Wednesday, May 18, 2016 — DT 28006

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28006
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Saturday, January 9, 2016
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28006 – Hints] Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28006 – 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

Talk about feeling inadequate. After struggling to complete this puzzle and eventually resulting to electronic help on the final clue — admittedly, not a clue that should have necessitated such measures — I discover that crypticsue awarded the puzzle a mere solitary star for difficulty.

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   Discover pens an Anglican church // paid for (8)

"Anglican church" = CE (show explanation )

Anglican^[5] (as an adjective) means relating to or denoting the Church of England or any Church in communion with it. The term comes from the Latin phrase Anglicana ecclesia 'the English church' in the Magna Carta.

The Church of England^[10] (abbreviation CE^[10]) is the reformed established state Church in England, Catholic in order and basic doctrine, with the Sovereign as its temporal head.

hide explanation

9a   Given somewhere to live // in Provence, where sheltering in untidy shed (6)

Provence^[5] is a former province of southeastern France, on the Mediterranean coast east of the Rhône. Settled by the Greeks in the 6th century BC, the area around Marseilles became, in the 1st century BC, part of the Roman colony of Gaul. It was united with France in 1481 and is now part of the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur.

The setter uses the phrase "in Provence, where" to clue the word 'where' as spoken in Provence.

The French word for where is où^[8].

10a   Came first, second or third /and/ rested (6)

Place^[5] means to be among the first three or four in a race [in Britain] (or the first three in the US) ⇒ (i) he won three times and placed three times; (ii) (be placed) the horse, Bahuddin, was not placed at Lingfield.

11a   Put up with // varied role in gallery (8)

"gallery" = TATE (show explanation )

The Tate Gallery^[5] (commonly known simply as the Tate) is a national museum of art in London, England founded in 1897 by the sugar manufacturer Sir Henry Tate (1819–1899) to house his collection of modern British paintings, as a nucleus for a permanent national collection of modern art. It was renamed Tate Britain in 2000, when the new Tate Modern gallery opened. [I would surmise that by that time the original collection could no longer be considered "modern".]

hide explanation

12a   Where a koala's likely to be // in a fix (2,1,3,4)

The koala^[5] is a bear-like arboreal Australian marsupial (Phascolarctos cinereus) that has thick grey fur and feeds on eucalyptus leaves. Also called native bear in Australia.

The eucalyptus^[5] (also eucalypt) is any of numerous species of fast-growing evergreen Australasian tree that has been widely introduced elsewhere. It is valued for its timber, oil, gum, resin, and as an ornamental tree. Also called gum or gum tree.

A gum tree^[5] is a tree that exudes gum, especially a eucalyptus.

Up a gum tree^[5] is an informal British expression meaning in or into a predicament ⇒ offers of devolution will lead ministers straight up a gum tree.

14a   Men seen going west and east /for/ winter festival (4)

15a   Captain's gloom -- after manoeuvres // he rings the changes (13)

A campanologist^[5] is a practitioner of campanology^[5], the art or practice of bell-ringing.

17a   Man /that offers/ a car lift (4)

Given that lift^[5] is the British term for elevator^[5], I suppose a jack would be considered to be "a car lift".

18a   Maybe get out of first // dress again? (6,4)

20a   Naughty kiss by ace before // evening of entertainments (5-3)

21a   Suffering trance? /You need/ a drink (6)

23a   Work to rule (6)

24a   Plant // droop reversed with grafts (8)

Graft^[5] is an informal British term meaning:

1. (noun) hard work ⇒ success came after years of hard graft; and
2. (verb) work hard ⇒ I need people prepared to go out and graft.

A gasworks^[5] is a plant in which gas, especially coal gas, is made.

Behind the Picture

In his hint for this clue, Big Dave includes a photo of The Oval Gasholders[7], the unofficial name given to the gas holder (gasometer*) which forms an iconic backdrop to The Oval cricket ground in London, England. The structure, built in 1853, has been placed on the Statutory List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest — thereby protecting it from demolition (the fate of most other such structures across the UK). * A gasometer[5] is a large metal tank, typically cylindrical, in which gas for use as fuel is stored before being distributed through pipes to consumers.

