Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Wednesday, September 30, 2015 — DT 27782

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27782
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Setter
Jay (Jeremy Mutch)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27782]
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

Jay gives us a very entertaining puzzle today. I especially enjoyed 3d and 18a, and thought that "left with no alternative options" in 22d was a very creative bit of wordplay.

For the second day in succession, we see a situation in which two versions of a clue appear in various media. To understand how this happens, it is informative to take a look at the likely path that a puzzle traverses on its route from conception to publication.
  • The setter creates the puzzle and submits it to the puzzle editor. There may then be some back-and-forth between the editor and the setter before the puzzle is accepted by the editor.
  • The puzzle is distributed in syndication. Although there is currently a five month delay between the puzzle being published in the UK and appearing in the National Post, the puzzle is carried much earlier by other publications — in some cases, I believe, on the very day it is printed in The Daily Telegraph.
  • The puzzle is sent to the production processes for The Daily Telegraph (printed paper) and Telegraph Puzzles (website).
The version of the puzzle which appears in the printed edition of The Daily Telegraph is usually the same as the syndicated version. Occasionally, a change will be made to the puzzle after the syndicated version has been distributed but before the paper is printed. I even recall one instance where the syndicated puzzle was a completely different puzzle that did not appear in the UK. I can only surmise that — for whatever reason — the puzzle editor at The Daily Telegraph made a last minute decision to pull the originally scheduled puzzle and replace it with another.

Somewhat frequently (especially lately, judging by the last two days), a change will be made to the puzzle on the Telegraph Puzzles website after The Daily Telegraph  has been printed. This change may happen anytime during — and, conceivably, even after — the date of publication. It is not unusual to see a mid-day change to the website should an error be discovered in the puzzle.

Clues are changed for other reasons than merely to correct errors. In some cases, the clue (written far in advance of the date of publication) may be considered to be insensitive in light of some recent development in the news. At other times, there seems to be no apparent reason for changing the clue.

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   Undercover // family intended losing tail (11)

9a   Emergency worker /and/ cop crossing Madeira after crash (9)

PC[5] is a British term for a police constablePC Bartholomew made his report.

Scratching the Surface
Madeira[5] presumably refers to an island in the Atlantic Ocean off northwestern Africa, the largest of the Madeiras, a group of islands which constitutes an autonomous region of Portugal; population 247,161 (2007); capital, Funchal.

10a   Insect/'s/ victim agonised to some extent (5)

11a   NCO losing Post Office // pen (6)

12a   I have a partner /that's/ spoilt (8)

13a   Label container /for/ kid's protection (6)

Dubbin[5] is a British term for prepared grease used for softening and waterproofing leather.

15a   Callous beast must keep profit /for/ this kind of woman (8)

18a   Public officials required to take stiff examinations? (8)

19a   Tied up // unprotected crew in temper (6)

21a   Determined // plunge to accept European Community rise at core (8)

The European Community[10] (abbreviation EC) was an economic and political association of European States that came into being in 1967, when the legislative and executive bodies of the European Economic Community merged with those of the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Atomic Energy Community. It was subsumed into the European Union in 1993.

23a   Screen type /for/ blood? (6)

26a   Busy legate with no time, // high-flier (5)

27a   Hanging around back of these /must be/ punitive (9)

I had entered SHINGLING thinking it might mean to punish with a few good whacks on the backside with a shingle. Of course, I had no explanation whatsoever for the wordplay.

Swingeing[5] is a British term meaning severe or extreme in size, amount, or effect ⇒ swingeing cuts in public expenditure.

28a   Dish /of/ starch often breaking up (6,5)

Down

1d   American resort/'s/ limit on English fish (4,3)

2d   Pair erring keeping // kind of horse? (5)

In compounds, horse[2] denotes any of various types of supporting apparatus ⇒ (i) clothes-horse; (ii) saw-horse.

Airer[5] is a British term for a frame or stand for airing or drying clothes.

3d   Oh dear, // it's a matriarchy! (9)

4d   Bread /and/ water? (4)

Soda bread[5] is bread leavened with baking soda.

Soda[5] (also soda water) is carbonated water (originally made with sodium bicarbonate) drunk alone or mixed with alcoholic drinks or fruit juice ⇒ a whisky and soda.

