Friday, March 31, 2017

Friday, March 31, 2017 — DT 28342

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 28342
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Saturday, February 4, 2017
Setter
Unknown
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28342 – Hints]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28342 – Review]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Big Dave (Hints)
crypticsue (Review)
BD Rating
Difficulty - Enjoyment - ★★★
Falcon's Experience
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███████████████████████████████████
└────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘
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

Most of this puzzle fell into place quickly. However, the final handful of holdout clues took as much time as and more effort than the entire remainder of the puzzle. Then to see that crypticsue rated it at one star for difficulty ...

As is usually the case, I failed to notice that the puzzle is a pangram — a puzzle in which the solutions contain at least one occurrence of every letter in the alphabet.

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   Swampy tract // spoils hot country (9)

This was one of my last ones in as I had become fixated on the idea that I was looking for a country.

6a   Wild tribe // current in Italy (5)

The Tiber[5] is a river of central Italy, upon which Rome stands. It rises in the Tuscan Apennines and flows 405 km (252 miles) generally southwestwards, entering the Tyrrhenian Sea at Ostia.

9a   Part of book allowed /to be/ circular (7)

10a   Formerly thoughtful, // dear? (9)

11a   Question about king following English // attendant (7)

"king" = R (show explanation )

Rex[5] (abbreviation R[5]) [Latin for king] denotes the reigning king, used following a name (e.g. Georgius Rex, King George) or in the titles of lawsuits (e.g. Rex v. Jones, the Crown versus Jones — often shortened to R. v. Jones).

hide explanation

An equerry[5] is* an officer of the British royal household who attends or assists members of the royal family ⇒ he became equerry to the Duke of Kent.

* Historically, an equerry[5] was an officer of the household of a prince or noble who had charge over the stables.

12a   Most within range // are in the midst of retreat (7)

For the cryptic reading, most[5] is an adverb rather than a pronoun or determiner..

13a   Plant // a screw loose (4-2-3-6)

Unlike crypticsue, I have not marked this as a double definition as I believe that the numeration does not apply for the second part.

To have bats in the belfry*[1,2,3,4,5] (or have bats in one's belfry[3,4,5,11] or be bats in the belfry[1]) is an informal expression meaning to be eccentric or crazy.

* The Collins English Dictionary (2017) website does spell the phrase bats-in-the-belfry[10] with hyphens when used in this sense. However, this spelling may merely be an error on the website as the phrase is spelt without hyphens (have bats in the belfry or have bats in one's belfry)[4] in the Collins English Dictionary (12th Edition 2014) entry on thefreedictionary.com website.

As I have said in the past, dictionaries are like clocks. A man with a clock knows what time it is; a man with two clocks is not sure.

Bats-in-the-belfry[10] is a hairy Eurasian campanulaceous plant, Campanula trachelium, with bell-shaped blue-purple flowers.

Delving Deeper
Campanula trachelium[7] or nettle-leaved bellflower is a species of bellflower. It is a Eurasian blue wildflower native to Denmark and England and now naturalized in southeast Ireland. It is also found southward through much of Europe into Africa.

The alternate name throatwort is derived from an old belief that C. trachelium is a cure for sore throat, and the species name trachelium refers to this old belief. There never was an actual medical benefit from the plant, which had no observable effect on the throat.

Other folknames include Our Lady's Bells because the color blue was identified with the Virgin Mary's scarf, veil, or shawl; Coventry Bells because C. trachelium was especially common in fields around Coventry; and "Bats-in-the-Belfry" or in the singular "Bat-in-the-Belfry", because the stamens inside the flower were like bats hanging in the bell of a church steeple.

17a   It travels round // place in sink with an internal twist (7)

As pointed out by crypticsue and others on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, these vehicles haven't been travelling around for nearly sixty years.

Sputnik[5] is each of a series of Soviet artificial satellites, the first of which (launched on October 4, 1957) was the first satellite to be placed in orbit.

19a   Puzzle /as/ the first person's tyres burst (7)

My is a first person possessive adjective.

Tyre[5] is the British spelling of tire as an automobile component.

22a   Staff that can work wonders if handled with charm (5,4)

In her review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, crypticsue calls this "A nice all-in-one cryptic definition". See my comment on this at 14d.

