Tuesday, January 20, 2015 — DT 27567

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27567
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Setter Jay (Jeremy Mutch)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27567]
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

Jay gives us only a very gentle workout today with a puzzle that includes a bare minimum of Briticisms. However, expect to pay for this respite in the near future.

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

8a   Put up with // drill (4)

Note that "put" is used in the past tense.

9a   Truants regularly // betrayed by one? (3)

The question mark is a key part of the definition which we are to interpret as "one who might have betrayed you".

10a   Revue planned after orchestra's first // collected works (6)

11a   Dessert, /or/ tea in most of France at one time? (6)

This is not the one time name of most of France but most of the name by which all of France went at one time.

Gaul^[5] was an ancient region of Europe, corresponding to modern France, Belgium, the south Netherlands, southwestern Germany, and northern Italy. The area south of the Alps was conquered in 222 BC by the Romans, who called it Cisalpine Gaul. The area north of the Alps, known as Transalpine Gaul, was taken by Julius Caesar between 58 and 51 BC. The boundaries of Gaul^[5] as described in Wikipedia also encompass present day Luxembourg and most of Switzerland.

12a   Wilful // agent sent back poetry (8)

13a   Philosophy classes held here? (6,2,7)

15a   First to follow Tories -- // be composed! (7)

17a   Success -- /but/ a long stretch in prison! (3,4)

20a   Delighted // to be at planetary summit (2,3,2,3,5)

23a   Following performance, ring corporation // dogsbody (8)

In publishing, f.^[10] (plural ff.) is used to denote following (page).

Corporation^[3,4,5,11] is a dated humorous term for a large paunch or pot belly. 

Tum^[10] is an informal or childish word for stomach.

Dogsbody^[5] is an informal British term for a person who is given menial tasks to do, especially a junior in an office ⇒ I got myself a job as typist and general dogsbody on a small magazine.

25a   Father welcomes a time /for/ sarcasm! (6)

26a   Office equipment // firm ripe for development (6)

27a   Turn on European // self-esteem (3)

28a   Study finds name for a // tear (4)

In Britain, to read^[5] means to study (an academic subject) at a university ⇒ (i) I’m reading English at Cambridge; (ii) he went to Manchester to read for a BA in Economics.

Down

1d   Pattern of stones // of Hebrew prophet (6)

Moses^[5] ( Fl. circa 14th-13th centuries BC) was a Hebrew prophet and lawgiver, brother of Aaron. According to the biblical account, he was born in Egypt and led the Israelites away from servitude there, across the desert towards the Promised Land. During the journey he was inspired by God on Mount Sinai to write down the Ten Commandments on tablets of stone (Exod. 20).

2d   Handsome /but/ excitable surgeon pinches nurse's bottom (8)

3d   Problems with noses? /One needs/ such experts! (15)

In Britain, hooter^[5,10] is an informal term for a person's nose — and not (in the plural) vulgar slang for a woman's breasts as in North American usage.

4d   Family disheartened after eastern places going up // cause astonishment (7)

5d   Time /is/ possibly no Hinduism forte! (6,9)

6d   Office // problem raised with each unionist (6)

The rub^[5] is the central problem or difficulty in a situation ⇒ that was the rub—she had not cared enough [from Shakespeare's Hamlet ( iii. i. 65)].

A Unionist^[5] (abbreviation U^[10]) is (1) a person, especially a member of a Northern Ireland political party, who is in favour of the union of Northern Ireland with Great Britain or (2) historically, a member of a British political party formed in 1886 which supported maintenance of the parliamentary union between Great Britain and Ireland.

7d   A marine's /bearing/ weapons (4)

The Royal Marines^[5] (abbreviation RM)^[5] is a British armed service (part of the Royal Navy) founded in 1664, trained for service at sea, or on land under specific circumstances.

14d   Radio operator/'s/ ignominy being undressed (3)

16d   Performing around start of week /is/ personal (3)

18d   Walks unsteadily across river /for/ horses in harness (8)

Oxford Dictionaries Online defines harness racing^[5] as another term for trotting^[5], racing for trotting horses pulling a two-wheeled vehicle (a sulky) and driver [which would appear to totally disregard pacing].

Harness racing^[7] is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky.

Races can be conducted in two differing gaits – trotting and pacing. The difference is that a trotter moves its legs forward in diagonal pairs (right front and left hind, then left front and right hind striking the ground simultaneously), whereas a pacer moves its legs laterally (right front and right hind together, then left front and left hind). In continental Europe, races are conducted exclusively among trotters, whereas in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States races are also held for pacers.

Pacing races constitute 80% to 90% of the harness races conducted in North America. Pacing horses are faster and (most important to the bettor) less likely to break stride (a horse which starts to gallop must be slowed down and taken to the outside until it resumes trotting or pacing).

19d   Puzzled // MP absorbed by new duties without one (7)

21d   Fox /is/ unfashionable -- and women must have it! (6)

22d   Source of noise /from/ wild cat crossing unprotected barn (6)

24d   Oxygen absorbed by beer // plant (4)

O^[5] is the symbol for the chemical element oxygen.

The aloe^[5] is a succulent plant with a rosette of thick tapering leaves and bell-shaped or tubular flowers on long stems, native to the Old World.

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