Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 28713 | |
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Saturday, April 14, 2018 | |
Setter
Unknown | |
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28713 – Hints]Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28713 – Review] | |
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Big Dave (Hints)crypticsue (Review) | |
BD Rating
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| 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
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Notes
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As this was a Saturday "Prize Puzzle" in Britain, there are two entries related to it on Big Dave's Crossword Blog — the first, posted on the date of publication, contains hints for selected clues while the second is a full review issued following the entry deadline for the contest. The vast majority of reader comments will generally be found attached to the "hints" posting with a minimal number — if any — accompanying the full review.
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Introduction
I was definitely not on the setter's wavelength today. In fact, it has been a very long time since I needed this amount of electronic help to complete a puzzle. Thus I was devastated to see that crypticsue awarded it only a mere two stars for difficulty.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:
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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
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| 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:
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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 Take advantantage of // what Italy and India have reported (10)
Did you notice the bug in this clue? A second little six-legged beastie has crept in.
6a Port // bottle's seal (4)
Cork[5] is:
- a county in the Republic of Ireland, in the province of Munster, on the Celtic Sea
- the county town of Cork, a port on the Lee River
9a Caught mistress taking tea? // One could be lucky (10)
"caught" = C (show explanation )
In cricket, one way for a batsman to be dismissed is to be caught out[5], that is for a player on the opposing team to catch a ball that has been hit by the batsman before it touches the ground.
On cricket scorecards, the abbreviation c.[2,10] or c[5] denotes caught (by).
hide explanation
In cricket, one way for a batsman to be dismissed is to be caught out[5], that is for a player on the opposing team to catch a ball that has been hit by the batsman before it touches the ground.
On cricket scorecards, the abbreviation c.[2,10] or c[5] denotes caught (by).
hide explanation
The question mark following "tea" indicates that this is a definition by example.
10a Frightful // characters appearing regularly in Burghley (4)
Scratching the Surface
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 Burghley House[7] is a grand sixteenth-century country house in Cambridgeshire, England. The medieval settlement of Burghley[7], mentioned in Domesday [otherwise known as the Doomsday Book], was abandoned by 1450. Failure to locate its site leads to the supposition that it lay below Burghley House. |
12a Device for carrying // babies (6)
13a In the red, fashionable // music maker (8)
Claret[5] could mean red in either of a couple of senses:
- a red wine from Bordeaux, or wine of a similar character made elsewhere
- a deep purplish-red colour
15a Insist Romans misrepresented /in/ broadcast (12)
18a Wife fighting to secure high-class // sale (5,7)
Dutch[5] (usually one's old dutch) is an informal British term (especially among cockneys) meaning one's wife.
Delving Deeper
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| A cockney[5,10] is a native of East London [specifically that part of East London known as the East End[5]]. The cockney[5]
dialect is characterized by dropping
the aitch (H) from the beginning of words as well as the use of rhyming slang*. * Rhyming slang[5] is a type of slang that replaces words with rhyming words or phrases, typically with the rhyming element omitted. For example, butcher’s, short for butcher’s hook, means ‘look’ in cockney rhyming slang. Dutch, an abbreviation for duchess, is believed to come from the phrase "Duchess of Fife". Thus "wife" rhymes with "Duchess of Fife", drop "Fife" leaving "duchess" which is abbreviated to "dutch". |
"high-class" = U (show explanation )
In Britain, U[5] is used informally as an adjective (in respect to language or social behaviour) meaning characteristic of or appropriate to the upper social classes ⇒
The term, an abbreviation of upper class, was coined in 1954 by Alan S. C. Ross, professor of linguistics, and popularized by its use in Nancy Mitford's Noblesse Oblige (1956).
In Crosswordland, the letter U is frequently clued by words denoting "characteristic of the upper class" (such as posh or superior) or "appropriate to the upper class" (such as acceptable).
hide explanation
In Britain, U[5] is used informally as an adjective (in respect to language or social behaviour) meaning characteristic of or appropriate to the upper social classes ⇒
U manners.
The term, an abbreviation of upper class, was coined in 1954 by Alan S. C. Ross, professor of linguistics, and popularized by its use in Nancy Mitford's Noblesse Oblige (1956).
In Crosswordland, the letter U is frequently clued by words denoting "characteristic of the upper class" (such as posh or superior) or "appropriate to the upper class" (such as acceptable).
hide explanation
we aren't interested in quoting prices over the phone, because that only leads to a Dutch auction.
21a & 22a It involves tricks // to tighten with spanner (8,6)
The setter is using "spanner" in a whimsical sense denoting something that spans a river.
Scratching the Surface
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| In the surface reading, spanner[5]
is a British name for a wrench. From a British perspective, a wrench[5] is an adjustable tool like a spanner, used for gripping and turning nuts or bolts. |
22a See 21a
24a What may catch // something like a fly (4)
With the checking letters T_A_ in place, I thought this might be a cryptic definition of a TOAD!
A trap[5] is a light, two-wheeled carriage pulled by a horse or pony.
25a Remote inns served // soup (10)
Minestrone[5] is a fairly thick soup containing vegetables and pasta.
26a Useless English // gent (4)
27a In Lib-Dem leader I will replace ace making comeback // that can’t be beaten (10)
British politician Sir Vince Cable[7] is the Leader of the Liberal Democrats*.
* The Liberal Democrats[7] (often referred to as the Lib Dems) are a liberal British political party, formed in 1988 as a merger of the Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party (SDP), a splinter group from the Labour Party.
