Thursday, December 31, 2015

Thursday, December 31, 2015 — DT 27868

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27868
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Friday, July 31, 2015
Setter
Giovanni (Don Manley)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27868]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Shropshirelad
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

The Brits found this week's puzzles to be on the difficult side and I think today's puzzle is no different. I needed to resort to some electronic help to vanquish the last couple of holdouts.

A new reviewer — Shropshirelad — makes his first appearance on Big Dave's Crossword blog today.

If you are not suffering too much from the after effects of tonight's festivities, drop by tomorrow for a New Year's treat.

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

7a   A vehicle's following another -- /and/ some others (8)

The definition "some others" implies "other vehicles".

Caravan[5] is the British name for a trailer[5], a vehicle equipped for living in, typically towed by a car and used for holidays [vacation] (i) they spent a fishing holiday in a caravan; (ii) a caravan holiday.

9a   Instrument for shaping clay // bed (6)

A pallet[5] is a flat wooden blade with a handle, used to shape clay or plaster.

A pallet[5] is a crude or makeshift bed.

10a   Discharge // energy (4)

In the second definition, fire[5] is used in the figurative sense of fervent or passionate emotion or enthusiasm ⇒ the fire of their religious conviction.

11a   Remark about exercise involving fifty // members of crew (10)

"exercise" = PE (show explanation )

PE[5] is the abbreviation for physical education [or Phys Ed, as it was known in my school days]. 

hide explanation

12a   Favouring dull // layout (6)

According to Oxford Dictionaries, mat[5] is the US spelling of matt[5] (or matte), an adjective used to describe a surface or colour which is dull and flat or without a shine (i) prints are available on matt or glossy paper; (ii) a matt black. I am only familiar with the spelling matte.

What did he say?
In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Shropshirelad refers to the latter part of the charade as a lot of The DT cartoonist.
Matthew Pritchett[7] (who signs his work as Matt) has been the pocket cartoonist (show explanation ) on The Daily Telegraph newspaper since 1988.

A pocket cartoon[7] is a form of editorial cartoon which consists of a topical single-panel single-column drawing.

hide explanation

14a   Honoured person // deceased, having swallowed chemical compound (8)

Urea[5] is a colourless crystalline compound which is the main nitrogenous breakdown product of protein metabolism in mammals and is excreted in urine.

15a   A thing without love, // miserable (6)

"love" = O (show explanation )

In tennis, squash, and some other sports, love[5] is a score of zero or nil ⇒ love fifteen. The resemblance of a zero written as a numeral (0) to the letter O leads to the cryptic crossword convention of the word "love" being used to clue this letter.

Although folk etymology has connected the word with French l'oeuf 'egg', from the resemblance in shape between an egg and a zero, the term apparently comes from the phrase play for love (i.e. the love of the game, not for money).

hide explanation

17a   Something precious in one // group of stars (6)

From an astronomical perspective, Gemini[5] is a northern constellation (the Twins), said to represent the twins Castor and Pollux, whose names are given to its two brightest stars.

What did he say?
In his review, Shropshirelad says I was born on the 1st of June, so these stars mean something to me..
From an astrological perspective, Gemini[5] is the third sign of the zodiac, which the sun enters about 21 May and a Gemini[5] is a person born when the sun is in the sign of Gemini.

20a   Good person to encourage // Scottish politician (8)

Nicola Sturgeon[7] is the fifth and current First Minister of Scotland [a position roughly equivalent to that of the Premier of a Canadian province] and the Leader of the Scottish National Party. She is the first woman to hold either position.

22a   Bird // publication with bits half missing (6)

A magpie[5] is:
  1. any of several species in the family Corvidae of long-tailed crow with boldly marked (or green) plumage and a noisy call;
  2. any of several species in the family Cracticidae of the Australasian butcher-bird family, having black-and-white plumage and musical calls.
23a   President // in the bathroom? Not to be disturbed (10)

George Washington[5] (1732–1799) was an American general and statesman, 1st President of the US 1789–97. Washington helped win the War of Independence by keeping his army together through the winter at Valley Forge and winning a decisive battle at Yorktown (1781). He chaired the convention at Philadelphia (1787) that drew up the American Constitution and subsequently served two terms as President, following a policy of neutrality in international affairs.

Toilet Talk
In North America, somewhat bizarrely, a bathroom[5] is a room containing a toilet and washbasin which may or may not also contain a bathtub or shower. A room containing just a toilet and washbasin might be referred to as a half bath (generally when enumerating the total number of rooms in a dwelling, such as in a real estate listing ⇒ a split-level with two and a half baths).

In Britain, on the other hand, a bathroom[5] is a room containing a bathtub or shower which may or may not also contain a washbasin and a toilet.

Pity the poor North American visiting the UK who asks to use the bathroom and is handed a towel and a bar of soap and directed to a room without a toilet.

Other North American euphemisms for a toilet are washroom[5] and restroom[5]. The former may well be a term that is not used by Brits and the latter has quite a different meaning in the U.K. than it does in North America.