5d   Immigrants // pay heartless runners (8)

6d   Girl /from/ the United States missing mother on the way up (5)

Whatever is he talking about?
In Comment #2 on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Rabbit Dave comments that "6d (or to be accurate a homophone of 6d), reminded me of the epic streak at Twickenham in the early 80s."
Erika Roe[5], also known as the Twickenham Streaker, is remembered for a topless run across the pitch of Twickenham Stadium (located in southwest London) during an England vs. Australia rugby union match on 2 January 1982. It has been described by the BBC as "perhaps the most famous of all streaks." Roe, who later attributed the inspiration to alcohol, ran onto the field during half time, exposing her 40-inch bosom. Roe and the friend who joined her streak (Sarah Bennett) were corralled by police officers on the field, one of whom covered Roe's chest with his helmet while leading her off the field. [Methinks unless said officer possessed a terribly swollen head, his helmet would have hardly been up to the task.]


It also appears that he did not apply the helmet before he had had a good gander.

Note: I can't fathom why Wikipedia spells her name "Erica" in the title and "Erika" in the body of the article.

7d   A helping of porridge, or diet /for/ a northerner (7)

A Geordie[5] is an informal British term for a person from Tyneside[5], an industrial conurbation on the banks of the River Tyne, in northeastern England, stretching from Newcastle upon Tyne to the coast.

8d   Who said // new arrival shortly gets a rise? (8)

A tor[7] is a large, free-standing rock outcrop that rises abruptly from the surrounding smooth and gentle slopes of a rounded hill summit or ridge crest. In the South West of England, the term is commonly also used for the hills themselves – particularly the high points of Dartmoor in Devon and Bodmin Moor in Cornwall.

14d   Singer's home /in/ Cambridge, adaptable with no end of room (8)

Cambridge[5] is a city in eastern England, the county town of Cambridgeshire; population 116,900 (est. 2009). Cambridge University is located there.

16d   Darkness surrounding weirdly lone // source of illumination (4,5)

17d   Clergyman with idiot in church // split (8)

"church" = CE (show explanation )

The Church of England[10] (abbreviation CE[10]) is the reformed established state Church in England, Catholic in order and basic doctrine, with the Sovereign as its temporal head.

hide explanation

18d   Director-General taken in by poor clues /for/ 'Beats' (7)

In the UK [and the Canadian Civil Service], DG[5] is the abbreviation for director general.

Scratching the Surface

I was unable to identify any obvious explanation for "Beats" in the surface reading. I thought it might be the name of a BBC game show, but that avenue of exploration came up empty.

As expected, the National Post carries the version of the puzzle which was published in the printed edition of The Daily Telegraph. A different version of the clue appeared on The Telegraph website:
  • 18d   Beats // BBC bigwig in resolving clues (7)
The Director-General of the British Broadcasting Corporation[7] is chief executive and (from 1994) editor-in-chief of the BBC.

20d   Current // amount of water required to float ship (7)

22d   Support /for/ the girl left with no alternative options? (5)

There are two alternative series of letters in the word "left". One is the odd-number letters (LF) and the other is the even-numbered letters (ET). The 2Kiwis tell us to use the "first and third (alternative) letters of left". However, to be rigorous, the clue actually tells us to remove the "second and fourth (alternative) letters of left" (with no alternative options).

24d   Hindu deity/'s/ victory accepted by Islamic faith (5)

V[10] is the symbol for victory - the victory-freedom sign[7] is commonly associated with British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill in World War II.

Shia[5] (also Shi'a or Shiah) is one of the two main branches of Islam, followed by about a tenth of Muslims, especially in Iran, that rejects the first three Sunni caliphs and regards Ali, the fourth caliph, as Muhammad’s first true successor.

In Hinduism, Shiva[10] (a variant spelling of Siva[10]) is the destroyer, one of the three chief divinities of the later Hindu pantheon, the other two being Brahma and Vishnu. Siva is also the god presiding over personal destinies.

25d   Element /of/ last letter home kept on carbon (4)

The symbol for the chemical element carbon is C[5].

Zinc[5] (symbol Zn) is the chemical element of atomic number 30, a silvery-white metal which is a constituent of brass and is used for coating (galvanizing) iron and steel to protect against corrosion.
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, September 29, 2015

Tuesday, September 29, 2015 — DT 27781

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27781
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Setter
Unknown
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27781]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Gazza
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 consider this to be one of the better "Tuesday" puzzles that we have seen recently. You might say that it started out AMUSING and continued to SATISFY right to the end.

The puzzle was published in the UK on Big Dave's birthday — so a Happy Belated Birthday to him.

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   A Lib Dem grandee welcoming American // jolly (7)

In the UK, the Liberal Democrats[5] (or Lib Dems for short) are a political party (formerly the Social and Liberal Democrats) formed from the Liberal Party and members of the Social Democratic Party.

