Monday, July 9, 2018 — DT 28675 (Published Saturday, July 7, 2018)

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28675
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Thursday, March 1, 2018
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28675]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Kath
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

As we experience record high temperatures, it seems bizarre to read reports of the Brits coping with uncharacteristically cold and snowy weather when this puzzle appeared in The Daily Telegraph in March.

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   Senior officer /and/ I hail RAF marches on manoeuvres (3,5,7)

Air chief marshal^[5] is a high rank of officer in the RAF [Royal Air Force], above air marshal and below Marshal of the RAF.

9a   South American // doctor's put by pass needed by old Scotsman (9)

"doctor" = MB (show explanation )

In Britain, the degree required to practice medicine is a Bachelor of Medicine^[7] (MB, from Latin Medicinae Baccalaureus), which is equivalent to a North American Doctor of Medicine (MD, from Latin Medicinae Doctor). The degree of Doctor of Medicine also exists in Britain, but it is an advanced degree pursued by those who wish to go into medical research. Physicians in Britain are still addressed as Dr. despite not having a doctoral degree. 

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If a Scotsman makes an appearance in Crosswordland, it is highly likely that he is named Ian.

It's All in the Order

In cryptic crosswords, as in arithmetic, obtaining the correct solution is dependent on performing the operations in the proper sequence. However, unlike arithmetic, there are no firm rules concerning the order in which operations must be performed — not to mention the fact that explicit indicators (operators) may not be present and where they do exist, their meaning may be ambiguous. In this clue, the wordplay parses (rather unintuitively, I might suggest) as MB (doctor) following ([i]s put by) {COL (pass) + (needed by [required to be placed beside]) O (old; abbrev.)} + IAN (Scotsman).

10a   Get up /with/ cold leg? (5)

'With' as a Link Word

If for you — as it was for me — the rationale for the use of the word "with" as a link word is not obvious, I can suggest a couple of explanations. First, with[11] could be used in the sense of characterized by or having ⇒ a person with intelligence and initiative. Another explanation might be that the word "with" is expressing causality between the definition and wordplay in that the preposition with[5] may be used to indicate the cause of a condition ⇒ he was trembling with fear. Used in this sense, the word "with" essentially means "resulting from".

11a   Combined // chant after time passes (2,3)

12a   This writer pronounced batsman /to be/ startling phenomenon (3-6)

The first step is recognizing that "this writer" = I (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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A batsman^[5] is a player, especially in cricket, who is batting or whose chief skill is in batting.

In cricket, an opener^[2] is either of the two^* batsmen who begin the batting for their team.

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^* remember, in cricket, batsmen always bat in pairs

13a   Greek character gets straw matting /for/ bird (8)

Nu^[5] is the thirteenth letter of the Greek alphabet (Ν, ν).

Thatch^[5] is a roof covering of straw, reeds, palm leaves, or a similar material.

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The nuthatch^[5] is a small songbird with a stiffened tail, which climbs up and down tree trunks and feeds on nuts, seeds, and insects.

14a   Firearm // recoiled many times, used by investigator (6)

16a   Stay /with/ two bridge players in trip (6)

In the card game bridge, North^[5] and South^[5] comprise one partnership and play against East^[5] and West^[5] who form the other partnership.

18a   Fantastic tenor and another briefly entering company, // source of music (8)

"tenor" = T (show explanation )

In music, t.^[10] is the abbreviation for tenor.

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The cornetto^[5] (also cornett) is a woodwind instrument of the 16th and 17th centuries, typically curved, with finger holes and a cup-shaped mouthpiece.

Seated in the Wrong Section

With the illustration she has provided in her review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Kath finds herself seated in the wrong section of the orchestra. The instrument shown in her hint is not a cornetto (cornett) but a flugelhorn* — although she seems to have confused it with a cornet. * as pointed out by Christopher Smith at Comment #6 on Big Dave's Crossword Blog. Cornet The cornet[7] is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. Flugelhorn The flugelhorn[7] (also spelled fluegelhorn, flugel horn, or Flügelhorn) is a brass instrument pitched in B♭ which resembles a trumpet, but has a wider, conical bore. Three different cornetts: mute cornett, curved cornett and tenor cornett The cornetto (cornett) is a woodwind instrument which bears no resemblance whatsoever to a cornet or a flugelhorn.

What are they talking about?

On Big Dave's Crossword Blog, the discussion of ice cream appears to equal — if not surpass — that of musical instruments. Cornetto[7], meaning "little horn" in Italian, is a branded frozen dessert cone manufactured by the British-Dutch transnational consumer goods company Unilever. It is similar to a Drumstick, a competitive product made by the Swiss transnational food and drink company Nestlé. A recent British poll voted the song used in an advertising campaign that ran in the 1980s and 1990s as the catchiest jingle of all time. Here is the earwig that the Brits can't seem to erase from their minds.

