Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Tuesday, May 31, 2016 — DT 28021

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 28021
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Setter
Jay (Jeremy Mutch)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28021]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
2Kiwis
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

I would not necessarily say that this puzzle achieved four star difficulty level, but I did need a bit of electronic help to finish and also failed to parse one clue.

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   Put money aside to cover student // work (5)

"learner" = L (show explanation )

The cryptic crossword convention of L meaning learner or student arises from the L-plate[7], a square plate bearing a sans-serif letter L, for learner, which must be affixed to the front and back of a vehicle in various jurisdictions (including the UK) if its driver is a learner under instruction.

hide explanation

4a   Church /in/ US state full of hatred in ruins (9)

9a   Campaign /for/ increased responsibility at work (9)

10a   Creature /that is/ closer losing height (5)

11a   Pragmatic type /offering/ a table to engineers (7)

"soldiers" = RE (show explanation )

The Corps of Royal Engineers[7], usually just called the Royal Engineers (abbreviation RE), and commonly known as the Sappers[7], is a corps of the British Army that provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces.

hide explanation

12a   How one hears /of/ gold recovery? (7)

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

13a   Sent off to collect acceptable // symbols (6)

Jay succeeded in getting me to spend a fair bit of time trying to work U (show explanation ) into the solution before I realized that he had thrown us a curve ball today.

In Britain, U[5] is used informally as an adjective (in respect to language or social behaviour) meaning characteristic of or appropriate to the upper social classes ⇒ U manners.

The term, an abbreviation of  upper class, was coined in 1954 by Alan S. C. Ross, professor of linguistics, and popularized by its use in Nancy Mitford's Noblesse Oblige (1956).

In Crosswordland, the letter U is frequently clued by words denoting "characteristic of the upper class" (such as posh or superior) or "appropriate to the upper class" (such as acceptable). 

hide explanation

15a   Period in America // that follows end of sentence? (4,4)

I believe that this clue works either as a cryptic definition (as the 2Kiwis have marked it) or as a double definition (as I have marked it — just to be different).

The punctuation mark (.) known as a period[5] in North America is called a full stop[5] by the British.

18a   Conservationists after some years // showing moral turpitude (8)

In Britain, the National Trust[5] (abbreviation NT) is a trust for the preservation of places of historic interest or natural beauty in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, founded in 1895 and supported by endowment and private subscription. The National Trust for Scotland[7], a separate organization, was founded in 1931.

20a   Run through // section, overcoming resistance (6)

"resistance" = R (show explanation )

In physics, the symbol R[5] is used to represent electrical resistance.

hide explanation

23a   Bureau chief /must be/ PC (7)

... no consideration will be given to laptops or netbooks.

In Britain, a bureau[5] is a writing desk with drawers and typically an angled top opening downwards to form a writing surface rather than a chest of drawers.

24a   Part of an Indian // degree student's first degree, note (7)

Indian[5] is an informal British term for an Indian meal or restaurant*.
* It is very common in British English to find expressions such as this where a phrase comprising a noun modified by a second noun is replaced by simply the modifying noun. For instance, the British term for a station wagon[5] is estate car[5] which the Brits shorten to merely estate[5]. In North America, on the other hand, were we to shorten station wagon, we would certainly refer to it as a wagon rather than a station.
Basmati[5] (also basmati rice) is a kind of long-grain Indian rice with a delicate fragrance.

26a   Bare one's teeth, swallowing a // bit of corn (5)

The word "corn" has quite a different meaning in Britain than it does in North America. The plant known in North America (as well as Australia and New Zealand) as corn[5], is called maize[5] in the UK. In Britain, corn refers to the chief cereal crop of a district, especially (in England) wheat or (in Scotland) oats.

27a   Call to Newcastle area /for/ memorial (9)

While the parsing of wordplay in this clue eluded me, it did not escape the deductive powers of the 2Kiwis.

