Saturday, June 15, 2019 — Play Ball!

Introduction

While today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon may have put one in the mood to go out to the ballpark, the weather may have been more conducive to staying at home and solving puzzles.

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^*)

---

^* num = numeration

Explanations pertaining to the wordplay (or first definition in a double definition)

(Horizontal separator)

---

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	Starting nine strangely // unwilling to budge (12)

INTRANSIGENT* —anagram of (strangely) STARTING NINE

Scratching the Surface
The starting nine are the nine players on a baseball team who play at the start of a game.

9a	Afterthought about very hot // National League team (7)

P(IRATE)S — PS (afterthought) containing (about) IRATE (very hot)

The Pittsburgh Pirates^[7] are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division.

10a	Carol was up /and/ got a hit (7)

SING|LED — SING (carol; as a verb) + LED (was up; was ahead)

In baseball, to single^[5] is to get a hit which allows the batter to proceed safely to first base.

11a	Cut // the Mets’ old field mid-march (5)

SHEA|R — SHEA (the Mets' old field) + R (mid-march; middle letter of maRch)

The New York Mets^[7] are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Mets are one of two Major League clubs based in New York City; the other is the New York Yankees of the American League East.

One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed NL teams, the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants. The Mets' colors are composed of the Dodgers' blue and the Giants' orange, which also form the outer two bands of the New York City flag. During the 1962 and 1963 seasons, the Mets played their home games at the historic Polo Grounds in Upper Manhattan. From 1964 to 2008, the Mets' home ballpark was Shea Stadium in Flushing, Queens . In 2009, they moved into their current ballpark, Citi Field adjacent to the former Shea Stadium site.

12a	Humiliation // at engaging some infielders (9)

A(BASEMEN)T — AT (†) containing (engaging) BASEMEN (some infielders)

13a	Nurse wrapping bad wound /in/ play between bases (7)

R(UNDOW*)N — RN (Registered Nurse; abbrev.) containing (wrapping) anagram of (bad) WOUND

In baseball, a rundown^[3] is a play in which a runner is trapped between bases and is pursued by fielders attempting to make the tag.

15a	Pitcher // wrote crudely about home run (7)

{T(HR)OWER}* — anagram of (crudely) containing (about) HR (home run; abbrev.)

17a	Noble // baseball club including Royal at first only (7)

BA(R|ONE)T — BAT (baseball club) containing (including) {R (Royal at first; initial letter of Royal) + ONE (only; the one solution that always works)}

Oops!

The setters are obviously not well-versed in the British peerage. A baronet is a commoner, not a noble. A baronet[5] is a member of the lowest hereditary titled British order, with the status of a commoner but able to use the prefix ‘Sir’. A baronet[10] ranks below a baron (which is the lowest rank of the nobility). A peer[5] is a member of the nobility in Britain or Ireland, comprising the ranks of duke, marquess, earl, viscount, and baron.

Scratching the Surface
The Kansas City Royals[7] are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member team of the American League (AL) Central division.

19a	Pay Oakland players catching pops // some fruit (7)

PA(PA)Y|AS — {PAY (†) + AS (Oakland players)} containing (catching) PA (pops; informal term for one's father)

The Oakland Athletics^[7], often referred to as the A's, are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division.

21a	Plenty /of/ roll in a ball? (9)

A(BUN)DANCE — BUN (roll) contained in (in) {A (†) + DANCE (ball)}

23a	Finale of a series // in home game (5)

_OME|GA_ — hidden in (in) hOME GAme

Omega^[5] is the last letter of the Greek alphabet (Ω, ω).

25a	Cover // that woman catching pitcher’s fast stuff (7)

S(HEAT)HE — SHE (that woman) containing (catching) HEAT (pitcher's fast stuff)

A baseball pitcher with an impressive fastball is said to be "throwing heat".

26a	First // base: I nail it (7)

INITIAL* — anagram of (base) I NAIL IT

The anagram indicator here is new to me. Perhaps base^[10] is being used in the sense of counterfeit — therefore, not what it appears to be. Does anyone have a better explanation?

