Wednesday, February 13, 2013 — DT 27033

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27033
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Monday, November 26, 2012
Setter Rufus (Roger Squires)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27033]
Big Dave's Review Written By Digby
BD 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

Introduction

I must take issue with Digby's assessment of this puzzle (after all, he did say that he was "quite willing to be challenged"). I certainly found it far more difficult than his one to two stars would indicate and I definitely found far more enjoyment in it than his rating of two stars would signify. I do believe that the puzzle has more than the usual quota of cryptic definitions — a type of clue in which Rufus excels and one which I particularly enjoy. However, I recognize that this type of clue is not everyone's cup of tea.

I was able to complete three quadrants unaided, but found the southeast quadrant to be virtually impenetrable until I called in my electronic reinforcements.

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.

10a   A host of local supporters (9)

If Rufus can recycle this clue — albeit with a different solution — which he used in DT 26835 (National Post: 2012-06-26; The Daily Telegraph: 2012-04-09), then it is only fair that I be permitted to recycle my comment:

In Britain, a publican^[5] [or innkeeper^[10]] is a person who owns or manages a pub. A host^[5] (especially in the phrase 'mine host') is a humorous term for the landlord or landlady of a pub ⇒ mine host raised his glass of whisky. A local^[7] is a pub convenient to a person’s home. Thus "local supporters" are patrons of a pub.

11a   Losing a point at tennis but going for runs at cricket (7,3)

Hitting the ball out of the playing surface has vastly different consequences in tennis and cricket. You will lose a point at tennis if you hit the ball out of the court. However, you will score runs in cricket if you hit the ball past the boundary of the playing field.

The above explanation of the cricket reference is a bit simpler than the one I had originally concocted [I have come to realize that the simpler explanation is usually the correct one]. In cricket, a team must not only score more runs than their opponent, they must also get all members of the opposing team out before the end of the match (otherwise the match is a draw even though one team has scored more runs than the other). Thus the game is played not only against the opposing side, but also against the clock. Once a team has scored a number of runs that they feel the opposing team cannot equal, the captain will often declare his team's innings over (even though not all members of his team have had their turn at batting). The objective of his team then becomes to retire all members of the opposing team before they can score more runs than his team — and to do so before the clock runs out. The second team, of course, will try to win the match by surpassing the number of runs scored by the first team or, at a minimum, prolong the match until time expires — thus earning a draw.

Based on this, I had guessed [seemingly incorrectly] that "hit out" might indicate a decision not to declare; that is, a decision by the batting team to remain batting in order to score more runs.

22a   Sea water that's in one's watch (10)

The main^[5] is an archaic or literary term referring to the open ocean.

26a   All the composer required (5)

Tutti^[5] is a musical direction signifying that a piece is to be performed with all voices or instruments together.

27a   Read one novel in girls' school (7)

I picked what seemed to be the most likely — or, rather, least unlikely — sequence of letters. Fortunately, it turned out to be correct.

Rodean^[5] is an independent [in British terms, public; in North American terms, private] boarding school for girls, on the south coast of England east of Brighton. It was founded in 1885.

28a   It contracts to continue one's circulation (7)

I was certainly in the ballpark with AURICLE, but (with one exception) the checking letters that it provided hampered my efforts in the southeast quadrant.

Systole^[3] is the rhythmic contraction of the heart, especially of the ventricles, by which blood is driven through the aorta and pulmonary artery after each dilation or diastole.

I did wonder about the correctness of the definition here. The clue asks for something that contracts ("It contracts ...") and the solution is the process of contraction. I supposed my difficulty may merely be the product of a lack of medical knowledge. However, on Big Dave's blog, Kath (who happens to be a cardiac nurse by profession) makes precisely the same point — and far more eloquently and forcefully than I could.

1d   Girl bather in trouble and out of breath (6)

Digby characterises this as a BOGOF (buy one, get one free) anagram. A girls name is an anagram (in trouble) of BATHER; it is also an anagram of (out of) BREATH.

2d   Checks the accuracy of someone else's accounts (6)

I delayed a long time in actually writing the solution into the grid thinking that it could not possibly be this simple. This is one of the those cryptic clues that is often described as "barely cryptic". If your first thought happens to be based on a law enforcement perspective, you might see the clue as a reference to a police detective checking out a suspect's alibi. However, if your point of view first aligns itself with a financial orientation, you will likely consider this clue to be not at all cryptic.

5d   Victor -- or William? (9)

William I^[5] (circa 1027 – 1087), reigned 1066 – 1087, was the first Norman king of England; known as William the Conqueror. He invaded England and defeated Harold II [the last Anglo-Saxon king of England] at the Battle of Hastings (1066). He introduced Norman institutions and customs (including feudalism) and instigated the Domesday Book. [Tradition has it that Harold was killed by an arrow in the eye.]

7d   Could be next Open champion, perhaps (8)

Exponent^[5] is used in the sense of a person who demonstrates a particular skill to a high standard ⇒ he’s the world’s leading exponent of country rock guitar.

13d   They manipulate people to their advantage (10)

I will let you form your own opinion as to whom the phrase "to their advantage" refers — the practitioner or the patient.

I thought of CHIROPRACTOR (which, of course, didn't fit the available space). I failed to make the small leap to the correct solution without a bit of help.

19d   Writer has way to tuck in inside French restaurant (6)

In Britain, a biro^[5] is a brand of ballpoint pen. Although the name is a British trademark, it would seem to be used generically (in the same way that kleenex has become a generic term for facial tissue). It is named after László József Bíró (1899 – 1985), Hungarian inventor of the ballpoint pen.

20d   Fire when an explosive's not set? (6)

Although I did manage to find the correct solution (with a little help), I failed to decipher the wordplay — which you can find in Digby's review.

24d   Two notes to measure (4)

Me^[5] is a British spelling of mi^[3], in tonic sol-fa, the third note of a major scale. Te^[5] is the British spelling of ti^[3], in tonic sol-fa, the seventh note of a major scale.

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