Saturday, April 30, 2016 — Serpentine Wickedness

Introduction

As a couple of readers have already commented, the setter's have clearly upped the level of difficulty in today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon. In particular, 16d really stretched the grey matter.

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 ┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐ ███████████████████████████████████ └────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘ 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

1a   Something that bonds // guys in a sleazy bar (8)

A|D(HES)IVE — HES (guys) contained in (in) {A (†) + DIVE (sleazy bar)}

5a   Intelligence // is painful (6)

SMARTS — double definition

10a   Sad // lute, far off (7)

TEARFUL* — anagram (off) of LUTE FAR

11a   Love writing, // making pen noises? (7)

O|INKING — O (love; nil score in tennis) + INKING (writing)

12a   Alien’s swallowing a // grub (4)

E(A)T|S_ — {ET (alien; E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial) + S ('s)} containing (swallowing) A (†)

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.

13a   Arctic Ocean endlessly altered // cooking style (10)

CACCIATORE* — anagram (altered) of {ARCTIC (†) + OCEA (OCEA[N] with the final letter removed (endlessly))}

Cacciatore^[5] (also cacciatora) is a postpositive adjective denoting a dish prepared in a spicy tomato sauce with mushrooms and herbs ⇒ chicken cacciatore. The word is Italian and literally means 'hunter' (because of the use of ingredients that a hunter might have to hand).

14a   Even // Theodore admits one (4)

T(I)ED — TED (diminutive of Theodore) containing (admits) I ([Roman numeral for] one)

15a   Overwhelming /and/ popular United Nations social activity (10)

IN|UN|DATING — IN (popular) + UN (United Nations) + DATING (social activity)

19a   Felines, // near morning, taken in by noblemen (10)

C(AT|AM)OUNTS — {AT (near) + AM (morning; ante meridiem)} contained in (taken in by) COUNTS (noblemen)

Catamount^[5] is a North American term for a puma^[5] [the name by which it is apparently known in Britain]. Other North American terms for this cat (Felis concolor) are cougar, panther, and mountain lion.

20a   Part of a clock // set back (4)

DIAL< — reversal (back) of LAID (set; laid a table in preparation for a meal, for instance)

21a   Sporting interrupts wrong // inauguration ceremony (8- 2)

S(WEARING)-IN — WEARING (sporting; the cheerful nudist sporting nothing but a smile) contained in (interrupts) SIN (wrong)

23a   That woman’s a // top Olympian (4)

HER|A — HER (that woman's) + A (†)

In Greek mythology, Hera^[10] (or Here) is the queen of the Olympian gods and sister and wife of Zeus.

25a   Opposite // Kiev’s terminal is car rental company (3-1-3)

V|IS_|A_VIS — V (KieV's terminal [final letter]) + IS (†) + AVIS (car rental company)

Avis Rent a Car System, LLC^[10], better known as Avis, is an American car rental company.

Delving Deeper

Avis is headquartered in Parsippany-Troy Hills, New Jersey, United States and the Cook Islands. Avis, Budget Rent a Car and Budget Truck Rental are all units of Avis Budget Group. Avis Budget Group operates the Avis brand in North America, South America, India, Australia and, New Zealand. Recently Avis has acquired Avis Europe plc which once was a separate corporation licensing the Avis brand. Avis is the third largest car rental agency in the world trailing behind Hertz Corporation.

Scratching the Surface
Kiev[5] is the capital of Ukraine, an industrial city and port on the River Dnieper; population 2,765,500 (est. 2009). Founded in the 8th century, it became capital of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1934. In 1991 it became capital of independent Ukraine.

