Friday, April 30, 2021

Friday, April 30, 2021 — DT 29445


Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29445
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Tuesday, August 18, 2020
Setter
Unknown
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29445]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
Mr K
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

A bit of British content pushed the difficulty level above the two star level awarded by Mr K.

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
  • "wavy underline" - whimsical and inferred definitions
Click here for further explanation and usage examples of markup conventions used on this blog.

Across

1a Falling // over very softly at home after doctor initially goes (8)

"over " = O [cricket term]

On cricket scorecards, the abbreviation O[5] denotes over(s), an over[5] being a division of play consisting of a sequence of six balls bowled by a bowler from one end of the pitch, after which another bowler takes over from the other end.

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"very softly " = PP [music notation]

Pianissimo[5,10] (abbreviation pp[5,10]) is a direction used in music to mean either (as an adjective) very soft or very quiet or (as an adverb) very softly or very quietly.

hide

5a Tudors rebuilt // English town (6)

Stroud[7] is a market town* and civil parish** in the centre of Gloucestershire, England.

* market town[7] is a legal term, originating in the Middle Ages, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city
**  in England and formerly Wales, a parish[2,5,10] [also called civil parish to differentiate it from an ecclesiastical parish] is the smallest unit of local government, constituted only in rural areas

Scratching the Surface
The Tudors[5] were an English royal dynasty which held the throne from the accession of Henry VII in 1485 until the death of Elizabeth I in 1603.

9a Great // fizzy drink -- it's flipping cold (9)

Fanta[7] is a brand of fruit-flavored carbonated soft drinks produced by Coca-Cola.

Delving Deeper
Fanta[7] was created by Coca-Cola Deutschland as a Coca-Cola substitute in 1940 due to the American trade embargo of Nazi Germany which affected the availability of Coca-Cola ingredients. Throughout the remainder of the war, the drink was produced at plants in Germany and Holland but was discontinued when the German and Dutch Coca-Cola branches were reunited with their parent company. Following the launch of several drinks by the Pepsi corporation in the 1950s, Coca-Cola relaunched Fanta in 1955.

There are more than 150 flavors worldwide, although not all flavours are available in all markets. The orange Fanta of today was produced for the first time in Italy, in Naples, in 1955, when a local bottling plant started producing it using locally sourced oranges. Orange Fanta in Canada differs from its American counterpart in that it contains orange juice and the American version contains none.

Scratching the Surface
Flipping[5] is an informal British term used for emphasis or to express mild annoyance ⇒ (i) are you out of your flipping mind?; (ii) it’s flipping cold today.

11a A small, young horse left shed /for/ racecourse (5)

"small " = S [clothing size]

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

hide



Ascot Racecourse[7] is a British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, which is used for thoroughbred horse racing.

12a Permitted // a sin (6)

In Christian tradition, the sins of pride, covetousness, lust, anger, gluttony, envy, and sloth are known as the seven deadly sins[5]. Given that greed[2t] could be considered to be synonymous with both gluttony and covetousness, does that make it doubly sinful?

13a Clubs linked to golfer's // mistakes (8)

"clubs " = C [card suit]

Clubs[2]) (abbreviation C[1]) is one of the four suits of playing-cards.

hide

Bernhard Langer[7] is a German professional golfer. He is a two-time Masters champion and was one of the world's leading golfers throughout the 1980s and 1990s.



Clanger[5] is an informal British term for an absurd or embarrassing blunder ⇒ the minister had dropped a massive political clanger*.

* To drop a clanger[10] means to make a very embarrassing mistake.

The Story Behind the Picture
The illustration in Mr K's review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog depicts characters from Clangers[7] (usually referred to as The Clangers), a British children's television series about a family of mouse-like creatures who live on a small moon-like planet. The programmes were originally broadcast between 1969 and 1972.

15a Cheering up // European once argument's resolved (13)

"European " = E [as in E number]

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

* 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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18a Rebellious // sweetheart returning by train, you suspect (13)

22a Ladies // perhaps clean area (8)

The ladies[5,10] is a British term for a ladies' room or women’s public toilet.

