Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Wednesday, February 28, 2018 — DT 28582

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 28582
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Saturday, November 11, 2017
Setter
Cephas (Peter Chamberlain)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28582 – Hints]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28582 – 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

Today's puzzle is a very gentle bit of mental exercise — so gentle, in fact, that I failed to notice that it is a pangram*. A number of those commenting on Big Dave's Crossword Blog mention that they were able to complete the puzzle with little or no assistance, including Agnellov at Comment #33 who reports "finishing on my Jack Jones apart from 5d". On one's jack[5] (or on one's Jack Jones) is British rhyming slang (show explanation ) for "on one's own".

* a puzzle in which every letter of the alphabet appears at least once in the solution


Rhyming slang[5] is a type of slang that replaces words with rhyming words or phrases, typically with the rhyming element omitted. For example, butcher’s, short for butcher’s hook, means ‘look’ in cockney rhyming slang.

hide explanation

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

6a   Fruitful series // triumph of one barely running (7,6)

8a   Lines // one very good soldier from Down Under cut (6)

Anzac*[5] is an informal term for a person from Australia or New Zealand, especially a member of the armed services.

* Originally, an Anzac[5] was a soldier in the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (1914–18).

9a   Item for storing leaves // two things on course, we hear (3,5)

Tee[5] could refer to either of two "things on [a golf] course":
  • a cleared space on a golf course, from which the ball is struck at the beginning of play for each hole
  • a small peg with a concave head which can be placed in the ground to support a golf ball before it is struck from a tee
A caddie[5] (also caddy) is a person who carries a golfer's clubs and provides other assistance during a match.



A tea caddy[5] is a small container in which tea is kept for daily use.

10a   Old bird /making/ endless lament (3)

The moa[5] is a large extinct flightless bird resembling the emu, formerly found in New Zealand.

11a   Box holding English // produce (6)

12a   Metal // barrel by gents removed (8)

As an anagram indicator, remove[10] is used in the sense of to take away and place elsewhere.

14a   Thoroughly // fashionable wisdom (2,5)

Depth[5] is used in the sense of complexity and profundity of thought the book has unexpected depth.

16a   For audience shortly, host /gives/ wave (7)

I got the first part of the homophone, but the British pronunciation of 'army' fooled me.

The word "ARMY", when pronounced in a non-rhotic (show explanation ) accent typical of dialects found in many parts of Britain, sounds like "AH-MEE" ().

Non-rhotic accents omit the sound < r > in certain situations, while rhotic accents generally pronounce < r > in all contexts. Among the several dozen British English accents which exist, many are non-rhotic while American English (US and Canadian) is mainly rhotic. This is, however, a generalisation, as there are areas of Britain that are rhotic, and areas of America that are non-rhotic. For more information, see this guide to pronouncing < r > in British English.

hide explanation

20a   Fringe breaks record time /to show/ short-lived things (8)

"record" = EP (show explanation )

EP[10] (abbreviation for extended-play) is one of the formats in which music is sold, usually comprising four or five tracks.

hide explanation

23a   Bottled gas /could offer/ a new energy to get behind yet (6)

"energy" = E (show explanation )

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

hide explanation



Bottled gas[6] is butane or propane gas stored under pressure in portable tanks.

24a   Vigour // this person's displayed after five (3)

"this person's" = IM (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.

Today, the setter has made the scenario slightly more complicated by combining "this person" with the verb "to be"* producing "this person's" (a contraction of "this person is") which must be replaced by "I'm" (a contraction of "I am").

* Although in the surface reading "this person's" is a contraction of "this person has", for cryptic purposes it is interpreted as "this person is".

hide explanation

25a   Entailed adjusting // what may be found at top of paper (8)

A dateline[5] is a line at the head of a dispatch or newspaper article showing the date and place of writing.

26a   Quite a strange one having fled European // match (6)

27a   Going off celeb/'s/ heavenly body that's flared up (9,4)

An exploding star[10] is an irregular variable star, such as a nova, supernova, or flare star, in which rapid increases in luminosity occur, caused by some form of explosion.

