Monday, September 17, 2018 — DT 28727 (Published Saturday, September 15, 2018)

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28727
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Tuesday, May 1, 2018
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28727]
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
Notes
This puzzle appears on the Monday Diversions page in the Saturday, September {date}, 2018 edition of the National Post.

Introduction

I needed a bit of help from my electronic assistants to complete this puzzle and so was greatly relieved when I saw that Mr K had set the difficulty level at four stars 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 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.

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Across

1a   Rough // spherical object found by recreation ground (8)

Recreation ground^[5] is a British term for a piece of public land used for sports and games.

5a   Not charged, // deserter held by American soldiers (6)

Rat^[10] has several derogatory informal meanings, but here it is used in the sense of a person who deserts his or her friends or associates, especially in time of trouble.

"American soldier" = GI (show explanation ) so "American soldiers" = GIS

A GI^[5] is a private soldier in the US army ⇒ she went off with a GI during the war.

Contrary to popular belief, the term apparently is not an abbreviation for general infantryman, but rather derives from the term government (or general) issue (originally denoting equipment supplied to US forces).

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9a   Bad thing, weapon /used in/ disco (9)

11a   Country /in/ revolutionary fairy story (5)

12a   Live // on edge (6)

13a   Good boys protecting kid /in/ best clothes (4,4)

"good" = G (show explanation )

The abbreviation G^[a] for good comes from its use in education as a mark awarded on scholastic assignments or tests.

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^[a] Collins English to Spanish Dictionary

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15a   Take the part of one of Silver's crew and he will // be very angry (4,5,4)

I would think that one does not necessarily have to be angry to play merry hell — one might merely be boisterous or rambunctious.

Play merry hell^[a] means to complain loudly or disruptively or to behave in a chaotic or disruptive manner ⇒ (i) The team's star quarterback played merry hell about the team's new policy, but he fell in line once the season started.; (ii) The kids have been playing merry hell since dinner. I think we need to get them to bed!.

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^[a] Farlex Dictionary of Idioms

Note: Verbs such as kick up, raise or create can be used instead of play ⇒ I will be raising merry hell at the meeting tomorrrow.^[b]

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^[b] Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary

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George Merry^[7] is a member of Long John Silver's crew in Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson's adventure novel Treasure Island.

18a   Fifties Kitchen sink drama -- // something Winnie was fond of? (1,5,2,5)

Winnie-the-Pooh^[5], also called Pooh Bear, is a fictional anthropomorphic teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne (1882–1956). Pooh is very fond of food, especially "hunny"^[7].

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A Taste of Honey^[7], first produced in 1958, is the first play by the British dramatist Shelagh Delaney, . It was initially intended as a novel, but she turned it into a play because she hoped to revitalise British theatre and to address social issues that she felt were not being presented. The play comments on, and puts into question, class, race, gender and sexual orientation in mid-twentieth-century Britain. It became known as a "kitchen sink" play, part of a genre revolutionising British theatre at the time.

Delving Deeper

Kitchen sink realism[7] (or kitchen sink drama) is a British cultural movement that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in theatre, art, novels, film, and television plays, whose protagonists usually could be described as "angry young men" who were disillusioned with modern society. It used a style of social realism, which depicted the domestic situations of working class Britons, living in cramped rented accommodation and spending their off-hours drinking in grimy pubs, to explore controversial social and political issues ranging from abortion to homelessness. The harsh, realistic style contrasted sharply with the escapism of the previous generation's so-called "well-made plays". The films, plays and novels employing this style are often set in poorer industrial areas in the North of England, and use the accents and slang heard in those regions. The conventions of the genre have continued into the 2000s, finding expression in such television shows as Coronation Street and EastEnders.

22a   Judge/'s/ pipe (8)

In England and Wales, a recorder^[5] is a barrister appointed to serve as a part-time judge.

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A pipe^[10] is any musical instrument whose sound production results from the vibration of an air column in a simple tube. The recorder^[7] is a form of pipe, often used as a rudimentary instructional musical instrument at schools, but so versatile that it is also used in orchestral music.

23a   /In/ section of sea, notice a // large fleet (6)

Due to the manner in which the setter has structured the clue (to facilitate the surface reading), the link word "in" is positioned at the beginning.

26a   Played out, // even across river (5)

27a   Announce team // in the USA (9)

"team" = SIDE (show explanation )

Side^[5] is a British term for a sports team ⇒ there was a mixture of old and young players in^* their side.

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^* Note that, in Britain, a player is said to be "in a side" rather than "on a team" as one would say in North America.

In North America, the term side^[3] is used in a very general fashion that can denote one of two or more opposing individuals, groups, teams, or sets of opinions. While this same general usage is also found in the UK, the term side^[5] is also used there in a much more specific sense to mean a sports team, as we can clearly see from the following usage examples ⇒ (i) Previous England rugby sides, and England teams in many other sports, would have crumbled under the weight of such errors.; (ii) They'll face better sides than this Monaco team, but you can only beat what's put in front of you.

