Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Wednesday, October 31, 2018 — DT 28761

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 28761
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Saturday, June 9, 2018
Setter
Unknown
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28761 – Hints]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28761 – Review]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Big Dave (Hints)
crypticsue (Review)
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
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.

Introduction

This is a surprisingly challenging puzzle — made even more surprising by the fact that it was a Saturday "prize" puzzle in the UK.

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*)

* num = numeration

Explanations pertaining to the wordplay (or first definition in a double definition)

(Horizontal separator)


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   Suffering // as Samson was, fatally (10)

Samson[5] was an Israelite leader (probably 11th century BC) famous for his strength (Judges 13–16). He fell in love with Delilah and confided to her that his strength lay in his long hair. She betrayed him to the Philistines, who cut off his hair and blinded him, but his hair grew again and he pulled down the pillars of a house, destroying himself and a large gathering of Philistines.

Note that the "fatal consequences" alluded to in the clue and mentioned by crypticsue in her review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog did not come to fruition while Samson was dis-tressed but only after he had re-tressed (if the setter can make up words, why can't I?).

6a   A person on foot // took off (4)

Ped[1] is short for pedestrian.



Take off[10] (phrasal verb) means to mimic or imitate, especially in an amusing or satirical manner.

Ape[5] (verb) is used in the sense of to imitate (someone or something), especially in an absurd or unthinking way new architecture can respect the old without aping its style.

9a   Try on manoeuvres adopted by superior // gold-digger (5-5)

A forty-niner[5] was a seeker for gold in the California gold rush of 1849.

10a   Shared resources // Hank's taken back (4)

A hank[5] is a coil or skein of wool, hair, or other material a thick hank of her blonde hair.

12a   Perhaps hen /is/ female bird (4)

13a   A military alliance film // person dealing with bodies (9)

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization[5] (NATO) is an association of European and North American states, formed in 1949 for the defence of Europe and the North Atlantic against the perceived threat of Soviet aggression. It includes most major Western powers, although France withdrew from the military side of the alliance in 1966.

15a   Dicky // heading off from Bedfordshire town (8)

Dunstable[7] is a market town and civil parish located in Bedfordshire, England. It lies on the eastward tail spurs of the Chiltern Hills, 30 miles (50 kilometres) north of London.



Dicky[5] (or dickey) is an informal British term meaning in bad condition; shaky, unsteady, or unreliable ⇒ I feel a bit dicky today.

16a   Spies taking rebellious soldiers /in/ films (6)

"spies" = CIA (show explanation )

The Central Intelligence Agency[5] (abbreviation CIA) is a federal agency in the US responsible for coordinating government intelligence activities. Established in 1947 and originally intended to operate only overseas, it has since also operated in the US.

hide explanation

18a   Type that is // breaking out? (6)

Here "breaking out" is a phrasal noun, not a verb. While sortie[10] could be used as a verb, it would mean 'break out' not 'breaking out'. As a verb, breaking out would equate to sortieing.

20a   One often works on Sunday, // roasting nuts (8)

23a   Eroticism may provide // such exercise (9)

One needs to include the word "such" in the definition to indicate that the solution is an adjective. Were the solution to be a noun, it would be isometrics[5] (plural noun).

Isometric[5] (adjective) means relating to or denoting muscular action in which tension is developed without contraction of the muscle.

24a   What rough sea does to ship (4)

Although I have marked this clue as a precise definition with embedded wordplay, I did seriously consider marking it as crypticsue has done in her review:
  • What rough sea does to ship (4)
While a person may toss and turn in their bed, does the sea itself toss? Or does the sea toss an object like a ship? While I have opted to go one route, I am really not completely convinced one way or the other.

26a   Follower of post-punk style // obtained heroin initially (4)

Goth[5] is a style of rock music derived from punk, typically with apocalyptic or mystical lyrics.

27a   Mark a point with sharp // beaks (10)

"mark" = M (show explanation )

M[10] is the symbol for mark(s).

Until the introduction of the euro in 2002, the mark[5] (also called Deutschmark[5] or Deutsche Mark [from German deutsche Mark 'German mark']) was the basic monetary unit of Germany, equal to 100 pfennig Germany spent billions of marks to save the French franc from speculators.

hide explanation

Sharp[10] is used in the sense of mentally acute; clever; astute.

