Saturday, September 22, 2018 — Quindecaplets

Introduction

I found today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon to be a bit more testing than usual — in more ways than one.

The posting was a bit late this weekend as tornadoes which hit the Ottawa area on Friday knocked out power to much of the city. I spent two nights in a house with no power before taking shelter with relatives at the other end of the city who still had power.

The power is now back on in my neighbourhood and life is starting to get back to normal. My property suffered minimal damage but houses backing on my property lost large trees on their front lawns. So it seems that I dodged a bullet by less than 200 feet.

It has been reported on the news that Environment Canada has determined that a total of six tornadoes struck Ottawa and surrounding areas on Friday.

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.

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Across

1a   Cries // “Help!” when bee gets inside (4)

SO(B)S — SOS (Help!) containing (when ... gets inside) B (bee)

3a   Walk behind the front // part of a bridge (4)

_ARCH — [M]ARCH (walk) with the initial letter removed (behind the front)

6a   Officer with yellow // journalist’s material (4)

COP|Y — COP (officer) + (with) Y (yellow;abbrev.)

Y is a single letter abbreviation for yellow^[a] used in the fields of aviation, electronics, and telecommunications. Examples of its use are colour coding of wires and electronic components.

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^[a] ALLACRONYMS.com

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Scratching the Surface
Yellow[5] (said of a style of writing, especially in journalism) denotes lurid and sensational ⇒ he based his judgement on headlines and yellow journalism.

8a   Musician, // endlessly true intellectual, in demand (15)

INS(TRU|MENTAL)IST — {TRU[E] with the final letter removed (endlessly) + MENTAL (intellectual)} contained in (in) INSIST (demand)

11a   Officer // opposing noise and pausing signal in broadcast (6-2-7)

SE(CON|D-IN|-COMMA)ND — {CON (opposing) + DIN (noise) + (and) COMMA (pausing signal)} contained in (in) SEND (broadcast)

12a   Poe seen grasping bizarre, // extinct bird (9,6)

{PASSENGER PIGEON}* — anagram (bizarre) of POE SEEN GRASPING

The passenger pigeon^[5] is an extinct long-tailed North American pigeon, noted for its long migrations in huge flocks. It was relentlessly hunted, the last individual dying in captivity in 1914.

Scratching the Surface
Edgar Allan Poe[5] (1809–1849) was an American short-story writer, poet, and critic. His fiction and poetry are Gothic in style and characterized by their exploration of the macabre and the grotesque. Notable works: ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ (short story, 1840); ‘The Murders in the Rue Morgue’ (detective story, 1841); ‘The Raven’ (poem, 1845).

14a   Offsets // an ace Culbertson tossed (15)

COUNTERBALANCES* — anagram (tossed) of AN ACE CULBERTSON

Scratching the Surface
Elie Almon Culbertson (1891–1955), known as Ely Culbertson[7], was an American contract bridge entrepreneur and personality dominant during the 1930s. He played a major role in the popularization of the new game and was widely regarded as "the man who made contract bridge". He was a great showman who became rich, was highly extravagant, and lost and gained fortunes several times over.

19a   Reserved // quirky, manic, uncut movie (15)

UNCOMMUNICATIVE* — anagram (quirky) of MANIC UNCUT MOVIE

22a   New sheriff to felons: // “Be resourceful and independent” (5,3,7)

{SHIFT FOR ONESELF}* — anagram (new) of SHERIFF TO FELONS

23a   See // “Sixth Sense” before the fourth of July (4)

ESP|Y — ESP (sixth sense) preceding (before) Y (the fourth [letter] of JulY)

Scratching the Surface

The Sixth Sense[7] is a 1999 American supernatural horror film written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. The film tells the story of Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment), a troubled, isolated boy who is able to see and talk to the dead, and an equally troubled child psychologist named Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) who tries to help him. The film established Shyamalan as a writer and director, and introduced the cinema public to his traits, most notably his affinity for surprise endings. The Sixth Sense was the second-highest-grossing film of 1999 (behind Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace).

24a   Filthy place by // hellish river (4)

STY|X — STY (filthy place) + X ([multiplied] by}

In Greek mythology, the Styx^[5] is one of the nine rivers in the underworld, over which Charon ferried the souls of the dead.

25a   Article scheduled to air // before long (4)

AN|ON — AN ([indefinite] article) + ON (scheduled to air; the season premiere of Dancing with the Stars is on tomorrow)

Anon^[5] is an archaic informal term meaning soon or shortly ⇒ I'll see you anon.

Down

1d   Mails // small joints (5)

S|HIPS — S (small; abbrev. found on clothing labels) + HIPS (joints)

2d   Particles split by instant // cuts in two (7)

BI(SEC)TS — BITS (particles) containing (split by) SEC (instant)

4d   Old legislator in band playing with glee (7)

R(O|MP)ING — {O (old; abbrev.) + MP (legislator; Member of Parliament)} contained in (in) RING ([wedding] band)

5d   “Cash and Carry” stocks // vehicle with no motor (7)

HANDCAR — hidden in (stocks) CasH AND CARry

Handcar^[5] is a North American term for a light railway vehicle propelled by cranks or levers and used by workers for inspecting the track.

6d   Make black mass // amulet (5)

CHAR|M — CHAR (make black) + M (mass; abbrev. used by physicists)

7d   Archbishop, // stiffly formal, had dinner (7)

PRIM|ATE — PRIM (stiffly formal) + ATE (had dinner)

9d   Tankers turned // most unpleasant (7)

RANKEST* — anagram (turned) of TANKERS

10d   Note pad containing new // information (7)

TI|DI(N)GS — TI ([musical] note) + DIGS (pad) containing (†) N (new; abbrev.)

12d   Dogs going around gross // trucks (7)

P(ICK)UPS — PUPS (dogs) containing (going around) ICK (gross)

13d   Muslim domain/’s/ team I am reorganizing (7)

IMAMATE* — anagram (reorganizing) of TEAM I AM

An imamate^[10] is the region or territory governed by an imam^*.

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^* Imam^[5] is the Arabic word for 'leader' and can either denote the person who leads prayers in a mosque or be the title of various Muslim leaders, especially of one succeeding Muhammad as leader of Shiite Islam ⇒ Imam Khomeini.

15d   Straightens // some paintings behind unframed bunch (7)

UNC|OILS — OILS (some paintings) following (behind) [B]UNC[H] with the initial and final letters removed (unframed)

16d   Loud and coarse // uncle gets into Caruso, unfortunately (7)

RA(U)COUS* or RAUCO(U)S* — U (uncle; abbrev.) contained in (gets into) anagram (unfortunately) of CARUSO

"uncle" = U (show explanation )

The abbreviation for uncle is U.^[11]

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Scratching the Surface
Enrico Caruso[5] (1873–1921) was an Italian operatic tenor. He was the first major tenor to be recorded on gramophone records.

17d   Expensive wheels included in a bit of // payment to an ex (7)

A(LIMO)NY — LIMO (expensive wheels) contained in (included in) ANY (a bit of; would you like any cake?)

18d   Innocent receiving greeting // from part of South America (7)

C(HI)LEAN — CLEAN (innocent; like some jokes, for example) containing (receiving) HI (greeting)

20d   Chum // stirred my tea (5)

MATEY* — anagram (stirred) of MY TEA

Matey^[10,12,14] (usually used in direct address) is an informal British term meaning chum, buddy, or pal ⇒ No problem, matey.

21d   Small and delicate // links feel fine (5)

_EL|FIN_ — hidden in (links) feEL FINe

Epilogue

{Insert EPILOGUE here}

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