Monday, February 29, 2016

Monday, February 29, 2016 — DT 27925

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27925
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
Setter
Unknown
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27925]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Gazza
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★ / ★★ Enjoyment - ★★
Falcon's Experience
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Legend:
- solved without assistance
- incorrect prior to use of puzzle solving tools
- solved with assistance from puzzle solving tools
- solved with aid of checking letters provided by puzzle solving tools
- solved but without fully parsing the clue
- unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Big Dave's Crossword Blog
- solved with aid of checking letters provided by solutions from Big Dave's Crossword Blog
- reviewed by Falcon for Big Dave's Crossword Blog
- yet to be solved
Notes
The National Post has skipped DT 27924 which was published in The Daily Telegraph on Monday, October 5, 2015.

Introduction

I hope you didn't work up a sweat over this puzzle.

Over the weekend, Big Dave's Crossword Blog moved to a new hosting service in an effort to resolve the performance problems that have been plaguing his site for some time. However, as of this morning, his site seems to be down entirely. Hopefully, it will be back on line later 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   Former lover was modelling, // laid bare (7)

5a   Embarrassed // when actor initially exploits director (7)

Not surprisingly, Gazza is right and I was wrong. I had presumed that we must interpret the word "initially" to be indicating the initial letters of both "E(xploits)" and "D(irector)". However, The Chambers Dictionary defines D[1] as the abbreviation for Director.

9a   Re stoop -- it could make you // most short (7)

The phrase "could make you" often appears as a link phrase as in a clue constructed along the lines of:
  • {wordplay} {could make you [link phrase]} {definition}
However, here we find this phrase serving as part of what amounts to an implicit anagram indicator:
  • {anagram fodder} {it ["it" referring to the anagram fodder] could make you [anagram indicator]} {definition}
I call it an implicit anagram indicator because it does not explicitly tell us that an anagram is the operation involved. It merely tells us that some unspecified operation must be performed on the fodder to produce the definition.

10a   Turn to bat -- // proceeds to lose wicket (7)

On cricket scorecards, W[5] is used as an abbreviation for wicket(s). In cricket, to take a wicket[5] (said of a bowler or a fielding side) means to dismiss a batsman.

In cricket, innings[5] (plural same or informally inningses) denotes:
  1. each of two or four divisions of a game during which one side has a turn at batting ⇒ the highlight of the Surrey innings; or
  2. a player’s turn at batting ⇒ he had played his greatest innings; or
  3. the score achieved during a player’s turn at batting ⇒ a solid innings of 78 by Marsh.
In the first sense, the term innings (spelled with an 's') would correspond somewhat to an inning (spelled without an 's') in baseball while the second sense would be roughly equivalent to an at bat in baseball.

11a   Man in services seen with empty lorry // on a frequent basis (9)

Scratching the Surface
Lorry[5] is the common name in the UK for the vehicle known in North America as a truck[5] [despite the fact that Oxford Dictionaries defines a lorry as being a truck and a truck as being a lorry].

12a   Be in crate // that's tossed north of the border? (5)

Of course, the border is the one between England and Scotland.

A caber[5] is a roughly trimmed tree trunk used in the Scottish Highland sport of tossing the caber. This involves holding the caber upright and running forward to toss it so that it lands on the opposite end.

13a   Grew small // flowers (5)

15a   One thousand newspapers: editor/'s/ overwhelmed (9)

17a   Lingerie -- // two articles from abroad are ordered by women (9)

In French, the masculine singular form of the indefinite article is un[8] while, in German, der[8] is one of the several forms that the definite article may assume.

19a   Rags /made from/ loose dress, first to last (5)

22a   Son visits gallery, /showing/ discernment (5)

"gallery" = TATE (show explanation )

23a   In stress, I'd start to show //  blunders (9)

25a   Judge /from/ one American state impounding 1000 dollars (7)

26a   Not informed // United Nations has a battle with Spain (7)

"Spain" = E (show explanation

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

hide explanation

27a   Fancied // lodger? Sounds like it (7)

28a   Nice text -- unfortunately line finally goes // dead (7)

Down

1d   Rome ripe to be changed? One's got rid of // Caesar, perhaps (7)

Caesar[5] is a title of Roman emperors, especially those from Augustus to Hadrian. The title is probably most commonly associated with the Roman general and statesman Gaius Julius Caesar[5] (100–44 BC).

