Saturday, November 29, 2014

Saturday, November 29, 2014 — Colourfully Tonsured


Introduction

I found nothing in today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon to cause me any difficulty to speak of. However, it was interesting to see the jellyfish turn up at 10d given the title that I had applied to last week's puzzle.

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

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.

Across

1a   Jump around circle /for/ basket (4)

HO(O)P or H(O)OP — HOP (jump) containing (around) O ([letter that looks like a] circle)

3a   Love light perfume // exhibiting a play of colours (10)

O|PALE|SCENT — O (love; score of nil in tennis) + PALE (light) + SCENT (perfume)

9a   Bum maitre d' // let back in (7)

READMIT* — anagram (bum) of MAITRE D

11a   Backed up, a river once more // falls on the border (7)

{NIAGA|R|A}< — reversal (backed up) of {A (†) + R (river) + AGAIN (once more)}

The Niagara River[5] is a river of North America, flowing northwards for 56 km (35 miles) from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, and forming part of the border between Canada and the US. Niagara Falls[5] are waterfalls on the Niagara River, consisting of two principal parts separated by Goat Island: the Horseshoe Falls adjoining the west (Canadian) bank, which fall 47 m (158 ft), and the American Falls adjoining the east (American) bank, which fall 50 m (167 ft).

12a   I contended /with/ green climbers (5)

I|VIED — I (†) + VIED (contended)

As a link word, with[11] is used in the sense of characterized by or having ⇒ a person with intelligence and initiative.

13a   Generous // translation of Braille (7)

LIBERAL* — anagram of (translation of) BRAILLE

15a   Forgetting // a name is rude (7)

AMNESIA* — anagram (rude) of A NAME IS

16a   Bet // bunch of cash about Chicago actor (7)

WA(GERE)D — WAD (bunch of cash) containing (about) GERE (Chicago actor)

American actor Richard Gere[7] starred with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Renée Zellweger in Chicago[7], a 2002 American musical comedy film adapted from the satirical stage musical of the same name, exploring the themes of celebrity, scandal, and corruption in Jazz Age Chicago.

18a   Land // slipping into sea (7)

ESTONIA* — anagram (slipping) of INTO SEA

Estonia[5] is a a Baltic country on the south coast of the Gulf of Finland; population 1,299,400 (est. 2009).

21a   Breaking tie, bash // single or double, maybe (4,3)

{BASE HIT}* — anagram (breaking) of TIE BASH

In baseball, a base hit[5] is a fair ball hit such that the batter can advance safely to a base without an error by the team in the field. [Depending on which base the batter is able to reach, such a hit is referred to as a single, double or triple.]

23a   Church official getting a // nuclear device (7)

RE(A)CTOR — RECTOR (church official) containing (getting) A (†)

A rector[3,4,11] is a member of the clergy in the Roman Catholic, Anglican or Protestant Episcopal churches.

25a   Snake /or/ ladder, after the start (5)

_ADDER — [L]ADDER with the initial letter deleted (after the first; i.e., all letters other than the first)

The adder[5] (also called viper) is a small venomous Eurasian snake (Vipera berus) which has a dark zigzag pattern on its back and bears live young. It is the only poisonous snake in Britain. The name is also applied to other snakes that are similar or related to the adder.

27a   Apprentice/'s/ shirt outside shower (7)

T(RAIN)EE — TEE (shirt) containing (outside) RAIN (shower)

28a   Jar // a legislator with wedding dance (7)

A|MP|HORA — A (†) + MP (legislator; Member of Parliament) + (with) HORA (wedding dance)

The hora[7] is a type of circle dance. Although the dance originated in the Balkans, it is probably more often thought of as being a Jewish custom. The Jewish Hora (or horah), which is somewhat different from that of some of the Eastern European countries, is widespread in the Jewish diaspora and played a foundational role in modern Israeli folk dancing. The horah has become a must in group dances throughout Israel, and at weddings and other celebrations by Jews in Israel, the United States and Canada. The dance appeared in North America in the early 20th century, well before modern Israeli independence, brought directly from Eastern Europe by Jewish immigrants.