Newcastle[5] is the name of two cities in England — only the first of which seems to appear in crossword puzzles:
  1. Newcastle upon Tyne is an industrial city and metropolitan district in northeastern England, a port on the River Tyne; population 170,200 (est. 2009);
  2. Newcastle-under-Lyme is an industrial town in Staffordshire, in England, just south-west of Stoke-on-Trent; population 77,500 (est. 2009).
28a   Clearly accepting independence // with stoicism (9)

In The Chambers Dictionary — if nowhere else — I[1] (or I.) is shown to be the abbreviation for independence as well as independent.

29a   Quietly illuminated following end of religious // schism (5)

"quietly" = 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

Down

1d   Adepts are to be moved /and/ kept apart (9)

2d   Subtle quality /of/ Amsterdam or Antwerp on the rise (5)

Scratching the Surface
Amsterdam[5] is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands; population 747,093 (2008). It is built on some ninety islands separated by canals. Although Amsterdam is the capital, the country’s seat of government and administrative centre is at The Hague.

Antwerp[5] is 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.

3d   Feeling // Germany should avoid relegation (7)

"Germany" = D (show explanation )

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

hide explanation

Relegation[5] is a British* term for the transfer of a sports team or player to a lower division of a league ⇒ (i) the team manager refuses to throw in the towel and admit that relegation is inevitable; (ii) the club has suffered two successive relegations.
* This process is not exclusive to the UK but is also used beyond Britain by bodies such as the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). However, it is rare — if not unheard of — in North America.
Delving Deeper
Sports leagues in the UK typically operate on a process of promotion and relegation[7] in which teams are transferred between two divisions based on their performance for the completed season. The best-ranked teams in the lower division are promoted to the division above, and the worst-ranked teams in the higher division are relegated [moved down] to the division below. In some leagues, play-offs or qualifying rounds are also used to determine rankings. This process can continue through several levels, with teams being exchanged between levels 1 and 2, levels 2 and 3, levels 3 and 4, and so on.

If we had relegation in North American hockey, the Toronto Maple Leafs would be playing in the American Hockey League next season.

4d   Material /for/ feature on origins of time zones (6)

Chintz[5] is printed multicoloured cotton fabric with a glazed finish, used for curtains and upholstery.

5d   Metal // worker in short story discovered pump (8)

"worker" = ANT (show explanation )

The phrase "worker" is commonly used in cryptic crossword puzzles to clue ANT or BEE.

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

The setter uses "discovered" in a whimsical sense directing the solver to strip away outer letters. This cryptic device is based on the logic that if disrobe means to remove one's robe (or other clothing), then it only stands to reason that discover must mean to remove one's cover.

Tantalum[5] (symbol Ta) is the chemical element of atomic number 73, a hard silver-grey metal of the transition series.

6d   Transport // hotel involved in fixed rental (7)

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

7d   Governor/'s/ time over, wearing uniform (9)

"over" = O (show explanation )

On cricket scorecards, the abbreviation O[5] denotes over(s), an over[5] being 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

8d   Bug that science associates with metal? (5)

I consider this clue to be a cryptic definition consisting of a straight definition (solid underline) accompanied by cryptic elaboration (dashed underline).

Lurgy[5] is a humorous British term for an unspecified or indeterminate illness ⇒ I had caught the dreaded lurgy.

14d   Gives up pastry // to provide initial impetus (4-5)

The solution could be a verb (as marked above) or a noun (in which case the clue would parse as shown below).
  • 14d   Gives up pastry /to provide/ initial impetus (4-5)
16d   Leader/'s/ turbulent priest found outside study (9)

17d   Speak sharply and go /for/ exposure (8)

19d   Bivouac, protected by river, /offers/ an easing of tension (7)

According to a majority of my dictionaries, bivouac[1,2,5] specifically denotes camping without tents:
  1. (noun) a temporary camp or camping place without tents, especially one used by soldiers and mountaineers; or
  2. (verb) to camp out temporarily at night without a tent.
However, one American dictionary, the Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, provides a diametrically opposite picture defining bivouac[11] as a military encampment made with tents.

Collins English Dictionary[4,10] does not specify whether or not tents are involved.

