Saturday, January 19, 2019 — Some Like It Large

Introduction

In today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon, you might say that the setters stretch things to the limit.

I invite you to leave a comment to let us know how you fared with the puzzle.

Solution to Today's Puzzle

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 █ - yet to be solved

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   Don’t eat // quickly (4)

FAST — double definition

3a   Audited material for a sculptor /and/ artist (4)

KLEE~ — sounds like (audited) CLAY (material for a sculptor)

Paul Klee^[5] (1879–1940) was a Swiss painter, resident in Germany 1906–33. He joined Kandinsky’s Blaue Reiter group in 1912 and later taught at the Bauhaus (1920–31). His work is characterized by his sense of colour and moves freely between abstraction and figuration.

6a   Chunk /in/ lake eaten by fish (4)

C(L)OD — L (lake; abbrev.) contained in (eaten by) COD (fish)

8a   Property dealer/’s/ drinks switched at meal held by monarch’s stand-in (4,6,5)

RE(AL ES|TA<|TE A)GENT — {ALES (drinks) + reversal of (switched) AT + TEA (meal)| contained in (held by) REGENT (monarch's stand-in)

Should it strike your fancy, you might choose to think of the second element of the charade as an anagram (switched) of AT; in a two-letter word, a reversal and an anagram amount to the same thing.

11a   One way to ascend // Triassic-era Alps unravelled (6,9)

{SPIRAL STAIRCASE}* — anagram (unravelled) of TRIASSIC ERA ALPS

12a   Like some fat // Santa, rudely up to no good? (15)

POLYUNSATURATED* — anagram of (no good) SANTA RUDELY UP TO

14a   Old U.S. president/’s/ ostentatious, pocketing more than $100 flat (6,9)

GR(OVER| C|LEVEL)AND — GRAND (ostentatious) containing (pocketing) {OVER (more than) + C ($100) + LEVEL (flat)}

Grover Cleveland^[5] (1837–1908) was an American Democratic statesman, 22nd and 24th President of the US 1885-9 and 1893-7.

19a   Jealousy involving triathletes exaggerated // with regard to living conditions (15)

ENV(IRONMEN|TALL)Y — ENVY (jealousy) containing (involving) {IRONMEN (triathletes) + TALL (exaggerated)}

An ironman is a competitor in an ironman^[10] (trademark), a long-distance triathlon race in which competitors swim 2.4 miles, cycle for 112 miles, and run a marathon.

22a   Mistakenly use ray on Saturn’s // giant reptiles (15)

TYRANNOSAURUSES* — anagram of (mistakenly) USE RAY ON SATURNS

A tyrannosaurus (also tyrannosaur^[5]) is a a very large bipedal carnivorous dinosaur of the late Cretaceous period, with powerful jaws and small clawlike front legs.

23a   Payment covering start of the // celebration (4)

FE(T)E — FEE (payment) containing (covering) T (start [initial letter] of The)

24a   Jazz singer’s first name // found among miscellany (4)

_ELLA_ — hidden in (found among) miscELLAny

Ella Fitzgerald^[5] (1917–1996) was an American jazz singer, known for her distinctive style of scat singing.

25a   Burden // borne by our group (4)

ON|US — ON (borne by) + US (our group)

Down

1d   Documents to be filled out // for woman’s title (5)

FOR|MS — FOR (†) + MS (woman's title)

2d   Sales pitch about one // breed of dog (7)

SP(AN)IEL — SPIEL (sales pitch) containing (about) AN (one)

4d   Method of choice employs // water lilies (7)

LOT|USES — LOT (method of choice) + USES (employs)

Lotus^[2] is the name of several species of water lily:

• a species of water lily sacred to the ancient Egyptians and often depicted in Egyptian art
• either of two species of water lily belonging to a separate genus, widely cultivated as ornamental plants, one native to Asia, with pink flowers and traditionally associated with Buddhism and Hinduism, and the other native to southern USA, with yellow flowers

The lotus of Greek mythology was not a water lily but the fruit of the jujube shrub, used by the ancient Greeks to make bread and wine, consumption of which was thought to produce a state of blissful and dreamy forgetfulness.

5d   Remove // first two pieces of treasure, in on the money (7)

EX(TR)ACT — TR (first two pieces [letters] of TReasure) contained in (in) EXACT (on the money)

6d   Conservative locks // president’s office (5)

C|HAIR — C (Conservative; abbrev.) + HAIR (locks; tresses)

For the benefit of foreign visitors, the Conservative Party of Canada^[7], colloquially known as the Tories, is a federal political party in Canada.

7d   In full view, eating a cold // ham (7)

OVER(A|C)T — OVERT (in full view) containing (eating) {A (†) + C (cold; abbrev.)}

9d   Rubbing out // period without a doubt (7)

ERA|SURE — ERA (period) + SURE (without a doubt)

The verb form "rubbing" is a gerund and can therefore substitute as a noun, as it does here.

10d   Gripping wrench, Theo // generally directed (7)

T(REND)ED — TED (Theo; both Ted and Theo are diminutives of Theodore) containing (gripping) REND (wrench)

In the wordplay, the setters have employed a grammatical syntax known as "fronting"^[a] (moving part of a sentence from its normal position to the beginning of the sentence) — a syntax typically used for emphasis and dramatic effect. In cryptic crosswords, it is often employed to enhance the surface reading of the clue.

The setters could have equally well worded the clue as:

• Theo, gripping wrench, // generally directed (7)

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^[a] English Grammar Today (Cambridge Dictionary)

12d   Paint // FBI agents in mine (7)

PI(GMEN)T — GMEN (FBI agents) contained in (in) PIT (mine)

G-man^[5] (short for government man) is an informal US term for an FBI agent.

13d   Lodger gaining energy // to go in again (7)

REENTER — RENTER (lodger) containing (gaining) E (energy; abbrev. used in physics formulae)

15d   Head // bishop captivated by love poetry (7)

O(B)VERSE —  B (bishop; chess notation) contained in (captivated by) {O (love; nil score in tennis) + VERSE (poetry)}

The obverse^[5] is the side of a coin or medal bearing the head or principal design.

16d   Comfort // panel with instruments (7)

CONSOLE — double definition

17d   Look at // Egypt’s leader and you dance (7)

E|YE|BALL — E (Egypt's leader [initial letter]) + (and) YE ([archaic form of] you) + BALL (dance)

18d   Everyone is supported by // Bobby, the auto racer (7)

ALL|IS|ON — ALL (everyone) + IS (†) + ON (supported by)

Bobby Allison^[7] is a former American professional stock car racing driver and owner.

20d   Wander // north in storm (5)

RA(N)GE — N (north; abbrev.) contained in (in) RAGE (storm)

21d   Yemen’s leader sees new // agreements (5)

Y|ESES* — Y (Yemen's leader [initial letter]) + anagram (new) of SEES

Epilogue

It is often difficult to come up with a title for the review, but today it was difficult to pick from the many possibilities that popped into my head. In addition to those ideas that made it into the review, I also considered titles based on the concept of coast-to-coast or the 2004 American documentary Super Size Me^[7]. However, a take-off on the 1959 American romantic comedy Some Like It Hot^[7] won out. The film was produced and directed by Billy Wilder and starred Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemmon.

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