Where do you go?
It can be difficult to interpret definitions related to toilet facilities. In both Britain and North America, toilet[3,4,11] and lavatory[3,4,11] can each mean either a plumbing fixture for collecting and disposing of bodily wastes or the room in which such a fixture is located. To compound the confusion, in North America, lavatory[3,11] can also mean washbasin.

Judging by entries in several British dictionaries, Brits use the term washroom*[1,4,10,14] to refer to a room with toilets and washing facilities, situated in a large building such as a factory or an office block. They apparently do not use the term as a euphemism for lavatory [toilet] as we do in the US and Canada.

* Alone among my usual British dictionaries, Lexico (Oxford Dictionaries) considers washroom[5] to be a Canadian term.

There are a number of comments on Big Dave's Crossword Blog alluding to washroom being a North American term. One of the most enlightening, perhaps, is the exchange kicked off at Comment #32 where portcoquitambc (whom I believe to be a long-time British ex-pat) refers to "the North American answer for 22a", to which John Bee (a Brit) responds "22a is just about acceptable here". I wonder if this is evidence of a North American term starting to be adopted by the British after the author of the former comment had emigrated to Canada.

John Bee goes on to state "I usually respond to anyone offering a bathroom with I don’t want a bath just a **** !". The thinking behind this remark should be easily deduced from the definition for bathroom[5] given by Lexico (Oxford Dictionaries):
  • (British) a room containing a bath or shower and typically [but not necessarily] also a washbasin and a toilet.
  • (North American) a room containing a toilet and washbasin and typically [but not necessarily] also a bath or shower.

23a The man caught twitching, // agitated (6)

"caught " = C [cricket notation]

In cricket, one way for a batsman to be dismissed is to be caught out[5], that is for a player on the opposing team to catch a ball that has been hit by the batsman before it touches the ground.

On cricket scorecards, the abbreviation c[5] or c.[2,10] denotes caught (by).

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26a Visitor somehow carrying // trunk (5)

27a Lower // compact musical instrument (9)

Lower is used in the whimsical cryptic crossword sense of an animal that lows (moos) — in other words, a bovine animal.

A shorthorn[5] is an animal of a breed of cattle with short horns.

28a Obvious mistake -- // a baby could be one (6)

29a Idlers regularly mend // ship (8)

Despatch[3,4] is a variant (and less common) spelling of dispatch.

Down

1d Fed up with editor after snack/'s/ licked (8)

2d Keeper -- // one guarding wicket and runs (5)

On cricket scorecards, wicket is abbreviated as W[5].

Delving Deeper
In cricket, the term wicket[5] can have a variety of meanings (not unlike hockey, where goal can mean either the net or an instance of putting the puck in the net).

First, wicket is the name given to each of the sets of three stumps with two bails across the top at either end of the pitch [or, confusingly, wicket (see second meaning below)], defended by a batsman.

Second, wicket is also another name for the pitch[5], the prepared strip of ground between the two sets of stumps [or, confusingly, wickets (see first meaning above)] ⇒ when they inspected the wicket, they found it being rolled by some prisoners.

Third, and the sense in which it is being used in this clue, wicket is the term for the dismissal of a batsman; each of ten* dismissals regarded as marking a division of a side’s innings ⇒ Darlington won by four wickets.

* Because batsmen always bat in pairs, once ten of the eleven players on a team have been dismissed, the team can no longer form a pair and consequently is dismissed.

"runs " = 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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3d Dish on a university // table (7)

Table[10] is used in the sense of any flat or level area, such as the solution to the clue.

4d Touched // heads (4)

Touched[5] is used in the informal sense of slightly mad or crazy.



Nut[3,4] is slang for the human head.

6d Student // wasted an entire November getting expelled (7)

"November " = N [NATO Phonetic Alphabet]

In what is commonly known as the NATO Phonetic Alphabet[7]*November[5] is a code word representing the letter N.

