Saturday, January 27, 2018 — A Day at the Opera

Introduction

Before the fat lady sang, today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon caused a bit of head scratching.

I invite you to leave a comment to let us know how you fared with the puzzle.

Solution to Today's Puzzle

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 █ - yet to be solved

Legend:	"*" anagram; "~" sounds like; "<" letters reversed
	"( )" letters inserted; "_" letters deleted; "†" explicit in the clue
	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 — including whimsical and vague 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   In Tosca, strange // deeds (7)

ACTIONS* — anagram (strange) of IN TOSCA

Tosca^[7] is an opera by Italian composer Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924) that was first performed in 1900.

5a   Anger consuming tenor/’s/ seducer (7)

TEMP(T)ER — TEMPER (anger) containing (consuming) T (tenor; abbrev.)

9a   Criminal // playing clarinets (9)

LARCENIST* — anagram (playing) of CLARINETS

10a   Roman goddess/’s/ string of performances heard (5)

CERES~ — sounds like (heard) SERIES (string of performances)

In Roman mythology, Ceres^[5] is the goddess of agriculture.

11a   New agent got drummer // work in Wagner’s Ring Cycle (15)

GOTTERDAMMERUNG* — anagram (new) of AGENT GOT DRUMMER

Richard Wagner^[5] (1813–1883) was a German composer. He developed an operatic genre which he called music drama, synthesizing music, drama, verse, legend, and spectacle. Notable works: The Flying Dutchman (opera, 1841), Der Ring des Nibelungen (a cycle of four operas, 1847–74), Tristan and Isolde (music drama, 1859), and the Siegfried Idyll (1870).

In German mythology, Götterdämmerung^[5] denotes the downfall of the gods. The word (which, in German, literally means 'twilight of the gods') is the title of the last opera in Wagner's Ring cycle.

12a   On the other hand, trace // circle (5)

OR|BIT — OR (on the other hand) + BIT (trace; small quantity)

14a   Conspiring // Peruvian calls in the dark (2,7)

IN CA|HOOTS — INCA ([ancient] Peruvian) + HOOTS (calls in the dark; sounds made by owls)

An Inca^[5] is a member of a South American Indian people who were living in the central Andes before the Spanish conquest.

16a   Draw attention to // big belly in snub (9)

S(POT)LIGHT — POT (big belly) contained in (in) SLIGHT (snub)

18a   Noodles // gone by one (5)

PAST|A — PAST (gone by) + A (one)

20a   Dancing rumba, fat lady met // Puccini title character (6,9)

{MADAMA BUTTERFLY}* — anagram (dancing) of RUMBA FAT LADY MET

Giacomo Puccini^[5] (1858–1924) was an Italian composer. Puccini’s sense of the dramatic, gift for melody, and skilful use of the orchestra have contributed to his enduring popularity. Notable operas: La Bohème (1896), Tosca (1900), and Madama Butterfly (1904).

Scratching the Surface

It ain't over till the fat lady sings[7] is a colloquialism which is often used as a proverb. It means that one should not presume to know the outcome of an event which is still in progress. The phrase is generally understood to be referencing the stereotypically overweight sopranos of the opera. The imagery of Richard Wagner's opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen and its last part, Götterdämmerung, is typically the one used in depictions accompanying reference to the phrase. The "fat lady" is the valkyrie Brünnhilde, who is traditionally presented as a very buxom lady with horned helmet, spear and round shield (although Amalie Materna played Brünnhilde during Wagner's lifetime (1876) with a winged helmet). Her farewell scene lasts almost twenty minutes and leads directly to the finale of the whole Ring Cycle. As Götterdämmerung is about the end of the world (or at least the world of the Norse gods), in a very significant way "it is [all] over when the fat lady sings."

23a   Stretchy material // forming part of ugly cravat (5)

LY|CRA — hidden in (forming part of) ugLY CRAvat

24a   Old reptiles // wandering in U.S. roads (9)

DINOSAURS* — anagram (wandering) of IN US ROADS

25a   Live around uranium // tailings, maybe (7)

RESID(U)E — RESIDE (live) containing (around) U ([symbol for the chemical element] uranium)

26a   Hints about traitor // priests (7)

CU(RAT)ES — CUES (hints) containing (about) RAT (traitor)

Down

1d   Legal or otherwise, // brisk passage (7)

ALLEGRO* — anagram (otherwise) of LEGAL OR

Allegro^[5] denotes a movement, passage, or composition marked to be performed at a brisk speed.

