Saturday, August 4, 2018 — Dispute Settlement

Introduction

The solution to today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon is appearing later — in fact, much later — than is normally the case.

During the summer, I spend most weekends camping in an area where I have very limited access to the Internet. It is a challenge just to post the puzzle itself, let alone the solution. Last week, I spent the entire week at the campsite. To compound matters, the editors at the National Post chose the first day of my vacation to skip a couple of weekday puzzles — something they haven't done since December 2017. This resulted in several reviews (which had been prepared in advance) being automatically posted several days late during my absence. I have spent time this week dealing with the aftermath of this — modifying posts to correspond to the dates on which the puzzles were published, etc.

I invite you to leave a comment to let us know how you fared with the puzzle.

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   What a shame strike set back // Italian wine (7)

{MAR|SALA}< — reversal (set back) of {ALAS (what a shame) + RAM (strike)}

Marsala^[5] is a dark, sweet fortified dessert wine that resembles sherry, produced in Sicily. It is named after Marsala, a town in Sicily where it was originally made.

5a   Flop, // with a cry (7)

W|A|SHOUT — W (with; abbrev.) + A (†) + SHOUT (cry)

Washout^[5] (noun) is used in the sense of a disappointing failure ⇒ the film was branded a colossal washout.

9a   Eastern legislator going in to // pace (5)

T(E|MP)O — {E (eastern; abbrev.) + MP (legislator; abbrev. for Member of Parliament)} contained in (going in) TO (†)

10a   Wrongly price pear // leaves of a sort (4,5)

{RICE PAPER}* — anagram (wrongly) of PRICE PEAR

A leaf^[5] is a single thickness of paper, especially — but apparently not necessarily — in a book with each side forming a page.

Rice paper^[7] can refer to any of several paper-like materials from East Asia made from a variety of different plants. Rice paper is typically thin and translucent, with some types being edible. It may be used in oriental painting, writing and in baking biscuits and cakes.

11a   Rose lives by bay, and Rose /is/ found again (12)

RED|IS|COVE|RED — RED (rose; as a hue) + IS (lives) + (by) COVE (bay) + RED (rose)

14a   Symbol of Ireland: // fake stone (8)

SHAM|ROCK — SHAM (fake) + ROCK (stone)

16a   SCTV’s Martin // involved in American Dream (6)

_AN|DREA_ — hidden in (involved in) AmericAN DREAm

Andrea Martin^[7] is an American-Canadian actress, singer, author and comedian, best known for her work in the television series SCTV. She has also appeared in several films as well as on the stage, winning Tony Awards for both My Favorite Year and the 2013 revival of Pippin. She has received five nominations for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, more than any other actress in the award's history.

No, not Martin Short!
Martin Short[7] is a Canadian-American actor, comedian, writer, singer and producer. He is best known for his comedy work, particularly on the TV programs SCTV and Saturday Night Live as well as numerous films. He also won a Tony Award for Leading Actor in a Musical for the 1999 Broadway revival of Little Me.

18a   Destroyed relic, eating a // pastry (6)

ECL(A)IR* — anagram (destroyed) of RELIC containing (eating) A (†)

19a   For audit, stop taverns’ // illegal entries (5-3)

{BREAK|-INS}~ — sounds like (for audit) {BRAKE (stop) + INNS (taverns)}

21a   Swimming moves /of/ Ross: sick, sick, sick (7,5)

{SCISSOR KICKS}* — anagram ([the third instance of] sick) of ROSS SICK SICK

25a   Article borne by beast of burden I’ve // awakened (4,5)

CAME (A)L|IVE — {A ([indefinite] article) contained in (borne by) CAMEL (beast of burden)} + IVE (I've)

26a   Southern group of mine greeting // Japanese dish (5)

S|US|HI — S (southern; abbrev.) + US (group of mine) + HI (greeting)

27a   French painter // is small, embraced by spouse (7)

MAT(IS|S)E — {IS (†) + S (small; abbrev. found on clothing tags)} contained in (embraced by) MATE (spouse)

Henri Matisse^[5] (1869–1954) was a French painter and sculptor. His use of non-naturalistic colour led him to be regarded as a leader of the Fauvists. His later painting and sculpture displays a trend towards formal simplification and abstraction, and includes large figure compositions and abstracts made from cut-out coloured paper.

