Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Tuesday, September 30, 2014 — DT 27485


Although posted on October 1, 2014, this entry has been backdated to maintain sequence.
Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27485
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Friday, May 9, 2014
Setter
Giovanni (Don Manley)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27485]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog 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
- 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

Although I completed today's puzzle unaided, I had to look at Deep Threat's review for an explanation of the wordplay in 21a.

I invite you to leave a comment to let us know how you fared with the puzzle.

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. Explicit link words and phrases are enclosed in forward slashes (/link/) and implicit links are shown as double forward slashes (//).

Across

1a   Human affairs // not entirely wonderful, I feel (4)

3a   Was soft stuff in chopped tree // recyclable material? (5,5)

9a   Nothing alive ultimately /in/ river (4)

he Nile[5] is a river in eastern Africa, the longest river in the world, which rises in east central Africa near Lake Victoria and flows 6,695 km (4,160 miles) generally northwards through Uganda, South Sudan, Sudan, and Egypt to empty through a large delta into the Mediterranean.

10a   Distressed /but/ unbowed, we hear? (10)

Straiten[10] means to to embarrass or distress, especially financially.

11a   Little animal /in/ rubbish fire destroyed (7)

Rubbish[3] is used in the sense of foolish discourse or nonsense.

A rotifer[5] is a minute multicellular aquatic animal of the phylum Rotifera.

13a   Answer, after bit of hard work, /is found in/ persuasive words? (7)

14a   Popular company stars, /offering/ facilities for sick people (11)

In astronomy, Aries[5] is a small constellation (the Ram), said to represent the ram whose Golden Fleece was sought by Jason and the Argonauts. In astrology, Aries[5] is the first sign of the zodiac, which the sun enters at the vernal equinox (about 20 March).

18a   Member of extended family // could employ wiliness and art (6-2-3)

21a   State that sounds empty when it's been reduced! (7)

I tried reducing the state by chopping letters off the front, the back, or both ends. It never occurred to me that an abbreviation was required.

The US Postal Service abbreviation for the state of Montana[7] is MT.

22a   Got one's teeth into some // minor role (3-4)

Deep Threat's hint might seem to suggest that this is a homophone clue — which it is not. It is a simple charade of BIT (got one's teeth into) + PART (some).

23a   Spectator // beginning to engage you with news -- it's awful! (10)

24a   Rider on horseback edges off /to get/ close (4)

25a   Row at home with new husband /making/ a mess? (6,4)

26a   Poor // area surrounded by soldiers (4)

Down

1d   Bird // to alight on bar (8)

Landrail[5] is another term for corncrake[5], a secretive Eurasian crake (Crex crex) inhabiting coarse grasslands, with mainly brown streaked plumage and a distinctive double rasping call. Due to changes in agricultural practices it is now much rarer in the British Isles than formerly. The crake[5] is a bird of the rail family with a short bill, such as the corncrake.

2d   Endlessly deceptive over time, a very loud // character in plays (8)

Deep Threat has omitted one segment of the charade in his explanation. The solution is "made up of a word for deceptive with its final E removed, Time, A (from the clue), and the musical symbol for ‘very loud’."

Fortissimo[5] (abbreviation ff[5]) is a direction used in music to mean either (as an adjective) very loud  or (as an adverb) very loudly.

4d   Adjust // rope round 'orse's neck? (5)

5d   New partner is // to be revealed (9)

6d   Pastor at inn, unorthodox /as/ holy figurehead (6,5)

The gentlemen named by Deep Threat are the patron saints of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales respectively.

7d   Author // put in confinement on isle (6)

The Isle of Man[5] is an island in the Irish Sea which is a British Crown dependency having home rule, with its own legislature (the Tynwald) and judicial system.

8d   Journalist turning up on street after game /is/ most ill-mannered (6)

Rugby union[10] (abbreviation RU[5]) is a form of rugby football played between teams of 15 players (in contrast to rugby league[5], which is played in teams of thirteen).

12d   Where skilled operators may be told to go to blazes (4,7)

15d   Dotty eats in bar -- one having orange juice there? (9)

16d   Trifle /could make you/ feel a bit ill (4-4)

I would say that the anagram indicator is simply "ill" with "could make you" being a link phrase.

17d   Arouse // lad with introduction of fascinating female (6,2)

Switch on[10] is a slang term meaning to arouse emotionally or sexually [although, personally, I would say turn on[10]].

19d   Threaten // little devil with death (6)

20d   One after another said /to be/ a trainee (6)

22d   Singer /wants/ musical instrument? Not on! (5)

Basso[5] denotes a bass voice or vocal part.
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

Monday, September 29, 2014

Monday, September 29, 2014 — DT 27484

 
Although posted on September 30, 2014, this entry has been backdated to maintain sequence.
Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27484
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Setter
Unknown
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27484]
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

Having abandoned the keyboard for some time outdoors in the sunshine over the weekend, I find myself running a day behind in my blogging.

