Wednesday, November 1, 2017 — DT 28495

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28495
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Wednesday, August 2, 2017
Setter Jay (Jeremy Mutch)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28495]
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

A nice puzzle from Jay today — lots of fun and not too difficult.

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   Housework will be split /to show/ enterprise (7,8)

9a   Doing sentry duty /in/ rocky ground screening west of airport (2,5)

10a   Pleasant-sounding // doctor takes look inside (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

Here and There

Dictionaries appear unable to reach a consensus on the meaning of the term medic. Most dictionaries show medic as being an informal term for a physician, surgeon, intern or medical student. However, some British dictionaries think it is a British term while some American dictionaries consider it to be a US term. One British dictionary also includes medical orderlies within the definition. The dictionaries do appear to agree on one point; namely, it is a US usage to apply the name to a member of a military medical corps. (show more ) Oxford Dictionaries: A medic[5] is: (British) an informal term for a medical practitioner or student (US) a paramedic in the armed forces Collins English Dictionary: Medic[4,10] is an informal term for a doctor, medical orderly, or medical student. The Chambers Dictionary: A medic[1] is: a physician (rare) a medical student (informal) Chambers 21st Century Dictionary: Medic[2] (also medico) is a colloquial term for a doctor or medical student. American Heritage Dictionary: A medic[3] is: a member of a military medical corps a physician or surgeon a medical student or intern Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary: A medic is: a military medical corpsman a doctor or intern Webster’s New World College Dictionary: A medic[12] is: (informal) a physician or surgeon (US) a medical student or intern a medical noncommissioned officer who gives first aid in combat; aidman; corpsman hide explanation

11a   Gave up hope, /seeing/ legal document cut by second couple (9)

12a   Very dry // beast with no tail (4)

Brut^[5] (an adjective used to describe sparkling wine) means unsweetened or, in other words, very dry^*.

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^* Dry^[5] (said of an alcoholic drink) means not sweet ⇒ a dry, medium-bodied red wine.

13a   Italian bridge // books returned by rail, mistakenly (6)

In Crosswordland, the phrase "religious books" — or, as today, merely the word "books" — is commonly used to clue either the Old Testament (OT) or the New Testament (NT). Today, as is frequently the case, the clue provides no indication whether the reference is to the former or the latter.

Rialto^[5] is an island in Venice, containing the old mercantile quarter of medieval Venice. The Rialto Bridge, completed in 1591, crosses the Grand Canal between Rialto and San Marco islands.

15a   Record including name and instrument /used for/ such cattle (8)

18a   Most of planet consumed /in/ flood (8)

19a   Prayers /of/ star embracing nurse (6)

In astronomy, a nova^[5] is a star showing a sudden large increase in brightness and then slowly returning to its original state over a few months.

EN^[10] is the abbreviation for enrolled nurse, a British nursing designation that seemingly was discontinued in the mid-1990s.

Delving Deeper

State Enrolled Nurse[5,10] (abbreviation SEN) was a designation formerly used in Britain for a nurse enrolled on a state register and having a qualification lower than that of a State Registered Nurse. A person holding this designation would have had training and have passed examinations enabling him or her to perform many — but not all — nursing services. State Registered Nurse[10] (abbreviation SRN) was a designation formerly used in Britain for a nurse who had extensive training and passed examinations enabling him or her to perform all nursing services. It appears that this designation was first replaced by the term Registered General Nurse[4] (abbreviation RGN) and more recently by the term Level-one Nurse. According to Wikipedia, the state enrolled nursing[7] qualification can no longer be gained in Britain. Prior to the implementation of Project 2000 which radically altered the face of nurse education in the mid 1990s, SEN students used to be trained within two years. Their course was a simplified version of the longer training offered to state registered nurses (SRNs, later to be renamed RGNs, registered general nurses and now known as level-one nurses). Some auxiliary nurses with many years of experience were selected to progress to enrollment as a SEN. People training to be SRNs who failed their exams at the third attempt were also able to enter the nursing register as a SEN. No new SENs are trained in the UK today.

In the Roman Catholic Church, a novena^[5] is a form of worship consisting of special prayers or services on nine successive days.

22a   Range /of/ a record signing, initially (4)

23a   Frank returns carrying material /for/ board covers (5,4)

Frank^[5] means to stamp an official mark on (a letter or parcel) to indicate that postage has been paid or does not need to be paid.

Board^[5,10] is an archaic term for a table, especially one used for eating at, and especially when laden with food ⇒ he looked at the banquet which was spread upon his board.

26a   Country // doctor too -- he's Liberal, for a start (7)

"Liberal" = L (show explanation )

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]

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^* 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.

hide explanation

I would parse this clue in a slightly different manner than the 2Kiwis. I would begin with (for a start) L (Liberal; abbrev.) followed by an anagram (doctor) of TOO HES.