The Dee[5] is a river in northeastern Scotland, which rises in the Grampian Mountains and flows eastwards past Balmoral Castle to the North Sea at Aberdeen. Another river of the same name rises in North Wales and flows past Chester and on into the Irish Sea.

21d   Takes a firm stand /with/ first son found supporting short measures (7)

22d   Religious office /of/ band completely disheartened (6)

Abba[5] is a Swedish pop group which became popular in the 1970s with catchy, well-crafted songs such as ‘Waterloo’ (1974) and ‘Knowing Me Knowing You’ (1977).

The setter uses "disheartened" as an indication to remove the heart (inner letters) from the word C[ompletel]Y.

Abbacy[5] denotes the office or period of office of an abbot or abbess ⇒ (i) the abbacy of Ely was vacant; (ii) he made several notable improvements during his short abbacy.

23d   Find // grub, oddly in sink (3,2)

25d   A charge for crossing // island (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

Monday, May 30, 2016

Monday, May 30, 2016 — DT 28020

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 28020
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Setter
Unknown
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28020]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Gazza
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
Notes
The National Post has skipped DT 28019 which was published in The Daily Telegraph on Monday, January 25, 2016.

Introduction

The editors at the National Post continue their customary boycott of puzzles set by Rufus skipping over his "Monday" puzzle to get to a puzzle from one of the mystery "Tuesday" 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

7a   Master criminal // amusing friend endlessly, in the morning back inside (2,6)

Dr. Fu Manchu[7] is a fictional character introduced in a series of novels by British author Sax Rohmer* during the first half of the twentieth century. The character was also featured extensively in cinema, television, radio, comic strips, and comic books for over 90 years, and has become an archetype of the evil criminal genius while lending the name to the Fu Manchu moustache.
*  Sax Rohmer[7] was the pseudonym of prolific English novelist Arthur Henry Ward (1883–1959).
9a   Boast about a century /in/ Polish city (6)

The abbreviation for century or centuries is c.[5] a watch case, 19th c. [Note that Oxford Dictionaries shows the abbreviation as including a period and then fails to include the period in the usage example.]

Cracow[5] is an industrial and university city in southern Poland, on the River Vistula; population 754,624 (2008). It was the capital of Poland from 1320 until replaced by Warsaw in 1609.

In what seems to me to be a display of rather convoluted logic, Oxford Dictionaries tells us that Kraków[5] is the Polish name for Cracow — I would strongly suggest that Cracow is the English name for Kraków.

10a   When one chooses // a woven cloth (2,4)

11a   Put one in mind of // watch left Eisenhower (4,4)

Dwight David Eisenhower[5] (1890–1969) was an American general and Republican statesman, 34th president of the US 1953–61; known as Ike. In the Second World War he was Supreme Commander of Allied Expeditionary Forces in western Europe 1943-5. As president, he adopted a hard line towards communism.

The phrase "put someone in mind of"[5] means to resemble and so remind someone of ⇒ he was a small, well-dressed man who put her in mind of a jockey.

12a   Expecting // interfering parents and their children to intervene (2,3,6,3)

15a   Expression of incredulity // seen originally in a poem (2,2)

"If—"[7] is a poem by British Nobel laureate Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936), written in 1895 and first published in Rewards and Fairies, 1910. The poem begins:
If you can keep your head when all about you
  Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
  But make allowance for their doubting too;
17a   Bird, // headless chicken (5)

19a   Fall /in/ ditch (4)

20a   Sponge /made by/ winning team, unhappy with loaf (6-4,4)

"team" = SIDE (show explanation )

Side[5] is a British term for a sports team ⇒ there was a mixture of old and young players in their side. [Note that a player is "in a side" rather than "on a team" as one would say in North America]

In North America, the term side[3] is used in a very general fashion that can denote one of two or more opposing individuals, groups, teams, or sets of opinions. While this same general usage would seem to exist as well in the UK, the term side[5] is also used there in a much more specific sense to mean a sports team, as we can clearly see from the following usage examples ⇒ (i) Previous England rugby sides, and England teams in many other sports, would have crumbled under the weight of such errors.; (ii) They'll face better sides than this Monaco team, but you can only beat what's put in front of you.

hide explanation

Sponge[2,5,10] (also sponge cake) is a British term for a light cake made by beating eggs with sugar, flour, and usually butter or other fat*(i) a chocolate sponge; (ii) the gateau is made with moist sponge.
*  British dictionaries do not seem able to come to a consensus on the recipe for sponge cake. Collins English Dictionary informs us that sponge cake[10] is a light porous cake, made of eggs, sugar, flour, and flavourings traditionally without any fat.

