooked some nuance in the wordplay. When Times for the Times did not provide any evidence of this, merely referring to the clue as a cryptic definition, I concluded that I probably had a pretty good grasp of the wordplay after all - with "trio" referring to "THREE MEN", "occupation" suggesting both that they are occupying a boat ("craft") as well as the fact that "bookcraft" (authorship) is an occupation, and - of course - the solution being the title of a book.
16d Cash left aboard at return of oil spill (9)
There appeared to be a clear consensus at Times for the Times that there is misprint in this clue - that "cash" should have been "case". Ironically, this fact did not appreciably slow me down as I merely attributed the unusual meaning for "portfolio" to being just another quirky British expression with which I am unfamiliar!
23d Current resting place (3)
The solution clearly appeared to be ROOST, but, for the life of me, I could not figure out the connection with "current" until I read the review at Times for the Times. Of course, I then discovered that the answer appears in at least two dictionaries - Chambers and Wiktionary.
Signing off for this week - Falcon
Introduction
I'm afraid that I am running a bit behind in updating my blog this week.
I managed to complete this week's puzzle successfully, although I did have concerns regarding the wordplay on a couple of solutions. However, my solving time was nowhere even close to that of talbinho (author of the Times for the Times blog) - who seems to measure performance in minutes while I measure mine in hours.
I have recently discovered that this puzzle appears in the Vancouver Sun on the Saturday prior to its appearance in the Ottawa Citizen. I also noted that the Sun doesn't publish the solution grid until the following week, unlike the Citizen which publishes the solution grid in the same edition as the puzzle. No doubt, this explains interest in my blog from the West Coast. Although I have not checked the other Canwest papers across Canada, I would not be surprised to learn that the puzzle also appears in some of them.
Links to solutions:
For a review of today's puzzle, see Times for the Times [ST 4330].
Commentary on Today's Puzzle
27ac Trio's occupation, in book-craft (5,3,2,1,4)
Having figured out most of the solution fairly quickly (THREE MEN IN A ?O?T), it was not too difficult to find the title of the book referred to by the clue. I must say, though, that this was one of those cases where I was left with a distinct feeling of having overlooked some nuance in the wordplay. When Times for the Times did not provide any evidence of this, merely referring to the clue as a cryptic definition, I concluded that I probably had a pretty good grasp of the wordplay after all - with "trio" referring to "THREE MEN", "occupation" suggesting both that they are occupying a boat ("craft") as well as the fact that "bookcraft" (authorship) is an occupation, and - of course - the solution being the title of a book.
16d Cash left aboard at return of oil spill (9)
There appeared to be a clear consensus at Times for the Times that there is misprint in this clue - that "cash" should have been "case". Ironically, this fact did not appreciably slow me down as I merely attributed the unusual meaning for "portfolio" to being just another quirky British expression with which I am unfamiliar!
23d Current resting place (3)
The solution clearly appeared to be ROOST, but, for the life of me, I could not figure out the connection with "current" until I read the review at Times for the Times. Of course, I then discovered that the answer appears in at least two dictionaries - Chambers and Wiktionary.
Signing off for this week - Falcon
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009 (ST 4329)
This puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on May 17, 2009
Introduction
A relatively easy effort for a Sunday Times puzzle, although one clue stumped me.
Links to solutions:
Times for the Times
Commentary on Today's Puzzle
24d When any theatre is set up? Inside, you'll find drama critic (5)
I failed to find the solution to this downer of a clue - correctly interpreting "up inside" would have provided the key to success.
Signing off for this week - Falcon
Introduction
A relatively easy effort for a Sunday Times puzzle, although one clue stumped me.
Links to solutions:
Times for the Times
Commentary on Today's Puzzle
24d When any theatre is set up? Inside, you'll find drama critic (5)
I failed to find the solution to this downer of a clue - correctly interpreting "up inside" would have provided the key to success.
Signing off for this week - Falcon
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009 (ST 4328)
Today's puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on May 10, 2009
Links to Solutions
A full review for today's puzzle is available at Times for the Times.
Commentary on Today's Puzzle
Some of the clues in today's puzzle were, shall I say, thought provoking. If I were in a less charitable mood, I might use synonyms such as questionable and irritating. I found it gratifying, in a number of cases, to see that my opinions on several clues aligned with those of talbinho in his Times for the Times blog.
Perhaps my views were soured by getting the solutions for a couple of clues incorrect.
