Thursday, October 9, 2014 — DT 27492

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27492
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Saturday, May 17, 2014
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27492 – Hints] Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27492 – Review]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Gazza (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

As the Brits would say, I seem to have made a real "cock up" of this puzzle. The top half went in very quickly, but the bottom half proved to be very challenging. Although I may have thrown in the towel too early, I called upon my electronic assistants for a bit of help to finish. For the life of me, I could not fathom the wordplay at 15a despite having the correct solution. I also missed the wordplay at 20a and came up with the wrong solution at 5d. It was therefore extremely disheartening to see that gnomethang awarded the puzzle a mere one star for difficulty.

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. Explicit link words and phrases are enclosed in forward slashes (/link/) and implicit links are shown as double forward slashes (//).

Across

8a   What Lisa might do when at sea (4)

9a   Jack's novel // concerning the old people down under (10)

The entry for jack in The Chambers Dictionary would fill a page if it were not spread over parts of two pages. Among the definitions, one finds jack^[1] defined as (often with capital) a sailor.

In the Royal Navy, according to Oxford Dictionaries Online, able seaman^[5] (abbreviation AB^[5]), is a rank of sailor above ordinary seaman and below leading seaman. On the other hand, Collins English Dictionary tells us that an able seaman^[10] (also called able-bodied seaman) is an ordinary seaman, especially one in the merchant navy, who has been trained in certain skills.

Aboriginal^[5] is an adjective that denotes relating to the Australian Aborigines [the indigenous peoples of Australia] or their languages.

Both Aboriginal and Aborigine may be used as nouns referring to a member of an Australian Aboriginal people, but Aborigine is the commoner and is often preferred, especially in the plural. The word Aborigine comes from from the Latin phrase ab origine 'from the beginning'.

10a   Raider/'s/ destroyed cake with tart being thrown around (8)

The explanation provided by gnomethang seems to gloss over one aspect of the wordplay which parses as an anagram (destroyed) of CAKE contained in (with ... around) an anagram (being thrown) of TART.

11a   Old man needing shelter /-- that's/ obvious (6)

12a   Increase in noise /as/ soccer gets played round goal (9)

For cryptic purposes, the link word as^[10] is used as a preposition meaning 'in the role of or being'.

In music, crescendo^[5] (plural crescendos or crescendi) denotes a gradual increase in loudness in a piece of music ⇒ each time the key changes, there is a gradual crescendo.

13a   Grim // film you and I should leave (5)

15a   Puzzler // continued unnoticed to give an example (7)

Even after reading gnomethang's explanation, I'm not sure that I fully get the wordplay in this clue. Perhaps I am just looking for more than is there.

To my mind "continued" and "unnoticed" are not an anagram but an example of two words which are anagrams of each other.

An anagram needs an anagram indicator (denoting that some form of transformation is to take place), the anagram fodder (the letters that the indicator operates on) and the anagram result. The words "continued" and "unnoticed" could each play the role of either indicator or result, but where is the indication of some transformation taking place?

I would be more satisfied with the clue had it been worded along the lines of:

• 15a   Puzzler // continued to be unnoticed to give an example (7)

where "to be" could be interpreted in the sense of "to become". Thus, "continued" becoming "unnoticed" is an example of an anagram. However, the clue as originally written does not convey that idea to me.

17a   States // the woman may identify herself with I... (7)

I did not understand the significance of the ellipsis. Since we are expected to "fill in the blank", wouldn't a blank have been more appropriate than an ellipsis.

20a   Foam // from really old tumble-drier, hot to start with (5)

I mistakenly thought that the instruction "to start with" applied only to the final word "hot" and assumed that "Frot" must be a discontinued brand of British laundry appliances. A visit to Wikipedia dispelled that notion — but certainly proved to be a bit of an eye-opener.

22a   Prompt // soldier's going west, getting aboard in Washington, say (9)

There was certainly no excuse for not getting this one. Yesterday, the solution to a clue was WRITER'S BLOCK. Here I seem to have suffered "solver's block" becoming fixated on Washington, D.C. rather than the state on the other side of the continent.

A GI^[5] is a private soldier in the US army ⇒ she went off with a GI during the war. Contrary to popular belief, the term apparently is not an abbreviation for general infantryman, but rather derives from the term government (or general) issue (originally denoting equipment supplied to US forces).

25a   Exact // place ahead (4-2)

26a   Vision // certainly is required in Boat Race crew (8)

The Boat Race^[7] is an annual rowing race between the Oxford University Boat Club and the Cambridge University Boat Club, rowed between competing eights on the River Thames in London, England. It usually takes place on the last weekend of March or the first weekend of April.

