Friday, April 22, 2016 — DT 27978

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27978
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Monday, December 7, 2015
Setter Rufus (Roger Squires)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27978]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Miffypops
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 27977 which was published in The Daily Telegraph on Saturday, December 5, 2015.

Introduction

Due to the editors having skipped a puzzle, we are the recipients of a rare treat today — a puzzle from Rufus appearing in the National Post!

I am a bit late on parade today. The skipped puzzle combined with a full day of other plans created a bit of challenge for me.

As is customary for "Monday" puzzles in the UK, the review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog is written by Miffypops. While I do not always agree with his interpretations, his observation that [t]he two long across clues 13 and 16 gave me problems today certainly reflects my experience as well.

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   Sets of clothes awaiting deliveries (8)

6a   Appreciate // notice before sticky situation (6)

9a   One's mastered the art of eating out (6)

10a   Gallery /gives/ girl tumultuous hand (8)

What did he say?

In his |review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Miffypops offers as assistance A girls name (Lynn or Duckworth) .... Dame Vera Lynn[5] is an English singer. She is known chiefly for her rendering of such songs as ‘We’ll Meet Again‘ and ’White Cliffs of Dover', which she sang to the troops in the Second World War. Veronica "Vera" Duckworth[7] (née Burton), played by Elizabeth Dawn, was a fictional character on the British soap opera Coronation Street, first appearing in August 1974 and last appearing in the 6,734th episode on 18 January 2008, where the character peacefully died in her sleep at the age of 70 from heart failure. Her funeral was held on 22 January 2008. She reappeared posthumously for a single appearance on the 8 November 2010 episode, in which her husband Jack (Bill Tarmey) died.

A veranda^[1] (or verandah) is a roofed gallery, terrace, or open portico along the front or side of a building.

11a   New tune // that's invigorating (5,3)

12a   Sweet thing from the Far East // turned on by Greek character (6)

Chi^[5] is the twenty-second letter of the Greek alphabet (Χ, χ).

Litchi is an alternative spelling of lychee^[2] (also lichee), a small fruit with sweet white juicy flesh enclosing a single seed, originally from China but now widely cultivated in many tropical regions.

13a   Task for a jester // wasted effort (1,5,6)

The portion of the clue with the dotted underline is a literal description of the solution.

16a   All the same, they're evidently not routine presentations (7,5)

One might say of these presentations of theatrical routines that "they're evidently not all the same" or stated another way "all the same, they're evidently not".

19a   Air // force (6)

21a   They cut // teeth (8)

23a   End /of/ drive? (8)

As Big Dave indicates in a note inserted in Miffypops's review, he sees this as a double definition which is also the way that I interpret it.

24a   Emphasise // sin must be cast out -- it's wrong (6)

25a   Period for redemption // states article by church (6)

Usance^[5] is the time allowed for the payment of foreign bills of exchange, according to law or commercial practice.

26a   Chairman/'s/ carved horn seat (8)

Thomas Sheraton^[7] (1751–1806) was a furniture designer, one of the "big three" English furniture makers of the 18th century, along with Thomas Chippendale and George Hepplewhite. Sheraton gave his name to a style of furniture characterized by a feminine refinement of late Georgian styles and became the most powerful source of inspiration behind the furniture of the late 18th century.

Down

2d   Cast // or cast out (6)

3d   Those false // beliefs (5)

4d   Act, concerning // a volte-face (9)

The indefinite article "a" seems almost superfluous. It is not part of the wordplay and is not necessary to the definition. On the other hand, I suppose that including it in the definition is not incorrect. I presume that it is present to enhance the surface reading.

5d   A few // part with a pound (7)

"pound" = L (show explanation )

The pound^[5] (also pound sterling) is the basic monetary unit of the UK, equal to 100 pence. While the symbol for pound is £, it is often written as L^[10].

The Chambers Dictionary defines the upper case L^[1] as the abbreviation for pound sterling (usually written £) and the lower case l^[1] as the abbreviation for pound weight (usually written lb) — both deriving from the Latin word libra.

In ancient Rome, the libra^[5] was a unit of weight, equivalent to 12 ounces (0.34 kg). It was the forerunner of the pound.

hide explanation

What did he say?
In his |review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Miffypops tells us that the final letter of the solution is the abbreviation for monetary pounds as in LSD. L.S.D.[10] (or £.s.d. or l.s.d.) is a British abbreviation for librae, solidi, denarii (Latin for pounds, shillings, pence) which relates to British currency in use prior to the introduction of the current decimal currency system in 1971.

6d   Losing sweetheart a danger // this month (5)

This clue is far more appropriate now than it was when it appeared in the UK in December.

"sweetheart" = E (show explanation )

Here we encounter a common cryptic crossword device, in which the word "sweetheart" is used to clue E, the middle letter (heart) of swEet.

hide explanation

7d   Supply smart name /for/ old soldiers (3-2-4)

As an anagram indicator, supply^[5] is an adverb meaning 'in a supple manner'.

Man-at-arms^[5] is an archaic term for a soldier, especially one heavily armed and on horseback.

8d   Contacting // every one within call (8)

13d   Changing to it again /creates/ trouble (9)

14d   Budget // that could be useless in parts? (9)

15d   Leisure activities /of/ father's days (8)

17d   Extra helpings /may be/ minute portions (7)

18d   Irregular forces // decoration (6)

20d   Innocent // one is found in part of the church (5)

22d   Like getting in quiet word of thanks for the food (5)

"quiet" = 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.

hide explanation

Ta^[5] is an informal British exclamation signifying thank you ?‘Ta,’ said Willie gratefully.

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