Saturday, November 14, 2020 — Comic Quartet

Introduction

Today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon presents a quartet of Canadian comics. The solve got easier once I twigged to the type of comics I should be looking for.

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

1a	Comic // error by uncle, with factor in inheritance tax (6,4)

E|U|GENE| LEVY — E (error; abbrev. from baseball) + U(ncle)^* + (with) GENE (factor in inheritance) + LEVY (tax)

^* Two of my US dictionaries (but none of my British dictionaries) list U^[12] or U.^[11] as an abbreviation for uncle.

Eugene Levy^[7] is a Canadian actor, comedian, producer, director, and writer. An alumnus of the Canadian television sketch comedy series Second City Television (SCTV), he is well known for works such as the American Pie series of movies and the Canadian sitcom Schitt's Creek. For his role in the latter, he earlier this year won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. Levy has won multiple accolades throughout his career including four Primetime Emmy Awards and a Grammy Award.

6a	Repeat // hit penned by Italian author (4)

EC(H)O — H(hit; abbrev. from baseball) contained in (penned by) ECO (Italian author [Umberto Eco^[7]])

10a	Animal // developed a growth (7)

WARTHOG* — anagram of (developed) A GROWTH

The wordplay does seem appropriate to the beast!

11a	Five thrusting weapon around a // piece of drapery (7)

V(A)LANCE — {V ([Roman numeral] five) + LANCE (thrusting weapon)} containing (around) A (†)

12a	Neutral, when shifting // car (7)

RENAULT* — anagram of (when shifting) NEUTRAL

Renault^[7] is a French multinational automobile manufacturer.

13a	Garland guaranteed // time off (7)

LEI|SURE — LEI ([Polynesian] garland) + SURE (guaranteed)

14a	Comic // store, briefly (6,5)

MART|IN SHORT — MART (store) + IN SHORT (briefly)

Martin Short^[7] is a Canadian-American actor, comedian, singer, and writer known for his work on the television programs Second City Television (SCTV) and Saturday Night Live as well as starring roles in numerous comedy films and stage productions. He won a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance in the 1998-1999 Broadway revival of Neil Simon's Little Me. Among other accolades Short has won over the course of his career are two Primetime Emmy Awards.

17a	Mark’s ironic, absurd // comic (4,7)

{RICK MORANIS}* — anagram of (absurd) MARKS IRONIC

Rick Moranis^[7] is a Canadian actor, comedian, musician, songwriter, screenwriter and producer who appeared in Second City Television (SCTV) and several Hollywood films. He is most memorable in the role of Bob McKenzie in the Bob and Doug McKenzie sketches with Dave Thomas. His work on SCTV earned him a Primetime Emmy Award (shared with other writers) for Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program.

22a	Stretch // point about nothing left (7)

PR(OL)ONG — PRONG (point) containing (about) {O (nothing; letter that looks like a zero) + L(eft)}

23a	Weight // trouble getting into character (7)

TON(NAG)E — NAG (trouble) contained in (getting into) TONE (character)

25a	Tightening device, // chatter crazily (7)

RATCHET*  — anagram of (crazily) CHATTER

26a	Exclude one-time // noble (7)

BAR|ONE|T — BAR (exclude) + ONE (†) + T(ime)

Fact Check
A baronet[5] is not a noble. A baronet is a member of the lowest hereditary titled British order, with the status of a commoner but able to use the prefix ‘Sir’.

27a	Avoid // bird (4)

DUCK — double definition

28a	Comic // has a TV demo shot (4,6)

{DAVE THOMAS}* — anagram of (shot) HAS A TV DEMO

Dave Thomas^[7] is a Canadian comedian, actor and television writer. A Second City Television (SCTV) alumnus, he is best known for being one half of the duo Bob and Doug McKenzie with Rick Moranis. He appeared as Doug McKenzie on SCTV, for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award , and in the film Strange Brew (1983), which he also co-directed. As a duo, they made two albums, The Great White North and Strange Brew. Thomas also has a number of other film roles to his credit.

