Tuesday, February 10, 2015 — DT 27582

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27582
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Saturday, August 30, 2014
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27582 – Hints] Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27582 – Review]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Big Dave (Hints) crypticsue (Review)
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
As this was a Saturday "Prize Puzzle" in Britain, there are two entries related to it on Big Dave's Crossword Blog — the first, posted on the date of publication, contains hints for selected clues while the second is a full review issued following the entry deadline for the contest. The vast majority of reader comments will generally be found attached to the "hints" posting with a minimal number — if any — accompanying the full review.

Introduction

Oh dear, after seeing crypticsue's assessment of this puzzle, I fear that my solving abilities have totally deserted me. I found this puzzle (in particular, the northeast corner) to be quite difficult, although — in hindsight — I certainly should have been able to solve a few more clues before calling for electronic assistance.

I can only surmise that crypticsue intended to rate the puzzle as "*/**" for difficulty (rather than the "*/*" which appears in her 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   Keep following small enchanting woman /in/ communication centre (11)

Horrors! As a former telecommunications engineer, one would hardly think that this clue might pose a problem for me. However, I was thinking along the lines of a building housing switching equipment.

7a   Criticise a revolutionary // style (7)

Che Guevara^[7] (1928–1967) was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and military theorist. A major figure of the Cuban Revolution, his stylized visage has become a ubiquitous countercultural symbol of rebellion and global insignia within popular culture.

8a   Slow bowler's variation /finds/ place to turn in front of leg (7)

Did you avoid the trap?

I confess that I initially fell into the trap of assuming that the setter must be using the word "leg" to clue ON. Leg[5] (also known as leg side) is 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 leg side is also known as the on side (also called the on[5]). Naturally, the other side of the field is known as the off side[5] (also called the off). As I was eventually to discover, the setter is employing a totally different meaning of "leg".

In the sport of cricket, bowling^[7] is the action of propelling the ball toward the wicket defended by a batsman.

There are different types of bowlers ranging from fast bowlers, whose primary weapon is pace, through swing and seam bowlers who try to make the ball deviate in its course through the air or when it bounces, to slow bowlers, who will attempt to deceive the batsmen with a variety of flight and spin. A spin bowler usually delivers the ball quite slowly and puts spin on the ball causing it to bounce at an angle off the pitch.

Topspin^[5] is a fast forward spinning motion imparted to a ball when throwing or hitting it, often resulting in a curved path or a strong forward motion on rebounding.

10a   Bird's egg on // garden plant (8)

A lark^[2] is any of various different kinds of bird, but especially the skylark, that are usually gregarious, brownish in colour, ground-nesting and characterized by their tuneful song which they often deliver while in flight.

Larkspur^[5] is an annual Mediterranean plant of the buttercup family, which bears spikes of spurred flowers. It is closely related to the delphiniums, with which it has been bred to produce a number of cultivated hybrids.

11a   Curt's no leader, put in place by company // group (6)

Clearly, crypticsue should have said "goes after" (rather than "goes under") in her explanation.

13a   Fish /for/ tea (4)

Char^[5] (also spelled cha or chai) is an informal British name for tea.

14a   Pupil who's left school able to write /and/ rub out! (10)

In Britain, an old boy^[5] (abbreviation OB^[2])  is (1) a former male student of a school or college ⇒an old boy of Banbury County School or (2) a former male member of a sports team or company ⇒the White Hart Lane old boy squared the ball to present an easy chance from 12 yards. It is also a chiefly British affectionate form of address to a boy or man ⇒ ‘Look here, old boy,’ he said.

16a   Old Western film // one employed at RADA? (10)

The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art^[7] (abbreviation RADA) is a drama school located in London, England. It is one of the oldest drama schools in the United Kingdom, founded in 1904.

Stagecoach^[7] is a 1939 American Western film directed by John Ford, starring Claire Trevor and John Wayne in his breakthrough role. The film follows a group of strangers riding on a stagecoach through dangerous Apache territory.

18a   Miss hugging Old // Nick (4)

Nick^[5] is an informal British name for a prison ⇒ he’ll end up in the nick for the rest of his life.

Gaol^[5] is an alternative British spelling of jail.

21a   Snake catches Marvin // napping (6)

The asp (also asp viper) is a small southern European viper (Vipera aspis) with an upturned snout.

Lee Marvin^[7] (1924–1987) was an American film and television actor. Marvin initially appeared in supporting roles, mostly villains, soldiers and other hardboiled characters. From 1957 to 1960, he starred as Detective Lieutenant Frank Ballinger in the NBC hit crime series, M Squad. In 1966 he won several awards, including an Academy Award for Best Actor, for his dual roles in Cat Ballou.

22a   Twitter's number one for upsetting // immense number (8)

24a   English composer not a green // artist (2,5)

Sir Edward Elgar^[5] (1857–1934) was an English composer who is known particularly for the Enigma Variations (1899), the oratorio The Dream of Gerontius (1900), and for patriotic pieces such as the five Pomp and Circumstance marches (1901–30).