Sir Walter Menzies Campbell[7], often known as Ming Campbell, is a British Liberal Democrat politician. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1987 to 2015 and was the Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 2 March 2006 until 15 October 2007.

The Scottish name Menzies is correctly pronounced /ˈmɪŋɪs/ MING-iss, and a shortened form is "Ming" (because the letter typed 'z' is actually the letter yogh (Ȝ ȝ), which is still used in the 27-letter Scottish alphabet; but typewriters throughout the UK only use 26).[7]

Scratching the Surface

It is difficult to know how to interpret the word "jolly" in the surface reading. It does seem to be a noun, so it might be:
  1. an informal British term for a party or celebration[5](i) these events were jollies; (ii) some regard it as a bit of a jolly;

  2. (also jolly boat) a clinker-built (show explanation ) ship’s boat that is smaller than a cutter, typically hoisted at the stern of the ship[5];

    Clinker-built[5] denotes (of a boat) having external planks which overlap downwards and are secured with clinched nails ⇒ (i) an old clinker-built rowing boat. Compare with carvel-built[5].

    hide explanation

  3. British slang for a member of the Royal Marines (RM)[5], a British armed service (part of the Royal Navy) founded in 1664, trained for service at sea, or on land under specific circumstances.[10] [Well, is it not conceivable that a Yank might enlist in the British navy?]

5a   One who denounces // account about drug addict (7)

9a   Farm labourer/'s/ lovely, large shed (7)

10a   Guy I'm regularly with tipped over beer -- // dress will be needed (3,4)

Pils[5] is a type of lager beer similar to Pilsner[5], a lager beer with a strong hop flavour, originally brewed at Pilsen in the Czech Republic.

Gymslip[5] (gymslip[10], gym slip[1],[2]) is a British term for a sleeveless belted tunic reaching from the shoulder to the knee [unless they happen to appear in Gazza's review], formerly worn by schoolgirls. As an aside, gymslip mother[10] (or gymslip mum) is an informal term for a girl of school age who has become a mother.

11a   Madness to ignore first son/'s/ stupidity (9)

12a   Up // a trail (5)

13a   Landscape // viewed from the sound (5)

15a   In front of judge, I'm // unhesitating (9)

17a   Firm // hug can end upset (9)

19a   Shot // radical outside church (5)

Rad[5] is an informal term for a political radical.

"church" = CE (show explanation )

The Church of England[10] (abbreviation CE[10]) is the reformed established state Church in England, Catholic in order and basic doctrine, with the Sovereign as its temporal head.

hide explanation

22a   It could be about to go on vessel (5)

In this semi-&lit. (semi-all-in-one) clue, the entire clue provides the definition while the portion with the dashed underline is the wordplay.

In Greek mythology, the Argo[10] was the ship in which Jason sailed in search of the Golden Fleece. He was accompanied on the journey by the Argonauts who — as we learned yesterday — had to take care not to imbibe Angostura bitters.

23a   Small outburst initially -- that is after Conservative joins // clubs (9)

25a   Left in very old tin, old // type of firework (7)

A volcano[1] is a type of firework.

26a   Holding head in irritation, I snore unfortunately // louder (7)

27a   Show esteem to // relation (7)

28a   Please // explain about broken fist (7)

Down

1d   Servants // to the French couples (2,5)

"to the French" = AU (show explanation )

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').

hide explanation

An au pair[5] is a young foreign person, typically a woman, who helps with housework or childcare in exchange for food, a room, and some pocket money ⇒ an au pair girl.

2d   A Parisian with things for sale crossing area // in the dark (7)

"a Parisian" = UN (show explanation )

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

hide explanation

For once, all the dictionaries seem to be pretty much on the same page, agreeing that articles offered for sale are wares[5] (not ware) ⇒ traders in the street markets displayed their wares. The Chambers  Dictionary is the least adamant on this point, telling us that ware[1] (now usually in the plural) means articles of merchandise or produce collectively. From that, I would gather that this sense of the singular form is an archaic use.

3d   Picture // that is in magazine? On the contrary (5)

4d   Meeting // Georgia with the piece of jewellery (9)

5d   Head of army, for example, is /giving/ protection (5)

6d   Officer in charge // removing Ecstasy from pocket for military use (9)

I did a double take when I first read Gazza's statement "remove one of the abbreviations for the drug Ecstasy (it doesn’t matter which one) from ...". No, there does not exist two different abbreviations for the drug Ecstasy, there just happens to be two instances of the same abbreviation in the clue.

"Ecstasy" = E (show explanation )

E[5] is an abbreviation for the drug Ecstasy or a tablet of Ecstasy ⇒ (i) people have died after taking E; (ii) being busted with three Es can lead to stiff penalties.

hide explanation

7d   Middle Eastern ruler a // bit of a fruitcake? (7)

A sultan[5] is a Muslim sovereign.

