Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31350
Hints and tips by Falcon
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Greetings from Ottawa, where summer is fast coming to a close – not only according to the calendar but the thermometer as well. Overnight temperatures are well into single digits and flirting with the frost threshold.
I’m once again doing back to back reviews as Smylers has graciously agreed to swap assignments so I can attend an event next week.
The swap is also timely in that today’s review marks a milestone for me as I have now completed my sixteenth year of contributions to this blog, my first review having appeared on September 15, 2010.
As has been mentioned earlier this week, several Canadian provinces will not revert to Standard Time this fall but continue on Daylight Saving Time year round. Ontario will not be one of them, although I understand that Ontario has passed legislation to do away with changing the clocks but is waiting to implement the change until Quebec and New York state decide to do likewise. I suspect a major reason for the delay is to keep the Toronto, Montreal and New York stock exchanges in sync. I also understand that the U.S. Congress is currently considering the matter. Undoubtedly, the politicians in their infinite wisdom will choose Daylight Time despite all scientific and medical evidence showing that Standard Time would clearly be preferable for a host of reasons.
Although still a gentle start to the week, I found this puzzle to be a slight step up in difficulty from the last couple of puzzles I blogged. There appear to be three setters sharing the Monday slot. I’m going to hazard a guess that this one is from Weatherman. If I’m wrong, Heron will likely claim it on Bluesky if it’s one of hers and X-Type sometimes drops in here to take credit for his creations.
In the hints below, underlining identifies precise definitions and cryptic definitions, FODDER is capitalized, and indicators are italicized. The answers will be revealed by clicking on the ANSWER buttons.
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