Saturday, August 30, 2014

Saturday, August 30, 2014 — A Visit to the Far East


Introduction

I got off to a quick start with today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon and thought it might turn into a "write in". However, my pace rapidly slowed to a crawl.


I invite you to leave a comment to let us know how you fared with the puzzle.

Solution to Today's Puzzle

Falcon's Experience
┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐
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└────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘
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
- yet to be solved

Legend: "*" anagram; "~" sounds like; "<" letters reversed

"( )" letters inserted; "_" letters deleted; "†" explicit in the clue

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

8a   People in a sci-fi story, and alien near them (8)

EARTHMEN* — anagram (alien) of NEAR THEM

It would seem that the solution is not a reference to a people in a specific sci-fi work. While I did find a reference to a people called the Earthmen, it is found in a work from the wrong genre. In The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of seven high fantasy novels by British author C.S. Lewis (1898–1963), Earthmen[7] are the gnome-like natives of Bism, a land which lies far beneath the surface of the Narnian earth. However, as these tales belong to the fantasy genre, rather than sci-fi, the reference most probably applies to a people that appear in any of a great many sci-fi works.

9a   Animal's horn I twisted (5)

RHINO —anagram (twisted) of HORN I

10a   Little rascals stay in a tent with two snakes outside (6)

S(CAMP)S — CAMP (stay in tents) contained in (with ... outside) {S + S (two snakes)}

11a   Vendor's French sea song (8)

MER|CHANT — MER (French [word meaning] sea) + CHANT (song)

12a   Writer, 51, wearing no part of a suit (8)

NO|VE(LI)ST — LI ([Roman numeral for] 51) contained in (wearing) {NO (†) + VEST (part of a suit)}

13a   Small Caribbean island diver's gear (5)

S|CUBA — S (small) + CUBA (Caribbean island)

14a   Move back into dull swampy area (7)

B(OG<)LAND — reversal (back) of GO (move) contained in (into) BLAND (dull)

18a   Fetching me now is wrong (7)

WINSOME* — anagram (wrong) of ME NOW IS

22a   Nearly foolish as the creator of Aramis (5)

DUM|AS — DUM[B] (foolish) with the last letter removed (nearly) + AS (†)

René d'Herblay, alias Aramis[7] is a fictional character in the novels The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After and The Vicomte de Bragelonne by French writer Alexandre Dumas, père (1802–1870). He and the other two musketeers Athos and Porthos are friends of the novels' protagonist, d'Artagnan.

23a   Vandal of sorts, a true s.o.b., busted (8)

SABOTEUR* — anagram (busted) of A TRUE SOB

24a   Dandy soda in joint (8)

POP|IN|JAY — POP (soda) + IN (†) + JAY (joint)

Joint[7] is a slang term for a cigarette rolled using cannabis (marijuana). There are many slang terms mostly synonymous with the word joint; among them, the term "jay" or "J" is used as an abbreviation for a generic joint.

25a   King of the blues found in pit, lame (6)

HO(BB)LE — BB (King of the blues; American blues musician B.B. King[7]) contained in (found in) HOLE (pit)

In the  cryptic reading of the clue, "lame" must be interpreted as a verb.

26a   Cut second tie up (5)

S|LASH — S (second) + LASH (tie up)

27a   Shares in the penning of bully ceremonies (8)

COW|RITES — COW (bully; cow is used as a modifier) + RITES (ceremonies)

If one reads the solution and the wordplay as entire phrases, it should be apparent that "cow rites" and "bully ceremonies" could be alternative ways to describe bovine religious practices.

Down

1d   Sing loudly around fire with bit of operatic singing style (3,5)

BEL (CAN)T|O —BELT (sing loudly) containing (around) CAN (fire; dismiss from employment) + (with) O (bit [first letter] of Operatic)

Bel canto[5] is a lyrical style of operatic singing using a full, rich, broad tone and smooth phrasing (i) a superb piece of bel canto; (ii) the bel canto arias of Bellini.

2d   Vampire bats left earliest (8)

PRIMEVA*|L — anagram (bats; crazy, very eccentric) of VAMPIRE + L (left)

3d   Meddle, crossing franchise line (6,2)

_CHISE|L IN_ — hidden in (crossing) franCHISE LINe

Chisel in is synonymous with butt in, chime in, barge in, break in, cut in, or put in. I suspect that it is a North American expression.

