Thursday, January 20, 2022

Thursday, January 20, 2022 — DT 29807


Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29807
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Friday, October 15, 2021
Setter
silvanus
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29807]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
Deep Threat
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

I came to grief in the northeast corner by prematurely accepting an answer about which I had serious doubts.

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 Loose cows on farm /creating/ potentially tricky problem (3,2,5)

6a Wild animal said /to be/ nuisance (4)

A bore[5] is a person whose talk or behaviour is dull and uninteresting. The British have an expression, pub bore[a], denoting a solitary drinker in a pub who importunes others with lengthy reminiscences or other tedious monologues.

[a] Brewer's Dictionary of Modern Phrase & Fable

Post Mortem
I thought the definition would be "wild animal" with the only ones fitting the checking letters that I could think of being MOLE and VOLE. I settled on the former reasoning that this must not be a homophone clue but rather a double definition with a mole on the skin being a nuisance.

I did think it rather unusual to clue "mole" as wild animal and was also suspicious of the second definition as moles are often considered to be a beauty mark rather than a nuisance. Moreover, in hindsight, "said" is quite clearly a homophone indicator.

9a It is hard backing second-rate horse essentially /in/ race (7)

"hard " = H [grade of pencil lead]

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

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10a Inclined to cry, // first of those facing reprimand (7)

12a Dance /with/ student also involved in tempestuous affair (8,5)

"student " = L [driver under instruction]

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

Automobile displaying an L-plate

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High[2] is used in the sense of intense or advanced; more forceful than normal.



The Highland fling[5] is a vigorous Scottish dance consisting of a series of complex steps performed solo, originally to celebrate victory.

14a Though appearing gutless, steals // pounds (6)

Scratching the Surface
In the surface reading, pound[5] (also pound sterling) is the basic monetary unit of the UK, equal to 100 pence.

15a Accommodation /for/ sections of society (8)

My best explanation for the second definition is that a quarter[1] is a town district inhabited by a particular class.

17a Arabs, in theory, will secrete // potent drink (8)

Absinthe[5,7,10] (also absinth) is a potent green aniseed-flavoured alcoholic drink, technically a gin, originally made with the shrub wormwood. (show more )

Absinthe has often been portrayed as a dangerously addictive psychoactive drug and hallucinogen. The chemical compound thujone, which is present in the spirit in trace amounts, was blamed for its alleged harmful effects. As a result, for most of the twentieth century, absinthe was banned in the United States and much of Europe. Recent studies have shown that absinthe's psychoactive properties have been exaggerated, apart from that of the alcohol.

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19a Those originally inside Rolls-Royce /arriving at/ opera? (6)

I guess those travelling by public transit are bus men!

I think John of Groats at Comment #35 on Big Dave's Crossword Blog may have hit the nail on the head with his suggestion that the wordplay alludes to Charles Rolls and Henry Royce, the founders (and therefore "those originally inside") of Rolls-Royce Limited. They were certainly "car men".

Rolls-Royce[10] is a make of very high-quality, luxurious, and prestigious British* car.

* Although the Rolls-Royce company is no longer British-owned.



Carmen[7] is an opera by French composer Georges Bizet (1838–1875). (show more )

The opera was first performed in Paris in 1875, where its breaking of conventions shocked and scandalized its first audiences. Bizet died suddenly after the 33rd performance, unaware that the work would achieve international acclaim within the following ten years. Carmen has since become one of the most popular and frequently performed operas in the classical canon.

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22a Place near London, // order fish there mostly for distribution (13)

Hertfordshire[5] is a county of southeastern England, one of the so-called "Home Counties" surrounding London.

24a About to enter English court, Edmond's case /is/ established (7)

25a Over time medic provided gear periodically /for/ vagrant (7)

26a Flipping insect // bite (4)

Scratching the Surface
In the surface reading, flipping[5,10] (adjective or adverb) 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.

