Monday, December 18, 2017 — DT 28528 (Published Saturday, December 16, 2017)

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28528
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Saturday, September 9, 2017
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28528 – Hints] Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28528 – 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. This puzzle appears on the Monday Diversions page in the Saturday, December {date}, 2017 edition of the National Post.

Introduction

I obviously solve in a different universe than crypticsue as this puzzle was definitely above one-star difficulty grade for me.

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   I'd recalled tucking into impulsive // item for salad (6)

4a   Rough // strikebreaker's going to stir endlessly (8)

9a   Japanese ruler // removing central element of firearm (6)

A shogun^[5] was a hereditary commander-in-chief in feudal Japan. Because of the military power concentrated in his hands and the consequent weakness of the nominal head of state (the mikado or emperor), the shogun was generally the real ruler of the country until feudalism was abolished in 1867.

10a   Note // hobby that gets one hooked takes time (8)

Crotchet^[5] is a British name for a quarter note, a note having the time value of a quarter of a semibreve^* or half a minim^**, represented by a large solid dot with a plain stem.^* }

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^* Semibreve^[5] is a British name for a whole note.
^** Minim^[5] is a British name for a half note.

11a   Detective arresting the old thugs, reportedly /showing/ colours (9)

DS^[10] is the abbreviation for Detective Sergeant. Within the British police, sergeant^[7] is the first supervisory rank. Sergeant is senior to the rank of constable, and junior to inspector. Detective sergeants are equal in rank to their uniformed counterparts; only the prefix 'detective' identifies them as having completed at least one of the various detective training courses authorising them to conduct and/or manage investigations into serious and/or complex crime.

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A dyestuff^[5] is a substance yielding a dye or that can be used as a dye, especially when in solution.

A colour^[5] is a substance used to give something a particular colour ⇒ (i) lip colour; (ii) as with any chemical treatment, colour can cause hair to become dry.

13a   Naughty child loses head -- // a mistake (5)

14a   Having drunk a sherry ablest // drivers may fear these (13)

17a   Don't put in sir's tooth wonky! // They should straighten it out (13)

Wonky^[3] is a chiefly British term meaning out of alignment.

21a   Note 500 bottles Inland Revenue // taxed (5)

Although crypticsue manages to construct the correct solution, in her explanation she does not adhere to the sequence of steps given in the assembly instructions.

As laid out in the clue, the wordplay parses as {TE (note) + D ([Roman numeral for] 500) containing (bottles) IR (Inland Revenue; abbrev.)

Te is a British spelling of ti, the seventh note of the major scale. British dictionaries are divided on which variant is the principal spelling. Two sister publications, The Chambers Dictionary and Chambers 21st Century Dictionary, come down on opposite sides and Oxford Dictionaries has reversed itself recently on this question. (show more )

In music, ti^[5] (also te) is:

• (in tonic sol-fa) the seventh note of the major scale
• the note B in the fixed-doh system

A perusal of entries in American and British dictionaries produces some interesting results.

The only recognized spelling in the US would seem to be ti^[3,11] while British dictionaries are split into two camps. On one side, Chambers 21st Century Dictionary and Collins English Dictionary give the principal spelling as te^[2,4,10] with ti^[2,4,10] being an alternative spelling. On the other side, The Chambers Dictionary and Oxford Dictionaries take the contrary position, giving the spelling as ti^[1,5] with te^[1,5] shown as an alternate spelling.

Note that the sister publications, The Chambers Dictionary and Chambers 21st Century Dictionary, are diametrically opposed on the issue and Oxford Dictionaries has done an about face. I have notes in my files showing that "Oxford Dictionaries decrees that te^[5] is the British spelling with ti being the North American spelling.".

hide explanation

Inland revenue^[5] is a British term for public revenue consisting of income tax and some other direct taxes. In the UK, the government department responsible for assessing and collecting inland revenue was formerly known as Inland Revenue (abbreviation IR^[10]). In April 2005, Inland Revenue was merged with HM Customs and Excise to form HM Revenue and Customs. Colloquially, especially among those not in the youngest taxpaying bracket, 'Revenue and Customs' has not yet widely replaced the former name.^[7]

23a   A new version of Dante to set up // with explanations? (9)

Scratching the Surface
Dante[5] (1265–1321), full name Dante Alighieri, was an Italian poet. His reputation rests chiefly on The Divine Comedy (circa 1309–20), an epic poem describing his spiritual journey through Hell and Purgatory and finally to Paradise. His love for Beatrice Portinari is described in Vita nuova (circa 1290-4).

24a   Fine material /in/ newspaper to stop (8)

An organ^[5] is a newspaper or periodical which promotes the views of a political party or movement ⇒ he repositioned the journal as a leading organ of neoconservatism.

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Organdie^[5] (US organdy) is a fine translucent cotton muslin that is usually stiffened and is used for women’s clothing ⇒ brides in flounced organdie gowns.

25a   Poor nun reaching end of Eucharist /gets/ wine (6)

Saint Clare of Assisi^[7] (1194–1253), born Chiara Offreduccio and sometimes spelled Clair, Claire, etc., is an Italian saint and one of the first followers of Saint Francis of Assisi. She founded the Order of Poor Ladies, a monastic religious order for women in the Franciscan tradition, and wrote their Rule of Life, the first set of monastic guidelines known to have been written by a woman. Following her death, the order she founded was renamed in her honor as the Order of Saint Clare, commonly referred to today as the Poor Clares.