Racy[10] is used in the sense (said of a person's manner, literary style, etc) of having a distinctively lively and spirited quality; fresh.



Beak[2] is dated British slang for a headmaster, judge or magistrate.

Magistracy[5] is the office or authority of a magistrate. The magistracy denotes magistrates collectively the problem is to persuade both their supporters and the judiciary and magistracy.

28a   Unusual // alternative forms of sun god (4)

In Egyptian mythology, Ra[5] (alternative spelling Re) is the sun god, the supreme Egyptian deity, worshipped as the creator of all life and typically portrayed with a falcon’s head bearing the solar disc. From earliest times he was associated with the pharaoh.

29a   Person handling money /could make/ fortune returning wad of notes (10)

The Chancellor of the Exchequer[5] (Chancellor[5] for short) is the chief finance minister of the United Kingdom, who prepares the nation’s annual budgets — a counterpart to the Minister of Finance in Canada or the Secretary of the Treasury in the US.

The Tale Behind the Picture
On Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Big Dave illustrates his hint with a photo of Philip Hammond[5], the current Chancellor of the Exchequer in the British cabinet.

Down

1d   Stupid // daughter getting behind (4)

Daft[5] is an informal British term meaning silly or foolish ⇒ don't ask such daft questions.

Aft[5] is an originally nautical term denoting at, near, or towards the stern of a ship or tail of an aircraft (i) Travis made his way aft; (ii) the aft cargo compartment.

2d   Major // port in south-east America (7)

Rio de Janeiro[5] (commonly known as Rio) is a city in eastern Brazil, on the Atlantic coast. The chief port of Brazil, it was the country’s capital from 1763 until 1960, when it was replaced by Brasilia.

3d   I ran sole army mobile // military unit (5,7)

The Royal Marines[5] (abbreviation RM)[5] is a British armed service (part of the Royal Navy) founded in 1664, trained for service at sea, or on land under specific circumstances.

4d   Bites uppish friend // in the back (8)

5d   Cleansing procedures // adopted by hygiene master (6)

Scratching the Surface
I wondered what a "hygiene master" might be. However, a quick Google search reveals that one can earn masters degrees in fields such as Food Hygiene, Occupational Hygiene, and Occupational and Environmental Hygiene.

7d   Word /in/ email regularly seen in plain language (7)

8d   It gets confused with talented // amateur (10)

11d   Mozart work // aunt is playing with octet around France (4,3,5)

"France" = F (show explanation

The International Vehicle Registration (IVR) code for France is F[5] (seen on the left hand side of the licence plate in the photo).

hide explanation



Così fan tutte, ossia La scuola degli amanti (All Women Do It, or The School for Lovers)[7] is an Italian-language opera buffa* by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart first performed in 1790 at the Burgtheater in Vienna, Austria.

* An opera buffa[5] is a comic opera (usually in Italian), especially one with characters drawn from everyday life.

14d   Cowboy // comfortable coming up with delay (10)

The Tale Behind the Picture
On Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Big Dave illustrates his hint with a photo of Clint Eastwood in the role of "Blondie" (a.k.a. the Man with No Name) from Sergio Leone's 1966 Italian epic Spaghetti Western The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly[7].

17d   Conflict /is/ right in novels (8)

19d   Roll filled with old // poultry? (7)

21d   Set up // where horse might be at start of race (7)

Stall[5] is used in the sense of a cage-like compartment in which a horse is held immediately prior to the start of a race.

22d   Opening // note penned by German composer (6)

In tonic sol-fa notation, re* is a US or variant British spelling* of the second note of a major scale.

* The only recognized spelling in American Dictionaries is re[3,6,11] while most British dictionaries show re[2,4,5,10] as a variant spelling of ray[2,4,5,10]. The Chambers Dictionary takes a different approach, showing the spelling as "re (also anglicized in spelling as ray)"[1].

