Thursday, December 24, 2015 — DT 27862

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27862
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Friday, July 24, 2015
Setter Giovanni (Don Manley)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27862]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Big Dave
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

Today finds Giovanni in a very relaxed mood. There should be little in this puzzle to cause one to work up much of a sweat, unless it is the Northern Irish poet, who — it would seem — is obscure even to the Brits.

In a couple of instances, I have shown slightly different interpretations of clues than did Big Dave in his review. This is not to insinuate that his interpretation is incorrect but, rather, to demonstrate that it is possible to have more than one valid interpretation in some cases.

I invite you to leave a comment to let us know how you fared with the puzzle.

And, finally, don't forget to stop by tomorrow to pick up your Christmas gift.

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.

Primary indications (definitions) are marked with a solid underline in the clue; subsidiary indications (be they wordplay or other) are marked with a dashed underline in all-in-one (&lit.) clues, semi-all-in-one (semi-&lit.) clues and cryptic definitions. Explicit link words and phrases are enclosed in forward slashes (/link/) and implicit links are shown as double forward slashes (//). Definitions presented in blue text are for terms that appear frequently.

Across

1a   Love very evident in pleasant // young monk? (6)

"love" = O (show explanation )

In tennis, squash, and some other sports, love^[5] is a score of zero or nil ⇒ love fifteen. The resemblance of a zero written as a numeral (0) to the letter O leads to the cryptic crossword convention of the word "love" being used to clue this letter.

Although folk etymology has connected the word with French l'oeuf 'egg', from the resemblance in shape between an egg and a zero, the term apparently comes from the phrase play for love (i.e. the love of the game, not for money).

hide explanation

A novice^[5] is a person who has entered a religious order and is under probation, before taking vows.

4a   Pound /made of/ metal almost entirely, right? (6)

The pound^[5] (also pound sterling) is the basic monetary unit of the UK, equal to 100 pence.

Nicker^[5] is an informal British term for a pound sterling ⇒ a hundred and twenty nicker.

8a   Getting stale /and/ falling asleep? (5,3)

10a   Arrogant // knight enters covered in muck (6)

"knight" = N (show explanation )

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.

hide explanation

In Britain, the term muck would appear to encompass a broader range of filth than it does in North America. There muck^[2] is a colloquial term for dirt, especially — [but not necessarily] — wet or clinging dirt.

11a   Foul /and/ wicked, beginning to end (4)

12a   Rodent running around poet's // sheets (10)

Tom Paulin^[7] is a Northern Irish poet and critic of film, music and literature. He lives in England, where he is the GM Young Lecturer in English Literature at Hertford College, Oxford.

13a   Area east of city /or/ town // in which one may sit (12)

I have chosen to mark this clue differently than Big Dave did in his review. The latter part of the clue could have constituted a clue on its own, which I am sure could be considered to be a double definition (although cryptic definition would also be a reasonable choice).

• Town // in which one may sit (12)

Chester^[5] is a city in northwestern England, the county town of Cheshire; population 80,600 (est. 2009).

Chesterfield^[5] is a town in Derbyshire, north central England; population 71,100 (est. 2009).

16a   They may examine houses, // say, going into each toilet (6,6)

The gents^[5] is an informal British term for a men's public toilet.

Estate agent^[10] is the British term for a real-estate agent, an agent concerned with the valuation, management, lease, and sale of property.

20a   Sweetheart /having/ fling -- I'd err terribly (10)

21a   Prod // sack -- one with pig in? (4)

Poke^[5] is a chiefly Scottish term for a bag or small sack ⇒ he fished out a poke of crisps [potato chips] from under the counter.

The phrase a pig in a poke^[5] refers to something that is bought or accepted without first being seen or assessed ⇒ the unwary were apt to buy a pig in the poke.

Along the lines of 13a, some might wonder if the portion of the clue with the dashed underline could be considered to be a definition in its own right — thereby making this clue a triple definition. I would think not, as it would give rise to the same meaning for POKE as does the second definition. In 13a, the two definitions in question gave rise to different meanings for CHESTERFIELD (one a city, the other an item of furniture).