24a   Rugby home // a wreck (4)

Rugby union[10] (abbreviation RU[5]) is a form of rugby football played between teams of 15 players (in contrast to rugby league[5], which is played in teams of thirteen).

25a   More beloved // member embraced by the German (6)

"the German" = DER (show explanation )

In German, der[8] is one of the several forms that the definite article may assume.

hide explanation

26a   The fellow overdue comes round in the afternoon /to be/ companion (8)

Down

1d   Nipping one flower spoils a // plant (8)

Flower is used in the whimsical cryptic crossword sense of something that flows — in other words, a river.

The Po[7] is a river that arises in the Cottian Alps and flows eastward across northern Italy entering the Adriatic Sea through a delta near Venice.

The mariposa[10] (also called mariposa lily or mariposa tulip) is any of several liliaceous plants of the genus Calochortus, of the southwestern US and Mexico, having brightly coloured tulip-like flowers.

2d   Ordered // famous airman to finish prematurely (4)

Sir Douglas Bader[5] (1910–1982) was a British airman. Despite having lost both legs in a flying accident in 1931, he saw action as a fighter pilot during the Battle of Britain (1940-1). After the war he was noted for his work on behalf of disabled people.

3d   Line worker put around church // window (6)

"worker" = ANT (show explanation )

The phrase "worker" is commonly used in cryptic crossword puzzles to clue ANT.

A worker[5] is a neuter or undeveloped female bee, wasp, ant, or other social insect, large numbers of which do the basic work of the colony.

In crossword puzzles, "worker" will most frequently be used to clue ANT and occasionally BEE but I have yet to see it used to clue WASP. Of course, "worker" is sometimes also used to clue HAND or MAN.

hide explanation

"church" = CE (show explanation )

The Church of England[10] (abbreviation CE[10]) is the reformed established state Church in England, Catholic in order and basic doctrine, with the Sovereign as its temporal head.

hide explanation

Lancet[10] is short for lancet window[10], a narrow window having a lancet arch (also called acute arch, Gothic arch, pointed arch, or ogive), a narrow acutely pointed arch having two centres of equal radii.

4d   Fruit around Australia /gets/ praise (8)

The International Vehicle Registration (IVR) code for Australia is AUS[5].

5d   Asleep, // Carol is interrupted by awful rumble (10)

The "verb" carol (which, in the clue, is deceptively capitalized) is very apropos given the current season — much more so than when the puzzle appeared in the UK in late July.

6d   Bit of food // woman served up for dog maybe to eat (6)

Una is a female given name.

What did he say?
In his review, Shropshirelad refers to Una as Miss Stubbs perhaps.
Una Stubbs[7] is an English television, stage, occasional film actress and former dancer who has appeared on British television and in the theatre, and less frequently in films. She is particularly known for playing Rita in the sitcom Till Death Us Do Part and Aunt Sally in the children's series Worzel Gummidge. She is also known for her role as Miss Bat in the series The Worst Witch and has most recently appeared as Sherlock Holmes's landlady Mrs Hudson in the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) award-winning television series Sherlock.

8d   Representative /and/ politician engaged in commercial activity (6)

What did he say?
In his review, Shropshirelad refers to the "commercial activity" as one which is now not restricted to Boxing Day.
By coincidence, a very topical reference. However, I am sure that when he wrote this in late July, Shropshirelad had no idea that this puzzle would make its appearance in Canada at this time of year.

13d   Ex-PM following two others /in/ musical interval (5,5)

Sir John Major[5] is a British Conservative statesman, Prime Minister 1990-7.

In music, a third[5] is an interval spanning three consecutive notes in a diatonic scale, e.g. C to E (major third, equal to two tones) or A to C (minor third, equal to a tone and a semitone).

What did he say?
In his review, Shropshirelad refers to John Major as Edwina’s secret squeeze.
Edwina Jones, born Edwina Cohen and commonly known by her first married name, Edwina Currie[7], is a former British Member of Parliament. First elected as a Conservative Party MP in 1983, she was a Junior Health Minister for two years, before resigning in 1988 over the controversy over salmonella in eggs.

By the time Currie lost her seat as an MP in 1997, she had begun a new career as a novelist and broadcaster. She is the author of six novels and has also written four works of non-fiction. In 2002, publication of Currie's Diaries (1987–92) caused a sensation, as they revealed a four-year affair with fellow MP and yet-to-become British Prime Minister John Major between 1984 and 1988.

16d   What's less productive in Civil Service? // They shouldn't sweep things under the carpet! (8)

CS[5] is an abbreviation for Civil Service[10], the British term for the service responsible for the public administration of the government of a country. It excludes the legislative, judicial, and military branches. Members of the civil service have no official political allegiance and are not generally affected by changes of governments. In Australia and New Zealand — not to mention Canada — the term public service[10] is used.

18d   Greek character and I can turn up after one /in/ institute (8)

Eta[5] is the seventh letter of the Greek alphabet (Η, η).

19d   Heartless son longing /to be/ a telltale (6)

21d   London banker (6)

Banker is used in a whimsical cryptic crossword sense meaning a river (something that has banks).

