Saturday, March 31, 2018 — Easter Egg Hunt

Introduction

In today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon, the setters treat us to a traditional Easter egg hunt. I trust you finished with a full basket.

I found the puzzle to be a tad more difficult than we usually get from Cox and Rathvon, providing a rather vigorous mental workout.

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 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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{Insert CLUES here}

Across

1a   Turning enthusiastic about good // West Indian music (6)

RE(G)GAE or REG(G)AE — a reversal (turning) of EAGER (enthusiastic) containing (about) G (good; abbrev.)

4a   Novel of old literature /is/ well-illuminated (8)

FLOOD*-LIT — an anagram (novel) of OF OLD + LIT (literature; abbrev.)

9a   Safecrackers/’/ agreement about two thousand dollars (5)

YE(G|G)S — YES (agreement) containing (about) {G ([first] thousand dollars) + G ([second] thousand dollars)}

10a   Italian painter/’s/ company including Roger, itinerant soldier (9)

C(ORREG*|GI)O — CO (company; abbrev.) containing (including) {an anagram (itinerant) of ROGER + GI ([US] soldier) }

Correggio^[5] (c.1494–1534) was an Italian painter. The soft, sensual style of his devotional and mythological paintings influenced the rococo of the 18th century. He is best known for his frescoes in Parma cathedral.

11a   English shorebird by a lake // that never changes (7)

E|TERN|A|L — E (English; abbrev.) + TERN (shorebird) + A (†) + L (lake; abbrev.)

I found the construction of this clue to be a bit awkward. Here eternal would seem to be used as a noun, the Eternal^[5] being a name used to refer to an everlasting or universal spirit, as represented by God ⇒ a man entirely under the sway of the Eternal and not of the material.

I think the clue would read much more smoothly if eternal were to be used as an adjective:

• English shorebird by a lake /that is/ never changing (7)

12a   Near // small room with oxygen (5,2)

CLOSE T|O — CLOSET (small room) + O ([symbol for the chemical element] oxygen)

13a   Skater/’s/ parental guidance about gym feeling strange (5,7)

P(EGGY FLEMIN*)G — PG (parental guidance; film classification) containing (about) an anagram (strange) of GYM FEELING

US figure skater Peggy Fleming^[5] was the 1968 Olympic Champion and a three-time World Champion (1966-1968) in Ladies' singles.

17a   Jets fan base /and/ some hockey players taking small swig, for example (12)

WIN(NIP|EG)GERS — WINGERS (some hockey players) containing (taking) {NIP (small swig) + EG (for example; abbrev.)}

The Winnipeg Jets^[7] are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL).

22a   Moving eyelid, blinked at last /and/ surrendered (7)

YIELDE*|D — an anagram (moving) of EYELID + D {final letter (at last) of blinkeD}

24a   Weaving lie, find // one not believing (7)

INFIDEL* — an anagram (weaving) of LIE FIND

25a   Making poor creature stuffed with bit of gefilte fish (9)

BE(G|GAR)ING — BEING (creature) containing (stuffed with) {initial letter (bit of) Gefilte + GAR (fish)}

Scratching the Surface
Gefilte fish[5] (Yiddish 'stuffed fish') is a dish of stewed or baked stuffed fish, or of fish cakes boiled in a fish or vegetable broth.

26a   Three generals taking note /in/ system of shorthand (5)

G(RE)G|G_ — GGG (three generals; general being a film classification) containing (taking) RE ([musical] note)

Gregg shorthand^[7] is a form of shorthand that was invented by John Robert Gregg in 1888. Like cursive longhand, it is completely based on elliptical figures and lines that bisect them. Gregg shorthand is the most popular form of pen stenography in the United States.

27a   Made darling // quit grabbing attention (8)

END(EAR)ED — ENDED (quit) containing (grabbing) EAR (attention)

28a   Spur found in battle // green (6)

V(EGG)IE — EGG (spur; verb) contained in (found in) VIE (battle; verb)

Perhaps this clue should have ended with a question mark to acknowledge that not every veggie is a green.

Down

1d   Recited Frost’s // poems (6)

RHYMES~ — sounds like (recited) RIME (frost) + S ('s)

Scratching the Surface
Robert Frost[5] (1874–1963) was an American poet, noted for his ironic tone and simple language; full name Robert Lee Frost. Much of his poetry reflects his affinity with New England, including the collections North of Boston (1914) and New Hampshire (1923). He won the Pulitzer Prize on three occasions (1924; 1931; 1937).

