Monday, October 21, 2013 — DT 27229

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27229
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Saturday, July 13, 2013
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27229 - Hints] Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27229 - Review]
Big Dave's Review Written By Big Dave (Hints) gnomethang (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

If not for one (not so) British expression, my electronic assistants might have enjoyed a day off.

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. The underlined portion of the clue is the definition.

Across

3a   Why one is attending sale that's uninviting (10)

8a   A jolly lady that sailed from Spain (6)

Jolly^[4] is British slang for a member of the Royal Marines (RM)^[5], a British armed service (part of the Royal Navy) founded in 1664, trained for service at sea, or on land under specific circumstances.

9a   One fine piece of work, and just as well (1,4,3)

A good job^[5] is a chiefly British informal expression denoting a fortunate fact or circumstance ⇒ it was a good job she hadn’t brought the car. While Oxford Dictionaries Online characterises the expression as chiefly British, I think it is fairly common to hear it in Canada. [But, apparently, the expression is not so common as to come readily to (my) mind!]

As gnomethang indicates, the first part of the clue could be interpreted as a charade of A (one) + GOOD (fine) + JOB (piece of work). However, I believe that it could just as well be seen to be a definition, as in "You did a good job/You did one fine piece of work".

10a   Transfusion of fresh talent? (3,5)

11a   Found in shack: left-handed comb (6)

I could only think of roosters, knowing that they had combs and hackles. However, I was quite confident that they are not the same thing — and, on that point, I was correct. A hackle^[5], as used here, is a steel comb for dressing flax.

12a   Sort out a profit -- one grand, possibly (10)

Pianoforte^[5] is the formal term for the musical instrument commonly known as a piano. I was intrigued to observe that the name combines the musical terms for soft (piano) and loud (forte). As I later discovered, the name comes from the Italian expression piano e forte 'soft and loud', expressing the gradation in tone.

14a   Grand, having immensity of good food (13)

Of course, gnomethang meant to write "G for Grand".

20a   Novel recalled in pantomime (10)

A pantomime^[5] is a traditional British theatrical entertainment, mainly for children, which involves music, topical jokes, and slapstick comedy and is based on a fairy tale or nursery story, usually produced around Christmas.

22a   Line of fat -- or lean -- right inside meat (6)

In his review, gnomethang refers to "A winning or losing STREAK". I believe that I have heard a losing streak referred to as a "lean streak" but I can't say that I have ever heard a winning streak called a "fat streak". I thought that "line of fat" might refer to fat found in a steak and a "[line of] lean" to lean found in bacon.

23a   Immediate treatment needed to make tree steady (5,3)

24a   After said dancing who reported commotion? (8)

25a   Thin point on weapon (6)

26a   Criminals' environment in life and death? (10)

In his review, gnomethang has called this a double definition with the definitions being "criminals" and "environment in life and death". I can see the former but I can't buy into the latter. As I see it, the clue is a cryptic definition. In life, the environment of criminals is known as the underworld. And, in death, they certainly should not expect to go to heaven. If one wanted to interpret this clue as a double definition, the definitions would be "Criminals' environment in life" and "[Criminals' environment in] death".

Down

1d   Generating  good manners (8)

2d   Doctor spotted personal hygiene issue requiring three directions (8)

3d   Gambling game played very loudly in the distance (3-3)

Fortissimo (abbreviation ff)^[5] is a direction used in music to mean either (as an adjective) very loud  or (as an adverb) very loudly.

4d   Way leading character enters bar (4)

5d   Temperature line more confused with this (8)

6d   Gather Scottish course is detaining French duke (6)

The Dee^[5] is a river in NE Scotland, which rises in the Grampian Mountains and flows eastwards past Balmoral Castle to the North Sea at Aberdeen.

The French word for duke is duc^[8].

7d   Dope comes from north with endless abundance (6)

13d   Catch  final stage of race? (3-2)

15d   Quantity of hay and old wood in carriage (8)

Shaw^[5] is an archaic and chiefly Scottish term for a small group of trees; in other words, a thicket.

16d   Being in credit, getting article with initial deduction (8)

I'm not sure why gnomethang had so much difficulty understanding the wordplay in this clue. A feature^[5] is a newspaper or magazine article or a broadcast programme devoted to the treatment of a particular topic, typically at length ⇒ a special feature on children’s reference books.

17d   Relax, I will take father something sweet (8)

18d   Arrive at a time volunteers may get in (6)

The solution to this clue may be a bit unclear from gnomethang's review. The definition is "arrive at" and the wordplay is A (from the clue) + T (time) + TA (volunteers; Territorial Army) + (may get) IN (from the clue).

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.

19d   This writer needs a rest from South African corn (6)

Mealie (also spelled mielie and usually used in the plural, mealies or mielies) is a South African name for the maize [British name for corn] plant ⇒ the mealies were as tall as my stretched arms. The term can also mean (1) maize kernels or sweetcorn [corn grown for human consumption] ⇒ [as modifier] mealie pudding or (2) a corncob ⇒ they arrive each day to sell mealies.

21d   Moving job with an order muddled up? Nothing's missing (6)

You can never run an errand by standing in one place. Thus it's a "moving job".

23d   Pair of braces (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