Saturday, January 26, 2019 — Single and Isolated

Introduction

Today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon has not only an unusual grid but also an interesting feature in the solutions to the across clues.

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.

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Across

7a   Victor receiving cap and popular // dietary supplement (7,1)

VI(TAM|IN) C — VIC ([diminutive for] Victor) containing (receiving) {TAM (cap) + IN (popular)}

9a   In south, anticipate // a former Secretary-General (1,5)

U THANT — hidden in (in) soUTH ANTicpate

U Thant^[5] (1909–1974) was a Burmese statesman, secretary general of the United Nations 1961–71. (show more )

He served as the representative of Burma (Myanmar) to the United Nations 1957–61. As secretary general he worked to settle the 1962 Cuban missile crisis diplomatically, to end the Congolese civil war in 1962, and to keep peace in Cyprus in 1964.

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10a   Bad vibe about moment /in/ low-budget film (1,5)

{B (MO)VIE}* — anagram of (bad) VIBE containing (about) MO (moment)

Mo (abbreviation for moment) is an informal British^[5,14], chiefly British^[2,4],  mainly British^[10], or not specified as British^[1,11,12] term for a short period of time ⇒ hang on a mo!. This meaning of the word does not appear in the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language^[3].

11a   In 2010, local crackpot // assassinated activist (7,1)

M(ALCOL*)M X — anagram of (crackpot) LOCAL contained in (in) MMX ([Roman numeral for] 2010)

Malcolm X^[5] (1925–1965) was an American political activist who campaigned for black rights. He was assassinated in 1965. (show more )

Born Malcolm Little, he joined the Nation of Islam in 1946 and became a vigorous campaigner for black rights, initially advocating the use of violence. In 1964 he converted to orthodox Islam and moderated his views on black separatism; he was assassinated the following year.

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12a   Susan occupied by northern climb/’s/ bright outlook (8)

SU(N|SHIN)E — SUE ([diminutive for] Susan) containing (occupied by) {N (northern; abbrev.} + SHIN (climb [a rope])}

13a   Timeless longing /for/ divination manual (1,5)

I CHING — I[T]CHING (longing) with the letter T removed {timeless; less T (time; abbrev.)}

I Ching^[5] is an ancient Chinese manual of divination based on eight symbolic trigrams and sixty-four hexagrams, interpreted in terms of the principles of yin and yang. It was included as one of the ‘five classics’ of Confucianism.

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^* English name: Book of Changes

14a   Top // thirst off (1-5)

{T-SHIRT}* — anagram of (off) THIRST

16a   Excellent // period with cloud cover, it’s said (5,1)

{GRADE A}~ — sounds like (it's said) GREY DAY (period with cloud cover)

20a   Motor home entering second signal /in/ winding section of road (1-5)

S-CU(RV)E — RV (motor home; recreational vehicle) contained in (entering) {S (second; abbrev.) + CUE (signal}

23a   Reordered Atkins or // military meals (1,7)

{K RATIONS}* — anagram of (reordered) ATKINS OR

K ration^[10,11] denotes a small package containing emergency rations (consisting of three separate packaged meals) used by US and Allied forces in the field in World War II.

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Origin: K, from the initial of the surname of Ancel Keys (1904–2004), US physiologist who instigated it

25a   Hector // spoiled child, adopting that hurt act (8)

BR(OW|BE)AT — BRAT (spoiled child) containing (adopting) {OW (that hurt) + BE (act; behave in the way specified)}

26a   Writer // transformed NY hero (1,5)

{O HENRY}* — anagram of (transformed) NY HERO

O. Henry^[5] (1862–1910) was an American short-story writer; pseudonym of William Sydney Porter. Jailed for embezzlement in 1898, he started writing short stories in prison. Collections include Cabbages and Kings (1904) and The Voice of the City (1908).

27a   Stress experienced by test pilots // in preparing for celebration (1-5)

_G-FOR|CE_ — hidden in (in) preparinG FOR CElebrations

G-force^[5] is a form of acceleration that causes the accelerating object to experience a force acting in the opposite direction to the acceleration ⇒ (i) the Harrier banked sharply left and I experienced my first taste of G-force; (ii) they were spun around in centrifuges, to acclimatize them to G-forces.

28a   The woman freed an // Irish playwright (8)

SHE|RID|AN — SHE (the woman) + RID (freed) + AN (†)

Richard Brinsley Sheridan^[5] (1751–1816) was an Irish playwright and politician. His plays are comedies of manners and include The Rivals (1775) and The School for Scandal (1777). In 1780, he entered Parliament, became a celebrated orator, and held senior government posts.

Down

1d   Get off // on mud; it’s messy (8)

DISMOUNT* — anagram of (messy) ON MUD ITS

2d   Releases // article penned by married women (6)

W(A)IVES — A ([indefinite] article) contained in (penned by) WIVES (married women)

3d   Some meat sandwiches are found // more spicy (8)

LIVE(LIE)R — LIVER (some meat) contains (sandwiches) LIE (are found; are situated)

4d   Cryptic clue in // “Hearts” (6)

NUCLEI* — anagram (cryptic) of CLUE IN

5d   Whatever person operator got rid of // went like a rocket (8)

WHO|O|SHED — WHO (whatever person) + O (operator) + SHED (got rid of)

On a telephone, one dials "O" for operator — although it is actually "0" (zero) rather than the letter "O".

6d   Garden figurine almost in contact with // sundial rod (6)

GNOM|ON — GNOM[E] (garden figurine) with the final letter removed (almost) + ON (in contact with)

8d   Run playfully around back of mom/’s/ motor home (6)

CA(M)PER — CAPER (run playfully) containing (around) M (back [final letter] of moM)

15d   Heard broadcast about fighting // equipment in shop (8)

{HARD(WAR)E}* — anagram of (broadcast) HEARD containing (about) WAR (fighting)

17d   A boy getting into grass // demonstrating good cause (8)

RE(A|SON)ED — {A (†) + SON (boy)} contained in (getting into) REED (grass)

18d   Deviant // Roman lab destroyed (8)

ABNORMAL* — anagram of (destroyed) ROMAN LAB

19d   Diamond-shaped fish // glides (6)

SKATES — double definition; in the first definition "fish" is plural

21d   Restaurant keeps a red // wine container (6)

C(A|R)AFE — CAFE (restaurant) contains (keeps) {A (†) + R (red; abbrev. found on video connectors, for example)}

22d   Hole in an upper // bit of land in the sound (6)

EYELET~ — sounds like (in the sound) ISLET (bit of land)

Although this "bit of land" could well be located "in the sound", that is just a bit of misdirection when it comes to deciphering the clue.

The upper^[5] is the part of a boot or shoe above the sole.

24d   Part of Russia, not southern // part of Europe (6)

_IBERIA — [S]IBERIA (part of Russia) with S (southern) removed (not southern)

Epilogue

With only a very few exceptions, the solutions to the across clues contained single letters. The grid is also interesting, essentially being four isolated mini-grids with each mini-grid having only a single link to each adjoining mini-grid.

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