Thursday, November 30, 2017

Thursday, November 30, 2017 — DT 28516

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 28516
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Saturday, August 26, 2017
Setter
Unknown
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28516 – Hints]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28516 – Review]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Big Dave (Hints)
crypticsue (Review)
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★ / ★★ Enjoyment - ★★★
Falcon's Experience
┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐
███████████████████████████████████
└────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘
Legend:
- solved without assistance
- incorrect prior to use of puzzle solving tools
- solved with assistance from puzzle solving tools
- solved with aid of checking letters provided by puzzle solving tools
- solved but without fully parsing the clue
- unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Big Dave's Crossword Blog
- solved with aid of checking letters provided by solutions from Big Dave's Crossword Blog
- reviewed by Falcon for Big Dave's Crossword Blog
- yet to be solved
Notes
As this was a Saturday "Prize Puzzle" in Britain, there are two entries related to it on Big Dave's Crossword Blog — the first, posted on the date of publication, contains hints for selected clues while the second is a full review issued following the entry deadline for the contest. The vast majority of reader comments will generally be found attached to the "hints" posting with a minimal number — if any — accompanying the full review.

Introduction

After a fairly strenuous test yesterday, today we are subjected to a rather more gentle workout.

On Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Big Dave's mention of entering some of his garden produce in the annual Hanley Village Show leads visitors to his site into a discussion of the state of their gardening endeavours. In case the terms are unfamiliar to you, courgette is the British name for a zucchini, aubergine is eggplant, and runner beans are scarlet runners.

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   National falsification /in/ general situation (3,2,3,4)

Here and There
The lie of the land[5] (North American the lay of the land) is an expression meaning:
  • (literally) the features or characteristics of an area a night patrol about to scout out the lie of the land.
  • (figuratively) the current situation she was beginning to see the lie of the land with her in-laws.

I wonder, might translating this clue to North American English produce:
  • Woman loved by all in general situation (3,2,3,4)
9a   One attacks // popular Star Wars character (7)

Darth Vader[7], also known by his birth name Anakin Skywalker, is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise.

Delving Deeper
Originally a Jedi prophesied to bring balance to the Force, Vader falls to the dark side of the Force and serves the evil Galactic Empire at the right hand of his Sith master, Palpatine (also known as Darth Sidious).

Darth Vader has become one of the most iconic villains in popular culture, and has been listed among the greatest villains and fictional characters ever. The American Film Institute listed him as the third greatest movie villain in cinema history on 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains, behind Hannibal Lecter and Norman Bates.

10a   Killjoy /makes/ joke about woman (7)

11a   Serious // attention needed by cosy home (7)

12a   Skit about Liberal /is/ standard for Scots (7)

"Liberal" = L (show explanation )

The Liberal Party[5] (abbreviation Lib.[5] or L[2])* in Britain emerged in the 1860s from the old Whig Party and until the First World War was one of the two major parties in Britain. In 1988 the party regrouped with elements of the Social Democratic Party to form the Social and Liberal Democrats, now known as the Liberal Democrats. However, a small Liberal Party still exists although it has no representation in the UK Parliament, no Members of the European Parliament (MEP), no members of the Scottish Parliament, nor any members of the National Assembly for Wales.[7]

* Although Lib.[5] may be the more common abbreviation for the Liberal Party in Britain — likely to distinguish it from the the Labour Party[5] (abbreviation Lab.[5]) — Chambers 21st Century Dictionary indicates that L[2] may also be used.

hide explanation



A saltire[5] is a diagonal cross as a heraldic ordinary* [such as the Saint Andrew's cross on the flag of Scotland].

* In heraldry, an ordinary[5] is any of the simplest principal charges[5] (devices or bearings placed on a shield or crest) used in coats of arms (especially chief, pale, bend, fess, bar, chevron, cross, saltire). In a prime example of circular logic, Oxford Dictionaries (having defined charge as a device or bearing) defines a bearing[5] as a device or chargearmorial bearings. We finally escape from the loop with device[5] which is defined as an emblematic or heraldic design ⇒ their shields bear the device of the Blazing Sun.

