Saturday, October 31, 2015

Saturday, October 31, 2015 — Hammering Away at Something Hard to Solve

Introduction

Like those of you who have already commented on  today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon, I found it to be a more difficult challenge than that to which we have become accustomed. For the first time in a long while, my electronic assistants got called out on a Saturday.

I invite you to leave a comment to let us know how you fared with the puzzle.

Solution to Today's Puzzle

Falcon's Experience
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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
- yet to be solved

Legend: "*" anagram; "~" sounds like; "<" letters reversed

"( )" letters inserted; "_" letters deleted; "†" explicit in the clue

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 (//).

Across

7a   Roth novel // hammering deity (4)

THOR* — anagram (novel) of ROTH

Thor's Battle Against the Jötnar (1872)
by Mårten Eskil Winge
In Norse mythology, Thor[7] is a hammer-wielding god associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, the protection of mankind, and also hallowing, healing and fertility.

Scratching the Surface
Philip Roth[5] is an American novelist and short-story writer. He often writes about the complexity and diversity of contemporary American Jewish life. Notable works: Portnoy’s Complaint (1969).

8a   A hearty cop busted // drug dealer? (10)

APOTHECARY* — anagram (busted) of A HEARTY COP

10a   Drive, by a prayer, /in/ hot rod event (4,4)

DR|A|G RACE — DR (drive; street address) + A (†) + GRACE (prayer; before a meal)

11a   Classified notice/’s/ dim bit (4,2)

WAN|T AD — WAN (dim) + TAD (bit)

12a   Yard structure/’s/ look and smell (6)

GAZE|BO — GAZE (look) + BO (smell; body odour)

13a   Bone found in pile // on the way to the graveyard (8)

MO(RIB)UND — RIB (bone) contained in (found in) MOUND (pile)

Figuratively speaking, "on the way to the graveyard".

15a   Awfully odd adornments /for/ a dramatist (6,7)

{EDMOND ROSTAND}* — anagram (awfully) of ODD ADORNMENTS

My initial guess had the letters of his last name in an incorrect order and I needed a bit of electronic help to get them into proper alignment.

Edmond Rostand[7] (1868–1918) was a French poet and dramatist. He is associated with neo-romanticism, and is known best for his play Cyrano de Bergerac. Rostand's romantic plays contrasted with the naturalistic theatre popular during the late nineteenth century. Another of Rostand's works, Les Romanesques, was adapted to the musical comedy, The Fantasticks.

18a   Feel bad about group of whales flipping // Show Boat heroine (8)

{MAG|NO|LIA}< — reversal (flipping) of {AIL (feel bad) + ON (about; concerning) + GAM (group of whales)}

Magnolia Hawks is one of the principal characters in Show Boat[7], a 1927 musical, with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. Based on Edna Ferber's bestselling novel of the same name, the musical follows the lives of the performers, stagehands, and dock workers on the Cotton Blossom, a Mississippi River show boat, over forty years, from 1887 to 1927. Its themes include racial prejudice and tragic, enduring love. The musical contributed such classic songs as "Ol' Man River", "Make Believe", and "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man".

21a   Some pains, ultimately // slight (6)

_INS|ULT_ — hidden (some) in paINS ULTimately

22a   Where some Alaskans are // pronounced immortal (6)

JUNEAU~ — sounds like (pronounced)

As I mentally ran through the names of Alaskan cities, the state capital failed to come to mind.

Juneau[5] is the state capital of Alaska, a seaport on an inlet of the Pacific Ocean in the south of the state; population 30,988 (est. 2008).

As a noun, immortal[5] denotes an immortal being, especially a god [or goddess] of ancient Greece or Rome.

In Roman mythology, Juno[5] was the most important goddess of the Roman state, wife of Jupiter — her counterpart in Greek mythology being Hera.