I invite you to leave a comment to let us know how you fared with the puzzle.

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. Explicit link words and phrases are enclosed in forward slashes (/link/) and implicit links are shown as double forward slashes (//).

Across

1a   Old firearm // London police found round river (6)

The Metropolitan Police Service[7] (widely known informally as the Met[5]) is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement in Greater London, excluding the "square mile" of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police. The Met also has significant national responsibilities such as co-ordinating and leading on counter-terrorism matters and protection of the British Royal Family and senior figures of Her Majesty's Government. The Met is also referred to by the metonym Scotland Yard after the location of its original headquarters in a road called Great Scotland Yard in Whitehall. The Met's current headquarters is New Scotland Yard, in Victoria.

The River Usk[7] is a river in Wales that rises on the northern slopes of the Black Mountain in Brecon Beacons National Park and flows into the Severn estuary at Uskmouth, south of Newport.

4a   Dogsbody/,/ it's undeniable, without a belly? (8)

According to Big Dave, the wordplay parses as FACT (it's undeniable) + O (without) + TUM (a belly)

The only explanation that I can come up with as to why the letter O might be clued by "without" is because if you are without, you have nothing.

Dogsbody[5] is an informal British term for a person who is given menial tasks to do, especially a junior in an office I got myself a job as typist and general dogsbody on a small magazine.

Tum[2] is a colloquial British name for the stomach.

Corporation[3,4,5,11] [a term used by Big Dave in his review] is a dated humorous term for a large paunch or pot belly.

9a   River // ban due to be overturned (6)

The Danube[5] is a river which rises in the Black Forest in SW Germany and flows about 2,850 km (1,770 miles) into the Black Sea. It is the second-longest river in Europe after the Volga; the cities of Vienna, Budapest, and Belgrade are situated on it.

10a   Formal English girl, in short/,/ of ancient origins? (8)

12a   Big load divided by wife /in/ community (4)

13a   It's helpful in building // supportive character (5)

Brick[5] is a dated informal British term denoting a generous, helpful, and reliable person ‘You are really a brick, Vi,’ Gloria said.

14a   Impulse /that's/ restrained by surgeon (4)

17a   Petty point /in/ college attended by a learner in Belfast? (12)

Tech[5] is an informal British [really!] name for a technical college. I find the characterisation of the term as British to be a bit odd given that I graduated from the Nova Scotia Technical College (usually referred to as Nova Scotia Tech). Of course, the institution has since undergone a couple of name changes — maybe the original name was too British.

The cryptic crossword convention of L meaning learner or student arises from the L-plate[7], a square plate bearing a sans-serif letter L, for learner, which must be affixed to the front and back of a vehicle in various countries (including the UK) if its driver is a learner under instruction.

Northern Ireland[5] (abbreviation NI[5]) is a province of the United Kingdom occupying the northeast part of Ireland; population 1,775,000 (est. 2008).

Belfast[5] is the capital and chief port of Northern Ireland; population 260,700 (est. 2009) — and, thus, a NI (Northern Ireland) City.

20a   Owner of place with good cheer? (12)

A restaurateur[3,4,11] is a person who owns or runs a restaurant. Although the spelling restauranteur occurs frequently, it is a misspelling and should be avoided — especially in today's puzzle. Americans appear to be more willing to embrace the misspelling than are the the British.

23a   Couple /in/ piece on bulletin (4)

24a   Perhaps lead // musician's first and others will follow (5)

25a   Quick car ride /producing/ error in parking? The opposite (4)

The phrase "The opposite" indicates that the wordplay is the opposite of what is stated; i.e. the wordplay is actually "parking in error".

28a   Unoriginal work? // It's cheap when reviewed (8)

As an anagram indicator, review[5] is used in the sense of to read through or go over in order to correct.

29a   Facial hair /shown by/ carpenter's companion? (6)

"The Walrus and the Carpenter"[7] is a narrative poem by English writer Lewis Carroll that appeared in his book Through the Looking-Glass, published in December 1871. The poem is recited in chapter four, by Tweedledum and Tweedledee to Alice.

A walrus moustache[5] is a long, thick, drooping moustache.

I have observed that the Brits have a propensity for turning adjectives into nouns. Thus an Indian restaurant is called an Indian and an estate car [British term for station wagon] is known as an estate. I would imagine that a walrus moustache might well be referred to as a walrus.


