Tuesday, May 9, 2017 — DT 28369

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28369
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Setter Jay (Jeremy Mutch)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28369]
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

This was a gentle workout but I think I may have worked up a bit more of a sweat than did the 2Kiwis.

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   In a hurry to go after firm // in financial difficulties (4-7)

9a   Stress /needing/ Junior to queue (9)

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). (show more )

The American Heritage Dictionary has the following to say about the history of this word queue^[3]:

When the British stand in queues (as they have been doing at least since 1837, when this meaning of the word is first recorded in English), they may not realize they form a tail. The French word queue from which the English word is borrowed is a descendant of Latin co-da, meaning "tail." French queue appeared in 1748 in English, referring to a plait of hair hanging down the back of the neck. By 1802 wearing a queue was a regulation in the British army, but by the mid-19th century queues had disappeared along with cocked hats. Latin co-da is also the source of Italian coda, which was adopted into English as a musical term (like so many other English musical terms that come from Italian). A coda is thus literally the "tail end" of a movement or composition.

hide explanation

The wordplay is a charade and parses as UNDER (junior) + (to^*) + LINE (queue^**; noun)

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^* As a charade indicator, the word "to" is used in the sense of "pressed against"—as in expressions such as "shoulder to the wheel" or "nose to the grindstone".
^** although the word "queue" can be either a noun meaning 'a line' or a verb meaning 'to line up' or 'to form a line', here it means the former.

10a   Names // conditions (5)

11a   Puzzle // that's new in processing image (6)

12a   Bank // subsidy about to disappear (8)

13a   Scratch // session after game (3,3)

"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

As an alternative to rub out, it seems that either scratch or scratch out will serve the purpose equally well.

Scratch^[10] (sometimes followed by out) means to erase by or as if by scraping.

15a   Cruel /but/ popular chap put in shade (8)

18a   Party people/'s/ contribution (8)

19a   Comments overheard // when accommodating team? (6)

"team" = SIDE (show explanation )

Side^[5] is a British term for a sports team ⇒ there was a mixture of old and young players in^* their side.

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^* Note that, in Britain, a player is "in a side" rather than "on a team" as one would say in North America.

In North America, the term side^[3] is used in a very general fashion that can denote one of two or more opposing individuals, groups, teams, or sets of opinions. While this same general usage would seem to exist as well in the UK, the term side^[5] is also used there in a much more specific sense to mean a sports team, as we can clearly see from the following usage examples ⇒ (i) Previous England rugby sides, and England teams in many other sports, would have crumbled under the weight of such errors.; (ii) They'll face better sides than this Monaco team, but you can only beat what's put in front of you.

hide explanation

21a   Wife after company loses footing /getting/ flowers (8)

The cowslip^[5] is a European primula with clusters of drooping fragrant yellow flowers in spring, growing on dry grassy banks and in pasture. It is also the name of any of a number of other herbaceous plants.

23a   Billions invested in tired // horses (6)

26a   Daughter with scar // brooded (5)

27a   Taking in /and/ converting into cash (9)

Thia being a British puzzle, the solution is spelled with an 'S' rather than a 'Z'.

28a   Lost pilot greets // one providing a moving experience (11)

A poltergeist^[2] is a type of mischievous ghost supposedly responsible for otherwise unaccountable noises and the movement of furniture and other objects.

Down

1d   Arrogance /of/ Mann shunning human nature perversely (7)

Scratching the Surface
Thomas Mann[5] (1875–1955) was a German novelist and essayist. The role and character of the artist in relation to society is a constant theme in his works. Notable works: Buddenbrooks (1901), Death in Venice (1912), and Dr Faustus (1947). He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1929.

2d   More than one spoke in ring (5)

Scratching the Surface
Possibly the surface reading is intended to suggest more than one person participating in a telephone call. Ring[5] (noun) is an informal British term for a telephone call ⇒ I'd better give her a ring tomorrow.

3d   Soldier on hill /is/ of the greatest importance (9)

Para^[4,11] (short for paratrooper) is a soldier in an airborne unit.

4d   No good // in vaudeville (4)

5d   Cutting // losses at last, prior to trial (8)

6d   Old-fashioned // parent eats these without stuffing (5)

7d   Award /for/ old crossword compiler, right to rise to the top (7)

A rosette^[5] is a rose-shaped decoration, typically made of ribbon, worn by supporters of a sports team or political party or awarded as a prize ⇒ the showjumping rosettes Samantha had accumulated.

8d   'Carte blanche' should be written this way? (8)

Carte blanche^[5] means complete freedom [in other words, a free hand] to act as one wishes ⇒ the architect was given carte blanche to design the store.

14d   Growth /of/ problem with river flowing north (8)

In Crosswordland, a "growth" is often botanical in nature.

The Dee^[5] can be either of at least two rivers in the UK:

• a river in northeastern Scotland, which rises in the Grampian Mountains and flows eastwards past Balmoral Castle to the North Sea at Aberdeen;
• a river that rises in North Wales and flows past Chester and on into the Irish Sea.

Bindweed^[5] is a twining plant with trumpet-shaped flowers, several kinds of which are invasive weeds. The bindweed family, Convolvulaceae^[5], is also known as the morning glory family.

16d   Out of bed, scenery /becomes/ disturbing (9)

17d   My quiet test /for/ a member of the armed services (8)

Cor^[5] is an informal British exclamation expressing surprise, excitement, admiration, or alarm ⇒ Cor! That‘s a beautiful black eye you’ve got!.

"quiet | quietly | soft | softly" = 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

18d   Case of delicate fruity drink /providing/ the final contest (7)

A decider^[5] is a game, goal, point, etc. that settles a contest or series of contests.

20d   Manual dexterity /of/ son with learner crew (7)

"learner" = L (show explanation )

The cryptic crossword convention of L meaning learner or student arises from the L-plate^[7], a square plate bearing a sans-serif letter L, for learner, which must be affixed to the front and back of a vehicle in various jurisdictions (including the UK) if its driver is a learner under instruction.

hide explanation

An eight^[5] is an eight-oared rowing boat or its crew.

22d   Lull, /with/ lease finishing (3-2)

Let^[5] is a British term for:

• a period during which a room or property is rented ⇒ I’ve taken a month’s let on the flat; or
• a property available for rent ⇒ an unfurnished let.

24d   Mainly lacking vision, one // dish from Russia (5)

Blini^[5,10] (also blinis or bliny) are Russian pancakes made from buckwheat flour and yeast and served with sour cream.

25d   Fish // expert suppressed by Germany (4)

"Germany" = D (show explanation )

The International Vehicle Registration (IVR) code for Germany is D^[5] [from German Deutschland].

hide explanation

The dace^[5] is any of several species of small freshwater fish related to the carp, typically living in running water.

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