23a   T.S. Eliot wrong about leading edge of table // knife (8)

Scratching the Surface
T. S. Eliot[5] (1888–1965) was an American-born British poet, critic, and playwright; full name Thomas Stearns Eliot. Associated with the rise of literary modernism, he was established as the voice of a disillusioned generation by The Waste Land (1922). Four Quartets (1943) revealed his increasing involvement with Christianity. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1948.

25a   Number collecting wood /for/ burning (2,4)

27a   Forms an opinion on // book (6)

Judges[5] is the seventh book of the Bible, describing the conquest of Canaan under the leaders called ‘judges’* in an account that is parallel to that of the Book of Joshua and is probably more accurate historically. The book includes the stories of Deborah, Jael, Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson.
* A judge[5] was a leader having temporary authority in ancient Israel in the period between Joshua and the kings.
28a   Musical item /making/ racket -- surefire winner, opening in Oliver! (8)

Cert[5] is an informal British term for:
  1. an event regarded as inevitable ⇒ of course Mum would cry, it was a dead cert;
  2. a racehorse strongly favoured to win a race; or
  3. a person regarded as certain to do something the Scottish [goal]keeper was a cert to play.
Scratching the Surface
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.

A concerto[5] is a musical composition for a solo instrument or instruments accompanied by an orchestra, especially one conceived on a relatively large scale.

What did he say?
In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Gazza writes Strictly speaking it should be the wordplay that makes the definition, not the other way round.
Perhaps what Gazza states is a convention in cryptic crosswords — he certainly has far more experience than I in such matters.

Nevertheless, I frankly see no reason for this to be so. It seems to me that just as one can "make" the definition by assembling or synthesizing the components in the wordplay, one can equally well "make" the components in the wordplay by disassembling or decomposing the definition.

Down

1d   Only // son entering project (4)

2d   Drive away // one's husband following disqualification (6)

3d   Lower // middle (4)

Lower is used in the whimsical cryptic crossword sense of something that lows (moos) — in other words, a bovine animal.

 Bull[5] is a chiefly British short form for bull's-eye.

4d   Hard in small unfriendly // place of learning (6)

"hard" = H (show explanation )

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

hide explanation

5d   Dedicated // hospital given permission (8)

6d   Sweated labour /in/ New York -- OK, possibly, if supporting daughter (6-4)

Donkey work[5] is an informal British term for the boring or laborious part of a job; in other words, drudgery ⇒ supervisors who get a research student to do the donkey work.

8d   Pick up // telephone of rising Republican (4,3)

In the US, R[5] is the abbreviation for Republican (a member of the Republican Party).

13d   Flower /in/ autumn? It's out around end of November (10)

The nasturtium[5] (Tropaeolum majus) is a South American trailing plant with round leaves and bright orange, yellow, or red flowers, which is widely grown as an ornamental.

14d   Proposed // relocation day (5)

16d   Strong wind getting up breaks safety device /in/ part of plane (8)

18d   Its effect in the sky gets no women excited? (3,4)

There is not much to add to what Gazza has already said in his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog other than to observe that a Google search using the search terms "full moon increased libido" generated a torrent of hits — none of which appeared to be particularly authoritative. A representative example is Does full moon influence our sexual life?

21d   Hate // extremely delicate examination (6)

22d   Connoisseur's top bid /for/ chest (6)

24d   Individual touring clubs // long ago (4)

"clubs" = C (show explanation )

Clubs[2]) (abbreviation C[1]) is one of the four suits of playing-cards.

hide explanation

The use of the word "tour" as a containment indicator is predicated on it meaning 'to go around'.