24a   A doubter’s question // as to this cryptic (2,4,2)

{IS THAT SO}* — anagram (cryptic) of AS TO THIS

25a   Someone tall and skinny // changed tennis garb (6,4)

{STRING BEAN}* — anagram (changed) of TENNIS GARB

26a   Something hard to solve /but/ not to hear? (4)

KNOT~ — sounds like (to hear) NOT

Down

1d   Lack /of/ game in coastline area (8)

SHOR(TAG)E — TAG (game) contained in (in) SHORE (coastline area)

2d   Leader of Tories set up European // killer (10)

T|RIG|GERMAN — T (leader [initial letter] of Tories) + RIG (set up) + GERMAN (European)

3d   Pair of cashews in dark red // cookie (8)

MA(CA)ROON — CA (pair [initial two letters] of CAshews) contained in (in) MAROON (dark red)

4d   Deluge // someone giving a demonstration (6)

SHOWER — double definition

5d   Hoax following Dali’s last // picture (4)

I|CON — CON (hoax) following (†) I (Dali's last; final letter of DalI)

6d   Decree // altered version of a Rodin (6)

ORDAIN* — anagram (altered version of) A RODIN

Scratching the Surface
Auguste Rodin[5] (1840–1917) was a French sculptor. He was chiefly concerned with the human form. Notable works: The Thinker (1880) and The Kiss (1886).

9d   Oriole manager arranged // spread of a sort (13)

OLEOMARGARINE* — anagram (arranged) of ORIOLE MANAGER

The Baltimore Orioles[7] are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) East division.

Delving Deeper
The team was one of the American League's eight charter franchises when the league was established in 1901. The franchise spent its first year as a major league club in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as the Milwaukee Brewers before moving to St. Louis, Missouri to become the St. Louis Browns. After 52 often-beleaguered years in St. Louis, the franchise moved to Baltimore for the 1954 season and adopted the historic "Orioles" name in honor of the official state bird of Maryland. The Orioles name had also been used by several previous major and minor league baseball clubs in Baltimore, including the franchise that would eventually become the New York Yankees. Nicknames for the team include the "O's" and the "Birds".

14d   What’s at the foundation: // underwear piles (5,5)

BRAS|S TACKS — BRAS (underwear) + STACKS (piles)

16d   Miserly // sort’s face colouring (8)

Henry's contributed solution:

S|TINTING — S (sort's face; initial letter [face] of Sort) + TINTING (colouring)

Thank you, Henry, for pointing out the error in my original parsing of the clue.

The Solution That Should Never Have Seen the Light of Day
My original solution — which Henry charitably calls "inspired" — was:

16d   Miserly sort/’s/ face colouring (8)

SKINT|ONE — SKINT (miserly) + ONE (sort)

Skint[4,11] is British slang meaning having no money or penniless.

I think it would be more common to see "the sort" rather than merely "sort" in this sense ⇒ she is definitely the sort to avoid.
There were any number of red flags here — all of which I ignored. First, the word "skint" does not mean miserly, it means penniless (virtually the opposite). I think I was thinking in terms of "stint" even as I wrote "skint" (brain not engaged). Second, "skint" is a very British expression and it would be most usual for Cox & Rathvon to use it in a puzzle. Put it down to having done too many British puzzles. Third, as I pointed out in my original review, the word "one" is a poor match for "sort" — it really only matches the expression "the sort".

17d   Fantasy // in old use made new (8)

DELUSION* — anagram (made new) of IN OLD USE

19d   A big town adopting university/’s/ great vision (6)

A|C(U)ITY — A (†) + CITY (big town) containing (adopting) U (university)

20d   Make a sudden reach, grabbing round // loaf (6)

L(O)UNGE — LUNGE (make a sudden reach) containing (grabbing) O (round; letter having a round shape)

23d   Experience, in part, // one of the greats? (4)

_ERIE_ — hidden in (in part) ExpERIEnce

... one of the Great Lakes, that is.

Epilogue

The title of today's review was inspired by 7a and 26a.
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

Friday, October 30, 2015

Friday, October 30, 2015 — DT 27808

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27808
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Friday, May 22, 2015
Setter
Giovanni (Don Manley)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27808]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Deep Threat
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★★ Enjoyment - ★★★
Falcon's Experience
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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

Today we are served up a fairly gentle offering from Giovanni who may have attempted to sum up the solving experience in 26d.

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

9a   Peer /in/ uniform (5)

10a   Stars /in/ situation with no possibility of fire, we hear? (5,4)

11a   Unfamiliar // street to an extent (7)

12a   Enthusiastic approval /and/ praise? Outside it's hollow (7)

At comment #7 on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, neveracrossword claims that the solution to this clue only exists in the plural form. He goes on to say Was it Gazza who rejoined that the singular is acceptable if there is only one hand clapping?.