26a   Mostly teach class in drawing // table on wheels (3,4)

TEA C|ART — TEAC {TEAC[H] with the final letter removed (mostly)} + ART (class in drawing)

27a   Signals okay about Mom/’s/ movers? (6)

NO(MA)DS — NODS (signals okay) containing (about) MA (Mom)

28a   Way to shine // piece of brass, with good reason (8)

B|RIGHTLY — B (piece [initial letter] of Brass) + RIGHTLY (with good reason)

Down

1d   Real // jerk pursuing gold, in that case (9)

AU|THEN|TIC — TIC (jerk) following (pursuing) {AU ([symbol for the chemical element] gold) + THEN (in that case)}

2d   Sloshing a beer that // instant (9)

HEARTBEAT* — anagram (sloshing) of A BEER THAT

3d   Small, and frequently // lenient (4)

S|OFT — S (small; abbrev.) + OFT (frequently; poetic shortening of 'often')

4d   An evil soul’s sin, put another way? (14)

VILLAINOUSNESS* — anagram (put another way) of AN EVIL SOULS SIN

The entire clue is also the definition making this an &lit.^[7] clue (or, as some prefer to call it, an all-in-one clue).

6d   City on the Irrawaddy // ruined many a lad (8)

MANDALAY* — anagram (ruined) of MANY A LAD

Mandalay^[7] is a port on the Irrawaddy River in central Burma (Myanmar); population 961,000 (est. 2007). Founded in 1857, it was the capital until 1885 of the Burmese kingdom. It is an important Buddhist religious centre.

7d   Cracked horn broken by one // large beast (5)

RH(I)NO* — anagram (cracked) of HORN containing (broken by) I ([Roman numeral for] one)

8d   Make a transition // among house guests (5)

_SE|GUE_ — hidden in (among) houSE GUEsts

9d   Snake // tossed narcotics to bro (3,11)

{BOA CONSTRICTOR}* — anagram (tossed) of NARCOTICS TO BRO

16d   Rambling // point led into the matter at hand (9)

I(TINE|RAN)T — {TINE (point) + RAN (led; managed or controlled)} contained in (into) IT (the matter at hand)

This looks so simple in hindsight; however, I spent nearly as much time deciphering this one clue as I expended on the entire remainder of the puzzle.

17d   Launch framework taking every // bit of mettle (9)

G(ALL)ANTRY — GANTRY (launch framework; the structure that supports a rocket prior to launch at Cape Canaveral) containing (taking) ALL (every)

18d   Feeling better, // little scamp went wandering (8)

IMP|ROVED — IMP (little scamp) + ROVED (went wandering)

21d   Number // observed divided by five (5)

SE(V)EN — SEEN (observed) containing (divided by) V ([Roman numeral for] five)

22d   Poems trashed // racing venue (5)

EPSOM* — anagram (trashed) of POEMS

Epsom Downs^[7] [which most certainly would be referred to informally simply as Epsom] is a Grade 1 racecourse near Epsom, Surrey, England. The course is best known for hosting the Epsom Derby, the United Kingdom's premier thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old colts and fillies, over a mile and a half (2400m). It also hosts the Epsom Oaks for three-year-old fillies and the Coronation Cup for all ages over the same distance.

The "downs" referred to in the name are part of the North Downs, a ridge of chalk hills in south east England.

24d   Disallow great // explosion (4)

BAN|G — BAN (disallow) + G (great; abbrev.)

I have no idea why G should be considered to be an abbreviation for great. My extensive search certainly failed to find support for this notion.

Epilogue

The title of today's review is inspired by the long entries at 4d and 9d.

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, April 29, 2016 — DT 27985

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27985
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27985]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Gazza
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 27984 which was published in The Daily Telegraph on Monday, December 14, 2015.

Introduction

Today the editors at the National Post have once again skipped over a puzzle from the "Monday maestro" Rufus. Instead, we get an offering from one of the "Tuesday" mystery setters.

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   Bring // fellow to eat out (5)

"fellow" = F (show explanation )

F^[2] is the abbreviation for Fellow (of a society, etc). For instance, it is found in professional designations such as FRAIC (Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada).

hide explanation

4a   Place to put pens etc? (8)

A pen^[5] is a female swan.

What did he say?
In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Gazza hints As well as pens you’ll probably find cobs and cygnets here.. A cob[5] is a male swan. A cygnet[5] is a young swan.