4d   Dangerous current turned bad, and that hurts (8)

UNDERT|OW — anagram (bad) of TURNED + (and) OW (that hurts; ouch!)

5d   Necrosis ruined telecom giant (8)

ERICSSON* — anagram (ruined) of NECROSIS

Ericsson[7] (Telefonaktiebolaget L. M. Ericsson) is a Swedish multinational provider of communications technology and services.

6d   Fasten a slow boat alongside orange volcano (8)

PIN|A|TUB|O — PIN (fasten) + A (†) + TUB (slow boat) + O (orange)

Mount Pinatubo[5] is a volcano on the island of Luzon, in the Philippines. It erupted in 1991, killing more than 300 people and destroying the homes of more than 200,000.

7d   Some engineers of TWA returned computer programs (8)

_S|OF|TWA|RE_ — hidden in (some) engineerS OF TWA REturned

Trans World Airlines[7] (TWA) was a major American airline from 1925 until 2001 when its assets were acquired by AMR Corp., the parent company of American Airlines.

14d   Begin to develop a pain in the neck in a European capital (8)

BUD|A|PEST — BUD (begin to develop) + A (†) + PEST (pain in the neck)

Budapest[5] is the capital of Hungary; population 1,712,210 (2009). The city was formed in 1873 by the union of the hilly city of Buda on the right bank of the River Danube with the low-lying city of Pest on the left.

15d   Piano acquired by Indonesian music ensemble's strategy (4,4)

GAME (P)LAN —P (piano; musical direction) contained in (acquired by) GAMELAN (Indonesian music ensemble)

Piano[3,5] (abbreviation p[5]), is a musical direction meaning either (as an adjective) soft or quiet or (as an adverb) softly or quietly.

Gamelan[7] is traditional ensemble music of Java and Bali made up predominantly of percussive instruments. The most common instruments are metallophones played by mallets as well as a set of hand played drums called kendhang which register the beat. Other instruments include xylophones, bamboo flutes, bowed instrument called rebab, and even vocalists called sindhen.

Although its popularity has declined since the introduction of pop music, gamelan is still commonly played in formal occasions and is an integral part in many traditional Indonesian ceremonies. For most Indonesians, gamelan is an integral part of Indonesian culture.

16d   Core components in the wormwood (8)

ABS|IN|THE — ABS (core components; abdominal muscles) + IN (†) + THE (†)

Absinthe[5] is another term for wormwood[5], a woody shrub with a bitter aromatic taste, used as an ingredient of vermouth and absinthe [an alcoholic drink] and in medicine.

17d   Send spring inside drainage channel (8)

DI(SPA)TCH — SPA (spring) contained in (inside) DITCH (drainage channel)

19d   School of thought about different line on a map (8)

IS(OTHER)M — ISM (school of thought) containing (about) OTHER (different)

20d   Gels containing something savoury for desserts (8)

S(HERB)ETS — SETS (gels) containing (†) HERB (something savoury)

21d   Russian range shrouded in fog for painter (8)

M(URAL)IST — URAL (Russian [mountain] range) contained in (shrouded in) MIST (fog)

The Ural Mountains[5] (also the Urals) is the name of a mountain range in Russia, extending 1,600 km (1,000 miles) from the Arctic Ocean to the Aral Sea in Kazakhstan, and rising to 1,894 m (6,214 ft) at Mount Narodnaya. It forms part of the conventional boundary between Europe and Asia.

Epilogue

The title of today's post is inspired by the Philippine volcano at 6d and the Indonesian musicians at 15d.
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

Friday, August 29, 2014

Friday, August 29, 2014 — DT 27463

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 30, 2014 but backdated to maintain sequence.

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27463
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Monday, April 14, 2014
Setter
Rufus (Roger Squires)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27463]
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

What can I say — other than another delightful puzzle from Rufus.

I invite you to leave a comment to let us know how you fared with the puzzle.

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   Seat of unusual charm and appearance (8)

6a   Those vanquished by the Spanish heading east as a precaution (2,4)

The Incas[5] were a South American Indian people living in the central Andes before the Spanish conquest.

