Friday, December 14, 2018 — DT 28793

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28793
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Tuesday, July 17, 2018
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28793]
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

I can't fault Mr K's assessment of the puzzle — and was, in fact, greatly relieved to see him award it four stars for difficulty. I did find some of the clues rather challenging — which is not a bad thing. I may have thrown in the towel prematurely and called in electronic backup as I wanted to get on with writing the review. A night of sleeping on the puzzle often elicits a few more answers.

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.

hide explanation

Across

1a   Bone put in pile // on the way out (8)

Moribund^[5] means:

• (of a person) at the point of death ⇒ on examination she was moribund and dehydrated
• (of a thing) in terminal decline; lacking vitality or vigour ⇒ the moribund commercial property market

Post Mortem
I understood the structure of the clue and identified the correct bone but failed to locate the right pile. It did not help that I was not familiar with the first meaning of the solution given above. By the way, given the solution to the clue, the title of this box seems ironically apropos.

5a   Old Dutchmen chaining ten // dogs (6)

Historically, a Boer^[5] was a member of the Dutch and Huguenot population which settled in southern Africa in the late 17th century. The Boers' present-day descendants are the Afrikaners. Today, Boer is a South African term for an Afrikaner farmer.

9a   Polite? // I'm amazed! (8)

10a   Rip off // beastly coat? (6)

12a   Like some grins? // Also yours (6)

Methinks that "yours" is equivalent to 'thine' rather than 'thy' — and I see that Mr K has reached the same conclusion in an entry in the thread arising from Comment #33 on Big Dave's Crossword Blog.

13a   Complex // building finished (8)

15a   Problem getting in shape, // eat! (7)

16a   Fragile thing cut // somewhere on the face (4)

20a   State // I love, well to the west (4)

"love" = O (show explanation )

In tennis, squash, and some other sports, love^[5] is a score of zero or nil ⇒ love fifteen. The resemblance of a zero written as a numeral (0) to the letter O leads to the cryptic crossword convention of the word "love" being used to clue this letter.

Although folk etymology has connected the word with French l'oeuf 'egg', from the resemblance in shape between an egg and a zero, the term apparently comes from the phrase play for love (i.e. the love of the game, not for money).

hide explanation

21a   Stone // tearing rocks (7)

25a   Share // not quite redistributed (8)

Quotient^[5] is used in the sense of a degree or amount of a specified quality or characteristic ⇒ the increase in Washington's cynicism quotient.

26a   A vet upset with service /in/ pub (6)

"service" = RN (show explanation )

The Royal Navy^[5] (abbreviation RN) is the British navy. It was the most powerful navy in the world from the 17th century until the Second World War.

hide explanation

28a   One with famous voice, not entirely // tragic character (6)

Enrico Caruso^[5] (1873–1921) was an Italian operatic tenor. He was the first major tenor to be recorded on gramophone records.

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In Greek mythology, Icarus^[5] is the son of Daedalus, who escaped from Crete using wings made by his father but was killed when he flew too near the sun and the wax attaching his wings melted.

29a   Using face creams etc, // risk acne unfortunately (8)

30a   Expert batsman, // key (6)

In cricket, an opener^[2] is either of the two batsmen who begin the batting for their team.

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^* remember, in cricket, batsmen always bat in pairs

As for why the opener is an "expert" batsman, I had supposed that the best batsmen might be more likely to bat first as those at the end of the batting order may not even get to bat at all (e.g., should time run out or the team captain declare the innings closed prematurely). However, that would seem to be not necessarily the case. In a discussion of this point on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Rabbit Dave offers the following view  it generally requires a different mindset/skillset to bat against the new ball particularly in longer forms of the game (i.e. when played over 3-5 days) when it can often be better to hold back your most prolific batsmen until the ball is older and the bowlers less fresh.

I suppose the situation is not unlike baseball, where a team's power hitter does not bat at the top of the order. Rather, the first three batters will be players who are "expert" at getting on base, base running, and advancing runners — players who hit lots of singles, draw lots of walks, and are proficient at bunting and stealing bases. The power hitter bats fourth (the cleanup spot) thereby coming to the plate at a point in the game when there is a high probability of runners being on base but still high enough in the batting order to maximize the number of plate appearances he is likely to have in the game. While the considerations in cricket are undoubtedly much different than those in baseball, they presumably lead to a situation where a team's most prolific hitter does not necessarily bat first.

