Monday, December 29, 2014 — DT 27551

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27551
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Friday, July 25, 2014
Setter Giovanni (Don Manley)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27551]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Deep Threat
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 has skipped DT 27549 and DT 27550 which were published in The Daily Telegraph on Wednesday, July 23, 2014 and Thursday, July 24, 2014 respectively.

Introduction

The National Post has skipped the two puzzles that would have appeared had editions been published on Christmas and Boxing Day.

I needed a bit of electronic help today. However, in one instance, it was more a case of research than help.

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 (//). Definitions presented in blue text are for terms that appear frequently.

Across

1a   Breeding establishment for Spooner -- /and/ [a breeding establishment] for us! (10)

Part of the definition is implied by the context of the clue. For clarity, I have inserted the implied words in italics. Not to do so would produce a rather incongruous result, as you can see from Deep Threat's review on Big Dave's blog, where he has underlined merely the word "us" as the definition.

A spoonerism^[5] is a verbal error in which a speaker accidentally transposes the initial sounds or letters of two or more words, often to humorous effect, as in the sentence you have hissed the mystery lectures. It is named after the Reverend W. A. Spooner (1844–1930), an English scholar who reputedly made such errors in speaking.

In this clue, the setter supposes that Rev. Spooner would mangle the word 'bloodstock' so that it came out of his mouth as 'stud block'.

Stud^[3] can denote not only a male animal, such as a stallion, that is kept for breeding, but also either (1) a  group of animals, especially horses, kept for breeding or (2) a stable or farm where these animals are kept. I had always thought that the latter usage was a Briticism, but these definitions all come from an American dictionary.

Block^[5] is used in the sense of a building or part of a complex used for a particular purpose.

Bloodstock^[5,10] refers to thoroughbred horses, especially those bred for racing, considered collectively ⇒ (i) his huge investment in bloodstock; (ii) the bloodstock industry.

In the definition, the word "establishment" likely alludes to an established (having been set up on a firm basis) collection of horses.

6a   Illustrious man /and/ very important lady in house (4)

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.

10a   Obscure // English female hides in lavatory, rather rudely (5)

The bog^[5] is an informal [rather rude] British term for the toilet.

11a   Dear // old lover musing (9)

12a   Where you see a five relative to four // well thought of! (2,6)

In the wordplay, the phrase "relative to" should be viewed as an anagram indicator. The wordplay poses the question "where would you see an anagram of A (from the clue), V ([Roman numeral for] five) and FOUR (again, from the clue)" which generates the response IN FAVOUR — FAVOUR being, as far as I am aware, the only possible anagram of the given fodder.

13a   Chemical // destroying trees (5)

In chemistry, an ester^[5] is an organic compound made by replacing the hydrogen of an acid by an alkyl or other organic group. Many naturally occurring fats and essential oils are esters of fatty acids.

15a   Smart little boy/'s/ menu option? (7)

17a   Some made dire decision -- about /to be/ mocked (7)

19a   Discloses // writers brought in by university press (5,2)

OUP^[10] is the abbreviation for Oxford University Press. Ironically, I had to use Collins English Dictionary as a source as the abbreviation is not found at Oxford Dictionaries Online.

21a   PM/'s/ obvious victory (7)

Stanley Baldwin^[5], 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley ( 1867–1947) was a British Conservative statesman, Prime Minister 1923-4, 1924-9, and 1935-7. Despite the German occupation of the Rhineland and the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War (both 1936), Baldwin opposed demands for rearmament, believing that the public would not support it.

22a   Insert text /from/ F onwards? (5)

Even though I had the correct solution, I have to confess that the wordplay here eluded me.

24a   Member of the elite class // strictly adhering to regulations (8)

27a   Having trouble // as traveller occupying vehicle towed by tractor? (2,3,4)

In the cart^[5] is an informal British expression meaning in trouble or difficulty ⇒ if he didn’t finish the round the whole team would be in the cart. Deep Threat suggests that the expression alludes to the vehicle in which the condemned were once conveyed to the site of their public execution.

28a   Fabric // not at all nice with hole in it (5)

Voile^[5] is a thin, semi-transparent fabric of cotton, wool, or silk ⇒ a delicate cream voile blouse.

29a   Irish singer // always coming back to entertain any number (4)

Aye^[5] is an archaic or Scottish word meaning always or still ⇒ I’ve aye fancied seeing Edinburgh.

Enya^[7] (born Eithne Ní Bhraonáin, anglicised as Enya Brennan) is an Irish singer, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Known for her distinctive sound, characterised by voice-layering, folk melodies, synthesised backdrops and ethereal reverberations, she has performed in 10 languages and is Ireland's best-selling solo musician. Her record sales stand at more than 75 million worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling artists of all time. Her work has earned her four Grammy Awards and an Academy Award nomination.

