Saturday, October 31, 2020

Saturday, October 31, 2020 — Precarious Perches


Introduction

The bottom half of today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon was a treat, falling into place fairly quickly once I had established a couple of 28a. The top half, on the other hand, was far more tricky, demanding considerably more mental effort on my part before it eventually surrendered.

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

Symbols and Markup Conventions
  •  "*" - anagram
  • "~" - sounds like
  • "<" - indicates the preceding letters are reversed
  • "( )" - encloses contained letters
  • "_" - replaces letters that have been deleted
  •  "†" - indicates that the word is present in the clue
  • "//" - 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 the symbols and markup conventions used on this blog.

Across

8a   Delicate // arachnid is hungry at first, eating piece of lettuce (8)

TICK(L)IS|H — {TICK (arachnid) + IS (†) + H (hungry at first; initial letter of Hungry)} containing (eating) L (piece [initial letter] of Lettuce)

9a   Island // also accommodating base (6)

TO(BAG)O — TOO (also) containing (accommodating) BAG (base; one found on a baseball diamond)

10a   Make a hash of popular // composer (6)

CHOP|IN — CHOP (make a hash of) + IN (popular)

11a   Urban dwelling // which one involved in wake (3,5)

RO(W HO)USE — WHO (which one) contained in (involved in) ROUSE (wake [from sleep])

12a   Irish patron bounding along with // stick (5,3)

ST(AND) PAT — ST PAT (Irish patron) containing (bounding) AND (along with)

14a   Cunning about Delaware, // to a great extent (6)

WI(DE)LY — WILY (cunning) containing (about) DE ([postal designator for] Delaware)

15a   Two pushers concealing // work (4)

_O|PUS_ — hidden in (concealing) twO PUShers

17a   Not dry yet // not very tasteful (5)

TACKY — double definition

18a   Two notices backing // movement in art (4)

{DA|DA}< — reversal of (backing) {AD + AD} (two [commercial] notices)

19a   Tenor stuck in introductory section, // for the moment (3,3)

PRO (T)EM — T(enor) contained in (stuck in) PROEM (introductory section)

21a   Reserve // time in shore region (3,5)

SE(T) ASIDE — T(ime) contained in (in) SEASIDE (shore region)

24a   With cons, arranged // trip (6,2)

{SWITCH ON}* — anagram of (arranged) WITH CONS

26a   Bad feeling // Al carried in vermin (6)

M(AL)ICE — AL (†) contained in (carried in) MICE (vermin)

27a   One Arab ship, // without a doubt (3,3)

AN|D HOW — AN (one) + DHOW (Arab ship)

28a   New tool shed /for/ small purchases? (8)

TOEHOLDS* — anagram of (new) TOOL SHED

Down

1d   Plastic in that // helmet (3,3)

{TIN HAT}* — anagram of (plastic) IN THAT

2d   Insect put in curling captain’s // sportswear (3,5)

SKI P(ANT)S — ANT (insect) contained in (put in) {SKIP (curling captain) + S ('s)}

3d   Volunteer // using new piece of paper (4,2)

{SIGN U}*P — anagram of (new) USING + P (piece [initial letter] of Paper)

4d   Blacken // fish found in the Arctic (4)

CHAR — double definition

5d   Say “Wow” at tricky, // sneaky rider (8)

STOWAWAY* — anagram of (tricky) SAY WOW AT

6d   A second-rate street // in a foreign land (6)

A|B|ROAD — A (†) + B (second-rate) + ROAD (street)

7d   Picnic dish // provokes a boy (3,5)

EGG S|A|LAD — EGGS (provokes) + A (†) + LAD (boy)

13d   Gathers // speaker’s formal wear (5)

TUCKS~ — sounds like (speaker's) TUX (formal wear)

16d   Tiny opening admitting double // drink (4,4)

POR(T WIN)E — PORE (tiny opening) containing (admitting) TWIN (double)

17d   To mother, sell // hatchet (8)

TO|MA|HAWK — TO (†) + MA (mother) + HAWK (sell)

18d   Bar // tag turned sickly yellow (8)

DI<|SALLOW — reversal of (turned) ID (tag) + SALLOW (sickly yellow)

