Monday, April 1, 2019 — DT 28869 (Published Saturday, March 30, 2019)

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28869
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Saturday, October 13, 2018
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28869 – Hints] Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28869 – 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. This puzzle appears on the Monday Diversions page in the Saturday, March 30, 2019 edition of the National Post.

Introduction

Some things never change. I failed to notice that this puzzle is a pangram (a puzzle in which every letter of the alphabet appears at least once in the solutions to the clues).

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   Penny weighing very little? /That's/ a predicament (6)

"penny"  = P (show explanation )

In Britain's current decimal currency system, a penny^[5] (plural pennies [for separate coins] or pence [for a sum of money]) is a bronze coin and monetary unit equal to one hundredth of a pound. The abbreviation for penny or pence is p^[5] ⇒ a 10p piece.

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9a   Asking for // gent, squire's all over the place (10)

Oops!
In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, gnomethang has included an extra S in the anagram fodder.

Scratching the Surface
A squire[5] is a man of high social standing who owns and lives on an estate in a rural area, especially the chief landowner in such an area.

10a   Disguise // chef finally having mixed guacamole outside (10)

11a   Crazy, but often seen with motive? (4)

I would say that this clue is a cryptic definition in which a precise definition is accompanied by cryptic elaboration, in this case telling us that the solution to the clue is often encountered as the first part of a word that ends with -motive.

This clue structure is similar to clues that contain a precise definition accompanied by a phrase such as "running in both directions" which indicates that the solution is a palindrome.

12a   A giant // in excited eagerness (4)

Gog and Magog^[5] are two giant statues standing in Guildhall^*, London, representing either the last two survivors of a race of giants supposed to have inhabited Britain before Roman times, or Gogmagog, chief of the giants, and Corineus, a Roman invader.

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^* Guildhall is a building in the City of London, England that has been used as a town hall for several hundred years, and is still the ceremonial and administrative centre of the City of London and its Corporation (show more ). It should not be confused with London's City Hall, the administrative centre for Greater London. The term "Guildhall" refers both to the whole building and to its main room, which is a medieval great hall. The building is traditionally referred to as Guildhall, never "the" Guildhall.

The City of London^[7] is a city and ceremonial county within London. It constituted most of London from its settlement by the Romans in the 1st century AD to the Middle Ages, but the conurbation has since grown far beyond the City's borders. The City is now only a tiny part of the metropolis of London, though it remains a notable part of central London. It is one of two districts of London to hold city status, the other being the adjacent City of Westminster.

It is widely referred to simply as the City (often written as just "City" and differentiated from the phrase "the city of London" by capitalising "City") and is also colloquially known as the Square Mile, as it is 1.12 sq mi (2.90 km²), in area. Both of these terms are also often used as metonyms for the United Kingdom's trading and financial services industries, which continue a notable history of being largely based in the City. This is analogous to the use of the terms Wall Street and Bay Street to refer to the financial institutions located in New York and Toronto respectively.

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In Britain, the term corporation^[5] may refer to a group of people elected to govern a city, town, or borough ⇒ the City of London Corporation.

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14a   First step, // introduce about four (10)

17a   Devil // getting on with mostly agreeable Kelvin (3,4)

"Kelvin" = K (show explanation )

In physics, K^[2] is the abbreviation for the kelvin scale or a degree on the kelvin scale.

The kelvin^[2] is a unit of thermodynamic or absolute temperature in the SI system, equal to 1/273.16 of the absolute temperature of the triple point^* of water, and equal in magnitude to one degree on the Celsius scale.

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^* In physics, triple point^[2] denotes the temperature and pressure at which the solid, liquid and vapour phases of a particular substance, or of any combinations of these phases (e.g. two solids and a liquid) can coexist in equilibrium. To my understanding, the triple point of water is effectively the freezing point.

The unit is named after the UK physicist Sir William Thomson, Lord Kelvin (1824-1907).

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Nick^[2] (also Old Nick) is another name for the devil.

18a   Grouse // making grand deep sound? (7)

The use of the letter 'G' as an abbreviation for 'grand' is one North American usage that the Brits appear to have embraced (show more ).

While the abbreviation G for "grand" is deemed by British dictionaries to be an Americanism, it seems to be one that is well known to Brits — undoubtedly from American gangster films. It is frequently seen in British crossword puzzles and never seems to garner the abuse that usually greets the appearance of American terms.

Grand^[5] is an informal term for a thousand dollars or pounds ⇒ he gets thirty-five grand a year. While the term "grand" itself would seem to be commonly used in the UK, the informal abbreviation G^[5] meaning grand appears to be regarded as a North American usage ⇒ I was up nine Gs on the blackjack tables.

