Thursday, September 17, 2020 — DT 29275

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 29275
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Saturday, February 1, 2020
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29275 – Hints] Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29275 – 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.

Introduction

After yesterday's extreme test, today's puzzle proves to be a welcome respite. It was especially welcome as well in the UK when it was published there on February 1 as it seems a good portion of the readership of Big Dave's Crossword Blog had been celebrating Brexit well into the wee hours the night before.

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	Still the same // as one entertaining 1960s teenager (10)

Mod^[5] is a British term for a young person, especially in the early 1960s, of a subculture characterized by a smart stylish appearance, the riding of motor scooters, and a liking for soul music.

6a	Staff employed for spells? (4)

9a	Inn merited changing // when to eat (6-4)

10a	What sea may do // to ship (4)

"ship " = SS

In Crosswordland, a ship is almost invariably a steamship, the abbreviation for which is SS^[5] ⇒ the SS Canberra.

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12a	Times /in/ shock broadcast (4)

Times^[10] and days^[10] are used in the sense of a period marked by specific attributes or events ⇒ (i) in olden times; (ii) in days of yore.

13a	Thumbs up to do this! (5-4)

15a	Student deserving // education (8)

"student " = L [driver under instruction]

The cryptic crossword convention of L meaning learner or student arises from the L-plate^[7], a square plate bearing a sans-serif letter L, for learner, which must be affixed to the front and back of a vehicle in various jurisdictions (including the UK) if its driver is a learner under instruction.

Automobile displaying an L-plate

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16a	Old king // whose seat's in Edinburgh? (6)

Arthur^[5] was a legendary king of Britain, historically perhaps a 5th- or 6th-century Romano-British chieftain or general. Stories of his life, the exploits of his knights, and the Round Table of his court at Camelot were developed by Malory, Chrétien de Troyes, and other medieval writers and became the subject of many legends.

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Arthur's Seat^[7] is an extinct volcano which is the main peak of the group of hills in Edinburgh, Scotland, which form most of Holyrood Park.

18a	Ministers // left in church run to face guy on vacation (6)

"church " = CE [Church of England]

The Church of England^[10] (abbreviation CE^[10]) is the reformed established state Church in England, Catholic in order and basic doctrine, with the Sovereign as its temporal head.

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"run " = R [cricket notation]

On cricket scorecards [not to mention baseball scoreboards], the abbreviation R^[5] denotes run(s).

In cricket, a run^[5] is a unit of scoring achieved by hitting the ball so that both batsmen are able to run between the wickets, or awarded in some other circumstances.

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The phrase "on vacation" is an indication to remove the contents (interior letters) from the word "G(u)Y". Vacation^[10]  is likely used in the sense of the act of departing from or abandoning property, etc. Thus the setter would seem to be suggesting that the interior letters pack up and leave.

20a	Scene about short musical work united // people (8)

"short musical work " = OP [opus]

In music, an opus^[5] (Latin 'work', plural opuses or opera) is a separate composition or set of compositions.

The abbreviation Op.^[5] (also op.), denoting opus, is used before a number given to each work of a particular composer, usually indicating the order of publication. The plural form of Op. is Opp..

Opus^[5] can also be used in other contexts to denote an artistic work, especially one on a large scale ⇒ he was writing an opus on Mexico.

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"united " = U

In the names of sports clubs, U^[5] is the abbreviation for United^[5] which, in Britain is a word commonly used in the names of soccer and other sports teams formed by amalgamation ⇒ Man U [Manchester United].

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23a	Returning with sailor, popped outside /for/ something to eat (9)

"sailor " = TAR

Tar^[5] is an informal, dated nickname for a sailor. The term came into use in the mid 17th century and is perhaps an abbreviation of tarpaulin, also used as a nickname for a sailor at that time.

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24a	Loathe // best man regularly rejected by husband (4)

26a	Like // coming round naked (4)

27a	Critical // sort of mood (10)

28a	Study onset of terrible // depression (4)

29a	Doctor later calls /for/ crystal dispenser (4,6)

Down

1d	Free /and/ occasionally funny party (4)

"party " = DO

Do^[5,12] is an informal British^[5] or chiefly British^[12] term^* for a party or other social event ⇒the soccer club Christmas do

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^* although Webster’s New World College Dictionary^[12] supports the contention by Oxford Dictionaries Online^[5] that this usage is British, two other US dictionaries do not characterize do^[3,11] used in this sense as a British term

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2d	Introduced by Stormont -- a nanny // state (7)

Scratching the Surface

Stormont[10] is a suburb of Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is the site of Parliament House (1928–30), formerly the seat of the parliament of Northern Ireland (1922–72) and since 1998 of the Northern Ireland assembly, and Stormont Castle, formerly the residence of the prime minister of Northern Ireland and since 1998 the office of the province's first minister. Just as Ottawa, Washington, and London are metonyms for the governments of their respective countries, Stormont is a metonym for the government of Northern Ireland. Nanny state[5] is a British term for the government regarded as overprotective or as interfering unduly with personal choice.

3d	Tailor designs wrong // item of clothing (8-4)

4d	Pretty // fine work of art (8)

"fine " = F [grade of pencil lead]

F^[5] is an abbreviation for fine, as used in describing grades of pencil lead.

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Note: Surprisingly, Oxford Dictionaries Online characterizes this usage as British

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5d	It's adopted by heartless foe? (6)

This is an &lit. clue, a clue in which the entire clue serves as both wordplay and definition.

7d	Get rid of // boils spreading in a hospital (7)

"hospital " = H [symbol used on street signs]

H is a symbol for 'hospital' used on street signs.

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8d	Crush // bowl made of clay (not hard) (10)

"hard " = H [grade of pencil lead]

H^[2,5] is an abbreviation for hard, as used in describing grades of pencil lead ⇒ a 2H pencil.

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11d	Ought RAF hero to play /in/ street? (12)

14d	Bigwigs initially need directors /to supply/ teaching aid (10)

17d	Support // pay for others (8)

19d	Avoidance /of/ oddball so naive (7)

21d	High-rise accommodation for workers? (3-4)

"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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22d	America briefly unsettled // European region (6)

According to Lexico (formerly Oxford Dictionaries Online), Crimea^[5] (usually the Crimea) is a peninsula of Ukraine lying between the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. It was the scene of the Crimean War in the 1850s. The majority of the population is Russian. Nary a mention of the fact that Russia invaded and annexed Crimea in 2014.

25d	That woman's protecting one // next in line (4)

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Key to Reference Sources: 

  ^[1]   - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition

  ^[2]   - Search Chambers - (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)

  ^[3]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (American Heritage Dictionary)

  ^[4]   - TheFreeDictionarycom (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)

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Signing off for today — Falcon