Saturday, October 13, 2018 — Music, Music Everywhere

Introduction

Today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon covers a broad range of musical tastes. I did head down a couple of wrong paths where I managed to get myself mired.

I invite you to leave a comment to let us know how you fared with the puzzle.

Solution to Today's Puzzle

Falcon's Experience ┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐ ███████████████████████████████████ └────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘ Legend: █ - solved without assistance █ - incorrect prior to use of puzzle solving tools █ - solved with assistance from puzzle solving tools █ - solved with aid of checking letters provided by puzzle solving tools █ - solved but without fully parsing the clue █ - yet to be solved

Click here for an explanation of conventions and symbols used in explaining the parsing of clues.

The purpose of this article is to explain the conventions and symbols that I use on this blog in explaining the parsing of clues.

Legend: The following symbols are used in reviews: "*" anagram "~" sounds like "<" indicates that the preceding letters are reversed "( )" encloses contained letters "_" replaces letters that have been deleted "†" indicates that the word is present in the clue

The review of a clue takes the following general structure:

#a/d   Clue containing parsing markup (num^*)

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^* num = numeration

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

(Horizontal separator)

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Explanations pertaining to the definition (or second definition in a double definition) and solution.

Explanatory Box

An explanatory box provides additional information about the clue. In most cases this information will not necessarily help in solving the clue but provides information about the clue. In the case of the weekday syndicated Daily Telegraph puzzles, such information is often intended to help the North American solver appreciate how the clue may be perceived by a British solver. These boxes may also provide information on people, places, films, television programmes, works of art and literature, etc. mentioned in the clue. Although the titles of these boxes will usually be drawn from a standard list, I do occasionally throw in a title specifically suggested by the subject at hand. The standard titles include: Scratching the Surface - an explanation of the surface reading of the clue Delving Deeper - in-depth information pertaining to a subject mentioned in an explanation The Story Behind the Picture - for weekday puzzles, information about an illustration found on Big Dave's Crossword Blog What did he/she/they say? - for weekday puzzles, an explanation of a remark made in a review or comment on Big Dave's Crossword Blog What are they talking about? - for weekday puzzles, an explanation of a discussion on Big Dave's Crossword Blog One box that may provide information that could prove helpful in solving the clue is the following: Here and There - for weekday puzzles, discusses words whose British meaning differs from their North American meaning

Note that there are many types of cryptic crossword clue and it is not my intention to exhaustively go through all of them here. I will only deal with clue types to the extent necessary to explain the conventions and symbols used on the blog. Furthermore, be aware that, in the world of cryptic crosswords, there seems to be an exception to every rule.

With one exception that I can think of, cryptic crossword clues provide two routes to the solution. These are commonly referred to as the definition and wordplay. While these terms serve well for most clues, there are some cases where the more formal terms of primary indication and subsidiary indication may be more appropriate.

Most cryptic crossword clues consist of a definition (primary indication) and wordplay (subsidiary indication). The definition may be a "precise definition" (a definition that is either taken straight from a dictionary or at least phrased in a non-misleading fashion) or it may be a "cryptic definition" (a definition misleadingly phrased so as to misdirect the solver either with respect to the meaning of the definition as a whole or to an incorrect sense of a word used in the definition).

The only type of clue that I can think of where there are not two ways of finding the solution are those in which the entire clue is a cryptic definition.

I identify precise definitions by marking them with a solid underline in the clue and cryptic definitions by marking them with a dotted underline.

In clues in which both definition and wordplay are present, the two parts of the clue combine to provide an overall meaningful statement (the surface reading) which usually bears no relationship to the underlying cryptic reading of the clue. In some cases, an extra word or phrase will be inserted into the clue to create a meaningful link between the definition and wordplay. I define clues which contain such a link word or link phrase as having an explicit link and clues which contain no link word or link phrase as having an implicit link.

I mark the existence of an explicit link by enclosing the link word or link phrase between forward slashes (/link/) and mark the existence of an implicit link with double forward slashes (//) positioned between the definition and wordplay.

Examples

A few examples may help to illustrate these points more clearly.

