Tuesday, December 19, 2017 — DT 28531 [Revised]

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28531
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Wednesday, September 13, 2017
Setter Jay (Jeremy Mutch)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28531]
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
Notes
The National Post has skipped DT 28529 and DT 28530 which were published in The Daily Telegraph on Monday, September 11, 2017 and Tuesday, September 12, 2017.

Introduction

It seems that the Christmas elves are in a mischievous mood and have been messing around with the publication schedule at the National Post. After several months of not missing a puzzle, suddenly the National Post has skipped a couple — catching me asleep at the switch. Thus the reviews originally posted for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday were for puzzles not published on those days. I would like to thank Richard for bringing the situation to my attention (even if I was slow to notice his warning).

This puzzle is from Jay. One needs say no more as he always delivers a very well-clued and enjoyable puzzle.

The red mark is a result of my own carelessness. I would like to think that had I remembered to go back to have another look at 17d, the penny would surely have dropped.

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   'RIP' mistakenly put by female icon /or/ diva (5,5)

Take your pick from the following explanations:

Explanation #1
An icon[10] (also ikon) is a representation of Christ, the Virgin Mary, or a saint, especially one painted in oil on a wooden panel, depicted in a traditional Byzantine style and venerated in the Eastern Church. A Madonna[10] (sometimes not capital) is a picture or statue of the Virgin Mary.

Explanation #2
An icon[10] is a a person regarded as a sex symbol or as a symbol of the latest fashion trends. Madonna[5] is a US pop singer and actress; born Madonna Louise Ciccone. Albums such as Like a Virgin (1984) and her image as a sex symbol brought her international stardom in the mid 1980s.

Behind the Picture

Predictably, the 2Kiwis illustrate their review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog with a picture of New Zealand soprano Dame Kiri Te Kanawa[7].  Dame Kiri Te Kanawa sings Musetta's Aria "Quando men vo" from the opera "La Boheme" by Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924). With Australian Pops Orchestra, John Hopkins / conductor. Recorded at State Theatre Victorian Arts Centre Melbourne, Australia, 1993. Te Kanawa, who was born Claire Mary Teresa Rawstron, has Māori and European ancestry and was adopted as an infant by Thomas and Nell Te Kanawa.

6a   Vegetarian dish // sees boy back outside hospital (4)

An alternative version of this clue was posted on the Telegraph Puzzles website:

• Henry following daughter/'s/ vegetarian recipe? (4)

Hal^[nameberry] is a venerable nickname for Henry, Harry [itself a variant of Henry]^* and Harold, famously used by Shakespeare in King Henry IV as the name of the king's son, the future Henry V.

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^* Harry was considered the "spoken form" of Henry^[7] in medieval England. Most English kings named Henry were called Harry. At one time, the name was so popular for English men that the phrase "Tom, Dick, and Harry" was used to refer to everyone.

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Dhal (and daal) are alternative spellings of dal^[5], an Indian dish made with lentils or other split pulses.

10a   Come clean, either way (5)

The phrase "either way" is a bit of cryptic elaboration, indicating that the solution is a palindrome.

11a   Keep quiet about new plot before king /gets/ access to ship (9)

"king" = K (show explanation )

K^[5] is an abbreviation for king that is used especially in describing play in card games and recording moves in chess.

hide explanation

12a   Two vehicles sandwiching a // third? (7)

The implied definition is "third [vehicle]".

Caravan^[5] is the British name for a trailer^[5], a vehicle equipped for living in, typically towed by a car and used for holidays [vacation] ⇒ (i) they spent a fishing holiday in a caravan; (ii) a caravan holiday.

13a   Work is scheduled across Germany /for/ the poorest city area (4,3)

"Germany" = D (show explanation )

The International Vehicle Registration (IVR) code for Germany is D^[5] [from German Deutschland].

hide explanation

14a   Go over set of drawers /for/ pantomime dame, perhaps (5-7)

A pantomime dame^[7] is a traditional character in British pantomime^*. It is a continuation of en travesti portrayal of female characters by male actors in drag. They are often played either in an extremely camp style, or else by men acting 'butch' in women's clothing. They wear big make up and big hair, have exaggerated physical features, and perform in a melodramatic style.

