Thursday, June 30, 2016 — DT 28055

Vacation Edition

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28055
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Monday, March 7, 2016
Setter Rufus (Roger Squires)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28055]
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

Introduction

The National Post has not published the puzzle that I was expecting to appear today. As a result, a full review is not available. Tomorrow, Canada Day, the National Post will not publish an edition. However, I will provide the customary Bonus Puzzle for those in need of a daily fix.

I invite you to leave a comment to let us know how you fared with the puzzle.

Signing off for today — Falcon

Wednesday, June 29, 2016 — DT 28054

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28054
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Saturday, March 5, 2016
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28054 – Hints] Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28054 – 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 is little of great difficulty in this puzzle although the setter does manage to "dish" up a bit of controversy.

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   Unnerve character returning /in/ rickety old car (10)

6a   Ruin // in Madrid is here (4)

Dish^[2,10] is an informal British term denoting to ruin or spoil (especially chances or hopes) ⇒ he dished his chances of getting the job.

This term seemed to cause a bit of consternation on Big Dave's Crossword Blog.

Origin of the Term

In her review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog, crypticsue cites Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable which provides the following explanation: Dished. I was dished out of it. Cheated out of it; or rather, someone else contrived to obtain it. When one is dished he is completely done for, and the allusion is to food which, when it is quite done, is dished. The above is taken from a copy of the work from which the date of publication is missing but which one observer believes to be a 1952 edition. It is interesting to note how the entry has changed from that found in the 1898 edition: Dished. I was dished out of it. Cheated out of it; or rather, someone else contrived to obtain it. A contraction of disherit. The heir is dish’t out of his inheritance when his father marries again and leaves his property to the widow and widow’s family. In her review, crypticsue further offers that "The verb DISH can also mean to distribute spiteful gossip, which again could lead to someone’s ruin". However, according to both The Chambers Dictionary and Oxford Dictionaries, this is a North American usage so — on that evidence alone — it would seem far-fetched to suppose that it might be the origin of the British term. On the other hand, Collins COBUILD Advanced British English Dictionary says that the phrase dish the dirt[10] is an informal, mainly British expression [although certainly well-known in Canada] meaning to say bad things about (someone), without worrying if they are true or not, or if they will damage (that person's) reputation. This would only seem to prove that if you are dissatisfied with a definition, you should just look in more dictionaries until you find one that accords with your expectations.

9a   What a golfer may get on tee // to one side? (5)

Convention Contravention

This clue contravenes the convention that, in an across clue, the construction "A on B" is used to clue B + A. The rationale for this practice is that in order for A to be placed on B, B must already exist (i.e., already have been written). Since the English language is written from left to right, this means that B must come first and A is then appended to it. . In the above clue, NIGHT (cavalier heading off) corresponds to A and MARE (horse) corresponds to B. Thus, according to the convention, NIGHT on MARE should produce MARENIGHT, not NIGHTMARE. Notwithstanding the above, a solver must always be vigilant for setters who flout convention.

10a   Leading // man drinking wine in it (9)

12a   One progresses rapidly in this // designer outfit? (3,4)

I would class this as a double definition with the second being whimsical (thus the dotted underline).

Top gear^[10] is the British term for high gear^[10].

13a   Hit it off, /being/ mature (3,2)

I would think that this is a straight double definition with the second meaning to age or mature.

15a   Very thirsty // chap -- red ordered (7)

17a   Awkward type wrestling endlessly /for/ one-time payment? (4,3)

19a   Annoyance /shown by/ King George during succession (7)

"King George" = GR (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 King George was GR^[5] — from the Latin Georgius Rex.

hide explanation

21a   Come clean // about one written about female saints (7)

S^[5] (chiefly in Catholic use) is an abbreviation for Saint ⇒ S Ignatius Loyola.

22a   Vessel /in/ Scottish river coming back with companion on board (5)

The Tay^[5] is the longest river in Scotland, flowing 192 km (120 miles) eastwards through Loch Tay, entering the North Sea through the Firth of Tay.