Down

1d   Soak // fruit one sister's put on (8)

2d   Film Etna erupting -- // fibre/'s needed/ (8)

Despite being positioned at the end of the clue (due to the complex, inverted clue structure employed by the setter), the phrase "is needed" ('s needed) acts as a link phrase. Were we to rephrase the clue in a more straightforward format, it might read:
  • Fibre /is needed [for]/ film Etna erupting (8)
3d   Disturb // a person working in US military gallery (7)

"a person working in US military" = 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

"gallery" = TATE (show explanation )

4d   Injury // riddle (6)

As a verb, riddle[5] means to pass (a substance) through a large coarse sieve*for final potting, the soil mixture is not riddled.

* A riddle[5] is a large coarse sieve, especially one used for separating ashes from cinders or sand from gravel.

5d   Where people go round night and day /getting to/ the heart of problem answers (2,4)

Le Mans[5] is an industrial city in northwestern France. It is the site of a motor-racing circuit, on which a 24-hour endurance race (established in 1923) is held each summer.

6d   Oasis // panic, greet law roughly (8,5)

7d   Hoaxer going to church /in/ Worcs town (13)

Minster[5] is a British term for a large or important church, typically one of cathedral status in the north of England that was built as part of a monastery ⇒ York Minster.



Worcs.[5] is the abbreviation for Worcestershire, a county of west central England.

Kidderminster[7] is a town in Worcestershire, England located approximately midway between the cities of Birmingham and Worcester.

13d   Animal // found in alarming numbers (3)

The gnu[5] (also called wildebeest) is a large dark antelope with a long head, a beard and mane, and a sloping back.

What did she say?
In her review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, crypticsue writes Did anyone else spend a good part of their Saturday trying to get the Flanders and Swann song out of their head??.
Flanders and Swann[7] were a British comedy duo. Actor and singer Michael Flanders (1922–1975) and composer, pianist, and lyricist Donald Swann (1923–1994) collaborated in writing and performing comic songs. They first worked together at a school revue in 1939 and eventually wrote over a hundred comic songs together.

Here is the song that crypticsue could not get out of her head:



15d   Woman briefly // turning chart over (3)

17d   Coach comes up with 'Join together or // go under' (8)

18d   Quotient resolved, // almost (3,5)

As an anagram indicator, resolve[5] is used in the the sense (said of something seen at a distance) to turn into a different form when seen more clearly the orange light resolved itself into four roadwork lanterns.

19d   Live jumps during January // Olympic event (7)

21d   Grant immunity to // former partner, nearly clear (6)

22d   One runs daily or weekly perhaps (6)
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)
[14] - CollinsDictionary.com (COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary)
Signing off for today — Falcon

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Tuesday, February 27, 2018 — DT 28581

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 28581
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Friday, November 10, 2017
Setter
Giovanni (Don Manley)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28581]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Deep Threat
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

Introduction

Giovanni puts us through a rather gentle workout today.

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   A loveless sign? // So be it! (4)

"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

3a   Gives gears thrashing, // like angry driver? (10)

9a   Volunteers doubling up /for/ so long (2-2)

"volunteers" = TA (show explanation )

In the UK, Territorial Army[5] (abbreviation TA[5]) was, at one time, the name of a volunteer force founded in 1908 to provide a reserve of trained and disciplined military personnel for use in an emergency. Since 2013, this organization has been called the Army Reserve.

hide explanation



In Britain, ta-ta[5] is an informal way to say goodbye well, I’ll say ta-ta, love.

10a   Angry group of magistrates /should be/ impartial (10)

As an adjective, crossbench*[1] (or cross-bench[5]) is a British term meaning independent or impartial.

* The term comes from the configuration of seating in the British House of Lords (and some other legislatures) where the crossbenches[1,7] (or cross benches[2,5] or cross-benches[4,10]) — benches located between and perpendicular to the government and opposition benches — are occupied by neutral or independent members.