13a   More than one mythic creature // still lives (5)

The Abominable Snowman[5] (also called yeti) is a large hairy creature resembling a human or bear, said to live in the highest part of the Himalayas.

14a   Evaluating totality /of/ comments from judge (7-2)

The first definition is a cryptic description of the process by which a grand total is calculated.

16a   Series of balls are due // to exceed budget (9)

Here we need not just a single series of balls, but two or more series of balls.

In cricket, an over[5] is 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.

19a   What's beginning to deal with downpour? (5)

In this semi-&lit. clue — or, as some prefer to call it, semi-all-in-one clue — the definition is provided by the entire clue while the wordplay (the portion with the dashed underline) is found embedded within the definition (show further explanation ).

In an &lit. clue[7] (or, as some prefer to call it, all-in-one clue) the entire clue provides not only the definition (when read one way), but under a different interpretation also serves as the wordplay.

In a semi-&lit. clue (or, as some prefer to call it, semi-all-in-one clue), either:
  • the entire clue acts as the definition while a portion of the clue provides the wordplay; or
  • the entire clue acts as the wordplay while a portion of the clue provides the definition.
hide explanation

21a   Payments demanded to secure North /for/ king's followers? (7)

In this case, the followers are those in line to succeed the king.

23a   Cause pain to // stern arresting French cop (7)

Flic[5] is an informal term for a French policeman.

What is she talking about?
In her review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, crypticsue alludes to a couple of BBC television programmes from yesteryear — 'Allo 'Allo! and Maigret. The former I have never seen but the latter I did watch in the 1960s in Canada.
'Allo 'Allo![7] is a British sitcom that was first broadcast on the BBC from 1982 to 1992.

Set in a small town in Nazi-occupied France during World War II, 'Allo 'Allo! tells the story of café owner René Artois (played by English comic Gordon Kaye). Réné, whilst trying to remain impartial, has been dragged into the war by both sides. The Germans are threatening to shoot him if he does not secretly hide valuable looted artefacts; the Résistance is using his café as a safe-house for shot-down British airmen; and on top of that, he is trying to keep his passionate love affairs with the café waitresses secret from his wife.

Two German officers are pressuring René to hide several paintings so they can keep them for themselves following the war. However, Hitler also wants the paintings, and sends Herr Flick of the Gestapo to the town to find them.



Maigret[7] is a British television series made by the BBC which ran from 1960 to 1963. Based on the Maigret novels of Belgian author Georges Simenon (1903–1989), the series starred British actor Rupert Davies (1916–1976) in the title role of Sûreté detective Commissaire Jules Maigret of of the Paris "Brigade Criminelle" (Direction Régionale de Police Judiciaire de Paris). This was the first of four television adaptions of the Maigret story by British and French television.

24a   Unpleasant // moonies out of order (7)

Scratching the Surface
Moonie*[5] is an informal, derogatory term for a member of the Unification Church.

* from the name of the church's founder, Sun Myung Moon

25a   Go round volcano /in/ Asian country (7)

26a   Someone coming from Paris, say, // to trampoline acrobatically (12)

A metropolitan[5] is an inhabitant of a metropolis a sophisticated metropolitan.

Down

1d   Young runner // always filling in permit (7)

A leveret[5] is a young hare in its first year.

2d   Some spend lesson // without finishing (7)

3d   A sample of what could be /in/ store, fate possibly (9)

4d   Wishes // that man is accepting work (5)

"work" = OP (show explanation )

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

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

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

hide explanation

5d   Enchanting singer // learning to accompany Hawaiian band (7)

A lei[5] is a Polynesian garland of flowers.

Lorelei[5] is a siren said to live on the Lorelei rock, a rock on the bank of the Rhine. She is held by legend to lure boatmen to destruction with her enchanting song.

6d   Making // fishermen's equipment (7)

7d   Irritable people one associates with // ancient guild (6,7)

Livery[10] is another word for liverish[10] which means disagreeable or peevish.