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Stateside^[5,10,12] is an informal US^* expression denoting of, in, to, or towards the US (used in reference to the US from elsewhere or from the geographically separate states of Alaska and Hawaii) ⇒ (i) stateside police departments; (ii) they were headed stateside.

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^* as is frequently the case, Oxford Dictionaries Online characterizes this term as North American when it is actually specifically a US expression. Collins English Dictionary is almost always a far more reliable source when it comes to differentiating between US and Canadian usage

28a   County town originally /producing/ a red wine (6)

Clare^[5] is a county of the Republic of Ireland, on the west coast in the province of Munster.

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Claret^[5] is a red wine from Bordeaux, or wine of a similar character made elsewhere.

29a   You almost sussed out // Greek hero (8)

In Greek mythology, Odysseus^[5] is the king of Ithaca and central figure of the Odyssey, renowned for his cunning and resourcefulness. His counterpart in Roman mythology is Ulysses.

Down

1d   Row right up close to craft // on the rocks (8)

2d   Gallons stored in Asian country // port (5)

Lagos^[5] is the chief city of Nigeria, a port on the Gulf of Guinea. Originally a centre of the slave trade, it became capital of the newly independent Nigeria in 1960. It was replaced as capital by Abuja in 1991.

3d   Foolish to stay up /in/ German city (7)

Potsdam^[5] is a city in eastern Germany, the capital of Brandenburg, situated just south-west of Berlin on the Havel River. It is the site of the rococo Sans Souci palace built for Frederick II between 1745 and 1747.

4d   Function /of/ pitch, reportedly (4)

6d   Remainder // to lodge round university (7)

7d   Sailor, man wearing // waterproof stuff (9)

"sailor" = TAR (show explanation )

Tar^[5] is an informal, dated nickname for a sailor. The term came into use in the mid 17th century and is perhaps an abbreviation of tarpaulin, also used as a nickname for a sailor at that time.

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What did he say?

In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Mr K informs us that the man's name in question is an alter ego of one of our regular Monday setters, a Beatle, a chain of bakeries, a saint, …. John Halpern[7] — who alternates with Chris Lancaster setting the Monday Cryptic Crossword puzzle in The Daily Telegraph — also sets puzzles for The Guardian newspaper under the pseudonym Paul. Paul[7] is a French chain of bakery/café restaurants established in 1889 that operates in 29 countries. As for the Beatle and the saint ...

8d   Few and far between, // boxes on foremost of estates (6)

10d   Everyone, taken in by most of band, /in/ uproar (8)

14d   Fellow members // run into trouble with Society (8)

"run" = R (show explanation )

On cricket scorecards [not to mention baseball scoreboards], the abbreviation R^[5] denotes run(s).

In cricket, a run^[5] is a unit of scoring achieved by hitting the ball so that both batsmen are able to run between the wickets, or awarded in some other circumstances.

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"Society" = S (show explanation )

S^[10] is the symbol for Society.

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16d   Evergreen // opera song about a posh limo? (9)

An aria^[5] is a long accompanied song for a solo voice, typically one in an opera or oratorio.

"posh" = 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 ⇒ 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). 

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The araucaria^[5] is an evergreen conifer of a genus that includes the monkey puzzle, having stiff sharp leaves.

Who is he talking about?
On Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Mr K writes in our community the word [Araucaria] is better known as a pseudonym used by a distinguished crossword composer. Araucaria was the pseudonym used by crossword compiler John Graham[7](1921–2013) for puzzles published in The Guardian.

17d   Famous pianist, // murderess's first husband in Sayers novel (4,4)

Dame Myra Hess^[7] (1890–1965) was a British concert pianist who performed from 1907 to 1961 when she was forced to retire at age 71 following a stroke.

Scratching the Surface
Dorothy L. Sayers[7] (1893–1957) was a renowned English crime writer best known for her mysteries, a series of novels and short stories set between the First and Second World Wars that feature English aristocrat and amateur sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey, which remain popular to this day.

19d   Shorten // a piece of snooker equipment (7)

In billiards [and related games], a bridge^[5] is:a long stick with a frame at the end which is used to support a cue for a difficult shot.

20d   Short durable cape -- /that's/ the gear (7)

"cape" = NESS (show explanation )

Ness^[5] (a term usually found in place names) means a headland or promontory ⇒ Orford Ness.

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21d   Bitterly cold /in/ lorry crossing Canada's capital (6)

Lorry^[5] is the common name in the UK^* for the vehicle known in North America as a truck^[5].

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^* The word truck also seems to be well known to the Brits. In fact, Oxford Dictionaries Online rather circularly defines a lorry as being a truck and a truck as being a lorry.

Artic^[5] is an informal British name for an articulated lorry.

24d   Similar // article to enjoy (5)

25d   Eccentric // queen, for example (4)

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