Friday, March 29, 2013 — DT 27079

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27079
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Saturday, January 19, 2013
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27079 - hints] Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27079 - review]
Big Dave's 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 █ - unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Big Dave's blog █ - reviewed by Falcon for Big Dave's blog
Notes This review was posted on Sunday, March 31, 2013 but backdated to maintain proper sequence. This puzzle appears on the Friday Diversions page in the Saturday, March 30, 2013 edition of the National Post.

Introduction

The National Post has very thoughtfully published this puzzle in the Saturday edition of the paper so that we might enjoy solving it on Friday!

This having been a Saturday prize puzzle in Britain, we get two postings concerning it on Big Dave's Crossword Blog — the first by Big Dave on the day of publication containing hints for a few selected clues as well as a second, by crypticsue, containing a full review of the puzzle following the closing deadline for the contest.

Judging by the comments on Big Dave's site (many of which dealt with 10a and 3d), many of the Brits seem to have had a hard time getting their teeth into this puzzle. By the way, if you like to read the comments from the British solvers, for "Saturday" puzzles (such as this) they are predominantly found with the "hints" posting rather than the "review" posting.

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.

Across

1a   Macabre kill unravelled -- he threatens to expose offender (11)

9a   I am a success in perfect form (5)

In entomology, imago^[5] means the final and fully developed adult stage of an insect, typically winged. However, in the field of psychoanalysis, it denotes an unconscious idealized mental image of someone, especially a parent, which influences a person’s behaviour. I knew very well the first usage, but was not at all familiar with the second and needed to verify my answer in the dictionary.

10a   Working contract for stylish gnashers? (9)

Gnashers^[4,5] is British slang for teeth, especially false ones.

11a   Musical style of Rice perhaps in vogue (7)

Tim Rice^[7] (Sir Timothy Miles Bindon Rice) is a British lyricist and author. An Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Tony Award and Grammy Award-winning lyricist, Rice is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, and additional songs for the 2011 West End revival of The Wizard of Oz, and for his work for Walt Disney Studios with Alan Menken (Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, King David), Elton John (The Lion King, Aida) and Ennio Morricone.

12a   Rainforest inhabitant got back round bank, right (4,4)

14a   Regular performer let round team (8)

I failed to find this usage of resident in any of a number of dictionaries. However, in Britain, resident^[5] can mean a guest in a hotel who stays for one or more nights ⇒ the hotel restaurant is open to residents and guests of residents — and one can easily imagine this meaning being carried over to the entertainers who perform at the hotel.

15a   A politician's sound equipment (4)

In Britain — or in Canada, for that matter, an MP^[5] is a Member of Parliament.

17a   Indication to look elsewhere in document for leak (7)

Departing from what crypticsue indicates, I would think that this is a double definition.

19a   Native-American dance leading to onset of inundation (4)

The Hopi^[5] are a Pueblo Indian people living chiefly in NE Arizona.

20a   One lacking belief in Italy's foremost composer (8)

Since I^[5] is the International Vehicle Registration (IVR) code for Italy, one often sees "Italy" used to code the letter I. However, the setter today chooses to use a different device — coding I as "Italy's foremost" (i.e., the first, or foremost, letter of Italy).

21a   Entertainer to fool around TV etc (8)

23a   Keeps checks restricting irregular soldiers (7)

In the UK, the Territorial Army (TA)^[5] is a volunteer force locally organized to provide a reserve of trained and disciplined manpower for use in an emergency.

25a   Penny has to be keen about old apartment (9)

In Britain's current decimal currency system, a penny^[5] is a bronze coin and monetary unit equal to one hundredth of a pound (and is abbreviated p). In the system formerly used, a penny was equal to one twelfth of a shilling or 240th of a pound (and was abbreviated d, for denarius).

The definition in this clue would likely be a bit more meaningful for a British solver than for one from North America. What we know as an apartment on this side of the Atlantic would be called a flat in Britain. Brits reserve the word apartment^[5] for a certain specific type of flat — typically one that is well appointed or used for holidays [seemingly either an upscale flat or one used for temporary occupancy]. Thus penthouse would seem to fit the British concept of apartment very well.

26a   High position -- Jane holds one (5)

Jane Eyre^[7] (originally published as Jane Eyre: An Autobiography) is a novel by English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published in 1847 under the pen name "Currer Bell".