A Companion of Honour (abbreviation CH) is a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour^[7], an order of the Commonwealth realms^[7] founded by King George V in June 1917 as a reward for outstanding achievements in the arts, literature, music, science, politics, industry or religion.

24a   Exotic brew in a // bistro, perhaps (4,3)

27a   Therapist/'s/ in work, at hospital (9)

"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

28a   Sign /in/ accounts -- no comment (5)

The wordplay eluded me seemingly forever. However, having slept on it the explanation suddenly came to light.

In astrology, Aries^[10] (also called the Ram) is the first sign of the zodiac, symbol ♈, having a cardinal fire classification, ruled by the planet Mars. The sun is in this sign between about March 21 and April 19.

29a   Spoils // play (4)

Loot^[7] is a two-act play by the English playwright Joe Orton (1933–1967). The play is a dark farce that satirises the Roman Catholic Church, social attitudes to death, and the integrity of the police force.

30a   Rugby ref's award /achieved by/ fine endeavour (7,3)

In rugby, a try^[5] is an act of touching the ball down behind the opposing goal line (termed a touchdown^[5]), scoring points and entitling the scoring side to a kick at goal. A penalty try^[5] is a try awarded to a side by the referee when a touchdown is prevented by an offence by the opposition.

Down

1d   Actual // region's miles off (4)

2d   Restaurant // pastry dish knocked over -- a riot breaks out (9)

A trattoria^[5] is an Italian restaurant.

3d   Drunk // started smoking (3,2)

4d   Take care of fencing trouble // -- back part only (4,3)

5d   Clothes // variously appear on line (7)

7d   I doze before end of broadcast -- // that's not appropriate (5)

8d   Unpredictable // schoolgirl supporting it in writing (3-3-4)

11d   Most of army unit's // recommended diet (7)

14d   Carol happy to change? /That's/ questionable (10)

16d   Hornblower /and/ his capital short speech (7)

Horatio Hornblower^[7] is a fictional Napoleonic Wars era Royal Navy officer who is the protagonist of a series of novels by English author C. S. Forester (1899–1966). He was later the subject of films and radio and television programs.

18d   Small fruit with perfect // flavour (9)

20d   Famous London prison -- // deny wife being incarcerated (7)

Newgate Prison^[7] was a prison in London, at the corner of Newgate Street and Old Bailey just inside the City of London. It was originally located at the site of Newgate, a gate in the Roman London Wall. The gate/prison was rebuilt in the 12th century, and demolished in 1904. The prison was extended and rebuilt many times, and remained in use for over 700 years, from 1188 to 1902.

21d   Girl, // 22, in frolics (7)

The numeral "22"  is a cross reference indicator directing the solver to insert the solution to clue 22a 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

23d   Jazz band -- // old doctor in company (5)

"doctor" = MB (show explanation )

In Britain, the degree required to practice medicine is a Bachelor of Medicine^[7] (MB, from Latin Medicinae Baccalaureus), which is equivalent to a North American Doctor of Medicine (MD, from Latin Medicinae Doctor). The degree of Doctor of Medicine also exists in Britain, but it is an advanced degree pursued by those who wish to go into medical research. Physicians in Britain are still addressed as Dr. despite not having a doctoral degree. 

hide explanation

25d   Severely criticise // book ending a series (5)

26d   Game // is extremely pricey (1-3)

I spy^[7] (or I-spy^[10]) is a guessing game where the Spy or It says "I spy with my little eye..." and specifies the initial letter of the name of an object that he or she can see which the other players then try to guess.

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

Tuesday, June 28, 2016 — DT 28053

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28053
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Friday, March 4, 2016
Setter Giovanni (Don Manley)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28053]
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

This puzzle was typical of a Giovanni creation. It took me a while to find a starting point, but once I had located one, I was able to make steady progress by building out from it. As usual, he expands one's vocabulary by including a new word or two and their are the customary religions references.