The Thames[5] is a river of southern England, flowing 338 km (210 miles) eastwards from the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire through London to the North Sea.

In his review, Shropshirelad calls this clue an &lit. However, I can find nothing to justify that classification — unless there happens to be a London financial magnate by the name of Thames that I have been unable to track down.

Otherwise, it would seem to be a cryptic definition relying on the whimsical cryptic crossword usage explained above. It is gratifying to see that Gazza is of a similar view (Comment #11 on Big Dave's Crossword Blog).

22d   Covering /of/ long hair hiding end bits of tail (6)

A mantle[5] is a loose sleeveless cloak or shawl, worn especially by women ⇒ she was wrapped tightly in her mantle.

24d   It's odd having parking // behind (4)

Rum[5] is a dated informal British term meaning odd or peculiar ⇒ it’s a rum business, certainly.
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

Wednesday, December 30, 2015 — DT 27867

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27867
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Thursday, July 30, 2015
Setter
Unknown
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27867]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Kath
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

A confluence of events has kept me offline for a few days. On top of having house guests visiting over the Christmas period, we had a major snow storm in Ottawa. However, the principal contributing factor was having my computer (recently updated to Windows 10) suddenly decide that it no longer wished to connect to the Internet. The good news is that there is so much free advice on the Internet on how to resolve such issues. The bad news is that the vast majority of such advice either does not apply to one's specific situation or is just downright inaccurate. In the end, I got online by reinstalling the operating system — a process that took the better part of a day.

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   Going out once temperature's dropped for run /is/ foolhardy (6)

4a   Dreadful odds, with expert missing a // figure out (6)

8a   Overlook in accounts // numberless Irn-Brus pinched in a hotel (8)

Hotel[5] is a code word representing the letter H, used in radio communication.

The "accounts" here are not financial in nature.

Airbrush[5] is used in the sense of to represent or describe as better or more beautiful than in reality ⇒ many lived through the disasters and know that the past has been airbrushed.

As dutch points out in a reply to Comment #16 on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, The Chambers Dictionary (affectionately known as the BRB or Big Red Book) gives the meaning of airbrush[1] as to remove (a person) from a story or account.

Scratching the Surface
Irn-Bru[7] (pronounced "iron brew") is a Scottish carbonated soft drink, often described as "Scotland's other national drink" (after whisky). In addition to being sold throughout the United Kingdom, Irn-Bru is available throughout the world and can usually be purchased where there is a significant community of people from Scotland. Innovative and sometimes controversial marketing campaigns have kept it as the number one selling soft drink in Scotland, where it competes directly with global brands such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi.

10a   Hat with dent in crown felt soft? (6)

Heno, in Comment #18 on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, suggests that this clue is a cryptic definition expressed in Yoda speak. Translated to normal English, this construction would presumably read "Soft felt hat with dent in crown".

Although such a construction would certainly be non-standard English, I am not convinced that it is truly Yoda speak. I would describe it as a noun ("hat") modified by a postpositive adjective ("felt") which in turn is modified by a postpositive adverb ("soft").

Scratching the Surface
Star Wars franchise creator George Lucas attributed to his fictional character Yoda a native language [popularly referred to as Yoda speak[7] ] featuring object-subject-verb[7] (OSV) grammatical order, as reflected in the character's instinctive application of the OSV template to Galactic Basic vocabulary in generating statements such as "Your father he is, but defeat him you must."

11a   Sour // man who painted Parliament but not the Queen (4)

J. M. W. Turner[5] (1775–1851) was an English painter; full name Joseph Mallord William Turner. He made his name with landscapes and stormy seascapes, becoming increasingly concerned with depicting the power of light by the use of primary colours, often arranged in a swirling vortex. Notable works: Rain, Steam, Speed (1844); The Fighting Téméraire (1838).

The Palace of Westminster, the medieval royal palace used as the home of the British parliament, was largely destroyed by fire on 16 October 1834. The fire was the biggest conflagration to occur in London between the Great Fire of 1666 and the Blitz of the Second World War. The event attracted large crowds which included several artists who provided pictorial records of the event. Among them were J.M.W. Turner, the landscape painter, who later produced two pictures of the fire, and the Romantic painter John Constable, who sketched the fire from a hansom cab on Westminster Bridge.[7]

"the Queen" = ER (show explanation )

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.

hide explanation

What did she say?
In her review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Kath says ... remove the last two letters of his surname which are the letters by which our Queen is known (not the Queen).
I can only surmise that she meant to write "not HM" rather than "not the Queen".

12a   Notice // tautology? (10)

I remain to be convinced that the words "notice" and "redundancy" — although certainly related — are entirely interchangeable.

Notice[10] is a mainly British term meaning dismissal from employment. Synonyms are the sack (informal), dismissal, discharge, the boot (slang), the push (slang), marching orders (informal), the (old) heave-ho (informal), and your books or cards (informal).

Redundancy[5] is a British term denoting the state of being no longer in employment because there is no more work available (i) the factory’s workers face redundancy; (ii) the car giant is expected to announce around 5,000 redundancies.

