Saturday, August 31, 2013

Saturday, August 31, 2013 — It's Hard Work

Introduction

The solutions to the clues in today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon contain several references to hard work — the obvious trio at 1a, 30a, and 23a as well as 13a.








Solution to Today's Puzzle

Legend: "*" anagram; "~" sounds like; "<" letters reversed

"( )" letters inserted; "_" letters deleted; "†" explicit in the clue

Across

1a   BLOODSTONE* — anagram (sporting) of NOBLE STOOD

6a   IDOL~ — sounds like (listened to) IDLE (unemployed)

9a   DO|NO|VAN — DO (make) + NO (†) + VAN (truck)
Donovan[7] (born Donovan Phillips Leitch) is a Scottish singer, songwriter and guitarist whose song "Mellow Yellow" reached #2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1966.
10a   MEDDLED~ — sounds like (for speaking) MEDALLED (took a prize)

12a   N(A)IL — NIL (goose egg; nothing) containing (broken by) A (†)

13a   TO(I|LET)RIES — {I (†) + LET (allow)} contained in (dividing) TORIES (Conservatives)

15a   SAGA|MORE — SAGA (long story) + MORE (again)

16a   ANCHOR* — anagram (plastic) of ON ARCH

18a   BUSTLE — double definition; ""Victorian fashion" & "excited activity"

20a   S(HUT| A)WAY — {HUT (shelter) + A (one)} contained in (surrounded by) SWAY (rock)

23a   TEARSTAINS — anagram (wrecked) of AS TRAIN SET

24a   SNIP< — reversal (the wrong way) of PINS (stickers)

27a   GO (FOR)TH — FOR (†) contained in (set in) GOTH (postpunk genre)

28a   SE(A)TTLE — SETTLE (put down roots) containing (about) A (†)

29a   DU(D)E — DUE (owing) containing (about) D ([Roman numeral for] five hundred)

30a   S(W)EAT|PANTS — {SEAT (usher; as a verb) + PANTS (is breathless)} containing (about) W (western)

Down


1d   BID ON — ID (papers) contained in (in) BON (good French; French word meaning good)

2d   O|IN|KING — O (love; as a tennis score) + IN (popular) + KING (ruler)

3d   DOVE — double definition; "peacenik" & "went underwater"

4d   TAN|DOOR|I — TAN (bronze) + DOOR (swinger) + (and) I (†)

5d   NA(MEL)Y — MEL (Gibson; American-born Australian actor Mel Gibson) contained in (getting in) NAY (no)

7d   DOLTISH* — anagram (novel) of THIS OLD

8d   LED A|S|TRAY — LEDA (Helen's mother) + S ('s) + TRAY (load for a waiter)
In Greek mythology, Leda[5] is the wife of Tyndareus king of Sparta. She was loved by Zeus, who visited her in the form of a swan; among her children were the Dioscuri, Helen [of Troy], and Clytemnestra.
11d   D(ETON)ATE — DATE (appointment) containing (around) ETON (school on the Thames)
Eton College[7], often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent [private] school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor". It is located in Eton, near Windsor in England, and is one of the original nine English public schools as defined by the Public Schools Act 1868. [Note: In Britain, "public schools" are a special class of private school; what North Americans would call public schools seem to be referred to in Britain by terms such as state-run or state-funded schools].
14d   IM A LOSER — anagram (terrible) of MORALE IS
"I'm a Loser"[7] is a song by the Beatles, originally released on Beatles for Sale in the United Kingdom, later released on Beatles '65 in the United States. Written by John Lennon, (though credited to Lennon–McCartney), it was considered for release as a single until Lennon wrote "I Feel Fine".
15d   SABOTAGED*  — anagram (when blended) of TEAS GO BAD

17d   CH(IN)A SE|A — {CHASE (follow) + A (Australia's leader; first letter of Australia)} containing (around) IN (†)

19d   SCAR|FED — SCAR (mark) + FED (given a meal)

