Saturday, September 30, 2017

Saturday, September 30, 2017 — Down Memory Lane

Introduction

Today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon proved to be a pleasant and not very taxing solve.

I must thank Henry for stepping in and supplying solutions on several occasions over the summer while I basked in the sun — or shivered in my tent — at the lake.

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 semi-all-in-one (semi-&lit.) clues. All-in-one (&lit.) clues and cryptic definitions are marked with a dotted underline. Explicit link words and phrases are enclosed in forward slashes (/link/) and implicit links are shown as double forward slashes (//).

Across

1a   Make me // something round overhead (4)

DO|ME — DO (make) + ME (†)

3a   Blunder in pitch by // rock musician (5,5)

CHUCK| B(ERR)Y — ERR (blunder) contained in (in) {CHUCK (pitch) + BY (†)}


Chuck Berry[5] (1926–2017) was a US rock-and-roll singer, guitarist, and songwriter; born Charles Edward Berry. One of the first great rock-and-roll stars, he is known for songs such as ‘Johnny B Goode’ and ‘Sweet Little Sixteen’ (both 1958).

9a   In tears, turned // meaner (7)

NASTIER* — anagram (turned; went bad, as milk) of IN TEARS

11a   Once again authorize // concrete base (7)

REAL|LOW — REAL (concrete) + LOW (base)

12a   Hardy transformed // monster (5)

HYDRA* — anagram (transformed) of HARDY

13a   Stuff written inside // satisfied (7)

CONTENT —double definition; the first a noun, the second an adjective

15a   Dream up extraterrestrial // chopper (7)

HATCH|ET — HATCH (dream up) + ET (extraterrestrial)

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial[7] (often referred to simply as E.T.) is a 1982 American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg. It tells the story of a lonely boy who befriends an extraterrestrial, dubbed "E.T.", who is stranded on Earth. He and his siblings help the extraterrestrial return home while attempting to keep it hidden from their mother and the government.

16a   In CIA, praise // name for a girl (7)

C(LAUD)IA — LAUD (praise) contained in (in) CIA (†)

18a   Clothing // intention in Rent (7)

R(AIM)ENT — AIM (intention) contained in (in) RENT (†)

Scratching the Surface
Rent[7] is a rock musical loosely based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La Bohème. It tells the story of a group of impoverished young artists struggling to survive and create a life in New York City's East Village under the shadow of HIV/AIDS.

21a   Summer footwear bearing bit of creek // mud? (7)

S(C)ANDAL — SANDAL (summer footwear) containing (bearing) C (bit [initial letter] of Creek)

23a   Part-time athlete/’s/ broken promise (7)

SEMIPRO* — anagram (broken) of PROMISE

25a   Wrap up // piece of corn found in harvest (5)

RE(C)AP — C (piece [initial letter] of Corn) contained in (found in) REAP (harvest)

27a   Bats in cargo // like some vegetables (7)

ORGANIC* — anagram (bats; mentally deranged) of IN CARGO

28a   Band booster in wacko // satire (7)

L(AMP)OON — AMP (band booster) contained in (in) LOON (wacko)

29a   “Crazy” singer // playing “Taps” nicely (5,5)

{PATSY CLINE}* — anagram (playing) of TAPS NICELY


Patsy Cline[5] (1932–1963) was an American country singer; born Virginia Petterson Hensley. She had hits with songs such as ‘Crazy’ (1961) and ‘Sweet Dreams of You’ (1963) before dying in an air crash.

30a   Sparkling wine encased in plastic (4)

_ASTI_ — hidden in (encased in) plASTIc

Asti[7] (formerly known as Asti Spumante) is a sparkling white Italian wine that is produced throughout southeastern Piedmont but is particularly focused around the towns of Asti and Alba. Since 1993 the wine has been classified as a Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) and as of 2004 was Italy's largest producing appellation.

Down

1d   Loud noise on land inhabited by hit // singer and TV host (5,5)

DIN|A(H) SHORE — DIN (loud noise) + ASHORE (on land) containing (inhabited by) H (hit; abbreviation used in baseball)


Dinah Shore[6] (1916–1993) was a US singer; born Frances Rose Shore. She was most noted for her years on television, appearing on The Dinah Shore Chevy Show (1956–63), Dinah's Place (1970–74), Dinah! (1974–80), and A Conversation with Dinah (1989–91).