11a   Number competent // that can be kept (7)

Tenable[5] (said of an office, position, scholarship, etc.) means able to be held or used a scholarship of £200 per annum tenable for three years.

13a   Wicked end to week, a kind you don't want to finish (7)

14a   Enjoyment /of/ naughty cat in act of destruction (11)

18a   Foreign father with broad smile had // to travel around (11)

The French word for 'father' is père[8].

21a   Lady looking forward to the match? (7)

Although the above clue was published in the print edition of The Daily Telegraph, a somewhat different clue appeared on the Telegraph Puzzles website in the UK:
  • Working in cafe, Jane's ending /as/ one who's found her man (7)
22a   The old man, short character // that is often very colourful (7)

23a   Pet? // It ceases to wander around in the morning (7,3)

24a   Spot // troublesome animal in garden? (4)

Here and There
Note that Deep Threat, in his review, refers to the "animal" in the clue as "one of the little pests that tunnels under your lawn".

In Britain, a garden[2,10] is an area of land, usually one adjoining a house, where grass, trees, flowers and other ornamental plants, fruit, vegetables, etc, are grown (i.e., what one would call a yard in Canada and the US).

Note that a British garden includes the lawn as well as everything else whereas a North American garden would comprise only the flower and vegetable beds and any trees or shrubs contained therein and exclude the lawn and any trees or shrubs growing there.

In Britain, a yard[10] is a piece of enclosed ground, usually either paved [covered with paving stones] or laid with concrete and often adjoining or surrounded by a building or buildings.

25a   They initially organised squatting protest about nothing /in/ passage (10)

26a   High-class violin not the first /requirement for/ jazz (4)

Strad[5] is an informal term for a Stradivarius[5], a violin or other stringed instrument made by Italian violin-maker Antonio Stradivari[5] (c.1644–1737) or his followers.



Trad[10] (noun) is a mainly British term for traditional jazz*, as revived in the 1950s.

* Traditional jazz[10] is a style of jazz originating in New Orleans, characterized by collective improvisation by a front line of trumpet, trombone, and clarinet accompanied by various rhythm instruments.

Down

1d   Height // of talent learner's shown for piano (8)

"learner" = 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.

hide explanation

"piano" = 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

2d   Catch // fish after getting new net (8)

4d   Shrub /needing/ good 'ack? (5)

"good" = G (show explanation )

The abbreviation G[10] for good likely relates to its use in grading school assignments or tests.

hide explanation

An aitch dropped in the clue indicates that one must also drop an aitch in the solution.

Hack[5] can mean a horse in any of several senses:
  • a horse for ordinary riding
  • a good-quality lightweight riding horse, especially one used in the show ring
  • a horse let out for hire
  • an inferior or worn-out horse



Gorse[5] is a yellow-flowered shrub of the pea family, the leaves of which are modified to form spines, native to western Europe and North Africa.

5d   Taking it easy, is inside, // not giving in (9)

6d   Wealthy // firm (11)

As the solution to the first definition, substantial[5] is an adjective meaning important in material or social terms; in other words, wealthy a substantial Devon family.

7d   Being victorious but not initially /in/ baseball division (6)

8d   Branch of philosophy, // hard one for unorthodox sect to grasp (6)

"hard" = H (show explanation )

H[2,5] is an abbreviation for hard, as used in describing grades of pencil lead ⇒ a 2H pencil.

hide explanation

12d   Wolves keeping supporters outside, // walkers with their kit? (11)

15d   Soldiers in a salute /showing/ assent (9)

16d   Area 26 set up // somewhere in Devon (8)

The numeral "26" is a cross reference indicator directing the solver to insert the solution to clue 26a in its place to complete the clue. The directional indicator is customarily omitted in situations such as this where only a single clue starts in the light* that is being referenced.

* light-coloured cell in the grid

Dartmoor[5] is a moorland district in Devon that was a royal forest in Saxon times, now a national park.

