Friday, May 24, 2013 — DT 27121

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27121
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Saturday, March 9, 2013
Setter Cephas (Peter Chamberlain)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27121 - hints] Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27121 - 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 As this was a Saturday "Prize Puzzle" in Britain, there are two postings related to it on Big Dave's Crossword Blog — one on the date of publication containing hints for selected clues as well as a full review issued following the entry deadline for the contest. The vast majority of reader comments will generally be found attached to the "hints" posting with a minimal number — if any — accompanying the full review.

Introduction

Although today's puzzle did not put up much of a struggle, I did need to call in my electronic assistants to help crack the last remaining clue.

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   Journalist's robust idea abridged when broadcast (9)

Subeditor^[4,11] is a British term for a copyeditor, a person who checks and edits copy, especially on a newspaper.

6a   Means to make a bundle from crops (5)

9a   Malcolm embracing woman who's being educated about marriage (7)

Educating Rita^[7] is a stage comedy by British playwright Willy Russell that premièred in London, in June 1980 . It is a play for two actors set entirely in the office of an Open University lecturer. The play follows the relationship between a young Liverpudlian working-class hairdresser ("Rita", as she initially calls herself) and Dr. Frank Bryant, a middle-aged university lecturer, during the course of a year. The play was adapted by Russell for a 1983 film with Michael Caine and Julie Walters, directed by Lewis Gilbert.

10a   Could be gentler to spectacles when handled (9)

The trick here is to recognize that "handled" may be an adjective as well as a verb. A lorgnette^[5] is a pair of glasses or opera glasses held in front of a person’s eyes by a long handle at one side.

11a   Delighted being second, then went in front (7)

Tick^[3,4,11] is an informal British (or chiefly British) term for a moment or instant.

12a   One tee shirt? (7)

Singlet^[3,4,11] is a chiefly British term for a man's sleeveless undershirt.

13a   Won't wash, as bath without plug (5'1,4,5)

17a   Lessen a Tory’s hold on another politician (7)

19a   Study group remains at loggerheads (7)

To be at loggerheads^[5] means to be in violent dispute or disagreement ⇒ councillors were at loggerheads with the government over the grant allocation. I presume that this may infer a state of confusion, thereby explaining its use as an anagram indicator.

22a   Too quick replacing the savoury -- not acceptable (9)

Here replace^[5] is not used in accordance with either of its customary meanings, i.e. take the place of or put (something) back in a previous place or position. Rather, the setter seems to have re-imagined the word as meaning to reposition.

In Britain, U^[5] is used informally as an adjective with respect to language or social behaviour meaning characteristic of or appropriate to the upper social classes ⇒ U manners. The term, an abbreviation of  upper class, was coined in 1954 by Alan S. C. Ross, professor of linguistics, and popularized by its use in Nancy Mitford's Noblesse Oblige (1956).

23a   Heather's clothing remains striking (7)

Ling^[5] is the common heather (Calluna vulgaris), a purple-flowered Eurasian heath that grows abundantly on moorland and heathland.

24a   Both sides needed to cover fish basket (5)

It took me forever to twig to fact that the correct reading of the phrase "both sides needed to cover" is "one needs to use both sides of the word 'cover'".

25a   Ship stored rye at sea (9)

Down

1d   Mount  a conference? (6)

2d   Wild bear-cub beginning to eat food outdoors (8)

3d   Dock  item (6)

A double definition where the first definition is the whimsical invention of the setter who supposes that de-tail might mean to remove a tail (analogous to de-ice meaning to remove ice [from an aircraft, for example]).

4d   Worked on farm, drew about two pounds (6)

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].

5d   Retribution for pair is set in concrete (8)

6d   Brendan's changed direction, but still in packaging (5-3)

My interpretation of the wordplay is slightly different from that of crypticsue. I see it as an anagram (is changed; the 's being a contraction for "is") of BRENDAN + W (direction; west). This avoids the necessity of the word "changed" to do double duty.

7d   Left hospital department with one-fifty pulse, dry (6)

The following excerpt from the Wikipedia article on pulse^[7] may help to explain the appearance of the word "dry" in the clue.

The term "pulse", as used by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), is reserved for crops harvested solely for the dry seed. This excludes green beans and green peas, which are considered vegetable crops. Also excluded are crops that are mainly grown for oil extraction (oilseeds like soybeans and peanuts), and crops which are used exclusively for sowing (clovers, alfalfa). However, in common use, these distinctions are not clearly made, and many of the varieties so classified ... are also used as vegetables, with their beans in pods while young; cooked in whole cuisines; and sold for the purpose; for example, black eyed beans, lima beans and Toor or pigeon peas are thus eaten as fresh green beans, or cooked as part of a meal.

I have long observed that the most frequently visited area of the Crosswordland Hospital is, without doubt, the ear, nose and throat (ENT^[2]) department.

8d   Watch salesman with consumer (8)

A repeater^[10] is a timepiece having a mechanism enabling it to strike the hour or quarter-hour just past, when a spring is pressed.

13d   Desmond's flipping work! Habitual response is high-handed (8)

In music, an opus^[5] (abbreviation  Op. or op.^[5]) is a separate composition or set of compositions. In general, an opus is an artistic work, especially one on a large scale ⇒ he was writing an opus on Mexico.

14d   Hazel's case has teachers appearing before she will (8)

The National Union of Teachers (NUT)^[7] is a trade union for school teachers in England, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.

15d   Under pressure, has to collect artist with second edition (8)

A Royal Academician (abbreviation RA^[5]) is a member of the Royal Academy of Arts^[5], an institution established in London in 1768, whose purpose is to cultivate painting, sculpture, and architecture in Britain. 

16d   Persistence of number taking a large town (8)

18d   It has only one eye but that's not the point (6)

Once again, I had a bit of a different take on this clue than crypticsue. I interpreted it as a statement that the eye of a needle is not at it's point.

19d   18 represented in pen by Latin American (6)

The number "18" is a cross reference indicator pointing to the previous clue. To complete the present clue, insert the solution to clue 18d in place of the cross reference indicator.

20d   Cat right on rodent's tail (6)

21d   Park officer made a dash before German fellow left (6)

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