2d   Dim ties upset // vet badly (7)

MISEDIT* — anagram (upset) of DIM TIES

4d   Bean // tossed to chair (7)

HARICOT* — anagram (tossed) of TO CHAIR

5d   Habitual // elegance of style surrounding Ron (7)

CH(RON)IC — CHIC (elegance of style) containing (surrounding) RON (†)

6d   Part of a car // wreck, reportedly (5)

BRAKE~ — sounds like (reportedly) BREAK (wreck)

7d   Ruby embracing tardy // kin (7)

RE(LATE)D — RED (ruby) containing (embracing) LATE (tardy)

As the definition, kin[6] is used as an adjective ⇒ he was kin to the brothers.

8d   By the sound, employ // shrubbery (4)

YEWS~ — sounds like (by the sound) USE (employ)

10d   Scott creation: // one truck garden tool (7)

I|VAN|HOE — I ([Roman numeral for] one) + VAN (truck) + HOE (garden tool)

Ivanhoe[7] is a historical novel by Sir Walter Scott published in 1820 and set in 12th-century England. Wilfred of Ivanhoe, the titular character, is a knight and son of Cedric the Saxon.

14d   Italian film producer // cast in cool part (5,5)

{CARLO PONTI}* — anagram (cast; moulded) of IN COOL PART

Carlo Ponti[7] (1912–2007) was an Italian film producer; full name Carlo Fortunaro Pietro Ponti Sr. He had over 140 production credits and was the husband of Italian movie star Sophia Loren. His more notable films include La Strada (1954), Boccaccio '70 (1962), Marriage Italian Style (1964), Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (1965), Doctor Zhivago (1965), Blowup (1966), Zabriskie Point (1970), and The Passenger (1974).


Somewhere My Love (Lara's Theme)
"Lara's Theme"[7] is the name given to a leitmotif written for the Carlo Ponti-produced film Doctor Zhivago (1965) by composer Maurice Jarre. The instrumental theme became an instant success and gained fame throughout the world.

By special request of Connie Francis, Paul Francis Webster later took the theme and added lyrics to it to create "Somewhere, My Love". Francis, however, withdrew from the project when the lyrics were presented to her because she thought of them as too "corny". A few weeks later, Francis reconsidered her position and recorded the song nonetheless, but by then Ray Conniff had also recorded a version of his own, reaching #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1966. Conniff's version of the song also topped the "Easy listening" chart in the U.S. for four weeks.

Despite Conniff's success, Francis also had her version released as a single, and although it failed to chart in the US, it became one of her biggest successes internationally, becoming one of the "Top 5" in territories such as Scandinavia and Asia. In Italy, her Italian version of the song, "Dove non so", became her last #1 success.

17d   Literally mix up // a broken-down horse and sheep (7)

A|NAG|RAM — A (†) + NAG (broken-down horse) + (and) RAM (sheep)

19d   Understanding // things I changed (7)

INSIGHT* — 17 (changed) of THINGS I

20d   Of current interest // to picture with Pacino (7)

TO|PIC|AL — TO (†) + PIC (picture; abbrev.) + (with) AL (Pacino; American actor Al Pacino[7])

21d   Pastry // tax collected by senator (7)

S(TOLL)EN — TOLL (tax) contained in (collected by) SEN (senator; abbrev.)

Stollen[5] is a rich German fruit and nut loaf.

22d   Tampers with // entryways around court (7)

DO(CT)ORS — DOORS (entryways) containing (around) CT (court; abbrev.)

24d   Lowest bill among my // dollars? (5)

M(ONE)Y — ONE (lowest bill) contained in (among) MY (†)

I was about to somewhat sarcastically point out that the one dollar "bill" was withdrawn from circulation in Canada (nearly 30 years ago) following the introduction of the Loonie. Then I twigged to the fact that the setters had used the US term "bill" rather than the Canadian term "note" (banknote). So the clue does work after all.

26d   Egg in spring // basket (4)

H(O)OP or HO(O)P — O ([letter that looks like an] egg) contained in (in) HOP (spring; jump)

As the definition, basket[3] refers to a goal in basketball.