17d   Cleric /is/ right, always having the last word? (8)

Here "the last word" is to be interpreted as a word meaning 'the last'.

19d   Cricket side determined /to get/ compensation (6)

In cricket, the off[5]  (also called off side) is the half of the field (as divided lengthways through the pitch) towards which the batsman's feet are pointed when standing to receive the ball.  The other half of the field is known as either the leg[5] (also called leg side) or on[5] (also called on side) ⇒ he played a lucky stroke to leg.

20d   Part of Japan, a magnificent // country (6)

22d   Letters at bottom of page about the French // philosopher (5)

PTO[5] (abbreviation for please turn over) is a British term that is written at the foot of a page to indicate that the text continues on the reverse.

"the French | the Parisian" = LA (show explanation )

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

hide explanation



Plato[5] (circa 429-circa 347 BC) was a Greek philosopher.
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)
[14] - CollinsDictionary.com (COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary)
Signing off for today — Falcon

Monday, February 26, 2018

Monday, February 26, 2018 — DT 28580 (Published Saturday, February 24, 2018)

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 28580
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Thursday, November 9, 2017
Setter
Unknown
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28580]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
pommers
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

Introduction

Those still recovering from an overdose late night and early morning Olympic viewing may be grateful that today's puzzle is not overly challenging.

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   Spray // a rose growing wild over back of wall (7)

"over" = O (show explanation )

On cricket scorecards, the abbreviation O[5] denotes over(s), an over[5] being a division of play consisting of a sequence of six balls bowled by a bowler from one end of the pitch, after which another bowler takes over from the other end.

hide explanation

9a   Screenplay /shows/ bouquet last character's dropped by a Spanish river (8)

The Spanish word for 'river' is rio[8].

10a   One longing apparently to take in first sign of Himalayan // wild cat (7)

11a   Eastern European journalist // of impeccable appearance (8)

12a   Worries shown by son /giving/ affectionate gesture (6)

13a   Note trail winding around river // with a rushing stream? (10)

15a   Toy /with/ cricket side, leading to duck (4)

"cricket side" = LEG (show explanation )

In cricket, the leg[5] (also called leg side) is the half of the field (as divided lengthways through the pitch) away from which the batsman’s feet are pointed when standing to receive the ball ⇒ he played a lucky stroke to leg.

Another name for the leg is the on[5] (also known as on side).

The other half of the field is known as the off[5] (also called off side).

hide explanation 

"duck" = O (show explanation )

In cricket, a duck[5] (short for duck's egg) is a batsman’s score of nought [zero] ⇒ he was out for a duck. This is similar to the North American expression goose egg[5] meaning a zero score in a game.

In British puzzles, "duck" is used to indicate the letter "O" based on the resemblance of the digit "0" to this letter.

hide explanation

Scratching the Surface
The surface reading alludes to a situation in which a bowler on a fielding cricket team completely and utterly outplays (toys with) a batsman on the opposing team, dismissing the batter without giving up a run.

16a   Bird // fluttering in part, game that's tailless (9)

21a   Roundish figure // not viable, regularly discounted (4)

22a   Youth in black, Essen's outsiders, rejected food /in/ European city (10)

A goth[5] is a member of a subculture favouring black clothing, white and black make-up, and goth* music.

* Goth[5] is a style of rock music derived from punk, typically with apocalyptic or mystical lyrics.



Gothenburg[5] is a seaport in south-western Sweden, on the Kattegat strait. It is the second largest city in Sweden.

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

What are they talking about?
Among the comments on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, there are several mentions of a city with a name like a multi coloured cake.
Battenberg[5] (also Battenberg cake) is a British term for an oblong sponge cake covered with marzipan, with a square cross section quartered with two colours of sponge. The cake is made by baking a yellow and a pink sponge cake separately, and then cutting and combining the pieces in a chequered pattern. The cake is held together by apricot jam and covered with marzipan.[7]

The cake was purportedly named in honour of the marriage of Princess Victoria, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria, to Prince Louis of Battenberg in 1884. The name refers to Battenberg, a town in central Germany that is the seat of the aristocratic Battenberg family. During World War I, members of the Battenberg family residing in the UK changed their name to Mountbatten[7] due to rising anti-German sentiment amongst the British public.