9a   One of four on the fiddle (6)

10a   Vessel on a shark trip (5,3)

Noah's ark[5] is the ship in which Noah, his family, and the animals were saved from the Flood, according to the biblical account (Genesis 6-8).

11a   Sunny reflection in a dark hour? (8)

12a   Relation puts us in the money (6)

13a   Refuse to work and get off? Blimey! (6,1,5)

Blimey[5] (also cor blimey) is an informal British exclamation used to express surprise, excitement, or alarm.

Strike a light[5] is an informal, dated British term used as an expression of surprise, dismay, or alarm cor, strike a light, he’s a crazy geezer and no mistake!.

Cor[5] is an informal British exclamation expressing surprise, excitement, admiration, or alarm ⇒ Cor! That‘s a beautiful black eye you’ve got!

Another variant of this term is gorblimey[5], an informal British expression of surprise or indignation.

16a   It shows the priorities for strikers (7,5)

A striker[5] is the player who is to strike the ball in a game. From the solution, one sees that the setter almost certainly had cricket in mind, although the clue would work equally well if applied to baseball.

19a   Cable from ship to shore (6)

21a   Small creature with aggressive rearing (8)

23a   Senior nurse seen around at home -- that's ominous (8)

In Britain, a sister[5] (often Sister) is a senior female nurse, typically in charge of a ward.

24a   Makes better repairs following direction (6)

25a   Information on the German male or female (6)

Gen[5] is British slang for information ⇒ you’ve got more gen on him than we have.

In German, der[8] is one of the several forms that the definite article may assume.

26a   Rose might arrange a date with men (8)

Down

2d   Moderation seen, lacking fashion allowance (6)

3d   Gormless mountain dog! (5)

In the surface reading, gormless[5] is an informal British term meaning lacking sense or initiative; foolish a constantly grinning, rather gormless boy.

The Cairngorm Mountains[5] (also the Cairngorms) is the name of a mountain range in northern Scotland.

The cairn[5] (also cairn terrier) is a small terrier of a breed with short legs, a longish body, and a shaggy coat. [perhaps so named from being used to hunt among cairns]

4d   Fishermen do it with club support (5,4)

5d   Went crazy -- managed all right after morning (3,4)

In his review, Miffypops should have said "A two letter term for morning or ante meridiem [rather than anti meridian] ..."

6d   Numberless Visa account for a patriarch (5)

Did anyone else think that for the word "Visa" to be truly numberless, one would need to remove not only the Roman numeral for five but also the Roman numeral for one.

In the Bible, Isaac[5] is a Hebrew patriarch, son of Abraham and Sarah and father of Jacob and Esau.

7d   French dresser Tom Cruise ordered (9)

A costumier[5] [a term adopted from French] is a person or company that makes or supplies theatrical or fancy-dress costumes.

Tom Cruise[5] is is an American film actor and producer. As a child, he lived for several years in Ottawa where he reportedly first became involved in acting — appearing in a grade four school drama production.

8d   Neat and honest (8)

13d   Pleased to have met (9)

14d   Dead Roman, possibly, or mythical Greek (9)

In Greek mythology, Andromeda[5] was an Ethiopian princess whose mother Cassiopeia boasted that she herself (or, in some stories, her daughter) was more beautiful than the Nereids. In revenge Poseidon sent a sea monster to ravage the country; to placate him Andromeda was fastened to a rock and exposed to the monster, from which she was rescued by Perseus.

15d   Arsenal making a weekly result? (8)

The surface reading is meant to evoke thoughts of an English football club. Arsenal Football Club[7] is an English professional association football [soccer] club based in Holloway, London that plays in the Premier League (the top level in the English football league system).

17d   Watch and obey (7)

18d   It's looped around a dog (6)

20d   Up and down, round and round it goes (5)

22d   Religious work that is accepted by school liaison group (5)

A pietà[5] is a picture or sculpture of the Virgin Mary holding the dead body of Christ on her lap or in her arms.
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

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Thursday, August 28, 2014 — DT 27462

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27462
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Setter
Unknown
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27462 – Hints]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27462 – Review]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Prolixic & Big Dave (Hints)
crypticsue (Review)
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★★★ Enjoyment - ★★★
Falcon's Experience
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███████████████████████████████████
└────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘
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

I needed just a bit a help from my electronic assistants today, so I would say that crypticsue's three star difficulty rating is sound.