G is defined in various British dictionaries as follows:

• Oxford Dictionaries: (North American informal) abbreviation for grand, a thousand dollars)^[5].
• Chambers 21st Century Dictionary: (North American slang) abbreviation for a grand, 1000 dollars^[2].
• Collins English Dictionary: (mainly US slang) a symbol for grand (a thousand dollars or pounds)^[4,10].

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20a   Steep slope // recent maps disguised (10)

21a   Power /of/ wife lying in state (4)

"wife" = W [genealogy] (show explanation )

The abbreviation for 'wife' is w^[1,2,12] or w.^[3,4,10,11] [although no context is provided, it may come from the field of genealogy].

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22a   Officer has American // drink (4)

23a   Direct empty cartridge // close to target (5-5)

25a   Might England's openers // consolidate? (10)

Scratching the Surface

The England cricket team[7] represents England and Wales in international cricket. England, as a founding nation, is a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC), the global governing body of cricket. Until the 1990s, Scottish and Irish players also played for England as those countries were not yet ICC members in their own right. In cricket, an opener[2] is either of the two* batsmen who begin the batting for their team. * remember, in cricket, batsmen always bat in pairs

26a   Excessively bright // rig has collapsed (6)

Down

2d   Messenger is beaten going round //  metropolis (3,7)

This messenger is of the heavenly variety.

3d   Travel carrying little weight /in/ island (4)

Gozo^[5] is a Maltese island, to the north-west of the main island of Malta.

4d   Officer/'s/ phoney tip-off -- car about to be seized (7,3)

5d   Wretched // group circling Long Island (7)

In the US, LI^[5] is the abbreviation for Long Island^[5], an island on the coast of New York State. Its western tip, comprising the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, is separated from Manhattan and the Bronx by the East River and is linked to Manhattan by several bridges.

6d   Present // from the residents (4)

7d   Always // a metallist suffered (2,3,5)

Scratching the Surface
In Economics, a metallist[5] is an advocate of metal coinage as the principal or sole currency; specifically an adherent of the theory of metallism.

8d   Take no notice of // Italian gentleman failing to start (6)

Signor^[5] (also Signore, plural Signori) is a title or form of address used of or to an Italian-speaking man, corresponding to Mr or sir ⇒ (i) Signor Ugolotti; (ii) I am a man of honour, Signor.

13d   Trap positions American inside // pretentious public houses (3,7)

A gin^[2] (also gin trap) is a wire noose laid as a snare or trap for catching game.

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Public house^[5] is the formal British name for a pub.

Gin palace^[5] is a depreciative British term for a public house, especially one that is gaudily or pretentiously decorated.

15d   Bringing up to scratch, perhaps /that's/ annoying (10)

16d   Half-dozen with nasty allusion /that is/ wicked (10)

19d   In France, I love crossing wealthy // city (7)

The French pronoun je^[8] means 'I'.

"love" = O [tennis term] (show explanation )

In tennis, squash, and some other sports, love^[5] is a score of zero or nil ⇒ love fifteen. The resemblance of a zero written as a numeral (0) to the letter O leads to the cryptic crossword convention of the word "love" being used to clue this letter.

Although folk etymology has connected the word with French l'oeuf 'egg', from the resemblance in shape between an egg and a zero, the term apparently comes from the phrase play for love (i.e. the love of the game, not for money).

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Jericho^[5] is a modern town and ancient city in Palestine, in the West Bank north of the Dead Sea.  (show more )

According to the Bible, Jericho was a Canaanite city destroyed by the Israelites after they crossed the Jordan into the Promised Land; its walls were flattened by the shout of the army and the blast of the trumpets.

Occupied by the Israelis since the Six Day War of 1967, in 1994 Jericho was the first area given partial autonomy under the PLO–Israeli peace accord.

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20d   Cut // tax (6)

23d   /Get/ stick for going up and down? (4)

I consider the word "get" to be merely a bit of window dressing to enhance the surface reading of the clue. In the cryptic analysis, it can effectively be interpreted to denote "The solution to this clue is a word meaning". Just as a link word is neither part of the definition nor the wordplay, the word "get" here is not part of the cryptic definition.

A pogo^[5] (also pogo stick) is a toy for jumping about on, consisting of a long, spring-loaded pole with a handle at the top and rests for a person's feet near the bottom.

Scratching the Surface
Stick[5] is an informal British term denoting severe criticism or treatment ⇒ I took a lot of stick from the press.

24d   Look // always beyond lake (4)

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