A livery company*[5] is any of a number of Companies of the City of London (show explanation ) descended from the medieval trade guilds. They are now largely social and charitable organizations.

* so named because of the distinctive costume formerly used for special occasions, livery[5] denoting a special uniform worn by a servant, an official, or a member of a City Company (i) yeomen of the guard wearing a royal red and gold livery; (ii) pageboys in scarlet and green livery.

The City of London[5] is not to be confused with the city of London.

The City of London[7] is a city and ceremonial county within London. It constituted most of London from its settlement by the Romans in the 1st century AD to the Middle Ages, but the conurbation has since grown far beyond the City's borders. The City is now only a tiny part of the metropolis of London, though it remains a notable part of central London. It is one of two districts of London to hold city status, the other being the adjacent City of Westminster.

It is widely referred to simply as the City (often written as just "City" and differentiated from the phrase "the city of London" by capitalising "City") and is also colloquially known as the Square Mile, as it is 1.12 sq mi (2.90 km2), in area. Both of these terms are also often used as metonyms for the United Kingdom's trading and financial services industries, which continue a notable history of being largely based in the City. This is analogous to the use of the terms Wall Street and Bay Street to refer to the financial institutions located in New York and Toronto respectively.

hide explanation

8d   Continue a poem that’s rewritten // start of story (4,4,1,4)

15d   Press and TV upset Aussie tennis star that's dropped right // out of the Dark Ages (9)

Rod Laver[5] is an Australian former tennis player. In 1962 he became the second man (after Don Budge in 1938) to win the four major singles championships (British, American, French, and Australian) in one year; in 1969 he was the first to repeat this.

17d   English having endless deficit after crash /that's/ building (7)

18d   Encourage // dupe by speech (7)

19d   Rat circling lake // to change direction (7)

Here and There
The connotation of rat as being a deserter would appear to be stronger in the UK than in North America. Rat[3] is defined in the American Heritage Dictionary as slang for a despicable person, especially one who betrays or informs upon associates (which seems to fall a bit short of being a deserter). The Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary moves quite a ways in the direction of deserter, defining rat[11] as slang for an informer or a person who abandons or betrays associates. However, Collins English Dictionary is unequivocal in defining rat[4] as an informal term for a person who deserts his or her friends or associates, especially in time of trouble adding that the word is also chiefly US slang for an informer or, in other words, a stool pigeon.

20d   River sheltering rowdy gin // palace and bridge found here in France (7)

Avignon[5] is a city on the Rhône in south-eastern France. From 1309 until 1377 it was the residence of the popes during their exile from Rome, and was papal property until the French Revolution. The Palais des Papes (Papal Palace) and Pont Saint-Bénézet (Saint Benezet Bridge) are major landmarks of the city.

Delving Deeper
The Palais des Papes[7] (Papal palace) is a historical palace located in Avignon. It is one of the largest and most important medieval Gothic buildings in Europe. Once a fortress and palace, the papal residence was the seat of Western Christianity during the 14th century when six papal conclaves were held in the Palais.

The Pont Saint-Bénézet[7], also known as the Pont d'Avignon, is a famous medieval bridge in Avignon (the inspiration for the song Sur le pont d'Avignon). Originally built in the 12th century, and rebuilt in the 13th century after being destroyed in a siege, the bridge was abandoned in the mid-17th century following repeated collapses during floods. The four surviving arches on the bank of the Rhône are believed to have been built in around 1345 by Pope Clement VI during the Avignon Papacy. The Chapel of Saint Nicholas which sits on the second pier of the bridge was constructed in the second half of 12th century but has since been substantially altered. The western terminal, the Tour Philippe-le-Bel, is also preserved.

In 1995, the surviving arches of the bridge, together with the Palais des Papes and Cathédrale Notre-Dame des Doms were classified as a World Heritage Site.