2d   Sow plus hog -- // one finds them on a farm (7)

As an anagram indicator, sow[5] is used in the sense of scatter (seeds).

3d   That woman will // peel outside (5)

4d   Find out, // from Parisian, word in English (9)

"from Parisian" = DE (show explanation )

In French, de[8] is a preposition meaning 'of'' or 'from'.

hide explanation

5d   Friendship /from/ a year in American university? Just the opposite (5)

"American university" = MIT (show explanation )

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology[5] (abbreviation MIT) is a US institute of higher education, famous for scientific and technical research, founded in 1861 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

hide explanation

6d   Present: finest // lotion (4,5)

7d   Coach /finds/ skirt almost ruined (7)

8d   Wanted // something done about gentleman (7)

14d   Where one finds doctors // rise up and rise anew (9)

Surgery[5] is a British term for a place where a doctor, dentist, or other medical practitioner treats or advises patients [equivalent term in North America: doctor's office].

16d   Drop // safety equipment (9)

17d   Aunty in gilet, pockets // loosening (7)

A gilet[5] is a light sleeveless padded jacket.

18d   Vicious punk rocker returned to get rest /for/ illness (7)

Sid Vicious[7] (1957–1979), born John Simon Ritchie, later named John Beverley, was an English bass guitarist, drummer and vocalist, most famous as a member of the influential punk rock band the Sex Pistols, and notorious for his arrest for the alleged murder of his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen [Vicious died of a (possibly deliberate) heroin overdose while out on bail awaiting trial].

20d   Continued briefly with article in // house (7)

In the cryptic analysis, "house" becomes a verb.

21d   Mistrust // religious school detaining us with pressure (7)

"pressure" = P (show explanation )

In physics, the symbol p[5] is used to represent pressure.

hide explanation

23d   Winning /as/ a captain? (5)

24d   Sketch // daughter on flat wooden boat (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

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Saturday, February 27, 2016 — The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Introduction

Overall, I didn't find today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon to be overly difficult. However, I puzzled over 8d for an exceedingly long time before I saw the light.

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

Solution to Today's Puzzle

Falcon's Experience
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Legend:
- solved without assistance
- incorrect prior to use of puzzle solving tools
- solved with assistance from puzzle solving tools
- solved with aid of checking letters provided by puzzle solving tools
- solved but without fully parsing the clue
- yet to be solved

Legend: "*" anagram; "~" sounds like; "<" letters reversed

"( )" letters inserted; "_" letters deleted; "†" explicit in the clue

Primary indications (definitions) are marked with a solid underline in the clue; subsidiary indications (be they wordplay or other) are marked with a dashed underline in all-in-one (& lit.) clues, semi-all-in-one (semi-& lit.) clues and cryptic definitions. Explicit link words and phrases are enclosed in forward slashes (/link/) and implicit links are shown as double forward slashes (//).

Across

1a   Block call /for/ material (6)

DAM|ASK — DAM (block) + ASK (call)

4a   Snail // races got weird (8)

ESCARGOT* — anagram (weird) of RACES GOT

9a   Martial deity // turned track green (3,3)

{WAR GOD}< — reversal (turned) of {DOG (track; pursue) + RAW (green; inexperienced) }

10a   Embracing attendant, make up /for/ shiner (5,3)

B(LACK EY)E — BE (make up; comprise) containing (embracing) LACKEY (attendant)

11a   Expression of dismay in billiards surface /that/ may be felt (9)

T(OUCH)ABLE — OUCH (expression of dismay) contained in (in) TABLE (billiards surface)

13a   Good quality // among cassettes (5)

_ASSET_ — hidden in (among) cASSETtes

14a   Making a clerical error, // blasted strip mining (11)

MISPRINTING* — anagram (blasted) of STRIP MINING

18a   Casts about in Germany /for/ small fishes (11)

F(IN|GER)LINGS — FLINGS (casts) containing (about) {IN (†) + GER (Germany; abbrev.)}

21a   Yikes— a reversed // saw (5)

{A|DAGE}< — reversal (reversed) of {EGAD (yikes) + A (†)}

22a   Dad receiving a tip on current // part of South America (9)

P(A|TAG|ON|I)A — PA (dad) containing (receiving) {A (†) + TAG (tip [of a shoelace or animal's tail]) + ON (†) + I ([electrical] current; symbol used in physics}

