Friday, June 30, 2017 — DT 28407

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28407
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Friday, April 21, 2017
Setter Giovanni (Don Manley)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28407]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Deep Threat
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 had been fearful that the recent string of rather gentle crossword offerings might be setting me up for a fall and today I got my comeuppance. I had to call for considerable aid from my electronic assistants to complete this puzzle.

I was relieved to see that Deep Threat and crypticsue — along with many others — also found the puzzle to be more challenging than usual. Unlike them, I completed the upper right and lower left corners and then struggled with the other two corners.

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   Some ropy stuff // that's found along the coast (6)

Strand^[2] is a literary term for a shore or beach.

5a   Things hanging down /having/ power to exterminate insects (8)

"power" = P (show explanation )

In physics, P^[10] is a symbol used to represent power [among other things] in mathematical formulae.

hide explanation

9a   Legal procedure to pursue company member -- /it comes to/ the crunch? (10)

"member" = 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

10a   Good old-style politician, // smooth-tongued (4)

"good" = G (show explanation )

The abbreviation G^[10] for good likely relates to its use in grading school assignments or tests.

hide explanation

For all practical intents and purposes, the Liberal Party is virtually extinct in the UK. The Liberal Party^[5] (abbreviation Lib.^[5] or L^[2])^* in Britain emerged in the 1860s from the old Whig Party and until the First World War was one of the two major parties in Britain. In 1988 the party regrouped with elements of the Social Democratic Party to form the Social and Liberal Democrats, now known as the Liberal Democrats. However, a small Liberal Party still exists although it has no representation in the UK Parliament, no Members of the European Parliament (MEP), no members of the Scottish Parliament, nor any members of the National Assembly for Wales.^[7]

---

^* Although Lib.^[5] may be the more common abbreviation for the Liberal Party in Britain — likely to distinguish it from the the Labour Party^[5] (abbreviation Lab.^[5]) — Chambers 21st Century Dictionary indicates that L^[2] may also be used.

11a   Oblique // dishing of dirt -- nice! (8)

12a   Come down by river /in/ the country (6)

The Po^[7] is a river that arises in the Cottian Alps and flows eastward across northern Italy entering the Adriatic Sea through a delta near Venice.

13a   Has a sleep, rolling over /for/ a length of time (4)

15a   Notice // worker with medieval weapon (8)

A bill^[5] is a medieval weapon like a halberd with a hook instead of a blade.

18a   Attractive nibble /with/ balti I've prepared (4,4)

Scratching the Surface

Could the dictionaries disagree more! According to Oxford Dictionaries, balti[5] is a term used in Pakistani cooking for a spicy dish cooked in a small two-handled pan known as a karahi. On the other hand, Collins English Dictionary defines balti[10] as a spicy Indian dish, stewed until most of the liquid has evaporated, and served in a woklike pot. Finally, Chambers 21st Century Dictionary tells us that balti[2] is a term used in Indian cookery for a style of curry, originating in Britain, in which the food is cooked in and eaten out of the same wok-like dish (which is also known as a balti).

19a   The ultimate // plastic bottles (4)

21a   An eight-day celebration -- // one goes from do to do (6)

An octave^[5] is:

• the seventh day after a Church festival; or
• a period of eight days beginning with the day of a Church festival

23a   Seaside accommodation // chore getting wife to run around (8)

Fag^[5] is an informal British term for a tiring or unwelcome task ⇒ it’s too much of a fag to drive all the way there and back again.

Hare^[5] is a British expression meaning to run with great speed ⇒ he hared off between the trees.

Wharfage^[5] is accommodation provided at a wharf for the loading, unloading, or storage of goods.

25a   Animals // from those parts to the west (4)

26a   Bring him around in the morning /in/ the city (10)

Birmingham^[5] is an industrial city in west central England.

27a   Take food, including meat // given special heat treatment (8)

28a   Wily // characters represented in statue (6)

The word "represent" is deceptively used in lieu of re-present^[5], meaning to present (something) again, especially for further consideration or in an altered form.

Down

2d   Deity with short name, // an old character (5)

In Norse mythology, Thor^[5,7], the son of Odin and Freya (Frigga), is a hammer-wielding god associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, the protection of mankind, and also hallowing, healing and fertility. Thursday is named after him.

Thorn^[5] is an Old English and Icelandic runic letter, þ or Þ, representing the dental fricatives /ð/ and /θ/. It was eventually superseded by the digraph th.

3d   IT company shortly to introduce a nice new // gadget (9)

Apple Inc.^[7] is is an American multinational technology company that designs, develops, and sells consumer electronics, computer software, and online services.

