Friday, January 4, 2019 — DT 28808

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28808
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Friday, August 3, 2018
Setter Giovanni (Don Manley)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28808]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Deep Threat
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 found the needle on the difficulty meter to be leaning slightly toward the upper end of the scale today. As we would expect from Giovanni, one is likely to have finished the puzzle with an expanded vocabulary.

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   Cared about B&B taking time /to provide/ part of meal? (3,7)

6a   Group lurking nearby! (4)

A 1970s Swedish pop group (reveal ) is lurking in the solution to nearby clue 1a.

Abba^[5] is a Swedish pop group that became popular in the 1970s with catchy, well-crafted songs such as ‘Waterloo’ (1974) and ‘Knowing Me Knowing You’ (1977).

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9a   Dreadful things done without leader /giving/ commands (10)

10a   Record // animal sound around back of barn (4)

While not in my vocabulary (as I would use the term only as an adjective), apparently mono^[5] (noun) is a shortened name for a monophonic recording.

12a   Formal institution in the country? Quite the opposite (4)

Conventionally Contrary
The phrase "Quite the opposite" tells the solver to reverse the logic of the statement immediately preceding it. By doing so, the restated clue becomes: Country // in formal institution (4)

Mali^[5] is a landlocked country in West Africa, south of Algeria. Former name (until 1958) French Sudan. (show more )

Conquered by the French in the late 19th century, Mali became part of French West Africa. It became a partner with Senegal in the Federation of Mali in 1959 and achieved full independence a year later, on the withdrawal of Senegal.

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13a   The lady has a table spread, /offering/ drink (6,3)

15a   Entertained by one loveless leftie, a dry person // gossiped (8)

"love" = O [tennis term] (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).

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"dry person" = TT (show explanation )

Teetotal^[5] (abbreviation TT^[5]) means choosing or characterized by abstinence from alcohol ⇒ a teetotal lifestyle.

A teetotaller^[5] (US teetotaler; abbreviation TT^[5]) is a person who never drinks alcohol.

The term teetotal is an emphatic extension of total, apparently first used by Richard Turner, a worker from Preston [England], in a speech (1833) urging total abstinence from all alcohol, rather than mere abstinence from spirits, as advocated by some early temperance reformers.

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16a   It's doubly right to remain outside -- when the night is this? (6)

In my books, the entire clue is a cryptic definition which has wordplay embedded within it.

18a   The oil loosened // old tool (6)

To an archeologist, an eolith^[5] is a roughly chipped flint found in Tertiary strata, originally thought to be an early artefact but probably of natural origin.

20a   Fixed supports /creating/ difficulties (8)

23a   Joining former scoundrels, this person has /to be/ going off-topic (9)

"this person has" = IVE (show explanation )

It is a common cryptic crossword convention for the creator of the puzzle to use terms such as (the or this) compiler, (the or this) setter, (the or this) speaker, (this) author, (this) writer, or this person to refer to himself or herself. To solve such a clue, one must generally substitute a first person pronoun (I or ME) for whichever of these terms has been used in the clue.

Today, the setter has made the scenario slightly more complicated by combining "this person" with the verb "to have" producing "this person has" which must be replaced by "I've" (a contraction of "I have").

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24a   Spots // some men carelessly falling over (4)

26a   Plant /that's/ heavenly Di plucked (4)

27a   Drink // to spoil material when getting absorbed (10)

Chino^[3,4,10,11] is a US^* term for a coarse twilled cotton fabric, often dyed khaki, used for uniforms and sometimes work or sports clothes.

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^* According to The Chambers Dictionary, the term is "originally US"^[1]. According to Oxford Dictionaries Online, the word comes from Latin American Spanish, literally meaning 'toasted' (referring to the typical colour of the fabric)^[5].  The American Heritage Dictionary throws a bit more light on the origin of the word, showing it to be an American Spanish term meaning 'yellowish' (from the original tan colour of the material), probably from Spanish chino, 'Chinese'^[3].