Tag[3] can have the following meanings (both new to me):
  1. the the plastic or metal tip at the end of a shoelace; or
  2. the contrastingly colored tip of an animal's tail.
24a   Cheer // two-master then at sea (8)

BRIG|HTEN* — BRIG (two-master; sailing vessel) + anagram (at sea) of THEN

25a   Riding // wild hog in commercial (6)

A(BOAR)D — BOAR (wild hog) contained in (in) AD (commercial)

26a   Dictates newly // critical trial (4,4)

{ACID TEST}* — anagram (newly) of DICTATES

27a   Win over // last listener (6)

END|EAR — END (last) + EAR (listener)

Down

1d   Break // some insulation, turning vent (8)

DOWN|TIME< — DOWN (some insulation) + reversal (turning) of EMIT (vent)

2d   Noblewoman/’s/ mother agitated squire (8)

MA|RQUISE* — MA (mother) + anagram (agitated) of SQUIRE

A marquise[5] is the wife or widow of a marquis* or a woman holding the rank of marquis in her own right.

* In some European countries, a marquis[5] is a nobleman ranking above a count and below a duke.

In Britain, the equivalent titles are:
  1. marquess[5], a nobleman ranking above an earl and below a duke;
  2. marchioness[5], the wife or widow of a marquess or a woman holding the rank of marquess in her own right.
3d   Keep quiet about Biblical man/’s/ sin (5)

S(LOT)H — SH ([exhortation to] keep quiet) containing (about) LOT (Biblical man)

In the Bible, Lot[5] is the nephew of Abraham, who was allowed to escape from the destruction of Sodom (Gen. 19). His wife, who disobeyed orders and looked back, was turned into a pillar of salt.

In Christian tradition, the sins of pride, covetousness, lust, anger, gluttony, envy, and sloth are known as the seven deadly sins[5].

5d   Obvious // field events reorganized (4-7)

{SELF-EVIDENT}* — anagram (reorganized) of FIELD EVENTS

6d   Right coins pocketed by a large // figure with wings (9)

A(R|CHANGE)L — {R (right; abbrev.) + CHANGE (coins)} contained in (pocketed by) { A (†) + L (large; abbrev.)}

An archangel[5]. is an angel of greater than ordinary rank.

7d   Oil // country by the sound (6)

GREASE~ — sounds like (by the sound) GREECE (country)

8d   Compact // snack included in sample (6)

TR(EAT)Y — EAT (snack) contained in (included in) TRY (sample)

12d   Disallow a snooze with wriggly fishes — // that’s slapstick material (6,5)

BAN|A|NA P|EELS — BAN (disallow) + A (†) + NAP (snooze) + (with) EELS (wriggly fishes)

15d   Report // civil disturbance about meat (5,4)

RI(FLE SH)OT — RIOT (civil disturbance) containing (about) FLESH (meat)

16d   Drench // one sister and companion at a party (8)

I|NUN|DATE — I ([Roman numeral for] one) + NUN (sister) + (and) DATE (companion at a party)

17d   I cast aspersions on // an NHL player (8)

I|SLANDER — I (†) + SLANDER (cast aspersions on)

The New York Islanders[7] are an American professional ice hockey team based in New York City that competes in the National Hockey League (NHL). They are a member of the league's Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at the Barclays Center, located in the borough of Brooklyn.

19d   Explorer // stole about a pound (6)

B(A|LB)OA_ — BOA (stole; feather scarf) containing (about) {A (†) + LB (pound; abbrev.}

Vasco Núñez de Balboa[5] (1475–1519) was a Spanish explorer. In 1513 he reached the western coast of the isthmus of Darien (Panama), thereby becoming the first European to see the eastern shores of the Pacific Ocean.

20d   Trapped in Ottawa, pitiful // elk (6)

_WA|PITI_ — hidden in (trapped in) OttaWA PITIful

Wapiti[3,4,11] is another name for the elk, a large deer (Cervus canadensis) with large much-branched antlers, native to North America and now also common in the South Island of New Zealand. Wapiti is the principal name by which this animal is known in the UK, although it may also be referred to as the American elk or Canadian elk. In Britain, elk[5] is another name for the moose (Alces alces).

