Friday, July 13, 2018 — DT 28679

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28679
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Tuesday, March 6, 2018
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28679]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Mr K
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

If you like really long anagrams, you are in for a bit of a treat 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.

Click here for an explanation of conventions and symbols used in explaining the parsing of clues.

The purpose of this article is to explain the conventions and symbols that I use on this blog in explaining the parsing of clues.

Legend: The following symbols are used in reviews: "*" anagram "~" sounds like "<" indicates that the preceding letters are reversed "( )" encloses contained letters "_" replaces letters that have been deleted "†" indicates that the word is present in the clue

The review of a clue takes the following general structure:

#a/d   Clue containing parsing markup (num^*)

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^* num = numeration

Explanations pertaining to the wordplay (or first definition in a double definition)

(Horizontal separator)

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Explanations pertaining to the definition (or second definition in a double definition) and solution.

Explanatory Box

An explanatory box provides additional information about the clue. In most cases this information will not necessarily help in solving the clue but provides information about the clue. In the case of the weekday syndicated Daily Telegraph puzzles, such information is often intended to help the North American solver appreciate how the clue may be perceived by a British solver. These boxes may also provide information on people, places, films, television programmes, works of art and literature, etc. mentioned in the clue. Although the titles of these boxes will usually be drawn from a standard list, I do occasionally throw in a title specifically suggested by the subject at hand. The standard titles include: Scratching the Surface - an explanation of the surface reading of the clue Delving Deeper - in-depth information pertaining to a subject mentioned in an explanation Behind the Picture - for weekday puzzles, information about an illustration found on Big Dave's Crossword Blog What did he/she/they say? - for weekday puzzles, an explanation of a remark made in a review or comment on Big Dave's Crossword Blog What are they talking about? - for weekday puzzles, an explanation of a discussion on Big Dave's Crossword Blog One box that may provide information that could prove helpful in solving the clue is the following: Here and There - for weekday puzzles, discusses words whose British meaning differs from their North American meaning

Note that there are many types of cryptic crossword clue and it is not my intention to exhaustively go through all of them here. I will only deal with clue types to the extent necessary to explain the conventions and symbols used on the blog. Furthermore, be aware that, in the world of cryptic crosswords, there seems to be an exception to every rule.

With one exception that I can think of, cryptic crossword clues provide two routes to the solution. These are commonly referred to as the definition and wordplay. While these terms serve well for most clues, there are some cases where the more formal terms of primary indication and subsidiary indication may be more appropriate.

Most cryptic crossword clues consist of a definition (primary indication) and wordplay (subsidiary indication). The definition may be a "precise definition" (a definition that is either taken straight from a dictionary or at least phrased in a non-misleading fashion) or it may be a "cryptic definition" (a definition misleadingly phrased so as to misdirect the solver either with respect to the meaning of the definition as a whole or to an incorrect sense of a word used in the definition).

The only type of clue that I can think of where there are not two ways of finding the solution are those in which the entire clue is a cryptic definition.

I identify precise definitions by marking them with a solid underline in the clue and cryptic definitions by marking them with a dotted underline.

In clues in which both definition and wordplay are present, the two parts of the clue combine to provide an overall meaningful statement (the surface reading) which usually bears no relationship to the underlying cryptic reading of the clue. In some cases, an extra word or phrase will be inserted into the clue to create a meaningful link between the definition and wordplay. I define clues which contain such a link word or link phrase as having an explicit link and clues which contain no link word or link phrase as having an implicit link.

I mark the existence of an explicit link by enclosing the link word or link phrase between forward slashes (/link/) and mark the existence of an implicit link with double forward slashes (//) positioned between the definition and wordplay.

Examples

A few examples may help to illustrate these points more clearly.

The first example is a clue used by Jay in DT 28573:

• 4d   Fellow left work // a failure (4)

Here the definition is "a failure" which is marked with a solid underline to show that it is a precise definition. The wordplay parses as F (fellow; abbrev.) + L (left; abbrev.) + OP (work; abbrev. used in music) which gives us the solution F|L|OP. The double forward slashes (//) between the definition and wordplay indicate the existence of an "implicit link" between the two parts of the clue (that is, no extra words are inserted into the clue to form the link).

