Saturday, June 1, 2019 — Doughnuts, Anyone

Introduction

Today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon presents a delicious treat — a half dozen doughnuts to plunge our teeth into.

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

1a   Put doughnut in box /for/ a painter in the Bloomsbury Group (10)

CAR(RING)TON — RING (doughnut) contained in (put ... in) CARTON (box)

Dora Carrington^[5] (1893–1932) was an English painter, a member of the Bloomsbury Group^*.

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^* The Bloomsbury Group^[5] was a group of writers, artists, and philosophers living in or associated with Bloomsbury [an area of central London] in the early 20th century. Members of the group, which included Virginia Woolf, Lytton Strachey, Vanessa Bell, Duncan Grant, and Roger Fry, were known for their unconventional lifestyles and attitudes and were a powerful force in the growth of modernism.

6a   Copied // advertisement about Prince Edward Island (4)

A(PE)D — AD(vertisement) containing (about) PE ([postal abbreviation for] Prince Edward Island)

10a   Start // southeast in Ontario (5)

ON(SE)T — SE (southeast) contained in (in) ONT ([non-postal abbreviation for] Ontario)

11a   Hangs // doughnuts in places the wrong way (7,2)

{ST(RINGS) UP}< — RINGS (doughnuts) contained in (in) reversal of (the wrong way) PUTS (places)

12a   Bad rum involved in labour // trouble (7)

T(URM*)OIL — anagram of (bad) RUM contained in (involved in) TOIL (labour)

13a   Pose with fine // writer (7)

SIT|WELL — SIT (pose) + (with) WELL (fine)

Dame Edith Sitwell^[5] (1887–1964) was an English poet and critic. Her early verse, with that of her brothers Osbert (1892–1969) and Sacheverell (1897–1988), marked a revolt against the prevailing Georgian style of the day. In 1923 she attracted attention with Façade, a group of poems in notated rhythm recited to music by William Walton.

14a   Hockey player eating doughnut /is/ doing the twist? (8)

W(RING)ING — WING (hockey player; left wing, right wing, or Red Wing) containing (eating) RING (doughnut)

16a   Phony Yankee // detective (6)

SHAM|US — SHAM (phony) + US (Yankee)

Shamus^[10,12] is US slang for a policeman or private detective.

19a   Exalted // a uranium blast (6)

A|U|GUST — A (†) + U ([symbol for the chemical element] uranium) + GUST (blast [of wind])

20a   Sounds like a cow eating doughnut // fixings? (8)

MOO(RING)S — MOOS (sounds like a cow) containing (eating) RING (doughnut)

23a   On behalf of ruler, // doing a split? (7)

FOR|KING — FOR (on behalf of) + KING (ruler)

25a   Irish county // lad gone astray (7)

DONEGAL* — anagram of (astray) LAD GONE

27a   Evokes // doughnuts in boxing match (6,3)

B(RINGS) OUT — RINGS (doughnuts) contained in (in) BOUT (boxing match)

28a   Prepared lager // suitable for a big guy (5)

LARGE* — anagram of (prepared) LAGER

29a   Potential hot spot // in Vietnam (4)

_ETNA_ — hidden in (in) ViETNAm

Mount Etna^[5] is a volcano in eastern Sicily, rising to 3,323 m (10,902 ft). It is the highest and most active volcano in Europe. In fact, it erupted as recently as this past week.

In this photo taken on Thursday, May 30, 2019 Mount Etna volcano spews lava during an eruption. Mount Etna in Sicily has roared back into spectacular volcanic action from Thursday morning, sending up plumes of ash and spewing lava.

30a   Harsh, // like camper’s dwelling with doughnut inside (10)

AS|T(RING)ENT — AS (like) + {TENT (camper's dwelling) containing (with ... inside) RING (doughnut)}

Down

1d   Native American // plug about October (7)

CH(OCT)AW — CHAW (plug [of chewing tobacco]) containing (about) OCT(ober)

The Choctaw^[5] are a a North American native people now living mainly in Mississippi.

