Monday, November 3, 2014 — DT 27511

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27511
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Monday, June 9, 2014
Setter Rufus (Roger Squires)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27511]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Miffypops
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

All is right with the world — it's Monday, it's Rufus, and Im not scrambling to get the blog posted. Well, I did get a bit sloppy on 2d which I discovered as I read Miffypops' review on Big Dave's site.

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   Change sides? (5,3,5)

10a   Cast a spell // -- can then set spinning (7)

Miffypops makes a rather serious slip-up — inadvertent, I'm sure — in his explanation of the structure of the clue. The words "cast a spell" provide the definition (not the wordplay). The wordplay is made up of the anagram indicator ("set spinning") and the anagram fodder ("CAN THEN").

11a   Threats // can seem ridiculous (7)

12a   Oh dear! // Nothing works (4)

In music, Op.^[5] (also op.) is an abbreviation meaning opus (work). It is used before a number given to each work of a particular composer, usually indicating the order of publication.

Oops! There may be an element of cryptic licence involved here — but then, again, the setter does admit that "nothing works". The plural of opus^[5] is opuses or opera. The plural form of the abbreviation seems to be Opp.

13a   Fruit // drink very quietly being swallowed (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.

14a   Country /that/ puts physical education before sport (4)

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

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). Might Miffypops be a fan of this game!

17a   Sailing boat seen in seaway in extremis -- /it's/ rough (7)

Properly, in extremis^[5] is an adverbial phrase meaning (1) in an extremely difficult situation ⇒ one or two would talk to the press in extremis or (2) at the point of death ⇒ cannibalism is rare but, in extremis, it is something to which the human species will resort.

However, the intent of the setter becomes clear when one reverts to the original Latin meaning of the phrase, in 'in' + extremis, ablative plural of extremus 'outermost'.

18a   It's not customary /for/ holy man to travel widely (7)

19a   An animal must have some // means of defence (7)

22a   Legal or otherwise, /it's/ a lively movement (7)

The musical direction allegro^[5] means at a brisk speed.

24a   Fashion's key /in/ Chinese society (4)

Ton^[5] means fashionable style or distinction ⇒ riches and fame were no guarantee of a ticket—one had to have ton. The ton^[5] denotes fashionable society ⇒ it is the most elegant establishment and half the ton was there.

In the US, a tong^[5] is a Chinese association or secret society, frequently associated with organized crime ⇒ the tong wars in Chinatown.

25a   A person will be surprised if you take him this (5)

26a   A handy guide to future events? (4)

29a   The end /is/ not in reach (7)

Come^[10] is used in the sense of to extend or reach ⇒ she comes up to my shoulder.

30a   Leave // a musical group -- no making a comeback (7)

31a   Could be he or she's to make firm // statement (13)

Down

2d   He's broken out /of/ quarters -- peace is disturbed (7)

Not knowing this meaning of "quarter", I fell into the trap of supposing that the definition must be "He's broken out of quarters" with the anagram fodder being "PEACE IS". This led to the incorrect conclusion that the solution would be ESCAPIE which I surmised must be some weird alternative British spelling. Wrong on all counts!

A quarter^[5] is the direction of one of the points of the compass, especially as a direction from which the wind blows.

3d   It's not cheap, // my love (4)

4d   A stiff examination (7)

5d   Cheeky but attractive features (7)

"Cheeky" takes the whimsical sense of located on the cheek.

6d   Swan's on the wing -- // they're seen in fields of barley (4)

7d   Bookstand in service (7)

8d   Being upset, stand it no more // -- protest! (13)

9d   Take control for granted? (6,7)

15d   Refuse // to discard as worthless (5)

"Refuse" is a noun, rather than a verb.

16d   Not well, goes to doctor, /that's/ routine (5)

20d   Observe and report on // lizard (7)

A monitor^[5] (also called monitor lizard) is a large tropical Old World lizard with a long neck, narrow head, forked tongue, strong claws, and a short body. Monitors were formerly believed to give warning of crocodiles.

21d   Picture // catalogue to the French (7)

In French, when the preposition à^[8] (to) would otherwise precede le (the masculine singular form of the definite article), the combination is replaced by au (meaning 'to the').

22d   Antique // chair that's broken must be taken into account (7)

23d   Raise the spirits /of/ a cleric in depression (7)

Doctor of Divinity^[7] (abbreviation D.D. or DD, Divinitatis Doctor in Latin) is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects. In the United Kingdom, Doctor of Divinity has traditionally been the highest doctorate granted by universities, usually conferred upon a religious scholar of standing and distinction. In the United States, the Doctor of Divinity is usually awarded as an honorary degree.

A glen^[5] is a narrow valley, especially in Scotland or Ireland.

27d   High light, // low point (4)

28d   Composed // a piece of classical music (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