I invite you to leave a comment to let us know how you fared with the puzzle.

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   Person adored taking time in warm place with Roy perhaps (5-5)

Rob Roy[5] (1671–1734) was a Scottish outlaw; born Robert Macgregor. His reputation as a Scottish Robin Hood was exaggerated in [Scottish writer] Sir Walter Scott’s novel of the same name (1817).

6a   Assemble for service (4)

10a   Perry introducing leader of backing group (5)

Perry Como[7] (1912–2001) was an American singer and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he sold millions of records and pioneered a weekly musical variety television show, which set the standards for the genre and proved to be one of the most successful in television history. His combined success on television and popular recordings was not matched by any other artist of the time.

11a   Fool guitar player, fussy type (3-6)

Nit[5] is an informal British term for a foolish person ⇒ you stupid nit!.

12a   Weapon of wood, pine on front (7)

13a   Great man in resting place one turns to ashes (7)

14a   Putting strain on right girl engaged in kissing (5-7)

18a   Support a stranger picked up involved in drunken sprees (12)

21a   Craft needed to break through pack (7)

Iceboat[3,5,10,11] is another name for icebreaker, a vessel with a reinforced bow for breaking up the ice in bodies of water to keep channels open for navigation.

23a   Beat for speed over university track (7)

In cricket, an over[5] (abbreviation O[5]) is a division of play consisting of a sequence of six balls bowled by a bowler from one end of the pitch, after which another bowler takes over from the other end.

On cricket scorecards, the abbreviation O[5] denotes over(s), an over[5] being a division of play consisting of a sequence of six balls bowled by a bowler from one end of the pitch, after which another bowler takes over from the other end.

24a   Fruit bats entering holding area (9)

As an anagram indicator, bats[5] is used as an informal, dated term meaning mad [crazy; very eccentric].

25a   Badly behaved child losing head, a mistake (5)

26a   Send cycling tips (4)

I had interpreted "cycling" as merely an anagram indicator, but — as crypticsue points out — it actually indicates a more restricted range of motion.

27a   Rick engrossed by money’s finer details (5,5)

Brass[5] is an informal British term for money ⇒ they wanted to spend their newly acquired brass.

Down

1d   Mild oath the French abuse (6)

In French, the masculine singular form of the definite article is le[8].

2d   Scottish Nationalist, not the first nut (6)

Alex Salmond[7] is a Scottish politician who is the Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP)  and current First Minister of Scotland.

3d   Repair man makes brother lose out (14)

4d   Made by craft working down in harbour (4-5)

5d   Choose integrated circuit by sight (5)

7d   At risk of thrashing -- if one does this (3,3,2)

This is a semi-&lit. (semi-all-in-one) clue. The entire clue serves as the definition, while the portion with the dashed underline provides the wordplay.

8d   Long-term plan to go wrong, about to become upset (8)

9d   End tennis match broken showing loss of enthusiasm (14)

15d   Opportunities for big wins nearly part romantic couple (9)

Rollover[5] is a British term denoting (in reference to a lottery) the accumulative carry-over of prize money to the following draw the lottery jackpot rollover is close to £4 million.

16d   Spirit shown by Arabs in Thessaly (8)

Absinthe[5,7,10] (also absinth) is a potent green aniseed-flavoured alcoholic drink, technically a gin, originally made with the shrub wormwood. For most of the twentieth century, absinthe was banned in the United States and much of Europe.

17d   Native Americans in uplifting studies shown on TV (8)

The Cree[5] are an an American Indian people living in a vast area of central Canada [stretching from Labrador as far west as eastern British Columbia[7]].

19d   Material that’s great, opulent mostly (6)

20d   Wreckage turned up by gentleman on bottom of sea (6)

As I read it, the way the clue is phrased would seem to associate the reversal indicator (turned up) with the definition (wreckage) rather than with the wordplay.Try as I might, I cannot construct an explanation for this clue that fully satisfies me.

