Tuesday, February 13, 2018 — DT 28571

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28571
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Monday, October 30, 2017
Setter Rufus (Roger Squires)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28571]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Double Bubble Miffypops
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

In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Miffypops identifies himself as Double Bubble Miffypops. I presume this alludes to the fact that in addition to authoring that day's review, a puzzle that he set was also published on that day in the Rookie Corner on Big Dave's site. In case you are interested, here is a link to Miffypops' creation [Rookie Corner - 137].

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   Sailor in hat the French // gifted (7)

"sailor" = AB (show explanation )

In the Royal Navy, according to Oxford Dictionaries, able seaman^[5] (abbreviation AB^[5]), is a rank of sailor above ordinary seaman and below leading seaman. On the other hand, Collins English Dictionary tells us that an able seaman^[10] (also called able-bodied seaman) is an ordinary seaman, especially one in the merchant navy, who has been trained in certain skills.

hide explanation

"the French" = LE (show explanation )

In French, the masculine singular form of the definite article is le^[8].

hide explanation

5a   Public vehicle permit (3,4)

This is a typical Rufus 'barely cryptic' definition. The 'cleverness' in this clue is the intended misdirection that the clue refers to something like a taxi registration.

I suppose one could class this as a variant of an &lit. clue^[7] (otherwise known as an all-in-one clue) in which the entire clue is a cryptic definition as well as wordplay, namely a charade of BUS (public vehicle) + PASS (permit).

9a   Give Heather ring, /making/ kind of speech (5)

Ling^[5] is another name for the common heather^[5], a purple-flowered Eurasian heath that grows abundantly on moorland and heathland.

10a   Found someone in error /and/ dismissed a striker (6,3)

The second definition requires the knowledge of a few cricket terms:

• a striker^[10] is the batsman who is about to play a ball. (In cricket, batsmen always bat in pairs with one positioned at either end of the pitch. The striker is the batsman to whom the bowler is currently delivering balls.)
• dismiss^[5] means to end the innings [turn at batting] of a batsman or a side [team] ⇒ Australia were dismissed for 118.
• one way for a batsman to be dismissed is to be caught out^[5], that is for a player on the opposing team to catch a ball that has been hit by the batsman before it touches the ground.

11a   It bars the entrance to unwanted visitors (10)

Another 'barely cryptic' definition. The 'cleverness' in this clue arises from the fact that a portcullis, being a grate, is comprised of horizontal and vertical bars.

A portcullis^[5] is a strong, heavy grating that can be lowered down grooves on each side of a gateway to block it.

12a   One can get free from this // knot (4)

The wordplay is a somewhat indirect indication that the solution is an anagram of FREE.

14a   Form of credit, // cheap -- hurries to make arrangement (4-8)

Hire purchase^[5] is a British^* term for a system by which one pays for a thing in regular instalments while having the use of it.

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^* the equivalent North American term would be rent-to-own^[7].

18a   Does such a constituency have MPs on edge? (8,4)

The clue is in the form of a question, but the question mark also flags a cryptic definition.

In politics, a marginal seat^[10] is a seat in which elections tend to be won by small margins.

Delving Deeper
A marginal seat[7] or swing seat is a constituency held with a small majority in a legislative election, generally one conducted under a single-winner voting system. In Canada, they may be known as target ridings. The opposite is a safe seat.

21a   Split // the charge for hire (4)

Hire^[5] is a British term meaning:

• to obtain the temporary use of (something) for an agreed payment ⇒ we flew to San Diego, hired a car, and headed for Las Vegas
• to grant the temporary use of something for an agreed payment ⇒ most train stations hire out cycles

22a   Operatic boatmen? (10)

Another cryptic definition flagged with a question mark.

The Gondoliers^[7] (in full The Gondoliers; or, The King of Barataria) is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 7 December 1889 and ran for a very successful 554 performances (at that time the fifth longest-running piece of musical theatre in history), closing on 30 June 1891. This was the twelfth comic opera collaboration of fourteen between Gilbert and Sullivan.

25a   What's that? // Another party invitation? (4,5)

The first question mark is just part of the definition. The second question mark flags the latter part of the clue as a cryptic definition. I think Miffypops has mixed up his intended marking of the definition.

26a   Dark period /for/ titled fellow losing his 'K' (5)

In modern times, a knight^[10] is a person invested by a sovereign with a nonhereditary rank and dignity usually in recognition of personal services, achievements, etc. A British knight bears the title Sir placed before his name, as in Sir Winston Churchill.