Epilogue

Today's puzzle brought back a lot of musical memories and put me in a very nostalgic mood.
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)
[12] - CollinsDictionary.com (Webster’s New World College Dictionary)
[13] - MacmillanDictionary.com (Macmillan Dictionary)
Signing off for today — Falcon

Friday, September 29, 2017

Friday, September 29, 2017 — DT 28472

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 28472
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Thursday, July 6, 2017
Setter
Unknown
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28472]
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

I would say that today's puzzle from an unknown setter could be described as somewhat in the "middle of the road" both in terms of difficulty and enjoyment.

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 semi-all-in-one (semi-&lit.) clues. All-in-one (&lit.) clues and cryptic definitions are marked with a dotted underline. Explicit link words and phrases are enclosed in forward slashes (/link/) and implicit links are shown as double forward slashes (//).

Across

1a   King also known to be absorbing fine // novelist (5)

"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

"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

Franz Kafka[5] (1883–1924) was a Czech novelist, who wrote in German. His work is characterized by its portrayal of an enigmatic and nightmarish reality where the individual is perceived as lonely, perplexed, and threatened. Notable works: The Metamorphosis (1917) and The Trial (1925).

4a   Support second eleven /in/ industrial area (8)

Eleven[5] is the number of players in* a cricket[7] side or an Association football[7] [soccer] team — and is often used as a metonym for such a team ⇒ at cricket I played in the first eleven.

* Note that, in Britain, a player is said to be "in a side" rather than "on a team" as one would say in North America.

Here and There
Side[5] is a British term for a sports team ⇒ there was a mixture of old and young players in* their side.

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.

Teesside[5] is an industrial region in north-eastern England around the lower Tees valley, including Middlesbrough.

8a   Sister dined, it's said, /in/ Midlands town (8)

The Midlands[10] denotes the central counties of England, including Warwickshire, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, the former West Midlands metropolitan county, and Worcestershire. This economy of this region is characterized by manufacturing industries.

Nuneaton[7] is a town in Warwickshire, England. The population in 2011 was 81,877, making it the largest town in Warwickshire.

9a   A comment online say close to blasphemy? // It's deplored in religion (8)

Apostasy[5] is the abandonment or renunciation of a religious or political belief or principle the execution of their leader for apostasy brought widespread criticism.

The wordplay parses as A (from the clue) + POST (comment online) + AS (say; for instance) + Y (close [final letter] to blasphemY).

There were several comments on Big Dave's Crossword Blog concerning the use of "say" to clue AS, as Kath's remark I’m not sure about the ‘say’ here – maybe I’m missing something. As[10] is being used as a conjunction meaning for instance capital cities, as London.

11a   Blueprint // to create university west of Hollywood area (7)

13a   A line in advertising stunt /that's/ rife (9)

15a   A chief's enrolled to rebuild // part of campus (4,2,9)

Here and There
Hall[2] (in full hall of residence) is a British term for a building where university or college students live.

In Canada, such a building would be known simply as a residence.

18a   Quality of a broadcast // wedding ritual (9)

21a   Work of engineers // some disturb in error (7)

22a   Primate /needs/ way of working with group after ruin (8)

MO[5] (abbreviation for the Latin phrase modus operandi) is the way a particular person tends to do things ⇒ (i) his MO isn’t prescribing the solution but sparking more questions; (ii) Connor can’t figure out the killer’s MO.

The marmoset[5] is a small tropical American monkey with a silky coat and a long tail.

24a   Sign /of/ danger after tea's spilt (8)

25a   Labourer, one telling fibs over // walking aid (8)

What did she say?
In her review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Kath equates "one telling fibs" to someone telling porky pies.

Porky[10] (also pork pie) is mainly British and Australian (rhyming) slang (show explanation ) for a lie (in the sense of an untruth).

Rhyming slang[5] is a type of slang that replaces words with rhyming words or phrases, typically with the rhyming element omitted. For example, butcher’s, short for butcher’s hook, means ‘look’ in cockney rhyming slang.

hide explanation

26a   Source of eggs /in/ part of cake? (5)

Down

1d   Powerful piece with angle on head of state /in/ flier (10)

A king[5] is the most important chess piece, of which each player has one, which the opponent has to checkmate in order to win. The king can move in any direction, including diagonally, to any adjacent square that is not attacked by an opponent's piece or pawn.

"head of state" = 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

The kingfisher[5] is an often brightly coloured bird with a large head and long sharp beak, typically diving for fish from a perch. Many of the tropical kinds live in forests and feed on terrestrial prey such as insects and lizards.