4d   Part of formal attire // not in good condition (6)

Dickey is an alternative spelling of dicky^[10], a man's false shirt front, especially one worn with full evening dress.

Dickey (or dickie) is an alternative spelling of dicky^[2] (also called dicky bow), another name for a bow tie.

Dickey is an alternative spelling of dicky^[10], an informal British term meaning in bad condition; shaky, unsteady, or unreliable ⇒ I feel a bit dicky today.

5d   How attender with pint is out // to have a wild celebration (5,3,4,3)

6d   Square cut up /in/ game (8)

Ninepins^[4,11] (more commonly known in the UK as skittles) is a bowling game described by Webster as tenpins played without the head pin.

7d   A new girl, as some would say, /is/ a darling (5)

Perhaps the clue should read:

• A new girl, as some would say, is a da'ling (5)

Gel^[5] (pronounced with a hard G) is an informal British term for an upper-class or well-bred girl or young woman ⇒ fastidiously reared Home Counties gels. The spelling represents a [presumably upper class] pronunciation of girl.

8d   What could be construed into gnarliest // shapes (9)

14d   Head /gives/ general rule to those listening (9)

In Britain, head^[5] is short for headmaster^[5] (a man who is the head teacher in a school), headmistress^[5] (a woman who is the head teacher in a school), or head teacher^[5] (the teacher in charge of a school). 

Judging by the comments of Deep Threat in his review, the equivalence of "head" and "principal" would seem to extend beyond the field of education.

16d   Inner circle coming down on terror, lacking resistance /in/ beastly contest (9)

Bull^[5] is a British term for a bullseye ⇒ aim for the bull!.

"resistance" = R (show explanation )

In physics, R^[5] is a symbol used to represent electrical resistance in mathematical formulae.

hide explanation

17d   Like some wild animals // Matabele treated (8)

Scratching the Surface
The Matabele (now known as Ndebele) are a formerly warlike people of southern Africa, now living in Zimbabwe, who were driven out of the Transvaal by the Boers in 1837.

20d   American show girl embracing any number /in/ a place for sailors (6)

Maria is the female lead in the American Broadway musical West Side Story.

Delving Deeper
"Maria"[7] is a song from the Broadway musical West Side Story [Deep Threat includes a rendition in his review]. The music was written by Leonard Bernstein and the lyrics are by Stephen Sondheim. The song was published in 1956. "Maria" is sung by the male lead Tony when he learns the name of the girl he's fallen in love with is "Maria". The name "Maria" is spoken or sung in the song 27 times.

The letter n^[10] is used (especially in mathematics) as a symbol to represent an indefinite number (of) ⇒ there are n objects in a box.

22d   Tea // service set up after start of afternoon (5)

Assam^[10] is a high-quality black tea grown in the Indian state of Assam.

24d   Making a horticultural insertion /is/ hard work (5)

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

• (noun) hard work ⇒ success came after years of hard graft
• (verb) work hard ⇒ I need people prepared to go out and graft

I do have a minor quibble with this clue. To my mind, "making a horticultural insertion" would be "grafting" whereas "graft" would be "to make a horticultural insertion". However, as none of the pedants raised this matter on Big Dave's blog, I have to conclude that I am the only one bothered by it.

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

Thursday, June 29, 2017 — DT 28406

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28406
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Thursday, April 20, 2017
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28406]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By pommers
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 we get another gentle workout that I fear may serve to falsely boost our confidence in our puzzle-solving skills.

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   Perks with scary novel // that has lots of American's stories (10)

Here and There
Although British dictionaries do not identify it as such, Webster considers skyscraper[12] to be a US term. However, that is not the reason behind the inclusion of the word "American" in the clue. The clue uses the US spelling for the floors of a building ("stories") rather than the British spelling ("storeys").

6a   Vehicle // returned at eleven (4)

9a   Felicity's mouth organ /is/ roughly pitched? (5)

10a   Came first /or/ came after? (9)

12a   Divine being female! (7)

The Divine^[4,11] is another term for God.

13a   Floods /in/ Somerset I'd escaped (5)

Scratching the Surface
Somerset[5] is a county of southwestern England, on the Bristol Channel; county town, Taunton.

