Tuesday, November 18, 2014 — DT 27522

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27522
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Saturday, June 21, 2014
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27522 – Hints] Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27522 – 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

While I managed to find solutions to all the clues, I found myself unable to explain the wordplay for several. No wonder, with obscure characters from 1970s British television. Of course, I had never heard of the equally obscure British comedian at 23a but it was easy to guess that the leftover bits of the solution must be his first name.

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   Lawyer on screen /is/ a silk (6)

In the US, a district attorney^[5] (abbreviation DA) is a public official who acts as prosecutor for the state in a particular district.

Although there are usages in the fields of photography and electronics where the word mask^[5] (as a noun) might possibly be synonymous with screen, a better option is to think of mask^[5] as being a verb meaning to conceal (something) from view ⇒ the stand of poplars masked a factory.

Damask^[5] is a rich, heavy silk or linen fabric with a pattern woven into it, used for table linen and upholstery.

Note on the surface reading:

In Britain, silk^[5] is an informal term for a Queen’s (or King’s) Counsel [so named because of the right accorded to wear a gown made of silk]. A Queen's Counsel^[5] (abbreviation QC) or, during the reign of a king, a King's Counsel^[5] (abbreviation KC) is a senior barrister appointed on the recommendation of the Lord Chancellor [the highest officer of the Crown, responsible for the efficient functioning and independence of the courts].

4a   Marmite? // Greater Manchester town's right out (8)

Stockport^[5] is an industrial town and metropolitan district in northwestern England, near Manchester; population 133,400 (est. 2009).

A marmite^[5] is an earthenware cooking container. However, I was led astray by knowing Marmite^[5] — from its appearance in British crossword puzzles — as a British trademark for a dark savoury spread made from yeast extract and vegetable extract.

10a   He produces sound of note (5)

This is as an &lit.^[7] clue (sometimes called an all-in-one clue). The entire clue (when read one way) is the the definition, but under a different interpretation takes on the roll of wordplay.
 
As the definition, the clue informs us that a TENOR is someone who sings ("produces sound of [musical] note"). As wordplay, the clue indicates that TENOR (denoted by "He") sounds like (produces sound of) TENNER ([bank] note).

Tenner^[5] is an informal British name for a ten-pound note.

11a   Nagging woman // to call a great man? Not I (9)

12a   Have beer with Northern // bird (7)

Bitter^[5] is a British name for beer that is strongly flavoured with hops and has a bitter taste ⇒ (i) a pint of bitter; (ii) the company brews a range of bitters.

The bittern^[5] is a large marshbird of the heron family, which is typically smaller than a heron, with brown streaked plumage. The larger kinds are noted for the deep booming call of the male in the breeding season.

13a   Military group holding test's overthrown // old empire (7)

In the UK, MOT^[5] (also MOT test) refers a compulsory annual test for safety and exhaust emissions of motor vehicles of more than a specified age. It is an abbreviation of Ministry of Transport, which introduced the original test.

The Ottoman Empire^[5] was the Turkish empire, established in northern Anatolia by Osman I at the end of the 13th century and expanded by his successors to include all of Asia Minor and much of southeastern Europe. After setbacks caused by the invasion of the Mongol ruler Tamerlane in 1402, Constantinople was captured in 1453. The empire reached its zenith under Suleiman in the mid 16th century; it had greatly declined by the 19th century and collapsed after the First World War.

14a   Pestilent miser arranged // profit from saving (6,8)

17a   You need to make better infernal // precocious child (6,8)

Enfant terrible^[11] (a term adopted from French, literally meaning ' terrible child') is a term for (1) a person who causes embarrassment by saying or doing indiscreet things or (2) a person whose work, thought, or behavior is so unconventional as to shock. The term applies, not to children, but  to young adults (generally male) who go out of their way to shock or embarrass but at the same time are considered talented.

21a   One finds in theatre a clear // sentimentality (7)

23a   Daily, comedian Edmondson /shows/ example of absurd behaviour (7)

Daily^[5] (also daily help) is a dated British term for a woman who is employed to clean someone else’s house each day.

Char^[5] is another name for a charwoman^[5], a dated British term for a woman employed as a cleaner in a house or office. 

I'm afraid that Big Dave's hint that we need "the first name of the late Rik Mayall’s buddy" will likely not be of much help.

Ade Edmondson^[7] is an English comedian, actor, writer, musician, television presenter and director.

Rik Mayall^[7] (1958–2014) was an English comedian, writer, actor and voice-over artist who was best known for his comedy partnership with Ade Edmondson.

On Mayall's death, Edmondson paid him the following tribute "There were times when Rik and I were writing together when we almost died laughing. They were some of the most carefree stupid days I ever had, and I feel privileged to have shared them with him. And now he's died for real. Without me. Selfish bastard."

24a   Bounder in grip of writer's // block (9)

Bounder^[5] is a dated informal British term for a dishonourable man ⇒ he is nothing but a fortune-seeking bounder.

Cad^[5,10] is a dated informal British term for a man who behaves dishonourably, especially towards a woman ⇒ her adulterous cad of a husband.

Sir J. M. Barrie^[5] (1860–1937) was a Scottish dramatist and novelist; full name James Matthew Barrie. Barrie’s most famous play is Peter Pan (1904), a fantasy for children about a boy who did not grow up.

25a   Offal // after time is strong-smelling (5)

26a   Snare // fish after net's repaired (8)

27a   Religious leader // investigates head of Trinity (6)

Down

1d   Digital audiotape put down // information in electronic form (8)

2d   Tiny isle/'s/ ballistic missile (9)

The Isle of Man^[5] (abbreviation IOM^[5]) is an island in the Irish Sea which is a British Crown dependency having home rule, with its own legislature (the Tynwald) and judicial system.

