Thursday, July 5, 2018 — DT 28673

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28673
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Tuesday, February 27, 2018
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28673]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Mr K
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

Today's puzzle is a tricky offering which contains only a single anagram and features some fairly obscure meanings for common words. Nevertheless, it was a satisfying solve — despite resorting to using a bit of electronic help to finish. I employed a wordfinder program to round up all suspects matching the checking letters and was then able to pick out the wanted party from the ensuing lineup.

You may find it interesting to read the results of a survey completed by nearly one thousand readers of Big Dave's Crossword Blog that Mr K has included in his review.

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

7a   Leave out case /for/ sporty garment (8)

9a   An East Anglian lake // over a considerable area (6)

In East Anglia^* dialect, a broad^[10] is a shallow lake.

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^* East Anglia^[5] is a region of eastern England consisting of the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, and parts of Essex and Cambridgeshire.

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Abroad^[5] is used in the sense of over a wide area ⇒ millions of seeds are annually scattered abroad.

10a   Ill-natured // agitated guy, about fifty (4)

11a   Authorisation // for each sortie (10)

12a   Experiment by friend, // insignificant (6)

14a   Exaggerated praise /from/ English dramatist taking coffee inside (8)

Christopher Fry^[5] (1907–2005) was an English playwright. He was known chiefly for his comic verse dramas, especially The Lady's not for Burning (1948) and Venus Observed (1950).

15a   Son, plump /and/ squat (6)

17a   Signal /from/ bishop minister with duke ignored (6)

"bishop" = B (show explanation )

B^[5] is an abbreviation for bishop that is used in recording moves in chess.

A bishop^[5] is a chess piece, typically with its top shaped like a mitre, that can move any number of spaces in any direction along a diagonal on which it stands. Each player starts the game with two bishops, one moving on white squares and the other on black.

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In the Catholic, Anglican, and Orthodox Churches, a deacon^[5] is an ordained minister of an order ranking below that of priest. On the other hand, in some Nonconformist Churches^*, a deacon is a lay officer appointed to assist a minister, especially in secular affairs.

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^* Protestant Churches which dissent from the established Church of England

"duke" = D (show explanation )

A duke^[5] (abbreviation D.^[10]) is a male holding the highest hereditary title in the British and certain other peerages^*.

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^* The peerage^[5] is the nobility in Britain or Ireland, comprising the ranks of duke or duchess, marquess or marchioness, earl or countess, viscount or viscountess, and baron or baroness.

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20a   Seat of government // there, not concerning former Tory leader (3,5)

William Hague^[7] is a British Conservative politician who served as Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from 1997 to 2001.

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The Hague^[5] is the seat of government and administrative centre of the Netherlands, on the North Sea coast, capital of the province of South Holland; population 475,681 (2008). The International Court of Justice is based there.

22a   Perhaps fly // home to join party (6)

23a   Impressive // shrine by a lake (10)

24a   Accomplished // daughter, single (4)

25a   Guest // to register by middle of afternoon (6)

26a   Rough cough, say (3-5)

An eye rhyme^[5] (or eye-rhyme^[2]) is a similarity between words in spelling but not in pronunciation, for example love and move or come and home.

There is considerable discussion concerning this clue on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, in particular in the threads arising from Comment #24 and Comment #49.

Down

1d   Polished // sword, good for fencing (3-5)

"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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Cut-glass^[10] (adjective) denotes (of an accent) upper-class or refined ⇒ his cut-glass English accent.

2d   Nimble, // mole round end of arbour (4)

3d   Shrewd holding up piano // store (6)

"piano" = P (show explanation )

Piano^[3,5] (abbreviation p^[5]), is a musical direction meaning either (as an adjective) soft or quiet or (as an adverb) softly or quietly.

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4d   British, notice, in mature // bit of banter (8)

5d   Supporters, lots /getting/ hard facts (5,5)

6d   Work /in/ research building connected with us (6)

8d   Short article on flaw /in/ economy (6)

13d   Assistant referee/'s/ influence on try (5,5)

In a rugby union match, there are three on-field officials^[7]: a referee, and two assistant referees. The latter, formerly known as touch judges, once had the primary function of indicating when the ball had gone into "touch"^*; their role has been expanded and they are now expected to assist the referee in a number of areas, such as watching for foul play and checking offside lines.

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^* In rugby and soccer, touch^[7,10] is the area outside the touchlines [sidelines], beyond which the ball is out of play (especially in the phrase "in touch"). When a ball is "kicked into touch", it means that it has been kicked out of the playing area into the touch area. While the rugby term "in touch" continues to be used in Canadian football, it has been replaced in US football by the term "out of bounds".

Scratching the Surface
In rugby, a try[5] (also called touchdown[5])  is an act of touching the ball down behind the opposing goal line, scoring points* and entitling the scoring side to a kick at goal. * generally five points but, in Rugby League, only four points[10]

16d   Pet hates // insects round brook (8)

18d   Davy Jones, maybe? (8)

Davy Jones^[2,5,10] is a sailors' name for the evil spirit or devil of the sea — in other words, a nickname for the devil.

As Nick^[2] (also Old Nick) is another name for the devil, one might say that Davy Jones is a 'Nick name' or another name for Nick.

19d   Bench // to decide (6)

A settle^[2,10] is a wooden bench with a high back and arms, typically incorporating a box under the seat.

21d   Bringer of bad luck /in/ gangster circles (6)

A hoodoo^[5] is a person or thing that brings or causes bad luck.

22d   Instead of // popular piece of fiction, first from Updike (2,4)

Scratching the Surface
John Updike[5] (1932–2009) was an American novelist, poet, and short-story writer. He is noted for his quartet of novels Rabbit, Run (1960), Rabbit Redux (1971), Rabbit is Rich (Pulitzer Prize, 1981), and Rabbit at Rest (Pulitzer Prize, 1990).

24d   Writer // had upped and left (4)

Roald Dahl^[5] (1916–1990) was a British writer, of Norwegian descent. His fiction and drama, such as the short-story collection Tales of the Unexpected (1979), typically include macabre plots and unexpected outcomes. Notable works for children: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964), The BFG (1982).

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