An amphora[5] is a tall ancient Greek or Roman jar or jug with two handles and a narrow neck.

29a   In anguish, // having a shaved head? (10)

DISTRESSED — double definition; the latter being whimsical

The setters employ a bit of whimsical logic to conclude that if disrobed means having one's robes removed then distressed must mean having one's tresses removed.

30a   Some runners // kiss sloppily (4)

SKIS* — anagram (sloppily) of KISS

Down

1d   Rushes around fire // storms (10)

HURRI(CAN)ES — HURRIES (rushes) containing (around) CAN (fire; dismiss from employment)

2d   Speech /from/ Ontario broadcast (7)

ORATION* — anagram (broadcast) of ONTARIO

4d   Gently stroke Fitzgerald/'s/ kneecap (7)

PET|ELLA — PET (gently stroke) + ELLA (Fitzgerald)

Ella Fitzgerald[5] (1917–1996) was an American jazz singer, known for her distinctive style of scat singing.

5d   Bend forward behind pine // implement for archers (7)

LONG|BOW — BOW (bend forward) following (behind) LONG (pine)

6d   Commotion surrounding a // part of a flight (5)

ST(A)IR — STIR (commotion) containing (surrounding) A (†)

7d   Busted rebel, an // addict's accomplice (7)

ENABLER* — anagram (busted) of REBEL AN

8d   Loathsome sort // to notice (4)

TO|AD — TO (†) + AD (notice)

10d   Drug article describing my group // of jellyfish (7)

MED(US)AN — {MED (drug; short for medication) + AN ([indefinite] article)} containing (describing) US (my group)

The use of the word "describing" as a containment indicator is a common cryptic crossword convention. This device relies on describe[3] being used in the sense of to trace the form or outline of ⇒ describe a circle with a compass. Thus, in today's clue, we have MEDAN containing (describing) US with the rationale for the wordplay being that the container (MEDAN) forms an outline around the contained entity (US) in a similar manner to the circumference of a circle forming an outline around the circular area contained within it.

14d   Newspaper pieces // blasted idolatries (10)

EDITORIALS — anagram (blasted) of IDOLATRIES

17d   Victorian fixture // opening with bang inside (3,4)

GA(S LAM)P — GAP (opening) containing (with ... inside) SLAM (bang)

19d   Sailor makes leather // Highland garb (7)

TAR|TANS — TAR (sailor) + TANS (makes leather)

20d   Somewhat heartlessly // crude (7)

_ARTLESS_ — hidden in (somewhat) heARTLESSly

21d   Scrap found in exposed // torrent (7)

BAR(RAG)E — RAG (scrap) contained in (found in) BARE (exposed)

22d   School member // owned pier (7)

HAD|DOCK — HAD (owned) + DOCK (pier)

The haddock[5] is a silvery-grey bottom-dwelling fish (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) of North Atlantic coastal waters, related to the cod. It is popular as a food fish and is of great commercial value.

24d   Baseball's Doubleday // flipped on the subject of the Raptors' org. (5)

{ABN|ER}< — reversal (flipped) of {RE (on the subject of) + NBA (the Raptors' org.)}

The use of the short form "org." is a clue that we need the abbreviation of the organization to which the Toronto Raptors belong.

The Toronto Raptors[7] are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario, where their home court is at Air Canada Centre. The Raptors are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Abner Doubleday[5] (1819–1893) was a US army officer. A Union general in the Civil War, he was credited in 1908 with creating the modern game of baseball, although this claim has been discounted.

26d   He-man/'s/ boss (4)

STUD — double definition

A boss[5] is a stud on the centre of a shield.

