Friday, February 6, 2015 — DT 27580

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27580
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Thursday, August 28, 2014
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27580]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By archy and mehitabel (aka pommers and 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

Given that archy and mehitabel awarded this puzzle four stars for difficulty, I felt very satisfied with my effort — needing outside assistance on only one clue. However, it did take me a very long time to complete the puzzle, spread over several solving sessions.

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   Heathen trend spread // instantly (5,3,4)

Since I would use the latter version, I might say that there and then^[10] is an alternative way of saying then and there. Nevertheless, Collins English Dictionary suggests that just the opposite may be the case.

9a   This makes it hard to contemplate // studies before school (3,6)

10a   Some gung-ho ulcerous // fiend (5)

11a   Report looked at leading // tabloid (3-3)

In Britain, a tabloid newspaper is known as a red top^[5] (or red-top^[10]) [from the red background on which the titles of certain British newspapers are printed].

12a   Internet publication covering working /in/ business (8)

As the definition, business is likely being used as an adjective ⇒ the business climate has recently improved in the US.

13a   Overheard order for brawn /or/ shellfish (6)

An "order for brawn"? Faced with moving a piano, one might well say I need some muscle over here.

15a   Sun's agony aunt regularly involved in tasteless articles // still? (8)

Tat^[5] is an informal British term for tasteless or shoddy clothes, jewellery, or ornaments ⇒ the place was decorated with all manner of gaudy tat.

Scratching the Surface
The Sun[7] is a daily tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and Ireland. In the UK, agony aunt[5] (or agony uncle[5]) is an informal term for a person who answers letters in an agony column[5] — a column in a newspaper or magazine offering advice on personal problems to readers who write in.

18a   Adult pivoted turning // parental (8)

The A (Adult) certificate is a former film certificate^[7] issued by the British Board of Film Classification. This certificate existed in various forms from 1912 to 1985, when it was replaced by the PG (Parental Guidance) certificate.

Like archy and mehitabel, I too wondered Does [the solution to this clue] really mean parental?.

19a   Ran // Germany's trade abroad (6)

The International Vehicle Registration (IVR) code for Germany is D^[5] [from German Deutschland].

21a   The French embracing Britain with detachment /that's/ unenthusiastic (8)

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

Detachment^[10] is used in the sense of a small unit (especially of ships or troops) separated from its main body. The sense in which we are likely most familiar with the term, referring to a branch office of a police force, is apparently a uniquely Canadian usage [although very apropos to this clue].

Commentary on Commentary

Although the terms Great Britain and United Kingdom are commonly used synonymously — the UK Olympic Team is even officially branded as Team GB[7] rather than Team UK — strictly speaking the terms do have different meanings (a fact to which archy and mehitabel allude in their their review). The United Kingdom[5] (abbreviation UK) is a country of western Europe consisting of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland; full name United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Great Britain[5] is the name for the island that comprises England, Scotland, and Wales, although the term is also used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom. The British Isles is a geographical term that refers to the United Kingdom, Ireland, and surrounding smaller islands such as the Hebrides and the Channel Islands.

Behind the Picture

Porridge[7] is a British situation comedy broadcast on the BBC from 1974 to 1977. Widely considered to be one of the greatest British sitcoms of all time, the show's protagonists are inmates at the fictional HMP [Her Majesty's Prison] Slade in Cumberland. The show spawned a feature film also titled Porridge (released under the title Doing Time in North America) and a 1978 television sequel, Going Straight. "Doing porridge" is British slang for serving a prison sentence, porridge once being the traditional breakfast in UK prisons.

23a   Wish we were there, // madam? (6)

The clue is phrased as a question — and that is significant. Otherwise the solution would be MISS YOU.

Missus^[5] is an informal British form of address to a woman whose name is not known.

26a   Look into examination of accounts without computer support /being/ sounded out (5)

Lo^[5] is an archaic exclamation used to draw attention to an interesting or amazing event ⇒ and lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them.

IT^[5] is the abbreviation for information technology.

