Thursday, March 15, 2018 — DT 28593

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28593
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Friday, November 24, 2017
Setter Giovanni (Don Manley)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28593]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Deep Threat
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

Today's puzzle from Giovanni proved to be very enjoyable even if I needed a gentle poke from my electronic assistants at 3d and some tutoring from Deep Threat to understand one of the definitions at 26d. As I was solving the revised puzzle from the Telegraph Puzzles website, the error at 21a did not affect me.

I invite you to leave a comment to let us know how you fared with the puzzle.

Error in Today's Puzzle

As is virtually always the case, the National Post today carries the puzzle as it originally appeared in the print edition of The Daily Telegraph. However, due to an error in the clue, clue 21a in today's puzzle was replaced — at some point during the day of publication in the UK — with this new clue on the Telegraph Puzzles website:

• 21a   Getting rid of pop group at front of Underground station (7)

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   Move close to a bar // where trade can be done (3,4,4)

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.

8a   Awfully idle beast is // put into less secure situation (11)

11a   Platform // girl asked to give an answer briefly (4)

"Daisy Bell (Bicycle Built for Two)"^[7] is a popular song, written in 1892 by Harry Dacre^*, with the well-known chorus, "Daisy, Daisy / Give me your answer, do. / I'm half crazy / all for the love of you", ending with the words, "a bicycle built for two".

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^* Harry Dacre was the pen-name of British songwriter Frank Dean (1857–1922).

12a   A secluded room /in/ Middle Eastern location (4)

Aden^[5] is a port in Yemen at the mouth of the Red Sea. Aden was formerly under British rule, first as part of British India (from 1839), then from 1935 as a Crown Colony. It was capital of the former South Yemen from 1967 until 1990.

13a   Legendary female // chosen to lead academy in London (7)

As an adjective, elect^[5] (usually as plural noun the elect) means:

• (of a person) chosen or singled out ⇒ one of the century's elect
• (Christian Theology) chosen by God for salvation ⇒ (i) success was a sign that they were one of the elect; (ii) the elect group of saints which was predestined for heaven
• chosen for a position but not yet in office ⇒ the President-Elect

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

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In Greek mythology, Electra^[5] is the daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra. She persuaded her brother Orestes to kill Clytemnestra and Aegisthus (their mother’s lover) in revenge for the murder of Agamemnon.

15a   Animal /makes/ blunder crossing one river (7)

16a   Characters restricted by master needlessly // severe (5)

17a   Fire /in/ rickety hut hard to put out (4)

"hard" = H (show explanation )

H^[2,5] is an abbreviation for hard, as used in describing grades of pencil lead ⇒ a 2H pencil.

hide explanation

18a   A cold has the fellow /in/ pain (4)

19a   Plainly without blemish (5)

In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Deep Threat identifies this clue as a double definition. However, unless I am missing something, were "plainly" to be a definition, the solution would surely have to be CLEARLY — rather than CLEAR.

Thus, I believe the clue to be a cryptic definition which combines a precise definition "without blemish" with a bit of cryptic elaboration "plainly".

Click here for an explanation of the parsing of and markup applied to this clue.

This clue is a cryptic definition comprising a precise definition ("without blemish") combined with cryptic elaboration ("plainly").

In a departure from the situation that we are often confronted with, the 'precise definition' here is actually quite precise. However, the cryptic elaboration does give us an additional nudge in the right direction.

As the entire clue is a cryptic definition, it is marked with a dotted underline. The precise definition (embedded within the cryptic definition) is indicated by a solid underline.

hide explanation

21a   Dismissal /is/ memory associated with cricket ground (7)

The wordplay here is seemingly intended to parse as REM (memory) + (associated with) OVAL (cricket ground).

As Deep Threat points out in his review, the first part is likely intended to be some type of computer memory such as RAM (random access memory) or ROM (read only memory). However, there is no computer memory known as REM which Giovanni (the setter) himself acknowledges in an apology at Comment #3 on Big Dave's Crossword Blog.

The Oval^[7], currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground [field or stadium] in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth, South London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since it was opened in 1845. It was the first ground in England to host international Test^* cricket in September 1880. The final Test match of the English season is traditionally played there.

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^* Test^[5] (short for Test match)^[5] denotes an international cricket or rugby match, typically one of a series, played between teams representing two different countries ⇒ the Test match between Pakistan and the West Indies.

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At some point during the day of publication, the clue was replaced on the Telegraph Puzzles website with the following:

• Getting rid of // pop group at front of Underground station (7)

R.E.M.^[7] was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and drummer Bill Berry. The group disbanded amicably in September 2011.

Oval^[7] is a London Underground [subway] station in Kennington of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is named after The Oval cricket ground, which it serves.

22a   Stand-in worker having short term, //  alluring type (7)

23a   President Lincoln died -- but not thus (4)

This is a semi-all-in one clue in which the wordplay is embedded in the definition (which constitutes the entire clue).

Click here for an explanation of the parsing of and markup applied to this semi-all-in-one clue.

This is a semi-all-in-one clue (more formally known as a semi-&lit. clue). In this case, the entire clue provides the definition and thus is marked with a solid underline while a portion of the clue (marked with a dashed underline) serves as the wordplay.

hide explanation

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]. His election as President on an anti-slavery platform helped precipitate the American Civil War; he was assassinated as the war was drawing to a close. Lincoln was noted for his succinct, eloquent speeches, including the Gettysburg Address of 1863.

