Friday, October 6, 2017

Friday, October 6, 2017 — DT 28477

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 28477
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Wednesday, July 12, 2017
Setter
Jay (Jeremy Mutch)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28477]
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

After the strenuous mental workout we received yesterday, I am sure it will be a relief to many to receive a bit of a respite 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 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   Research area /of/ a politician chasing work in America (10)

"politician" = TORY (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

Labor is the US spelling of labour[5].

6a   Did the butterfly // show on the outside in the morning? (4)

9a   Excited lad coming into dollar // fortune such as this (3,4)

10a   Number, // for example, found in Bury? (7)

Scratching the Surface
Bury[7] [pronounced berry*] is a town in Greater Manchester, England.

*  Although it is not pronounced like this by the locals according to Gazza* in a review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog where he states As someone who used to live in said borough I have to say that this is not the way the locals pronounce itthey make it sound more like flurry than merry.

12a   Less than the cost of transporting // part of plane? (13)

Carriage[3,4] is the cost of or the charge for transporting (especially in the phrases carriage forward, when the charge is to be paid by the receiver, and carriage paid).

Undercarriage[3,4] is another name for the landing gear of an aircraft.

14a   Circle inscribed in the name alongside slate // monument (8)

Slate[5] is an informal British term meaning to criticize severely his work was slated by the critics.

A pantheon[10] is a monument or building commemorating a nation's dead heroes. The 2Kiwis illustrate their review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog with a photo of the Pantheon[7], a former Roman temple, now a church, in Rome, Italy.

15a   Flutter around unfriendly // accommodation for the military (6)

Flutter[5] is an informal British term for a small bet a flutter on the horses.

17a   Sort of bag /used for/ eggs (6)

19a   Boundary /that/ secures advantage in hospital dispute (8)

A hedgerow[5] is a rough or mixed hedge of wild shrubs and occasional trees, typically bordering a road or field.

21a   Prancing horse on stilts // came a cropper after a flutter (4,4,5)

Another flutter (see 15a), although the outcome would suggest that this wager might well have been far more than a flutter.

Come a cropper[5,10] is an informal British term meaning:
  • to fall heavily ⇒ he came the most appalling cropper—I think he knocked himself out
  • to fail completely
24a   One ponders, /having/ weak King with Queen (7)

"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

"Queen" = ER (show explanation )

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

hide explanation

25a   Chose to cross line // blind drunk (7)

26a   Understands one's love /for/ these pets (4)

At first glance, the wordplay here would appear to be terse in the extreme. The key is to split the wordplay into a series of two steps: Step 1: DIGS (understands); Step 2: I ([Roman numeral for] one) is ('s; contraction for is) O (love; nil score in tennis).

27a   Growth /of/ teenager trained by soldiers (6,4)

"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

Down

1d   Order will come after leader's first // rounded projection (4)

"order" = OBE (show explanation )

OBE[5] is the abbreviation for Officer of the Order of the British Empire.

The Order of the British Empire[5] is an order of knighthood applicable to the United Kingdom and certain Commonwealth realms which was instituted in 1917 and is 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.

hide explanation

2d   Travelling people/'s/ place for sleeping -- nothing posh at home (7)

"posh" = 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). 

hide explanation

The Bedouin[5] (also Beduin) are a nomadic Arab people of the desert an encampment of Bedouin on the edge of the desert.

3d   Where working hands must be on the move // constantly (5,3,5)

4d   Film shot on river with ducks needing time // to become established (4,4)

"duck" = O (show explanation )

In cricket, a duck[5] is a batsman’s score of nought [zero] ⇒ he was out for a duck. This is similar to the North American expression goose egg[5] meaning a zero score in a game.

In British puzzles, "duck" is used to indicate the letter "O" based on the resemblance of the digit "0" to this letter.

hide explanation

5d   Missing starter, characteristic area // dish with curry (5)

Raita[5] is an Indian side dish of yogurt containing chopped cucumber or other vegetables, and spices. Raita[7] is is often referred to as a condiment, but unlike traditional western condiments such as salt, pepper, mustard and horseradish that make dishes more spicy, raita has a cooling effect to contrast with spicy curries and kebabs that are the main fare of some Asian cuisines.

7d   Bird // dog's happy to do this? (7)

The wagtail[5] is a slender Eurasian and African songbird with a long tail that is frequently wagged up and down, typically living by water.

8d   Warm to Kent after moving -- // Cranbrook perhaps (6,4)

Cranbrook[7] is a small market town* in the Weald of Kent in South East England located about 38 miles (61 km) southeast of central London.

* In 1290 the town received a charter from Archbishop Peckham allowing it to hold a market in the High Street.

Market town[10] is a mainly British term for a town that holds a market, especially an agricultural centre in a rural area.

11d   Changing group /for/ the shortest round trip (7,6)

Turning circle[5] denotes the smallest circle in which a vehicle or vessel can turn without reversing.

13d   Copper that's invested in dodgy pet deals // took a risk (10)

"copper" = CU (show explanation )

The symbol for the chemical element copper is Cu[5] (from late Latin cuprum).

hide explanation

16d   Attacks // group working to support drink (4,4)

"drink" = SUP (show explanation )

As a verb, sup[5] is a dated or Northern English term meaning to take (drink or liquid food) by sips or spoonfuls ⇒ (i) she supped up her soup delightedly; (ii) he was supping straight from the bottle.

As a noun, sup[5] means (1) a sip of liquid ⇒ he took another sup of wine or (2) in Northern England or Ireland, an alcoholic drink ⇒ the latest sup from those blokes at the brewery.

hide explanation

18d   University note victory and good // economic recovery (7)

"good" = G (show explanation )

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

hide explanation

20d   Snake /gets/ right under nipper's toy! (7)

My British dictionaries define nipper[2,5,10] as an informal or colloquial term for a (small) child, while my American dictionaries say that nipper[3,11] means a small boy. The American Heritage Dictionary indicates that the term is chiefly British and Chambers 21st Century Dictionary characterises it as dated ("old colloquial use").

22d   Mistake /made by/ English bishop over gold (5)

"bishop" = RR (show explanation )

Right Reverend[5] (abbreviation RR[2]) is a title given to a bishop, especially in the Anglican Church ⇒ the Right Reverend David Jenkins, Bishop of Durham.

hide explanation

"gold" = OR (show explanation )

Or[5] is gold or yellow, as a heraldic tincture.

In heraldry, a tincture[5] is any of the conventional colours (including the metals and stains, and often the furs) used in coats of arms.

hide explanation

23d   Tool for cutting // a nap with no end of ballyhoo (4)

In the wordplay, nap is used in the sense of a brief sleep.
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

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.