The first example is a clue used by Jay in DT 28573:

• 4d   Fellow left work // a failure (4)

Here the definition is "a failure" which is marked with a solid underline to show that it is a precise definition. The wordplay parses as F (fellow; abbrev.) + L (left; abbrev.) + OP (work; abbrev. used in music) which gives us the solution F|L|OP. The double forward slashes (//) between the definition and wordplay indicate the existence of an "implicit link" between the two parts of the clue (that is, no extra words are inserted into the clue to form the link).

The second example is a clue used by Giovanni in DT 28575:

• 29a   Female going to match // travels with mother in advance (10)

Here the definition "female going to match" is cryptic (the setter is attempting to misdirect our thoughts to a sports event rather than a marriage ceremony) and thus is marked with a a dotted underline. The wordplay is {RIDES (travels) + (with) MA (mother)} contained in (in) BID (advance) giving us the solution B(RIDES|MA)ID. As in the first example, the double forward slashes indicate the presence of an implicit link.

The third example is a clue used by Rufus is DT 28583:

• 18d   Knight caught by misplaced big blow /is/ staggering (8)

Here the definition is "staggering" which is marked with a solid underline to show that it is a precise definition. The wordplay parses as N ([chess symbol for] knight) contained in (caught in) an anagram (misplaced) of BIG BLOW producing the solution WOBBLI(N)G. Finally, forward slashes mark the link word (/is/).

I also use distinctive underlining to mark &lit.^[7] and semi-&lit. clues. Note that the reviewers on Big Dave's Crossword Blog generally prefer to refer to these clue types by the less pretentious names of all-in-one or semi-all-in-one clues respectively.

In an &lit. clue^[7] (or all-in-one clue) the entire clue provides not only the definition (when read one way), but under a different interpretation also serves as the wordplay.

In future, I will mark such clues with a combined solid and dashed underline. Although this is a departure from past practice, it would seem to make more sense than using a dotted underline as I have in the past). Henceforth, the dotted underline will be reserved for cryptic definitions.

In a semi-&lit. clue (or semi-all-in-one clue), either:

• the entire clue acts as the definition while a portion of the clue provides the wordplay; or
• the entire clue acts as the wordplay while a portion of the clue provides the definition.

For these clues, I will mark the definition with a solid underline and the wordplay with a  dashed underline. This means that a portion of the clue may have a solid underline, a portion of the clue may have a dashed underline and a portion of the clue may have a combined solid and dashed underline.

One final clue type is what I characterize as a cryptic definition comprised of a precise definition combined with cryptic elaboration. For example, in DT 28560 (setter unknown) the following clue appears:

•  26d   Heroic exploit, whichever way you look at it (4)

As the entire clue is a cryptic definition, it is marked with a dotted underline. The 'precise definition' is "heroic exploit" and is indicated by a solid underline.

Given the numeration, the precise definition could give rise to at least two solutions, DEED or FEAT. However, the 'cryptic elaboration' ("whichever way you look at it") indicates that the solution is a palindrome thereby immediately eliminating one of the two obvious choices.

Note that the part of the clue that I have called 'cryptic elaboration' does not provide a second independent route to the solution (as the wordplay would do in most other types of clue). Rather it merely provides a piece of additional information (elaboration) related to the 'precise definition'.

Again, this approach is a departure from past practice, but like the other changes mentioned previously is intended to remove inconsistencies in the way that I have been applying parsing markup to clues. The markup rules that I have been using until now evolved bit-by-bit over a long period of time resulting in some degree of internal inconsistency.

hide explanation

Across

1a   Heard authentic // country dance (4)

REEL — sounds like (heard) REAL (authentic)

3a   Sonny’s ex and I sing about hot // loving (10)

CHER|I|S(H)ING — {CHER (Sonny's ex) + (and) I (†) + SING (†)} containing (about) H (hot; abbrev. found on water faucets)

Sonny & Cher^[7] were an American duo of entertainers made up of husband-and-wife Sonny Bono and Cher (born Cherilyn Sarkisian) in the 1960s and 1970s. The couple's career as a duo ended in 1975 following their divorce.

9a   Some bands/’/ requiems about returning soldier (9)

L(IG<)AMENTS — LAMENTS (requiems) containing (about) reversal (returning) of GI (soldier)

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

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Origin: 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).

