Monday, June 2, 2014 — DT 27397

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27397
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Monday, January 27, 2014
Setter Rufus (Roger Squires)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27397]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Big Dave
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 fully parsing the clue █ - unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Big Dave's Crossword Blog █ - solved with aid of checking letters provided by solutions from Big Dave's Crossword Blog █ - reviewed by Falcon for Big Dave's Crossword Blog █ - yet to be solved

Introduction

Fortunately, I am able to ease myself back into the blogging routine with a gentle puzzle from Rufus.

In reviewing my "Vacation Edition" postings, I see that my forecast publication dates proved to be spot on. Although the National Post did not publish on Victoria Day (May 19), the editors elected to skip the puzzle that otherwise would have appeared on that date — thereby allowing my predicted outcome to materialize.

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.

Primary indications (definitions) are marked with a solid underline in the clue; subsidiary indications (be they wordplay or other) are marked with a dashed underline in all-in-one (& lit.) clues, semi-all-in-one (semi-& lit.) clues and cryptic definitions.

Across

1a   Gloomy doctor has run around with outbreak of flu (8)

A medical officer^[5] (abbreviation MO^[5]) is a doctor in charge of the health services of a civilian or military authority or other organization.

The Chambers Dictionary defines outbreak^[1] as "a breaking out of eg violence or illness; a disturbance". The latter shade of meaning would account for its use as an anagram indicator.

6a   One has gathered wood for burning (2,4)

9a   Ring master? (6)

Richard Wagner^[5] (1813–1883) was a German composer who developed an operatic genre which he called music drama, synthesizing music, drama, verse, legend, and spectacle. Notable works: The Flying Dutchman (opera, 1841), Der Ring des Nibelungen (a cycle of four operas, 1847–74), Tristan and Isolde (music drama, 1859), and the Siegfried Idyll (1870).

10a   Many a creature’s seen in a wood (8)

11a   A few will have disturbed rest in part of south-west England (8)

Somerset^[5] is a county of southwestern England, on the Bristol Channel; county town, Taunton.

12a   About to get wrong answer (6)

13a   Study clamour of birds in northern Europe? (12)

The word "in" is included in the definition — thereby necessitating that the solution be an adjective.

16a   The classroom is untidy — and he’s responsible (12)

The entire clue is a cryptic definition. Not only does the portion of the clue that I have marked with a dashed underline contain the wordplay (an anagram), it also serves to indicate where the person specified by the pronoun "he" would customarily be found.

19a   Fat goat? (6)

21a   He works with a will (8)

23a   Aim to ban corruption in Canadian province (8)

24a   It’s appeared a siren has been set off (6)

The phrase "it's appeared" can be deciphered as "the solution is a synonym for appeared".

25a   It’s used for pounding with mortar (6)

As Big Dave tactfully phrases it, "a gently cryptic definition".

26a   Odds on getting good service (8)

Evens^[5] is a British term meaning even money^[5], viz. odds offering an equal chance of winning or losing, with the amount won being the same as the stake ⇒ the colt was 4-6 favourite after opening at evens.

The abbreviation G^[10] for good may relate to its use in grading school assignments or tests.

In the Christian Church, evensong^[5] is a service of evening prayers, psalms, and canticles, conducted according to a set form, especially that of the Anglican Church ⇒ choral evensong.

Down

2d   He may well appeal to the public (6)

3d   Mountains in cattle country (5)

4d   Thwart made of wood, entirely (9)

5d   Restricted cover includes free time (7)

6d   The gold edging makes this different (5)

The wordplay is "the gold edging" which must be read with an implicit pause "the, gold edging" which equates to "the [with] gold edging".

Or^[5] is gold or yellow, as a heraldic tincture.

7d   Action ended dispute (5,4)

8d   It’s all round the town, of interest to motorists (4,4)

13d   Little inclination to cut number of candidates (5-4)

14d   End a Metro trip to see it? (5,4)

A metro^[5] is an underground railway system in a city, especially Paris.

Notre Dame^[5] is a Gothic cathedral church in Paris, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, on the Île de la Cité (an island in the Seine). It was built between 1163 and 1250 and is especially noted for its innovatory flying buttresses and sculptured facade.

The use of trip^[5] as an anagram indicator is premised on the meaning 'to dance around' (walk, run, or dance with quick light steps).

15d   Right to get junior minister to foot the bill (8)

A curate^[5] is a member of the clergy engaged as assistant to a vicar, rector, or parish priest.

17d   Mean to issue statement on time (7)

18d   Control acceleration by gravity above Pole (6)

G^[5] is the abbreviation for a unit of acceleration equal to that produced by the earth’s gravitational field ⇒ I was pinned to the floor by six Gs!.

20d   River cut by river (5)

I can find no evidence to support "cut" meaning hone.

22d   American’s boxing can set back fighting teams (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