Friday, June 22, 2018 — DT 28664

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28664
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Friday, February 16, 2018
Setter Giovanni (Don Manley)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28664]
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

This rare week — in which the puzzles were published in the National Post on the same day of the week in which they appeared in The Daily Telegraph — wraps up with a gentle offering from Giovanni.

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   Vessel // in the morning crashing into bridge (6)

A sampan^[5] is a small boat of a kind used in East Asia, typically with an oar or oars at the stern.

4a   Something cutting -- // it is evident in racism sadly (8)

A scimitar^[5] is a short sword with a curved blade that broadens towards the point, used originally in Eastern countries.

9a   Cross province heading west, // protected from the elements somehow? (6)

Rood^[2,3,10] denotes:

• a crucifix, especially a large one set on a beam or screen at the entrance to the chancel of a church
• (archaic or literary) the Cross on which Christ was crucified.

"province" = NI (show explanation )

Northern Ireland^[5] (abbreviation NI^[5]) is a province of the United Kingdom occupying the northeast part of Ireland.

According to Oxford Dictionaries, Northern Ireland^[5] is the only major division of the United Kingdom to hold the status of province, with England^[5], Scotland^[5] and Wales^[5] being countries.

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The phrase "heading west" is a reversal indicator in an across clue.

10a   Wicked type // perched and troubled saint (8)

11a   I am maiden protected by being /in/ fruit tree (9)

"maiden"  = M (show explanation )

In cricket, a maiden^[5], also known as a maiden over and denoted on cricket scorecards by the abbreviation m.^[10], is an over^* in which no runs are scored.

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^* An over^[5] is a division of play consisting of a sequence of six balls bowled by a bowler from one end of the pitch, after which another bowler takes over from the other end.

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The persimmon^[5] is a tree, related to ebony, that yields an edible fruit which resembles a large tomato and has very sweet flesh.

13a   Live // satisfactorily by edge of wood (5)

14a   Advocates of one-party state // overthrown in a riot at last (13)

17a   Odd impostor tends /to be/ following a sort of artistic style (4-9)

In his review, Deep Threat underlines a shortened version of the definition. However, a rigorous parsing of the clue reveals that the words "following a" must also be included in the definition.

Post-modernist^[1] is an adjective denoting of or associated with post-modernism.

The editors of The Chambers Dictionary are renowned for their whimsical definitions. I suspect that they may have been deliberately pretentious when they composed the following:

Post-modernism^[2] is a movement in the arts that takes many features of Modernism to new and more playful extremes, rejecting Modernism's tendency towards nihilistic pessimism and replacing it with a more comfortable acceptance of the solipsistic nature of life. There is also an inclination towards mishievous self-referentiality and witty intertextualizing.

21a   Little living things // Georgia found in beer (5)

"Georgia" = GA (show explanation )

Not only is GA^[5] the abbreviation for the US state of Georgia in official postal use, but Ga^[10] is a common abbreviation for Georgia in other contexts as well.

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23a   Old contrary female meets copper beside street /as/ usual (9)

"Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary"^[7] is a popular English nursery rhyme. The oldest known version was first published c. 1744.

"copper" = CU (show explanation )

The symbol for the chemical element copper is Cu^[5] (from late Latin cuprum).

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24a   French art, exceptionally erotic /and/ mysterious (8)

Art^[5] is an archaic or dialect second person singular present of the verb to be ⇒ I am a Gentleman as thou art.

In French, the second person singular present of the verb être ('to be') is es^[8].

25a   Firm admits an offence -- // risks may be taken with money here (6)

Here, we must substitute A SIN for the phrase "an offence".

26a   Dealing with // consumption, try not finishing initially (8)

27a   Stopped /being/ cold, and slowed down (6)

Down

1d   Dangerously smooth // Bond type full of impudent talk (6)

James Bond^[5] (known also by his code name 007) is a fictional British secret agent in the spy novels of English author Ian Fleming (1908–1964). Bond^[7] is an intelligence officer in the Secret Intelligence Service, commonly known as MI6.

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Slippy^[10] is an informal or dialect term for slippery.