20d   Irritable // in heat, etc., hydrate (6)

_T|ETC|HY_ — hidden in (in) heaT ETC HYdrate

22d   Cap for every // tinker (6)

TAM|PER — TAM ([Scottish] cap) + PER (for every)

23d   Choose // dice Ed cast (6)

DECIDE* — anagram of (cast) DICE ED

25d   Observe // Bond’s school from behind (4)

NOTE* — reversal of (from behind) ETON (Bond's school)

Early Start
Commander James Bond[7], the fictional Intelligence Agent created by the British journalist and novelist Ian Fleming, briefly attended Eton College at "12 or thereabouts", but is removed after two halves [two half terms]* because of girl trouble with a maid.

* The English school year generally runs from early September to mid or late July of the following year. Most schools operate a three-term school year, each term divided in half.

Autumn term runs from early September to mid December (half term falls in late October). Spring Term runs from early January to Easter (half term falls in mid February). Summer Term runs from Easter to mid July (half term falls in late May or early June).

At the end of each half term, in October, February and May, there is a holiday which lasts about one week (usually nine full days, including two weekends).

The Christmas holidays separate the autumn and spring terms, and the Easter holidays separate the spring and summer terms. Each holiday lasts about two weeks.

The 'summer' holiday begins in late July, even though summer is largely over in England, and is usually about six weeks long, sometimes ending only two weeks away from the Autumnal equinox.

Epilogue

The title of today's review is inspired by 8a and 28a.



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]   - Lexico (formerly Oxford Dictionaries Online) (Oxford Dictionary of English)
  [6]   - Lexico (formerly Oxford Dictionaries Online) (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

Friday, October 30, 2020

Friday, October 30, 2020 — DT 29306


Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29306
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Monday, March 9, 2020
Setter
Campbell (Allan Scott)
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29306]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
Miffypops
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

Introduction

The review of today's puzzle on Big Dave's Crossword Blog was written by Miffypops under the guise of Katniss Everdeen[7]. Should you not have read the novels nor seen the film adaptations of the books, she is the protagonist of The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins.

This is Miffypops' final review as the regular Monday occupant of the blogging chair. Over the next couple of weeks, you will see some changes in blogging assignments as one blogger returns from sabbatical and engages in a game of musical chairs with several other bloggers. It will all play out over the next couple of weeks.

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

7a   I, with knight, greet by arrangement // a whole number (7)

"knight " = N [chess notation]

A knight[5] is a chess piece, typically with its top shaped like a horse’s head, that moves by jumping to the opposite corner of a rectangle two squares by three. Each player starts the game with two knights.

N[5] is the abbreviation for knight used in recording moves in chess [representing the pronunciation of kn-, since the initial letter k- represents 'king'].

As an aside, it is interesting to note that the Chambers 21st Century Dictionary defines: 
  • K[2] as an abbreviation used in chess for knight. 
  • K[2] is a symbol used in chess to represent a king. 
  • N[2] is a symbol used in chess to represent a knight.
The dictionary fails to specify how one differentiates an abbreviation from a symbol.

On the other hand, both The Chambers Dictionary and the Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary list K or K.[1,11] as an abbreviation for knight without specifying the specific context in which this abbreviation is used. However, the context may well be in an honours list rather than in a game of chess. In the UK, for instance, KBE[5] stands for Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

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9a   Swagger /of/ a daughter in good show! (7)

"daughter " = D [genealogy]

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

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

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10a   Film one // omnivorous creature (5)

The coati[5,10] is an omnivorous mammal of Central and South America. Coatis are related to but larger than the raccoons, having a long flexible snout, a brindled coat and a ringed tail.

11a  Area in which there may be no developments? (5,4)

12a   DIY ads then, again recollected // just now (2,4,3,3,3)

13a   Fine lines about Stuart monarch, /or/ flattery? (7)

"fine " = F [grade of pencil lead]

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

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

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"lines " = LL

In textual references, the abbreviation for lines (of written matter) is ll.[5,10] ll. 648-650.

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Anne[7] (1665–1714) became Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702. On 1 May 1707, under the Acts of Union, two of her realms, the kingdoms of England and Scotland, united as a single sovereign state, the United Kingdom of Great Britain. She continued to reign as Queen of Great Britain and Ireland until her death.