* officially the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet

hide

7d Group of musicians -- // a chorister's lost without one (9)

8d Hate // upsetting Edward before exam (6)

10d Gathers // best cello concerto, to an extent, is uplifting (8)

14d Quickly gets higher // bonuses, impressing everyone (8)

16dOne opens sack? (9)

Sack[3,4] is an archaic term for any of various light, dry, strong wines from Spain and the Canary Islands, imported to England in the 1500s and 1600s.

Removing the cork
There is a bit of discussion on Big Dave's Crossword Blog regarding whether a corkscrew would be needed to open a bottle of sack. These comments led me to the discovery that sack is a form of sherry and not quite as outdated as the dictionary definition would lead us to believe. I suspect the comments allude to the fact that many — but not all — sherries use T-top corks that can be removed by hand without the aid of a corkscrew (see Closures for Sherry Bottles).

17d It could be blooming // hard in yacht at sea (8)

"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.

hide

Scratching the Surface
Blooming[5] is an informal British term used to express annoyance or for emphasis ⇒ (i) of all the blooming cheek!; (ii) a blooming good read.

19d Victor brewed beer so // gassy (7)

"Victor " = V [NATO Phonetic Alphabet]

In what is commonly known as the NATO Phonetic Alphabet[7]*Victor[5] is a code word representing the letter V.

* officially the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet

hide

20d Frank with best // type of car? (4-3)

Open-top[5,10] (also open-topped) means (of a vehicle) not having a roof or having a folding or detachable roof ⇒ (i) an open-top MG; (ii) a tour on the open-top bus.

21d Son with pine // twig (6)

"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

"with " = W

The abbreviation for 'with' is w[5].

hide

24d Strongly recommend catching river // fish (5)

25d Deer eating small // flower (4)

The roe[5] (also called roe deer) is a small Eurasian deer which lacks a visible tail and has a reddish summer coat that turns greyish in winter.

And to bring the curtain down, the clothing size from 11a performs an encore.



Key to Reference Sources: 

  [1]   - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition
  [2]   - Search Chambers - (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)
  [2t]   - Search Chambers - (Chambers Thesaurus)
  [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)
[15]   - CollinsDictionary.com (Penguin Random House LLC/HarperCollins Publishers Ltd )



Signing off for today — Falcon

Thursday, April 29, 2021

Thursday, April 29, 2021 — DT 29444


Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29444
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Monday, August 17, 2020
Setter
Campbell (Allan Scott)
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29444]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
Falcon
BD rating
Difficulty - ★★Enjoyment - ★★★
Falcon's experience
┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐
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└────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘
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

Solving the puzzle this time around was a strange experience — I completed the solve without recognizing it as a puzzle that I had reviewed on Big Dave's Crossword Blog! One might have thought that I would at least catch on when I came to the missing definition at 3d. But no, I duly noted the lack of a definition but did not remember the discussion that took place when the puzzle appeared in The Daily Telegraph in August.

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
  • "wavy underline" - whimsical and inferred definitions
Click here for further explanation and usage examples of markup conventions used on this blog.

Across

1a Bloomer // concealed by old Roman Catholic (6)

"old " = O [linguistics]

In linguistics, O[12] is the abbreviation for Old ⇒ (i) OFr [Old French]; (ii) OE [Old English].

However, a second entry from this same source shows o (lower case) meaning old (not capitalized) suggesting that the use of this abbreviation may not necessarily be confined to the field of linguistics.

Another possibility arises from the British abbreviation OAP[5] standing for old-age pensioner.

hide

RC[5] is the abbreviation for Roman Catholic.



The definition is not — as I had once supposed — a whimsical Crosswordland definition* but, rather, a legitimate dictionary definition, a bloomer[10] being a plant that flowers, especially in a specified way ⇒ a night bloomer.

* like a river being defined as a flower (something that flows) or banker (something with banks)

4a Sly character /in/ western given help by lawman, at first (6)

Ease[5] is used in the sense of facilitate; in other words, to make (something) happen more easily.

8a Keep cards /in/ rack each year close to Lent (5,3)

P.a.[5] is the abbreviation for per annum (Latin for 'each year').



As evidenced by numerous comments on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, the solution is a North American term.