30a   A widget he'd constructed -- // something hard to carry around? (4-6)

Down

1d   Darling // Ruth? (4)

Babe Ruth^[5] (1895–1948) was an American baseball player; born George Herman Ruth. He played for the Boston Red Sox (1914–19), the New York Yankees (1919–34), and the Boston Braves (1935). He set a record of 714 home runs which remained unbroken until 1974.

2d   Concerning East Anglian feature, this writer has /to be/ rude (9)

East Anglia^[5] is a region of eastern England consisting of the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, and parts of Essex and Cambridgeshire.

The Fens^[5] is a name applied to the flat low-lying areas of eastern England, mainly in Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, and Norfolk, formerly marshland but largely drained for agriculture since the 17th century. A fen^[5] is a low and marshy or frequently flooded area of land.

3d   Follow mother/'s/ unquestioning belief? (5)

I would say that dogma^[5] is an "unquestionable belief" — not an "unquestioning belief".

4d   Fix // article of clothing not properly done up? (3,4)

I expect that the wordplay may be referring to a bow tie.

5d   Danced /in/ item of clothing provocatively coloured? (7)

7d   Poet /and/ priest with holy books (5)

In the Bible, Eli^[5] is a priest who acted as a teacher to the prophet Samuel (1 Sam. 1-3).

In Crosswordland, the word "books" is often used to clue either the Old Testament (OT) or the New Testament (NT). As is the case today, the clue often does not specify whether the reference is to the former or the latter. However, today's setter does help us out by specifying "holy books".

8d   Dominant, // ruling part of Yorkshire once (10)

A riding^[5] is one of three former administrative divisions of Yorkshire, specifically the East Riding, the North Riding, or the West Riding.

9d   After accident large tin /is/ intact (8)

14d   Associate // comic with place that's funny (10)

On Big Dave's blog, Deep Threat mentions that there was a typo in both the printed and online versions of the puzzle in the UK. What happened is that the word "associate" was misspelled as "assosiate". As this error does not appear in the National Post, it would have been introduced during the production process at The Daily Telegraph, after the syndicated version of the puzzle had been distributed. Even though we don't see the syndicated puzzle in Canada until five and a half months after it appears in Britain, I am quite certain that the syndicated puzzle is actually distributed prior to its publication in The Daily Telegraph as it apparently appears in some papers around the world on the same day as in Britain.

16d   King established calm /in/ part of Lincolnshire once (8)

From the wordplay, this had to be either KESTEVEN or RESTEVEN. Having narrowed it down to those two options, it may be a bit harsh to penalize myself for using electronic assistance to verify which one is correct.

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

The Parts of Kesteven^[7] are a traditional subdivision of Lincolnshire, England. This subdivision had long had a separate county administration (Quarter Sessions), along with the other two parts, Lindsey and Holland. Note that the definition in the clue specifically incorporates the word "part" which should provide an additional hint to the solution to anyone familiar with the former administrative divisions of England.

18d   County's side /in/ an undesirable financial situation (9)

Down^[5] is one of the Six Counties of Northern Ireland, since 1973 an administrative district; chief town, Downpatrick.

20d   Webfooted // pair of chums (7)

In Britain, mate^[5] is an informal term (1) for a friend or companion ⇒ my best mate Steve or (2) used as a friendly form of address between men or boys ⇒ ‘See you then, mate.’.

21d   Large old rocker /appears to be/ intolerant (7)

Ted^[2] is short for Teddy boy^[5], a slang term originally applied to a young man belonging to a subculture in 1950s Britain characterized by a style of dress based on Edwardian fashion (typically with drainpipe trousers, bootlace tie, and hair slicked up in a quiff) and a liking for rock-and-roll music.The name comes from from Teddy, pet form of the given name Edward (with reference to Edward VII's reign). Judging by the entry in the Chambers 21st Century Dictionary, it would appear that the term Teddy boy^[2] is now applied to any unruly or rowdy adolescent male.

23d   A yen at the end of a day /for/ exotic dish (5)

The yen^[5] (abbreviation Y^[5])  is the basic monetary unit of Japan.

Satay^[5] (also satai or saté) is an Indonesian and Malaysian dish consisting of small pieces of meat grilled on a skewer and served with a spiced sauce that typically contains peanuts.

25d   The first woman to occupy a position in the French // bank (5)

In the Bible, Eve^[5] is the first woman, companion of Adam and mother of Cain and Abel. [No mention of Seth and their other sons and daughters].^{[Gen 5:4]}

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

26d   Some that may be walking /in/ units (4)

I would say that this is a double definition with the first being cryptic.

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