Friday, October 5, 2018 — DT 28743

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28743
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Saturday, May 19, 2018
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28743 – Hints] Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28743 – Review]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By crypticsue (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

I found today's puzzle to be a very enjoyable exercise. The puzzle appeared in the UK on the day that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle tied the knot and many of those commenting on Big Dave's Crossword Blog were deeply engrossed in the event. However, after one writer reported (seemingly inadvertently) that his wife "wanted to watch them arriving for the weeding", many others suddenly realized that their gardens needed attention.

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   Did press // find Ecstasy in psychedelic drug? (5)

"Ecstasy" = E (show explanation )

E^[5] is an abbreviation for the drug Ecstasy^* or a tablet of Ecstasy ⇒ (i) people have died after taking E; (ii) being busted with three Es can lead to stiff penalties.

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^* Ecstasy^[5] is an illegal amphetamine-based synthetic drug with euphoric effects, originally produced as an appetite suppressant. Also called MDMA (Methylenedioxymethamphetamine).

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4a   Tired /of/ former partner and husband, a cast-off that gets time inside (9)

9a   Soil dug up at No.1 turned over /for/ quarantine (9)

10a   Church suffering // freeze (5)

11a   Eastern Times colour covers cold /and/ obsolete (7)

What did she say?

In her review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, crypticsue refers to X as times in ‘sums’. A sum[3,5,11] is an arithmetical problem, especially at an elementary level ⇒ (i) we did sums at school, Mummy; (ii) do your sums, then the shock will not be too great. Thus — in addition to additions — sums include subtractions, multiplications, and divisions. I expected this to be a British expression but was surprised to discover this meaning to be also present in US dictionaries.

Scratching the Surface
The Eastern Times[7] is likely just a convenient invention of the setter, although a newspaper by that name is apparently published in Malaysia.

12a   Getting free small // amount in the bank? (7)

I had to think long and hard to justify the wordplay here. However, I guess "getting (someone) free (from some predicament)" does amount to "saving (someone from some predicament)".

13a   Capsized ship that's trapped way down /in/ rushes (6)

"ship" = SS (show explanation )

In Crosswordland, a ship is almost invariably a steamship, the abbreviation for which is SS^[5] ⇒ the SS Canberra.

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15a   What goes up when it's coming down? (8)

This cryptic definition alludes to a remark such as It's really coming down out there that might be uttered by someone ducking into a shop to avoid a sudden downpour.

18a   Something to soothe hosts about // film's being shot here? (8)

20a   Fail to win in court // in which one's real identity is hidden (6)

"court" = CT (show explanation )

Ct^[2] is the abbreviation for Court in street addresses — and possibly in other contexts as well.

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23a   What links 'Only Sixteen' and 'When I'm Sixty-Four', /and/ who likes them? (7)

23a   What links 'Only Sixteen' and 'When I'm Sixty-Four', /and/ who likes them? (7)

I would say the first part of the clue is a cryptic definition that one is to interpret as meaning "What do sixteen and sixty-four have in common".

While either "ME" or "I DO" answered the question, neither filled the grid. Then I realized what the setter thinks of my musical tastes. I suppose the question mark at the end indicates that the conclusion is open to debate.

"Only Sixteen"^[7] is a song by American singer-songwriter Sam Cooke, released in May 1959.

"When I'm Sixty-Four"^[7] is a song by the Beatles, written by Paul McCartney (credited to Lennon–McCartney) and released in 1967 on their album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Here and There
In her hints on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, crypticsue writes this clue actually relates to what the numbers 16 and 64 represent in maths. In Britain, the short form for mathematics is maths[5] ⇒ her mother was a maths teacher, rather than math[5] as is the case in North America ⇒ she teaches math and science.

24a   Othello overthrown after plot /in/ pillow-talk scene (7)

Othello^[7] is the title character in The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice (c. 1601–1604), a tragedy by English playwright William Shakespeare.

Delving Deeper

This tightly constructed work revolves around four central characters: Othello, a Moorish general in the Venetian army; his beloved wife, Desdemona; his loyal lieutenant, Cassio; and his trusted but ultimately unfaithful ensign, Iago. Othello is a brave and competent soldier of advanced years and Moorish background in the service of the Venetian Republic. He elopes with Desdemona, the beautiful daughter of a respected Venetian senator. After being deployed to Cyprus, Othello is manipulated by Iago into believing Desdemona is an adulteress. Othello murders her and, upon discovering Iago's deceit, kills himself.

26a   Run /as/ one in crowd scene (5)

In cricket, an extra^[5] is a run scored other than from a hit with the bat, credited (in most cases) to the batting side rather than to a batsman. The types of extra^[7] are no ball, wide, bye, leg-bye, and penalty runs.

