Wednesday, April 24, 2013 — DT 27099

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27099
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27099]
Big Dave's Review Written By Deep Threat
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

Today, we have a rather gentle offering from a mystery setter.

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   Scoundrel with gag (6)

5a   Mother brought in slab on which a plate rests (5,3)

9a   Keith, appearing in 'Loot' with me, is cast in a film (4,4,2,3)

Some Like It Hot^[7] is an American romantic screwball comedy film released in 1959 which was directed by Billy Wilder and starred Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon and George Raft.

10a   Stumped by corset? There's a surprise! (6,2)

In cricket, to stump^[5,10] a batsman means that a fielder, especially a wicketkeeper, dismisses a batsman by dislodging the bails of the wicket with the ball while the batsman is out of the crease but not running. On cricket scorecards, this act is indicated by the abbreviation st^[5] meaning stumped by.

A roll-on^[7] is a woman's foundation garment, made of elasticized material and having no fastenings.

Stroll on!^[2] is an [apparently British] exclamation of surprise, disbelief, etc.

11a   Article by a member on small boat (6)

In many Commonwealth countries (including Britain and Canada), a member of the House of Commons or similar legislative body is known as a Member of Parliament^[10] (or MP^[5] for short).

12a   Heated chow? (3,3)

14a   Right of way coming from convent across it (8)

16a   Title spelled backwards with wrong date, it's emerged (8)

19a   A fund in hand for swimming maybe (6)

21a   Fruit -- round variety (6)

23a   Sponger ruined pair's tea (8)

25a   Continue a poem translated years ago (4,4,1,4)

26a   A banker's intoxicated state (8)

27a   Student, at first, reportedly reserved in group (6)

Down

2d   Rice dish recipe for starters -- it's too complicated (7)

3d   Speed discovered during post-mortem, possibly (5)

4d   Shakespearean prince fleeing in the gloaming (4-5)

Prince Hal is a name by which Henry, the Prince of Wales (the future King Henry V) is known in William Shakespeare's plays Henry IV, Part 1^[7] and Henry IV, Part 2^[7].

5d   Started to study at college around North (5,2)

In Britain, up^[5] means at or to a university, especially Oxford or Cambridge ⇒ they were up at Cambridge about the same time.

6d   Composer in seventh heaven (5)

Sir Arthur Bliss^[7] (1891 – 1975) was an English composer and conductor.

7d   Power held by male here, surprisingly short-lived (9)

8d   Draw Turk's head in a pamphlet (7)

A Turk's head^[5] is an ornamental knot resembling a turban in shape, made in the end of a rope to form a stopper.

13d   Rail fare may be put away here (6-3)

15d   Rain's rare for resort, but overdue (2,7)

17d   Hurt, depressed English dramatist (7)

Christopher Marlowe^[7] (1564 – 1593) was an English dramatist, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. Marlowe was the foremost Elizabethan tragedian of his day. He greatly influenced William Shakespeare, who was born in the same year as Marlowe and who rose to become the pre-eminent Elizabethan playwright after Marlowe's mysterious early death.

18d   First secretary perhaps losing little time finding official document (7)

First Secretary^[7] is the senior diplomatic rank at the officer level.

20d   Style of interior design having red coat applied (3,4)

22d   Horse-play? (5)

Equus^[7] is a play by English playwright Peter Shaffer written in 1973, telling the story of a psychiatrist who attempts to treat a young man who has a pathological religious fascination with horses.

24d   Son's desire to be smart (5)

Swish^[5] is British slang meaning impressively smart and fashionable ⇒ dinner at a swish hotel.

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