Thursday, May 7, 2020 — DT 29180

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 29180
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Saturday, October 12, 2019
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29180 – Hints] Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29180 – Review]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Big Dave (Hints) gnomethang (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.

Introduction

As noted in several comments on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, this puzzle has the feel of being the work of a new setter to whose style we are not accustomed.

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.

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	French journalist with courtesy title/'s/ feat of endurance (8)

Jean-Paul Marat^[10] (1743–1793) was a French revolutionary leader and journalist. He founded the radical newspaper L'Ami du peuple and was elected to the National Convention (1792). He was instrumental in overthrowing the Girondists (1793); he was stabbed to death in his bath by Charlotte Corday.

The abbreviation Hon.^[5] stands for Honorary^* when used in official job titles and for Honourable when used in titles of the British nobility, members of parliament and some other politicians, and (in the US) judges.}

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^* In this context, Honorary^[5] is a British term denoting (of an office or its holder) unpaid ⇒Honorary Secretary of the Association.

5a	American with old Bob grieves audibly /in/ trial (6)

Bob^[5] is an informal British term for a shilling^[5] (abbreviation s^[5]) which, in the British currency system used prior to the introduction of the current decimal currency system in 1971, was a coin and monetary unit equal to one twentieth of a pound or twelve pence.

The setter refers to it as "old Bob" as the coin was removed from circulation nearly fifty years ago.

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Historically in England and Wales, an assize^[10] was a trial or judicial inquest. Assizes^[5] were a court which formerly sat at intervals in each county of England and Wales to administer the civil and criminal law. In 1972 the civil jurisdiction of assizes was transferred to the High Court, and the criminal jurisdiction to the Crown Court.

9a	Critic // regularly irked 'Spectator' (8)

Scratching the Surface
The Spectator[7] is a conservative-leaning weekly British magazine, first published in 1828, owned by David and Frederick Barclay — who also own The Daily Telegraph[7] newspaper.

10a	End /with/ almost everything stopping dry (6)

I suppose "dry" here is referring to the weather, in other words, not rainy.

11a	Isn't allowed to include electronic // sheet of paper (7)

Notelet^[5] is a British term for a small folded sheet of paper on which a note or informal letter may be written.

12a	Pair having time /to produce/ rhyme (7)

13a	Before alleged, /that's/ taken for granted (11)

16a	Nimble comedian Edward // having an alert mind (5-6)

Ted^[7] is a diminutive form of the given names Edmund, Edward, Edwin, Edwina, Thaddeus, Theodora, and Theodore.

21a	Chocolate therefore left /in/ pressurised container (7)

Aero^[7] is a chocolate bar now manufactured by Nestlé.

Delving Deeper

Aero was originally introduced to the North of England as the "new chocolate" by English confectionary company Rowntree in 1935. By the end of the year, it had proved so popular with consumers that sales were extended throughout the UK. By 1936, the popularity of the chocolate, due no doubt in part to its unique bubbly texture, had extended to New York City, and has since spread to many other countries including Canada, Australia, South Africa and Japan. Aero has been manufactured by the Swiss food and beverage company Nestlé since its 1988 acquisition of Rowntree Mackintosh. Known for its unique "bubbly" texture that collapses as the bar melts, it is available in many different forms including Aero Bars and Aero Biscuits, and originally had a mint flavour.

22a	Feline coming to an unexpectedly abrupt end (4,3)

A cryptic definition of a cat with no tail.

The Manx cat^[10] is a short-haired tailless variety of cat, believed to originate on the Isle of Man^[5], a British Crown dependency in the Irish Sea.

23a	Cheat thanks Romeo with daughter /who's/ a feeble-minded person (6)

Do^[5] is an informal British term meaning to swindle ⇒ a thousand pounds for one set of photos — Jacqui had been done.

Ta^[5] is an informal British exclamation signifying thank you ⇒‘Ta,’ said Willie gratefully.

"Romeo " = R [NATO Phonetic Alphabet]

In what is commonly known as the NATO Phonetic Alphabet^[7]*, Romeo^[5] is a code word representing the letter R.

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^* officially the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet

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"daughter " = D [genealogy]

In genealogies, d^[5] is the abbreviation for daughter ⇒ Henry m. Georgina 1957, 1s 2d^*.

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^* Henry married Georgina in 1957. Their marriage produced 1 son and 2 daughters.

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A dotard^[5] is an old person, especially one who has become physically weak or whose mental faculties have declined.

24a	React strangely over new tee // and other things (8)

25a	Puzzle /as/ theologian's overcome by anger (6)

"theologian" = DD (show explanation )

Doctor of Divinity^[7] (abbreviation D.D. or DD, Divinitatis Doctor in Latin) is an advanced academic degree in divinity.