2d   Turning in desperation /and/ rearranging? (9)

RESORTING — double definition

3d   Beginning // it, Ron goes wild (5)

INTRO* — anagram of (goes wild) IT RON

4d   Gee, a real queue /for/ fuel (8)

G|A|SO|LINE — G (gee) + A (†) + SO (real; see box) + LINE (queue)

It ain't good grammar, but they say it!
Real[5] is propel[5] rly an adjective, but in North American colloquial speech it is often heard used [incorrectly] as an adverb ⇒ my head hurts real bad.

5d   Somewhat progressive // female like Fiona in Shrek (6)

_OGRESS_ — hidden in (somewhat) prOGRESSive

Shrek^[7] is a 2001 American computer-animated, comedy film loosely based on the 1990 fairytale picture book of the same name by William Steig. The title character is an ogre and Fiona (his love interest) is an ogress — at least she clearly is by the end of the film.

7d   Party spread with bit of sweet // goo (5)

PA(S)TE — PATE (party spread) containing (with) S (bit [initial letter of] Sweet)

As a containment indicator, with is used in the sense of — what else — containing ⇒ I went with the waiter-recommended champagne cocktail with orange bitters.

8d   Spots // orchard’s last fruit (7)

D|APPLES — D (orcharD's last [letter]) + APPLES (fruit)

9d   Christen punk // “Rat” (8)

SNITCHER* — anagram of (punk) CHRISTEN

Punk^[12] is US slang meaning poor or bad in condition, quality, etc.

15d   Some honkers // pass stone throwers (8)

GO|SLINGS — GO (pass) + SLINGS (stone throwers)

There are at least two senses of the word go^[5] in which it could by synonymous with pass:

• (of time) to pass or elapse ⇒ the hours go by
• to die (used euphemistically) ⇒ I'd like to see my grandchildren before I go

17d   Surprisingly, emerge in a // zoo (9)

MENAGERIE* — anagram of (surprisingly) EMERGE IN A

18d   Dee, getting into chicken/’s/ hot rod (8)

ROA(D)STER — D (dee) contained in (getting into) ROASTER (chicken)

19d   Good-natured // Air Force story that isn’t true (7)

AF|FABLE — AF (Air Force) + FABLE (story that isn't true)

21d   Notable // stranger standing in street (7)

S(ALIEN)T — ALIEN (stranger) contained in (standing in) ST(reet)

22d   One thousand bathrooms for northern homes (6)

I|G|LOOS — I ([Roman numeral for] one) + G (thousand; specifically $1000) + LOOS (bathrooms)

Loo^[5] is an informal British term for a toilet [either as a room or a fixture] — not a "bathroom".

Here and There

In North America — somewhat bizarrely when you think about it — a bathroom[5] is a room containing a toilet and washbasin which may or may not also contain a bathtub or shower. A room containing just a toilet and washbasin might be referred to as a half bath (generally when enumerating the total number of rooms in a dwelling, such as in a real estate listing ⇒ a split-level with two and a half baths). In Britain, on the other hand, a bathroom[5] is a room containing a bathtub or shower which may or may not also contain a washbasin and a toilet. Pity the desperate North American visiting the UK who asks to use the bathroom and is handed a towel and a bar of soap and directed to a room without a toilet. Other North American euphemisms for a toilet are washroom[5]and restroom[5].  The former may well be a term that is not used by Brits and the latter has quite a different meaning in the U.K. than it does in North America.

24d   Rule /for/ the sound of falling water (5)

REIGN~ — sounds like (the sound of) RAIN (falling water)

26d   Material // only altered by nitrogen (5)

N|YLON* (or NYLO*|N) — anagram of (altered) ONLY beside (by) N ([symbol for the chemical element] nitrogen)

Not By Convention

In British puzzles, the indicator "by" usually means "following" in accordance with the same convention that applies to the indicator "on". That is "A by B" or "A on B" produces the result "B +A". The reasoning for this is that in order for A to be written on or by B, B must already be in place. Since the English language is written from left to right, this implies that B is written first. Thus "B + A". I have observed that this is a convention to which Cox and Rathvon do not subscribe.

Epilogue

This would seem to be the ideal puzzle to solve while sipping a coffee and munching a doughnut at Tim Hortons.

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