Thursday, January 30, 2014 — DT 27306

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27306
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Friday, October 11, 2013
Setter Giovanni (Don Manley)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27306]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Gazza
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 █ - solved but without being able to fully parse the clue █ - unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Big Dave's blog █ - reviewed by Falcon for Big Dave's blog █ - yet to be solved

Introduction

Giovanni subjects us to only a moderate workout today. I worked on the puzzle as my car was being serviced. The puzzle was finished long before my car was ready.

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   Unusually large  component of motor vehicle (6)

4a   Look at row on grandstand less full? (8)

9a   Insect's place revealed by entomologist ultimately (6)

10a   Cruel article penned by trendy philosopher (8)

David Hume^[5] (1711–1776) was a Scottish philosopher, economist, and historian. He rejected the possibility of certainty in knowledge and claimed that all the data of reason stem from experience. Notable works: A Treatise of Human Nature (1739–40) and History of England (1754–62).

11a   Report of former champion jockey in Midlands city (9)

Lester Piggott^[5] is a retired English jockey. He was champion jockey nine times between 1960 and 1971 and again in 1981 and 1982; he won the Derby a record nine times.

Leicester^[5] [pronounced Lester] is a city in central England, on the River Soar, the county town of Leicestershire; population 294,900 (est. 2009). It was founded as a Roman settlement where the Fosse Way crosses the Soar (AD 50-100).

13a   Put soldiers around, befitting the Queen? (5)

In the British armed forces, the term other ranks^[5] (abbreviation OR^[5]) refers to all those who are not commissioned officers.

14a   Name that is seen in capital, say -- an entertainer of yesteryear (6,7)

Anthony James Donegan (1931–2002), recording under the name of Lonnie Donegan^[7], was a Scottish skiffle musician, who is often cited as a major influence on the generation of British musicians who became famous in the 1960s. The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums states Donegan was "Britain's most successful and influential recording artist before The Beatles. He chalked up 24 successive Top 30 hits, and was the first UK male to score two U.S. Top 10s". How can one help but remember a hit such as "Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour (On the Bedpost Overnight?)".

17a   Not favouring valley odours? They're not so bad as they have been (13)

21a   Look less than half serious, as one generally inept? (5)

Lo^[5] is an archaic exclamation used to draw attention to an interesting or amazing event ⇒ and lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them.

23a   Sailors at home occupying temporary accommodation keeping off the rum? (9)

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

Don't forget that you need more than one.

24a   RIP? Dispense with the slightest sign of grief (8)

25a   Gosh -- that's literature? Don't get so excited! (4,2)

Coo^[5] is a British exclamation used to express surprise ⇒ ‘Coo, ain’t it high!’ Mary squeaked.

26a   Opinion about American President's initial apprehension (8)

27a   Knight will go round trailing society woman? Rubbish! (6)

Down

1d   Blooming daughter must get locked up, plainly! (6)

Blooming^[5] is an informal British expression used to express annoyance or for emphasis ⇒ (i) of all the blooming cheek!; (ii) a blooming good read.


Bloody^[5] is used in Britain to express anger, annoyance, or shock, or simply for emphasis ⇒ (i) you took your bloody time; (ii) bloody Hell!—what was that?; (iii) it’s bloody cold outside.

Bally^[5] is an old-fashioned euphemism for bloody.

2d   Fellow embracing Prince's wife? Not a prime minister! (9)

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall^[7] (Camilla Rosemary; née Shand, previously Parker Bowles), is the second wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, who is the eldest child and heir apparent of Queen Elizabeth II.

Harold MacMillan^[7], 1st Earl of Stockton (1894–1986) was a British Conservative statesman, Prime Minister 1957–63. His term of office saw the signing of the Test-Ban Treaty (1963) with the US and the USSR. Macmillan resigned on grounds of ill health shortly after the scandal surrounding John Profumo [a minister in his government who shared a mistress with a a Soviet diplomat].

3d   Manager of Beatles records, number one included (7)

Brian Epstein^[5] (1934–1967) was an English businessman and music journalist, manager of the Beatles.

5d   Denies identity set up in legal documents (11)

6d   Particle of dust finally spotted in cell (7)

7d   Country's one match -- winger for Arsenal left out (5)

Arsenal Football Club^[7] is an English professional association football [soccer] club based in Holloway, London that plays in the Premier League (the top level in the English football league system).

8d   Wine mature but lacking power? Chuck! (8)

12d   Travelling around, spot erratic old creature (11)

The triceratops^[5] was a large quadrupedal herbivorous dinosaur living at the end of the Cretaceous period, having a massive head with two large horns, a smaller horn on the beaked snout, and a bony frill above the neck.

15d   New Testament exponent shows energy, one going through the letters (9)

16d   Cosy tale about ecclesiastical helpers (8)

18d   A bony bit between the eyes shows cut (7)

19d   Disgusting refusal is nothing to this person (7)

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.

20d   Conditions in parts of America (6)

22d   Birds, pale and sickly, landing aboard ship (5)

The abbreviation for steamship is SS^[10].

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