Historically, the degree of Doctor of Divinity identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects. In the United Kingdom, Doctor of Divinity has traditionally been the highest doctorate granted by universities, usually conferred upon a religious scholar of standing and distinction. In the United States, the Doctor of Divinity is usually awarded as an honorary degree.

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26a	Delivery /of/ porcelain figure? (8)

A delivery^[5] is an act of throwing, bowling, or kicking a ball, especially a cricket ball.

In cricket, a chinaman^[5] is a ball that spins fromoff to leg, bowled by a left-handed bowler to a right-handed batsman.

In cricket, the off^[5] (also called off side) is the half of the field (as divided lengthways through the pitch) towards which the batsman's feet are pointed when standing to receive the ball.  The other half of the field is known as either the leg^[5] (also called leg side) or on^[5] (also called on side) ⇒ he played a lucky stroke to leg.

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In a post on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Smylers discusses the continued use of the term 'chinaman' in cricket given that it was recognized as offensive as far back as 1934.

Down

1d	Doctor goes round country /for/ some wool (6)

"doctor " = MO

A medical officer^[5] (abbreviation MO^[5]) is a doctor in charge of the health services of a civilian or military authority or other organization.

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Erin^[5] is an archaic or literary name for Ireland.

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Merino^[10] is the long fine wool of the merino sheep, a breed  originating in Spain, bred for their fleece.

2d	Stands topless /and/ bolts (6)

3d	Fixture that might prove gripping for Windsor? (3,4)

A Knot or a Tie?

Does "Windsor" refer to the knot or the tie? Surely, a tie clip holds the tie — not the knot — in place. A Windsor knot[5] is a large, loose triangular knot in a man's tie, produced by making extra turns when tying. Windsor tie[5] is a dated US term for a wide silk bias-cut tie, tied in a loose double knot. I couldn't find a picture of one but I wonder if it might not be similar to — or even just a US name for — an ascot tie[5] . An ascot tie[7], or ascot or hanker-tie, is a neckband with wide pointed wings, traditionally made of pale grey patterned silk. This wide tie is usually patterned, folded over, and fastened with a tie pin or tie clip.

4d	Past one's peak in more ways than one (4,3,4)

The entire clue is a cryptic definition which includes an embedded precise definition (marked with a double underline to indicate that, in addition to its role as a precise definition, it is also part of the cryptic definition). The phrase "in more ways than one" does not provide a second, independent route to the solution but, rather, provides elaboration about the precise definition — namely, that it can be interpreted in two different ways to arrive at the solution.

6d	Work hastily about first half of July /to make/ ramp (3,4)

Like gnomethang in his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, I initially wondered about SKIMP meaning 'work hastily'. However, on looking closely at the definition of skimp^[5] (expend or use less time, money, or material on something than is necessary in an attempt to economize), I see that "work hastily" can easily be equated to "expend less time".

7d	How bright idea may come to one (2,1,5)

8d	Still having fancy diet // before bed? (8)

Eventide^[5] is an archaic or literary term for the end of the day or evening ⇒ the moonflower opens its white, trumpet-like flowers at eventide.

12d	Pitched battle that's first-class perhaps (6,5)

A cryptic definition of a competition taking place on a cricket pitch.

The top level of cricket competition in the UK (apart from international matches) is County cricket^[5], first-class cricket played between the eighteen professional teams contesting the County Championship.

Delving Deeper

Inter-county cricket matches[7] are known to have been played since the early 18th century, involving teams that are representative of the historic counties of England and Wales. Since the late 19th century, there have been two county championship competitions played at different levels: the County Championship, a first-class competition which currently involves eighteen first-class county clubs; and the Minor Counties Championship, which currently involves nineteen English county clubs and one club that is representative of several Welsh counties.

14d	Blue /is/ smoother, without question (8)

Blue^[5] (verb) is an informal, dated British term meaning to squander or recklessly spend (money) ⇒ It is again time to break open a bottle of bubbly and to blue our money till kingdom comes.

15d	Thrilled // lout was in contention outside (8)

I must say that I had difficulty rationalizing the definition and the solution. The only connection that I could initially see involved a device used by lonely ladies. However, I did eventually find a more PC, albeit obscure, explanation in one of my dictionaries.

Thrill^[10] is used in the sense of to to tremble or cause to tremble; in other words, to vibrate or quiver.

17d	Bird /finding/ trees bending in Malaysian city (7)

KL^[5] is an informal name for Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia (similar to referring to Los Angeles as LA^[5] or Kansas City as KC^[5]).

18d	Waste time /in/ prison (7)

19d	Second best part /that's/ a laugh (6)

20d	Quite a bit of restraint /or/ tension (6)

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