Despite this assertion, many of my dictionaries do list plaudit[2,3,4,10,11] in the singular but most of those which do so add that the word is usually used in the plural. The sole exception is Oxford Dictionaries which lists only the plural form, plaudits[5].

13a   Devoted // Left wanting our top family's leader to go (5)

The top family in Britain would be the Royal Family.

14a   Note provided by accomplice // in the fewest possible words? (9)

Minim[5] is a British name for a half note, a note having the time value of two crotchets [crotchet being a British name for a quarter note] or half a semibreve [whole note], represented by a ring with a stem.

16a   Leicester roughs on the rampage /in/ the county (15)

Gloucestershire[5] is a county of southwestern England; county town, Gloucester.

Scratching the Surface
Leicester[5] is a city in central England, on the River Soar, the county town of Leicestershire; population 294,900 (est. 2009). It was founded as a Roman settlement where the Fosse Way crosses the Soar (AD 50-100).

19a   Lots // of you taken to ship and given shelter (9)

"ship" = SS (show explanation )

In Crosswordland, a ship is almost invariably a steamship, the abbreviation for which is SS[5]the SS Canberra.

hide explanation

21a   Waste material /from/ Irish county, no end (5)

Offaly[5] is a county in the central part of the Republic of Ireland, in the province of Leinster; county town, Tullamore.

23a   Wild animal/'s/ flesh? There's hesitation by king to tuck in (7)

"king" = K (show explanation )

K[5] is an abbreviation for king that is used especially in describing play in card games and recording moves in chess.

hide explanation

A meerkat[5] is any of three species of small southern African mongoose, especially the suricate.

25a   Result /is/ not favoured? Word of reproof follows (7)

27a   Stream, one merging into lots -- // 19 of 19 of 19 of 19! (9)

The numeral "19" is a cross reference indicator directing the solver to insert the solution to clue 19a in its place to complete the clue. The directional indicator is customarily omitted in situations such as this where only a single clue starts in the light [light-coloured cell in the grid] that is being referenced.

28a   Three of them may be used in emergency (5)

In the UK, the telephone number used to contact emergency services is 999[5] — rather than 911.

Down

1d   Workers /as/ second-rate characters? (4)

"worker" = BEE (show explanation )

A worker[5] is a neuter or undeveloped female bee, wasp, ant, or other social insect, large numbers of which do the basic work of the colony.

In crossword puzzles, "worker" will most frequently be used to clue ANT and occasionally BEE but I have yet to see it used to clue WASP. Of course, "worker" is sometimes also used to clue HAND or MAN.

hide explanation

2d   In race get a // cheer (6)

3d   Weapons /in/ fabric carried by crowds (10)

Lint[5] is a fabric, originally of linen, with a raised nap on one side, used for dressing wounds ⇒ he smeared ointment on a strip of lint.

4d   Shining /as/ bird of prey heading off in the morning (6)

5d   Press one violently /for/ answer (8)

6d   Walkway in Athens /in which/ animal loses tail (4)

The stoat[5] (also known as the ermine, especially when in its white winter coat) is a small carnivorous mammal (Mustela erminea) of the weasel family which has chestnut fur with white underparts and a black-tipped tail. It is native to both Eurasia and North America and in northern areas the coat turns white in winter. In North America, it is known as the short-tailed weasel.

A stoa[5] is a classical portico (show explanation ) or roofed colonnade. The Stoa[5] was the great hall in Athens in which the ancient Greek philosopher Zeno gave the founding lectures of the Stoic school of philosophy.

A portico[5] is a structure consisting of a roof supported by columns at regular intervals, typically attached as a porch to a building.

hide explanation

7d   Sounds like we have a modern sort of shop /in/ the capital (3,5)

New Delhi[5] is the capital of India, a city in north central India built 1912–29 to replace Calcutta (now Kolkata) as the capital of British India. With Delhi, it is part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. Pop. (with Delhi) 12,259,200 (est. 2009).

8d   Almost // what Derbyshire dressers aim for? (6,4)

I needed Deep Threat's explanation to understand the wordplay in this clue.

Well dressing[7] (also once known as well flowering) is a summer custom practised in rural England in which wells, springs or other water sources are decorated with designs created from flower petals. The custom is most closely associated with the Peak District of Derbyshire and Staffordshire.

