Saturday, December 31, 2016

Saturday, December 31, 2016 — Urchin Creating a Mess

Introduction

Today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon fell quickly into place.

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

I wish all readers a happy and prosperous New Year replete with engaging puzzles.

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   Look at // Gerard oddly (6)

REGARD* — anagram (oddly) of GERARD

4a   Alienate // sergeant badly (8)

ESTRANGE* — anagram (badly) of SERGEANT

9a   Said, “every seven days” // in a feeble manner (6)

WEAKLY~ — sounds like (said) WEEKLY (every seven days)

10a   Scheduling // sting around parking area (8)

S(LOT)TING — STING (†) containing (around) LOT (parking area)

11a   Undisguised present // in that place (4,5)

OVER T|HERE — OVERT (undisguised) + HERE (present)

13a   Somewhat horrible attempt // to sound like a sheep (5)

_BLE|AT_ — hidden in (somewhat) horriBLE ATtempt

14a   Confess about big dish // making a mess (11)

S(PLATTER)ING — SING (confess) containing (about) PLATTER (big dish)

18a   Street kid // put integers out of order (11)

GUTTERSNIPE* — anagram (out of order) of PUT INTEGERS

21a   Reportedly lousiest // sausage (5)

WURST~ — sounds like (reportedly) WORST (lousiest)

22a   Unfortunately, train isn’t // on the way (2,7)

{IN TRANSIT}* — anagram (unfortunately) of TRAIN ISNT

24a   Children’s game // concerning herder (3,5)

RE|D ROVER — RE (concerning) + DROVER (herder)

I spent a moment or two stalled at a RED LIGHT before realizing that the wrong children's game had popped to mind.

25a   Each // dessert eaten by fighter pilot (6)

A(PIE)CE — PIE (dessert) contained in (eaten by) ACE (fighter pilot)

26a   Unpaid worker, flushed, // reacted to a promised treat (8)

SLAVE|RED — SLAVE (unpaid worker) + RED (flushed)

27a   One wearing trousers // works with a brush and oils (6)

PA(I)NTS — I ([Roman numeral for] one) contained in (wearing) PANTS (trousers)

Note to British readers: In North America, the word "pants" would generally mean trousers rather than underwear.

Down

1d   Stir about who /is/ dwelling in town (3,5)

RO(W HO)USE — ROUSE (stir) containing (about) WHO (†)

2d   Left inside seriously // rasping (8)

GRAVE(L)LY or GRAVEL(L)Y — L (left; abbrev.) contained in (inside) GRAVELY (seriously)

3d   Again illuminated // inside of barrel itself (5)

_REL|IT_ — hidden in (inside of) barREL ITself

5d   Field events turned // obvious (4-)

SELF-EVIDENT* — anagram (turned) of FIELD EVENTS

6d   Groove with a snare, as // “Roots” (9)

RUT|A|BAG|AS — RUT (groove) + (with) A (†) + BAG (snare; literally, as a verb) + AS (†)

Scratching the Surface
Roots is an American television miniseries based on Alex Haley's 1976 novel, Roots: The Saga of an American Family; the series first aired on ABC-TV in January 1977.

7d   Dancing, Daniel // performed perfectly (6)

NAILED* — anagram (dancing) of DANIEL

8d   Momentous after the first // number (6)

_EIGHTY — [W]EIGHTY (momentous) with the initial letter deleted (after the first)

12d   Pick grain with the old-fashioned // detector (8,3)

ELECT|RIC E|YE — ELECT (pick) + RICE (grain) + (with) YE (the old-fashioned)

15d   Right poet, wrong // line (9)

TIGHTROPE* — anagram (wrong) of RIGHT POET

16d   Nineties excited // scientist (8)

EINSTEIN* — anagram (excited) of NINETIES

Albert Einstein[5] (1879–1955) was a German-born American theoretical physicist, founder of the special and general theories of relativity.

17d   Dad’s carrying eagle’s tail // plumes (8)

F(E)ATHERS — {FATHER (dad) + S ('s)} containing (carrying) E (eagle's tail; final letter (tail) of eaglE)

19d   A prison division’s // prizes (6)

A|WARD|S — A (†) + WARD (prison division) + S ('s)

20d   Top-notch // vocalization of “Grey Day” (5,1)

{GRADE A}~ — sounds like (vocalization of) GREY DAY

Scratching the Surface
"Grey Day"[7] is likely just a convenient figment of the setters' imaginations, although it is the title of a pop song recorded by British pop/ska band Madness which reached number 4 on the UK Singles Chart in 1981.

