Thursday, October 3, 2013 — DT 27217

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27217
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Saturday, June 29, 2013
Setter Cephas (Peter Chamberlain)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27217 - Hints] Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27217 - Review]
Big Dave's Review Written By Big Dave (Hints) crypticsue (Review)
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 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 thought that I had aced this puzzle. However, I was to get my comeuppance as I read through crypticsue's review. Obviously, I hang out in the wrong places.

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. The underlined portion of the clue is the definition.

Across

1a   Morning-after-the-night-before feeling's beginning for George in German city (8)

Hanover^[5] is an industrial city in NW Germany, on the Mittelland Canal [population 516,300 (est. 2006)]. It is the capital of Lower Saxony.

5a   Preach a sermon to show up tot after beer, perhaps (6)

8a   Go about two (6)

Repair to^[5] is a formal or humorous manner of saying go to (a place), especially in company ⇒ we repaired to the tranquillity of a nearby cafe. As a noun, repair^[5] has the archaic meaning of (1) frequent or habitual visiting of a place ⇒ she exhorted repair to the church or (2) a place which is frequently visited or occupied ⇒ the repairs of wild beasts.

9a   Stu tried to remove debris (8)

As an anagram indicator, remove^[5] (or remove to) is used in the dated sense of to change one’s home or place of residence by moving to (another place) ⇒ he removed to Wales and began afresh.

10a   Eavesdrop with one good man being framed by Soviet leader (6,2)

Vladimir Ilich Lenin^[5] (1870 – 1924) was the principal figure in the Russian Revolution and first Premier of the Soviet Union 1918–24; born Vladimir Ilich Ulyanov.

11a   Don't forget  to phone again (6)

12a   Shrink from agreement (8)

13a   Admission granted of course (6)

In North American usage, an entrée^[5] is [quite illogically] the main course of a meal. In Britain, it is
a dish served between the first and main courses at a formal dinner.

15a   River bird makes one feel sorry (6)

18a   In France, slow mover set out carrying load (8)

Escargot^[8] is the French word for snail.

20a   One who stands above the froth? (6)

My first thought was barman, but the dog at 17d disproved that notion. Okay, then it must be server. Not so! I should have been hanging out at the beach — rather than in the bars.

21a   Could be impolitic, nothing less inferred (8)

23a   Kinsman's account (8)

24a   Revolutionary gadget fitted with electronic device (6)

25a   We mostly head off one's intertwining yarn (6)

26a   Perform part of articulated turn by parking place (4-4)

Articulated Bus

Articulated^[5] (as used in the surface reading of the clue) is a word which I strongly suspect sees far more usage in Britain than it does in North America. It means having two or more sections connected by a flexible joint ⇒ an articulated lorry [truck]; (ii) the trilobite’s thorax has a number of articulated segments. Here in Ottawa, I have only ever seen the word used with respect to our articulated transit buses.

Down

1d   Type of music that doesn't start every 60 minutes (5)

2d   Staring at twinkling heavenly body (5,4)

3d   About to go up inside museum gallery? (7)

The Victoria and Albert Museum^[7] (often abbreviated as the V&A [and, today, as the V and A]), London, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design. The museum, founded in 1852 and named after Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, is located in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

The American Heritage Dictionary proves itself quite helpful by defining veranda^[3] as a porch or balcony, usually roofed and often partly enclosed, extending along the outside of a building. Also called regionally gallery.

4d   Coming home first with a mobile charger? (6,3,6)

5d   Group's small cottage on lake (7)

Cot^[5] is an archaic term for a small, simple cottage.

6d   Arrange trade show, expected to be fine (3,4)

In Britain, the expression be set fair^[5] (in relation to the weather) means to be fine and likely to stay fine for a time. It may also be used in a figurative sense ⇒ conditions were set fair for stable political and economic development.

7d   Hardy's moving line during rites at sea (9)

12d   Irish port's party for ship in bottle device (9)

Cork^[5], a port on the River Lee, is the county town of County Cork, a county of the Republic of Ireland, on the south coast in the province of Munster [population 190,384 (2006)].

14d   Appearing to be making revolution in a heightened state (7,2)

16d   Advance stream supported by a primate (7)

17d   Row about stray dog (7)

19d   It may add interest in Cardiff, say (7)

Cardiff^[5] is the capital of Wales, a seaport on the Bristol Channel [population 314,100 (est. 2009)].

22d   Sweet hot drink for rum type avoiding exercise outside (5)

Rum^[5] is dated British slang meaning odd or peculiar ⇒ it’s a rum business, certainly.

PE^[5] is the abbreviation for physical education (or Phys Ed, as it would likely be called by most school kids).

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