Tuesday, December 8, 2009 (DT 26007)

This puzzle was originally published Friday, August 14, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

I had an easier time with the upper half than the lower half today. On the whole, I found the puzzle to be a bit more difficult than what the Brits seem to have rated it.

Today's Glossary

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

clapped out - adjective colloq 1 said of a machine, etc: old, worn out and no longer working properly. 2 said of a person: exhausted.

clapped-out - adjective informal, chiefly Brit. worn out from age or heavy use.

con² - verb old use to read over and learn by heart.

Ken Dodd - British comedian

lumber - noun 1 chiefly Brit. disused articles of furniture that inconveniently take up space. 2 chiefly N. Amer. partly prepared timber.

real ale - noun chiefly Brit. cask-conditioned beer that is served traditionally, without additional gas pressure.

Territorial Army (abbreviation TA) - noun in the UK: a fully trained volunteer force intended to provide back-up to the regular army in cases of emergency.

Universal (abbreviation U) - British film rating signifying "All ages admitted, there is nothing unsuitable for children." (i.e., visible to all)

Today's Links

Libellule's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 26007].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

5d Brown bits and pieces left to go out (5)

The clue seemed to be screaming that the solution was (L)UMBER (LUMBER with the L deleted), but how does lumber equate to "bits and pieces"? It became clear when I discovered that in Britain the word "lumber" apparently has a totally different meaning than in North America (one that is not even remotely similar).

18a It could be abandoned in Lent season (3-9)

While "abandoned" does not strike me as an obvious candidate for the role of an anagram indicator, I long ago learned that this position seems to be open to any word that should happen to walk in off the street.

26a Comic theologian seen at party (4)

Having never heard of Ken Dodd was a definite handicap on this clue. I ended up with DIDO as my answer, thinking that it might somehow relate to "comic".

3d They may come in in the middle of a sentence (6,8)

I never noticed the repetition "in in" until I was writing the blog, so I solved the clue as if it contained a single "in". With minimal checking letters, I thought I had come up with a perfect solution, PAROLE HEARINGS. However, a few more checking letters quickly eliminated that possibility.

Signing off for today - Falcon