15a   Offers /from/ artist to leave extra borders (7)

"artist" = RA (show explanation )

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. 

hide explanation

17a   More corrupt // detective runs bank (7)

"detective" = DI (show explanation )

A detective inspector (DI^[5]) is a senior police officer in the UK. Within the British police, inspector^[7] is the second supervisory rank. It is senior to that of sergeant, but junior to that of chief inspector. Plain-clothes detective inspectors are equal in rank to their uniformed counterparts, the prefix 'detective' identifying them as having been trained in criminal investigation and being part of or attached to their force's Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

hide explanation

"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

19a   Recipe // class given by university west of Los Angeles (7)

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

21a   When lids should be closed? (7)

22a   Jockey/'s/ dire, thrown before start of race (5)

24a   A crime engineered by a // country (7)

27a   Former prison abutting part of hospital /in/ capital (9)

I have often remarked that the ear, nose and throat (ENT^[2]) department is the most visited section, by far, in the Crosswordland Hospital — and that observation has never been more true than it is today.

28a   Former lover I left, meeting European /in/ bar (5)

29a   Irritating // proverb we're told (4)

You may recall from Tuesday that the word "sore", when pronounced in a non-rhotic (show explanation ) accent typical of many parts of Britain, sounds like "saw".

Non-rhotic accents omit the sound < r > in certain situations, while rhotic accents generally pronounce < r > in all contexts. Among the several dozen British English accents which exist, many are non-rhotic while American English (US and Canadian) is mainly rhotic. This is, however, a generalisation, as there are areas of Britain that are rhotic, and areas of America that are non-rhotic. For more information, see this guide to pronouncing < r > in British English.

hide explanation

30a   Pastures /made from/ marijuana plants (10)

In his review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog, pommers questions the use of "plants" as a synonym for "lands". Think of a boxer planting a punch squarely on his opponent's chin.

Down

1d   'Mellow // Yellow'? (4)

To address pommers' uncertainty concerning the second definition, I would say that soft^[5] is used in the sense of (said of a person) weak and lacking courage ⇒ soft southerners.

Scratching the Surface
"Mellow Yellow"[7] is a song written and recorded by Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. It reached No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1966 and No. 8 in the UK in early 1967.

2d   Kid/'s/ toy gun's broken with little hesitation (9)

3d   Locked up // composer with daughter (5)

John Cage^[7] (1912–1992) was an American composer, music theorist, writer, and artist. Cage is perhaps best known for his 1952 composition 4′33″, which is performed in the absence of deliberate sound; musicians who present the work do nothing aside from their presence for the duration specified by the title. The content of the composition is not "four minutes and 33 seconds of silence," as is sometimes assumed, but rather the sounds of the environment heard by the audience during performance.

4d   Returns // what you're looking for? (7)

5d   Fifty per cent of ex-cons applied /to be/ let off (7)

7d   Viper with new tail // attached (5)

The adder^[5] (also called viper) is a small venomous Eurasian snake (Vipera berus) which has a dark zigzag pattern on its back and bears live young. It is the only poisonous snake in Britain.

8d   Ancient civilisation taxes // businesses (10)

The Indus^[5] is a river of southern Asia, about 2,900 km (1,800 miles) in length, flowing from Tibet through Kashmir and Pakistan to the Arabian Sea. Along its valley an early civilization flourished from circa 2600 to 1760 BC.

11d   Went in // hospital department with foot in bandage and inflamed (7)

See remark at 27a.

14d   Actors for each previous scene, initially (10)

16d   Indifferent // ale -- turn groggy (7)

18d   Disadvantage to lose top // copy (9)

20d   Ham /and/ game served up -- a friend looks down on that (7)

"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

In Britain, mate^[5] — in addition to being a person’s husband, wife, or other sexual partner — is an informal term for a friend or companion ⇒ my best mate Steve.

21d   Exchanged the bras /for/ pants (7)

Here and There

To fully savour the surface reading of this clue, one must be aware that, in Britain, the word pants[5] does not mean trousers as it does in North America. Rather, it refers to underwear — specifically men's undershorts or women's panties (the latter otherwise known as knickers[5] to the Brits). Thus were you to take off your pants in the UK, you would be far more exposed than were you to do so in North America!

23d   Medic purchasing green // colour scheme (5)

25d   I hand out cards // best (5)

26d   Where men might eat // dog's dinner (4)

A dog's dinner^[5] (or a dog's breakfast) is an informal British expression for a poor piece of work or, in other words, a mess ⇒ we made a real dog’s breakfast of it. I would think that the latter version of the expression is more common in North America; the former not so much.

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

Wednesday, June 28, 2017 — DT 28405

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28405
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Wedmesday, April 19, 2017
Setter Jay (Jeremy Mutch)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28405]
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

I would like to think that my solving skills are improving, but my success today is more likely due to the puzzle being a bit on the easier side.

