Tuesday, February 19, 2019 — DT 28840

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28840
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Monday, September 10, 2018
Setter Dada (John Halpern)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28840]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Miffypops
BD Rating
Difficulty - tba	Enjoyment - tba
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

Should you be wondering about the BD Rating in the chart above, Miffypops has stated on many occasions that he never fills in a rating, leaving that for Big Dave to do. It looks like today's puzzle slipped past Big Dave unrated.

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   Better, a civic // role (8)

In the solution:

• cap^[5] is used in the sense of to follow or reply to (a story, remark, or joke) by producing a better one ⇒ he prayed no wit would cap his remark with some repartee.
• the noun "city" is being employed as a modifier — effectively making it an adjective.

5a   A wave // on top (2,4)

9a   Policeman // enters a complex carrying gun, initially (8)

10a   A politician in office, // wet (6)

"politician" = MP (show explanation )

In Britain (as in Canada), a politician elected to the House of Commons is known as a Member of Parliament^[10] (abbreviation MP^[5]) or, informally, as a member^[5].

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Scratching the Surface

Wet[5] is an informal British term meaning: (adjective) showing a lack of forcefulness or strength of character; in other words, feeble ⇒ they thought the cadets were a bit wet (noun) a person lacking forcefulness or strength of character ⇒ there are sorts who look like gangsters and sorts who look like wets In British political circles, the name wet[5] is applied to a Conservative with liberal tendencies ⇒ the wets favoured a change in economic policy. It was a term frequently used by former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher for those to the left of her in the British Conservative Party [which must have been just about everyone].

11a   Bit of a looker quaffing second // wine (7)

Retsina^[5] is a Greek white or rosé wine flavoured with resin.

12a   Structure that may pop in solid // weapon (7)

In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Miffypops has the popping structure being an ear of corn. But it is not the ear that pops — merely the kernals!

I interpreted the popping structure to be our organ of hearing.

13a   Game // attempts to give flirty signal when squiffy? (11)

Squiffy^[5] is an informal British term meaning slightly drunk ⇒ I feel quite squiffy.

Tiddly^[5] is an informal British term meaning slightly drunk ⇒ we were all a little bit tiddly.

16a   Difficult // book about foreign money (11)

Rouble^[5] is the British spelling of ruble, the basic monetary unit of Russia and some other former republics of the USSR, equal to 100 kopeks.

21a   Nemesis, // England invading state (7)

In Greek mythology, Nemesis^[5] is a goddess usually portrayed as the agent of divine punishment for wrongdoing or presumption (hubris).

22a   Bewildered, // guy struggling to keep tail of snake in the sack (3-4)

23a   Country // that's worth more than a pound? (6)

Guinea^[5] is a country on the west coast of Africa. Part of a feudal Fulani empire from the 16th century, Guinea was colonized by France, becoming part of French West Africa. It became an independent republic in 1958.

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Guinea^[5] (abbreviation gn.) is:

• a British term for the sum of £1.05 (21 shillings in pre-decimal currency), now used mainly for determining professional fees and auction prices.
• historically, a former British gold coin that was first minted in 1663 from gold imported from West Africa, with a value that was later fixed at 21 shillings. It was replaced by the sovereign from 1817.

24a   'Cats' problem, // musical delivery? (4-4)

Hair^[7] (extended title: Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical) is a 1967 rock musical ... (show more )

... with a book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot. A product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, several of its songs became anthems of the anti-Vietnam War peace movement. The musical's profanity, its depiction of the use of illegal drugs, its treatment of sexuality, its irreverence for the American flag, and its nude scene caused much comment and controversy. The musical broke new ground in musical theatre by defining the genre of "rock musical", using a racially integrated cast, and inviting the audience onstage for a "Be-In" finale.

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A delivery^[5] is an act of throwing, bowling, or kicking a ball, especially a cricket ball.