Swannery^[5] is a British term for a place set aside for swans to breed.

10a   Actor, // one featured in musical (7)

Oliver!^[7] is a British musical, with music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the novel Oliver Twist by English writer Charles Dickens (1812–1870). It premièred in the West End in 1960, enjoying a long run, a successful Broadway production in 1963 and further tours and revivals. It was made into a musical film in 1968. Major London revivals played from 1977–80, 1994–98 and again from 2008–11.

Laurence Olivier^[5], Baron Olivier of Brighton (1907–1989) was an English actor and director. Following his professional debut in 1924, he performed all the major Shakespearean roles; he was also director of the National Theatre (1963–73). His films include Rebecca (1940), Henry V (1944), and Hamlet (1948).

11a   Second book more than enough /as/ illustration (7)

Exodus^[5] (abbreviation Exod. or Ex.^[5]) is the second book of the Bible, which recounts the departure of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, their journey across the Red Sea and through the wilderness led by Moses, and the giving of the Ten Commandments. The events have been variously dated by scholars between about 1580 and 1200 BC.

12a   Way east's cut off /in/ disorderly retreat (4)

13a   Fully developed // road ultimately's restricted (5)

14a   Nudge // for daughter (4)

17a   Gate left /in/ horse-racing maybe (9,5)

19a   Type of rule /in/ golf events men violated? About right (4-10)

22a   Revered figure putting lake first /as/ somewhere to swim (4)

Lido^[5] is a British term for a public open-air swimming pool or bathing beach. The name comes from Lido^[5], a beach resort in northeastern Italy located on an island reef in the northern Adriatic which separates the Lagoon of Venice from the Gulf of Venice.

23a   Recover // a series of shots (5)

24a   Counter // sword (4)

27a   Brainy cooks with India's capital // dish (7)

Biryani^[5] is an Indian dish made with highly seasoned rice and meat, fish, or vegetables ⇒ prawn biryani.

28a   Atmosphere old boy found in province /and/ capital (7)

"old boy" = OB (show explanation )

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.

hide explanation

Nairobi^[5] is the capital of Kenya; population 3,010,000 (est. 2007). It is situated on the central Kenyan plateau at an altitude of 1,680 m (5,500 ft).

29a   Neat code unravelled /in/ short story (8)

30a   Senior figure /in/ party linked to foreign money (5)

The yen^[5] is the basic monetary unit of Japan.

Down

1d   Ray perhaps hiding scowl /gets/ to prosper (8)

2d   Positive testimony /that's/ hackneyed about British university (7)

3d   One getting estate // publicity, we hear (4)

Air^[10] denotes public expression or utterance ⇒ to give air to one's complaints.

5d   Fiddling alleged, wherein /will be/ manipulative practices (7-7)

Wheeler-dealing^[10] is another term for wheeling and dealing^[10], the use of different methods and contacts, often dishonestly, to achieve one's ends.

6d   Marine attendants partly // missing water? (4)

7d   Penguin, perhaps, // a figure of authority (7)

The emperor penguin^[5] is the largest species of penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri), which has a yellow patch on each side of the head and rears its young during the Antarctic winter.

8d   Give up /and/ return (5)

9d   Conservative // duke in characteristic leaning to protect Hebridean island (14)

"duke" = (show explanation )

A duke^[5] (abbreviation D.^[10]) is a male holding the highest hereditary title in the British and certain other peerages.

hide explanation

Iona^[5] is a small island in the Inner Hebrides, off the west coast [of the larger island] of Mull. It is the site of a monastery founded by St Columba in about 563.

15d   Crew /finding/ sun on Welsh river (5)

The River Taff^[7] is a large river in Wales. It rises as two rivers in the Brecon Beacons — the Little Taff and the Big Taff — before joining to form the Taff and flowing south to Cardiff Bay.

16d   Second long // part of hardback? (5)

Hardback^[5] is another term for hardcover^[5], the later being chiefly a North American term.