10a Set fire to // fuel left out (6)

Lignite[5] is a soft brownish coal showing traces of plant structure, intermediate between bituminous coal and peat.

11a Minute // part of it in yolk (4)

12a Dutch after cup, // status symbol (6,4)

Dutch[5] (usually one's old dutch) is an informal British term (especially among cockneys) meaning one's wife.

Origin: This is an example of Cockney rhyming slang (show explanation ). Dutch, an abbreviation for duchess, is believed to come from the phrase "Duchess of Fife". Thus "wife" rhymes with "Duchess of Fife", drop "Fife" leaving "duchess" which is abbreviated to "dutch".

A cockney[5,10] is a native of East London [specifically that part of East London known as the East End[5]], traditionally one born within hearing of Bow Bells (the bells of St Mary-le-Bow[7] church).

Cockney is also the name of the dialect or accent typical of cockneys, which is characterised by dropping the aitch (H) from the beginning of words as well as the use of rhyming slang.

Rhyming slang[5] is a type of slang that replaces words with rhyming words or phrases, typically with the rhyming element omitted. For example, butcher’s, short for butcher’s hook, means ‘look’ in cockney rhyming slang.

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13a Got shirt messy in outhouse, // like Billy Bunter? (5-7)

In Britain, an outhouse[5] is not an outside toilet but rather is a building such as a shed or barn that is built on to or in* the grounds of a house.

* note that Brits say "in the grounds" rather than "on the grounds"; they also say that a player is "in a team" rather than "on a team"

Billy Bunter[7] is a fictional schoolboy created by English writer Charles Hamilton (1876–1961) using the pen name Frank Richards. He features in stories set at Greyfriars School, originally published in the boys' weekly story paper The Magnet from 1908 to 1940. Bunter is in the Lower Fourth form of Greyfriars School whose members are 14–15 years of age [roughly 9th grade in North America]. His defining characteristic is his greediness and dramatically overweight appearance. He is also afflicted with poor eyesight, being short-sighted [British term for nearsighted].

* In Britain, a form[5] is [or, perhaps more correctly,was] a class or year in a school, usually given a specifying number. This is similar to the North America concept of a grade although the numbering system for forms and grades are vastly different. (show more )

The term "form" seems to have become passé as Miffypops in his review of DT 28163 on Big Dave's Crossword Blog refers to "sixth-former" as "What a schoolchild would be during the year before university back in the old days. This would now be known as year 13 or 14." Furthermore, Wikipedia (see table below) characterizes the term "form" as an "alternative/old name".

A form[7] is a class or grouping of students in a school. The term is used predominantly in the United Kingdom, although some schools, mostly private, in other countries also use the title. Pupils are usually grouped in forms according to age and will remain with the same group for a number of years, or sometimes their entire school career.

Forms are normally identified by a number such as "first form" or "sixth form". A form number may be used for two year groups and differentiated by the terms upper and lower [in general, this would seem to apply primarily for the sixth form]. Usually the sixth form is the senior form of a school [although this apparently does not hold true for New Zealand where they would appear to have a seventh form]. In England, the sixth form is usually divided into two year groups, the lower sixth and upper sixth, owing to the 3-year English college/university system. In Scotland or North America, the 6th form is usually a single year, owing to the 4-year college/university system. If there is more than one form for each year group they will normally be differentiated by letters, e.g., "upper four B", "lower two Y". Schools do not follow a consistent pattern in naming forms [in the foregoing quotation witness Miffypops' reference to "year 14",  a term which does not appear in the table below].

Wikipedia would appear to be at best ambiguous and at worst inconsistent on the relationship between the British and American systems of naming school years. The article from which the table below is excerpted shows that the British first form is equivalent to the American 6th grade. On the other hand, the article cited above states "In North America, the 1st Form (or sometimes 'Form I') is equivalent to 7th Grade." However, this latter statement may in fact be a comparison between the few North American schools to use the form system and the vast majority of North American schools that don't rather than a comparison between British and American schools.