Johann Sebastian Bach[5] (1685–1750) was a German composer. An exceptional and prolific baroque composer, he produced a massive body of work — not to mention twenty children. (show more )

Bach produced works ranging from violin concertos, suites, and the six Brandenburg Concertos (1720–1) to clavier works and sacred cantatas. Large-scale choral works include The Passion according to St John (1723), The Passion according to St Matthew (1729), and the Mass in B minor (1733–8). He had twenty children: Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714–88) wrote church music, keyboard sonatas, and a celebrated treatise on clavier playing, and Johann Christian Bach (1735–82) became music master to the British royal family and composed thirteen operas.

hide

25d   Doctor embracing the old? // One adds colour (4)

Ye[5] is a pseudo-archaic term for theYe Olde Cock Tavern. The character "y" in this word was originally not the letter "y" in the modern English alphabet but a variant representation of the Old English and Icelandic letter thorn (þ or Þ). (show more )

The word 'ye' in this sense was originally a graphic variant of 'the' rather than an alternative spelling.

Thorn[5] is an Old English and Icelandic runic letter, þ or Þ, representing the dental fricatives /ð/ and /θ/. It was eventually superseded by the digraph th — and thus þe (the old spelling of 'the') became the modern spelling 'the'. 

In late Middle English þ (thorn) came to be written identically with y, so that þe (the) could be written ye. This spelling (usually ye*) was kept as a convenient abbreviation in handwriting down to the 19th century, and in printers' types during the 15th and 16th centuries. It was never pronounced as ‘ye’ in the past, but this is the pronunciation used today.

* I interpret the phrase "usually ye" to mean that the word was customarily not capitalized because the character "y" is not being used to represent the letter "y" in the modern English alphabet but rather as a graphic variant of thorn. Thus, in bygone days, the name of the drinking establishment above would presumably have been written ye Olde Cock Tavern.

hide
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

Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Tuesday, October 30, 2018 — DT 28760

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 28760
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Friday, June 8, 2018
Setter
Giovanni (Don Manley)
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28760]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
2Kiwis subbing for Deep Threat
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

Introduction

I found this puzzle quite challenging and completed most of it over several sessions, eking out the solutions to a few more clues at each sitting. Eventually it defeated me by running out the clock.

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*)

* num = numeration

Explanations pertaining to the wordplay (or first definition in a double definition)

(Horizontal separator)


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

7a   Dispute by river // somewhere in France (8)

The Cam[10] is a river in eastern England, in Cambridgeshire, flowing through Cambridge to the Great Ouse* (river). Length: about 64 km (40 miles).

* The Great Ouse[5] (which flows through East Anglia) is not to be confused with the River Ouse[5] in Yorkshire or the River Ouse[5] in Sussex — and certainly not with the Little Ouse[5], a river of East Anglia, which forms a tributary of the Great Ouse.



The Camargue[5] is a region of the Rhône delta in south-eastern France, characterized by numerous shallow salt lagoons. The region is known for its white horses and as a nature reserve.

9a   Excellent band // broadcasting (6)

"excellent" = AI (show explanation )

A1[4][5] or A-one[3] meaning first class or excellent comes from a classification for ships in The Lloyd's Register of Shipping where it means equipped to the highest standard or first-class.

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10a   Sort of test taken by that female // who has given birth? (6)

In the UK, MOT[5] (also MOT test) refers a compulsory annual test for safety and exhaust emissions of motor vehicles of more than a specified age. It is an abbreviation of Ministry of Transport, which introduced the original test.

11a   A new job (not exciting one) daughter // secured (8)

12a   Tense? // Things will never get better! (7,7)

The second "definition" is a literal interpretation of the solution.

15a   A very old wife /making one/ swear (4)

17a   Just // fine (5)

Fine[5] is used in the sense of good or satisfactory.

As the solution to the second definition, right[5] denotes in a satisfactory, sound, or normal state or condition ⇒ God's in his Heaven/All's right with the world [Robert Browning] — oh, if it were only so!.

19a   Untruth provided by female // willingly (4)

Lief[5] (used in the expression as lief) is an archaic term meaning happily or gladly ⇒ he would just as lief eat a pincushion.

20a   Lecturer as host, awfully // sweet (9,5)

Sweet[5] is a British term for a sweet dish forming a course of a meal; in other words, a dessert.

Charlotte russe[5] is a dessert consisting of custard enclosed in sponge cake or a casing of sponge fingers.

