Monday, March 19, 2018 — DT 28595 (Published Saturday, March 17, 2018)

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28595
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Monday, November 27, 2017
Setter Rufus (Roger Squires)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28595]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By 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
Notes
This puzzle appears on the Monday Diversions page in the Saturday, March 17, 2018 edition of the National Post.

Introduction

Big Dave^* may have deemed this puzzle worthy of a mere single star for difficulty, but I found it considerably more challenging. Although I did eventually complete it without assistance from my electronic aids, I was well into the second overtime period when the last clue succumbed.

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^* Although Miffypops wrote the review, you can rest assured that Big Dave set the star rating (see Miffypops' response to Comment #37).

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.

Click here for an explanation of conventions and symbols used in explaining the parsing of clues.

The purpose of this article is to explain the conventions and symbols that I use on this blog in explaining the parsing of clues.

Legend: The following symbols are used in reviews: "*" anagram "~" sounds like "<" indicates that the preceding letters are reversed "( )" encloses contained letters "_" replaces letters that have been deleted "†" indicates that the word is present in the clue

The review of a clue takes the following general structure:

#a/d   Clue containing parsing markup (num^*)

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^* num = numeration

Explanations pertaining to the wordplay (or first definition in a double definition)

(Horizontal separator)

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Explanations pertaining to the definition (or second definition in a double definition) and solution.

Explanatory Box

An explanatory box provides additional information about the clue. In most cases this information will not necessarily help in solving the clue but provides information about the clue. In the case of the weekday syndicated Daily Telegraph puzzles, such information is often intended to help the North American solver appreciate how the clue may be perceived by a British solver. These boxes may also provide information on people, places, films, television programmes, works of art and literature, etc. mentioned in the clue. Although the titles of these boxes will usually be drawn from a standard list, I do occasionally throw in a title specifically suggested by the subject at hand. The standard titles include: Scratching the Surface - an explanation of the surface reading of the clue Delving Deeper - in-depth information pertaining to a subject mentioned in an explanation Behind the Picture - for weekday puzzles, information about an illustration found on Big Dave's Crossword Blog What did he/she/they say? - for weekday puzzles, an explanation of a remark made in a review or comment on Big Dave's Crossword Blog What are they talking about? - for weekday puzzles, an explanation of a discussion on Big Dave's Crossword Blog One box that may provide information that could prove helpful in solving the clue is the following: Here and There - for weekday puzzles, discusses words whose British meaning differs from their North American meaning

Note that there are many types of cryptic crossword clue and it is not my intention to exhaustively go through all of them here. I will only deal with clue types to the extent necessary to explain the conventions and symbols used on the blog. Furthermore, be aware that, in the world of cryptic crosswords, there seems to be an exception to every rule.

With one exception that I can think of, cryptic crossword clues provide two routes to the solution. These are commonly referred to as the definition and wordplay. While these terms serve well for most clues, there are some cases where the more formal terms of primary indication and subsidiary indication may be more appropriate.

Most cryptic crossword clues consist of a definition (primary indication) and wordplay (subsidiary indication). The definition may be a "precise definition" (a definition that is either taken straight from a dictionary or at least phrased in a non-misleading fashion) or it may be a "cryptic definition" (a definition misleadingly phrased so as to misdirect the solver either with respect to the meaning of the definition as a whole or to an incorrect sense of a word used in the definition).

The only type of clue that I can think of where there are not two ways of finding the solution are those in which the entire clue is a cryptic definition.

I identify precise definitions by marking them with a solid underline in the clue and cryptic definitions by marking them with a dotted underline.

In clues in which both definition and wordplay are present, the two parts of the clue combine to provide an overall meaningful statement (the surface reading) which usually bears no relationship to the underlying cryptic reading of the clue. In some cases, an extra word or phrase will be inserted into the clue to create a meaningful link between the definition and wordplay. I define clues which contain such a link word or link phrase as having an explicit link and clues which contain no link word or link phrase as having an implicit link.

