Monday, February 16, 2015 — DT 27586 (Bonus Puzzle)

Prologue

The National Post did not publish today, it being the Family Day holiday in several Canadian provinces. I am going out on a limb and taking the chance that the National Post will follow its past practice and skip this puzzle. Of course, I do realize that the National Post is, at its core, a financial newspaper and thereby often adheres to the financial industry mantra that "past performance does not guarantee future results". If my forecast proves to be wrong, you will have done tomorrow's puzzle a day early.

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27586
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Thursday, September 4, 2014
Setter RayT (Ray Terrell)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27586]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By pommers
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 did not publish today, it being Family Day (a holiday in several Canadian provinces). I am assuming, based on past behaviour, that the National Post will skip this puzzle, DT 27586, which was published in The Daily Telegraph on Thursday, September 4, 2014.

Introduction

This proved to be a fairly stiff workout but I made steady progress until there was but a single clue remaining unsolved. I had to admit defeat — vanquished by a jacket with which I was not familiar being clued by a English railway station that I had also never heard of.

For some unknown reason, several of the images from pommers' review have gone AWOL. I have managed to round them up and parade them through my review.

What did he say?
In comment #3 at Big Dave's blog, pommers says "Off out to the dentist for a de-coke ..." Decoke[5] is a British term meaning to remove carbon or carbonaceous material from (an internal-combustion engine). I would say that pommers is using the term facetiously to mean having the plaque cleaned from his teeth.
In comment #17 at Big Dave's blog, upthecreek says "1d was a pearler ..." Pearler[10] is an informal Australian term meaning (1) (as a noun) something impressive ⇒ that shot was a real pearler and (2) (as an adjective) excellent or pleasing.

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   Pretty dull chaps with time /for/ flattery (12)

8a   Rolling Stones employing tenor /for/ top cover (7)

Scratching the Surface
I should hardly need to point out that the Rolling Stones[5] are an English rock group featuring singer Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards. Originally a rhythm-and-blues band, they became successful with a much-imitated rebel image, and are known for songs such as ‘Satisfaction’ (1965) and ‘Jumping Jack Flash’ (1968).

Missing Image
John Wayne wearing a Stetson

What did he say?
In his review, pommers says "This was one of the four". He is referring back to to a remark in his preamble "I found [the down clues] considerably more benign than the across clues of which I only got four on first pass!".

9a   Reason // some police use bad language (7)

A detective inspector (DI)^[5] is a senior police officer in the UK. Within the British police, inspector^[7] is the second supervisory rank. It is senior to that of sergeant, but junior to that of chief inspector. Plain-clothes detective inspectors are equal in rank to their uniformed counterparts, the prefix 'detective' identifying them as having been trained in criminal investigation and being part of or attached to their force's Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

The phrase "some police" indicates that we are looking for more than a single police officer.

What did he say?

In his review, pommers says "... some senior policemen (Lewis is one of these) ...". Lewis[7] is a British television detective drama produced for ITV. A spin-off from a predecessor British television detective drama, Inspector Morse, like that series it is set in Oxford, England. Kevin Whately reprises his character Robert "Robbie" Lewis, who was Morse's sergeant in the original series. Lewis has now been promoted to detective inspector and is assisted by DS (Detective Sergeant) James Hathaway, portrayed by Laurence Fox, who is also promoted to Inspector in the eighth series airing in 2014. The program is broadcast under the title Inspector Lewis on PBS in the US.

11a   Copy // almost cutting record by Queen in comeback (7)

A RayT Signature Clue
It is a rare occasion when the Queen does not make an appearance in a RayT puzzle. Apparently, this custom stems from the fact that the British rock group Queen is the setter's favourite band.

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.

12a   European meat with alien // name (7)

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial^[7] (often referred to simply as E.T.) is a 1982 American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg. It tells the story of a lonely boy who befriends an extraterrestrial, dubbed "E.T.", who is stranded on Earth. He and his siblings help the extraterrestrial return home while attempting to keep it hidden from their mother and the government.

13a   They're not usually dressed, exposing skin initially (5)

I would think that the setter may well have intended the entire clue to be the definition.

Missing Image
Nude

14a   In hotel even, session // breaks for morning drinks (9)

Elevenses^[5] is an informal British term for a short break for light refreshments, usually with tea or coffee, taken about eleven o’clock in the morning.

16a   Communist accepts finest amending /for/ 'Little Red Book'? (9)

Mao Zedong^[5] (also Mao Tse-tung and commonly referred to as simply Mao) (1893–1976) was a Chinese statesman; chairman of the Communist Party of the Chinese People’s Republic 1949–76; head of state 1949–59. A cofounder of the Chinese Communist Party in 1921 and its effective leader from the time of the Long March (1934–35), he eventually defeated both the occupying Japanese and rival Kuomintang nationalist forces to create the People’s Republic of China in 1949, becoming its first head of state.

Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung^[7] is a book of selected statements from speeches and writings by Mao Zedong (Mao Tse-tung), the former leader of the Chinese Communist Party, published from 1964 to about 1976 and widely distributed during the Cultural Revolution. The most popular versions were printed in small sizes that could be easily carried and were bound in bright red covers, becoming commonly known in the West as the Little Red Book. It is considered to be one of the most printed books in history.

19a   Scientist // annihilates laboratory centre (5)

Nikola Tesla^[7] (1856–1943) was a Serbian American inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, and futurist best known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current (AC) electricity supply system.

Delving Deeper

In physics, the tesla[5] (abbreviation T) is the SI unit of magnetic flux density — the unit is named after Nikola Tesla. Tesla was a key figure in the "War of Currents"[7] in the late 1880s, in which George Westinghouse and Thomas Edison became adversaries due to Edison's promotion of direct current (DC) for electric power distribution against alternating current (AC) advocated by several European companies and Westinghouse Electric, which had acquired many of the patents of Nikola Tesla. In comment #21 at Big Dave's blog, Kitty alerts us to the existence of a very interesting and informative cartoon (although the word cartoon fails to do this article justice) dealing with the life (and death) of Nikola Tesla. Believe me, after reading this piece, you will never think of Thomas Edison in the same light again. In comment #27 at Big Dave's blog, Una comments "It was nice to see Tesla on the anniversity [sic] of his birthday." However, she is incorrect with regard to it being Tesla's birthday. Tesla was born on July 10, 1856 and this puzzle was published in the UK on September 4, 2014. She goes on to say "When Einstein was asked 'how does it feel to be the cleverest man on earth?' He replied 'I don’t know, ask Tesla'." This exchange likely never took place (the manufacture of fake Einstein quotes seems to be something of a minor industry). However, if it did, Einstein's retort could be seen as a snide dig at a man who had repeatedly disparaged Einstein's theories.

21a   Anorak // around a Northern railway station, we hear (7)

Goole railway station^[7] is a railway station in the town of Goole on the Hull and Doncaster branch in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England.

There appears to be nothing particularly remarkable about this railway station other than perhaps its mention in the song "Slow Train" by the British comedy duo Flanders and Swann about various closed lines on the British railway network. 

No one departs, no one arrives, From Selby to Goole, from St Erth to St Ives.

An anorak^[5] is a waterproof jacket, typically with a hood, of a kind originally used in polar regions.

Scratching the Surface

In Britain, anorak[5] is an informal, derogatory term for a studious or obsessive person with unfashionable and largely solitary interests ⇒ with his thick specs, shabby shoes, and grey suit, he looks a bit of an anorak. The term derives from the anoraks worn by trainspotters [who can be found hanging around railway stations], regarded as typifying this kind of person. Trainspotter[5] is a British term for a person who collects train or locomotive numbers as a hobby. It is also often used in a derogatory sense to refer to a person who obsessively studies the minutiae of any minority interest or specialized hobby ⇒ the idea is to make the music really really collectable so the trainspotters will buy it in their pathetic thousands.

Cagoule^[5] (also kagoul) is a British term for a lightweight, hooded, thigh-length waterproof jacket.

Missing Image
Cagoule

23a   Devout // deserve good man holding evensong opening (7)

Devout^[5] is used in the sense of totally committed to a cause or belief ⇒ the most devout environmentalist.

Scratching the Surface
In the Christian Church, evensong[5] is a service of evening prayers, psalms, and canticles, conducted according to a set form, especially that of the Anglican Church ⇒ choral evensong.

24a   Supplies // Rolls-Royce distributed separately in recycling deals (7)

The monogram RR appears on the grill of a Rolls Royce automobile.

According to The Chambers Dictionary, in addition to being a place where food is kept, larder^[1] can also mean a stock of provisions. The Chambers 21st Century Dictionary defines larder^[2] as (1) a cool room or cupboard for storing food, originally bacon or (2) a wild animal's winter store of food.

25a   Studio // devoured story, Wilder's last (7)

Scratching the Surface

As my nominee for the subject of this clue, I will opt for Billy Wilder[7] (1906–2002), an Austrian-born American filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, artist and journalist, whose career spanned more than 50 years and 60 films. He is regarded as one of the most brilliant and versatile filmmakers of Hollywood's golden age. Wilder is one of only five people to have won Academy Awards as producer, director and screenwriter for the same film (The Apartment), and was the first person to accomplish this. The last film to be directed by Wilder was Buddy Buddy[7], a 1981 comedy starring Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. In later years, Wilder said, "If I met all my old pictures in a crowd, personified, there are some that would make me happy and proud, and I would embrace them . . . but Buddy Buddy I'd try to ignore."