2d   Woeful // enjoyment before a library's opening (8)

3d   A better firm round middle of July /in/ foreign resort (8)

Cap[3] means to to follow with something better; in other words, to surpass or outdo ⇒ capped his last trick with a disappearing act that brought the audience to its feet.

Acapulco[5] is a port and resort in southern Mexico, on the Pacific coast; population 616,384 (2005). Full name Acapulco de Juárez.

4d   Evidence of appreciation when consuming a French // fish (4)

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

"a French" = UN (show explanation )

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

hide explanation

5d   Seat is shifted /in/ period of rest (6)

6d   One's detained // fashionable colleague (6)

In Britain, mate[5] — in addition to being a person’s husband, wife, or other sexual partner — is an informal term for a friend or companion ⇒ my best mate Steve.

7d   Feeling of discontent /with/ messenger dropping round (4)

10d   Inoffensive // requests by a group of conservationists (8)

In Britain, the National Trust[5] (abbreviation NT) is a trust for the preservation of places of historic interest or natural beauty in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, founded in 1895 and supported by endowment and private subscription. The National Trust for Scotland[7], a separate organization, was founded in 1931.

12d   Judge/'s/ compliment supporting upset father (8)

14d   Row about English having rest /in/ decisive part of game (3-7)

This was a rather appropriate clue to appear during Wimbledon.

A tiebreaker[5] (also tiebreak) (alternatively tie-break[2] or tie-breaker) is a means of deciding a winner from competitors who have tied, in particular (in tennis) a special game to decide the winner of a set when the score is six games all (i) a tiebreaker failed to split them; (ii) a tiebreak question [in a gameshow].

16d   Visitor may get a buzz out of this // implement, or phone inventor (8)

Alexander Graham Bell[5] (1847–1922) was a Scottish-born American scientist. He invented a method for transmitting speech electrically and gave the first public demonstration of the telephone in 1876; he founded the Bell Telephone Company the following year.

Delving Deeper
Alexander Graham Bell[7] was born in Edinburgh (so the Brits think of him as a Scot), he moved to Canada at the age of 23 (so we Canucks think of him as a Canadian), and he was granted US citizenship at the age of 35 (so the Yanks think of him as an American). The year following his move to Canada, he began training instructors at schools for the deaf in the US — and, from that time until his death, he maintained residences in both Canada and the US and divided his time between the two countries.

17d   Lords // taking in old boy I fired in US city (8)

"old boy" = OB (show explanation )

In Britain, an old boy[5] (abbreviation OB[2])  is:
  1. a former male student of a school or college ⇒an old boy of Banbury County School; or
  2. a former male member of a sports team or company ⇒ the White Hart Lane old boy squared the ball to present an easy chance from 12 yards.
It is also a chiefly British affectionate form of address to a boy or man ⇒ ‘Look here, old boy,’ he said.

hide explanation

A lord[10] is a male member of the nobility, especially in Britain.

19d   Fancy that professor? /You need/ a barrier (6)

Cor[5] is an informal British exclamation expressing surprise, excitement, admiration, or alarm ⇒ Cor! That‘s a beautiful black eye you’ve got!.

A don[10] is a member of the teaching staff at a university or college, especially at Oxford or Cambridge.

20d   Decent /and/ quiet ranch employee (6)

"quiet" = P (show explanation )

Piano[3,5] (abbreviation p[5]), is a musical direction meaning either (as an adjective) soft or quiet or (as an adverb) softly or quietly.

hide explanation

22d   Old US TV series /is/ pulp! (4)

M*A*S*H[7] is a 1972–1983 American television series developed adapted from the 1970 feature film MASH (which was itself based on the 1968 novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors, by Richard Hooker). The series follows a team of doctors and support staff stationed at the "4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital" in Uijeongbu, South Korea during the Korean War. It is one of the highest-rated shows in U.S. television history.

23d   Barely credible // saga when last character's gone and left (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)
[12] - CollinsDictionary.com (Webster’s New World College Dictionary)
[13] - MacmillanDictionary.com (Macmillan Dictionary)
Signing off for today — Falcon

Thursday, September 28, 2017

Thursday, September 28, 2017 — DT 28471

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 28471
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Wednesday, July 5, 2017
Setter
Jay (Jeremy Mutch)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28471]
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

This puzzle was a breeze to review as there were not a lot of terms that I deemed to be in need of explanation. If I remember correctly, it was only a bit more difficult to solve.

