Tuesday, April 2, 2019 — DT 28870

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28870
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Monday, October 15, 2018
Setter X-Type
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28870]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Miffypops
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

Introduction

It would seem that we may be witnessing the beginning of changes both to the makeup of the Daily Telegraph setter roster as well as to the days on which the work of certain setters appears. Today's puzzle is from a setter we have apparently not encountered before who, in a reply to Comment #15 on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, adopts the pseudonym X-Type and indicates that he or she is "new to the DT [Daily Telegraph]" but that "Most of you know me, as I’ve been setting the harder stuff ... for forty years but now I’m coasting a bit".

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   Vehicle with favourite // floor covering (6)

4a   Make certain disc is about /to be/ condemned (8)

9a   Parents not married? // Not us (6)

10a   Making mark /but/ not voting; sailor leaves (8)

"sailor" = AB (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.

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11a   News item /resulting in/ furrowed brow? (8)

Split the solution (4,4) to get the "furrowed brow".

13a   List // stated a sexual identification (6)

The word "GENDER" , when pronounced in a non-rhotic (show explanation ) accent typical of dialects found in many parts of Britain (especially southeastern England), sounds like  "GENDA".

Non-rhotic accents omit the sound < r > in certain situations, while rhotic accents generally pronounce < r > in all contexts. Among the several dozen British English accents which exist, many are non-rhotic while American English (US and Canadian) is mainly rhotic. This is, however, a generalisation, as there are areas of Britain that are rhotic, and areas of America that are non-rhotic. For more information, see this guide to pronouncing < r > in British English.

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15a   Music to put one's name to? (9,4)

What a glorious opportunity the setter has provided to contrast two clues with similar construction — but possessing a subtle distinction. In this clue, we have a cryptic definition with an embedded precise definition.

Signature tune^[5] is a British term for a distinctive piece of music associated with a particular programme or performer on television or radio.

18a   Where to look for vest? (13)

While the construction of this clue may superficially appear similar to the previous one, on closer examination we discover that the entire clue is wordplay in which the precise definition is embedded. Note that the enumeration for the wordplay is (5,8) while that of the definition is (13).

Here and There
In Britain, a vest[5,7] is an undergarment worn on the upper part of the body, typically having no sleeves — a garment that might be known in North America as a singlet. The garment forming part of a three-piece suit that North Americans (as well as Australians) call a vest is known in the UK as a waistcoat.

22a   Continually bother // this wild creature (6)

24a   Where to buy // new tree? Liar! (8)

26a   Unfinished business // gents possibly deliver around the beginning of Easter (5,3)

The gents^[5] is an informal British term for a men's public toilet.

Loo^[5] is an informal British term for a toilet.

27a   Last of tests? (6)

Given that these tests are given this name precisely because they are the last tests, the definition would hardly seem to be cryptic.

28a   She may serve // 'sir' with a stew, carelessly (8)

29a   Clan uniting with alien // group (6)

A sept^[5] is a subdivision of a clan, originally one in Ireland.

"alien" = ET (show explanation )

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial^[7] (often referred to simply as E.T.) is a 1982 American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg. It tells the story of a lonely boy who befriends an extraterrestrial, dubbed "E.T.", who is stranded on Earth. He and his siblings help the extraterrestrial return home while attempting to keep it hidden from their mother and the government.

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Down

1d   This may be seen in allotment, /or in/ church bordering Scottish lake (6)

"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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Loch^[5] is the Scottish word for lake.

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Allotment^[5] is a British term for a plot of land rented by an individual for growing vegetables or flowers. This term is also used in Canada — at least in Ottawa — although one would be more apt to hear it referred to here by the full version of the name, allotment garden^[7].

A cloche^[3,5] is a small, usually bell-shaped, translucent cover for forcing outdoor plants or protecting them from frost.

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Origin: Late 19th century: from French, literally ‘bell’.

2d   Practised, // as coffin put back in funeral carriage? (9)

I would say that the solution split (2-7) [rather than (2,7) as shown by Miffypops in his review] could describe the action of placing a coffin back into a large funeral car.

3d   Promotion for hearing device // that cuts down noise (7)

Split the solution (3,4) to get a favourable mention of a hearing organ. Definitions starting with the word "that" are seen quite often and have to be read as though they contain the implied word "something". So, in this case, "[Something] that cuts down noise".

