Saturday, March 10, 2018 — Sh! Don't Tell a Soul

Introduction

I must confess that I was somewhat slow getting into today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon but once I had established a beachhead, I was able to make fairly steady progress through the puzzle.Twigging to the theme about midway through the solve definitely proved to be helpful.

You may notice a slight change in the look of the review today. The legend that used to appear below the "Falcon's Experience" box has been moved into a hidden article that also provides a detailed explanation of the conventions used in explaining the parsing of clues. This article can be accessed by clicking on the Click here link in the following section. Note that some of the more complex clue types mentioned in the article that appear regularly in British cryptic crossword puzzles may rarely — if ever — be used by Cox and Rathvon.

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

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 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.

hide explanation

Across

1a   Expose // seasonal vaccination with uranium in it (5,3)

FLU|SH O(U)T — FLU SHOT (seasonal vaccination) containing (with ... in it) U ([symbol for the chemical element] uranium)

5a   Liberal, in a time of prosperity, // flourishing (6)

A|B(L)OOM — L (Liberal; abbrev.) contained in (in) {A (†) + BOOM (time of prosperity)}

9a   Has to set right // a certain swashbuckler (5)

ATHOS* — anagram (set right) of HAS TO

The Three Musketeers (French: Les Trois Mousquetaires) is a historical novel written in 1844 by French author Alexandre Dumas (1802–1870).

Set in 1625–1628, it recounts the adventures of a young man named d'Artagnan after he leaves home to travel to Paris, to join the Musketeers of the Guard. Although d'Artagnan is not able to join this elite corps immediately, he befriends the three most formidable musketeers of the age—Athos, Porthos and Aramis—and gets involved in affairs of the state and court.

10a   Quality of a squirrel’s tail /or/ hog’s head in trade (9)

BUS(H)INESS — H (Hog's head [initial letter]) contained in (in) BUSINESS (trade)

12a   Medical examiner/’s/ circle placed in intersection (7)

COR(O)NER — O ([letter that looks like a] circle) contained in (placed in) CORNER (intersection)

13a   Less serious // arsonist? (7)

LIGHTER — double definition; the second being somewhat cryptic

14a   Instructor/’s/ afternoon drink with Cher (7)

TEA|CHER — TEA (afternoon drink) + (with) CHER (†)

Scratching the Surface
Cher[7] (born Cherilyn Sarkisian) is an American singer, actress, and television host. Known for her distinctive contralto singing voice, she has been nicknamed the Goddess of Pop.

16a   Brood, playing // guitar of sorts (5)

DOBRO* — anagram (playing) of BROOD

Dobro^[5] is a trademark for a type of acoustic guitar with steel resonating discs inside the body under the bridge.} .

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Origin: 1950s; from Do(pěra) Bro(thers), the Czech-American inventors of the instrument.

19a   Half of us dangle /and/ capsize (5)

U|PEND — U (half of U[S]) + PEND (dangle)

21a   U.S. author // regarding article penned by you (7)

THO(RE|A)U — {RE (regarding) + A (article)} contained in (penned by) THOU ([archaic or dialect form of] you)

Henry David Thoreau^[5] (1817–1862) was an American essayist and poet, and a key figure in Transcendentalism. He is best known for his book Walden, or Life in the Woods (1854), an account of a two-year experiment in self-sufficiency.

24a   Church outcast // present with jerk (7)

HERE|TIC — HERE (present) + (with) TIC (jerk)

26a   VIP // hater keeping quiet (3,4)

BIG (SH)OT — BIGOT (hater) containing (keeping) SH (quiet)

27a   Part of the leg involved in morning sickness—/that’s/ surprising (9)

AM|BU(SHIN)G — SHIN (part of the leg) contained in (involved in) {AM (morning) + BUG (sickness)}

28a   Chiefs of the Algonquin Indians get another // northern tract (5)

T|A|I|G|A — initial letters (chiefs) of The Algonquin Indians Get Another

Taiga^[5] (often the taiga) is the swampy coniferous forest of high northern latitudes, especially that between the tundra and steppes of Siberia ⇒ the coniferous forest of the taiga.

Scratching the Surface
The Algonquin[5] are an an indigenous people living in Canada along the Ottawa River and its tributaries and westward to the north of Lake Superior.

