Wednesday, April 25, 2018 — DT 28622

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28622
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Friday, December 29, 2017
Setter Giovanni (Don Manley)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28622]
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

I found this puzzle fairly testing and finished with a number of question marks on the page directing me to check my sources to see if the words I had "invented" really existed and, if so, what they mean.

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.

hide explanation

Across

5a   Bikes /in/ next to no time sped furiously (6)

"next to no time" = MO (show explanation )

Mo^[3,5] (abbreviation for moment) is an informal, British^[5] (or chiefly British^[3]) term for a short period of time ⇒ hang on a mo!.

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8a   Secret // English drunkard, top woman in charge (8)

"top woman" = ER (show explanation )

The regnal ciphers (monograms) of British monarchs are initials formed from the Latin version of their first name followed by either Rex or Regina (Latin for king or queen, respectively). Thus, the regnal cipher of Queen Elizabeth is ER^[5] — from the Latin Elizabetha Regina.

hide explanation

"in charge" = IC (show explanation )

The abbreviation i/c^[2,5] can be short for either:

• (especially in military contexts) in charge (of) ⇒ the Quartermaster General is i/c rations
• in command (of) ⇒ 2 i/c = second in command.

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9a   Old TV comic Phil /gets/ more than one second prize (7)

Phil Silvers^[7] (1911–1985) was an American entertainer and comedic actor, known as "The King of Chutzpah". He is best known for starring in The Phil Silvers Show, a 1950s sitcom set on a U.S. Army post in which he played Master Sergeant Ernest (Ernie) Bilko.

10a   Stay for a while /in/ porter's house? (5)

Porter is a British^[5] or mainly British^[10] term for a person in charge of a gate or door; a doorman or gatekeeper.

11a   Old boy in state that's unstable /and/ unlikely to change (9)

"old boy" = OB (show explanation )

In Britain, an old boy^[5] (abbreviation OB^[2])  is:

• a former male student of a school or college ⇒an old boy of Banbury County School; or
• a former male member of a sports team or company ⇒ the White Hart Lane old boy squared the ball to present an easy chance from 12 yards.

It is also a chiefly British affectionate form of address to a boy or man ⇒ ‘Look here, old boy,’ he said.

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13a   Star // writer with story about origin of cricket (8)

Pentacle^[10] is another name for a pentagram^[10], a star-shaped figure formed by extending the sides of a regular pentagon to meet at five points.

Here and There
The setter has almost certainly used "writer" in the sense of an implement used for writing. While North American dictionaries define pen[3,11] as a writer or an author ⇒ a hired pen, British dictionaries do not list this meaning although they do show pen[2,4] (or the pen[5,10]) as symbolically denoting writing as an occupation.

14a   Animal // that surprises me has rushed around (6)

Coo^[5] is an informal British exclamation used to express surprise ⇒ ‘Coo, ain’t it high!’ Mary squeaked.

17a   Method of payment on doorstep /for/ fish (3)

19a   Information // supplied by agent (3)

Gen^[5] is an informal British term for information ⇒ you’ve got more gen on him than we have.

20a   Fairy in a Shakespeare play, // fine material (6)

Cobweb^[7] is one of the fairy servants to Titania in the comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream written by William Shakespeare.

23a   Like many a Catholic priest /in/ church, albeit naughty (8)

I have parsed the clue as a charade with the word "in" as a link word; i.e., CE (church) + an anagram (naughty) of ALBEIT.

In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Deep Threat has taken a different approach, parsing it as a containment type clue:

• Like many a Catholic priest // in church, albeit naughty (8)

in which the implied wordplay is "in church, [insert] albeit naughty"^*; i.e., an anagram (naughty) contained in (in) CE (church). Interpreted in this way, the structure of the clue is similar to that of 25d.

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^* ... or, alternatively, the prepositional phrase "in church" could be repositioned to make the wordplay more straightforward "albeit naughty in church".

"church" = CE (show explanation )

The Church of England^[10] (abbreviation CE^[10]) is the reformed established state Church in England, Catholic in order and basic doctrine, with the Sovereign as its temporal head.

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Scratching the Surface
Clearly the setter considers that a significant number are not fulfilling their vows.

