Saturday, May 19, 2018 — Hail to the Queens

Queen Victoria

Introduction

Today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon has a theme appropriate to this holiday weekend. As I solved the puzzle in dribs and drabs between other activities, it is difficult to form an overall opinion of it. However, I did choke on the apple.

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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Across

1a   Queen of the fairies // turned in vain at Italy (7)

{_TI|TA|NIA_}< — reversed (turned) and hidden in (in) vAIN AT ITaly

Titania^[7] is a character in William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream. In the play, she is the queen of the fairies (more ).

In traditional folklore, the fairy queen has no name. Shakespeare took the name "Titania" from Ovid's Metamorphoses, where it is an appellation given to the daughters of Titans. Due to Shakespeare's influence, later fiction has often used the name "Titania" for fairy queen characters.

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5a   Not very clear total /for/ Chinese snacks (3,3)

DIM| SUM — DIM (not very clear) + SUM (total)

Dim sum^[5] is a Chinese dish of small steamed or fried savoury dumplings containing various fillings.

10a   A department/’s/ expert (5)

A|DEPT — A (†) + DEPT (department; abbrev.)

11a   I bet Hazel misspelled // queen’s name (9)

ELIZABETH* — anagram (misspelled) of I BET HAZEL

12a   Cloths that wrap around // small sculptures (7)

S|CARVES — S (small; abbrev. found on clothing labels) + CARVES (sculptures; verb)

13a   Laconic actor/’s/ creative culinary hodgepodge? (7)

STEW|ART — split (4,3) the solution could be a description of a genre of ART (creative [endeavour]) constructed from STEW (culinary hodgepodge)

James "Jimmy" Stewart^[7] (1908–1997) was an American film and stage actor, known for his distinctive drawl and down-to-earth persona. He starred in many films that are considered to be classics and is known for portraying an American middle class man struggling with a crisis.

14a   Queen/’s/ rook taken by might (4)

MA(R)Y — R (rook; symbol used in chess notation) contained in (taken by) MAY (might)

Mary is the name of two queens of England.

Mary I^[5] (1516–1558), the daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, reigned 1553–8. She was known as Mary Tudor or Bloody Mary. In an attempt to reverse the country's turn towards Protestantism she instigated the series of religious persecutions by which she earned her nickname.

Mary II^[5] (1662–1694), daughter of James II, reigned 1689–94. Having been invited to replace her Catholic father on the throne after his deposition in 1689, she insisted that her husband, William of Orange, be crowned along with her.

15a   When ill, I’m a mad // Dutch queen (10)

WILHELMINA* — anagram (mad) of WHEN ILL IM A

Wilhelmina^[5] (1880–1962) was queen of the Netherlands 1890–1948. During the Second World War she maintained a government in exile in London, and through frequent radio broadcasts became a symbol of resistance to the Dutch people. She returned to the Netherlands in 1945.

18a   “African Queen” /is/ a Picasso, i.e., abstract (10)

CASSIOPEIA* — anagram (abstract) of A PICASSO IE

In Greek mythology, Cassiopeia^[5] is the wife of Cepheus, king of Ethiopia, and mother of Andromeda.

Scratching the Surface

Pablo Picasso[5] (1881–1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, and graphic artist, resident in France from 1904. (more ) Picasso’s prolific inventiveness and technical versatility made him the dominant figure in avant-garde art in the first half of the 20th century. Following his Blue Period (1901-4) and Rose Period (1905-6), Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907) signalled his development of cubism (1908–14). In the 1920s and 1930s he adopted a neoclassical figurative style and produced semi-surrealist paintings using increasingly violent imagery, notably The Three Dancers (1935) and Guernica (1937). hide

21a   Queen of Carthage // accomplished nothing (4)

DID|O — DID (accomplished) + O (nothing; letter that looks like a zero)

In the Aeneid^*, Dido^[5] is the queen and founder of Carthage, who fell in love with the shipwrecked Aeneas and killed herself when he deserted her.

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^* The Aeneid^[5] is a Latin epic poem in twelve books by the Roman poet Virgil which relates the travels and experiences of Aeneas after the fall of Troy.

24a   Kiss crown /in/ William Inge play (3,4)

BUS S|TOP — BUSS (kiss) + TOP (crown)

Bus Stop^[7] is a 1955 play by American playwright and novelist William Inge. The 1956 film of the same name starring Marilyn Monroe is only loosely based on it.

26a   Arrest dominion’s first // member of the Greens? (7)

COLLAR|D — COLLAR (arrest) + D (Dominion's first [initial letter])

Collard^[5] (also collard greens or collards) is North American dialect for a cabbage of a variety that does not develop a heart.

27a   Entire fit wrong /for/ queen (9)

NEFERTITI* — anagram (wrong) of ENTIRE FIT

Nefertiti^[5] (also Nofretete; fl. 14th century BC) was an Egyptian queen, wife of Akhenaten. She is best known from the painted limestone bust of her, now in Berlin.