Naming of School Years (British System vs American System)[7]
 Age RangeBritish SystemAmerican System
NameAlternative/Old NameName
11-12Year 7First form6th grade
12-13Year 8Second form7th grade
13-14Year 9Third form8th grade
14-15Year 10Fourth form9th grade
15-16Year 11Fifth form10th grade
16-17Year 12Lower sixth form11th grade
17-18Year 13Upper sixth form12th grade

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16a Singer/'s/ bar number, by Otis Redding initially (7-5)

A countertenor[5] (or counter-tenor[2]) is the highest male adult singing voice (sometimes distinguished from the male alto voice by its strong, pure tone).

Scratching the Surface
Otis Redding[7] (1941–1967*) was an American singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues.

* Redding, along with four members of his backing band, The Bar-Kays, died in the crash of his private plane en route to a concert.

20a Offend // stranger playing with small son (10)

"small " = S [clothing size]

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

hide

"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

21a Report /made by/ knight during case (4)

"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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22a Pictures /of/ guys returning, arrested by US agents (6)

"US agents " = CIA

The Central Intelligence Agency[5] (abbreviation CIA) is a federal agency in the US responsible for coordinating government intelligence activities. Established in 1947 and originally intended to operate only overseas, it has since also operated in the US.

hide

23a Want // Mark to face Manchester, say (8)

Manchester could be a reference to either the urban community or to one of its football clubs.
  • Manchester[5] is an industrial city in north-western England.
  • Manchester City Football Club[7] (often referred to simply as City) is an English professional football [soccer] club, based in Manchester, that plays in the Premier League (the top level in the English football league system).
24a Large insect // runs inside on the ground (6)

"runs " = 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.

hide

As an anagram indicator, ground is used as the past tense or past participle of the verb grind[5]. An anagram indicator is typically a word that denotes movement or transformation. Grind denotes transformation, for example, in the sense of grain being ground into flour.

25a Awful smell /coming from/ traps over by church (6)

Down

1d Totally // dismissed just claim (8)

2d Charlie with last of sticky // sweets (5)

"Charlie* " = C [NATO Phonetic Alphabet]

In what is commonly known as the NATO Phonetic Alphabet[7]*Charlie[5] is a code word representing the letter C.

* officially the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet

hide



The solution seems to be almost a North Americanism. Sweets[5] is the British term for what is known in North America as candy[5] with a sweet being a piece of candy*.

* In Britain, candy[5] denotes sugar crystallized by repeated boiling and slow evaporation ⇒ making candy at home is not difficult—the key is cooking the syrup to the right temperature. I think this is likely what we call hard candy[5].

Thus, if I understand correctly, according to British usage, the word 'candy' denotes a particular type of sweet whereas the North American usage of the word is synonymous with the British term 'sweets'.

3dI was introduced to American after seizing power (7)

By broad consensus on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, this clue is lacking a proper definition. The entire clue serves as the wordplay in which is embedded what appears to have been intended as the definition ("power"). However, this is a clear violation of cryptic crossword convention.

5d Tag // one article in English gym (7)

Gym is used in the sense of a class at school.

PT[10] is the abbreviation for physical training[10], an old-fashioned term for training and practice in sports, gymnastics, etc, as in schools and colleges.



A tag[5] is a nickname or description popularly given to someone or something  ⇒ Wild Child was a phrase created to describe her beloved twin, but Callie's lips curved slightly as she realised that Stacie was right, bookworm would be a better tag.

6dOne may help one escape from a trap (4,5)

A sand wedge[5] is a heavy, lofted iron with a flange on the bottom, used for hitting the ball out of sand.

7d Fire // escape (3,3)

When I reviewed this puzzle in August, I was questioned about not marking this clue as a double definition. The reason is that the numeration for the second part is (3-3) which does not match that given in the clue.

As a noun, let-off[2,5] is an informal [seemingly British*] term for an escape or a lucky break ⇒ the team had two let-offs as shots rebounded to strike the defenders' legs.