27a	Keeps close, eating swinger’s soul food (12)

C(HITTER)LINGS — CLINGS (keeps close) containing (eating) HITTER (swinger; one swinging a baseball bat)

Soul food^[5] is food traditionally associated with black people of the southern US.

Chitterlings^[5] are smaller intestines of a pig, cooked as food. I must say that I can only recall ever having heard them referred to by their informal name, chitlins^[5]. This is a food stereotypically associated with black people and poor people living in the southern states of the US.

Down

1d	Buttinsky/’s/ broken promise (7)

IMPOSER* — anagram of (broken) PROMISE

2d	Ruth’s number // changed there (5)

THREE* — anagram of (changed) THERE

George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jr.^[7] (1895–1948) was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. He began his MLB career as a stellar left-handed pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, but achieved his greatest fame as a slugging outfielder for the New York Yankees. In 1936, Ruth — considered by many to be the greatest baseball player of all time — was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame as one of its "first five" inaugural members.

Ruth died of cancer at the age of 53. Ruth's uniform number 3 has been retired by the Yankees, and he is one of five Yankees players or managers to have a granite monument within the stadium. Although the monuments in the old Yankee Stadium were originally located within the field of play, the outfield fences were later moved inward separating the monuments from the playing field creating an area known thereafter as Monument Park.

3d	Air Force flyer at the beach with nothing on // from twelve to six p.m. (9)

AF|TERN|O|ON — AF (Air Force; abbrev.) + TERN (flyer at the beach) + (with) O (nothing; letter that looks like a zero) + ON (†)

4d	Keep // us in disgrace (7)

S(US)TAIN — US (†) contained in (in) STAIN (disgrace)

5d	Understand about Saint Albert/’s/ kind of psychology (7)

GE(ST|AL)T — GET (understand) containing (about) {ST (Saint; abbrev.) + AL ([diminutive of] Albert)}

In psychology, a Gestalt^[10] (sometimes not spelled with a capital) is a perceptual pattern or structure possessing qualities as a whole that cannot be described merely as a sum of its parts.

Gestalt psychology^[10] is a system of thought, derived from experiments carried out by German psychologists, that regards all mental phenomena as being arranged in Gestalts.

6d	Partial ban on cereal /for/ present occasion (5)

_N|ON|CE_ — hidden in (partial) baN ON CEreal

7d	Yell when returning in distant // passage (8)

A(LLEY)WAY — reversal of (when returning) YELL contained in (in) AWAY (distant; far away lands)

8d	Journalist // tore ID out (6)

EDITOR* — anagram of (out) TORE ID

14d	Pitching around us, return /for/ raises (8)

NURTURES* — anagram of (pitching around) US RETURN

16d	Air Patrol flying // like an eagle (9)

RAPTORIAL* — anagram of (flying) AIR PATROL

• Alternate definiton: "like NBA champs"

17d	Cook // sounds like a donkey when speaking (6)

BRAISE~ — sounds like (when speaking) BRAYS (sounds like a donkey)

18d	Touching // shelter housing director Lee (7)

T(ANG)ENT — TENT (shelter) containing (housing) ANG (director Lee; Taiwanese film director Ang Lee^[7])

19d	Exact // recipes adapted (7)

PRECISE* — anagram of (adapted) RECIPES

20d	Fixes // Chief of Police in short stories (7)

S|TA(P)LES — P (chief [initial letter] of Police) contained in (in) {S(hort) + TALES (stories)}

In baseball, short^[3] is short for shortstop^[3], a fielding position between second and third base. While dictionaries list the abbreviation as SS^[3], I think you might find it abbreviated as simply S in tables on some sports pages.

22d	Leave // 500 yen (5)

D|ITCH — D ([Roman numeral for] 500) + ITCH (yen; longing)

24d	Comeback of ingenuous // Perrier rival (5)

EVIAN< — reversal of (comeback of) NAIVE (ingenuous)

Perrier^[7] is a French brand of natural bottled mineral water captured at the source in Vergèze, located in the Gard département of France.

Évian^[7] (stylized as evian), is a brand of mineral water coming from several sources near Évian-les-Bains, on the south shore of Lake Geneva.

Epilogue

Cox and Rathvon deliver a home run for baseball fans with today's puzzle.

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