During the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoff quarterfinal series between the Montreal Canadiens and the Ottawa Senators, Montreal player Brandon Prust "referred to Ottawa coach Paul MacLean as a "bug-eyed, fat walrus". The outcome? The "walrus" coached his team to a decisive victory — defeating the heavily favoured Canadiens in the best of seven series four games to one. [The title reads "Separated at birth". "Morse" is the French word for "walrus".]

30a   Note chap that's devious? // Whitehall's famous for it (8)

Whitehall[5] is a street in Westminster, London, in which many government offices are located. The name is commonly used as an allusive reference to the British civil service or to the British government, its offices, or its policy critics claim that councils are being railroaded by Whitehall into approving the schemes.

The Cenotaph[7] is a war memorial situated on Whitehall in London. It began as a temporary structure erected for a peace parade following the end of the First World War but following an outpouring of national sentiment it was replaced in 1920 by a permanent structure and designated the United Kingdom's primary national war memorial.

31a   Minister touring yard /in/ natural hollow (6)

As a containment indicator, touring is used in the sense of travelling around — with the emphasis on around.

Down

1d   Consider carefully /what's/ correct in end of game? (8)

Mate[5] is short for checkmate[5], the winning position that ends a game of chess.

2d   Perhaps, a submarine  course (8)

The clue may be a play on the British term sandwich course.

In Britain, sandwich[5] denotes relating to a sandwich course the degree includes a sandwich year.

Sandwich course[5] is a British term for a training course with alternate periods of formal instruction and practical experience.

Big Dave parses the clue as a double definition:
  • Perhaps, a submarine // course (8)
where he interprets the second definition to be a reference to the Royal St George's Golf Club[7] located in Sandwich, Kent, England which is one of the premier golf clubs in the United Kingdom, and one of the courses on The Open Championship [British Open to the rest of the world] rotation. 

3d   Island // taken in by genteel bathers (4)

Elba[5] is a small island off the west coast of Italy, famous as the place of Napoleon’s first exile (1814–15).

5d   Like farmed area /in/ a good state showing refinement (12)

The US Postal Service abbreviation for the state of Rhode Island[7] is RI.

6d   Office worker/'s/ mood changed by losing ruler (4)

The regnal ciphers (monograms) of British monarchs are initials formed from the Latin version of their first name followed by either Rex or Regina (Latin for king or queen, respectively). Thus, the regnal cipher of Queen Elizabeth is ER[5] — from the Latin Elizabetha Regina.

7d   Retired priest entering brief function /in/ drinking establishment (6)

In mathematics, tan[5] is the abbreviation for tangent[5], the trigonometric function that is equal to the ratio of the sides (other than the hypotenuse) opposite and adjacent to an angle in a right-angled triangle.

8d   Hairstyle /one gets/ to ponder on film (6)

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial[7] (often referred to simply as E.T.) is a 1982 American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg. It tells the story of a lonely boy who befriends an extraterrestrial, dubbed "E.T.", who is stranded on Earth. He and his siblings help the extraterrestrial return home while attempting to keep it hidden from their mother and the government.

11d   Excellent article on Western joint /getting/ to impose authority (5,3,4)

15d   Incense /found in/ crate with top missing (5)

16d   Southern group of sportsmen /showing/ energy (5)

18d   Cat left out in January after vacation /is/ hazard (8)

Vacation[5] is the action of leaving something one previously occupied his marriage was the reason for the vacation of his fellowship.

19d   Relative // managed to intercept stray dogs close to station (8)

21d   Writer about Oscar associated with goody-goody // type of film (6)

The ballpoint pen is well-known not only in the UK but also in North America.

Oscar[5] is a code word representing the letter O, used in radio communication.

Pi[5] is an informal British short form for pious.

22d   Largely genuine lad /in/ grounds (6)

26d   Comedian around 50 /showing/ loss of energy (4)

27d   Sparkling wine /offered by/ knight? Not half (4)

Cavalier[2] is an old name for a horseman or knight.

Cava[5] is a Spanish sparkling wine made in the same way as champagne.
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

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Saturday, September 27, 2014 — Frontage in Southern Florida


Introduction

As a reader has commented, today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon seems to be a bit more difficult than their usual fare. I needed help from my electronic assistants to complete this one. I had never heard of the Indian rug, so the need for help there is not surprising. As for 12a, I fell into the trap set by the creators of the puzzle.
The solution is making an appearance a tad late as I had more than a full plate of activities to attend to this weekend. With mid-July weather at the end of September, it would have been a sin not to take advantage of it. There was certainly no need to travel to southern Florida to bask in the sunshine.

I invite you to leave a comment to let us know how you fared with the puzzle.

New Feature in Today's Post

Reader's who do not follow my weekday posts will see a new feature in the blog today. In addition to underlining the definition (primary indication), I have also marked the boundary between the definition and wordplay (subsidiary indication).