22d   One game in German city (5)

Trier[5] is a city on the River Mosel in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany; population 103,500 (est. 2006). Established by a Germanic tribe, the Treveri, circa 400 BC, Trier is one of the oldest cities in Europe. It was a powerful archbishopric from 815 until the 18th century, but fell into decline after the French occupation in 1797.
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

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Wednesday, August 27, 2014 — DT 27461


Vacation Edition
Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27461
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Friday, April 11, 2014
Setter
Giovanni (Don Manley)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27461]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Deep Threat
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★★ Enjoyment - ★★★
Notes
The National Post has skipped DT 27459 and DT 27460 which were published in The Daily Telegraph on Wednesday, April 9, 2014 and Thursday April 10, 2014 respectively.

Signing off for today — Falcon

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Tuesday, August 26, 2014 — DT 27458


Vacation Edition
Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27458
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Setter
Unknown
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27458]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Gazza
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★★★ Enjoyment - ★★★
Notes
The National Post has skipped DT 27457 which was published in The Daily Telegraph on Monday, April 7, 2014.

Signing off for today — Falcon

Monday, August 25, 2014

Monday, August 25, 2014 — DT 27452 (Bonus Puzzle)

Prologue

For those who are suffering from CCWS (Cryptic Crossword Withdrawal Syndrome), I present your Monday fix — namely, the puzzle that the National Post skipped one week ago.

During July and August, the National Post does not publish an edition on Monday. In years past, a Monday Diversions page has sometimes been printed in either a preceding or subsequent edition of the paper. However, that practice appears to have been discontinued. In order to afford readers the opportunity to tackle the puzzles that the National Post has skipped, throughout the summer I will be posting (with a one week delay) the puzzles that would normally have appeared on Monday.

Enjoy solving the puzzle. I will return later with the solution.
Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27452
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Setter
Shamus (Philip Marlow)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27452]
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
Notes
The National Post skipped this puzzle which — under its regular publication schedule — would have appeared on Monday, August 18, 2014.

Signing off for the moment — Falcon

Saturday, August 23, 2014

Saturday, August 23, 2014 — Ragtime at the Ballpark

Introduction

While not overly challenging, today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon may be a shade more difficult than those that have appeared in the last couple of weeks.

I invite you to leave a comment to let us know how you fared with the puzzle.

Solution to Today's Puzzle

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
- yet to be solved

Legend: "*" anagram; "~" sounds like; "<" letters reversed

"( )" letters inserted; "_" letters deleted; "†" explicit in the clue

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   Sheep leave fortified area (7)

RAM|PART — RAM (sheep) + PART (leave)

5a   Money pit between California and Alabama (7)

CA(PIT)AL — PIT (†) contained in (between) {CA ([US Postal Service abbreviation for] California) + AL ([US Postal Service abbreviation for] Alabama)}

9a   Dog disrupted tea garden (5,4)

{GREAT DANE}* — anagram (disrupted) of TEA GARDEN

10a   Con game involving red bolt (5)

SC(R)AM — SCAM (con game) containing (involving) R (red)

11a   Coy comedian travelling for holiday in Mexico (5,2,4)

{CINCO DE MAYO}* — anagram (travelling) of COY COMEDIAN

Cinco de Mayo[7] (Spanish for "fifth of May") is a celebration held on May 5 in parts of Mexico, primarily in the state of Puebla, where the holiday is called El Día de la Batalla de Puebla (English: The Day of the Battle of Puebla). The date is observed to commemorate the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

The date is also observed in the United States as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride. This observance originated with Mexican-American communities in the American West as a way to commemorate the cause of freedom and democracy during the first years of the American Civil War.

14a   Ed's poise lost in chapters of a serial (8)

EPISODES* — anagram (lost) of EDS POISE

15a   Ancient Greek article by outlaw (6)

THE|BAN — THE ([definite] article) + (by) BAN (outlaw; as a verb)

A Theban was an inhabitant of Thebes[5], a city in Greece, in Boeotia, north-west of Athens. Thebes became a major military power in Greece following the defeat of the Spartans at the battle of Leuctra in 371 BC. It was destroyed by Alexander the Great in 336 BC.

