Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 28849 | |
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Thursday, September 20, 2018 | |
Setter
RayT (Ray Terrell) | |
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28849] | |
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
pommers | |
BD Rating
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| 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
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Notes
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This puzzle appears on the Monday Diversions page in the Saturday, March 2, 2019 edition of the National Post.
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Introduction
Today's puzzle is rather a nice bit of fun from RayT.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:
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The review of a clue takes the following general structure:
#a/d Clue containing parsing markup (num*)
* num = numeration
Explanations pertaining to the wordplay (or first definition in a double definition)
(Horizontal separator)
Explanatory Box
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| 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:
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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.
ExamplesI 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.
A few examples may help to illustrate these points more clearly.
The first example is a clue used by Jay in DT 28573:
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).
- 4d Fellow left work // a failure (4)
The second example is a clue used by Giovanni in DT 28575:
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.
- 29a Female going to match // travels with mother in advance (10)
The third example is a clue used by Rufus is DT 28583:
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/).
- 18d Knight caught by misplaced big blow /is/ staggering (8)
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)
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 Celebrates dancing round piano, // upright (11)
"piano" = P [music notation] (show explanation )
10a Coffee /or/ tea, we hear, inside old container (5)
A fact lost on at least one visitor to Big Dave's Crossword Blog (Hastalosco Jones at Comment #13), in addition to meaning dead, the term late[1,2,3,4,5,10,11] can also mean former or immediately preceding the present one ⇒ (i)
the late attorney general, Jody Wilson-Raybould; (ii)
the company's late president gave the address*.
* Notwithstanding this usage being found in virtually every dictionary that I consulted, were I to see or hear this statement, I would certainly envision a message from beyond the grave!
Collins English Dictionary provides the following advice on usage[10]
Since late can mean deceased, many people think it is better to avoid using this word to refer to the person who held a post or position before its present holder: the previous (not the late) editor of The Times.
What did he say?
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In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, pommers writesHe is alluding to the fact that one could drop the word container from the clue and it would still parse correctly — although at the expense of the surface reading.Not sure what the word container brings to the party. One can justify including the word "container" in the wordplay by interpreting the wordplay as "tea, we hear, inside old [acting as a] container". This is analogous to the use of words such as "environment" or "surroundings" in similar constructions: |
11a Report of frozen deluge /creating/ vision problem (9)
Initially, I had difficulty accepting the homophone as I was attempting to treat the words "frozen deluge" as a phrase denoting ICE RAIN.
However, I eventually realized that the clue does work if one treats the homophone fodder as a charade; that is, with the wordplay being interpreted as sounds like (report of) {ICED (frozen) + RAIN (deluge)}.
12a Correct current slang /for/ 'beggar' (9)
"current" = I [physics notation] (show explanation )
13a Epic poem // is long. It's also dull, initially (5)
The Iliad[5] is a Greek hexameter epic poem in twenty-four books, traditionally ascribed to Homer, telling how Achilles killed Hector at the climax of the Trojan War.
14a United // trained to take on Newcastle finally ... (6)
Scratching the Surface
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| Manchester United Football Club[7], commonly known as Man United or simply United*, is an English professional football [soccer] club, based in Old Trafford,
Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League (the top level in
the English football league system). * Although, in Britain, the word United[5] is commonly used in the names of soccer and other sports teams formed by amalgamation, it would seem that the word United in the absence of other context would customarily be assumed to be a reference to Manchester United. Newcastle United Football Club[7] (often abbreviated to NUFC) is an English professional association football [soccer] club based in Newcastle upon Tyne. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End. The club has been a member of the Premier League [the top tier of English football] for all but two years of the competition's history, and has never dropped below English football's second tier since joining the Football League in 1893. Crystal Palace Football Club[7] [mentioned by pommers in his review] is an English professional football [soccer] club based in Selhurst, South London, that competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football. |
16a ... Bury facing new wingers from Arsenal // inside (8)
Scratching the Surface
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| Bury Football Club[7] is an English professional association football [soccer]
club based in Bury, Greater Manchester. Founded in 1885, the club has
been a member of the English Football League (EFL) since 1894. In the
2018–19 season, the club's first team is
competing in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football
league system, having been relegated from EFL League One in May 2018. Arsenal Football Club[7] is an English professional association football [soccer] club based in Islington, London that plays in the Premier League (the top level in the English football league system). A winger[5] is an attacking player on the wing in soccer, hockey [which, to the Brits, would mean field hockey], and other sports [such as what the Brits refer to as "ice hockey" — the word "ice", of course, being redundant to a Canadian]. |
18a Excess // praise one's Queen rejected (8)
"Queen" = ER (show explanation )
20a Consent /from/ top admitting Church doctrine's first (6)
Ace[5] is used informally as an adjective to mean very good ⇒
an ace swimmer.