Anne was plagued by ill health throughout her life, and from her thirties, she grew increasingly ill and obese. Despite seventeen pregnancies she died without surviving issue and was the last monarch of the House of Stuart.



Flannel[10]  (noun) is an informal British term for;
  • indirect or evasive talk
  • deceiving flattery
16a   Wise /having/ drain that is not emptied? (7)

19a   Tricking, slyly, // all up feasting on bananas (7,1,4,3)

23a   Dog // has a drink taken outside, accordingly (5,4)

The Lhasa apso[10] is a small dog of a Tibetan breed having a long straight dense coat, often gold or greyish, and a well-feathered tail carried curled over its back.

24a   Top // seat taken by head of table (5)

25a   Heading off Moroccan wild // animal (7)

26a   Critical assessments // concerning convictions (7)

Down

1d   Is probing male's first and foremost // injury (8)

2d   Firing // international, into gin unfortunately (8)

"international " = I

I.[10] is the abbreviation for International.

hide

I believe Miffypops, in his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, has allowed part of the fodder (the word "into") to deceive him into thinking that this is a containment style of clue. The wordplay actually parses as an abbreviation for international followed by an anagram of (unfortunately) INTO GIN. Although his explanation does produce the correct result, it does not correspond to the wordplay given in the clue.

3d   Cold, /and/ beginning to feel stiff (6)

4d   Member of the clergy reportedly // shot playing billiards (6)

A canon[5] is a member of the clergy who is on the staff of a cathedral, especially one who is a member of the chapter* he was appointed canon of Christ Church, Oxford.

* The chapter[5] is the governing body of a religious community or knightly order.



Cannon[5,10] is a British term for a billiards shot in which the cue ball is caused to contact one object ball after another or the points scored by such a shot.

* In Canada and the US, this shot would be called a carom.

5d   Makes an idiotic error, initially, /supplying/ homonym (8)

6d  Will a drink from this give you courage? (6)

Bottle[5] is an informal British term denoting the courage or confidence needed to do something difficult or dangerous ⇒ I lost my bottle completely and ran.

8d   Feature // some extra items (5)

9d   Sleep // so long with son (3-4)

"son " = S [genealogy]

In genealogies, s[5] is the abbreviation for son(s) m 1991; one s one d*.

* married in 1991; one son and one daughter.

hide

Bye-byes[2] (also called beddy-byes) is an informal term used to children meaning sleep or bed (especially go bye-byes or go to bye-byes).

14d   Everyone at home welcoming a church // marriage (8)

"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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15d   Type of delivery // members nail (3-4)

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

In cricket, leg spin[5] (noun) is a type of spin* bowling which causes the ball to deviate from the leg side** towards the off side*** after pitching. As an adjective, it is spelled leg-spin[1] (a leg-spin type of delivery).

* Spin[5] means to to bowl, pitch, hit, or kick (a ball) so that it rotates in the air and changes direction or speed on bouncing, or (of a ball) to be projected in this way.
** The leg side[5] (also called leg) is another name for the on side[5] (also known as on), 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.
*** The off side[5] (also called off) 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.

17d   Confident // attitude about current ITV broadcast (8)

"current " = I [symbol used in physics]

In physics, I[5] is a symbol used to represent electric current in mathematical formulae.

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Scratching the Surface
ITV[7] is a commercial TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 as Independent Television under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK.

18d   Illegally enter // hydro, breaking lock (8)

Hydro[5] is a British term for a hotel or clinic originally providing hydropathic treatment ⇒ The treatments are available at Studios as well as at selected Salons and health hydros.

* Hydropathy[5] is the treatment of illness through the use of water, either internally or through external means such as steam baths (not now a part of orthodox medicine).

19d   Miserable, // friend on trial (6)

20d   One after the other // having an argument (2,1,3)

21d   Knocks down // storeys (6)

22d   Ordinary circuit breaker /may be/ helpful (2,3)

"ordinary " = O [British academic qualification]

Historically, in the UK (with the exception of Scotland), O level[5] (short for ordinary level[5]) was a qualification in a specific subject formerly taken by school students aged 14-16, at a level below A (advanced) level. It was replaced in 1988 by the  GCSE[5] (General Certificate of Secondary Education).