18a   Five-lane low spot (6)

V|ALLEY — V ([Roman numeral for] five) + ALLEY (lane)

19a   In French sea, a certain yardstick (8)

ME(A|SURE)R — {A (†) + SURE (certain)} contained in (in) MER (French [word meaning] sea[8])

21a   Some insecure freshmen tried something to eat (11)

_RE|FRESHMEN|T_ — hidden in (some) insecuRE FRESHMEN Tried

25a   Love buddy's precious stones (5)

O|PAL|S — O (love; a score of nil in tennis) + PAL (buddy) + S ('s)

26a   Swimming, I can't lose the contour of the shore (9)

COASTLINE* — anagram (swimming) of I CANT LOSE

27a   Stiller breaking garden structure (7)

TRELLIS* — anagram (breaking) of STILLER

This week, it is not Ben Stiller[7] — then again, maybe the surface reading is an allusion to the American actor who appeared in the puzzle two weeks ago.

28a   Charms listeners after finale (7)

END|EARS — EARS (listeners) following (after) END (finale)

Down

1d   Piano piece by Joplin, a musical work (4)

RAG|A — RAG (piano piece by [Scott] Joplin) + A (†)

Scott Joplin[7] (c. 1867/1868–1917) was an African-American composer and pianist. Joplin achieved fame for his ragtime compositions, and was later titled The King of Ragtime. During his brief career, he wrote 44 original ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas. One of his first pieces, the Maple Leaf Rag, became ragtime's first and most influential hit, and has been recognized as the archetypal rag.

In Indian classical music, a raga[5] is (1) each of the six basic musical modes which express different moods in certain characteristic progressions, with more emphasis placed on some notes than others or (2) a piece using a particular raga.

2d   Encounter me and extraterrestrial (4)

ME|ET — ME (†) + ET (extraterrestrial)

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial[7] (often referred to simply as E.T.) is a 1982 American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg. It tells the story of a lonely boy who befriends an extraterrestrial, dubbed "E.T.", who is stranded on Earth. He and his siblings help the extraterrestrial return home while attempting to keep it hidden from their mother and the government.

3d   Arthur and I squeeze the life out of a vegetable (9)

ART|I|CHOKE — ART (Arthur) + (and) I (†) + CHOKE (squeeze the life out of)

4d   Learners shower, wearing shirts (8)

T(RAIN)EES — RAIN (shower) contained in (wearing) TEES (shirts)

5d   Company's embracing communist statements of belief (6)

C(RED)O|S — {CO (company) + S ('s)} containing (embracing) RED (communist)

6d   Audibly walked with stick (5)

PASTE~ — sounds like (audibly) PACED (walked)

7d   Trio outside a low-grade bar in a shabby condition (10)

THRE(A|D|BAR)E — THREE (trio) containing (outside) {A (†) + D (low-grade; poor academic result} + BAR (†)

8d   Satirists twisted normal pose (10)

LAMPOONERS* — anagram (twisted) of NORMAL POSE

12d   Vets ponder new Colorado city paper (6,4)

{DENVER POST}* — anagram (new) of VETS PONDER

The Denver Post[7] is a daily newspaper that has been published in Denver, Colorado, United States, since 1892.

13d   Menu turned off liberal (4,2,4)

{BILL OF FARE}* — anagram (turned) of OFF LIBERAL

16d   Take a chair by Edward, after he paused uncertainly (9)

HE|SIT|AT|ED — {SIT (take a chair) + AT (by) + ED (Edward)} following (after) HE (†)

17d   Make strange green tea (8)

GENERATE* — anagram (strange) of GREEN TEA

20d   Investigates some Europeans for audit (6)

CHECKS~ — sounds like (for audit) CZECHS (some Europeans)

22d   In Leeds, wrecked a certain Ford (5)

EDSEL* — anagram (wrecked) of LEEDS

Leeds[5] is an industrial city in West Yorkshire, northern England; population 441,100 (est. 2009). It developed as a wool town in the Middle Ages, becoming a centre of the clothing trade in the Industrial Revolution.

The Edsel[7] was an automobile marque that was planned, developed, and manufactured by the Ford Motor Company during the 1958, 1959, and 1960 model years. With the Edsel, Ford had expected to make significant inroads into the market share of both General Motors and Chrysler and close the gap between itself and GM in the domestic American automotive market. But contrary to Ford's internal plans and projections, the Edsel never gained popularity with contemporary American car buyers and sold poorly. The Ford Motor Company lost millions of dollars on the Edsel's development, manufacturing and marketing. The very word "Edsel" became a popular symbol for failure.