18d   Follow largely with element of pride // horse (8)

A pride^[5] is a group of lions forming a social unit ⇒ the males in the pride are very tolerant towards all the cubs.

20d   Northern actress Diana in middle of week /is/ back (7)

Diana Dors^[7] (1931–1984), born Diana Mary Fluck, was an English actress. She first came to public notice as a blonde bombshell in the style of Marilyn Monroe, as promoted by her first husband Dennis Hamilton, mostly via sex film-comedies and risqué modelling. When it turned out that Hamilton had been defrauding her for his own benefit, she had little choice but to play up to her established image, and she made tabloid headlines with the adult parties reportedly held at her house. Later she showed a genuine talent for TV and cabaret, and gained new popularity as a regular chat-show guest.

21d   Firm coming into money devised // cheaper travel, say (7)

22d   African country /in/ past beset by revolutionary trouble (5)

Libya^[5] is a country in North Africa; population 6,324,400 (est. 2009); official language, Arabic; capital, Tripoli. Much of Libya forms part of the Sahara Desert, with a narrow coastal plain bordering the Mediterranean; the country has major oil deposits. The area came under Turkish domination in the 16th century, was annexed by Italy in 1912, and became an independent kingdom in 1951

25d   Charge /for/ section of hospital (4)

26d   Take care of // what's kept by chum in department? (4)

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, April 28, 2016 — DT 27983

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27983
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Saturday, December 12, 2015
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27983 – Hints] Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27983 – 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

There should be little to overly tax the grey matter in this puzzle.

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   Noble // champion? (5-6)

I see this as a double definition with the first definition, perhaps, being a bit on the whimsical side.

7a   Conjecture // in East about 'Wise Men' (7)

... after all, it was approaching Christmas when this clue appeared in the UK.

In Christianity, the Magi^[2] (plural of magus) were the three wise men or astrologers from the east who brought gifts to the infant Jesus, guided by a star. Also called the Three Kings and the Three Wise Men.

8a   Callas working on aria's ending /in/ opera house (2,5)

Maria Callas^[5] (1923–1977) was an American-born operatic soprano, of Greek parentage; born Maria Cecilia Anna Kalageropoulos. She was a coloratura soprano whose bel canto style of singing was especially suited to 19th-century Italian opera.

La Scala^[5] is an opera house in Milan, Italy built 1776-8 on the site of the church of Santa Maria della Scala.

10a   Paper having no time /for/ children (5)

11a   Get rid of // last of cattle spread out round Cape (9)

C.^[5,10] is an abbreviation for Cape used on maps as part of a name ⇒ C. Hatteras.

12a   Latest to pick out // popular nightclub? (7)

I would say that "latest" and "popular" amount to the same thing, thereby detracting somewhat from the effectiveness of the clue.

14a   As an example, copper // piece (7)

15a   Trade ban: // almost board ship and depart (7)

18a   Whole unit, // say, brought into Bury? (7)

Scratching the Surface
Bury[7] [pronounced berry — although not by the locals according to Gazza in a review on Big Dave's blog] is a town in Greater Manchester, England.

20a   International // striker on trial (4,5)

International^[5] is a British term for a game or contest between teams representing different countries in a sport ⇒ the Murrayfield rugby international.

A Test match^[5] (or Test^[5] for short) is an international cricket or rugby match, typically one of a series, played between teams representing two different countries ⇒ the Test match between Pakistan and the West Indies.

Scratching the Surface
For cryptic purposes, a striker is something one might use to light a fire (something with which one would literally scratch the surface). In soccer, striker[10] is an informal term for an attacking player, especially one who generally positions himself or herself near the opponent's goal in the hope of scoring.

21a   Mark/'s/ short visit home (5)

22a   Muscle seen from both sides (7)

23a   Maine, a certain // size (7)

In official postal use, the abbreviation for Maine is ME^[5].

