Wednesday, September 20, 2017 — DT 28465

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28465
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Setter Jay (Jeremy Mutch)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28465]
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

A nice puzzle from Jay — a bit gentle but nevertheless enjoyable.

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   Journey /requiring/ speed (10)

6a   Pub bore's first // aggressive remark (4)

10a   Hooligans /may be/ good kept in like this (5)

"good" = G (show explanation )

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

hide explanation

11a   Road's always up here? (9)

What did they say?

In their review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, the 2Kiwis describe the solution as a structure or tunnel that goes beneath a carriageway. Carriageway[2,5] is a British term for the part of a road used by vehicles rather than pedestrians, or a part used by vehicles travelling in one particular direction. In the UK, a divided highway is known as a dual carriageway[5] and a controlled access divided highway is called a motorway[5] ⇒ the eastbound carriageway of the M4*. * The M4[7] is a motorway which runs between London and South Wales in the United Kingdom.

12a   Native Americans accompanied by dog // advance stealthily (5,2)

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.

13a   Game quietly cancelled, /so/ leave quickly (4,3)

"game" = RU (show explanation )

Rugby union^[10] (abbreviation RU^[5]) is a form of rugby football played between teams of 15 players (in contrast to rugby league^[5], which is played in teams of thirteen).

 Rugby union^[7] is is the national sport in New Zealand, Wales, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and Madagascar.

hide explanation

"quietly" = 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

14a   Ignore // loch's odd rule after swimming (4-8)

Scratching the Surface
Loch[5] is the Scottish word for lake.

18a   What a ceramics teacher does /for/ an obsessive collector (12)

Trainspotter^*[5] is a British term for a person who collects train or locomotive numbers as a hobby.

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^* The name is also often used in a derogatory sense to refer to a person who obsessively studies the minutiae of any minority interest or specialized hobby ⇒ the idea is to make the music really really collectable so the trainspotters will buy it in their pathetic thousands.

21a   Target wild mice // native to a particular area (7)

23a   Players /seeing/ one's wearing new boots (7)

24a   Second American to chase ring // of huge significance (9)

25a   Dash back after king left // ridge (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

26a   Order /that's/ downright offensive to the nose (4)

27a   Informer shows support /for/ fundamental principles (5,5)

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 for 'copper'). (show explanation )

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

Down

1d   Lead on // East, with diamonds to support no-trumps (6)

"diamonds" = D (show explanation )

Diamonds^[2] (abbreviation D^[2]) is one of the four suits of playing-cards.

hide explanation

In the card game bridge, NT^[5] is the abbreviation for no trump(s).

Scratching the Surface
In the card game bridge, North[5] and South[5] comprise one partnership and play against East[5] and West[5] who form the other partnership. In card games, lead[5] means to play (the first card) in a trick or round of play.

2d   In the Guardian perhaps it's socially desirable /to be/ a have-not! (6)

The Guardian^[7] is a British national daily newspaper, known until 1959 as the Manchester Guardian. Along with its sister papers The Observer and The Guardian Weekly, The Guardian is part of the Guardian Media Group.

"socially desirable" = U (show explanation )

In Britain, U^[5] is used informally as an adjective (in respect to language or social behaviour) meaning characteristic of or appropriate to the upper social classes ⇒ U manners.

The term, an abbreviation of  upper class, was coined in 1954 by Alan S. C. Ross, professor of linguistics, and popularized by its use in Nancy Mitford's Noblesse Oblige (1956).

In Crosswordland, the letter U is frequently clued by words denoting "characteristic of the upper class" (such as posh or superior) or "appropriate to the upper class" (such as acceptable or, as today, socially desirable). 

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3d   Detective's engagement /must be/ a let-down (14)

"detective" = DI (show explanation )

A detective inspector (DI^[5]) is a senior police officer in the UK. Within the British police, inspector^[7] is the second supervisory rank. It is senior to that of sergeant, but junior to that of chief inspector. Plain-clothes detective inspectors are equal in rank to their uniformed counterparts, the prefix 'detective' identifying them as having been trained in criminal investigation and being part of or attached to their force's Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

hide explanation

4d   What fake news may be for the Oval Office? (7-2)

The Oval Office^[5] is the office of the US president in the White House.

You may have noticed that crossword setters have been having a field day at the expense of the current US President. Today's clue is outstanding, but it is surpassed by the following one mentioned by Miffypops in the thread arising from Comment #2 on Big Dave's Crossword Blog:

• Given time, this arse would become president (4)

Here and There
Later in the aforementioned thread, Tonto McTavish comments mention of an ex-president might be on the cards. In the UK, one refers to something that is possible or likely as being on the cards[5] rather than in the cards as one would say in North America ⇒ our marriage has been on the cards from day one.

5d   Soldiers on the German // command (5)

"soldiers" = OR (show explanation )

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

hide explanation

"the German" = DER (show explanation )

In German, der^[8] is one of the several forms that the definite article may assume.

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7d   An American lawyer will accept a prisoner /being/ such a snake (8)

In the US, a district attorney^[5] (abbreviation DA) is a public official who acts as prosecutor for the state in a particular district.

8d   A problem for Australia/'s/ president on top of foreign anger? (8)

It seems to be a day for US Presidents — past and present.

George Bush^[5] is an American Republican statesman, 41st President of the US 1989–93; full name George Herbert Walker Bush.

George W. Bush^[5] is an American Republican statesman, 43rd President of the US 2001–09; full name George Walker Bush. He is the son of George Bush.

Bushfires in Australia^[7] are frequent events during the warmer months of the year, due to Australia's mostly hot, dry climate. Each year, such fires impact extensive areas.

Scratching the Surface

The bushfire season in Australia peaks in January and February (summer in the southern hemisphere). At the height on this period, on February 1 of this year, US President Donald Trump engaged in an acrimonious telephone conversation with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull before hanging up on him. The Washington Post reported: It should have been one of the most congenial calls for the new commander in chief — a conversation with the leader of Australia, one of America’s staunchest allies, at the end of a triumphant week. Instead, President Trump blasted Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull over a refu­gee agreement and boasted about the magnitude of his electoral college win, according to senior U.S. officials briefed on the Saturday exchange. Then, 25 minutes into what was expected to be an hour-long call, Trump abruptly ended it. At one point, Trump informed Turnbull that he had spoken with four other world leaders that day — including Russian President Vladi­mir Putin — and that “this was the worst call by far.”

9d   Kitchen item /for/ overworked chef? (8,6)

In their review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, the 2Kiwis have dubbed this a double definition — which I can almost force myself to accept.

I suppose one might refer to a sports star as a "pressure player", i.e., one who performs well under pressure — although one would likely be more apt to use the term "clutch player". That being said, an overworked chef could conceivably be called a "pressure cooker".

15d   Very popular residences /offering/ nurseries (9)

16d   Burn the Queen/'s/ banner (8)

In Scottish and Northern English dialects, a burn^[5] is a small stream.

"the Queen" = ER (show explanation )

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

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17d   Worker // moving many after writing? (8)

Hand^[5] denotes a person's handwriting ⇒ he inscribed the statement in a bold hand.

19d   Pretentious // note on European Union party (6)

Pretentious^[2] is used in the sense of phoney or affected rather than pompous or ostentatious.

20d   Book // thieves finally trapped in trees (6)

Psalms^[5] is a book of the Bible comprising a collection of religious verses, sung or recited in both Jewish and Christian worship.

22d   Singers /wanting/ sheets of paper for the audience (5)

A quire^[5] is 25 (formerly 24) sheets of paper; one twentieth of a ream.

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