Friday, November 18, 2016 — DT 28191

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28191
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Friday, August 12, 2016
Setter Giovanni (Don Manley)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28191]
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

A couple of clues eluded me today and I resorted to calling in the electronic aids. I should have solved 11a as I understood the structure of the clue and even had the boy's name correct but could not come up with the tail end of the solution. Perhaps it is because I would spell this word with an "I" in place of the first "E". As for 18a, I do recall having seen this expression once before in a puzzle but it certainly made no effort today to come out from the deep recesses of my memory where it had ensconced itself.

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   The Parisian certainly quiet, being back /in/ study (7)

"the Parisian" = LA (show explanation )

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

hide explanation

"quiet" = P (show explanation )

Piano^[3,5] (abbreviation p^[5]), is a musical direction meaning either (as an adjective) soft or quiet or (as an adverb) softly or quietly.

hide explanation

5a   Deceptive type, // outspoken with little hesitation (7)

9a   Player // representing America putting lots off (5)

10a   Country // area that CPRE won't want houses on? (9)

CPRE is an acronym for Campaign for the Protection of Rural England^[7].

Delving Deeper

The organization is a registered charity with over 60,000 members and supporters. Formed in 1926 to limit urban sprawl and ribbon development, the CPRE (until the 1960s the Council for the Preservation of Rural England and from then until 2003 the Council for the Protection of Rural England) claims to be one of the longest running environmental groups. CPRE campaigns for a "sustainable future" for the English countryside.

Greenland^[7] is an autonomous country within the Danish Realm, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.

11a   Little fellow given sticking plaster maybe /and/ sent packing (10)

Des^[7] is a masculine given name, mostly a short form (hypocorism^*) of Desmond.

^* would you not agree that this sounds more like a disease than a term of endearment?

Despatch^[10] is a less common spelling of dispatch.

12a   Fancy // an alternative source to mains water? (4)

Fancy!^[10] (also fancy that!) is an exclamation of surprise or disbelief. [Well! I would certainly never use it unaccompanied by "that".]

A main^[5] is a principal pipe carrying water or gas to buildings, or taking sewage from them ⇒ a faulty gas main or a principal cable carrying electricity. The mains^[5] is a British term denoting the source of public water, gas, or electricity supply through pipes or cables ⇒ (i) the camcorder can be run directly off the mains; (ii) switch off the mains supply. Thus mains water^[10] is water^* supplied to a building through pipes.

^* and definitely not "gas" as stated in the cited entry from Collins English Dictionary.

14a   Performer // giving recent ballad a new twist (6-6)

18a   A group's No. 13 being played? // Something to raise the dead! (3,4,5)

Trump^[5] is an archaic term for a trumpet or a trumpet blast.

The phrase "the last trump" comes from I Corinthians 15:51-53:

⁵¹ Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
⁵² In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
⁵³ For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

According to St Paul, the "Trump" will signal the end of the world. Some Americans may well agree. And if the dead have not been raised some are surely turning in their graves.

The first part of the clue is a cryptic definition of the playing of the final card in the trump suit in a game of cards.

21a   Sweet // idiot (4)

Sweet^[5] is a British term for a sweet dish forming a course of a meal; in other words, a pudding or dessert.
Fool^[5] is a chiefly British name for a cold dessert made of pureed fruit mixed or served with cream or custard ⇒ raspberry fool with cream.

22a   Partner/'s/ requirement after beer has been sent back? (6,4)

Half^[5] is an informal British term for half a pint of beer or a similar drink ⇒ a half of bitter^*.

^* Bitter^[5] is a British name for beer that is strongly flavoured with hops and has a bitter taste.

As Deep Threat alludes in his review, a customer at a pub would typically order either a pint or, should they be less thirsty, a half.

25a   At back of the science room speak // to give more details (9)

26a   Chemical // experimenter wasting time initially (5)

An ester^[10] is any of a class of compounds produced by reaction between acids and alcohols with the elimination of water. Esters with low molecular weights, such as ethyl acetate, are usually volatile fragrant liquids; fats are solid esters.

27a   Report of walks /in/ grassy areas (7)

The Steppes^[10] are the huge grasslands of Eurasia, chiefly in Ukraine and Russia.

28a   Wobbly // stranger beginning to yawn by end of road (7)

Down

1d   Dad clutching an idol /in/ temple (6)

2d   Reason a boy dumped girl -- /being/ thoughtless (6)

3d   Chivalrous fellow // has a girl, a fantastic little daughter (3,7)

In Arthurian legend, Sir Galahad^[5] was the noblest of the knights of the Round Table, renowned for immaculate purity and destined to find the Holy Grail.

4d   Reason // officer turns up to grab soldier (5)

"soldier" = GI (show explanation )

A GI^[5] is a private soldier in the US army ⇒ she went off with a GI during the war.