In the intro to their review, the 2Kiwis mentioned that "At present our country is swarming with people wearing red clothing ...". These were fans of the British and Irish Lions*[7] rugby union team which was touring New Zealand at the time. The Lions had lost to the New Zealand national team in a game played in Auckland on June 24, then defeated them on July 1 in a game played at Wellington Regional Stadium (known colloquially as "The Cake Tin"). At the time that this puzzle appeared in the UK, the teams had yet to play the final game of the series — in Auckland on July 8 (which turned out to be a draw).

* A team comprised of players who are eligible to represent the national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland or Wales.

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 semi-all-in-one (semi-&lit.) clues. All-in-one (&lit.) clues and cryptic definitions are marked with a dotted underline. Explicit link words and phrases are enclosed in forward slashes (/link/) and implicit links are shown as double forward slashes (//).

Across

1a   Touch // millions caught consumed by hatred? (7)

"caught" = C (show explanation )

In cricket, one way for a batsman to be dismissed is to be caught out[5], that is for a player on the opposing team to catch a ball that has been hit by the batsman before it touches the ground.

On cricket scorecards, the abbreviation c.[2,10] or c[5] denotes caught (by).

hide explanation

5a   Look closely at // label designed to take you in (7)

9a   Vehicle loaded on board ship /showing/ signs of damage (5)

"loaded on board ship" = 'contained in SS' (show explanation )

In Crosswordland, you will find that a ship is almost invariably a steamship, the abbreviation for which is SS[10]. Thus phrases such as "aboard ship" or "on board ship" (or sometimes merely "aboard" or "on board") are Crosswordland code for 'contained in SS'. Today's setter is rather verbose, using the lengthy phrase "loaded on board ship".

hide explanation

10a   Trouble with allowance, // love? (9)

11a   Officially sanctioned // writer is shamed, lacking pretence (10)

12a   Courage // that's needed to deal with winter conditions? (4)

14a   Stupidly reply 'What if I // take unnecessary risks?' (4,4,4)

18a   Perhaps London spirit's limiting a // potential tax liability (7,5)

21a   Vessels unloading the first // crop (4)

22a   Form of transport /of/ patissier, accepting he's no different (10)

Boneshaker[5,10] is an informal British term for:
  • an early type of bicycle having solid tyres [tires] and no springs
  • an old vehicle with poor suspension a boneshaker of a van
25a   Saved // ladies having gone astray, welcoming charity (4,5)

26a   Source of industrial ooze covering lake//  house (5)

27a   Stylish /but/ frustrating? (7)

28a   Down is way back /for/ such cruel people (7)

Down

1d   Lose // roadkill seen in two parts (6)

The M1[7] is a north–south motorway [controlled access, multi-lane divided highway] in England connecting London to Leeds.

2d   Sketches /from/ a newspaper stocked by doctor's (6)

The Financial Times[7] (abbreviation FT) is a British international business newspaper that is printed on conspicuous salmon pink newsprint.

3d   Adjustments made to last scouse // dishes (10)

A cassoulet[5] is a French stew made with meat (typically pork, goose, and duck) and beans.

Scratching the Surface
Scouse[5] (noun) is an informal British term denoting:
  • the dialect or accent of people from Liverpool the man turned on him in Scouse
  • short for Scouser[5], a person from Liverpool
Scouse[5] (adjective) means relating to Liverpool ⇒ a Scouse accent.

4d   US city // area crossed by motorway twice (5)

The motorway from 1d reappears not once, but twice.

5d   Expert set up to keep Tories spinning // unusual items (9)

6d   Times? // European, and impetuous for the most part (4)

Scratching the Surface
I suspect that the surface reading is intended to be an allusion to The Times[7], a British daily national newspaper based in London. The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers, since 1981 a division of News UK, a wholly owned subsidiary of Australian-born American publisher and media entrepreneur Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.

7d   A police squad getting tipple down, an ugly shower (4,4)

"police squad" = CID (show explanation )

The Criminal Investigation Department (seemingly better known by its abbreviation CID[2]) is the detective branch of a British police force.

hide explanation

Tipple down[5] is an informal British expression meaning to rain heavily ⇒ it was tippling down with rain.