22a   Island // to leave by boat possibly (6)

Tobago is one of two islands off the northeastern coast of Venezuela that together comprise the country of Trinidad and Tobago^[5].

23a   Threatened punishment? // Son accepts it can upset (8)

24a   Tamper /with/ instrument (6)

I believe a couple of interpretations are possible for this clue. As Big Dave shows in his review, the first definition could be "tamper with" or, as I have chosen to show, the definition could be merely "tamper" in which case "with" would serve as a link word.

Fiddle^[10] (often followed by with) is an informal term meaning to tamper or interfere (with).

25a   Change one's mind // with respect to hypocritical talk (6)

Down

1d   Primitive tools // abandoned in hostel (8)

A neolith^[5] is a stone implement used during the Neolithic Period — the later part of the Stone Age, when ground or polished stone weapons and implements prevailed.

I initially questioned the solution, but then realized that I was confusing it with monolith.

2d   Way to avoid a // scene of action (5)

3d   Laugh /and/ talk regularly during dull task (7)

5d   Establish // home overlooking country (7)

6d   Information // pack's final component currently on shelf (9)

7d   Reprimand // baddie (one no good) (6)

Rating^[5] is a dated term for an angry reprimand ⇒ a servant getting a rating from his master.

9d   The fears for discarded // predecessors (11)

Anagram indicators are typically words that denote motion or rearrangement. I suppose that "discarded" fills the bill in the sense that things that are thrown out often become rearranged in the process (for instance, an old deck of cards tossed in the garbage).

14d   Musicians /need/ blast to be blasted (5,4)

15d   Post elsewhere /for/ police job (5-3)

17d   Disturbance /in/ posh room with work going on outside (7)

"posh" = U (show explanation )

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). 

hide explanation

18d   A daughter in time of fast -- ultimately she // hardly cooked at all! (2,5)

19d   Why is snooker player having a problem? // Inside info // here (3-3)

Split (3,3), the solution would describe a situation that would seriously hamper a snooker player.

21d   Ex-PM requires a // particular sort of bread (5)

William Pitt^[5] (1759–1806), known as Pitt the Younger, was Prime Minister of Britain 1783–1801 and 1804-6, The youngest-ever Prime Minister, he introduced reforms to reduce the national debt. He was the son of William Pitt^[5], 1st Earl of Chatham (1708–1778) who was known as Pitt the Elder. As Secretary of State (effectively Prime Minister), the elder Pitt headed coalition governments 1756–61 and 1766-8. He brought the Seven Years War to an end in 1763 and also masterminded the conquest of French possessions overseas, particularly in Canada and India.

Pitta^[5] (also pitta bread) is the British spelling for pita (bread), a flat, hollow, slightly leavened bread which can be split open to hold a filling ⇒ (i) low-calorie starters include tzatziki with a little pitta; (ii) flat pitta breads make perfect sandwiches.

Key to Reference Sources: 

^[1]   - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition
^[2]   - Search Chambers - (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)
^[3]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (American Heritage Dictionary)
^[4]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
^[5]   - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford Dictionary of English)
^[6]   - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford 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)

Signing off for today — Falcon

Wednesday, December 23, 2015 — DT 27861

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27861
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Thursday, July 23, 2015
Setter RayT (Ray Terrell)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27861]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Kath
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

This is a fairly typical RayT puzzle. I did resort to a smidgeon of electronic assistance to decipher one clue.

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.

Primary indications (definitions) are marked with a solid underline in the clue; subsidiary indications (be they wordplay or other) are marked with a dashed underline in all-in-one (&lit.) clues, semi-all-in-one (semi-&lit.) clues and cryptic definitions. Explicit link words and phrases are enclosed in forward slashes (/link/) and implicit links are shown as double forward slashes (//). Definitions presented in blue text are for terms that appear frequently.

Across

1a   Munch, eating a small // nut (6)

4a   Charlie, poorer swallowing start of soft // soap (8)

Charlie^[5] is a code word representing the letter C, used in radio communication.

9a   Native American // swiftly catches horse's head (6)

The Apache^[5] are an American Indian people living chiefly in New Mexico and Arizona. Under the leadership of Geronimo, the Apache were the last American Indian people to be conquered by the European settlers.

