Monday, February 13, 2017 — DT 28280

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28280
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Thursday, November 24, 2016
Setter Shamus (Philip Marlow)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28280]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Falcon
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

I reviewed this puzzle for Big Dave's Crossword Blog back in late November when it was published in The Daily Telegraph. At that time, the ground was barely covered with snow — a far cry from the situation we find ourselves in today.

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   Bishop is interrupting a QC, // fearful creature (8)

"bishop" = B (show explanation )

B^[5] is an abbreviation for bishop that is used in recording moves in chess.

hide explanation

In Britain, silk^[5] is an informal term for a Queen’s (or King’s) Counsel [so named because of the right accorded to wear a gown made of silk].

A Queen's Counsel^[7] (postnominal QC), or King's Counsel (postnominal KC) during the reign of a king, is an eminent lawyer (most often a barrister [see second box below]) who is appointed by the Queen to be one of "Her Majesty's Counsel learned in the law."

Delving Deeper

The term Queen's Counsel is also recognised as an honorific. Membership exists in various Commonwealth jurisdictions around the world (including Canada), while in some other jurisdictions the name has been replaced by one without monarchical connotations, such as "Senior Counsel" or "Senior Advocate". Queen's Counsel is a status, conferred by the Crown, that is recognised by courts. Members have the privilege of sitting within the Bar of court. As members wear silk gowns of a particular design, the award of Queen's Counsel is known informally as taking silk, and hence QCs are often colloquially called silks. Appointments are made from within the legal profession on the basis of merit rather than a particular level of experience. However, successful applicants tend to be barristers, or (in Scotland) advocates with 15 years of experience or more.

A System Only A Lawyer Could Comprehend

Barristers and solicitors[7] are two classes of lawyer. However, the distinction between them varies in different jurisdictions around the world. The following attempt to differentiate the two classes is likely highly oversimplified. The UK has a split legal profession in which barristers and solicitors have separate and distinct roles. Solicitors are attorneys which means they can act in the place of their client for legal purposes. However, a solicitor is not a member of the bar and therefore [generally (see below)] cannot speak on behalf of a client in court. A barrister is not an attorney and is usually forbidden, either by law or professional rules or both, from "conducting" litigation. This means that while the barrister speaks on the client's behalf in court, he or she can do so only when instructed by a solicitor or certain other qualified professional clients, such as patent agents. However, the foregoing would appear to be not entirely correct. Collins English Dictionary defines a solicitor[10], in Britain, as a lawyer who advises clients on matters of law, draws up legal documents, prepares cases for barristers, etc, and who may represent clients in certain courts and a barrister[10] (also called barrister-at-law), in England [not Britain], as a lawyer who has been called to the bar and is qualified to plead in the higher courts. In the US and Canada (with the exception of Quebec), there is generally no legal or regulatory distinction between a barrister and a solicitor - with any qualified lawyer being entitled to practice in either field. In the US, most lawyers call themselves attorneys while in Canada, lawyers will adopt different titles depending on the type of legal practice on which they choose to concentrate (barrister, solicitor, or barrister and solicitor).

A basilisk^[5] is a mythical reptile with a lethal gaze or breath, hatched by a serpent from a cock's egg^*.

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^* I was not aware that cocks laid eggs. While intriguing, I've opted to forgo that line of investigation.

5a   Odds on tour being disrupted // to grow (6)

SP^[5] is the abbreviation for starting price^[5], the final odds at the start of a horse race.

9a   Last month, salesman appears with that thing // like a crate? (8)

10a   Show // area swamped by merrymaking (6)

12a   Sister enthralled by fake drink? // That's puzzling (9)

The implied definition is "[something] that's puzzling".

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

• (adjective) not authentic or fake ⇒ a cod Mittel-European^* accent;
• (noun) a joke or hoax ⇒ I suppose it could all be a cod.

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^* Mitteleuropa^[10] (also Mittel-europa or Mittel Europa) is Central Europe, especially with reference to its culture, style, or customs.

13a   Put below ground // part of main terminal (5)

14a   With leader gone, supply // witticism (4)

16a   Gastronome // encountered behind a lot of fruit (7)

19a   Pastry // consumed by most rude Londoners (7)

21a   Submissive // male with frightened sound (4)

24a   Cruise maybe // in Cadillac to resort (5)

Tom Cruise^[5] is is an American film actor and producer. As a child, he lived for several years in Ottawa where he reportedly first became involved in acting — appearing in a grade four school drama production.

25a   Dominant // in fight, concealing worries to make comeback (9)

27a   It indicates pressure // exists over legal profession (6)

"over" = O (show explanation )

On cricket scorecards, the abbreviation O^[5] denotes over(s), an over^[5] being a division of play consisting of a sequence of six balls bowled by a bowler from one end of the pitch, after which another bowler takes over from the other end.

hide explanation

In meteorology, an isobar^[5] is a line on a map connecting points having the same atmospheric pressure at a given time or on average over a given period.

