Wednesday, October 30, 2013 — DT 27236

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27236
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Monday, July 22, 2013
Setter Rufus (Roger Squires)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27236]
Big Dave's Review Written By Libellule
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 get what we have come to expect from Rufus — a very enjoyable puzzle that is not too taxing.

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   But nettle-rash can erupt and gain the ascendancy (4,3,6)

10a   Gets level, being faster (7)

11a   Boasting about a number well done (7)

Frequently, terms such as many or a large number will be used to clue a large Roman numeral - such as L (fifty), C (hundred), D (five hundred) or M (thousand). However, in today's puzzle, the setter settles for merely number.

12a   Born and died in poverty (4)

13a   He will shortly ring -- to say this? (5)

I would consider this to be a semi-all-in-one clue in which the entire clue is the definition, and where the first portion also constitutes the wordplay. However, this is a style of clue — one that is particularly associated with Rufus — that is difficult to classify. One might equally argue the case that the wordplay is "he will shortly ring" with the definition being "this". However, I don't favour designating pronouns on their own as definitions in clues such as this.

14a   Make an issue of time to return (4)

17a   Stay longer than most at the wicket? (7)

To "stay longer than most" in any context would be to outlast. In cricket, the last batsman to be dismissed would be "out last". This is another clue where the definition is not clear-cut. I have chosen to view the entire clue as the definition, but others might opt for merely the first portion of the clue.

18a   Pinero's play persuades one to take part (5,2)

Sir Arthur Wing Pinero^[5] (1855–1934) was an English dramatist and actor. Notable works: The Second Mrs Tanqueray (1893).

19a   Acts for different agents (7)

22a   It's forbidden, and badly one hundred may take it (7)

24a   Returned to show off clothes (4)

25a   There's something hidden here -- sounds like money (5)

26a   In for a long viva voce (4)

In Britain, a viva voce^[5] (often shortened to viva^[5]) is an oral examination, typically for an academic qualification ⇒  (i) candidates may be called for a viva voce; (ii) assessment of the PhD is by thesis and viva voce. Viva can also be used as a verb meaning to subject (someone) to an oral examination ⇒ facing them sat the youth who was being vivaed.

Viva voce may also be used (1) as an adjective indicating (especially of an examination) oral rather than written ⇒ a viva voce examination or (2) as an adverb signifying orally rather than in writing ⇒ we had better discuss this viva voce. To the best of my knowledge, this term is used in North America only as an adjective or adverb. I suspect that the these forms may predate its usage as a noun, and that this may be yet another example of the British propensity to turn adjectives into nouns.

29a   Batter section's defence (7)

30a   Soldiers ordered to carry equipment (7)

31a   Saucy play from which friends will return with delight (4,3,6)

Slap and tickle^[5] is British slang for playful sexual activity ⇒ all Walter thought about was a bit of slap and tickle in the grass.

Down

2d   News put out, with the dust allowed to settle (7)

3d   It has a point, may need filing (4)

4d   Farmers may combine to gather it in (7)

5d   In piping form (7)

Today, piping is not used in the sense of "hissing hot" — as it was yesterday.

6d   Display  stand (4)

7d   Scholar finding sums are uplifting (7)

Desiderius Erasmus^[5] (circa 1469–1536) was a Dutch humanist and scholar; Dutch name Gerhard Gerhards. He was the foremost Renaissance scholar of northern Europe, paving the way for the Reformation with his satires on the Church, including the Colloquia Familiaria (1518). However, he opposed the violence of the Reformation and condemned Luther in De Libero Arbitrio (1523).

8d   Conjured up nightmare of apparition (7,6)

I can find no compelling evidence of there being any special meaning attached to the phrase "phantom figure". Googling "phantom figure" turned up a lot of hits for figurines of The Phantom^[7], an American adventure comic strip. The Urban Dictionary [not the most authoritative source] defines phantom figure as someone who seems like they never grow up, coined in Nigeria in tribute to a basketballer who stayed 25 for three years in a row.

9d   One predicts there'll be a lot of money on the counter (7,6)

The wordplay here is FORTUNE (a lot of money) + (on; in a down clue) TELLER (the counter).

A teller works behind the counter of a bank, and that is the meaning of counter in the surface [no pun intended — but duly noted] reading. However, one of the duties of a teller is to count the money, so a teller could well be deemed to be a counter.

I note that Oxford Dictionaries Online characterises the word teller^[5] (in the sense of a bank employee) as being chiefly a North American usage. However, other British dictionaries do not label it as such and Libellule certainly seems to be familiar with the term.

15d   Meat company included in embargo (5)

16d   Put on a soft layer (5)

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.

20d   Am clear out of sugar after cooking (7)

21d   Fight and give a thrashing to a tough character (7)

A Spartan^[2] was a citizen or inhabitant of ancient Sparta. Today, the term is applied to someone who is disciplined, courageous and shows great endurance. Sparta was a city in ancient Greece that was noted for its austerity and whose citizens were characterized by their courage and endurance in battle and by the simplicity and brevity of their speech.

22d   Occupy in monastic style? (7)

23d   Copper on trial, composed in dock (7)

The symbol for the chemical element copper is Cu^[5] (from Latin cuprum).

27d   Buzzer was quiet (4)

See comment at 16d.

28d   The record is held by District of Columbia (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