27a   A puzzle designed to throw out a // shock (9)

28a   Neglected // quartet reportedly arrived one short of a team (9)

As an example of "got" meaning "arrived" consider Due to the traffic, we got there late.

Eleven^[5] (often appearing as a Roman numeral XI) is the number of players in^* a cricket^[7] side [team] or an Association football^[7] [soccer] team — and is frequently used as a metonym for such a team ⇒ at cricket I played in the first eleven.

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

29a   Bear /in/ booth (5)

Down

1d   Cosmic, // like a little limerick apparently (9)

In the second definition, the setter whimsically supposes that if unilingual means having one language then it must logically follow that universal denotes having one verse.

2d   Army's joined with good // spirit (5)

"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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3d   Daughter stormed /and/ ran away ... (7)

4d   ... is // son covered in leaves? (6)

5d   Give a bit, /being/ generous (8)

6d   Having run foolishly around bay, // lay bare (7)

7d   Instruments // playing score for the listener with opinions (9)

"Playing score" is a cryptic reference to a score made when playing a sport.

In rugby, a try^[5] (also called touchdown^[5])  is an act of touching the ball down behind the opposing goal line, scoring points^* and entitling the scoring side to a kick at goal.

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^* generally five points but, in Rugby League, only four points^[10]

8d   Party's full of students -- // they have very small houses (5)

"student" = L (show explanation )

The cryptic crossword convention of L meaning learner or student arises from the L-plate^[7], a square plate bearing a sans-serif letter L, for learner, which must be affixed to the front and back of a vehicle in various jurisdictions (including the UK) if its driver is a learner under instruction.

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14d   Meet // where Cockneys buy chicken? (9)

Cockney's would drop their aitch and buy chickens at the 'en counter (show explanation ).

A cockney^[5,10] is a native of East London [specifically that part of East London known as the East End^[5]], traditionally one born within hearing of Bow Bells (the bells of St Mary-le-Bow^[7] church).

The cockney^[5] dialect is characterized by dropping the aitch (H) from the beginning of words as well as the use of rhyming slang^[5].

Rhyming slang^[5] is a type of slang that replaces words with rhyming words or phrases, typically with the rhyming element omitted. For example, butcher’s, short for butcher’s hook, means ‘look’ in cockney rhyming slang. 

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16d   Changing date to hold draw // was trying (9)

17d   Good person taken in by criminal with social worker/'s/ uniform (8)

"social worker" = ANT (show explanation )

The word "worker" and the phrase "social worker" are commonly used in cryptic crossword puzzles to clue ANT or BEE.

A worker^[5] is a neuter or undeveloped female bee, wasp, ant, or other social insect, large numbers of which do the basic work of the colony.

In crossword puzzles, "worker" will most frequently be used to clue ANT and occasionally BEE but I have yet to see it used to clue WASP. Of course, "worker" is sometimes also used to clue HAND or MAN.

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19d   Fuss with rent over the top -- // one gets the wind up (7)

It certainly didn't take long to come up with the solution to this clue. I merely have to walk a block to see the aftermath of one.

21d   Hose may run up them, // they run up hose (7)

Here and There
In Britain, a vertical strip of unravelled fabric in tights or stockings is known as a ladder[5] ⇒ one of Sally’s stockings developed a ladder. Coincidentally, the North American term is run[5] ⇒ she had a run in her nylons — a word that appears twice in the clue.

What are they talking about?

On Big Dave's Crossword Blog, jane comments (and Rabbit Dave appears to support her) that I do have a question mark over one of the definitions in 21d – surely an operator needs to be involved?. As I understand it, many ladder trucks would have a nozzle permanently mounted at the top fed by a telescoping pipe along the length of the ladder. So, in this case, there would be no need for a fire fighter to haul a hose up the ladder. In cases where a fire fighter might need to haul a hose up a ladder, once he (or she) has done so, the hose would certainly be said to run from the hydrant (or tank truck), across the ground, and up the ladder.

22d   Get // in boat at sea -- /and/ no bait prepared? (6)

This clue gives the solver three opportunities to find the solution — one precise definition and two instances of wordplay. The question mark alerts us to the fact that there is something a bit out of the ordinary in the clue.

23d   Quiet little gnome // works to be ranked on this (5)

The "works" here are of a literary nature.

25d   After work, time /for/ something dramatic? (5)

The "work" here is of a musical nature.

"work" = OP (show explanation )

In music, an opus^[5] (Latin 'work', plural opuses or opera) is a separate composition or set of compositions.

The abbreviation Op.^[5] (also op.), denoting opus, is used before a number given to each work of a particular composer, usually indicating the order of publication. The plural form of Op. is Opp..

Opus^[5] can also be used in a more general sense to mean an artistic work, especially one on a large scale ⇒ he was writing an opus on Mexico.

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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