Friday, July 20, 2018 — DT 28684

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28684
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Monday, March 12, 2018
Setter Dada (John Halpern)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28684]
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

I was intrigued by the video clip of Lonnie Donegan singing "Puttin' on the Style" that Miffypops uses in his review at 18d. Surely, I thought, the expressions  "putting on the agony" and "putting on the style" had to be British. While one British dictionary confirmed my suspicions with respect to the former expression, I was not able to find any references to the second expression. According to Collins English Dictionary, pile on the agony^[10] (or put on the agony) is an informal British expression meaning to exaggerate one's distress for sympathy or greater effect. Despite not being able to find an entry for the expression "put on the style", I would think that it quite obviously means to show off in an effort to impress. I suppose that the two expressions could be considered to be opposite sides of the same coin — in one case exaggerating one's abilities in an effort to impress and in the other exaggerating one's misfortunes in an attempt to garner sympathy. Although the lyrics of Lonnie Donegan's version of the song do not appear to address the "puttin' on the agony" aspect, there are much longer versions containing many more verses which perhaps do.

Furthermore, I was to discover that the song may not even be British in origin. In 1925, a version was recorded by American country music singer Vernon Dalhart.— three decades before the Lonnie Donegan version. So the mystery remains — how did this bit of British slang find its way into the repertoire of a Texas country music singer?

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   State // north Australia backs in song (7)

Oz^[5] is an informal Australian and New Zealand term for Australia ⇒ he spent the last few years in Oz.

An aria^[5] is a long accompanied song for a solo voice, typically one in an opera or oratorio.

7a   Old Testament priest, by Old Testament // author (5)

"Old Testament priest" = ELI (show explanation )

In the Bible, Eli^[5] is a priest who acted as a teacher to the prophet Samuel (1 Sam. 1-3).

hide explanation

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George Eliot^[7] was the pen name of English writer Mary Anne Evans (1819–1880). One of the leading writers of the Victorian era, she authored seven novels, including Adam Bede (1859), The Mill on the Floss (1860), Silas Marner (1861), Middlemarch (1871–72), and Daniel Deronda (1876), most of which are set in provincial England and known for their realism and psychological insight.

9a   Religious service provided that // range (6)

Mass^[5] is the celebration of the Christian Eucharist, especially in the Roman Catholic Church.

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A massif^[5] is a compact group of mountains ⇒ the rock massif of Scotland.

10a   Improvisation of claviers, // instinctive (8)

Clavier^[5,10] is a general term for a keyboard instrument.

11a   Confused // story put out, vexing you initially (5-5)

13a   Youngster -- // figure inspiring exasperation primarily (4)

14a   Author // discussed predator from Richmond? (8,5)

Richmond^[5] is the state capital of Virginia, a port on the James River. During the American Civil War it was the Confederate capital from July 1861 until its capture in 1865.

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Virginia Woolf^[5] (1882–1941) was an English novelist, essayist, and critic; born Adeline Virginia Stephen. A member of the Bloomsbury Group, she gained recognition with Jacob's Room (1922). Subsequent novels, such as Mrs Dalloway (1925) and To the Lighthouse (1927), characterized by their poetic impressionism, established her as an exponent of modernism.

Scratching the Surface
Brits may well have initially thought of other places named Richmond. Richmond[5] is a town in northern England, on the River Swale in North Yorkshire. Richmond[5] is a residential borough of Greater London, situated on the Thames. It contains Hampton Court Palace and the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. Full name Richmond-upon-Thames.

16a   Opponent // in giant, indomitable (4)

17a   Talk -- // as might Jack Sprat's wife? (4,3,3)

Jack Sprat^[7] is is an English language nursery rhyme. The most common modern version of the rhyme is:

Jack Sprat could eat no fat.

His wife could eat no lean.

And so between the two of them,

They licked the platter clean.

The name Jack Sprat was used of people of small stature in the sixteenth century. A version of the nursery rhyme is first known to have appeared in print in 1639.