The origins of the tradition are alternatively said to lie in pagan tradition or in giving thanks for the purity of the water drawn from certain wells during the period of the Black Death. It has been said to have originated in Tissington, Derbyshire in 1349.

13d   E-mail: get it encrypted, // OK? (10)

15d   Maiden is leading supporting song, /creating/ trouble (10)

"maiden"  = M (show explanation )

In cricket, a maiden[5], also known as a maiden over and denoted on cricket scorecards by the abbreviation M[5], is an over in which no runs are scored.

In cricket, an over[5] is a division of play consisting of a sequence of six balls bowled by a bowler from one end of the pitch, after which another bowler takes over from the other end.

hide explanation

17d   Song /that's/ old and almost completely glum, I love! (1,4,3)

"love" = O (show explanation )

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.

Although folk etymology has connected the word with French l'oeuf 'egg', from the resemblance in shape between an egg and a zero, the term apparently comes from the phrase play for love (i.e. the love of the game, not for money).

hide explanation

"O sole mio"[7] is a globally known Neapolitan song written in 1898. Its lyrics were written by Giovanni Capurro and the music was composed by Eduardo di Capua. There are other versions of "’O sole mio" but it is usually sung in the original Neapolitan language. ’O sole mio is the Neapolitan equivalent of standard Italian Il mio sole and translates literally as "my sunshine".

18d   Authorise // second undertaking with any number joining in (8)

The letter n[10] is used (especially in mathematics) as a symbol to represent an indefinite number (of) ⇒ there are n objects in a box.

20d   Partner // thus getting employment, collecting pence (6)

"pence"  = P (show explanation )

In Britain's current decimal currency system, a penny[5] (plural pennies [for separate coins] or pence [for a sum of money]) is a bronze coin and monetary unit equal to one hundredth of a pound. The abbreviation for penny or pence is p[5].

hide explanation

22d   Father, losing heart completely, has // looks of disapproval (6)

24d   Item of clothing // left buried by equipment (4)

26d   Yes, a puzzle // completed without difficulty? (4)

I would think that the word "completed" is part of the definition. To express the idea that The crossword was easy, I might say The crossword was completed without difficulty or The crossword was not difficult but I would be unlikely to say The crossword was without difficulty.
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

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Thursday, October 29, 2015 — DT 27807

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27807
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Setter
Unknown
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27807]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Falcon
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★★ Enjoyment - ★★★
Falcon's Experience
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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

This may sound bizarre but I found this puzzle more difficult the second time around than when I solved it for the first time when I reviewed it for Big Dave's Crossword Blog. In May, I wrote "I seemed to be on the setter’s wavelength as I was able to solve this puzzle fairly quickly". I must have drifted off wavelength over the course of the summer.

I also note that some of my illustrations have vanished as well, including one showing a display of tulips in Ottawa. It seems that I had linked to web pages which no longer exist.

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   Elderly relative erring unfortunately not showing good // spirit (5,7)

"good" = G (show explanation )

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

hide explanation

Missing Illustration
The original illustration seems to have done a 404. Here is an equivalent one:


9a   Hormone // in wild lupins lacking source of protein (7)

Scratching the Surface
The lupin[5] (also North American lupine) is any of several species of plant of the pea family with deeply divided leaves and tall colourful tapering spikes of flowers.

10a   Intelligence // reduced by not working (3-4)

11a   Date // juice (7)

12a   Platitude /with/ unusually morbid note (7)

13a   Clear // deliveries ahead of time (5)

In cricket, an over[5] is a division of play consisting of a sequence of six balls bowled [delivered] by a bowler from one end of the pitch, after which another bowler takes over from the other end.

14a   Meet in Ely perhaps with naive beginner // only just old enough to drive (9)

Ely[5] is a cathedral city in the fenland of Cambridgeshire, eastern England, on the River Ouse; population 15,600 (est. 2009).

The Diocese of Ely[7] is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury, headed by the Bishop of Ely, who sits at Ely Cathedral in the city of Ely.

A see[10] is the diocese of a bishop, or the place within it where his cathedral or procathedral is situated.

In the UK, the minimum driving age[7] is seventeen.

Missing Illustration
Another missing illustration. As I recall, a young driver doing something incredibly stupid — although, precisely what it was, I do not remember.