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^* A pantomime^[5] is a traditional British theatrical entertainment, mainly for children, which involves music, topical jokes, and slapstick comedy and is based on a fairy tale or nursery story, usually produced around Christmas.

Here and There
In the UK, a dresser[5] is not a chest of drawers as in North America. Rather, it is a sideboard with shelves above for storing and displaying plates and kitchen utensils.

18a   How a free port must work // to provide elementary protection? (12)

... or, in other words, to provide protection from the elements!

21a   Trouble returns in so stormy // a relationship (7)

23a   Well-bred // chap confronting devious character (7)

Chap^[3,4,11] is an informal British^[5] or chiefly British^[3] term for a man or boy (show explanation ) — although one that is certainly commonly used in Canada.

Chap^[3,4,11] is a shortened form of chapman^[3,4,11], an archaic term for a trader, especially an itinerant pedlar^[a,b].

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^[a] Pedlar is the modern British spelling of peddler^[c] which, in most senses, is a US or old-fashioned British spelling. The exception is in the sense of a dealer in illegal drugs which the Brits spell as drug peddler.
^[b] The current meaning of chap^[2] dates from the 18th century. In the 16th century, chap meant 'a customer'. The dictionaries do not explain how a shortened form of 'chapman' (pedlar) came to mean 'customer'.
^[c] Collins COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary

hide explanation

24a   Shy type /may be/ home and dry when dog's collared (9)

"dry" = TT (show explanation )

Teetotal^[5] (abbreviation TT^[5]) means choosing or characterized by abstinence from alcohol ⇒ a teetotal lifestyle.

A teetotaller^[5] (US teetotaler; abbreviation TT^[5]) is a person who never drinks alcohol.

The term teetotal is an emphatic extension of total, apparently first used by Richard Turner, a worker from Preston [England], in a speech (1833) urging total abstinence from all alcohol, rather than mere abstinence from spirits, as advocated by some early temperance reformers.

hide explanation

25a   Such language // skill must incorporate work (5)

26a   Ropes /in/ blokes (4)

Guy^[3] is used in the sense of a rope, cord, or cable used to steady, guide, or secure something.

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Bloke^[5] is an informal British^* term for a man ⇒ he’s a nice bloke.

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^* British, but certainly very familiar to anyone on this side of the pond who has ever watched a British film or television programme

27a   A decent red fermenting, // bang on target (4,6)

Down

1d   Agents of the law // quietly love bugs (6)

"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

"love" = O (show explanation )

In tennis, squash, and some other sports, love^[5] is a score of zero or nil ⇒ love fifteen. The resemblance of a zero written as a numeral (0) to the letter O leads to the cryptic crossword convention of the word "love" being used to clue this letter.

Although folk etymology has connected the word with French l'oeuf 'egg', from the resemblance in shape between an egg and a zero, the term apparently comes from the phrase play for love (i.e. the love of the game, not for money).

hide explanation

2d   Reverse order, // still welcoming victory (6)

V^[10] is the symbol for victory - the victory-freedom sign^[7] is commonly associated with British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill in World War II.

A Slip of the Fingers

A V sign[7] made with the fingers and with the palm facing out may be a victory sign (as made famous by Sir Winston Churchill) or a peace sign (arising from the 1960s counterculture movement). However, in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland, and the United Kingdom, when made with the palm facing in, it means "F**k off"*. * The Brits would seem to need two fingers to get across an idea that North Americans manage to convey with a single finger. For a time in the UK, "a Harvey (Smith)" became a way of describing the insulting version of the V sign, much as "the word of Cambronne" is used in France, or "the Trudeau salute" is used to describe the one-fingered salute in Canada. This happened because, in 1971, show-jumper Harvey Smith was disqualified for making a televised V sign to the judges after winning the British Show Jumping Derby at Hickstead. (His win was reinstated two days later.) Harvey Smith pleaded that he was using a Victory sign, a defence also used by other figures in the public eye. Sometimes foreigners visiting the countries mentioned above use the "two-fingered salute" without knowing it is offensive to the natives, for example when ordering two beers in a noisy pub, or in the case of United States president George H. W. Bush, who, while touring Australia in 1992, attempted to give a "peace sign" to a group of farmers in Canberra—who were protesting about U.S. farm subsidies—and instead gave the insulting V sign. Steve McQueen in Le Mans Steve McQueen gives a British (knuckles outward) V sign in the closing scene in the 1971 motorsport movie 'Le Mans'. A still picture of the gesture was also recorded by photographer Nigel Snowdon and has become an iconic image of both McQueen and the 24 hours of Le Mans.