22d   Undresses going up /for/ a rest (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)
[12] - CollinsDictionary.com (Webster’s New World College Dictionary)
[13] - MacmillanDictionary.com (Macmillan Dictionary)
Signing off for today — Falcon

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Wednesday, November 29, 2017 — DT 28515

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 28515
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Friday, August 25, 2017
Setter
Giovanni (Don Manley)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28515]
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

Foods I'd never heard of and obscure British dancing politicians did me in today. I also managed to invent a non-existent Briticism.

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

8a   /It's/ clear GP's kit isn't bad /for providing/ first-aid item (8-7)

I initially tried to include the word "it's" in the anagram fodder while omitting the word "isn't". Of course, I found myself one N short of a load.

The word "it's" — despite being placed at the beginning of the clue — plays a role somewhat akin to that of a linkword. The overall structure of the clue might be expressed as:
  • /It is/ an anagram (bad) of CLEAR GPS KIT ISNT /whose purpose is to provide (for providing)/ the solution ([a type of] first-aid item).
Scratching the Surface
GP*[5] is the abbreviation for general practitioner.

* Despite Oxford Dictionaries characterizing the abbreviation GP (but not the full term general practitioner) as a British usage, I would say that this abbreviation is certainly in widespread use in Canada.



Sticking plaster[5] is the British name for a band-aid (or Band-Aid*[5]).

* Band-Aid[7] is a is a brand name and registered trademark of American pharmaceutical and medical devices giant Johnson & Johnson for its line of adhesive bandages. Although for legal reasons Johnson & Johnson would likely vehemently disagree, without doubt the name band-aid has become a generic term for such a product from any manufacturer. I can't imagine myself ever saying "Oh dear, I cut myself! Do you happen to have an adhesive bandage?"

9a   Fish around /for/ someone to deal with health problem? (3)

10a   'Globe-trotter' in London, say? (7-4)

I had THEATRE TOUR, although I was a little uncomfortable with the parsing. I reasoned that "trotter" must be a hitherto unbeknownst to me British term for a 'tour' — Let's go for a trotter around London sounds feasibly British to my ear.

The Globe Theatre[7] was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men and was destroyed by fire in 1613. A second Globe Theatre was built on the same site by June 1614 and closed by Ordinance in 1642*. A modern reconstruction of the Globe, named "Shakespeare's Globe", opened in 1997 approximately 750 feet (230 m) from the site of the original theatre.

* In September 1642 the Long Parliament ordered a closure of the London theatres. The order cited the current "times of humiliation" and their incompatibility with "public stage-plays", representative of "lascivious Mirth and Levity". The ban, which was not completely effective, was reinforced by an Act of 11 February 1648. It provided for the treatment of actors as rogues, the demolition of theatre seating, and fines for spectators. In 1660, after the English Restoration brought King Charles II to effective power in England, the theatrical ban was lifted.

11a   Politician participating in 'Strictly' // dances (5)

I guessed the solution based on the second definition and the checking letters and then needed to do some fairly extensive research to explain the first definition.

I did initially try to make the solution be BUMPS or MP (politician) contained in (participating in) BUS. That left me to pursue the questions "Is there a dance named 'the bump'?" (plausibly) and "Is there a bus name 'Strictly'" (seems as likely as a television programme).

Strictly Come Dancing[5] (informally known as Strictly) is a British television dance contest, featuring celebrity contestants, with professional dance partners competing in a ballroom and Latin dance competition.

Ed Balls[7] is a retired British Labour Party and Co-operative Party politician who was a Member of Parliament from 2005 to 2015. In 2016, Balls appeared as a celebrity contestant on series 14 of Strictly Come Dancing, partnered with Russian professional dancer Katya Jones.

12a   Trendy translation /making/ change to the usual order (9)

15a   Very rich /and/ very drunk? (7)

According to The Chambers Dictionary:
  • rolling[1] adj ... extremely rich (sl); staggering with drunkenness (sl); ...
17a   Tracks /in/ zones of wood girl enters (7)

A riding[5] is a path or track for horse riders, typically one through woods.