26d   Admire // Riviera terraced houses (4)

Rate[5,10] is used in an informal [almost certainly British] sense meaning to have a high opinion of ⇒ (i) Mike certainly rated her, goodness knows why; (ii) the clients do not rate the new system.

Scratching the Surface
The Riviera[5] is part of the Mediterranean coastal region of southern France and northern Italy, extending from Cannes to La Spezia, famous for its beauty, mild climate, and fashionable resorts.
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

Saturday, May 28, 2016

Saturday, May 28, 2016 — Wishful Thinking

Introduction

Today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon was solved while basking in the brilliant sun on the shores of a pristine lake with a pair of loons swimming and diving in the distance. Could one wish for more?

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

1a   Painter of The Scream taking in one // German city (6)

MUN(I)CH — MUNCH (painter of The Scream) containing (taking in) I ([Roman numeral for] one)

Edvard Munch[5] (1863–1944) was a Norwegian painter and engraver. He infused his subjects with an intense emotionalism, exploring the use of vivid colour and linear distortion to express feelings about life and death. Notable works: the Frieze of Life sequence, incorporating The Scream (1893).

Munich[5] is a city in southeastern Germany and capital of the German state of Bavaria.

4a   Greek // subsequently boxes (8)

SO|CRATES — SO (subsequently) + CRATES (boxes)

So[5] is a conjunction meaning 'and then' or 'as the next step' ⇒ and so to the final. English diarist Samuel Pepys would often record an entry in his diary at the end of the day. The last line of such entries is often "And so to bed".

Socrates[5] (469–399 BC) was a Greek philosopher. As represented in the writings of his disciple Plato, he engaged in dialogue with others in an attempt to define ethical concepts by exposing and dispelling error (the Socratic method). Charged with introducing strange gods and corrupting the young, Socrates was sentenced to death and died by drinking hemlock.

9a   Wisest // Times penned by saint (6)

S(AGES)T — AGES (times; misleadingly capitalized) contained in (penned by) ST (saint; abbrev.)

Scratching the Surface
Wisest Times would appear to be a work which exists only in Crosswordland.

10a   Runs // inside to put in a new order (8)

EDITIONS* — anagram (put in new order) of INSIDE TO

12a   Trainer he upset, // running last (2,3,4)

{IN THE REAR}* — anagram (upset) of TRAINER HE

13a   Ms. Peron /is/ held back by relatives (5)

_EVITA — hidden (held) and reversed (back) in relATIVEs

Eva Perón[5] (1919–1952) was an Argentinian politician, second wife of Juan Perón; full name María Eva Duarte de Perón; known as Evita. A former actress, after her marriage in 1945 she became de facto Minister of Health and of Labour until her death from cancer; her social reforms earned her great popularity with the poor.

14a   Conservation officer // advocating incense around others (6,6)

FO(REST) R|ANGER — {FOR (advocating) + ANGER (INCENSE)} containing (around) REST (others)

18a   Consumed doughnut in sort of milk // bar (8,4)

W(ATE|RING) HOLE — {ATE (consumed) + RING (doughnut)} contained in (in) WHOLE (sort of milk)

21a   Red range of Russia // out in the country (5)

R|URAL — R (red; abbrev.) + URAL ([mountain] range of Russia)

Minor quibble: surely the range is the Urals — not the Ural.

The Ural Mountains[5] (also the Urals) is the name of a mountain range in Russia, extending 1,600 km (1,000 miles) from the Arctic Ocean to the Aral Sea in Kazakhstan, and rising to 1,894 m (6,214 ft) at Mount Narodnaya. It forms part of the conventional boundary between Europe and Asia.

22a   Avenue out of control, // more or less? (9)

AVE|RAGING — AVE (avenue; abbrev.) + RAGING (out of control)

24a   Guys"score"— // only in their minds? (8)

MEN|TALLY — MEN (guys) + TALLY (score)

25a   World // map out in front of alien (6)

PLAN|ET — PLAN (map) + (out in front of) ET (alien)

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. It tells the story of a lonely boy who befriends an extraterrestrial, dubbed "E.T.", who is stranded on Earth. He and his siblings help the extraterrestrial return home while attempting to keep it hidden from their mother and the government.

