Monday, December 4, 2017 — DT 28518 (Published Saturday, December 2, 2017)

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28518
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Tuesday, August 29, 2017
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28518]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Mr Kitty
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 {date}, 2017 edition of the National Post.

Introduction

Aside from the Polish currency and the British snooker venue, this puzzle progressed nicely. Having realized — a rare occurrence — that the puzzle was likely a pangram helped dredge the former from the dark recesses of my memory. There was no hope with the latter as that bit of information had never been encountered, let alone stored away.

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   Instant // credit // check (4)

This clue is a triple definition incorporating three British meanings for the solution.

Tick^[5] is an informal British term for a moment ⇒ (i) I shan’t be a tick; (ii) I’ll be with you in a tick.

Tick^*[5] (used in the phrase on tick) is an informal British term meaning credit ⇒ the printer agreed to send the brochures out on tick.

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^* The term apparently originates as a short form for ticket in the phrase on the ticket, referring to an IOU or promise to pay.

In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog. Mr Kitty comments The third could be an Americanism. Quite the contrary, Oxford Dictionaries characterises it as a British term.

Tick^[5] is a British term [although one commonly used as well on this side of the pond] for a mark (✓) used to indicate that an item in a list or text is correct or has been chosen, checked, or dealt with.

3a   In New York, an opening for nurses, say, /in/ a regime fixated by health and safety? (5,5)

Nanny state^[5] is a British term denoting the government regarded as overprotective or as interfering unduly with personal choice.

9a   Paraquat found in // water? // On the contrary (4)

Let's call this an Ikea clue — some assembly required. The phrase "on the contrary" constitutes the assembly instructions and directs us to invert the logic of the preceding statement. Thus, rather than "Paraquat found in water" the fully assembled clue becomes "Water found in Paraquat".

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Aqua^[5] (Latin 'water') is (especially in pharmaceutical and commercial use) another term for water.

Scratching the Surface
Paraquat[5] is a toxic fast-acting herbicide, which becomes deactivated in the soil.

10a   These protect against spills /in/ streets I've repaired (10)

11a   Son, scolded, // drank from a bottle (7)

Wig^[5] is a dated, informal British term meaning to rebuke (someone) severely ⇒ I had often occasion to wig him for getting drunk.

13a   Witty reply // about securing independent job (7)

"independent" = I (show explanation )

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

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14a   Film // romance with young boxer perhaps embracing student at the start (4,7)

Romance^[5] is a genre of fiction dealing with love in a sentimental or idealized way ⇒ wartime passion from the master of romance.

"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.

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Pulp Fiction^[7] is a 1994 American black comedy neo-noir crime film written and directed by American filmmaker Quentin Tarantino. Directed in a highly stylized manner, the film tells a few stories of criminal Los Angeles. The film's title refers to the pulp magazines and hardboiled crime novels popular during the mid-20th century, known for their graphic violence and punchy dialogue.

Behind the Picture
Pulp Fiction theatrical release poster Mr Kitty illustrates his review with a photo — used in the theatrical release poster (opposite) — of American actress Uma Thurman in the role of Mia Wallace.

18a   Welsh boy overcome by win /in/ final (11)

Aled^[7] is a male Welsh given name.

21a   Left with an escort, lacking energy /and/ listless (7)

"energy" = E (show explanation )

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

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22a   Children's author /in/ vehicle, luxury one no end (7)

Rolls^[10] is an informal name for a Rolls-Royce^[10], a make of very high-quality, luxurious, and prestigious British^* car.

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^* Although the Rolls-Royce company is no longer British-owned.

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Lewis Carroll^[5] (1832–1898) was an English writer; pseudonym of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. He wrote the children's classics Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking Glass (1871), which were inspired by Alice Liddell, the young daughter of the dean at the Oxford college where Carroll was a mathematics lecturer.

23a   Criminal count had shot /is/ critical (5-3-2)

24a   Animal /from/ heart of Tibet getting cross (4)

The ibex^[5] is a wild mountain goat with long, thick ridged horns and a beard, found in parts of central Asia and in Ethiopia^*.

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^* Incredibly, after providing that definition, Oxford Dictionaries proceeds to give an example of a species (Capra pyrenaica) found in the Pyrenees!

Scratching the Surface
Tibet[5] is  a mountainous region in Asia on the northern side of the Himalayas, since 1965 forming an autonomous region in the west of China.

25a   Expression of annoyance by the old man, // generous benefactor (5,5)

Sugar^[5] is an informal exclamation used as a euphemism for “shit”.

