Tuesday, January 28, 2014 — DT 27304

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27304
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Setter Jay (Jeremy Mutch)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27304]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog 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 █ - solved but without being able to fully parse the clue █ - unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Big Dave's blog █ - reviewed by Falcon for Big Dave's blog █ - yet to be solved

Introduction

The run of gentle puzzles continues with today's offering from Jay.

As you will see from the display of candles should you visit Big Dave's Crossword Blog, today marks the 5th anniversary of the start of his site. Congratulations are definitely in order.

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   Bird -- large one in sort of American pie (7)

The pecan^[2] is a a deciduous North American tree, widely cultivated for its edible nut. Pecan pie^[7] is a pie made primarily with corn syrup and pecan nuts that is popularly served at holiday meals and is considered a specialty of Southern U.S. cuisine.

5a   Country retreat with distinctive characteristic (7)

9a   In Croatia, rarely-worn headdress (5)

10a   Tenure for a performer in high office with no parking (9)

In Britain, residency^[5] may denote a musician’s regular engagement at a club or other venue ⇒ he saw me at a folk club where I was doing the residency one Sunday night.

11a   The man has skill and beat idol (5-5)

12a   Criminal boss is firm about the old man retiring (4)

A capo^[5] is the head of a crime syndicate, especially the Mafia, or a branch of one ⇒ the Sicilian capo claims he controls most of the world’s heroin trade.

14a   Ramsay, perhaps rues art at cooking -- regret coming back? (12)

It took me a while to realize that there is no n in the solution.

Gordon Ramsay^[7] is a Scottish celebrity chef, restaurateur and television personality. Ramsay is known for hosting TV programmes about competitive cookery and food, both in Britain and in North America.

A restaurateur^[5] is a person who owns and manages a restaurant. Oxford Dictionaries Online informs us that the word restaurateur is taken directly from the French form and warns us that, although common, restauranteur with an n is a misspelling. Nevertheless, The American Heritage Dictionary lists restauranteur^[3] as an alternative spelling.

18a   A few words on mislaid file and a pronouncement from judge (4,8)

21a   Source of rancour in diminutive politician (4)

In the UK [as is also the case in Canada], a Tory^[5] is a member or supporter of the Conservative Party.

Originally, the term referred to 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.

22a   Cameron and Osborne, perhaps, ignore Bush being drunk? (10)

David Cameron^[5] is a British Conservative politician who has been Prime Minister of the UK since 2010.

George Osborne^[7] is a British Conservative politician who has been Chancellor of the Exchequer and Second Lord of the Treasury of the United Kingdom since 2010.

Downing Street^[7], located in Whitehall in the central part of London, England, has for over two hundred years housed the official residences of two of the most senior British Cabinet ministers: the First Lord of the Treasury, an office now synonymous with that of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and the Second Lord of the Treasury, an office held by the Chancellor of the Exchequer [a position equivalent to Minister of Finance or Secretary of the Treasury]. The Prime Minister's official residence is 10 Downing Street; the Chancellor's official residence is next door at Number 11.

George W. Bush^[5] is an American Republican statesman, 43rd President of the US 2001–2009; full name George Walker Bush.

Prior to his marriage, Bush^[7] had multiple episodes of alcohol abuse. In one instance, on September 4, 1976, he was arrested near his family's summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine, for driving under the influence of alcohol. He pleaded guilty, was fined $150 and had his Maine driver's license suspended until 1978. Bush's alleged drug usage is less clear; when asked about alleged past illicit drug use, Bush has consistently refused to answer. He defended his refusal to answer in a publicized casual conversation with a friend, saying that he feared setting a bad example for the younger generation.

25a   Period going by motorboat without a break (9)

26a   Reason for university being involved in lawsuit (5)

27a   Calm down after a stew of sausage (7)

28a   Police weapons must encompass first of thug's experiences (7)

Taster^[5] is a British term for a small quantity or brief experience of something, intended as a sample ⇒ the song is a taster for the band’s new LP.

A taser^[5] is a weapon firing barbs attached by wires to batteries, causing temporary paralysis. The name comes from the initial letters of Tom Swift's electric rifle (a fictitious weapon), on the pattern of laser.

Tom Swift^[7] (in the 2nd series Tom Swift, Jr.) is the central character in five series of books, first appearing in 1910, totaling more than 100 volumes, of American juvenile science fiction and adventure novels that emphasize science, invention and technology. Most of the various series focus on Tom's inventions, a number of which anticipated actual inventions, including the taser. "TASER" is an acronym for "Thomas A. Swift's Electric Rifle."

I note from recent news reports that the "correct" term now seems to be conducted energy weapon (CEW), with police spokespersons tripping over their tongues in their efforts to avoid uttering the word taser.

Down

1d   Irregular, but attending church in case of publicity (6)

2d   Wild animals ignoring male climbers in tropics (6)

A liana^[5] is a woody climbing plant that hangs from trees, especially in tropical rainforests.

3d   Plan to recycle alcoholic drink (10)

Chartreuse^[5] is (1) a pale green or yellow liqueur made from brandy and aromatic herbs or (2) a pale yellow or green colour resembling the liqueur chartreuse.

4d   The point of Russian orthodoxy? (5)

5d   Sidles out, upset and abandoned (9)

Abandon^[10] is used in the sense of to surrender (oneself) to emotion without restraint.

6d   Agrees on turning up and does, with no heart (4)

7d   Hardened, Queen gets new deal (8)

Anne^[5] (1665–1714) was queen of England and Scotland (known as Great Britain from 1707) and Ireland 1702–14. The last of the Stuart monarchs, daughter of the Catholic James II (but herself a Protestant), she succeeded her brother-in-law William III to the throne. None of her children survived into adulthood, and by the Act of Settlement (1701) the throne passed to the House of Hanover on her death.

8d   Important to lodge hardware for computer (8)

13d   Produce finance on small cars (10)

15d   Fermented Argentine fruit (9)

16d   Collection of boats seeing large number suffering, surrounded by footballers (8)

The Football Association^[7], also known simply as the FA, is the governing body of football [soccer] in England. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest football association in the world and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the amateur and professional game in England.

17d   When protecting female face insults (8)

19d   Tense  time yet to come? (6)

20d   Evaluate energy absorbed by a couple of ships (6)

The abbreviation for steamship is SS^[10].

23d   Person being entertained is judged by audience (5)

24d   Call to stop article supporting Doctor (4)

Doctor Who^[7] is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior appears as a blue police box. The show has had widespread distribution in North America and apparently is currently available in Canada on the SPACE specialty channel on cable and satellite.

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