Where the definition and wordplay are joined by a link word or phrase (which I refer to as an explicit link), the link word or phrase is shown between a pair of forward slashes. For instance, in 25a the word "in" is used to link the wordplay and the definition. In the clue, I have shown it as "/in/" to indicate that it is a link word.

Where there is no link word or phrase in the clue (which I refer to as an implicit link), a double slash ("//") is placed between the wordplay and definition.

Link words and phrase may denote:
  • equivalence — such as "is", "being", "equals", or "and" (indicating that the wordplay and definition both lead to the same solution);
  • consequence — such as "in" (as a consequence of), "creates", "produces" or "is created by", "results from" or "is produced by";
  • composition — such as "with" (possessing or having ⇒ a man with honesty and integrity), "of" (indicating the material or substance constituting something ⇒ walls of stone); "from" (indicating the raw material out of which something is manufactured ⇒ a paint (made) from a natural resin)

Solution to Today's Puzzle

Falcon's Experience
┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐
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└────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘
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
- yet to be solved

Legend: "*" anagram; "~" sounds like; "<" letters reversed

"( )" letters inserted; "_" letters deleted; "†" explicit in the clue

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. Explicit link words and phrases are enclosed in forward slashes (/link/) and implicit links are shown as double forward slashes (//).

Across

1a   Threatened // players sailed through (7)

MEN|ACED — MEN (players) + ACED (sailed through)

5a   Renovated sad café // fronts (7)

FACADES* — anagram (renovated) of SAD CAFE

9a   Distinguishing // one little pest in positive response (9)

S(I|GNAT)URE — {I ([Roman numeral for] one) + GNAT (little pest)} contained in (in) SURE (positive response)

Here SIGNATURE is an adjective.

10a   Someone from Tuscany // is captured by moving camera shot (5)

P(IS)AN — IS (†) contained in (captured by) PAN (moving camera shot)

11a   Small bed accommodating a // West Indian native (5)

C(A)RIB — CRIB (small bed) containing (accommodating) A (†)

Note to British readers: crib is the North American name for a cot (baby's bed).

12a   Means of controlling giant // put back in place (9)

REINS|TALL — REINS (means of controlling) + TALL (giant; as an adjective)

Never having heard of 4d and misspelling 5d played havoc with my efforts here. I also fell into the trap of trying to parse the clue as:
  • Means of controlling // giant put back in place (9)
where I was looking for a synonym for "giant" contained in and reversed (put back in) a synonym for "place" producing a word denoting "means of controlling".

13a   Drink // honey concoction in story (7)

LI(MEAD)E — MEAD (honey concoction) contained in (in) LIE (story)

15a   Somewhat caught up in millinery sale // environment (7)

H(A|BIT)AT — A BIT (somewhat; "I was a bit miffed by her attitude") contained in (in) HAT (millinery sale; an article of merchandise sold by a milliner the only sale all day was the hat purchased by Mrs. Jones).

17a   Jar // tag penned by wit (7)

HUM(ID)OR — ID (tag) contained in (penned by) HUMOR (wit)

Humor is the US spelling of humour.

19a   Heard seals /and/ swans (7)

CYGNETS~ — sounds like (heard) SIGNETS (seals; of the sort used to authenticate an official document)

21a   Italian sculptor/'s/ present: fifty-pound hoop (9)

DONATE|L|L|O — DONATE (present; as a verb) + L ([Roman numeral for] fifty) + L (pound; British currency) + O ([letter that looks like a] hoop)

Before being reincarnated as a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, Donatello[5] (1386–1466) was an Italian sculptor; born Donato di Betto Bardi. He was one of the pioneers of scientific perspective, and is especially famous for his lifelike sculptures, including the bronze David (circa 1430–60).

In the surface reading, the 's serves to form the possessive of the noun "sculptor". However, in the cryptic analysis, it changes hats to become a contraction for "is" and, as such, fulfills the role of a link word.

23a   Metal ring or // drum (5)

TAB|OR — TAB (metal ring; as on a beer can) + OR (†)

25a   Mantra preceding sound of enlightenment /in/ Nebraska city (5)

OM|AHA — OM (mantra) preceding (†) AHA (sound of enlightenment)

Omaha[5] is a city in eastern Nebraska, on the Missouri River; population 438,646 (est. 2008).

26a   Guns // poorly loaded into vessel (9)

ART(ILL)ERY — ILL (poorly; an adverb or adjective in the UK, but only an adverb in North America) contained in (loaded into) ARTERY ([blood] vessel)

27a   Garden spot established around yard // someplace in Florida (3,4)

KE(Y) W|EST — {KEW (garden spot) + EST (established)} containing (around) Y (yard)

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, usually referred to as Kew Gardens[5], is a major botanical institution located at Kew, in London, England.

