Puzzle at a Glance
|
|---|
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 28674 | |
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Wednesday, February 28, 2018 | |
Setter
Jay (Jeremy Mutch) | |
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28674] | |
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
2Kiwis | |
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
Based on my personal experience as well as many comments on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, KiwiColin may have been a bit stingy in handing out stars for both difficulty and enjoyment.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:
|
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
| |
|---|---|
| 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:
|
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 Careless // agent must accept cut (6)
4a Junior to follow // one expected to lose (8)
10a The newspapers joke about name /for/ Shanghai (5-4)
Shanghai[5] (historical) means to force (someone) to join a ship lacking a full crew by drugging them or using other underhand means ⇒
they specialized in drugging and robbing sailors, sometimes arranging for them to be shanghaied aboard tramp boats.
As a noun, press gang[5] (historical) is a body of men employed to enlist men forcibly into service in the army or navy. As a verb, press-gang[5] (historical) means to forcibly enlist (someone) into service in the army or navy.
* While one might infer from the definition that it was not necessary to force people to serve in the Air Force, the truth is that the Air Force did not exist when this practice was in vogue.
Scratching the Surface
| |
|---|---|
| Shanghai[5] is a city on the east coast of China, a port on the estuary of the Yangtze. Opened for trade with the west in 1842, Shanghai contained until the Second World War areas of British, French, and American settlement. It was the site in 1921 of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party. |
11a Penny-pinching // drunk (5)
12a Escort // always holding one back (7)
13a Ceremonial drink that is // a snack (7)
Toastie[5] is an informal British term for a toasted sandwich or snack.
14a Stumped, after judge/'s/ secret meeting (5)
On a cricket scorecard, the notation st[1] denotes stumped*. A stump[5,10] is a play by a fielder, especially a wicketkeeper, to dismiss a batsman by breaking his wicket with the ball or with the ball in the hand while the batsman is out of the crease but not running.
* While most dictionaries define st[5,10] as an abbreviation for stumped by, The Chambers Dictionary shows it as meaning simply stumped.
15a Men to go topless -- possible, /and/ highly desirable (8)
As an initial letter indicator, top[10] is used in the sense of beginning ⇒ (i)
the top of the hour; (ii)
at the top of the programme; (iii)
let's run through the piece once more time from the top.
18a Course includes permit /for/ game (8)
20a Period // couch not right (5)
23a Craftsman frames 'Two Pennies /for/ Fish' (7)
A tiler[5] is a person who lays tiles ⇒
a roof tiler.
"penny" = D (show explanation )
In the British currency system used prior to Decimal Day*[7], a penny[5] was equal to one twelfth of a shilling or 240th of a pound (and was abbreviated d, for denarius).
*the date (February 15, 1971) on which Britain converted to a decimal currency system
hide explanation
In the British currency system used prior to Decimal Day*[7], a penny[5] was equal to one twelfth of a shilling or 240th of a pound (and was abbreviated d, for denarius).
*the date (February 15, 1971) on which Britain converted to a decimal currency system
hide explanation
25a Leading Conservative /delivers/ post (7)
26a Design criteria /for/ viewing aids (5)
27a A feeling /for/ home schooling? (9)
28a Explain /and/ begin a journey (3,5)
29a Hounds agitated, // as horses may be (6)
Down
1d Primates set up fixed charge /for/ divorce (8)
Scratching the Surface
| |
|---|---|
In the Christian Church, a primate[5] is the chief bishop or archbishop of a province ⇒ the primate of Poland. |
2d Dismissing head, secretly /or/ in public? (7)
3d Parking at last no different // after delivery (9)
 |
"parking" = P |
5d Financial problem /of/ film actors' union? (8,6)
While I found the correct solution, I failed to see where the word
NEGATIVE came from. I made the mistake of failing to "lift and separate" (show explanation ) the words forming the phrase "film actors". Not only do we need to separate these words to satisfy the requirements of the puzzle, but it would be factually incorrect to characterize Equity as a "film actors' union". In the UK, Equity represents
actors in general, not just film actors, and film actors in the US and
Canada are represented by unions other than Equity.