10a   Hymn about America facing American // abomination (8)

A^[1] is the abbreviation for America or American [among a long list of other possibilities].

11a   Fan with no time /for/ act (8)

To be precise, this "fan" loses only one of its two instances of "time" so it hardly seems correct to say that the solution is "with no time".

13a   Reportedly longs /for/ wife (6)

15a   Dessert in diet unusually // generous (13)

To me, it seems a fair stretch to equate generous and disinterested. However, using the concept of the parlour game, Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon^[7], one can actually get there in two steps. Generous and disinterested are both synonyms of unselfish, so a mathematician would argue that if A=B and C=B, then A must also equal C. However, this is a linguistic question — not one of mathematics.

Disinterested^[5] denotes not influenced by considerations of personal advantage ⇒ a banker is under an obligation to give disinterested advice.

Delving Deeper

According to Oxford Dictionaries: Nowhere are the battle lines more deeply drawn in usage questions than over the difference between disinterested and uninterested. According to traditional guidelines, disinterested should never be used to mean ‘not interested’ (i.e. it is not a synonym for uninterested) but only to mean ‘impartial’, as in the judgements of disinterested outsiders are likely to be more useful. Ironically, the earliest recorded sense of disinterested is for the disputed sense. Today, the ‘incorrect’ use of disinterested is widespread: around a quarter of citations in the Oxford English Corpus for disinterested are for this sense.

18a   Awkward /and/ formal once but relaxed (13)

22a   Capital // haunt's empty around old inn (6)

Hobart^[5] is the capital and chief port of Tasmania (show explanation ); population 209,287 (2008).

Tasmania^[7] is a state of Australia consisting of the mountainous island of Tasmania itself and several smaller islands; population 497,529 (2008); capital, Hobart. It was known as Van Diemen’s Land until 1855.

hide explanation

24a   Sultry // redhead seen in local (8)

"redhead" = R (show explanation )

Here we encounter a common cryptic crossword device, in which the word "redhead" is used to clue R, the initial letter (head) of Red.

hide explanation

Topical^[2,10] is used in the medical sense (said of a drug, ointment, treatment, etc) meaning for application to the body or local.

26a   Later on I fancy // Chinese, possibly (8)

27a   Medical containers restricting temperature /for/ organs (6)

28a   Sweet product, // Polo centre, consumed by loads (8)

What did she say?

In her review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Kath remarks ... loads of or, if you happen to be one of the Famous Five, lashings of something (usually ginger beer). . The Famous Five[7] is the name of a series of children's adventure novels written by English author Enid Blyton. The first book, Five on a Treasure Island, was published in 1942. The novels feature the adventures of a group of young children – Julian, Dick, Anne and Georgina (George) – and their dog Timmy. Lashings[5] is an informal British term for a copious amount of something, especially food or drink ⇒ chocolate cake with lashings of cream.  Five Go Mad in Dorset[7] is a British television special first broadcast in 1992. The film, in which the children are portrayed by adult actors, is an extreme parody of Enid Blyton's Famous Five books. The satire on display parodies established aspects of Blyton's books in addition to placing newer, sinister overtones onto them. Examples of the former include ... their [the gang's] taste for outdoor picnics of "ham and turkey sandwiches, bags of lettuce, hard-boiled eggs, heaps of tomato, and lashings of ginger beer". (Indeed, the film's catchphrase "lashings of ginger beer" became so well known that it is now often mistakenly attributed to Blyton herself, although it never appears in any of the Famous Five books.) The film also portrayed Uncle Quentin as a "screaming homosexual" and his wife Fanny as an "unrelenting nymphomaniac", as well as implying a homosexual relationship between Dick and Julian and a bestial one between George [Georgina] and Timmy [their dog]. In addition, much was made of the children's apparently racist and extreme right-wing views – a reference to the controversy that has retrospectively haunted Blyton's work. Blyton's estate were nevertheless said to have "loved" the film.

