Friday, November 14, 2014 — DT 27520

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27520
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Thursday, June 14, 2014
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27520]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By pommers
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

This was a DNRT Thursday in the UK — "definitely not RayT". The mystery setter gives us a fairly gentle puzzle with several interesting clues as well as a couple of old chestnuts.

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

1a   Having become suddenly interested, son // exercises (3-3)

4a   In pairs, // making four (3,2,3)

In this type of clue, one must mentally augment the wordplay which becomes "[something] making four".

10a   Concealed, group meeting after reverend's last // service (6,3)

I beg to differ with pommers' assessment that "the word MEETING is just there for the surface". I interpreted the wordplay as {INNER (concealed) + (meeting) SET (group)} following (after) D (reverenD's last [letter]) in which the word "meeting" (meaning "abutting") serves as a charade indicator.

11a   Rex lends a hand /in/ more than one attack (5)

Rex^[5] (abbreviation R^[5]) [Latin for king] denotes the reigning king, used following a name (e.g. Georgius Rex, King George) or in the titles of lawsuits (e.g. Rex v. Jones, the Crown versus Jones — often shortened to R. v. Jones).

12a   Wilt, when lead's lost, /causing/ anxiety (7)

13a   Jinx a reportedly spent // figure (7)

14a   One identifies bishop /and/ rook pocketed by small child (5)

R^[5] is an abbreviation for rook that is used in recording moves in chess.

A mite^[5] is a small child or animal, especially when regarded as an object of sympathy ⇒ the poor little mite looks half-starved.

15a   Money to come by sheer // fine wool (8)

To my way of thinking, sheer and mere are hardly synonyms. Sheer^[5] (used for emphasis) means nothing other than or unmitigated ⇒ it’s been sheer hard work. Mere^[5] (used to emphasize how small or insignificant someone or something is) also means nothing other than (or, more properly, nothing more than) ⇒ it's been mere child's play.

18a   The polar winds /in/ abundance (8)

As an anagram indicator, wind^[5] is a verb meaning to move in or take a twisting or spiral course or, in other words, to meander.

20a   Card, // king, Welshman rejected (5)

K^[5] is an abbreviation for king that is used especially in describing play in card games and recording moves in chess.

Evan^[7] is a Welsh masculine given name, equivalent to the English name John.

23a   Old lady's pet // dog (7)

25a   Something like a crane/'s/ terribly bad rust (7)

The bustard^[5] is any of several species of large, heavily built, swift-running bird, found in open country in the Old World. The males of most bustards have a spectacular courtship display. The great bustard (Otis tarda) is the heaviest flying land bird.

Other than both being birds, I don't see why a bustard (family Otididae) should be considered like a crane (family Gruidae).

26a   Sound // cheerful after opener's dismissed (5)

27a   Involved // in endless attempts to catch pet (9)

28a   Small, // like some carriages? (3-5)

29a   Class, // say, mostly American (6)

Down

1d   Team members /producing/ weapons (8)

In North America, the term side^[3] is used in a very general fashion that can denote one of two or more opposing individuals, groups, teams, or sets of opinions. While this same general usage would seem to exist as well in the UK, the term side^[5] is also used there in a much more specific sense to mean a sports team ⇒ (i) Previous England rugby sides, and England teams in many other sports, would have crumbled under the weight of such errors.; (ii) They'll face better sides than this Monaco team, but you can only beat what's put in front of you..

2d   Mean to hold on // this evening (7)

3d   Quiet, living in a place /such as/ Cleveland? (9)

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.

Grover Cleveland^[5] (1837–1908) was an American Democratic statesman, 22nd and 24th President of the US 1885-9 and 1893-7.

Cleveland^[5] is a major port and industrial city in northeastern Ohio, situated on Lake Erie; population 433,748 (2008).

Cleveland^[5] is also — and to the Brits, foremost — a former county on the North Sea coast of northeastern England, formed in 1974 from parts of Durham and North Yorkshire and replaced in 1996 by the unitary councils of Middlesbrough, Hartlepool, Stockton-on-Tees, and Redcar and Cleveland.

5d   Satanic ritual, perhaps, /with short game seaman on tub (7,7)

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. 

Sabbath^[5] (also witches' sabbath) is a supposed midnight meeting held by witches.

6d   Mineral // artist poured into carton (5)

A Royal Academician (abbreviation RA^[5]) is a member of the Royal Academy of Arts^[5], an institution established in London in 1768, whose purpose is to cultivate painting, sculpture, and architecture in Britain.

7d   Set off /in/ time ahead of scaffolder (7)

8d   Performing well // in lessons on green (2,4)

On song^[5] is an informal British term denoting performing well ⇒ will Swindon be on song for the new season?.

I would like to think that the usage example refers to the Swindon Wildcats^[7], a professional ice hockey team based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. They are member of the English Premier Ice Hockey League (EPIHL). Since their inception in 1986, the Wildcats have played their home games at the 2800 capacity Link Centre.

However, I expect that the Brits would be more likely to think of Swindon Town Football Club^[7], an English association football [soocer] club based in Swindon, Wiltshire. The club participates in League One, the third tier in the English football league system. The club's home ground, where it has played for 120 years since 1896, is the County Ground, which has a capacity of 15,728.

9d   In a straight line? // Amazing cartwheels, if so (2,3,4,5)

16d   Fashion garment // thrown together (9)

17d   Unnecessary // to bug steamship (8)

The setter more often than not gives us only "ship" from which we must deduce that he (or she) means 'steamship' (abbreviation SS^[10]). However, today he spells it out for us.

19d   Alas, alas -- English served up // Continental dish (7)

An abbreviation for "English" is required — but not the usual one-letter short form.

Continent^[5] (also the Continent) refers to the mainland of Europe as distinct from the British Isles : clubs sprang up in Britain and on the Continent.

Lasagne^[3,4] is the preferred British spelling of the Italian dish that we would more likely spell as lasagna. It would appear that, in Britain, lasagna is an alternative spelling of lasagne while, in North America, lasagne is an alternative spelling of lasagna. Of course, in Italy lasagna is the plural of lasagne^[8].

21d   A staunch worker // refusing to be persuaded (7)

22d   Something as yet undeveloped -- // more by rocks (6)

24d   Opening // number covered by jazzy trio (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