23a   Disorderly // suitor sadly admits nothing (7)

24a   Stretched // most of nether garments (5)

25a   It finishes just over 24 hours from tomorrow (9)

Between yesterday and tomorrow there are 24 hours — this period is known as today.

Down

1d   Married woman/'s/ spite (6)

2d   Convert again /seen in/ study a short time ago (8)

In Britain, to read[5] means to study (an academic subject) at a university ⇒ (i) I’m reading English at Cambridge; (ii) he went to Manchester to read for a BA in Economics.

Just[5] (adverb) means very recently; in the immediate past ⇒ I've just seen the local paper.

3d   Rope // one pulls up? (6)

The question mark signals that the second definition is not one that is found in the dictionary but is formed through the logical process of induction* based on the verb halt. That is, if one who bowls is called a bowler and one who fields is called a fielder, then it logically follows that one who halts must be called a halter.

* In logic, induction[5] is the inference of a general law from particular instances.

4d   Pretentious, receiving the Queen /in/ this vein? (6)

"the 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

My initial reaction was that from an anatomical perspective, an artery is not a vein and that the question mark is indicative of this being an "alternative fact"[7].

On the other hand, Jose in Comment #2 on Big Dave's Crossword Blog provides some fairly convincing arguments to support an artery being a vein.

5d   What chemists do /and/ have done (8)

Dispense (with)[5] means to manage without or get rid of [or have done (with)] ⇒ let's dispense with the formalities, shall we?.

6d   After funny turn, energy to support pet // cut short (8)

7d   Busy person must accommodate Elizabeth /in/ the country (6)

A busy bee[4] is a person who is industrious or has many things to do.

Belize[5] is a country in northeastern Central America, on the coast of the Caribbean Sea; population 359,000 (estimated 2015); capital, Belmopan; languages, English (official), Creole, Spanish. Former name (until 1973) British Honduras.

8d   Small amount of money in trust // not long ago (8)

A cent[5] is a monetary unit in various countries*, equal to one hundredth of a dollar, euro, or other decimal currency unit. However, in Britain — despite having adopted a decimal currency system — one hundredth of a pound is known as a penny rather than a cent.

* Collins English Dictionary exhaustively defines cent[10] as a monetary unit of American Samoa, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Australia, Austria, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bermuda, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Brunei, Canada, the Cayman Islands, Cyprus, Dominica, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guyana, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Kosovo, Liberia, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, the Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritius, Mayotte, Micronesia, Monaco, Montenegro, Namibia, Nauru, the Netherlands, the Netherlands Antilles, New Zealand, the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Portugal, Puerto Rico, RĂ©union, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, the Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Surinam, Swaziland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, the United States, the Vatican City, the Virgin Islands, and Zimbabwe. It is worth one hundredth of their respective standard units.

13d   Humiliation, initially missing a // cellar (8)

14d   One is this through no fault of one's own (8)

In her review, crypticsue refers to this as "Another &Lit/cryptic definition". I see the cryptic definition, but I must confess that I fail to see the second interpretation that would make it an &lit. I presume by "another" she is alluding to 22a which she has referred to as "A nice all-in-one cryptic definition".

"All-in-one" is a term that I believe was introduced on Big Dave's Crossword Blog in the spirit of the site's tagline "crossword clues explained in plain English" (it being felt that the "proper" term was too pretentious). It is another name for an &lit. clue which is a clue that has two interpretations. One interpretation is a definition — which is often a cryptic definition. The second interpretation is as wordplay. Such a clue differs from a simple cryptic definition in that the latter has only a single interpretation. In the case of both 22a and 14d, unless I have missed something, I am able to see only a cryptic definition and not an all-in-one (&lit.) clue.

15d   Indian perhaps // on holiday after money coming in? (8)

Indian[5] is an informal British term for an Indian meal or restaurant.

Here and There
I have observed that the British have a high propensity to use adjectives as nouns in place of the noun which they modify. Thus "Indian restaurant" gets shortened to "Indian" and "estate car" (the British name for a station wagon) becomes merely "estate". If we were to shorten "station wagon", it would become "wagon" rather than "station".

However, we are not entirely free from this practice. For instance, growing up in Nova Scotia I was subject to writing an annual set of "provincial examinations" in high school which were commonly known as "provincials". So we certainly do it — just not as often as the Brits.

