Introduction
I found today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon decidedly on the tricky side — but, in my books, that is no bad thing. And, beware, the setters have laid a couple of trapsI 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
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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:
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The review of a clue takes the following general structure:
#a/d Clue containing parsing markup (num*)
* num = numeration
Explanations pertaining to the wordplay (or first definition in a double definition)
(Horizontal separator)
Explanatory Box
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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:
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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.
ExamplesI 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.
A few examples may help to illustrate these points more clearly.
The first example is a clue used by Jay in DT 28573:
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).
- 4d Fellow left work // a failure (4)
The second example is a clue used by Giovanni in DT 28575:
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.
- 29a Female going to match // travels with mother in advance (10)
The third example is a clue used by Rufus is DT 28583:
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/).
- 18d Knight caught by misplaced big blow /is/ staggering (8)
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)
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
1a Activity for boaters // left with extra layers outside (8)
PADD(L)ING — L (left; abbrev.) contained in (with ... outside) PADDING (extra layers)
6a Boat/’s/ small, circular path (5)
S|LOOP — S (small; abbrev.) + LOOP (circular path)
10a Ted, holding reel, // fished from a boat (7)
T(ROLL)ED — TED (†) containing (holding) ROLL (reel)
11a Accuse // a regime at hearing (7)
ARRAIGN~ — sound like (at hearing) {A REIGN (a regime)}
12a Circle in sort of reed // boat (5)
CAN(O)E — O ([letter that looks like a] circle) contained in (in) CANE (sort of reed)
13a Wail about a pain in the neck and a // small vessel (9)
C(A|PILL|A)RY — CRY (wail) containing (about) {A (†) + PILL (pain in the neck) + (and) A (†)}
14a New resident // put in (8)
INSERTED* — anagram (new) of RESIDENT
16a Six inside were changing // survey (6)
RE(VI)EW* — VI ([Roman numeral for] six) contained in (inside) anagram (changing) of WERE
19a Restricted outstanding // crew’s activity (6)
R|OWING — R (Restricted; film classification) + OWING (outstanding)
21a Company crosses finish first, embracing a crew member (8)
CO|XS|W(A)IN — CO (company; abbrev.) + XS (crosses; X's) + WIN (finish first) containing (embracing) A (†)
24a Fast boat/’s/ hot and strangely dry of lubricant (9)
H|YDR*|OF|OIL — H (hot; abbrev.) + (and) anagram (strangely) of DRY + OF (†) + OIL (lubricant)
25a Listened to case for a brain/’s/ boat (5)
SCULL~ — sounds like (listened to) SKULL (case for a brain)
26a Sea initially in poor condition /for/ going in a boat (7)
S|AILING — S (sea initially; initial letter of Sea) + AILING (in poor condition)
27a Artist/’s/ line connecting a boat to a quay (7)
PAINTER — double definition
28a Try to catch fish /in/ space between two lines (5)
ANGLE — double definition
29a Cruise attendants // wed stars at sea (8)
STEWARDS* — anagram (at sea) of WED STARS
Down
2d One spring, head of stream // is overflowing (7)
A|BOUND|S — A (one) + BOUND (spring) + S (head [initial letter] of Stream)
3d Search // through model vessels (5)
_DEL|VE_ — hidden in (through) moDEL VEssels
4d Charger // I name with bad credit (8)
I|N|DICTER* — I (†) + N (name; abbrev.) + anagram (bad) of CREDIT
5d Old man/’s/ good alternatives to stairways (6)
G|RAMPS — G (good; abbrev.) + RAMPS (alternatives to stairways)
6d Waves after street // walkers (9)
ST|ROLLERS — ROLLERS (waves) following (after) ST (street; abbrev.)
7d Storied trio returning in otherwise independent // craft (7)
OR(IGAM<)I — reversal (returning) of MAGI (storied trio; The Three Wise Men) contained in (in) {OR (otherwise) + I (independent; abbrev.)}
8d Write “New York” /for/ very little money (5)
PEN|NY — PEN (write) + NY (New York; abbrev.)