Sultana[5] is a British term [who knew?] for a small, light brown, seedless raisin used in foods such as puddings and cakes ⇒ a sultana cake.

8d   Full // theatre allowed me to ignore money (7)

Rep[5] is an informal shortened form of repertory[5]. It can refer either to the performance of various plays, operas, or ballets by a company at regular short intervals,  or to a repertory theatre or company.

14d   Fancy // picking up package of goods before lecture? (9)

16d   Since I'm sick, editor gets in // remedies (9)

17d   Run to cook holding chap/'s/ grub out (7)

Cove[5] is a dated informal British term for a man ? he is a perfectly amiable cove.

To grub (something) up or grub (something) out[5] means to remove something from the earth by digging it up : many miles of hedgerows were grubbed up.

18d   Rings // groups of people sharing an interest (7)

20d   Signs of nerves, perhaps, after crime's cut by 50%; // they'll no doubt find faults (7)

21d   Best // dry toes at sea (7)

Best[10] is used in the informal sense of to gain the advantage over or defeat.

23d   Quiet before drunk/'s/ scream (5)

This is not the usual musical direction to play quietly, but the sort of admonition to be quiet that one might receive from a librarian.

A different version of the clue appeared on The Telegraph website in the UK.
  • 23d   Quiet, exposed // bay (5)
Was the original clue (the one that appeared in the printed edition of The Daily Telegraph as well as in the syndicated version of the puzzle carried by the National Post) not considered politically correct? I thought it was a better clue than the one which replaced it on the website.

24d   Live /in/ flat six -- endeavour coming up? (5)
Key to Reference Sources: 

[1]   - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition
[2]   - Search Chambers - (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)
[3]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (American Heritage Dictionary)
[4]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
[5]   - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford Dictionary of English)
[6]   - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford American Dictionary)
[7]   - Wikipedia
[8]   - Reverso Online Dictionary (Collins French-English Dictionary)
[9]   - Infoplease (Random House Unabridged Dictionary)
[10] - CollinsDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
[11] - TheFreeDictionary.com (Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary)
Signing off for today — Falcon

Monday, September 28, 2015

Monday, September 28, 2015 — DT 27780

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27780
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Monday, April 20, 2015
Setter
Rufus (Roger Squires)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27780]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Kitty & 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

The editors at the National Post sprung another surprise on me today — they didn't skip a puzzle!

The review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog is a joint effort between Kitty and Miffypops. This is actually the fourth formally acknowledged collaboration between the two although — as Miffypops alluded to at the time (response to Comment #8) — Kitty did contribute the hints for half a dozen clues in Miffypops' review of DT 27756 (which appeared in the National Post on Wednesday, September 2, 2015). The National Post has skipped the puzzles (DT 27762, DT 27768, and DT 27774) which were the subjects of the first three reviews by this duo.

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   Alterations /in/ the bell-ringer's programme (7)

Change[5] (usually changes) denotes an order in which a peal of bells can be rung. The expression ring the changes[5] means to vary the ways of expressing or doing something. [With allusion to bell-ringing and the different orders in which a peal of bells may be rung.]

5a   The last section // to have a complaint in mind (4,3)

I interpreted AIL to be a verb clued by the phrase "to have a complaint". However, as Kitty points out in her review, The Chambers Dictionary defines ail[5] to be a noun meaning trouble or indisposition — a sense of the word seemingly yet to be discovered by any other dictionary (including Chambers 21st Century Dictionary).

Should one choose to accept that AIL can be a noun, the parsing would become:
  • 5a   The last section /to have/ a complaint in mind (4,3)
9a   I complain /when/ she // comes over (5)

More complaining!

The clue states that a reversal (comes over) of the solution would lead to a phrase meaning "I complain" which also implies that the solution is a reversal (comes over) of {I (from the clue) + MOAN (complain)}.

10a   Radio users /may get/ faulty set in ships (9)

11a   Cliques in the Lords -- // they've much in common (4,6)

I interpreted this clue a bit differently than did Kitty. I thought the latter part "they've much in common" to be a "straight" definition of a PEER GROUP with the former part "cliques in the Lords" being a cryptic definition of the same.

In the UK, the House of Lords[5] (or, more informally, the Lords[5]) is the higher chamber of Parliament, composed of peers and bishops. peer[5] is a member of the nobility in Britain or Ireland, comprising the ranks of duke, marquess, earl, viscount, and baron.

