Wednesday, January 23, 2019 — DT 28821

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28821
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Saturday, August 18, 2018
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28821 – Hints] Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28821 – Review]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Big Dave (Hints) gnomethang (Review)
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
Notes
As this was a Saturday "Prize Puzzle" in Britain, there are two entries related to it on Big Dave's Crossword Blog — the first, posted on the date of publication, contains hints for selected clues while the second is a full review issued following the entry deadline for the contest. The vast majority of reader comments will generally be found attached to the "hints" posting with a minimal number — if any — accompanying the full review.

Introduction

In a marked departure from the usual practice, this puzzle (which was published in the UK on a Saturday) proves to be a very challenging — though immensely satisfying — challenge.

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   Men have one-legged race // that raises cash for the needy? (8)

Men^[5] is used in the sense of figures or tokens used in playing a board game — specifically, in this case, a game of chess.

There is some discussion on Big Dave's Crossword Blog as to whether "one-legged race" equates to "hop". Judge for yourself as these women one-legged race (think of "one-legged race" being a phrasal verb):

5a   In sleep I composed // great story (4)

9a   Notice match /is/ no great shakes (8)

10a   Fork for example used the wrong way getting journalist // sacked (6)

11a   Ninety in Brussels seem unexpectedly // sorry (6,2)

In the same way that one may use Ottawa, Washington, and London as metonyms for the Canadian, US, and UK governments respectively, Brussels serves as a metonym for the EU. (show more )

Brussels^[5] (the capital of Belgium) is also considered the de facto capital of the European Union^[7], having a long history of hosting the institutions of the European Union within its European Quarter. The EU has no official capital, and no plans to declare one, but Brussels hosts the official seats of the European Commission, Council of the European Union, and European Council, as well as a seat (officially the second seat but de facto the most important one) of the European Parliament.

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12a   Avoid /being/ opponents in game with champ (6)

In the card game bridge, North^[5] (N) and South^[5] (S) comprise one partnership and play against East^[5] (E) and West^[5] (W) who form the other partnership.

14a   Stirring cancan? Yes, when principal among dancers is in // command ... (10)

The wordplay parses as an anagram of (stirring) CANCAN YES containing (when ... is in) D (principal [initial letter] among Dancers).

Command^[5] is used in the sense of authority, especially over armed forces ⇒ (i) an officer took command; (ii) who's in command?.

18a   ... much-loved touring company /is/ revealing talents (10)

Precocious^[2] (said e.g. of a child) is an adjective denoting unusually advanced in mental development, speech, behaviour, etc. [or revealing talents not expected in someone of their age].

22a   This person about to appear twice, carrying on // like a superstar? (6)

"this person" = I (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.

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23a   Something one's burning to sing about? (8)

24a   Anger over admitting team /will get/ special potion (6)

Eleven^[5] (often appearing as a Roman numeral XI) is the number of players in^* a cricket^[7] side [team] or an Association football^[7] [soccer] team — and is frequently used as a metonym for such a team ⇒ at cricket I played in the first eleven.

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^* Note that in Britain a player is "in a side" or "in a team" rather than "on a team" as one would say in North America.

25a   A very wearing foxtrot, say, with daughter, // 18 (8)

"very" = V (show explanation )

The abbreviation v (or v.)^[1,2,5,10] stands for very. Although this definition is found in most of my British dictionaries, it does not appear in any of my American dictionaries. Unfortunately no explanation is given as to the specific context in which one might encounter this usage. The only possibility that I can imagine is when combined with G as a grade of VG (very good) on school tests or assignments.

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The foxtrot^[5] is a ballroom dance having an uneven rhythm with alternation of slow and quick steps.

"daughter" = D [genealogy] (show explanation )

In genealogies, d^[5] is the abbreviation for daughter ⇒ Henry m. Georgina 1957, 1s 2d^*.

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^* Henry married Georgina in 1957. Their marriage produced 1 son and 2 daughters.

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The numeral "18" is a cross reference indicator to clue 18a (show more ).

To complete the clue, a solver must replace the cross reference indicator with the solution to the clue starting in the light^* identified by the cross reference indicator.

The cross reference indicator may include a directional indicator but this is customarily done only in situations where there are both Across and Down clues originating in the light that is being referenced.

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^* light-coloured cell in the grid

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26a   List /of/ soldiers needing uniform (4)

Uniform^[5] is a code word representing the letter U, used in radio communication.

27a   American should avoid some russet // apples from here? (8)

The definition is a somewhat cryptic way of expressing "place where apples are grown".

Somerset^[5,10] is a county of southwestern England, on the Bristol Channel. It is mainly agricultural (especially dairying and fruit).

Down

2d   Yank/'s/ right to interrupt old-fashioned waitress? (6)

Wench^[10,14] is an archaic term for a female servant, in particular, a a girl or young woman who serves people food or drink.

3d   Pumpkin // cordial (6)

Squash^[5] is a British term for a sweet concentrated liquid made from or flavoured with fruit juice, which is diluted to make a drink ⇒ orange squash.