23a   I act with Tory somehow /to expose/ this cruelty (8)

25a   African country entertaining graduate /in/ Caribbean territory (6)

Togo[5] (official name Togolese Republic) is a country in West Africa with a short coastline on the Gulf of Guinea.  (show more )

The region formerly known as Togoland lay between the military powers of Ashanti and Dahomey and became a centre of the slave trade. It was annexed by Germany in 1884 and divided between France and Britain after the First World War. The western, British section joined Ghana on the latter’s independence (1957). The remainder, administered by France under a UN mandate after the Second World War, became an independent republic with the name Togo in 1960.

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Tobago is one of two islands off the northeastern coast of Venezuela that together comprise the country of Trinidad and Tobago[5] (show more ).

Much the larger of the two islands is Trinidad, with Tobago to the north-east. Trinidad, inhabited by Arawaks, was visited by Columbus in 1498 and settled by the Spanish; Tobago, occupied by Caribs, was colonized by the French and later the British in the 18th century. Trinidad became British during the Napoleonic Wars and was formally amalgamated with Tobago as a Crown Colony in 1888. Trinidad and Tobago became an independent member state of the Commonwealth in 1962 and finally a republic in 1976.

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27a   Part of the meal // lacking refinement reportedly (6)

28a   Tot restricted by grown-ups, little boy // exasperated (8)

Down

1d   PM gets round // part of Ireland (4)

Theresa May[7] is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party, having served as both since July 2016. She is the second female Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader in the UK after Margaret Thatcher.



Mayo[5] is a county in the Republic of Ireland, in the north-west in the province of Connacht.

2d   House with crazy exterior /is/ let-down (6)

"house" = HO (show explanation )

Although not found in most of the dictionaries I consulted, ho.[10] is the abbreviation for house.

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Bathos[5] is (especially in a literary work) an effect of anticlimax created by an unintentional lapse in mood from the sublime to the trivial or ridiculous (i) his epic poem has passages of almost embarrassing bathos; (ii) a nice balance between the colloquial, which might have led to bathos, and an over-polished style.

3d   Woman // offering half-truth (4)

4d   Performer /in/ political party introduced by the German (6)

In Comment #32 on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Whybird observes I think 4d doesn’t work. Introduced by is not the same as introduced to, which is what the answer seems to require.

Introduce[5] is used in the sense of insert or bring into something a device which introduces chlorine into the pool automatically.

Although not explicitly stated, one must infer that the German article introduces the political party into itself (i.e., into the article).

The African National Congress[5] (abbreviation ANC) is a South African political party and black nationalist organization. (show more )

Having been banned by the South African government 1960–90, the ANC was victorious in the country’s first democratic elections in 1994 and its leader Nelson Mandela became the country’s President.

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"the German" = DER (show explanation )

In German, der[8] is one of the several forms that the definite article may assume.

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5d   Wild boar (honest!) // living among the trees (8)

"Honest" as in  not fake news, just the honest truth.

6d   Woman from the past /in/ an Anglican church leading to tension (10)

"church" = CE (show explanation )

The Church of England[10] (abbreviation CE[10]) is the reformed established state Church in England, Catholic in order and basic doctrine, with the Sovereign as its temporal head.

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8d   Detective writer -- // one who knows about plots, it's said? (7)

Erle Stanley Gardner[7] (1889–1970) was an American lawyer and author who is known for the Perry Mason series of detective stories.

13d   A victor, one involved /in/ act of annulment (10)

14d   Live in squalid conditions /as/ American soldier in hole (3,2)

"American soldier" = GI (show explanation )

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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Pig it[5] is an informal expression meaning to crowd together with other people in disorderly or dirty conditions he didn't approve of the proposal to pig it in the studio.

16d   Arms // tired, having carried piano on (8)

"piano" = P (show explanation )

Piano[3,5] (abbreviation p[5]), is a musical direction meaning either (as an adjective) soft or quiet or (as an adverb) softly or quietly.

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18d   Disquiet ultimately about a delinquent youth // given indulgence (7)

Ted[2] is short for Teddy boy[5], a slang term originally applied to a young man belonging to a subculture in 1950s Britain characterized by a style of dress based on Edwardian fashion (typically with drainpipe trousers, bootlace tie, and hair slicked up in a quiff* and a liking for rock-and-roll music.The name comes from from Teddy, pet form of the given name Edward (with reference to Edward VII's reign). Judging by the entry in the Chambers 21st Century Dictionary, it would appear that the term Teddy boy[2] is now applied to any unruly or rowdy adolescent male.