21d   WINS|TON — WINS (gains) + TON (large amount of weight)
Sir Winston Churchill[7] (1874 – 1965) was a British politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (that is, for most of the Second World War) and again from 1951 to 1955. Widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the 20th century, Churchill was also an officer in the British Army, a historian, a writer, and an artist. He is the only British Prime Minister to have received the Nobel Prize in Literature, and was also the first person to be made an honorary citizen of the United States.
22d   C(A|S)HEW — CHEW (gnaw) containing (outside) {A (†) + S (small)}

25d   PRES|S — PRES (President) + S ('s)

26d   WAS|P — WAS (†) + P (passing; possibly based on its use in a pass/no pass grading system)
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

Friday, August 30, 2013

Friday, August 30, 2013 — DT 27193

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27193
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Setter
Cephas (Peter Chamberlain)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27193 - Hints]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27193 - Review]
Big Dave's Review Written By
Big Dave (Hints)
crypticsue (Review)
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★ / ★★ Enjoyment - ★★★★
Falcon's Experience
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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
Notes

As this was a Saturday "Prize Puzzle" in Britain, there are two entries related to it on Big Dave's Crossword Blog — the first, posted on the date of publication, contains hints for selected clues while the second is a full review issued following the entry deadline for the contest. The vast majority of reader comments will generally be found attached to the "hints" posting with a minimal number — if any — accompanying the full review.

Introduction

I was definitely not tuned to the setter's wavelength today. It is a good thing that my electronic assistants were well rested from several days of little or no activity, for their services were sorely needed today. Then, to add insult to injury, I discover that crypticsue rates the puzzle as deserving a mere one to two stars for difficulty.

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   Bees do it in sun, getting quite hot (5)

4a   May goes round Welsh resort, we hear, with nothing on, just a set of bells (8)

Rhyl[7] is a seaside resort town and community in Denbighshire, situated on the north east coast of Wales, at the mouth of the River Clwyd.

8a   Merry Margery, flipping meanie (8)

The solution to the clue requires a bit of knowledge of poetry. Unfortunately, my research initially turned up the wrong poem.

The correct poem is a nursery rhyme, See Saw Margery Daw[7]:
See Saw Margery Daw,
Jacky shall have a new master;
Jacky shall earn but a penny a day,
Because he can't work any faster.
However, I first came upon a rather long poem entitled Margery by 19th century Canadian poet Charles Sangster which contains the phrase "So spake the merry Margery, ...". Needless to say, that wrong turn slowed my progress for a bit.

In Britain, merry[5] is an informal term meaning slightly drunk. North Americans would likely say that a person in this condition is 'feeling happy'.

9a   A charmingly old-fashioned Conservative's brought in to advise (8)

11a   Amount of money put up with a little being declared (4,3)

13a   Brandy very gently poured into beer by sailor (5-4)

Pianissimo (abbreviation pp)[5] is a direction used in music to mean either (as an adjective) very soft or very quiet or (as an adverb) very softly or very quietly.

15a   Elation centred around European agreement (7,8)

The Entente Cordiale[5] is the understanding between Britain and France reached in 1904, forming the basis of Anglo-French cooperation in the First World War.

18a   One causing anguish to Queen needs counsellor (9)

R[5] is the abbreviation for Regina or Rex (Latin for queen or king, respectively).

21a   Verdict I only can bring in a manner of speaking (7)

22a   Charlie's picture replaced at a reduced rate (3-5)

Charlie[5] is a code word representing the letter C, used in radio communication.

24a   Get used to bill coming before trade (8)

In British English, custom[5] can mean regular dealings with a shop or business by customers if you keep me waiting, I will take my custom elsewhere. North Americans would say "business" rather than "custom".

25a   Machine regulator's smart turn (8)

In Britain, fly[5] can mean knowing and clever  ⇒ she’s fly enough not to get tricked out of it.

26a   Heating unit hospital needed in time (5)

A therm[5] is a unit of heat, especially as the former statutory unit of gas supplied in the UK equivalent to 100,000 British thermal units or 1.055 × 108 joules.

Down


1d   Payment made by end of dispute (10)

2d   Views expressed in debate are not admitting fix (8)

Gum[3] is used as a verb in the sense of to cover, smear, seal, fill, or fix in place with or as if with gum.

