Wednesday, May 1, 2013 — DT 27104

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27104
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Monday, February 18, 2013
Setter Rufus (Roger Squires)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27104]
Big Dave's Review Written By Libellule
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

Introduction

Today — as often happens — I developed a mental block concerning one clue which totally stymied all attempts to solve it. I think that I became so attached to the notion that the solution to 22a must begin with the letter S that I failed to consider any other possibilities. Fortunately, my trusty Word Finder software was not afflicted with a similar blind spot.

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   American detained by courts in European country (7)

This country seems to be very popular of late.

5a   It means fewer hands and less hair (4,3)

I would say that the entire clue may be a cryptic definition in the form of a double definition where a second appearance of the words "it means" is implied. Thus, we read the clue as being "It means fewer hands and [it means] less hair".

9a   Succession of Emperors, perhaps with new clothes (5)

10a   Items of luggage may be this  severely tested (2,3,4)

I failed to find the expression on the rack^[5] in an American dictionary, but the meaning — suffering intense distress or strain — would seem pretty obvious. The rack^[5] was a medieval instrument of torture consisting of a frame on which the victim was stretched by turning rollers to which the wrists and ankles were tied.

11a   Striking reminder of a Lowry figure? (10)

L. S. Lowry^[7] (1887 – 1976) was an English artist famous for painting scenes of life in the industrial districts of North West England in the mid-20th century. He developed a distinctive style of painting and is best known for urban landscapes peopled with human figures often referred to as "matchstick men". A large collection of Lowry's work is on permanent public display in a purpose-built art gallery on Salford Quays (a part of Greater Manchester), appropriately named the Lowry. Lowry rejected five honours during his life – including a knighthood in 1968 and consequently holds the record for the most rejected British honours.

12a   Refuse permission to examine ring (4)

14a   All out -- or an insignificant person in? (6,2,4)

18a   Key meetings are disrupted by conflict (12)

21a   Quote it in church (4)

The Church of England (CE)^[10] is the reformed established state Church in England, Catholic in order and basic doctrine, with the Sovereign as its temporal head.

22a   Means of securing  devotion (10)

25a   Ruth uses a new reference book (9)

26a   Innocent one in church body (5)

27a   Possibly show me love in one way or another (7)

The wordplay is an anagram (possibly) of SHOW ME containing (in) O (love). One might argue that the the O is part of the anagram fodder and that "in" is merely a link word between the wordplay and definition. However, I think that would be considered to be an indirect anagram — something that is not permissible (as I understand the cryptic crossword conventions).

In tennis, squash, and some other sports, love^[5] is a score of zero or nil ⇒ love fifteen. The resemblance of a zero written as a numeral (0) to the letter O leads to the cryptic crossword convention of the word "love" being used to clue this letter.

28a   Irritates with unnecessary loss of a point (7)

Down

1d   Assurance dad will turn up and see doctor (6)

Lo^[5] is an archaic exclamation used to draw attention to an interesting or amazing event ⇒ and lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them.

In Britain, the degree required to practice medicine is a Bachelor of Medicine^[7] (MB, from Latin Medicinae Baccalaureus), which is equivalent to a North American Doctor of Medicine (MD, from Latin Medicinae Doctor). The degree of Doctor of Medicine also exists in Britain, but it is an advanced degree pursued by those who wish to go into medical research. Physicians in Britain are still addressed as Dr. despite not having a doctoral degree.

2d   It's any made-up reason (6)

3d   Transfix in rehearsal (3-7)

Transfix^[5] can mean (1) cause (someone) to become motionless with horror, wonder, or astonishment ⇒ (i) he was transfixed by the pain in her face; (ii) she stared at him, transfixed or (2) pierce with a sharp implement or weapon ⇒ a field mouse is transfixed by the curved talons of an owl. I was only familiar with the former.

4d   Around or a series of rounds? (5)

5d   Initially canines stay calm around upheaval (9)

6d   Still  without a rise? (4)

7d   Attendant taking tea to Evita (8)

In Britain, tea may informally be called cha (or chai or char)^[5].

Eva Perón^[7] (1919 – 1952) was the second wife of Argentine President Juan Perón (1895 – 1974) and served as the First Lady of Argentina from 1946 until her death in 1952. She is often referred to by the affectionate Spanish language diminutive Evita.

8d   Assume control and receive deliveries? (4,4)

In cricket, an over^[5] is a division of play consisting of a sequence of six balls bowled [or delivered] by a bowler from one end of the pitch, after which another bowler takes over from the other end.

13d   Rock group that's been around for a long time (10)

Stonehenge^[5] is a megalithic monument on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England. Completed in several constructional phases from circa 2950 bc, it is composed of a circle of sarsen stones surrounded by a bank and ditch and enclosing a circle of smaller bluestones. Within this inner circle is a horseshoe arrangement of five trilithons with the axis aligned on the midsummer sunrise, an orientation that was probably for ritual purposes.

15d   Piece of bad fielding brings defeat (9)

... bad fielding in cricket — or baseball.

16d   Trains or coaches (8)

17d   It's displayed by weatherman in his other map (8)

An isotherm^[5] is a line on a map connecting points having the same temperature at a given time or on average over a given period.

19d   An idle drunk gets rejection (6)

20d   Emphasise needing second lock (6)

23d   Vicar has no head for crime (5)

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   Attempt to form a party (4)

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