Wednesday, June 8, 2016 — DT 28030

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28030
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Saturday, February 6, 2016
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28030 – Hints] Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28030 – 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

Today, I fell victim to my habit of pencilling in questionable solutions. I neglected to go back and revisit the clue before reading crypticsue's review. As the incorrect letters were both unchecked, I was able to complete the puzzle despite the error.

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   Timer almost jammed, /causing/ alert (8)

My solution — for which the wordplay was inexplicable — was WATCHOUT. I always seem to trip on the molehills while being able to scale the peaks.

5a   Train /for/ Rugby, say (6)

Rugby School^[7] is a co-educational day and boarding school in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. One of the oldest independent schools in Britain, it is one of the original ten English public schools defined by the Public Schools Act 1868.

A Primer on British Schools

In Britain, an independent school[10] is a school that is neither financed nor controlled by the government or local authorities; in other words, an independent school[2] is not paid for with public money and does not belong to the state school system. A private school[2,5] is a particular category of independent school, being a school run independently by an individual or group, especially for profit and supported wholly by the payment of fees. A public school[2] is yet another category of independent school, a secondary school, especially a boarding school run independently of the state, financed by a combination of endowments and pupils' fees. What we in North America would call a public school[2], is known in the UK as a state school[5] or (in England and Wales) a maintained school[5], a school that is funded by a local education authority..

9a   Art grade for modelling /in/ fashion industry (3,5)

10a   Woman formerly seen around hospital // floor covering right leg (6)

"leg" = ON (show explanation )

In cricket, the leg^[5] (also called leg side) is another name for the on^[5] (also known as on side), the half of the field (as divided lengthways through the pitch) away from which the batsman’s feet are pointed when standing to receive the ball ⇒ he played a lucky stroke to leg. The other half of the field is known as the off^[5] (also called off side).

hide explanation

Matron^[5] is a British term for the woman in charge of the nursing in a hospital (the official term is now senior nursing officer)  ⇒ she had been matron of a Belgian Hospital.

11a   There's no end of bother behind bar /in/ American's carriage (7)

Carriage^[5] is a British term for any of the separate sections of a train that carry passengers ⇒ the first-class carriages.

12a   Criminal, // evil one goes to city having forsaken east end (7)

13a   Champion // who opens Olympics? (11)

16a   Take note of this: // scores must embrace I say! (4,2,5)

21a   In Scotland, know and name the corrupt // man (7)

In her explanation on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, crypticsue omits one element of the charade. The explanation in full is KEN (in Scotland, know; the Scottish word for know) + (and) N (name; abbrev.) + an anagram (corrupt) of THE.

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?.

22a   Tax returns earn free // accommodation in Greece (7)

A value added tax^[5] (abbreviation VAT) is a tax on the amount by which the value of an article has been increased at each stage of its production or distribution.

The European Union value added tax^[7] (or EU VAT) is a value added tax on goods and services within the European Union (EU). The EU's institutions do not collect the tax, but EU member states (including the UK) are each required to adopt a value added tax that complies with the EU VAT code. Different rates of VAT apply in different EU member states, ranging from 15 to 27%.

Canada's Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) are each instances of a value added tax.^[7]

A taverna^[2] is

1. (in Greece) a type of guesthouse with a bar, popular as holiday accommodation; or
2. a Greek restaurant.

In the UK, inheritance tax^[5] is a tax levied on property and money acquired by gift or inheritance (introduced in 1986 to replace capital transfer tax).

23a   Drug // work I polished off (6)

"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

24a   Jumbo-sized // portion of chicken or moussaka (8)

25a   Attack unexpectedly /and/ get going (4,2)

26a   What a surprise -- // both sides fit (4,4)

Down

1d   Cautious about Catholic // slogan (3,3)

Scratching the Surface
Although it would seem to bear no connection to this clue, The War Cry[7] is the official news publication of The Salvation Army — except in Canada, where the name has been changed to the Salvationist..

2d   In Serengeti, grisly // river! (6)

The Tigris^[5] is a river in southwestern Asia, the more easterly of the two rivers of ancient Mesopotamia. It rises in the mountains of eastern Turkey and flows 1,850 km (1,150 miles) south-eastwards through Iraq, passing through Baghdad, to join the Euphrates, forming the Shatt al-Arab, which flows into the Persian Gulf.

Scratching the Surface
The Serengeti[5] is a vast plain in Tanzania, to the west of the Great Rift Valley. In 1951 the Serengeti National Park was created to protect the area’s large numbers of wildebeest, zebra, and Thomson’s gazelle.

3d   Chair to set out // that comes in a pod (7)

Haricot^[5] (also haricot bean) is a chiefly British term for:

1. a French bean of a variety with small white seeds; or
2. the dried seed of haricot bean plants used as a vegetable.

4d   Low plants // develop during thunder burst (11)

6d   Third character on the radio/'s/ a proper idiot (7)

Charlie^[5] is a code word representing the letter C, used in radio communication.

Charlie^[5] is an informal British term for a fool ⇒ what a bunch of charlies.

7d   Publicly known /to be/ working with criminal history (2,6)

8d   Kind of policy that's unlikely to appeal to schoolchildren (4-4)

A cryptic definition consisting of a straight definition combined with cryptic elaboration.

12d   One is late paying this tax (11)

14d   Discover // second donkey in the open air (5,3)

Moke^[5] is an informal British term for a donkey.

15d   Borderline // cheek that is going over rector's head (8)

Front^[5] means boldness and confidence of manner ⇒ he’s got a bit of talent and a lot of front.

Scratching the Surface
A rector[3,4,11] is a member of the clergy in the Episcopal, Anglican, or Roman Catholic churches.

17d   Various trams circuiting east -- ring /for/ conductor (7)

18d   A few // part with a pound (7)

"pound" = L (show explanation )

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

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

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

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19d   Group of trees, old inside /and/ hollow (6)

20d   Young woman raised south of Virginia /as/ servant (6)

"Virginia" = VA (show explanation )

Not only is VA^[5] the abbreviation for Virginia in official postal use, but  Va^[5] is a common abbreviation for Virginia in other contexts as well.

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