26a   Result of a short // fight with monarch (8)

SPAR|KING — SPAR (fight) + (with) KING (monarch)

The solution to this clue comes courtesy of Peter (see Comments below). I confess that I had parsed the clue incorrectly — having the definition as merely "result" — which led me to a couple of not very plausible solutions for which I managed to concoct not very convincing explanations.That work is now to be found on the cutting room floor.

27a   New trades // looked hard (6)

STARED* — anagram (new) of TRADES

Down

1d   Mom's scraps /for/ big dogs (8)

MA|S|TIFFS — MA (mom) + S ('s) + TIFFS (scraps)

2d   Dancing grates on // skeptics (8)

NEGATORS* — anagram (dancing) of GRATES ON

Skeptic[10] is an archaic or US spelling of sceptic.

I am sceptical concerning the use of sceptic and negator as synonyms. A sceptic[10] is a person who doubts or mistrusts while a negator[10] is someone who negates (nullifies, denies, or contradicts).

3d   Class // group of actors in audition (5)

CASTE~ — sounds like (in audition) CAST (group of actors)

5d   Wayward soldiers do in // Oliver Cromwell (3,9)

{OLD IRONSIDES}* — anagram (wayward) of SOLDIERS DO IN

Old Ironsides was the nickname of Oliver Cromwell[7] (1599–1658), an English military and political leader and later Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England (which, at the time, included Wales), Scotland and Ireland. Cromwell[5] was the leader of the victorious Parliamentary forces (or Roundheads) in the English Civil War. As head of state he styled himself Lord Protector, and refused Parliament’s offer of the Crown in 1657. His rule was notable for its puritan reforms in the Church of England. After his death from natural causes in 1658 he was buried in Westminster Abbey, but after the Royalists returned to power in 1660 they had his corpse dug up, hung in chains, and beheaded.

6d   Baddie // got regent mad (6,3)

{ROTTEN EGG}* — anagram (mad) of GOT REGENT

7d   Theme including author's last // major parallel (6)

TROPIC — TOPIC (theme) containing (including) R (authoR's last [letter]}

A tropic[5] is the parallel of latitude 23°26ʹ north (tropic of Cancer) or south (tropic of Capricorn) of the equator.

8d   Walk with a flourish, // say, around tree (6)

S(ASH)AY — SAY (†) containing (around) ASH (tree)

11d   Comedian // cracked up genial grocer (6,6)

{GEORGE CARLIN}* — anagram (cracked up) of GENIAL GROCER

George Carlin[7] (1937–2008) was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor, and author. Carlin was noted for his black comedy and his thoughts on politics, the English language, psychology, religion, and various taboo subjects. Carlin and his "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television" comedy routine were central to the 1978 U.S. Supreme Court case F.C.C. v. Pacifica Foundation, in which a 5–4 decision affirmed the government's power to regulate indecent material on the public airwaves.

Were Carlin to reprise his routine today, methinks it would be somewhat shorter.

15d   Hunt around shopping center /for/ meaningless chatter (5,4)

S(MALL) TALK — STALK (hunt) containing (around) MALL (shopping center)

16d   Intimidate private // partner on the podium? (2-6)

CO-W|INNER — COW (intimidate) + INNER (private)

17d   Bearing a burden, // stood on line in conversation (8)

WEIGHTED~ — sounds like (in conversation) WAITED (stood on line)

"Stood on line" is an expression that is apparently specific to New York City. According to the stylebook for The New York Times Magazine Few besides New Yorkers stand or wait on line. In most of the English-speaking world, people stand in line. Use that wording..