29a   Guard // posted next to railway (6)

Down

1d   Obscene // programme for the audience (6)

2d   Erratic // cop tormented with sadism (9)

3d   Blows out // former wife then husband drinks ... (7)

Scratching the Surface
In the surface reading, I have no idea what "blows out former wife" is supposed to mean. Perhaps "blows out" means that she leaves her husband. However, that interpretation would lead to a rather awkward reading result.

5d   ... left single? (4)

I interpret this clue to be an &lit. (all-in-one) in which the definition is "left single" (LONE) and the wordplay is L (left) + ONE (single).

6d   Like this, when finally sat on horse? (7)

I interpret this clue to be a semi-&lit. (semi-all-in-one) in which the entire clue provides the definition and the portion with the dashed underline serves as the wordplay which is AS (when) + T (finally sat; final letter of saT) + (on) RIDE (horse).

Ride^[5] is used in the sense of the horse, vehicle, etc on which one rides.

7d   Spot on manuscript // appears (5)

8d   Epic poem // of perhaps 'Odyssey' (8)

In ancient Greece, a rhapsody^[5] was an epic poem, or part of a poem, of a suitable length for recitation at one time.

Scratching the Surface
The Odyssey[5] is a Greek hexameter epic poem traditionally ascribed to Homer, describing the travels of Odysseus during his ten years of wandering after the sack of Troy. He eventually returned home to Ithaca and killed the suitors who had plagued his wife Penelope during his absence.

12d   PA /is/ tense with anger (6)

I spent a good deal of time trying to construct a solution which used PA^[5] in the British sense of an abbreviation for personal assistant.

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

Tannoy^[5] (trademark) is a type of public address system. In Britain, the term has become a generic term for a public address system to such an extent that it is even used as a verb meaning to transmit or announce over a public address system ⇒ the news was tannoyed one afternoon.

14d   Clergyman // bound by direct order (6)

"clergyman" = RECTOR (show explanation )

A rector^[5] is a member of the clergy, although the meaning of the term varies among religious denominations. The term denotes:

• in the the Church of England, an incumbent of a parish where all tithes formerly passed to the incumbent,
• in other Anglican Churches, a member of the clergy who has charge of a parish;
• in the Roman Catholic Church, a priest in charge of a church or of a religious institution.
  

hide explanation 

16d   Biting // fish catching river insect (9)

The tench^[5] (Tinca tinca) is a European freshwater fish of the carp family, popular with anglers and widely introduced elsewhere.

17d   Sprout // puree on jumper missed opening (8)

Roo^[5] is an informal Australian term for a kangaroo.

19d   US state's protecting Republican // force (7)

In the US, a Republican^[5] (abbreviation R^[5])  is a member or supporter of the Republican Party.

Marines^[7], also known as a marine corps and naval infantry, are an infantry force that specializes in the support of naval and army operations on land and at sea, as well as the execution of their own operations. In the majority of countries, the marine force is part of the navy, but it can also be under the army like the Troupes de marine (French Marines) and Givati Brigade (Israeli Marines), or form an independent armed service branch like the United States Marine Corps and Royal Marines.

20d   Bishop inclined -- one's given English // name? (7)

"bishop" = B (show explanation )

B^[5] is an abbreviation for bishop that is used in recording moves in chess.

hide explanation

21d   Expressionless // girl embraced by heartless bloke (6)

"girl" = LASS (show explanation )

Lass^[5] is a chiefly Scottish and Northern English term [although one that is certainly extremely well-known in Canada] for a girl or young woman ⇒ (i) he married a lass from Yorkshire; (ii) village lasses.

hide explanation

Initially, I presumed "heartless bloke" to be clueing B(lok)E. When it became obvious that the final letter is Y, I set my sights on B(o)Y. Eventually, I needed a nudge from my electronic assistants to find the right G(u)Y.

23d   Cool // source of babbling brook (5)

Brill^[5] is an informal British term meaning excellent or marvellous ⇒ (i) a brill new series; (ii) She says I can spend half-term [midterm break] with you.’ ‘Hey, brill!’.

