Monday, September 4, 2017 — DT 28453 (Published Saturday, September 2, 2017)

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28453
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Wednesday, June 14, 2017
Setter Jay (Jeremy Mutch)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28453]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By ShropshireLad
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
Notes
This puzzle appears on the Monday Diversions page in the Saturday, September 2, 2017 edition of the National Post.

Introduction

After taking a break from blogging for the latter part of the summer to recharge my batteries, I'm back in the saddle. Today's offering from Jay offered a fairly gentle re-entry vehicle.

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   Complain, and a student /gives/ a bit of a hand (6)

"student" = 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

5a   Check with pilot /for/ person on board (8)

"check" = CH (show explanation )

In chess, ch.^[10] is the abbreviation for check^*.

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^* Check^[5] means to move a piece or pawn to a square where it attacks (the opposing king) ⇒ he moves his knight to check my king again.

hide explanation

Behind the Picture

ShropshireLad illustrates his review with a mash-up photo of Chairman Mao and British Labour Party lead Jeremy Corbyn. Mao Zedong[5] (also Mao Tse-tung and commonly referred to as simply Mao [or Chairman Mao]) (1893–1976) was a Chinese statesman; chairman of the Communist Party of the Chinese People’s Republic 1949–76; head of state 1949–59. A cofounder of the Chinese Communist Party in 1921 and its effective leader from the time of the Long March (1934–35), he eventually defeated both the occupying Japanese and rival Kuomintang nationalist forces to create the People’s Republic of China in 1949, becoming its first head of state. Jeremy Corbyn[7] is a British politician who has been the Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition since 2015.

9a   Got time, having served teas, /for/ such a thing as Marmite? (8,5)

Marmite^[5] (British trademark) is a dark savoury spread made from yeast extract and vegetable extract.

Marmite, a substance which lacks universal appeal, is definitely not everyone's cup of tea or, in other words, something that could well be characterized by the solution to the clue.

10a   Refiner working with energy /and/ no constraints (4,4)

"energy" = E (show explanation )

In physics, E^[5] is a symbol used to represent energy in mathematical formulae.

hide explanation

Here the anagram indicator is "working with" and the anagram fodder consists of all the letters in the word REFINER plus the E provided by the symbol for energy.

The wordplay could also be read as an anagram (working) of REFINER followed by (with) E. However, that interpretation fails to produce the required result.

11a   Fearless // in command, chasing the girl's love (6)

"in command" = IC (show explanation )

The abbreviation i/c^[5] can be short for either:

• (especially in military contexts) in charge of ⇒ the Quartermaster General is i/c rations
• in command ⇒ 2 i/c = second in command.

hide explanation

"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

As an alternative to the parsing provided by ShropshireLad:

• IC (in command) following (chasing) {HER (the girl; objective form of the pronoun) + ('s; contraction for has) O (love; nil score in tennis)}

the wordplay could also be parsed as:

• IC (in command) following (chasing) {HER (the girl's; possessive form of the pronoun) + O (love; nil score in tennis)}

12a   Rogue deed /and/ its consequence? (6)

In his review, ShropshireLad states "I would say that this is a ‘semi all in one’ clue". Personally, I don't see it as such. His interpretation is likely based on the fact that the pronoun "its" refers to the "deed" mentioned in the wordplay.

14a   Quietly spoken -- by a good man // of the countryside (8)

"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

Here it is important to read the instructions very carefully in order to get the Lego pieces in the right places.

The wordplay parses as P (quietly) + {ORAL (spoken) following (by) {A (from the clue) + ST (good man; saint)}}

Note the nested curly brackets.

16a   Ducks // walk when crossing road (8)

Behind the Picture
ShropshireLad illustrates his review with a photo of a model of the Mallard[7], a London and North Eastern Railway steam locomotive built at Doncaster, England in 1938. It is historically significant as the holder of the world speed record for steam locomotives at 126 mph (203 km/h).

19a   Such clues /must be/ a burden (6)

A cross^[5] is something unavoidable that has to be endured ⇒ she's just a cross we have to bear [with allusion to the cross on which Christ was crucified and which he was first forced to carry to his execution site].