19a   Pageboy possibly // working this early? (9)

I would dare say that Diana (usually appearing in its diminutive form Di) is certainly the leading contender for most popular female name in Crosswordland.

A pageboy[5] is a woman's hairstyle consisting of a shoulder-length bob with the ends rolled under.

20a   Sea-girt location // doesn't have owner-occupier (5)

Let[5] is a chiefly British* term meaning to allow someone to have the use of (a room or property) in return for regular payments ⇒ (i) she let the flat [apartment] to a tenant; (ii) they’ve let out their house.

* However, I seriously doubt that this word is quite as British as Oxford Dictionaries would have us believe.[3,11]

21a   New cabinet door -- // it has information written on it (6,5)

24a   Hurt // girl having little lamb without tail (3)

"Mary Had a Little Lamb"[7] is an English language nursery rhyme of nineteenth-century American origin. It reportedly recounts an actual incident that occurred in the early 1800s in which Mary Sawyer of Sterling, Massachusetts took her pet lamb to school.

25a   Managers // put in -- tenderness would be unusual (15)

Down

1d   Choose a flower, as you might say -- // something for the dining table (10)

This relish is apparently commonly found in Britain[7] as well as being well-known in the Northeastern and Midwestern United States[7]. However, it was totally new to me.

Piccalilli*[5] is a pickle of chopped vegetables, mustard, and hot spices (i) chutneys, piccalillies, and relishes; (ii) sixteen pints of mustard piccalilli.

* Rather than an Italian word as I had presumed, this is a mid-18th century English word. Oxford Dictionaries (based on the Oxford Dictionary of English or ODE) states that this term is probably a portmanteau formed from a blend of the words 'pickle' and 'chilli'. However, Wikipedia quotes the presumably more authoritative Oxford English Dictionary or OED (not to be confused with the aforementioned ODE) as tracing the origin of the word piccalilli[7] to "the middle of the 18th century when, in 1758, Hannah Glasse described how 'to make Paco-Lilla, or India Pickle'".

2d   Fish // glides along (6)

3d   As individuals, never interrupting // in a contemptuous manner (10)

4d   See // drunk keeping quiet (4)

"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

5d   Hurried // as journalist dedicated to his or her profession (8)

6d   German maybe /in/ extreme circle (4)

"extreme" = OTT (show explanation )

OTT[5] (short for over the top) is an informal British expression denoting excessive or exaggerated ⇒ presenting him as a goalscoring Superman seems a bit OTT.

hide explanation



Otto[7] is a masculine German given name. It is one of two common names for German men that you are likely to encounter in Crosswordland — the other being Hans.

7d   Doctor has year with a French // practice (3,3)

"a French" = UN (show explanation )

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

hide explanation

8d   Short article in paper: // 'Team faces ban' (7)

"team" = SIDE (show 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, in Britain, a player is said to be "in a side" rather than "on a team" as one would say in North America.

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.

hide explanation

13d   Entrance gets changed on the outside, // having different colours (10)

14d   Men failing to work out // who wrote spy stories (3,7)

Ian Fleming[5] (1908–1964) was an English novelist. He is known for his spy novels whose hero is the secret agent James Bond.

16d   At home, understand about dog /being/ unsettled (8)

18d   Volunteers turning up, fathers going round -- // they may raise a laugh (7)

"volunteers" = TA (show explanation )

In the UK, Territorial Army[5] (abbreviation TA[5]) was, at one time, the name of a volunteer force founded in 1908 to provide a reserve of trained and disciplined military personnel for use in an emergency. Since 2013, this organization has been called the Army Reserve.

hide explanation

19d   Fair // enough, one states, not revealing everything (6)

20d   Chemical // I love sufficed, needing energy (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

"energy" = E (show explanation )

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

hide explanation



An iodide[2] is a chemical compound containing iodine and another element or radical, e.g. potassium iodide, methyl iodide.