28a   TV rater /and/ poet Anais assuming otherwise (7)

NI(ELSE)N — NIN (poet Anais) containing (assuming) ELSE (otherwise)

It would seem that Anaïs Nin was a prolific writer, but I found no evidence that her body of work includes poetry. Anaïs Nin[5] (1903–1977) was an American writer, born in France. She published her first novel House of Incest in 1936 and went on to produce collections of short stories, essays, diaries, and erotica.

Nielsen ratings[7] are the audience measurement systems developed by the Nielsen Company, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States.

Down

1d   Show // baseball Hall-of-Famer Stan around College (7)

MUSI(C)AL — MUSIAL (baseball Hall-of-Famer Stan) containing (around) C (College)

Stan Musial[5] (1920–2013) was a US baseball player, known as Stan the Man. A first baseman and an outfielder, he played for the St. Louis Cardinals 1941–63 and led the National League in batting seven times. Baseball Hall of Fame (1969).

The Chambers Dictionary informs us that c[1] (or c.) is the abbreviation for college.

The show is one that might play on Broadway, an example being the 1955 production Damn Yankees[7].

2d   African nation/'s/ turbulent reign (5)

NIGER* — anagram (turbulent) of REIGN

The 's reprises its role change from 21a.

3d   Portable desktop behind piece of cedar // siding (9)

C|LAPBOARD — LAPBOARD (portable desktop) following (behind) C (piece [first letter] of Cedar)

4d   Throw rug /in/ load hurriedly (7)

_DHURRIE_ — hidden in (in) loaD HURRIEdly

A dhurrie[5] (also durrie) is a heavy cotton rug of Indian origin we were sitting on dhurries by the pond.

5d   Tissue wrapping note // from somewhere in Belgium (7)

FLE(MI)SH — FLESH ([animal] tissue) containing (wrapping) MI ([musical] note)

Flemish[5] is an adjective meaning relating to Flanders, its people, or their language. Flanders[5] is a region in the south-western part of the Low Countries, now divided between Belgium (where it forms the provinces of East and West Flanders), France, and the Netherlands. It was a powerful medieval principality and the scene of prolonged fighting during the First World War.

In music, mi[3] (in Britain, also spelled me) is the third note of the major scale in sol-fa notation.

6d   100 primates’ // cloaks (5)

C|APES — C ([Roman numeral for] 100) + APES (primates)

7d   "Mad" lets in new // strip (9)

DISMANTLE* — anagram (new) of MAD LETS IN

Strip[5] is used in the sense of to remove the accessory fittings of or take apart (a machine, motor vehicle, etc.) to inspect or adjust it the tank was stripped down piece by piece.

Mad[7] is an American humor magazine founded in 1952. Launched as a comic book before it became a magazine, it was widely imitated and influential, impacting not only satirical media but the cultural landscape of the 20th century, reaching a readership of more than two million during its 1970s circulation peak.

8d   Opening housing along with // play area (7)

S(AND)LOT — SLOT (opening) containing (housing) AND (along with)

Sandlot[5] is a North American term for a piece of unoccupied land used by children for games.

14d   Passing // old lady, one in gate (9)

MOM|ENT(A)RY — MOM (old lady) + {A (one) contained in (in) ENTRY (gate)}

16d   Trifle /with/ pretty woman packing a pistol (9)

B(A|GAT)ELLE — BELLE (pretty woman) containing (packing) {A (†) + GAT (pistol)}

Gat[5] is a mainly US slang term for a pistol or revolver.

As a link word, I would say that with[5] is used in the sense of possessing or having.

17d   Fish // had to come to shore (7)

HAD|DOCK — HAD (†) + DOCK (to come to shore)

18d   Harangue about Yale graduate /being/ dependent (7)

R(ELI)ANT — RANT (harangue) containing (about) ELI (Yale graduate)

Eli[7] is a nickname for a Yale University student or graduate, after Yale benefactor Elihu Yale.

19d   Prisoner taking skunk // a little piece of toast (7)

C(ROUT)ON — CON (prisoner) containing (taking) ROUT (skunk; overwhelmingly defeat — in a game of cribbage, for example)

20d   Writer /from/ South America spinning yarn about love (7)

SAROYAN — S (south) + A (America) + an anagram (spinning) of YARN containing (about) O (love; nil score in tennis)

William Saroyan[5] (1908–1981) was a US writer. His plays include The Time of Your Life (1939) and Razzle Dazzle (1942). He also wrote novels such as The Human Comedy (1943) and The Laughing Matter (1953). Some of his memoirs are recounted in Places Where I've Done Time (1972).