28a   Cover // left in surrender (5)

QUI(L)T — L (left; abbrev.) contained in (in) QUIT (surrender)

29a   Atari’s adapted // headgear for queens (6)

TIARAS* — anagram (adapted) of ATARIS

Atari^[7] is a brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972, currently by Atari Interactive, a subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA. The original Atari, Inc., founded in Sunnyvale, California in 1972, was a pioneer in arcade games, home video game consoles, and home computers. The company's products, such as Pong and the Atari 2600, helped define the electronic entertainment industry from the 1970s to the mid-1980s.

30a   English director of Doctor Zhivago or // Queen of England (7)

E|LEAN|OR — E (English; abbrev.) + LEAN (director of Doctor Zhivago) + OR (†)

Sir David Lean^[5] (1908–1991) was an English film director. He made many notable films, including Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Doctor Zhivago (1965), and A Passage to India (1984).

Down

1d   Foremost of throwers pay to restore // window (7)

T|RANSOM — T (foremost [initial letter] of throwers) + RANSOM (pay to restore)

2d   Reference work // the guy’s put into overhead sign (9)

T(HES)AURUS — {HE (the guy) + S ('s)} contained in (put into) TAURUS (overhead sign; constellation and sign of the zodiac)

3d   Simple, housing true // local inhabitant (6)

NA(T)IVE — NAIVE (simple) containing (housing) T (true; abbrev.)

4d   Kosygin, // like sea, tossed about (7)

ALEKSEI* — anagram (tossed about) of LIKE SEA

Aleksei Kosygin^[5] (1904–1980) was a Soviet statesman who was premier of the USSR 1964–80. He devoted most of his attention to internal economic affairs, being gradually eased out of the leadership by Leonid Brezhnev.

6d   A ringer sitting in is a // queen (8)

IS(A|BELL)A — { A (†) + BELL (ringer)} contained in (sitting in) { IS (†) + A (†)}

Isabella I (1451–1504) was queen of Castile 1474–1504 and of Aragon 1479–1504. She was the wife of Ferdinand of Aragon. (more )

Her marriage in 1469 to Ferdinand of Aragon helped to join together the Christian kingdoms of Castile and Aragon, marking the beginning of the unification of Spain. They instituted the Spanish Inquisition (1478) and supported Columbus's famous expedition of 1492.

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7d   Woman born with a // queen’s land (5)

SHE|B|A — SHE (woman) + B (born; abbrev. found in genealogies) + (with) A (†)

Sheba^[5] is the biblical name of Saba in southwestern Arabia. The queen of Sheba visited King Solomon in Jerusalem (1 Kings 10).

8d   Sage // chapeau worn by mother (7)

MA(HAT)MA — HAT (chapeau) contained in (worn by) MAMA (mother)

In south Asia, a mahatma^[5] is a revered person regarded with love and respect; a holy person or sage.

9d   Tacky stuff // set for assembly before school (6)

KIT|SCH — KIT (set for assembly) preceding (before) SCH (school; abbrev.)

16d   Fake // shortcoming after losing opener (9)

_IMITATION — [L]IMITATION (shortcoming) with initial letter removed (after losing opener)

17d   Queen // through eating 100 doughnuts (8)

VI(C|TORI)A — VIA (through) containing (eating) {C ([Roman numeral for] 100) + TORI (doughnuts; plural of torus)}

Victoria^[5] (1819–1901) was queen of Great Britain and Ireland 1837–1901 and empress of India 1876–1901. She succeeded to the throne on the death of her uncle, William IV, and married her cousin Prince Albert in 1840. She took an active interest in the policies of her ministers, but largely retired from public life after Prince Albert's death in 1861. Her reign was the longest in British history until it was surpassed by that of Elizabeth II in 2015.

18d   I can’t be changing // government committee (7)

CABINET* — anagram (changing) of I CANT BE

19d   Apple // account ID preceded by dot (6)

PIP|PIN — PIN (account ID) following (preceded by) PIP (dot)

A pip^[3] is a dot indicating a unit of numerical value on dice or dominoes.

20d   Pitch // popular country singer Patsy (7)

IN|CLINE — IN (popular) + CLINE (country singer Patsy)

Patsy Cline^[5] (1932–1963) was an American country singer; born Virginia Petterson Hensley. She had hits with songs such as ‘Crazy’ (1961) and ‘Sweet Dreams of You’ (1963) before dying in an air crash.

22d   Senior // lord set adrift (7)

OLDSTER* — anagram (adrift) of LORD SET

23d   Snobbish group/’s/ pointer about intelligence (6)

CL(IQ)UE — CLUE (pointer) containing (about) IQ (intelligence; IQ being an abbreviation for intelligence quotient, a number representing a person's reasoning ability as compared to the statistical norm for their age)

25d   Piece of furniture accommodating one queen of Spain (5)

SOF(I)A — SOFA (piece of furniture) containing (accommodating) I ([Roman numeral for] one)

Sofía of Greece and Denmark^[7] is a member of the Spanish royal family who served as Queen of Spain during the reign of her husband, King Juan Carlos I, from 1975 to 2014 when Juan Carlos abdicated in favour of their son, Felipe VI.

Epilogue

The setters have assembled a collection of real and imagined queens spanning the millennia to mark the birthday of Queen Victoria.

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)

Happy Victoria Day — Falcon