Epilogue

The theme for today's blog is inspired by 3a and 29a.
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, November 28, 2014

Friday, November 28, 2014 — DT 27530


Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27530
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Setter
Unknown
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27530]
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

There was not much to hold one up in this puzzle. However, I did fail to comprehend one of the definitions in 16d — despite having watched a fair amount of wrestling growing up. As I recall, the wrestlers in those days bore no resemblance whatsoever to those pictured by Gazza in his review.

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   Flipping calculation! I almost shout /for/ Annie, perhaps (7)

Annie[7] is a Broadway musical based upon the popular comic strip Little Orphan Annie created by American cartoonist Harold Gray (1894–1968). The original Broadway production, which opened in 1977, ran for nearly six years and won the Tony Award for Best Musical.

5a   Silenced outside entrance to prison after one /is/ charged (7)

9a   Wedding // ring (5)

In his review, Gazza comments "The second definition is a bit tenuous unless I’ve missed something." I could find no source showing ring[Chambers Thesaurus] and union[Chambers Thesaurus] as being synonymous but they do have the following synonyms in common: alliance, association, club, and league.

10a   Tow mayor's wheels /on/ these roads? (9)

Motorway[5] is a British term for a dual-carriageway road [divided highway] designed for fast traffic, with relatively few places for joining or leaving [controlled access].

11a   Reference book/'s/ style half-dreary (10)

Diction[5] is the style of enunciation in speaking or singing ⇒ she began imitating his careful diction.

12a   Crew erratically anchored // vessel (4)

If we thought we had a tenuous definition at 9a, we appear to have an even more tenuous hidden word indicator here. My best guess is that anchor[5] is being used in the sense of to provide with a firm basis or foundation ⇒ it is important that policy be anchored to some acceptable theoretical basis.

14a   Degrees of warmth // are returning in half-cut tree stump (12)

Half-cut[5] is an informal British term meaning drunk. However, despite being characterised as British, it is a term that is commonly used in at least some parts of Canada.

18a   Almost buy in remorse // something to be given (12)

21a   Shouted, 'Go away, // you put your foot in it!' (4)

22a   Excited, pa's despair // fades away (10)

25a   Possession // wins her top novel -- not Byatt's last (9)

Dame A. S. Byatt[5] is an English novelist and literary critic; born Antonia Susan Byatt. Notable novels: The Virgin in the Garden (1978) and Possession (1990, Booker Prize).

26a   Bird // dog with no lead (5)

27a   'Dandy' editor // got fatter (7)

Swell[5] is dated slang for a fashionable or stylish person of wealth or high social position a crowd of city swells.

In the surface reading, The Dandy was a long-running children's comic published in the United Kingdom from 1937 to 2012, at which time The Dandy relaunched as an online comic, The Digital Dandy. The digital relaunch was not successful and the comic ended just six months later.

28a   Spain allowed to capture soldiers, /creating/ suspicion (7)

The International Vehicle Registration (IVR) code for Spain is E[5] [from Spanish España].

Suspicion[5] means a very slight trace ⇒ a suspicion of a smile.

Element[5] means a small but significant amount of a feeling or quality ⇒ it was the element of danger he loved in flying.

Down

1d   My loud mobile /could be/ going off (6)

2d   Sorceress is after small // wand (6)

3d   Measure // recent time changes (10)

4d   Fruit // turns up in an omelette (5)

5d   Read // Pinter beginning to end -- starts to realise everything's threatening (9)

Harold Pinter[5] (1930–2008) was an English dramatist, actor, and director. His plays are associated with the Theatre of the Absurd and are typically marked by a sense of menace. Notable plays: The Birthday Party (1958), The Caretaker (1960), and Party Time (1991). Nobel Prize for Literature (2005).

6d   Almost do // role in a play (4)

Knees-up[5] [used by Gazza in his review]  is British slang for a lively party or gathering we had a bit of a knees-up last night.

7d   Sounds like rain -- calling /for/ co-operation (8)

8d   Vicious, punk rocker, pulled up hair, /creating/ anguish (8)

Sid Vicious[5], born John Simon Ritchie, later named John Beverley (1957–1979), was an English bass guitarist and vocalist, most famous as a member of the influential English punk group the Sex Pistols.