19d   Plays // doctor in the morning with arsenic (6)

DR|AM|AS — DR (doctor; abbrev.) + AM (in the morning; abbreviation of Latin ante meridiem) + AS ([symbol for the chemical element] arsenic)

20d   Central Intelligence Agency has smuggled // skulls (6)

C(RAN)IA — CIA (Central Intelligence Agency; abbrev.) containing (has) RAN (smuggled)

23d   Slate for voting after the first // deal (5)

_ALLOT — [B]ALLOT (slate for voting) with the initial letter removed (after the first)

Epilogue

The title of today's review is inspired by 24a.
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, May 27, 2016

Friday, May 27, 2016 — DT 28018

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 28018
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Saturday, January 23, 2016
Setter
Unknown
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28018 – Hints]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28018 – Review]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Big Dave (Hints)
gnomethang (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

After a very slow start, this puzzle actually fell into place quite readily with a sprint to the finish.

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 makes crust // start to rise in pie? (6)

It took me quite a while to realize that the definition is not "pie".

Pasty[5] (also pastie) is a British term for a folded pastry case with a savoury filling, typically of seasoned meat and vegetables.

4a   English journalists will tuck in exceedingly /and/ drink (8)

9a   Place found in rickety pier /causing/ undulation (6)

10a   One car is overturned /in/ plan of action (8)

11a   Poet/'s/ house next to watercourse (6)

"house" = HO (show explanation )

Although not found in most of the dictionaries that I consulted, ho.[10] is the abbreviation for house.

hide explanation

Horace[5] (65-8 BC) was a Roman poet of the Augustan period; full name Quintus Horatius Flaccus. A notable satirist and literary critic, he is best known for his Odes, much imitated by later ages, especially by the poets of 17th-century England. His other works include Satires and Ars Poetica.

12a   Alan's suffering little sister following day's end // breakdown (8)

14a   Little time for sleep? (5,5)

This is a a cryptic definition which incorporates embedded wordplay in the form of a charade.

The small hours[1,2,3,4,5,10,11] are the early hours of the morning (immediately or just) after midnight (and before dawn).
There is some variance between — and even within — dictionaries as to what hours constitute the small hours. For some dictionaries, they are simply the early hours of the morning, others restrict them to the early hours of the morning immediately (or just) after midnight, while others extend the period to dawn. Collins English Dictionary actually defines the term in two different entries — the first time as the hours just after midnight and the second time as the early hours of the morning, after midnight and before dawn.
Perhaps due to my Scottish heritage, I would say "wee hours" rather than "small hours". Judging by dictionary entries, wee hours[3] would seem to be a North American expression as I failed to find it in a single British dictionary. The Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary shows small hours[11] as an alternative term for wee hours — seemingly without providing a definition for wee hours. Of course, there are also the wee small hours.

18a   Not drinking /as/ sailors can -- leading French in this? (10)

"sailors" = ABS (show explanation )

In the Royal Navy, according to Oxford Dictionaries, able seaman[5] (abbreviation AB[5]), is a rank of sailor above ordinary seaman and below leading seaman. On the other hand, Collins English Dictionary tells us that an able seaman[10] (also called able-bodied seaman) is an ordinary seaman, especially one in the merchant navy, who has been trained in certain skills.

hide explanation

In French, en[8] is a preposition meaning 'in' and ce[8] is a demonstrative adjective meaning 'this'.

22a   Squirts rush out when it's played on the lawn (8)

Hosepipe[5] is a British term for a hose that people use to water their gardens or wash their cars.

23a   'Nearly all.' -- 'Nearly all?' -- // 'Nearly ...' (6)

24a   Living with cook /as/ a temporary solution (5-3)

The quick[5] (plural noun) is an archaic term denoting those who are living ⇒ the quick and the dead.

What did he say?
In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, gnomethang says with respect to "fix" being a synonym for "cook" an Americanism as far as I am concerned!.
I am not clear to which of the two words he is referring, but I could find nothing in my three British dictionaries to support his observation.

25a   Ollie's partner's spoken a // few lines (6)

Laurel and Hardy[5] were an American comedy duo consisting of Stan Laurel (born Arthur Stanley Jefferson) (1890–1965) and Oliver Hardy (1892–1957). British-born Stan Laurel played the scatterbrained and often tearful innocent, Oliver Hardy his pompous, overbearing, and frequently exasperated friend. They brought their distinctive slapstick comedy to many films from 1927 onwards.

Scratching the Surface
As the surface reading of the clue alludes, Oliver Hardy was the more verbose member of the pair.