11a   Backed up part of a cassette, // repeating tracks (5)

LOOPS< — reversal (backed up) of SPOOL (part of a cassette)

12a   Weirdly nasal actor’s an // award-winning guitarist (6,7)

{CARLOS SANTANA}* — anagram (weirdly) of NASAL ACTORS AN

Carlos Santana^[7] is a Mexican and American musician who first became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered a fusion of rock and Latin American jazz. In 2015, Rolling Stone magazine listed Santana at number 20 on their list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists. He has won 10 Grammy Awards and three Latin Grammy Awards.

14a   Piece // starts on the indicated downbeat, but is tricky (6)

TIDBIT — initial letters (starts on) The Indicated Downbeat But Is Tricky

16a   Murray covers // some members of an underground group (8)

ANNE|LIDS — ANNE (Murray; Canadian singer Anne Murray^[7]) + LIDS (covers)

An annelid^[5] is a segmented worm of the phylum Annelida, such as an earthworm or leech.

19a   Plays guitar after Bond doctor/’s/ remedies (8)

NO|STRUMS — STRUMS (plays guitar) following (after) NO (Bond doctor)

Dr. No^[7] is the sixth novel in Ian Fleming's James Bond series, first published in the UK in 1958. It was the first James Bond feature film of the Eon Productions series, released in 1962 and starring Sean Connery.

20a   Binge with German // rock singer (6)

JAG|GER — JAG (binge) + (with) GER (German; abbrev.)

Jag^[5] — an expression hitherto unknown to me — is an informal North American term denoting a bout of unrestrained or excessive indulgence in alcohol or drugs, or in a particular emotion or activity ⇒ a thirty-five minute crying jag.

Sir Mick Jagger^[5] is an English rock singer and songwriter. He formed the Rolling Stones circa 1962 with guitarist Keith Richards, a childhood friend.

22a   Strange tale of a singer /and/ Latin pop star (6,7)

{GLORIA ESTEFAN}* — anagram (strange) of TALE OF A SINGER

Gloria Estefan^[7] is a Cuban-American singer-songwriter who has won three grammy awards.

26a   Shrink from // Dead, maintaining resistance (5)

D(R)EAD — DEAD (†) containing (maintaining) R ([electrical] resistance; abbrev. used in physics)

Scratching the Surface
The Grateful Dead[7] was an American rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is often (informally or not) referred to as the Dead as evidenced by Dylan and the Dead[7], a 1989 collaborative live album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan and the band.

27a   Voice on an improvised // number? (9)

NOVOCAINE* — anagram (improvised) of VOICE ON AN

Number is used in the sense of something that numbs — this whimsical usage being flagged by the question mark.

28a   Sort of wine /for/ Chuck in his later years? (10)

ELDER|BERRY — in his later years, American singer Chuck Berry^[7] might have been described as the 'elder Berry'

Chuck Berry^[5] (1926–2017) was a US rock-and-roll singer, guitarist, and songwriter; Charles Edward Berry. One of the first great rock-and-roll stars, he is known for songs such as ‘Johnny B Goode’ and ‘Sweet Little Sixteen’ (both 1958).

29a   Play // small drum set (4)

S|KIT — S (small; abbrev. found on clothing tags) + KIT (drum set)

Down

1d   Moving // “Unforgettable” singer back in rank (10)

R(ELOC<)ATING — reversal (back) of COLE ("Unforgettable" singer; American singer Nat King Cole^[7]) contained in (in) RATING (rank)

"Unforgettable"^[7] is a popular song written by Irving Gordon, published in 1951. The most popular version of the song was recorded by Nat King Cole in 1951 from his album Unforgettable (1952), with an arrangement written by Nelson Riddle.

2d   Glare disturbed // composer (5)

ELGAR* — anagram (disturbed) of GLARE

Sir Edward Elgar^[5] (1857–1934) was an English composer who is known particularly for the Enigma Variations (1899), the oratorio The Dream of Gerontius (1900), and for patriotic pieces such as the five Pomp and Circumstance marches (1901–30).