24a   Bring out // priest before start of church appeal (6)

In the Bible, Eli[5] is a priest who acted as a teacher to the prophet Samuel (1 Sam. 1-3).

"It"[7] (written in quotation marks) is a term that has come to mean sex appeal — although, in its earliest manifestation, it seems that the term pertained more to personality than to glamorous looks. Despite having been used as early as 1904 by Rudyard Kipling, the term was popularized  in the 1927 film It starring Clara Bow (who became known as the "It Girl").

25a   Rice, perhaps, // strictly cooked with time once taken for one (8)

Sir Tim Rice[5] is an English lyricist and entertainer. Together with Andrew Lloyd Webber he co-wrote a number of hit musicals, including Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (1968), Jesus Christ Superstar (1971), and Evita (1978). He has won three Oscars for best original film song (1992, 1994, and 1996).

27a   Swore by // shed adjoining rear of garden (5,2)

28a   Article about posh parliamentarian -- // losers may get it (8)

"posh" = U (show explanation )

In Britain, U[5] is used informally as an adjective (in respect to language or social behaviour) meaning characteristic of or appropriate to the upper social classes ⇒ U manners.

The term, an abbreviation of  upper class, was coined in 1954 by Alan S. C. Ross, professor of linguistics, and popularized by its use in Nancy Mitford's Noblesse Oblige (1956).

In Crosswordland, the letter U is frequently clued by words denoting "characteristic of the upper class" (such as posh or superior) or "appropriate to the upper class" (such as acceptable). 

hide explanation

"parliamentarian" = MP (show explanation )

In Britain (as in Canada), a politician elected to the House of Commons is known as a Member of Parliament[10] (abbreviation MP[5]) or, informally, as a member[5].

hide explanation

29a   A rest organised around two lakes /is/ excellent (7)

Down

2d   English chap with date arranged // came out (8)

Chap[3,4,11] is an informal British[5] or chiefly British[3] term for a man or boy (show explanation ) — although a term that is certainly not uncommon 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].

[a] Pedlar is the modern British spelling of peddler[14] 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'.

hide explanation

3d   Like a day-tripper with a bus pass, perhaps // unawares (2,3,3)

In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, pommers appears to suggest that this entire clue is a cryptic definition. I would say that it is a double definition, with the first definition being a bit cryptic.

The first definition would seem to be a play on a melange of the following ideas. A hop[5] is a short journey or distance a short hop by cab from Soho. Hop-on, Hop-off bus tours are fixtures in major cities around the world. A bus pass enables one to board such a service an unlimited number of times over a fixed period, usually one or two days. The phrase on the hop[5] denotes bustling about or busy.

On the hop[5] is an informal British expression meaning unprepared he was caught on the hop.

4d   Batches of deliveries by coach /producing/ labour excessively (10)

In cricket, an over[5] is a division of play consisting of a sequence of six balls bowled by a bowler from one end of the pitch, after which another bowler takes over from the other end.

5d   Repetition, // one that precedes foxtrot? (4)

Foxtrot[5] is a code word representing the letter F, used in radio communication.



Echo[5] is a code word representing the letter E, used in radio communication.

6d   Restaurant // help served up in hostelry (6)

Indian[5] is an informal British term for an Indian meal or restaurant.

7d   Old-fashioned // bridge based on excellent carbon (7)

"excellent" = AI (show explanation )

A1[4][5] or A-one[3] meaning first class or excellent comes from a classification for ships in The Lloyd's Register of Shipping where it means equipped to the highest standard or first-class.

hide explanation

"carbon" = C (show explanation )

C[5] is the symbol for the chemical element carbon.

hide explanation

8d   Try replacement for lad on // Italian vessel (7)

As an anagram indicator, "replacement" is used in the whimsical sense of 'repositioning'. Although dictionaries tell us that replace means to put (something) back in a previous place or position, the setter reasons that since place and position are synonyms then it must logically follow that replace must mean reposition or move (something) to a different position.