22a   Playwright encapsulating rogue // fence (9)

Cad^{[2,3,4,5,10,11,12]} is a dated informal British^* term for a man who behaves dishonourably, especially towards a woman ⇒ her adulterous cad of a husband.

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^* among the dictionaries that I consulted, all British dictionaries with the exception of Oxford Dictionaries characterize this term as British while none of the American dictionaries do so

Sir J. M. Barrie^[5] (1860–1937) was a Scottish dramatist and novelist; full name James Matthew Barrie. Barrie’s most famous play is Peter Pan (1904), a fantasy for children about a boy who did not grow up.

23a   Place in military unit // journalist holding award (5)

"award" = MBE (show explanation )

MBE^[5] stands for Member of the Order of the British Empire.

The Order of the British Empire^[5] is an order of knighthood applicable to the United Kingdom and certain Commonwealth realms which was instituted in 1917 and is divided into five classes, each with military and civilian divisions. The classes are: Knight or Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE), Knight or Dame Commander (KBE/DBE), Commander (CBE), Officer (OBE), and Member (MBE). The two highest classes entail the awarding of a knighthood.

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24a   Modify // introduction to text lacking force (5)

25a   An early form of fuel? (9)

26a   None conceived of new-fangled // burger, say (11,4)

Down

1d   A dispute right off /in/ public sale (7)

A ruction^[3,4,11] is described variously in dictionaries as an uproar; a riotous, noisy or quarrelsome disturbance; a noisy quarrel; or row.

2d   Launch // posh car with final part not seen in public (4,3)

Rolls^[10] is an informal name for a Rolls-Royce^[10], a make of very high-quality, luxurious, and prestigious British^* car.

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^* Although the Rolls-Royce company is no longer British-owned.

3d   Slam troubled land embracing distasteful and ultimately obsolete // emblem (6,3,6)

The hammer and sickle^[5] are the symbols of the industrial worker and the peasant used as the emblem of the former Soviet Union and of international communism.

4d   Grounds for believing // study going into European depravity (8)

5d   Lord's house that's said /to show/ style (6)

A lord^[10] is a male member of the nobility, especially in Britain.

A manor^[5] (also manor house) is a large country house with lands ⇒ a Tudor manor house in the English countryside.

6d   Precinct with one tree adapted /for/ emergency facility? (9,6)

Reception centre^[5] is a British term for a hostel providing temporary accommodation for distressed people such as refugees, the homeless, and those with psychiatric difficulties.

7d   Shock coverage? (7)

8d   Lavish // bill to be settled -- about time (7)

15d   Flat, perhaps -- small verbal joke /that's/ unsophisticated (8)

Flat^[5] is the British term for what would be called an apartment^[5] in North America.

16d   Mechanical // corrosion overwhelms old boy in charge (7)

"old boy" = OB (show explanation )

In Britain, an old boy^[5] (abbreviation OB^[2])  is:

• a former male student of a school or college ⇒an old boy of Banbury County School; or
• a former male member of a sports team or company ⇒ the White Hart Lane old boy squared the ball to present an easy chance from 12 yards.

It is also a chiefly British affectionate form of address to a boy or man ⇒ ‘Look here, old boy,’ he said.

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"in charge" = IC (show explanation )

The abbreviation i/c^[2,5] can be short for either:

• (especially in military contexts) in charge (of) ⇒ the Quartermaster General is i/c rations
• in command (of) ⇒ 2 i/c = second in command.

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17d   Lad must limit desire /to be/ performer in theatre (7)

19d   Bill with a cost largely obscured /for/ sauce (7)

I attempted to parse the wordplay as TAB (bill) + (with) A (from the clue) + SCO[T] (cost^*) with the final letter removed (largely obscured). However, I was not at all content with this explanation as I considered that "largely obscured" would have to signify the removal of more than half the letters — not merely a single letter.

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^* Scot^[5] is an archaic term for a payment corresponding to a modern tax, rate, or other assessed contribution. [This may well be the origin of the expression 'scot free'.]

The correct parsing is TAB (bill) + (with) A (from the clue) + an anagram (obscured) of COS[T] (largely; all but the final letter).

As an anagram indicator, I would guess that obscure^[5] is used in the sense of to make unclear and difficult to understand rather than — as I was thinking of it — in the sense of to keep from being seen or conceal.

20d   Given command, // soldiers act to overcome resistance (7)

"soldiers" = OR (show explanation )

In the British armed forces, the term other ranks^[5] (abbreviation OR^[5]) refers to all those who are not commissioned officers.

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"resistance" = R (show explanation )

In physics, R^[5] is a symbol used to represent electrical resistance in mathematical formulae.

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21d   Seasoned food // served up in Lima -- lashings! (6)

Scratching the Surface
Lashings[5] is an informal British term for a copious amount of something, especially food or drink ⇒ chocolate cake with lashings of cream.

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