During the brief and chaotic ascendancy of the Sex Pistols, Vicious met eventual girlfriend and manager Nancy Spungen. Spungen and Vicious entered a destructive codependent relationship based on drug use. This culminated in Spungen's death from an apparent stab wound, while staying in the Hotel Chelsea, Manhattan, with Vicious. Under suspicion of having committed Spungen's murder, Vicious was arrested and released on bail; he was later arrested again for assaulting Todd Smith, brother of American singer-songwriter Patti Smith (the "Godmother of Punk"), at a night club, and underwent drug rehabilitation on Rikers Island. In celebration of Vicious' release from prison, his mother hosted a party for him (at his girlfriend's residence in Greenwich Village). Vicious' mother had been supplying him with drugs and paraphernalia since he was young, and assisted him in procuring heroin late that night. Vicious died in his sleep, age 22, having overdosed on the heroin his mother had procured.

13d   Feeling // it's all around us (10)

15d   Local is held wrongly, /and/ released (9)

In Britain, a local[7] is a pub convenient to a person’s home ⇒ a pint in the local.

16d   Cutters // hold in ring (8)

I totally failed to pick up on the wrestling connection in the second definition.

17d   Report // woman with wild cat (8)

Ounce[5] is another term for snow leopard.

19d   Time to suppress point of view /causing/ confusion (6)

20d   Look /from/ a page in party (6)

23d   Fruit // very softly dropped into alcoholic drink (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.

24d   Test // on a regular basis -- not really (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

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Thursday, November 27, 2014 — DT 27529


Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27529
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Monday, June 30, 2014
Setter
Rufus (Roger Squires)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27529]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Miffypops
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

This puzzle may have amounted to a mere two star difficulty effort for Miffypops but it presented a considerably stiffer challenge for myself.

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   He requires staff for the spring (4,7)

9a   It's for those who like to travel, but not fast (6-3)

Permanent way[5] [used by Miffypops in his review]  is a British term for the finished trackbed of a railway together with the track and other permanent equipment ⇒ engineers are repairing the permanent way following the derailment.

10a   Concerning // a period of illness (5)

11a   Glossy appearance /is/ something attractive about a good man (6)

12a   Party member who went to pot (8)

I fell headlong into the trap set by Rufus — thinking that I was searching for some British politician who had been in the news for smoking weed. It also did not help that I was trying to make Iolanthe fir into 8d.

The March Hare and the Hatter put
 the Dormouse's head in a teapot.
Illustration by John Tenniel.
The Dormouse[7] is a character in "A Mad Tea-Party"[7], Chapter VII from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) by English writer Lewis Carroll. In the story, Alice becomes a guest at a "mad" tea party along with the March Hare, the Hatter, and a very tired Dormouse who falls asleep frequently, only to be violently woken up moments later by the March Hare and the Hatter — and eventually stuffed in a teapot.

13a   Ordered beer at // discount (6)

15a   George has me starting test /in/ maths subject (8)

In Britain, the short form for mathematics is maths[5]her mother was a maths teacher), rather than math[5] as it is in North America ⇒ she teaches math and science.

The word "starting" (aside from being necessary in the surface reading) indicates that {GEO + ME} begins the solution (is "starting").

18a   A foundation garment is retired on /showing/ wear (8)

19a   Dances arranged // to scale (6)

21a   Insect /makes/ bird take to the air (8)

With all the checking letters in place, I initially — and incorrectly — guessed CRAKEFLY, the crake[5] being a bird of the rail family with a short bill, such as the corncrake.

The crane fly[10] (or cranefly) is any dipterous fly of the family Tipulidae, having long legs, slender wings, and a narrow body. Also called daddy-long-legs in Britain.

23a   Sort of pastry brought round to // spoil the appetite (3,3)

I found myself trapped in a standoff. I was unable to solve 23a without the solution to 20d — and vice versa.

