Tuesday, March 4, 2014 — DT 27331

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27331
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Saturday, November 9, 2013
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27331 - Hints] Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27331 - Review]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog 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 █ - solved but without fully parsing the clue █ - unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Big Dave's Crossword Blog █ - solved with aid of checking letters provided by solutions from Big Dave's Crossword Blog █ - reviewed by Falcon for Big Dave's Crossword Blog █ - yet to be solved
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

An error in the southwest corner held me up for a time. Fortunately, I discovered the problem and was then able to complete the puzzle without needing to resort to the use of electronic aids.

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   Vegetable's beauty set down by artist (6)

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.

4a   Colour of suit captured by writer (3-5)

10a   In positive signal, Stock Exchange initially moved slowly forward (5)

11a   English ranting shown in print (9)

Contrary to the indication in gnomethang's review. I would say that the definition is "print" with "shown in" merely serving as a link between the wordplay and definition.

12a   Saint's recompense getting tip off servant (7)

13a   Bit of roast leg, it's thrown out (7)

As gnomethang explains in his review, this is an & lit.^[7] (all-in-one) clue, a type of clue in which the entire clue (in accordance with interpretation) is the definition, and (under a different interpretation) is the wordplay.

14a   Film Grand National winner set to make return, holding form (4,1,3,6)

The Grand National^[5] is an annual horse race established in 1839, a steeplechase run over a course of 4 miles 856 yards (about 7,200 metres) with thirty jumps, at Aintree, Liverpool, in late March or early April.

Red Rum^[7] was a champion Thoroughbred racehorse who achieved an unmatched historic treble when he won the Grand National in 1973, 1974 and 1977, and also came second in the two intervening years. The world-famous steeplechase is a notoriously difficult race that has been referred to as being "the ultimate test of a horse’s courage".

International Velvet^[7] [mentioned by gnomethang in his review] is a 1978 dramatic film. It was a sequel to the 1944 classic, National Velvet. Given that this film seems to have nothing to do with the Grand National. perhaps gnomethang intended to refer to the 1944 film.

National Velvet^[7] is a 1944 film based on the novel of the same name by British author Enid Bagnold (1889–1981), published in 1935. The film recounts the story of a twelve-year old English girl, Velvet Brown (played by a young Elizabeth Taylor), who wins a spirited gelding in a raffle and trains him for the Grand National steeplechase aided by her father's hired hand, a young drifter named Mi Taylor (played by Mickey Rooney).

17a   Lazy fellow gets benefit free (4-3-7)

21a   Dim former pupil's treatment (7)

In Britain, an old boy^[5] (abbreviation OB^[2])  is (1) a former male student of a school or college ⇒an old boy of Banbury County School or (2) a former male member of a sports team or company ⇒the White Hart Lane old boy squared the ball to present an easy chance from 12 yards. It is also a chiefly British affectionate form of address to a boy or man ⇒ ‘Look here, old boy,’ he said.

23a   Harmony left behind tuneless music (7)

24a   Cleaner part of South Africa turned rogue (9)

My initial entry here was charwoman, which certainly impeded progress in the southwest quadrant until I discovered my error.

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. 

Natal^[5] is a former province of South Africa, situated on the east coast. Having been a Boer republic and then a British colony, Natal acquired internal self-government in 1893 and became a province of the Union of South Africa in 1910. It was renamed KwaZulu-Natal in 1994. The name comes from Latin Terra Natalis 'land of the day of birth', a name given by Vasco da Gama in 1497, because he sighted the entrance to what is now Durban harbour on Christmas Day.

25a   Dislike one-day international's first pair of umpires (5)

International^[5] is a British term for a game or contest between teams representing different countries in a sport ⇒the Murrayfield rugby international.

A One Day International (ODI)^[7] is a form of limited overs cricket, played between two teams with international status, in which each team faces a fixed number of overs, usually fifty. [In comparison, a regular cricket match may well take most of a week to play.]

In cricket, an over^[5] (abbreviation O^[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.

26a   Lasts longer than unfashionable underwear (8)

Historically, stays^[5] were a corset made of two pieces laced together and stiffened by strips of whalebone.

27a   One tries to catch old Englishman with Queen (6)

An Angle^[5] is a member of a Germanic people, originally inhabitants of what is now Schleswig-Holstein, who came to England in the 5th century AD. The Angles founded kingdoms in Mercia, Northumbria, and East Anglia and gave their name to England and the English.

Regina^[5] (abbreviation R^[5]) — Latin for queen — denotes the reigning queen, used following a name (e.g. Elizabetha Regina, Queen Elizabeth) or in the titles of lawsuits (e.g. Regina v. Jones, the Crown versus Jones — often shortened to R. v. Jones). 

Down

1d   Call on team near to fighting (8)

In Britain, a side^[5] is a sports team ⇒ there was a mixture of old and young players in their side. While side can also mean team in North America, I believe that we use the term both less frequently and in a more generic fashion than it is used in the UK.

2d   Dead poser masquerading as bandit (9)

3d   Phonecard conceals expensive weapon (7)

A SIM^[5] (also SIM card) is a smart card inside a mobile phone, carrying an identification number unique to the owner, storing personal data, and preventing operation if removed. [Origin: acronym from subscriber identification module]

5d   It shows one's intended to employ tutoring heartlessly (10,4)

6d   Large ice endlessly slipping? (7)

7d   Be way out including touch of scattiness (5)

8d   Weapon cocked, go for small piece (6)

This being a down clue, "cock" (as a reversal indicator) is used in the sense of to raise, as a dog cocking its ears.

9d   Dotty conveners set out to ostracise (4,2,8)

Send (someone) to Coventry^[5] is a chiefly British expression meaning to refuse to associate with or speak to someone ⇒ some people ignore and send to Coventry individuals they disapprove of.

15d   I led a riot, anarchic leader (9)

In Britain, a leading article in a newspaper is known as a leader^[5].

16d   It'll help cook get grime scrubbed (3,5)

18d   Historical garment, cotton in the middle? (7)

I have to admit that I failed to recognize the wordplay, despite being virtually certain that I've encountered it — or something very similar — in a previous puzzle.

19d   Storm -- sort endlessly overcome by former Blairite minister (7)

Tony Blair^[5] is a British Labour statesman who was Prime Minister of the UK from 1997 to 2007. Geoff Hoon^[7] is a British Labour politician who held several cabinet posts under Tony Blair.

20d   American boss in marathon chosen (6)

Honcho^[5] is a North American term, thus explaining why it is clued as "American boss". The term comes from Japanese and was brought back to the US by servicemen stationed in Japan during the occupation following the Second World War.

22d   Louvre embraces new point of view (5)

In all likelihood, the setter anticipates that we will mistakenly interpret Louvre^[5] to be a reference to the museum and art gallery in Paris that is known, in particular, as the home of the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo.

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