Saturday, August 18, 2018 — Old Hat

Introduction

While we get to try on a variety of (mostly) historic headwear in today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon, none of it is particularly appropriate to present circumstances. What one could really use is a sunhat.

Catching Up

For anyone who may still be interested, I have now posted a review of the Saturday, August 4, 2018 puzzle from Cox and Rathvon.

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

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 The Story 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

1a   Blemish on the outside of Parisian’s good // feathered hat? (3,6)

WAR(BONNE)T — WART (blemish) containing (on the outside of) BONNE (Parisian's good; French word meaning 'good')

Plains-style War Bonnet

6a   Sweetie // honks the horn (5)

TOOTS — double definition, the first being a term of endearment

9a   Most half-baked // desserts stuck in part of a colon (7)

DO(PIES)T — PIES (desserts) contained in (stuck in) DOT (part of colon; either the upper part or the lower part of this punctuation mark)

10a   Big table // recently acquired by NBA player Gasol (7)

P(LATE)AU — LATE (recently) contained in (acquired by) PAU (NBA player Gasol; Pau Gasol^[7] of the San Antonio Spurs)

11a   Jot about small // game of cards (5)

WHI(S)T — WHIT (jot) containing (about) S (small; abbrev.)

12a   Track shoe destroyed // a baked dessert (9)

SHORTCAKE* — anagram (destroyed) of TRACK SHOE

13a   One smart hat, maybe? (3,8)

{TAM O'SHANTER}* — anagram (maybe) of ONE SMART HAT

This is an &lit. clue^[7], one in which the entire clue serves as both definition and wordplay.

Tam-o'-shanter (worn by members of the Royal Regiment of Scotland)

Suspect Numeration

Based on the hyphenated spelling found in most dictionaries, I would think that the numeration here should be (3-1-7) if not (3-1'-7). Apostrophes are often omitted in the numeration, but it is customary to include hyphens. On the other hand, if the setters are using the unhyphenated spelling employed by The Chambers Dictionary and Wikipedia, the omission of the second space is surely "not cricket". Although the name of the hero in the poem by Robbie Burns is spelled Tam o' Shanter[7], the consensus would seem to be that the namesake cap is spelled* tam-o'-shanter[2,3,4,5,6,10,11,12] * although two sources do use alternate spellings. The Chambers Dictionary spells the name of the cap Tam o' Shanter[1] (identically to the name of the character in Burns' poem) and Wikipedia spells it tam o' shanter[7] (omitting the hyphens).

15a   Lean backwards, /getting/ stone (3)

PIT< — reversal (backwards) of TIP (lean)

This stone might be found in an apricot, cherry, peach, or plum.

16a   Tavern /is/ hot, according to reports (3)

INN~ — sounds like (according to reports) IN (hot; popular)

17a   Lester Drake adjusted // hunter’s hat (11)

DEERSTALKER* — anagram (adjusted) of LESTER DRAKE

A deerstalker^[5] is a soft cloth cap, originally worn for hunting, with peaks in front and behind and ear flaps which can be tied together over the top.

Deerstalker

The most famous wearer of a deerstalker is undoubtedly the fictional character Sherlock Holmes^[7]. Although Holmes is never actually described as wearing a deerstalker by name in Arthur Conan Doyle's stories, he is portrayed as wearing caps whose descriptions closely match that style of cap. It is not surprising that illustrators of the period depicted Holmes wearing a deerstalker, which then became the popular perception of him.

20a   Rotten finale // assaulting the senses (9)

OFF|ENDING — OFF (rotten) + ENDING (finale)

22a   Republican running party // movement (5)

R|ON|DO — R (Republican; abbrev.) + ON (running; functioning) + DO (party)

A rondo^[5] is a musical form with a recurring leading theme, often found in the final movement of a sonata or concerto.

24a   A river, once more turned back, // falls (7)

{NIAGA|R|A}< — reversal (turned back) of {A (†) + R (river; abbrev.) + AGAIN (once more}

25a   Lyre player // stirred up horse (7)

ORPHEUS* — anagram (stirred) of UP HORSE

In Greek mythology, Orpheus^[5] was a poet who could entrance wild beasts with the beauty of his singing and lyre playing. He went to the underworld after the death of his wife Eurydice and secured her release from the dead, but lost her because he failed to obey the condition that he must not look back at her until they had reached the world of the living.

26a   Errant // street light in a beam (5)

ST|RAY — ST (street; abbrev.) + RAY (light in a beam)

27a   Crown // the guy before speech (9)

HE|ADDRESS — HE (the guy) preceding (before) ADDRESS (speech)

St Edward's Crown (Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom)

Down

1d   Certain survivor // I had held in awe (5)

W(ID)OW — ID (I had; contracted as I'd) contained in (held in) WOW (awe; verb)

2d   Guy who fixes // rare map in plastic (9)

REPAIRMAN* — anagram (plastic) of RARE MAP IN

3d   Exceeding time // in the open (5)

OVER|T — OVER (exceeding) + T (time; abbrev.)

4d   Woman’s name // that’s satisfying Lucifer on reflection (7)

{NATAS|HA}< — reversal (on reflection) of {AH (that's satisfying) + SATAN (Lucifer)}

5d   Kid about a professional // source that goes deep (7)

T(A|PRO)OT — TOT (kid; child) containing (about) {A (†) + PRO (professional; abbrev.)}

A taproot^[5] is a straight tapering root growing vertically downwards and forming the centre [or source] from which subsidiary rootlets spring.

6d   Busted traitor at // Italian eatery (9)

TRATTORIA* — anagram (busted) of TRAITOR AT

7d   Final character // in home game (5)

OME|GA — hidden in (in) hOME GAme

Omega^[5] is the last letter of the Greek alphabet (Ω, ω).

8d   Hat for a sailor // (we set ours apart)  (9)

SOUWESTER* — anagram (apart) of WE SET OURS

Sou'wester

13d   Samples including old jokes /and/ old hats (9)

TRI(CORN)ES — TRIES (samples) containing (including) CORN (old jokes)

Tricorne (worn by Catherine the Great)

14d   Celebrity outside garden club /is/ not very active (9)

S(EDEN)TAR|Y — STAR (celebrity) containing (outside) EDEN (garden) + Y (club; YMCA/YWCA)

Is the Y really a club?

15d   Pink geese confused // little dog (9)

PEKINGESE* — anagram (confused) of PINK GEESE

18d   The app I developed // inscribed words (7)

EPITAPH* — anagram (developed) of THE APP I

19d   Write your name or a // Roman title (7)

SIGN|OR|A — SIGN (write your name) + OR (†) + A (†)

Signora^[5] is a title or form of address used of or to an Italian-speaking married woman, corresponding to Mrs or madam ⇒ good night, Signora.

21d   Cricket possessing large // talent (5)

F(L)AIR — FAIR (cricket) containing (possessing) L (large; abbrev.)

Not cricket^[5] is an informal expression denoting something contrary to traditional standards of fairness or rectitude ⇒ But dropping a new ball in the rough — just not cricket, dear boy.

22d   Chief of police involved in bust, // fast (5)

RA(P)ID — P (chief [initial letter] of Police) contained in (involved in) RAID (bust)

23d   Green spot /in/ ocean, just the way it appears (5)

O|AS|IS — O (ocean; abbrev. found on maps) + AS IS (just the way it appears)

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