Friday, November 30, 2018 — DT 28783

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28783
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Thursday, July 5, 2018
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28783]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Kath
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

The consensus on Big Dave's Crossword Blog appears to be that this puzzle is considerably more difficult than usual.

I always seem to find a rat hole to go down. Today it was attempting to craft a plausible explanation for 4d. I think I got there in the end — but only after numerous rewrites.

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   Gambles crossing street of city /in/ riots (12)

Dice^[10] means to to take a chance or risk (especially in the phrase dice with death).

8a   Run // mobile phone holding company (7)

Run^[5] is used in the sense of an enclosed area in which domestic animals or birds may run freely in the open ⇒ an excellent and safe guinea pig run.

9a   Taking // black bucket to feed horse (7)

"black" = B (show explanation )

B^[5] is an abbreviation for black used in describing grades of pencil lead ⇒ 2B pencils.

hide explanation

Bucket^[5] is a colloquial [almost certainly British] term for a rubbish-bin or wastepaper basket.

Bin^[10,14] (also called dustbin or rubbish^* bin) is the British term for a garbage can or trash can.

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^* Rubbish^[10,14] is the British term for garbage or trash.

11a   Empire collapsed with Republican // leader (7)

Outside Australia and Canada, the term premier^[5] refers to a prime minister or other head of government. In Australia and Canada, a premier is the chief minister of a government of a state or province respectively.

12a   Reception room contains worn-out // bag (7)

Holdall^[10] is a British term for a large strong bag with handles (known in Canada and the US as a carryall^[10]).

Here and There
In North America, hall[5,10] is another term for corridor. Not so in the UK, where (among other things) it denotes a room serving as an entry area within a house or building.

13a   Jewellery // gives off metallic sound (5)

14a   Be excessively formal // on deck (9)

16a   Vegetable // processed to get cure (9)

Courgette^[5] is the British name for zucchini.

19a   Drink // two times wiped from bed cover (5)

Here and There
In Britain, a small bed with high barred sides for a baby or very young child is called a cot[5] rather than a crib[5] as it is known in North America. Thus the reference in Kath's review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog to ⇒ a bed (for a child).

21a   Home female once worshipped // somewhere in America (7)

In Roman mythology, Diana^[10] (Greek counterpart Artemis) is the virginal goddess of the hunt and the moon.

23a   Strolled /from/ Post Office, post already despatched here and there (7)

The phrase 'here and there" indicates a regular sequence of letters from the fodder. Here, as in most cases, that regular sequence is every second letter. As the starting letter is not specified, we have no way of knowing a priori if we need the sequence of even letters or the sequence of odd letters and must determine that by trial and error.

Although the end result is the same, in this clue, rather than being a direction to include the even letters (here and there) of pOsT aLrEaDy (as Kath would seem to imply in her hint on Big Dave's Crossword Blog), the wordplay is actually a direction to exclude (despatched) the odd letters (here and there) of pOsT aLrEaDy.

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Pootle^[5] is an informal British term meaning to move or travel in a leisurely manner ⇒ they were pootling down a canal in their new boat.

24a   The Queen in Great Britain is keeping primarily little // animals (7)

"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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GB^[10] is both a common abbreviation for Great Britain as well as being the International Vehicle Registration (IVR) code for Great Britain.

25a   Studio // set back in thoroughfare I let, affordable (7)

26a   Maybe, Real /and/ Inter with many out injured (8,4)

The real^[5] was a former coin and monetary unit of various Spanish-speaking countries [among them, Spain].

Scratching the Surface

Real Madrid Club de Fútbol[7] (Royal Madrid Football Club), commonly known as Real Madrid, or simply as Real, is a professional football [soccer] club based in Madrid, Spain that plays in La Liga, the top division of the Spanish football league system. Football Club Internazionale Milano S.p.A., commonly referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan[7] outside of Italy, is a professional Italian football [soccer] club based in Milan, Lombardy, Italy that plays in Serie A, the top division of the Italian football league system.

Down

1d   Grey, say, up above, // cooler underground (7)

The cooler^[5] is an informal term for a prison or a prison cell ⇒ the cooler was a dark, claustrophobic room.

2d   Banks incorporating current // accounts (7)

"current" = I (show explanation )

In physics, I^[5] is a symbol used to represent electric current in mathematical formulae.

hide explanation

3d   First // out of bed tormented me with strop (9)

Scratching the Surface
In the context of this clue, I would say that strop[5] refers to a device, typically a strip of leather, for sharpening razors. Strop[5] is also an informal British term for a bad mood or a temper ⇒ Nathalie gets in a strop and makes to leave. However, I don't see how one could interpret the clue with that in mind.

4d   Reserve seat? (5)

In her review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Kath marks this clue as a double definition. To my mind, the clue does not quite work as a double definition — and this point is also made in the thread arising from Comment #6 on Big Dave's blog. Consequently I have marked it as a cryptic definition for reasons I will explain below.

First, here are a few relevant definitions on which I based my conclusion:

A reserve^[5] is an extra player in^* a team, serving as a possible substitute ⇒ he was reserve hooker [a position on a rugby team] for the World Cup team.

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^* Note that the Brits say "in a team" rather than "on a team"

The reserves^[5] are the the second-choice team ⇒ playing in the first team has been a big step up after the reserves.

The bench^[5] is a seat at the side of a sports field for coaches, substitutes, and players not taking part in a game ⇒ he must settle for a place on the substitute's bench.

American dictionaries define bench as the reserve players on a team^[3] or the players of a team who are usually used only as substitutes^[11]. Although I did not find this sense of the word listed in British dictionaries, Miffypops informs us in a comment in the aforementioned thread that In Rugby the substitutes are known collectively as The Bench..

From the above, I interpret the clue to be a cryptic definition of a place where a substitute player (reserve) would sit.

For the clue to be a double definition, "bench" would have to be used (as it is in the American dictionaries and by Miffypops) as a metonym for the substitute players collectively. However, "bench" in this sense would equate to reserves and not to an individual reserve. Thus for the clue to be a double definition, it would have to be worded:

• Reserves // seat (5)

5d   Chewed // part of pen leaked (7)

6d   Groom/'s/ plea getting in tangle with tie (7)

7d   Crew's excited, gathering in monarch/'s/ smashing boat (12)

10d   Dad lost grand spoiling // model (4,8)

15d   Admirable // French article, lines supporting former European politician (9)

"French article" = LA (show explanation )

In French, the feminine singular form of the definite article is la^[8].

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"politician" = MP (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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17d   Suffer, // short of energy (7)

18d   Older relative with thing mostly /for/ hard rock (7)

19d   Near // console on the blink (5,2)

As the definition, near is used as a verb.

20d   Secretive group is on top of termination in contract /for/ player (7)

22d   Lost // away from land (2,3)

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