3d   Smew aunt confused with another bird (4,4)

A smew[5] is a small migratory merganser (diving duck), Mergus albellus, of northern Eurasia, the male of which has white plumage with a crest and fine black markings.

A mute swan[5] is the commonest Eurasian swan, Cygnus olor, having white plumage and an orange-red bill with a black knob at the base.

4d   Australian swimmer's first to get tailpiece (4)

Coda[5] can mean either (1) the concluding passage of a piece or movement, typically forming an addition to the basic structure the first movement ends with a fortissimo coda; (2) the concluding section of a dance, especially of a pas de deux or the finale of a ballet in which the dancers parade before the audience; or (3) a concluding event, remark, or section his new novel is a kind of coda to his previous books.

5d   Guarantee radio listener may hear near the coast (6)

My first try here was ASSURE. It sounds like ASHORE which could be "near the coast" — just on the other side of the tideline from the correct solution.

6d   Plate dog perhaps turned upside down (6)

7d   Exodus found in New Testament, or immediately after? (4)

10d   Trophy on table in cabinet (8)

Board[5] is an archaic term for a table set for a meal he looked at the banquet which was spread upon his board.

Cabinet[5] is an archaic term for a small private room.

12d   Grand joke by one interrupting Scotsman (8)

In Crosswordland, a Scotsman is almost invariably named Ian. However, they are sometimes known to their friends as Mac.

14d   Carrying on with relative preservation of silence? (7,3)

16d   Ignore  price reduction (8)

17d   Seamen in the drink (8)

In the Royal Navy, able seaman (abbreviation AB)[5], is a rank of sailor above ordinary seaman and below leading seaman.

19d   Fan  club? (6)

In the UK, it would seem that any machine, engine, or device that revolves around a centre or axis may be referred to as a rotary[5].

20d   Garden Richard's built around ornament (6)

22d   Company provided cap (4)

A coif[3,4,11]. may be (1) a close-fitting cap worn under a veil, worn in the Middle Ages by many women but now only by nuns; (2) any similar cap, such as a leather cap worn under a chain-mail hood: or (3) a white skullcap formerly worn by English lawyers.

23d   Count's in advance, being cut short (4)

An earl[5] is a British nobleman ranking above a viscount and below a marquess. A count[5] is a foreign [from a British perspective] nobleman whose rank corresponds to that of an earl.
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

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Thursday, August 29, 2013 — DT 27192

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27192
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Friday, May 31, 2013
Setter
Giovanni (Don Manley)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27192]
Big Dave's Review Written By
Gazza
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★★★ Enjoyment - ★★★★
Falcon's Experience
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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

My electronic assistants received another day of rest today.  This was a puzzle where progress was slow at first, but success was achieved by gradually building out from a few early-established beachheads.

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   Queen performed, getting terrible score (4)

In the Aeneid (an epic by the Roman poet Virgil), Dido[5] is the queen and founder of Carthage, who fell in love with the shipwrecked Aeneas and killed herself when he deserted her.

A result of zero (which looks like the letter "O") would be a "terrible score" in most sports.

3a   Like very good allocation? That's what's hoped for (10)

Pi[5] is an informal British short form for pious.

9a   River not healthy -- small flow of water (4)

10a   Biologist has burden and motion's tricky (10)

11a   Scotch -- drink team is into (5,2)

Scotch[5] is used in the sense of to put an end to or crush bad weather scotched our plans.

13a   Sort of design company backing trade abroad (3,4)

Art deco[5] was the predominant decorative art style of the 1920s and 1930s, characterized by precise and boldly delineated geometric shapes and strong colours and used most notably in household objects and in architecture. Although the style originated in the 1920s, the name (in its condensed form) only arose in the 1960s, being shortened from French art décoratif  (decorative art), from the 1925 Exposition des Arts décoratifs in Paris.

14a   Powerful international organisation that could make Premier moan (5,6)

Gazza's comment refers to British Prime Minister David Cameron. In Britain, the terms Premier and Prime Minister are used pretty much interchangeably — unlike in Canada, where Premier generally refers to the first minister of a province and Prime Minister to the first minister of the country.