Down
1d Set up the French // seafood (6)
Cock[5] can mean to set up in the following senses:
- to set the firing pin, hammer, or breech block of (a firearm) so that a pull on the trigger will release it and thus fire the weapon
- to set the shutter mechanism of (a camera) so that the shutter can be tripped by pressing the shutter-release button
"the French | the Parisian" = LE (show explanation )
2d Following advertising get aware of // straight away (6)
Diverging from what crypticsue shows in her review, I would say that the word "get" is a positional indicator (or perhaps, more precisely, part of a positional indicator).
I parse the wordplay as PR (advertising; public relations) + (following ... get) ONTO (aware of).
3d The people shooting arrows here /in/ classic Western (3,9)
The Searchers[7] is a 1956 American Western film directed by John Ford, based on the 1954 novel by Alan Le May, set during the Texas–Indian wars, and starring John Wayne as a middle-aged Civil War veteran who spends years looking for his abducted niece (Natalie Wood), accompanied by his adoptive nephew (Jeffrey Hunter). Critic Roger Ebert found Wayne's character, Ethan Edwards, "one of the most compelling characters Ford and Wayne ever created". It has come to be considered a masterpiece and one of the greatest and most influential films ever made*.
* greatest American western and uumber 12 in a list of the 100 greatest American movies of all time (American Film Institute); best western (Entertainment Weekly); seventh best film of all time (British Film Institute's Sight and Sound magazine); number 10 in a list of the 100 best films ever made (French magazine Cahiers du Cinéma)
4d Sing merrily /being/ drunk, having consumed litres (4)
5d Steady partner, // one from the same place? (10)
7d Fine material /that could give/ newspaper distinctive stamp (8)
An organ[5] is a newspaper or periodical which promotes the views of a political party or movement ⇒
he repositioned the journal as a leading organ of neoconservatism.
Note that DIE is clued by "distinctive stamp" not merely by "stamp".
A die[5] is:
- a device for cutting or moulding metal into a particular [or distinctive] shape
- an engraved device for stamping a design [distinctive pattern] on coins or medals
brides in flounced organdie gowns.
8d Island's character /is/ essential element (8)
A key[5] is a low-lying island or reef, especially in the Caribbean.
- central stone at the summit of an arch, locking the whole together
- (figuratively) the central principle or part of a policy, system, etc., on which all else depends ⇒
cooperation remains the keystone of the government's security policy
11d Satiric actor masquerading /as/ posh (12)
Posh[5] is used in a British sense meaning typical of or belonging to the upper class ⇒
she had a posh accent.
14d Command // having entered 9 perhaps (10)
16d Trained /to find/ ancient coin in rising river (8)
A ducat[10] is any of various former European gold or silver coins*, especially those used in Italy or the Netherlands.
* The ducat[7] was used as a trade coin in Europe from the later middle ages until as late as the 20th century. Many types of ducats had various metallic content and purchasing power throughout the period. The gold ducat of Venice gained wide international acceptance, like the medieval Byzantine hyperpyron and the Florentine florin, or the modern day British pound sterling and the United States dollar.
The Dee[5,7] could refer to any of several rivers in Scotland, England, Ireland, and Australia among which the most prominent are:
- a river in northeastern Scotland, which rises in the Grampian Mountains and flows eastwards past Balmoral Castle to the North Sea at Aberdeen
- a river that rises in North Wales and flows past Chester and on into the Irish Sea
17d Colour // newspaper (8)
My first reaction was
Is spelling colours without an S not akin to spelling innings without an S?.
That would certainly seem to be the case were we dealing with a noun.
Colours[5] (noun) is a British term* for the flag of a country, or of a regiment or ship.
* Although Oxford Dictionaries Online claims this to be a British term, I would certainly say that Oxford is mistaken on this point. Not only is this term used in Canada, but Americans use colors in this sense.
A standard[5] (noun) is a military or ceremonial flag carried on a pole or hoisted on a rope.
However, when used as a modifier, colours loses its S.
A colour guard[10] is a military guard in a parade, ceremony, etc, that carries and escorts the flag or regimental colours.
A standard-bearer[5] is a soldier who is responsible for carrying the distinctive flag of a unit, regiment, or army.
Therefore, as long as we consider colour and standard to be modifiers, they each seem to be a synonym of flag.
19d Get attached to film // publicity brothers brought up (6)
In the general case, it is the material that is adsorbed that forms the film rather than the material that does the adsorbing. However, I suppose the latter could also be — but does not necessarily have to be — a film.
Adsorb[5] [not to be confused with absorb] is a chemistry term denoting (of a solid) to hold (molecules of a gas or liquid or solute) as a thin film on the outside surface or on internal surfaces within the material ⇒
the dye is adsorbed on to the fibre.
20d Cut energy -- /that’s/ harsh (6)
23d Fairy // queen hugged by Greek character (4)
"queen" = ER (show explanation )
The regnal ciphers (monograms) of British monarchs are initials formed from the Latin version of their first name followed by either Rex or Regina (Latin for king or queen, respectively). Thus, the regnal cipher of Queen Elizabeth is ER[5] — from the Latin Elizabetha Regina.
hide explanation
The regnal ciphers (monograms) of British monarchs are initials formed from the Latin version of their first name followed by either Rex or Regina (Latin for king or queen, respectively). Thus, the regnal cipher of Queen Elizabeth is ER[5] — from the Latin Elizabetha Regina.
hide explanation
Pi[5] is the sixteenth letter of the Greek alphabet (Π, π).
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)
Though I managed to complete without help (my usual cut-off between two and three stars) I agree with your rating. Plenty of time and head-scratching required.
ReplyDeleteI did not notice the bug in 1A.
Re: the bug in 1a -- funny how the mind sees what it wants to see rather than what is really there. Makes one wonder sometimes about the reliability of testimony in court.
Delete