13a   Coming down due to an unexpected bug // perhaps fall asleep by the top of the stairs (5-7)

16a   Tempo flagging according to Spooner /in/ activity that takes place against the clock (4-8)

Clock[5] is an informal British term for a person’s face ⇒ I thought I recognized your clock.

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.

20a   Instruction at the Bournville factory how to safeguard recipe? (4,2,4)

Here "Bournville" refers to a British chocolate bar — one made from dark chocolate.

Bournville[7] is a model village on the south side of Birmingham, England, best known for its connections with the Cadbury family and chocolate – including a dark chocolate bar branded Bournville.

Keep something dark[5] is a British expression meaning to keep something secret ⇒ you’ve kept your plans very dark.

21a   Top // dog announced (4)

Peke[5] is an informal term for a Pekinese[5] (also Pekingese) dog, a lapdog of a short-legged breed with long hair and a snub nose, originally brought to Europe from the Summer Palace at Beijing (Peking) in 1860.

22a   Thingummybob /emerging from/ back-to-back parties –- oh dear (6)

Ah[5] is an exclamation used to express a range of emotions including surprise, pleasure, sympathy, and realization.

"Thingummybob" is a British spelling for thingumabob.

Delving Deeper
Thingy[5] is another term for thingummy[2,5] (also thingamy, thingummyjig, thingummybob; North American thingamajig[2,11]thingumajig[2,11], thingamabob[2], or thingumabob[2]), a person or thing whose name one has forgotten, does not know, or does not wish to mention ⇒ one of those thingummies for keeping all the fire tools together.

If the above should provide an insufficient selection from which to choose, one might also use doohickey, doojigger, gimmick, gismo, gizmo, gubbins, thingmabob, thingmajig, whatchamacallit, whatchamacallum, whatsis, or widget.[WordNet 3.0]

Doodah[5] is an informal British expression used to refer to something that the speaker cannot name precisely ⇒ from the poshest potpourri to the humblest dangly doodah. The equivalent North American term is doodad[5].

23a   Gnomes /and/ imps rage away with the fairies (8)

A gnome[5] is a short statement encapsulating a general truth; a maxim.

Away with the fairies[5] is an informal British term denoting giving the impression of being mad, distracted, or in a dreamworld.

24a   Hose // only sprinkled borders of nasturtiums (6)

25a   A longing /to get/ settled (6)

Down

1d   Opening half of Dame Kiri in recital /is/ spirited stuff (8)

In order to account for the first "I" in the solution, the homophone indicator must apply to the entire charade and not merely to the latter part as Kath indicates in her review. Thus we have a homophone (in recital) of {DA (opening half of DAme) + KIRI}.

A daiquiri[5] is a cocktail containing rum and lime juice.

Scratching the Surface
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa[5] is a New Zealand operatic soprano, resident in Britain since 1966. She made her debut in London in 1970 and since then has sung in the world’s leading opera houses.

2d   Fancy dressing no good /for/ this bird (5)

Fancy dressing is ROBING from which we must remove the G (no good).

"good" = G (show explanation )

The abbreviation G[10] for good likely relates to its use in grading school assignments or tests.

hide explanation

Kath illustrates her clue with a picture of an Australian robin.

A robin[5] is:
  1. European Robin
    any of numerous species in several genera of small Old World thrush related to the chats, typically having a brown back with red on the breast or other colourful markings, in particular the European robin or redbreast (Erithacus rubecula), which has an orange-red face and breast;

  2. American Robin
    a large New World thrush of the genus Turdus, in particular the American robin (Turdus migratorius); or
  3. Australian robin
    any of several genera of small Australasian songbird related to the flycatchers.

3d   Dull // time aboard to do with nerves (7)

5d   East Fife surprisingly overwhelming noted sides /to secure/ title (7)

Historically, effendi[5] was a title of respect or courtesy in Turkey.

Scratching the Surface
East Fife Football Club[7] (known informally as The Fife or The Fifers) are a Scottish football [soccer] club based in the Fife coastal town of Methil. They are members of the Scottish Professional Football League and currently compete in the Scottish League Two (the fourth tier in the Scottish football league system).

Fife[5] is a council area and former county of east central Scotland; administrative centre, Glenrothes.

Side[5] is a British term for a sports team ⇒ there was a mixture of old and young players in their side. [Note that a player is "in a side" rather than "on a team" as one would say in North America] (expand explanation )

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, as we can clearly see from the following usage examples ⇒ (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.

hide expanded explanation

6d   Well-informed and bitter? // It's probably hot air (2-7)

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.

7d   Grace, // initially, Henry and I leave his German counterpart (6)

Heinrich[7] is a given name of Germanic origin and cognate of the English name "Henry".

The setter uses "initially Henry" (the initial letter of Henry) to clue the letter "H". This is a generous gesture, as the setter could have used merely "Henry" as, in physics, the henry[5] is the SI unit of inductance, equal to an electromotive force of one volt in a closed circuit with a uniform rate of change of current of one ampere per second. Don't be surprised to see this term (deceptively capitalized) appear in clues.