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The phrase chew the fat^[5] (or chew the rag) is an informal expression meaning to chat in a leisurely and prolonged way ⇒ we were chewing the fat, telling stories about the old days.

19a   Money only /for/ wool (8)

Cashmere^[5] is:fine, soft wool, originally that from the Kashmir goat.

What did he say?
In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Miffypops informs us that the first element of the charade is an easy synonym for ready money. Ready money[5,10] (also called ready cash) denotes funds for immediate use or, in other words, available money or cash.

20a   Sexy // ruby stolen (3-3)

22a   Chance // to delete first of numbers (5)

Evens^[5] is a British term meaning even money^[5], viz. odds offering an equal chance of winning or losing, with the amount won being the same as the stake ⇒ the colt was 4-6 favourite after opening at evens.

23a   Communist // runs Kentucky (7)

Leon Trotsky^[5] (1879–1940) was a Russian revolutionary; born Lev Davidovich Bronshtein. He helped to organize the October Revolution with Lenin, and built up the Red Army. He was expelled from the Communist Party by Stalin in 1927 and exiled in 1929. He settled in Mexico in 1937, where he was later murdered by a Stalinist assassin.

Down

1d   Avoid // girl (4)

2d   A handful at the wedding? (8)

3d   Top // island (6)

Jersey^[5] is the largest of the Channel Islands^[5], a group of islands in the English Channel off the northwestern coast of France. Formerly part of the dukedom of Normandy, the Channel Islands have owed allegiance to England since the Norman Conquest in 1066, and are now classed as Crown dependencies.

4d   Waste of tenner, miso // soup (10)

Scratching the Surface
Tenner[5] is an informal British name for a ten-pound note. Miso[5] is: paste made from fermented soya beans and barley or rice malt, used in Japanese cooking a soup thickened with miso paste, often with added tofu or vegetables ⇒ a bowl of piping hot miso

5d   In general, a mournful // site of battle (5)

The Alamo^[5] is a mission in San Antonio, Texas, site of a siege (the Battle of the Alamo^[7]) in 1836 by Mexican forces^*, in which all 180 defenders were killed.

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^* At the time, Texas was fighting to break away from Mexico, of which it then formed a part, in a conflict known as the Texas Revolution.

6d   Commercial // break aired, TV set getting people hooked (13)

In his review, Miffypops provides a feasible explanation of the parsing as:

• an anagram (break) of AIRED TV SET containing (getting ... hooked) MEN (people)

However, it is not necessary to include SET in the anagram fodder as the wordplay could also be parsed as:

• {an anagram (break) of AIRED TV} + {SET containing (getting ... hooked) MEN (people)}

8d   Terrible fate drinking beer -- // bit gone to pot? (3,4)

12d   Neatly arrange // shattering fragments (10)

14d   Very popular children's game, English // classic (7)

"very" = V (show explanation )

The abbreviation v (or v.)^[1,2,5,10] stands for very. Although this definition is found in most of my British dictionaries, it does not appear in any of my American dictionaries. Unfortunately no explanation is given as to the specific context in which one might encounter this usage. The only possibility that I can imagine is when combined with G as a grade of VG (very good) on school tests or assignments.

hide explanation

15d   Battle // station? (8)

The Battle of Waterloo^[5] was a battle fought on 18 June 1815 near the village of Waterloo (in what is now Belgium), in which Napoleon's army was defeated by the British (under the Duke of Wellington) and Prussians. The allied pursuit caused Napoleon's army to disintegrate entirely, ending his bid to return to power.

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Waterloo station^[5], also known as London Waterloo, is a central London terminus on the National Rail network in the United Kingdom, located in the Waterloo area of the London Borough of Lambeth.

Scratching the Surface
A battle station[5] is a position taken by a member of a military force during, or in preparation for, battle.

17d   In bad taste -- // like fondue? (6)

18d   Suffering // in the past ends in plain misery (5)

21d   One's gorgeous // plate of food (4)

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