12a   A student is after an alternative // test (4)

"learner" = L (show explanation )

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.

hide explanation

14a   Travels far /and/ makes one's mark in the world (4,1,4,3)

18a   Professional comes in to introduce new // generation (12)

Generation can mean production and regeneration can mean reproduction, but I am yet to be convinced that generation can mean reproduction.

21a   Barrel // end of a gun (4)

Precisely the other end of a gun.

A butt[5] is a cask, typically used for wine, beer, or water ⇒ a butt of malmsey [a fortified Madeira wine of the sweetest type].

With regard to Kitty's comment at clue 5a ("Another definition [for tail end] could be the answer to 21a"), butt[5] is an informal, chiefly North American term for a person’s buttocks or anus ⇒ I was being paid to sit on my butt and watch television.

22a   One's put in by an attendant (10)

25a   Put in a drink, it // could knock Argonauts out (9)

In order for the solution to be a noun, I think one must consider the word "it" to be included in the definition which one would interpret to mean "It (the solution) is something put in a drink".

Angostura[5] is short for Angostura bitters[5], a trademark for a kind of tonic [carbonated soft drink with a bitter flavour] first made in Angostura.

Angostura[5] was the former name (until 1846) for Ciudad Bolívar[5], a city in southeastern Venezuela. The name was changed to honour the country’s liberator, Simón Bolívar.

Scratching the Surface
Not the Toronto Argonauts — though maybe the RedBlacks should have slipped some Angostura into the Argos' Gatorade on the weekend.

In Greek mythology, the Argonauts[5] were a group of heroes who accompanied Jason on board the ship Argo in the quest for the Golden Fleece.

26a   A leading publication? (5)

27a   Back // possibly sore after final (7)

28a   Boring // outside broadcast (7)

Are Kitty's guidebooks misplaced or does she find them boring?

Down

1d   Cover // story with article inside (6)

Copy[5] is material for a newspaper or magazine article ⇒ it is an unfortunate truth of today’s media that bad news makes good copy.

2d   Maintained // a five-nil lead over United (6)

Scratching the Surface
In Britain, United[5] is commonly used in the names of soccer and other sports teams formed by amalgamation ⇒ Oxford United.

Perhaps the best known example would be Manchester United Football Club[7] (often referred to simply as United), 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).

3d   Deteriorating /and/ becoming a drug-taker (5,2,3)

4d   Broadside // written in colossal volume (5)

5d   One who is often up for trial (4,5)

6d   Beginning of last month turned // very cold (4)

Not the previous month but the final month in the year.

7d   You may be surprised if they are arched (8)

8d   I spy lads going round /in/ spectacles (8)

13d   In the finish bravery /is/ cheered (10)

15d   Solid achievement by an artist (9)

16d   Cheat to secure point /in/ card game (8)

17d   Went back to secure an advantage over a fellow player? (8)

I first thought of upstage[5] merely in the sense of to divert attention from (someone) towards oneself ⇒ they were totally upstaged by their co-star in the film.

I then surmised (correctly, as it turned out) that upstage[5] might mean at or towards the back of a theatre stage (i) Hamlet turns to face upstage; (ii) an upstage exit.

This led me to initially markup the clue as follows:
  • 17d   Went back to secure an advantage over a fellow player? (8)
where the definition ("secure an advantage") alludes to upstage (divert attention) and "went back" alludes to "going upstage" and "fellow player" reinforces the theatrical setting. I was a bit uneasy with this as the definition ("to secure an advantage") is in the present, whereas the solution is in the past. However, when read in concert with the opening ("went back"), it seemed to work (at least, within the bounds of a Rufus clue).

However, I then discovered that there is a far less convoluted explanation of the clue.

Upstage[5] is a theatrical term meaning (of an actor) to move towards the back of a stage to make (another actor) face away from the audience ⇒ when he tried to upstage her she sauntered down to the front of the stage.

19d   Duke Ellington's mood? (6)

"Mood Indigo"[7] (1930) is a jazz composition and song, with music by Duke Ellington and Barney Bigard with lyrics by Irving Mills.

20d   Small containers // which eliminate waste (6)

23d   Demand and get payment // absolutely right (5)

24d   It's sure to upset // an employer (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

Saturday, September 26, 2015

Saturday, September 26, 2015 — Embellishment Came Back to Haunt

Introduction

One might do well to start with the Down clues in  today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon.  I got very few of the Across clues on my first read through, but the Down clues provided checking letters that enabled me to make progress with the Across clues. While not the most challenging puzzle we have seen from these setters, I would place it above average in difficulty level.

