Tuesday, October 6, 2015 — DT 27788

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27788
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Setter Jay (Jeremy Mutch)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27788]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By 2Kiwis
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 thought this puzzle was pretty much what we have come to expect from Jay — not unreasonably difficult, but certainly challenging enough to give one a good mental workout. I had the puzzle solved with the exception of 8d and — for nearly an eternity it seemed — I could not see the solution. I came back to the puzzle at least a half dozen times before the penny finally dropped with a resounding clunk.

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 (//). Definitions presented in blue text are for terms that appear frequently.

Across

1a   Cause followed by friend // from time to time (12)

9a   Sweden anticipates new Romanian // republic (3,6)

"Sweden" = S (show explanation )

The International Vehicle Registration (IVR) code for Sweden is S^[5].

hide explanation

San Marino^[5] is a republic forming a small enclave in Italy, near Rimini; population 30,200 (est. 2009); official language, Italian; capital, the town of San Marino. It is perhaps Europe’s oldest state, claiming to have been independent almost continuously since its foundation in the 4th century.

10a   It should beat // a runner, for example (5)

Runner^[2] is another term for runner bean^[5], a British name for the plant (Phaseolus coccineus) also called scarlet runner (the name by which we know it in North America).

Pulse^[5] is the edible seed of a leguminous plant, for example a chickpea, lentil, or bean ⇒ use pulses such as peas and lentils to eke out meat dishes.

11a   Pressure line // like this found in one pub (6)

12a   Government supporter // wielding party axe? (8)

13a   Tactic // doctor employed during walk (6)

"doctor" = MB (show explanation )

In Britain, the degree required to practice medicine is a Bachelor of Medicine^[7] (MB, from Latin Medicinae Baccalaureus), which is equivalent to a North American Doctor of Medicine (MD, from Latin Medicinae Doctor). The degree of Doctor of Medicine also exists in Britain, but it is an advanced degree pursued by those who wish to go into medical research. Physicians in Britain are still addressed as Dr. despite not having a doctoral degree. 

hide explanation

15a   Fail to get on record // broadcast (8)

Sticking to Convention

Jay adheres to the cryptic crossword convention whereby, in an across clue, the construction "A on B" is used to clue B + A. The rationale for this practice is that in order for A to be placed on B, B must already exist (i.e., already have been written). Since the English language is written from left to right, this means that B must come first and A is then appended to it. . In the above clue, LOSE (fail to get) corresponds to A and DISC (record) corresponds to B. Thus, according to convention, LOSE on DISC produces DISCLOSE. Notwithstanding the above, a solver must always be vigilant for setters who choose to flout convention.

18a   Condiments /made from/ French wine and grapes fermented without phosphorus (8)

The French word for wine is vin^[8].

P^[5] is the symbol for the chemical element phosphorus.

19a   A quiet drive, /and/ a place for contemplation (6)

An ashram^[5] (especially in South Asia) is a hermitage, monastic community, or other place of religious retreat.

21a   Reserve // time to visit coast (3,5)

23a   Restore // salesman's demeanour? (6)

The wordplay is REP (salesman) + ('s; contraction for has) AIR (demeanour)

26a   All square /in/ topless form of rugby? (5)

Rugby sevens^[5] (also sevens^[5]) is a seven-a-side form of Rugby Union.

All square means:

1. mutually clear of all debts or obligations; or
2. (of contestants or teams in sports) having equal scores.

Although either of the above meanings could define the word "even", I failed to find any evidence in my dictionaries that "evens" can be used in either of these senses. However, this usage did not raise any comments in the UK so perhaps it is part of the British vernacular.

I did briefly consider another option. The first meaning given above for all square could mean quits^[5] which denotes (of two people) to be on even terms, especially because a debt or score has been settled ⇒ I think we’re just about quits now, don’t you?.

27a   Fitting // engaged sign on back only, initially (9)

28a   Changing printer seems // to give a false impression (12)

Down

1d   Removing // son during pleasure trip (7)

2d   Firm retaining worker /to produce/ a bit of poetry (5)

A canto^[5] is one of the sections into which certain long poems are divided ⇒ Dante 's Divine Comedy has 100 cantos.

3d   Marine // worrying as if angler will lose line (9)

4d   State // loves welcoming greeting (4)

"love" = O (show explanation )

In tennis, squash, and some other sports, love^[5] is a score of zero or nil ⇒ love fifteen. The resemblance of a zero written as a numeral (0) to the letter O leads to the cryptic crossword convention of the word "love" being used to clue this letter.

Although folk etymology has connected the word with French l'oeuf 'egg', from the resemblance in shape between an egg and a zero, the term apparently comes from the phrase play for love (i.e. the love of the game, not for money).

hide explanation

5d   Sort of plant /for/ a dreamer with no name? (8)

An aromatic^[5] is a substance or plant emitting a pleasant and distinctive smell.

6d   Improving after circuit, /getting/ to drink eagerly (3,2)

7d   Footballer perhaps must cover shot /for/ lover of drama (4-4)

8d   Decline, missing a second // order (6)

14d   Terminals planned with no area /for/ an entertainer (8)

16d   Fool invested in Creole cooking // pot (9)

17d   One's owed money /from/ councillor and journalist (8)

Cr^[5] is the abbreviation for Councillor.

18d   Blood line? (6)

20d   Special man /having/ strength to cross river twice (2,5)

22d   Transport mainly carrying American // food (5)

24d   Mature, about 49, /and/ able to move quickly (5)

To the best of my knowledge, IL is not a valid Roman numeral. The number 49 is represented in Roman numerals as XLIX.

25d   An ineffective person -- /or/ Mayfair politician (4)

Mayfair^[5] is an exclusive area of West London, by the east edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster. The district is now mainly commercial, with many former homes converted into offices for major corporations headquarters, embassies, and also hedge funds and real estate businesses. There remains a substantial quantity of residential property as well as some upmarket shops and restaurants, as well as London's largest concentration of five star hotels. Rents are among the highest in London and the world.

Mayfair falls within the boundaries of the W1 postcode district^[7] [postcode being the British counterpart of the Canadian postal code or American zip code]. For postal purposes, the area covered by the W1 postcode district has been subdivided into a number of smaller postcode districts. However, where districts are used for purposes other than the sorting of mail, such as use as a geographic reference and on street signs, the W1 subdivisions continue to be classed as one 'district'.

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