* Quiff[3,4] is a chiefly British term for a prominent tuft of hair, especially one brushed up above the forehead.

21d   Characters with questionable identity /in/ Dutch city (6)

Leiden[5] (also Leyden) is a city in the west Netherlands, 15 km (9 miles) north-east of The Hague. It is the site of the country's oldest university, founded in 1575.

22d   Cheap meat for a 'hearty' meal? (6)

I see this clue as a cryptic definition having an embedded precise definition. The portion of the clue following the precise definition provides cryptic elaboration concerning the nature of the somewhat general "precise definition".

Umbles[5] is a variant spelling of numbles[5], an archaic term for the entrails of an animal, especially a deer, as used for food.

Eating 'umble pie
The listing for umbles[5] in Oxford Dictionaries Online refers one to the entry for eat humble pie[5]. In a comment on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Gazza also alludes to a connection between the two, saying the phrase ‘to eat humble pie’ ... is a pun based on 22d.

While the entry for "eat humble pie" in Oxford Dictionaries Online does not elaborate on the connection with umbles, I suspect that the association may relate to the phrase "eat humble pie" being pronounced in various parts of England as "eat 'umble pie".

24d   Vegetables /in/ start of summer month shooting up (4)

The Story Behind the Picture
If the photo used by the 2Kiwis to illustrate their review does not look familiar, it is because we have been instilled with the US vision of the yam.

A yam[5] is the starchy tuber, eaten as a vegetable,  of of various twining plants of the genus Dioscorea, of tropical and subtropical regions. In the southern US, yam[5] is also a name used for certain large varieties of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas).

26d   Energetic person /in/ game, top lady (4)

Go is played on a grid of black lines
(usually 19×19). Game pieces, called stones,
are played on the lines' intersections.
Go[7] is an abstract strategy board game for two players, in which the aim is to surround more territory than the opponent. The game was invented in China more than 2,500 years ago and is believed to be the oldest board game continuously played to the present day. From China the game spread, first to Korea and Japan, and eventually worldwide. Despite its relatively simple rules, Go is very complex. Compared to chess, Go has both a larger board with more scope for play and longer games, and, on average, many more alternatives to consider per move. In a simple and anecdotal way of explaining the rules of Go, a teacher simply says to a student "you may place your stone (playing piece) on any point on the board, but if I surround that stone, I may remove it." The name Go is derived from the Japanese name of the  game "igo".

"top lady" "the 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.

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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

Monday, October 29, 2018

Monday, October 29, 2018 — DT 28759 (Published Saturday, October 27, 2018)

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 28759
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Thursday, June 7, 2018
Setter
Unknown
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28759]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
pommers
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

Introduction

Well, this puzzle certainly got the Brits up on their high horses! The non-rhotic homophone — not to mention the Spoonerism — really set them off. I have heard said that there are some fifty or more regional dialects in the UK — not to mention class-based dialects. It's no wonder they can't agree on what sounds like what. I had to laugh at the comment from HoofItYouDonkey in the discussion of whether the Rs are pronounced in the word "darter" when he says "Where I come from it hasn’t even got a ‘t’ in it!!".

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*)

* num = numeration

Explanations pertaining to the wordplay (or first definition in a double definition)

(Horizontal separator)


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   First sign of contentment, marital partner /getting/ plump (6)

4a   Stopped // benefit coming into home (6)

In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, pommers questions the use of the word "benefit". I see use[5] as being used in the sense of a purpose for or way in which something can be used the herb has various culinary uses. Should that option not be convincing, use[5] is also a historic legal term denoting the benefit or profit of lands, especially lands that are in the possession of another who holds them solely for the beneficiary.

8a   Means of paying // Spooner's frosty captor (4,4)

The Rev. W. A. Spooner has bequeathed to us the name for an oft-encountered slip of the tongue. (show more )

A spoonerism[5] is a verbal error in which a speaker accidentally transposes the initial sounds or letters of two or more words, often to humorous effect, as in the sentence you have hissed the mystery lectures. It is named after the Reverend W. A. Spooner (1844–1930), an English scholar who reputedly made such errors in speaking.