2d   Run carrying a // mysterious pack (5)

T(A)ROT — TROT (run) containing (carrying) A (†)

3d   Plain surrounding each // gorge (7)

OVER(EA)T — OVERT (plain) containing (surrounding) EA (each)

4d   Cast, taking breath, /is/ cheating (9)

S(WIND)LING — SLING (cast) containing (taking) WIND (breath)

5d   A mutt disturbed // jazz pianist (5)

TATUM* — anagram (disturbed) of A MUTT

Art Tatum^[5] (1910–1956) was an American jazz pianist; full name Arthur Tatum. Born with cataracts in both eyes, he was almost completely blind. He became famous in the 1930s for his solo and trio work.

6d   Verdi opera // physicist interrupted by chance (7)

MAC(BET)H — MACH (physicist) containing (interrupted by) BET (chance)

Ernst Mach^[5] (1838–1916) was an Austrian physicist and philosopher of science. He did important work on aerodynamics, while his writings inspired the logical positivist philosophers of the 1920s and influenced scientists such as Einstein and Niels Bohr. The Mach number^* is named after him.

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^* Mach^[5] (also Mach number) is the ratio of the speed of a body to the speed of sound in the surrounding medium. It is often used with a numeral (as Mach 1, Mach 2, etc.) to indicate the speed of sound, twice the speed of sound, etc.

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Giuseppe Verdi^[5] (1813–1901) was an Italian composer. His many operas, such as La Traviata (1853), Aida (1871), and Otello (1887), emphasize the dramatic element, treating personal stories on a heroic scale and often against backgrounds that reflect his political interests. Verdi is also famous for his Requiem (1874).

Macbeth^[5] is an opera composed by Verdi based on William Shakespeare's play of the same name that was first performed in 1847.

7d   Painful // rout rewritten in “Ring” (9)

TOR(TURO)*US — anagram (rewritten) of ROUT contained in (in) TORUS (ring)

Scratching the Surface
I am sure you noticed that the setters have capitalized "Ring" to suggest Wagner's Ring cycle [see 11a].

8d   Gives up /and/ extends a contract (2-5)

RE-SIGNS — had the numeration been (7), the solution would denote "gives up"

Although I have seen variations on this clue many times before, I believe this is the first time that I have seen the solution numerated as (2-5).

13d   Sticks // name next to document in written records (9)

BOO(N|DOC)KS — {N (name; abbrev.) + (next to) DOC (document; abbrev.)} contained in (in) BOOKS (written records)

15d   Unfeeling // dude with a fizzy drink (9)

CAT|A|TONIC — CAT (dude) + (with) A (†) + TONIC (fizzy drink)

16d   Soprano with bigger // box of candy, perhaps (7)

S|AMPLER — S (soprano) + (with) AMPLER (bigger)

17d   Business grad embraced by noble // northern Italian (7)

LO(MBA)RD — MBA (business grad) contained in (embraced by) LORD (noble)

A Lombard^[5] is a native of Lombardy in northern Italy^*.

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^* The Lombards^[5] were a Germanic people who invaded Italy in the 6th century.

18d   Laundry worker // engaged in Ypres service (7)

_PRES|SER_ — hidden in (engaged in) YPRES SERvice

Scratching the Surface

The Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing[7] is a war memorial in Ypres, Belgium, dedicated to the British and Commonwealth soldiers who were killed in the Ypres Salient of World War I and whose graves are unknown. Following the Menin Gate Memorial opening in 1927, the citizens of Ypres wanted to express their gratitude towards those who had given their lives for Belgium's freedom. Hence every evening at 20:00 (8:00 pm), buglers from the local fire brigade close the road which passes under the memorial and sound the "Last Post". Except for the occupation by the Germans in World War II when the daily ceremony was conducted at Brookwood Military Cemetery, in Surrey, England, this ceremony has been carried on uninterrupted since 2 July 1928. On the evening that Polish forces liberated Ypres in the Second World War, the ceremony was resumed at the Menin Gate despite the fact that heavy fighting was still taking place in other parts of the town. Three years ago, I had the privilege of attending this service during a tour of World War 1 and World War II battlefields in Europe.

19d   Donkeys keeping to the side of // chasms (7)

A(BY)SSES — ASSES (donkeys) containing (keeping) BY (to the side of)

21d   Shy, striped mammal/’s/ distinctive sign (5)

BADGE_ — BADGE[R] (striped mammal) with the final letter deleted (the solution being one R shy of BADGER)

22d   Our group gets into fleshy // opera (5)

FA(US)T — US (our group) contained in (gets into) FAT (fleshy)

Faust^[7] is a grand opera by French composer Charles Gounod (1818–1893) loosely based on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust, Part One. The opera was first performed in 1859.

Epilogue

Identifying a theme was easy today as the puzzle is replete with references to operas, composers, and performers. The title is a tip of the hat to the Marx Brothers who can now take over the opera house for the night.

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