Takeaway[5] is a British term for takeout[5]:
  • a restaurant or shop selling cooked food to be eaten elsewhere ⇒ (i) a fast-food takeaway; (ii) a takeaway pizza;
  • a meal or dish bought from a shop or restaurant to be eaten elsewhere ⇒ (i) he phoned for a takeaway; (ii) he is happy to eat Chinese takeaway.
16d   Release bear // that should be given to property owner (8)

In clues of this style, the definition is interpreted as implicitly containing the word "something" making it read "[something] that should be given to property owner".

Freehold[5] is a British term denoting permanent and absolute tenure of land or property with freedom to dispose of it at will.

18d   Do not start removing impurities, /that's/ encouraging (6)

19d   Frenzied artists /in/ port (6)

The letters RA are often clued by "artist" (where RA is the abbreviation for Royal Academician) or "artists" (where RA is the abbreviation for Royal Academy). However, today the setter uses "artists" to clue RA (abbreviation for Royal Academician) + S.

* A Royal Academician (abbreviation RA[10]) is a member of the Royal Academy of Arts[5] (also Royal Academy; abbreviation also RA[10]), an institution established in London in 1768, whose purpose is to cultivate painting, sculpture, and architecture in Britain.

Madras[5] is the former name (until 1995) for Chennai[5], a seaport on the eastern coast of India, capital of Tamil Nadu; population 4,590,300 (est. 2009).

20d   Mark // one of the crew (6)

In rowing, stroke[5] denotes the oar or oarsman nearest the stern of a boat, setting the timing for the other rowers.

21d   Old agreed on dirty place /being/ in a ferment (6)
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)
[12] - CollinsDictionary.com (Webster’s New World College Dictionary)
Signing off for today — Falcon

Thursday, March 30, 2017

Thursday, March 30, 2017 — DT 28341

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 28341
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Friday, February 3, 2017
Setter
Giovanni (Don Manley)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28341]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Deep Threat
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★★★ Enjoyment - ★★★
Falcon's Experience
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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

Today, we find Giovanni in a rather gentle mood which did not give me too much difficulty. Even at 13a, being familiar with the mineral allowed me to get to the correct solution despite not having heard of the Irish point,.

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

7a   Seven matters I'd written about /in/ notices for the press? (14)

9a   Stratagem needed by this person sunk in depression /in/ military manoeuvre (10)

"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

11a   Fish /in/ tremulous motion, first to get away (4)

The hake[5] is any of several species of large-headed elongated fish with long jaws and strong teeth. It is a valuable commercial food fish.

12a   The deep // chair maybe with no back (3)

The deep[5] is a literary term for the sea ⇒ denizens of the deep.

13a   Go around northernmost place in Ireland -- finally locate // valuable mineral (10)

Malin Head[5] is a point on the coast of County Donegal, the northernmost point of Ireland. The shipping forecast area Malin covers the Atlantic north of Ireland and west of the southern half of Scotland.

Tourmaline[10] is any of a group of hard glassy minerals of variable colour consisting of complex borosilicates of aluminium with quantities of lithium, sodium, calcium, potassium, iron, and magnesium in hexagonal crystalline form: used in optical and electrical equipment and in jewellery.

16a   Bananas /and/ crunchy food (4)

17a   Hesitation about bad feeling -- /give me/ a break! (7)

18a   Lax // female, the Parisian caught by detectives (7)

"the Parisian" = LA (show explanation )

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

hide explanation

"caught" = C (show explanation )

In cricket, one way for a batsman to be dismissed is to be caught out[5], that is for a player on the opposing team to catch a ball that has been hit by the batsman before it touches the ground.

On cricket scorecards, the abbreviation c.[2,10] or c[5] denotes caught (by).

hide explanation

"detectives" = CID (show explanation )

The Criminal Investigation Department (seemingly better known by its abbreviation CID[2]) is the detective branch of a British police force.

hide explanation

20a   The Bard/'s/ determination (4)

The Bard[10] is an epithet of William Shakespeare.

* Bard[10] is an archaic or literary term for any poet, especially one who writes lyric or heroic verse or is of national importance.

21a   One girl, May, works /in/ a branch of earth sciences (10)

23a   Past // ace has to give way (3)

24a   Get rid of // garden feature? (4)

25a   Paper /shows/ way the woman entered into risky venture (10)

I thought the solution was a common journalistic term but was surprised not to find it in American dictionaries. Broadsheet[5] denotes a newspaper with a large format, regarded as more serious and less sensationalist than tabloids ⇒ the tabloidization of the broadsheets.