I find Rabbit Dave's comment about holding back one's most prolific batsmen "until the ball is older" rather interesting in light of the practice in baseball to replace the ball as soon as it gets even slightly scuffed.

31a   Taken around play area, toboggan // was scintillating (8)

At some point in the distant past, it would seem that the Brits developed the impression that a toboggan is a sled (which they might call a sledge) and has runners — and they have never been able to shake that misconception.

North Americans would be puzzled by the British concept of a toboggan. To the Brits, a toboggan^[5] is a long, light, narrow vehicle, typically on runners^*, used for sliding downhill over snow or ice.

You will find that the Brits apply the term toboggan to almost any type of vehicle used for sliding downhill. I suppose by including the phrase "typically on runners" the definition leaves enough wiggle room to allow a 'true' toboggan (which has no runners) to squeeze in. Clearly the term must have been taken back to the UK by some British explorer who paid a visit to the colonies and returned home very confused.

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^* Ironically, at one time Oxford Dictionaries Online illustrated its entry with a drawing of a true toboggan — one with no runners [the illustration has since been removed].

Down

1d   Very, // very strong (6)

2d   Sense // a boy overcome by extremes of rage (6)

3d   Sound of lift /in/ UK resort (8)

Brighton^[5] is a resort on the south coast of England, in East Sussex.

4d   Absence of American // common sense (4)

Nous^[5] is an informal British term meaning common sense or practical intelligence ⇒ if he had any nous at all, he’d sell the film rights.

6d   Old couple yearn /for/ tea (6)

Oolong^[5] is a kind of dark-coloured China tea made by fermenting the withered leaves to about half the degree usual for black teas.

7d   Figure welcoming fine // faculty (8)

Fine^[5] is a word used to to express one's agreement with or acquiescence to something ⇒ (i) anything you want is fine by me, Linda or simply fine, Linda; (ii) he said such a solution would be fine.

8d   Furious, // grasp object (8)

11d   One of thirteen // in band, I am on drums (7)

It was not the hidden answer that I had difficulty spotting, it was the significance of the number thirteen. Doh!

14d   Artisan working /for/ Russian empress (7)

A tsarina^[5] (also czarina or tzarina) was an empress of Russia before the revolution of 1917.

17d   Fly // low around capital in Sweden, then leave (8)

A mosquito is a fly? Apparently yes.

A mosquito^[5] is a slender long-legged fly with aquatic larvae.

18d   Wine // in soup bottles (8)

This is a "recipe" style clue. Think of the wordplay as a series of steps from which all punctuation, numbering and formatting of the instructions have been removed. When we replace these missing elements, we get:

• Step 1: [start with] IN
• Step 2: POTAGE (soup) contains (bottles) [the intermediate result from Step 1]

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A potage^[5] is a thick soup.

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Pinotage^[5] is a variety of red wine grape grown in South Africa, produced by crossing Pinot Noir and other varieties, or a red wine made from this grape .

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Origin: The name is a blend of Pinot (Noir) and Hermitage, names of types of grape.

Post Mortem
Not being familiar with the wine — and having no more than a passing acquaintance with the soup — made this clue difficult. I was further hampered by having entered IOWA in 20a (as did many others judging by comments on Big Dave's site).

19d   Novel retains minimum of respect -- // there are holes in it (8)

22d   Item used by trumpeter to keep in // time (6)

A mute is a pad or cone placed in the opening of a brass or other wind instrument to soften the sound.

Post Mortem
I could picture the trumpeter's device in my mind but do you think I could put a name to it?

23d   Stop /and/ give a lift to storyteller and journalist (6)

24d   Popular contract, // without doubt (6)

27d   Miss // second nap (4)

Kip^[5] is an informal British term meaning:

• (noun) a sleep or nap ⇒ (i) I might have a little kip; (ii)  he was trying to get some kip
• (verb) to sleep ⇒he can kip on her sofa

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