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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]   - Lexico (formerly Oxford Dictionaries Online) (Oxford Dictionary of English)
  [6]   - Lexico (formerly Oxford Dictionaries Online) (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

Thursday, October 29, 2020

Thursday, October 29, 2020 — DT 29305


Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29305
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Saturday, March 7, 2020
Setter
Unknown
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29305 – Hints]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29305 – 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

This puzzle was accorded a bit of a negative reception on Big Dave's Crossword Blog. In particular, several of the cryptic definitions were singled out for special attention. I must say that I don't share the negative opinion of the puzzle. Of course, I am rather fond of cryptic definitions.

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   Milk producer /gives us/ energy another way (8)

Guernsey[5] is a breed of dairy cattle from the island of Guernsey*, noted for producing rich, creamy milk.

* Guernsey[5] is the second largest of the Channel Islands[5], a group of islands in the English Channel off the north-western coast of France. Formerly part of the dukedom of Normandy, they have owed allegiance to England since the Norman Conquest in 1066, and are now classed as Crown dependencies.

5a   Heated // battles approaching sea (6)

The Med[5] is an informal, British name for the Mediterranean Sea.

9a   Mr Toad an eccentric // lacking definite plan (2,6)

Scratching the Surface
Mr. Toad[5], of Toad Hall, is one of the main characters in the 1908 children's novel The Wind in the Willows by Scottish writer Kenneth Grahame (1859 – 1932), and also the title character of the 1929 A. A. Milne play Toad of Toad Hall based on the book.

As gnomethang comments in his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, A fairly apt description. Mr. Toad is an anthropomorphic common toad who is the village squire, being the wealthy owner and occupant of Toad Hall. Toad is very rich and a bit of a fop, with a penchant for Harris tweed suits. Narcissistic, self-centred, and completely lacking in even the most basic common sense, he is prone to engaging in reckless behaviour to satisfy his implusive desires.

10a   Economise // seconds before squeeze (6)

12a   Fruit, /from/ tree, in can that needs a shake (9)

13a  Young head-turner? (5)

Owls[7] are are unable to move their eyes in any direction. Instead of moving their eyes, owls swivel their heads to view their surroundings. Owls' heads are capable of swiveling through an angle of roughly 270°, easily enabling them to see behind them without relocating the torso.

14a   Kitchen heater // tested with pair getting evicted (4)

16a   Annual // account about chap in Los Angeles (7)

"chap " = MAN

Chap[3,4,11] is an informal British[5] or chiefly British[3] term for a man or boy — although a term that is certainly not uncommon in Canada. It is a shortened form of  chapman[3,4,11], an archaic term for a trader, especially an itinerant pedlar[a,b].

[a] Pedlar is the modern British spelling of peddler[14] which, in most senses, is considered by the Brits to be a US or old-fashioned British spelling. The exception is in the sense of a dealer in illegal drugs which the Brits spell as drug peddler.
[b] The current meaning of chap[2] dates from the 18th century. In the 16th century, chap meant 'a customer'. The dictionaries do not explain how a shortened form of 'chapman' (pedlar) came to mean 'customer'.

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19a  In which clip round the ear might be necessary? (7)

21a  Stole material // from gym in Knightsbridge (4)

Scratching the Surface
Knightsbridge[7] is a residential and retail district in central London, south of Hyde Park. It is home to many expensive shops, including the department stores Harrods and Harvey Nichols, and flagship stores of many British and international fashion houses. The district also has banks that cater to wealthy individuals. Some of London's most renowned restaurants are here, as well as many exclusive hair and beauty salons, antiques and antiquities dealers, and chic bars and clubs. The international auction house, Bonhams, one of the world's oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques, is located in Knightsbridge.

24a   In Netherlands notice American // tennis star (5)

"Netherlands " = NL [IVR code]

The International Vehicle Registration (IVR) code for the Netherlands is NL[5].



Netherlands Licence Plate Format
(The IVR code is on the left below the EU flag emblem)

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Rafael Nadal[5,7] is a Spanish tennis player. He won the 2008 Olympic gold medal for singles, and earlier this month at the French Open he won his twentieth grand slam singles title tying him with Roger Federer for the most in history for a male tennis player.