28a   Horses // escape shelters, going wild (14)

Today, we know a steeplechase[5] as a horse race run on a racecourse having ditches and hedges as jumps. Originally, however, it was a cross country race in which a steeple marked the finishing point.

Down

1d   Finish the whole affair /and/ drink neat gin? (4,4,4,2)

The second "definition" (if it can be called that) is a literal interpretation of phrase forming the solution to the clue.

It[5] is an informal, dated British term for Italian vermouth [an ingredient commonly used in combination with gin in a cocktail] ⇒ he poured a gin and it.

2d   Cricket ground /with/ duck leading to endless depression (4)

"duck" = O (show explanation )

In cricket, a duck[5] is a batsman’s score of nought [zero] ⇒ he was out for a duck. This is similar to the North American expression goose egg[5] meaning a zero score in a game.

In British puzzles, "duck" is used to indicate the letter "O" based on the resemblance of the digit "0" to this letter.

hide explanation

Vale[5,10] is literary word for valley also found in place names ⇒ the Vale of Glamorgan.

The Oval[7], currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth, South London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since it was opened in 1845. It was the first ground in England to host international Test* cricket in September 1880. The final Test match of the English season is traditionally played there.

* Test[5] (short for Test match)[5] denotes an international cricket or rugby match, typically one of a series, played between teams representing two different countries ⇒ the Test match between Pakistan and the West Indies.

3d   Time to get a little sunshine -- // one may come with some tea (4)

4d   Like a kind of energy /that gets/ old cows twitching (7)

Kine[5] is an archaic term for cows collectively ⇒ the lowing kine came home at twilight.

Twitching, being a gerund, is a verb form that can double as a noun.

5d   Most successful rep /gets/ a popular book (4,6)

6d   Robot-like /as/ Bottom, say, in A Midsummer Night's Dream (10)

A mechanical[7] is any of six characters in William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream who perform the play-within-a-play Pyramus and Thisbe. Named for their occupations as skilled manual laborers, they are a group of amateur (mostly incompetent) actors from around Athens, looking to make names for themselves by having their production chosen among several acts as the courtly entertainment for the royal wedding party of Theseus and Hippolyta. The biggest ham among them, Bottom, becomes the unlikely object of interest for love-potion-charmed fairy queen Titania after he is turned into a monster with the head, eyes and ears of an ass by the servant-spirit Puck.

8d   Transport items? Simple -- // relax! (4,6,4)

10d   Resistance unit // set up in Nottingham house (3)

The ohm[5] is the SI* unit of electrical resistance.

* SI being the abbreviation for the international system of units of measurement [from French Système International].

14d   What gets sailor up above deck, one being stranded (4,6)

15d   A planetoid, no place having phone /or/ vehicle (10)

Pluto[10] is the second-largest dwarf planet in the solar system, located in the Kuiper belt. Discovered in 1930 by Clyde Tombaugh (1906–1997), it was classified as a planet until 2006 when it was reclassified as a dwarf planet.

Pl.[5] (also pl.) is the abbreviation for Place (in street addresses) ⇒ 3 Palmerston Pl., Edinburgh.

Mobile[5] is a British term for a mobile phone [North American cell phone[5]] ⇒ we telephoned from our mobile to theirs.

19d   Having regular contact // off the field (2,5)

In rugby and soccer [not to mention North American football], touch[10] is the area outside the touchlines*, beyond which the ball is out of play (especially in the phrase in touch.

* A touchline is either of the lines marking the side of the playing area in certain games, such as rugby.

22d   Like son // who lacks wisdom? (3)

26d   Wood // somewhere in Kent (4)

In Britain, deal[5] means:
  • fir or pine wood as a building material; or
  • a plank made of fir or pine wood [what we in North America would commonly refer to as lumber]. 
Apparently, this meaning of deal[3,11] also exists (or once existed) in North America, but I would think that it is very rarely used now — especially by the general public.