9d   Battering fish is said // to provide protective cover (6-5)

The plaice[5] either of two species of North Atlantic flatfish which is a commercially important food fish. The European Pleuronectes platessa is often found in very shallow water while the American Hippoglossoides platessoides is found in deeper waters.

14d   Gently does it /with/ piano part (4-5)

Sometimes I solve a clue without giving it a second thought only to find when I sit down to write the blog that the clue presents a great deal of difficulty when it comes to parsing it. Such is the case here.

If one attempts to parse this clue as a double definition (with the latter definition being a noun), the numeration for the latter part does not match that given in the clue. According to my understanding, this precludes the clue from being a double definition.

I also tried parsing the clue as:
  • 14d   Gently does it // with piano part (4-5)
However, this does not work as "with piano part" is an adjectival phrase.

Perhaps, one could categorize this clue as a cryptic definition:
  • 14d   Gently does it with piano part (4-5)
in which the phrase "with piano part" serves as cryptic elaboration on "gently does it" (itself being rather cryptic).

A soft pedal[5] is a pedal on a piano that can be pressed to make the tone softer.

As a verb, soft-pedal[1] means to play with the soft pedal down.

Soft-pedal[5] also means to refrain from emphasizing the more unpleasant aspects of or to play down ⇒ the administration’s decision to soft-pedal the missile program.

15d   Hard breaking into defenceless // safe (8)

"hard" = H (show explanation )

H[5] is an abbreviation for hard, as used in describing grades of pencil lead ⇒ a 2H pencil.

hide explanation

17d   Get big // problem with leg (5,2)

In cricket, the leg[5] (also called leg side) is another name for the on[5] (also known as on side), the half of the field (as divided lengthways through the pitch) away from which the batsman’s feet are pointed when standing to receive the ball ⇒ he played a lucky stroke to leg. The other half of the field is known as the off[5] (also called off side).

18d   Clue /is/ second missing first couple of twists (7)

19d   In retrospect some boffin won erudite // fame (6)

In Comment #7 on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, oddjob points out that Kath has misplaced the hidden reversal which she acknowledges in her reply.

Scratching the Surface
Boffin[5] is an informal British term denoting:
  • a person engaged in scientific or technical research ⇒ the boffins at the Telecommunications Research Establishment; or
  • a person with knowledge or a skill considered to be complex or arcane ⇒ a computer boffin.

21d   Break down // as per projected (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

Saturday, December 26, 2015

Saturday, December 26, 2015 — Boxing Day Of Another Kind

Introduction

Today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon should not have held you up appreciably from getting out to the malls for the Boxing Day specials.

It seems that I neglected to update the title when I posted the review. A tip of the hat to Henry for reminding me.
I invite you to leave a comment to let us know how you fared with the puzzle.

Solution to Today's Puzzle

Falcon's Experience
┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐
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└────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘
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
- yet to be solved

Legend: "*" anagram; "~" sounds like; "<" letters reversed

"( )" letters inserted; "_" letters deleted; "†" explicit in the clue

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   Actors in a play // start fishing (4)

CAST — double definition

3a   Darkest // sweatshirt ruined (10)

SWARTHIEST*_ — anagram (ruined) of SWEATSHIRT

9a   A musical group on // leave (7)

A|BAND|ON — A (†) + BAND (musical group) + ON (†)

11a   Friend taking certain retrospective // examination (7)

P(ERUS<)AL — PAL (friend) containing (taking) reversal (retrospective) of SURE (certain)

12a   French chanteuse eating large // rice dish (5)

PI(L)AF — PIAF (French chanteuse; Edith Piaf[7]) containing (eating) L (large; abbrev.)

13a   Counter terrible // defeat (7)

TROUNCE* — anagram (terrible) of COUNTER

15a   Returned form of ID /for/ sentry (7)

GATEMAN< — reversal (returned) of NAMETAG (form of ID)

16a   Provide money for // husband-to-be around the 3rd of January (7)

FI(N)ANCE — FIANCE (husband-to-be) containing (around) N (the 3rd [letter] of JaNuary)

18a   Stopped keeping company // with disguised characters? (7)

ENCODED — ENDED (stopped) containing (keeping) CO (company; abbrev.)

I have shown the definition as the adjectival phrase "with disguised characters". However, it would be equally valid to consider the definition to be the verbal phrase "disguised characters", in which case the word "with" would function as a link word.

21a   Monkey surrounded by separate // rooftop wall (7)

PAR(APE)T — APE (monkey) contained in (surrounded by) PART (separate; as a verb)

23a   Finish // the boat, and call back (7)

SHE|LLAC< — SHE (the boat; boats are customarily referred to using feminine pronouns) + reversal (back) of CALL

25a   Bowling over // a hockey player (5)

A|WING — A (†) + WING (hockey player; a position on any hockey team or any member of the NHL team from Detroit)

27a   Bringing up // one transgression in tabloid (7)

RA(I|SIN)G — {I ([Roman numeral for] one) + SIN (transgression)} contained in (in) RAG (tabloid)

28a   Practice boxing with bronzed // Greek (7)

SPAR|TAN — SPAR (practice boxing) + (with) TAN (bronzed)

A Spartan[5] was a citizen of Sparta, a city in ancient Greece.