9d More heavily built // winter athlete taking to cold (8)
S(TO|C)KIER — SKIER (winter athlete) containing (taking) {TO (†) + C (cold; abbrev.)}
15d Make no sense of // crazy dream in Oz (9)
RANDOMIZE* — anagram (crazy) of DREAM IN OZ
17d Manipulative sorts // with peeves about lake (8)
W|ANG(L)ERS — W (with; abbrev.) + ANGERS (peeves) containing (about) L (lake; abbrev.)
18d Drinks in “Unforgettable” singer/’s/ breakdown
(8)
COL(LAPS)E — LAPS (drinks [like a cat]) contained in (in) COLE ("Unforgettable" singer)
20d Hockey player keeping tag on // cushiony material (7)
W(ADD)ING — WING (hockey player; left wing, right wing, or Detroit Red Wing) containing (keeping) ADD (tag on)
22d Touched on // Western feature in commercial (7)
A(BUTTE)D — BUTTE (Western feature) contained in (in) AD (commercial)
23d Pronounced positions for some kayakers/’/ limbs (6)
BOUGHS~ — sounds like (pronounced) BOWS (positions for some kayakers)
24d Spray water on head of ancient // prophet (5)
HOSE|A — HOSE (spray water on) + A (head [initial letter] of Ancient)
25d Knife associated with a // Hindu deity (5)
SHIV|A — SHIV (knife) + (associated with) A (†)
Epilogue
It was almost too easy to identify the theme in this puzzle. Some of the craft and vessels turned out to be rather misleading setting a trap for the unwary.Key to Reference Sources:Signing off for today — Falcon
[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)
Fishing off the boat - Falcon, I hope the blackflies don't get you this week. Bit of a tricky puzzle today, the upper left hand corner was the last to go in, but it shouldn't prove to be too difficult. Nice day for dipping the oars in the water.
ReplyDeleteHenry
Hi Henry,
DeleteThere were no blackflies this weekend -- just big black flies tht look like large house flies. They don't bite. They just land on you in swarms and then walk all over you. They are very easy to swat -- not at all like house flies. They just sit there and take it. They must be masochists.
Fear the walking dead??
DeleteGood morning,
ReplyDeleteDefinitely a nautical theme today. Yes, I found this a bit more taxing than unusual too. But pleasant enough. Thought it might be a pangram. But it wasn't. Have a good weekend!
Peter
Extremely disappointed in 21a. Perfect opportunity for "Emily's lover is a crew member"
ReplyDeleteBut if she doesn't have a lover?
DeleteWith the 's as literal, could be "Emily's wagon crew member" but that's getting really obscure.
DeleteAnd who exactly is Emily? Sorry, but I don't understand who/what you are referring to? :)
DeleteMG
Uh, that would be Emily Cox and Harry Rathvon - but we're not sure of their relationship...
DeleteFrom Wikipedia: "Emily and her partner, Henry, lived in Hershey, Pennsylvania. At young age, Emily showed interest in playing trombone, painting suspension bridges,[3] as well as reading about science matters and rock climbing."
DeletePainting suspension bridges seems like a strenuous activity for a young girl.
Rathvon doesn't come into it. Enily's lover would be a COX SWAIN.
DeleteThe other cryptic in today's paper is excellent!
ReplyDeleteWe're supposed to save the other one for Monday. Tsk.
DeleteHello Falcon et al,
ReplyDeleteI had a fair bit of difficulty solving today's puzzle and still have not parsed 27a. Also mistakenly kept thinking 10a was "trawled". Favourite clue was 5d.
Thank you for posting Falcon and cheers to all.
MG
Hi MG! This is a double definition - the rope that ties a boat to the dock or to another boat to be towed is called a 'painter.' I myself really liked 28a and 18d.
DeleteThanks Henry! Did not know that!
DeleteMG