Monday, February 12, 2018 — DT 28570 (Published Saturday, February 10, 2018)

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28570
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Saturday, October 28, 2017
Setter Mister Ron (Chris Lancaster)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28570 – Hints] Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28570 – 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. This puzzle appears on the Monday Diversions page in the Saturday, February 10, 2018 edition of the National Post.

Introduction

In what was a Saturday puzzle in the UK, we are served a gentle but enjoyable bit of mental exercise by Mister Ron.

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   Security /wanting/ all to clear off (10)

6a   Give up // returning fashionable decadent clothes (4)

10a   Compass // moved quickly, finally pointing east (5)

11a   Walk // open-armed when upset (9)

12a   Colourful creature, something in the garden to be eaten by cat? (8)

As crypticsue subtly points out in her explanation, the question mark indicates that "cat" is a definition by example.

13a   Plot // way to catch cold (5)

15a   Bans // partner's parents after divorce? (7)

Here, the question mark flags the whimsical nature of the second definition.

17a   Expressionless // corpse with power to drive medium away (7)

"power" = P (show explanation )

In physics, P^[10] is a symbol used to represent power [among other things] in mathematical formulae.

hide explanation

Scratching the Surface
In the surface reading, medium[5] denotes a person claiming to be in contact with the spirits of the dead and to communicate between the dead and the living.

19a   Hearts, perhaps, surrounding dodgy ref -- /it's/ too much (7)

21a   Get into shape // before couple's announcement (7)

22a   Article thanks // Greek character (5)

Ta^[5] is an informal British exclamation signifying thank you ⇒‘Ta,’ said Willie gratefully.

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Theta^[5] is the eighth letter of the Greek alphabet (Θ, θ).

24a   One hanging on // where falling soldier might be found (8)

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

27a   Super-vile, possibly (9)

This is an  &lit.^[7] (all-in-one) clue, a type of clue in which the entire clue not only provides the definition (according to one interpretation) but also serves as the wordplay (under a different interpretation).

28a   Better /in/ extra large, as they say (5)

29a   The old students // shout (4)

Ye^[5] is a pseudo-archaic term for the ⇒ Ye Olde Cock Tavern.

Delving Deeper

The word 'ye' in this sense is a graphic variant of 'the'. Thorn[5] is an Old English and Icelandic runic letter, þ or Þ, representing the dental fricatives /ð/ and /θ/. It was eventually superseded by the digraph th — and thus þe (the old spelling of 'the') became the modern spelling 'the'.  In late Middle English þ (thorn) came to be written identically with y, so that þe (the) could be written ye. This spelling (usually ye*) was kept as a convenient abbreviation in handwriting down to the 19th century, and in printers' types during the 15th and 16th centuries. It was never pronounced as ‘ye’ in the past, but this is the pronunciation used today. * I interpret "usually ye" to mean that the word was customarily not capitalized because the character "y" is not being used to represent the letter "y" in the modern English alphabet but rather as a graphic variant of thorn. Thus, in bygone days, the name of the drinking establishment above would presumably have been written ye Olde Cock Tavern.

"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.

hide explanation

30a   Weaknesses /shown by/ supporters of Cassius? (4,2,4)

Cassius Clay was the birth name of American boxer Muhammad Ali^[5] who won the world heavyweight title in 1964, 1974, and 1978, becoming the only boxer to be world champion three times.

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The phrase feet of clay^[5] denotes a fundamental flaw or weakness in a person otherwise revered.

Delving Deeper

The phrase feet of clay[7] derives from the interpretation of the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, by the prophet Daniel as recounted in the Book of Daniel: Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. (Daniel 2:31-33) ... And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. (Daniel 2:41-43)

Down

1d   Swimmer /in/ quartet among 18 from the south (4)

The numeral "18" is a cross reference indicator directing the solver to insert the solution to clue 18d 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.

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^* light-coloured cell in the grid

2d   Ruined ancestral // city (9)

Lancaster^[5] is a city in north-western England, the county town of Lancashire, on the estuary of the River Lune.

What did she say?
In her review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, crypticsue writes Even if you didn’t know that Mister Ron set this one, the self-referential solution (his surname) does give it away. Apparently he’s been meaning to use this clue for years!. The puzzle was set by Chris Lancaster who comments on Big Dave's Crossword Blog under the pseudonym Mister Ron.