Deal[7] is a town in Kent, England (population 30,085 at 2011 census) which lies on the English Channel, eight miles northeast of Dover. It is a former fishing, mining and garrison town. Close to Deal is Walmer, a possible location for Julius Caesar's first arrival in Britain. Deal became a 'limb port' of the Cinque Ports in 1278 and grew into the busiest port in England; today it is a seaside resort, its quaint streets and houses the only reminder of its history. The coast of France is approximately twenty-five miles from the town and is visible on clear days.

27d   It sounds like he would // take notice (4)
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)
[12] - CollinsDictionary.com (Webster’s New World College Dictionary)
Signing off for today — Falcon

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Wednesday, March 29, 2017 — DT 28340

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 28340
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Thursday, February 2, 2017
Setter
Unknown
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28340]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
pommers
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★★ Enjoyment - ★★★
Falcon's Experience
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███████████████████████████████████
└────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘
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

According to pommers, this puzzle just edged into the two-star range for difficulty. In my case, I would say that it was pushing three-star territory.

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   Programme // putting retired friend in second vehicle (8)

6a   Men trailing tight-knit group /in/ field of operations (6)

"men" = OR (show explanation )

In the British armed forces, the term other ranks[5] (abbreviation OR[5]) refers to all those who are not commissioned officers.

hide explanation

9a   It's comical to dismiss a // thought? (6)

10a   A son straying in shot, /showing/ surprise (8)

11a   Three notes on commonly-spoken bully, // person changing sides (8)

Terms such as "common-spoken" are often used by setters to indicate that the initial aitch is to be dropped from a word. This speech characteristic is commonly associated with the cockney* dialect spoken in the East End of London. However, as once pointed out in a comment on Big Dave's Crossword Blog "it’s not just Cockneys that don’t pronounce initial aitches – Yorkshire folk for example!".

* A cockney[5,10] is a native of East London [specifically that part of East London known as the East End[5]], traditionally one born within hearing of Bow Bells (the bells of St Mary-le-Bow[7] church).

The setter fails to respect the cryptic crossword convention that "on" — used as a charade indicator in an across clue — signifies 'following'  (show explanation )

"A on B" Convention
An oft 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 have been positioned (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

12a   Expenditure /in/ station previously disclosed (6)

13a   Illegitimately placed // like drainpipes? (5,3,4)

The second definition is a literal description of where one would find this article of clothing.

Drainpipes[5] (or drainpipe trousers) are trousers with very narrow legs.

16a   Caterer found ground /for/ sporting event (4,2,6)

As an anagram indicator, ground is the past tense or past participle of the verb grind[5]. An anagram indicator is a word that denotes movement or transformation. Grind denotes transformation, for example, in the sense of wheat being ground into flour.

The Tour de France[5] is an annual long-distance race for professional cyclists first held in 1903 and taking place primarily on the roads of France over a period of about three weeks. It consists of multiple stages which are separately timed, several of these stages encompassing mountainous terrain in the Alps and the Pyrenees.

19a   Neglect // the old man's drink (4,2)

"drink" = SUP (show explanation )

As a verb, sup[5] is a dated or Northern English term meaning to take (drink or liquid food) by sips or spoonfuls ⇒ (i) she supped up her soup delightedly; (ii) he was supping straight from the bottle.

As a noun, sup[5] means (1) a sip of liquid ⇒ he took another sup of wine or (2) in Northern England or Ireland, an alcoholic drink ⇒ the latest sup from those blokes at the brewery.

hide explanation

21a   King in style is unstable, /needing to be/ mutually supportive (8)

"king" = R (show explanation )

Rex[5] (abbreviation R[5]) [Latin for king] denotes the reigning king, used following a name (e.g. Georgius Rex, King George) or in the titles of lawsuits (e.g. Rex v. Jones, the Crown versus Jones — often shortened to R. v. Jones).

hide explanation

23a   Red voice stirred up // one formerly in union (8)

24a   Showy // culinary decoration with no end of chicken (6)

25a   Male entering hairdressing establishment /in/ pink (6)

26a   Study session /in/ University closed during court case (8)

To[5] is an adverb denoting (so as to be) closed or nearly closed ⇒ he pulled the door to behind him.

Down

2d   Stake put under tree reportedly? // Certainly (3,3)

The yew[5] is a coniferous tree which has red berry-like fruits, and most parts of which are highly poisonous. Yews are linked with folklore and superstition and can live to a great age; the timber is used in cabinetmaking and (formerly) to make longbows.

