Tuesday, September 8, 2015 — DT 27761

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27761
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Saturday, March 28, 2015
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27761 – Hints] Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27761 – 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
The National Post has skipped DT 27759 and DT 27760 which were published in The Daily Telegraph on Thursday, March 26, 2015 and Friday, March 27, 2015. 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! Oh dear! I clearly cannot hold a candle to crypticsue. For her, this was a mere one-star workout; for me, it was well into three-star territory.

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   Combining two illegal drugs /makes one/ crazy (8)

Read "makes one" as meaning "produces (the result) for the one solving the puzzle".

6a   Spot // daughter with fruit (6)

9a   Drive home /in/ brougham merrily (6)

Scratching the Surface
Historically, a brougham[5] is: a horse-drawn carriage with a roof, four wheels, and an open driver’s seat in front [named after its designer, Lord Brougham (1778–1868)]; or a car with an open driver’s seat.

Delving Deeper

A little research shows that one can always depend on American marketers to bastardize the language. Brougham is another name for a coupé de ville[7] (North American coupe de ville, with a silent "e" in "coupe"), an automobile with an external or open-topped driver's position and an enclosed compartment for passengers. Most versions are variations on one of two main types, both of which are known in Europe as coupé de ville. In Type I, known  in continental Europe as a coupé chauffeur as well as a coupé de ville and in North America as a town car ("town" being an anglicized version of "de ville"), the driver is separated from a fully enclosed passenger compartment by a partition. Type II, known in Europe as a sedanca or sedanca coupé as well as a coupé de ville and in North America as a coupe de ville, is a two-door version without a divider between the driver and the passengers. The passenger compartment is without its own doors and is accessed from the front. A brougham[7] was originally a car body style based on the earlier brougham carriage. Similar in style to the later town car, the brougham style was used on chauffeur-driven petrol [gasoline] and electric cars. Electric broughams in the United States later evolved, becoming owner-driven cars without the outside seat for the chauffeur, but they kept the "brougham" name. By World War II the original meaning of the term "brougham" had been largely forgotten, with American manufacturers using the term to denote a more luxurious trim level on a fully enclosed car. General Motors has since used the term as a model name several times, while manufacturers in the United States have often used the term as a trim package designation. The term "de ville" is French for "for town" and indicates that the vehicle is for use in town or for short distances. When added to the end of a body style (saloon, coupé, landaulet, etc.), "de Ville" indicated that the top over the driver's compartment could be folded away, retracted, or otherwise removed. As a vehicle for town use, the coupé de ville usually had no facilities for carrying luggage. In North America, manufacturers have used the term liberally to the point where the terms "Sedanca" and "de Ville" have almost lost their distinction.

10a   Excited to get in live // coverage after a dip (8)

11a   Suave type, // one captivated by some hot dancing (8)

12a   Hard men trap // insect (6)

"hard" = H (show explanation )

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

hide explanation

"men" = OR (show explanation )

In the British armed forces, the term other ranks^[5] (abbreviation OR^[5]) refers to all those who are not commissioned officers.

hide explanation

13a   Imprison lawyer in gambling organisation /that's/ state of the art (4,2-2-4)

Bang up^[10] is [quite likely British] prison slang meaning to lock up (a prisoner) in his or her cell, especially for the night.

"lawyer" = DA (show explanation )

In the US, a district attorney^[5] (abbreviation DA) is a public official who acts as prosecutor for the state in a particular district.

hide explanation

The Tote^[5] (British trademark) is a system of betting based on the use of the totalizator, in which dividends are calculated according to the amount staked rather than odds offered ⇒ he has taken a risk with the tote.

Bang up^[5] (as an adverb) is an informal, chiefly British term meaning:

1. exactly ⇒ the train arrived bang on time; or
2. completely ⇒ bring your wardrobe bang up to date.

16a   French art links two fish -- // a point used in the main (7-5)

"French art" = ES

Art^[5] is an archaic or dialect second person singular present of the verb to be ⇒ I am a Gentleman as thou art.

Es^[8] is the second person singular present of the French verb être (to be).

Of the many possible spellings of the solution, I was familiar with only one — and not the one that is needed.

Marlinespike^[2,3,10.11] or marlinspike^[1,2,3,5,10] or (less commonly) marlingspike^[3,10] as well as marlin spike^[10] or marline spike^[10] or marline-spike^[1] is a nautical term for a pointed metal tool used as a fid [a spike-like tool used for separating strands of rope in splicing], spike, and for various other purposes.

19a   Visually tired // by keeping king in play (6)

"king in play" = LEAR (show explanation )

King Lear^[7] is a tragedy by English playwright William Shakespeare (1564-1616). The title character descends into madness after disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all.