"church" = CE [Church of England] (show explanation )
The Church of England[10] (abbreviation CE[10]) is the reformed established state Church in England, Catholic in order and basic doctrine, with the Sovereign as its temporal head.
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The Church of England[10] (abbreviation CE[10]) is the reformed established state Church in England, Catholic in order and basic doctrine, with the Sovereign as its temporal head.
hide
23a Suitor // with reaction to innuendo (5)
Yes, it is in the dictionary! Oo-er[5] is an exclamation expressing surprise or alarm.
The Story Behind the Picture
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| In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, pommers includes a picture of English comedian and comic actor Frankie Howerd[7] (stage name of Francis Alick Howard, 1917–1992). Howerd appeared on radio and television in several incarnations of The Frankie Howerd Show — including a 1976 version produced by the CBC. One of his most memorable roles might be as Lurcio on the British television comedy series Up Pompeii! (1969–1970) as well as the 1971 film of the same name. His television work was characterised by direct addresses to camera and by his littering monologues with verbal tics such as "Oooh, no missus" and "Titter ye not". A later sale of his scripts, however, showed that the seemingly off-the-cuff remarks had all been meticulously planned. Another feature of his humour was to feign innocence about his obvious and risqué double entendres, while mockingly censuring the audience for finding them funny. |
24a Handy gear for relocating // plant (9)
26a Improve conditions // spreading deeper love endlessly (9)
27a East River capsized // craft (5)
The River Dart[5] is a river in Devon, England which rises high on Dartmoor, and releases to the sea at Dartmouth. Its valley and surrounding area is a place of great natural beauty.
28a Kill // like elite force with crime destroyed (11)
In the UK, the Special Air Service[5] (abbreviation SAS[5]) is a specialist army regiment trained in commando techniques of warfare, formed during the Second World War and used in clandestine operations, frequently against terrorists.
Down
2d Scoffed // feta at beano, regularly (5)
Scratching the Surface
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Beano[5] is an informal British term for a party ⇒ a traditional Bank Holiday beano. Origin: abbreviation of beanfeast |
3d Force to accept this compiler twisting // proposition (7)
"this compiler" = ME (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.
hide 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.
hide explanation
4d Emperor // about right to hold tide back (6)
Caesar[5] is a title of Roman emperors, especially those from Augustus to Hadrian.
No Emperor, He!
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| Julius Caesar[5] (100–44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. Despite a common misconception, Julius Caesar was not a Roman emperor. The Roman emperor[7] was the ruler of the Roman Empire during the imperial period (starting in 27 BC). Julius Caesar (who was assassinated in 44 BC) ruled during the republican period and held the title of consul rather than emperor. |
What did he say?
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In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, pommers writesThe Chambers Dictionary defines sea[1] (in part) as ... (a given height of) swell or roughness; a great wave; the tide; ... .Not 100% convinced about this word for tide. |
5d Warning // of drink round around time (8)
6d Row about dodgy art /for/ gents, perhaps (7)
The gents[5] is an informal British term for a men's public toilet.
7d Weapons /and/ helmets for war at sea (5-8)
8d Light // playing in arcade (8)
9d Pure, // natural duet moving journalist (13)
15d Bolts // sailors do on empty decks (8)
"sailors" = ABS (show explanation )
In the Royal Navy, according to Oxford Dictionaries, able seaman[5] (abbreviation AB[5]), is a rank of sailor above ordinary seaman and below leading seaman. On the other hand, Collins English Dictionary tells us that an able seaman[10] (also called able-bodied seaman) is an ordinary seaman, especially one in the merchant navy, who has been trained in certain skills.
hide explanation
In the Royal Navy, according to Oxford Dictionaries, able seaman[5] (abbreviation AB[5]), is a rank of sailor above ordinary seaman and below leading seaman. On the other hand, Collins English Dictionary tells us that an able seaman[10] (also called able-bodied seaman) is an ordinary seaman, especially one in the merchant navy, who has been trained in certain skills.
hide explanation
Do[5] is an informal British term meaning to swindle ⇒
a thousand pounds for one set of photos — Jacqui had been done.