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   Behind inspirational words note // dangerous women (8)

5a   English female with little energy, confined to bed, // grumbled (6)

9a   See very distraught loner // in need of affection (8)

"look" = LO (show explanation )

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

hide explanation

10a   Weeps when son is in // unstable situations (6)

11a   Chief commander soon to be imprisoned // according to the law (7)

CIC^[1] (also C in C^[10] , C-in-C^[2], or C.-in-C.^[5,10]) is the abbreviation for Commander-in-Chief.

Canonic^[5] is another term for canonical^[5] which denotes according to or ordered by canon law ⇒ the canonical rites of the Roman Church.

12a   Giving asymmetrical pattern to // grass round London gardens (7)

Grass is an informal British term meaning:

1. (as a noun) a police informer^[5]; and
2. (as a verb) to inform the police of someone’s criminal activities or plans^[5] ⇒ someone had grassed on the thieves.

This expression may derive from rhyming slang (grasshopper 'copper').

 Kew^[7] is a suburban district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, 7.1 miles (11.4 km) west by south-west of Charing Cross [considered to mark the centre of London]. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is also the home of important historical documents such as Domesday Book, which is on public display at The National Archives.

13a   Show // modern state to be in need of reform (11)

16a   No longer tight-lipped person, a politician /becoming/ emphatic (11)

21a   Attempt to keep one diary /in/ series of books (7)

22a   Sing wildly at back of pub // -- bit of a game (7)

In cricket, innings^[5] (plural same or informally inningses) denotes:

1. each of two or four divisions of a game during which one side has a turn at batting ⇒ the highlight of the Surrey innings; or
2. a player’s turn at batting ⇒ he had played his greatest innings; or
3. the score achieved during a player’s turn at batting ⇒ a solid innings of 78 by Marsh.

In the first sense, the term innings (spelled with an 's') would correspond somewhat to an inning (spelled without an 's') in baseball while the second sense would be roughly equivalent to an at bat in baseball.

23a   Number engaged in interior // design (6)

The abbreviation for interior is int.^[5]

24a   I will get work, I being limited by terrible heat /in/ the country (8)

"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

25a   This person died, country // woman becoming a monster (6)

"this person" = ME (show explanation )

It is a common cryptic crossword convention for the creator of the puzzle to use terms such as (the or this) compiler, (the or this) setter, (this) author, (this) writer, or this person to refer to himself or herself. To solve such a clue, one must generally substitute a first person pronoun (I or me) for whichever of these terms has been used in the clue.

hide explanation

In Greek mythology, Medusa^[5] is the only mortal gorgon^* whom Perseus killed by cutting off her head.

^* The gorgons^[5] were three sisters, Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa, with snakes for hair, who had the power to turn anyone who looked at them to stone.

26a   Ornament /of/ exceptional age incorporating representation of glory (8)

Down

1d   Spite /of/ married woman (6)

2d   Religious devotion /of/ old archdeacon in North America (6)

In the Church of England, an archdeacon^[2] is a member of the clergy who ranks just below a bishop.

Ven.^[5] is the abbreviation for Venerable (as the title of an archdeacon) ⇒ the Ven. William Davies.

In the Roman Catholic Church, a novena^[5] is a form of worship consisting of special prayers or services on nine successive days.

3d   Left-winger keeping course of action // given backing again (7)

4d   Separate // division at the top of firm (4,7)

6d   Eastern riots /becoming/ serious (7)

7d   Fat Elvis performing /in/ pop event? (8)

8d   Row /makes/ little girl flop, always getting upset (8)

Diana (usually appearing in its diminutive form Di) is certainly the leading contender for most popular female name in Crosswordland. Today, the setter has explicitly called for the diminutive form of the name by specifying "little girl".

12d   New nonet is a fit // little musical composition (11)

A sinfonietta^[5] is a short or simple symphony.

14d   Foreign currency is held by troops -- // nothing extreme in that (8)

This "foreign currency" is hardly strange to us.

