Friday, December 15, 2017 — DT 28527

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28527
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Friday, September 8, 2017
Setter Giovanni (Don Manley)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28527]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Deep Threat
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

For me, the difficulty level may have edged into three-star territory. In 27a, after assembling the lego blocks, I had to check in the dictionary to confirm that what I had built was a real word.

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   Argument about monarch // fulfilling duties? (7)

10a   In athletics competition, beat // Open University by small amount (7)

In the UK, the Open University^[5] (abbreviation OU^[5]) is a university that teaches mainly by broadcasting, correspondence, and summer schools, and is open to those without formal academic qualifications.

11a   Domineering /and/ wicked English queen being imprisoned (9)

Be careful here, the ER comes from E(English; abbrev.) + R (queen; abbrev.) and not from the regnal cypher of our current monarch (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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"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).

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^* 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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12a   Such a vocation limits // this // chaos (5)

13a   Cut // organ after demand for silence (5)

14a   Excellent drink knocked back -- // splendid stuff! (7)

"excellent" = AI (show explanation )

A1^[4][5] or A-one^[3] meaning first class or excellent comes from a classification for ships in The Lloyd's Register of Shipping where it means equipped to the highest standard or first-class.

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17a   Resorting to priest, shy chap /gets/ someone who can deal with emotional problems? (15)

As an anagram indicator, "resorting" is used in the somewhat whimsical sense of 'sorting again'.

19a   Host with sailor going around in single // small vehicle (7)

"sailor" = AB (show explanation )

In the Royal Navy, according to Oxford Dictionaries, able seaman^[5] (abbreviation AB^[5]), is a rank of sailor above ordinary seaman and below leading seaman. On the other hand, Collins English Dictionary tells us that an able seaman^[10] (also called able-bodied seaman) is an ordinary seaman, especially one in the merchant navy, who has been trained in certain skills.

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What did he say?

In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Deep Threat refers to a two-letter host or presenter and a naval rating, also of two letters ... and the Roman numeral for a single. Presenter[5] is a British term for a person who introduces and appears in a television or radio programme. In North America, terms such as host, announcer or anchor might be used for such a person. Rating*[5] is a British term for a non-commissioned sailor in the navy ⇒ the rest of the new crew was made up of naval ratings. * So named from the position or rating held by a sailor, recorded on a ship's books. In cricket, a single[5] is a hit for one run [to which Deep Threat may — or may not — be alluding]. Single is also a baseball term, but I believe we can safely rule that option out.

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Minicab^[10] is a British term for a small saloon car [sedan] used as a taxi. In addition to being smaller than regular taxis, a minicab^[5] may be booked in advance but is not licensed to pick up passengers who hail it in the street.

21a   Saw // doctor with ill tot (5)

"doctor" = MO (show explanation )

A medical officer^[5] (abbreviation MO^[5]) is a doctor in charge of the health services of a civilian or military authority or other organization.

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24a   Equipment needed by the Spanish // star (5)

"the Spanish" = EL (show explanation )

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

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Rigel^[5] is the seventh-brightest star in the sky, and the brightest in the constellation Orion. It is a blue supergiant nearly sixty thousand times as luminous as our sun.

26a   Record company no longer gets permits /for/ people leaving the country (9)

EMI^[7] (officially EMI Group Limited, originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries and often known as EMI Records and EMI Music) was a British multinational conglomerate founded in 1931 and based in London.

Delving Deeper

In 2011, facing financial troubles and USD $4 billion in debt, EMI was acquired by Citigroup who dismantled the company, selling EMI's music arm to Vivendi's Universal Music Group for $1.9 billion and EMI's publishing business to a Sony/ATV consortium for around $2.2 billion. At the time of its break-up in 2012, it was the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry. Its EMI Records Ltd. group of record labels included EMI Records, Parlophone, Virgin Records and Capitol Records. EMI also had a major publishing arm, EMI Music Publishing—also based in London with offices globally.

27a   Viceroy /and/ ambassador go down following king (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

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

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Khedive^[5] was the title of the viceroy of Egypt under Turkish rule 1867–1914.

28a   Bird, a female, full of energy -- // magpie in London's East End? (3,4)

The teal^[5] is a small freshwater duck, typically with a greenish band on the wing that is most prominent in flight.

"energy" = E (show explanation )

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

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The cockney^[5] dialect spoken in the East End of London is characterized by dropping the aitch (H) from the beginning of words as well as the use of rhyming slang (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.

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Tea leaf^[5] is British rhyming slang for a thief. The magpie has a reputation as a thief — apparently undeserved according to an article on The Telegraph website.

Delving Deeper

Magpies have been declared innocent after more than 200 years of being branded nature's thieves. Despite what centuries of folklore has taught us, the birds do not have a habit of stealing jewellery and other shiny objects, animal experts have claimed. The mythology surrounding the birds has for centuries told how they line their nests with shiny and sparkling objects, which has led to many stories about magpies stealing priceless jewellery. This long held belief was central to the plot of Rossini's 1817 opera The Thieving Magpie in which a servant girl is executed for stealing silver jewellery when it turns out to have been a magpie. The researchers believe the legend may have arisen after a magpie was spotted picking up a shiny object in the past. Dr Toni Shepherd of the University of Exeter, who led the research, stated: "Humans notice when magpies occasionally pick up shiny objects while it goes unnoticed when magpies interact with less eye-catching items. "It seems likely, therefore, that the folklore surrounding them is a result of cultural generalisation and anecdotes rather than evidence." The legend is so well known that even dictionaries define 'magpie' as a nickname for a thief, said the researchers.