29a   Changed to innocent // claim (10)

CONTENTION* — anagram (changed) of TO INNOCENT

30a   Spoken // for all, essentially (4)

_OR|AL_ — hidden in (essentially; referring to the essence of core of a matter) fOR ALl

Down

1d   Victor, one of the de Milles, // drinks (10)

CHAMP|AGNES — CHAMP (victor) +AGNES (one of the de Milles; American dancer and choreographer Agnes de Mille[7])

2d   Red // group including Jung (7)

S(CARL)LET — SET (group) containing (including) CARL (Jung; Carl Jung[7], Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist who founded analytical psychology)

4d   Churchill // gains a lot of weight (7)

WINS|TON — WINS (gains) + TON (a lot of weight)

Sir Winston Churchill[5] (1874–1965) was a British Conservative statesman, Prime Minister 1940-5 and 1951-5.

5d   Censure // awfully poor ref (7)

REPROOF* — anagram (awfully) of POOR REF

6d   His opposite showing // bird (5)

HER|ON — HER (his opposite) + ON (showing)

7d   Each unyielding // Asian (7)

EA|STERN — EA (each; abbrev.) + STERN (unyielding)

8d   Ring // tax (4)

TOLL — double definition

10d   Bad- mouthed // family in legal document (7)

DE(FAM)ED — FAM (family; abbrev.) contained in (in) DEED (legal document)

14d   Shaking, get on a plan // with five facets (10)

PENTAGONAL* — anagram (shaking) of GET ON A PLAN

17d   In an RV, a peculiar // state of bliss (7)

NIRVANA* — anagram (peculiar) of IN AN RV A

Nirvana[5] is:
  1. (in Buddhism) a transcendent state in which there is neither suffering, desire, nor sense of self, and the subject is released from the effects of karma and the cycle of death and rebirth. It represents the final goal of Buddhism.
  2. (in Hinduism and Jainism) another term for moksha, release from the cycle of rebirth impelled by the law of karma.
19d   Oddball cousin acquiring hot // pad (7)

CUS(H)ION* — anagram (oddball) of COUSIN containing (acquiring) H (hot; abbrev.)

20d   Dee, breaking leg, hit // “Send” (7)

D|ELIGHT* — D (dee) + anagram (breaking) of {LEG + HIT}

21d   Artist/’s/ picture: like so (7)

PIC|AS|SO — PIC (picture; slangy abbreviation) + AS (like) + SO (†)

Pablo Picasso[5] (1881–1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, and graphic artist, resident in France from 1904.

22d   British playwright framing article /for/ artist (7)

P(A)INTER — PINTER (British playwright) containing (framing) A ([indefinite] article)

Harold Pinter[5] (1930–2008) was an English dramatist, actor, and director.

24d   Select // “English Literature” by error (5)

E|LIT|E — E (English; abbrev.) + LIT (literature; abbrev.) + E (error; abbreviation used in baseball)

26d   Clapton/’s/ wild rice (4)

ERIC* — anagram (wild) of RICE

Eric Clapton[5] is an English blues and rock guitarist, singer, and composer, known particularly for the song ‘Layla’ (1972) and for his group Cream (1966-8).

Epilogue

The title of today's blog is inspired by 28a and 8d.
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

Friday, December 25, 2015

Friday, December 25, 2015 — DT 27852 (Bonus Puzzle)

Merry Christmas
Prologue

Merry Christmas to readers of the blog. Should you happen to find a few spare moments between opening presents and sitting down to your Christmas feast, here is a little something I found on the shelf which may help you occupy your time. DT 27852 is a puzzle for which I prepared a review, but which the National Post did not publish.
Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27852
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Monday, July 13, 2015
Setter
Rufus (Roger Squires)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27852]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Miffypops
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★★ Enjoyment - ★★★★
Falcon's Experience
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└────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘
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
On Wednesday, December 16, 2015, the National Post skipped this puzzle which had been published in The Daily Telegraph on Monday, July 13, 2015.

Introduction

"Monday" puzzles are always a challenge for me to review. First we have a setter in Rufus whose clues — while very inventive and most enjoyable — do not always lend themselves to strict classification or rigorous parsing. Second, we have a reviewer on Big Dave's Crossword Blog in Miffypops who writes in a very casual style. While his reviews are highly entertaining, they are more often than not lacking somewhat in precision. As I am a bit of a pedant, I feel obligated to try and correct the more egregious errors — not out of a wish to make him look bad but to avoid having the readers of this blog be misled or confused. It is hard enough trying to cope with the Briticisms in the puzzles without also having to contend with inaccuracies in the review.

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   One helps to define the goal /of/ angry lawyers (8)

Although I am sure it never entered Miffypops's mind, the definition works equally as well for hockey as it does for soccer.

6a   I eat outside /in/ German city (6)

The solver is always held responsible to insert missing punctuation — as well as to delete extraneous punctuation. Here, one must read the wordplay as "I; eat outside".