23d   Talk about // country in Africa (5)

GAB|ON — GAB (talk) + ON (about)

Gabon[5] is an equatorial country in West Africa, on the Atlantic coast; population 1,515,000 (est. 2009); languages, French (official), West African languages; capital, Libreville. Gabon became a French territory in 1888. Part of French Equatorial Africa from 1910 to 1958, it became an independent republic in 1960.

Epilogue

The title of today's review is inspired by 6d, 3d, and 10a.
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, February 26, 2016

Friday, February 26, 2016 — DT 27923

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27923
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Saturday, October 3, 2015
Setter
Unknown
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27923 – Hints]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27923 – Review]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Big Dave (Hints)
gnomethang (Review)
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★★ Enjoyment - ★★★
Falcon's Experience
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Legend:
- solved without assistance
- incorrect prior to use of puzzle solving tools
- solved with assistance from puzzle solving tools
- solved with aid of checking letters provided by puzzle solving tools
- solved but without fully parsing the clue
- unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Big Dave's Crossword Blog
- solved with aid of checking letters provided by solutions from Big Dave's Crossword Blog
- reviewed by Falcon for Big Dave's Crossword Blog
- yet to be solved
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

No skipping today; the expected puzzle appears in the National Post. For those of you like myself who are fans of cryptic definitions, there are some nice ones in this puzzle. I especially enjoyed the "cross country runners meet" at 18a.

If you follow the comments on Big Dave's site to the end, you will see that the England rugby team met its doom at the hands of Australia.

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

2a   Copy-editor number one upset by writing // fee (12)

Sub[5] is a British term for a subeditor ⇒ the chief sub would be responsible for the look of the paper.

8a   Large number have a complaint when it goes astray (4)

Contrary to gnomethang, I rather liked this semi-&lit. (semi-all-in-one) clue in which the entire clue is a a cryptic definition and a portion of the clue (indicated by the dashed underline) is the wordplay.

"large number" = M (show explanation )

In cryptic crosswords,  "a number" is very often a Roman numeral and, in particular, terms such as "(a) large number", "many" or "a great many" are frequently used  to indicate that a large Roman numeral — generally C (100), D (500), or M (1000) — is required.

hide explanation

9a   Disposed of what was left after liquidation (6,2)

10a   Greek character returning after short time /offers/ driving force (8)

Mu[5] is the twelfth letter of the Greek alphabet (Μ, μ).

11a   Went round -- no answer -- // went off (6)

Go off[5] is a British (or, at least, chiefly British[3]) term meaning (said of food or drink) to begin to decompose and become inedible ⇒ milk went off so quickly in hot weather.

12a   Posh tie, shy, dressed up /to make/ proposition (10)

13a   On holiday, with reserve /in/ place of business (6)

In his review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog, gnomethang offers one explanation for "reserve" being used to clue ICE. However, I submit that there is an alternative, at least equally valid choice.

Ice[5] means complete absence of friendliness or warmth in manner or expression ⇒ the ice in his voice was only to hide the pain.

16a   Outbuilding accommodating single // wee Scot? (5)

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

17a   Smart hat more than covering // Mary's sister (6)

In the New Testament, Martha[5] is the the sister of Lazarus and Mary and friend of Jesus (Luke 10:40).

Delving Deeper
In the bible story, Christ visited a home where two sisters, Mary and Martha, lived. Mary sat at the visitor's feet to listen to him while Martha raced about preparing and serving the meal.. After the meal, Mary poured expensive perfume on Jesus' feet and wiped them with her hair. Eventually, Martha's patience ran out, and she called on Mary to help her. Martha was chided for her mundane concerns, and told that "Mary has chosen what is better". This story has given rise to a Martha being a term for a woman who keeps herself very busy with domestic affairs.

18a   Study complaint in this French // place where cross-country runners meet (10)

In Crosswordland, complaints are commonly medical in nature.

Con[5] is an archaic term meaning to study attentively or learn by heart (a piece of writing)  ⇒ the girls conned their pages with a great show of industry.

In French, en[8] is a preposition meaning 'in'and ce[8] is a demonstrative adjective meaning 'this'.

21a   Rose // crazy to come back with invite (6)

Damask[5] is short for damask rose[5], a sweet-scented rose (Rosa damascena) of an old variety, having pink or light red velvety petals which are used to make attar*.