28a   Error caught by two different boys // is deceptive? (5,2)

L(E)AD|S ON — E (error; abbrev. seen on a baseball scoreboard) contained in (caught by) {LAD + SON (two different boys)}

Down

1d   Parts of beds // tangle up long hair (10)

MAT|TRESSES — MAT (tangle up) + TRESSES (long hair)

2d   Medication I put inside truly // for corrective purposes (10)

RE(MED|I)ALLY —{MED (medication; abbrev.) + I (†)} contained in (put inside) REALLY (truly)

3d   A turkey’s // molecular makeup (5)

A|TOM|S — A (†) + TOM ([male] turkey) + S ('s)

4d   I care for lost // group of flyers (3,5)

{AIR FORCE}* — anagram (lost) of I CARE FOR

5d   Bad // adjective for a candle? (6)

WICKED — double definition with the second being a whimsical invention (flagged by the question mark) denoting 'having a wick'

6d   Shifted ten apes in // seven-year stretches (9)

SEPTENNIA* — anagram (shifted) of TEN APES IN

Septennium^[5] (plural septennia) is a rarely used term for a specified period of seven years.

7d   I dropped it: // two eggs, pepper, and salt (4)

OO|P|S — OO (two eggs; two instances of a letter that looks like an egg) + P (pepper; abbrev.) + S (salt; abbrev.)

8d   Flag // roller (4)

TIRE — double definition with the second being mildly cryptic [the auto part being defined by the action it performs]

12d   Basic snare cracked // skulls (10)

BRAINCASES* — anagram (cracked) of BASIC SNARE

13d   Conversation // is a person’s failing (3,7)

{RAP SESSION}* — anagram (failing) of IS A PERSONS

15d   Slickers // in company with one surrounded by singers (9)

RA(IN|CO|A)TS — {IN (†) + CO (company; abbrev.) + (with) A (one)} contained in (surrounded by) RATS (singers; informers)

17d   Drill in Asian Sea, // living like a sloth (8)

AR(BORE)AL — BORE (drill) contained in (in) ARAL (Asian Sea)

The Aral Sea^[5] is an inland sea in central Asia, on the border between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Its area was reduced to two thirds of its original size between 1960 and 1990, after water was diverted for irrigation, with serious consequences for the environment of the area.

20d   Praise bad // dream (6)

ASPIRE* — anagram (bad) of PRAISE

22d   Some buckwheat // in Erika’s hamburger (5)

_KAS|HA_ — hidden in (in) EriKA'S HAmburger

In the English language, kasha^[7] is a term for buckwheat^*. In Central and Eastern Europe, kasha^** is a dish made of any kind of grains boiled in water or milk, i.e. a porridge.

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^* The word generally refers to roasted whole-grain buckwheat or buckwheat groats (kernals that have been either hulled or hulled and coarsely crushed).
^** The plural is kashi which. although often treated in English as a singular form, literally means 'porridges'.

23d   Fool // rascal endlessly (4)

SCAM_ — SCAM[P] (rascal) with the final letter deleted (endlessly)

24d   Release // clock reading the wrong way (4)

EMIT< — reversal (the wrong way) of TIME (clock; as a verb)

Epilogue

Thank you to MG for pointing out the theme which I had missed. Then again, I did solve the puzzle on a hand-drawn grid while sitting in a darkened tent taking refuge from the mosquitoes.

Oxford Dictionaries Online defines rock paper scissors^[5] as a US term [although common in Canada] for a game (used especially to settle petty disputes or as a tiebreaker) in which, at an agreed signal, each participant makes a gesture with one hand representing either a rock, paper, or a pair of scissors, the winner being determined according to an established scheme.

I can't help but think that with Donald Trump wanting to do away with the present dispute settlement mechanism in the NAFTA agreement, perhaps the replacement will be Trump and Trudeau playing rock paper scissors. Of course, were The Donald to lose, he would merely claim that he had really intended to make a different hand gesture and retroactively should be considered to have done so.

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