Wednesday, October 11, 2017 — DT 28480

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28480
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Saturday, July 15, 2017
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28480 – Hints] Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28480 – Review]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Tilsit (Hints) gnomethang (Review)
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
As this was a Saturday "Prize Puzzle" in Britain, there are two entries related to it on Big Dave's Crossword Blog — the first, posted on the date of publication, contains hints for selected clues while the second is a full review issued following the entry deadline for the contest. The vast majority of reader comments will generally be found attached to the "hints" posting with a minimal number — if any — accompanying the full review.

Introduction

This was a Saturday "prize puzzle" in the UK. Solvers can submit their solutions to the puzzle for a chance to win a small prize such as a pen. In return, the newspaper builds a database of addresses for marketing purposes. The Saturday prize puzzles have a reputation for being less challenging than other puzzles — supposedly the newspaper wants to ensure the maximum number of entrants so as to grow its list of addresses. Today's puzzle seems to go against the grain and is actually quite good for a "Saturday" puzzle.

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   European given ancient coin, gold, /for/ teacher (8)

A ducat^[10] is any of various former European gold or silver coins, especially those used in Italy or the Netherlands. The ducat^[10] was used as a trade coin in Europe from the later middle ages until as late as the 20th century. Many types of ducats had various metallic content and purchasing power throughout the period. The gold ducat of Venice gained wide international acceptance, like the medieval Byzantine hyperpyron and the Florentine florin, or the modern British pound sterling and the United States dollar.

"gold" = OR (show explanation )

Or^[5] is gold or yellow, as a heraldic tincture.

In heraldry, a tincture^[5] is any of the conventional colours (including the metals and stains, and often the furs) used in coats of arms.

hide explanation

6a   Convincing // decent chap to join company (6)

9a   Former airline with a // connection between North and South America? (6)

Pan American World Airways^[7], known from its founding until 1950 as Pan American Airways and commonly known as Pan Am, was the principal and largest international air carrier in the United States from 1927 until its collapse on December 4, 1991.

10a   Vinyl record // demanding attention (8)

11a   Corporal joins with girlfriend /in/ lively dance (8)

Flamenco^[5] (Spanish, 'like a Gypsy') is a style of spirited, rhythmical dance performed to flamenco music^*, often with castanets.

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^* a style of Spanish music, played especially on the guitar and accompanied by singing and dancing.

In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, gnomethang has bestowed a massive promotion on our corporal — elevating him all the way to colonel.

12a   Be inclined // to postpone (6)

Shelve^[5] (said of ground) means to slope downwards in a specified manner or direction ⇒ the ground shelved gently down to the water.

13a   Unexpected victory // that could make huge profit (5-7)

Giant-killing^[5] denotes an instance of a person or team defeating a seemingly much more powerful opponent.

16a   Virgin need 'er to be working! (6-6)

This is an &lit. (all-in-one) clue. The entire clue is both definition and wordplay — of course, under different respective interpretations.

Virgin Rail Group^[7], a subsidiary of Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group, operates a number of rail franchises in the United Kingdom.

19a   Butcher /giving/ male view (6)

21a   Attribute /of/ northern 'ealth resort (8)

This is my first encounter with this verb. As for the town, I have a vague feeling that I may have visited or passed through it on a bus tour of Yorkshire. I certainly recall a number of nearby locations such as Skipton, Grassington, and Ripon. I do know that if we stopped there, it would not have been to take the waters. More than likely it would have been to leave some water.

An aitch dropped in the clue demands a corresponding treatment in the solution.

Harrogate^[7] is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. The town is a tourist destination whose visitor attractions include its spa waters.

Arrogate^[10] can mean either:

• to claim or appropriate for oneself presumptuously or without justification
• to attribute or assign to another without justification

23a   9 perhaps // which comes after cultural activities rejected (5,3)

The numeral "9" is a cross reference indicator directing the solver to insert the solution to clue 9a in its place to complete the clue. The directional indicator is customarily omitted in situations such as this where only a single clue starts in the light^* that is being referenced.

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^* light-coloured cell in the grid

24a   Spike // beer used by one politician (6)

"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].

hide explanation

25a   Place of learning // deconstructed my clue (6)

The word lyceum^[1] can mean:

• a college
• a place or building devoted to literary studies, lectures, etc.

The Lyceum was a gymnasium and grove beside the temple of Apollo at Athens, in whose walks Aristotle taught.

26a   Place for fan desiring wrestling (8)

In this semi-&lit. clue (or, as some prefer to call it, semi-all-in-one clue), the entire clue acts as the definition while the portion of the clue with the dashed underline provides the wordplay.

Down

2d   Such as can be achieved /seeing/ sailor cutting benefit (6)

"sailor" = AB (show explanation )

In the Royal Navy, according to Oxford Dictionaries, able seaman^[5] (abbreviation AB^[5]), is a rank of sailor above ordinary seaman and below leading seaman. On the other hand, Collins English Dictionary tells us that an able seaman^[10] (also called able-bodied seaman) is an ordinary seaman, especially one in the merchant navy, who has been trained in certain skills.

hide explanation

3d   Leaves motorway /for/ a spell (5)

Char^[5] (also cha or chai) is an informal British name for tea (as a drink).

Motorway^[2,5] (abbreviation M^[5]) is a British, Australian, and New Zealand term for a dual-carriageway road [divided highway] designed for fast-moving traffic, especially one with three lanes per carriageway [direction of travel] and limited access and exit points [controlled access].

4d   Cost of travelling /in/ coach a long way east (5,4)

In the wordplay, coach is used in the sense of to teach.

5d   Tuneless music style left // harmony (7)

6d   Activity on board // revolutionary ship (5)

I think it is high time that Che went into hiding.

"revolutionary" = CHE (show explanation )

Che Guevara^[7] (1928–1967) was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and military theorist. A major figure of the Cuban Revolution, his stylized visage has become a ubiquitous countercultural symbol of rebellion and global insignia within popular culture.

hide explanation

In Crosswordland, a ship is rarely anything other than a steamship (abbreviation SS^[5]).

7d   Lively person welcoming period /as/ preacher (9)

8d   Something of no significance /in/ Spain, one ventures (3-5)

Scratching the Surface
I would think that recent events in Spain are hardly of no significance.

13d   What house coal will do /for/ the usual price (5,4)

House coal^[5] is coal used in or suitable for house fires, especially bituminous coal.

14d   Fashionable edition // turning up (9)

15d   Small child on railway // grunts (8)

Grunt^[10] is US slang for an infantry soldier or US Marine, especially in the Vietnam War.

17d   Note player /making/ a pile (7)

I got the "note" easily enough, but when it came to the "player" I didn't get past the sports field and the concert hall.

In music — specifically, in tonic sol-fa — re is the second note of a major scale. In Britain, where the more common spelling is ray^[5], re^[5] is seen as a variant [or even worse, American] spelling.

Pile^[5] (also atomic pile) is a dated term for a nuclear reactor.

18d   Time being encased in concrete, // impassive (6)

20d   Surrey town // for instance oppresses poor actor (5)

Egham^[7] is a Town in Surrey, in the south-east of England. It is part of the London commuter belt and Greater London Urban Area. Not far from this town, at Runnymede, the Magna Carta was sealed.

22d   Is open-mouthed, /needing/ oxygen, say, to take exercise (5)

"exercise" = PE (show explanation )

PE^[5] is the abbreviation for physical education [or Phys Ed, as it was known in my school days]. 

hide explanation

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