* A fragrant essential oil, typically made from rose petals.

23a   Subcontinental graduate's entered // ship (8)

Historically, an Indiaman[5] was a ship engaged in trade with India or the East or West Indies, especially an East Indiaman.

24a   Go to collect everything for each // one making rapid progress (8)

25a   Prepare to shoot // bird (4)

26a   Echoes of swan in flight // appear (4,4,4)

Down

1d   Parrot circling an // overhanging shelter (6)

2d   Put off deciding // what to do with bed (5,2,2)

3d   Irregular discolouration left in // cowboy builder's work (6)

Cowboy[5] is an informal British term for a dishonest or careless person in business, especially an unqualified one ⇒ [as modifier] cowboy coach [bus] firms are alleged to have flouted safety rules.

4d   Percentage rise ordered to cover area // hotel employees (15)

Commissionaire[5] is a British term for a uniformed door attendant at a hotel, theatre, or other building.

5d   Trendy agent's shown up to meet lad // face to face (2,6)

6d   Pinching // the paper (5)

Pinching is a gerund which means it can fill the role of a noun.

The Financial Times[7] (abbreviation FT) is a British international business newspaper that is — as gnomethang alludes in his review — printed on conspicuous salmon pink newsprint.

7d   Lavishness /of/ couple rebuilding to house small unit for printing (8)

In printing, the en[5] is a unit of measurement equal to half an em and approximately the average width of typeset characters, used especially for estimating the total amount of space a text will require.

14d   Self-employed // fencer with ale being spilt (9)

15d   Staged a party /and/ gave it a go (3,1,4)

16d   Supports leg // movement achieved by some potters (8)

In billiards and snooker, pot[5] means to strike (a ball) into a pocket ⇒ he failed to pot a red at close range. Thus, a potter is someone who plays billiards or snooker. Since I failed to find the term potter defined in this sense in any of my dictionaries, this usage may merely be a cryptic crossword convention — similar to the word flower (something that flows) being used to define a river.

19d   Affectedly superior // boy and girl (2-2-2)

La-di-da[5] (also lah-di-dah) is an informal term denoting pretentious or snobbish in manner or speech ⇒ do I really sound like a la-di-da society lawyer?.

20d   Dicey, // showing sign of hesitation leaving court (6)

In the UK, the Chancery[5] (or Chancery Division) denotes the Lord Chancellor’s court, a division of the High Court of Justice.

22d   Base silver starts // shining (5)

The symbol for the chemical element silver is Ag[5] from Latin argentum.
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, February 25, 2016

Thursday, February 25, 2016 — DT 27922

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27922
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Friday, October 2, 2015
Setter
Giovanni (Don Manley)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27922]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Deep Threat
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★ / ★★ Enjoyment - ★★★
Falcon's Experience
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Legend:
- solved without assistance
- incorrect prior to use of puzzle solving tools
- solved with assistance from puzzle solving tools
- solved with aid of checking letters provided by puzzle solving tools
- solved but without fully parsing the clue
- unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Big Dave's Crossword Blog
- solved with aid of checking letters provided by solutions from Big Dave's Crossword Blog
- reviewed by Falcon for Big Dave's Crossword Blog
- yet to be solved
Notes
The National Post has skipped DT 27920 and DT 27921 which were published in The Daily Telegraph on Wednesday, September 30, 2015 and Thursday, October 1, 2015.

Introduction

Once again, I had a review ready to post only to discover that the National Post had not published the puzzle. This time they have skipped ahead two days.

Fortunately, the puzzle is not too difficult allowing me to polish it off fairly quickly and produce a review before lunch.

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

5a   Dignitary // to ramble endlessly when installed in position (7)

A provost[5] might be considered to be a dignitary in any of several senses, including:
  1. a British term for the head of certain university colleges, especially at Oxford or Cambridge, and public schools;
  2. a Scottish term for a mayor; or
  3. the head of a chapter in a cathedral.
However, the link may not occur to North Americans who know a provost[5] as a senior administrative officer in certain universities.

7a   Regular journeys — according to report // they go underground (5)

9a   Haul ruler back, /showing/ esteem (6)

"ruler" = 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

10a   Within list there's commercial // type of vehicle (8)

11a   Branch of medicine // that could make one stay chirpy (10)

13a   Go downhill having imbibed a // Japanese drink (4)

Saki[5] is a variant spelling of sake[5], a Japanese alcoholic drink made from fermented rice, traditionally drunk warm in small porcelain cups.