18a   Pharaoh's word of disapproval, final word clutching symbol of life (11)

Tutankhamen[5] (or Tutankhamun) was an Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th dynasty, who reigned from circa 1361 BC until his death circa 1352 BC. His tomb, containing a wealth of rich and varied contents, was discovered virtually intact by the English archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922.

An ankh[5] is an object or design resembling a cross but having a loop instead of the top arm, used in ancient Egypt as a symbol of life.

21a   Study a king on two classical coins (7)

Here my interpretation of the clue deviates slightly from that offered by Gazza. He has the definition as "classical coins" in his review — which certainly works. Nevertheless, I have limited the definition to merely "coins" supposing that "two classical" is an instruction telling us to use the Roman numeral for two.

Denarius[5] (plural denarii) may refer to either of two ancient Roman coins: (1) a silver coin, originally worth ten asses [an as[5] (plural asses) being an ancient Roman copper coin] or (2) a gold coin worth 25 silver denarii.

Gazza also alludes to the fact that the abbreviation for the penny in Britain prior to decimalisation of the currency in 1971 was derived from this Roman coin. In Britain's current decimal currency system, a penny[5] is a bronze coin and monetary unit equal to one hundredth of a pound (and is abbreviated p). In the system formerly used, a penny was equal to one twelfth of a shilling or 240th of a pound (and was abbreviated d, for denarius).

22a   Give notice -- there's an object to be won, we hear (7)

23a   Politician held in derision, possibly as Archer was? (10)

Jeffrey Archer[5], Baron Archer of Weston-super-Mare, is a British writer and Conservative politician. He resigned as an MP after being declared bankrupt, and embarked on a career as a bestselling novelist. He was deputy chairman of the Conservative Party 1985-6, but resigned after a libel case; in 2001 he was found to have committed perjury in that case and was jailed for four years.

24a   Very small home swamped by motorway (4)

The M1[7] is a north–south motorway [controlled access, multi-lane divided highway] in England connecting London to Leeds.

25a   Runners may get sent out -- perhaps I've grown them from seed (10)

26a   Catch someone grumbling after end of Christmas (4)

Down


1d   Ridiculous not having booze? Old father is upset being kept in (8)

2d   Depression? At end of day get mature drinks! (8)

I suppose it is to be expected that a depressed individual might start drinking at the front end of the day.

4d   Start of symphony with instrument producing note (5)

5d   Liaison to break up, leading to loneliness (9)

6d   Church office Pat polishes after work (11)

Aside from the original twelve disciples chosen by Christ to preach his gospel, apostle[5] can refer to any prominent Christian missionary, especially one who first converts a nation or people. In Mormonism, an apostle is a member of a council of twelve officials appointed to administer and preside over the Church.

7d   More than one flowering plant is covering upward slope (6)

8d   Any number fighting, about to leave country (6)

12d   Victory over brute whirling with din -- for Nimbys opposing it? (4,7)

15d   Clean-cut love? Lots will get that in marriage! (9)

In tennis, squash, and some other sports, love[5] is a score of zero or nil love fifteen. The resemblance of a zero written as a numeral (0) to the letter O leads to the cryptic crossword convention of the word "love" being used to clue this letter.

16d   Drive? A doctor with it will get on, I admitted (8)

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.

17d   Observe group around centre of Burnley showing contempt (8)

Burnley[7] is a market town in Lancashire, England, with a population of around 73,500. It is located 21 miles (34 km) north of Manchester.

19d   One-time leader of 14, no hard man (6)

Hadrian[5] (AD 76-138), Roman emperor 117–138; full name Publius Aelius Hadrianus. The adopted successor of Trajan, he toured the provinces of the Empire and secured the frontiers.

H[5] is the abbreviation for hard, as used in describing grades of pencil lead ⇒ a 2H pencil.

20d   Marksman gets bird on top of roof (6)

22d   Region encompassing northern battleground (5)
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

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Wednesday, August 28, 2013 — DT 27191

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27191
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Setter
RayT (Ray Terrell)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27191]
Big Dave's Review Written By
Big Dave
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★★★ Enjoyment - ★★★
Falcon's Experience
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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

It seems that I was precisely tuned to the setter's wavelength today. Consequently, my electronic assistants enjoyed a day off.

