Monday, December 25, 2017 — DT 28535 (Published Saturday, December 23, 2017)

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28535
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Monday, September 18, 2017
Setter Rufus (Roger Squires)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28535]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Miffypops
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, December 23, 2017 edition of the National Post.

Introduction

For Christmas Day, the National Post presents us with the gift of a Rufus puzzle — one which delivers a very gentle dose of mental exercise. I would advise you to savour this offering as well as any other of his creations that we may be privileged to receive in the coming months. Roger Squires (who we know as Rufus) has retired from setting crosswords after compiling more than 1,400 of them for The Daily Telegraph — not to mention countless puzzles for other publications. His last puzzle, which appeared in The Daily Telegraph on December 18, should show up in the National Post in late March or early April.

Roger Squires (aka Rufus)

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   /Using/ any sails in storm /may result in/ breakdown (8)

Here we have a two-part "link phrase" given by "using ... may result in" (i.e, using X may result in Y).

6a   Man -- a // Scottish isle? // Could be! (6)

The "link phrase" here comes at the end of the clue. Were we to write the clue in a less convoluted manner, it would read:

• Man a /could be/ Scottish isle (6)

 Of course, that phrasing would completely destroy the surface reading.

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Staffa^[5] is a small uninhabited [other than by seabirds] island of the Inner Hebrides, west of Mull. It is the site of Fingal’s Cave^* and is noted for its basalt columns.

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^* Fingal's Cave^[5] is a cave on the island of Staffa in the Inner Hebrides, noted for the clustered basaltic pillars that form its cliffs. It is said to have been the inspiration of Mendelssohn's overture The Hebrides (also known as Fingal's Cave) [which Miffypops will treat you to in his review].

Scratching the Surface
The Isle of Man[5] is an island in the Irish Sea which is a British Crown dependency having home rule, with its own legislature (the Tynwald) and judicial system.

9a   Shady nook // the French set back by bay (6)

"the French" = LA (show explanation )

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

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10a   Great-aunt perhaps /showing/ delight after run (8)

"run" = R (show explanation )

On cricket scorecards [not to mention baseball scoreboards], the abbreviation R^[5] denotes run(s).

In cricket, a run^[5] is a unit of scoring achieved by hitting the ball so that both batsmen are able to run between the wickets, or awarded in some other circumstances.

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11a   Very lazy // dizzy blonde, English, one's embraced (4-4)

Bone idle^[5,10] (or bone lazy) or bone-idle^[2] is a British expression meaning extremely idle or lazy.

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In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Miffypops parses the wordplay as an anagram (dizzy) of BLONDE containing (is embraced) {E (English; abbrev.) + I ([Roman numeral for] one)}. Personally, I don't like the structure "E and I is embraced" — although I suppose one could express it as "E + I is embraced".

My preferred parsing is {an anagram (dizzy) of BLONDE + E (English; abbrev.)} containing (is embraced) I ([Roman numeral for] one).

12a   Barked shrilly /or/ deeply when disturbed (6)

13a   With hindsight, // vet should keep on time or about (2,10)

16a   They brought mother and father up well, presumably! (12)

The portion of the clue with the dashed underline is a bit of cryptic elaboration alluding that these ancestors must have been grand parents as they did such a good job in raising their offspring.

19a   Travel at speed /and/ overheat (6)

Scorch^[5] is an informal term denoting (of a person or vehicle) to move very fast ⇒ a sports car scorching along the expressway.

21a   Bad comedian /is/ diabolical (8)

Demoniac^[5] is an adjective denoting relating to or characteristic of a demon or demons ⇒ (i) a goddess with both divine and demoniac qualities; (ii) demoniac rage.

23a   Like the weather, // boiling up but not cold inside (8)

Climactic^[5] means acting as a culmination or resolution to a series of events; in other words, forming an exciting climax ⇒ the film's climactic scenes.

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Climatic^[5] means relating to climate ⇒ under certain climatic conditions, desert locusts increase in number.

24a   Water nymphs // in a sad novel (6)

In classical mythology, a naiad^[5] is a water nymph^* said to inhabit a river, spring, or waterfall.

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^* A nymph^[5] is a mythological spirit of nature imagined as a beautiful maiden inhabiting rivers, woods, or other locations.

