Thursday, February 8, 2018 — DT 28568

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28568
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Thursday, October 26, 2017
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28568]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Falcon
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

As I sat down to compose the review for the Friday puzzle, I discovered that I had not yet dealt with the Thursday puzzle. I was certain that I had written a review for it. And, in fact, I had — back in October when it appeared in The Daily Telegraph.

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 strip needs dancing -- // these people are taking steps (11)

7a   Prickly shrub // cutting taken from sapling or seedling (5)

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.

8a   Where elders may be seen between services? (9)

Elders^[5] are not church officials but small trees or shrubs with pithy stems, white flowers, and bluish-black or red berries.

Services^[5] are not ceremonies of religious worship but Eurasian trees of the rose family, closely related to the rowan.

10a   Classic // label retained by crime writer (7)

Ruth Rendell^[5], Baroness Rendell of Babergh (1930–2015) was an English writer of detective fiction and thrillers. She was noted for her psychological crime novels and her character Chief Inspector Wexford; she also wrote under the pseudonym of Barbara Vine.

11a   Thoughtlessly produce // rubbish defended by solicitor (4,3)

Rubbish^[3,4,11] is used in the sense of foolish words or speech; in other words, nonsense.^*

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^* Oxford Dictionaries considers the word rubbish^[5] (in all senses) to be British — despite it not being characterized as such by American dictionaries. I think, like starlings, the word has long ago become naturalized in North America.

Rot^[3,4,11] is used in the sense of pointless talk or nonsense.

A tout^[10] is a person who solicits business in a brazen way.

12a   Private comment /in/ a group in field? (5)

"group in field" = "team" = SIDE (show explanation )

Side^[5] is a British term for a sports team ⇒ there was a mixture of old and young players in^* their side.

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^* Note that, in Britain, a player is said to be "in a side" rather than "on a team" as one would say in North America.

In North America, the term side^[3] is used in a very general fashion that can denote one of two or more opposing individuals, groups, teams, or sets of opinions. While this same general usage is also found in the UK, the term side^[5] is also used there in a much more specific sense to mean a sports team, as we can clearly see from the following usage examples ⇒ (i) Previous England rugby sides, and England teams in many other sports, would have crumbled under the weight of such errors.; (ii) They'll face better sides than this Monaco team, but you can only beat what's put in front of you.

hide explanation

13a   A fight's cool /to make/ a comeback in the main (5-4)

The main^[5] is an archaic or literary term for the open ocean.

About-ship^[10] is a nautical term meaning to manoeuvre a vessel onto a new tack.

What did I say?
In my review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, I wrote I hope pommers got this one easily. My fellow blogger pommers, who shares Thursday blogging duties with Kath and myself on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, is — or, at least, was at one time — an avid sailor. pommers' (one-time) yacht Firenze

16a   Walk in the park to accommodate doctor, /and/ a form of swimming (3-6)

Doddle^[5] is an informal British term for a very easy task ⇒ this printer’s a doddle to set up and use.

GP^*[5] is the abbreviation for general practitioner.

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^* Despite Oxford Dictionaries characterizing the abbreviation GP (but not the full term general practitioner) as a British usage, I would say that this abbreviation is certainly in general use in Canada.

18a   Retired Irish broadcaster // liable to mishap (5)

Sky plc^*[7] is a pan-European satellite broadcasting, on-demand internet streaming media, broadband and telephone services company with headquarters in London.

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^* the designation plc (standing for public limited company^[7]) is used in the UK, some Commonwealth jurisdictions, and the Republic of Ireland. The term "public limited company" and the "PLC"/"plc" suffix were introduced in 1981; prior to this, all limited companies bore the suffix "Limited" ("Ltd."), which is still used by private limited companies.

19a   Drove round bend /in/ green convertible in promotion (7)

22a   Composer // somewhat cross in interview (7)

Gioacchino Antonio Rossini^[5] (1792–1868) was an Italian composer, one of the creators of Italian bel canto. He wrote over thirty operas, including The Barber of Seville (1816) and William Tell (1829).

23a   Mysterious objects // I store haphazardly carried by European roughly (9)

24a   It could be one's reaction to flip // stories heard (5)

25a   Dislike of others /making/ sad man this inadequate (11)

Ropy^[5] (also ropey^[5,10]) is an informal British term meaning inferior, inadequate, or of poor quality ⇒ a portrait by a pretty ropey artist.

