Monday, December 23, 2013 — DT 27276

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27276
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Friday, September 6, 2013
Setter Giovanni (Don Manley)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27276]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Gazza
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

Giovanni rarely fails to provide an entertaining and enlightening puzzle. There is almost always at least one new word to learn — such as the weed found at 25a today. Fortunately, I was able to work out the solution to the clue based on the wordplay.

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

1a   Opportunity to get fish -- one paid at this gate (8)

In Britain, unlike the US, the term turnpike is no longer in use — which explains the phrasing of the clue. Historically, in the UK, a turnpike^[5] was a toll gate or a road on which a toll was collected at a toll gate (the latter also known as a turnpike road).

5a   A maiden locked in hut, disgraced (6)

In cricket, a maiden^[5], also known as a maiden over, (abbreviation M)^[5] is an over in which no runs are scored. An over^[5] is a division of play consisting of a sequence of six balls bowled by a bowler from one end of the pitch, after which another bowler takes over from the other end.

Keep the above in mind, it will come in handy later in the puzzle.

9a   What has flower going over it? (5,3)

The setter uses flower in a whimsical cryptic crossword sense meaning something that flows — in other words, a river.

10a   Copper going about in charge of part of UK -- easy task? (6)

For me, this clue was no picnic.

I was only able to sort out the wordplay once I had dismissed the notions that a reversal of the Channel Islands^[5] (abbreviation CI^[5]) might somehow be involved and that a "copper" might be a penny^[5] (abbreviation p).

In Britain, PC^[5] is the abbreviation for a police constable ⇒ PC Bartholomew made his report.

The abbreviation i/c^[5] (especially in military contexts) is short for in charge of ⇒ the Quartermaster General is i/c rations.

Northern Ireland^[5] (abbreviation NI^[5]) is a province of the United Kingdom occupying the NE part of Ireland; population 1,775,000 (est. 2008); capital, Belfast.

12a   Zoologist learning somewhere down under (6)

Konrad Lorenz^[5] (1903–1989) was an Austrian zoologist. He pioneered the science of ethology, emphasizing innate rather than learned behaviour or conditioned reflexes. Lorenz extrapolated his studies in ornithology to human behaviour patterns, and compared the ill effects of the domestication of animals to human civilizing processes. He shared a Nobel Prize in 1973 with Karl von Frisch and Nikolaas Tinbergen.

13a   Gained by act with little right in it and felt doubt (8)

15a   Greets special soldiers with musical instrument's introduction (7)

In the UK, the Special Air Service^[5] (abbreviation SAS^[5]) is a specialist army regiment trained in commando techniques of warfare, formed during the Second World War and used in clandestine operations, frequently against terrorists.

16a   Series of deliveries  at an end (4)

See comment at 5a for the definition of over as a cricket term.

20a   American journalist may be exhausted (4)

21a   Surprise when celebrity is found to have carried bomb around (7)

Egg^[1] is slang for a bomb or mine [I was able to find this meaning only in The Chambers Dictionary].

25a   Woman who does hair -- a wild weedy type! (8)

Char^[5] is another name for a charwoman^[5], a dated British term for a woman employed as a cleaner in a house or office. 

For the benefit of those reading Gazza's review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog,  Mrs Mopp was a character on It's That Man Again^[7] (or, commonly, ITMA),  a BBC radio comedy programme which ran from 1939 to 1949. She is the office char who was known for her catchphrase "Can I do you now, Sir?".

The title of the programme refers to a contemporary phrase concerning the ever more frequent news-stories about Hitler in the lead-up to World War II. ITMA is believed to have played a major role in sustaining morale on the UK's "home front" during World War II.

Charlock^[5] (Sinapis arvensis) is a wild mustard with yellow flowers, which is a common weed of cornfields.

26a   Animal hunted in excavated area (6)

28a   Girl by river building that's been added on (6)

The River Exe^[7] rises on Exmoor in Somerset, 8.4 kilometres (5 mi) from the Bristol Channel coast, but flows more or less directly due south, so that most of its length lies in Devon. It reaches the sea at a substantial ria, the Exe Estuary, on the south (English Channel) coast of Devon.

Annexe^[5] is a chiefly British alternative spelling of annex.

29a   African city airport given makeover, full of energy (8)

Pretoria^[5] is the administrative capital of South Africa; population 1,679,200 (est. 2009). It was founded in 1855 by Marthinus Wessel Pretorius (1819–1901), the first President of the South African Republic, and named after his father Andries.