The second example is a clue used by Giovanni in DT 28575:

• 29a   Female going to match // travels with mother in advance (10)

Here the definition "female going to match" is cryptic (the setter is attempting to misdirect our thoughts to a sports event rather than a marriage ceremony) and thus is marked with a a dotted underline. The wordplay is {RIDES (travels) + (with) MA (mother)} contained in (in) BID (advance) giving us the solution B(RIDES|MA)ID. As in the first example, the double forward slashes indicate the presence of an implicit link.

The third example is a clue used by Rufus is DT 28583:

• 18d   Knight caught by misplaced big blow /is/ staggering (8)

Here the definition is "staggering" which is marked with a solid underline to show that it is a precise definition. The wordplay parses as N ([chess symbol for] knight) contained in (caught in) an anagram (misplaced) of BIG BLOW producing the solution WOBBLI(N)G. Finally, forward slashes mark the link word (/is/).

I also use distinctive underlining to mark &lit.^[7] and semi-&lit. clues. Note that the reviewers on Big Dave's Crossword Blog generally prefer to refer to these clue types by the less pretentious names of all-in-one or semi-all-in-one clues respectively.

In an &lit. clue^[7] (or 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 future, I will mark such clues with a combined solid and dashed underline. Although this is a departure from past practice, it would seem to make more sense than using a dotted underline as I have in the past). Henceforth, the dotted underline will be reserved for cryptic definitions.

In a semi-&lit. clue (or 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.

For these clues, I will mark the definition with a solid underline and the wordplay with a  dashed underline. This means that a portion of the clue may have a solid underline, a portion of the clue may have a dashed underline and a portion of the clue may have a combined solid and dashed underline.

One final clue type is what I characterize as a cryptic definition comprised of a precise definition combined with cryptic elaboration. For example, in DT 28560 (setter unknown) the following clue appears:

•  26d   Heroic exploit, whichever way you look at it (4)

As the entire clue is a cryptic definition, it is marked with a dotted underline. The 'precise definition' is "heroic exploit" and is indicated by a solid underline.

Given the numeration, the precise definition could give rise to at least two solutions, DEED or FEAT. However, the 'cryptic elaboration' ("whichever way you look at it") indicates that the solution is a palindrome thereby immediately eliminating one of the two obvious choices.

Note that the part of the clue that I have called 'cryptic elaboration' does not provide a second independent route to the solution (as the wordplay would do in most other types of clue). Rather it merely provides a piece of additional information (elaboration) related to the 'precise definition'.

Again, this approach is a departure from past practice, but like the other changes mentioned previously is intended to remove inconsistencies in the way that I have been applying parsing markup to clues. The markup rules that I have been using until now evolved bit-by-bit over a long period of time resulting in some degree of internal inconsistency.

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Across

1a   Recently taken photographs /showing/ smart guys? (8)

Mr K has explained the wordplay as a phrase, whereas I treated it as a charade parsing it as HOT (recently taken; stolen) + SHOTS (photographs). In the end, both explanations amount to the same thing.

5a   Heedless, // bishop put a match to explosive (6)

"bishop" = B (show explanation )

B^[5] is an abbreviation for bishop that is used in recording moves in chess.

A bishop^[5] is a chess piece, typically with its top shaped like a mitre, that can move any number of spaces in any direction along a diagonal on which it stands. Each player starts the game with two bishops, one moving on white squares and the other on black.

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HE^[5] is the abbreviation for high explosive.

9a   She may attend to a babe in arms due to be changed (9)

11a   Had in mind // poor time (5)

Mean^[2] is used in the sense of poor, shabby, or characterized by inferior quality.

12a   Party held by trendy men // under a roof (6)

"men" = 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.

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13a   Forebear -- // no trace, regrettably, across South (8)

15a   German dog /in/ fine French spa, barking (13)

As an anagram indicator, barking^[5] is used in an informal British sense meaning completely mad or demented ⇒ (i) we are all a bit barking; (ii) has she gone completely barking mad?.

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The affenpinscher^[10] is a small wire-haired breed of dog of European origin, having tufts of hair on the muzzle.

18a   Suspicious, a butcher and I about a // steak (13)

The clue appearing on the Telegraph Puzzles website differs from the one published in the newspaper.

• A butcher and I in mix-up about a // steak (13)

22a   Recommend // Scottish barrister (8)

Advocate^[5] is a Scottish or South African term for a barrister.

23a   Scattered // surplus, holding spades (6)

"spades" = S (show explanation )

Spades^[2] (abbreviation S^[1]) is one of the four suits of playing-cards.

