Friday, April 21, 2017 — DT 28357

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28357
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Wednesday, February 22, 2017
Setter Jay (Jeremy Mutch)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28357]
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

Today's puzzle from Jay is just testing enough to be a good workout without overtaxing the grey cells.

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   Pay for alcohol producer /making/ complete lack of progress (10)

Stand^[3] is an informal term meaning to treat (someone) or pay the cost of (food or drink) ⇒ (i) She stood him to a drink; (ii) We'll stand dinner.

6a   Parody, /but/ avoid dismissing Queen (4)

"Queen" = R (show explanation )

Queen may be abbreviated as Q, Qu. or R.

Q^[5] is an abbreviation for queen that is used especially in describing play in card games and recording moves in chess.

Qu.^[2] is another common abbreviation for Queen.

Regina^[5] (abbreviation R^[5]) [Latin for queen] denotes the reigning queen, used following a name (e.g. Elizabetha Regina, Queen Elizabeth) or in the titles of lawsuits (e.g. Regina v. Jones, the Crown versus Jones — often shortened to R. v. Jones).

Thus Queen Elizabeth signs her name as 'Elizabeth R' as seen here on Canada's paint-stained constitution.

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10a   Develops // classes (5)

In Britain, a form^[5] is [or, perhaps more correctly,was] a class or year in a school, usually given a specifying number. Thus what we in North America would call a grade would be — or once was — known in Britain as a form, although the numbering system for forms and grades are vastly different. (show more )

The term "form" seems to have become passé as Miffypops in his review of DT 28163 on Big Dave's Crossword Blog refers to "sixth-former" as "What a schoolchild would be during the year before university back in the old days. This would now be known as year 13 or 14." Furthermore, Wikipedia (see table below) characterizes the term "form" as an "alternative/old name".

A form^[7] is a class or grouping of students in a school. The term is used predominantly in the United Kingdom, although some schools, mostly private, in other countries also use the title. Pupils are usually grouped in forms according to age and will remain with the same group for a number of years, or sometimes their entire school career.

Forms are normally identified by a number such as "first form" or "sixth form". A form number may be used for two year groups and differentiated by the terms upper and lower [in general, this would seem to apply primarily for the sixth form]. Usually the sixth form is the senior form of a school [although this apparently does not hold true for New Zealand where they would appear to have a seventh form]. In England, the sixth form is usually divided into two year groups, the lower sixth and upper sixth, owing to the 3-year English college/university system. In Scotland or North America, the 6th form is usually a single year, owing to the 4-year college/university system. If there is more than one form for each year group they will normally be differentiated by letters, e.g., "upper four B", "lower two Y". Schools do not follow a consistent pattern in naming forms [in the foregoing quotation witness Miffypops' reference to "year 14",  a term which does not appear in the table below].

Wikipedia would appear to be at best ambiguous and at worst inconsistent on the relationship between the British and American systems of naming school years. The article from which the table below is excerpted shows that the British first form is equivalent to the American 6th grade. On the other hand, the article cited above states "In North America, the 1st Form (or sometimes 'Form I') is equivalent to 7th Grade." However, this latter statement may in fact be a comparison between the few North American schools to use the form system and the vast majority of North American schools that don't rather than a comparison between British and American schools.

Naming of School Years (British System vs American System)[7]
Age Range	British System		American System
	Name	Alternative/Old Name	Name
11-12	Year 7	First form	6th grade
12-13	Year 8	Second form	7th grade
13-14	Year 9	Third form	8th grade
14-15	Year 10	Fourth form	9th grade
15-16	Year 11	Fifth form	10th grade
16-17	Year 12	Lower sixth form	11th grade
17-18	Year 13	Upper sixth form	12th grade

hide explanation

11a   Crude, // favourite part one plays with little hesitation (9)

12a   Snack keeping Olympic chiefs // sweet (7)

A tapa^[3,11] (often tapas, especially in British dictionaries where the singular is rarely found [explore further ]) is any of various small, savory Spanish dishes, often served as a snack or appetizer (typically with wine or beer) or with other tapas as a meal.

Oxford Dictionaries explains the etymology as Spanish tapa, literally 'cover, lid' (because the dishes were given free with the drink, served on a dish balanced on, therefore ‘covering’, the glass).^[5]

Among my regular online reference sources, the singular version (tapa^[3,11]) is found in the two American dictionaries, but not in the three British dictionaries (which list the word only in the plural, tapas^[2,4,5,10]). However, the singular version tapa^[1] is found in my hard-copy edition of The Chambers Dictionary.

