Wednesday, March 27, 2013 — DT 27077

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27077
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Thursday, January 17, 2013
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27077]
Big Dave's Review Written By Tantalus (and Mrs T) — with Big Dave
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★★	Enjoyment - ★★
Falcon's Experience ┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐ ███████████████████████████████████ └────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘ Legend: █ - solved without assistance █ - incorrect prior to use of puzzle solving tools █ - solved with assistance from puzzle solving tools █ - solved with aid of checking letters provided by puzzle solving tools █ - unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Big Dave's blog █ - reviewed by Falcon for Big Dave's blog

Introduction

We are served up another rather gentle offering today. A few went in quickly and then I was able to work systematically through the puzzle, with each solution found providing a foothold to reach the next. I did notice that we seem to spend a fair amount of time in the theatre today.

Today's review on Big Dave's blog is — for the main part — a rather whimsical unsolicited contribution from American readers Tantalus and Mrs T (with the gaps being filled in by Big Dave). Be on the lookout for anagrams of ANAGRAM and other similar devices sprinkled through the review.

Notes on Today's Puzzle

This commentary is intended to serve as a supplement to the review of this puzzle found at Big Dave's Crossword Blog, to which a link is provided in the table above.

Across

1a   A chart devised about origin of rheumatic cold (7)

5a   People out for traditional breakfast fare (7)

Kip^[5] is British slang which (as a noun) denotes a sleep or nap ⇒ (i) I might have a little kip; (ii) he was trying to get some kip and (as a verb) means to sleep ⇒ he can kip on her sofa. Thus a kipper would be someone who is sleeping.

A kipper^[7] is a whole herring that has been split in butterfly fashion along the dorsal ridge, gutted, salted or pickled, and cold smoked over smouldering woodchips (typically oak). In the United Kingdom they are often eaten for breakfast.

9a   Regular pair of educational settings? (7)

Uni^[4,5] is a [seemingly British] informal term for university ⇒ he planned to go to uni. In Britain, a form^[5] is a class or year in a school, usually given a specifying number. Thus the fifth form would be the counterpart to the fifth grade in North America and Form One would be like saying Grade One.

10a   Botanist's first walk for pleasure to get prickly plant (7)

11a   Titled figure heard with driver, say, in place of entertainment (9)

12a   Old US VP taking in grand valley (5)

Al Gore^[7] is an American politician, advocate and philanthropist, who served as the 45th Vice President of the United States (1993–2001), under President Bill Clinton.

13a   Section in highly prestigious battle site (5)

Ypres^[7] is a Belgian city located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. During World War I, Ypres was the centre of intense and sustained battles between the German and the Allied forces.

There were five Battles of Ypres^[7] during World War I:

• First Battle of Ypres (October 19 – November 22, 1914)
• Second Battle of Ypres (April 22 – May 15, 1915)
• Battle of Passchendaele (July 31 – November 6, 1917) also known as the Third Battle of Ypres
• Battle of the Lys (1918) (April 9 – April 29, 1918), also known as the Battle of Estaires or the Fourth Battle of Ypres
• Fifth Battle of Ypres (September 28 – October 2, 1918) was the informal name given to the Battle of Ypres 1918.

15a   A house study? (9)

17a   A padre is troubled about proceeds initially getting to vanish (9)

19a   Model in studio maybe creating difficulty (5)

22a   Cease working in part of theatre (5)

While the dictionaries can't get together on the precise definition of a stall, they do at least agree that the term is British. The American Heritage Dictionary says that a stall is a seat in the front part of a theater, the Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary has it as a chairlike seat in a theater, especially one in the front section of the parquet [see following], and Collins English Dictionary defines it as a seat in a theatre or cinema that resembles a chair, usually fixed to the floor. In the plural, stalls is variously defined as the seats on the ground floor in a theatre^[5] (Oxford Dictionaries Online), the seats on the ground floor of a theatre or cinema^[2] (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary), the area of seats on the ground floor of a theatre or cinema nearest to the stage or screen^[7] (Collins English Dictionary).

• the parquet is the front part of the main floor of a theater, opera house, etc., between the musicians' area and the parterre [see following] or, especially in the U.S., the entire main-floor space for spectators
• the parterre, also called the parquet circle, is the rear section of seats on the main floor of a theater, opera house, etc., under the balcony

23a   Person touring university with revolutionary French composer in street (9)

Maurice Ravel (1875 – 1937) was a French composer whose works are somewhat impressionistic in style, employing colourful orchestration and unresolved dissonances. Notable works: the ballets Daphnis and Chloë (1912) and Boléro (1928) and the orchestral work La Valse (1920).