25a   Ivy for one // always jealous (9)

The reference is to the true ivy[5], a woody evergreen Eurasian climbing plant of the genus Hedera, typically having shiny, dark green five-pointed leaves, rather than to similar plants, such as poison ivy, which also bear the name but are not (to my knowledge) evergreen.

Envy and Jealousy: Why Green?
The ancient Greeks believed that jealousy was accompanied by an overproduction of bile, lending a pallid green cast to the victim. In the seventh century B.C., the poetess Sappho, used the word 'green' to describe the complexion of a stricken lover. Ovid, Chaucer, and Shakespeare followed suit, freely using 'green' to denote jealousy or envy. Perhaps the most famous such reference is Iago's speech in Act 3 of Othello:
O! beware my lord, of Jealousy;
It is the green-ey'd monster which doth mock
The meat it feeds on.


27a   Freeholder /in/ the old sultanate (6)

Ye[5] is a pseudo-archaic term for the Ye Olde Cock Tavern. The character "y" in this word was originally not the letter "y" in the modern English alphabet but a variant representation of the Old English and Icelandic letter thorn (þ or Þ). (show more )

The word 'ye' in this sense was originally a graphic variant of 'the' rather than an alternative spelling.

Thorn[5] is an Old English and Icelandic runic letter, þ or Þ, representing the dental fricatives ð and θ. In English it was eventually superseded by the digraph th — and thus þe (the old spelling of 'the') became the modern spelling 'the'.

In late Middle English þ (thorn) came to be written identically with y, resulting in þe (the) being written ye. This spelling (usually ye*) was kept as a convenient abbreviation in handwriting down to the 19th century, and in printers' types during the 15th and 16th centuries. It was never pronounced as ‘yee’ in the past, but this is the pronunciation used today.

* I interpret the phrase "usually ye" to mean that the word was customarily not capitalized because the character "y" is not being used to represent the letter "y" in the modern English alphabet but rather as a graphic variant of thorn. Thus, in bygone days, the name of the drinking establishment above would presumably have been written ye Olde Cock Tavern (and pronounced "the old cock tavern").

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Oman[5,7], officially the Sultanate of Oman, is an Arab country at the southeastern corner of the Arabian peninsula.



Historically, a yeoman[5] was a man holding and cultivating a small landed estate; in other words, a freeholder[5] — a British term for a person with permanent and absolute tenure of land or property with freedom to dispose of it at will.

28a   Dries out, drinking tea, // more sober (8)

29a   Service charges /for/ castle in the air? (6)

30a   Male, no dove, carrying a // weapon (8)

What did he say?
In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, gnomethang describes a hawk as the opposite of a dove in US politics.
However, the entries for hawk[1,2,5,10] and dove[1,2,5,10] in British dictionaries give no indication that these are US terms.

Down

1d   Not fine -- // initially grey then wet (6)

2d   Improve /in/ hour after noon in Clapton? (6)

"noon " = N

I found four dictionaries listing n as an abbreviation for noon, two British[1,2] and two American[11,12].

hide

Eric Clapton[5] is an English blues and rock guitarist, singer, and composer, known particularly for the song ‘Layla’ (1972) and for his group Cream (1966-8).

Scratching the Surface
Clapton[7] is the name of an area of East London as well as the name of villages in Berkshire, Gloucestershire and Somerset.

3d   Assassin // from town in Japan (5)

A ninja[3] was a member of a class of medieval Japanese mercenary agents who were trained in the martial arts and hired for covert operations such as assassination and sabotage.

4d   Schoolboy // son Baltic citizen expels (7)

"son " = S [genealogy]

In genealogies, s[5] is the abbreviation for son(s) m 1991; one s one d*.

* married in 1991; one son and one daughter.

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An Estonian is a native or inhabitant of Estonia[5], a Baltic country on the south coast of the Gulf of Finland(show more )

Previously ruled by the Teutonic Knights and then by Sweden, Estonia was ceded to Russia in 1721. It was proclaimed an independent republic in 1918 but was annexed by the USSR in 1940 as a constituent republic, the Estonian SSR. With the break-up of the Soviet Union Estonia regained its independence in 1991.