3d   In a chaotic state, // crazily has to help welcoming mistress? (3,4,3,4)

Here and There

All over the shop[5] is an informal British expression meaning in a disorganized or confused state ⇒ market estimates for the second quarter were all over the shop. It is another way of saying all over the place[5] (a version familiar to North Americans) ⇒ the government is all over the place on this or all over the map[5] (a version unique to North America) ⇒ they both have economic policies that are all over the map.

4d   Manager /of/ revolutionary region as source of rumours (9)

5d   Numbers // thrown out of station in Essex (5)

Scratching the Surface
Essex[5] is a county of southeastern England; county town, Chelmsford.

7d   Support // Reds, playing in high temperature (8)

Scratching the Surface
Liverpool Football Club[7] (nicknamed The Reds) is an English professional association football [soccer] club based in Liverpool that plays in the Premier League (the top level in the English football league system).

8d   Cool // book on fighting millions (8)

The Gospel According to Luke^[7], also called the Gospel of Luke, or simply Luke, is the third of the four canonical Gospels found in the New Testament of the Bible.

9d   Sweet // cupid needs a wok for cooking (6-4,4)

Sweet^[5] is a British term for a sweet dish forming a course of a meal; in other words, a pudding or dessert.

15d   Detracted // from French staff outside entrance (9)

"from French" = DE (show explanation )

In French, de^[8] is a preposition meaning 'of'' or 'from'.

hide explanation

The clue is a bit sneaky in that the words 'detract' and 'derogate' are almost always followed by the word 'from' making the first part of the wordplay easy to overlook.

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Derogate^[5] (from) means to detract (from) ⇒ this does not derogate from his duty to act honestly and faithfully.

16d   House // flooding after start of deluge (8)

Well^[5] (often well up) means:

• (of a liquid) rise up to the surface and spill or be about to spill ⇒ tears were beginning to well up in her eyes
• (of an emotion) develop and become more intense ⇒ all the old bitterness began to well up inside her again

17d   Holiday worker left before end of day, // without paying attention (8)

Despite having correctly written in the last five letters based on the wordplay and having the second letter from the solution to the intersecting clue, I encountered a mental block on the remaining two letters. I left it to come back to and then neglected to do so. As a result, I inadvertently saw the solution on Big Dave's site before solving it myself.

Vac^[10] is an informal British short form for vacation.

Here and There

The British use the word holiday(s) where North Americans might say vacation[5]. Holiday[5,10] (often holidays) is a chiefly British term for a period in which a break is taken from work or studies for rest, travel, or recreation ⇒ (i) I spent my summer holidays on a farm; (ii) Fred was on holiday in Spain. According to the British dictionaries, the usual US and Canadian term for such a break is vacation. However, I am accustomed to hearing the two terms used almost interchangeably — in much the same manner as fall and autumn. This may not be the case in all parts of Canada, but I grew up in the Maritimes and have lived in Eastern Ontario for most of my life, both areas where British influence is particularly strong. In Britain, the word vacation[5] has a very specific meaning, a fixed holiday period between terms in universities and law courts ⇒ the Easter vacation. In North America, such a period might be called a break[7].

19d   Importance /of/ women on crew (6)

An eight^[5] is an eight-oared rowing boat or its crew.

20d   Bishop settled on that man /being/ unconcerned (6)

"bishop" = B (show explanation )

B^[5] is an abbreviation for bishop that is used in recording moves in chess.

A bishop ^[5] is a chess piece, typically with its top shaped like a mitre, that can move any number of spaces in any direction along a diagonal on which it stands. Each player starts the game with two bishops, one moving on white squares and the other on black.

hide explanation

22d   French resort accommodating English // relative (5)

Nice^[5] is a resort city on the French Riviera, near the border with Italy; population 348,721 (2007).

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