26a   He takes to his bed, sharpish (5)

A fakir[10] (or faqir or fakeer) is (1) a Muslim ascetic who rejects worldly possessions or (2) a Hindu ascetic mendicant or holy man. Fakirs are commonly pictured meditating on a bed of nails.

A bed of nails[7] is an oblong piece of wood, the size of a bed, with nails pointing upwards out of it. It appears to the spectator that anyone lying on this "bed" would be injured by the nails, but this is not so. Assuming the nails are numerous enough, the weight is distributed between them such that the pressure exerted by each nail is not enough to break the person's skin. The bed of nails is used by some for meditation, particularly in Asia.

In the surface reading, sharpish[5] is a British term meaning quickly or soon ⇒ I’d slip away sharpish if I were you.

27a   Article is made // true to life (9)

28a   Terms need no amending /for/ ratification (11)

In the UK [as Miffypops alludes to in his review], an endorsement[5] is a note on a driving licence recording the penalty points incurred for a driving offence.

Down

1d   He goes barefoot in water, or by canoe (7)

2d   Rules // which are given to bad students (5)

3d   Thinks a great deal of // events are badly organised (9)

4d   Scotsman's strange? // Very (4)

In Scottish, unco[5] is (1) an adjective meaning unusual or remarkable or (2) an adverb meaning remarkably or very ⇒ it’s got an unco fine taste. It can also be a noun meaning a stranger or (in the plural) news.

5d   Pass on // the takings (8)

Takings[10] is a [most assuredly British] term for the income earned, taken or received by a shop, business, etc. The pub said that their takings were fifteen to twenty thousand pounds a week.

6d   Actual number /in/ the kingdom (5)

Terms such as "[a] number", "[a] large number", or "[a] great many" are often indicators that a Roman numeral is required.

7d   It may be charged, /or/ one may be charged with it (7)

8d   She vainly seeks men's attention (8)

I initially set my sights on IOLANTHE as a possible solution. Iolanthe; or, The Peer and the Peri[7] is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. Iolanthe is a fairy who has committed the capital crime (under fairy law) of marrying a mortal human.

14d   Criticises // something Obama has, say? (8)

Barack Obama[5] is an American Democratic statesman, 44th President of the US since 2009. He was the first African American to be elected to the presidency, and was re-elected in 2012 for a second term. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009.

16d   'Man' is clue possibly, /solution is/ 'male' (9)

17d   A clergyman may be // arrested (8)

18d   Horace set about female -- // the main opponent? (4-3)

Horace[5] (65-8 BC) was a Roman poet of the Augustan period; full name Quintus Horatius Flaccus. A notable satirist and literary critic, he is best known for his Odes, much imitated by later ages, especially by the poets of 17th-century England. His other works include Satires and Ars Poetica.

20d   Loss of business (7)

22d   No head on ale, that is // strange (5)

24d   Extravagant /when/ out and about (5)

25d   /It's/ just // not raining (4)

Although it appears at the beginning of the the clue, the word "it's" serves a function similar to that of a link word.
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

Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Wednesday, November 26, 2014 — DT 27528


Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27528
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Saturday, June 28, 2014
Setter
Cephas (Peter Chamberlain)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27528 – Hints]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27528 – Review]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Big Dave (Hints)
crypticsue (Review)
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
Notes
As this was a Saturday "Prize Puzzle" in Britain, there are two entries related to it on Big Dave's Crossword Blog — the first, posted on the date of publication, contains hints for selected clues while the second is a full review issued following the entry deadline for the contest. The vast majority of reader comments will generally be found attached to the "hints" posting with a minimal number — if any — accompanying the full review.

Introduction

Today, I had a minor stumble on the bird at 21a. I thought of the name of the male — and even that of the female. However, the term that encompasses them both eluded 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   Reject // moderate volume (4,4)

5a   Easy listening with Neddy // Marsh (6)

"Neddy Marsh" appears not to be a British entertainer, but rather a name invented by the setter.