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   Shortages // damage large towns (10)

6a   Stone // circle parking area east of Argyll (4)

Scratching the Surface
Argyll[5,11] (also Argyllshire) is a former county on the west coast of Scotland; since 1996 part of Argyll and Bute.

10a   Flower // girl finally out of bed and home (5)

11a   Is Columbus in a state with no black // R&B? (4,5)

12a   Lead actor set to return /for/ new business venture (5-2)

13a   Left to cover start of cricket, // energised (7)

14a   Physical outcome /for which/ runners perhaps pay? (8,4)

18a   The tar developed during cooking /is/ overwhelming (12)

What did they say?
In their review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, the 2Kiwis inform us that we are looking for the type of cooking we associate with Mary Berry. Mary Berry[7] is an English food writer and television presenter [host]. She has published more than 75 cookery books including her bestselling Baking Bible in 2009 as well as having hosted several television series for the BBC and Thames Television.

21a   Almost suggest poem /and/ go off (7)

23a   Tangoes wildly // in front of the audience (2-5)

24a   Protector ultimately failing a new supporter/'s/ pledge (9)

25a   Bury/'s/ at home -- they're missing regulars (5)

Scratching the Surface
Bury[7] [pronounced berry — although not by the locals according to Gazza in a review on Big Dave's blog] is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It is the home of the Bury Football Club[7], an association football [soccer] team that plays in League One (the third tier in the English football league system).

26a   Discard /from/ East, covered by spades, hearts and diamonds (4)

27a   Shuts short road after hospital/'s/ lucky escape (5,5)

Down

1d   Hack crossing Portugal /gets/ place on front page? (6)

The International Vehicle Registration (IVR) code for Portugal is P^[5].

Splash^[5] is an informal term for a prominent or sensational news feature or story ⇒ a front-page splash.

2d   Come onto the scene /in/ a contemporary broadcast (6)

3d   Walk // through the law (14)

4d   Sanctimonious bunch suppressed by international // high-flier (4,5)

Pi^[5] is an informal British short form for pious. 

International^[5] is a British term for a game or contest between teams representing different countries in a sport ⇒ the Murrayfield rugby international.

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.

5d   Leak /from/ former lover you heard? Desperate, showing no heart (5)

7d   Varied options must include one // job (8)

8d   Transparency /of/ woman hugging loveless idiot (8)

"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

9d   Fishing-boat's single mistake, foregoing Southern // relish (6,4,4)

Smack^[5] is a British term for a single-masted sailing boat used for coasting or fishing ⇒ the village still harbours a few fishing smacks.

Like the 2Kiwis, I thought that the wordplay should lead to "relishes" rather than "relish".

15d   Accept fans going topless /for/ such commercial putsches (9)

16d   A card game needing small // contracts (8)

17d   Look up drink in Japan /as/ memento (8)

Sake^[5] (or saki^[5]) is a Japanese alcoholic drink made from fermented rice, traditionally drunk warm in small porcelain cups.

19d   Refrain /from/ mounting pictures in support of staff (6)

Originally in Hinduism and Buddhism, a mantra^[5] was a word or sound repeated to aid concentration in meditation ⇒ a mantra is given to a trainee meditator when his teacher initiates him. The word has come to mean a statement or slogan repeated frequently ⇒ the environmental mantra that energy has for too long been too cheap.

20d   Reduce without a second // order (6)

22d   Old crowd rises // to offer praise (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

Tuesday, June 27, 2017 — DT 28404

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28404
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Tuesday, April 18, 2017
Setter Mister Ron (Samuel)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28404]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Mr Kitty
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

While I did eventually manage to complete this puzzle without resorting to calling out the electronic helpers, it did put up some pretty stiff resistance. Clearly, I am still not at the top of my game after my lengthy absence from puzzledom.

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   Club // ordered synthetic cream (10,4)

Manchester City Football Club^[7] is an English professional football [soccer] club, based in Manchester, England, that plays in the Premier League (the top level in the English football league system).

9a   Begin accepting law broken /for/ loyalist? (8)

10a   Hurry over and see heartless // carer (5)

12a   Flier/'s/ mischievous activity (4)

13a   Get faster // a cold vegetable, mostly devoured (10)

15a   Rate // terribly evil toy entertaining child at first (8)

16a   Might one prohibit // flag? (6)

I consider the first part of the clue to be an implied definition which the solver is expected to interpret as "someone who might prohibit".

18a   Republican quietly abandoning Bill/'s/ schedule (6)

"quietly" = 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

"Republican" = R (show explanation )

A Republican^[5] (abbreviation R^[5])  is a member or supporter of the Republican Party^[5], one of the two main US political parties^*, favouring a right-wing stance, limited central government, and tough, interventionist foreign policy. It was formed in 1854 in support of the anti-slavery movement preceding the Civil War.