The title of today's blog brings to mind NBC newsman Brian Williams[7] who found himself in the news this past week.

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
┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐
███████████████████████████████████
└────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘
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   Some breakfast // appearing at intervals in one's mouth? (6)

CEREAL~ — sounds like (in one's mouth) SERIAL (appearing at intervals)

4a   Get lost inside of fort/'s/ branch (8)

OF|F(SHOO)T — SHOO (get lost; as as exclamation, Shoo!) contained in (inside) {OF (†) + FT (fort; abbrev.)}

9a   Bad choice // reverberating (6)

ECHOIC* — anagram (bad) of CHOICE

10a   Outside of work, don't have // place to shop in the city (8)

DO(W)NT|OWN — DONT (don't) containing (outside of) W (work; symbol used in physics) + OWN (have)

11a   Chart including every // one that can be educated (9)

T(EACH)ABLE — TABLE (chart) containing (including) EACH (every)

Despite not being able to find it listed as such in any of my regular dictionaries, I believe that teachable (normally an adjective) is being used as a noun, as inThe first step was to determine who in the group were  the teachables and who were the unteachables. This certainly works better for me than trying to rationalize the wordplay as an adjective.

13a   Old doctor/'s/ new angle (5)

GALEN* — anagram (new) of ANGLE

Galen[5] (129–199) was a Greek physician; full name Claudios Galenos; Latin name Claudius Galenus. He attempted to systematize the whole of medicine, making important discoveries in anatomy and physiology. His works became influential in Europe when retranslated from Arabic in the 12th century.

14a   Hang around TV show, and one // deserves what happens (3,2,6)

HA(S IT COM|I)NG — HANG (†) containing (around) {SITCOM (TV show) + (and) I ([Roman numeral for] one)}

18a   Desires // passing comments (11)

P|REFERENCES — P (passing) + REFERENCES (comments)

P[11] (as a rating of student performance) is an abbreviation for passing.

21a   Cowpoke, at times, // running through property (5)

_ROPER_ — hidden in (running through) pROPERty

22a   Pacino hosted by country in Europe/'s/ continent (9)

AUSTR(AL)IA — AL (Pacino; American actor, Al Pacino[7]) contained in (hosted by) AUSTRIA (country in Europe)

24a   Conductor returned wearing slob's // hairpieces (8)

P(ERIW<)IG|S — reversal (returned) of WIRE contained in (wearing) {PIG (slob) + S ('s)}

25a   One article among stuff // of a daughter or son (6)

FIL(I|A)L — {I ([Roman numeral for] one + A ([indefinite] article)} contained in (among) FILL (stuff; as a verb)

26a   Cool road meandering /in/ a mountainous U.S. state (8)

COLORADO* — anagram (meandering) of COOL ROAD

27a   Long time put into top // Russian label? (6)

L(EON)ID — EON (long time) contained in (put into) LID (top)

Leonid is a Russian masculine name; for instance, former Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev[7] (1906–1982).

Down

1d   Cats // chase the cuckoo (8)

CHEETAHS* — anagram (cuckoo) of CHASE THE

2d   Note funeral car /or/ train (8)

RE|HEARSE — RE ([musical] note) + HEARSE (funeral car)

3d   Plain people // I'm backing in shade of grey (5)

A(MI<)SH — reversal (backing) of IM (I'm) contained in (in) ASH (shade of grey)

5d   Decrease in penalties, with small // embellishment (11)

F(LOWER)INES|S — LOWER (decrease) contained in (in) FINES (penalties) + S (small; abbrev.)

6d   Young sage reformed // house of worship (9)

SYNAGOGUE* — anagram (reformed) of YOUNG SAGE

7d   British actor // also getting into cheer (6)

O(TOO)LE — TOO (also) contained in (getting into) OLE ([Spanish] cheer)

Peter O'Toole[5] (1932–2013) was an Irish-born British actor. Notable films include Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and Goodbye Mr Chips (1969); he was especially noted for his portrayals of eccentric characters.

8d   Shelter occupied by an // apartment resident (6)

TEN(AN)T — TENT (shelter) containing (occupied by) AN (†)

12d   Expedition's leader wandered behind spar on a ship, /and/ swiftly returned (11)

BOOM|E|RANGED — E (Expedition's leader [initial letter]) + RANGED (wandered) following (behind) BOOM (spar on a ship)

15d   Prize vessel turned // first-class (3-6)

{TOP-DRAWER}< — reversal (turned) of {REWARD (prize) + POT (vessel)}

16d   Heir eats everything // green in a salad (8)

SC(ALL)ION — SCION (heir) containing (eats) ALL (everything)

17d   Attacked, // dummy felt bad (8)

ASS|AILED — ASS (dummy) + AILED (felt bad)

19d   Important parallel // seen in retro picture (6)

_TRO|PIC_ — hidden in (seen in) reTRO PICture

A tropic[5] is the parallel of latitude 23°26ʹ north (tropic of Cancer) or south (tropic of Capricorn) of the equator.