11d   Supreme // soldier on horse (9)

Para[4,11] (short for paratrooper) is a soldier in an airborne unit.

14d   Declaration anticipating union // battle (10)

17d   Fanciful // Latin soon translated with no end of prowess (8)

18d   Insanity, being about to book /in/ Canadian province (8)

19d   Acrobat shows this // delicacy without leading duo (7)

What did he say?
In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, pommers writes that the solution is a skill shown by ... dogs at Crufts.
Crufts[7] is an umbrella term for an international canine event sponsored and hosted by The Kennel Club (the official kennel club of the United Kingdom) held annually in Birmingham, England. Crufts is centred on a championship conformation show for dogs but also includes a large trade show of mainly dog-related goods and services and competitions in dog agility, obedience, flyball and heelwork to music. Crufts is the largest show of its kind in the world, as declared by Guinness World Records.* }

* Crufts was named after its founder, Charles Cruft. His first first dog show, billed as the "First Great Terrier Show", took place in 1886. The first show to incorporate the name "Crufts"—"Cruft's Greatest Dog Show"—was held in 1891.

The Kennel Club was criticised on the BBC programme Pedigree Dogs Exposed for allowing breed standards, judging standards and breeding practices which are said to compromise the health of purebred dogs. The programme led various sponsors to withdraw. The BBC dropped Crufts 2009 from their coverage after being unable to agree to terms with The Kennel Club.

20d   Fledgling company // to rise suddenly (5-2)

Although pommers marks this as a double definition in his review, I have not done so as the numeration would be (5,2) were the second part to be a definition.

A start-up[10] is a business enterprise that has been launched recently For now the only bright spots in the labor market are small businesses and high-tech start-ups.[10]

Start up[10] means to to spring or jump suddenly from a position or place.

23d   Save // piece of text right for deletion (6)

26d   Feature of kitchen /in/ decline (4)
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)
[14] - CollinsDictionary.com (Collins COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary)
Signing off for today — Falcon

Saturday, February 24, 2018

Saturday, February 24, 2018 — Top to Bottom, Left to Right

Introduction

Today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon may have been a bit more challenging than usual — or I may not have been in top form due to too many late nights and early mornings keeping tabs on the happenings at the Olympics.

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; "&lt;" 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   Leading comedians, // lead one inside to Granny’s (3,7)

TO(P B|A)NANAS — {PB ([symbol for the chemical element] lead) + A (one)} contained in (inside) {TO (†) + NANA (Granny) + S ('s)}

Top banana[3,4,11] is a theatrical term for the leading comedian in a vaudeville or burlesque show.

6a   Mark/’s/ neck wrap shortened (4)

SCAR_ — SCAR[F] (neck wrap) with the final letter removed (shortened)

10a   One in charge // put last of alfalfa in trough (7)

MAN(A)GER — A (last [letter] of alfalfA) contained in (put ... in) MANGER (trough)

11a   Except for // article right inside, deliver (7)

B(A|R)RING — {A ([indefinite] article) + R (right; abbrev.)} contained in (inside) BRING (deliver)

12a   Opera house containing paintings by trendy // drillmaster (8)

M(ART|IN)ET — MET (opera house; Metropolitan Opera House in New York City) containing (†) {ART (paintings) + (by; next to) IN (trendy)}

A martinet[3,4,11] is a strict disciplinarian, especially a military one.

13a   Perceive true // courage (5)

HEAR|T — HEAR (perceive) + T (true; abbrev.)

