Monday, April 13, 2020 — DT 29162 (Published Saturday, April 11, 2020)

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 29162
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Saturday, September 21, 2019
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29162 – Hints] Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29162 – Review]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Big Dave (Hints) crypticsue (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, April 11, 2020 edition of the National Post.

Introduction

I got a bit careless with today's puzzle and neglected to parse the wordplay on one clue, only discovering the misstep upon visiting Big Dave's Crossword Blog.

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

Abbreviations — Part VII

Today's abbreviations, a couple of which appear in 20d, come off the clothing rack. From the labels on clothing we get S(mall), M(edium), and L(arge) as well as OS (outsize), the British term for sizes beyond large (no XL or XXL over there apparently). We also find W(omen's) but apparently not M(en's) — likely because M(edium) has pre-empted the use of this letter.

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.

Markup Conventions
"//" - marks the boundary between wordplay and definition when no link word or link phrase is present "/[link word or phrase]/" - marks the boundary between wordplay and definition when a link word or link phrase is present	"solid underline" - precise definition "dotted underline" - cryptic definition "dashed underline" - wordplay "double underline" - both wordplay and definition
Click here for further explanation and usage examples of markup conventions used on this blog.

Across

1a	Some worship a god adored here? (6)

The entire clue is the definition of a place where some faiths worship a god they adore. The wordplay — comprising the first five words of the clue — is found embedded in the definition. The double underline indicates that this portion of the clue is both wordplay and definition while the single underline denotes that the latter portion of the clue is the completion of the definition.

4a	Woman from Hawaii maybe // is country queen (8)

It could be a woman from Hawaii ... or a man from PEI.

10a	Alert when given wrong // change (5)

11a	Graphic // about one Conservative holding a record (9)

"Conservative " = C [member of British political party]

The abbreviation for Conservative may be either C.^[10] or Con.^[10].

The Conservative Party^[5] is a major right of centre British political party promoting free enterprise and private ownershipthat emerged from the old Tory Party^* under Sir Robert Peel in the 1830s and 1840s. Since the Second World War, it has been in power 1951–64, 1970-74, and 1979–97. It governed in a coalition with the Liberal Democrats from 2010 until the general election of May 2015, in which it was returned with a majority.

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^* Historically, a Tory^[10] was a member of the English political party that opposed the exclusion of James, Duke of York from the royal succession (1679–80). Tory remained the label for subsequent major conservative interests until they gave birth to the Conservative Party in the 1830s.

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12a	White worker making heaps in Africa? (7)

Cryptic definition of an African insect that builds hills in which to reside.

"worker " = ANT

The terms "worker" and "social worker" are commonly used in cryptic crossword puzzles to clue ANT or BEE.

A worker^[5] is a neuter or undeveloped female bee, wasp, ant, or other social insect, large numbers of which do the basic work of the colony.

In crossword puzzles, "worker" will most frequently be used to clue ANT and occasionally BEE but I have yet to see it used to clue WASP. Of course, "worker" is sometimes also used to clue HAND or MAN.

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White ant^[5] is another term for termite.

Termite mound in Namibia

13a	Two legs used in cricket // constantly (2,3,2)

"leg " = ON [cricket term]

In cricket, the leg^[5] (also called leg side) is another name for the on^[5] (also known as on side), the half of the field (as divided lengthways through the pitch) away from which the batsman’s feet are pointed when standing to receive the ball ⇒ he played a lucky stroke to leg.

The other half of the field is known as the off^[5] (also called off side).

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14a	Discovered having real ale, possibly // taken unawares (6,2,3,3)

Real ale^[7] is the name coined by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) [see Delving Deeper box] in 1973 for a type of beer defined as "beer brewed from traditional ingredients, matured by secondary fermentation in the container from which it is dispensed, and served without the use of extraneous carbon dioxide". The heart of the definition is the maturation requirements. If the beer is unfiltered, unpasteurised and still active on the yeast, it is a real ale; it is irrelevant whether the container is a cask or a bottle.