Scratching the Surface

The Eucharist[5] is the Christian service, ceremony, or sacrament commemorating the Last Supper, in which bread and wine are consecrated and consumed. The service of worship is also called Holy Communion or (chiefly in the Protestant tradition) the Lord’s Supper or (chiefly in the Catholic tradition) the Mass. Having been raised in a Baptist family, I recall it being referred to simply as Communion and being celebrated once a month following the conclusion of the regular church service.

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Claret^[5] is a red wine from Bordeaux, or wine of a similar character made elsewhere.

26a   Those people acquiring old record /for/ religious study (8)

27a   It may delete items // from cameras erroneously (6)

Down

1d   Live // on edge (6)

2d   Lorna's accepted temptation // to make a contribution (2,4,3)

Lorna Doone: A Romance of Exmoor^[7] is a novel by English author Richard Doddridge Blackmore, published in 1869. It is a romance based on a group of historical characters and set in the late 17th century in Devon and Somerset, particularly around the East Lyn Valley area of Exmoor.

3d   Fuel vessel /in/ hurry (7)

A scuttle^[5] is metal container with a handle, used to fetch and store coal for a domestic fire.

5d   Bring into church, with introduction of Irishman, // this old Tory (5,6)

You may have observed that most of the Irishmen whom one meets in Crosswordland seem to be named Pat.

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Chris Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes^[7], is a former British Conservative politician who was a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1979 to 1992, a junior Government minister from 1986 to 1989, a member of the Cabinet from 1989 to 1992, and Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1992. He later served as the 28th and last Governor of Hong Kong from 1992 to 1997, as a European Commissioner from 1999 to 2004, and as Chairman of the BBC Trust (which, at the time, was the governing body of the British Broadcasting Corporation) from 2011 to 2014. Since 2003, he has held the post of Chancellor of the University of Oxford and has been a member of the British House of Lords since 2005.

Behind the Picture

Big Dave illustrates his hint on Big Dave's Crossword Blog with a picture of a tearful-looking Chris Patten. One might think that the picture comes from his time as Governor of Hong Kong. On July 1, 1997, Patten (together with Prince Charles) presided over the official handover of Hong Kong to China. This marked the end of British rule in Hong Kong, and arguably of the British Empire, though other remnants persist, such as Bermuda. After the handover ceremony he left the city, together with Prince Charles, on board the British royal yacht, HMY Britannia. Patten was noted to be in tears throughout the day. However, the picture may actually date from his time as head of the BBC Trust which was beset with financial scandals (The BBC, £100 million of public money and digital disaster) and allegations of sexual abuse (At the sexually corrupt BBC, when your age exceeds your bra size you're finished).

6d   Crazy about the Queen/'s/ source of power (7)

"the Queen" = ER, the regnal cipher of Queen Elizabeth (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

7d   Different // article carried by soldiers (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

8d   Is artist playing // Ravi Shankar? (8)

There's a slight mistype in crypticsue's review — her explanation should read "An anagram (playing) of IS ARTIST".

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Ravi Shankar^[5] (1920–2012) was an Indian sitar player and composer. From the mid 1950s he toured Europe and the US giving sitar recitals, doing much to stimulate contemporary Western interest in Indian music.

The question mark is the setter's way of flagging the presence of a definition by example.

12d   Healthy knight on board's speciality, picking up a // grand (3,3,1,4)

In chess, forking^[10] is the act of placing (two enemy pieces) under attack with one of one's own pieces, especially a knight^*.

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^* Knights are often used for forks^[7]. Their unique L-shaped move means that they can attack any other type of piece, including the powerful queen, without being attacked by their targets.

15d   Crafty May's reset // less rigorous schedule for repayment (4,5)

Scratching the Surface

Theresa May[7] is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party, having served as both since July 2016. She is the second female Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader after Margaret Thatcher. In mid-July, the Bloomberg News Service reported that U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May attempted a “reset” for her government after last month’s election losses*, but the bid was undermined by confusion over Brexit policy and a health scandal dating back decades** . * May had called a snap general election for June 8, 2017 in hopes of securing a larger majority for the Conservative Party in order to "strengthen [her] hand in [the forthcoming Brexit] negotiations". Instead, the Conservatives lost 13 seats forcing them into a minority government supported by the Northern Ireland Democratic Unionist Party. ** Media attention was drawn away from the reset bid by the government’s announcement of an inquiry into transfusions of blood contaminated with HIV and hepatitis C that were given to thousands of people by the state-run National Health Service in the 1970s and 1980s.

16d   Discovers // reason to worry when England’s batting (5,3)

Joe Root^[7] is an English cricketer, who is the current captain of the English Test team.

18d   In exam clamour /to get/ a first or second perhaps (7)

19d   Colonist // left bitten by dog (7)

20d   Newspaper boss /makes/ investment finally in English fashion house (6)

Christian Dior SE^[7], commonly known as Dior, is a European luxury goods company founded in 1946 by the eponymous designer Christian Dior. Today the company designs and retails ready-to-wear, leather goods, fashion accessories, footwear, jewelry, timepieces, fragrance, make-up, and skincare products while also maintaining its tradition as a creator of recognized haute-couture.

22d   Rascal /with/ Irish accent getting tip-off? (5)

Brogue^*[5] is a marked accent, especially Irish or Scottish, when speaking English ⇒ (i) a fine Irish brogue; (ii) a sweet lilt of brogue in her voice.

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^* The term may arise allusively from the shoe, referring to the rough footwear of Irish peasants.

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