Behind the Picture

Hylas and the Nymphs (1896) Miffypops illustrates his review with a detail from Hylas and the Nymphs, a work by English painter John William Waterhouse[7] (1849–1917). His artworks were known for their depictions of women from both ancient Greek mythology and Arthurian legend. In classical mythology, Hylas was a youth who served as Heracles'* companion and servant. His abduction by water nymphs was a theme of ancient art, and has been an enduring subject for Western art in the classical tradition. * Hercules to the Romans

25a   Goes through // customs at university (4,2)

In Britain, up^[5] means at or to a university, especially Oxford or Cambridge ⇒ they were up at Cambridge about the same time.

26a   Declined /to be/ escorted around German city (8)

Essen^[5] is an industrial city in the Ruhr valley, in northwestern Germany.

Down

2d   /You'll find/ this admiral /in/ the hold (6)

A more straightforward way of stating this double definition might be:

• This admiral /can be found in/ the hold (6)

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Horatio Nelson^[5], Viscount Nelson, Duke of Bronte (1758–1805) was a British admiral. Nelson became a national hero as a result of his victories at sea in the Napoleonic Wars, especially the Battle of Trafalgar, in which he was mortally wounded.

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A nelson^[5] is a wrestling hold in which one arm is passed under the opponent’s arm from behind and the hand is applied to the neck (half nelson), or both arms and hands are applied (full nelson).

Behind the Picture
Miffypops illustrates his review with a photo of Nelson's Column[7], a monument in Trafalgar Square in central London built to commemorate Admiral Horatio Nelson, who died at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

3d   Nothing to do at this end (5)

Here and There
Be at a loose end[5] is a British expression meaning to have nothing specific to do ⇒ why don't you stay to eat, if you're at a loose end?. The corresponding North American expression is be at loose ends.

4d   Drivers aren't slow to fall into it (5,4)

5d   Snake // dispatched, pierced by monarch softly (7)

"monarch" = 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).
• Regina^[5] (abbreviation R^[5]) [Latin for queen] denotes the reigning queen, used following a name (e.g. Elizabetha Regina, Queen Elizabeth) or in the titles of lawsuits (e.g. Regina 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.

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"softly" = 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.

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6d   Excursion /for/ everyone within the bounds of Surrey (5)

Scratching the Surface
Surrey[5] is a county of southeastern England; county town, Kingston upon Thames.

7d   They run // up volcano with long striding gaits (9)

Mount Etna^[5] is a volcano in eastern Sicily, rising to 3,323 m (10,902 ft). It is the highest and most active volcano in Europe.

8d   Italian city // girl (8)

Florence^[5] is a city in west central Italy, the capital of Tuscany, on the River Arno. Florence was a leading centre of the Italian Renaissance from the 14th to the 16th century, especially under the rule of the Medici family during the 15th century.

Behind the Picture

Miffypops illustrates his review with a photo of David[7], a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture created between 1501 and 1504 by the Italian sculptor, painter, architect and poet Michelangelo. The statue has always been located in the city of Florence. Since 1873, it has been displayed in the Accademia Gallery. A replica was placed in the Piazza della Signoria in 1910. The second illustration is of Florrie "Flo" Capp, wife of the title character in the British comic strip Andy Capp[7]. She is named after English social reformer and founder of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale (who was born in the city of Florence in what was then the Grand Duchy of Tuscany).

13d   Idiot /shows/ no end of charm after bottomless neglect (9)

14d   Tom in suffering sent out /for/ soothing remedies (9)

15d   Sunny spots? (8)

A question mark often signals the presence of a cryptic definition.

17d   Thoroughgoing // cad and liar needing to reform (7)

18d   Feel // composer's final part is twisted (6)

George Frideric Handel^[5] (1685–1759) was a German-born composer and organist, resident in England from 1712; born Georg Friedrich Händel. A prolific composer, he is chiefly remembered for his choral works, especially the oratorio Messiah (1742), and, for orchestra, his Water Music suite (circa 1717) and Music for the Royal Fireworks (1749).

20d   That man arranged to go north, /being/ excited (3,2)

Het up^[5,11] is an informal expression meaning angry and agitated ⇒ her husband is all het up about something. Het is an archaic past participle of heat that survives in Scots and northern English dialect.

22d   This person's gripped by organ // sound (5)

"this person" = I (show explanation )

It is a common cryptic crossword convention for the creator of the puzzle to use terms such as (the or this) compiler, (the or this) setter, (this) author, (this) writer, or this person to refer to himself or herself. To solve such a clue, one must generally substitute a first person pronoun (I or me) for whichever of these terms has been used in the clue.

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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