Friday, June 20, 2014 — DT 27411

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27411
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Setter Jay (Jeremy Mutch)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27411]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Tilsit
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

I finally finished this puzzle on the third sitting, after twice setting it aside having seemingly reached an impasse. I must say that Jay has employed some very imaginative indicators today.

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   Discovering mailbag has them horrified (6)

The setter uses "discovering" to indicate that the outer letters of "mailbAG HAS Them" are to be stripped away. This cryptic device is based on the whimsical logic that if disrobe means to remove one's robe (or other clothing), then it only stands to reason that discover must mean to remove one's cover.

4a   Soldiers may rely on one before going for a dip (3,5)

Soldier^[5] is an informal British term for a strip of bread or toast, used for dipping into a soft-boiled egg.

10a   Instrument from hospital wing operating primarily intensive care areas (9)

11a   A carbon free bitter (5)

The symbol for the chemical element carbon is C^[5].

In the surface reading, we are likely expected to interpret bitter^[5] as a British name for beer that is strongly flavoured with hops and has a bitter taste ⇒ (i) a pint of bitter; (ii) the company brews a range of bitters.

12a   Son inclined to be awkward in delivery (7)

13a   Abandon hope, swapping broadcast for crude strip (7)

14a   Noted Italian jury’s decision to clear final couple (5)

"Noted Italian" is a whimsical reference to an Italian composer (someone who employed notes in his work).

Giuseppe Verdi^[5] (1813–1901) was an Italian composer. His many operas, such as La Traviata (1853), Aida (1871), and Otello (1887), emphasize the dramatic element, treating personal stories on a heroic scale and often against backgrounds that reflect his political interests. Verdi is also famous for his Requiem (1874).

15a   Success covering globe to become less convincing (4,4)

18a   Climber writes off first-class returns (8)

A1^[4][5] or A-one^[3] meaning first class or excellent comes from a classification for ships in The Lloyd's Register of Shipping where it means equipped to the highest standard or first-class.

Wisteria^[5] is any of several species of climbing shrub of the pea family, with hanging clusters of fragrant flowers, typically pale bluish-lilac in colour. Native to eastern Asia and North America, ornamental varieties are widely grown on walls and pergolas.

20a   Island’s fortune reversed by a lucky leader (5)

23a   A female just before the start of secret liaisons (7)

25a   Bird shot with catapult (7)

26a   Set a date to enter port (5)

Rio de Janeiro^[5] (commonly known as Rio) is a city in eastern Brazil, on the Atlantic coast; population 6,093,472 (2007). The chief port of Brazil, it was the country’s capital from 1763 until 1960, when it was replaced by Brasilia.

27a   Personal problem or line adopted by PM once on the inside of mills (3,6)

Sir Edward Heath^[5] (1916–2005) was a British Conservative statesman, Prime Minister 1970-4. He negotiated Britain’s entry into the European Economic Community and faced problems caused by a marked increase in oil prices. Attempts to restrain wage rises led to widespread strikes and he lost a general election after a second national coal strike.

28a   ID needed to subscribe after visit? (4,4)

Subscribe^[5] is used in the formal sense of (1) to sign (a will, contract, or other document) ⇒ he subscribed the will as a witness; or (2) to sign (one’s name) on a will, contract, or other document ⇒ he was ordered to subscribe his name; or in the archaic sense of (3) (subscribe oneself) to sign oneself as ⇒ he ventured still to subscribe himself her most obedient servant.

29a   A dashed decanted drink makes sense (4,2)

Decant^[5] means to gradually pour (wine, port, or another liquid) from one container into another, typically in order to separate out sediment ⇒ he decanted the rich red liquid into some glasses. Thus if one were to decant "dashed", one would pour out the contents (the letters "ashe") leaving only the container (DD).

As a verb, sup^[5] is a dated or Northern English term meaning to take (drink or liquid food) by sips or spoonfuls ⇒ (i) she supped up her soup delightedly; (ii) he was supping straight from the bottle. As a noun, it means (1) a sip of liquid ⇒ he took another sup of wine or (2) in Northern England or Ireland, an alcoholic drink ⇒ the latest sup from those blokes at the brewery.

Down

1d   She collapsed in a sharp fall, tending to Bond (8)

The word "bond" is deceptively capitalized, leading one to think of a certain secret agent.

James Bond^[5] (known also by his code name 007) is a fictional British secret agent in the spy novels of English author Ian Fleming (1908–1964).

2d   Tougher runner gets date for second of runs (7)

This clue took longer to solve than it should have as I initially misinterpreted "second of runs" to mean U (the second letter in the word "rUns").

A harrier^[5] is a hound of a breed used for hunting hares. The word "Harriers" is often used in the names of teams of cross-country runners⇒ Durham City Harriers.

3d   Candidates chosen for spirit and inclination (9)

In Britain, a short^[5] is a drink of spirits served in a small measure or, as Collins English Dictionary puts it, a drink of spirits as opposed to a long drink such as beer^[10].

5d   People who protect by deploying large guns around huntress (8,6)

In Roman mythology, Diana^[10] was the virginal goddess of the hunt and the moon — and is often identified in clues as a huntress.

6d   Catches people sleeping rough missing mass (5)

'Sleep rough'^[5] is a British expression meaning to sleep in uncomfortable conditions, typically out of doors ⇒ "he spent the night sleeping rough on the streets".

7d   First broadcaster to ruin Tory independent (7)

David Cameron^[5] [mentioned by Tilsit in his review]  is a British Conservative statesman, Prime Minister since 2010 (in coalition with the Liberal Democrats).

I^[1] is the abbreviation for independent, perhaps in the context of a politician with no party affiliation.

Guglielmo Marconi^[5] (1874–1937) was an Italian electrical engineer, the founder of radio. In 1912 Marconi produced a continuously oscillating wave, essential for the transmission of sound. He went on to develop short-wave transmission over long distances. Nobel Prize for Physics (1909).

8d   Puzzle of theologian enveloped in anger (6)

Doctor of Divinity^[7] (D.D. or DD, Divinitatis Doctor in Latin) is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects. In the United Kingdom, Doctor of Divinity has traditionally been the highest doctorate granted by universities, usually conferred upon a religious scholar of standing and distinction. In the United States, the Doctor of Divinity is usually awarded as an honorary degree.

9d   Opening sauce giving special appeal (6-8)

16d   Do better than new scan in vogue (9)

17d   Gets tired, with joint leader at sea (8)

19d   Popular and fashionable field for a pagan (7)

As an anagram indicator, "fashionable" whimsically indicates that FIELD is something that not only can be — but must be — fashioned.

21d   Songbirds flying loose around Rhode Island (7)

The US Postal Service abbreviation for the state of Rhode Island^[7] is RI.

22d   Material that’s fine on a mostly decent chap (6)

F^[5] is an abbreviation for fine, as used in describing grades of pencil lead [a usage that Oxford surprisingly characterises as British].

Brick^[5] is a informal, dated British term for a generous, helpful, and reliable person ⇒ ‘You are really a brick, Vi,’ Gloria said.

24d   Politicians ultimately supporting press clubs (5)

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