Neddy[2,4,5,10,11] is (1) an informal British child’s word for a donkey or (2) an informal [almost certainly British] term for a silly person or fool.

9a   Again evaluate // score, as session is gripping (8)

10a   Meal /with/ father, splitting leftovers (6)

11a   Spurs /and/ United kept within playing limits (7)

In names of sports clubs, U[5] stands for UnitedMan U [Manchester United].

Manchester United Football Club[7] (often referred to simply as United) is an English professional football [soccer] club, based at Old Trafford [football stadium] in Old Trafford [district of Manchester], Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League (the top level in the English football league system).

Tottenham Hotspur Football Club[7] commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English professional football club located in Tottenham, London, that also plays in the Premier League.

12a   National // drink (7)

Italian[10] is another name for Italian vermouth.

13a   What bridge-player needs to conjure a win? (3,2,6)

16a   Reaching a required standard is the responsibility of that lot going by boat (2,2,3,4)

Ark[5] is an archaic name for a ship or boat. The best known example of the use of this term is undoubtedly Noah's ark[5], the ship in which Noah, his family, and the animals were saved from the Flood, according to the biblical account (Genesis 6-8).

21a   Bird with green vegetable, reportedly unpleasant (7)

I know I have seen the term PEAFOWL before, but it only came to mind after being suggested by my electronic assistants. I wanted to make the solution PEACOCK, and PEAHEN even entered my mind.

The peafowl[5] is a large crested pheasant found mainly in Asia. A peacock[5] is a male peafowl, which has very long tail feathers with eye-like markings that can be erected and fanned out in display. A peahen[5] is a female peafowl, which has drabber colours and a shorter tail than the male.

22a   Repairman has to go round a // winding route (7)

23a   Entertain // man shortly with drink (6)

24a   Forcing /to be/ co-operative (8)

25a   Believe Lynette is providing cover /for/ another woman (6)

The definition is "another woman", i.e., a woman other than Lynette.

26a   Repairman /takes/ chance -- I'm off (8)

Down

1d   Most of the reed /used by/ nest-builder (6)

The thrush[5] is a small or medium-sized songbird, typically having a brown back, spotted breast, and loud song.

2d   I adore crazy // person on tour (6)

3d   Agitate // birds circling round second person over the Channel (7)

To the Brits, "a person over the [English] Channel" would signify an inhabitant of France.

In French, tu[8] is the second person singular pronoun meaning 'you'.

4d   Where hopeful investors sink their funds? (7,4)

6d   Exposed to dry // outdoors (4,3)

7d   A valve to move slowly // if absolutely necessary (2,1,5)

At a pinch[5] is the British counterpart to the North American expression in a pinch.

8d   Devil-worshipper // settled with saint, confusingly (8)

12d   Anger about dodgy lamb // that may catch fire (11)

14d   Old pickpocket /to make/ reduced funds (8)

Cutpurse[5] is an archaic term for a pickpocket or thief [the word comes from the practice of stealing by cutting purses suspended from a waistband].

15d   Learner driver's introduced to unfamiliar // choke (8)

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.

17d   Bus // that's parked outside supermarket? (7)

Trolley[5] is a British term for a large metal basket or frame on wheels, used for transporting heavy or large items, such as supermarket purchases or luggage at an airport or railway station [North American: grocery cart or luggage cart respectively].

18d   Like a rascal, // crashed his van after kilometre (7)

19d   Pope coming from England /or/ one from Scotland, perhaps, under a GP? (6)

Adrian IV[5] (circa 1100–1159), born Nicholas Breakspear, was pope 1154-9. He is the only Englishman to have held this office.