8d   Stretch // student with English afterwards (8)

"student" = 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 jurisdictions (including the UK) if its driver is a learner under instruction.

hide explanation

13d   Eastern city editor /may be/ impressed (10)

In the wordplay, Shanghai[5] is the name of a city on the east coast of China, a port on the estuary of the Yangtze; population 11,283,700 (est. 2006). Opened for trade with the west in 1842, Shanghai contained until the Second World War areas of British, French, and American settlement. It was the site in 1921 of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party.

In the solution, shanghai[5] is used in a historical sense meaning to force (someone) to join a ship lacking a full crew by drugging them or using other underhand means ⇒ they specialized in drugging and robbing sailors, sometimes arranging for them to be shanghaied aboard tramp boats.

Impress[5] is used in an historical sense meaning to force (someone) to serve in an army or navy*a number of Poles, impressed into the German army.

* While one might infer from the definition that it was not necessary to force people to serve in the Air Force, the truth is that the Air Force did not exist when this practice was in vogue.

15d   Shouting about inside of bowl /becoming/ discoloured (9)

16d   Trained // fish in group with backing of French (8)

"of French" = DE (show explanation )

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

hide explanation

17d   Flight destination (8)

19d   Heads /needing/ to hear of rows (6)

20d   Soldiers // love to be involved in raising game (6)

"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

Scratching the Surface
In the surface reading, raise[5] means to drive (an animal) from its lair ⇒ the rabbit was only 250 yards from where he first raised it.

23d   Pots /for/ producers of beer (not British) (5)

24d   Two and six regularly used /to get you/ a bed that's dry (4)

In certain Arabic-speaking countries, a wadi[5] is a valley, ravine, or channel that is dry except in the rainy season.

Scratching the Surface
The expression "two and six"[7] is short for two shillings and six pence.

In the British currency system used prior to the introduction of the current decimal currency system in 1971
  • a shilling[5] (abbreviation s[5]) was a coin and monetary unit equal to one twentieth of a pound or twelve pence
  • a penny[5] (abbreviation d[5] [for denarius]) was a coin or monetary unit equal to one twelfth of a shilling or 240th of a pound
Pence[5] is a plural form* of penny[5].

* Both pence and pennies have existed as plural forms of penny since at least the 16th century. The two forms now tend to be used for different purposes: pence refers to sums of money (five pounds and sixty-nine pence) while pennies refers to the coins themselves (I left two pennies on the table). The use of pence rather than penny as a singular (the chancellor will put one pence on income tax) is not regarded as correct in standard English.
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)
[12] - CollinsDictionary.com (Webster’s New World College Dictionary)
[13] - MacmillanDictionary.com (Macmillan Dictionary)
Signing off for today — Falcon

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Wednesday, September 27, 2017 — DT 28470

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 28470
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Tuesday, July 4, 2017
Setter
Unknown
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28470]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Mr Kitty
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

If I remember correctly, this puzzle was likely a bit more of a challenge for me than it seems to have been for Mr Kitty.

There is some interesting discussion on Big Dave's Crossword Blog about the existence of cryptic crosswords in languages other than English. It seems that they do exist in Dutch, although as dutch explains at Comment #31, the Dutch language is hardly conducive to their creation. Mr Kitty did discover a cryptic crossword in Hindi but it seems to be a one-of-a-kind curiosity.

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 semi-all-in-one (semi-&lit.) clues. All-in-one (&lit.) clues and cryptic definitions are marked with a dotted underline. Explicit link words and phrases are enclosed in forward slashes (/link/) and implicit links are shown as double forward slashes (//).

Across

1a   Remarkable // cue (6)

5a   Weapon /bringing about/ Becket's end in play of T.S. Eliot? (8)

Scratching the Surface
Murder in the Cathedral[7] is a verse drama by American-born British poet, playwright, and essayist T.S. Eliot (1888–1965), first performed in 1935, that portrays the assassination of Archbishop Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170.

In reality, I believe Becket was dispatched with a sword rather than the weapon suggested by the clue.

10a   A socially prominent person, // moreover (2,4)

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

11a   Amuse // daughter with one's leaflet (8)

12a   How to get pear juice /in/ a meeting arranged for journalists? (5,10)

Conference[5] is a dessert pear of a firm-fleshed variety.

16a   Phone system // company installed during elected period (8)

18a   Politically extreme? No Conservative // spoke (6)

"Conservative" = C (show explanation )

The abbreviation for Conservative may be either C.[10] or Con.[10].

