Friday, December 22, 2017 — DT 28534

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28534
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Saturday, September 16, 2017
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28534 – Hints] Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28534 – Review]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Big Dave (Hints) crypticsue (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 is a nice easy puzzle to ease us into the holiday weekend. I might not rate it as low as the one star for difficulty awarded it by crypticsue but it certainly did not overtax me.

I do apologize for posting reviews for the wrong puzzles earlier in the week. It being an extremely busy week for me, I had prepared the reviews in advance. When I do this, I usually check on the day of publication to verify that the expected puzzle has actually appeared. It seems that after many months during which the National Post did not skip a puzzle, I was lulled into a false sense of security and neglected to check this time. The ever vigilant editors at the National Post — who are nothing if not patient — seized the opening to toss a couple of puzzles onto the cutting room floor.

I have now posted the correct review for the puzzle published on Tuesday. For the Wednesday and Thursday puzzles, I am afraid you will have to make do with the reviews on Big Dave's Crossword Blog to which I have posted links.

The fact that the National Post had dumped some puzzles may have slipped by me undetected but at least I recognized today's puzzle as a pangram — a puzzle in which every letter of the alphabet appears at least once in the solutions to the clues.

I invite you to leave a comment to let us know how you fared with today's 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

8a   'Stormy Weather' overwhelms a // songster (8)

Northern wheatear (male)

The wheatear^[5] is a mainly Eurasian and African songbird related to the chats, with black and buff or black and white plumage and a white rump. There are several species, in particular the grey-backed (northern) wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) of Eurasia and northeastern Canada.

Delving Deeper

The wheatears[7] are passerine birds of the genus Oenanthe. They were formerly considered to be members of the thrush family, Turdidae, but are now more commonly placed in the flycatcher family, Muscicapidae. This is an Old World group, but the northern wheatear has established a foothold in eastern Canada and Greenland and in western Canada and Alaska. The name "wheatear" is not derived from "wheat" or any sense of "ear", but is a folk etymology of "white" and "arse", referring to the prominent white rump found in most species. The genus name Oenanthe is derived from the Greek oenos (οίνος) "wine" and anthos (ανθός) "flower". It refers to the northern wheatear's return to Greece in the spring just as the grapevines blossom.

Scratching the Surface
"Stormy Weather"[7] is a 1933 torch song written by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler. Ethel Waters first sang it at The Cotton Club night club in Harlem in 1933 and recorded it that year. Although I prefer the Billie Holiday version, here is the original.

9a   Forge // commonplace name as front for unknown quantity (6)

"unknown quantity" =  Y (show explanation )

In mathematics (algebra, in particular), an unknown^[10] is a variable, or the quantity it represents, the value of which is to be discovered by solving an equation ⇒ 3y = 4x + 5 is an equation in two unknowns. [Unknowns are customarily represented symbolically by the letters x, y and z.]

hide explanation

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A smithy^[3] (also called smithery) is a blacksmith's shop or forge.

10a   Agent keeps Rex // nimble (4)

"Rex" = R (show explanation )

In the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms^*, Rex^[5] (abbreviation R^[5]) [Latin for king] denotes the reigning king, used following a name (e.g. Georgius Rex, King George — often shortened to GR) or in the titles of lawsuits (e.g. Rex v. Jones, the Crown versus Jones — often shortened to R. v. Jones).

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^* A Commonwealth realm^[7] is a sovereign state that is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and shares the same person, currently Elizabeth II, as its head of state and reigning constitutional monarch, but retains a crown legally distinct from the other realms. There are currently sixteen Commonwealth realms, the largest being Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom with the remainder being smaller Caribbean and Pacific island nations.

hide explanation

11a   Recover consciousness -- and die /as/ result? (4,2,4)

12a   Two separate points in landing-place /could make you/ groggy (6)

The link phrase "could make you" can be interpreted as 'could produce (make) [for] the solver (you)'.

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In her review, crypticsue questions whether "groggy and queasy mean the same thing". You be the judge:

• Groggy^[5] means dazed, weak, or unsteady, especially from illness, intoxication, sleep, or a blow ⇒ the sleeping pills had left her feeling groggy.
• Queasy^[5] means nauseous or feeling sick ⇒ in the morning he was still pale and queasy.

I'm thinking that I'm feeling grogginess in my head and queasiness in my gut.

14a   Passing over // treeless area (8)

... like an aircraft, as it takes off, passing over an obstacle at the end of a runway.

15a   Make a takeover bid in the air (7)

This is not a financial transaction — at least not as one would normally envision such.