Munich[5] is a city in southeastern Germany, capital of Bavaria; population 1,294,600 (est. 2006).

9a   /It's/ not just // a mixture of fun and music (6)

The definition finds itself in the middle of the clue because — from a cryptic point of view — the clue has been formulated with an inverted sentence structure. Examined from the perspective of cryptic analysis, the clue would read "It's not just, a mixture of fun and music" which, when rephrased with a normal sentence structure, becomes "A mixture of fun and music is not just" — putting the definition at the end of the clue (where one would expect to find it).

10a   Room isn't fitted /for/ display units (8)

11a   Maybe more cuts will attract one (8)

This is an all-in-one clue in which a bit of wordplay (marked with a dashed underline) has been embedded.

12a   Where seconds do the work of a minute (6)

A second[5] is an assistant, in particular an attendant assisting a combatant in a duel or boxing match.

In boxing and wrestling, a corner[5] is each of the diagonally opposite ends of the ring, where a contestant rests between rounds ⇒ when the bell sounded he turned to go back to his corner.

In boxing, each fighter is given a corner of the ring[7] where he rests in between rounds for one minute and where his trainers stand. Typically, three men stand in the corner besides the boxer himself; these are the trainer, the assistant trainer and the cutman (a cutaneous doctor responsible for keeping the boxer's face and eyes free of cuts and blood).

What did he say?
In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Miffypops states that the solution is A boxing term for one of the men who assists (seconds) a boxer or wrestler ....
Rather than being merely "one of the men", corner (see below) is actually the collective term for all of a boxer's or wrestler's assistants. However, this is clearly not the sense in which the term is used in this clue.

The term corner[5] denotes a contestant’s supporters or seconds ⇒ Hodkinson was encouraged by his corner.

13a   It's strictly true, /but/ unimaginative (6-2-4)

Unlike Miffypops, I have chosen not to mark this as a double definition since something that is "strictly true" is a "matter of fact". As this phrase contains no hyphens (as he himself states in his review), it does not match the numeration given and therefore (to my understanding) this clue cannot be a cryptic definition.

16a   Private eye /puts/ query in novel to a male (7,5)

Enquiry agent[5] is a dated British term for a private detective.

19a   Replace points /in/ part of car engine (6)

A piston[5] is a disc or short [solid] cylinder fitting closely within a tube [hollow cylinder] in which it moves up and down against a liquid or gas, used in an internal-combustion engine [such as that found in a car] to derive motion, or in a pump to impart motion.

Scratching the Surface
In the surface reading, points[10] refers to the two electrical contacts that make or break the current flow in the distributor of an internal-combustion engine We'll need to clean the points.

21a   Old coach // station (8)

Identified by Oxford Dictionaries as a historical term, a victoria[5] (named after Queen Victoria) was a light four-wheeled horse-drawn carriage with a collapsible hood, seats for two passengers, and an elevated driver’s seat in front ⇒ Atlanta 's finest could promenade in phaetons, victorias and tallyhos pulled by gleaming horses.

London Victoria station[7], generally known as Victoria, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground [subway] complex named after nearby Victoria Street the latter being named after Queen Victoria. London Victoria is the second-busiest terminus in London (and the UK) after London Waterloo.

23a   Authorise // coercive measure (8)

Contrary to what Miffypops says in his review, the first definition is clearly a verb (not a noun).

24a   Powerful // Russian fighter gains height reaching capital of Yemen (6)

A MiG[7] is a type of Russian jet fighter. The name comes from the initials of the two founders (Mikoyan and Gurevich) of the organization that designs the planes.

25a   Venerate // an American patriot (6)

Paul Revere[5] (1735–1818) was an American patriot. In 1775 he rode from Boston to Lexington to warn fellow American revolutionaries of the approach of British troops.

26a   Girl holds chap back // somewhere in Denmark (8)

Elsinore[5] is a port on the northeastern coast of the island of Zealand, Denmark; population 61,053 (2009). It is the site of the 16th-century Kronborg Castle, which is the setting for Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

Does anyone find Miffypops' comment regarding the lack of preciseness in this clue to be somewhat ironic?

Down

2d   Come to an end -- like someone's innings? (3,3)

In cricket, innings[5] (plural same or informally inningses) can denote:
  1. each of two or four divisions of a game during which one side has a turn at batting ⇒ the highlight of the Surrey innings; or
  2. a player’s turn at batting ⇒ he had played his greatest innings; or
  3. the score achieved during a player’s turn at batting ⇒ a solid innings of 78 by Marsh.
In this clue, the term is used in the second sense — a player's turn at batting (roughly akin to an 'at bat' in baseball). A batsman can be dismissed (i.e., his innings can come to an end) in any of several ways, one of which is to be run out.

In cricket, run out[7] (abbreviation ro[2]) denotes the dismissal of a batsman by [a fielder] hitting a wicket with the ball while the batsman is out of his ground[10] (the area from the popping crease back past the stumps, in which a batsman may legally stand).