A Tory[10] is a member or supporter of the Conservative Party in Great Britain or Canada.

Historically, a Tory[10] was a member of the English political party that opposed the exclusion of James, Duke of York from the royal succession (1679–80). Tory remained the label for subsequent major conservative interests until they gave birth to the Conservative Party in the 1830s.

The Conservative Party[5] is a a major British political party that emerged from the old Tory Party under Sir Robert Peel in the 1830s and 1840s. Since the Second World War, it has been in power 1951–64, 1970-74, and 1979–97. It governed in a coalition with the Liberal Democrats from 2010 until the general election of May 2015, in which it was returned with a majority.

hide explanation

20a   Unusual scene involving a // meeting with spirit? (6)

21a   Instrument that's blown with lips /to make/ glasses (4-4)

We learn from the thread at Comment #11 on Big Dave's Crossword Blog that a different version of this clue appeared in both the iPad and Android apps. It would appear that the crossword can be accessed through a variety of media, including the printed edition of The Daily Telegraph, possibly also an online edition of The Daily Telegraph, as well as the iPad and Android apps, and finally the Telegraph Puzzles website.

The app version is:
  • Specs /needed for/ instrument’s carrying frame (4-4)
22a   Rocket heading for asteroid in what could be scariest // flight (6,9)

Spiral[5] is used in the sense of to show a continuous and dramatic increase (i) inflation continued to spiral; (ii) he needed to relax after the spiralling tensions of the day.

27a   Perturbed, // third of class confined to school over it (8)

Gate[5,10] is a British term meaning to confine or restrict (a pupil or student) to the school or college grounds as a punishment he was gated for the rest of term.

28a   Very famous // fraud infiltrating cricket team caught? (6)

I have often seen "cricket team" used to clue the sequence XI (Roman numeral for eleven) but I think this may well be the first time that I have seen it used for II (a sequence of letters which looks like the Arabic number 11).

Eleven[5] is the number of players in* a cricket[7] side [team] — and is often used as a metonym for such a team ⇒ at cricket I played in the first eleven.

* Note that in Britain a player is "in a side" or "in a team" rather than "on a team" as one would say in North America.

"caught" = C (show explanation )

In cricket, one way for a batsman to be dismissed is to be caught out[5], that is for a player on the opposing team to catch a ball that has been hit by the batsman before it touches the ground.

On cricket scorecards, the abbreviation c.[2,10] or c[5] denotes caught (by).

hide explanation

29a   One called after another // select Oriental drink (8)

Sake[5] (or saki[5]) is a Japanese alcoholic drink made from fermented rice, traditionally drunk warm in small porcelain cups.

30a   Water heater // man heard (6)

Geyser[5] is a British term for a gas-fired water heater through which water flows as it is rapidly heated.

In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Mr Kitty points to the natural phenomenon for which the water heater is a 29a.

While the words geezer and geyser do not have the same pronunciation in North America, they do in Britain with both being pronounced GHEE-zah—as you can hear for yourself by comparing the British and American pronunciations at TheFreeDictionary.com (geyser, geezer).

Down

2d   Cover // home? Sure can, if worried (9)

Here and There
When speaking of insurance, while the same verb form is used in Britain and North America, we use a different form of the noun on this side of the pond.

As a verb, cover[5] means to protect against a liability, loss, or accident involving financial consequences ⇒ your contents are now covered against accidental loss or damage in transit.

However, in the UK, the word cover[5] is used to denote protection by insurance against a liability, loss, or accident ⇒ your policy provides cover against damage by subsidence. This is equivalent to the North American term coverage[5] meaning the amount of protection given by an insurance policy ⇒ your policy provides coverage against damage by subsidence.

3d   A white wine // that may be seen in Trier (11)

Niersteiner[5] is a white Rhine wine produced in the region around Nierstein, a town in Germany.

Scratching the Surface
Trier[5] is a city on the River Mosel in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany; population 103,500 (est. 2006). Established by a Germanic tribe, the Treveri, circa 400 BC, Trier is one of the oldest cities in Europe. It was a powerful archbishopric from 815 until the 18th century, but fell into decline after the French occupation in 1797.

Nierstein and Trier are both located in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. However, Nierstein is actually on the Rhine while Trier is located some considerable distance away, near the border with Luxembourg.