23d   Lend a hand with a classic opera (4)

AID|A — AID (lend a hand) + (with) A (†)

Aida[7] is an opera by Italian  composer Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901) which was first performed in 1871.

24d   New York ballplayers stalk about (4)

METS< — reversal (about) of STEM (stalk)

The New York Mets[7] are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City. They play in Major League Baseball's National League East Division.

Epilogue

The title of today's blog was inspired by 1d and 24d.
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

Friday, August 22, 2014

Friday, August 22, 2014 — DT 27456


Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27456
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Setter
Cephas (Peter Chamberlain)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27456 – Hints]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27456 – Review]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Big Dave (Hints)
crypticsue (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

For some inexplicable reason, the southwest quadrant proved to be very stubborn. I spent as much time on it as I did on the entire remaining parts of the puzzle.

I invite you to leave a comment to let us know how you fared with the puzzle.

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

6a   Company's preferred number one choice? (4,9)

The Grand National[5] [mentioned by crypticsue in her review] is an annual horse race established in 1839, a steeplechase run over a course of 4 miles 856 yards (about 7,200 metres) with thirty jumps, at Aintree, Liverpool, in late March or early April. This year, the race was held on April 5, the day that this puzzle appeared in The Daily Telegraph. The race may be familiar as the setting for National Velvet[7], a 1944 film based on the 1935 novel of the same name by British author Enid Bagnold (1889-1981). The film stars Mickey Rooney, Donald Crisp and a young Elizabeth Taylor.

8a   Estimated the value of grain and paid out (6)

9a   Yearn to go by roads in the lengthiest direction (8)

Longways[5] (or longwise) is another word for lengthways[5] (or lengthwise) ⇒ it has been sliced longways to show the internal structure. Collins English Dictionary indicates that longwise[10] is a US or Canadian usage but does not characterise lengthwise[10] in a similar fashion. I must say that I do not recall ever having seen the term longwise used — and most certainly not the term longways. I would say and expect to hear lengthwise. As for lengthways, one need look no further than the definition for off side found in the comment for 2d.

I parse the wordplay as LONG (yearn) + (to go by [to go beside]) WAYS (roads).

10a   Prevented clergyman making an appearance (3)

This is a rare case where the definition appears in the middle of the clue. However, cryptically the clue reads as "Prevented, clergyman making an appearance" which is equivalent to saying "Clergyman making an appearance in prevented". So, you see, once one straightens out the convoluted structure of the clue, the definition finds itself at the beginning.

11a   Cores -- get uncle to remove one (6)

As an anagram indicator, remove[5] is used in the dated sense of to change one’s home or place of residence by moving to (another place) he removed to Wales and began afresh.

12a   Sloths, armadillos, etc saying goodbye to paradise? (8)

In zoology, Edentata[5] is another term for Xenarthra[5], an order of mammals that comprises the edentates. All should now be perfectly clear!

If not, an edentate[5] is a mammal of an order distinguished by the lack of incisor and canine teeth, including the anteaters, sloths, and armadillos, all of which are native to Central and South America.

Eden[5] (also Garden of Eden) is the place where Adam and Eve lived in the biblical account of the Creation, from which they were expelled for disobediently eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge. The term Eden has come to mean a place or state of great happiness; an unspoilt paradise the lost Eden of his childhood.

In Britain, ta-ta[5] is an informal way to say goodbye well, I’ll say ta-ta, love

14a   Worry about the thing found in an old mattress (7)

16a   Escape through broken gateway (7)

20a   Sent off, goalie's run to enter women's area! (8)

On cricket scorecards [not to mention baseball scoreboards], the abbreviation R[5] denotes run(s).

Seraglio[5] is another name for the women’s apartments (harem) in an Ottoman palace.

23a   Later but not too late (2,4)

24a   After Penny leaves, it's still a patch of ground (3)

The clue indicates that if we were to remove the abbreviation for penny from a word meaning "a patch of ground", we would end up with another word meaning "a patch of ground".

In Britain's current decimal currency system, a penny[5] is a bronze coin and monetary unit equal to one hundredth of a pound (and is abbreviated p).