Down

1d   Mentioned man/'s/ incentive (6)

2d   The French female in command /is/ not clerical (4)

"the French" = LA (show explanation )

In French, the feminine singular form of the definite article is la^[8].

hide explanation

"in command" = IC (show explanation )

The abbreviation i/c^[5] can be short for either

1. (especially in military contexts) in charge of ⇒ the Quartermaster General is i/c rations; or
2. in command ⇒ 2 i/c = second in command.

hide explanation

3d   Scholastic community /needs/ an accountant, with media circling (8)

I parsed the wordplay in a slightly different manner than did crypticsue interpreting "an accountant" to be 'a chartered accountant' or 'A CA'.

The official designation CA^[5] for Chartered Accountant is used in Scotland — and was formerly employed in Canada. However, as of January 2013, Canadian CAs — together with CGAs (Certified General Accounts) and CMAs (Certified Management Accountants) have adopted the CPA (Chartered Professional Accountant) designation.

In the UK (apart from Scotland) the designatory letters are ACA^[10] (Associate of the Institute of Chartered Accountants) or FCA^[10] (Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants). The designatory letters ACA and FCA are also employed in the Republic of Ireland although there I would presume that they stand for Associate of Chartered Accountants Ireland and Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland respectively — Chartered Accountants Ireland (CAI) being the Irish counterpart to the Institute of Chartered Accounts in England and Wales (ICAEW) and Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS).^[7]

If the foregoing seems complicated, it is — and it barely scratches the surface [I'm not sure that even an accountant could sort it all out!]. In addition to the organizations mentioned there are a plethora of other bodies representing accountants in the UK. In fact, in the UK there are no licence requirements for individuals to describe themselves or to practise as accountants. However, those who use the description "chartered accountant" must be members of one of the organisations mentioned above or a recognised equivalent body in another Commonwealth country.

4d   Slope away, /being/ put off (6)

Shelve^[3] means to slope away gradually or incline ⇒ the hardpan that shelved down to the desert (Stephen King).

5d   Gnu foolishly galloping /in/ life-threatening traffic? (10)

I do believe that crypticsue intended to write "An anagram (foolishly) of GNU followed by RUNNING (galloping)".

Scratching the Surface
The gnu[5] (also called wildebeest) is either of two species of large dark antelope with a long head, a beard and mane, and a sloping back.

6d   Thing that's almost as good /in/ texts Ben amended (4,4)

8d   Stop one old sailor // getting worse (13)

Rating^[5] is a British term for a non-commissioned sailor in the navy ⇒ the rest of the new crew was made up of naval ratings. [So named from the position or rating held by a sailor, recorded on a ship's books.]

13d   Plucky sportsman // who works on the estate? (10)

Keeper^[5] is short for goalkeeper^[5] (a player in soccer or field hockey whose special role is to stop the ball from entering the goal) or wicketkeeper^[5] (in cricket, a fielder stationed close behind a batsman's wicket).

A gamekeeper^[5] is a person employed to breed and protect game, typically for a large estate.

15d   Second // winner (8)

Although second^[10] and champion^[10] are not shown as synonyms of each other, Collins English Dictionary lists both words as being synonymous with support, back and promote.

16d   It groans discordantly if he plays badly (8)

As I read this clue, it seems to direct attention to "It" (the organ) as being the solution rather than "he" (the organist). I think the clue would be improved were it to read:

• 16d   If he plays badly, it groans discordantly (8)

18d   Ring will go after most of money in // gaming room (6)

19d   Make inquiries in Alabama /or/ another state (6)

Ala.^[5] is the abbreviation for Alabama.

22d   Work following credit /being/ cut (4)

"work" = OP (show explanation )

In music, an opus^[5] (plural opuses or opera) is a separate composition or set of compositions.

The abbreviation Op.^[5] (also op.), denoting opus, is used before a number given to each work of a particular composer, usually indicating the order of publication. The plural form of Op. is Opp..

Opus^[5] can also be used in a more general sense to mean an artistic work, especially one on a large scale ⇒ he was writing an opus on Mexico.

hide explanation

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