Thursday, November 26, 2009 (DT 25998)

This puzzle was originally published Tuesday, August 4, 2009 in The Daily Telegraph

Introduction

I managed to solve today's puzzle, but not without considerable effort. Like the Brits, I found the enjoyment factor to be fairly high - but they seemed to find the difficulty of the puzzle much lower than I did.

Today's Glossary

Some possibly unfamiliar abbreviations, people, places, words and expressions used in today's puzzle

chippy - noun Brit. colloq. 2 a carpenter or joiner

CID - abbreviation Criminal Investigation Department, the detective branch of the British police force

DI - abbreviation 2 Detective Inspector

give the bullet to - Collins Thesaurus of the English Language, verb Brit. slang dismiss (thus, getting the bullet would be a dismissal)

Today's Links

Gazza's review of today's puzzle may be found at Big Dave's Telegraph Crossword Blog [DT 25998].

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

13a Cardiopath, robed, taking pulse (5)

Since a cardiopath is "one who suffers from heart disease", did you ever wonder why an osteopath isn't one who suffers from bone disease?

22a He lives, bizarrely, for some people (5)

I definitely agree with Gazza that this is an excellent clue, and my initial impression was that it is - as he characterizes it - an all-in-one clue. However, the more that I think about it, the less convinced I become on that point. In an all-in-one clue, the entire clue can be read in two different ways to produce the solution (as compared to most other clues - cryptic definitions excepted, which must be split into two parts, each of which independently provide the solution). In this clue, the entire clue can be read as a cryptic definition having the solution ELVIS. Furthermore, ELVIS is an anagram of LIVES as flagged by the indicator bizarrely. However, since (as far as I can see) the rest of the wording in the clue is not needed as part of this latter wordplay, this may not qualify as an all-in-one clue. Rather, it might more accurately be classed as a cryptic definition with an anagram embedded within it. I know some would say that one shouldn't get too hung up on rigourously classifying clues, but rather just enjoy solving them - but I guess some of us are just born pedants, I'm afraid. In any event, I believe that the clue at 3d is definitely an all-in-one clue.

23a Cutting tart (9)

This seems to be one of those questionable (in my mind) double definitions where the setter has chosen to use a pair of synonyms in the clue (i.e., tart[3] adjective 2 (of a remark or tone of voice) cutting, bitter, or sarcastic). I believe the most vehement cryptic purists subscribe to the philosophy that, in a double definition, the solution should be a synonym to each of the definitions in the clue without the definitions in the clue being synonyms of each other. However, not all setters adhere to this practice.

I did check in several dictionaries to see if trenchant could possibly take another meaning but could find none.

24a Knaves with Queen in poker, for example (5)

I must confess that I missed the wordplay involving CADS (knaves) with R (Queen) contained within (in) to give CARDS. But once I became aware of that wordplay (from Big Dave's site), I was prompted to wonder if this clue could be considered an all-in-one clue. In one reading, the entire clue could be read as a definition (Knaves - or, in other words, Jacks - and a Queen in poker are examples of CARDS). In the second reading, it can be read as a two-part cryptic clue, where the first part is the R in CADS container-type clue previously mentioned and the second part is "poker, for example" which would be (a game of) CARDS. To answer my own question, I doubt that this qualifies as an all-in-one clue, as I would think to be one that both readings of the clue would likely have to encompass the entire clue as a single entity.

26a Hound bank admitting blunder (7)

Is a terrier a hound? I didn't think so (and can find no evidence of it), but I will leave it to the dog experts to rule on this point.

3d Starts to dole out sedative, easing sickness (5)

This, without doubt, is an all-in-one clue. In one reading, the indicator starts tells as to take the first letter of the words in the phrase "Dole Out Sedative Easing Sickness" to give the solution DOSES. In the second reading, the entire phrase can be interpreted as a definition of DOSES. While "dole out sedative" by itself could mean DOSE, that would put the verb in the wrong person. Therefore "starts" is a critical part of the wordplay to show that the solution is the 3rd person singular of the verb (i.e., DOSES).

4d Detectives lose gangster, getting bullet (9)

I originally thought the solution might be DISMISSED and I spent several minutes in a fruitless attempt to identify a gangster named Ed. Eventually the light went on, when I realized that I should have focused my attention on the ubiquitous crossword gangster Al (Capone).

8d From the start, is a novice mechanic (7)

The solution is hidden (flagged by the indicator from) in the phrase "the stART IS A Novice". However, I have never considered a mechanic ("a skilled worker who repairs and maintains machinery") to be an artisan ("a skilled worker who makes things by hand"). The foregoing definitions come from Oxford and correspond closely to my understanding of the terms. The definitions in Chambers seem to be a bit looser and perhaps give the setter enough wiggle room to make somewhat of a case for the clue. According to Chambers a mechanic is "a skilled worker who repairs, maintains or constructs machinery" and an artisan is "someone who does skilled work with their hands". The definition of mechanic in Chambers would seem to incorporate the duties of a machinist, but I'm not sure I would consider a machinist to be an artisan.

Signing off for today - Falcon