16a   Lost // for information about baroque? (9)

Gen[5] is an informal British term for information ⇒ you’ve got more gen on him than we have.

OTT[5] (short for over the top) is an informal British expression denoting excessive or exaggerated ⇒ presenting him as a goalscoring Superman seems a bit OTT.

19a   Barrister /should be/ succinct (5)

Brief[5] is an informal British term for a solicitor or barrister it was only his brief’s eloquence that had saved him from prison.

21a   Sense I'm out /to give you/ punishment? (7)

The word nemesis[5] (often Nemesis) can mean retributive justice ⇒ Nemesis is notoriously slow.

23a   Examiner/'s/ car rubbish reversing (7)

Audi AG[7] is a German automobile manufacturer that has been a subsidiary of Volkswagen Group since 1966. The company name is based on the Latin translation of the surname of the founder, August Horch. "Horch", meaning "listen" in German, becomes "audi" in Latin. The four rings of the Audi logo each represent one of four car companies that banded together to create Audi's predecessor company, Auto Union.

24a   Change ten euros, dropping the last // on the road (2,5)

25a   Opening // sign (7)

26a   Eleven others played with seconds, with no duck // yet (12)

"duck" = O (show explanation )

In cricket, a duck[5] is a batsman’s score of nought [zero] ⇒ he was out for a duck. This is similar to the North American expression goose egg[5] meaning a zero score in a game.

In British puzzles, "duck" is used to indicate the letter "O" based on the resemblance of the digit "0" to this letter.

hide explanation

Scratching the Surface
The surface reading alludes to cricket, eleven being the number of players on a cricket side [team] and duck being a batsman’s score of nought [zero]. The seconds[5] are the reserve team of a sports club.

A reserve[5] is an extra player in a team, serving as a possible substitute ⇒ he was reserve hooker [position on a rugby team] for the World Cup team. The reserves[5] are the the second-choice team ⇒ playing in the first team has been a big step up after the reserves.

Down

1d   With top off beer guts get wobbly // motion (7)

2d   Partially curtail mental // illness (7)

3d   News interrupting unusually dire television // service (6,3)

"news" = NN (show explanation )

The setter uses a whimsical cryptic crossword convention which holds that since N[5] is the abbreviation for new (actually New, to be precise), NN must be the abbreviation for news.

This may possibly be an extrapolation from abbreviations such as p[5] (page) which has as its plural pp.[5] (pages).

hide explanation

4d   Unprepared -- // and all is oddly British (2-3)

5d   Unused to outskirts of Welwyn // Garden City? (3,4)

Garden city[5] is a British term for a new town designed as a whole with much open space and greenery.

A new town[5] is a planned urban centre created in an undeveloped or rural area, especially with government sponsorship.

Delving Deeper
New towns in the United Kingdom[7] were created in the 20th century under various New Town Acts. Some earlier towns were developed as garden cities or overspill estates early in the 20th century. The new towns proper were planned under the powers of the New Towns Act 1946 and later acts to relocate population in poor or bombed-out housing following the Second World War. They were not completely new, but developed around historic cores. Later developments included the expanded towns: existing towns which were substantially expanded to accommodate what was called the "overspill" population from densely populated areas of deprivation.

The garden city movement[7] is a method of urban planning that was initiated in 1898 by Sir Ebenezer Howard in the United Kingdom. Garden cities were intended to be planned, self-contained communities surrounded by "greenbelts", containing proportionate areas of residences, industry, and agriculture.

Howard's idealised garden city would house 32,000 people on a site of 6,000 acres (2,400 ha), planned on a concentric pattern with open spaces, public parks and six radial boulevards, 120 ft (37 m) wide, extending from the centre. The garden city would be self-sufficient and when it reached full population, another garden city would be developed nearby. Howard envisaged a cluster of several garden cities as satellites of a central city of 250,000 people, linked by road and rail.

Scratching the Surface
Welwyn Garden City[7], also known locally as "WGC" or "Welwyn Garden", is a town in Hertfordshire, England. It is located approximately 19 miles (31 km) from Kings Cross. Welwyn Garden City was the second garden city in England (founded 1920) and one of the first new towns (designated 1948).

It is unique in being both a garden city and a new town and exemplifies the physical, social and cultural planning ideals of the periods in which it was built.