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An Etonian[5] is a past or present member of Eton College*.

* Eton College[7], often informally referred to simply as Eton, is an English boarding school for boys located in Eton, Berkshire, near Windsor.

6d   Host // on a march moving north (9)

7d   Route // zero comes up through American state (4,4)

8d   Fool // takes plunge short time later (8)

Tick[5] is an informal British term for a moment ⇒ (i) I shan’t be a tick; (ii) I’ll be with you in a tick.

11d   Star // not totally conscientious foodie? (4)

Vega[10] is the brightest star in the constellation Lyra and one of the most conspicuous in the northern hemisphere. It is part of an optical double star having a faint companion.

15d   Wobble // being unwell during leave (9)

17d   Sabotaged hunt okay /to provide/ gift (5,3)

18d   Turn, then punch, /producing/ shower of blows? (8)

Some superb misdirection here with "shower of blows" being used to clue a device that shows wind direction.

20d   Sentimental // sports supporter keeping wicket (4)

On cricket scorecards, wicket (in the sense of the dismissal of a batsman) is abbreviated as W[5].

Delving Deeper
In cricket, the term wicket[5] is used in several ways:
  • each of the sets of three stumps with two bails across the top at either end of the pitch*, defended by a batsman
  • (also known as the pitch[5]) the prepared strip of ground between the two sets of stumps ⇒ when they inspected the wicket, they found it being rolled by some prisoners
  • the dismissal of a batsman; each of ten dismissals regarded as marking a division of a side’s innings ⇒ Darlington won by four wickets

    * Since wicket (in the second sense) and pitch are synonymous, wicket (in the first sense) could have been confusingly defined as:
    • each of the sets of three stumps with two bails across the top at either end of the wicket, defended by a batsman



Twee[5] is a British term meaning excessively or affectedly quaint, pretty, or sentimental ⇒ although the film’s a bit twee, it’s watchable.

21d   Genius? // Most are nuts (7)

Maestro[10] is used in the sense of any man regarded as the master of an art; often used as a term of address.

22d   Artist captures alien in // part one needs to see (6)

"artist " = RA

A Royal Academician (abbreviation RA[10]) is a member of the Royal Academy of Arts[5] (also Royal Academy; abbreviation also RA[10]), an institution established in London in 1768, whose purpose is to cultivate painting, sculpture, and architecture in Britain.

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"alien " = ET

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial[7] (often referred to simply as E.T.) is a 1982 American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg. It tells the story of a lonely boy who befriends an extraterrestrial, dubbed "E.T.", who is stranded on Earth. He and his siblings help the extraterrestrial return home while attempting to keep it hidden from their mother and the government.

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23d   Habit /of/ socially inept person (6)

In Britain, anorak[5] is an informal, derogatory term for a studious or obsessive person with unfashionable and largely solitary interests ⇒ with his thick specs, shabby shoes, and grey suit, he looks a bit of an anorak. The term derives from the anoraks* worn by trainspotters (see below), regarded as typifying this kind of person.

* An anorak[5] is a waterproof jacket, typically with a hood, of a kind originally used in polar regions. Although the terms anorak and parka[7] are sometimes used interchangeably, they are actually quite different garments. Strictly speaking, an anorak is a waterproof, hooded, pull-over jacket without a front opening, and sometimes drawstrings at the waist and cuffs, and a parka is a hip-length cold-weather coat, typically stuffed with down or very warm synthetic fiber, and with a fur-lined hood.

Trainspotter*[5] is a British term for a person who collects train or locomotive numbers as a hobby.

* The name is also often used in a derogatory sense to refer to a person who obsessively studies the minutiae of any minority interest or specialized hobby ⇒ the idea is to make the music really really collectable so the trainspotters will buy it in their pathetic thousands.

26d   Chinese people coming into Georgia/'s/ country (5)

The Han[12] are an ethnic group in China constituting the majority of the Chinese people and distinguished from the Manchus, Mongols, etc.



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]   - Lexico (formerly Oxford Dictionaries Online) (Oxford Dictionary of English)
  [6]   - Lexico (formerly Oxford Dictionaries Online) (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