26a   Old and sore -- // stretcher /required?/ (8)

The word "required" in the clue is equivalent to saying "the solution to this clue is a synonym for ...". As such, I do not see it as part of the definition, but rather what I think of as a piece of framework — akin in function to a link word or link phrase.

This point perhaps becomes more clear were one to rephrase the clue as:
  • Old and sore /requires/ stretcher (8)
27a   Game // groom's first to be hugged by future relative (6)

... but a relative only by marriage.

Down

1d   Buy // tea bag on the way round (8)

Cha as well as chai are alternative spellings of char[5], an informal British name for tea.

2d   Prue's new chap /is/ one with great abilities (8)

Chap[3,4,11] is an informal term for a man or boy; a fellow. It is a shortened form of chapman[3,4,11], an archaic term for a trader, especially an itinerant pedlar.

Scratching the Surface
Prue[7] is a short form for the female given names Prudence or Prunella.

3d   Check of presents? (4-4)

5d   After short time, speed /becomes/ uninspiring (6-4)

6d   Cause long-term irritation /in/ right joint (6)

7d   Teacher misses motorway // pressure (6)

Mistress[5] is a British term for a female schoolteacher who teaches a particular subject ⇒ a Geography mistress.

The M1[7] is a north–south motorway [controlled access, multi-lane divided highway] in England connecting London to Leeds.

8d   Old boy is to broadcast /as/ orchestra member (6)

"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

13d   Award one fails to win (5,5)

What did he say?
In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, gnamethang says I couldn’t get away from the Wooden Spoon for a while!.
Wooden spoon[5] is a British term for an imaginary prize said to be awarded to the person who is last in a race or other competition ⇒ they finished with the wooden spoon after losing a penalty shoot-out.

15d   Pump /provided by/ men in apartment above (8)

"men" = OR (show explanation )

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

hide explanation

In Britain, the term flat[5] is used for what would be called an apartment[5] in North America. The term apartment is used in Britain, but seemingly in a more restricted sense than in North America  applying to temporary or more classy accommodation. From the perspective of Oxford Dictionaries, apartment[5] is
  1. a British term for a flat, typically one that is well appointed or used for holidays ⇒ self-catering holiday apartments; or
  2. a North American term for any flat ⇒ the family lived in a rented apartment.
16d   Urged // United to support 27 opponents (8)

The numeral "27" is a cross reference indicator directing the solver to insert the solution to clue 27a 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* that is being referenced.
* light-coloured cell in the grid
In the card game bridge, North[5] and South[5] comprise one partnership and play against East[5] and West[5] who form the other partnership.

Scratching the Surface
In Britain, United[5] is a word commonly used in the names of soccer and other sports teams formed by amalgamation ⇒ Man U [Manchester United].

Perhaps the best known is Manchester United Football Club[7] (often referred to simply as United), an English professional football [soccer] club, based at Old Trafford [football stadium] in Old Trafford [district of Manchester], Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League (the top level in the English football league system).

17d   Eat with wife -- have outside /in/ warm spell (8)

19d   Verify said // money order (6)

Cheque[5] (US check) is an order to a bank to pay a stated sum from the drawer’s account, written on a specially printed form ⇒ fees are payable by cheque or postal order.
Note to British readers: this is one instance where we clearly use the British spelling in Canada. Of course, the US spelling is seen here in publications from the US but it would definitely be considered an error were it to appear in a Canadian publication.
The term money order[5] meaning a printed order for payment of a specified sum, issued by a bank or Post Office does appear to be used in Britain. Thus the use of the term "money order" in the clue as a definition for cheque would appear to be a bit of playful misdirection by the setter.

20d   Help // musician starting late (6)

21d   Declared // Scots know to get half of spoils beforehand (6)

Scots[10] denotes any of the English dialects spoken or written in Scotland.

Ken[5] is a Scottish and Northern English term meaning:
  1. know [in the sense of to be aware of] ⇒ d’ye ken anyone who can boast of that?; or
  2. recognize or identify ⇒ that’s him—d’ye ken him?.
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