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The International Olympic Committee^[10] (abbreviation IOC^[5]) is the committee, composed of all the national Olympic committees, that organizes the modern Olympic games.

Sweet^[5] is a British term for a sweet dish forming a course of a meal; in other words, a pudding or dessert.

What did they say?
In their review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, the 2Kiwis write This sweet seems to be the favourite desert of anyone who experienced school meals.. Yes, judging by the comments that appear at every mention of this dessert, it seems to be a staple at English boarding schools.

13a   Mean character/'s/ goose cooked with credit being restricted (7)

Ebenezer Scrooge^[7] is the focal character of Charles Dickens' 1843 novella, A Christmas Carol. At the beginning of the book, Scrooge is a cold-hearted miser who despises Christmas.

Goose or Turkey

The goose had long been the traditional Christmas fare of the English, but in the 16th century the turkey was introduced to Europe from America and became the chosen meal of the wealthier classes while the poorer classes continued to dine on goose. In A Christmas Carol, the struggling Cratchits were members of a 'Goose Club' in which they saved all year for their Christmas fowl. But when the wealthier Scrooge adopts the Festive Spirit, the goose is off the menu. At the close of A Christmas Carol, Scrooge leans out the window and calls to a lovable street urchin: "An intelligent boy!" said Scrooge. "A remarkable boy! Do you know whether they've sold the prize Turkey that was hanging up there -- Not the little prize Turkey: the big one?" Goose vs Turkey - The Goose of Christmas Past

Behind the Picture

The 2Kiwis illustrate their review with a drawing of Scrooge McDuck[7], a fictional Walt Disney cartoon character. Named after Ebenezer Scrooge from the 1843 novel A Christmas Carol, Scrooge is a wealthy Scottish business magnate and tycoon whose dominant character trait is his thrift. He is the maternal uncle of Donald Duck and the grand-uncle of Huey, Dewey and Louie. Within the context of the fictional Duck universe, he is the world's richest person. His "Money Bin"—and indeed Scrooge himself—are often used as a humorous metonyms for great wealth in popular culture around the world. McDuck was initially characterized as a greedy miser and antihero (as Charles Dickens' original Scrooge was), but in later appearances he was often portrayed as a charitable and thrifty hero, adventurer, explorer, and philanthropist.

14a   Of historic South American extraction, /getting/ very heated (12)

18a   Well-established // pine substitute burning at last (4-8)

21a   Drivers sharing // complain, ladies perhaps being rejected (3,4)

The ladies^[5] is a British term for a women’s public toilet. Similarly, as the 2Kiwis allude in their review, the gents^[5] is an informal British term for a men's public toilet. 

 Loo^[5] is an informal British term for a toilet.

23a   Club // style of boots (7)

Chelsea Football Club^[7] is an English professional football [soccer] club based in Fulham, London. Founded in 1905, the club plays in the Premier League [the top tier of the English football league system].

Delving Deeper

Chelsea[5,7], part of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. is an affluent residential district of central London, on the north bank of the River Thames. Fulham[7], an area in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, is an inner London district that lies on the north bank of the River Thames, between Putney and Chelsea. However, apparently the district of Chelsea is considered to extend beyond the boundaries of Kensington and Chelsea into the neighbouring borough of Hammersmith and Fulham as Wikipedia states "The football club Chelsea F.C. could reasonably be considered to be based in Chelsea, despite being located in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham."

A Chelsea boot^[5] is an elastic-sided boot, typically with a high heel.