23d   The Greeks’ first //  mountain—that’s a laugh (5)

ALP|HA — ALP (mountain) + HA (that's a laugh; You really believe he'll repay you? Ha!)

Epilogue

The title of today's review is inspired by 14a and 18a.
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, December 30, 2016

Friday, December 30, 2016 — DT 28234

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 28234
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Saturday, October 1, 2016
Setter
Unknown
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28234 – Hints]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28234 – Review]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Big Dave (Hints)
Big Dave (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

While the puzzle is not overly difficult, it contains enough Briticisms to make it a bit more of a challenge for a North American than it was for the Brits.

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   One noted for stubborn tenacity /making/ target with almighty backing (7)

Bull[5] is a British term for a bullseye ⇒ aim for the bull!.

5a   Granted time /for/ deliberation (7)

9a   Frolicking inside college in outskirts of Swindon? // Best say nothing (7,2,6)

Scratching the Surface
Swindon[7] is a large town in Wiltshire, South West England midway between London and Cardiff, Wales.

10a   Coats designed /for/ an opera (5)

Tosca[7] is an opera by Italian composer Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924) that premiered in Rome in 1900.

11a   Of high quality, // prize trophy goes west (3-6)

Pot[5] is an informal [seemingly British] term for a prize in a sporting contest, especially a silver cup.

12a   Applied, /being/ sensible (9)

14a   Fish, // first from babbling brook (5)

The brill[5] is a European flatfish that resembles a turbot.

15a   One who sells tins, rye and soda? (5)

Tin[5] is a British term for a rectangular loaf of bread baked in an open metal container.

In North America, rye is short for rye bread[2,5] (or ryebread[10]).

Soda bread[5] is bread leavened with baking soda. [I found no evidence of this bread being referred to simply as soda.]

16a   Dismissed in style? // Say what you're thinking (3,4,2)

In cricket and baseball, out[5] means no longer batting or at bat; having had one’s innings or at bat ended by the fielding side ⇒ England were all out for 159.

18a    Aims often set out in this (9)

In this semi-&lit. clue (or, as some prefer to call it, semi-all-in-one clue), the entire clue acts as the definition while the portion with the dashed underline provides the wordplay.

21a   Male, when working, /is/ one who dresses stone (5)

22a   Medical condition /of/ an old king -- a version inaccurately advanced (8,7)

"king" = rex (show explanation )

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).

hide explanation

"advanced: = A (show explanation )

In the UK (with the exception of Scotland), A level[5] (advanced level[5]) is a qualification in a specific subject typically taken by school students aged 16-18, at a level above GCSE[5] (General Certificate of Secondary Education).

hide explanation

Anorexia nervosa[10] is another name for anorexia.

23a   A place to eat? // Daughter and I clear end of table (7)

Nett[5] is an alternative British spelling of net.

24a   Greek character reportedly regarded /as/ drunk (3-4)

Pi[5] is the sixteenth letter of the Greek alphabet (Π, π).

Down

1d   Kiss before drug, keeling over /in/ roadside shelter? (3,4)

2d   Scottish pop diva's footballer being dragged along on new // song (5,4,2,4)

Lulu Kennedy-Cairns (born Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie), best known by her stage name Lulu[7], is a Scottish singer, actress, and television personality who has been successful in the entertainment business from the 1960s.

She is internationally identified, especially by North American audiences, with the song "To Sir with Love" from the film of the same name and with the title song to the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun.

A back[5] is a player in a team game who plays in a defensive position* behind the forwards ⇒ their backs showed some impressive running and passing.

* except, of course, in North American football where there are both offensive backs and defensive backs.


"Lulu’s Back in Town"[7] is a popular song written in 1935 with words by Al Dubin and music by Harry Warren. The song was was popularised by Fats Waller in a 1935 recording for Victor Records which made the US Charts.

3d   Yorkshire town /established by/ duke, eccentric ancestor (9)

"duke" = D (show explanation )

A duke[5] (abbreviation D.[10]) is a male holding the highest hereditary title in the British and certain other peerages*.

* The peerage[5] is the nobility in Britain or Ireland, comprising the ranks of duke or duchess, marquess or marchioness, earl or countess, viscount or viscountess, and baron or baroness.

hide explanation

Doncaster[7] is a large market town* in South Yorkshire, England.

* Market town[2,5,10] is a mainly British term for a town, often at the centre of a farming area, where a market is held regularly, usually on the same day every week.

