Thursday, January 25, 2018 — DT 28558

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28558
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Saturday, October 14, 2017
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28558 – Hints] Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28558 – 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

Although in the end the puzzle did not prove to be overly difficult, I got off to a very slow start. My first clue solved was 25a which immediately set off the pangram^* alarm. Alas, it was not to be as the puzzle fell one L short of being 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 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   Troops // ordered to accept tackle (7)

What did he say?

In his hint on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Big Dave describes rig as some tackle or kit Tackle[5] is the equipment required for a task or sport ⇒ fishing tackle. Kit[5] can be: a set of articles or equipment needed for a specific purpose ⇒ a first-aid kit; a British term for a set of articles forming part of a soldier's equipment; or a set of all the parts needed to assemble something ⇒ an aircraft kit. Rig[5] is a device or piece of equipment designed for a particular purpose ⇒ a lighting rig.

A brigade^[5] is a subdivision of an army, typically consisting of a small number of infantry battalions and/or other units and forming part of a division.

9a   Droning sound /of/ instant message when holding on (8)

"instant" = MO (show explanation )

Mo^[3,5] (abbreviation for moment) is an informal, British^[5] (or chiefly British^[3]) term for a short period of time ⇒ hang on a mo!.

hide explanation

10a   Flashy // fliers leading swimmers (7)

"fliers" = RAF (show explanation )

The Royal Air Force^[5] (abbreviation RAF) is the British air force, formed in 1918 by amalgamation of the Royal Flying Corps (founded 1912) and the Royal Naval Air Service (founded 1914).

hide explanation

---

Raffish^[10] means tawdry, flashy, or vulgar.

11a   Most memorable experience // could be Helvellyn (4,4)

A double definition in which the second part is a definition by example.

High spot^[5] (or high point^[5]) denotes the most enjoyable or significant part of an experience or period of time ⇒ (i) the high spot of the tour was to be an audience with the Pope; (ii) the English lesson was the high point of the morning.

Personally, I am only familiar with the latter form of the expression.

---

Helvellyn^[7], the third-highest point in England, is a mountain in the English Lake District.

12a   Article set out how /to become/ famous rock group? (3,3)

The Who^[7] are an English rock band that formed in 1964. Their classic line-up consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon.

13a   Bill promises to pay after repair, /being/ dishonest (10)

15a   Pavlova, perhaps, that gets sent back just the same (4)

The portion of the clue with the dashed underline is not a second, independent route to the solution but rather elaboration on the definition — telling us that the solution is a palindrome.

Anna Pavlova^[5] (1881–1931) was a  Russian dancer, resident in Britain from 1912; full name Anna Pavlovna Pavlova. Her highly acclaimed solo dance The Dying Swan was created for her by Michel Fokine in 1905. On settling in Britain she formed her own company.

Scratching the Surface
The surface reading evokes an image of a restaurant patron dissatisfied with the dessert that has been served. Pavlova[5] (named for the dancer) is a dessert consisting of a meringue base or shell filled with whipped cream and fruit.

16a   Scheme news boss // threw out (9)

21a   Wander /in/ said ancient city (4)

Rome^[5] is the capital of Italy, situated on the River Tiber about 25 km (16 miles) inland. Rome's history spans 28 centuries. While Roman mythology dates the founding of Rome at around 753 BC, the site has been inhabited for much longer, making it one of the oldest continuously occupied sites in Europe.^[7]

22a   Person setting out on a task /as/ mortician (10)

24a   First to stand by unhappy // person that loves being cruel (6)

25a   Frantic /having/ refined novel, penning the last character (8)

27a   Need /to have/ verse in poetry replaced (7)

Note that crypticsue's explanation of the wordplay should read "V (verse) in an anagram (replaced) of POETRY".

As an anagram indicator, "replaced" is used in the sense of 'repositioned'.

28a   Preserve /offered by/ inns here for spreading (8)

29a   Someone on boat // beginning to sell fish (7)

A kipper^[5] is a herring or other fish that has been split open and cured by salting and drying it in the open air or in smoke.

---

A skipper^[5] is the captain of a ship or boat, especially a small trading or fishing vessel ⇒ the skipper and one other man were convicted of smuggling.

Behind the Picture

Big Dave illustrates his hint on Big Dave's Crossword Blog with a photo of Captain Birdseye*[7], the advertising mascot for the Birds Eye frozen food brand founded by Clarence Birdseye. Appearing in numerous television and billboard commercials, he has been played or modeled by various actors and is generally depicted as a clean living, older sailor with a white beard, dressed in merchant naval uniform and with a seafaring accent. The mascot is a reference to the brand's extensive and well-known range of frozen seafood products, of which fish fingers is probably the most-widely known. Because the Birds Eye brand is marketed to families, many of the advertising campaigns feature Captain Birdseye as having a 'crew' composed mostly of children in the preteen to teenage age groups, encouraging brand loyalty from children and emphasizing to parents the convenience of serving the company's products. * In parts of Europe, the company's products are marketed under the Iglo brand and in those locations the mascot is known as Captain Iglo.

