Thursday, October 25, 2018 — DT 28757

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28757
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Tuesday, June 5, 2018
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28757]
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

Introduction

After a stiff workout from Giovanni on Monday, we have been put through considerably gentler mental exercises for the last couple of days — and the streak continues today.

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   Inferred // what Tom Daley did, perhaps, captivates the Queen (7)

Tom Daley^[7] is a British diver who specialises in the 10-metre platform event in which he is a double World champion (2009 and 2017). He was the 2012 Olympic bronze medalist in the event.

"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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5a   Page to be first, editor // begged (7)

"page" = P (show explanation )

In textual references, the abbreviation for page is p^[5] ⇒ see p 784.

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9a   A wife almost generous? // Rubbish! (5)

Rubbish^[5] (adjective) is an informal British term denoting very bad; worthless or useless ⇒ (i) people might say I was a rubbish manager; (ii) she was rubbish at maths^*.

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^* 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.

Scratching the Surface

In the surface reading, rubbish[3,4,11] (noun) is used in the sense* of foolish words or speech; in other words, nonsense. * 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.

10a   Every second // a flyer goes in behind schedule (9)

11a   Arranging // musical instrument, one with whistle (10)

12a   Friends // hit back (4)

14a   Exotic Persia trip? No // sweat (12)

18a   Despite everything, // even shelter's damaged (12)

21a   Couples softly dropped // voices (4)

"softly" = 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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22a   I count on us working // uninterrupted (10)

25a   I note a duck is in container /for/ quarantine (9)

In tonic sol-fa notation, sol^{[2,3,4,5,10,11]} is one of several spellings for the fifth note or dominant of any major or minor scale. (show more )

Judging from dictionary entries, the preferred spelling in Britain is soh^[2,4,5,10] (with so^[2,4,5,10] and sol^[2,4,5,10] as alternative spellings) while in the US the more common spelling is sol^[3,11] (with so^[3,11] as an alternative).

The Chambers Dictionary takes a contrary view to other British dictionaries — including its sister publication, the Chambers 21st Century Dictionary — by giving sol^[1] as the principal spelling (with so^[1] and soh^[1] as alternatives).

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"duck" = O (show explanation )

In cricket, a duck^[5] (short for duck's egg) is a batsman’s score of nought [zero] ⇒ he was out for a duck. This is similar to the North American expression goose egg^[5] meaning a zero score in a game.

In British puzzles, "duck" is used to indicate the letter "O" based on the resemblance of the digit "0" to this letter.

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26a   Keen to ignore tail, holding large // bird (5)

"large" = L (show explanation )

L^[5] is the abbreviation for large (as a clothing size).

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27a   Requiring // massaging, by the sound of it (7)

28a   Questionable American power in religious community (7)

"power" = P (show explanation )

In physics, P^[10] is a symbol used to represent power [among other things] in mathematical formulae.

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Down

1d   Churchman // of French origin in Alcatraz with prisoner (6)

"of French" = DE (show explanation )

In French, de^[8] is a preposition meaning 'of'' or 'from'.

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In the Catholic, Anglican, and Orthodox Churches, a deacon^[5] is an ordained minister of an order ranking below that of priest while, in some Nonconformist Churches^*, a deacon is a lay officer appointed to assist a minister, especially in secular affairs.

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^* Nonconformist Churches are Protestant Churches which dissent from the established Church of England

Scratching the Surface
In the surface reading, Alcatraz[5] refers to a rocky island in San Francisco Bay, California. Between 1934 and 1963 it was the site of a top-security federal prison . Origin: From Spanish alcatraz ‘pelicans’, which were once common there.

2d   Match official bungle oddly ignored // safety (6)

3d   Offers // kinky nurse love? About time! (10)

4d   Kent town's // bargains (5)

Deal^[7] is a town in Kent, England which lies on the English Channel, eight miles northeast of Dover. (show more )

Deal is a former fishing, mining and garrison town. Close to Deal is Walmer, a possible location for Julius Caesar's first arrival in Britain. Deal became a 'limb port' of the Cinque Ports in 1278 and grew into the busiest port in England; today it is a seaside resort, its quaint streets and houses the only reminder of its history. The coast of France is approximately twenty-five miles from the town and is visible on clear days.

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5d   Plant I vote to be uprooted? Not very // likely (9)

Methinks that 'potential' may well denote far less likelihood than 'likely'.

6d   Rake in // bottom of garden under part of cereal plant (4)

Here and There

You may note that Mr K in his review refers to ear as an important part of a cereal plant such as wheat. In North America, the term ear is primarily associated with corn. However, it does also apply to other cereal plants. US dictionaries define ear[3,11,12] as the seed-bearing spike of a cereal plant, especially of corn. The American Heritage Student Science Dictionary  goes a bit further, defining ear as the seed-bearing spike of a cereal plant, such as corn or wheat. In Britain, the term ear seems not to apply to corn. British dictionaries define ear[1,2,4,5,10] as the seed-bearing head or spike of a cereal plant, such as wheat or barley. Oxford Dictionaries Online goes on to specifically say that ear[5] is also a North American term for a head of maize[5] [the British name for corn].

7d   Small drink of alcohol and a jerk /gets/ theatrical (8)

Dram^[5] is a Scottish term for a small drink of whiskey or other spirits ⇒ a wee dram to ward off the winter chill.

8d   Maybe relish // putting on clothes (8)

13d   Goes around North with German // travellers (10)

15d   Rugby perhaps popular with good // training (9)

Rugby School^[7] is a co-educational day and boarding school in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. One of the oldest independent schools (show more ) in Britain, it is one of the original ten English public schools defined by the Public Schools Act of 1868.

Here and There

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.

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"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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16d   Attack that crosses a line? (8)

17d   All // evening Ray loses heart with me (8)

One^[2] can be used in a formal or facetious sense to mean I or me ⇒ One doesn't like to pry.

19d   'Poking it out' could be considered rude // language (6)

20d   Snake starts to emerge, checking the // air (6)

Asp is a name applied to at least four different species of snakes (show more ):

• the European asp^[7], a small southern European viper (Vipera aspis) with an upturned snout.
• the Egyptian cobra^[7] (Naja haje), one of the largest cobra species native to Africa, second to the forest cobra (Naja melanoleuca).
• the Saharan horned viper^[7] (Cerastes cerastes), a venomous viper species native to the deserts of Northern Africa and parts of the Middle East.
• the Saharan sand viper^[7] (Cerastes vipera), also known as the Egyptian asp or Cleopatra's asp, a venomous viper species endemic to the deserts of North Africa and the Sinai Peninsula.

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23d   Rendered notes? (5)

The entire clue is both wordplay and definition.

24d   Extract from Rimbaud a little // surrealist (4)

Salvador Dalí^[5] (1904–1989) was a Spanish painter. A surrealist, he portrayed dream images with almost photographic realism against backgrounds of arid Catalan landscapes. Dalí also collaborated with Buñuel in the production of the film Un Chien andalou (1928). Notable works: The Persistence of Memory (1931).

Scratching the Surface
Arthur Rimbaud[5] (1854–1891) was a French poet. Known for poems such as ‘Le Bateau ivre’ (1871) and the collection of symbolist prose poems Une Saison en enfer (1873), and for his stormy relationship with Paul Verlaine, he stopped writing at about the age of 20 and spent the rest of his life travelling.

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