Losing one's 'K'

The wordplay might be taken to mean merely the deletion of the letter "k" from the beginning of the word "knight". Or, perhaps there is more to it than that. Knights who are members of various orders of chivalry are entitled to use post-nominal letters that denote their rank. For example, Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter (KG), Knight Companion  of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle (KT), Knight Commander of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (KCB), Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE). Thus were one to be stripped of their knighthood, they would no longer be entitled to use the K (or, for that matter, any of the accompanying letters).

27a   The estate agent's lying (7)

Estate agent^[5] is the British name for a real estate agent^[5].

Situate^[10] (adjective) is an archaic^* or legal term meaning situated or located.

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^* In a comment in the thread arising from Comment #2 on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Big Dave provides a link to a real estate listing from 1850 for a "Small freehold estate situate in the Romantic village of Cordalebeck, Hartsop, Patterdale ".

28a   Absorbing business transactions? (7)

Yet again, the question mark flags a cryptic definition.

Down

1d   Cut tail parts off pilchard to be cooked /for/ Islamic leader (6)

A caliph^[2] (also calif, kalif, or kaliph) is the chief Muslim civil and religious leader.

Scratching the Surface
The pilchard[5] is a small, edible, commercially valuable marine fish of the herring family. A sardine[5] is a young pilchard or other young or small herring-like fish.

2d   A poor state to be in (6)

3d   Inflammation // from chin to ribs (10)

4d   Do well, /taking/ about ninety fish (5)

To solve the wordplay, we must infer the existence of some missing punctuation, reading it as "about ninety, fish" which can alternatively be expressed as "fish about ninety".

5d   Shops /providing/ bouquets I ordered (9)

6d   District in London /twinned with/ one in New York? (4)

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.

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^* 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.

SoHo^[5] is an area of Manhattan, New York City.

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^* SoHo is an abbreviation that derives from SOuth of HOuston Street.

7d   Superior // graduate on the rise ended cuddling secretary (5,3)

PA^[5] is an abbreviation used in Britain^* for personal assistant.

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^* It is the use of the abbreviation that is British, not the term itself. Even in North America, I don't think the abbreviation is entirely unheard of.

8d   Lets out // radio's a gift (4,4)

Split the solution (3'1,4) to get a phrase whose meaning is equivalent to "radio's a gift".

13d   Developed reliance on // ship (5,5)

15d   Unexpectedly able to speak // in a flowery style (9)

16d   Includes /in/ shows of affection (8)

17d   Send // Tristan the wrong way round motorway (8)

Motorway^[2,5] (abbreviation M^[5]) is a British, Australian, and New Zealand term for a dual-carriageway road [divided highway] designed for fast-moving traffic, especially one with three lanes per carriageway [direction of travel] and limited access and exit points [controlled access].

Scratching the Surface

Tristan[7], also known as Tristram, is the male hero of the Arthurian Tristan and Iseult story. He was a Cornish knight of the Round Table. The son of Blancheflor and Rivalen (in later versions Isabelle and Meliodas), and the nephew of King Mark of Cornwall, he is sent to fetch Iseult back from Ireland to wed the king. However, he and Iseult accidentally consume a love potion while en route and fall helplessly in love. The pair undergo numerous trials that test their secret affair.

19d   Darwin's crafty dog? (6)

For good measure, one last question mark to flag a cryptic definition.

HMS Beagle^[7] was a Royal Navy ship which carried naturalist Charles Darwin on the five year voyage of discovery which played a pivotal role in the formation of his scientific theories on evolution and natural selection.

Darwin's Ship?

Was the Beagle Darwin's ship ... hardly. The expedition on which Darwin took part was the second voyage of HMS Beagle[7], a hydrographic survey vessel. The main purpose of this expedition was to conduct a hydrographic survey of the coasts of the southern part of South America. Captain Robert Fitzroy, who had taken over command of the vessel part way through the first voyage, regretted that no one on that voyage had expertise in mineralogy or geology. He therefore resolved that he would "endeavour to carry out a person qualified to examine the land; while the officers, and myself, would attend to hydrography." The person selected for this position was Charles Darwin (who had to pay his own way).

20d   Unaltered, // it's as I designed (2,2,2)

I thought I was unfamiliar with the longer version of this expression — that is, until I saw the usage example below.

The phrase as (it) is^[5] means in the existing circumstances ⇒ I've got enough on my plate as it is.

23d   Material /that's/ dug up (5)

The wordplay is a reversal (up; in a down clue) of MINED (dug).

24d   Darling pet for Wendy (4)

Wendy Darling^[7] is a fictional character and one of the protagonists of the stage play Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up as well as Peter and Wendy, the novel based on the play, both written by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie (1860–1937). Wendy is the eldest child and only daughter in the Darling family^[7]. Nana is a Newfoundland dog who is employed as a nanny by the Darling family. Nana does not speak or do anything beyond the physical capabilities of a large dog, but acts with apparent understanding of her responsibilities.

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