22d   Plumbing fixtures // ejected liquid the wrong way (4)

23d   Deposit // that is seen by river (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

Tuesday, November 28, 2017

Tuesday, November 28, 2017 — DT 28514

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 28514
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Thursday, August 24, 2017
Setter
RayT (Ray Terrell)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28514]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Falcon
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 was halfway through this puzzle before it dawned on me that there was something vaguely familiar about it.

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   Met with certain changes /making/ payment (10)

6a   Destruction /of/ atmosphere reversed (4)

9a   Old man's grateful expression /seeing/ dish (5)

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

10a   Concerned about sweetheart // dressing down (9)

Carpet[5] is British* slang meaning to reprimand severelythe Chancellor of the Exchequer carpeted the bank bosses.

* Although we do not use this expression in North America, we certainly use the presumably related expression to be called on the carpet[5].

12a   Copy /of/ Queen record left around including single (7)

"Queen" = R (show explanation )

Queen may be abbreviated as Q, Qu. or R.

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

Qu.[2] is another common abbreviation for Queen.

In the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms*, Regina[5] (abbreviation R[5]) [Latin for queen] denotes the reigning queen, used following a name (e.g. Elizabetha Regina, Queen Elizabeth) or in the titles of lawsuits (e.g. Regina 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.

Thus Queen Elizabeth signs her name as 'Elizabeth R' as seen here on Canada's paint-stained constitution.

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"record" = EP (show explanation )

EP[10] (abbreviation for extended-play) is one of the formats in which music is sold, usually comprising four or five tracks.

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13a   Birds /giving/ performances for audience (5)

A turn[5] is a short performance, especially one of a number given by different performers in succession ⇒ (i) Lewis gave her best ever comic turn; (ii) he was asked to do a turn at a children’s party.

15a   Stone // jar with popular content from the East (7)

17a   Snake /is/ supple wearing skin of silver (7)

19a   Rougher // sailor twisting knot faces resistance (7)

"sailor" = TAR (show explanation )

Tar[5] is an informal, dated nickname for a sailor. The term came into use in the mid 17th century and is perhaps an abbreviation of tarpaulin, also used as a nickname for a sailor at that time.

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"resistance" = R (show explanation )

In physics, R[5] is a symbol used to represent electrical resistance in mathematical formulae.

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The setter is likely using rough[10] in the sense (said of behaviour or character) of rude, coarse, ill mannered, inconsiderate, or violent.

Ratty[5] is an informal British term meaning bad-tempered and irritable ⇒ I was a bit ratty with the children.

On the other hand ...
In my initial attempt to explain the definition, I focussed on a different sense of the words "rough" and "ratty". However, in the case of the former word the definition seems a bit iffy (you might even say 'rough') and this sense of the latter word may be a North American usage.

Rough[2], according to Chambers 21st Century Dictionary, can mean not well-kept ⇒ lives in a really rough area*.

* Oxford Dictionaries, on the other hand, tells us that a ''rough[5] area" is one characterized by violent behaviour.

Ratty[5], according to Oxford Dictionaries, can be used in an informal sense* meaning in bad condition; in other words, shabby or ramshackle a ratty old armchair.

* However, Collins English Dictionary characterizes ratty[10] used in this sense as US and Canadian slang.

21a   Offensive, // like sailor embracing superior (7)

Salt[3] is an informal term for a sailor, especially when old or experienced.

"superior" = 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). 

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22a   Space accommodating usually naked aficionados initially (5)

The initialism or acrostic style clue has become a hallmark of RayT puzzles. Such a clue is a special case of semi-&lit. (or semi-all-in-one) clue (show explanation ) in which the entire clue constitutes the wordplay and the definition (marked by the solid underline) is embedded in the clue. A clue of this type where one could justify including the word "initially" in the definition could be considered to be a full-fledged &lit. (or all-in-one) clue (show explanation ).

In an &lit. clue[7] (or, as some prefer to call it, all-in-one clue) the entire clue provides not only the definition (when read one way), but under a different interpretation also serves as the wordplay.