Contrary to popular belief, the term apparently is not an abbreviation for general infantryman, but rather derives from the term government (or general) issue (originally denoting equipment supplied to US forces).

hide explanation

5d   Yeoman /having/ drink, embracing English achievement (9)

A Yeoman of the Guard^[5] (also called beefeater) is a member of the British sovereign's bodyguard, first established by Henry VII, now having only ceremonial duties and wearing Tudor dress as uniform.

6d   From what we hear, is paid // pots (4)

7d   Lover meeting sergeant maybe /for/ a dance (8)

NCO^[5] is the abbreviation for non-commissioned officer^[5], an officer in the army, navy, or air force not holding a rank conferred by a commission^*. In other words, a person, such as a sergeant or corporal, who is appointed from the ranks as a subordinate officer.^[10]

^* A commission^[10] is a document conferring the rank of officer in an army, navy, or air force.

Commission Warrants Confusion

Oxford Dictionaries defines a commission[5] as a warrant conferring the rank of officer in an army, navy, or air force. On the other hand, it defines a warrant[5] as an official certificate of appointment issued to an officer of lower rank than a commissioned officer. Okay, let me see if I've got this straight: a commission is a warrant but a warrant is not a commission. Question to the esteemed editors at Oxford: What system of logic prevails in your ivory towers?

Flamenco^[5] is a a style of Spanish music, played especially on the guitar and accompanied by singing and dancing or a style of spirited, rhythmical dance performed to this music, often with castanets.

8d   Type of warning // altered possibly after first sign of rain (3,5)

A red alert^[2] is a a state of readiness to deal with imminent crisis or emergency, e.g. war, natural disaster, etc. as compared to a yellow alert^[2], a security alert one stage less serious than a red alert.

13d   One helping to get rid of a lot, CEO /seen as/ a shark (10)

Once the gavel comes down, the lot has been disposed of.

15d   Church members /can be/ real nuts, terribly hard inside (9)

"hard" = H (show explanation )

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

hide explanation

A Lutheran^[5] is a member of the Lutheran Church^[5], the Protestant Church accepting the Augsburg Confession^* of 1530, with justification by faith alone as a cardinal doctrine. The Lutheran Church is the largest Protestant body, with substantial membership in Germany, Scandinavia, and the US.

^* The Augsburg Confession^[5] is a statement of the Lutheran position, drawn up mainly by Melanchthon and approved by Luther before being presented to the Emperor Charles V at Augsburg on 25 June 1530.

16d   Members of firm about to set up in // Midlands county (8)

Staffs.^[5] is short for Staffordshire, a county of central England; county town, Stafford.

17d   Miserable // miss upset and hugged by boyfriend? (8)

19d   Famous Frenchman /wanting/ some of his art recognised (6)

Jean-Paul Sartre^[5] (1905–1980) was a French philosopher, novelist, playwright, and critic. A leading existentialist, he dealt in his work with the nature of human life and the structures of consciousness. He refused the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1964. Notable works: Nausée (novel, 1938), Being and Nothingness (treatise, 1943), and Huis clos (play, 1944).

20d   A loud and totally heartless father always in a fight (6)

"loud" = F (show explanation )

Forte^[5] (abbreviation f^[5]) is a musical direction meaning (as an adjective) loud or (as an adverb) loudly.

hide explanation

Ay^[10] is an archaic or poetic term meaning ever or always.

23d   The unwanted plant in Yorkshire // river (5)

In the Yorkshire dialect^[a], all use of "the" and "to" is replaced with "t'", which is pronounced by replacing the vowel sound with a half-audible "uh" noise, the kind you might make if you were lifting something unexpectedly heavy. For instance, the sentence "I'm going into the woods" would be pronounced as "Ah'm goin' int'[uh noise] woods" (note: the g at the end of "ing" is also dropped).

Thus the wordplay is {T (the in Yorkshire) + WEED (unwanted plant in Yorkshire; or, for that matter, anywhere else — as Deep Threat points out in his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog).

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^[a] Speaking with a Yorkshire Accent, Lesson 7 (wikiHow).

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The river we are looking for is actually well to the north of Yorkshire.

The Tweed^[5] is a river which rises in the Southern Uplands of Scotland and flows generally eastwards, crossing into northeastern England and entering the North Sea at Berwick-upon-Tweed. For part of its lower course it forms the border between Scotland and England.

24d   Old Bob, oldie /in/ a TV series (4)

Bob refers to a shilling, a denomination that existed in the UK prior to the conversion to a decimal currency system in 1971. The Brits refer to an "old penny" (pre-conversion) and "new penny" (post-conversion). However, there is no shilling in the new system and I can find no reference to the existence of the expression "old bob". Thus, I would conclude that the phrase "old Bob" in the clue is merely an allusion to the fact that the "bob" is an obsolete unit of currency — not to mention that the setter has obviously thrown in the word "old" to help the surface reading.

Bob^[5] is an informal British term for a shilling^[5] (abbreviation s^[5]) which, in the British currency system used prior to the introduction of the current decimal currency system in 1971, was a coin and monetary unit equal to one twentieth of a pound or twelve pence.

In Britain, the abbreviation OAP^[5] stands for old-age pensioner.

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