Tuesday, April 29, 2014 — DT 27373

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27373
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Monday, December 30, 2013
Setter Rufus (Roger Squires)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27373]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Miffypops
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

Like Miffypops, I found this offering "a little trickier than usual" — although I do note that he awarded the puzzle a mere single star for difficulty. As usual from Rufus, we get a healthy dose of cryptic definitions — some exceptionally good and the odd one barely cryptic.

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.

Primary indications (definitions) are marked with a solid underline in the clue; subsidiary indications (be they wordplay or other) are marked with a dashed underline in all-in-one (& lit.) clues, semi-all-in-one (semi-& lit.) clues and cryptic definitions.

Across

1a   Official providing payment for services to employees (8)

Tipstaff^[5] is another name for a bailiff — in Britain, a sheriff’s officer who executes writs and processes and carries out distraints [seizures of property] and arrests. The term, a contraction of tipped staff, dates to the mid 16th century and first denoted the metal-tipped staff carried as a sign of office by a bailiff.

6a   Cash difference (6)

I was about to quibble with the statement by Miffypops that the second definition means "to alter". However, I discover that in heraldry, difference^[5] is used as a verb meaning to alter (a coat of arms) to distinguish members or branches of a family.

Nevertheless, a less arcane explanation would be that difference^[5] is used as a noun meaning a quantity by which amounts differ.

9a   Master tricky current (6)

10a   Put to the test again and evidently found wanting (8)

Here I will dispute that "evidently found wanting" is a definition for REPROVED. This would be like saying that "evidently caught speeding" is the definition of "ticketed".

As I see it, the entire clue is a cryptic definition with the first part (the portion with the solid underline) being the definition (primary indication) and the second part (the portion with the dashed underline) providing the subsidiary indication.

11a   Snail, say, is about to show resolution (8)

I would say that the definition here comes from the field of chemistry, where resolution^[5] means the process of reducing or separating something into constituent parts or components.

12a   An egg I cracked, no longer fresh (6)

Ageing^[5] would seem to be the more common British spelling of aging.

13a   Train-bearers (7,5)

The British say railway^[10] and the Americans say railroad^[10]. In Canada, we see both versions but I would think that the British term is likely more widely used.

16a   New order required, prepare to end rule (12)

Although I am familiar with the noun preponderance, this was my first encounter with this word in its verb form.

Preponderate^[5] means to be greater in number, influence, or importance ⇒ the advantages preponderate over this apparent disadvantage.

19a   Frenchman’s power (6)

Should not the clue have read "Frenchman's current"? After all, the ampere is a unit of current, not of power.

André-Marie Ampère^[5] (1775–1836) was a French physicist, mathematician, and philosopher, who analysed the relationship between magnetic force and electric current.

The ampere^[5] (abbreviation A) is a unit of electric current equal to a flow of one coulomb per second [named after the French physicist].

21a   Case of foreign wine returned by college head (8)

Retsina^[5] is a Greek white or rosé wine flavoured with resin.

23a   Symbols of England at opening time (8)

While the clue is crafted to draw our attention to the opening time of a pub, the real intent is quite different.

A rose^[5] is a stylized representation of a rose in heraldry or decoration, typically with five petals (especially as a national emblem of England) ⇒ the Tudor rose.

24a   Close, hastened back to disturbance (6)

25a   Stand after having arranged to get seat (6)

26a   Is backing onto street, caught in act and stopped (8)

Down

2d   Mean though popular minister (6)

3d   Time for some magic (5)

4d   Right to enter guilty plea (9)

5d   Predicted violent war with foes (7)

6d   Desiccated coconut? (5)

This struck me as one of the least cryptic clues that I have ever encountered.

Copra^[5] is dried coconut kernels, from which oil is obtained.

Desiccate^[5] (usually as adjective desiccated) means to remove the moisture from (something), typically in order to preserve it ⇒ desiccated coconut.

7d   Formerly together (2,3,4)

8d   Source of milk that may provide us with energy (8)

Guernsey^[5] is a breed of dairy cattle from [the island of] Guernsey, noted for producing rich, creamy milk.

Guernsey^[5] is an island in the English Channel, to the north-west of Jersey; population 65,900 (est. 2009); capital, St Peter Port. It is the second-largest of the Channel Islands.

13d   Act for traveller with grudge (9)

14d   Desires half my wages (9)

15d   Plain words about border flower (8)

The primrose^[5] is a European plant (Primula vulgaris) of woodland and hedgerows, which produces pale yellow flowers in the early spring.

17d   Covered trial in final stages (7)

Once again, I have a minor quibble with Miffypops hint. The container here is not a verb meaning to finish but a noun meaning the conclusion.

18d   About to sit and take it easy (6)

20d   Duck or half duck served up in jellied eel (5)

Miffypops failed to mention that the half duck (DU) is reversed (served up, in a down clue).

22d   What one is not well out of? (5)

Those reading Miffypops hint should note that, in Britain, poorly^[5] is not only used as an adverb, but also as an adjective meaning unwell ⇒ she looked poorly.

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