Delving Deeper

The Campaign for Real Ale[7] (CAMRA) is an independent voluntary consumer organisation headquartered in St Albans, England, which promotes real ale, real cider and the traditional British pub. It is now the largest single-issue consumer group in the UK, and is a founding member of the European Beer Consumers Union (EBCU). CAMRA does not support the promotion and sale of keg based craft beer. CAMRA's Internal Policy document states that real ale can only be served from cask without the use of additional carbonation. This policy means that "any beer brand which is produced in both cask and keg versions" is not admitted to CAMRA festivals or supported by CAMRA.[7]

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The idiom (to be) caught on the hop^[a] denotes to be unprepared for something that happens and so be unable to respond quickly or appropriately ⇒ In both cases the West was caught on the hop when a brutal dictator decided that it was safe to use force to resolve a long-standing territorial dispute.

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^[a] HarperCollins Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary

Post Mortem
Haveing not previously encountered this expression, on might say that I was caught on the hop.

17a	Typical // architect's car I wrecked (14)

21a	Letter delivered after shift (7)

A cryptic definition of an upper case letter based on how it is produced using a keyboard.

23a	Agent hired by European // charged in full (7)

Here and There

In North America, we hire people and rent accommodation, property and things while in the UK, they hire people and things and let accommodation and property. Hire[5] is a British term meaning: to obtain the temporary use of (something) for an agreed payment ⇒ we flew to San Diego, hired a car, and headed for Las Vegas to grant the temporary use of something for an agreed payment ⇒ most train stations hire out cycles Let[5] is a British* term meaning to allow someone to have the use of (a room or property) in return for regular payments ⇒ (i) she let the flat [apartment] to a tenant; (ii) they’ve let out their house. * Based on its appearance in US dictionaries[3,11], I doubt this word is quite as British as the editors of  Lexico (formerly Oxford Dictionaries Online) would have us believe. However, I would think the term is rather passé in North America. One would certainly be far more likely to say 'renting an apartment' than 'letting an apartment'.. Thus, in Britain, both hire and let are synonyms for rent (a word which the Brits would also seem to use) — although the terms are seemingly used in relation to different categories of goods and services. The former term is used in relation to renting things such as cars, boats, bicycles, movies to watch at home, etc., while the latter is used with respect to renting accommodation and property.

"European " = E [E number]

E^[1,2] is the abbreviation for European (as in E number^*).

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^* An E number^[1,4,10,14] (or E-number^[2,5]) is any of various identification codes required by EU law, consisting of the letter E (for European) followed by a number, that are used to denote food additives such as colourings and preservatives (but excluding flavourings) that have been approved by the European Union.

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In the definition, charge^[5] is used in the sense of to load or fill (a container, gun, etc.) to the full or proper extent.

24a	Old boy in woolly drawers -- // the clothes people wear! (9)

"old boy " = OB

In Britain, an old boy^[5] (abbreviation OB^[2])  is:

• a former male student of a school or college ⇒ an old boy of Banbury County School
• a former male member of a sports team or company ⇒ the White Hart Lane old boy squared the ball to present an easy chance from 12 yards

It is also a chiefly British affectionate form of address to a boy or man ⇒ ‘Look here, old boy,’ he said.

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25a	Bouquet /to be/ dispatched, expressed (5)

26a	Less respectable setting for parking // going at a higher rate (8)

"parking" = P

27a	Born and died without one /being/ desired (6)

Down

1d	It makes perfect // surgery perhaps (8)

2d	Suffer /or/ reach the next round? (2,7)

3d	Rather dim, // cramming big vessel inside smaller one (7)

5d	Ticking-off, /seeing/ make-up applied by hand? (4,2,3,5)

Here and There
Across the pond, the term "tick off" has quite a different meaning than it does in North America. Whereas, here, to tick someone off[5] means to make someone annoyed or angry ⇒ Jefferson was a little ticked off, but he’ll come around, in Britain it means to reprimand or rebuke someone ⇒ (i) he was ticked off by Angela; (ii) he got a ticking off from the magistrate.

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Slap^[5] is an informal term for make-up, especially when applied thickly or carelessly ⇒ I put a bit of slap on my face and we were ready to go.