"Lift-and-separate" is a play on a phrase taken from a Playtex brassiere advertising campaign from the 1960's.
The term refers to a situation in which a seemingly single conceptual unit (which can be either a word or a phrase) must be split into separate pieces playing different roles.
In the present clue, a single conceptual unit ("film actors") must be separated into two parts, with the parts being separate elements (or part thereof) of the charade.
hide explanation
"Lift-and-separate" is a play on a phrase taken from a Playtex brassiere advertising campaign from the 1960's.
The term refers to a situation in which a seemingly single conceptual unit (which can be either a word or a phrase) must be split into separate pieces playing different roles.
In the present clue, a single conceptual unit ("film actors") must be separated into two parts, with the parts being separate elements (or part thereof) of the charade.
hide explanation
Delving Deeper
| |
|---|---|
| Equity[7], formerly officially titled the British Actors' Equity Association (although Equity was always its common name), is the trade union for actors, stage managers and models in the United Kingdom. Equity was one of the last of the closed shop trade unions
in the UK. This was made illegal in 1988, with
the result that it is no longer a requirement that an entertainment
professional be a member of Equity. Unlike its counterparts in the US and Canada, British Equity represents performers and other artists working across the live and recorded entertainment industry. The Actors' Equity Association[7] (AEA), commonly referred to as Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American labor union representing the world of live theatrical performance, as opposed to film and television performance (which is represented by SAG-AFTRA [Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists]). However, performers appearing on live stage productions without a book or through-storyline (vaudeville, cabarets, circuses) may be represented by the American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA). Canadian Actors' Equity Association[7] is an association of performers in English Canada who are engaged in live performances before paying audiences in theatre, opera and dance. Originally a branch of the American Actor's Equity Association, the Canadian membership split away in 1976 to form its own independent union. The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) represents performers in English-language film, television, radio and all other recorded media. |
6d Run // over (5)
In cricket, an extra[5] is a run scored other than from a hit with the bat, credited (in most cases) to the batting side rather than to a batsman. The types of extra[7] are no ball, wide, bye, leg-bye, and penalty runs.
7d Understand a line should be put under it // displaying numbers (7)
8d Upset, /being/ drawn? (6)
Gutted[5] is an informal British term meaning bitterly disappointed or upset ⇒
I know how gutted the players must feel.
after a mockery of a trial he was hanged, drawn, and quartered.
9d Person whose creative interest is flagging? (8,6)
A flagstone[5] (also called flag[5]) is a flat stone slab, typically rectangular or square, used for paving*.
* In Britain, pave[5] means to cover (a piece of ground) with flat stones or bricks — rather than asphalt ⇒
the yard at the front was paved with flagstones.
Flagging[10] denotes flagstones or a flagged area [i.e., an area paved with flagstones].
Pavement artist[5] is a British* term for an artist who draws with coloured chalks on paving stones or paper laid on a pavement to earn money from passers-by.
From a British perspective, sidewalk[5] is a North American term for pavement[5], a raised paved* or asphalted path for pedestrians at the side of a road ⇒ (i)
he fell and hit his head on the pavement; (ii)
a pavement cafe.
16d Slander // when individual holds source of info (9)
17d Doomed, /but/ isn't upset during action (8)
19d Scrap // not even soldiers will have time for? (7)
21d Distress // pine with no veneer (7)
22d Inactivity /of/ street without changes (6)
24d Look around a ship /for/ rope (5)
"look" = LO (show explanation )
Lo[5] is an archaic exclamation used to draw attention to an interesting or amazing event ⇒
hide explanation
Lo[5] is an archaic exclamation used to draw attention to an interesting or amazing event ⇒
and lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them.
hide explanation
"ship" = SS (show explanation )
In Crosswordland, a ship is almost invariably a steamship, the abbreviation for which is SS[5] ⇒
hide explanation
In Crosswordland, a ship is almost invariably a steamship, the abbreviation for which is SS[5] ⇒
the SS Canberra.
hide explanation
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)
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.