Here and There
In North America, cordial[5] is another term for liqueur[5], a strong, sweet alcoholic spirit, usually drunk after a meal. In Britain, cordial[10] is a drink with a fruit base, usually sold in concentrated form and diluted with water before being drunk.

4d   Pythonesque topic about film, independent // looking on the bright side of life (10)

"independent" = I [politician] (show explanation )

I^[1] is the abbreviation for independent, in all likelihood in the context of a politician with no party affiliation.

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Pythonesque^[5] is an adjective meaning relating to or reminiscent of Monty Python's Flying Circus^[5], an influential British television comedy series (1969–74) noted for its surrealist style of humour and starring, among others, John Cleese.

While Big Dave may have questioned "Pythonesque" as an anagram indicator, I thought it to be brilliant.

The Story Behind the Video
This clue alludes to a musical sequence "Always Look On the Bright Side of Life" from the 1979 Monty Python film Life of Brian[7]. Big Dave links to a video of the song in his hints.

6d   Where the German invasion starts at 7am? // Mere cheek! (8)

Mere^[5] is a chiefly literary, British term for a lake or pond ⇒ the stream widens into a mere where hundreds of geese gather.

Delving Deeper
Those of us in Ottawa should be familiar with the word "mere" as the Mackenzie King Estate (the country estate of Canada’s 10th and longest-serving prime minister, William Lyon Mackenzie King) is located just across the Ottawa River in Kingsmere, Quebec, on the shores of Kingsmere Lake (a name which surely amounts to Kingslake Lake).

Side^[5] is an informal British term for a boastful or pretentious manner or attitude ⇒ there was absolutely no side to him.

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The War of the Beach Towels

The clue alludes to the battle between British and German tourists in Spain to secure lounge chairs by the hotel swimming pool. In an article from July 2015, Britain's The Daily Telegraph reports "British tourists are winning the sunlounger wars in Spain, waking up hours earlier than their rivals to secure a comfortable spot by the pool, an investigation into the habits of holidaymakers in Spain has revealed. "Germany's Bild newspaper observed British tourists at a resort in Alcudia, Majorca, placing their towels on loungers to "reserve" them as early as 6am. ... By 8.51am all of the loungers were taken, but the holidaymakers were nowhere to be seen, Bild wrote. ... "The investigation follows a similar operation last year, when the newspaper visited in Lloret de Mar on the Costa Brava. "Then, not one tourist had laid down a towel by 7.36am, indicating that the towel wars have intensified in the past 12 months, forcing holidaymakers to wake up even earlier to secure a sunlounger. "Bild said that the Germans and British were the “undisputed masters” of sunbed blocking, though its investigation identified only British sunlounger hogs. ... "The investigation will surprise many British tourists, who complain that Germans usually beat them to the best loungers by waking early."

7d   What's under pet whiskers maybe beginning to grow // infectious (8)

8d   On edge, /using/ B-roads? (8)

In Great Britain, B roads^[7] are numbered local routes, which have lower traffic densities than the main trunk roads, or A roads. This classification has nothing to do with the width or quality of the physical road, and B roads can range from dual carriageways [divided highways] to single track roads with passing places.

9d   Eager to say yes but not able /to give/ the last word (4)

13d   Leave pit with effort -- // drive! (3-2-3-2)

Pit^[5] is an informal British term for a person's bed.

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I must say that I did not immediately equate effort with go, but after quite a bit of contemplation I would have to say:

• effort^[5] is used in the sense of a vigorous or determined attempt ⇒ make an effort to answer the questions yourself
• go^[5] is used in the informal sense of an attempt or trial at something ⇒ have a go at answering the questions yourself

15d   Two stages of divorce /making/ bit of a bad shock? (5,3)

Bit^[5] is used in the sense of a small piece, part, or quantity of something ⇒ trim just a bit off the ends.

A shock^[5] is an unkempt or thick mass of hair ⇒ a man with a shock of ginger hair.

16d   One should be bagged by postmen -- unfortunately // it leads to issue in post (8)

Issue^[5] is a legal term denoting children of one's own ⇒ the earl died without male issue.

Post^[5] is a position of paid employment.

17d   Power // soiree perhaps attended by underling (8)

19d   Kind of drug // I consumed after work (6)

"work" = OP (show explanation )

In music, an opus^[5] (Latin 'work', plural opuses or opera) is a separate composition or set of compositions.

The abbreviation Op.^[5] (also op.), denoting opus, is used before a number given to each work of a particular composer, usually indicating the order of publication. The plural form of Op. is Opp..

Opus^[5] can also be used in a more general sense to mean an artistic work, especially one on a large scale ⇒ he was writing an opus on Mexico.

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20d   Endlessly talk about // sports event (6)

21d   Proof of ownership that's overturned all the same (4)

The entire clue is a cryptic definition in which a precise definition is embedded. The latter part of the clue does not provide a second independent route to the solution but rather provides cryptic elaboration concerning the precise definition — in this case, informing us that it is a palindrome.

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