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   The compiler's style faces charge it's extravagant (10)

It is a common cryptic crossword convention for the creator of the puzzle to use terms such as compiler, setter, author, writer, or this person to refer to himself or herself. To solve such a clue, one must generally substitute a first person pronoun (I or me) for whichever of these terms has been used in the clue. Today, RayT has made the substitution slightly more complex by employing the phrase "The compiler's" (The compiler is) which must be replaced by "I'm" (I am).

6a   Fastener is forced at front of piano (4)

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

9a   Italy with new leader, people tense for stimulus (10)

The International Vehicle Registration (IVR) code for Italy is I[5]. Duce is an Italian word meaning leader. In 1922, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini assumed the title Il Duce.

10a   Fair chance, some say (4)

In Britain, a fete[5] is a public function, typically held outdoors and organized to raise funds for a charity, including entertainment and the sale of goods and refreshments a church fete.

Apparently, some people pronounce fete and fate in a similar fashion — however, judging by the sound samples found at the foregoing links, those people would be Americans.

12a   Star's very mature in comeback (4)

Vega[5] is the fifth-brightest star in the sky, and the brightest in the constellation Lyra, overhead in summer to observers in the northern hemisphere.

13a   Fat cats perhaps as bogymen in disguise (9)

15a   Closed end, done, undone (8)

16a   Reign is finished within borders of Gabon (6)

18a   Irritate majority embracing the French (6)

Le[8] is the masculine singular form of the French definite article.

20a   More powerful fighter with hard row (8)

A MiG[7] is a type of Russian jet fighter. The name comes from the initials of the two founders (Mikoyan and Gurevich) of the "design bureau" that designs the planes.

 H[5] is the abbreviation for hard, as used in describing grades of pencil lead ⇒ a 2H pencil.

23a   Food fanatic before term in stir (9)

In the surface reading (but only the surface reading), stir[5] is a slang term for prison I’ve spent twenty-eight years in stir.

24a   Not exactly awfully remote initially (4)

26a   Start to bathe with lotion for skin inflammation (4)

27a   Angler's in mess gripping pole getting tangled (10)

28a   First lady? Queen, always (4)

R[5] is the abbreviation for Regina or Rex (Latin for queen or king, respectively).

29a   Showered after snooze to get sober (10)

Down


1d   Goddess lives and lives again (4)

In Egyptian mythology, Isis[5] is a goddess of fertility, wife of Osiris and mother of Horus. Her worship spread to western Asia, Greece, and Rome, where she was identified with various local goddesses. Isis is often depicted wearing a headdress consisting of the horns of a cow with the solar disk between them.

2d   Having grown most bananas? (7)

3d   Dispatch riot patrols for absolute rule (12)

The use of patrol[5] as an anagram indicator is predicated on the movement implicit in the verb which means to keep watch over (an area) by regularly walking or travelling around it.
.
4d   Call up, armed off and on with arm? (8)

The selection indicator "off and on" directs us to discard (off) the odd-numbered letters and retain (on) the even-numbered letters of the fodder (armed). Had the clue read "on and off", then we would have done the reverse.

5d   Resident of wigwam sheltering a native leader (6)

7d   Grow old under state routine (7)

8d   Joke of Labour leader accepted by working class (10)

11d   Feeling virtually sick? (12)

14d   Cursed sailor with old bird nearly exhausted (10)

In the Royal Navy, able seaman (abbreviation AB)[5], is a rank of sailor above ordinary seaman and below leading seaman.

Big Dave thought that "exhausted" is cluing the word BLED. I also considered that it might be cluing BLEW ("He blew his inheritance on gambling, women and booze.").