3d   Learning about island /and/ river abroad (5)

The Loire[5] is a river of west central France. France’s longest river, it rises in the Massif Central and flows 1,015 km (630 miles) north and west to the Atlantic at St-Nazaire.

4d   Live to possess country-house oven -- confess /that's/ a trifle (9)

The AGA cooker[7] (trademark) is a high-end gas stove popular in medium to large British country houses — not to mention British crosswords. As a heat storage stove, it works on the principle that a heavy frame made from cast iron components can absorb heat from a relatively low-intensity but continuously-burning source, and the accumulated heat can then be used when needed for cooking.

5d   Flier /in/ queue weighed down by box (7)

Queue[5] is a chiefly British term meaning a line or sequence of people or vehicles awaiting their turn to be attended to or to proceed. As Collins English Dictionary states, the usual US and Canadian term is line[10] (in this sense of the word).

6d   Fight // arranged with pair in audience (3-2)

7d   Old artist /seen in/ studies list (9)

"study"= CON (show explanation )

Con[5] is an archaic term meaning to study attentively or learn by heart (a piece of writing)  ⇒ the girls conned their pages with a great show of industry.

hide explanation

John Constable[5] (1776–1837) was an English painter. Among his best-known works are early paintings such as Flatford Mill (1817) and The Hay Wain (1821), inspired by the landscape of his native Suffolk.

8d   Floating boats on sides of channel close to huge // dam (8)

13d   Lawyers joined by good man in standard // campaign? (9)

Barnstorm[5] (verb) is a North American term meaning:
  • to tour rural districts giving theatrical performances, originally often in barns ⇒ he barnstormed up and down both coasts and eventually played New York
  • to make a rapid tour of an area as part of a political campaign ⇒ (i) he was barnstorming down in Georgia; (ii) with object ‘the speech he gives as he barnstorms the country
  • to travel around giving exhibitions of flying and performing aeronautical stunts ⇒ barnstorming had become a popular occupation among many trained pilots
14d   Place part of rifle to follow deer /in/ retrospect (9)

15d   Animal so restless /as/ subject of painting (4,4)

The Mona Lisa[5] is a painting (now in the Louvre in Paris) executed 1503–6 by Leonardo da Vinci. The sitter was the wife of Francesco del Giocondo; her enigmatic smile has become one of the most famous images in Western art.

17d   Particular // consideration (7)

18d   State /as/ parochial as Kansas in part (6)

20d   Nut // about to get inside enclosure (5)

22d   Haul up some dancer or reveller /making/ slip (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)
[12] - CollinsDictionary.com (Webster’s New World College Dictionary)
Signing off for today — Falcon

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Tuesday, March 28, 2017 — DT 28339

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 28339
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
Setter
Jay (Jeremy Mutch)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28339]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
2Kiwis
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

After yesterday's humongous leap forward, let's hope that the editor's at the National Post have got the jumpiness out of their systems and will settle down into a regular pattern of behaviour.

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

1 Company progress should include medium // range (7)

9 Continue /being/ in favour of diplomacy when interrupted by king (8)

"king" = R (show explanation )

Rex[5] (abbreviation R[5]) [Latin for king] denotes the reigning king, used following a name (e.g. Georgius Rex, King George) or in the titles of lawsuits (e.g. Rex v. Jones, the Crown versus Jones — often shortened to R. v. Jones).

hide explanation

10 Warm layer /for/ person not of the faith (7)

11 Preference /for/ swansong being split in two? (8)

A pen[5] is a female swan.

12 Go away /with/ best Italian (4,2)

Best[5] is used as a verb meaning to outwit or get the better of (someone)*she refused to allow herself to be bested.

* Ironically, in this sense best is a synonym of worst[5], a verb meaning to get the better of or defeat ⇒ this was not the time for a deep discussion—she was tired and she would be worsted.

"Italian" = IT (show explanation )

This cluing might be explained in a couple of ways:
  • It.[10] is an abbreviation for Italian or Italy.

  • Italian[10] is another name for Italian vermouth. It[5] is an informal, dated British term for Italian vermouth ⇒ he poured a gin and it.
hide explanation

13 Seafood platter? (4,6)

The main[5] is an archaic or literary term for the open ocean.

