Thursday, April 10, 2014 — DT 27358

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27358
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Setter Jay (Jeremy Mutch)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27358]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Big Dave
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

Introduction

Today's puzzle is on the less difficult side, but I did need a nudge — albeit a very gentle one — from my electronic helpers to solve the final clue.

Cryptic Crosswords 101: Sailors

Setters use a wide range of terms to stand-in for sailor or sailors. In addition to the one used at 19a today, here are a number of others that I have collected:

• Jack^[3,4,11] [some dictionaries especially American ones, specify that it be capitalized] is an informal term for a sailor.
• Tar^[5] is an informal, dated term for a sailor. The term, which dates from the 17th century, is perhaps an abbreviation of tarpaulin, which was also used as a nickname for a sailor at that time.
• The Royal Navy^[5] (abbreviation RN^[5]) is the British navy.
• Ordinary seaman (abbreviation OS)^[5] is the lowest rank of sailor in the Royal Navy, below able seaman.
• In the Royal Navy, able seaman^[5] (abbreviation AB^[5]), is a rank of sailor above ordinary seaman and below leading seaman.
• The Royal Marines (RM)^[5] is a British armed service (part of the Royal Navy) founded in 1664, trained for service at sea, or on land under specific circumstances.
• Jolly^[4] is British slang for a member of the Royal Marines.

 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.

Definitions are underlined in the clue, with subsidiary indications being marked by means of a dashed underline in semi-all-in-one (semi-& lit.) clues and cryptic definitions.

Across

1a   Mountains of fruit with no end of ouzo (6)

5a   Run away after writer gets girl (8)

In Greek mythology, Penelope^[5] is the wife of Odysseus, who — as shown in the illustration in Big Dave's hint — was beset by suitors when her husband did not return after the fall of Troy. She put them off by saying that she would marry only when she had finished the piece of weaving on which she was engaged, and every night unravelled the work she had done during the day.

9a   Perfect — only price tag on article (4,3,6)

10a   Notice ballot includes accountant and lawyer (8)

The abbreviation CA^[5] for Chartered Accountant  is used in Scotland — and was formerly employed in Canada. However, as of January 2013, Canadian CA's have adopted the CPA (Chartered Professional Accountant) designation. In England and Wales, the designatory letters are ACA or FCA while in Ireland (including Northern Ireland) the acronym CAI is used.^[7]

11a   Provides personnel for music bars (6)

The five horizontal lines of a musical staff may give the appearance of bars — in a general sense. However, in musical notation, the bars are actually the vertical lines drawn through the staff to mark off metrical units.

In standard Western musical notation^[7], the staff^[7], or stave, is a set of five horizontal lines and four spaces that each represent a different musical pitch—or, in the case of a percussion staff, different percussion instruments—on which a musical score is written. For British musicians, stave seems to be the name of choice.

In musical notation, a bar^[7] (or measure) is a segment of time defined by a given number of beats, each of which are assigned a particular note value. The word bar is more common in British English, and the word measure is more common in American English, although musicians generally understand both usages. Originally, the word bar derives from the vertical lines drawn through the staff [or stave] to mark off metrical units. In British English, these vertical lines are called bar, too, but often the term bar-line is used in order to make the distinction clear. In American English, the word bar stands for the lines and nothing else.

12a   Student doctor with independent family from Italy (6)

The use of medic to mean student doctor is new to me. In North America, I would think that the most common meaning for medic^[3,4,11] is a member of a military medical corps — a usage which does not seem to exist in Britain, where the term refers to a doctor, medical orderly, or medical student. In North America, the term medic can also be used for a physician or surgeon, or a medical student or intern.

Medici^[5] (also de' Medici) is the name of a powerful Italian family of bankers and merchants whose members effectively ruled Florence for much of the 15th century and from 1569 were grand dukes of Tuscany. Cosimo and Lorenzo de’ Medici were notable rulers and patrons of the arts in Florence; the family also provided four popes (including Leo X) and two queens of France (Catherine de’ Medici and Marie de Médicis).

14a   Private hospital in unlikely municipal building (4,4)

16a   About a Boy editor made a logical case (8)

About a Boy^[7] is a 1998 coming of age novel written by British writer Nick Hornby which has sold over a million copies. It was adapted into a film of the same name in 2002 and as an American television series in 2014.

19a   Doing an appraisal on a sailor (6)

In Britain, a rating^[5] is a non-commissioned sailor in the navy ⇒ the rest of the new crew was made up of naval ratings. [so named from the position or rating held by a sailor, recorded on a ship's books]

21a   Building viewing figures here? (6)

23a   Scupper flying boats with a case of gelignite (8)

The setter uses a very similar clue structure in 18d.

25a   Activity disturbing men at internet? (13)

26a   Reduction of French credit facility? (8)

In French, de^[8] is a preposition meaning 'of'.

27a   Chicken crossing a road? Hurry (6)

Down

2d   Value a daughter on recorder (7)

Historically, in Britain, a recorder^[5] was a judge in certain courts. The term is still used in England and Wales for a barrister appointed to serve as a part-time judge.

3d   Relish leave to cover American president’s last letter (5)

4d   It’s out in a tricky spot (9)

5d   Hand over here (7)

6d   Fixes trouble between partners at bridge (5)

In the game of bridge, North^[5] and South^[5] comprise one partnership and play against East^[5] and West^[5] who form the other partnership.

7d   Fancy a go straight away (4,1,4)

8d   Wretched colliery providing fuel regularly (7)

13d   Policeman quietly infiltrating fashionable zone (9)

Inspector Endeavour Morse^[7] [who appears in the illustration in Big Dave's review]  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.

15d   Requirement for craftsmen and women fixing broken central heating (9)

The abbreviation for central heating is c.h.^[1] according to The Chambers Dictionary.

17d   I heard about horrible curse (4,3)

18d   Fresh ideas on case of sample in scrapie for example (7)

Scrapie^[5] is a disease of sheep involving the central nervous system, characterized by a lack of coordination causing affected animals to rub against trees and other objects for support, and thought to be caused by a virus-like agent such as a prion.

20d   Almost secure cover for retiring (7)

22d   Vessel with two areas full of terrible rot (5)

24d   Woods runs into golf supporters! (5)

Tiger Woods^[5] is an American golfer; born Eldrick Woods. In 2000 he became the youngest player to win all four of golf’s grand slam events. During 1997–2008 he won 14 major championships.

However, he is absent from this year's Masters Tournament^[7].

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