Friday, September 14, 2012 - DT 26907

Puzzle at a Glance

Daily Telegraph Puzzle Number DT 26907
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Monday, July 2, 2012
Setter Rufus (Roger Squires)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 26907]
Big Dave's Review Written By Libellule
Big Dave's Rating
Difficulty - ★★	Enjoyment - ★★★
Falcon's Performance ┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐ ███████████████████████████████████ └────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘ 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 █ - unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Big Dave's blog █ - reviewed by Falcon for Big Dave's blog
Notes The National Post has skipped DT 26906 which was published in The Daily Telegraph on Saturday, June 30, 2012.

Introduction

Once again, with time to kill and no access to electronic support, I completed the puzzle unassisted.

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.

1a   Shrewd fielder, a high flier (10)

In Britain, fly^[5] can mean knowing and clever  ⇒ she’s fly enough not to get tricked out of it. In cricket and baseball, a fielder^[5] is a player on the fielding team, especially one other than the bowler or pitcher. [Which sport did the setter have in mind? You have three guesses and the first two don't count!]

Libellule's hint is that a "shrewd fielder" could "possibly be a sharp [i.e., fly] slip fielder" — the role of a slip fielder being to catch balls hit in his direction. In cricket, slip^[5] is (1) a fielding position (often one of two or more in an arc) close behind the batsman on the off side [of the field], for catching balls edged by the batsman ⇒ (i) he was caught in the slips for 32; (ii) King is at first slip or (2) a fielder at slip [the way in which Libellule uses the term]. In cricket, the off side^[5]  (also called simply the off) is the half of the field (as divided lengthways through the pitch) towards which the batsman's feet are pointed when standing to receive the ball.  The other side of the field is known either as the leg^[5] (also leg side) or on (also on side). Note that the slip is positioned behind the batsman. Unlike baseball, which has a 90 degree field of play, cricket has a 360 degree field of play. Thus there are fielders completely encircling the batsman.

In baseball, a ball hit to the outfield is called a fly ball (or fly) ⇒ in his previous at bat, he hit a fly to centre field. Thus an outfielder could be called a "fly catcher" — even without being shrewd.

16a   Wild party with many a man of music (5)

Maurice Ravel^[7] (1875 – 1937) was a French composer known especially for his melodies, orchestral and instrumental textures and effects. he is perhaps known best for his orchestral work Boléro (1928), which he considered trivial and once described as "a piece for orchestra without music".

18a   He makes rings round road races (4)

The Tourist Trophy (TT)^[5] is a motorcycle-racing competition held annually on roads in the Isle of Man since 1907.

19a   A song from little Sarah in the afternoon (5)

Sally (and hence Sal) is a nickname for Sarah^[7].

27a   The first man to take over (7,3)

Another cricket-related clue. 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. The term bat^[5] can mean (1) a cricket bat, (2) a turn at playing with a bat, or (3) a person batting, especially in cricket (or, in other words, a batsman) ⇒ the team’s opening bat. Of course, it is the latter sense which is of interest with respect to this clue. The "opening bat" would be the first batsman for a team in the match (somewhat akin to a leadoff batter in baseball).

Libellule describes the "opening bat" as the "first player to take his guard in the first over". Take guard^[5] (said of a batsman) means to stand in position ready to receive the ball, especially having asked the umpire to check the position of one’s bat with respect to the stumps [wicket]. In cricket, the batsman "guards" or "defends" the wicket to avoid being "bowled out" (which occurs when a bowled ball hits and breaks the wicket).

28a   Three students seen around university in break (4)

The cryptic crossword convention of L meaning learner or student arises from the L-plate^[7], a square plate bearing a sans-serif letter L, for learner, which must be affixed to the front and back of a vehicle in various countries (including the UK) if its driver is a learner under instruction.

29a   Landing area and stairs to decorate (6,4)

Perhaps one might see the wordplay as FLIGHT (stairs) + DECK (to decorate). However, I prefer to interpret it as FLIGHT (stairs) + (to; pressed against) + DECK (decorate). In the latter case, "to" is used in the sense of 'pressed against' as in the phrases "nose to the grindstone" and "shoulder to the wheel".

3d   Scrub cooker top and clean out (6)

Cooker^[5] is the British term for a gas or electric kitchen range^[5].

5d   Show that may need cutting? (4)

Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical^[7] [usually referred to simply as Hair] is a rock musical with a book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot. The show debuted Off-Broadway in 1967, with Broadway and London West End productions opening in 1968. A product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, several of its songs became anthems of the anti-Vietnam War peace movement. The musical's profanity, its depiction of the use of illegal drugs, its treatment of sexuality, its irreverence for the American flag, and its nude scene caused much comment and controversy. The musical broke new ground in musical theatre by defining the genre of "rock musical", using a racially integrated cast, and inviting the audience onstage for a "Be-In" finale.

12d   Dish liable to be made without proper dressing (10)

Dishabille is an alternative spelling of déshabillé^[5] (or déshabille^[2] or deshabille^[10]), the state of being only partly or scantily clothed ⇒ the paintings of Venus all shared the same state of déshabillé^[5] or the state of being partly or carelessly dressed^[10].

14d   Female conveyed by old song cycle (5)

"Daisy Bell (Bicycle Built for Two)"^[7] is a popular song composed by Harry Dacre in 1892 with the well-known chorus "Daisy, Daisy / Give me your answer, do. / I'm half crazy / all for the love of you", ending with the words "a bicycle built for two".

15d   He’s holding a pound to get remedies (5)

The pound^[5] (also pound sterling) is the basic monetary unit of the UK, equal to 100 pence. While the symbol for pound is £, it is often written as L^[10].

19d   A decisive game or performance cancelled (4-3)

In Libellule's comments, RSC^[5] stands for the Royal Shakespeare Company^[5], a British professional theatre company founded in 1961. It is based at Stratford-upon-Avon and at the Barbican Centre in London.

20d   Oratorio is a new production in network (7)

George Frideric Handel^[7] (1685 – 1759) was a German-born British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel is regarded as one of the greatest composers of all time, with works such as Water Music, Music for the Royal Fireworks and Messiah remaining popular.

26d   It’s obtainable from capital chemists (4)

Chemist^[5] is the British term for either (1) a shop where medicinal drugs are dispensed and sold, and in which toiletries and other medical goods can be purchased (known as a drugstore^[5] in North America) or (2) a person authorized to dispense medicinal drugs (a druggist^[5] in North America).

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)

Signing off for today — Falcon