22d   Rush coming after Tony's first // sketch (5)

T|RACE — RACE (rush) following (coming after) T (Tony's first [letter])

24d   Frosty ones // hurt on the tongue (5)

BREWS~  — sounds like (on the tongue) BRUISE (hurt)

Epilogue

The title of today's blog is inspired by 5a and 27a.
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

Friday, September 26, 2014

Friday, September 26, 2014 — DT 27483


Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27483
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Setter
Jay (Jeremy Mutch)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27483]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
scchua
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★★ Enjoyment - ★★★
Falcon's Experience
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└────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘
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

Aside from failing to recognize the homophone at 11d, this puzzle posed no real problems for me.

I invite you to leave a comment to let us know how you fared with the puzzle.

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. Explicit link words and phrases are enclosed in forward slashes (/link/) and implicit links are shown as double forward slashes (//).

Across

1a   An ancient tax, son, is // quite the contrary! (10)

6a   Trip curtailed over female // vegan's food (4)

9a   Manx call /for/ reversal of objective that hurt! (5)

The Manx cat[10] is a short-haired tailless variety of cat, believed to originate on the Isle of Man[5], a British Crown dependency in the Irish Sea.

10a   A foreign tourist attraction expected to lose heart // without a view (9)

"To lose heart" is putting it mildly. One might say that "expected" is disemboweled.

In French, the masculine singular form of the indefinite article is un[8].

12a   One trapped in frantic rat race ruins // precursor to main event (7-6)

14a   Work of side is // rigidly set in ways (8)

15a   Oily // butters making a comeback, by Jove! (6)

By Jove[5] is a dated exclamation indicating surprise or used for emphasis by Jove, yes, it’s been warm all right. Jove[5] is another name for Jupiter. The exclamation by Jove dates from the late 16th century.

17a   Presenter /of/ a new group of singers missing one (6)

Presenter[5] is a British term for a person who introduces and appears in a television or radio programme. In North America, terms such as host, announcer or anchor might be used for such a person.

19a   Farm hands // locking nonchalant male in study (8)

All the dictionaries that I consulted — save one — define dairyman[3,4,5,11] as someone who works in a dairy or deals in dairy products. However, Chambers 21st Century Dictionary includes the additional meaning of someone who looks after the dairy cows on a farm[2].

21a   Model reflects as stud, lacking answer/,/ goes to pieces (4-9)

As an anagram indicator, model[5] is used in the sense of to fashion or shape (a three-dimensional figure or object) in a malleable material such as clay or wax use the icing to model a house.

24a   Runs into spy in a // part of the Americas (9)

On cricket scorecards [not to mention baseball scoreboards], the abbreviation R[5] denotes run(s).

25a   Took a picture, capturing // an example of African wildlife (5)

The okapi[5] is a large browsing mammal (Okapia johnstoni) of the giraffe family that lives in the rainforests of northern Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire). It has a dark chestnut coat with stripes on the hindquarters and upper legs.

26a   Positive response given to Germany/'s/ colours (4)

The International Vehicle Registration (IVR) code for Germany is D[5] [from German Deutschland].

27a   Common predicament, going topless /gets/ the go-ahead (5,5)

Down

1d   Mother up before doctor/'s/ round (4)

2d   Suggestions must include name /for/ such states of mind (7)

3d   Pull of the capital/'s/ museum? (5,2,6)

The Tower of London[5] (also known as simply The Tower) is a fortress by the River Thames just east of the City of London. The oldest part, the White Tower, was begun in 1078. It was later used as a state prison, and is now open to the public as a repository of ancient armour and weapons, and of the Crown Jewels.

4d   Big birds seen eating dead // parrots (8)

5d   Playwright/'s/ single book despatched unfinished (5)

Henrik Ibsen[5] (1828–1906) was a Norwegian dramatist. He is credited with being the first major dramatist to write tragedy about ordinary people in prose. Ibsen’s later works, such as The Master Builder (1892), deal increasingly with the forces of the unconscious and were admired by Sigmund Freud. Other notable works: Peer Gynt (1867), A Doll’s House (1879), Ghosts (1881).

7d   You bet regularly on employer /being/ slower (7)

I would say that the word "being" is a link word, not part of the definition. I think one would be far more likely to say "more obtuse" rather than "obtuser".

8d   Assistant to worker accepting year /is/ fundamental (10)

11d   Where one may learn // syntax is fashionable, they say? (7,6)

I missed the "grammar's cool" homophone as I parsed the clue as:
  • Where one may learn syntax /is/ fashionable, they say?
mistakenly thinking that "grammar school" might be used in Britain as an adjective denoting fashionable, akin to the way "finishing school" is used as an adjective ⇒ her haughty finishing school airs.