What did she say?
In her review, crypticsue refers to "... ELGAR (the English composer, not the crossword setter) ...".
Elgar is the pseudonym of John Henderson for Toughie crosswords in The Daily Telegraph. The Toughie is a cryptic crossword that appears in The Daily Telegraph on Tuesday through Friday. It gets its name from the fact that it is intended to be a more difficult puzzle than the regular cryptic crossword that appears in The Daily Telegraph on Monday through Saturday — this latter puzzle being the one that the National Post carries.

El Greco^[5] [Spanish for 'the Greek'] (1541–1614) was a Cretan-born Spanish painter; born Domenikos Theotokopoulos. El Greco’s portraits and religious works are characterized by distorted perspective, elongated figures, and strident use of colour.

25a   Player // caught in a lock (7)

On cricket scorecards, the abbreviation c.^[2,10] or c^[5] denotes caught or caught by.

26a   Ancient Mayor of London once walked round a // street there (3,4,4)

The post of Mayor of London has existed only since May 2000 and has been occupied by only two individuals since its inception. I have observed that it is common practice for Brits to refer to the Mayor by his first name.

The Mayor of London^[7] is an elected politician who, along with the London Assembly of 25 members, is accountable for the strategic government of Greater London. Conservative Boris Johnson has held the position since 4 May 2008. The position was previously held by Ken Livingstone from the creation of the role on 4 May 2000 until his succession by Johnson.

The Old Kent Road^[7] is a road in Bermondsey, South East London, England, and forms part of Watling Street, the Roman road which ran from Dover [on the English Channel in southeastern England] to Holyhead [on the Irish Sea in northwestern Wales]. The street is famous as one of the two cheapest properties on the London Monopoly board [occupying the spot where  Mediterranean Avenue is found on the original board] and is the only one in South London.

Down

1d   Belted out tune when served up // drink (7)

2d   As a precaution /if/ appearing at court? (2,4)

I would consider the latter part of the clue to be a cryptic definition (with the question mark indicating that the solution is a possible reason for appearing at court). That is, one might appear at court due to being involved "in [a] case".

3d   Means to pay /for/ such as 'Good Soldier Schweik' on the radio (10)

The Good Soldier Švejk^[7], also spelled Schweik or Schwejk, is the abbreviated title of an unfinished satirical/dark comedy novel by Czech writer Jaroslav Hašek (1883–1923). The original Czech title of the work translates literally as The Fateful Adventures of the Good Soldier Švejk During the World War. It is the most translated novel of Czech literature.

4d   Crazy // flutters (4)

5d   Lily // Allen's first rendering of 'Old Shep' (8)

The asphodel^[5] is a Eurasian plant of the lily family, typically having long slender leaves and flowers borne on a spike.

Scratching the Surface

Lily Allen[7] is an English singer, songwriter, actress, and television presenter [host]. She comes from a British show business family. Her father is British actor, comedian, musician, singer-songwriter, artist, author and television presenter Keith Allen and her mother is English film producer Alison Owen. In 2008, she received a Grammy Award nomination in the Best Alternative Music Album category for her debut album, Alright, Still. "Old Shep"[7] is a song written and composed by Red Foley and Arthur Williams, and originally performed by Foley, about a dog Foley had owned as a child. (In reality, the dog, poisoned by a neighbor, was a German shepherd named Hoover.) Foley and Willis wrote and composed the song in 1933. Foley first recorded the song in 1935, again in 1941 and 1946. The song, later recorded by many artists including Hank Snow and Elvis Presley, became a country classic. The Brits may be familiar with the song from hearing it repeatedly on the British TV sitcom Only Fools and Horses, in which "Old Shep" is Del Boy's favourite song. I think it is fairly safe to conclude that Lily Allen never recorded the song.

6d   Ambassador's reduced // qualification (7)

7d   It lost peace producing // tyranny (6,5)

9d   Catch handlers going astray /in/ the country (11)

12d   Inharmonious // gig with records delivered finally in rave (10)

15d   American hero -- North Dakota // clergyman (8)

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.

The US Postal Service abbreviation for the state of North Dakota^[7] is ND.

17d   Fast // car // hampered by insubstantial legroom (7)

This clue has two definitions as well as wordplay.

The musical direction allegro^[5] means at a brisk speed.

The Austin Allegro^[7] is a small family car manufactured by British Leyland under the Austin name from 1973 until 1982. In total, 642,350 Austin Allegros were produced during its ten-year production life, most of which were sold on the home market.

I suspect that the description regarding legroom is likely accurate while that concerning speed may be less so.

19d   Sweet flavour // and wrapping I notice (7)

Aniseed^[2] is the liquorice-flavoured seeds of the anise plant, used as a food flavouring in cakes and other baked products, sweets, liqueurs and other beverages.

20d   Completely drunk // Bishop's gambling game (6)

B^[5] is an abbreviation for bishop that is used in recording moves in chess.

23d   Carry on // habit? (4)

I was able to identify candidate solutions that satisfied one or the other of the definitions but not both. For instance, a TOTE could be a "carry on" (bag), but does not work for "habit".

A cope^[5] is a long, loose cloak worn by a priest or bishop on ceremonial occasions.

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