1ac Recollect entire chain of succession (11)
I have absolutely no problem with this clue - I just think it is worthy of comment. The wordplay suggests that if a set of letters were collected once to form ENTIRE CHAIN, the same set of letters could be collected again (re-collected) in a different order to form another word.
13ac Dial and ring about a false notion (5)
Since IDOLA is the plural of IDOLUM or IDOLON, the clue should have read (IMHO):
13ac Dial and ring about false notions (5)
18ac Choosing to cut off electric halfway through - leading to chaos (8)
Due to a couple of faulty choices - thinking that "choosing" was a verb, rather than a noun; and missing the substitution of "into" for "leading to" - I ended up with ELECTING as a solution (one, of course, for which I could not fully reconcile the wordplay). This error was also directly responsible for my getting 17d incorrect.
20ac Gemstones military commander set off to obtain (6)
I am not sure whether the anagram indicator is intended to be the phrase "off to obtain" or whether the phrase "to obtain" is merely padding to improve the surface reading. I am sure that I have often seen "off" used on its own as an anagram indicator. Certainly, with a modified construction, such as:
Military commander set off to obtain gemstones (6)
the phrase "to obtain" would be quite logical as linking words.
28ac The blue-blooded, overbearing actor is star (11)
Like talbinho, I am mystified by the use of "overbearing" as an anagram indicator.
17d The pools could have formed in them (8)
Not only did I miss the anagram, but due to the error discussed at 18ac, the only possible solution appeared to be ANTHILLS (of course, as with 18ac, the wordplay being irreconcilable).
19d Vehicle surfaces carrying king, the Queen and follower (7)
I initially thought that the solution to this clue might be TRAILER, where I was relying on the following substitutions: "king" → R (rex), "the Queen" → ER, "vehicle" → TRAILER, and "follower" → TAIL. Of course, I had no explanation for the wordplay and the situation was further complicated by the fact that "follower" might also mean TRAILER. Furthermore, this wrong turn imposed an obstacle to solving 26ac. Luckily, I did eventually find the correct solution for 26ac which, in turn, put me back on TRACK for this clue as well.
21d Allure leading girl to love in France (7)
Since no objections were raised on Times for the Times, I presume that the subsitution of "l'amour" for "love" is within the bounds of cryptic license, despite a precise translation of "l'amour" being "the love".
Welcome to summer and Happy Father's Day to all fellow Dads - Falcon
Links to Solutions
A full review for today's puzzle is available at Times for the Times.
Commentary on Today's Puzzle
Some of the clues in today's puzzle were, shall I say, thought provoking. If I were in a less charitable mood, I might use synonyms such as questionable and irritating. I found it gratifying, in a number of cases, to see that my opinions on several clues aligned with those of talbinho in his Times for the Times blog.
Perhaps my views were soured by getting the solutions for a couple of clues incorrect.
1ac Recollect entire chain of succession (11)
I have absolutely no problem with this clue - I just think it is worthy of comment. The wordplay suggests that if a set of letters were collected once to form ENTIRE CHAIN, the same set of letters could be collected again (re-collected) in a different order to form another word.
13ac Dial and ring about a false notion (5)
Since IDOLA is the plural of IDOLUM or IDOLON, the clue should have read (IMHO):
13ac Dial and ring about false notions (5)
18ac Choosing to cut off electric halfway through - leading to chaos (8)
Due to a couple of faulty choices - thinking that "choosing" was a verb, rather than a noun; and missing the substitution of "into" for "leading to" - I ended up with ELECTING as a solution (one, of course, for which I could not fully reconcile the wordplay). This error was also directly responsible for my getting 17d incorrect.
20ac Gemstones military commander set off to obtain (6)
I am not sure whether the anagram indicator is intended to be the phrase "off to obtain" or whether the phrase "to obtain" is merely padding to improve the surface reading. I am sure that I have often seen "off" used on its own as an anagram indicator. Certainly, with a modified construction, such as:
Military commander set off to obtain gemstones (6)
the phrase "to obtain" would be quite logical as linking words.
28ac The blue-blooded, overbearing actor is star (11)
Like talbinho, I am mystified by the use of "overbearing" as an anagram indicator.
17d The pools could have formed in them (8)
Not only did I miss the anagram, but due to the error discussed at 18ac, the only possible solution appeared to be ANTHILLS (of course, as with 18ac, the wordplay being irreconcilable).