2d   Pair of goalies kept inside aged badly // under restraint (6)

GA(G|G)ED — {G + G} (pair of goalies) contained in (kept inside) an anagram (badly) of AGED

3d   Time away // Ben’s arranged embraced by expert (7)

A(BSEN*)CE — an anagram (arranged) of BENS contained in (embraced by) ACE (expert)

5d   Verse // penned by Joely Richardson (5)

_LY|RIC_ — hidden in (penned by) JoeLY RIChardson

Scratching the Surface
Joely Richardson[7] is an English actress, known for her role as Julia McNamara in the FX* drama series Nip/Tuck (2003–10) and Queen Catherine Parr in the Showtime* series The Tudors (2010). * FX and Showtime are US cable and satellite television services

6d   Another // captain of fiction getting into crude rock (3,4)

O(NE MO)RE — NEMO (captain of fiction) contained in (getting into) ORE (crude rock)

Captain Nemo^[7] (Latin for "Nobody")—also known as Prince Dakkar—is a fictional character created by the French science fiction author Jules Verne (1828–1905). Nemo appears in two of Verne's novels, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870) and The Mysterious Island (1874) as well as making a cameo appearance in Verne's play Journey Through the Impossible (1882).

7d   Accepted holding diploma’s equivalent, // ran (6,2)

LEG(GED) IT — LEGIT (accepted) containing (holding) GED (diploma's equivalent)

GED^[3,11] stands for general equivalency diploma.

Delving Deeper

General Equivalency Development or General Equivalency Diploma (GED) tests are a group of four subject tests which, when passed, provide certification that the test taker has United States or Canadian high school-level academic skills. The American Council on Education (ACE), in Washington, D.C. (U.S.), which owns the GED trademark, coined the initialism to identify "tests of general equivalency development" that measure proficiency in science, mathematics, social studies, reading, and writing. Passing the GED test gives those who do not complete high school, or who do not meet requirements for a high school diploma, the opportunity to earn their high school equivalency credential.

Leg it^[5] is an informal British^* term meaning to run away ⇒ he legged it after someone shouted at him.

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^* Although the entry in Oxford Dictionaries is a bit ambiguous as to whether the descriptor "British informal" applies to this sense of the definition or not, I assume that it does. At any rate, the expression is not found in any of the American dictionaries that I consulted.

8d   Detailed, // although sketchy (8)

THO|ROUGH — THO (although; abbrev.) + ROUGH (sketchy)

10d   Fragrance /of/ cut wood in pine product (7)

CO(LOG)NE — LOG (cut wood) contained in (in) CONE (pine product)

14d   Phileas takes drink, // getting misty (7)

FOG(GIN)G — FOGG (Phileas) containing (takes) GIN (drink)

Phileas Fogg^[7] is the protagonist in the 1873 Jules Verne novel Around the World in Eighty Days.

15d   Subject to influence /and/ respect when dressed in black (8)

S(WAY)ABLE — WAY (respect; the final version differs in this respect from the initial draft) contained in (when dressed in) SABLE (black)

16d   Released // new gun, deep outside of Georgia’s capital (8)

UNPE(G)GED or UNPEG(G)ED — an anagram (new) of GUN DEEP containing (outside of) G (Georgia's capital [initial letter]

18d   State // in princess’s name (7)

IN|DIANA — IN (†) + DIANA (princess's name)

Diana, Princess of Wales^[5] (1961–1997) was the former wife of Prince Charles; title before marriage Lady Diana Frances Spencer. The daughter of the 8th Earl Spencer, she married Prince Charles in 1981; the couple were divorced in 1996. She became a popular figure through her charity work and glamorous media appearances, and her death in a car crash in Paris gave rise to intense national mourning.

19d   Displaced person/’s/ official directive to go right around university (7)

REF(U)GEE — {REF ([sports] official) + GEE (directive [to a horse] to go right)} containing (around) U (university; abbrev.)

20d   Bit of work, getting bed remade /for/ Swedish tennis great (6)

E(DBE*)RG — ERG (bit of work) containing (getting) an anagram (remade) of BED

In physics, the erg^[5] is a unit of work or energy, equal to the work done by a force of one dyne when its point of application moves one centimeter in the direction of action of the force.

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Swedish tennis player Stefan Edberg^[5] won the Australian Open in 1985 and Wimbledon in 1990 and 1991.

21d   Place with fever /and/ affliction (6)

PL|AGUE — PL (place; abbrev. used in street names) + (with) AGUE (fever)

23d   Doctor, I have // urge to overwork (5)

DR|IVE — DR (doctor; abbrev.) + IVE (I have; contraction)

Epilogue

We have several contenders today for theme. Given the season, I have opted to go with the hidden EGGs of which there are 14 in the puzzle (four of which are reversed). However, we have even more occurrences of GG as there is one that is not accompanied by an E. There also seems to be a minor Jules Verne theme going on with mention of Captain Nemo (6d) and Phileas Fogg (14d). Finally, at various points, the puzzle gets either a G (26a) or PG (13a) rating from the censors.

Incidentally, I chose the picture used to illustrate the review prior to having solved the puzzle.

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