20d   Sad // soldier in farm vehicle turned up (6)

A GI[5] is a private soldier in the US army ⇒ she went off with a GI during the war. Contrary to popular belief, the term apparently is not an abbreviation for general infantryman, but rather derives from the term government (or general) issue (originally denoting equipment supplied to US forces).
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

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Tuesday, November 25, 2014 — DT 27527


Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27527
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Friday, June 27, 2014
Setter
Giovanni (Don Manley)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27527]
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

I found this puzzle from Giovanni to more difficult than the two stars awarded by Deep Threat. After failing to solve 10a — even with the assistance of my electronic helpers — I resorted to Big Dave's Blog for help. Of course, once I had seen the solution, I was unable to comprehend how it possibly eluded 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   How a pest's ruined // workplace -- not nice! (9)

9a   Like a ring // set aside to be given to a king (7)

Rex[5] (abbreviation R[5]) [Latin for king] denotes the reigning king, used following a name (e.g. Georgius Rex, King George) or in the titles of lawsuits (e.g. Rex v. Jones, the Crown versus Jones — often shortened to R. v. Jones).

10a   Metal casing for river // plant that's productive (7)

Easy solution — in hindsight.

11a   An animal doctor's taking in duck and a hundred // other birds (7)

The definition is "other birds" — i.e., birds other than ducks.

In cricket, a duck[5] is a batsman’s score of nought [zero] ⇒ he was out for a duck. This is similar to the North American expression goose egg[5] meaning a zero score in a game. In British puzzles, duck is used to indicate the letter "O" based on the resemblance of the digit "0" to this letter.

The avocet[5] is a long-legged wading bird with a slender upturned bill and strikingly patterned plumage.

12a   Felt diets should be changed /in/ one sort of experiment (5,4)

14a   Drink needed by man -- one brought out /for/ truck driver (8)

Note that the setter has used the North American term "truck driver" rather than the British term "lorry driver". This may well have been intended as subtle hint — although perhaps The Daily Telegraph puzzles editor found it to be too subtle. As we learn from Deep Threat's review, the word "American" was introduced into the clue in the version of the puzzle which appeared on The Daily Telegraph website. This change was obviously made after the print edition of The Daily Telegraph had gone to production as the print edition carried the clue as we see it today in the syndicated version of the puzzle in the National Post.

Although the puzzle appears in the National Post some five months after it is published in the UK, I am quite certain that the syndicated puzzle is actually distributed prior to the publication date in the UK. I understand that some papers around the world even carry the puzzle on the same day that it appears in The Daily Telegraph. Therefore any changes to the puzzle that are made during the production process at The Daily Telegraph do not get reflected in the syndicated puzzle.

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters[7] (IBT) is a labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of several local and regional locals of teamsters, the union now represents a diverse membership of blue-collar and professional workers in both the public and private sectors. Naturally truckers — being the successors to teamsters — form one of its principal membership groups.

Thus a unionized "American truck driver" would quite likely be a teamster while a British lorry driver would certainly not be one.

15a   Hair // English girl combed back when going to gym (6)

In zoology, pelage[5] is a term for the fur, hair, or wool of a mammal.

17a   Row left editor // embittered (7)

20a   Firm /in/ Home Counties needing fix (6)

The Home Counties[5] are the counties surrounding London in southeast (SE) England, into which London has extended.

However, no exact definition of the term exists and the composition of the home counties remains a matter of debate. Oxford Dictionaries Online restrictively lists them as being chiefly Essex, Kent, Surrey, and Hertfordshire.

On the other hand, Wikipedia tells us that the Home Counties[7] are generally considered to include Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Surrey and Sussex (although Sussex does not border London).

Other counties more distant from London, such as Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Dorset, Hampshire and Oxfordshire are also sometimes included in the list due to their close proximity to the capital and their connection to the London regional economy.

23a   Nurse of yesteryear drinking coffee, // an untidy woman (8)

Formerly in Britain, a State Registered Nurse[5] (abbreviation SRN) was a nurse who had extensive training and passed examinations enabling him or her to perform all nursing services. This designation may have been replaced by Registered General Nurse.

