Friday, September 29, 2017 — DT 28472

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28472
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Thursday, July 6, 2017
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28472]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Kath
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 say that today's puzzle from an unknown setter could be described as somewhat in the "middle of the road" both in terms of difficulty and enjoyment.

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 semi-all-in-one (semi-&lit.) clues. All-in-one (&lit.) clues and cryptic definitions are marked with a dotted underline. Explicit link words and phrases are enclosed in forward slashes (/link/) and implicit links are shown as double forward slashes (//).

Across

1a   King also known to be absorbing fine // novelist (5)

"king" = K (show explanation )

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

hide explanation

"fine" = F (show explanation )

F^[5] is an abbreviation for fine, as used in describing grades of pencil lead [a usage that Oxford Dictionaries surprisingly characterizes as British].

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Franz Kafka^[5] (1883–1924) was a Czech novelist, who wrote in German. His work is characterized by its portrayal of an enigmatic and nightmarish reality where the individual is perceived as lonely, perplexed, and threatened. Notable works: The Metamorphosis (1917) and The Trial (1925).

4a   Support second eleven /in/ industrial area (8)

Eleven^[5] is the number of players in^* a cricket^[7] side or an Association football^[7] [soccer] team — and is often used as a metonym for such a team ⇒ at cricket I played in the first eleven.

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

Here and There

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

Teesside^[5] is an industrial region in north-eastern England around the lower Tees valley, including Middlesbrough.

8a   Sister dined, it's said, /in/ Midlands town (8)

The Midlands^[10] denotes the central counties of England, including Warwickshire, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, the former West Midlands metropolitan county, and Worcestershire. This economy of this region is characterized by manufacturing industries.

Nuneaton^[7] is a town in Warwickshire, England. The population in 2011 was 81,877, making it the largest town in Warwickshire.

9a   A comment online say close to blasphemy? // It's deplored in religion (8)

Apostasy^[5] is the abandonment or renunciation of a religious or political belief or principle ⇒ the execution of their leader for apostasy brought widespread criticism.

The wordplay parses as A (from the clue) + POST (comment online) + AS (say; for instance) + Y (close [final letter] to blasphemY).

There were several comments on Big Dave's Crossword Blog concerning the use of "say" to clue AS, as Kath's remark I’m not sure about the ‘say’ here – maybe I’m missing something. As^[10] is being used as a conjunction meaning for instance capital cities, as London.

11a   Blueprint // to create university west of Hollywood area (7)

13a   A line in advertising stunt /that's/ rife (9)

15a   A chief's enrolled to rebuild // part of campus (4,2,9)

Here and There
Hall[2] (in full hall of residence) is a British term for a building where university or college students live. In Canada, such a building would be known simply as a residence.

18a   Quality of a broadcast // wedding ritual (9)

21a   Work of engineers // some disturb in error (7)

22a   Primate /needs/ way of working with group after ruin (8)

MO^[5] (abbreviation for the Latin phrase modus operandi) is the way a particular person tends to do things ⇒ (i) his MO isn’t prescribing the solution but sparking more questions; (ii) Connor can’t figure out the killer’s MO.

The marmoset^[5] is a small tropical American monkey with a silky coat and a long tail.

24a   Sign /of/ danger after tea's spilt (8)

25a   Labourer, one telling fibs over // walking aid (8)

What did she say?

In her review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Kath equates "one telling fibs" to someone telling porky pies. Porky[10] (also pork pie) is mainly British and Australian (rhyming) slang (show explanation ) for a lie (in the sense of an untruth). Rhyming slang[5] is a type of slang that replaces words with rhyming words or phrases, typically with the rhyming element omitted. For example, butcher’s, short for butcher’s hook, means ‘look’ in cockney rhyming slang. hide explanation

26a   Source of eggs /in/ part of cake? (5)

Down

1d   Powerful piece with angle on head of state /in/ flier (10)

A king^[5] is the most important chess piece, of which each player has one, which the opponent has to checkmate in order to win. The king can move in any direction, including diagonally, to any adjacent square that is not attacked by an opponent's piece or pawn.

"head of state" = 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.

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The kingfisher^[5] is an often brightly coloured bird with a large head and long sharp beak, typically diving for fish from a perch. Many of the tropical kinds live in forests and feed on terrestrial prey such as insects and lizards.

2d   Woeful // enjoyment before a library's opening (8)

3d   A better firm round middle of July /in/ foreign resort (8)

Cap^[3] means to to follow with something better; in other words, to surpass or outdo ⇒ capped his last trick with a disappearing act that brought the audience to its feet.

Acapulco^[5] is a port and resort in southern Mexico, on the Pacific coast; population 616,384 (2005). Full name Acapulco de Juárez.

4d   Evidence of appreciation when consuming a French // fish (4)

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

"a French" = UN (show explanation )

In French, the masculine singular form of the indefinite article is un^[8].

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5d   Seat is shifted /in/ period of rest (6)

6d   One's detained // fashionable colleague (6)

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.

7d   Feeling of discontent /with/ messenger dropping round (4)

10d   Inoffensive // requests by a group of conservationists (8)

In Britain, the National Trust^[5] (abbreviation NT) is a trust for the preservation of places of historic interest or natural beauty in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, founded in 1895 and supported by endowment and private subscription. The National Trust for Scotland^[7], a separate organization, was founded in 1931.

12d   Judge/'s/ compliment supporting upset father (8)

14d   Row about English having rest /in/ decisive part of game (3-7)

This was a rather appropriate clue to appear during Wimbledon.

A tiebreaker^[5] (also tiebreak) (alternatively tie-break^[2] or tie-breaker) is a means of deciding a winner from competitors who have tied, in particular (in tennis) a special game to decide the winner of a set when the score is six games all ⇒ (i) a tiebreaker failed to split them; (ii) a tiebreak question [in a gameshow].

16d   Visitor may get a buzz out of this // implement, or phone inventor (8)

Alexander Graham Bell^[5] (1847–1922) was a Scottish-born American scientist. He invented a method for transmitting speech electrically and gave the first public demonstration of the telephone in 1876; he founded the Bell Telephone Company the following year.

Delving Deeper

Alexander Graham Bell[7] was born in Edinburgh (so the Brits think of him as a Scot), he moved to Canada at the age of 23 (so we Canucks think of him as a Canadian), and he was granted US citizenship at the age of 35 (so the Yanks think of him as an American). The year following his move to Canada, he began training instructors at schools for the deaf in the US — and, from that time until his death, he maintained residences in both Canada and the US and divided his time between the two countries.

17d   Lords // taking in old boy I fired in US city (8)

"old boy" = OB (show explanation )

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

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

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

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A lord^[10] is a male member of the nobility, especially in Britain.

19d   Fancy that professor? /You need/ a barrier (6)

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

A don^[10] is a member of the teaching staff at a university or college, especially at Oxford or Cambridge.

20d   Decent /and/ quiet ranch employee (6)

"quiet" = 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

22d   Old US TV series /is/ pulp! (4)

M*A*S*H^[7] is a 1972–1983 American television series developed adapted from the 1970 feature film MASH (which was itself based on the 1968 novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors, by Richard Hooker). The series follows a team of doctors and support staff stationed at the "4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital" in Uijeongbu, South Korea during the Korean War. It is one of the highest-rated shows in U.S. television history.

23d   Barely credible // saga when last character's gone and left (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