To an American, eyrie^[3] is a variant spelling of aerie whereas to a Brit, aerie^[4] is a variant spelling of eyrie.

27a   Assassinated President -- heinous act -- needs initially lots of lawyers (7'1,3)

Abraham Lincoln^[7] (1809 – 1865) was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865.

The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn^[7] is one of four Inns of Court [see below] in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. It is believed to be named after Henry de Lacy, 3rd Earl of Lincoln.

The Inns of Court in London are the professional associations for barristers in England and Wales. All such barristers must belong to one such association. They have supervisory and disciplinary functions over their members. The Inns also provide libraries, dining facilities and professional accommodation. Each also has a church or chapel attached to it and is a self-contained precinct where barristers traditionally train and practise, although growth in the legal profession, together with a desire to practise from more modern accommodation caused many barristers' chambers to move outside the precincts of the Inns of Court in the late 20th century.

Down

2d   Succession followed by monarch such as Queen Mary (5)

RMS Queen Mary^[7] is a retired ocean liner that sailed primarily in the North Atlantic Ocean from 1936 to 1967 for the Cunard Line (known as Cunard-White Star when the vessel entered service). The Queen Mary was officially retired from service in 1967 and is now permanently moored in Long Beach, California, United States where she serves as a tourist attraction featuring restaurants, a museum, and hotel.

R^[5] is the abbreviation for Regina or Rex (Latin for queen or king, respectively).

3d   They'll make champs toast including women (7)

Champ^[4] in the sense of to to munch (food) noisily like a horse. In Britain (unlike North America, judging by the dictionary entries), champ is used in this sense as a noun as well as a verb. As a noun it means the act or noise of champing.

4d   Provide with engine needing short time to get up (8)

In the UK, mo^[5] [abbreviation of moment] is an informal term for a short period of time ⇒ hang on a mo!.

5d   Totter up gets sly look (4)

6d   Desiring changes, this gives a good view (8)

7d   Platform setting out team’s info (9)

8d   Spy on headquarters, providing interference (11)

12d   It shifts cargo from errant ports at sea (11)

A transporter^[10] is a crane which transports objects, as for loading and unloading ships.

13d   Illustration showing mostly favourable quality about Greek character (7)

Phi^[5] is the twenty-first letter of the Greek alphabet (Φ, φ).

16d   Heartless clique upset a politician producing intense discomfort (9)

17d   Submitted before the Spanish guard (8)

In the Spanish language, the masculine singular form of the definite article is el^[8].

18d   Weapon gathered aluminium alloy (8)

"Gathered" used in the sense of assembled (as a group of people might do). Aluminium^[5] is the British spelling of the chemical element aluminum, the symbol for which is Al^[5].

19d   Ghastly house I'd renovated (7)

22d   Priest beheaded for serious crime (5)

The term priest is used in both the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church, while the term parson is used in the Church of England and other Protestant churches. The only church which seems to use to use both terms is the Church of England. A priest^[5] is an ordained minister of the Catholic, Orthodox, or Anglican Church, authorized to perform certain rites and administer certain sacraments. Although the term parson^[5] is applied informally to any member of the clergy, especially a Protestant one, formally the term means a beneficed member of the clergy; a rector or a vicar. A benefice^[5] is a permanent Church appointment, typically that of a rector or vicar, for which property and income are provided in respect of pastoral duties. In the Church of England, a rector^[5] is the incumbent of a parish where all tithes formerly passed to the incumbent, whereas a vicar^[5] is an incumbent of a parish where tithes formerly passed to a chapter or religious house or layman. The terms rector and vicar are also used in the Roman Catholic Church, but with a different meaning in each case.

24d   Drive  bowling of Swann? (4)

In cricket, spin^[5] (with reference to a ball) means to move or cause to move through the air with a revolving motion ⇒ [no object] the ball spun in viciously; (ii) [with object] they had to spin the ball wide. Off spin^[5] is a type of spin bowling that causes the ball to deviate from the off side [of the field, see below] towards the leg side [of the field, see below] after pitching ⇒ the skipper’s off-spin did the trick.

Graeme Swann^[7] is an English international cricketer. He is primarily a right-arm offspinner, and also bats right-handed and often fields at slip [see below].

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, see below], 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. 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.

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).

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)

Signing off for today — Falcon