27a   Stalemate, perhaps, with game/'s/ castle defence (10)

28a   Very popular ordinary // drink (4)

In the UK (with the exception of Scotland), O level^[5] (ordinary level)^[5] is a qualification in a specific subject formerly taken by school students aged 14-16, at a level below A level. It was replaced in 1988 by the  GCSE^[5] (General Certificate of Secondary Education).

Vino^[5] is an informal term for wine, typically that which is cheap or of inferior quality. Vino is the Spanish and Italian word for 'wine'.

Down

1d   Very strong // players joining club (4-4)

2d   Say law needs changing // continually (6)

3d   Support upcoming boy with record // set out on opposite course (4-5)

An EP^[5] (abbreviation for extended-play) is a record or CD that contains more than a single track (per side in the case of a record) but fewer than would be found on an LP (abbreviation for long-playing).

4d   Eat away at // metal bar in centre (7)

While one might possibly make a case for "at" being a link word, I think it more likely that it is part of the definition.

5d   Biting // fast (5)

I put in ZIPPY. It did satisfy the second definition and I incorrectly surmised that it might also possibly mean tangy.

Nippy^[5] is an informal British term meaning nimble or able to move quickly ⇒ a very nippy scrum half.

Nippy^[5], said of the weather, means chilly ⇒ it’s a bit nippy this morning — seemingly a far cry from "biting". Therefore, nippy may be used in the Scottish and Canadian sense, said of food, of sharp-tasting or tangy ⇒ nippy Red Leicester.

6d   Richard taking root, say, /as/ all-powerful ruler (8)

7d   Biblical food reportedly /in/ fashion (6)

The word "manner", when pronounced in a non-rhotic^[5] British accent ("mannah"), sounds like "manna". Non-rhotic accents omit the sound /r/ in certain situations, while rhotic accents generally pronounce /r/ in all contexts.

In the Bible, manna^[5] is the substance miraculously supplied as food to the Israelites in the wilderness (Exod. 16).

14d   Her modest fancy /will get/ stifled (9)

16d   Visit High Street /and/ let rip (2,2,4)

In the UK, high street^[5] is the term used for the main street of a town, especially as the traditional site for most shops, banks, and other businesses ⇒ the approaching festive season boosted the high street. Just as many North American towns have a Main Street, many British towns will have a High Street. The principal reason for people from outlying regions to "go to town" would undoubtedly be to "visit High Street" in order  to do some shopping or conduct other business.

18d   Understanding /it's/ infectious (8)

19d   In fun, read Yeats, find yourself // badly prepared (7)

As gnomethang indicates, the hidden word indicator may be merely "in" which would leave "find yourself" to play the role of a link phrase. However, I think one could reasonably see the hidden word indicator to be "in ... find yourself" or, in other words, "you can find the solution in ...".

W. B. Yeats^[5] (1865–1939) was an Irish poet and dramatist; full name William Butler Yeats. His play The Countess Cathleen (1892) and his collection of stories The Celtic Twilight (1893) stimulated Ireland’s theatrical, cultural, and literary revival. Notable poetry: The Tower (1928) and The Winding Stair (1929). Nobel Prize for Literature (1923).

21d   Story // about right to intercept drug (6)

23d   One will stand between king and first lady // to mourn (6)

The regnal ciphers (monograms) of British monarchs are initials formed from the Latin version of their first name followed by either Rex or Regina (Latin for king or queen, respectively). Thus, the regnal cipher of King George is GR^[5] — from the Latin Georgius Rex.

 In the Bible, Eve^[5] is the first woman, companion of Adam and mother of Cain and Abel.

24d   Poetic creature /'s/ 'Boat Poles' taking first place (5)

The snark^[7] is a fictional animal species created by English writer Lewis Carroll (pseudonym of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson) in his nonsense poem The Hunting of the Snark.

Ark^[5] is an archaic term for a ship or boat. In the Bible, the ark is the ship built by Noah to save his family and two of every kind of animal from the Flood.

It would appear that the editors of Oxford Dictionaries Online have not read their Bible closely. In the case of some animals and birds, Noah took seven pairs. Only in the case of "unclean animals" did he take a single pair. From the Revised Standard Version, Gen. 7 (2-3):

Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and his mate; and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and his mate; and seven pairs of the birds of the air also, male and female, to keep their kind alive upon the face of all the earth.

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