Down

2d   Getting to // feeling pain again (8)

A double definition in which the second definition is whimsical.

3d   Present coverage /in/ newspaper after US soldier stole (4,4)

The Financial Times^[7] (abbreviation FT) is a British international business newspaper that is printed on conspicuous salmon pink newsprint.

"US soldier" = GI (show explanation )

A GI^[5] is a private soldier in the US army ⇒ she went off with a GI during the war.

Contrary to popular belief, the term apparently is not an abbreviation for general infantryman, but rather derives from the term government (or general) issue (originally denoting equipment supplied to US forces).

hide explanation

In the cryptic reading of the clue, stole becomes a noun.

4d   Record on order -- keep /being/ inconvenience! (10)

"order" = OM (show explanation )

The Order of Merit^[7] (abbreviation OM^[5]) is a dynastic order recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by King Edward VII, admission into the order remains the personal gift of its Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, and is limited to 24 living recipients at one time from these countries plus a limited number of honorary members. The current membership includes one Canadian (former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien).

hide explanation

A keep^[5] is the strongest or central tower of a castle, acting as a final refuge.

5d   In archipelago, big // dry area (4)

The Gobi Desert^[5] is a barren plateau of southern Mongolia and northern China.

6d   Barbarian in charge of // architectural style (6)

The Goths^[5] were a Germanic people that invaded the Roman Empire from the east between the 3rd and 5th centuries. The eastern division, the Ostrogoths, founded a kingdom in Italy, while the Visigoths went on to found one in Spain.

"in charge of" = IC (show explanation )

The abbreviation i/c^[5] can be short for either:

• (especially in military contexts) in charge of ⇒ the Quartermaster General is i/c rations
• in command ⇒ 2 i/c = second in command.

hide explanation

---

Gothic^[5] is a style of architecture prevalent in western Europe in the 12th–16th centuries (and revived in the mid 18th to early 20th centuries), characterized by pointed arches, rib vaults, and flying buttresses, together with large windows and elaborate tracery.

7d   Case on which one takes a stand, so to speak (7)

8d   One looks down in the mouth when at work (7)

11d   Take notice of circling scruff limiting parking, /getting/ browbeaten (9)

Scruff^[3,4,11] denotes the nape or back of the neck.

"parking" = P

Scratching the Surface
Scruff[5] is an informal British term for a person with a dirty or untidy appearance.

14d   Sweet wine -- // it'll be felt later on (10)

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

Afters^[5] is an informal British term for the sweet course following the main course of a meal; or, in British parlance, pudding^* ⇒ there was apple pie for afters.

---

^* Whereas in North America, the term pudding^[5] denotes specifically a dessert with a soft or creamy consistency, in Britain the term pudding refers to either:

• a cooked sweet dish served after the main course of a meal [i.e., a dessert]; or 
• the dessert course of a meal ⇒ what’s for pudding?.

The terms dessert, pudding and afters are synonymous in Britain and the response to What’s for pudding? could well be Apple pie.

---

Hock^[5] is a British term for a dry white wine from the German Rhineland.

17d   Bring to light // boat having stopped short abruptly in the middle (6,2)

A dredger^[5] is a boat designed for dredging harbours or other bodies of water.

18d   Revolutionary test case /for/ music-maker (8)

19d   Having Elvis hairstyle, I will be knocked out by a // drunk (7)

Quiff^[10] is a British term for a prominent tuft of hair, especially one brushed up above the forehead.

---

Quaff^[2] is a literary term meaning to to drink eagerly or deeply.

20d   Unfavourable // notice with few lines (7)

23d   Run on guide to London or South -- // they're used for short cuts every morning (6)

"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.

hide explanation

Geographers' A-Z Map Company Ltd is the largest independent map publishing company in the UK, producing over 300 paper mapping publications, including the much loved London A-Z.

26d   Italian 11 Across // that erupts in Canterbury? (4)

The numeral and directional indicator "11 Across" is a cross reference indicator directing the solver to insert the solution to clue 11a in its place to complete the clue. The directional indicator is customarily included only in situations such as this where both Across and Down clues start in the light^* that is being referenced.

---

^* light-coloured cell in the grid

As a reversal indicator in a down clue, erupt is used in the sense of to to shoot up(ward) or flare up.

---

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.

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