15a   Edge cutting into otherwise // round shape (7)

EL(LIP)SE — LIP (edge) contained in (cutting into) ELSE (otherwise)

17a   Pasta dish // partly for a violinist (7)

_R|A|VIOLI_ — hidden in (partly) foR A VIOLInist

18a   Wet spot ruined // dance (3-4)

{TWO-STEP}* — anagram (ruined) of WET SPOT

21a   Fuel mixture London district carried in gallons (7)

GA(SOHO)L — SOHO (London district) contained in (carried in) GAL (gallons; abbrev.)

Soho*[7] is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable transformation. It now is predominantly a fashionable district of upmarket restaurants and media offices, with only a small remnant of sex industry venues.

* The name Soho[5] dates to the mid 17th century and probably derives from the old word soho, used as a hunting cry: the area was a royal park in Tudor times.

23a   Casting // connection understood (5)

IN|GOT — IN (connection; pull or influence He's got an in with the senator[11]) + GOT (understood)

24a   Pal taken aboard by the Pequod’s captain next to one // Persian Gulf land (3,5)

A(BU D)HAB|I — BUD (pal) contained in (taken aboard by) AHAB (the Pequod's captain) + (next to) I ([Roman numeral for] one)

Captain Ahab[7] is a fictional character in Herman Melville's Moby-Dick (1851)*, the monomaniacal captain of the whaling ship Pequod.

* The work was published as The Whale in London in October 1851 and as Moby-Dick or The Whale in New York in November 1851. Despite the hyphen in the title of the New York edition, the whale appears in both editions as "Moby Dick", with no hyphen.



Abu Dhabi[5] is the largest of the seven member states of the United Arab Emirates, lying at the southeastern end of the Persian Gulf.

27a   Silly people going around not at all // like Columbus (7)

GE(NO)ESE — GEESE (silly people) containing (going around) NO (not at all)

Christopher Columbus[5,7] (1451–1506) was a Spanish explorer born in the Republic of Genoa (now part of Italy), credited as being the first European to reach the Americas*.

* presumably unbeknownst to him, the Vikings had been here 500 years before him, establishing a settlement in northern Newfoundland at L'Anse aux Meadows[7]. Perhaps if they had wintered in the Caribbean, as Columbus did, they might have stayed.

28a   Auto going in reverse in distance // event that’s hard to explain (7)

MI(RAC<)LE — reversal (in reverse) of CAR (auto) contained in (in) MILE (distance)

29a   In the sound, bring up // flat-bodied fishes (4)

RAYS — sounds like (in the sound) RAISE (bring up)

30a   Lily on the screen held by bum to be // final reckoning (6,4)

BOT(TOM LIN)E* — TOMLIN (Lily on the screen; American comedienne and actress Lily Tomlin[7]) contained in (held by) an anagram (bum) of TO BE

Down

1d   Very long book, // in my opinion (4)

TO|ME — TO ME (in my opinion)

2d   Something hard to swallow about NBA // arcade game (7)

PI(NBA)LL — PILL (something difficult to swallow; alluding to the expression a bitter pill to swallow[5]) containing (about) NBA (†; abbrev. for National Basketball Association)

3d   Film about the “Canadian Caper” with bit of Toronto // slang (5)

ARGO|T — ARGO (film about the "Canadian Caper") + (with) T (bit [initial letter] of Toronto)

Argo[7] is a 2012 American historical drama film directed by Ben Affleck. The film, which stars Affleck with Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, and John Goodman in supporting roles, deals with the "Canadian Caper," in which six U.S. diplomats were rescued from Tehran, Iran, during the 1979-1981 Iran hostage crisis. The film is a highly fictionalized account of the affair which glorifies the role of the CIA and minimizes the role of Canadian ambassador Ken Taylor and other Canadian embassy staff. Former US President Jimmy Carter has said:
90% of the contributions to the ideas and the consummation of the plan was Canadian. And the movie gives almost full credit to the American CIA. And with that exception, the movie is very good. But Ben Affleck's character in the film was... only in Tehran a day and a half. And the main hero, in my opinion, was Ken Taylor, who was the Canadian ambassador who orchestrated the entire process.
Affleck's defense of the gross historical inaccuracies in the film:
Because we say it's based on a true story, rather than this is a true story, we're allowed to take some dramatic license. There's a spirit of truth ....
Pity the poor American public who learn their history at the feet of Hollywood and think they are well educated.