17d A small room turned up around lobby // -- heaven! (8)
The small room[5] (or the smallest room[5,10]) is a way* — variously described as rare[5], informal[5], old-fashioned[10], humorous[10], and euphemistic[10] — of referring to a lavatory (the room rather than the fixture) ⇒
In our opinion, the smallest room can provide you with the greatest interior design challenge.
* Judging by its dictionary appearances, this would appear to be a British expression.
Lav[10] is an informal British short form for lavatory.
Here and There
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| In North America, hall[5,10] is another term for corridor. Not so in the UK, where (among other things) it denotes a room serving as an entry area within a house or building. |
In Scandinavian mythology, Valhalla[5] is a palace in which heroes killed in battle were believed to feast with Odin for eternity.
19d Drops containing skin of elder // extracts (7)
21d Punish // Conservative over race (7)
"Conservative" = C [member of British political party] (show more )
The abbreviation for Conservative may be either C.[10] or Con.[10].
The Conservative Party[5] is a a major British political party that emerged from the old Tory Party* under Sir Robert Peel in the 1830s and 1840s. Since the Second World War, it has been in power 1951–64, 1970-74, and 1979–97. It governed in a coalition with the Liberal Democrats from 2010 until the general election of May 2015, in which it was returned with a majority.
* Historically, a Tory[10] was a member of the English political party that opposed the exclusion of James, Duke of York from the royal succession (1679–80). Tory remained the label for subsequent major conservative interests until they gave birth to the Conservative Party in the 1830s.
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The abbreviation for Conservative may be either C.[10] or Con.[10].
The Conservative Party[5] is a a major British political party that emerged from the old Tory Party* under Sir Robert Peel in the 1830s and 1840s. Since the Second World War, it has been in power 1951–64, 1970-74, and 1979–97. It governed in a coalition with the Liberal Democrats from 2010 until the general election of May 2015, in which it was returned with a majority.
* Historically, a Tory[10] was a member of the English political party that opposed the exclusion of James, Duke of York from the royal succession (1679–80). Tory remained the label for subsequent major conservative interests until they gave birth to the Conservative Party in the 1830s.
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22d Experts // of French exercise a school head embraces (6)
"of French" = DE (show explanation )
"exercise" = PT (show explanation )
PT[5] is a British* abbreviation for physical training[5], the systematic use of exercises to promote bodily fitness and strength.
* Oxford Dictionaries Online considers the abbreviation to be British — but not the term for which it stands.
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PT[5] is a British* abbreviation for physical training[5], the systematic use of exercises to promote bodily fitness and strength.
* Oxford Dictionaries Online considers the abbreviation to be British — but not the term for which it stands.
hide
An adept[5] (noun) is a person who is skilled or proficient at something ⇒
he is an adept at imitation.
25d Maudling ran Treasury accepting // gift (5)
Scratching the Surface
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| Reginald Maudling[7] (1917–1979) was a British politician who held several Cabinet posts, including Chancellor of the Exchequer (responsible for all economic and financial matters, equivalent to the role of finance minister in other nations). In actual fact, Maudling's downfall seemingly came not from accepting gifts but from being associated with a firm that was giving gifts. In 1970, Maudling was appointed to the cabinet post of Home Secretary which gave him responsibility for — among other things — policing in England and Wales. In 1972, an architecture firm of which Maudling was a director went bankrupt. The bankruptcy hearings disclosed that the firm routinely did business through bribery (apparently unbeknownst to Maudling), and Maudling's connection became public knowledge. Maudling came to the decision that his responsibility for the Metropolitan Police [Scotland Yard], which was beginning fraud investigations into the firm, made his position as Home Secretary untenable and, as a consequence, he resigned. |
Key to Reference Sources:Signing off for today — Falcon
[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)
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