3d   Where one might find sportspeople // are not available (5)

4d   Timelessly seductive woman /is/ queen (7)

Behind the Picture
In his review, Big Dave illustrates this clue with a picture of Queen Victoria. Victoria[5] (1819–1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 1837 until her death in 1901. In 1876, she adopted the additional title of Empress of India.

5d   Work in 'Bill & Ted' // took over (7)

"work" = OP (show explanation )

In music, an opus^[5] (plural opuses or opera) is a separate composition or set of compositions.

The abbreviation Op.^[5] (also op.), denoting opus, is used before a number given to each work of a particular composer, usually indicating the order of publication. The plural form of Op. is Opp..

Opus^[5] can also be used in a more general sense to mean an artistic work, especially one on a large scale ⇒ he was writing an opus on Mexico.

hide explanation

Scratching the Surface

Bill & Ted[7] are characters from two films (and their spin-offs) featuring William "Bill" S. Preston Esq. (Alex Winter) and "Ted" Theodore Logan (Keanu Reeves) as two metalhead slackers who travel through time. The first Bill & Ted film, Excellent Adventure, was released in 1989, followed two years later by Bogus Journey. A third film has been in the works since 2010, but there is no current release date.

7d   Perform // in French before a court (5)

The French preposition en^[8] means 'in'.

"court" = CT (show explanation )

Ct^[2] is the abbreviation for Court in street addresses — and possibly in other contexts as well.

hide explanation

8d   Just // need van he'd damaged (4-6)

9d   Look up Eastern wine -- // it enhances the memory (8)

Sake^[5,10] (or saké^[10] or saki^[5,10] is a Japanese alcoholic drink made from fermented rice, traditionally drunk warm in small porcelain cups.

Delving Deeper
Sake[7] (also spelled saké), known also as a Japanese rice wine, is made by fermenting rice that has been polished to remove the bran. Unlike wine, in which alcohol is produced by fermenting sugar that is naturally present in fruit, typically grapes, sake is produced by a brewing process more akin to that of beer, where starch is converted into sugars which ferment into alcohol.

14d   Story put out, very heartless /and/ confused (5-5)

16d   A crew competent /and/ compliant (8)

18d   Realistic // after rehearsal, shortened a line (9)

"line" = L (show explanation )

In textual references, the abbreviation for line is l.^[5] ⇒ l. 648.

hide explanation

20d   Joint // champions? (7)

Joint^[5] is a British^* term for a large piece of meat cooked whole or ready for cooking ⇒ a joint of ham.

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^* or perhaps not so British^[3,11]

Topside^[5] is a [definitely] British term for the outer side of a round of beef ⇒ roast topside.

21d   Swapping RE, senior pupil /gets/ 10/10? (7)

In some British schools, a prefect^[5] is a senior pupil who is authorized to enforce discipline.

Delving Deeper

The extent to which the discipline could be carried is alluded to in following definition and usage example: Six of the best[5] is a humorous, historical British expression referring to a caning as a punishment, traditionally with six strokes of the cane ⇒ one prefect would hold you down and the other would give you six of the best. You may recall the term "prefect" from The Hollies song "Carrie Anne": When we were at school our games were simple I played the janitor, you played the monitor Then you played with older boys and prefects What's the attraction in what they're doing

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The question mark once again flags a definition by example. Other typical possibilities might be 5/5, 20/20, or 100/100.

Behind the Video
In his hints, Big Dave includes a video of "Perfect 10", a song released in 1998 by English pop group The Beautiful South. The song reached number two on the UK charts.

23d   Professional leaving right and left // boot out (5)

25d   Cut mostly fine // bundle (5)

"fine" = F (show explanation )

F^[5] is an abbreviation for fine, as used in describing grades of pencil lead [a usage that Oxford Dictionaries surprisingly characterizes as British].

hide explanation

26d   Partner // runs from part of tennis match (4)

"runs" = 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

In tennis and other racket sports, a rally^[5] is an extended exchange of strokes between players ⇒ a rally of more than three strokes was a rarity.

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