---

^* the other being the Democratic Party

In the UK, republican^[5] can refer to an advocate of a united Ireland but the abbreviation does not seem to apply to that usage.

hide explanation

20a   Most frightening // hotel -- and most spacious (8)

Hotel^[5] is a code word representing the letter H, used in radio communication.

23a   Tailor awaits cost /for/ garments (10)

Waistcoat^[3] is the British term for the garment that North Americans would call a vest. In Britain, a vest^[3] is an item of underwear for the upper body.

24a   Love /is/ about in land of the Wizard from the East (4)

"love" = ZERO (show explanation )

In tennis, squash, and some other sports, love^[5] is a score of zero or nil ⇒ love fifteen.

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

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz^[7] is an American children's novel written by author L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow, originally published in 1900. It has since been reprinted on numerous occasions, most often under the title The Wizard of Oz, which is the title of the popular 1902 Broadway musical as well as the iconic 1939 musical film adaptation.

The story chronicles the adventures of a young farm girl named Dorothy in the magical Land of Oz, after she and her pet dog Toto are swept away from their Kansas home by a cyclone. Its groundbreaking success and the success of the Broadway musical adapted from the novel led Baum to write thirteen additional Oz books that serve as official sequels to the first story.

26a   Support // son, overweight, knocked back by female (5)

27a   Account in the red? /That's/ sweet (8)

Sweet^[5] is a British term for a sweet dish forming a course of a meal; in other words, a pudding or dessert. The parsing shown above assumes that cookies^* can be included within the scope of this definition.

---

^* biscuits to the Brits

On the other hand, perhaps sweet is being used as an adjective. In that case, the clue would parse as:

• Account in the red? // That's sweet (8)

where the implied definition is "[something] that's sweet".

28a   Current therapy // cure for problem on top? (5,9)

The clue is a double definition with the second one being cryptic.

Down

2d   Cheers up with lunar shot being seen around // common (7)

Cheers^[5] is a chiefly British expression expressing gratitude or acknowledgement for something ⇒ Billy tossed him the key. ‘Cheers, pal.’.

Ta^[5] is an informal British exclamation signifying thank you ⇒‘Ta,’ said Willie gratefully.

3d   Fit // wife leaves deep-sea diver? (4)

4d   Lack // vehicle in south London, say (8)

5d   European setter regularly upset this setter -- /one needs/ respect! (6)

"this 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

6d   Shelve getting daughter to replace carbon support under a // light source (10)

"carbon" = C (show explanation )

C^[5] is the symbol for the chemical element carbon.

hide explanation

7d   Trainer reorganised // ground (7)

8d   Star's allowance /for/ party? (11)

11d   Suspect I've writ lots? // I want some more! (6,5)

Oliver Twist^[7], subtitled The Parish Boy's Progress, is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens (1812–1870), published in 1838. The story is about an orphan, Oliver Twist, who is born into a life of poverty and misfortune in a workhouse.

During the several years he spent at the workhouse, Oliver Twist^[7] is brought up with little food and few comforts. One day, around the time of his ninth birthday, the desperately hungry boys decide to draw lots; the loser must ask for another portion of gruel. The task falls to Oliver, who at the next meal tremblingly comes forward, bowl in hand, and begs the overseer, Mr. Bumble, for gruel with his famous request: "Please, sir, I want some more".

14d   Fancy cities mostly find Conservative /to be/ methodical (10)

17d   Song // may amuse if heard on the radio (8)

A canticle^[5] is a hymn or chant, typically with a biblical text, forming a regular part of a church service.

19d   Vegetable /that's/ somewhat crisp in a chilli (7)

21d   Reportedly, one glimpsed // something ugly (7)

This clue incorporates a homophone that works only if one talks like a Brit — or, at least, like some Brits.

The word "sore", when pronounced in a non-rhotic (show explanation ) accent typical of many parts of Britain, sounds like "saw".

Non-rhotic accents omit the sound < r > in certain situations, while rhotic accents generally pronounce < r > in all contexts. Among the several dozen British English accents which exist, many are non-rhotic while American English (US and Canadian) is mainly rhotic. This is, however, a generalisation, as there are areas of Britain that are rhotic, and areas of America that are non-rhotic. For more information, see this guide to pronouncing < r > in British English.

hide explanation

22d   Promise // company 2,001 tons (6)

25d   Worry // doctor after forgetting answer (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)
^[13] - MacmillanDictionary.com (Macmillan Dictionary)

Signing off for today — Falcon