I initially split the clue as Miffypops shows in his review:

• Promotion for hearing // device that cuts down noise (7)

but rejected it as the wordplay does not work with that parsing.

5d   Consumes // some of the contents of meatsafe (4)

Scratching the Surface
The spelling ("meatsafe") used in the clue would appear to be a typo as I could find not a single source to support it. I located the term only in British dictionaries and it is invariably spelled as two words. Meat safe[5] is a historical British term for a cupboard or cover of wire gauze or a similar material, used for storing meat.

6d   Stones // 7" perhaps captivates husband (7)

In the vinyl era, a single^[7] was typically a record containing a single song on each side of the disc. The most common format of the vinyl single is a 7-inch diameter disc that is played at 45 rpm.

I must say that while I might call such a record either a single or a 45, I would never refer to it as a 7".

"husband" = H [genealogy] (show reference )

The abbreviation for husband is h^[1,2] or h.^{[3,4,10,11,12]} or H^[12] or H.^[4,10,11,12]) [although no context is provided, it may well come from the field of genealogy].

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Shingle^[5] is a mass of small rounded pebbles, especially on a seashore ⇒ (i) a wonderful beach of fine shingle; (ii) natural features like sand dunes and shingle banks.

7d   Bad weather, we hear, /as/ a rule (5)

8d   Worn down -- /or/ marked down, in one's 27? (8)

After considerable dithering, I've elected to mark the second definition as a cryptic definition as I think that it is a bit whimsical.

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In geology, degrade^[5] means to wear down (rock) and cause it to disintegrate.

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The numeral "27" is a cross reference indicator to clue 27a (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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In the second definition, perhaps we can think of degrade^[5] being used somewhat along the lines of an archaic sense meaning to reduce (someone) to a lower rank, especially as a punishment ⇒ he was degraded from his high estate.

12d   Almost // new before breakfast? (6)

14d   Destroy the French, making a great commotion (6)

"the French" = LE (show explanation )

In French, the masculine singular form of the definite article is le^[8].

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16d   Not very brave // UN soldier, maybe, harbouring ill-will (9)

"soldier" = ANT (show explanation )

A soldier^[5] is a wingless caste of ant or termite with a large specially modified head and jaws, involved chiefly in defence.

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Gall^[5] is used in the sense of annoyance or irritation ⇒ he was filled with gall at the suspected ambitions of his old enemies.

17d   Trimming // hair somewhere underneath (8)

A furbelow^[5] is a gathered strip or pleated border of a skirt or petticoat (which explains the remark by one of the regular lady visitors, Expat Chris, at Comment #11 on Big Dave's Crossword Blog). In the plural, furbelows denotes showy ornaments or trimmings ⇒ frills and furbelows just made her look stupid.

19d   Creature // laying eggs on climbing grass (3,4)

While one might consider the word "laying" to be a link word, I think it may better be thought of as part of a split charade indicator ("laying ... on").

The roe deer (also called simply roe^[5]) is a small Eurasian deer which lacks a visible tail and has a reddish summer coat that turns greyish in winter.

20d   Pretend // the writer's a machine with energy (7)

"the writer's" = IM (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.

Today, the setter has made the scenario slightly more complicated by combining "the writer" with the verb "to be"^* producing "the writer's" (a contraction of "the writer is") which must be replaced by "I'm" (a contraction of "I am").

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^* Although in the surface reading "the writer's" is showing possession, in the wordplay it is interpreted as a contraction of "the writer is".

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As a machine, a gin^[5] can be either:

• a machine for separating cotton from its seeds.
• a machine for raising and moving heavy weights.

"energy" = E [symbol used in physics] (show reference )

In physics, E^[5] is a symbol used to represent energy in mathematical formulae ⇒ E = mc².

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21d   Peter's excited /to be/ ready in advance (6)

23d   Garment /making/ girl very warm in the middle (5)

Without a doubt, Diana (often appearing in its diminutive form Di) is the most popular female name in Crosswordland.

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A dhoti^[5] is a garment worn by male Hindus, consisting of a piece of material tied around the waist and extending to cover most of the legs.

25d   Star gundog ultimately turned up // antelopes (4)

The gnu^[5] (also called wildebeest) is a large dark African antelope with a long head, a beard and mane, and a sloping back.

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