I mark the existence of an explicit link by enclosing the link word or link phrase between forward slashes (/link/) and mark the existence of an implicit link with double forward slashes (//) positioned between the definition and wordplay.

Examples

A few examples may help to illustrate these points more clearly.

The first example is a clue used by Jay in DT 28573:

• 4d   Fellow left work // a failure (4)

Here the definition is "a failure" which is marked with a solid underline to show that it is a precise definition. The wordplay parses as F (fellow; abbrev.) + L (left; abbrev.) + OP (work; abbrev. used in music) which gives us the solution F|L|OP. The double forward slashes (//) between the definition and wordplay indicate the existence of an "implicit link" between the two parts of the clue (that is, no extra words are inserted into the clue to form the link).

The second example is a clue used by Giovanni in DT 28575:

• 29a   Female going to match // travels with mother in advance (10)

Here the definition "female going to match" is cryptic (the setter is attempting to misdirect our thoughts to a sports event rather than a marriage ceremony) and thus is marked with a a dotted underline. The wordplay is {RIDES (travels) + (with) MA (mother)} contained in (in) BID (advance) giving us the solution B(RIDES|MA)ID. As in the first example, the double forward slashes indicate the presence of an implicit link.

The third example is a clue used by Rufus is DT 28583:

• 18d   Knight caught by misplaced big blow /is/ staggering (8)

Here the definition is "staggering" which is marked with a solid underline to show that it is a precise definition. The wordplay parses as N ([chess symbol for] knight) contained in (caught in) an anagram (misplaced) of BIG BLOW producing the solution WOBBLI(N)G. Finally, forward slashes mark the link word (/is/).

I also use distinctive underlining to mark &lit.^[7] and semi-&lit. clues. Note that the reviewers on Big Dave's Crossword Blog generally prefer to refer to these clue types by the less pretentious names of all-in-one or semi-all-in-one clues respectively.

In an &lit. clue^[7] (or all-in-one clue) the entire clue provides not only the definition (when read one way), but under a different interpretation also serves as the wordplay.

In future, I will mark such clues with a combined solid and dashed underline. Although this is a departure from past practice, it would seem to make more sense than using a dotted underline as I have in the past). Henceforth, the dotted underline will be reserved for cryptic definitions.

In a semi-&lit. clue (or semi-all-in-one clue), either:

• the entire clue acts as the definition while a portion of the clue provides the wordplay; or
• the entire clue acts as the wordplay while a portion of the clue provides the definition.

For these clues, I will mark the definition with a solid underline and the wordplay with a  dashed underline. This means that a portion of the clue may have a solid underline, a portion of the clue may have a dashed underline and a portion of the clue may have a combined solid and dashed underline.

One final clue type is what I characterize as a cryptic definition comprised of a precise definition combined with cryptic elaboration. For example, in DT 28560 (setter unknown) the following clue appears:

•  26d   Heroic exploit, whichever way you look at it (4)

As the entire clue is a cryptic definition, it is marked with a dotted underline. The 'precise definition' is "heroic exploit" and is indicated by a solid underline.

Given the numeration, the precise definition could give rise to at least two solutions, DEED or FEAT. However, the 'cryptic elaboration' ("whichever way you look at it") indicates that the solution is a palindrome thereby immediately eliminating one of the two obvious choices.

Note that the part of the clue that I have called 'cryptic elaboration' does not provide a second independent route to the solution (as the wordplay would do in most other types of clue). Rather it merely provides a piece of additional information (elaboration) related to the 'precise definition'.

Again, this approach is a departure from past practice, but like the other changes mentioned previously is intended to remove inconsistencies in the way that I have been applying parsing markup to clues. The markup rules that I have been using until now evolved bit-by-bit over a long period of time resulting in some degree of internal inconsistency.

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Across

1a   Weapon /giving/ artist support (6)

"artist" = RA (show explanation )

A Royal Academician (abbreviation RA^[10]) is a member of the Royal Academy of Arts^[5] (also Royal Academy; abbreviation also RA^[10]), an institution established in London in 1768, whose purpose is to cultivate painting, sculpture, and architecture in Britain. 

