Monday, Octobber 1, 2018 — DT 28739 (Published Saturday, September 29, 2018)

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28739
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Tuesday, May 15, 2018
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28739]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Mr K
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★★	Enjoyment - ★★★
Falcon's Experience ┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐ ███████████████████████████████████ └────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘ Legend: █ - solved without assistance █ - incorrect prior to use of puzzle solving tools █ - solved with assistance from puzzle solving tools █ - solved with aid of checking letters provided by puzzle solving tools █ - solved but without fully parsing the clue █ - unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Big Dave's Crossword Blog █ - solved with aid of checking letters provided by solutions from Big Dave's Crossword Blog █ - reviewed by Falcon for Big Dave's Crossword Blog █ - yet to be solved
Notes
This puzzle appears on the Monday Diversions page in the Saturday, September 29, 2018 edition of the National Post.

Introduction

Another not overly difficult puzzle but with a few Briticisms that could certainly be tricky if one hasn't encountered them before — or doesn't remember having encountered them before.

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   Flag held by Communist // no longer in position? (7)

5a   Work attitude by daughter /is/ resisted (7)

"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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9a   Queen caught in fraudulent scheme? // Get away! (5)

"Queen" = R (show explanation )

Queen may be abbreviated as Q, Qu. or R.

Q^[5] is an abbreviation for queen that is used especially in describing play in card games and recording moves in chess.

Qu.^[2] is another common abbreviation for Queen.

In the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms^*, Regina^[5] (abbreviation R^[5]) [Latin for queen] denotes the reigning queen, used following a name (e.g. Elizabetha Regina, Queen Elizabeth) or in the titles of lawsuits (e.g. Regina v. Jones, the Crown versus Jones — often shortened to R. v. Jones).

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^* A Commonwealth realm^[7] is a sovereign state that is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and shares the same person, currently Elizabeth II, as its head of state and reigning constitutional monarch, but retains a crown legally distinct from the other realms. There are currently sixteen Commonwealth realms, the largest being Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom with the remainder being smaller Caribbean and Pacific island nations.

Thus Queen Elizabeth signs her name as 'Elizabeth R' as seen here on Canada's paint-stained constitution.

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10a   Cleric with debts // derived through the experience of others (9)

A vicar^[5] is a member of the clergy, although the meaning of the term varies among religious denominations (show more ).

The term vicar may mean:

• in the the Church of England, an incumbent of a parish where tithes formerly passed to a chapter or religious house or layman;
• in other Anglican Churches, a member of the clergy deputizing for another;
• in the Roman Catholic Church, a representative or deputy of a bishop;
• in the US Episcopal Church, a clergyman in charge of a chapel;
• a cleric or choir member appointed to sing certain parts of a cathedral service.

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11a   Doctor ambles; she is avoiding hospital // gatherings (10)

12a   A female pair oddly picked out /from/ a distance (4)

Take your pick. On the one hand, you can parse the clue as Mr K has done on Big Dave's Crossword Blog where afar^[10] is an adverb meaning at, from, or to a great distance ⇒ they travelled afar. On the other hand, you can parse the clue as I have done above where afar^[10] is a noun meaning a great distance (especially in the phrase from afar).

14a   That man consumed by nerves lets drunk /in/ at all events (12)

At all events is an alternative way of saying in any event^[5] denoting whatever happens or may have happened ⇒ in any event, I was not in a position to undertake such a task.

18a   Dense // pupil should have done this in class (12)

21a   Old chest goes over // lady's fingers (4)

An ark^[5] is a chest^* or cupboard housing the Torah scrolls in a synagogue.

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^* The Ark of the Covenant^[5] (also Ark of the Testimony) is the wooden chest which contained the tablets of the laws of the ancient Israelites. Carried by the Israelites on their wanderings in the wilderness, it was later placed by Solomon in the Temple at Jerusalem.

Lady's finger^[1,2,4,5,10], lady's fingers^[1] (or ladies' fingers^[4,5,10]) is another name [seemingly British] for okra (or gumbo, as it is known in the US).

22a   Has replied obliquely? /It's/ what we expect from PM (10)

25a   Surprise /from/ a labyrinth meant adult is lost (9)

"adult" = A (show explanation )

The A (Adult) certificate is a former film certificate^[7] issued by the British Board of Film Classification. This certificate existed in various forms from 1912 to 1985, when it was replaced by the PG (Parental Guidance) certificate. [Despite its demise in the real world, it continues to find widespread use in Crosswordland.]

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26a   Weapon that shocks criminals? (5)

27a   Set // views (7)

28a   Animal skin not in // hole (7)

The solution is a place where one might hole up.