4d   Visitor // figured in conversation (5)

5d   Airman up for trial? (4,5)

6d   Atmosphere /in/ office, initially gloomy (5)

7d   Fail school subject -- /but/ be remembered (2,4,2,7)

8d   Climber /needs/ to catch up on correct procedure, mostly (7)

13d   Blaze under bridge, // something one doesn't want to be caught in (9)

14d   Damage that is seen after child runs off // vessel used by cook (4-5)

Bairn[5] is a Scottish and Northern English term for a child.

"runs" = R (show explanation )

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

In cricket, a run[5] is a unit of scoring achieved by hitting the ball so that both batsmen are able to run between the wickets, or awarded in some other circumstances.

hide explanation

A bain-marie[5] is a pan of hot water in which a cooking container is placed for slow cooking ⇒ cook in a bain-marie until the custard thickens slightly.

15d   Attack // doctor dividing committee (7)

"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

17d   Pot /if/ tense? Head of agency drank bubbly (7)

"tense" = T (show explanation )

Grammatically speaking, t.[10] is the abbreviation for tense.

hide explanation

19d   Fast // naval force (5)

20d   Admit // academic robe's no good at university (3,2)

"good" = G (show explanation )

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

hide explanation

In Britain, up[5] means at or to a university, especially Oxford or Cambridge ⇒ they were up at Cambridge about the same time.
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, December 29, 2016

Thursday, December 29, 2016 — DT 28233

Vacation Edition
Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 28233
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Friday, September 30, 2016
Setter
Giovanni (Don Manley)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28233]
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

Signing off for today — Falcon

Wednesday, December 28, 2016 — DT 28232

Vacation Edition
Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 28232
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Thursday, September 29, 2016
Setter
RayT (Ray Terrell)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28232]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Kath
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

With two grandchildren running around the house, there is little time to solve puzzles — let along write blogs.

Signing off for today — Falcon

Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Tuesday, December 27, 2016 — DT 28231

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 28231
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Wednesday, September 28, 2016
Setter
Jay (Jeremy Mutch)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28231]
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 serves up a gentle but entertaining offering today.

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   Unexpected // second rebellion involving leader of rebels (10)

6a   Supply cash /for/ daughter chasing entertainment (4)

10a   What an accountant may do /with/ baby out of bed? (3,2)

11a   Inscription /for/ burial? (9)

A double definition with the second being whimsical. The setter imagines that "engraving" might mean to place a body in a grave.

12a   Update // end of chapter, altering free and quiet (7)

13a   Weed/'s/ value mainly seen by tabloid (7)

Ragwort[5] is a yellow-flowered ragged-leaved European plant of the daisy family, which is a common weed of grazing land and is toxic to livestock.

14a   Spies // area in underground lavatory (6,6)

The gents[5] is an informal British term for a men's public toilet.

Behind the Picture
The 2Kiwis illustrate their review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog with a photo of Don Adams as Maxwell Smart (Agent 86) and Barbara Feldon as Agent 99 from the American comedy television series Get Smart[7] which ran from 1965 to 1970.

18a   These parrots must suffer, /reaching/ such height (12)

21a   Left around 100 // emotional (7)

23a   Carpet // louse gone! (4,3)

The louse[5] and the tick[5] are both parasitic insects but I had my doubts concerning the terms being synonymous. However, tick[5] is an informal term for a parasitic louse fly, especially the sheep ked.

Carpet[5] is British slang meaning to reprimand severelythe Chancellor of the Exchequer carpeted the bank bosses. Although we do not use this expression in North America, we certainly use the presumably related expression to be called on the carpet[5].

The term "tick off" has a different meaning on the other side of the pond. Whereas, in North America, to tick someone off[5] means to make someone annoyed or angry ⇒ Jefferson was a little ticked off, but he’ll come around, in Britain it means to reprimand or rebuke someone ⇒ (i) he was ticked off by Angela; (ii) he got a ticking off from the magistrate.

24a   Lover/'s/ air to a man intoxicated? (9)

An inamorata[5] is a person's female lover ⇒ his new inamorata is a twenty-two-year-old mannequin named Jennifer.

Behind the Picture
The 2Kiwis illustrate their review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog with a photo of Heath Ledger in the title role from the 2005 film Casanova[7]. I believe the two lovelies to be Sienna Miller as Francesca Bruni and Lena Olin as Andrea Bruni (Francesca's mother).

25a   Conscious /of/ fighting in Accident and Emergency (5)

A & E[5] (accident and emergency) is the British term for the Emergency Department in a hospital ⇒ (i) a nurse at work told me I should go to A & E; (ii) an A & E department.