In the UK, a grammar school[5] is a state secondary school to which pupils are admitted on the basis of ability. Since 1965 most have been absorbed into the comprehensive school system. Historically, a grammar school was a school founded in or before the 16th century for teaching Latin, later becoming a secondary school teaching academic subjects. In the US (and I would think that this applies to Canada also), grammar school is another term for elementary school.

13d   A dangerous place for a matriarchy? (2-4-4)

The first portion of the clue (with the solid underlining) is a straight definition. With the addition of the later part (with the dashed underlining), the clue becomes a cryptic definition.

16d   A legitimate target /for/ blonde with grouse, say (4,4)

18d   Record held by once ruined // city on the continent (7)

Cologne[5] is an industrial and university city in western Germany, in North Rhine-Westphalia; population 989,800 (est. 2006). Founded by the Romans and situated on the River Rhine, Cologne is notable for its medieval cathedral.

During the bombing of Cologne in World War II[7], Cologne endured 262 air raids by the Western Allies, which caused approximately 20,000 civilian casualties and almost completely wiped out the centre of the city. During the night of 31 May 1942, Cologne was the target of "Operation Millennium", the first 1,000 bomber raid by the Royal Air Force in World War II. 1,046 heavy bombers attacked their target with 1,455 tons of explosives, approximately two-thirds of which were incendiary. This raid lasted about 75 minutes, destroyed 600 acres (243 ha) of built-up area, killed 486 civilians and made 59,000 people homeless. By the end of the war, the population of Cologne had been reduced by 95 percent. This loss was mainly caused by a massive evacuation of the people to more rural areas.

20d   Sucker pinching small brown // horse (7)

Mug[3] is chiefly British slang for a victim or dupe.

22d   Winter sportsman/'s/ captain very quietly disappearing (5)

Pianissimo (abbreviation pp)[5] is a direction used in music to mean either (as an adjective) very soft or very quiet or (as an adverb) very softly or very quietly.

23d   Thirty seconds? Time /for/ a sweetie! (4)

Remember that "thirty seconds" is half a minute — in this case, the first half.

Sweet[5] is the British term for a piece of candy[5]a bag of sweets.
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

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Thursday, September 25, 2014 — DT 27482


Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27482
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Setter
Unknown
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27482]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Gazza
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★★★ Enjoyment - ★★★
Falcon's Experience
┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐
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└────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘
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

Although Gazza awarded this puzzle three stars for difficulty, I managed to complete it without electronic help. Of course, that may be largely attributable to the fact that I had plenty of time to work on it while not having access to my electronic assistants.

I invite you to leave a comment to let us know how you fared with the puzzle.

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. Explicit link words and phrases are enclosed in forward slashes (/link/) and implicit links are shown as double forward slashes (//).

Across

1a   Sport // jumper? (7)

The question mark at the end of the second definition could be an indication that we are looking for an example of a jumper.

5a   Sword // injured girl (7)

9a   Express/:/ 'Putin's beginning to be involved in invasion' (5)

In his review, Gazza writes "[Might this clue be an] indication that the puzzle was compiled fairly recently?". The puzzle appeared in The Daily Telegraph on May 6 of this year, at which time Russia had recently (in February and March) invaded and annexed Crimea.

Vladimir Putin[5] is a Russian statesman, President 2000-8 and since 2012, Prime Minister 2008–2012.

The Daily Express[7] is a daily national middle market tabloid newspaper in the United Kingdom.

10a   Coach // engineers lengthen to hold third of toilets (9)

11a   Feels rude and answers back, /showing/ pride (4-6)

12a   Revolutionary // thing a horse might do (4)

Trot[5] is an informal, chiefly derogatory term for a Trotskyist or supporter of extreme left-wing views (i) a band of subversive Trots; (ii) he declared that the Corporation was a ‘nest of long-haired Trots’.

14a   Freedom fighter /needs/ initial boost in upheaval (12)

The setter applies a whimsical twist to the term "freedom fighter".

18a   One takes the air /in/ former farm vehicle with admirer (9,3)

An extractor fan[10] (or extraction fan) is a fan used in kitchens, bathrooms, workshops, etc, to remove stale air or fumes.

21a   Leave out // some Merlot -- I'm often coming over (4)

Merlot[5] is (1) a variety of black wine grape originally from the Bordeaux region of France or (2) a red wine made from the Merlot grape.

22a   Deteriorating // road -- regret repairs (10)

25a   Fine novel with story /that's/ unutterably great (9)

Ineffable[5] means (1) too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words the ineffable mysteries of the soul or (2) not to be uttered the ineffable Hebrew name that gentiles write as Jehovah.