Spooner held a Doctor of Divinity degree and thus was entitled to be called Dr. Spooner. 

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What did he say?
In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, pommers writes the second part [of the Spoonerism] isn’t a real word but a homophone with no indication.  I dislike Spooner clues in general and especially ones where they include bits that aren’t real words..
I would say that the term "Spoonerism" is in and of itself a homophone indicator. Surely "Spooner's frosty captor" denotes "sounds like frosty captor" with the added constraint pertaining to the interchange of the initial letters. After all, Rev. Spooner made these errors when speaking — not when writing.

10a   Return your dreadful // uniform (6)

Yes, yr[5] is a recognized abbreviation for 'your'.



Livery[5] is a special uniform worn by a servant, an official, or a member of a City Company*(i) yeomen of the guard wearing a royal red and gold livery; (ii) pageboys in scarlet and green livery.

* City Company[5] is a British term for a corporation descended from an ancient trade guild of London.

11a   Ladies' man // rejecting 50% of people at university? (4)

12a   Ignored // cut in price (10)

13a   Kitchen appliance // beginning to rattle inside, fear griddle's defective (6,6)

In his review, pommers asks ⇒ Does anyone actually use this term for a fridge without an icebox?. Certainly, the term appears to be used by very few dictionary editors as I found it in only one dictionary, that being The Chambers Dictionary.

A larder fridge[1] is a type of refrigerator without a freezer compartment.

16a   French city by Rhone is desperate /for/ churchgoers (12)

Scratching the Surface
The Rhône[5] is a river in southwestern Europe which rises in the Swiss Alps and flows 812 km (505 miles), through Lake Geneva into France, then to Lyons, Avignon, and the Mediterranean west of Marseilles, where it forms a wide delta that includes the Camargue.

20a   Attempt to resolve dispute about Charlie/'s/ treatment (10)

Charlie[5] is a code word representing the letter C, used in radio communication.

21a   That's reflected in heart of benevolent characters (4)

The entire clue is both wordplay and definition.

22a   Cook // endless seabird stew (6)

23a   Sound from turkey // eating (8)

24a   Reserved a little // fairground stall in school holidays, initially (6)

Shy[2] is another term for coconut shy[2,5], a British term for a fairground stall where people throw* balls at coconuts to try to knock them off stands and thereby win a prize.

* Shy[5] is a dated term meaning:
  • (noun) an act of flinging or throwing something at a target
  • (verb) to fling or throw (something) at a target ⇒ he tore the spectacles off and shied them at her
25a   Liberate // secure complex (6)

Down

1d   Ordered raincoat /from/ European country (8)

Croatia[5] is a country in south-eastern Europe, formerly a constituent republic of Yugoslavia.
 (show more )

Apart from a period of Turkish rule in the 16th–17th centuries, Croatia largely remained linked with Hungary until 1918, when it joined the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (later Yugoslavia). After a period in the Second World War as a Nazi puppet state (1941–5), Croatia became part of Yugoslavia once more and remained a constituent republic until it declared itself independent in 1991. The secession of Croatia led to war between Croats and the Serb minority, and with Serbia; a ceasefire was called in 1992. Croatia joined the EU in 2013.

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2d   Revoked // some sound ideas (5)

3d   Split in fabric underneath black // bag (7)

In Britain, ladder[5] denotes:
  • (noun) a vertical strip of unravelled fabric in tights or stockings ⇒ one of Sally’s stockings developed a ladder
  • (verb) with reference to tights or stockings,  to develop or cause to develop a ladder ⇒ (i) her tights were always laddered; (ii) they laddered the minute I put them on
"black" = B (show explanation )

B[5] is an abbreviation for black used in describing grades of pencil lead 2B pencils.

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5d   Nobody is in the dark // totally (3,4)

The first definition is a literal interpretation of the expression denoted by the second definition.

You may recall from the review of DT 28756 (which appeared in the National Post last Wednesday) that all told denotes 'all counted' (show more ).

In the expression "all told", the word "told" has nothing to do with the recounting of a story.