21a   Fearful // Catholic's first inhabitant of the Tower (6)

The Tower of London^[5] (or simply The Tower^[5]) is a fortress by the Thames just east of the City of London. The oldest part, the White Tower, was begun in 1078. It was later used as a state prison, and is now open to the public as a repository of ancient armour and weapons, and of the Crown Jewels.

The Ravens of the Tower of London^[7] are a group of at least six captive ravens which live at the Tower of London. Their presence is traditionally believed to protect the Crown and the tower; a superstition holds that "if the Tower of London ravens are lost or fly away, the Crown will fall and Britain with it".

Historically, wild ravens were common throughout Britain, even in towns, the tower being within their natural range. When they were exterminated from much of their traditional range, including London, they could only exist at the tower in captivity and with official support.

23a   Double feature /offering/ cheers (4-4)

Chin-chin^[5] is a dated, informal British expression used to express good wishes before drinking ⇒ ‘Chin-chin,’ he said, and drank.

Behind the Picture
ShropshireLad illustrates his review with a shot of British footballer [soccer player] Jimmy Hill[7] (1928–2015) and English entertainer Bruce Forsyth[7] (1928–2017).

25a   Ultra-modern // nation frequently needing courage (5-2-3-3)

26a   Unhappy with ring /and/ flower (8)

Bell^[5] is an informal British term meaning to telephone (someone) ⇒ no problem, I’ll bell her tomorrow.

The bluebell^[5] is a European woodland plant of the lily family, which produces clusters of blue bell-shaped flowers in spring. The name has also been applied to a variety of other plants found in North America, Australia and South Africa.

27a   New Yorker/'s/ talk about name and borders of Eire (6)

Scratching the Surface
Éire[5] is the Gaelic name for Ireland and was the official name of the Republic of Ireland from 1937 to 1949.

Here and There
Yankee[2,5,10] is a North American (especially US) term for a person from New England or from any of the northern states of the US. Yankee[2,5,10] is an informal British term (often derogatory and considered offensive) for a native or inhabitant of the US. To avoid giving offence, the setter carefully situates the clue in a city which embraces the term "Yankee".

Down

2d   Danger coming from garden, for example (7)

3d   Resentment/'s/ highest point, reportedly (5)

4d   Electioneers sacked after ignoring one // city (9)

Leicester^[5] is a city in central England, on the River Soar, the county town of Leicestershire; population 294,900 (est. 2009). It was founded as a Roman settlement where the Fosse Way crosses the Soar (AD 50-100).

5d   Make a large profit /from/ tip in trophy (5,2)

6d   A long // letter (5)

7d   Water /is/ mostly ice on Loire, apart from the banks (9)

A water^[10] is any body or area of water, such as a sea, lake, river, etc.

8d   Crime waves among drivers /in/ this country (7)

The Automobile Association^[7] (The AA) is a British motoring association founded in 1905, which was demutualised in 1999 to become a private limited company which currently provides car insurance, driving lessons, breakdown cover [roadside assistance], loans, motoring advice and other services.

13d   A vile tale about // moderate (9)

15d   In the manner of a servant /that's/ wasteful, cloaked in cunning (9)

17d   Spray // a wild rose and look up (7)

"look" = LO (show explanation )

Lo^[5] is an archaic exclamation used to draw attention to an interesting or amazing event ⇒ and lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them.

hide explanation

18d   Quantity /of/ fire if fuel oddly absent? (7)

20d   Let off after satirical piece /becomes/ target for bowler (7)

Skittles^[3,4,5,11] is a chiefly British term that can mean either:

• a game played with wooden pins, typically nine in number, set up at the end of an alley to be bowled down with a wooden ball or disc (also known, especially in the US, as ninepins); or
• the pins used in the game of skittles.

22d   Changes to Venice, apart from the west end, /seen as/ relative (5)

24d   Distance // one propels a bicycle (5)

A chain^[3,4] is a unit of length — in fact, either of two units of length. To a surveyor, it is a unit of 66 feet (Gunter's chain) while, to an engineer, it is a unit of 100 feet (engineer's chain).

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