17d   Sharp detectives can concoct case (8)

A detective inspector (DI)[5] is a senior police officer in the UK. Within the British police, inspector[7] is the second supervisory rank. It is senior to that of sergeant, but junior to that of chief inspector. Plain-clothes detective inspectors are equal in rank to their uniformed counterparts, the prefix 'detective' identifying them as having been trained in criminal investigation and being part of or attached to their force's Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

19d   Unusually tactile aid for climbers? (7)

21d   National and international leader stood with Scot (7)

Frequent visitors to Crosswordland quickly learn that virtually all Scotsmen residing there are named Ian.

Surely no one other than a campaigning politician could make "stood" and "ran" synonymous.

22d   Where a happy medium may be found? (6)

25d   Oath for example followed by a Democrat leader (4)
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

Tuesday, August 27, 2013 — DT 27190

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27190
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Setter
Jay (Jeremy Mutch)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27190]
Big Dave's Review Written By
scchua
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

Jay delivers his customary enjoyable puzzle. As is often the case with his creations, one might progress more quickly by starting with the down clues.

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   Actress starts wearing shorts in emotional episodes (6)

Short[5] is a British term for a drink of spirits served in a small measure.

4a   The girl would love to be hugged by boy a great deal (8)

In tennis, squash, and some other sports, love[5] is a score of zero or nil love fifteen. The resemblance of a zero written as a numeral (0) to the letter O leads to the cryptic crossword convention of the word "love" being used to clue this letter.

Shedload[5] (a euphemism for shitload) is British slang for a large amount or number.

10a   Abrasive courage left after romance (5,4)

11a   Doctor adopts exaggerated slogan (5)

OTT[5] is British slang for over the top presenting him as a goalscoring Superman seems a bit OTT.

12a   Weapon for police deploying a taser to protect head of government? (4,3)

13a   Distance, for example, a wagon must reverse (7)

14a   Fold or line found in solid fuel (5)

15a   Overwhelm one with assignment on Mother Teresa, say (8)

Mother Teresa[5] (1910 – 1997) was a Roman Catholic nun and missionary; born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in what is now Macedonia of Albanian parentage. She became an Indian citizen in 1948. She founded the Order of Missionaries of Charity, which became noted for its work among the poor in Calcutta (Kolkata) and now operates in many parts of the world. Nobel Peace Prize (1979).

18a   Taking much care, however short and harsh (8)

20a   Footballer's wife hounded by journalist on a salary (5)

WAG[5] is a seemingly British term for a wife or girlfriend of a sports player, typically characterized as having a high media profile and a glamorous lifestyle. Derived from the acronym WAGs 'wives and girlfriends', it is a recent entrant to the language, having been introduced in the early 21st century.

The term "salaried" is frequently seen, but I would say that its counterpart "waged" [as an adjective] is far less common.

23a   A bit worried about second degree produce from India (7)

25a   Make good time, finally in new resort (7)

26a   Rebuke for being concealed in church (5)

The Church of England (CE)[10] is the reformed established state Church in England, Catholic in order and basic doctrine, with the Sovereign as its temporal head.

27a   Tense final letter held by confused Chinese philosopher (9)

Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche[5] (1844 – 1900) was a German philosopher. He is known for repudiating Christianity’s compassion for the weak, exalting the ‘will to power’, and formulating the idea of the Übermensch (superman), who can rise above the restrictions of ordinary morality.

28a   Girlfriend accepting one source of lie in a constant manner (8)

29a   Nasty words regularly preceding evidence of debts (6)

Down


1d   Raised position under workplace for computers (8)

2d   Say a case of gangrene is normal (7)

3d   A gorilla panics, coming across tail of ancient reptile (9)

5d   Wait for the groom to do this! (4,4,6)

6d   Mostly modest object (5)

7d   Survive, being revealed before final (7)

8d   Man running heard, with no answer! (6)

9d   Make-up on a leader of long walk (14)

16d   Cut workforce, and released capital by moving (9)

17d   The core of his endless forced inactivity (8)

19d   Crowd piled inside showing animosity (7)

21d   That hurt, supporting king with love for Marx (7)

The Marx Brothers[5] were a family of American comedians, consisting of the brothers Chico (Leonard, 1887 – 1961), Harpo (Adolph Arthur, 1888 – 1964), Groucho (Julius Henry, 1890 – 1977), and Zeppo (Herbert, 1901 – 1979). Their films, which are characterized by their anarchic humour, include Duck Soup (1933) and A Night at the Opera (1935).