Tell[3,5,11] is an archaic term meaning to enumerate or count (the members of a group) ⇒ (i) the shepherd had told all his sheep; (ii) telling one's blessings; (iii) 16 windows, all toldTell[10] can also mean to count (votes), especially in a parliament.
This is also almost certainly the sense of the word which gives rise to the term teller[5], a person employed to deal with customers' transactions in a bank [in other words, someone who counts money].

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6d   Figure // observed boxing tournament, perhaps (9)

7d   Some people's statistics reported /for/ diving bird (6)

The word 'darter' , when pronounced in a non-rhotic (show explanation ) accent typical of dialects found in many parts of Britain (especially southeastern England), sounds like an alternative pronunciation of the word 'data' (a pronunciation which The Chambers Dictionary characterizes as US or technical English).

Non-rhotic accents omit the sound < r > in certain situations, while rhotic accents generally pronounce < r > in all contexts. Among the several dozen British English accents which exist, many are non-rhotic while American English (US and Canadian) is mainly rhotic. This is, however, a generalisation, as there are areas of Britain that are rhotic, and areas of America that are non-rhotic. For more information, see this guide to pronouncing < r > in British English.

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This homophone is even more challenging than usual for those of us with rhotic accents as there are two Rs which must be dropped.

The setter specifies "some people's statistics" as there are two pronunciations for the word 'data' (the principal British one being ).

In his review, pommers asks Is this the worst homophone ever?. Despite his misgivings, the pronunciation of 'darter' and the alternative pronunciation of 'data' are so similar that Collins English Dictionary actually uses a sound file for the word 'darter' to provide the alternative pronunciation of the word 'data'.



A darter[5] (also called anhinga or snakebird) is a long-necked fish-eating bird related to the cormorants, typically found in fresh water, where they frequently swim submerged to the neck.

9d   Deplorable // grids in sets to be reworked (11)

14d   Treachery // of the French place, far from warm welcoming in Italian (9)

In French, when the masculine singular definite article le[8] ('the') follows the preposition de[8] ('of'), the combination is replace by du[8] ('of the').

Pl.[5] (also pl.) is the abbreviation for Place (in street addresses) ⇒ 3 Palmerston Pl., Edinburgh.

"Italian" = IT, in reference to either the language or the vermouth (show explanation )

This cluing might be explained in a couple of ways:
  • It.[10] is an abbreviation for Italy or Italian [language].

  • Italian[10] is another name for Italian vermouth. It[5] is a dated informal British term for Italian vermouth ⇒ he poured a gin and it.
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15d   Royal holding nothing against // region (8)

17d   People like you // are composed, I'd be cross now and then (7)

18d   Worthless // cast in Globe (7)

Scratching the Surface
The Globe Theatre[7] was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men and was destroyed by fire in 1613. A second Globe Theatre was built on the same site by June 1614 and closed by Ordinance in 1642*. A modern reconstruction of the Globe, named "Shakespeare's Globe", opened in 1997 approximately 750 feet (230 m) from the site of the original theatre.

* In September 1642 the Long Parliament ordered a closure of the London theatres. The order cited the current "times of humiliation" and their incompatibility with "public stage-plays", representative of "lascivious Mirth and Levity". The ban, which was not completely effective, was reinforced by an Act of 11 February 1648. It provided for the treatment of actors as rogues, the demolition of theatre seating, and fines for spectators. In 1660, after the English Restoration brought King Charles II to effective power in England, the theatrical ban was lifted.

19d   Gentleman with teaching qualification -- flipping // rubbish (6)

A Bachelor of Education[7] (B.Ed.) is an undergraduate professional degree which prepares students for work as a teacher in schools, though in some countries additional work must be done in order for the student to be fully qualified to teach.

Rubbish[5] is a British* term for waste material, refuse, or litter — what North Americans would refer to as garbage**[5] or trash**[5].

* Oxford Dictionaries considers the word rubbish[5] (in all senses) to be British — despite it not being characterized as such by American dictionaries. I would think that, as a noun, the word has long ago become accepted in North America. That is not the case, however, when used as an adjective or verb.
**  From a British perspective, both garbage[5] and trash[5] are North American terms — but apparently ones (at least, in the case of trash) well-known to Brits.

21d   Shout about one climbing // tree (5)
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