Saturday, May 18, 2019 — Flex Time

Introduction

In today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon time becomes very flexible.

I invite you to leave a comment to let us know how you fared with the puzzle.

Solution to Today's Puzzle

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 █ - yet to be solved

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 program, 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 directly from a dictionary or at least phrased in a non-misleading fashion similar to one that would be found in a dictionary
• 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 (for example, defining topiary as "clip art")
• a "whimsical definition": a definition "invented" by the setter often by extrapolating a non-existent meaning for a word from a similar word (for example, defining a bird as a "winger" [something possessing wings] or a river as a ''flower" [something that flows] or to extrapolate that, since disembowel means 'to remove the innards of ', that discontent must mean 'to remove the contents of')
• a "definition by example": the presence of one of these is often flagged with a question mark (for example, defining atoll as "coral?" where an atoll is but one form that coral may take).

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 other varieties of definition (such as cryptic definitions, whimsical definitions, definitions by example, etc.) 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

7a   Steady wage hike affected // song of 1965 (5,4,1,4)

{EIGHT DAYS A WEEK}* — anagram of (affected) STEADY WAGE HIKE

"Eight Days a Week"^[7] is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. (show more )

 The song, written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon based on McCartney's original idea, was released in the United Kingdom in December 1964 on the album Beatles for Sale. In the United States, it was first issued as a single in February 1965 before appearing on the North American release Beatles VI.

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10a   European capital, I’d said, /is/ a terrible crime (9)

{PARRIC|IDE}~ — sounds like (said) {PARIS (European capital) + I'D (†)}

I must admit, a new crime to me.

11a   Hypermasculine // Chinese icon outside of church (5)

MA(CH)O — MAO (Chinese icon; Mao Zedong, although I remember him as Mao Tse-tung) containing (outside of) CH(urch)

12a   Boulders surrounding alien // spaceships (7)

ROCK(ET)S — ROCKS (boulders) containing (surrounding) ET ([Spielberg's] alien)

14a   Greek character // fixed pen around farm building (7)

EP(SILO)N* — anagram of (fixed) PEN containing (around) SILO (farm building)

15a   Dynamo fans shout wildly /for/ extended period (1,5,2,7)

{A MONTH OF SUNDAYS}* — anagram of (wildly) DYNAMO FANS SHOUT

Scratching the Surface
Dynamo is the name of numerous sports clubs, the most well-known likely being HC Dynamo Moscow[7], a Russian professional ice hockey club based in Moscow. It is a member of the Bobrov Division in the Kontinental Hockey League.

18a   Church seat holding reverend before one // early showing (7)

P(REV|I)EW — PEW (church seat) containing (holding) {REV(erend) preceding (before) I ([Roman numeral for] one)}

20a   Sister embraces the Nile queen // a bit? (7)

NU(CLEO)N — NUN (sister) containing (embraces) CLEO (the Nile queen; Cleopatra)

22a   High place // in the vicinity of tremor (5)

AT|TIC — AT (in the vicinity of) + TIC (tremor)

23a   Make lace also in grand // parlour activity (9)

TAT|TOO|IN|G — TAT (make lace) + TOO (also) + IN (†) + G(rand)

26a   Since the beginning, // Henry ate more of bananas (4,3,4,3)

{FROM THE YEAR ONE}* — anagram of (bananas) HENRY ATE MORE OF

Down

1d   Continue // to look back (4)

KEEP< — reversal of (back) PEEK (to look)

2d   A cigar-shaped // fungus? (6)

AGARIC* — anagram of (shaped) A CIGAR

3d   Small fork // producing a grating noise (8)

S|TRIDENT — S(mall) + TRIDENT (fork)

4d   Mover’s aid, so to speak, /for/ painter (4)

DALI~ — sounds like (so to speak) DOLLY (mover's aid)

The Persistence of Memory (1931)

Salvador Dalí^[5] (1904–1989) was a Spanish painter. (show more )

A surrealist, he portrayed dream images with almost photographic realism against backgrounds of arid Catalan landscapes. Dalí also collaborated with Buñuel in the production of the film Un Chien andalou (1928). Notable works: The Persistence of Memory (1931).

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5d   Trades involving Manitoba’s first // wetlands (6)

SWA(M)PS — SWAPS (trades) containing (involving) M (Manitoba's first [letter])

6d   Words of apology /from/ Paul came unexpectedly (3,5)

{MEA CULPA}* — anagram (unexpectedly) of PAUL CAME

8d   Scottish novelist // tossed seven tons (9)

STEVENSON* — anagram of (tossed) SEVEN TONS

Robert Louis Stevenson^[5] (1850–1894) was a Scottish novelist, poet, and travel writer. (show more )

Stevenson made his name with the adventure story Treasure Island (1883). Other notable works: The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Kidnapped (both 1886).

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9d   Bell boy taking interest /in/ affairs (6-2)

GO(I)NG|S-ON — {GONG (bell) + SON (boy)} containing (taking) I(nterest)

12d   Be seen again // to harvest fruit (8)

REAP|PEAR — REAP (to harvest) + PEAR (fruit)

13d   Altered what’s “PC” to // timer at a track meet (9)

STOPWATCH* — anagram of (altered) WHATS PC TO

16d   Capsize // plain container of coffee (8)

OVERT|URN — OVERT (plain) + URN (container of coffee)

17d   Russian ruler // lacking some coins, you might say (8)

NICHOLAS~ — sounds like (you might say) NICKLELESS (lacking some coins; specifically, five cent pieces)

Nicholas^[5] was the name of two tsars of Russia. (show more )

• Nicholas I (1796–1855), brother of Alexander I, reigned 1825–55. At home he pursued rigidly conservative policies, while his expansionism in the Near East led to the Crimean War.
• Nicholas II (1868–1918), son of Alexander III, reigned 1894–1917. Forced to abdicate after the Russian Revolution in 1917, he was shot along with his family a year later.

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19d   What’s earned // once I’m working (6)

INCOME* — anagram of (working) ONCE IM

21d   Edward Hill takes one newspaper job (6)

ED(I)TOR — ED(ward) + TOR (hill;specifically, in Devon and Cornwall, England ) containing (takes on) I ([Roman numeral for] one)}

A tor^[7] is a large, free-standing rock outcrop that rises abruptly from the surrounding smooth and gentle slopes of a rounded hill summit or ridge crest. In the South West of England, the term is commonly also used for the hills themselves – particularly the high points of Dartmoor in Devon and Bodmin Moor in Cornwall.

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24d   Tony’s heartless // gifts for kids (4)

TO_YS — TO[N]YS with the middle letter removed (heartless)

25d   Kind of club /for/ General Grant in films (4)

G|LEE — G(eneral) [film rating] + LEE (Grant in films; )

Lee Grant^[7] (born Lyova Haskell Rosenthal) is an American actress and film director. (show more )

She won an Oscar as Best Supporting Actress in Shampoo (1975) and directed Down and Out in America (1986) which won an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, tying with Artie Shaw: Time Is All You've Got.

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Epilogue

The theme of this puzzle would more appropriately be measured by a calendar rather than a 13d.

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