Lear^[5] was a legendary early king of Britain, the central figure in Shakespeare’s tragedy King Lear. He is mentioned by the 12th century Welsh chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth in his Historia Regum Britanniae (circa 1139; first printed in 1508), an account of the kings of Britain.

hide explanation

21a   Chemical compound /produced from/ aluminium and potassium mixed with other metals we hear (8)

"aluminium" = AL (show explanation )

Aluminium^[5] is the British spelling of the chemical element aluminum, the symbol for which is Al^[5].

hide explanation

"potassium" = K (show explanation )

The symbol for the chemical element potassium is K^[5] (from modern Latin kalium).

hide explanation

In chemistry, an alkaloid^[5] is any of a class of nitrogenous organic compounds of plant origin which have pronounced physiological actions on humans. They include many drugs (morphine, quinine) and poisons (atropine, strychnine).

23a   An ant kit adapted // for use against armoured vehicles (4-4)

24a   Provoke to riot, perhaps, // able to be seen when broadcast (6)

25a   Physicist /showing/ unaccustomed weight (6)

Sir Isaac Newton^[5] (1642–1727) was an English mathematician and physicist, considered the greatest single influence on theoretical physics until Einstein. (expand )

In his Principia Mathematica (1687), Newton gave a mathematical description of the laws of mechanics and gravitation, and applied these to planetary motion. Opticks (1704) records his optical experiments and theories, including the discovery that white light is made up of a mixture of colours. His work in mathematics included the binomial theorem and differential calculus.

contract

26a   Government books /supplying/ lot of soldiers (8)

"books" = NT (show explanation )

In Crosswordland, the word "books" is often used to clue either the Old Testament (OT) or the New Testament (NT). Today, as is often the case, the clue provides no indication whether the reference is to the former or the latter.

hide explanation

Down

2d   Subjects /of/ genuine document (6)

3d   Appeared ordinary /in/ small part (5)

"ordinary" = O (show explanation )

In the UK (with the exception of Scotland), O level^[5] (ordinary level)^[5] is a qualification in a specific subject formerly taken by school students aged 14-16, at a level below A level. It was replaced in 1988 by the  GCSE^[5] (General Certificate of Secondary Education).

hide explanation

4d   Classic venue // for women entertained by country music queen (9)

"for women" = hen (show explanation )

Hen (as an adjective) means for women, as in the terms hen party and hen night.

Hen party^[5] is a [likely chiefly British] term for a social gathering of women, especially a hen night.

Hen party^[5] is an informal British term for a celebration held for a woman who is about to get married, attended only by women.

hide explanation

Dolly Parton^[7] is an American singer-songwriter, actress, author, businesswoman, and humanitarian, known primarily for her work in country music.

Watch Morley Safer's 60 Minutes feature Dolly Parton: The Real Queen of All Media.

The Parthenon^[5] is the temple of Athene Parthenos, built on the Acropolis [the ancient citadel at Athens] in 447–432 BC by Pericles to honour Athens' patron goddess and to commemorate the recent Greek victory over the Persians. It was designed by Ictinus and Callicrates with sculptures by Phidias.

5d   Pictorial representation // accomplished with gold after time (7)

"gold" = AU (show explanation )

The symbol for the chemical element gold is Au^[5] (from Latin aurum).

hide explanation

A tableau^[5] (plural tableaux or tableaus) is a group of models or motionless figures representing a scene from a story or from history ⇒ in the first act the action is presented in a series of tableaux.

6d   Germany long /in/ depression (5)

"Germany" = D (show explanation )

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

hide explanation

7d   Tiger and pard shot /as/ sort of game (9)

Pard^[5] is an archaic or literary term for a leopard ⇒ the spotted skin of the pard.

8d   Trio belt out // words from opera (8)

13d   Traditional singer /of/ considerable weight embracing girl briefly (9)

Di, a diminutive for Diana, is — without doubt — the most popular girl's name in Crosswordland.

14d   Left enthralled by lookalike monarch /for/ brief moment (9)

15d   Standard way to get round initially common // manner of speaking (8)

17d   Strike sovereign /or/ pound (7)

"sovereign" = 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

Scratching the Surface
In the surface reading, sovereign[5] refers to a former British gold coin worth one pound sterling, now only minted for commemorative purposes.

Smacker^[5] (also smackeroo)  is an informal British term for one pound sterling ⇒ 300,000 smackers.

Note: In her review, crypticsue has (presumably inadvertently) written SPANKER rather than SMACKER.

18d   Youngster /with/ knowledge about one set of races (6)

Ken^[5] denotes one’s range of knowledge or understanding ⇒ politics are beyond my ken.

"set of races" = TT (show explanation )

The Tourist Trophy^[5] (abbreviation TT^[5]) is a motorcycle-racing competition held annually on roads in the Isle of Man since 1907.

For many years, the Isle of Man TT^[7] was the most prestigious motorcycle race in the world. The race is run in a time-trial format on public roads closed for racing. Since, in a time trial, each competitor races alone against the clock, the event could be described as a "series of races".

hide explanation

20d   Desire // indefinite time in history? (5)

22d   Doctor // upset Greek character with pass (5)

Mu^[5] is the twelfth letter of the Greek alphabet (Μ, μ).

Locum^[5] (short for locum tenens) is a British term for a person who stands in temporarily for someone else of the same profession, especially a cleric or doctor.

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