17a   Trace // undergarment -- one, say, that has been returned (7)

Here and There
In Britain, a vest[5] is an undergarment worn on the upper part of the body, typically having no sleeves. The garment that North Americans (as well as Australians) call a vest is known in the UK as a waistcoat.

20a   Stick // bond with glue coming unstuck (8)

A bludgeon^[5] (noun) is a thick stick with a heavy end, used as a weapon ⇒ maces and spiked bludgeons.

22a   Article by church dignitary // of South American eminence (6)

Note that the word "of" is included in the definition, making the solution an adjective.

A dean^[7], in a religious context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Anglican Communion, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Lutheran Church.

In the Church of England and elsewhere in the Anglican Communion, the dean is the chief resident cleric of a cathedral or other collegiate church and the head of the chapter of canons. If the cathedral or collegiate church has its own parish, the dean is usually also rector of the parish.

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Eminence^[5] is a formal or literary term denoting a piece of rising ground ⇒ an eminence commanding the River Emme.

The Andes^[5] are a major mountain system running the length of the Pacific coast of South America. Its highest peak is Aconcagua, which rises to a height of 6,960 m (22,834 ft).

23a   Announced // more placid rambling (10)

24a   Founder // of football body I left (4)

The Football Association^[7], also known simply as the FA, is the governing body of football [soccer] in England. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest football association in the world and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the amateur and professional game in England.

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Founder^[5] denotes (of a plan or undertaking) to fail or break down as a result of a particular problem ⇒ the talks foundered on the issue of reform.

25a   Joins together // tunes I composed (6)

26a   Patent a clever gripping // thing to wave about (8)

Down

1d   Rodent // bit sandwiches I'm holding quietly (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

2d   Last character coming in to cut grass /is/ dim (4)

3d   Catch sight of // Swedes crying, seeing display of centre half! (6)

Descry^[5] is a literary term meaning to catch sight of ⇒ she descried two figures.

4d   Unpleasant expert /gives/ scowl (7)

5d   Weariest after running around, // in a way (2,2,4)

As it were^[5] is a phrase meaning in a way (used to be less precise) ⇒ areas which have been, as it were, pushed aside.

6d   Stopped swallowing whisky, perhaps // dejected (10)

7d   So uplifting, tucking into cold chicken // selected (6)

13d   Notice little Judith in hearing, little Catherine /being/ judge (10)

Cate^[7] is a feminine given name. It is a variant of Kate and a diminutive of Catherine. The name comes from Latin, French, English, and Welsh origins. The name literally means either 'pure' or 'blessed'. Perhaps the best known bearer of the name is Australian actress Cate Blanchett^[7].

Was it necessary to say that?
The setter needn't have resorted to the use of a homophone in the clue. Judi in its own right is a diminutive of Judith, witness English actress Dame Judi Dench[7].

16d   Crack up in the mountains (8)

18d   I dig all wild hedging round // flowers (8)

The gladiolus^[5] (plural gladioli) is an Old World plant of the iris family, with sword-shaped leaves and spikes of brightly coloured flowers, popular in gardens and as a cut flower.

19d   Enliven // an Ulster companion (7)

Properly Ulster^[10] is an area that was a province and former kingdom of northern Ireland which passed to the English Crown in 1461. Following centuries of conflict, Ulster was partitioned in 1921, with six counties [Antrim, Down, Armagh, Londonderry, Tyrone, and Fermanagh] forming Northern Ireland (a region within the United Kingdom) and three counties [Cavan, Donegal, and Monaghan] joining the Republic of Ireland. Despite this, Ulster is a widely-used (albeit inaccurate) name for Northern Ireland.

"Northern Ireland" = NI (show explanation )

Northern Ireland^[5] (abbreviation NI^[5]) is a province of the United Kingdom occupying the northeast part of Ireland; population 1,775,000 (est. 2008); capital, Belfast.

According to Oxford Dictionaries, Northern Ireland^[5] is the only major division of the United Kingdom to hold the status of province, with England^[5], Scotland^[5] and Wales^*[5] being countries.

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^* Oxford Dictionaries did not always describe Wales as a country. However, they changed this after I pointed out in a previous blog that England and Scotland were described as countries while Wales was shown as a principality. Do I really have such power?

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.

According to Hoyle
Well, maybe not Hoyle but Webster perhaps. The indefinite article must accord with the noun that it modifies. Thus "an Ulster" in the clue becomes "a N(orthern) I(reland)" in the solution.

21d   Animal seizing artist round // throat (6)

"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

22d   Burning // some garden trash (6)

24d   Loud friend turns up -- // panic! (4)

"loud" = F (show explanation )

Forte^[5] (abbreviation f^[5]) is a musical direction meaning (as an adjective) loud or (as an adverb) loudly.

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