27a   Introduce a virus /and/ popular old copper's dead (9)

The symbol for the chemical element copper is Cu^[5] (from late Latin cuprum).

28a   Wayward centres going unheaded stop West Ham for one /becoming/ blasé (12)

West Ham United Football Club^[7] is an English professional football [soccer] club based in Upton Park, East London, England currently playing in the Premier League, England's top tier of football.

As the clue indicates, the team is just one of many English football clubs going by the name United. There are at least four others in the Premier League alone — Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, and Sheffield.

Scunthorpe United Football Club^[7] [mentioned by archy and mehitabel in their review] is an English association football club based in the town of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire. It currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of the English football league system.

Scratching the Surface
In soccer, a centre[10] is the act or an instance of passing the ball from a wing to the middle of the field and head[10] means to to propel the ball by striking it with the head. Thus "wayward centres going unheaded" are poorly placed passes that the receiver is unable to redirect with his head.

Down

1d   There's love in monsieur/'s/ proposition (7)

In the wordplay, "there's" is a contraction for "there has". Thus the wordplay parses as {THERE (from the clue) containing ('s; has) O (love)} + M (monsieur).

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.

In French, monsieur^[8] (abbreviation M^[8]) means 'gentleman' or 'man'.

2d   Yours truly in goal? // Correct (5)

3d   Forthcoming // bonus docked on account of time (9)

4d   News about motoring organisation // that barely gets raised (4)

The Automobile Association^[7] (The AA) is a British motoring association founded in 1905, which was demutualised in 1999 to become a private limited company which currently provides car insurance, driving lessons, breakdown cover [roadside assistance], loans, motoring advice and other services.

Place one "new" before and one "new" after AA.

Naan is another name for nan bread^[10] which, in Indian cookery, is a slightly leavened bread in a large flat leaf shape.

5d   Revival of unknown movement with a clear // determination (8)

In mathematics (algebra, in particular), an unknown^[10] is a variable, or the quantity it represents, the value of which is to be discovered by solving an equation ⇒ 3y = 4x + 5 is an equation in two unknowns. [Unknowns are customarily represented symbolically by the letters x, y and z.]

6d   Encourage // good vitality in European banks (3,2)

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

7d   Wretch thrown /in/ heap on the grass (8)

Wretch^[10] is used in the sense of a despicable person rather than a person pitied for his misfortune.

This was my last clue to be solved and even with all the checking letters I was stuck. I finally found a lead by going through the list of synonyms for wretch at the link above — although I would not advise those with delicate sensibilities to do likewise.

A wormcast^[10] is a coil of earth or sand that has been egested by a burrowing earthworm or lugworm.

8d   Extract // drug (legal) (6)

E^[5] is an abbreviation for the drug Ecstasy or a tablet of Ecstasy ⇒ (i) people have died after taking E; (ii) being busted with three Es can lead to stiff penalties.

14d   Store winnings /in/ container in the kitchen (8)

16d   Thanks /from/ gangster initially discourteous about misbehaving (9)

At it^[5] denotes engaged in some activity, typically a reprehensible one ⇒ the council is at it again, wanting to turn another green patch into a carpark.

17d   Swear military order barked out /in/ hatred (8)

I presume that the clue is alluding to the military order "Attention!" typically being issued sounding like "a ten SHUN" with the last syllable being barked out and the first two syllables comparatively inaudible.

18d   A milk cart /could be/ viable (6)

Float^[5,10] is a British term for a small delivery vehicle, especially one powered by batteries ⇒ a milk float.

20d   Broadcast condensed, not on /in/ fall (7)

22d   Expand // Women's Institute's meeting-place (5)

The Women's Institute^[5] (abbreviation WI^[5]) is an organization of women, especially in rural areas, who meet regularly and participate in crafts, cultural activities, and social work. Now worldwide, it was first set up in Ontario, Canada, in 1897, and in Britain in 1915.

24d   Bar /is/ quiet at the back (5)

25d   Piece of garlic left out /for/ bay (4)

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