14a   Finest lass — she unfortunately /manifests/ disloyalty (13)

16a   Black stuff on the front of old // plant (4)

Taro[5] (also called dasheen or cocoyam) is a tropical Asian plant (Colocasia esculenta) of the arum family which has edible starchy corms and edible fleshy leaves, especially a variety with a large central corm grown as a staple in the Pacific.

17a   Prince Otto sacked // personal bodyguard maybe (10)

Scratching the Surface
The surface reading may be an allusion to Otto von Bismarck[5], Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg (1815–1898), a Prussian minister and German statesman, Chancellor of the German Empire 1871–90; known as the Iron Chancellor. He was the driving force behind the unification of Germany, orchestrating wars with Denmark (1864), Austria (1866), and France (1870-1) in order to achieve this end.

A more remote possibility might be Prince Otto: A Romance[7], a novel written by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894), first published in 1885.

However, Prince Otto may be nothing more than a convenient arrangement of the letters in the anagram.

19a   Party people // present (8)

20a   City hospital /in/ district with church (6)

22a   Stuck in car, a certain // person in a hurry (5)

23a   Soldiers /in/ French city by river (7)

Angers[5] is a town in western France, capital of the former province of Anjou; population 156,965 (2006).

A ranger[5] is a member of a body of armed men, in particular a mounted soldier or (in the US) a commando.

Down

1d   /That's/ a bit // I love — thanks! (4)

If you think about it carefully, you should see that this clue has a link word ("that's") at the beginning. From the standpoint of cryptic analysis, the clue adopts an inverted sentence structure (much like this sentence, in which the phrase "from the standpoint of cryptic analysis" has been placed at the beginning of the sentence rather than at the end).

Were we to write the clue in a straightforward wordplay-linkword-definition order, it would read:
  • I love -- thanks /that's/ a bit (4)
Of course, while this order clarifies the cryptic analysis, it totally destroys the surface reading of the clue.

"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

Ta[5] is an informal British exclamation signifying thank you ?‘Ta,’ said Willie gratefully.

2d   Game is hard, daughter admitted — // swimmer with severe limitations? (8)

"hard" = H (show explanation )

H[5] is an abbreviation for hard, as used in describing grades of pencil lead ⇒ a 2H pencil.

hide explanation 

The "severe limitations" being the swimmer's restricted range of movement.

3d   Dull /and/ uninteresting? Listener needs to be engaged (6)

4d   Harmonious /and/ happy old Bob is kept inside (10)

Although deceptively capitalized in the clue, bob[5] is an informal British term for a a shilling[5] (abbreviation s[5]) which, in the British currency system used prior to the introduction of the current decimal currency system, was a coin and monetary unit equal to one twentieth of a pound or twelve pence.

5d   Word sometimes worn by journalist /in/ crowd (5)

6d   Go past critical point /and/ mark page in book? (4,3,6)

8d   Religious types entertaining ambassador /and/ rulers (7)

A Sikh[5] is an adherent of Sikhism[5], a monotheistic religion founded in Punjab in the 15th century by Guru Nanak.

HE[2] is the abbreviation for His or Her Excellency, where Excellency[2] (usually His, Her or Your Excellency or Your or Their Excellencies) is a title of honour given to certain people of high rank, e.g. ambassadors.

A sheikh[5] is an Arab leader, in particular the chief or head of an Arab tribe, family, or village.

12d   Greek character and gypsy outside front of circus // fortune-telling (10)

Chi[5] is the twenty-second letter of the Greek alphabet (Χ, χ).

Romany[5] is the language of the Gypsies. An Indo-European language related to Hindi, it is spoken by a dispersed group of about 1 million people, and has many dialects.

Romany can mean Gypsy in either of the following senses:
  1. (as a noun) another term for a Gypsy;
  2. (as an adjective) denoting relating to Gypsies or their language.
Chiromancy[5] is another term for palmistry, the supposed prediction of a person’s future from interpreting the lines on the palms of their hands.

Scratching the Surface
A Gypsy[5] (also Gipsy) is a member of a travelling people traditionally living by itinerant trade and fortune telling. Gypsies speak a language (Romany) that is related to Hindi and are believed to have originated in South Asia.