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Maraschino^[5] is a strong, sweet liqueur made from small black Dalmatian cherries ⇒ add brandy or maraschino if required.

28a   In America pack // a platform (4)

From a British perspective, deck^[5] is a North American term for a pack of cards.

29a   Affectionate communication, // nothing to be presented to landlord? (4,6)

The love missing from 15a shows up here ("nothing" = LOVE). [see explanation at 15a]

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

Down

1d   Journey // I had guarded by soldiers (4)

"soldiers" = RE [Royal Engineers] (show more )

The Corps of Royal Engineers^[7], usually just called the Royal Engineers (abbreviation RE), and commonly known as the Sappers^[7], is a corps of the British Army that provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces.

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2d   Party rave during which maiden /is/ sleeping (7)

"over" = O [cricket term] (show explanation )

On cricket scorecards, the abbreviation O^[5] denotes over(s), an over^[5] being a division of play consisting of a sequence of six balls bowled by a bowler from one end of the pitch, after which another bowler takes over from the other end.

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3d   Teach recruit new // discipline requiring design skills (12)

4d   Irritating person // first to board ship (8)

A lighter^[5] is a flat-bottomed barge or other unpowered boat used to transfer goods to and from ships in harbour.

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Blighter^[5] is an informal British term for a person who is regarded with contempt, irritation, or pity ⇒ you little blighter!.

5d   Groups /providing/ information over time (6)

Gen^[5] is an informal British term for information ⇒ you’ve got more gen on him than we have.

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In biology, a genus^[10] (plural genera or genuses) is any of the taxonomic groups into which a family is divided and which contains one or more species. For example, Vulpes (foxes) is a genus of the dog family (Canidae).

In philosophical and general use, genus^[5] means a class of things which have common characteristics and which can be divided into subordinate kinds.

7d   Someone in vessel has netted fifty // fish (7)

A bloater^[5] is a herring cured by salting and light smoking.

8d   Disastrous event? // Cosy appeal seems out of place (10)

11d   With total freedom, // Rachel can't be made to change (5,7)

Carte blanche^[5] denotes complete freedom to act as one wishes ⇒ the architect given carte blanche to design the store.

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Origin: Late 17th century: French, literally ‘blank paper’ (i.e. a blank sheet on which to write whatever one wishes, particularly one's own terms for an agreement).

14d   Available to anyone coming along /being/ outgoing? (10)

17d   Someone at conference /given/ instruction to remove all attendees? (8)

Post Mortem
As a wild guess, I tried to split the solution (2-6) to satisfy the wordplay, giving me DE-LEGATE (which, of course, turns out to be meaningless). Before I could pursue the parsing more fully, I inadvertently learned from Deep Threat's review that the correct approach is to split the solution (4,4) to give DELE (remove) + GATE (all attendees [at a concert, for instance]).

19d   The Parisian, a figure in mathematics, /is/ saying few words (7)

To a mathematician, a conic^[5] (noun, short for conic section^[5]) is a figure formed by the intersection of a plane and a circular cone. Depending on the angle of the plane with respect to the cone, a conic section may be a circle, an ellipse, a parabola, or a hyperbola.

21d   Criminal // trick has six coming to court (7)

"court" = CT (show explanation )

Ct^[2] is the abbreviation for Court in street addresses — and possibly in other contexts as well.

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22d   Female very aggressive /and/ very old holding one charitable event (6)

In Britain, rag^[5] (usually used as a modifier) refers to a programme of stunts, parades, and other entertainments organized by students to raise money for charity ⇒ rag week.

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In modern usage^*, a virago^[5] is a domineering, violent, or bad-tempered woman ⇒ the campaigns of these indignant viragoes will come to naught.

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^* In its archaic sense, a virago^[5] was a woman of masculine strength or spirit; a female warrior. The term comes from Old English (used only as the name given by Adam to Eve, following the Vulgate), from Latin ‘heroic woman, female warrior’, from vir ‘man’. The current sense dates from late Middle English.

25d   Number // in favour of storing radioactive element (4)

The symbol for the chemical element uranium is U^[5].

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