24a   Good-time girl /from/ Malaya? Print blurred (5,6)

Down

1d   Movement /in/ broadcast millions missed (7)

2d   Beginning of traditional ceremony, // lacking originality (5)

3d   High point of achievement /of/ the first lady and others (7)

While the solution^[10] was literally true for Sir Edmund Hillary^[5], it is only figuratively so for most of the rest of us.

4d   Taking vacation, // small number lacking energy to go to desert (2,5)

The wordplay parses as ON {ON[E] (small number) removing (lacking) the letter E (energy)} + (to go to; to lead to) LEAVE (desert).

The setter could have omitted the final two words of the clue, in which case the parsing would be ON {ON[E] (small number) removing (lacking) the letter E (energy)} + LEAVE (to go).

Shades of Meaning

Although the clue works well on this side of the pond, the British do use the word "vacation" in a more restrictive sense than we do in North America. The British use the word holiday(s) where North Americans might say vacation[5]. Holiday[5,10] (often holidays) is a chiefly British term for a period in which a break is taken from work or studies for rest, travel, or recreation ⇒ (i) I spent my summer holidays on a farm; (ii) Fred was on holiday in Spain. According to the British dictionaries, the usual US and Canadian term is vacation. However, I am accustomed to hearing the two terms used almost interchangeably — in much the same manner as fall and autumn. This may not be the case in all parts of Canada, but I grew up in the Maritimes and have lived in Eastern Ontario for most of my life, both areas where British influence is likely strong. In Britain, the word vacation[5] has a very specific meaning, a fixed holiday period between terms in universities and law courts ⇒ the Easter vacation. In North America, such a period might be called a break[7].

5d   One opposing official policy -- // leader of Democrats insisted upon change (9)

6d   All are staggering having consumed English // booze (4,3)

Real ale^[7] is the name coined by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) in 1973 for a type of beer defined as "beer brewed from traditional ingredients, matured by secondary fermentation in the container from which it is dispensed, and served without the use of extraneous carbon dioxide". The heart of the definition is the maturation requirements. If the beer is unfiltered, unpasteurised and still active on the yeast, it is a real ale; it is irrelevant whether the container is a cask or a bottle.

CAMRA does not support the promotion and sale of keg based craft beer in the UK. CAMRA's Internal Policy document states that real ale can only be served from cask without the use of additional carbonation. This policy means that "any beer brand which is produced in both cask and keg versions" is not admitted to CAMRA festivals or supported by CAMRA.^[7]

7d   Girl tethers barking // dog (5,6)

As an anagram indicator, barking^[5] is used in an informal British sense meaning completely mad or demented ⇒ (i) we are all a bit barking; (ii) has she gone completely barking mad?.

9d   Defoliant // spy ring dropped on field (5,6)

Agent Orange^[5] is a defoliant chemical used by the US in the Vietnam War.

13d   Border // safe? Gulf ruler turns up, being welcomed in (9)

Peter^[5,10] is [seemingly British] slang for a safe, till, cash box or trunk.

Emir^[5] (also amir) is a title of various Muslim (mainly Arab) rulers ⇒ HRH the Emir of Kuwait.

16d   Marilyn Monroe film // kiss -- high point (3,4)

Buss^[5] is an archaic or North American informal term for kiss (either as a noun or a verb). This is likely a word brought to America by early emigrants from England which has survived here while dying out in its homeland — thus explaining the lack of familiarity with this word displayed in the comments on Big Dave's Crossword Blog.

Bus Stop^[7] is a 1956 American romantic comedy film starring Marilyn Monroe.

17d   Office item // available with mounted pictures going over year (3-4)

18d   Animal // smell, not pleasant, over area in pub (7)

In British and Irish slang, hum^[10] (as a noun) denotes an unpleasant odour and (as a verb) means to smell unpleasant.

19d   Slow // guard, out of position by a lake (7)

21d   Small and friendly // crowd (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

Wednesday, April 27, 2016 — DT 27982

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27982
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Friday, December 11, 2015
Setter Giovanni (Don Manley)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27982]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Deep Threat
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 thought that Giovanni was emulating the styles of RayT and Rufus in some of the clues in today's puzzle. In any event, the puzzle was a pleasure to solve.

