Friday, September 20, 2013 — DT 27208

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27208
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Setter Jay (Jeremy Mutch)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27208]
Big Dave's Review Written By scchua
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 I had a double dose of blogging chores to attend to. Not only did I have today's puzzle to do, but yesterday's puzzle remained to be done. Perhaps all that effort affected my solving ability — or maybe just my patience.

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   Spare  shift? (5)

I think my brain may have shut down from overload. Even after having narrowed down the choices to 15 words matching the checking letters, I could not pick out the correct one.

Spare^[3] appears in the sense of to use with restraint ⇒ Don't spare the mustard.

4a   Female serves, say, as sop to one's dignity (4-5)

9a   What's produced by baker showing skill with computer program (5,4)

10a   Annoyed I was in front after run (5)

On cricket scorecards, the abbreviation R^[5] indicates run(s).

11a   Wilful manner prior to backing lottery (7)

Wilful^[11] (which is spelled willful^[5] in the US) is used in the sense of unreasonably stubborn or headstrong, or perversely obstinate and not in the sense of deliberate, voluntary, or intentional. Willful implies opposition to those whose wishes, suggestions, or commands ought to be respected or obeyed ⇒ a willful son who ignored his parents' advice. Its synonym, wayward, suggests stubborn disobedience that gets one into trouble ⇒ a reform school for wayward youths.

12a   It's not so easy to embrace love for a miser (7)

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.

13a   Passes on  races between teams (6)

15a   Ignore sweeper out of form (5,3)

Form^[5] is physical or mental condition, especially good condition, with reference to ability to perform ⇒ off form.

18a   After start of season frequently see weakness (4,4)

20a   Look old, clutching book in summerhouse (6)

23a   Stigma inhibiting American support (7)

24a   Sort of car that's difficult to beat? (7)

26a   Welcome a look and chat inside (5)

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.

27a   Island lost by struggling Minor Asian republic (3,6)

San Marino^[5] is a republic forming a small enclave in Italy, near Rimini; population 30,200 (est. 2009); official language, Italian; capital, the town of San Marino. It is perhaps Europe’s oldest state, claiming to have been independent almost continuously since its foundation in the 4th century.

28a   Openers needing pitches offering necessary elements of support (9)

29a   In almost secure environment, he makes a bundle (5)

Down

1d   Begins to go around breaking law, becoming faithful friends (9)

2d   Suggest merely dropping last of reserves (5)

3d   Majority of them criticise year to get treatment (7)

4d   Fellow artist regularly guides impostors (6)

F^[2] is the abbreviation for Fellow (of a society, etc).

 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.

5d   Spooner's close romance is curtailed (3,5)

6d   Second best son cries (7)

7d   Loved to be involved with city sports venue (9)

8d   Jockey  added clause to contract (5)

14d   Biographical account of untruths enveloping female politician (4,5)

In the UK (as in Canada), Tory^[5] refers to a member or supporter of the Conservative Party. Historically, a Tory was a member of the English political party opposing the exclusion of James II from the succession. It remained the name for members of the English, later British, parliamentary party supporting the established religious and political order until the emergence of the Conservative Party in the 1830s.

16d   Take in coppers -- cover is solid (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 abbreviations apply equally to the plural, pence, as to the singular, penny.

17d   Suspicious behaviour from departing prodigal? (6-2)

The Prodigal Son^[5] is one of the parables of Jesus. It appears only in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 15:11-32).

19d   It may fill most of road in constituency (7)

21d   In a case of repossessions, bring up money that's overdue (7)

22d   Car crashes in close, bearing north then south (6)

Shunt^[5] is British slang for a motor [vehicle] accident, especially a collision of vehicles travelling one close behind the other ⇒ a lorry [truck] shed its load, causing an eight-vehicle shunt.

23d   Time in bed? A lot! (5)

25d   Meaningless ceremony after the end of Pentecost (5)

Pentecost^[5] is (1) the Christian festival celebrating the descent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples of Jesus after his Ascension, held on the seventh Sunday after Easter or (2) the day on which the festival of Pentecost is held (in the UK, also called Whit Sunday). Pentecost is also another name for the Jewish festival of Shavuoth.

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