Friday, August 30, 2013 — DT 27193

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27193
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Saturday, June 1, 2013
Setter Cephas (Peter Chamberlain)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27193 - Hints] Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27193 - 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 entries related to it on Big Dave's Crossword Blog — the first, posted on the date of publication, contains hints for selected clues while the second is 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

I was definitely not tuned to the setter's wavelength today. It is a good thing that my electronic assistants were well rested from several days of little or no activity, for their services were sorely needed today. Then, to add insult to injury, I discover that crypticsue rates the puzzle as deserving a mere one to two stars for difficulty.

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   Bees do it in sun, getting quite hot (5)

4a   May goes round Welsh resort, we hear, with nothing on, just a set of bells (8)

Rhyl^[7] is a seaside resort town and community in Denbighshire, situated on the north east coast of Wales, at the mouth of the River Clwyd.

8a   Merry Margery, flipping meanie (8)

The solution to the clue requires a bit of knowledge of poetry. Unfortunately, my research initially turned up the wrong poem.

The correct poem is a nursery rhyme, See Saw Margery Daw^[7]:

See Saw Margery Daw,

Jacky shall have a new master;

Jacky shall earn but a penny a day,

Because he can't work any faster.

However, I first came upon a rather long poem entitled Margery by 19th century Canadian poet Charles Sangster which contains the phrase "So spake the merry Margery, ...". Needless to say, that wrong turn slowed my progress for a bit.

In Britain, merry^[5] is an informal term meaning slightly drunk. North Americans would likely say that a person in this condition is 'feeling happy'.

9a   A charmingly old-fashioned Conservative's brought in to advise (8)

11a   Amount of money put up with a little being declared (4,3)

13a   Brandy very gently poured into beer by sailor (5-4)

Pianissimo (abbreviation pp)^[5] is a direction used in music to mean either (as an adjective) very soft or very quiet or (as an adverb) very softly or very quietly.

15a   Elation centred around European agreement (7,8)

The Entente Cordiale^[5] is the understanding between Britain and France reached in 1904, forming the basis of Anglo-French cooperation in the First World War.

18a   One causing anguish to Queen needs counsellor (9)

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

21a   Verdict I only can bring in a manner of speaking (7)

22a   Charlie's picture replaced at a reduced rate (3-5)

Charlie^[5] is a code word representing the letter C, used in radio communication.

24a   Get used to bill coming before trade (8)

In British English, custom^[5] can mean regular dealings with a shop or business by customers ⇒ if you keep me waiting, I will take my custom elsewhere. North Americans would say "business" rather than "custom".

25a   Machine regulator's smart turn (8)

In Britain, fly^[5] can mean knowing and clever  ⇒ she’s fly enough not to get tricked out of it.

26a   Heating unit hospital needed in time (5)

A therm^[5] is a unit of heat, especially as the former statutory unit of gas supplied in the UK equivalent to 100,000 British thermal units or 1.055 × 10⁸ joules.

Down

1d   Payment made by end of dispute (10)

2d   Views expressed in debate are not admitting fix (8)

Gum^[3] is used as a verb in the sense of to cover, smear, seal, fill, or fix in place with or as if with gum.

3d   Smew aunt confused with another bird (4,4)

A smew^[5] is a small migratory merganser (diving duck), Mergus albellus, of northern Eurasia, the male of which has white plumage with a crest and fine black markings.

A mute swan^[5] is the commonest Eurasian swan, Cygnus olor, having white plumage and an orange-red bill with a black knob at the base.

4d   Australian swimmer's first to get tailpiece (4)

Coda^[5] can mean either (1) the concluding passage of a piece or movement, typically forming an addition to the basic structure ⇒ the first movement ends with a fortissimo coda; (2) the concluding section of a dance, especially of a pas de deux or the finale of a ballet in which the dancers parade before the audience; or (3) a concluding event, remark, or section ⇒ his new novel is a kind of coda to his previous books.

5d   Guarantee radio listener may hear near the coast (6)

My first try here was ASSURE. It sounds like ASHORE which could be "near the coast" — just on the other side of the tideline from the correct solution.

6d   Plate dog perhaps turned upside down (6)

7d   Exodus found in New Testament, or immediately after? (4)

10d   Trophy on table in cabinet (8)

Board^[5] is an archaic term for a table set for a meal ⇒ he looked at the banquet which was spread upon his board.

Cabinet^[5] is an archaic term for a small private room.

12d   Grand joke by one interrupting Scotsman (8)

In Crosswordland, a Scotsman is almost invariably named Ian. However, they are sometimes known to their friends as Mac.

14d   Carrying on with relative preservation of silence? (7,3)

16d   Ignore  price reduction (8)

17d   Seamen in the drink (8)

In the Royal Navy, able seaman (abbreviation AB)^[5], is a rank of sailor above ordinary seaman and below leading seaman.

19d   Fan  club? (6)

In the UK, it would seem that any machine, engine, or device that revolves around a centre or axis may be referred to as a rotary^[5].

20d   Garden Richard's built around ornament (6)

22d   Company provided cap (4)

A coif^[3,4,11]. may be (1) a close-fitting cap worn under a veil, worn in the Middle Ages by many women but now only by nuns; (2) any similar cap, such as a leather cap worn under a chain-mail hood: or (3) a white skullcap formerly worn by English lawyers.

23d   Count's in advance, being cut short (4)

An earl^[5] is a British nobleman ranking above a viscount and below a marquess. A count^[5] is a foreign [from a British perspective] nobleman whose rank corresponds to that of an earl.

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