26a   Leaders of junket accept vodka and // coffee (4)

Here and There
As we see from the discussion in the thread arsing from Comment #9 on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, from a British perspective java[5] is an informal North American term for coffee ⇒ I'm dying for a cup of java.

Down

1d   Time artist spent unwisely /in/ part of church (8)

"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. 

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In a cross-shaped church, a transept^[5] is either of the two parts forming the arms of the cross shape, projecting at right angles from the nave.

2d   Pot /seen in/ snooker theatre? (8)

The setter succeeded in leading me down the garden path looking for a type of snooker shot. I eventually stumbled upon the solution in a glossary of snooker terms.

The Crucible Theatre^[7] (often referred to simply as "The Crucible") is a theatre built in 1971 in the city centre of Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. As well as theatrical performances, it hosts the most prestigious event in professional snooker, the World Championship.

Scratching the Surface
In billiards and snooker, a pot[5] is a shot in which a player strikes a ball into a pocket ⇒ he put together a 36 clearance to blue which was full of difficult pots.

4d   Change // the last word and penultimate of words (5)

5d   Flipping lair contains rats and the like -- // it doesn't matter (5,4)

6d   Berths here for the rest of the travellers? (8,3)

7d   Act as witness // at examination (6)

8d   Start of European flower // festival (6)

An aster^[10] is any plant of the genus Aster, having white, blue, purple, or pink daisy-like flowers.

12d   Vogue, FT? Rich sorts // present! (4,7)

Gift voucher^[5] (another name for gift token) is a British term for what is known in North America as a gift certificate^[5].

Scratching the Surface

Vogue[7] is an American fashion and lifestyle magazine. Vogue began as a weekly newspaper in 1892 in the United States, before becoming a monthly publication years later. The British Vogue was the first international edition launched in 1916. As of today there are 22 international editions, and the launch the twenty-third edition, Vogue Polska in Polish, has been announced for March 2018. The Financial Times[7] (abbreviation FT) is a British international business newspaper that is printed on conspicuous salmon pink newsprint.

15d   Clubs enticed one in AA /in/ Scotland (9)

Caledonia^[10] (the Roman name for Scotland) is now used poetically and, sometimes, humorously to refer to that country.

Scratching the Surface
The surface reading clearly alludes to someone falling off the wagon in Scottish nightclubs. Thus AA is almost certainly a reference to Alcoholics Anonymous and not the Automobile Association (the British counterpart to the CAA in Canada or the AAA in the US).

16d   Old doctor and I splitting fizzy drink // somewhere in South America (8)

"doctor" = MB (show explanation )

In Britain, the degree required to practice medicine is a Bachelor of Medicine^[7] (MB, from Latin Medicinae Baccalaureus), which is equivalent to a North American Doctor of Medicine (MD, from Latin Medicinae Doctor). The degree of Doctor of Medicine also exists in Britain, but it is an advanced degree pursued by those who wish to go into medical research. Physicians in Britain are still addressed as Dr. despite not having a doctoral degree. 

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Colombia^[5] is a country in the north-western part of South America, having a coastline on both the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean.

17d   Edited daily sex // problem for readers (8)

19d   Ready for a trip to Warsaw? (6)

Ready^[5,10] or the ready^[10] (also called readies or the readies) is an informal British term for ready money^[5,10] (also called ready cash), funds for immediate use or, in other words, available money or cash.

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The zloty^*[5] (plural zlotys or zloty) is the standard monetary unit of Poland, divided into 100 groszy.

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^* Polish 'golden'

20d   Overlooked // a Parisian intimate being twisted inside (6)

"a Parisian" = UN (show explanation )

In French, the masculine singular form of the indefinite article is un^[8].

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22d   Imprisoned, // Conservative put on years (5)

"Conservative" = C (show explanation )

The abbreviation for Conservative may be either C.^[10] or Con.^[10].

A Tory^[10] is a member or supporter of the Conservative Party in Great Britain or Canada.

Historically, a Tory^[10] was a member of the English political party that opposed the exclusion of James, Duke of York from the royal succession (1679–80). Tory remained the label for subsequent major conservative interests until they gave birth to the Conservative Party in the 1830s.

The Conservative Party^[5] is a a major British political party that emerged from the old Tory Party under Sir Robert Peel in the 1830s and 1840s. Since the Second World War, it has been in power 1951–64, 1970-74, and 1979–97. It governed in a coalition with the Liberal Democrats from 2010 until the general election of May 2015, in which it was returned with a majority.

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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