26a   Great // composition of Elgar? (5)

Sir Edward Elgar[5] (1857–1934) was an English composer who is known particularly for the Enigma Variations (1899), the oratorio The Dream of Gerontius (1900), and for patriotic pieces such as the five Pomp and Circumstance marches (1901–30).

In his introductory remarks, Gazza alludes to Elgar being the pseudonym of British cryptic crossword setter John Henderson for Toughie crosswords in The Daily Telegraph. The Toughie, as the name indicates, is a more challenging puzzle than The Daily cryptic crossword which is carried in syndication by the National Post.

27a   Possible problem with lower // tax -- an upset around here, oddly (7)

"Lower" is a whimsical way to describe a cow, or — as Gazza says — "a creature that lows or moos".

28a   Woman embedding son/'s/ work in stone (7)

Down

1d   What she might do in front of Queen // could make us cry with embarrassment, finally (6)

2d   Gore /in/ Italy with politician linked to alcohol (6)

The International Vehicle Registration (IVR) code for Italy is I[5].

In many Commonwealth countries (including Britain and Canada), a member of the House of Commons or similar legislative body is known as a Member of Parliament[10] (or MP[5] for short).

The surface reading may be a reference to former US vice president Al Gore[5].

3d   Fancy I'd be Kenyan // runner (6,4)

Runner bean[5] is a British name for the plant (Phaseolus coccineus) also known as the scarlet runner.

According to American dictionaries the term kidney bean[3,4,11] refers to another plant, Phaseolus vulgaris, which goes by a number of common names including French bean. On the other hand, British dictionaries say that the term can apply to any of certain bean plants having kidney-shaped seeds, especially the French bean and scarlet runner.

This difference may stem from the fact that the Brits grow scarlet runners primarily for eating while North Americans grow them almost exclusively for their flowers. 

According to Wikipedia, "In the UK, the flowers [of the scarlet runner[7]] are often ignored, or treated as an attractive bonus to cultivating the plant for the beans, whereas in the US the scarlet runner is widely grown for its attractive flowers by people who would never think of eating it." In my experience, Canucks are closer to the Yanks than the Brits in their use of this plant.

4d   Newspaper has article on // robbery (5)

The Financial Times (FT)[7] is a British international business newspaper [that is printed on conspicuous salmon pink newsprint].

5d   Starts to complete one's library? Reader/'s/ one who accumulates a lot (9)

6d   Turned up with a // classical item of clothing (4)

I had difficulty imagining a situation in which GOT might mean "turned" — but Gazza came up with one.

7d   A drug // shaped like a star (8)

Asteroid[10] (as an adjective) can mean shaped like a star.

8d   Lucidity outside court? // Goodness! (8)

13d   City//'s defeat without financial backer (3,7)

I must admit that I did not fully understand where the second E came from until I read Gazza's explanation. Carefully note where I have placed the link between the definition and wordplay. As Gazza points out, the 's is interpreted as 'has' in the wordplay and is a very key element. Without it, we would almost certainly have to interpret "defeat" as a noun clueing LOSS. However, with the inclusion of the 's, the first part of the wordplay becomes "has defeat" which clues the verb LOSES.

Manchester City Football Club[7] (often referred to simply as City) and Manchester United Football Club[7] (often referred to simply as United) are rival English Premier League football [soccer] clubs based in Manchester, England. As you might deduce from Gazza's comment, the former sports a blue home uniform while the latter wears red.

15d   Postholder? (9)

A very concise cryptic definition.

Post[5] is the British term for mail[5]. I have always thought it ironic that the Royal Mail delivers the post in Britain and Canada Post delivers the mail in Canada!

16d   No limes spoilt a // pudding (8)

Semolina[5] is (1) the hard grains left after the milling of flour, used in puddings and in pasta or (2) a pudding made of semolina. This word shows up quite regularly in British puzzles, and I have yet to see anyone admit to liking this dessert.

17d   Small missile // having a loud, grating noise (8)

The Trident II[7] is a submarine-launched ballistic missile, built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Sunnyvale, California, and deployed with the US and Royal Navies.

19d   Male doctor ran to // senior nursing officer (6)

Matron[5] is a British term for the woman in charge of the nursing in a hospital (the official term is now senior nursing officershe had been matron of a Belgian Hospital.

20d   Cure // an amount of extreme dysentery (6)

23d   Discharge /from/ space, we hear? (5)

Rheum[5] is a chiefly literary term for a watery fluid that collects in or drips from the nose or eyes.

24d   At a distance/,/ service area's backed up (4)

The Royal Air Force (abbreviation RAF) is the British air force, formed in 1918 by amalgamation of the Royal Flying Corps (founded 1912) and the Royal Naval Air Service (founded 1914).
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