6d   I have briefly raised volume before /getting/ sensitive (7)

7d   Best volunteer to keep goal /is/ one who hasn't slipped up before (5,8)

8d   Broadcast 'Floral Dance'? No, // that's settled! (4,3,3,3)

15d   Museum the French will claim is // ruin (9)

V & A[5] [V and A] is the abbreviation for the Victoria and Albert Museum[5], a national museum of fine and applied art in South Kensington, London, created in 1852 and having collections principally of pictures, textiles, ceramics, and furniture.

"the French" = LE (show explanation )

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

hide explanation

17d   Shame // about TV detective (7)

Inspector Endeavour Morse[7] is a fictional character in the eponymous series of detective novels by British author Colin Dexter, as well as the 33-episode 1987–2000 television drama Inspector Morse[7], with the character played by John Thaw. Morse is a senior CID (Criminal Investigation Department [the detective branch of a British police force]) officer with the Thames Valley Police force in Oxford, England.

Endeavour[7] is a British television detective drama series. It is a prequel to the long-running Inspector Morse and—like that series—is set primarily in Oxford. Shaun Evans portrays a young Endeavour Morse beginning his career as a Detective Constable with the Oxford City Police CID.

Behind the Picture
The illustration in my review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog shows the young Morse (played by Shaun Evans) on the left and the mature Morse (played by John Thaw) on the right.

Note: My comment on Big Dave's site alludes to Kath's well-known fondness for John Thaw.

18d   Old boy's remedy /may be/ unfamiliar (7)

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.
Old boy is also a chiefly British affectionate form of address to a boy or man ⇒ ‘Look here, old boy,’ he said.

19d   The point of retirement /is/ to live with little money keeping afloat at the end (7)

In my review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog, I should have said "... low value North American coin ...".

20d   Suspects /given/ Tango -- it's consumed by Northerners (7)

Tango[5] is a code word representing the letter T, used in radio communication.

In my review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog, I alluded that Inuits was an incorrect term when I commented that Inuit is a plural noun, the singular being Inuk. While that is true in the Inuit language, it may not hold in the English language. I have found two dictionaries that list the plural of Inuit as being Inuits.

Delving Deeper
The dictionaries are all over the map on the meaning of Inuit and the spelling of the plural form of this word. Given that the word inuit itself is the plural form of inuk, should it even have a plural?

Some dictionaries define Inuit as an individual member of a people while others say that the word refers to the members of the people collectively. The Chambers Dictionary covers all bases by including both options.

The Chambers Dictionary does not specify how the plural of Inuit[1] is spelled. However, as it defines the word as an indigenous people ... or a member of this people, it must have a plural (at least in the latter sense). The Chambers 21st Century Dictionary restricts the definition of Inuit[2] to an individual belonging to a group of peoples ... and clearly specifies that the plural is Inuit. Both Chambers dictionaries show Innuit as an alternative spelling of Inuit.

The Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary also defines Inuit (or Innuit) as a member of any of the Eskimo groups ... and specifies that the plural is Inuits or Inuit (or alternatively Innuits or Innuit).

Oxford Dictionaries defines Inuit[5] as a plural noun denoting the members of an indigenous people ...

Similarly, the American Heritage Dictionary defines Inuit[3] as a plural noun denoting the members of various Eskimoan peoples ...

Collins English Dictionary defines Inuit[4,10] as any of several Native peoples ... with the plural being Inuit or Inuits. However, the plural here would refer to two or more peoples — not two or more individuals.

22d   We sat around /in/ glow (5)

I recall that searching for images to illustrate this clue on Big Dave's site was far more pleasurable than delving through the various dictionary definitions of Inuit.
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

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Wednesday, October 28, 2015 — DT 27806

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27806
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Setter
Jay (Jeremy Mutch)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27806]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Dutch
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

Most of today's puzzle from Jay went in fairly smoothly, although I experienced a bit of a struggle in the southeast corner. I eventually threw in the towel and called in some electronic support.

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   What might be played /by/ graduates during tennis match? (6,4)

A double bass[5] is the largest and lowest-pitched instrument of the violin family, providing the bass line of the orchestral string section and also used in jazz and some country music.

On the other hand, in a British pub — as you can see from the illustration in Dutch's review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog — a double Bass might be two servings of English beer.