4d   Frank // Sinatra’s debut in On the Loose (6)

HONE(S)T* — S (Sinatra's debut [initial letter]) contained in (in) an anagram (loose) of ON THE

Scratching the Surface

Frank Sinatra[5] (1915–1998) was an American singer and actor. His many hits include ‘Night and Day’ and ‘My Way’. He won an Oscar for his role in the film From Here to Eternity (1953). On the Loose[7] is a 1951 American drama film released by RKO Pictures. Frank Sinatra did not appear in it. Sinatra made his film debut[7] in 1941, performing in an uncredited sequence in Las Vegas Nights, singing "I'll Never Smile Again" with Tommy Dorsey's Pied Pipers.

5d   Echoing // kid, one in Rent (8)

RE(SON|A)NT — {SON (kid) + A (one)} contained in (in) RENT (†)

Post Mortem
I got hung up on thinking that the solution must end in -ING with the I being clued by "one".

Scratching the Surface
Rent[7] is a rock musical loosely based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La Bohème. It tells the story of a group of impoverished young artists struggling to survive and create a life in New York City's East Village under the shadow of HIV/AIDS.

6d   South America importing Hirt’s // dance music (5)

S(ALS)A — {S (south; abbrev.) + A (America; abbrev.)} containing (importing) {AL (Hirt; American jazz musician Al Hirt^[7]) + S ('s)}

Salsa^[5] is a type of Latin American dance music incorporating elements of jazz and rock.

7d   Pinpointing // two notes in one song (9)

I|SO(LA|TI)NG — {LA ([musical] note) + TI ([musical] note)} contained in (in) {I ([Roman numeral for] one) + SONG (†)}

Had you thought the notes were SO (an alternative spelling of sol^[3,11]) and LA, you would have been hard-pressed to parse the clue — I should know, having gone down that path.

8d   Cut // good wood for some electric guitars (4)

G|ASH — G (good; abbrev. used by teachers to grade school work) + ASH (wood for some electric guitars)

The phrase "for some electric guitars" — while clearly included to maintain the theme of the puzzle — is technically accurate. In 1954, Fender^[7] introduced the Fender Stratocaster, or "Strat". It was positioned as a deluxe model in relation to the already existing Telecaster. It featured an ash or alder double-cutaway body design.

10d   More emotional // end in Othello, for one (7)

MOO(DIE)R — DIE (end) contained in (in) MOOR (Othello, for one)

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

However, in keeping with the musical theme we can look to the 1816 opera^[7] (not based on Shakespeare's play) by Italian composer Gioachino Rossini or the 1887 opera^[7] (based on Shakespeare's play) by Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi. Both of these works understandably used the Italian spelling Otello.

13d   Playing transient G // sharp (10)

ASTRINGENT* — anagram (playing) of TRANSIENT G

15d   Diana’s silver woodwind // was out of harmony (9)

DI|S|AG|REED — DI ([diminutive for] Diana) + S ('s) + AG ([symbol for the chemical element] silver) + REED (woodwind)

17d   New scale: it /is/ flexible (7)

ELASTIC* — anagram (new) of SCALE IT

Scratching the Surface
To keep the theme alive, we can presume that the scale is a musical one.

18d   “I Can Be Me” changes // atmosphere (8)

AMBIENCE* — anagram (changes) of I CAN BE ME

The song "I Can Be Me" would appear to be an invention of the setters who may have missed an opportunity. Whitney: Can I Be Me^[7] is a 2017 British-American documentary film on the life and career of singer Whitney Houston.

21d   Reverend Sparks brought back // the singer of “Annie’s Song” (6)

{DEN|VER}< — reversal (brought back) of {REV (Reverend; abbrev.) + NED (Sparks; Canadian-born character actor Ned Sparks^[7])}

"Annie's Song"^[7] is a folk rock and country song recorded and written by singer-songwriter John Denver.

23d   Harmony // among recorders (5)

_ORDER_ — hidden (among) recORDERs

24d   Film // fiddler’s foremost riff (5)

F|LICK — F (Fiddler's foremost [initial letter]) + LICK (riff)

25d   Sound of pop star /is/ not working (4)

IDLE~ — sounds like (sound of) IDOL (pop star)

Epilogue

Every clue in this puzzle can be seen to bear some connection to music.

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