The Minuteman^[7] is a United States land-based intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), in service with the United States Air Force Global Strike Command. As of 2014, the LGM-30G Minuteman-III version is the only land-based ICBM in service in the United States. It is one component of the US nuclear triad—the other two parts of the triad being the Trident submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), and nuclear weapons carried by long-range strategic bombers. 

3d   A learner following light carriage that's finally gone // like a dream (7)

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.

A surrey^[5] is a light four-wheeled carriage with two seats facing forwards. According to Oxford Dictionaries Online, this is a US term. However, neither Collins English Dictionary^[10] nor Chambers 21st Century Dictionary^[2] characterize it as such. The name originally denoted a Surrey cart, first made in Surrey, from which the carriage was later adapted.

5d   Novel // performance by Mr Mackay perhaps (4,2,3,5)

The Turn of the Screw^[7], originally published in 1898, is a gothic ghost story novella written by American-born British writer Henry James.

I thought that Mr Mackay might be the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the British counterpart to our Minister of Finance. However, it turns out that he is a fictional prison warder [guard] in the television show Porridge^[7], a British situation comedy broadcast on BBC1 from 1974 to 1977. The show ran for three series, two Christmas specials and a feature film also titled Porridge (the movie was released under the title Doing Time in the United States). Widely considered to be one of the greatest British sitcoms of all time, the show's protagonists are two inmates at the fictional HMP [Her Majesty's Prison] Slade in Cumberland. "Doing porridge" is British slang for serving a prison sentence, porridge once being the traditional breakfast in UK prisons.

A turn^[3] is a brief theatrical act or stage appearance and screw^[3,4,11] is slang for a prison guard.

6d   Official document // a hit perhaps (7)

A double definition in which the second is a bit on the whimsical side — and a connection which I failed to make.

The charts^[2] is a colloquial term for a weekly list of top-selling recordings, usually of pop music. Chart^[2] is a colloquial term meaning to appear in the recording charts. Thus, by logical extension, a charter must be a top-selling recording (hit) that appears on the charts.

7d   Religious song // about Saint's pre-eminence (5)

I had no idea why "palm" was synonymous with "pre-eminence".

Palm^[5] refers to a leaf of a palm tree awarded as a prize or viewed as a symbol of victory ⇒ the consensus was that the palm should go to Doerner.

The Chambers Dictionary defines palm^[1] as — in part — a leaf of [a palm] tree carried as a token of rejoicing or of victory; emblematically, pre-eminence, the prize; a branch of willow or other substitute in symbolic or ceremonial use.

As gnomethang alludes, the Palme d'Or^[7] (English: Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. This symbol was chosen in tribute to the coat of arms of the City of Cannes which features a palm leaf and two fleurs-de-lys on a blue background.

8d   Old masters neglecting one // group of gods (6)

An old master^[5] is (1) a great artist of former times, especially of the 13th-17th century in Europe ⇒ the Dutch old masters or (2) a painting by a great artist of former times ⇒ a large collection of old masters.

Contrary to gnomethang's statement, there is no need to involve an "apostrophe S" in the solution.

Titians are works by the Italian painter Titian^[5] (circa 1488–1576). The most important painter of the Venetian school, he experimented with vivid colours and often broke conventions of composition. He painted many sensual mythological works, including Bacchus and Ariadne (circa 1518–23).

In Greek mythology, the Titans^[7] were a primeval race of powerful deities, descendants of Gaia (Earth) and Uranus (Sky), that ruled during the legendary Golden Age. They were immortal giants of incredible strength and were also the first pantheon of Greek gods and goddesses.

9d   Police leader concerned with the person following suspect /provides/ final irony (5,2,3,4)

Sting^[7] (born Gordon Sumner) is an English musician who, prior to starting his solo career, was the lead singer and bassist of the rock band The Police^[7].

A sting in the tail^[5] is an unexpected, typically unpleasant or problematic end to something ⇒ the Budget comes with a sting in the tail—future tax increases.

15d   Extravagant roll // could give man bruise (9)

16d   Apartment building /with/ temporary accommodation sheltering European chaps (8)

In Britain, the word tenement seems not to carry the negative connotation that it does in North America. In Britain, a tenement^[4] is merely a room or flat [apartment] for rent or (also called tenement building) a large building divided into separate flats [apartments], whereas in North American, a tenement^[3,11] is generally regarded as a rundown, low-rental apartment building — often overcrowded and located in a poor section of a large city — whose facilities and maintenance barely meet minimum standards.

18d   Case holding uranium /for/ sale (7)

The symbol for the chemical element uranium is U^[5].

19d   Authentic nonsense served up /by/ American estate agent (7)

Estate agent^[10] is the British term for a real estate agent, an agent concerned with the valuation, management, lease, and sale of property. 

According to Collins English Dictionary, realtor^[10] is a US and Canadian name for an estate agent, especially an accredited one.

20d   Firm/'s/ team of workers? (6)

Stable^[10] is used in the sense of a number of people considered as a source of a particular talent ⇒ a stable of writers. I suppose that there might also be an allusion to the fact that a team of horses — or oxen — would be housed in a stable. But then, that is likely where the figurative use of the word initially came from anyway.

22d   Bird // to feel bad about taking off first (5)

The egret^[5] is a heron with mainly white plumage, having long plumes in the breeding season.

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