25a   Sad beautiful girl on the phone one's seen in the woods (8)

The bluebell[5] is a European woodland plant (Hyacinthoides (or Endymion) nonscripta) of the lily family, which produces clusters of blue bell-shaped flowers in spring. The name has also been applied to various other plants found in North America, Australia and South Africa.

26a   Fluid a palm's spilling (6)

27a   Regularly goes round disreputable group (6,7)

Down

1d   Two allowed personal ornament (8)

My American dictionaries define brace simply as a pair of like things ⇒ three brace of partridges[3] or a pair or couple ⇒ a brace of grouse[11] — although you may detect a bit of a theme in the usage examples. Collins English Dictionary emphasizes this point by defining brace as a pair or two, especially of game birds ⇒ a brace of partridges[10], a definition that is very similar to the one found in Chambers 21st Century Dictionary [a pair or couple, especially of game birds[2]]. It would appear that the entry in The Chambers Dictionary may expand the definition beyond birds to other types of game [a pair or couple (especially of game shot)[1]]. There is absolutely no doubt that the definition found at Oxford Dictionaries Online broadens the scope beyond game birds [a pair of something, typically of birds or mammals killed in hunting thirty brace of grouse]. [Not only does Oxford expand the scope of the definition, it greatly increases the bag limit.]

2d   Cricket stroke's finished with spin (3,5)

Off[5] is an informal British term (used with respect to an item on a menu) meaning temporarily unavailable [for example, due to the supply having been exhausted] strawberries are off.

In the wordplay, drive[5] is used in the sense of a trip or journey in a car.

In cricket, an off drive[5] is a drive[5] [(in ball games) a forceful stroke made with a free swing of the bat, racket, or foot against the ball] to the off side [of the field]. The off[5]  (also known as off side) is the half of the field (as divided lengthways through the pitch) towards which the batsman's feet are pointed when standing to receive the ball.  The other half of the field is known as either the leg[5] (also called leg side) or on (also called on side).

3d   Twisted Romeo being ditched developed gradually (7)

Romeo[5] is a code word representing the letter R, used in radio communication.

4d   Fruit's finished before halfway point of 500 years celebration (6)

In her review, crypticsue presents one possibility. She could equally well have written "The first six letters of the fourteen letter QUINCENTENNIAL (celebration of 500 years)".

5d   Fool can upset comedian (6)

6d   Palmist put large amount of money on counter (7-6)

A teller[5] is a person appointed to count votes, especially in a parliament. Teller as a name for a person employed to deal with customers' transactions in a bank is a chiefly North American usage.

7d   Aswan Dam? One very much older! (8,5)

By implication, the definition is "one very much older [than the Aswan Dam].

Aswan[5] is a city on the Nile in southern Egypt, 16 km (10 miles) north of Lake Nasser; population 266,000 (est. 2006). Two dams across the Nile have been built nearby. The controlled release of water from Lake Nasser behind the High Dam produces the greater part of Egypt’s electricity.

For the longest time, I overlooked the obvious solution and toyed with other possibilities. For a while, I had EGYPTIAN WOMAN. When 23a nixed that choice, I tried EGYPTIAN MOMMA (doh!). Needless to say, these missteps did nothing to assist in solving 27a.

13d   Diminutive part that's edible (3)

By implication, the definition is "[something] that's edible".

In her review, crypticsue indicates that this is a double definition. However, I see it as a hidden word clue where the wordplay is hidden (part) in dimiNUTive.

15d   Old woman insultingly labelled a bad speller! (3)

... with "a bad speller" being someone who casts evil (bad) spells.

17d   Mad exploit overshadowing learner's study of voting trends (4,4)

The cryptic crossword convention of L meaning learner or student arises from the L-plate[7], a square plate bearing a sans-serif letter L, for learner, which must be affixed to the front and back of a vehicle in various countries (including the UK) if its driver is a learner under instruction.

18d   Beast devastating tent area (8)

The edentate missing from the clue for 12a finally shows up.

19d   Picture made by university amateur going in for initial energy (7)

21d   Take retribution for engineer briefly blocking street (6)

22d   Hear someone conducting German songs (6)

A lied[5] (plural lieder) is a type of German song, especially of the Romantic period, typically for solo voice with piano accompaniment.
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