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Behind the Picture
Miffypops illustrates his hint for this clue on Big Dave's Crossword Blog with a picture of a Sunbeam Rapier[7], an automobile produced by British automobile manufacturer Rootes Group from 1955 to 1976. The automobile in the picture is a pre-1967 model as a significant change in body-style was introduced in that year..

4a   Scrutinise neckwear /and/ underwear (8)

What did he say?
In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Miffypops describes scanties as women’s knickers or pants. In Britain, the word pants[5] does not mean trousers as it does in North America. Rather, it refers to underwear — specifically men's undershorts or women's panties (the latter otherwise known as knickers[5] to the Brits).

9a   Reveal hesitation, /spelling/ downfall? (6)

10a   Tell-tale weapon (8)

William Tell^[5] was a legendary hero of the liberation of Switzerland from Austrian oppression. He was required to hit with an arrow an apple placed on the head of his son, which he did successfully. The events are placed in the 14th century, but there is no evidence for a historical person of this name, and similar legends are of widespread occurrence.

Delving Deeper

According to legend, William Tell[7] was an expert marksman with the crossbow who assassinated Albrecht Gessler, a tyrannical reeve of the Habsburg dukes positioned in Altdorf, in the canton of Uri. Tell's defiance and tyrannicide encouraged the population to open rebellion and to enter a pact with neigbouring cantons Schwyz and Unterwalden against the foreign rulers, marking the foundation of the Swiss Confederacy.

12a   Drugs // involved in underworld operations (4)

13a   Praise // former tax being reduced by a pound (5)

In his review, Miffypops says we need "an old tax payable to use a bridge or a road ...". However, there is nothing old about this tax — as anyone driving Ontario's 407 ETR can attest. Having driven in the UK not so long ago, I can also personally attest that they still have toll roads there as well.

I suspect that he may have unintentionally accounted for the word "former" twice in his hint — first as "Crosswordland’s regular prefix meaning former" and second by using the word "old" to modify the word "tax".

"pound" = L (show explanation )

The pound^[5] (also pound sterling) is the basic monetary unit of the UK, equal to 100 pence. While the symbol for pound is £, it is often written as L^[10].

The Chambers Dictionary defines the upper case L^[1] as the abbreviation for pound sterling (usually written £) and the lower case l^[1] as the abbreviation for pound weight (usually written lb) — both deriving from the Latin word libra^* .

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^* In ancient Rome, the libra^[5] was a unit of weight, equivalent to 12 ounces (0.34 kg). It was the forerunner of the pound.

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What did he say?

In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Miffypops informs us that "pound" is used to cluethe L from Pounds Shillings and Pence. LSD. We have had a metric monetary system now for nearly fifty years. L.S.D.[10] (or £.s.d. or l.s.d.) is a British abbreviation for librae, solidi, denarii (Latin for pounds, shillings, pence) which relates to British currency in use prior to the introduction of the current decimal currency system in 1971.

14a   French cleric // born in Lincoln (4)

Abraham Lincoln^[5] (1809–1865) was an American Republican statesman, 16th President of the US 1861-5 who was affectionately known as ^"Honest Abe"^[7].

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Abbé^[5] is the French term for an abbot or other cleric.

What did he say?
In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Miffypops warns Not Lincoln the county .... Lincoln[10] is short for Lincolnshire[5], a county on the east coast of England.

17a   Rate increase (12)

I think this clue may be so non-cryptic as to be cryptic!

Off On A Tangent

Oxford Dictionaries defines acceleration[5] (in physics) to be the rate of change of velocity per unit of time. Obviously the editor is not a physics major. One could say that acceleration is either the rate of change of velocity or the change of velocity per unit of time. However, I would think that the rate of change of velocity per unit of time would actually be the rate of change of acceleration.