In a semi-&lit. clue (or, as some prefer to call it, semi-all-in-one clue), either (1) the entire clue acts as the definition while a portion of the clue provides the wordplay or (2) the entire clue acts as the wordplay while a portion of the clue provides the definition.

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Only In Quebec
Perhaps circumstances justify declaring this clue to be a true &lit. clue in the province of Quebec where authorities have been banning nudity in locker rooms (and presumably saunas). So what was once (initially) usual behaviour has now been outlawed. This move made the news around the world including India.

First a dress code for Muslim women. Now one for locker rooms. What's next? A state approved uniform for all Quebecers? Anyone remember Communist China under Mao Tse-Tung?

24a   See // old church is in decline (7)

The wordplay is {O (old; abbrev.) + CE (church; abbreviation for Church of England) + S ('s; contraction of "is")} contained in (in) DIE (decline).

"church" = CE (show explanation )

The Church of England[10] (abbreviation CE[10]) is the reformed established state Church in England, Catholic in order and basic doctrine, with the Sovereign as its temporal head.

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A see[10] is the diocese* of a bishop, or the place within it where his cathedral** or procathedral*** is situated.

* A diocese[5] is a district under the pastoral care of a bishop in the Christian Churchor, more precisely, episcopal churches.
** A cathedral[5] is the principal church of a diocese, with which the bishop is officially associated.
*** A pro-cathedral[5] (or procathedral[10] is a church used as a substitute for a cathedral.

27a   One can time railway // route (9)

28a   Stone /in/ front of arched door (5)

29a   Reportedly recognises // smell (4)

30a   Vote // about loud European split faces empty ultimatum (10)

"loud" = F (show explanation )

Forte[5] (abbreviation f[5]) is a musical direction meaning (as an adjective) loud or (as an adverb) loudly.

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Scratching the Surface
At the time this puzzle appeared in the UK, the British House of Commons had recently begun considering the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill[7], legislation to effect Britain's exit (Brexit) from the European Union.

It would appear that that the negotiations between Britain and the European Union have been punctuated by a series of ultimatums (ultimata) from one side or the other. One of these was an ultimatum delivered by EU negotiator Guy Verhofstadt in early August — about the time that RayT might have been compiling this puzzle.

Down

1d   Artist performs without heart /and/ sings? (4)

"artist" = RA (show explanation )

A Royal Academician (abbreviation RA[10]) is a member of the Royal Academy of Arts[5] (also Royal Academy; abbreviation also RA[10]), an institution established in London in 1768, whose purpose is to cultivate painting, sculpture, and architecture in Britain. 

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The question mark in the clue is an integral part of the definition, denoting the questionable nature of the definition in that many would not consider this style of vocalizing to constitute 'singing'.

2d   Crime's unravelled by Arnott oddly /finding/ criminal (9)

Scratching the Surface
Steve Arnott is a fictional police officer in the popular BBC police procedural television series Line of Duty[7]. Arnott is a detective sergeant assigned to AC-12, the anti-corruption unit within Central Police.

3d   Slope takes time on // hike (5)

Behind the Picture
The photo used to illustrate my review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog obviously was not taken in a Quebec locker room.

4d   Vault this compiler has /for/ old records (7)

"this compiler has" = IVE (show explanation )

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

Today, the setter has made the scenario slightly more complicated by combining "this compiler" with the verb "to have" producing "this compiler has" which must be replaced by "I've" (a contraction of "I have").

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5d   Motor about to be put on ship/'s/ framework (7)

Motor[5] is an informal British term for a car we drove out in my motor.

In Crosswordland, a ship is rarely anything other than a steamship (abbreviation SS[5]).

7d   Willow /is/ comparatively blooming having been polled (5)

The setter has used blooming[5] in an adjectival sense to describe a youthful or healthy glow in a person's complexion.

Poll[5] is an archaic term meaning to cut off the top* of (a tree or plant), typically to encourage further growth; in other words, pollard there were some beautiful willows, and now the idiot Parson has polled them into wretched stumps.