Down

1d   In character, a scallywag? (6)

This is an &lit. clue^[7] (or, as some prefer to call it, an all-in-one clue). The entire clue is both wordplay and definition. In the wordplay, the word "in" indicates that the solution is hidden in the final three words of the clue. As for the definition, the solution is someone with a scallywag-like character.

2d   Husband interrupts rubbish // party (6)

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

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^* 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 the word has long ago become accepted in North America.
^**  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.

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Thrash^[5] is an informal British term for a party, especially a loud or lavish one ⇒ Henry's charity ball had been one hell of a thrash.

3d   Thought of // politician sitting in grass (10)

"politician" = member (show explanation )

In Britain (as in Canada), a politician elected to the House of Commons is known as a Member of Parliament^[10] (abbreviation MP^[5]) or, informally, as a member^[5].

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4d   Monster // was upset (5)

5d   Pit crew perhaps // fixing car and others (9)

6d   Father about /to get/ cut off (4)

7d   Without punishment, // MacDonald maybe joins Frank (4-4)

8d   Harrow // uniform is tight at first on the inside (8)

Scratching the Surface

Harrow School[5] (informally Harrow) is a boys' public* school in northwest London, founded under Queen Elizabeth I in 1571. * although North Americans would consider it to be a private school (show more ) In Britain, an independent school[10] is a school that is neither financed nor controlled by the government or local authorities; in other words, an independent school[2] is not paid for with public money and does not belong to the state school system. In Britain, a public school[2] is a particular category of independent school, namely a secondary school, especially a boarding school, run independently of the state and financed by a combination of endowments and pupils' fees. Another category of independent school is the private school[2,5] which is a school run independently by an individual or group, especially for profit and supported wholly by the payment of fees. What we in North America would call a public school[2], is known in the UK as a state school[5] or a maintained school*. * In England and Wales, a maintained school[5] is a school that is funded by a local education authority. hide

13d   Noted // Conservative bet leader changes (10)

"Conservative" = C (show explanation )

The abbreviation for Conservative may be either C.^[10] or Con.^[10].

The Conservative Party^[5] is a a major British political party that emerged from the old Tory Party^* under Sir Robert Peel in the 1830s and 1840s. Since the Second World War, it has been in power 1951–64, 1970-74, and 1979–97. It governed in a coalition with the Liberal Democrats from 2010 until the general election of May 2015, in which it was returned with a majority.

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^* Historically, a Tory^[10] was a member of the English political party that opposed the exclusion of James, Duke of York from the royal succession (1679–80). Tory remained the label for subsequent major conservative interests until they gave birth to the Conservative Party in the 1830s.

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15d   Former lover half-trembled in front of city, // fearfully (9)

Ely^[5] (pronounced EE-lee) is a cathedral city in the fenland of Cambridgeshire, eastern England, on the River Ouse.

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Fearfully^[5] is used in the sense of dreadfully or extremely ⇒ she was fearfully worried for the welfare of her family.

16d   Coat, bras, pants, // jumpers? (8)

As an anagram indicator, pants^[5] is used in an informal British sense meaning rubbish or nonsense ⇒ he thought we were going to be absolute pants.

What are you wearing?

A British girl wearing pants and a jumper would be attired quite differently than an American girl wearing pants and a jumper: In British English, pants[a] are a piece of clothing worn by men, women, or children under their other clothes — in other words, underwear. Men's pants are sometimes referred to as underpants. Women's pants are sometimes referred to as panties or knickers. In American English, a piece of clothing like this for men is usually referred to as shorts or underpants. For women, they are usually called panties. In American English, the word pants is used to refer to men's or women's trousers. In Britain, a jumper[5] is a knitted garment typically with long sleeves, worn over the upper body (in North American parlance, a sweater — in particular, a pullover). The dress that we in North America call a jumper is known to the Brits as a pinafore[5] (a collarless sleeveless dress worn over a blouse or [British] jumper [i.e., North American sweater]). [a] Collins COBUILD English Usage

17d   Climb // in groove (8)

19d   Drug-free treatment for athlete's foot? (6)

Here, "athlete's foot" is not a medical condition but merely the foot of an athlete.

20d   Drink // bottle (6)

Bottle^[5] is an informal British term denoting the courage or confidence needed to do something difficult or dangerous ⇒ I lost my bottle completely and ran.

23d   Ultimately good dog losing its head? // Ha- ha! (5)

A ha-ha^[5] is a ditch with a wall on its inner side below ground level, forming a boundary to a park or garden without interrupting the view.

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Origin: Early 18th century: from French, said to be from the cry of surprise on suddenly encountering such an obstacle.

24d   Hand over // stone, we're told (4)

A stone^[5] is a hard seed in a cherry, plum, peach, and some other fruits.

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