30a   Make a mistake and trip (6)

31a   Learners in hospital department restricted by bosses (8)

In my experience, the busiest section, by far, of the Crosswordland Hospital is the ear, nose and throat (ENT^[2]) department.

Down

1d   The unending stream that brings excitement (6)

2d   Rangers? Some other football team! (6)

For the Rangers, there are a couple of possibilities (both of which have recently dropped out of top tier leagues):

Rangers Football Club^[7] is a Scottish football [soccer] club based in Glasgow that plays in Scottish League One – the third tier of the Scottish Professional Football League. Founded in 1872, Rangers were one of the ten founder members of the original Scottish Football League, remaining in Scotland's top division until the end of the 2011–12 season. In 2012, the team dropped out the top division, not through relegation, but due to insolvency. The team was relaunched under new ownership in the Scottish Football League's Third Division at the start of the 2012–13 season.

Queens Park Rangers Football Club^[7] (usually referred to as QPR) is an English professional association football club based in London, England that plays in the Football League Championship (the second tier in the English football league system), having been relegated from the Premier League (the top tier of English football) following the 2012-13 season.

There are also a couple of possibilities for the Rovers (one club on the way up and the other on the way down):

Doncaster Rovers Football Club^[7] is an English professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire that plays in the Football League Championship (the second tier in the English football league system), having been promoted from Football League One (the third tier of English football) at the end of the 2012-13 season.

Blackburn Rovers Football Club^[7] is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire that plays in the Football League Championship (the second tier in the English football league system), having been relegated from the Premier League (the top tier of English football) at the end of the 2011–12 season.

3d   Dad has charge as befits one in his position (8)

In identifying the definition, I have diverged from Gazza's call. The solution being an adjective, I would think that the definition would have to be "as befits one in his position". For instance, parental respect would signify the respect befitting a parent.

4d   Characters from Stoke, energetic and enthusiastic (4)

Stoke^[5] (properly Stoke-on-Trent) is a city on the River Trent in Staffordshire, central England; population 248,300 (est. 2009). It has long been the centre of the Staffordshire pottery industries. The name Stoke^[7] comes from the Old English word stoc meaning 'place' and appears in a great many place names in the UK.

6d   Cut is harsh, one admitted, having nothing (6)

7d   Take action when silly gran gets stuck in shrub (8)

I always thought that it was a tree, but Oxford Dictionaries Online defines mangrove^[5] as a tree or shrub which grows in tidal, chiefly tropical, coastal swamps, having numerous tangled roots that grow above ground and form dense thickets.

8d   'Morse' may be intelligible to such folk (8)

It should come as no surprise that there are no quotation marks in the clue as published in the National Post — they always perish during the Atlantic crossing. If truth be told, I suspect that they are inserted by the editors at The Daily Telegraph shortly before publication and after the puzzle has already been released to syndication.

Morse has one meaning in the surface reading (one that is emphasized by the [absent in the National Post] quotation marks) and a different meaning in the cryptic interpretation.

Inspector Endeavour Morse^[7] is a fictional character in the eponymous series of detective novels by British author Colin Dexter, as well as the 33-episode 1987–2000 television drama Inspector Morse^[7], with the character played by John Thaw. Morse is a senior CID (Criminal Investigation Department) officer with the Thames Valley Police force in Oxford, England.

11d   Old female set up to rule in another country (7)

14d   Fair play, only with cold formality? (7)

17d   Acquire  grip? (8)

With three out of four checking letters, I thought the solution might be SUITCASE — although I had little confidence in it as I was at a loss to explain the first definition. I eventually discarded this entry when I deciphered 25a (which was the second last one in).

18d   See servant tear about, almost doing nothing afterwards (8)

This is one of those rare clues where the definition does not appear at either the beginning or the end of the clue. I did wonder if this retainer might be employed by a bishop, making him a "see servant" (see being another name for diocese).

A retainer^[5] is a servant, especially one who has worked for a person or family for a long time.

19d   Target landing in grass, being shot down (8)

A butt^[5] (usually butts) is an archery or shooting target or range.

22d   Light yellow bog with loose content (6)

23d   Test is dull -- minimal scoring! (3,3)

The surface reading has a cricket flavour. A Test (short for Test match)^[5] is an international cricket or rugby match, typically one of a series, played between teams representing two different countries ⇒ the Test match between Pakistan and the West Indies.

24d   Sort of road through defile (6)

A defile^[5] is a narrow gorge or pass that restricts lateral movement, as of troops.

27d   It's dry nevertheless above and below river (4)

Brut^[5] is an adjective applied to a sparkling wine that is unsweetened or, in other words, very dry.

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