Friday, July 11, 2014 — DT 27426

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27426
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Saturday, March 1, 2014
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27426 - Hints] Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27426 - 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

Being pressed for time, I likely threw in the towel earlier today than I normally would.

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   Opportunity to speak about rising tide causing great sadness (5-7)

9a   Earned plenty but prepared to strike forcefully? (4,1,4)

Make a bomb^[1] is an informal expression [almost certainly British] meaning to make or earn a great deal of money.

10a   A myth? Awful nonsense (2,3)

My hat^[10] is an informal British interjection meaning nonsense.

11a   Turn of skill, seizing lout in horse-drawn carriage (6)

Oik^[5] is an informal British term for an uncouth or obnoxious person.

A troika^[5] is a Russian vehicle pulled by a team of three horses abreast.

12a   Commanding batting attack (2,6)

In cricket, a player who is batting is said to be in^[5]. Conversely, a player who is fielding is said to be out^[5].

13a   Comment about stain (6)

15a   Whilst abroad, touring island, this contains what I want (4,4)

18a   Leader of revolt we tartly banged up (3,5)

Wat Tyler^[5] ( D.1381) was an English leader of the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381. He captured Canterbury and went on to take London and secure Richard II’s concession to the rebels’ demands, which included the lifting of the newly imposed poll tax. He was killed by royal supporters.

19a   In favour of side dropping amateur, for the time being (3,3)

Pro tem^[5] is an adverb or adjective meaning for the time being ⇒ (i) a printer which Marisa could use pro tem; (ii) a pro tem committee.

21a   Longs to nurse poorly Greek hero (8)

In Britain, poorly^[5] is not only used as an adverb, but also as an adjective meaning unwell ⇒ she looked poorly.

In Greek mythology, Achilles^[5] was a hero of the Trojan War, son of Peleus and Thetis. During his infancy his mother plunged him in the Styx, thus making his body invulnerable except for the heel by which she held him. During the Trojan War Achilles killed Hector but was later wounded in the heel by an arrow shot by Paris and died.

23a   Cool about wearing tartan (6)

26a   Fish in mouth of Tigris (river abroad) (5)

The Tigris^[5] is a river in southwestern Asia, the more easterly of the two rivers of ancient Mesopotamia. It rises in the mountains of eastern Turkey and flows 1,850 km (1,150 miles) south-eastwards through Iraq, passing through Baghdad, to join the Euphrates, forming the Shatt al-Arab, which flows into the Persian Gulf.

27a   Fish goes to the bottom to cross lake (9)

28a   A tennis umpire should be well-informed? (4,3,5)

Down

1d   Rodent seen in raging stream behind hotel (7)

Hotel^[5] is a code word representing the letter H, used in radio communication.

2d   Sound coming from car, old (5)

Audi AG^[7] is a German automobile manufacturer that designs, engineers, produces, markets and distributes automobiles.

3d   Indian-born novelist seen in cutter in Scottish river (9)

The Tay^[5] is the longest river in Scotland, flowing 192 km (120 miles) eastwards through Loch Tay, entering the North Sea through the Firth of Tay.

William Makepiece Thackeray^[5] (1811–1863) was a British novelist, born in India. He established his reputation with Vanity Fair (1847-8), a satire of the upper middle class of early 19th-century society.

4d   Public school board fired head (4)

Eton College^[7], often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent [private] school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor". It is located in Eton, near Windsor in England, and is one of the original nine English public schools as defined by the Public Schools Act 1868. [Note: In Britain, "public schools" are a special class of private school; what North Americans would call public schools seem to be referred to in Britain by terms such as state-run or state-funded schools].

5d   Stylish young socialite attending very happily (8)

6d   Beautiful young woman from New York on speed (5)

7d   Check on painter, a member of a working-class movement (8)

A Chartist^[5] is a member of a UK parliamentary reform movement of 1837–48, the principles of which were set out in a manifesto called The People’s Charter and called for universal suffrage for men, equal electoral districts, voting by secret ballot, abolition of property qualifications for MPs, and annual general elections.

8d   Bowled in an international under the most favourable conditions (2,4)

On cricket scorecards, the abbreviation b^[5] denotes bowled (by).

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

A Test^[5] (short for Test match)^[5] is an international cricket or rugby match, typically one of a series, played between teams representing two different countries ⇒ the Test match between Pakistan and the West Indies. 

14d   Its contents must be made from light wood (8)

16d   Bad luck involved bands (4,5)

Hard lines^[5] (or hard luck) is an informal British expression used to express sympathy or commiserations.

17d   Plant in front of florist's always thin on the ground (8)

Feverfew^[5] is a small bushy aromatic Eurasian plant (Tanacetum parthenium) of the daisy family, with feathery leaves and daisy-like flowers, used in herbal medicine to treat headaches.

18d   Ghost -- one appearing in cape in Scotland (6)

Cape Wrath^[5] is a headland at the north-western tip of the mainland of Scotland.

20d   Fashionable dressmaker may bring out the poet in me (7)

A modiste^[5] is a fashionable milliner or dressmaker.

22d   Disclose awareness of large 4 (3,2)

The numeral 4 in the clue is a cross reference indicator directing the solver to insert the solution to clue 4d in its place to complete the clue.

24d   Set of beliefs, note, held by Conservative party (5)

In music (specifically, in tonic sol-fa), re^[5] is the second note of a major scale. In Britain, where the most common spelling is ray^[5], this would be seen as an alternate spelling.

25d   The pair in limbo there (4)

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