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26a   Disgusting dirt /in/ lift distressed hospital (5)

Scratching the Surface
Lift[10] is the British name for an elevator[10].

27a   Criticise the piper's son and me after one // show (9)

"Tom, Tom, the Piper's Son"^[7] is a popular English language nursery rhyme.

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A pantomime^[5] is a traditional British theatrical entertainment, mainly for children, which involves music, topical jokes, and slapstick comedy and is based on a fairy tale or nursery story, usually produced around Christmas.

Behind the Image
Mr K illustrates his review with a rendering of the title of a theatrical production. Since the pre-Victorian era, the story of Dick Whittington and His Cat[7] has been a favourite subject of English pantomime, especially during Christmas season.

28a   Fairly // uniformly (6)

29a   Stickler, // soldier holding tense talks at the front (8)

A marine^[5] is a member of a body of troops trained to serve on land or sea, in particular (in the UK) a member of the Royal Marines or (in the US) a member of the Marine Corps.

"tense" = T (show explanation )

Grammatically speaking, t.^[10] is the abbreviation for tense.

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A martinet^[5] is a person who demands complete obedience; a strict disciplinarian ⇒ (i) the woman in charge was a martinet who treated all those beneath her like children; (ii) a martinet of a staff officer.

Down

1d   Operative and I cover // obstacle (8)

Here and There

I was held up here trying to implicate a secret agent or private detective. An operative[5] is a worker, especially one in a manufacturing industry* ⇒the operatives clean the machines at the end of every shift. * Although this usage is not identified as being British, it is certainly not one with which I am familiar. From a British perspective, operative[5] meaning a secret agent or private detective is a North American usage.

2d   Played out, // even round river (5)

3d   The man circling round floor /presenting/ dance (7)

4d   Some shown up /in/ bunker (4)

A bunker^[10] (also known, especially in the US and Canada, as a sand trap) is an obstacle on a golf course, usually a sand-filled hollow bordered by a ridge.

6d   Branagh's lead in 'Hamlet' excited // London borough (7)

Lambeth^[10,12] is a borough of south Greater London. Situated on the Thames, it is the site of Lambeth Palace which has been the official residence of the archbishops of Canterbury since 1197.

Scratching the Surface
Kenneth Branagh[5] is an English actor, producer, and director. With the Royal Shakespeare Company he attracted critical acclaim for roles such as Henry V. He has also directed and starred in films such as Hamlet (1996).

7d   Fare for Italians to get here? (9)

A trattoria^[5] is an Italian restaurant.

8d   Unabridged // in content, I realised (6)

10d   Old fogey // around is in need of treatment (8)

14d   Skirt round // crew on stage (8)

Side^[5] is a British term for a sports team (show more ).

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 is also found 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.

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16d   Apparent worth /of/ clock prize (4,5)

Clock^[5] is an informal British term for a person’s face ⇒ I thought I recognized your clock.

17d   Supporter // of that woman during a depression (8)

I parsed the wordplay as HER (of that woman; possessive pronoun) contained in (during) {A (†) + DENT (depression)}.

One could also analyze the clue (as Mr K has):

• Supporter /of/ that woman during a depression (8)

where the wordplay parses as HER (that woman; object pronoun) contained in (during) {A (†) + DENT (depression)}.

19d   Husband over in local, shiftily /getting/ booze (7)

"over" = O (show explanation )

On cricket scorecards, the abbreviation O^[5] denotes over(s), an over^[5] being 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.

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20d   Sort of music and drink /to bring/ affinity (7)

"drink" = PORT (show explanation )

Port^[5] (also port wine) is a strong, sweet dark red (occasionally brown or white) fortified wine, originally from Portugal, typically drunk as a dessert wine. The name is a shortened form of Oporto, a major port from which the wine is shipped.

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21d   Fox, // fine female in pack (6)

"fine" = F (show explanation )

F^[5] is an abbreviation for fine, as used in describing grades of pencil lead.

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Note: Oxford Dictionaries surprisingly characterizes this usage as British

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24d   Check about key // monarchy (5)

25d   Male leaves unexpected gift /for/ girl (4)

Manna^[5] is something beneficial that appears or is provided unexpectedly or opportunely^*.

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^* In the Bible, manna^[5] is the substance miraculously supplied as food to the Israelites in the wilderness (Exod. 16).

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)
^[14] - CollinsDictionary.com (COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary)

Signing off for today — Falcon