Down

1d	“The Black Prince” // seen in celebrated war drama (6)

_ED|WAR|D_ — hidden in (seen in) celebratED WAR Drama

Edward of Woodstock, known to history as the Black Prince^[7] (1330 – 1376 was the eldest son of King Edward III of England, and the heir to the English throne. He died before his father and so his son, Richard II, succeeded to the throne instead. Edward nevertheless earned distinction as one of the most successful English commanders during the Hundred Years' War, being regarded by his English contemporaries as a model of chivalry and one of the greatest knights of his age. He is on the other hand remembered in France for his well documented brutality and the massacres he ordered.

2d	Running through // green light at circle (6)

GO|RING — GO (green light) + (at) RING (circle)

3d	Indian statesman // returning the first of all chickens? (5)

{NEH|RU}< — reversal of (returning) {UR- (the first) + HEN (chicken)}

The prefix ur-^[5] is a combining form denoting primitive, original, or earliest. Thus the urhen would be "the first of all chickens".

Thank you MG for pointing me in the right direction on the wordplay.

Creativity Gone Mad

I must admit that the combining form ur- is new to me and I had originally concocted quite a different explanation. Having spent so much time and effort on it, I think it would be a shame not to share it with you. I expect you will get a good chuckle. I supposed that the wordplay was a whimsical and hypothetical allusion to Ur[5], an ancient Sumerian city formerly on the River Euphrates, in southern Iraq. It was one of the oldest cities of Mesopotamia, dating from the 4th millennium BC, and reached its zenith in the late 3rd millennium BC. Apparently the answer to the question "Ur hen: the first of all chickens?" would be "No". The chicken[7] is thought to have first been domesticated about 8000 years ago by the Harappan culture of the Indus Valley. This would be about 2600 km east of Ur and at least 4000 years prior in time to the existence of the city.

4d	Easier to carry // something to start a fire with (7)

LIGHTER — double definition

5d	Awfully vivid, describing a large // composer (7)

{VIV(A|L)DI}* — anagram of (awfully) VIVID containing {A (†) + L (large; clothing size}

Antonio Vivaldi^[5] (1678–1741) was an Italian composer and violinist, one of the most important baroque composers. His feeling for texture and melody is evident in his numerous compositions such as The Four Seasons (concerto, 1725).

7d	Figure in a court case pursuing criminal // magician (8)

CON|JUROR — JUROR (figure in a court case) following (pursuing) CON (criminal)

8d	Musical work // arranged to repeat (8)

OPERETTA* — anagram of (arranged) TO REPEAT

9d	Golfer Ernie is circling rim // … (8)

EL(LIP)S|IS — {ELS (golfer Ernie; South African golfer Ernie Els^[5]) + IS (†)} containing (circling) LIP (rim)

14d	Insects following one among 2,000 // giant beasts (8)

M(A)M|MOTHS — MOTHS (insects) following (†) {A (one) contained in (among) MM ([Roman numeral] two thousand)}

15d	Ready // agent included in cut (8)

P(REP)ARED — REP (agent) contained in (included in) PARED (cut)

16d	Puzzle // almost beyond idiosyncrasy (8)

ACROS_|TIC — ACROS[S] (beyond) with the final letter removed (almost) + TIC (idiosyncrasy)

18d	Great at swimming // event with boats (7)

REGATTA* — anagram of (swimming) GREAT AT

19d	Striking // reason for being wait-listed at a restaurant? (7)

NO|TABLE — NO TABLE (reason for being wait-listed at a restaurant)

20d	A nurse engaged by ne’er-do well // impresario (6)

B(A|RN)UM — {A (†) + RN (nurse; Registered Nurse)} contained in (engaged by) BUM (ne'er-do-well)

Phineas Taylor "P. T." Barnum^[7] (1810 – 1891) was an American showman, politician, and businessman, remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and for founding the Barnum & Bailey Circus (1871–2017). He was also an author, publisher, and philanthropist, though he said of himself: "I am a showman by profession ... and all the gilding shall make nothing else of me". According to his critics, his personal aim was "to put money in his own coffers." He is widely credited with coining the adage "There's a sucker born every minute", although no proof can be found of him saying this.

21d	Sleeping places/’/ origins articulated (6)

BERTHS~ — sounds like (articulated) BIRTHS (origins)

24d	Letters from Eastern Orthodox // bridge player (5)

_N|ORTH_ — hidden in (letters from) EasterN ORTHodox

Epilogue

It appears to be an SCTV reunion today.

---

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