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   Do something magical // that changes all aspects (4,1,5)

6a   Track // used by top athletes (4)

9a   Twin /reveals/ birds by river (5)

The emu^[5] is a large flightless fast-running Australian bird (Dromaius novaehollandiae) resembling the ostrich, with shaggy gray or brown plumage, bare blue skin on the head and neck, and three-toed feet.

In Roman mythology, Romulus^[5] and Remus^[5] are the traditional founders of Rome. The twin sons of Mars by the Vestal Virgin Silvia, Romulus and Remus were abandoned at birth but were found and suckled by a she-wolf and brought up by a shepherd family. Remus is said to have been killed by Romulus during an argument about the new city.

10a   Tying up again with string /or/ tape? (9)

Double definition; the first likely being whimsical.

12a   Conservative diplomacy /in/ meeting (7)

"Conservative" = CON (show explanation )

The abbreviation for Conservative may be either C.^[10] or Con.^[10].

The Conservative Party^[5] is a a major British political party that emerged from the old Tory Party under Sir Robert Peel in the 1830s and 1840s. Since the Second World War, it has been in power 1951–64, 1970-74, and 1979–97. It governed in a coalition with the Liberal Democrats from 2010 until the general election of May 2015, in which it was returned with a majority.

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13a   City // feels great pity when bishop goes (5)

"bishop" = B (show explanation )

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

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Leeds^[5] is an industrial city in West Yorkshire, northern England; population 441,100 (est. 2009). It developed as a wool town in the Middle Ages, becoming a centre of the clothing trade in the Industrial Revolution.

15a   Little relative somewhere in church // being ill again? (7)

An apse^[5] is a large semicircular or polygonal recess in a church, arched or with a domed roof and typically at the church’s eastern end.

17a   Item of furniture /for/ one who has just got up? (7)

I would say that the second definition here is slightly whimsical. Moreover, as the question mark indicates, the solution may not be representative of all situations. Some may loll about in a robe for half the day and nudists may never don a stitch.

What did he say?

In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Deep Threat refers to this item of furniture as being often Welsh. In the UK, a dresser[5] is not a chest of drawers as in North America. Rather, it is a sideboard with shelves above for storing and displaying plates and kitchen utensils. Welsh dresser[5] is a British term for a piece of wooden furniture with cupboards and drawers in the lower part and open shelves in the upper part.

19a   Sun about to go? /Here's/ the wind and rain (7)

21a   Expensive article in Paris -- // riders raced to get to one (7)

"the French" = LE (show explanation )

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

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Today, we know a steeplechase^[5] as a horse race run on a racecourse having ditches and hedges as jumps. Originally, however, it was a cross country race in which a steeple marked the finishing point^[5].

22a   Short drink -- then there's a // turbulent episode (5)

Said of a drink of spirits, short^[2,10] denotes undiluted or neat. As a noun, short^[5] is a British term for a drink of spirits served in a small measure^* or, as Collins English Dictionary puts it, a short^[10] is a drink of spirits as opposed to a long drink such as beer.

Based on the latter definition, I had presumed that short merely meant having little height. I can't imagine that the term "long drink" means that the British quaff their ale diluted with water.

^* a container of standard capacity used for taking fixed amounts of a substance

A dram^[5] is a small drink of whiskey or other spirits (often used in humorous imitation of Scottish speech) ⇒ a wee dram to ward off the winter chill.

24a   Vessel//  discharged mates to meet the Queen (7)

Here, Giovanni steals a page from RayT.

"Queen" = 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.

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27a   Boss /as/ individual with less feeling (6,3)

28a   Angry // word of disapproval delivered to railway (5)

Fie^[5] is an archaic or humorous term used to express disgust or outrage ⇒ if people don’t answer your first letter, fie on them!.

29a   Agreements to exclude piano // performances (4)

"piano" = P (show explanation )

Piano^[3,5] (abbreviation p^[5]), is a musical direction meaning either (as an adjective) soft or quiet or (as an adverb) softly or quietly.