27a   The French -- after unusually quiet // drink (7)

"the French" = LA (show explanation )

In French, the feminine singular form of the definite article is la^[8].

hide explanation

28a   Decisive stage // when investments become unprofitable? (5,2,2,6)

Down

1d   Soup for an American // cowherd needs stirring (7)

From a British^* perspective, chowder^[2] is a chiefly North American term for a thick soup or stew made from clams or fish with vegetables.

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^*neither Oxford Dictionaries nor Collins English Dictionary show this term as being American

2d   What ancients wore // to speak at length? (5)

3d   Blast area for sculpting // stone (9)

4d   Target on river in Yorkshire /is/ bear (6)

The River Ure^[7] is a stream in North Yorkshire, England, approximately 74 miles (119 km) long from its source to the point where it changes name to the River Ouse.

5d   Try to impress -- // call doctor before work (4-4)

"work" = OP (show explanation )

In music, an opus^[5] (plural opuses or opera) is a separate composition or set of compositions.

The abbreviation Op.^[5] (also op.), denoting opus, is used before a number given to each work of a particular composer, usually indicating the order of publication. The plural form of Op. is Opp..

Opus^[5] can also be used in a more general sense to mean an artistic work, especially one on a large scale ⇒ he was writing an opus on Mexico.

hide explanation

6d   This fruit // bug lives to a limited extent (4)

The ugli or ugli fruit^[7] is a Jamaican form of tangelo, a citrus fruit created by hybridizing a grapefruit (or pomelo), an orange and a tangerine. UGLI is a registered trademark of Cabel Hall Citrus Limited, under which it markets the fruit. It was discovered growing wild (possibly having developed in the same way grapefruit was created) in Jamaica, where it is mainly grown today. The name is a variation of the word "ugly", which refers to the fruit's unsightly appearance, with rough, wrinkled, greenish-yellow rind, wrapped loosely around the orange pulpy citrus inside.

7d   Detours planned to include gold // heraldic emblem (5,4)

"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.

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The Tudor rose^[5] is a conventionalized, typically five-lobed figure of a rose used in architectural and other decoration in the Tudor period, in particular a combination of the red and white roses of Lancaster or York adopted as a badge by Henry VII.

8d   Chinese money protecting tiger maybe /in/ part of Mexico (7)

The yuan^[5] is the basic monetary unit of China, equal to 10 jiao or 100 fen.

Yucatán^[5] is a state of south-eastern Mexico, at the northern tip of the Yucatán Peninsula; capital, Mérida.

14d   Worker getting one over one, /for/ starters (9)

"worker" = ANT (show explanation )

The word "worker" and the phrase "social worker" are commonly used in cryptic crossword puzzles to clue ANT or BEE.

A worker^[5] is a neuter or undeveloped female bee, wasp, ant, or other social insect, large numbers of which do the basic work of the colony.

In crossword puzzles, "worker" will most frequently be used to clue ANT and occasionally BEE but I have yet to see it used to clue WASP. Of course, "worker" is sometimes also used to clue HAND or MAN.

hide explanation

Starter^[5] is a British^* term meaning the first course of a meal.

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^* according to Oxford Dictionaries, the term is British, but certainly one that I would say is by no means foreign to Canada

In Italian cookery, an antipasto^{[2,3,4,5,10,11]} (plural antipasti or antipastos) is an appetizer or hors d'oeuvre.

Antipastos or Antipasti

When it comes to the plural form of antipasto, the dictionaries that I consulted are split between antipastos and antipasti — with some allowing either spelling and others giving different spellings in different editions (show explanation ). Of course, I am confident that any Italian will tell you that the plural is antipasti. American dictionaries (American Heritage Dictionary and Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary)[3,11] show the plural to be either antipastos or antipasti; Chambers 21st Century Dictionary lists the plural as antipasti[2]; Collins English Dictionary  has the plural as antipastos[10] while, immediately above it, its sister publication the COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary shows it as antipasti; Oxford Dictionaries[5] does not show a plural form — presumably implying that the plural is antipastos. hide explanation

16d   Bizarre // request -- go in confusion (9)

17d   Son heads on holiday /and/ calls on the way (5,3)

18d   Bribe covering demand /for/ seafood (7)

20d   Stay away from // salt dye (7)

Salt^[3] is an informal term for a sailor, especially when old or experienced.

"sailor (salt)" = 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

21d   Hide mark /from/ shabby stuff as well (6)

Tat^[5] is an informal British term for tasteless or shoddy clothes, jewellery, or ornaments ⇒ the place was decorated with all manner of gaudy tat.

A tattoo is a mark applied to one's hide (skin).

24d   Commercial on independent group of countries /is/ so long (5)

"independent" = I (show explanation )

I^[1] is the abbreviation for independent, in all likelihood in the context of a politician with no party affiliation.

hide explanation

Adieu^[5] (from French: 'goodbye' or 'farewell') is a chiefly literary term that means:

• (exclamation) goodbye
• (noun) a goodbye ⇒ he whispered a fond adieu .

25d   Waste time penning // instruction to printer (4)

Stet^[5] (Latin 'let it stand') is an instruction used on a printed proof to indicate that a correction or alteration should be ignored.

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