Origin: a euphemism for the taboo word f**king

27a Unknown's article replaced by vacuous story // expressing same idea (10)

Down

1d Caught boat regularly to circle posh // island (4)

"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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"posh " = U [upper class]

In Britain, U[5] is used informally as an adjective (in respect to language or social behaviour) meaning characteristic of or appropriate to the upper social classes ⇒ U manners.

The term, an abbreviation of  upper class, was coined in 1954 by Alan S. C. Ross, professor of linguistics, and popularized by its use in Nancy Mitford's Noblesse Oblige (1956).

In Crosswordland, the letter U is frequently clued by words denoting "characteristic of the upper class" (such as posh or superior) or "appropriate to the upper class" (such as acceptable).

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2d In no case /is/ Italy blocking new anaesthetic (7)

"Italy " = I [IVR code]

The International Vehicle Registration (IVR) code for Italy is I[5] [from Italian Italia].

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

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"new " = N [abbreviation used on maps]

N[5] is an abbreviation (chiefly in place names) for New ⇒ N Zealand.

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3dEmployment perk, something a hairdresser might suggest? (6,7)

In my view, the latter part of clue does not stand alone as either wordplay or definition and therefore the entire clue must be considered to be a cryptic definition—in this case, one with an embedded precise definition.

I think we may be expected to interpret the phrase "something a hairdresser might suggest" as indicating that 'hairdresser' is a word the solver might associate with the solution—or, at least, part of the solution.

4d Postponed // number going around vessel's cargo area (2,4)

5d Second American admitting irregular unit /is/ insubordinate (8)

"second " = MO [short period of time]

Mo[5] (abbreviation for moment) is an informal term* for a short period of time ⇒ hang on a mo!.

* Identified by several British dictionaries as being a British[5][14], chiefly British[2][4],  or mainly British[10] term. However, one British[1] and two US dictionaries[11][12] do not specify that it is British. This meaning of the word "mo" is not found in a third US dictionary[3].

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7dDecision affecting lawful position of striker? (7)

In soccer [football to the Brits], striker[10] is an informal term for an attacking player, especially one who generally positions himself or herself near the opponent's goal in the hope of scoring.

Offside[5] (especially in soccer, rugby, or hockey) denotes occupying or taking place in a position where playing the ball or puck is not allowed, especially (in soccer) in the attacking half ahead of the ball and having fewer than two defenders nearer the goal line at the moment the ball is played.

8d Praising // European Union record, good restricting international crime (10)

"good " = G [academic result]

The abbreviation G[a] for good comes from its use in education as a grade awarded on school assignments or tests.

[a] Collins English to Spanish Dictionary

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"international " = I

I.[10] is the abbreviation for International.

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11d Inexpensiveness /of/ gold daughter accepted in good humour (13)

"gold " = OR [heraldic tincture]

Or[5] is gold or yellow, as a heraldic tincture.

In heraldry, a tincture[5] is any of the conventional colours (including the metals and stains, and often the furs) used in coats of arms.

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"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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13d Love // file sent with email message (10)

16dYard shut about when in the week? (8)

I would say the entire clue as a cryptic definition of a sort in which the wordplay is embedded. The entire clue could be expressed less cryptically as "On which day of week is the yard shut?".

By sheer coincidence, this clue just happens to appear in the National Post on a very appropriate day of the week.

18d Unusually generous fortune finally escaping // theatre worker (7)

20d Rising Oregon tenor's opening line /for/ skilled musician (7)

"Oregon " = OR

In official postal use, the abbreviation for the US state of Oregon is OR[5].

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21d Familiar with // gripping, tense, uplifting poems you articulated (4,2)

"tense " = T [grammar term]

Grammatically speaking, t.[10] is the abbreviation for tense.

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23d Plant, // one supported by stake briefly (4)

Stake[5] (verb) is used in the sense of to gamble (money or something else of value) on the outcome of a game or race one gambler staked everything he'd got and lost.



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

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