20d   Wind // tears back a piece of lettuce (6)

SPIR<|A|L — reversal (back) of RIPS (tears) + A (†) + L (piece [initial letter] of Lettuce)

23d   Audio level // boost (5)

RAISE~ — sounds like (audio) RAZE (level; demolish)

Epilogue

The title of today's review is inspired by 5d and 12d.
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 25, 2015

Friday, September 25, 2015 — DT 27779

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27779
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Saturday, April 18, 2015
Setter
Unknown
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27779 – Hints]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27779 – Review]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Big Dave (Hints)
gnomethang (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

An early 20th century British play blocked my progress today. Once my electronic assistants had helped me past that obstacle, it was clear sailing.

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   A doctor tucking into mother's // curry (6)

Madras[10] [not found in my American dictionaries] is a medium-hot curry.

5a   Marxist film /offers/ nothing before starting course (4,4)

I loved this clue. One of the last to be solved, the penny dropped with a resounding clang when it finally surrendered.

In cricket, a duck[5] is a batsman’s score of nought [zero] ⇒ he was out for a duck. This usage is similar to the North American expression goose egg[5] meaning a zero score in a game. In British puzzles, the word "duck" is frequently used to clue  the letter "O" based on the resemblance of the digit "0" to this letter. However, today's setter shows us the flip side of the coin.

Soup[10] is a a liquid food made by boiling or simmering meat, fish, vegetables, etc, usually served hot at the beginning of a meal.

Duck Soup[7] is a 1933 comedy film starring what were then billed as the "Four Marx Brothers" (Groucho, Harpo, Chico, and Zeppo). It was the last Marx Brothers film to feature Zeppo, and the last of five Marx Brothers movies released by Paramount Pictures.

While contemporaneous critics of Duck Soup felt it did not quite meet the standards of its predecessors, critical opinion has evolved and the film has since achieved the status of a classic. Duck Soup is now widely considered among critics to be a masterpiece, and the Marx Brothers' finest film.

9a   Food on board ship /for/ a horse (10)

A Lipizzaner[5] (also Lippizaner) is a horse of a fine white breed used especially in displays of dressage.

10a   Time /for/ fruit (4)

In the first definition, date[5] is used in the sense of the period of time to which an artefact or structure belongs ⇒ the church is the largest of its date.

11a   Pest // is hidden by shade (8)

12a   Perfect // surface texture (6)

13a   Fine Greek character /producing/ his cheese (4)

I only noticed while composing the blog that the clue reads "his cheese" rather than "this cheese". This is a gift from the setter telling us that the cheese in question is actually a Greek cheese.

"fine" = F (show explanation )

F[5] is an abbreviation for fine, as used in describing grades of pencil lead [a usage that Oxford Dictionaries Online surprisingly characterizes as British].

hide explanation

Eta[5] is the seventh letter of the Greek alphabet (Η, η).

15a   Summary /of/ extra scene (8)

Contrary to what gnomethang indicates in his review (see immediately below), I would say that over[10] is simply an adjective or adverb meaning remaining or surplus (often in the phrase left over).

What did he say?
In his review, gnomethang describes an over as an extra run in cricket.
Unless I am seriously mistaken, it would appear that he has confounded his cricket terms.

An over[5] is a division of play in cricket consisting of a sequence of six balls bowled by a bowler from one end of the pitch, after which another bowler takes over from the other end.

An extra[5] is a run scored other than from a hit with the bat, credited (in most cases) to the batting side rather than to a batsman. The types of extra[7] are no ball, wide, bye, leg-bye, and penalty runs.

18a   Two channels, second // horizontally (8)

Side[5] is an informal British term for a a television channel considered as one of two or more that are available ⇒ what’s on the other side?. [Perhaps the expression dates from an era when there were only two channels to choose from — and these channels were thought of as the two sides of a phonograph record.]

A way[5,10] is a means or line of passage. Although the examples given in dictionaries are generally confined to terrestrial routes, such as a road, track, or path, there would seem to be no reason that it could not also refer to a route over water, such as a channel. In fact, Collins English Dictionary specifically mentions waterway.

19a   Travel // free, heading east (4)

The wordplay is RID (free) preceding (heading; coming before) E (east; abbrev.)