4d   Ring up about island // flower (5)

6d   One apprehended by the force? (5)

This is an  &lit.[7] (all-in-one) clue, a type of clue in which the entire clue not only provides the definition (according to one interpretation) but also serves as the wordplay (according to a different interpretation).

"force" = F (show explanation )

In physics, F[5] is a symbol used to represent force in mathematical formulae.

hide explanation

7d   Following // behind king (5)

"king" = R (show explanation )

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

* A Commonwealth realm[7] is a sovereign state that is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and shares the same person, currently Elizabeth II, as its head of state and reigning constitutional monarch, but retains a crown legally distinct from the other realms. There are currently sixteen Commonwealth realms, the largest being Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom with the remainder being smaller Caribbean and Pacific island nations.

hide explanation

8d   Order // to work out (5)

Train is used in the sense of a train of events for which Chambers Thesaurus lists the following synonyms (among others): sequence, succession, series, progression, order, set, ...

9d   Porridge /or/ nothing at breakfast? (7)

13d   New York representative with the novel // Lolita, perhaps (7)

"representative" = MP (show explanation )

In Britain (as in Canada), a politician elected to the House of Commons is known as a Member of Parliament[10] (abbreviation MP[5]) or, informally, as a member[5].

hide explanation

Lolita[5] is a term* for a sexually precocious young girl.

* The term comes from the name of a character in the novel Lolita (1958 [1955, according to other sources, including the Oxford Dictionaries entry for the author) by Vladimir Nabokov[5].

14d   Blunder /in/ fear, losing head (5)

15d   Unlisted? // Former partner and board member, number unknown? (2-9)

"number unknown" = Y (show explanation )

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.]

hide explanation

Here and There
Ex-directory[5] (adjective) is a British term denoting (of a person or telephone number) not listed in a telephone directory or available through directory enquiries, at the wish of the subscriber. The equivalent North American term is unlisted.

17d   Indian on lake /producing/ fish basket (5)

The Cree[3] are a Native American people inhabiting a large area from eastern Canada west to Alberta and the Great Slave Lake. Formerly located in central Canada, the Cree expanded westward and eastward in the 17th and 18th centuries, the western Cree adopting the Plains Indian life and the eastern Cree retaining their woodland culture. Cree is also the name of the Algonquian language of the Cree.

19d   Ceasefire /in/ Crimea? It's fragile (9)

Scratching the Surface
According to Oxford Dictionaries, Crimea[5] (usually the Crimea) is a peninsula of Ukraine lying between the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. It was the scene of the Crimean War in the 1850s. The majority of the population is Russian.

Seemingly unbeknownst to Oxford — or perhaps just not recognized — Russia invaded and annexed Crimea in 2014[7]. The United Nations General Assembly adopted a non-binding resolution calling upon states not to recognise changes to the integrity of Ukraine.

Though Russia has control over the peninsula, its sovereignty remains disputed as Ukraine and the majority of the international community consider the annexation illegal. A range of international sanctions remain in place against Russia as well as a number of named individuals as a result of the events of 2014.

20d   Spot inhabited by American // bear (7)

23d   Turn of phrase /used in/ papers I’m carrying round (5)

24d   Collect // lot once first of auctions is over (5)

In the wordplay, I believe the word once[5] is being used as a conjunction meaning 'when.

25d   Grass // snake uncoiled (5)

Grass[5] is an informal British term meaning:
  • (noun) a police informer; and
  • (verb) to inform the police of someone’s criminal activities or plans ⇒ (i) someone had grassed on the thieves; (ii) she threatened to grass me up.
This expression may derive from rhyming slang (grasshopper being rhyming slang (show explanation ) for 'copper').

Rhyming slang[5] is a type of slang that replaces words with rhyming words or phrases, typically with the rhyming element omitted. For example, butcher’s, short for butcher’s hook, means ‘look’ in Cockney rhyming slang.

hide explanation

26d   Initially, it covered invitingly naughty gateau? (5)

Gateau[5] [from French gâteau, 'cake'] is a British term for a rich cake, typically one containing layers of cream or fruit.

I suppose we can consider the word "initially" to be part of the definition — perhaps someone ate all the icing off the cake.
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)
[12] - CollinsDictionary.com (Webster’s New World College Dictionary)
[13] - MacmillanDictionary.com (Macmillan Dictionary)
Signing off for today — Falcon