Delving Deeper
When it comes to beer, it is often hard to know what one is drinking, what with mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, licencing agreements, production arrangements, etc. The brand may be owned by one company but actually brewed by another company — even a competitor.

The Bass Brewery[7] was founded in 1777 by William Bass in Burton-upon-Trent, England. The main brand was Bass Pale Ale, once the highest selling beer in the UK. By 1877, Bass had become the largest brewery in the world, with an annual output of one million barrels. Its pale ale was exported throughout the British Empire, and the company's distinctive red triangle became the UK's first registered trademark.

Bass took control of a number of other large breweries in the early 20th century, and in the 1960s merged with Charrington United Breweries to become the largest UK brewing company, Bass Charrington.

The brewing operations of the company were sold to Belgian brewer Interbrew (now Anheuser-Busch InBev) in 2000, with the remaining retail side (hotel and pub holdings) being renamed Six Continents plc. The UK government's Competition Commission was concerned about the monopoly implications arising from the deal, and instructed Interbrew to dispose of the brewery and certain brands (Carling and Worthington ) to Coors (now Molson Coors Brewing Company), but allowed Interbrew to retain the rights to the Bass Pale Ale brand.

After acquiring the brewery, Coors produced Bass beer under licence from Interbrew until 2005 when its licence came to an end.

Draught Bass (4.4% ABV) has been brewed under contract in Burton by British brewer Marston's (formerly Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries plc) for AB-InBev since 2005. Bottled and keg Bass products sold outside the UK have a higher alcohol content (5% ABV) and are brewed at AB-InBev's own brewery in Samlesbury, except for those sold in the United States and Belgium, where Bass is brewed locally. In  the US, Bass products are now produced by Anheuser-Busch at a Baldwinsville, New York, facility.

Bass Ale is a top ten premium canned ale in the UK, with 16,080 hectolitres sold in 2010.

Check your can or bottle to see where your Bass Ale was produced — and by whom. Or better yet, patronize your local craft brewer.

6a   Keeps still, stifling // attention-seeker (4)

10a   Check around the front of son/'s/ gum (5)

11a   Critical point /for/ lake to the west of Slough (9)

Scratching the Surface
In the surface reading, Slough[7] is a town in Berkshire, England, about 20 miles (30 kilometres) west of central London. In 2011, the population of Slough was 140,200 and the most ethnically diverse outside London in the United Kingdom with the highest proportion of religious adherents in England. Historically part of Buckinghamshire, Slough is home to the Slough Trading Estate, the largest industrial estate [industrial park] in single private ownership in Europe.

12a   Paper with price increase, // daily that's seen in the East (7)

The Sun[7] is a daily tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and Ireland by a division of News UK, a wholly owned subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.

13a   Energy put into saying everything /is for/ defence, in the main (3,4)

"energy" = E (show explanation )

In physics, E[5] is a symbol used to represent energy.

hide explanation

The main[5] is an archaic or literary term for the open ocean.

14a   Spare weights must be set // aside (5,7)

18a   Potentially all decent -- bar // this stage performer! (6,6)

21a   Gatwick // Express -- best going back across river (7)

The wordplay became clear once I discarded the idea that "best" might be clueing 'AI' (A1).

Gatwick Airport[7] (also known as London Gatwick), located in Crawley, West Sussex, 29.5 miles (47.5 km) south of Central London, is London's second-largest international airport and the second-busiest (by total passenger traffic) in the United Kingdom (after Heathrow). Gatwick has the world's busiest single-use runway, with a maximum of 55 aircraft movements per hour [virtually one plane every minute].

23a   Managed to find // 'Tigon', say, in large dictionary (7)

A tigon[5] (also tiglon) is the hybrid offspring of a male tiger and a lioness.

OED[5] is the abbreviation for the Oxford English Dictionary.

Delving Deeper
The Oxford English Dictionary[7] (OED), published by the Oxford University Press, is a descriptive (as opposed to prescriptive) dictionary of the English language. As well as describing English usage in its many variations throughout the world, it traces the historical development of the language, providing a comprehensive resource to scholars and academic researchers. The second edition, published in 1989, came to 21,728 pages in 20 volumes.