Abraham Lincoln^[7] was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth on Good Friday, April 14, 1865, while attending a play at Ford's Theatre as the American Civil War was drawing to a close. The assassination occurred five days after the surrender of Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Lincoln was shot during an intermission while sitting unguarded^* in his box.

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^* his bodyguard having left Ford's Theater during intermission to drink at the saloon next door

26a   Idiot/'s/ intelligence (4)

27a   Adam and Eve's parental task /is/ causing great trouble (7,4)

In the Old Testament, Cain^[5] is the eldest son of Adam and Eve, a farmer (tiller of the ground), and murderer of his brother Abel (Genesis 4:1–8).

28a   Study of the transcendental // involving mystic shape (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.

Down

2d   Cuts // lines on graph (4)

3d   Concerns /of/ EIR and EIIR! (7)

Although I recognized that EIR is the royal cypher^[5] of Elizabeth I and EIIR that of Elizabeth II, I needed a gentle nudge from my electronic assistants to guide me in the right direction.

I somehow doubt that Elizabeth I would have referred to herself as Elizabeth I or used the numeral I in her royal cypher. After all, the need for such a distinction would only have became necessary with the ascension to the throne of Elizabeth II in 1952.

4d   Circles /of/ gold on empty bus (4)

"gold" = OR (show explanation )

Or^[5] is gold or yellow, as a heraldic tincture.

In heraldry, a tincture^[5] is any of the conventional colours (including the metals and stains, and often the furs) used in coats of arms.

hide explanation

5d   Sultan // unfortunately upset -- row ensues (7)

Saladin^[5] (1137–1193) was sultan of Egypt and Syria 1174–93. Saladin reconquered Jerusalem from the Christians in 1187, but he was defeated by Richard the Lionheart at Arsuf (1191). He earned a reputation not only for military skill but also for honesty and chivalry.

6d   Woman /making/ pounds with one type of savings account (4)

"pounds" = 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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In the UK, an ISA^[5] (individual savings account) is a scheme allowing individuals to hold cash, shares, and unit trusts free of tax on dividends, interest, and capital gains. In 1999 it replaced both personal equity plans (PEPs) and tax-exempt special savings accounts (TESSAs).

7d   Combative // as a driver, a wild person yet to pass test (11)

This "person yet to pass test" is a student driver. The cryptic crossword convention of L meaning learner or student arises from the L-plate^[7], a square plate bearing a sans-serif letter L, for learner, which must be affixed to the front and back of a vehicle in various jurisdictions (including the UK) if its driver is a learner under instruction.

8d   Free from // busmen drunk with cider (11)

9d   Editor leading one form of literature penning article /to give/ instruction (11)

Deep Threat omits one element of the wordplay in his explanation which should read "The abbreviation for an editor followed by the Roman numeral for one and the form of literature not dealing with matters of fact, wrapped around an indefinite article.".

10d   A nurse here goes wrong with drug initially -- // not properly trained? (11)

14d   A sound that's mournful /coming from/ island (5)

15d   Old coin // that's large with new centrepiece (5)

A groat^[5] is any of various medieval European coins, in particular an English silver coin worth four old pence, issued between 1351 and 1662.

19d   Game /in/ a street in famous wedding venue (7)

The transformation of water into wine at the Marriage at Cana^[7] or Wedding at Cana is the first miracle attributed to Jesus in the Gospel of John. In the Gospel account, Jesus, his mother and his disciples are invited to a wedding, and when the wine runs out, Jesus delivers a sign of his glory by turning water into wine (John 2:1-11).

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Canasta^[5] is a card game resembling rummy, using two packs. It is usually played by two pairs of partners, and the aim is to collect sets (or melds) of cards.

20d   Edits // book with socialist's introduction (7)

In the Bible, Acts^[6] (or Acts of the Apostles) is a New Testament book immediately following the Gospels and relating the history of the early Church.

24d   Dinner's starter, wonderful // fish (4)

The dace^[5] is a small freshwater fish related to the carp, typically living in running water.

Scratching the Surface
In the surface reading, starter[5] is a British* term meaning the first course of a meal. * according to Oxford Dictionaries, the term is British, but certainly one that I would say is by no means foreign to Canada

25d   Bit of foot // to be too tight, squashing the front (4)

26d   Record // item vehicle no longer requires? (4)

Although the solution is easily obtained from the first definition and checking letters, I needed help from Deep Threat to understand the wordplay. My first crazy thought was "Have the Brits invented some new braking system that they have yet to share with the rest of the world?".

Prior to October 1, 2014, it was required in Britain to display a tax disc^[7] on vehicles in use on public roads to show that the Vehicle Excise Duty^[7] (VED) had been paid.

Delving Deeper

Vehicle Excise Duty[7] (VED) (also known as "vehicle tax", "car tax" or "road tax", and formerly evidenced by a "tax disc") is a tax that is levied as an excise duty and which must be paid for most types of vehicles which are to be used (or parked) on public roads in the United Kingdom. Until 1 October 2014 a vehicle licence (tax disc) had to be displayed on a vehicle (usually adhered inside the windscreen [windshield] on the nearside* thus easily visible to officials patrolling roads on foot) as evidence of having paid the duty. Since that date, the circular paper discs have not been issued and there is no longer a requirement to display a disc as the records are now stored in a centralised database and accessible using the vehicle registration plate details. * Nearside[5] is a British term for the side of a vehicle nearest the kerb [curb] (in Britain, the left) ⇒ he veered to the nearside and crashed into a van.

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