26a   One has unexpected closeness, no win ultimately, // having two sides equal (9)

Isosceles^[10] is an adjective used in geometry to describe a figure with two equal sides, especially a triangle.

28a   Problem /for/ film director (5)

Sir Alfred Hitchcock^[5] (1899–1980) was an English film director (known by the nickname Hitch^[7]). Acclaimed in Britain for films such as The Thirty-Nine Steps (1935), he moved to Hollywood in 1939. Among his later works, notable for their suspense and their technical ingenuity, are the thrillers Strangers on a Train (1951), Psycho (1960), and The Birds (1963).

29a   Female dumping male by street. I have /to be/ merry (7)

30a   Vehicle /taking/ Laurel and Bob maybe (8)

A pair of bumbling British-born American comedians collaborate to form a horse-drawn carriage:

• Stan Laurel (born Arthur Stanley Jefferson) (1890–1965) together with partner Oliver Hardy (1892–1957) made up the American comedy duo of Laurel and Hardy^[5]. British-born Stan Laurel played the scatterbrained and often tearful innocent, Oliver Hardy his pompous, overbearing, and frequently exasperated friend. They brought their distinctive slapstick comedy to many films from 1927 onwards.
• Bob Hope^[5] (1903–2003; born Leslie Townes Hope) was a British-born American comedian. He often adopted the character of a cowardly incompetent, cheerfully failing to become a romantic hero, as in the series of "Road" films (1940–62) co-starring Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour.

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Historically, a stanhope^[5] was a light open horse-drawn carriage for one person, with two or four wheels. It was named after Fitzroy Stanhope (1787–1864), an English clergyman for whom the first one was made.

31a   Type of moneylender // certain to be found in old city (6)

Ur^[5] is an ancient Sumerian city formerly on the Euphrates, in southern Iraq. It was one of the oldest cities of Mesopotamia, dating from the 4th millennium BC, and reached its zenith in the late 3rd millennium BC. Ur^[7] is considered by many to be the city of Ur Kasdim mentioned in the Book of Genesis as the birthplace of the Hebrew patriarch Abraham.

Down

1d   Winning easily, // start to grow more intense (4,2)

2d   In France good noise comes with good // rapport (7)

The masculine singular form of the French adjective meaning good is bon^[8].

"good" = G (show explanation )

The abbreviation G^[10] for good likely relates to its use in grading school assignments or tests.

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3d   Loss of employment /is/ hard -- party must be held (9)

The African National Congress^[5] (abbreviation ANC) is a South African political party and black nationalist organization. Having been banned by the South African government 1960–90, the ANC was victorious in the country’s first democratic elections in 1994 and its leader Nelson Mandela became the country’s President.

4d   Greek character has briefly purloined // weapon (6)

Pi^[5] is the sixteenth letter of the Greek alphabet (Π, π).

5d   Dampness // damaged tourism -- last thing Margate needs (8)

Scratching the Surface
Margate[7] is a seaside town in East Kent, England. For at least 250 years, Margate has been a leading seaside resort in the UK, drawing Londoners to its beaches, Margate Sands.

6d   Dance /has/ the old man taking front position (5)

Pavan is an alternate spelling of pavane^[5], a stately dance in slow duple time, popular in the 16th and 17th centuries and performed in elaborate clothing.

7d   I do a turn, being funny /for/ a time (8)

Scratching the Surface
In the surface reading, turn[5] is used in the sense of a short performance, especially one of a number given by different performers in succession ⇒ (i) Lewis gave her best ever comic turn; (ii) he was asked to do a turn at a children’s party.

12d   Bill's little companion /in/ Scottish mountain (3)

Ben^[5] (used especially in place names) is Scottish for a high mountain or mountain peak ⇒ Ben Nevis^*.

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^* Ben Nevis^[5] is a mountain in western Scotland. Rising to 1,343 m (4,406 ft), it is the highest mountain in the British Isles.

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Bill and Ben^[7] apparently are not the twin tank engines that appear in the The Railway Series of books by the Rev. Wilbert Awdry and his son Christopher Awdry, and in the spin-off television series, Thomas and Friends. Rather they are even more obscure characters.

The Flower Pot Men^[7] is a British children's programme, produced by BBC television, first transmitted in 1952, and repeated regularly for more than twenty years. The show told the story of Bill and Ben, two little men made of flower pots who lived at the bottom of an English suburban garden. A reboot of the show called Bill and Ben was produced in 2001.