26a   Thread from which one weaves // a tale (4)

27a   Nuisances surrounding one young lady repelled // those expecting the worst (10)

Down

1d   Modelled vessel /for/ orbiter (6)

2d   Confirm // suitable returns in fish (6)

3d   Complaint, /seeing/ quota including European here (14)

4d   Men often associated with crooks? (9)

5d   Republic // subsumed by Pakistani gerontocracy (5)

Niger[5] is a landlocked country in West Africa, on the southern edge of the Sahara; population 15,306,300 (est. 2009): languages, French (official), Hausa, and other West African languages: capital, Niamey. Part of French West Africa from 1922, Niger became an autonomous republic within the French Community in 1958 and fully independent in 1960.

7d   Savage incursions -- wingless // creatures of legend (8)

8d   Understand Italian is easy at first // to convert into binary form (8)

"Italian" = IT (show explanation )

This cluing might be explained in a couple of ways:
  • It.[10] is an abbreviation for Italian or Italy.

  • Italian[10] is another name for Italian vermouth. It[5] is an informal, dated British term for Italian vermouth ⇒ he poured a gin and it.
hide explanation

9d   Terminal cases must be taken here (7,7)

Suitcases that have reached their destination (the terminal point of their journey) are taken here while those in transit are loaded on another aircraft.

Baggage reclaim[5] is this the British name for baggage claim, the area in an airport where arriving passengers collect luggage that has been transported in the hold of the aircraft.

15d   Bronzes found around Haiti worried // islanders (9)

16d   When the Queen, in sorrow, /shows/ such a harsh quality (8)

"the Queen" = ER (show explanation )

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

hide explanation

17d   In which one settles // a marine professor's position (8)

The Royal Marines[5] (abbreviation RM)[5] is a British armed service (part of the Royal Navy) founded in 1664, trained for service at sea, or on land under specific circumstances.

19d   Dangerous situation /of/ men in service (6)

"men" = OR (show explanation )

In the British armed forces, the term other ranks[5] (abbreviation OR[5]) refers to all those who are not commissioned officers.

hide explanation

20d   Gaffe the press regularly /may find/ sweet (6)

Sweet[5] is a British term for a sweet dish forming a course of a meal; in other words, a pudding or dessert.

Afters[5] is an informal British term for the sweet course following the main course of a mealthere was apple pie for afters.

22d   Primate supporting doctor/'s/ hanging (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, December 26, 2016

Monday, December 26, 2016 — DT 28230

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 28230
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Tuesday, September 27, 2016
Setter
Unknown
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28230]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Big Dave (Hints)
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
The National Post has skipped DT 28228 and DT 28229 which were published in The Daily Telegraph on Saturday, September 24, 2016 and Monday, September 26, 2016.

Introduction

I had thought that the National Post might not publish today and so I had a Bonus Puzzle prepared for posting. However, I guess that Boxing Day advertising provides a compelling reason to depart from the customary practice of not issuing a paper on holidays. In any event, today's puzzle should not delay you long from hitting the malls.

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   Minutes wasted mean a gent /gets/ running (10)

6a   Is infuriated to lose leader /for/ a long time (4)

9a   Cow/'s/ bottom? (5)

A double definition, the first of which is whimsical.

10a   Identify // corgi seen barking (9)

12a   Dad's wise /to provide/ safe conduct (7)

13a   Room/'s/ heat cut by 50 per cent -- it turned cold (5)

15a   Resisted // work and assumed an attitude (7)

"work" = OP (show explanation )

In music, an opus[5] (plural opuses or opera) is a separate composition or set of compositions.

The abbreviation Op.[5] (also op.), denoting opus, is used before a number given to each work of a particular composer, usually indicating the order of publication. The plural form of Op. is Opp..

Opus[5] can also be used in a more general sense to mean an artistic work, especially one on a large scale ⇒ he was writing an opus on Mexico.

hide explanation

17a   Twitch returned in actual // concert (7)

19a   Hide debts? /That's/ mad (7)

21a   A designer's initial put on clothing // label (7)

In his review, Big Dave parses the wordplay as A (from the clue) + D (designer's initial [letter]) + DRESS (put on clothing; verb).

An alternative parsing might be A (from the clue) + D (designer's initial [letter]) + (put on) DRESS (clothing; noun) in which the phrase "put on" acts as a charade indicator. However, this construction would violate the convention for the use of "on" as a charade indicator in an across clue (show explanation ) — although setters are known to disregard that convention.

