Tuesday, June 3, 2014 — DT 27398

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27398
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27398]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Gazza
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

My difficulty today related to a children's game which has a slightly different name in the UK than it does in North America.

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   Copper’s arresting deed, beginning to search plant (6)

The symbol for the chemical element copper is Cu^[5] (from Latin cuprum).

5a   Run through train (8)

I didn't like this double definition. As Gazza states in his review,  the solution is merely "the intransitive and transitive forms of the same verb". I would go even further, and point out that the verb in the second definition can also be intransitive — making the clue nothing more than the same verb repeated.

9a   Greet 28 shipworkers (5,5)

The numeral 28 in the clue is a cross reference indicator directing the solver to insert the solution to clue 28a in its place to complete the clue.

10a   Whitish heraldic stripe (4)

In the UK, different versions of this clue appeared in the print edition of the newspaper and on the website. The puzzle published by the National Post has the version from the newspaper.

In heraldry, a pale^[5] is a broad vertical stripe down the middle of a shield.

11a   Snake in Canada coiled round leg (8)

The  leg^[5] (also known as the leg side) is the half of the field (as divided lengthways through the pitch) away from which the batsman's feet are pointed when standing to receive the ball ⇒ he played a lucky stroke to leg.

The leg side is also known as the on side (or simply the on^[5]). Naturally, the other side of the field is known as the off side^[5] (also called simply the off).

12a   Italian river engulfing remainder at once (6)

The Po^[7] is a river that arises in the Cottian Alps and flows eastward across northern Italy entering the Adriatic Sea through a delta near Venice.

13a   Some jet-ski everywhere in this place in eastern Europe (4)

Kiev^[5] is the capital of Ukraine, an industrial city and port on the River Dnieper; population 2,765,500 (est. 2009). Founded in the 8th century, it became capital of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1934. In 1991 it became capital of independent Ukraine.

15a   Cheeky rascal, pupil throwing stone (8)

The stone^[5] (abbreviation st^[5]) is a British unit of weight equal to 14 lb (6.35 kg) ⇒ I weighed 10 stone.

18a   Fair game at home? Good (8)

The abbreviation G^[10] for good may relate to its use in grading school assignments or tests.

19a   Eat nothing when wrapped in paper (4)

The Financial Times (FT)^[7] is a British international business newspaper [that is printed on conspicuous salmon pink newsprint].

21a   Bird out, flying about, with tail of green (6)

23a   Adore car prepared for rally (4,4)

25a   Nimble agent crossing river (4)

26a   Beginning to grasp one branch of physics, and the science of food (10)

27a   Distinguished American statesman of old (8)

Having an error in my solution at 5d certainly did not help my cause here.

Augustus^[5] (63 BC - AD 14) was the first Roman emperor; born Gaius Octavius; also called (until 27 BC) Octavian. He was adopted by the will of his great-uncle Julius Caesar and gained supreme power by his defeat of Antony in 31 BC. In 27 BC he was given the title Augustus (‘venerable’) and became in effect the first Roman emperor.

28a   In centre, moral majority could make one quake (6)

I had interpreted the hidden word indicator to be merely the word "in" with the solution being hidden in the phrase "cenTRE MORal majority". Although the word "majority" does not directly contribute to the solution, I justified its inclusion on the basis of "moral majority" being a recognized term. However, in his review, Gazza provides a far more elegant explanation.

Down

2d   Article absorbing female drained of colour (5)

3d   To protect oneself, acquire insurance (4,5)

Gazza identifies this as a double definition, but I believe that the second part could just as accurately be deemed a charade — TAKE (acquire) + COVER (insurance).

Cover^[5] (in reference to insurance) means to protect against a liability, loss, or accident involving financial consequences ⇒ your contents are now covered against accidental loss or damage in transit. While the same verb form is used in both Britain and North America, we use a different form of the noun on this side of the pond. In the UK, the word cover^[5] is used to denote protection by insurance against a liability, loss, or accident ⇒ your policy provides cover against damage by subsidence. This is equivalent to the North American term coverage^[5] meaning the amount of protection given by an insurance policy ⇒ your policy provides coverage against damage by subsidence.

4d   Southern Greek character cross about knight and mythical monster (6)

Phi^[5] is the twenty-first letter of the Greek alphabet (Φ, φ).

N^[5] is the abbreviation for knight used in recording moves in chess [representing the pronunciation of kn-, since the initial letter k- represents 'king'].

In Greek mythology, the Sphinx^[5] was a winged monster of Thebes, having a woman’s head and a lion’s body. It propounded a riddle about the three ages of man, killing those who failed to solve it, until Oedipus was successful, whereupon the Sphinx committed suicide.

5d   Two calls ensued about a second game (4-1-4-1-5)

My original solution was a mishmash of the British and American names for this game. It was only when I finally solved 27a that I realized the error of my ways.

Ring-a-ring-a-roses^[10] (or, according to Oxford Dictionaries Online, ring-a-ring o' roses^[5]) is a singing game played by children, in which the players hold hands and dance in a circle, falling down at the end of the song. In North America, the game is known as Ring Around the Rosie^[7].

6d   Weed round front of semi with instrument, gardening aid (8)

Hosepipe^[5] is a British term for a hose that people use to water their gardens or wash their cars.

7d   Member’s brought in beer, more than enough (5)

In many Commonwealth countries (including Britain and Canada), a member of the House of Commons or similar legislative body is known as a Member of Parliament^[10] (or MP^[5] for short).

8d   Parted sides to reveal damaged hair (5,4)

14d   Unscripted, I am sharp for all to see (9)

The setter uses the phrase "for all to see" to clue the letter U. Under the British system of film classification^[7] a U (for 'universal') rating indicates that a film is suitable "for all the family" — or, at any rate, for children over 4 years of age.

16d   First to discreetly mention removing cap to show respect (9)

17d   Twelve, perhaps, not very bright climbing thing abroad (8)

20d   Mimic arrives on board vessel (6)

22d   Pulled up chasing evasive rodent (5)

Like Gazza, I questioned the use of "pulled" as a reversal indicator.

24d   Search round for small band (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