Tuesday, October 9, 2018 — DT 28745

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28745
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Tuesday, May 22, 2018
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28745]
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

Although the solve was relatively quick and quite enjoyable, it was like mental yoga — a lot of stretching involved.

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

7a   Crime fighters // on triple abroad (8)

Interpol^[10] (acronym for International Criminal Police Organization) is an association of over 100 national police forces, with headquarters in Paris, devoted chiefly to fighting international crime.

9a   Fanatic keeping something from Fabergé back, // something small but valuable? (6)

Peter Carl Fabergé^[5] (1846–1920) was a Russian goldsmith and jeweller, of French descent. He is famous for the intricate Easter eggs that he made for Tsar Alexander III and other royal households.

10a   Confidence broken by Huddersfield's first // forceful attack (6)

Scratching the Surface
The surface reading suggests a strong start by a sports team causing their opponent to lose heart. Huddersfield[7] is a large market town in West Yorkshire, England. It lies halfway between Leeds and Manchester. Huddersfield is home to rugby league team Huddersfield Giants who play in the European Super League, and Premier League football [soccer] team Huddersfield Town A.F.C.

11a   Sea creature /having/ little power or balance (8)

"little power " ⇒ abbreviation or symbol for 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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12a   Providing insurance, landlord /produces/ explanatory note (8,6)

A letter^[1,5] is a person who lets [offers for rent] a room or property.

15a   Celebrity // set off, short of time at the end (4)

17a   Follow // male leaving the bar (5)

19a   Steal // writer's heart (4)

20a   Nuts // stupidly left on floor? Yes (3,4,7)

Off one's trolley^{[1,5,10,12,14]} is an informal term denoting crazy or insane. Both Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary and Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary characterize the term off one's trolley as an informal British term while Webster’s New World College Dictionary would have us believe that off one's trolley^[12] is US slang.

The Story Behind the Picture
To understand the picture used by Mr K to illustrate his review, it is helpful to know that trolley[5] (or shopping trolley) is the British name for a shopping cart[5].

23a   Go across /for/ a small pie (8)

25a   Dance with bad leg, /so/ move jerkily (6)

27a   Frightened? // Son was concerned (6)

28a   Ventriloquist's doll put by ladder /in/ rehearsal (5,3)

Ladder^[5] is the British term for a run^[5], a vertical strip of unravelled fabric in tights or stockings ⇒ one of Sally’s stockings developed a ladder.

Despite the word "run" being identified by Oxford Dictionaries Online as a North American term, there is nary a word of protest raised on Big Dave's Crossword Blog. Does this mean that the word has been adopted by the Brits?

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Dummy run^[a] is a British and Australian term for a trial or practice version of an event, done to prepare for (and mitigate any possible problems during) the real thing.

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^[a] Farlex Dictionary of Idioms

Down

1d   Small island // songbird female released (4)

Inch^[7,10] (an anglicisation of the Gaelic innis) is a Scottish and Irish term for a small island (usually found in placenames).

Inch Island^[7] (Irish: An Inse, meaning "The Island") is an island in Lough Swilly, County Donegal, Ireland. Seemingly the English name would equate to Islet Island.

2d   Grounds // to say no? (6)

3d   Fine friend flipped, /in/ a panic (4)

"fine" = F (show explanation )

F^[5] is an abbreviation for fine, as used in describing grades of pencil lead.

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Note: Oxford Dictionaries surprisingly characterizes this usage as British

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4d   Wrong // turn unfortunately taken in outskirts of Uxbridge (6)

Scratching the Surface

Uxbridge[7] is a town in west London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. It is located fifteen miles (24 km) west-northwest of Charing Cross*. * Since the early 19th century, Charing Cross[7] (a street junction in the City of Westminster) has generally been accepted as the notional "centre of London" and is the point from which distances from London are calculated.

5d   Sceptic // acting so oddly (8)

6d   Riddle over wrong // set of china, perhaps (3,7)

8d   Nationalist // at uprising after start of parade (7)

13d   Crazy // eating at one in the city, maybe (3,2,5)

I would assume the second definition is intended to be a literal interpretation of the expression that is the solution to the clue. However, it does not work very satisfactorily in my estimation.

"Eating at one" indicates that we are dealing with lunch. "In the city, maybe" presumably is meant to suggest that the diner is "out" (away from their home or office). This works fine in the case of a suburbanite enjoying a day in the city. However, if you work in the city and are eating at your desk, you are not out.

14d   Head of glamour girl /in/ 'Mirror'? (5)

Scratching the Surface
The Daily Mirror[7] (informally The Mirror) is a British national daily tabloid newspaper.

16d   Improve railway /leading to/ factory (8)

18d   Reportedly speak highly of exercise // book (4,3)

The word "lord" (), when pronounced in a non-rhotic (show explanation ) accent typical of dialects found in many parts of Britain (especially southeastern England), sounds like "laud" () — and, consequently LORD JIM sounds like LAUD GYM.

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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Lord Jim^[7] is a novel by Polish-British author Joseph Conrad originally published as a serial in Blackwood's Magazine from October 1899 to November 1900.

21d   A study mounted involving Virginia, // a US state (6)

22d   On, next to English // extra (3,3)

"on" = LEG (show explanation )

In cricket, the on^[5] (also known as on side) is another name for the leg^[5] (also called leg side), the half of the field (as divided lengthways through the pitch) away from which the batsman’s feet are pointed when standing to receive the ball ⇒ he played a lucky stroke to leg.

The other half of the field is known as the off^[5] (also called off side).

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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.

In cricket, a leg bye^[5] is a run scored from a ball that has touched part of the batsman's body (apart from the hand) without touching the bat, the batsman having made an attempt to hit it.

24d   Travel // free heading for Eastbourne (4)

Scratching the Surface
Eastbourne[5] is a town on the south coast of England, in East Sussex.

26d   Noisy // couple on lake capsized (4)

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