"A on B" Convention
A sometimes ignored cryptic crossword convention provides that, 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. .

Notwithstanding the above, a solver must always be vigilant for setters who flout this convention.

hide explanation

22a   Regularly adore a mother/'s/ excitement (5)

24a   26 to get old // piece of information (7)

The numeral "26" is a cross reference indicator directing the solver to insert the solution to clue 26d in its place to complete the clue. The directional indicator is customarily omitted in situations such as this where only a single clue starts in the light* that is being referenced.

* light-coloured cell in the grid

27a   Huge robin up in the air, // one close to another (9)

28a   Tick seen on old south-east // American deer (5)

Tick[5] is an informal British term for a moment ⇒ (i) I shan’t be a tick; (ii) I’ll be with you in a tick.

Mo[5] (abbreviation for moment) is an informal, chiefly British term for a short period of time ⇒ hang on a mo!.

This animal is not exclusively [North] American. The moose[5] is a large deer with palmate antlers and a growth of skin hanging from the neck, native to northern Eurasia and northern North America.

29a   Watched // some characters returning in Brookside yesterday (4)

Brookside[7] is a British soap opera set in Liverpool, England which ran on British public-service television broadcaster Channel 4* for 21 years from 1982 until 2003.

Delving Deeper
Brookside was often Channel 4's highest rated programme for a number of years in the mid-80s with audiences regularly in excess of nine million viewers. However, by 2000 its viewing figures were in terminal decline and low ratings eventually led to its cancellation. The final episode was watched by around two million viewers.

The programme is notable for its tackling of realistic and socially challenging storylines. It is especially well known for broadcasting the first pre-watershed lesbian kiss on British television in 1994, as well as a powerful domestic abuse storyline resulting in murder. In 1996, the series experienced an extreme backlash from viewers when it featured a hugely controversial storyline of a consensual incestuous sexual relationship between two sibling characters.

* Channel 4 is a British publicly owned television service that was established to provide a fourth television service to the United Kingdom in addition to the licence-funded BBC's two services and the single commercial broadcasting network, ITV.

30a   Large dress fantastic // in any event (10)

Down

1d   Spy // a mark on the skin (4)

Initially entering SPOT in the grid certainly did nothing to advance my efforts in the northwest corner.

2d   Novel's mediocre writing on the Queen? // It could be within solver's grasp (9)

"Queen" = ER (show explanation )

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

hide explanation

3d   American soldier's circling both directions /to get/ young ladies (5)

You won't need a compass to find these directions.

"American soldier" = GI (show explanation )

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).

hide explanation

4d   Mythical creature // I rammed at sea? (7)

5d   Enthusiast almost certain // that power could come from Hinkley Point? (7)

Hinkley Point[7] is a headland on the Bristol Channel coast of Somerset, England. The landscape of Hinkley Point is dominated by two nuclear power stations with a third in the offing.

7d   Flash /from/ top of golden material (5)

Lint[5] is a fabric, originally of linen, with a raised nap on one side, used for dressing wounds ⇒ he smeared ointment on a strip of lint.

8d   Mum/'s/ budgerigars, finally flying, cheep not so much (10)

Scratching the Surface
The budgerigar[5] (more commonly known as a budgie[5]) is a small gregarious Australian parakeet which is green with a yellow head in the wild. It is popular as a cage bird and has been bred in a variety of colours.

11d   Looked // good with weapon on back of steed (7)

"good" = G (show explanation )

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

hide explanation

14d   Trust // prisoner to dispose of stolen goods without identification (10)

16d   Swallow /and/ food ends up here? (7)

18d   So // article about king is in enemy's grasp? (9)

"king" = R (show explanation )

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).

hide explanation

20d   This person's unknown // amount of money collected, we hear (7)

21d   Albert leaves one country /for/ another (7)

The implied definition is "another [country]".

23d   One very captivated by alcohol -- // bubbly? (5)

In titles, the abbreviation V.[10] stands for Very as in V. Rev.[10] (abbreviation for Very Reverend).

25d   Directed // the writer inside to help (5)

"the writer" = ME (show explanation )

It is a common cryptic crossword convention for the creator of the puzzle to use terms such as (the or this) compiler, (the or this) setter, (the or this) author, (the or this) writer, or (the or this) person to refer to himself or herself. To solve such a clue, one must substitute a first person pronoun (I or me) for whichever of these terms has been used in the clue.

hide explanation

26d   Where the regulars eat // hash? (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