28a   Attractive // sign nearly seen behind workers (8)

29a   Aristo discontented everyone? // That could be tough to swallow (6)

The implied definition is "[something] that could be tough to swallow".

Aristo^[10a] is an informal, chiefly British term for an aristocrat.

Toff^[5] is a derogatory, informal British term for a rich or upper-class person.

30a   Partner carrying bottle /for/ artist (8)

Bottle^[5] is an informal British term denoting the courage or confidence needed to do something difficult or dangerous ⇒ I lost my bottle completely and ran.

René Magritte^[7] (1898–1967) was a Belgian surrealist artist. He became well known for a number of witty and thought-provoking images that fall under the umbrella of surrealism. His work is known for challenging observers' preconditioned perceptions of reality.

Down

1d   Basque // old boy's given up gambling game (6)

"old boy" = OB (show explanation )

In Britain, an old boy^[5] (abbreviation OB^[2])  is:

1. a former male student of a school or college ⇒an old boy of Banbury County School; or
2. a former male member of a sports team or company ⇒ the White Hart Lane old boy squared the ball to present an easy chance from 12 yards.

It is also a chiefly British affectionate form of address to a boy or man ⇒ ‘Look here, old boy,’ he said.

hide explanation

A basque^[5] is a close-fitting bodice extending from the shoulders to the waist and typically with a short continuation below waist level.

2d   Back // boxer's assistant (6)

3d   Extended period for kippers? (3-2)

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

• (noun) a sleep or nap ⇒ (i) I might have a little kip; (ii)  he was trying to get some kip; or
• (verb) to sleep ⇒ he can kip on her sofa.

Lie-in^[5] is a British expression for a prolonged stay in bed in the morning ⇒ your mother is having a lie-in this morning.

Lie in^[5] (phrasal verb) is a British term meaning to remain in bed after the normal time for getting up ⇒ if I’m not due anywhere I’ll lie in until something kick-starts the day.

4d   Riding support // purist designed is about right (7)

6d   Foreshadow // physique to be displayed after runs in gym (9)

"runs" = R (show explanation )

On cricket scorecards [not to mention baseball scoreboards], the abbreviation R^[5] denotes run(s).

In cricket, a run^[5] is a unit of scoring achieved by hitting the ball so that both batsmen are able to run between the wickets, or awarded in some other circumstances.

hide explanation

"gym [class]" = PE (show explanation )

PE^[5] is the abbreviation for physical education [or Phys Ed, as it was known in my school days]. 

hide explanation

Prefigure^[3] means to to suggest, indicate, or represent by an antecedent form or model; presage or foreshadow ⇒ The paintings of Paul Cézanne prefigured the rise of cubism in the early 1900s.

7d   Clear this person's energy will lead to extra work (8)

"this person's" = IM (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.

Today, the setter has made the scenario slightly more complicated by combining "this person" with the verb "to be" producing "this person's" (a contraction of "this person is") which must be replaced by "I'm" (a contraction of "I am").

hide explanation

"energy" = E (show explanation )

In physics, E^[5] is a symbol used to represent energy in mathematical formulae.

hide explanation

8d   Put up with // muddled 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

11d   Conceited // son supported by fool (4)

Mug^[5] is an informal British term for a stupid or gullible person ⇒ they were no mugs where finance was concerned.

15d   Set about // what indisciplined motorway driver might do? (9)

Motorway^[2,5] (abbreviation M^[5]) is a British, Australian, and New Zealand term for a dual-carriageway road [divided highway] designed for fast-moving traffic, especially one with three lanes per carriageway [direction of travel] and limited access and exit points [controlled access].

Undertake^[5] is a British expression meaning to catch up with and pass (another vehicle) while travelling on the inside ⇒ (i) he undertook me, at 70 mph, while on his mobile [cell phone]; (ii) speeding, tailgating, and undertaking on a motorway are all examples of driving without due care and attention.

17d   State is probing established // writer (8)

18d   Remove debt // straight away, we hear (5,3)

20d   This could be standard // place for filming politician (4)

"politician" = 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

Standard lamp^[5] is a British term for a lamp with a tall stem [pole] whose base stands on the floor.

21d   Cosmetic // allowing the old woman to hide a blemish (7)

22d   Two notes on stronghold /in/ struggle (6)

23d   Charge more than normal /for/ thermal garment (6)

26d   I've noted down // wine that is served up (5)

The eider^[5,10] (or eider duck) is any of several sea ducks of the genus Somateria, especially S. mollissima, and related genera, which occur in the northern hemisphere. The male has black and white plumage with a coloured head. The female is brown and is the source of eiderdown.

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