21a   Carnival // site wrecked in outskirts of Fuengirola (6)

A fiesta[10] is a holiday or carnival.

Scratching the Surface
Fuengirola[7], a large town on the Costa del Sol in southern Spain, is a major tourist resort, with more than 8 km of beaches and a mediaeval Moorish fortress.

23a   Used bidet, one /being/ well-trained (8)

25a   Temporary quarters // affected (4)

26a   Top drawer that opens up first? (10)

Boothill Cemetery, Tombstone, Arizona
I had much the same thought as gazza, who at Comment#1 on Big Dave's Crossword Blog says "a gunfighter doesn’t necessarily shoot first, especially if he’s a poor gunfighter". Of course, that being that being the case, he may well soon end up at Boothill with this poor chap.

27a   I agree // to pick up judge (4,4)

28a   Head of smooth snake /is/ more blue (6)

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.

Down

2d   So long, // notice that is for all to see (5)

Adieu[5] (from French: 'goodbye' or 'farewell') is a chiefly literary term that may be used:
  1. as an exclamation meaning goodbye; or
  2. as a noun meaning a goodbye ⇒ he whispered a fond adieu .
"for all to see" = U (show explanation )

Under the British system of film classification[7] a U (for 'universal') rating indicates that a film is suitable "for all the family" — or, at any rate, for children over 4 years of age.

hide explanation

3d   Restore // control over situation (9)

4d   Measuring // spirit after one's served up (6)

5d   Priestley play // used organ, unsettling angle (9,6)

The first word in the title of this play was easy enough to decipher but the second word flummoxed me.

Dangerous Corner[7], which premiered in May 1932, was the first play by English writer J. B. Priestley (1894–1984). It received extremely poor reviews and after three days he was told that the play would close, a fate that he averted by buying out the sponsoring syndicate. It then ran for six months. Priestley's action was further vindicated by the worldwide success the play was to enjoy, although he soon lowered his estimate of this work and as early as 1938 remarked "It is pretty thin stuff when all is said and done.

6d   Laid-back // about a judge appearing heartless (8)

7d   Irish John entertaining daughter /in/ saloon (5)

Sean[7] is an Irish name which is the counterpart to the English name John.

Saloon[5] (also saloon car) is a British term for a car [known in Canada, the US, and New Zealand as a sedan[10]] having a closed body and a closed boot [trunk] separated from the part in which the driver and passengers sit ⇒ a four-door saloon.

8d   Functioning at an acceptable level, // good enough for race (2,2,5)

14d   Friend ringing home after priest /is/ put out (9)

In Britain, mate[5] is:
  1. an informal term for a friend or companion ⇒ my best mate Steve; or
  2. a friendly form of address between men or boys ⇒ ‘See you then, mate.’.
In the Bible, Eli[5] is a priest who acted as a teacher to the prophet Samuel (1 Sam. 1-3).

16d   Top of vase decorated, though no good // lacquered (9)

Top[10] is used in the sense of the beginning ⇒ (i) the top of the hour; (ii) at the top of the programme; (iii) okay, let's run through it once more from the top.

"good" = G (show explanation )

The abbreviation G[10] for good likely relates to its use in grading school assignments or tests.

hide explanation

17d   Aggressive speech /from/ former Tory leader about Iran I ignored (8)

William Hague[7] is a British Conservative politician who was Member of Parliament (MP) from 1989 to 2015. He also served as Leader of the House of Commons from 2014 to 2015, as Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from 2010 to 2014, and as Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from 1997 to 2001.

20d   Foremost of infants in group, // a prodigy (6)

In biology, genus[5] denotes a principal taxonomic category that ranks above species and below family, and is denoted by a capitalized Latin name.

22d   Marvellous // word for an American caretaker (5)

Super is an informal short form of superintendent[2,3,4,5,10,11] or supervisor[4,10,11].

Superintendent[5] is a North American term for the caretaker of a building.

What did he say?
In his review, gnomethang tells us that supervisor is the name for a condominium caretaker in the US.
With two options to pick from, he made the wrong choice.

24d   Relative, // kind to conserve energy (5)
Key to Reference Sources: 

[1]   - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition
[2]   - Search Chambers - (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)
[3]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (American Heritage Dictionary)
[4]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
[5]   - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford Dictionary of English)
[6]   - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford American Dictionary)
[7]   - Wikipedia
[8]   - Reverso Online Dictionary (Collins French-English Dictionary)
[9]   - Infoplease (Random House Unabridged Dictionary)
[10] - CollinsDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
[11] - TheFreeDictionary.com (Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary)
Signing off for today — Falcon