The Royal Marines^[5] (abbreviation RM)^[5] is a British armed service (part of the Royal Navy) founded in 1664, trained for service at sea, or on land under specific circumstances.

15d   After turmoil, predicts // what a speech may be (8)

17d   Thrives // when spring is coming in (7)

18d   After end of ceremony a new ruler /is/ twitching (7)

Twitch^[3] is used in the sense of to draw, pull, or move suddenly and sharply; in other words, jerk ⇒ I twitched my fishing line.

19d   Leader of society, a bit cold /and/ curt (6)

20d   Heading off with a will /in/ car (6)

In the UK, estate^[5] is short for estate car^[5], the British name for a station wagon^[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, June 27, 2016 — DT 28052

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28052
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Thursday, March 3, 2016
Setter RayT (Ray Terrell)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28052]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By pommers
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 28051 which was published in The Daily Telegraph on Wednesday, March 2, 2016.

Introduction

No great leap forward today — merely a small hop, as the National Post skips one 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   Pass // cost United a thrashing (11)

Scratching the Surface

In the names of sports clubs, U[5] is the abbreviation for United[5] — in Britain, a word commonly used in the names of soccer and other sports teams formed by amalgamation ⇒ Man U [Manchester United]. Manchester United Football Club[7] (often referred to simply as United — and often as Man Utd or Man U) is 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).

9a   You French scoff over // large dishes (7)

In French, tu^[8] is the second person singular pronoun meaning 'you'.

10a   Ship so overturned /by/ man-eating monster (6)

"ship" = 'SS' (show explanation )

In Crosswordland, you will find that a ship is almost invariably a steamship, the abbreviation for which is SS^[10].

hide explanation

An ogress^[5] is a female ogre^[5] which, in folklore, is a man-eating giant.

12a   One cheats /in/ party game (7)

Twister^[5] is an informal British term for a swindler or dishonest person ⇒ she’s a back-stabbing, double-dealing twister.

13a   Officer // roughly put leader of terrorists in torment (7)

14a   Once capsized crossing a // body of water (5)

15a   Money that is admitting Queen // supporter (9)

Brass^[5] is an informal British term for money ⇒ they wanted to spend their newly acquired brass.

"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.

hide explanation

17a   Most macabre // secret unfolded about meat dish? (9)

20a   Dull // sandwich has a French filling (5)

"a French" = UN (show explanation )

In French, the masculine singular form of the indefinite article is un^[8].

hide explanation

22a   Span on prize // bird's feathers (7)

24a   Part of calf or elegant part of // limb (7)

As pommers points out in his review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog, the second "part of" is superfluous. It is not part of the wordplay and don't see how it could be considered to be a link phrase. I suspect that the setter may have confused foreleg with forearm. A foreleg is a limb — unlike a forearm which is only part of a limb.

25a   Stroke // initially soothing after worries (6)

26a   Show // criminal's almost expected before court ... (7)

"court" = CT (show explanation )

Ct^[2] is the abbreviation for Court in street addresses — and possibly in other contexts as well.

hide explanation

Show^[5] is used in the sense of conduct or lead ⇒ show them in, please.

27a   ... villain's given time by judge /for/ show (11)

Down

2d   Last of ormolu trim // left on plate (7)

3d   Alluring // birds with ale, drunk, on Ecstasy (9)

"Ecstasy" = E (show explanation )

E^[5] is an abbreviation for the drug Ecstasy or a tablet of Ecstasy ⇒ (i) people have died after taking E; (ii) being busted with three Es can lead to stiff penalties.

hide explanation

4d   With no parking, stay in charge /of/ patient (5)

"in charge" = 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

5d   Relevant // support in Apple's first operating system (7)

Trivial Pursuit

The Apple I[7] computer, released by the Apple Computer Company (now Apple Inc.) in 1976, was designed and hand-built by Steve Wozniak. It went on sale in July 1976 at the Satanic price of $666.66. About 200 units were produced. The computer had no operating system. Apple's first operating system, Apple DOS 3.1[7] for the Apple II computer, was introduced in June 1978. There was no Apple DOS 1 or 2, per se. Versions 0.1 through 2.8 were serially enumerated revisions during development, which might as well have been called builds 1 through 28. Apple DOS 3.0, a renamed issue of version 2.8, was never publicly released due to bugs.