Down

1d   Sin was terrible /for/ poetic lovers (6)

Swain^[5] is a literary term for a young lover or suitor.

2d   Support the fellow's yen // to be a sort of preacher? (8)

It is hardly necessary to resort to rugby to find a correspondence between prop and support, but that is the context in which Deep Threat chooses to view the terms describing a prop as "one of the two supports for the hooker in a rugby scrum".

In rugby, a scrum^[5] is an ordered formation of players, used to restart play, in which the forwards of a team form up with arms interlocked and heads down, and push forward against a similar group from the opposing side. The ball is thrown into the scrum and the players try to gain possession of it by kicking it backwards towards their own side.

The front row of the scrum is comprised of three players — a hooker^[5] in the middle with a prop^[5] on either side.

"yen" = Y (show explanation )

The yen^[5] (abbreviation Y^[5])  is the basic monetary unit of Japan.

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Prophesy^[10,12] (verb) is used in an archaic sense meaning to give instruction in religious subjects or, in other words, preach.

3d   Greeting, with hesitation, chief in charge // of tiered organisation (10)

"in charge of" = IC (show explanation )

The abbreviation i/c^[5] can be short for either:

• (especially in military contexts) in charge of ⇒ the Quartermaster General is i/c rations
• in command ⇒ 2 i/c = second in command.

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4d   Spent time /getting/ prisoner settled (9)

Sorted^[5] (adjective) is an informal British term denoting:

• organized, arranged, or dealt with satisfactorily ⇒ (i) ‘And your social commitments?’ ‘They're well sorted’; (ii) he's working on that old car he's been trying to get sorted.
• (of a person) confident, organized, and emotionally well balanced ⇒ (i) after a while, you realize they're not as sorted as they seem; (ii) a pretty sorted kind of bloke.
• (of a person) prepared for or provided with something (especially illegal drugs) ⇒ Are you sorted? This is good stuff—it'll keep you going all night.

5d   The thing about husband, // a source of irritation (4)

6d   Mum joins little relative around five -- /it's/ a wonder (6)

7d   Trader /in/ the French sea getting to sing (8)

Mer^[8] is a French word meaning sea.

9d   Stupid person? // I don't believe you! (4)

Here and There
In Britain, the word goon[3,4,11] appears to be used only in the sense of a stupid or deliberately foolish person. While American dictionaries also list this sense of the word, the far more common meaning of goon on this side of the Atlantic would be a hoodlum or thug hired to commit acts of violence or intimidation, especially in an industrial dispute.

Behnd the Video
The Goon Show[7] was a British radio comedy programme featuring Spike Milligan, Harry Secombe and Peter Sellers — originally produced and broadcast by the BBC Home Service from 1951 to 1960.

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Go on^[10] is an exclamation used to express "I don't believe what you're saying".

15d   Language specialist // puts together Mass, one devoted to Our Lady (10)

A gram^[5] (British gramme) is a metric unit of mass equal to one thousandth of a kilogram.

A Marian^[10] is a person who has a special devotion to the Virgin Mary.

16d   Country workers /in/ firm facing threat, not half (9)

What did he say?

In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Deep Threat refers to a threat (perhaps one coming from Dennis) Dennis the Menace[7] is the name of separate UK and U.S. comic strip characters that debuted within days of each other in March 1951 in their respective readership areas, and are still published as of 2017. Dennis the Menace[7] is a daily syndicated newspaper comic strip originally created, written, and illustrated by Hank Ketcham. It debuted on March 12, 1951, in 16 newspapers. It is now written and drawn by Ketcham's former assistants, Marcus Hamilton and Ron Ferdinand, and distributed to at least 1,000 newspapers in 48 countries and in 19 languages. Coincidentally, another cartoon strip titled Dennis the Menace was published in the British comic The Beano just days before the debut of Ketcham's version. The two are not related and change their names in each other's respective home bases to avoid confusion. The UK Dennis is quite different in appearance and character, characterized by his red-and-black striped jersey, his dog Gnasher, and his gang of friends. Like the American character, the UK one remains popular to this day and has made the transition to television cartoons. In Britain, Ketcham's comic strip was dubbed Just Dennis or The Pickle to avoid confusion with the native UK version of Dennis the Menace. The television version screened in the UK simply as Dennis. The UK comic strip was briefly renamed Dennis and Gnasher but has returned to being called Dennis the Menace and Gnasher.

From a British perspective, stableman^[5] is a US term for a person employed in a stable.

17d   Welsh town // gym? Gym's ending with absolutely no cash (8)

"gym [class]" = PE (show explanation )

PE^[5] is the abbreviation for physical education [or Phys Ed, as it was known in my school days]. 

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Pembroke^[5] is a port in south-western Wales, in Pembrokeshire. It was a Norman stronghold from the 11th century.

18d   One new nurse accompanying journalist, // one looking forward to match (8)

20d   Food -- food churning over inside -- // something lumpy (6)

22d   Old saints, if meeting heresy, ultimately // become rigid (6)

S^[5] (chiefly in Catholic use) is an abbreviation for Saint ⇒ S Ignatius Loyola with SS^[5] being the abbreviation for Saints ⇒ the Church of SS Peter and Paul.

23d   Colour /of/ container on top of table (4)

25d   Woman // shifting soil (4)

What did he say?

In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Deep Threat describes the mystery woman as Clark Kent’s girlfriend. Lois Lane[7] is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She first appeared in Action Comics #1 (June 1938). Lois is an award-winning reporter for the Metropolis newspaper, the Daily Planet, and the primary love interest of the superhero Superman (the alter ego of fellow Daily Planet reporter Clark Kent).

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