14d   Characteristic quality /of/ learner in act of kindness (7)

"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

15d   Cleaning? // Carol's keen to get stuck in (8)

17d   Privilege of preferential treatment, the thing lacking /in/ religious house (6)

A priory[5] is a small monastery or nunnery that is governed by a prior or prioress.

18d   Forces out /in/ old-fashioned combats without leader (5)

Historically, a joust[5] was a medieval sporting contest in which two opponents on horseback fought with lances ⇒ the king and the young knights at court passed their time in jousts, tournaments, and the chase.

21d   Nonconformist losing heart /in/ dance (4)

A reel[5] is a lively Scottish or Irish folk dance.
Key to Reference Sources: 

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

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Wednesday, February 24, 2016 — DT 27919

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27919
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Setter
Unknown
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27919]
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
Notes
The National Post has skipped DT 27918 which was published in The Daily Telegraph on Monday, September 28, 2015.

Introduction

The review was ready to be posted early this morning. There was only one problem — the National Post did not publish the puzzle that I reviewed.

For once I recognized that the puzzle is a pangram (a puzzle in which every letter of the alphabet appears at least once in the solution). In fact, I had used all the letters even before I was halfway through the puzzle. However, I failed to noticed that it is a "double pangram" — with every letter being used at least twice.

In the introduction to his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog (which appeared on a Tuesday), Gazza enthuses "I’m still in a state of euphoria (and shock) after the magnificent performance by Wales on Saturday evening". The previous day, in his review of the puzzle that has been skipped, Miffypops had written "The hurt of Saturday night will surely pass". They are referring to England's 28-25 loss to Wales in a 2015 Rugby World Cup match. Middypops went on to say "On the plus side, we are still in The Rugby World Cup". Yes, but a fateful match with Australia is looming.

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

7a   Major, OBE, lost // bottle (8)

A jeroboam[10] (also called double magnum)  is a wine bottle holding the equivalent of four normal bottles (approximately 104 ounces). The name is a  humorous allusion to Jeroboam, a king of Israel, described as a 'mighty man of valour' (I Kings 11:28) who 'made Israel to sin' (I Kings 14:16).

Scratching the Surface
OBE[5] is the abbreviation for Officer of the Order of the British Empirethe Order of the British Empire[5] being an order of knighthood instituted in 1917 and divided into five classes, each with military and civilian divisions. The classes are: Knight or Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE), Knight or Dame Commander (KBE/DBE), Commander (CBE), Officer (OBE), and Member (MBE). The two highest classes entail the awarding of a knighthood.

Bottle[5] is an informal British term denoting the courage or confidence needed to do something difficult or dangerous ⇒ I lost my bottle completely and ran.

9a   Used at sea to carry ten over /in/ mass migration (6)

"over" = O (show explanation )

On cricket scorecards, the abbreviation O[5] denotes over(s), an over[5] being a division of play 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.

hide explanation

10a   Ornamental stone // jardiniere initially manufactured, first off (4)

Scratching the Surface
A jardinière[5] is an ornamental pot or stand for the display of growing plants.

11a   Lorry can be deployed /to deliver/ grain (10)

A barleycorn[5] is a grain of barley.

Scratching the Surface
The vehicle known in North America as a truck[5] would commonly be called a lorry[5] in the UK [despite the fact that Oxford Dictionaries defines a lorry as being a truck and a truck as being a lorry].

12a   Fate /of/ king is settled (6)

"king" = K (show explanation )

K[5] is an abbreviation for king that is used especially in describing play in card games and recording moves in chess.

hide explanation

Kismet[5] (a word adopted from Turkish) means destiny or fate ⇒ what chance did I stand against kismet?

14a   Remove a restriction on // a French band on the radio (8)

"a French" = UN (show explanation )

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

hide explanation

15a   Hold /and/ name the Spanish boy (6)

"the Spanish" = EL (show explanation )

In Spanish, the masculine singular form of the definite article is el[8].

hide explanation

A nelson[5] is a wrestling hold in which one arm is passed under the opponent’s arm from behind and the hand is applied to the neck (half nelson), or both arms and hands are applied (full nelson).

17a   Searches /for/ people who'll clean a chimney (6)

20a   /With/ group on Scottish river, // start on a journey (3,5)

As Gazza points out in his review, this clue contravenes the convention that A on B in an across clue produces the result BA.

