Thursday, November 26, 2015 — DT 27831

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27831
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Thursday, June 18, 2015
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27831]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Falcon
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

I can justifiably say that this is not a memorable puzzle. I reviewed this puzzle on Big Dave's Crossword Blog when it was published by The Daily Telegraph in June. Despite this, I had absolutely no recollection of the puzzle while I was solving it and only realized that I had reviewed it when I visited Big Dave's site upon completing it. I must say that my performance was consistent. The two clues (9d and 17d) which gave me trouble in June also caused difficulty today. However, today I did manage to sort out the wordplay for these two clues without the need to issue an SOS call to fellow bloggers.

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   Confused // symbol of royal authority, we hear (6)

Throw^[5] is used in the sense of to disconcert or confuse ⇒ she frowned, thrown by this apparent change of tack.

4a   Two cricket sides combined // occasionally (3,3,2)

In cricket, the off^[5]  (also called the off side) is the half of the field (as divided lengthways through the pitch) towards which the batsman's feet are pointed when standing to receive the ball.  The other half of the field is known as either the on^[5] (also called the on side) or the leg^[5] (also called the leg side) ⇒ he played a lucky stroke to leg.

10a   Fragmentary // musical work male composed (9)

11a   Put forward // first person in job (5)

12a   Idiot accompanying a knight // somewhere in Belgium (7)

"knight" = N (show explanation )

N^[5] is the abbreviation for knight used in recording moves in chess [representing the pronunciation of kn-, since the initial letter k- represents 'king'].

As an aside, it is interesting to note that the Chambers 21st Century Dictionary defines: 

• K^[2] as an abbreviation used in chess for knight. 
• K^[2] is a symbol used in chess to represent a king. 
• N^[2] is a symbol used in chess to represent a knight.

The dictionary fails to specify how one differentiates an abbreviation from a symbol.

hide explanation

Antwerp^[5] is:

1. a port in northern Belgium, on the Scheldt; population 472,071 (2008). By the 16th century it had become a leading European commercial and financial centre.
2. a province of Belgium of which Antwerp is the capital.

13a   Contain // start of deception within popular part of puzzle (7)

14a   Golf, say, shown by green? // It's taken on board (5)

I believe the wordplay is CAR (Golf, say) + GO (shown by green). That is, the direction to go or proceed is indicated (shown) by a green traffic light.

The Volkswagen Golf^[7] is a small family car produced by the German manufacturer Volkswagen since 1974, marketed worldwide across seven generations, in various body configurations and under various nameplates – as the Volkswagen Rabbit in the United States and Canada (Mk1 and Mk5), and as the Volkswagen Caribe in Mexico (Mk1).

15a   Adjustment of leg in my // revealing garment (8)

18a   A fee's wrong in part of weekend? // Most politicians want it! (4,4)

20a   Release // what eminent diplomat might wear? (5)

23a   In advance, see // vicar, one occupying bench (7)

The definition is expressed in a rather convoluted fashion -- a bit of Yoda speak, methinks.

A vicar^[5] is a member of the clergy, although the meaning of the term varies among religious denominations. The term may mean:

• in the the Church of England, an incumbent of a parish where tithes formerly passed to a chapter or religious house or layman;
• in other Anglican Churches, a member of the clergy deputizing for another;
• in the Roman Catholic Church, a representative or deputy of a bishop;
• in the US Episcopal Church, a clergyman in charge of a chapel;
• a cleric or choir member appointed to sing certain parts of a cathedral service.

25a   Description of some champagne knocked back in English // motor? (7)

The adjective brut^[5] (used to describe sparkling wine) means unsweetened; or, in other words, very dry.

26a   Assistant suppressing second // private comment (5)

27a   Distant character? (9)

28a   See Italy's changing, // supporting the government (8)

"see" = LO (show explanation )

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

hide explanation

A loyalist^[5] is a person who remains loyal to the established ruler or government, especially in the face of a revolt.

29a   Parisian article effectively // in poor condition (6)

After reflecting on my hint from June, I would say that effectively^[2] is used in the sense of in an effective way and not — as I stated at that time — for all practical purposes.

Down

1d   Take steps // to bug and broadcast church (3-5)

"church" = CE (show explanation )

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.

hide explanation

2d   Go again into // some green territory (2-5)

3d   Unhappy // women discontentedly oppose desire before lunchtime (9)

I have no recollection of where I managed to come up with the statement desire would seem to be used in an archaic sense meaning to ask or command. In fact, I would say that beg^[5] is likely being used in the sense of to ask formally for (permission to do something) ⇒ I beg to second the motion.

5d   Place for replenishing saloons? (7,7)

Saloon^[5] (also saloon car) is a British term for a car [known in Canada, the US, and New Zealand as a sedan^[10]] having a closed body and a closed boot [trunk] separated from the part in which the driver and passengers sit ⇒ a four-door saloon.

6d   A seasoning mostly /found in/ jelly (5)

7d   Argument // son expressed in end (7)

8d   Talk // during commemoration at tercentenary (6)

9d   Conceal // food with lower charges reportedly (4,5,5)

Keep^[5] denotes food, clothes, and other essentials for living ⇒ the Society are paying for your keep.

16d   Drug // that is new probed by British university academic (9)

Ibuprofen^[5] is a synthetic compound used widely as an analgesic and anti-inflammatory drug. Its alternative name is 2-(4-isobutylphenyl) propionic acid; chemical formula: C₁₃H₁₈O₂.

17d   Give away tours outside of Rhodes, // going backwards (8)

The first time around, I had to issue an SOS call to my fellow bloggers. This time, I was able to figure it out with some assistance from my electronic helpers.

Scratching the Surface
Rhodes[5] is a Greek island in the southeastern Aegean, off the Turkish coast, the largest of the Dodecanese and the most easterly island in the Aegean; population 130,000 (est. 2004).

19d   Tiny meal left out after cooking /in/ day centre, maybe (7)

Day centre^[5] (also day-care centre) is a British term for a place providing care and recreation facilities for those who cannot be fully independent.

This presumably is different from a daycare centre^[10] which is a US, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand term for an establishment offering daycare to preschool children, enabling their parents to work full time or have extended relief if child care is a problem. Also called (especially in Britain) day nursery.

21d   Old vessel // cut journey by engineers (7)

The engineers today are not the usual Corps of Royal Engineers^[5] (the field engineering and construction corps of the British army who are also known as the sappers) but the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers^[7] (abbreviation REME; pronounced phonetically as "Reemee"), a corps of the British Army that has responsibility for the maintenance, servicing and inspection of almost every electrical and mechanical piece of equipment within the British Army from battle tanks and helicopters to dental tools and cooking equipment/utensils.

22d   Area of expansion // becomes distorted when up above lake (6)

24d   Perfect // heart of quiet South Coast town (5)

Deal^[7] is a town in Kent, England (population 30,085 at 2011 census) which lies on the English Channel, eight miles north-east of Dover. It is a former fishing, mining and garrison town. Close to Deal is Walmer, a possible location for Julius Caesar's first arrival in Britain. Deal became a 'limb port' of the Cinque Ports in 1278 and grew into the busiest port in England; today it is a seaside resort, its quaint streets and houses the only reminder of its history. The coast of France is approximately twenty-five miles from the town and is visible on clear days.

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