15d   Opposing inauthentic // sort of singing in church (9)

Antiphony^[5] (noun) is antiphonal^* singing, playing, or chanting.

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^* Antiphonal^[5] is an adjective used to describe music (especially church music, or a section of a church liturgy) sung, recited, or played alternately by two groups.

16d   Vessels -- // they glide along? (8)

Coaster^[10] is a British term for a vessel or trader engaged in coastal commerce.

Here and There

According to Oxford Dictionaries, coaster[5] is a North American term for a toboggan. At some time in the distant past, it seems that the Brits developed the impression that a toboggan is a sled (which they would call a sledge) and has runners — and they have never been able to shake that misconception. North Americans would be puzzled by the British concept of a toboggan. To the Brits, a toboggan[5] is a long, light, narrow vehicle, typically on runners*, used for sliding downhill over snow or ice. You will find that they apply the term toboggan to almost any type of sled used for sliding downhill. I suppose by including the phrase "typically on runners" the definition leaves enough wiggle room to allow a 'true' toboggan (which has no runners) to squeeze in. Clearly the term must have been taken back to the UK by some British explorer who paid a visit to the colonies and returned home very confused. * Ironically, at one time Oxford Dictionaries illustrated its entry with a drawing of a true toboggan — one with no runners [the illustration has now been removed].

Post Mortem
My incorrect entry here was BOBSLEDS — which did fit the checking letters. However, not only does it not satisfy the first definition, but bobsled[5] is a North American* term — the Brits would say bobsleigh. * Oxford Dictionaries says it is a US term which, I suppose, is fair enough. Canadians, I am sure, would happily use either bobsled or bobsleigh.

18d   Spectator /as/ a weekly publication (8)

The British newspaper, The Observer^[7], is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. A sister paper to the daily The Guardian^[7], it takes a similar liberal or social democratic line on most issues.

Scratching the Surface
The Spectator[7] is a conservative-leaning weekly British magazine, first published in 1828, owned by David and Frederick Barclay — who also own The Daily Telegraph[7] newspaper.

21d   One // watches, missing odd bits (3)

22d   Loud goings-on /in/ party (7)

"loud" = F (show explanation )

Forte^[5] (abbreviation f^[5]) is a musical direction meaning (as an adjective) loud or (as an adverb) loudly.

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24d   Everything one has /in/ car (6)

In the UK, estate^[5] is short for estate car^[5], the British name for a station wagon^[5].

25d   Making appearance outside house, city journalist // returned (6)

"house" = HO (show explanation )

Although not found in most of the dictionaries that I consulted, ho.^[10] is the abbreviation for house.

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"city" = EC (show explanation )

The setter uses "city" to stand for for the EC postcode^* which serves the City of London. The EC (Eastern Central) postcode area^[7] (also known as the London EC postcode area) is a group of postcode districts in central London, England. It includes almost all of the City of London as well as parts of several other London boroughs.

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^* postcode being the British counterpart of the Canadian postal code or American zip code

The City of London^[7] (not to be confused with the city of London) is a city and ceremonial county within London. It constituted most of London from its settlement by the Romans in the 1st century AD to the Middle Ages, but the conurbation has since grown far beyond the City's borders. The City of London is now only a tiny part of the metropolis of London, though it remains a notable part of central London. It is one of two districts of London to hold city status, the other being the adjacent City of Westminster.

The City of London is widely referred to simply as the City (often written as just "City" and differentiated from the phrase "the city of London" by capitalising "City") and is also colloquially known as the Square Mile, as it is 1.12 sq mi (2.90 km²), in area. Both of these terms are also often used as metonyms for the United Kingdom's trading and financial services industries, which continue a notable history of being largely based in the City. This is analogous to the use of the terms Wall Street and Bay Street to refer to the financial institutions located in New York and Toronto respectively.

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27d   Mythical being, // after last day of week, starts to yawn and relax (5)

In Greek mythology, a satyr^[5] is one of a class of lustful, drunken woodland gods. In Greek art they were represented as a man with a horse’s ears and tail, but in Roman representations as a man with a goat’s ears, tail, legs, and horns.

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