15 Game politician /gets/ seat (4)

"game" = RU (show explanation )

Rugby union[10] (abbreviation RU[5]) is a form of rugby football played between teams of 15 players (in contrast to rugby league[5], which is played in teams of thirteen).

 Rugby union[7] is is the national sport in New Zealand, Wales, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and Madagascar.

hide explanation

"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

16 Looking around the outskirts of Tintagel /is/ surprising (9)

Scratching the Surface
Tintagel[5] is a village on the coast of northern Cornwall. Nearby are the ruins of Tintagel Castle, the legendary birthplace of King Arthur.

21 Country // gent chasing love (4)

"love" = O (show explanation )

In tennis, squash, and some other sports, love[5] is a score of zero or nil ⇒ love fifteen. The resemblance of a zero written as a numeral (0) to the letter O leads to the cryptic crossword convention of the word "love" being used to clue this letter.

Although folk etymology has connected the word with French l'oeuf 'egg', from the resemblance in shape between an egg and a zero, the term apparently comes from the phrase play for love (i.e. the love of the game, not for money).

hide explanation

Oman[5,7], officially the Sultanate of Oman, is an Arab country at the southeastern corner of the Arabian peninsula; population 3,418,100 (est. 2009); official language, Arabic; capital, Muscat.

22 Make sense of // reporting to base (10)

24 Pale, /but/ superficial cut by hospital (6)

Cut[10] is used in the sense of to to absent oneself from (an activity, location, etc), especially without permission or in haste ⇒ (i) to cut class; (ii) to cut and run.

25 Relevant // information (8)

27 Soft soap // that may be used on the face? (7)

Soft soap[3,4,11] denotes flattering, persuasive, or cajoling talk.

Flannel[10] (noun) is an informal British term for;
  • indirect or evasive talk; or
  • deceiving flattery.
Flannel[10] is a British term for a face cloth, a small piece of cloth used to wash the face and hands (US and Canadian equivalent: washcloth*).

* Actually, I would consider the terms face cloth and washcloth to be interchangeable and would personally be far more apt to use the former.

28 Laughs, /seeing/ time left during tasks (8)

29 Views mineral deposit /as/ a blight (7)

Down

2 Revealed work developing need to increase (6,2)

"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

3 Worst and best // breaks a driver may get (3,5)

4 Charming encounters on air /must be/ such treats (10)

Sweetmeat[5,10] is an archaic term for a sweetened delicacy, such as a preserve, sweet, or, formerly, a cake or pastry.

5 Right // time on road to Paris? (4)

The French word for 'street' is rue[8].

6 Wounds used up commanding officer/'s/ plaster (6)

7 A sailor runs into church, /showing/ evidence of cold (7)

"sailor" = TAR (show explanation )

Tar[5] is an informal, dated term for a sailor. The term, which dates from the 17th century, is perhaps an abbreviation of tarpaulin, which was also used as a nickname for a sailor at that time.

hide explanation

On cricket scorecards, R can signify either run or runs. However, in the crossword today it signifies the former and is repeated to get " runs". (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

Catarrh[5] is excessive discharge or build-up of mucus in the nose or throat, associated with inflammation of the mucous membrane.

8 Complete support for good man/'s/ struggle for words (7)

11 War game /is/ agony, and unlikely to include bishop (9)

"bishop" = B (show explanation )

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

hide explanation

14 Peter Pan perhaps /is/ a piece of cake (6,4)

Peter Pan[5] is the hero of Scottish dramatist J. M. Barrie’s play of the same name (1904), a boy with magical powers who never grew up.

17 Young birds // shot with catapults (8)

Scratching the Surface
Catapult[5] is the British term for a slingshot[5].

I think "catapults" is used in the clue as a verb, although the 2Kiwis suggest that it is noun.

A sling[5]. is a simple weapon in the form of a strap or loop, used to hurl stones or other small missiles.

A catapult[5] (or slingshot) is a forked stick with an elastic band fastened to the two prongs, used by children for shooting small stones.

18 Doctor bears out // destroyer of schemes (8)

19 Murmur and ridicule // such a hill (7)

20 Tide turns and no one is up -- /that's/ the issue (7)

23 Right pretentious, clutching one/'s/ unusual find (6)

26 Amazed /to be/ united under America's leader (4)
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)
[12] - CollinsDictionary.com (Webster’s New World College Dictionary)
Signing off for today — Falcon