The OED should not be confused with the Oxford Dictionary of English (ODE). In 1998 the New Oxford Dictionary of English (NODE) was published. Having as its aim to cover current English only, without the historical focus, NODE was not based on the OED. Instead, it was an entirely new dictionary produced with the aid of corpus linguistics [the study of language as expressed in corpora (samples) of "real world" text]. NODE (under the new title of the Oxford Dictionary of English, or ODE) continues to be the principal source for Oxford's product line of current-English dictionaries, including the Concise Oxford Dictionary and New Oxford American Dictionary, with the OED now only serving as the basis for scholarly historical dictionaries.

The online version of Oxford Dictionaries on which I rely heavily is based on the ODE.

What did he say?
In his review, Dutch refers to a 3-letter abbreviation of a dictionary (not BRB).
The BRB (Big Red Book) is a nickname frequently used on Big Dave's Crossword Blog to refer to The Chambers Dictionary.

24a   Dark beers /for/ these fliers? (9)

Jar[5] is an informal British term for a glass of beer ⇒ let’s have a jar.

The nightjar[5] is any of many species of a nocturnal insectivorous bird with grey-brown camouflaged plumage, large eyes and gape, and a distinctive call. The nightjar family also includes the nighthawks, pauraques, poorwills, whippoorwills, and chuck-will’s-widow. The name apparently arises from the fact that the bird is active at night and possesses a jarring cry.

25a   Still // at the office? Finishes to leave for appointment ... (5)

26a   ... appointment // delayed, left to bunk off for day (4)

Bunk off[5] is an informal British expression meaning to abscond or play truant from school or work he bunked off school all week.

The wordplay is LATE (delayed) with L (left) removed (to bunk off) and replaced with (for) D (day).

27a   Bulletin // putting four points in front of landlord (10)

A letter is someone who lets property.

Let[5] is a chiefly British term meaning to allow someone to have the use of (a room or property) in return for regular payments ⇒ (i) she let the flat to a tenant; (ii) they’ve let out their house. [I'm not sure that this word is as British as Oxford Dictionaries would have us believe.]

Down

1d   Pressure /from/ unionist wearing frock (6)

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.
2d   Take some detours in expectation // of bears (6)

3d   Hen night lot? Too drunk, /and/ old (4,2,3,5)

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

4d   With bended knees, // pleaded giving sanctuary to bird (3-6)

These knees are bended not in the sense one might first think.

5d   Positions // after listening to views (5)

7d   Sleeps soundly after school // drink (8)

Schnapps[5] is a strong alcoholic drink resembling gin ⇒ (i) he had drunk schnapps in Paris; (ii) relax with a schnapps and a sandwich.

8d   Time line accepted by stranger with small // children (8)

9d   Stupidly misreading core // activity of the Mafia (9,5)

15d   North-East is inclined to support Central London // drink menus (4,5)

The setter uses "Central London" to clue WI, employing the W1 postcode area[7] as a metonym for the area which it serves [postcode being the British counterpart of the Canadian postal code or American zip code]. However, I am not convinced that this is a very close match as the boundaries of the W1 postcode area coincide closely with those of the West End of London[7] (more commonly referred to as simply the West End) which — by any definition — would surely constitute no more than a portion of Central London.

Central London[7] is the innermost part of London, England. There is no official definition of its area, but its characteristics are understood to include a high density built environment, high land values, an elevated daytime population and a concentration of regionally, nationally and internationally significant organisations and facilities. Over time a number of definitions have been used to define the scope of central London for statistics, urban planning and local government.

16d   Got // into a bed, drunk (8)

17d   Settle, covering both sides // fine (3,5)

19d   Bond, maybe, // relating to urban culture? (6)

Bond Street[7] is a street in the West End of London, connecting Piccadilly in the south to Oxford Street in the north. The street has been a popular shopping area since the 18th century and is the home of many fashion outlets that sell prestigious and expensive items. [Note that it is located within the W1 postcode area (see discussion at 15d).]

Used as a modifier, street[5] denotes relating to the outlook, values, or lifestyle of those young people who are perceived as composing a fashionable urban subculture ⇒ London street style.

20d   Times boss // travelled up across centre of city (6)

The Times[7] is a British daily national newspaper based in London. The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers, since 1981 a division of News UK, a wholly owned subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.

22d   Angry speech, losing one // deal (5)
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