29a   Greatly desire // torn T-shirt (6)

THIRST* — anagram (torn) of TSHIRT

30a   Most luxurious—//and he’s Toronto’s leader (8)

PLUS|HE|S|T — PLUS (and) + HE (†) + S ('s) + T (Toronto's leader [initial letter])

Down

1d   Intended // dancing in cafe (6)

FIANCE — anagram (dancing) of IN CAFE

2d   Theatre worker/’s/ teeth sure hurt (9)

USHERETTE* — anagram (hurt) of TEETH SURE

3d   Biblical shout // encountered in Jericho’s annals (7)

_HO|S|ANNA_ — hidden in (encountered in) JericHO'S ANNAls

Hosanna^[5] (also hosannah) is an exclamation (especially in biblical, Judaic, and Christian use) used to express adoration, praise, or joy ⇒ Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Scratching the Surface

Jericho[5] is a town in Palestine, in the West Bank north of the Dead Sea. According to the Bible, Jericho was a Canaanite city destroyed by the Israelites after they crossed the Jordan into the Promised Land; its walls were flattened by the shout of the army and the blast of the trumpets. Occupied by the Israelis since the Six Day War of 1967, in 1994 Jericho was the first area given partial autonomy under the PLO–Israeli peace accord.

4d   Brown // wood trimmed at the front (5)

_UMBER — [L]UMBER (wood) with the initial letter removed (trimmed at the front)

6d   Crossed // the westernmost part of Britain, with hills (7)

B|RIDGED — B (the westernmost part [initial letter] of Britain) + RIDGED (with hills)

7d   Plain // orange and green in Quebec (5)

O|VERT — O (orange; abbrev.) + (and) VERT (green in Quebec; French word meaning 'green')

The only situations in which I can recall seeing the word "orange" abbreviated as O is in enumerating the colours of the rainbow^[7] (ROYGBIV) or as a symbol to represent the colours used on resistors to .

8d   Greatly expand // space for dogsledding? (8)

MUSH|ROOM — MUSH (for [i.e., related to] dogsledding) + ROOM (space)

Read the wordplay and solution — split (4,4) — as complete phrases: "space for dogsledding" = MUSH ROOM.

11d   New Orleans // port near Naples (7)

SALERNO* — anagram (new) of ORLEANS

Salerno^[5] is a Mediterranean port on the west coast of Italy, on the Gulf of Salerno south-east of Naples.

15d   Japanese TV name // arrived at by a Greek character (7)

HIT|A|CHI — HIT (arrived at; arrived at the bullseye, for instance) + (by) A (†) + CHI (Greek character; twenty-second letter of the Greek alphabet [Χ, χ])

17d   Newly refurbish // something bright and hot (5,4)

{BRUSH FIRE}* — anagram (newly) of REFURBISH

18d   Vendor’s vehicle // positioned around bad crash (8)

PU(SHCAR*)T — PUT (positioned) containing (around) an anagram (bad) of CRASH

20d   Hates // beginning and end of doctorate exams (7)

DE|TESTS — DE (beginning [initial letter] and end [final letter] of DoctoratE) + TESTS (exams)

22d   Highest complex // fractions (7)

EIGHTHS* — anagram (complex) of HIGHEST

23d   Scottish royal house // busted a trust (6)

STUART* — anagram (busted) of A TRUST

25d   Figure in a yeshiva: // runs produced divided by at-bats (5)

R(AB)BI — RBI (runs produced; Runs Batted In, an abbreviation found in baseball stats) containing (divided by) AB (At-Bats; another abbreviation found in baseball stats)

A yeshiva^[5] is an Orthodox Jewish college or seminary.

In addition to being a title applied to a Jewish religious leader, rabbi^[5] is also a term for a Jewish scholar or teacher, especially one who studies or teaches Jewish law [or baseball stats?].

26d   Catch train in Chicago /and/ roll (5)

BAG|EL — BAG (catch) + EL (train [elevated railway] in Chicago)

Epilogue

The title of today's review is inspired by the nine appearances of the letter combination SH in today's puzzle — eight of which are symmetrically placed and one more is thrown in for good measure. Moreover, if one were also to include reversals, there is actually a tenth instance.

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