26a   Cross // endless river on container ship (12)

The River Ouse^[5] is a river of northeastern England, formed at the confluence of the Ure and Swale in North Yorkshire and flowing 92 km (57 miles) south-eastwards through York to the Humber estuary. There are also several other rivers in England having the same name or minor variations thereof.

Down

1d   Soundly jump in the sack? // Cut out obscenity! (7)

What did he say?
In his review, pommers says "... what the sack is a slang term for – not losing your job but where you kip". Kip is a British term meaning (1) as a noun, a sleep or nap ⇒ (i) I might have a little kip; (ii)  he was trying to get some kip or (2) as a verb, to sleep ⇒ he can kip on her sofa.

2d   Sailor reportedly glides /and/ descends by rope (7)

In the Royal Navy, according to Oxford Dictionaries Online, able seaman^[5] (abbreviation AB^[5]), is a rank of sailor above ordinary seaman and below leading seaman. On the other hand, Collins English Dictionary tells us that an able seaman^[10] (also called able-bodied seaman) is an ordinary seaman, especially one in the merchant navy, who has been trained in certain skills.

Abseil^[5] is a British term meaning to descend a rock face or other near-vertical surface by using a doubled rope coiled round the body and fixed at a higher point ⇒ (i) team members had to abseil down sheer cliffs to reach the couple; (ii) (as noun abseiling) there are facilities for abseiling and rock climbing. The term used in North America is rappel^[5], which is also an alternative term in the UK.

3d   Some clothing, // Sun agreed, is wrong (9)

The term dungarees^[3,4,11] is used in North America to refer to either trousers or North American style overalls, in the UK it is used solely to mean the latter, i.e., a suit of workman's overalls made of dungaree [denim] consisting of trousers with a bib attached.

In North America, overalls^[3,11] are loose-fitting trousers, usually of strong fabric, with a bib front and shoulder straps, often worn over regular clothing as protection from dirt. The British definition of overalls^[4] is broader, including not only garments with a bib and shoulder straps but also those having a jacket top. These latter garments are also known as boiler suits in the UK and would likely be called coveralls^[3] in North America.

Scratching the Surface

The Sun[7] is a daily tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and Ireland known for its Page 3[7] feature,  a large photograph of a topless female glamour model (often in a risqué pose) usually published on the newspaper's third page. I think you can appreciate why the Sun would consider dungarees — which, in Britain, are a garment with a bib front — to be "wrong" for a Page 3 model. Then again, after seeing pommers' missing image, maybe not!

Missing Image
Dungarees

4d   Close to herbaceous border // plant (5)

Sedge^[5] is any of several genus of grass-like plant with triangular stems and inconspicuous flowers, growing typically in wet ground. Sedges are widely distributed throughout temperate and cold regions.

5d   Fail to get the compiler's // message (7)

It is a common cryptic crossword convention for the creator of the puzzle to use terms such as (the) compiler, (the) setter, (this) author, (this) writer, or this person to refer to himself or herself. To solve such a clue, one must generally substitute a first person pronoun (I or me) for whichever of these terms has been used in the clue. 

While the 's is indicating the possessive case in the surface reading, in the wordplay it is a contraction of "has". In the solution, "compiler's" (contraction for "compiler has") must be replaced by "I've" (I have). 

6d   One hundred minus one leaves two... (7)

In Britain, naught^[4] is a variant spelling (especially US) of nought whereas, in the US, nought^[3] is a variant spelling of naught.

7d   Huge // romantic also getting sloppy (12)

10d   Planted one's plant // all right (12)

15d   Free // from former wife with ace figure (9)

17d   Country/'s/ state, say, during rising (7)

18d   Most obscene // left us confused about love (7)

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.

19d   Weapon // shot conserving power before discharge (7)

In physics, P^[10] is a symbol used to represent power (among other things).

20d   Sort /of/ inoffensive case wearing glasses (7)

22d   German city /of/ Cologne perhaps, without Church (5)

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.

Essen^[5] is an industrial city in the Ruhr valley, in northwestern Germany; population 583,200 (est. 2006).

Scratching the Surface
Cologne[5] is an industrial and university city in western Germany, in North Rhine-Westphalia; population 989,800 (est. 2006). Founded by the Romans and situated on the River Rhine, Cologne is notable for its medieval cathedral.

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