22a   Get back // control across Georgia (6)

In official postal use, the abbreviation for Georgia is GA[5].

23a   Indication of disapproval mostly shown by one next to a // police van (5,5)

Black Maria[5] is an informal name for a police vehicle for transporting prisoners. Originally a US term, it is said to be named after a black woman, Maria Lee, who kept a boarding house in Boston and helped police in escorting drunk and disorderly customers to jail.

24a   Long // account by ambassador (4)

HE[2] is the abbreviation for His or Her Excellency, where Excellency[2] (usually His, Her or Your Excellency or Your or Their Excellencies) is a title of honour given to certain people of high rank, e.g. ambassadors.

25a   Deny any connection with // row about pig (6)

26a   General behaviour /in/ Manhattan thoroughfare (8)
Broadway[5] is a street* traversing the length of Manhattan, New York. It is famous for its theatres, and its name has become synonymous with show business.

* Although it runs in the direction of the avenues rather than the streets.

Down

1d   Source of annoyance // to a vixen, possibly (8)

2d   Close to Cadiz, unique // area (4)

Scratching the Surface
Cadiz[5] is a city and port on the coast of southwestern Spain; population 127,200 (2008).

3d   Action // film doctor's got into (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

4d   There's always hardly any after fine // plant (8)

"fine" = F (show explanation )

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

hide explanation

The feverfew[5] is a small bushy aromatic Eurasian plant of the daisy family (Tanacetum parthenium), with feathery leaves and daisy-like flowers, used in herbal medicine to treat headaches.

5d   Stole fish, say, before beginning to grill // something for breakfast, perhaps? (7,3)

6d   Mineral /and/ two pints, followed by unknown quantity (6)

In mathematics (algebra, in particular), an unknown[10] is a variable, or the quantity it represents, the value of which is to be discovered by solving an equation ⇒ 3y = 4x + 5 is an equation in two unknowns. [Unknowns are customarily represented symbolically by the letters x, y and z.]

8d   Make // most of large tent (6)

Marquee[5] is a chiefly British term for a large tent used for social or commercial functions. In North America, marquee[5] has quite a different meaning, namely a canopy projecting over the entrance to a theatre, hotel, or other building. This has given rise to marquee[5] being used as an adjective denoting leading or pre-eminent ⇒ a marquee player based on an allusion to the practice of billing the name of an entertainer on the canopy over the entrance to a theatre. I wonder what the Brits think when they hear the term "marquee player"? Do they envision an actor performing in a tent?

13d   Man in play perhaps trapping female // criminal (10)

16d   Daughter, after working over staff, /is/ held pending a hearing (2,6)

Over[5] is a preposition used in the sense of on the subject of ⇒ a long and heated debate over unemployment.

18d   Pelt nut, // anti-establishment type (8)

A skinhead[5] is a young man of a subculture characterized by close-cropped hair and heavy boots, often perceived as aggressive.

19d   Inexperienced reporter interrupted by that girl, // an angelic being (6)

What did he say?
In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Gazza remarksThis [CHERUB] is obviously the word of the week – what are the odds that we’ll see it again tomorrow?.
As you might guess, the word CHERUB was the solution to a clue in the preceding puzzle, DT 27918 — which the National Post has skipped — where it was clued by Rufus as:
  • High-spirited child? (6)

21d   No time for article about // cake (6)

22d   Motive /in/ serious crime leader's denied (6)

24d   Assistant /in/ a team, no saint (4)

"saint" = S (show explanation )

S[5] (chiefly in Catholic use) is an abbreviation for SaintS Ignatius Loyola.

hide explanation

Side[5] is a British term for a sports team ⇒ there was a mixture of old and young players in their side. [Note that a player is "in a side" rather than "on a team" as one would say in North America]

Delving Deeper
In North America, the term side[3] is used in a very general fashion that can denote one of two or more opposing individuals, groups, teams, or sets of opinions. While this same general usage would seem to exist as well in the UK, the term side[5] is also used there in a much more specific sense to mean a sports team, as we can clearly see from the following usage examples ⇒ (i) Previous England rugby sides, and England teams in many other sports, would have crumbled under the weight of such errors.; (ii) They'll face better sides than this Monaco team, but you can only beat what's put in front of you.
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