Friday, November 21, 2014 — DT 27525

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27525
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Setter Jay (Jeremy Mutch)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27525]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By scchua
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

In the words of scchua, who reviewed this puzzle on Big Dave's site, it is "[a] straightforward, enjoyable puzzle". I did slip up on 17d and needed to seek help from my electronic assistants. I have to think that I might not have slipped had I been wearing my creepers.

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   Worry about a fine // decanter (6)

F^[5] is an abbreviation for fine, as used in describing grades of pencil lead [a usage that Oxford surprisingly characterises as British].

4a   Bits of kebabs in their // drink? (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Absinthe^[5,7,10] (also absinth) is a potent green aniseed-flavoured alcoholic drink, technically a gin, originally made with the shrub wormwood.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.

10a   Setter of the highest quality? (9)

A cryptic definition in which I have marked the key player with a solid underline and the supporting cast with a dashed underline.

11a   Secretly hide // constant pain (5)

In mathematics, c^[5] is the third fixed constant to appear in an algebraic expression, or a known constant.

12a   Flog cat and get // dog (7)

The whippet^[5] is a dog of a small, slender breed originally produced as a cross between the greyhound and the terrier or spaniel, bred for racing. That mating must have proved a bit of a stretch!

13a   Change say in broad // part of route (7)

14a   Proportion // having a time in port (5)

Rio de Janeiro^[5] (commonly known as Rio) is a city in eastern Brazil, on the Atlantic coast; population 6,093,472 (2007). The chief port of Brazil, it was the country’s capital from 1763 until 1960, when it was replaced by Brasilia.

As scchua alludes in his review, Rio was hosting the FIFA World Cup at the time this puzzle appeared in the UK.

15a   Revered // head of house gave consent (8)

18a   Paper that comes out after the match? (8)

Another cryptic definition — marked in the same manner as 10a.

20a   An instrument // of returning bureaucratisation (5)

The sitar^[5] is a large, long-necked Indian lute with movable frets, played with a wire pick.

The illustration in scchua's review shows Indian father and daughter sitarists Ravi and Anoushka Shankar. He is the father and she is the half-sister of American singer Norah Jones.

23a   Weapon /made of/ explosive containing free energy (7)

The trident^[5] is a three-pronged spear, especially as an attribute of Poseidon (Neptune) or Britannia.

The Trident missile^[5] is a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) equipped with multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRV). Trident missiles are carried by fourteen active US Navy Ohio-class submarines, with US warheads, and four Royal Navy Vanguard-class submarines, with British warheads.

25a   Reacting badly, with no end of volcanic // rock (7)

26a   Saw // a daughter grow old (5)

27a   Next to // order one is glad (9)

28a   Critical assessment /of/ a match by police department (4,4)

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.

The Criminal Investigation Department (seemingly better known by its abbreviation CID^[2]) is the detective branch of the British police force. 

The wordplay is A (from the clue) followed by {TEST (match) after (by) CID (police department)}. The use of the word "by" suggests that the word TEST is placed subsequent to the acronym CID having been put in position and therefore the former must come after the latter.

29a   Ship with cargo of unlikely // theatre seats (6)

In Crosswordland, it is rare for a ship to be anything other than a steamship (abbreviation SS^[5]).

Stalls^[5] is a British term for the seats on the ground floor in a theatre.

Down

1d   Part of social services // job held down by suit (8)

2d   Reproduce // lease incorporating half of prices (7)

3d   Impervious, // getting rap on knuckles after Grand Prix? (9)

Unless I am grossly mistaken, impervious hardly means fireproof? Oxford Dictionaries Online defines impervious^[5] as not allowing fluid to pass through ⇒ an impervious layer of basaltic clay. Collins English Dictionary extends this to include light as well as water^[10].

The phrase impervious to^[5] means unable to be affected by. Thus I would think that something that is fireproof would be impervious to fire — but not impervious (on its own).

FIA Formula One World Championship^[7] (also Formula One, Formula 1, and F1) is the highest class of single-seat auto racing that is sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The "formula", designated in the name, refers to a set of rules with which all participants' cars must comply. The F1 season consists of a series of races, known as Grands Prix (from French, originally meaning great prizes), held throughout the world on purpose-built circuits and public roads.

5d   Carp? Capital // dish! (4,10)

Wellington^[5] is the capital of New Zealand, situated at the southern tip of the North Island; population 179,463 (2006). It became the capital in 1865, when the seat of government was moved from Auckland.

Beef Wellington^[5] is a dish consisting of beef coated in pâté and wrapped in puff pastry.

6d   Italian church assembly finally /gets/ restless (5)

7d   Feeling // diplomacy, the French will chase independence (7)

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

I^[1] is the abbreviation for independent, perhaps in the context of a politician with no party affiliation. 

8d   Opening // I reportedly permitted (6)

9d   Make a desperate attempt to get chickens in basket? (6,2,6)

Although American dictionaries give some credence to straw being a synonym for basket, none of the British dictionaries that I consult regularly list straw as taking this meaning. The American Heritage Dictionary defines straw^[3] as something, such as a hat or basket, made of straw while the
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary lists straw^[11] as meaning something made of straw, especially a hat.

Furthermore, as scchua writes in his review, "straws" is the "plural of a term for "basket", after the material it's woven from - thus, shouldn't it be "baskets" in the clue?"

Perhaps we are meant to see "straws" as a cryptic reference to a basket, as a basket is a collection of straws woven together.

And, yes — if you will pardon the expression — I do realize that I am clutching at straws with this explanation!

16d   Working to find amusement in street // attack (9)

17d   Shoes /for/ sycophants around the Queen (8)

I was not familiar with the shoes — I'm obviously hanging out in the wrong places — and I didn't know the British meaning of the epithet.

Creepers^[5] is short for brothel creepers^[5], an informal [seemingly British] name for soft-soled suede shoes.

In North America, creepers^[3] are a metal frame with a spike or spikes, attached to a shoe or boot to prevent slipping, especially on ice.

In the UK, in addition to meaning a detestable person (a sense familiar to North Americans), the word creep^[5] may denote a person who behaves obsequiously in the hope of advancement.

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 Queen Elizabeth is ER^[5] — from the Latin Elizabetha Regina.

19d   Japanese art // equipment held by old French pal (7)

Ami^[8] (plural amis) is the masculine form of the French word meaning friend.

21d   Insignificant // victory -- one in dummy run (7)

V^[10] is the symbol for victory - the victory-freedon sign^[7] is commonly associated with British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill in World War II.

22d   Layers /of/ pastry rising, wrapped in case of soya (6)

24d   European squashing opening // occasion (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