What did he say?
In his review, Miffypops says To come to an end is to sell all you have of a product.
Miffypops owns a pub, so to have "run out" of beer would certainly not be a situation in which he would like to find himself. However, the term "run out" could just as well apply in many other contexts.

Behind the Video
The anecdote recounted by the cricket player in the video in Miffypops review is presumably rather amusing — if you understand the game of cricket.

The player being interviewed is England cricketer Ian Botham. The incident being discussed occurred in a cricket match between England and New Zealand played in New Zealand in 1978. Botham and his teammate Geoffrey Boycott were batting as a partnership when Botham deliberately caused Boycott to be run out.

This action may seem bizarre but you have to understand that to win a cricket match a team must not only score more runs than their opponent, they must also allow their opponent to complete two innings before time runs out. Otherwise the match is declared a draw.

Boycott was known for scoring a lot of runs but doing so very slowly. Thus by prolonging the England innings he was accumulating terrific personal stats but risking having the match declared a draw because there would not be sufficient time for New Zealand to complete their innings. Thus the strategy of his teammates was to cause him to be run out so the England innings could be finished earlier allowing more time for the New Zealand innings to be played.

3d   Well-kept // public transport to get backing (5)

4d   Glass // or beer-mat needs changing (9)

Glass[5] is a dated term for a weather glass. What is a weather glass[5]? Why, it is a dated term for a barometer. Does this constitute double dating?

By the way, glass[5] is also an archaic term for an hourglass. When, I wonder, does a term cease being dated and pass into the realm of the archaic?

5d   Ruth // Rendell's first English detective (7)

Inspector Endeavour Morse[7] is a fictional character in the eponymous series of detective novels by British author Colin Dexter, as well as the 33-episode 1987–2000 television drama Inspector Morse[7], with the character played by John Thaw. Morse is a senior CID (Criminal Investigation Department) officer with the Thames Valley Police force in Oxford, England.

Ruth[5] is an archaic term for a feeling of pity, distress, or grief.

Scratching the Surface
Ruth Rendell[5], Baroness Rendell of Babergh (1930–2015) was an English writer of detective fiction and thrillers. She was noted for her psychological crime novels and her character Chief Inspector Wexford; she also wrote under the pseudonym of Barbara Vine.

6d   Hyperactive // chap in charge (5)

"chap" = MAN (show explanation )

Chap[5] is a [well-travelled] informal British term for a man or a boy he sounded like a nice, caring sort of chap

hide explanation

"in charge" = IC (show explanation )

The abbreviation i/c[5] can be short for either
  1. (especially in military contexts) in charge of ⇒ the Quartermaster General is i/c rations; or
  2. in command ⇒ 2 i/c = second in command.
hide explanation

7d   What a fisherman actually gains from his work? (3,6)

8d   Transference /of/ money? (8)

I fail to comprehend how transference equates to CURRENCY. A fair number of those commenting on Big Dave's site expressed similar bewilderment. A few attempts were made to offer an explanation, but I found none of them compelling.

In his review, Miffypops completely glosses over the first definition. While this makes it appear that the definition is so self-evident that it does not warrant explaining, I think it is abundantly clear from his later comments that he has not the slightest inkling of an explanation.

13d   Growing row over speaker? (9)

14d   Prevails /in/ arranging some cover (9)

15d   Pass on information /that's/ personal (8)

17d   Go ahead /with/ borrowed money (7)

18d   Pride may come before, but what comes after a fall? (6)

The first part of the clue plays no part whatsoever in the cryptic analysis. It would seem to be present solely for the purpose of misdirection.

One Person's Fall is Another's Autumn
According to Oxford Dictionaries, fall[5] (also Fall) is the North American term for autumn while Collins English Dictionary characterizes fall[10] as a mainly US term for autumn.

The word fall[7] actually came to North America from England. Before the 16th century, harvest was the term usually used to refer to the season, as is common in other West Germanic languages to this day (cf. Dutch herfst and German Herbst). However, as more people gradually moved from working the land to living in towns (especially those who could read and write, the only people whose use of language we now know), the word harvest lost its reference to the time of year and came to refer only to the actual activity of reaping, and autumn, as well as fall, began to replace it as a reference to the season.

The term fall came to denote the season in 16th century England. During the 17th century, English emigration to the British colonies in North America was at its peak, and the new settlers took the English language with them. While the term fall gradually became obsolete in Britain, it became the more common term in North America.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, I would think that in Canada the terms fall and autumn are used interchangeably and with roughly equal frequency.

20d   I've an alternative /that's/ simple (5)

22d   An ear, perhaps -- for music? (5)

In his review, Miffypops shows this as being a double definition. However, I do not see how "for music" can possibly be considered to be a definition of ORGAN. For want of a better explanation, I have marked it as an all-in-one clue in which we have a straight definition (the portion of the clue with the solid underline) which tells us that the solution is something of which an "ear" is an example. The portion of the clue with the dashed underline provides some additional cryptic elaboration, playing (pun intended) on the fact that an organ is a musical instrument as well as being an allusion to the expression "an ear for music".
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)
Merry Christmas Everyone — Falcon