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30a   Old nana set to suffer // without extra support (5-5)

Down

1d   Stop up /in/ Irish city (4)

Cork^[5] is:

1. a county in the Republic of Ireland, in the province of Munster, on the Celtic Sea;
2. the county town of Cork, a port on the Lee River; population 190,384 (2006).

2d   Mark // half of internal passage? (9)

I dithered over whether or not to mark the second part of the clue as a whimsical cryptic definition. In the end, I decided to do so.

3d   Minister losing head /in/ criminal act (5)

4d   Left time /to make/ payment for carrying goods (7)

5d   See bounder having a grip on the heartless // set (7)

"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.

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Bounder^[5] is a dated informal British term for a dishonourable man ⇒ he is nothing but a fortune-seeking bounder.

Cad^[5,10] is a dated informal British term for a man who behaves dishonourably, especially towards a woman ⇒ her adulterous cad of a husband.

7d   Insects sat on by a // girl (5)

8d   Shopping thoroughfare? // You could get tights here (4,6)

In the UK, high street^[5] is the term used for the main street of a town, especially as the traditional site for most shops, banks, and other businesses ⇒ the approaching festive season boosted the high street. In the same way that many North American towns have a Main Street, many British towns will have a High Street.

11d   Free from obligation /and/ religion, not half, naughty woman! (7)

In the Bible, Eve^[7] is the first woman, created by God from the rib of Adam, the first human. God created her to be Adam's companion. Disobeying God, she succumbs to the serpent's temptation to eat the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and shares the fruit with Adam. As a result, the first humans are expelled from the Garden of Eden.

14d   First lady to make a song and dance? (5,5)

A prima donna^[10] (Italian, 'first lady') is:

• a female operatic star; a diva
• (informal) a temperamental person

Song and dance^[5] is an informal, chiefly British term for a fuss or commotion ⇒ she would be sure to make a song and dance about her aching feet. The North American meaning of the term song and dance^[5] is a long explanation that is pointless or deliberately evasive.

16d   Gas // for energy brought across hollow in the ground (7)

A pan^[5] is a hollow in the ground in which water may collect or in which a deposit of salt remains after water has evaporated.

18d   Really great guy // working in our sphere (9)

20d   It could be a clue for ones // to detect (4,3)

Literally, nose out^[10] denotes to discover by smelling. Figuratively, it means to to discover by cunning or persistence ⇒ the reporter managed to nose out a few facts.

The wordplay is what I prefer to call an inverse anagram (and which Deep Threat refers to as a reverse anagram in his review). The solution to the clue (NOSE OUT) could be seen as anagram fodder and indicator respectively which produces the result "ones" that is found in the clue itself.

21d   Observed absorbing short NT book /in/ drinking den (7)

The Epistle to the Hebrews^[5] (commonly known as Hebrews; abbrev. Heb.^[5]) is a book of the New Testament, traditionally included among the letters of St Paul but now generally held to be non-Pauline.

Especially in Ireland, Scotland and South Africa, a shebeen^[5] is an unlicensed establishment or private house selling alcohol and typically regarded as slightly disreputable.

23d   Notice US university /offering/ welcome? (5)

"US university" = MIT (show explanation )

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology^[5] (abbreviation MIT) is a US institute of higher education, famous for scientific and technical research, founded in 1861 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

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25d   End being upset when a female joins in // criminal gang (5)

26d   Some frothy persuasiveness put into this? (4)

I would say that this is a semi-all-in-one clue in which the entire clue serves as the definition with the wordplay being supplied by the portion with the dashed underline.

In the UK, a typo (in which the word "this" was changed to "his") appeared in this clue, both in the printed edition of The Daily Telegraph as well as on the Telegraph Puzzles website — although in the case of the latter the error was corrected during the course of the date of publication. Given that this error does not appear in the clue published in the National Post, it would appear that it crept into the puzzle during the production process in the UK after the puzzle had already been distributed in syndication.

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