Thursday, September 19, 2013 — DT 27207

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27207
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27207]
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

Judging by my performance, I would suspect that Deep Threat may have been overly generous when handing out the 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

5a   Inactive rook, chess piece put in spot (7)

R^[5] is an abbreviation for rook (used in recording moves in chess).

7a   Plug Rhine wine, mostly for this special purpose (2,3)

Hock^[5] is a British name for a dry white wine from the German Rhineland.

9a   Fisherman's position by river (6)

10a   Scapegoat in genuine denial (8)

I question whether scapegoat and butt are synonymous. A scapegoat^[2] is someone made to take the blame or punishment for the errors and mistakes of others. A butt^[2] is a person who is often a target of jokes, ridicule or criticism, etc. However, no one appears to have raised any concern with respect to this on Big Dave's blog.

11a   Enlisted man to see detective (7,3)

13a   Hide in shower (4)

14a   Season's first evil winds -- onset of ripsnorter lashes trees (6,7)

As an anagram indicator, wind^[5] is used as a verb in the sense of to twist or coil (or related meaning).

16a   King in charge, not bound by rules (4)

Rex^[4] (Latin for king, abbreviated as R^[5]) is part of the official title of a king, now used chiefly in documents, legal proceedings, and inscriptions on coins. It may be used following a name (e.g. Georgius Rex, or GR, for King George^[5]) or in the titles of lawsuits, e.g. Rex v. Jones: the Crown versus Jones^[5] (which would often be written simply as R. vs Jones).

17a   Gillespie's turn? (5,5)

My explanation varies ever so slightly from that of Deep Threat. I would say that this is an all-in-one clue in which the entire clue is a cryptic definition. As Deep Threat points out, turn^[5] can mean a brief feeling or experience of illness ⇒ he has these funny turns. By preceding this with "Gillespie", the setter points us in the direction of a dizzy spell as opposed to, for example, a bout of nausea.

The clue can also be seen to be a charade, with the wordplay being DIZZY (Gillespie) + SPELL (turn; in a sense of an opportunity or obligation to do something).

Dizzy Gillespie^[7] (1917 – 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer and occasional singer.

19a   Drink in nightspots a party knocked back (4,4)

Club soda^[5] is a North American term for what the Brits would call soda water (or simply soda^[5]). This no doubt explains Deep Threat's unfamiliarity with the term.

20a   Insect found in place close to rainforest (6)

22a   Work out volume in one (5)

23a   Opposition leader in Duma is told to go (7)

Duma^[10], short for State Duma, is the lower chamber of the Russian parliament.

Down

1d   Said of country life all but past (4)

2d   Famous Belgian showing determination in match (8)

René Magritte^[5] (1898 – 1967) was a Belgian surrealist painter. His paintings display startling or amusing juxtapositions of the ordinary, the strange, and the erotic, depicted in a realist manner.

3d   Doctor caught in high wind might mean to take a chance (6)

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.

4d   To keep mum quiet, work or cease trading? (4,2,4)

In music, Op. (also op.)^[5] is an abbreviation meaning opus (work). It is used before a number given to each work of a particular composer, usually indicating the order of publication.

5d   Benefactor's name in entrance (5)

6d   Country doctor taken up, about to ring a bird of prey (6,7)

8d   Almost heaven, after tea, this French wine (7)

Chablis^[5] is a dry white burgundy wine from Chablis in eastern France.

12d   Shower before party game (10)

14d   Not quite certain matter involves large balance (7)

15d   Cavalier sort stupidly accepting one bet retrospectively (8)

Cavalier^[5] refers to a supporter of King Charles I in the English Civil War.

17d   Cattle dealer bringing third of herd into port (6)

A drover^[10] is a person whose occupation is the driving of sheep or cattle, especially to and from market. I see no reason why such a person would necessarily have to be a dealer, but I suppose nothing precludes him from taking part in the sale of the animals once they have reached market.

18d   Hungarian pianist making record that must be heard (5)

Franz Liszt^[7] (1811 – 1886) was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor and teacher.

21d   Revolutionary female cook (4)

Che Guevara^[7] (1928 – 1967) was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and military theorist. A major figure of the Cuban Revolution, his stylized visage has become a ubiquitous countercultural symbol of rebellion and global insignia within popular culture.

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