22d   It might calculate a bill in public transport (6)

24d   The last word on Germany's change for the better (5)

The International Vehicle Registration (IVR) code for Germany is D[5] [from German Deutschland].
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

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Monday, August 26, 2013 — DT 27189

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27189
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Setter
Unknown
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27189]
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
Notes
This puzzle appears on the Monday Diversions page in the Saturday, August 24, 2013 edition of the National Post.

Introduction

There is a fair bit of British content in today's puzzle — including a number of cricket references.

Today's blog appears a bit late as I have been wrestling with computer issues.

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   Old athlete lapping last in race, the very best (5)

Steve Cram[7] is a British retired track and field athlete. Along with fellow Britons Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett, he was one of the world's dominant middle distance runners during the 1980s. Nicknamed "The Jarrow Arrow" (after his birthplace in County Durham, England), Cram set world records in the 1500 metres, 2000 metres and the mile during a 19-day period in the summer of 1985. He was the first man to run 1500 metres under 3 minutes and 30 seconds. He won the 1500 metres gold medal at the 1983 World Championships and the 1500 metres silver medal at the 1984 Olympic Games.

4a   Aquatic animal dad knocked over, put into casserole mainly (8)

8a   School member entertaining southern European (8)

David Cameron[7], Prime Minister of the UK, and Boris Johnson[7], Mayor of London, both attended Eton College.

Eton College[7], often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent [private] school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor". It is located in Eton, near Windsor in England, and is one of the original nine English public schools as defined by the Public Schools Act 1868. [Note: In Britain, "public schools" are a special class of private school; what North Americans would call public schools seem to be referred to in Britain by terms such as state-run or state-funded schools].

9a   Rescind order to a barge (8)

11a   US lawman hires scuffling pair of fellows (7)

F[2] is the abbreviation for Fellow (of a society, etc).

13a   Criminal, rude lot misbehaving with day gone -- and boorish drinker? (5,4)

In British slang, a lag[5] is a person who has been frequently convicted and sent to prisonboth old lags were sentenced to ten years' imprisonment.

Lager lout[5] is British slang for a young man who behaves in an unpleasant or violent way as a result of excessive drinking police said he acted like a lager lout and hit an officer.

15a   Bottom and chest seen awkwardly in private? (6,3,6)

18a   One active in the organ trade? (9)

An organ[5] is a newspaper or periodical which promotes the views of a political party or movement he repositioned the journal as a leading organ of neoconservatism.

Newsagent[5] is a British term for a person or shop selling newspapers, magazines, confectionery, etc..

21a   Entrance made by English conservationists anticipating hour by a lake (7)

In Britain, the National Trust[5] (abbreviation NT) is a trust for the preservation of places of historic interest or natural beauty in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, founded in 1895 and supported by endowment and private subscription. The National Trust for Scotland was founded in 1931.

22a   Imagination tends to take energy with the old (5,3)

24a   Huge  trademark of an aggressive boxer? (8)

In British slang, thumping[5] means of an impressive size, extent, or amount (i) a thumping 64 per cent majority; (ii) a thumping great lie.

25a   Food abundantly supplied for old actress (8)

Marlene Dietrich[5] (1901 – 1992) was a German-born American actress and singer; born Maria Magdelene Dietrich. She became famous for her part as Lola in The Blue Angel (1930), one of many films she made with Josef von Sternberg. From the 1950s she was also successful as an international cabaret star.

26a   Exam, one set among others (5)

Resit[5] is a British term which, as a verb, means to take (an examination) again after failing it  ⇒ she is resitting her maths GCSE [General Certificate of Secondary Education] and, as a noun, denotes an examination that is resat ⇒ the system allows the office to timetable all resits in a single block.

Down


1d   A club seen to diversify around hotel offering pastry (7,3)

Chelsea bun[5] is the British name for a flat, spiral-shaped currant bun sprinkled with sugar.