* polling would seem to be a less drastic form of pruning than coppicing (see below) — but perhaps not when executed by the afore-referenced Parson



The osier[5] is a small Eurasian willow which grows mostly in wet habitats. It is usually coppiced*, being a major source of the long flexible shoots (withies) used in basketwork.  Osier is also a dated term for any willow tree.

* Coppice[5] means to cut back (a tree or shrub) to ground level periodically to stimulate growth.

8d   Judge // artist performing in silly game (10)

11d   Guards missing first // openings (7)

14d   Unruly gang rises accepting zero // violence (10)

16d   Some proclaim it a terrible // copy (7)

18d   Mother involved in hideous revolting // 'domestic' (9)

Domestic[5] (noun) is an informal British term for a violent quarrel between family members, especially a couple ⇒ they are often called to sort out a domestic.

20d   Value securing help lifting // beam (7)

Alter Ego
The appearance of the word "beam" in a puzzle compiled by today's setter will usually elicit a comment or two on Big Dave's Crossword Blog.

Beam is the pseudonym used by crossword compiler Ray Terrell (whom we know as RayT) for his Toughie* puzzles. You may have noticed the theme here, a beam being a ray of light.

* In addition to the Cryptic Crossword (the crossword which is carried in syndication by the National Post), The Daily Telegraph also publishes the Toughie Crossword. The former appears in The Daily Telegraph from Monday to Saturday — customarily on the back page of the paper (and thus is commonly referred to on Big Dave's Crossword Blog as the 'back-pager'). The latter is published from Tuesday to Friday and is found in the middle of the paper. A separate series of Cryptic Crossword puzzles appears in The Sunday Telegraph.

21d   Neutral // element deny Donald's holding back (7)

Does "The Donald" ever hold back?



It would appear that I may have marked the definition incorrectly on Big Dave's Crossword Blog.

As I recall, my thought at the time was that anodyne[5] is being as a noun meaning a painkilling drug or medicine — although to describe such a substance as a neutral element does seem to be a bit of a stretch.

I now believe that anodyne[5] is being used as an adjective meaning not likely to cause offence or disagreement and somewhat dull (in other words, neutral).

That makes the wordplay "element [that] dENY DONAd is ('s) holding back"; in other words, a word (element) that is contained (holding) and reversed (back) in 'deny Donald'.

23d   Items /from/ Sun, beginning to end about sex (5)

It[2,5] (usually written in quotation marks, "it") is an informal term for sexual intercourse or sex appeal ⇒ (i) the only thing I knew nothing about was ‘it’; (ii) they were caught doing ‘it’ in the back seat of his car.

Scratching the Surface
The Sun[7] is a daily tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and Ireland by a division of News UK, a wholly owned subsidiary of Australian-born American publisher and media entrepreneur Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.

The Sun was once known for its Page 3[7] feature,  a large photograph of a topless, bare-breasted female glamour model which was usually published on the print edition's third page.

The Page 3 feature first appeared in the newspaper on 17 November 1970 and on the official Page 3 website since June 1999, where it still continues. The terms "Page 3" and "Page Three" are registered trademarks of News UK, parent company of The Sun, although the feature has been imitated in Britain's other 'red top' tabloids and by newspapers internationally.

Page 3 was popular with Sun readers, but it also attracted sustained controversy. Critics argued that Page 3 objectifies and demeans women, while others believe that it should not appear in a generally circulated national newspaper. Some campaigners advocated for legislation to ban Page 3, while others tried to convince newspaper editors to voluntarily drop the feature or modify it so that models no longer appear topless. The No More Page 3 campaign was launched in 2012.

The Irish edition of The Sun dropped topless Page 3 models in August 2013. After several days of non-appearance, an article appeared in sister newspaper The Times on 19 January 2015 indicating that the UK editions were dropping the feature too. The 22 January 2015 edition, in what became a one-off revival, was the last to include the feature.

25d   Cancel // Times before end of issue (5)

Scratching the Surface
The Times[7] is 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.

26d   Periodically they arm // squad (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