* judging by the absence of the term from US dictionaries (based on the usage examples given by Lexico, I would say the term is well-used by British sportscasters)

9d Insensitive, // albeit not as much following start of talks (11)

14d Storyteller /in/ court, near to collapse (9)

15d Highest score /is/ excellent (3-5)

17d Better // ahead overlooking station (7)

18d Resume // painting to support others (7)

19d Spectre /of/ international consumed by anger (6)

"international " = I

I.[10] is the abbreviation for International.

hide

21d Meat // company breaking embargo (5)



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)
[15]   - CollinsDictionary.com (Penguin Random House LLC/HarperCollins Publishers Ltd )



Signing off for today — Falcon

Wednesday, April 28, 2021

Wednesday, April 28, 2021 — DT 29443


Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29443
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Saturday, August 15, 2020
Setter
Unknown
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29443 – Hints]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29443 – Review]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
Tilsit (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

Although gnomethang awards this puzzle only two stars for difficulty in his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Tilsit in his hints apologizes for posting late because he "had to check with a couple of colleagues about answers" as "[s]ome of the clues in this puzzle are not obvious". He also mentions that he's "given you a couple of extra explanations as it’s a bit trickier".

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
  • "wavy underline" - whimsical and inferred definitions
Click here for further explanation and usage examples of markup conventions used on this blog.

Across

1a Bats // desire birds to leave lake (7)

 Willow[10] (noun) denotes something made of willow wood, such as a cricket or baseball* bat.

* Is this a figment of a British dictionary editor's imagination? I can find no evidence of willow being a common material for making baseball bats[7]. Although most wooden bats are still made from ash, maple appears to be displacing ash as the most popular new baseball bat material. Next and rising in popularity is bamboo. Hickory has fallen into disfavour.

Delving Deeper
The white willow[7] (salix alba) is a species of willow native to Europe and western and central Asia. One particular cultivar, Caerulea or cricket-bat willow, is grown as a specialist timber crop in Britain, mainly for the production of cricket bats, and for other uses where a tough, lightweight wood that does not splinter easily is required.

5a Leader, // one from France entering race (7)

"one from France " = UN

The French word un[8] can be used as the cardinal number one, a pronoun meaning one, or a masculine singular indefinite article.

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A tribune[5] is a popular leader; a champion of people's rights.

* In ancient Rome, a tribune[5] (also tribune of the people) was an official chosen by the plebeians to protect their interests.

9a Pint-sized worker /creates/ writing system (9)

10a Arrangement /to have/ TV in higher place (3-2)

11a Certain // result to invest Republican -- and Democrat! (7)

"Republican " = R [member or supporter of US political party]

A Republican[5] (abbreviation R[5] or Rep.[5])  is a member or supporter of the Republican Party[5], one of the two main US political parties*, favouring a right-wing stance, limited central government, and tough, interventionist foreign policy. It was formed in 1854 in support of the anti-slavery movement preceding the Civil War.

* the other being the Democratic Party

Although, in the UK, republican[5] can refer to an advocate of a united Ireland, the abbreviation does not appear to apply to that usage.

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"Democrat " = D [member or supporter of US political party]

A Democrat[5] (abbreviation D[5] or Dem[5] or Dem.[5]) is a member or supporter of the Democratic Party[5], one of the two main US political parties (the other being the Republican Party), which follows a broadly liberal programme, tending to support social reform and minority rights.

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Result is not used as a noun (as indicated by Tilsit in his hint) but rather as a verb.

12a Soldiers disembark round // Floridian city (7)

"soldiers " = OR [other ranks]

In the British armed forces, the term other ranks[5] (abbreviation OR[5]) refers to all those who are not commissioned officers.

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13a Doctor coped with some // rot (9)

16a Call taken by English // beauty (5)

Bell[5] is an informal British term meaning to telephone (someone) ⇒ no problem, I’ll bell her tomorrow.

17a Enthusiast returning lives /in/ capital (5)

Tunis[5], a port on the Mediterranean coast of North Africa, is the capital of Tunisia.