2d   Establish hub overlooking college and new church (8)

3d   Stunted type, German writer, one supported by family (8)

Mannikin[5] is a variant spelling of manikin[5], a very small man.

Thomas Mann[5] (1875 – 1955) was a German novelist and essayist. The role and character of the artist in relation to society is a constant theme in his works. Notable works: Buddenbrooks (1901), Death in Venice (1912), and Dr Faustus (1947). Nobel Prize for Literature (1929).

4d   A hard-headed character raised marine creature (4)

A nut[4] is a person or thing that presents difficulties (especially in the phrase a tough or hard nut to crack).

5d   Strictness in theatre employee, we hear (6)

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.

6d   Food in container with a cap quietly taken off (6)

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

7d   Significant mark in flat perhaps (4)

Deep Threat has not convinced me that this is a triple definition. It seems to me that significant means noteworthy, and note is a synonym for significance (an event of note). If it is not a triple definition, then significant mark must equate to note — although I am not entirely comfortable with that.

10d   Agitatedly get a Tube -- it's been baking and may get filled (8)

The capitalization of the word "Tube" suggests that the clue might refer to the London subway system (or, more particularly, a train running on that system). The Tube[5] (British trademark) is (1) the underground railway system in London, England a cross-London trek on the Tube or (2) a train running on the Tube I caught the tube home.

12d   Soap even applied to synthetic material? Not half (8)

Terylene[10] is a British trademark for a synthetic polyester fibre or fabric based on terephthalic acid, characterized by lightness and crease resistance and used for clothing, sheets, ropes, sails, etc [known as Dacron (trademark) in North America].

14d   50 in Ashes duel maybe that gives proof of high-level suitability (4,6)

The Ashes[10] is a cremated cricket stump in a pottery urn now preserved at Lord's[7] [a cricket ground in London, England]. Victory or defeat in test matches between England and Australia is referred to as winning, losing, or retaining the Ashes. A Test (short for Test match)[5] is an international cricket or rugby match, typically one of a series, played between teams representing two different countries the Test match between Pakistan and the West Indies.

16d   Person involved in trade in general grabbing award (8)

George Armstrong Custer[7] (1839 – 1876) was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. After building a strong reputation in the Civil War, Custer was dispatched to the west to fight in the Indian Wars. His disastrous final battle overshadowed his prior achievements. Custer and all the men with him were killed at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876, fighting against a coalition of Native American tribes in a battle that has come to be popularly known in American history as "Custer's Last Stand."


In actual fact, Custer was not a general at the time of his death. During the Civil War, he had briefly held the rank of Brevet (temporary) Major General, but reverted to his permanent rank of Captain at the end of the war. By 1876, he had risen to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

The Order of Merit[7] (abbreviation OM[5]) is a dynastic order recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by King Edward VII, admission into the order remains the personal gift of its Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, and is limited to 24 living recipients at one time from these countries plus a limited number of honorary members. The current membership includes one Canadian (former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien).

17d   Weapon I smuggled into Tyneside ship that's just avoided collision (4,4)

Tyneside[5] is an industrial conurbation (an extended urban area, typically consisting of several towns merging with the suburbs of a central city) on the banks of the River Tyne, in NE England, stretching from Newcastle upon Tyne to the coast.

As is almost invariably the case in Crosswordland, today's ship is a steamship (abbreviation SS[5]).

After some thought, I have concluded that the definition must be a "just avoided collision" (a potential collision that did not take place) — which is slightly shorter than what is indicated by Deep Threat in his review.

19d   Obtain craftily bit of wine with fish (6)

My downfall was too much wine — I tried to use the first three letters instead of merely the first letter.

20d   Spinning of Warne's the solution (6)

Shane Warne[5] is an Australian cricketer who holds the record for Australian bowlers in taking over 600 test wickets [see 14d for a definition of test]. In cricket, spin[5] (with reference to a ball) means to move or cause to move through the air with a revolving motion (i) the ball spun in viciously; (ii) they had to spin the ball wide. Spinning, of course, is the action of imparting spin to the ball as it is bowled.

22d   Atmosphere of fate in revolution (4)

23d   Design sailing vessel excluding prow (4)
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