Thursday, December 12, 2013 — DT 27269

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27269
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Thursday, August 29, 2013
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27269]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Falcon
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

It is always interesting when I encounter a puzzle that I have previously reviewed for Big Dave's Crossword Blog. In the case of some clues, the solutions pop immediately to mind. Other clues look very familiar but I can't recall the solutions. Finally, there are clues which I cannot remember ever having seen before.

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   Show up and trim feathers as required (3,4,2,4)

9a   Where happy families brag and patience may be welcome (4,5)

As I said in my earlier review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog, "the setter adds an element of misdirection by omitting the comma that should be present in the list of games found in the clue".

In Britain, happy families^[5] is a children’s card game played with special cards in sets of four, each depicting members of a ‘family’, the object being to acquire as many sets as possible.

Brag^[5] is a gambling card game which is a simplified form of poker.

In the UK, patience^[5] is the name by which the card game solitaire^[5] is known.

10a   In the morning I'm off, mate (5)

In Britain, mate^[5] is an informal term (1) for a friend or companion ⇒ my best mate Steve or (2) used as a friendly form of address between men or boys ⇒ ‘See you then, mate.’.

11a   Duck in trouble? Add one garlicky mayo! (5)

In cricket, a duck^[5] is a batsman’s score of nought [zero] ⇒ he was out for a duck. This is similar to the North American expression goose egg^[5] meaning a zero score in a game. In British puzzles, duck is used to indicate the letter "O" based on the resemblance of the digit "0" to this letter.

12a   Den's sleazier now and then (4)

13a   Stampede diverted with surrounding grass cleared (4)

15a   Space to grow fruit or veg (7)

17a   Germanic cast wanting male from Athens? (7)

18a   OK to check the foreign resident (7)

In German, der^[8] is a form of the definite article used in various declensions.

20a   Learner in two-seater touching ton -- so brace (7)

To fully appreciate the surface reading of this clue, one needs to know that ton^[5] is an informal British term meaning a hundred, in particular a speed of 100 mph, a score of 100 or more, or a sum of £100 ⇒ he scored 102 not out, his third ton of the tour.

The cryptic crossword convention of L meaning learner or student arises from the L-plate^[7], a square plate bearing a sans-serif letter L, for learner, which must be affixed to the front and back of a vehicle in various countries (including the UK) if its driver is a learner under instruction. 

American dictionaries define brace simply as a pair of like things ⇒ three brace of partridges^[3] or a pair or couple ⇒ a brace of grouse^[11] — although you may detect a bit of a theme in the usage examples. Collins English Dictionary emphasizes this point by defining brace as a pair or two, especially of game birds ⇒ a brace of partridges^[10], a definition that is very similar to the one found in Chambers 21st Century Dictionary [a pair or couple, especially of game birds^[2]]. It would appear that the entry in The Chambers Dictionary may expand the definition beyond game birds [a pair or couple (especially of game shot)^[1]]. There is absolutely no doubt that the definition found at Oxford Dictionaries Online broadens the scope beyond game birds [a pair of something, typically of birds or mammals killed in hunting ⇒ thirty brace of grouse]. [Not only does Oxford expand the scope of the definition, it greatly increases the bag limit.]

21a   No case for bad-tempered stamp (4)

Tetchy^[5] is an adjective meaning irritable and bad-tempered ⇒ (i) she had always been tetchy and impatient with him; (ii) a tetchy statement.

On the surface, stamp and etch may not seem to be synonymous. Stamp^[5] means to impress a pattern or mark on (a surface, object, or document) using an engraved or inked block or die. Etch^[5] means to engrave a pattern or mark on (metal, glass, or stone) using acid or to cut or carve (a text or design) on a surface. I suppose if one stamps a design on a soft surface, the end result may be somewhat similar to etching a hard surface — although this rationale seems rather weak. Stamp can also mean to make (something) by cutting it out with a die or mould — but this hardly seems to be the same thing as etching.

The best explanation would seem to lie in the figurative use of these words in the sense of an experience, image, etc. being permanently fixed in someone’s memory ⇒ the events remain etched in the minds of all who witnessed them^[5] or the date was stamped on her memory^[10].

22a   Source of friction in 'Titus Andronicus' (4)

Titus Andronicus^[7] is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, and possibly George Peele, believed to have been written between 1588 and 1593. It is thought to be Shakespeare's first tragedy, and is often seen as his attempt to emulate the violent and bloody revenge plays of his contemporaries, which were extremely popular with audiences throughout the sixteenth century.

23a   The French state pound is permissible (5)

In French,  le^[8] is the masculine singular form of the definite article.

The pound^[5] (also pound sterling) is the basic monetary unit of the UK, equal to 100 pence. While the symbol for pound is £, one often finds it written as L^[10].

26a   Proprietor on the other hand covering everywhere but south (5)

27a   Sarcasm is lazy? No answer -- instead it's very English (9)

28a   Heart pounding's caused by them? They're the ones you want to talk to! (5,8)

"Speak to the organ grinder, not the monkey" is an adage advising one to talk to the boss rather than the subordinate.

Down

1d   Cocoa looked odd -- that could be a wake-up call (4-1-6-3)

2d   Unusually expansive decay upended trunk (5)

The sizes of clothing that North Americans would describe as plus-size^[7] (or often big and tall in the case of men's clothing) would be called outsize (OS^[5]) in Britain.

3d   Bail boat out, holding north, with last of tide to be had (10)

4d   Nicked head oozed red (7)

Nick^[5] is an informal British term meaning to steal ⇒ she nicked fivers from the till.

Nobble^[5] is an informal British term meaning to obtain dishonestly or, in other words, steal ⇒ he intended to nobble Rose’s money.

5d   Opportunity  to be batting first (7)

In cricket, open the batting^[5] means to play as one of the pair of batsmen who begin a side’s innings.

6d   One's a male Muslim minister (4)

7d   Leader breaking up ideal trio (9)

In Britain, a leading article in a newspaper is known as a leader^[7].

8d   Clairvoyants seeing bank clerks after large amount of money (7-7)

14d   Old fogey claiming local's an anti-monarchist (10)

In Britain, a local^[7] is a pub convenient to a person’s home ⇒ a pint in the local.

Relic^[7] is an informal [possibly chiefly British] term for an old or old-fashioned person or thing.

16d   Noise on the increase -- cut short street party (9)

In music, crescendo^[5] refers to a gradual increase in loudness in a piece of music ⇒ each time the key changes, there is a gradual crescendo.

19d   Duck out of shambolic regional shuffle (7)

For duck, see comment at 11a.

20d   Dave driving? Getting stiff? (7)

If "Dave [is] driving", then DAVE must be in a CAR.

24d   Articulate fellows in front (5)

25d   Inflated claim coming from British tabloid (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