25a   Supplier of joint and bar associated with singer (7)

Cher^[7] (born Cherilyn Sarkisian) is an American singer and actress. A significant popular culture figure for more than five decades, she has been called the Goddess of Pop.

26a   Force one's way into ground ruined around rear of district (7)

27a   Where one might raise small issue? (7)

28a   Set aside weapon carried by English vessel (7)

Down

1d   Relish small dwelling, mostly new, found in county borders (7)

2d   Activate theatre's opening with theatrical employee (7)

The Chambers Dictionary defines rigger^[1] as someone who puts up and looks after the scaffolding and lifting apparatus, etc. that is used for building operations and theatrical and musical productions, etc.

3d   Place to sit retained by hero ostentatiously (5)

4d   Smell I may associate with dog reared close to home? Shame (9)

In British and Irish slang, hum can be a verb meaning to smell unpleasant ⇒ when the wind drops this stuff really hums^[5,10] or (2) a noun meaning a bad smell^[2] or an unpleasant odour^[10].

5d   King getting dish brought up, a meat dish (5)

Rather than sitting on the throne, this king would be found on a chess board — or in a deck of cards.

6d   Quiet song by band for a toddlers' institution (9)

Piano^[3,5] (abbreviation p^[5]), is a musical direction meaning either soft or quiet (as an adjective) or softly or quietly (as an adverb).

7d   Doctor interrupting faculty activity getting ban (7)

In Britain, the degree required to practice medicine is a Bachelor of Medicine^[7] (MB, from Latin Medicinae Baccalaureus), which is equivalent to a North American Doctor of Medicine (MD, from Latin Medicinae Doctor). The degree of Doctor of Medicine also exists in Britain, but it is an advanced degree pursued by those who wish to go into medical research. Physicians in Britain are still addressed as Dr. despite not having a doctoral degree.

8d   Maybe, flat screen should be shifted by yard (7)

In the theatre, a flat^[4] is a rectangular wooden frame covered with painted canvas, etc., used to form part of a stage setting. The Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary lists y.^[11] as an abbreviation for yard — as does The Chambers Dictionary (together with y).

14d   Tomb left in university church defended by doddery peers (9)

With Easter nearly upon us, this proves to be a very timely clue. A peer^[5] is a member of the nobility in Britain or Ireland, comprising the ranks of duke, marquess, earl, viscount, and baron ⇒ hereditary peers could still dominate the proceedings of the House of Lords. Perhaps the setter intends the word to be interpreted in this way — and, then again, perhaps not.

16d   Our quest when relaxing around island to find shade (9)

17d   Bits strewn inside brown household receptacle (7)

Dustbin^[4] is the British term for a garbage can or trash can.

18d   Broadcast namely by striking figure with book coming out (7)

The "striking figure" would seem to be a baseball player as a member of a cricket side would be referred to as a batsman. The Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary lists b. or B.^[11] as abbreviations for book — while you will find b or b. in the The Chambers Dictionary.

The adverb scilicet^[5] (abbreviation sc.^[5]) means that is to say or namely (introducing a word to be supplied or an explanation of an ambiguity).

20d   Utensil plus a tag not good for ordering (7)

21d   Hillbilly concerned with dress around North (7)

While some rednecks may be hillbillies and some hillbillies may be rednecks, I wouldn't say that the two terms are necessarily synonymous. However, both terms do tend to be primarily associated with the South.

23d   Fruit in NW town picked up (5)

Bury^[7] [pronounced berry — although not by the locals according to Gazza (in a recent review on Big Dave's blog)] is a town in Greater Manchester, England.

24d   Record time kept by upcoming Frenchman (5)

Big Dave makes reference to the fictional René Artois^[7], the main character in the BBC sitcom 'Allo 'Allo!, which ran from 1982 to 1992. Artois (usually referred to as René, but codenamed Nighthawk by the Resistance) is the owner of the Café René in the occupied French town of Nouvion during World War II. In the series, René is often caught in the arms of another woman by his wife, to whom he responds with the line "You stupid woman!" This would be followed by a convoluted explanation, which she would always believe.

Key to Reference Sources: 

^[1]   - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition
^[2]   - Search Chambers - (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)
^[3]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (American Heritage Dictionary)
^[4]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
^[5]   - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford Dictionary of English)
^[6]   - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford American Dictionary)
^[7]   - Wikipedia
^[8]   - Reverso Online Dictionary (Collins French-English Dictionary)
^[9]   - Infoplease (Random House Unabridged Dictionary)
^[10] - CollinsDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
^[11] - TheFreeDictionary.com (Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary)

Signing off for today — Falcon