20a   The spheres of the occult (7,5)

23a   Way out // of perplexity (4)

24a   Axed // that man, then married (5)

25a   Prepare to put out /in/ current on the ebb (4)

28a   Unfashionable sportswear /is/ better (8)

Here and There
Strip[5] is a British* term denoting the identifying outfit worn by the members of a sports team while playing ⇒ the team’s away strip is a garish mix of red, white, and blue.x * in North American parlance, a uniform

What did he say?
In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Miffypops describes the "sportswear" mentioned in the clue as the kit worn by a sportsman. Kit[5] is a British* term for the clothing used for an activity such as a sport ⇒ a football kit. * an outfit that would be called a uniform on this side of the pond

29a   Food /that's/ revolutionary planted by east Kent area (6)

"revolutionary" = CHE (show explanation )

Che Guevara^[7] (1928–1967) was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and military theorist. A major figure of the Cuban Revolution, his stylized visage has become a ubiquitous countercultural symbol of rebellion and global insignia within popular culture.

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Kent^[7] is a county in southeast (SE) England.

30a   Succeed /in/ taking of leave (8)

31a   Meeting that raises the spirits (6)

Down

1d   Left-over // rail used for modelling (8)

2d   Seek something precious, /making/ scene (8)

3d   Made to last (4)

Miffypops calls this a "non-cryptic clue". It is a clue that is cryptic if one happens to fall for the presumed misdirection and looks for an adjective describing something that does not wear out quickly. While I prided myself on avoiding that trap, I fell into another — spending considerable time looking for some type of shoe. The only reason that I didn't enter SHOE was that I had already solved 1a.

5d   Second-hand markets // operating close to Basra (3,4,5)

This British term should be fresh in your mind as we have seen it in a puzzle as recently as last Thursday.

Car boot sale^[5] (or boot sale^[5]) is a British term for an outdoor sale at which people sell unwanted possessions, typically from the boots^* of their cars.

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^* Boot^[5] is the British term for the trunk^[5] of a car.

Scratching the Surface
Basra[5] is an oil port in southeastern Iraq, on the Shatt al-Arab waterway.

6d   It detects by smell /and is/ aware by sound (4)

7d   One doctor's given one two notes // to take in (6)

"doctor" = MB (show explanation )

In Britain, the degree required to practice medicine is a Bachelor of Medicine^[7] (MB, from Latin Medicinae Baccalaureus), which is equivalent to a North American Doctor of Medicine (MD, from Latin Medicinae Doctor). The degree of Doctor of Medicine also exists in Britain, but it is an advanced degree pursued by those who wish to go into medical research. Physicians in Britain are still addressed as Dr. despite not having a doctoral degree. 

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8d   Mark Twain's creation // involved war? Yes (6)

Mark Twain^[5] (1835–1910) was an American novelist and humorist; pseudonym of Samuel Langhorne Clemens. His best-known novels, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885), give a vivid evocation of Mississippi frontier life.

11d   Two late editions - /must be/ very exciting! (5-7)

Extra^[5] is a dated term for a special issue of a newspaper ⇒ she stood under an awning and read the extra.

A special^[10] is a special person or thing, such as an extra edition of a newspaper or a train reserved for a particular purpose.

15d   Look // awfully large (5)

16d   One is not convinced to give its benefit (5)

18d   Club // doctor bound leg (8)

19d   We are its cast, // so to speak (2,2,4)

21d   Start out /and/ trip (3,3)

Miffypops suggests that the second definition refers to tripping a switch. To which I would add "... one connected to an alarm".

22d   Cutting // tail off wading bird (6)

The bittern^[5] is a large marshbird of the heron family, which is typically smaller than a heron, with brown streaked plumage. The larger kinds are noted for the deep booming call of the male in the breeding season.

26d   Soaks up // food (4)

27d   Female carrying oxygen // pump, say (4)

The symbol for the chemical element oxygen is O^[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)
^[14] - CollinsDictionary.com (COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary)

Signing off for today — Falcon