19d Vehicle surfaces carrying king, the Queen and follower (7)
I initially thought that the solution to this clue might be TRAILER, where I was relying on the following substitutions: "king" → R (rex), "the Queen" → ER, "vehicle" → TRAILER, and "follower" → TAIL. Of course, I had no explanation for the wordplay and the situation was further complicated by the fact that "follower" might also mean TRAILER. Furthermore, this wrong turn imposed an obstacle to solving 26ac. Luckily, I did eventually find the correct solution for 26ac which, in turn, put me back on TRACK for this clue as well.
21d Allure leading girl to love in France (7)
Since no objections were raised on Times for the Times, I presume that the subsitution of "l'amour" for "love" is within the bounds of cryptic license, despite a precise translation of "l'amour" being "the love".
Welcome to summer and Happy Father's Day to all fellow Dads - Falcon
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009 (ST 4327)
This puzzle was originally published in The Sunday London Times on May 3, 2009
Links to solutions:
A full review of today's puzzle is available on Times for the Times [ST 4327].
A couple of the clues are addressed on the Saturday Star Cryptic Forum [ST 4327].
Commentary on Today's Puzzle
It was gratifying to see that many of the reservations that I had concerning this puzzle were also raised by talbinho in his Times for the Times post:
25ac Sudden inspiration doesn't start in bad weather (9)
Sudden inspiration [BRAINSTORM] doesn't start [-B] → RAINSTORM
bad weather → RAINSTORM
It seems to me that the word "in" is being employed here to represent equality (rather than inclusion) - which does not sound entirely right to my ear.
Having studied mathematics, I know a mathematician would handle this situation by defining the set of all subsets of the entity RAINSTORM to include the entity itself. Having done so, RAINSTORM is "in" RAINSTORM from this mathematical perspective. [Mathematicians - not unlike cryptic crossword setters - are quite adept at defining things to suit their purposes.]
However, I am wondering if there is a linguistic explanation as to why RAINSTORM is "in" RAINSTORM.
A True British Experience - Warts and All
Those of us on this side of the Atlantic now have convincing evidence that we are, indeed, enjoying an authentic British experience with The Sunday London Times cryptic crossword. It seems that, despite appearing here six weeks following its publication in Britain, The London Sunday Times syndicates the exact puzzle that appeared in the paper's U.K. print edition - right down to the errors. The solution to today's puzzle printed in the Citizen indicates that the solution to 22d is PIGOUT - the very same error that a correspondent on Times for the Times reported as having appeared in the print edition of The Sunday London Times.
Signing off for this week - Falcon
Links to solutions:
A full review of today's puzzle is available on Times for the Times [ST 4327].
A couple of the clues are addressed on the Saturday Star Cryptic Forum [ST 4327].
Commentary on Today's Puzzle
It was gratifying to see that many of the reservations that I had concerning this puzzle were also raised by talbinho in his Times for the Times post:
- the seemingly extraneous "during" appearing in 1ac
- the wording of 4d
- the use of "fruit" as an anagram indicator in 17d
- the wording of 24d
25ac Sudden inspiration doesn't start in bad weather (9)
Sudden inspiration [BRAINSTORM] doesn't start [-B] → RAINSTORM
bad weather → RAINSTORM
It seems to me that the word "in" is being employed here to represent equality (rather than inclusion) - which does not sound entirely right to my ear.
Having studied mathematics, I know a mathematician would handle this situation by defining the set of all subsets of the entity RAINSTORM to include the entity itself. Having done so, RAINSTORM is "in" RAINSTORM from this mathematical perspective. [Mathematicians - not unlike cryptic crossword setters - are quite adept at defining things to suit their purposes.]
However, I am wondering if there is a linguistic explanation as to why RAINSTORM is "in" RAINSTORM.
A True British Experience - Warts and All
Those of us on this side of the Atlantic now have convincing evidence that we are, indeed, enjoying an authentic British experience with The Sunday London Times cryptic crossword. It seems that, despite appearing here six weeks following its publication in Britain, The London Sunday Times syndicates the exact puzzle that appeared in the paper's U.K. print edition - right down to the errors. The solution to today's puzzle printed in the Citizen indicates that the solution to 22d is PIGOUT - the very same error that a correspondent on Times for the Times reported as having appeared in the print edition of The Sunday London Times.
Signing off for this week - Falcon
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