In cricket, the term ball^[5] can denote the delivery of the ball by the bowler to the batsman  ⇒ his half century^* came off only forty balls.

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^* A century^[5] is a score of a hundred in a sporting event, especially a batsman’s score of a hundred runs in cricket ⇒ he scored the only century of the tour.

Scratching the Surface
CATS[7] is a musical by English composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by American-born British writer T. S. Eliot (1888–1965) and produced by British theatrical producer Cameron Mackintosh. It premiered in London in 1981 and on Broadway in 1982.

25a   Trap // finally caught fish (6)

26a   A drug that builds muscle /for/ heavenly body (8)

Down

1d   Communist leader // inspired by rhetoric, as Trotsky (6)

Fidel Castro^[5] (1927–2016) was a Cuban statesman, prime minister 1959–76 and president 1976–2008. After overthrowing President Fulgencio Batista he set up a communist regime which survived the abortive Bay of Pigs invasion, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the collapse of the Soviet bloc. In 2008 he stood down in favour of his brother Raúl Castro.

Scratching the Surface
Leon Trotsky[5] (1879–1940) was a Russian revolutionary; born Lev Davidovich Bronshtein. He helped to organize the October Revolution with Lenin, and built up the Red Army. He was expelled from the Communist Party by Stalin in 1927 and exiled in 1929. He settled in Mexico in 1937, where he was later murdered by a Stalinist assassin.

2d   Silver perhaps // ending in skip, furious (6)

Long John Silver^[7] is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the novel Treasure Island (1883) by Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894). The most colourful and complex character in the book, he continues to appear in popular culture.

Silver, a cunning and opportunistic pirate who was quartermaster under the notorious Captain Flint, is hired by Squire Trelawney as ship's cook for the voyage to find Captain Flint's treasure^[7].

3d   Revolutionary film /showing/ drug-dealer (7)

"revolutionary" = CHE (show explanation )

Che Guevara^[7] (1928–1967) was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and military theorist. A major figure of the Cuban Revolution, his stylized visage has become a ubiquitous countercultural symbol of rebellion and global insignia within popular culture.

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Here and There
In Britain, the term chemist[5] can mean a shop where medicinal drugs are dispensed and sold, and in which toiletries and other medical goods can be purchased ⇒ antihistamine tablets are freely available in chemists; or a person authorized to dispense medicinal drugs. In North America, the former would be known as a pharmacy or drug store and the latter as a pharmacist or druggist.

4d   Rwanda confused with teeny // part of northern England (4,3,4)

Tyne and Wear^[5] is a former metropolitan county of north-eastern England.

Scratching the Surface
Rwanda[5] is a landlocked country in central Africa, to the north of Burundi and the south of Uganda.

6d   Fight and fight /for/ bird (7)

7d   One into old maps // makes things clear (8)

8d   Continent with mountains primarily toured by girl (8)

Post Mortem
I was convinced that continent[5] was being used either in the sense of being able to control one's bodily functions or exercising control over one's sexual desires.

12d   Lively -- // as soy sauce? (4,2,5)

14d   Trustworthy // hand (8)

In the card game poker, a straight^[5] is a continuous sequence of five cards.

15d   Drinking last of vermouth, I bemoan lamentable // free spirit (8)

A bohemian^[5] is a socially unconventional person, especially one who is involved in the arts ⇒ Warhol and the artists and bohemians he worked with in the 1960s.

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Origin: The term comes from the French word bohémien meaning 'Gypsy' — so-called because Gypsies were thought to come from Bohemia (now part of the Czech Republic), or because they perhaps entered the West through Bohemia.

17d   Million-dollar contract? // I'm not impressed! (3,4)

18d   Sporting call // angered drunk (2,5)

In the sport of fencing, en garde^[5] is a direction to be ready to fence, taking the opening position for action.

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Origin: French en garde '(be) on guard'

19d   Needing lots of determination at first to turn over, old // generator (6)

20d   Rotten // count was commanding (6)

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