Tuesday, May 15, 2018 — DT 28636

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28636
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Monday, January 15, 2018
Setter Dada (John Halpern)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28636]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Miffypops
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

We have a new setter today. Well, apparently not actually a new setter but this is the first time he has been identified as the setter. John Halpern is one of the Toughie^* setters in The Daily Telegraph where his puzzles appear under the pseudonym Dada. He also sets puzzles in The Guardian (often humorously referred to by the anagram Grauniad), another British daily, under the nom de plume Paul.

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^* The Toughie is a second — and, as the name implies, generally more difficult — cryptic crossword published by The Daily Telegraph.

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.

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Across

1a   An orchestra aboard Titanic, perhaps /giving/ shout from it? (7,4)

Diverging from what Miffypops has shown in his review, I would say that the word "perhaps" is part of the wordplay (indicating that the Titanic is an example of a SHIP) and not part of the definition. The word "giving" is a link word between the wordplay and definition.

The definition is "shout from [the Titanic]".

9a   Person's loyal if working // for money (14)

Oh dear! I must disagree with Miffypops again. Here, the word "working" is the anagram indicator, not part of the definition.

11a   A cat, // tiny little thing (4)

Well, the old adage about misfortunes coming in threes seems to have proved out. Here, "tiny" is part of the definition not part of the wordplay.

12a   One and the other scoffing last of clear // soup (5)

Finally, I can at last agree with Miffypops!

13a   After face shaved, he // hurt (4)

16a   Piece in document // left (8)

17a   Home encapsulating a // royal residence (6)

Behind the Picture
Yes, the photo used by Miffypops to illustrate his review is Buckingham Palace.

19a   Ruin mother's ruin? /That's/ the limit! (6)

Mother's ruin^[5] is British slang for gin. The name may derive from the reputed ability of gin, if consumed in large quantity, to induce abortion in pregnant women. An eye-opening account of the effects of gin-drinking on English society in the mid-eighteenth century can be found here.

20a   Wine: // whole amount knocked back by trainee soldier (8)

Muscadet^[5] is a dry white wine from the part of the Loire region in France nearest the west coast.

22a   Naked // woman you painted bare for just ends? (4)

Just as the "initialism" clue has become a trademark of RayT, perhaps the "derrière" clue will become Dada's calling card.

Behind the Picture

Miffypops illustrates his review with The Large* Bathers (Les grandes baigneuses), a work by French painter Paul Cezanne that is part of the Barnes Foundation Collection in Philadelphia. In the last decade of his life, Paul Cézanne produced three enormous multi-figure bathing scenes that are often regarded as the culminating works of his career. Of these, the largest and most resolved is at the Philadelphia Museum of Art; another is at the National Gallery, London. The present canvas, which Albert Barnes acquired in 1933, is in many ways the most ambitious of the trio. Probably begun around 1895, The Large Bathers is an intensely physical painting that seems to have consumed Cézanne for roughly ten years; a photograph taken in 1904 shows the picture in a still-unfinished state. * Large refers to the size of the canvas and not the size of the subjects depicted in the painting.

23a   Series of tennis shots // to get better (5)

24a   Average // market (4)

27a   Sweet thing, a turnover? (6-4,4)

I see this as a cryptic definition with an embedded precise definition. I would say that the precise definition is "sweet thing" and that the phrase "a turnover" is providing cryptic elaboration.

Although sweet^[5] is a British term for dessert, in this case there is really no need to fall back on that explanation as a dessert is a "sweet thing" in anyone's books.

28a   Recalled by shaking around one's middle -- this performer? (5,6)

I would say that this is a cryptic definition with embedded wordplay.

Down

2d   Wrong if board praised // colourful flier (4.2,8)

The bird of paradise^[5] is a tropical Australasian bird, the male of which is noted for the beauty and brilliance of its plumage and its spectacular courtship display. Most kinds are found in New Guinea.

3d   Poor // lover gets stood up by female (4)

Naff^[5] is an informal British term meaning lacking taste or style ⇒ he always went for the most obvious melody he could get, no matter how naff it sounded.

4d   One witnessing // sober rev getting drunk (8)

5d   Religion // thus hides clue (6)

Shinto^[5] is a Japanese religion dating from the early 8th century and incorporating the worship of ancestors and nature spirits and a belief in sacred power (kami) in both animate and inanimate things. It was the state religion of Japan until 1945.

6d   One inhabiting a // Hebridean island (4)

Iona^[5] is a small island in the Inner Hebrides, off the west coast of Mull [a larger island]. It is the site of a monastery founded by St Columba in about 563.

7d   Lifting mechanism, // actions for defence against strikers? (5.3.6)

In soccer [football to the Brits], striker^[10] is an informal term for an attacking player, especially one who generally positions himself or herself near the opponent's goal in the hope of scoring.

In soccer (and field hockey), a tackle^[5] is an act of playing the ball, or attempting to do so, when it is in the possession of an opponent.

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A block and tackle^[5] is a lifting mechanism consisting of ropes, a pulley block, and a hook.

8d   Printers // breed dogs (11)

10d   Chaos /in/ opium den, man misbehaving (11)

Miffypops underlines the definition correctly in the clue but then messes things up in his explanation. The anagram indicator is "misbehaving".

14d   Item of underwear in // mind (5)

15d   Lighter // suit (5)

18d   A duel, two in conflict, // illegal (8)

21d   Some socks and a little // shoe (6)

25d   Unemployed, // I had left employment originally (4)

26d   Superstar, // I party! (4)

"party" = CON (show explanation )

The abbreviation for Conservative may be either C.^[10] or Con.^[10].

The Conservative Party^[5] is a a major British political party that emerged from the old Tory Party^* under Sir Robert Peel in the 1830s and 1840s. Since the Second World War, it has been in power 1951–64, 1970-74, and 1979–97. It governed in a coalition with the Liberal Democrats from 2010 until the general election of May 2015, in which it was returned with a majority.

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^* Historically, a Tory^[10] was a member of the English political party that opposed the exclusion of James, Duke of York from the royal succession (1679–80). Tory remained the label for subsequent major conservative interests until they gave birth to the Conservative Party in the 1830s.

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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