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Origin: The Chambers Dictionary suggests the term originated as theatrical slang for stage make-up, later being adopted as a term for make-up generally.

I interpreted "applied by hand" to be a cryptic way of saying "applied to part of the body near (by) the hand".

6d	A prisoner turning over in // stir (7)

Post Mortem
I carelessly wrote in AGITATE and seemingly — since it fit the definition so well — neglected to parse the wordplay. As all the checking letters marched the correct solution, the oversight did not come to light until I read the review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog.

7d	Fifties rocker's supported very well in Russian // square (5)

Ted^[2] is short for Teddy boy^[5], a slang term originally applied to a young man belonging to a subculture in 1950s Britain characterized by a style of dress based on Edwardian fashion (typically with drainpipe trousers, bootlace tie, and hair slicked up in a quiff^* and a liking for rock-and-roll music. The name comes from from Teddy, pet form of the given name Edward (with reference to Edward VII's reign). Judging by the entry in the Chambers 21st Century Dictionary, it would appear that the term Teddy boy^[2] is now applied to any unruly or rowdy adolescent male.

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^* Quiff^[3,4] is a chiefly British term for a prominent tuft of hair, especially one brushed up above the forehead.

"very well in Russian " = DA

In Cyrillic, the Russian word for yes^[8] is да which transliterates into English^[7] as da.

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8d	Engineers corps are not able to // withdraw (6)

"Engineers corps " = RE [Royal Engineers]

The Corps of Royal Engineers^[7], usually just called the Royal Engineers (abbreviation RE), and commonly known as the Sappers^[7], is a corps of the British Army that provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces.

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9d	Totally opposed // raging Liberal, nicer when company's in (14)

Scratching the Surface

As a political entity, the Liberal Party[5] is virtually a spent force in the UK (show more ). The Liberal Party[5] (abbreviation Lib.[5] or L[2])* in Britain emerged in the 1860s from the old Whig Party and until the First World War was one of the two major parties in Britain. In 1988 the party regrouped with elements of the Social Democratic Party to form the Social and Liberal Democrats, now known as the Liberal Democrats. However, a small Liberal Party still exists (founded in 1989 by members of the original Liberal Party opposed to its merger with the Social Democratic Party) although it has no representation in the UK Parliament, no Members of the European Parliament (MEP), no members of the Scottish Parliament, nor any members of the National Assembly for Wales. Today, the party holds only a handful of seats at the local government level.[7]. hide

15d	With no going back, that group finish // rallying (2,3,4)

16d	Sanctioned // cadet, smashed eating kind of mushroom (8)

The cep^[5] (also called penny bun^[5]) is an edible European mushroom with a smooth brown cap, a stout white stalk, and pores rather than gills, growing in dry woodland and much sought after as a delicacy.

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Sanction^[5] is an interesting word, effectively being almost its own antonym. It can mean either official permission or approval for an action or a threatened penalty for disobeying a law or rule.

18d	Stopped working, // out of order -- it erroneously being set up (7)

19d	Little devil is on dope and ecstasy -- // it's hard to get through (7)

"ecstasy " = E [illicit drug]

E^[5] is an abbreviation for the drug Ecstasy^* or a tablet of Ecstasy ⇒ (i) people have died after taking E; (ii) being busted with three Es can lead to stiff penalties.

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^* Ecstasy^[5] is an illegal amphetamine-based synthetic drug with euphoric effects, originally produced as an appetite suppressant. Also called MDMA (Methylenedioxymethamphetamine).

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20d	Female wears different sizes, small /causing/ grimaces (6)

"small " = S [clothing size]

S^[5] is the abbreviation for small (as a clothing size).

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"large  = L [clothing size]

L^[5] is the abbreviation for large (as a clothing size).

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22d	Super criminal // that all too often takes in coppers (5)

A cryptic definition of an accessory for holding change. Perhaps the setter is suggesting that because virtually nothing goes for pennies these days — or,  more precisely, the days when pennies were still in circulation — and many people were reluctant to count out pennies when making larger purchases that they tended to accummulate in this accessory.

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 Advanced 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