6d   Falls // about when about half dead (7)

7d   Doctor to pose with chest // instrument (11)

8d   Voyage /for/ ships' companies, say (6)

As is customary, the National Post has published the version of the clue which appeared in the printed edition of The Daily Telegraph.

A very minor change was introduced in the version of the puzzle which appeared on the Telegraph Puzzles website:

• Voyage /for/ ships' companies, we hear (6)

11d   Lay out one on door // search (11)

16d   A terrific oily // mechanic (9)

An artificer^[5] is a skilled mechanic in the armed forces.

18d   Teach // English University course beginning in time (7)

19d   Plant with unpleasant odour /produces/ fake medicine (7)

20d   Aristocrat, // apart from old lace (7)

Net^[3] is a fine mesh fabric used as curtain or dress material or as the foundation for various laces.

A baronet^[5] (abbreviation Bt^[5]) is a member of the lowest hereditary titled British order, with the status of a commoner but able to use the prefix ‘Sir’.

Delving Deeper
The nobility in Britain or Ireland (whose members are known as peers[5]) comprises the ranks of duke, marquess, earl, viscount, and baron. In order of precedence, a baronet sits below a baron but above a knight. Baronets and knights both hold the status of commoners. The title of baronet is hereditary whereas that of knight is non-hereditary.

21d   Top mark in German? (6)

An umlaut^[5] is a mark (¨) used over a vowel, especially in German, to indicate a different vowel quality.

23d   Stops losing head /and/ relaxes (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

Saturday, June 25, 2016 — Old, But Far from Slow

Introduction

I spent the weekend camping at a rustic campground with little in the way of modern amenities. Today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon was solved while basking in the sun beside a pristine lake.

It is gratifying to see that our regular visitors have dropped by in my absence and that the blog is finally starting to become the forum it was always intended to be.

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   Call for help, catching baby's first // cries (4)

SO(B)S — SOS (call for help) containing (catching) B (baby's first; initial letter of Baby)

3a   Imply Ravel transposed // in a very old-time way (10)

PRIMEVALLY* — anagram (transposed) of IMPLY RAVEL

9a   Hungrily eye // portion of frog legs

_OG|LE_ — hidden in (portion of) frOG LEgs

10a   Drop a net on awfully // old flying reptile (10)

PTERANODON* — anagram (awfully) of DROP A NET ON

12a   Monkeys write funny // newspaper (3,4,5)

{NEW YORK TIMES}* — anagram (funny) of MONKEYS WRITE

15a   Bands keeping at // classes (7)

R(AT)INGS — RINGS (bands; jewelry or criminal organizations) containing (keeping) AT (†)

16a   Ancient Syrian capital // moved to China (7)

ANTIOCH* — anagram (moved) of TO CHINA

Antioch^[10] is a city in southern Turkey, on the Orantes River: ancient commercial centre and capital of Syria (300–64 BC); early centre of Christianity. Pop: 155 000 (2005 est).

17a   More disreputable // roller in a casino absorbed by psychic (7)

SEE(DIE)R — DIE (roller in a casino; die is the singular of dice) contained in (absorbed by) SEER (psychic)

19a   Music of Joplin playing behind pop // model (7)

PA|RAG|ON — {RAG (music of [Scott] Joplin) + ON (playing)} following (behind) PA (pop; father)

20a   Yell about having // something in a toilet kit (7,5)

S(HAVING) CREAM — SCREAM (yell) containing (about) HAVING (†)

23a   Teacher experiments with // some collections of pens (10)

RABBI|TRIES — RABBI (teacher) + TRIES (experiments with)

24a   Family // left in prison (4)

C(L)AN —  L (left; abbrev.) contained in (in) CAN ([slang term for] prison)

25a   Totally white-plumed bird almost too // fast (10)

ALL|EGRET|TO_ — ALL (totally) + EGRET (white-plumed bird) + TO (almost too; all but the last letter of TOo)

Allegretto^[5] is a musical direction denoting at a fairly brisk speed.