Who is he talking about?

On Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Deep Threat suggests that the type of person in question is someone like James Bond or George Smiley. George Smiley[7] is a fictional character created by British author John le Carré. Smiley, who appears as either a central or supporting character in several of Smiley's novels,  is a career intelligence officer with "The Circus," the British overseas intelligence agency. Le Carré — who had worked for both the Security Service (MI5) and the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) — created Smiley as an intentional foil to James Bond, a character whom he believed depicted an inaccurate and damaging version of espionage life.

2d   Controls // costs, following method (9)

3d   Lover /is/ a wet, admitting fear ultimately (7)

An amorist^[5] is a person who is in love or who writes about love.

Scratching the Surface
Wet[5] (noun) is an informal British term for a person lacking forcefulness or strength of character ⇒ there are sorts who look like gangsters and sorts who look like wets.

5d   Sellers of goods /given/ dull jobs outside ace institution (5,6)

"ace" = A (show explanation )

A^[5] is an abbreviation for ace (in card games).

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6d   Person making repair grabs a // thread (7)

Thread^[5] (verb) is used in the sense of to move carefully or skilfully in and out of obstacles ⇒ she threaded her way through the tables.

7d   Food /providing/ energy after journey (5)

"energy" = E (show explanation )

In physics, E^[5] is a symbol used to represent energy in mathematical formulae.

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Tripe^[5] is the first or second stomach of a cow or other ruminant used as food.

8d   Girl reading having leg pulled? /That's/ cruel (8)

A lesson^[5] is a passage from the Bible read aloud during a church service, especially either of two readings at morning and evening prayer in the Anglican Church ⇒ he went up to read the first lesson.

"leg" = ON (show explanation )

In cricket, the leg^[5] (also called leg side) is another name for the on^[5] (also known as on side), the half of the field (as divided lengthways through the pitch) away from which the batsman’s feet are pointed when standing to receive the ball ⇒ he played a lucky stroke to leg.

The other half of the field is known as the off^[5] (also called off side).

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What did he say?
In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Deep Threat writes Start with a girl’s name (she has an Old Testament book named for her) .... Ruth[5] is a book of the Bible telling the story of Ruth, a Moabite woman, who married her deceased husband's kinsman Boaz and bore a son who became grandfather to King David.

12d   Presumably not the way a woman speaks // a curse (11)

15d   Bill joins union stars // -- they may examine business statistics (9)

TU^{[1,3,4,5,10,11,12]} is the abbreviation for Trade Union — an entry found in American as well as British dictionaries.

In astronomy, Aries^[5] is a small constellation (the Ram), said to represent the ram in Greek mythology whose Golden Fleece was sought by Jason and the Argonauts.

In astrology, Aries^[10] (also called the Ram) is the first sign of the zodiac, symbol ♈, having a cardinal fire classification, ruled by the planet Mars. The sun is in this sign between about March 21 and April 19.

16d   The old man going one way and another -- torn apart, /that's/ obvious (8)

18d   Most likely to inherit everything? (7)

The Beatitudes^[7] are eight blessings recounted by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew. The third of these is:

• Blessed are the meek: for they will inherit the earth. (Matthew 5:5)

19d   I had to catch the sun, // put on a desert island? (7)

The question mark indicates that this is a definition by example.

Sol^[10] is a poetic word for the sun.

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Origin: Sol^[10] is the Roman god personifying the sun, a counterpart of the Greek god Helios.

20d   The answer your setter has chosen? // Gosh! (2,4)

22d   Good number in front of this person /in/ small statue (5)

"good" = G (show explanation )

The abbreviation G^[a] for good comes from its use in education as a mark for scholastic assignments or tests.

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^[a] Collins English to Spanish Dictionary

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"this person" = ME (show explanation )

It is a common cryptic crossword convention for the creator of the puzzle to use terms such as (the or this) compiler, (the or this) setter, (this) author, (this) writer, or this person to refer to himself or herself. To solve such a clue, one must generally substitute a first person pronoun (I or me) for whichever of these terms has been used in the clue.

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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