18aRevolting animals were so // stubborn? (9)

The clue is a double definition with the first an allusion to Animal Farm[7], an allegorical novella by English writer George Orwell*, first published in 1945. The book tells the story of a group of farm animals who rebel against their human farmer, hoping to create a society where the animals can be equal, free, and happy. Ultimately, however, the rebellion is betrayed, and the farm ends up in a state as bad as it was before, under the dictatorship of a pig named Napoleon.

* pen name of English writer Eric Arthur Blair (1903–1950)

21a One to smoke /in/ bed -- it takes brave person to intervene! (7)

A cheroot[5] is a cigar with both ends open.

22a Child tucking into pork pies // not the smallest, for example (7)

Pork pie[10] (often shortened to porky) is mainly British and Australian rhyming slang (show explanation ) for a lie [in the sense of an untruth].

Rhyming slang[5] is a type of slang that replaces words with rhyming words or phrases, typically with the rhyming element omitted. For example, butcher’s, short for butcher’s hook, means ‘look’ in cockney* rhyming slang.

* A cockney[5,10] is a native of East London [specifically that part of East London known as the East End[5]], traditionally one born within hearing of Bow Bells (the bells of St Mary-le-Bow[7] church). Cockney is also the name of the dialect or accent typical of cockneys, which is characterised by dropping the aitch (H) from the beginning of words as well as the use of rhyming slang.

While one commonly sees only the shortened form of rhyming slang, pork pie is one of those cases where both the full expression and the shortened version seem to be in general use.

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Litotes[5] is ironic understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of its contrary (e.g. "I shan't be sorry" as an expression meaning "I shall be glad").

25a Path // is covered in beer (5)

26a Warplane circling about // cargo ship (9)

27a Stadium accommodating second large // team (7)

"large " = L [clothing size]

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

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Arsenal Football Club[7] is an English professional association football [soccer] club based in Islington, London that plays in the Premier League (the top level in the English football league system).

28a Creche /in/ North Surrey moved (7)

In Britain, a crèche[5] is not a representation of the nativity scene but a nursery where babies and young children are cared for during the working day.

Scratching the Surface
Surrey[5] is a county of southeastern England.

Down

1d Stitch up with nurse /in/ classy area (4,3)

The West End of London[7] (more commonly referred to as simply the West End) is an area of Central London containing many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buildings and entertainment venues (including the commercial West End theatres).

2d Only redeveloped southern // city (5)

Lyons is the anglicized name for Lyon[10], a city in southeastern central France, capital of Rhône department, at the confluence of the Rivers Rhône and Saône. The third largest city in France, it is a major industrial centre and river port.

3d Playful animal // despicable sort beheaded (5)

Rotter[5] is a dated informal British term for a cruel, mean, or unkind person ⇒ Rosemary had decided that all men were rotters.

4d Pain // accordingly doubled? (2-3-2)

Pain[5] is used in the informal sense of an annoying or tedious person or thing.

5d Immature creature // bit person from Krakow? (7)

Kraków[7], written in English as Krakow and traditionally known as Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in southern Poland, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 and has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, economic, cultural and artistic life. Cited as one of Europe's most beautiful cities, its Old Town was declared the first UNESCO World Heritage Site in the world.

6dAble to resist crackers? (9)

What is he talking about?
In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, gnomethang remarks Jacob’s are largely soluble in water given enough time, hence the Question Mark?.
As gnomethang explains in the Comments section of his review, this remark has little — if anything — to do with the clue. He is referring to a brand of water cracker sold in the UK. A water biscuit[7] or water cracker is a type of biscuit or cracker. They are thin, hard and brittle, and usually served with cheese or wine. Originally produced in the 19th century as a version of the ship's biscuit, water biscuits continue to be popular in Ireland and the United Kingdom, with the leading brands (Carr's and Jacob's) selling over seventy million packets a year.

* The British use the term biscuit[3,4,11] for a range of foods that include those that would be called either cookies or crackers in North America. A North American biscuit[5] is similar to what is known in Britain as a scone.

Made from a mixture of little more than flour and water, they are very hard and apparently dissolve extremely slowly in water — thus "insoluble" to an extent.