26a   Nothing in punch // missing soldier (4)

AW(O)L — O (nothing; letter that looks like a zero) contained in (in) AWL (punch)

An AWOL^[3,11] is a soldier who is absent from duty without leave. US dictionaries show AWOL as being both an adjective and a noun whereas British dictionaries list it only as an adjective. I would say that this is a rather unique circumstance as, in my experience, the Brits are far more likely to "noun" an adjective than are we on this side of the pond.

Down

1d   Breaking promises on // form of wordplay (10)

SPOONERISM* — anagram (breaking) PROMISES ON

2d   Lovely girl, if pronounced // leader (10)

BELL|WETHER — sounds like (pronounced) {BELLE (beautiful girl) + WHETHER (if)}

A wether^[5] is castrated ram. A bellwether^[5] is the leading sheep of a flock, with a bell on its neck.

4d   Alien among tools in a shed // gets back (7)

R(ET)AKES — ET (alien) contained in (among) RAKES (tools in a shed)

"alien" = ET (show explanation )

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.

hide explanation

5d   Can interrupting hurt a // tennis legend's name? (7)

MAR(TIN)A — TIN (can) contained in (interrupting) {MAR (hurt) + A (†)}

Martina Navratilova^[7] is a retired Czech and American tennis player and coach. Billie Jean King, former World No. 1 player, said in 2006 that Navratilova is "the greatest singles, doubles and mixed doubles player who's ever lived." In 2005, Tennis magazine selected her as the greatest female tennis player for the years 1965 through 2005. Tennis historian and journalist Bud Collins has called Navratilova "arguably, the greatest tennis player of all time."

6d   Actor // Penny splitting French wine cost (7,5)

VIN(CENT) PRICE — CENT (penny) contained in (splitting) {VIN (French [word for] wine) + PRICE (cost)}

Vincent Price^[5] (1911–1993) was an American actor, best known for his performances in a series of films based on stories by Edgar Allan Poe, such as The Pit and the Pendulum (1961).

7d   Deposit // burden in the sound (4)

LODE — sounds like (in the sound) LOAD (burden)

8d   American // jerk (4)

YANK — double definition

11d   Working a second job, // might log on in shifts (12)

MOONLIGHTING* — anagram (shifts) of MIGHT LOG ON IN

13d   Poet/'s/ dream took a plunge that was painful (10)

LONGFELLOW* — LONG (dream) + FELL (took a plunge) + OW ("that was painful!")

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow^[5] (1807–1882) was an American poet. He is known for ‘The Wreck of the Hesperus’ and ‘The Village Blacksmith’ (both 1841) and The Song of Hiawatha (1855).

14d   Great // friend carrying chicken sign (10)

P(HEN|OMEN)AL — PAL (friend) containing (carrying) {HEN (chicken) + OMEN (sign)}

18d   In worship, I // daydream (7)

REVER(I)E — I (†) contained in (in) REVERE (worship)

19d   Biting // form of wit by lady's man (7)

PUN|GENT — PUN (form of wit) + (by) GENT (lady's man)

21d   Song // in Madagascar I admire (4)

_AR|I|A_ — hidden in (in) MadagascAR I Admire

Madagascar^[5] is a 2005 American computer-animated comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation. The film tells the story of four Central Park Zoo animals who have spent their lives in blissful captivity and are unexpectedly shipped back to Africa, getting shipwrecked on the island of Madagascar.

22d   Biblical man // fit to be heard (4)

ABEL — sounds like (to be heard) ABLE (fit)

In the Bible, Abel^[5] was the second son of Adam and Eve, murdered by his brother Cain.

Epilogue

The title of today's review is inspired by 3a and 25a.

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