4d   Plan // “R” operated in historical period (7)

A(R|RAN)GE — {R (†) + RAN (operated)} contained in (in) AGE (historical period)

5d   Judge // fixed rarebit (7)

ARBITER* — anagram (fixed) of RAREBIT

Scratching the Surface
Rarebit[5] (also Welsh rarebit) is a dish of melted and seasoned cheese on toast, sometimes with other ingredients. The name is an alteration of Welsh rabbit[5] (probably originally used humorously).

7d   Groucho’s brother taking in Silver // City (7)

CHIC(AG)O — CHICO (Groucho's brother) containing (taking in) AG ([symbol for the chemical element] silver)

The Marx Brothers[5] were a family of American comedians, consisting of the brothers Chico (Leonard, 1887–1961), Harpo (Adolph Arthur, 1888–1964), Groucho (Julius Henry, 1890–1977), and Zeppo (Herbert, 1901–1979). Their films, which are characterized by their anarchic humour, include Duck Soup (1933) and A Night at the Opera (1935).

8d   Where flies may go // if red light changes (5,5)

{RIGHT FIELD}* — anagram (changes) of IF RED LIGHT

In baseball, flies (fly balls) may go to any part of the outfield — right field, centre field, or left field.

9d   Playful U.S. composer/’s/ records (8)

ARCH|IVES — ARCH (playful) + IVES (U.S. composer)

Charles Ives[5] (1874–1954) was a US composer, noted for his use of polyrhythms, polytonality, quarter-tones, and aleatoric techniques. Notable works: The Unanswered Question (1906), Three Places in New England (1903–14), and Concord (1915).

14d   Radical // French painter framing female double (4-6)

LE(F|T-WIN)GER — LEGER (French painter) containing (framing) {F (female; abbrev.) + TWIN (double)}

Fernand Léger[5] (1881–1955) was a French painter. From about 1909 he was associated with the cubist movement, but then developed a style inspired by machinery and modern technology; works include the Contrast of Forms series (1913).

16d   Plant container with a little pig’s // veggies (8)

POT|A|TOES — POT (plant container) + (with) A (†) + TOE (little pig; alluding to the nursery rhyme and fingerplay game "This Little Piggy"[7]) + S ('s)

19d   Cloth // also found in wild party (7)

ORG(AND)Y — AND (also) contained in (found in) ORGY (wild party)

20d   OPEC lab developed // experimental drug? (7)

PLACEBO* — anagram (developed) of OPEC LAB

A placebo[5] is a substance that has no therapeutic effect, used as a control in testing new drugs.

Scratching the Surface
Although pharmaceutical research would seem to be beyond its mandate, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries[5] (OPEC) is an association of the thirteen major oil-producing countries, founded in 1960 to coordinate policies. Its headquarters are in Vienna.

21d   Discriminating diner // employed in testing our methods (7)

_G|OUR|MET_ — hidden in (employed in) testinG OUR METhods

22d   Greeting composer, I // grill (7)

HI|BACH|I — HI (greeting) + BACH (composer; German composer Johann Sebastian Bach[5]) + I (†)

25d   Pacesetter in front of married // group in a seraglio (5)

HARE|M — HARE (pacesetter) + (in front of) M (married; abbrev.)

Seraglio[5] is a historical term for the women’s apartments (harem*) in an Ottoman palace.

* The word harem[5] can denote either the separate part of a Muslim household reserved for wives, concubines, and female servants or the women occupying a harem; namely, the wives (or concubines) of a polygamous man.

26d   Entertain // tenor, in payment (4)

FE(T)E — T (tenor; abbrev.) contained in (in) FEE (payment)

Epilogue

The title of today's review is inspired by 1a, 30a, 14d, and 8d.
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