7dGoing straight again -- // and let out with gun! (9)

8d Discharge // policeman found in south-western river (7)

Plod[5] (also PC* Plod) is an informal British term for a police officer ⇒ a bunch of plods arrived, offering me a lift to the cop shop.

Origin: The term is an allusion to Mr Plod the Policeman in the Noddy stories for children by English children's writer Enid Blyton[7] (1897–1968).
* PC[5] is a British designator for a police constable PC Bartholomew made his report.

The River Exe[7] rises on Exmoor in Somerset, 8.4 kilometres (5 mi) from the Bristol Channel coast, but flows more or less directly due south*, so that most of its length lies in Devon. It reaches the sea at a substantial ria, the Exe Estuary, on the south (English Channel) coast of Devon.

* and, thus, away from the Bristol Channel

What is he talking about?
In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, gnomethang (after explaining where the Exe is located) comments you won’t catch me out on where this one is!.
On December 31, 2010 in a review of DT 26437, he described the Po as a Chinese river—a faux pas his fellow bloggers have never let him forget.

14d Agreement // to involve government statisticians in count (9)

The Office for National Statistics (ONS)[7] is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department which reports directly to the UK Parliament.

15dLead astray? (9)

17d Feline in tattered coat gives // touching display (7)

A toccata[5] is a musical composition for a keyboard instrument designed to exhibit the performer's touch and technique.

18d Mine -- one almost complete -- /becomes/ inadequate (7)

19d Left in strong wind aboard // ship (7)

A galleon[5] was a sailing ship in use (especially by Spain) from the 15th to the 18th centuries, originally as a warship, later for trade. Galleons were typically square-rigged and had three or more decks and masts a Spanish treasure galleon wrecked off the Florida Keys.

20d Annihilate // French from the besieged city (7)

"French from the " = DES

The French preposition des[8] means 'of the'' or 'from the' [a contraction of de ('of' or 'from') and les ('the')].

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In Homeric legend, Troy[5] (also called Ilium) is the city of King Priam, besieged for ten years by the Greeks during the Trojan War. (show more )

Troy was regarded as having been a purely legendary city until Heinrich Schliemann identified the mound of Hissarlik on the northeastern Aegean coast of Turkey as the site of Troy. The city was apparently sacked and destroyed by fire in the mid 13th century BC, a period coinciding with the Mycenaean civilization of Greece.

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23d Grand invested in bank /for/ dynamic sort (5)

G as an abbreviation for grand is one North American usage that the Brits would appear to have embraced (show more ).

While the abbreviation G for "grand" is deemed by British dictionaries to be an Americanism, it seems to be one that is well known to Brits — undoubtedly from American gangster films. It is frequently seen in British crossword puzzles and never seems to garner the abuse that usually greets the appearance of American terms.

Grand[5] is an informal term for a thousand dollars or pounds he gets thirty-five grand a year. While the term "grand" itself would seem to be commonly used in the UK, the informal abbreviation G[5] meaning grand appears to be regarded as a North American usage I was up nine Gs on the blackjack tables.

G is defined in various British dictionaries as follows:
  • Oxford Dictionaries: (North American informal) abbreviation for grand, a thousand dollars)[5].
  • Chambers 21st Century Dictionary: (North American slang) abbreviation for a grand, 1000 dollars[2].
  • Collins English Dictionary: (mainly US slang) a symbol for grand (a thousand dollars or pounds)[4,10].
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24d Taken from Sanskrit it lends // book name (5)

Scratching the Surface
Sanskrit[5] is an ancient Indo-European language of India, in which the Hindu scriptures and classical Indian epic poems are written and from which many northern Indian (Indic) languages are derived. (show more )

Sanskrit was spoken in India roughly 1200–400 BC, and continues in use as a language of religion and scholarship. It is written from left to right in the Devanagari script. The suggestion by Sir William Jones (1746–1794) of its common origin with Latin and Greek was a major advance in the development of historical linguistics.

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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)
[15]   - CollinsDictionary.com (Penguin Random House LLC/HarperCollins Publishers Ltd )



Signing off for today — Falcon