Delving Deeper

Chelsea boots[7] are close-fitting, ankle-high boots with an elastic side panel. They often have a loop or tab of fabric on the back of the boot, enabling the boot to be pulled on. The boot dates back to the Victorian era, when it was worn by both men and women. The design is credited to Queen Victoria's shoemaker Joseph Sparkes-Hall who patented the design in 1851. Chelsea boots and some of its variants were considered an iconic element of the 1960s in Britain, particularly the mod** scene. In the 1950s and '60s, Chelsea boots became popular in the UK – and their association with the King's Road*** set of Swinging London* – worn by everyone from the Rolling Stones to Jean Shrimpton**** – is believed to explain how the name "Chelsea" became attached to the boot. * The term Swinging London[7] refers to a youth-driven cultural revolution that took place in London during the mid-to-late 1960s. It saw a flourishing in art, music and fashion, and was symbolized by the city's "pop and fashion exports," like the British Invasion, Mary Quant's miniskirt, popular fashion models such as Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton****, the mod** subculture, the iconic status of popular shopping areas (such as King's Road***, Kensington and Carnaby Street), the political activism of the anti-nuclear movement; and sexual liberation. Music was a big part of the scene, with "the London sound" including the Who, the Kinks, the Small Faces and the Rolling Stones. ** Mod is a subculture that began in London in 1958 which spread throughout Great Britain and, in varying degrees, to other countries. Focused on music and fashion, the subculture has its roots in a small group of stylish London-based young men who were termed modernists because they listened to modern jazz. *** a street in Chelsea and Fulham in inner western London. **** Jean Shrimpton[7] is an English model and actress. She was an icon of Swinging London and is considered to be one of the world's first supermodels.

24a   Protest planned about European Commission /is/ not to be disclosed (3,6)

The European Commission^[5] (abbreviation EC^[5]) is a group, appointed by agreement among the governments of the European Union, which initiates Union action and safeguards its treaties. It meets in Brussels.

25a   The setter turned and encountered // a tourist (5)

"the setter" = 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

In the Cornish dialect, an emmet^*[10] is a tourist or holiday-maker [vacationer].

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^* Whether by coincidence or not, emmet^[10] is an archaic or dialect British term for ant.

26a   Swell // expected to swamp east of Ireland (4)

Swell^[5] is dated slang for a fashionable or stylish person of wealth or high social position ⇒ a crowd of city swells.

27a   View oddly depicted in heraldry, redesigned // rarely (6,4)

Down

1d   Security // for instance covering most of fair (6)

Fete^[5] (also fête) is a British term for a public function, typically held outdoors and organized to raise funds for a charity, including entertainment and the sale of goods and refreshments ⇒ a church fete.

2d   Likely to keep book on rugby // short (6)

"rugby" = 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.

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3d   Considers touts floundering /in/ such retail outlets (8,6)

4d   Best of the bunch /becoming/ boss (3,6)

In this double definition, the first definition is a literal interpretation of the figure of speech which constitutes the second.

5d   Meditative position /of/ many outside university (5)

The lotus position^[5] (or lotus posture) is a cross-legged position for meditation, with the feet resting on the thighs.

7d   Eager to finish early with mistress, // collapse (4,4)

8d   Trials covering English politician /creating/ storms (8)

"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].

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Behind the Picture
The painting used by the 2Kiwis to illustrate their review is The Rainbow (1873) by Russian Romantic painter Ivan Aivazovsky[7] (1817–1900) considered to be one of the greatest marine artists in history.

9d   Coy nurse is worried with bank/'s/ way of ending letter! (5,9)

15d   Committed // theologian importing repackaged iced tea (9)

"theologian" = DD (show explanation )

Doctor of Divinity^[7] (abbreviation D.D. or DD, Divinitatis Doctor in Latin) is an advanced academic degree in divinity.

Historically, the degree of Doctor of Divinity identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects. In the United Kingdom, Doctor of Divinity has traditionally been the highest doctorate granted by universities, usually conferred upon a religious scholar of standing and distinction. In the United States, the Doctor of Divinity is usually awarded as an honorary degree.

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16d   Brought out // priest alluded to (8)

In the Bible, Eli^[5] is a priest who acted as a teacher to the prophet Samuel (1 Sam. 1-3).

17d   Daring, // popular, cool -- about right! (8)

19d   Doctor appears in put-up travel document /as/ writer (6)

"doctor" = MO (show explanation )

A medical officer^[5] (abbreviation MO^[5]) is a doctor in charge of the health services of a civilian or military authority or other organization.

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Isaac Asimov^[5] (1920–1992) was a Russian-born American writer and scientist, particularly known for his works of science fiction and books on science for non-scientists. Notable science fiction works: I, Robot (1950) and Foundation (trilogy, 1951–3).

20d   Pastry with filling of hard // deposit (6)

22d   Bug // found in popular vaporiser (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)
^[13] - MacmillanDictionary.com (Macmillan Dictionary)

Signing off for today — Falcon