25a   What bargain-hunters look for? // Very much (1,4,4)

26a   The woman's quote about // one who doesn't conform (7)

27a   Cycling is no good /in/ swimwear (7)

28a   Nonsense // initially talked before a sort of walk (7)

29a   Williams who wrote /in/ an American state (9)

Tennessee Williams[5] (1911–83) was an American dramatist; born Thomas Lanier Williams. He achieved success with The Glass Menagerie (1944) and A Streetcar Named Desire (1947), which deal with the tragedy of vulnerable heroines living in fragile fantasy worlds shattered by brutal reality. Other notable works: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955) and The Night of the Iguana (1961).

Down

2d   Tiny fellow enters Herts town -- // no peace now (7)

Timothy Cratchit, called "Tiny Tim"[7], is a fictional character from the 1843 novel A Christmas Carol by English writer Charles Dickens (1812–1870). He is a minor character, the young son of Bob Cratchit, and is seen only briefly, but serves as an important symbol of the consequences of the protagonist's choices.

Herts.[5] is the abbreviation for Hertfordshire[5] , a county of southeastern England, one of the Home Counties; county town, Hertford.

Ware[5] is a town of around 18,000 people in Hertfordshire, England close to the county town of Hertford.

John Gilpin[7] was featured as the subject in a well-known comic ballad of 1782, entitled The Diverting History of John Gilpin. The poem tells how Gilpin and his wife and children became separated during a journey to the Bell Inn, Edmonton, after Gilpin loses control of his horse, and is carried ten miles further to the town of Ware.

3d   In the morning snatch a // flask for holy journey (7)

An ampulla[7] (plural ampullae) was, in Ancient Rome, a "small nearly globular flask or bottle, with two handles" (OED). The word is used of these in archaeology, and of later flasks, often handle-less and much flatter, for holy water or holy oil in the Middle Ages, often bought as souvenirs of pilgrimages.

4d   Peat's spread for the planting of small // plant (5,3)

5d   Relish /shown by/ dad having got out of office (6)

Apparently, in addition to meaning dead, the term late[3] can mean having recently occupied a position or place the company's late president gave the address. Nevertheless, were I to see this statement, I would certainly envision a message from beyond the grave!

Relish[5] is used in the sense of a distinctive taste or tinge ⇒ the relish of wine.

Palate[5] is used in the sense of the flavour of wine or beer ⇒ a wine with a zingy, peachy palate.

6d   Trouble /getting/ revenue, defence ministry admitted (9)

In the UK, the acronym MOD[5] stands for Ministry of Defence.

7d   Part of Canada, // lively area for bishop to live in (7)

B[5] is an abbreviation for bishop that is used in recording moves in chess.

8d   Racing driver gaining speed /gets/ completely exhausted (9)

Alain Prost[7] is a French racing driver. A four-time Formula One Drivers' Champion, only Sebastian Vettel (four championships), Juan Manuel Fangio (five championships), and Michael Schumacher (seven championships) have equalled or surpassed his number of titles.

13d   Betting /is/ smart when top two cards are held (7)

15d   Hopes path can be transformed /by/ chemical (9)

16d   One is thankful to have it (9)

18d   One saint wandering // in a northern land (8)

Note that the word "in" is part of the definition, making the solution an adjective.

19d   Had Scot separated by barrier finally? (7)

In this &lit.[7] (all-in-one) clue, the implied definition is "[He who] had Scot separated by barrier finally?".

Hadrian's Wall[5] is a Roman defensive wall across northern England, stretching from the Solway Firth in the west to the mouth of the River Tyne in the east (about 120 km, 74 miles). It was begun in AD 122, after the emperor Hadrian’s visit, to defend the province of Britain against invasions by tribes from the north.

21d   Club assistants (7)

22d   Feel strongly, // demonstrating a combination of ire and zeal (7)

I presume the implication here is that to feel is to suspect, while to feel strongly is to realizeI felt that our relationship may be trouble when she did not answer my call. I realized that our relationship was in deep trouble when I saw her passionately kissing another man.

24d   One on court maybe /making/ fuss (6)
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