Thursday, January 19, 2017 — DT 28261

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28261
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Wednesday, October 2, 2016
Setter Jay (Jeremy Mutch)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28261]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By KiwiColin
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 run of easy workouts continues with this offering from Jay.

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   Mutual // respect's beginning with police car going off (10)

6a   Stone // circle left on peak, oddly (4)

The wordplay parses as O ([letter shaped like a] circle) + {L (left) following (on; in an across clue) PA (peak oddly; the first and third [odd] letters of PeAk}

"on" = following (convention for charade indicator) (show explanation )

"A on B" Convention

A sometimes ignored cryptic crossword convention provides 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. . Notwithstanding the above, a solver must always be vigilant for setters who flout this convention.

hide explanation

9a   Criminal // pair one found in sect (7)

10a   Incapable of supporting oneself? (7)

12a   Viewer keen to see what's in store (6-7)

14a   Go and cover /for/ person switching sides (8)

15a   Digs // suit (6)

17a   A person elected by vicar /to/ refurbish (6)

"person elected" = MP (show explanation )

In Britain (as in Canada), a politician elected to the House of Commons is known as a Member of Parliament^[10] (abbreviation MP^[5]) or, informally, as a member^[5].

hide explanation

"vicar" = REV (show explanation )

A vicar^[5] is a member of the clergy, although the meaning of the term varies among religious denominations. The term may mean:

• in the the Church of England, an incumbent of a parish where tithes formerly passed to a chapter or religious house or layman;
• in other Anglican Churches, a member of the clergy deputizing for another;
• in the Roman Catholic Church, a representative or deputy of a bishop;
• in the US Episcopal Church, a clergyman in charge of a chapel;
• a cleric or choir member appointed to sing certain parts of a cathedral service.

hide explanation

19a   Criminal // only disheartened with condition attached by judge initially (8)

21a   Limp /and/ miss a platform -- I must go to California shortly (13)

24a   Hurry back and watch Kirov's last // dancer (7)

Rudolf Nureyev^[5] (1939–1993) was a Russian-born ballet dancer and choreographer. He defected to the West in 1961, joining the Royal Ballet in London, where he began his noted partnership with Margot Fonteyn. He became a naturalized Austrian citizen in 1982.

Scratching the Surface

The Mariinsky Ballet[7] is the resident classical ballet company of the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in the 18th century and originally known as the Imperial Russian Ballet, the Mariinsky Ballet is one of the world's leading ballet companies. Internationally, the Mariinsky Ballet continues to be known by its former Soviet name the Kirov Ballet. The Mariinsky Ballet is the parent company of the Vaganova Ballet Academy, a leading international ballet school.

25a   Gently boil outside with // fish, for example (7)

26a   A measure of whisky enjoyed /in/ Scottish island (4)

Skye^[5] is a mountainous island of the Inner Hebrides, now linked to the west coast of Scotland by a bridge; chief town, Portree. It is the largest and most northerly island of the group.

27a   Very popular, /and/ completely sane, drinking a gallon (3,3,4)

Down

1d   Loaded, /but/ ridiculous (4)

2d   State of tension /seeing/ coward struggling across line (4,3)

3d   Maybe mum's got people with her // controlling organisation (6,7)

I would explain the wordplay a bit differently than KiwiColin does on Big Dave's Crossword Blog. I see the wordplay parsing as PARENT (maybe mum) + ([ha]s got) COMPANY (people with her).

4d   Exotic oil on tap, // available as choice (8)

5d   A season up /in/ the hills of Africa (5)

The Atlas Mountains^[5] are a range of mountains in North Africa extending from Morocco to Tunisia in a series of chains.

7d   Parking on grass to get around parking twice, // got ready (7)

8d   Desperate attempt // to survive holiday centre (4,6)

As we saw only yesterday, the British use the word holiday(s) where North Americans might say vacation^[5].  (show explanation )

Holiday^[5,10] (often holidays) is a chiefly British term for a period in which a break is taken from work or studies for rest, travel, or recreation ⇒ (i) I spent my summer holidays on a farm; (ii) Fred was on holiday in Spain.

According to the British dictionaries, the usual US and Canadian term for such a break is vacation. However, I am accustomed to hearing the two terms used almost interchangeably — in much the same manner as fall and autumn. This may not be the case in all parts of Canada, but I grew up in the Maritimes and have lived in Eastern Ontario for most of my life, both areas where British influence is particularly strong.

In Britain, the word vacation^[5] has a very specific meaning, a fixed holiday period between terms in universities and law courts ⇒ the Easter vacation. In North America, such a period might be called a break^[7].

hide explanation

11d   Doctors // ring needing custom (5,8)

A group practice^[5] is a medical practice run by several doctors.

13d   Plots // Conservative approach in the case of schools (10)

"Conservative" = TORY (show explanation )

The abbreviation for Conservative may be either C.^[10] or Con.^[10].

A Tory^[10] is a member or supporter of the Conservative Party in Great Britain or Canada.

Historically, a Tory^[10] was a member of the English political party that opposed the exclusion of James, Duke of York from the royal succession (1679–80). Tory remained the label for subsequent major conservative interests until they gave birth to the Conservative Party in the 1830s.

The Conservative Party^[5] is a a major British political party that emerged from the old Tory Party under Sir Robert Peel in the 1830s and 1840s. Since the Second World War, it has been in power 1951–64, 1970-74, and 1979–97. It governed in a coalition with the Liberal Democrats from 2010 until the general election of May 2015, in which it was returned with a majority.

hide explanation

16d   Look after property /in/ strike about old customs (5-3)

18d   Governor/'s/ frailty, getting broody regularly (7)

A viceroy^[5] is a ruler exercising authority in a colony on behalf of a sovereign.

20d   Predicament // laid out over English military award (7)

In the UK and Commonwealth countries, the Military Medal^[5] (abbreviation MM) is a decoration for distinguished active service on land, instituted in 1916 (originally for enlisted soldiers).

22d   Incus // discovered in Roman villa (5)

The incus^[5] (also called anvil^[5]) is a small anvil-shaped bone in the middle ear, transmitting vibrations between the malleus and stapes.

23d   Couple lacking source of cash /for/ bank of Scotland (4)

Brae^[5] is Scottish for a steep bank or hillside.

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