Down

1d   The old man not in his own place // minding offspring? (9)

2d   Outstanding romantic event -- /or/ time for the result? (3,4)

3d   Covert aide for people on boards? (5,4)

Condemned to Repeat the Past

This time round, first thing to occur to me was "cue card" and I even went so far as to search my dictionaries to determine if "stage card" might be a British term for "cue card". What a shock to read my words on Big Dave's Crossword Blog in reply to Merusa at Comment #23 I too initially went in the direction of card and even scoured my dictionaries to see if “stage card” might possibly be a British term for “cue card”. I believe it was George Santayana who wrote Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

4d   Machine /found in/ origin around Belgium (5)

The International Vehicle Registration (IVR) code for Belgium is B^[5].

5d   Charles de Gaulle maybe // left following broadcast (7)

Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport^[7], located 25 km (16 mi) northeast of Paris, is the largest international airport in France. It is named after Charles de Gaulle (1890–1970), leader of the Free French Forces during the Second World War, founder of the French Fifth Republic and President of France from 1959 to 1969.

Port^[5] denotes the side of a ship or aircraft that is on the left when one is facing forward ⇒ (i) the ferry was listing to port; (ii) the port side of the aircraft.

6d   Argument // prepared with books circulating (3-2)

In Crosswordland, the phrase "religious books" — or, as today, merely the word "books" — is commonly used to clue either the Old Testament (OT) or the New Testament (NT). Today, as is frequently the case, the clue provides no indication whether the reference is to the former or the latter.

7d   A date Kevin fixed after end of spring /to make/ mutual concessions (4,3,4)

"Give and take" can be either a noun or a verb. I notice that today I have marked it as the former whereas, in my review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog), I marked it as the latter.

The phrase give and take^[5] means:

• (noun) mutual concessions and compromises ⇒ there has to be give and take on both sides.
• (verb) to make concessions and compromises ⇒ children learn how to give and take from such experiences.

9d   Team disseminated science -- /and/ type of philosophy (11)

To a philosopher, metaphysics^[5] is the the branch of philosophy that deals with the first principles of things, including abstract concepts such as being, knowing, identity, time, and space ⇒ they would regard the question of the initial conditions for the universe as belonging to the realm of metaphysics or religion.^*

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^* Metaphysics has two main strands: that which holds that what exists lies beyond experience (as argued by Plato), and that which holds that objects of experience constitute the only reality (as argued by Kant, the logical positivists, and Hume). Metaphysics has also concerned itself with a discussion of whether what exists is made of one substance or many, and whether what exists is inevitable or driven by chance.

To a layman, metaphysics^[5] is abstract theory with no basis in reality.

14d   Venture too far /having/ completed stretch of river (9)

A reach^[5] is a continuous extent of water, especially a stretch of river between two bends, or the part of a canal between locks ⇒ the upper reaches of the Nile.

15d   Unfriendliness /of/ publican I fired before start of year (9)

Publican^[5] is a British term for a person who owns or manages a pub.

Host^[2] is an old-fashioned term for an innkeeper or publican.

What did I say?
In my review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, I refer to a proprietor like Miffypops. My fellow blogger Miffypops, who writes the reviews on Big Dave's Crossword Blog on Mondays, is the proprietor of The Green Man, a pub in Long Itchington, Warwickshire, England.

17d   Stuffy // East-ender's thin on top (7)

An East Ender^[5,10] (or East-ender^[1] or Eastender^[2])^* is a native or inhabitant of the East End of London, an area traditionally associated with industry and the docks, and crowded living conditions whose residents are also referred to as cockneys. The cockney^[5] dialect spoken in this part of London is characterized by dropping the aitch (H) from the beginning of words as well as the use of rhyming slang (show explanation ).

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^* It would seem that one can justify most any spelling merely by consulting enough dictionaries.

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

18d   Gentleman served up German // dish (7)

Otto^[7] is a masculine German given name. It is one of two common names for German men that you are likely to encounter in Crosswordland — the other being Hans.

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Risotto^[5] is an Italian dish of rice cooked in stock with ingredients such as vegetables and meat or seafood.

20d   Prepare // man at union (5)

21d   Condescend // to make mention of Scandinavian (5)

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