25d   Scarce // record album initially by Queen turned up (4)

"Queen" = ER (show explanation )

The regnal ciphers (monograms) of British monarchs are initials formed from the Latin version of their first name followed by either Rex or Regina (Latin for king or queen, respectively). Thus, the regnal cipher of Queen Elizabeth is ER^[5] — from the Latin Elizabetha Regina.

hide explanation 

Key to Reference Sources: 

^[1]   - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition
^[2]   - Search Chambers - (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)
^[3]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (American Heritage Dictionary)
^[4]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
^[5]   - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford Dictionary of English)
^[6]   - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford 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)

Signing off for today — Falcon

Tuesday, December 22, 2015 — DT 27860

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27860
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Setter Jay (Jeremy Mutch)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27860]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By 2Kiwis
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

For a 'Wednesday' puzzle from Jay, I found this to be slightly on the more gentle side.

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.

Primary indications (definitions) are marked with a solid underline in the clue; subsidiary indications (be they wordplay or other) are marked with a dashed underline in all-in-one (&lit.) clues, semi-all-in-one (semi-&lit.) clues and cryptic definitions. Explicit link words and phrases are enclosed in forward slashes (/link/) and implicit links are shown as double forward slashes (//). Definitions presented in blue text are for terms that appear frequently.

Across

1a   City once // second division -- third in league (6)

Sparta^[5] is a city in the southern Peloponnese in Greece, capital of the department of Laconia; population 14,400 (est. 2009). It was a powerful city state in the 5th century BC, defeating its rival Athens in the Peloponnesian War to become the leading city of Greece.

Scratching the Surface

I think the surface reading of the clue is likely an allusion to Manchester City F. C.[7] (often referred to simply as City), an English professional football [soccer] club, based in Manchester, England, that that plays in the Premier League (the top level in the English football league system). The English football league system[7], also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for men's association football [soccer] clubs in England, with six teams from Wales and one from Guernsey also competing. The system has a hierarchical format with promotion and relegation between leagues at different levels, allowing even the smallest club the hypothetical possibility of ultimately rising to the very top of the system. There are more than 140 individual leagues, containing more than 480 divisions. The exact number of clubs varies from year to year as clubs join and leave leagues or fold altogether, but an estimated average of 15 clubs per division implies that more than 7,000 teams of nearly 5,300 clubs are members of a league in the English men's football league system. The names of the leagues have changed over the last 25 years. However, over the course of the club's history, Manchester City has (with the exception of one season) always played at either the first or second level. The lone exception is the 1998-1999 season in which they played at the third level (then called Division 2, but now known as Football League One). The club was promoted to the second level (then called Division 1, but now known as the Football League Championship) for the 1999-2000 season and to the first level (Premier League) for the 2000-2001 season before dropping back to the second level (Division 1) for the 2001-2002 season. In 2002-2003, the club was again promoted to the first level (Premier League) where they have remained ever since. Manchester City currently sits in third place in the Premier League.

5a   Love Irish dancing, but duck out // feeling tetchy (8)

"duck" = O (show explanation )

In cricket, a duck^[5] is a batsman’s score of nought [zero] ⇒ he was out for a duck. This is similar to the North American expression goose egg^[5] meaning a zero score in a game.

In British puzzles, "duck" is used to indicate the letter "O" based on the resemblance of the digit "0" to this letter.

hide explanation

Liverish^[5] means unhappy and bad-tempered.

9a   Close co-operation // must destroy worm found in wood (8)

10a   Begin to look embarrassed /by/ communist cell (6)

11a   Exceptional // project when split (8)

12a   Shoves // spades onto boat (6)

"spades" = S (show explanation )

Spades^[2]) (abbreviation S^[1]) is one of the four suits of playing-cards.

hide explanation

13a   Memo written about one group/'s/ small bit of meat (8)

A noisette^[5] is a small round piece of meat, especially lamb.

15a   Head of security taken in by weak // point (4)

Wet^[5] is an informal British term meaning showing a lack of forcefulness or strength of character; feeble ⇒ they thought the cadets were a bit wet.

17a   Support // delay (4)

19a   Dependable // volunteers in searches from the East (8)

"volunteers" = TA (show explanation )

In the UK, Territorial Army^[5] (abbreviation TA^[5]) was, at one time, the name of a volunteer force founded in 1908 to provide a reserve of trained and disciplined military personnel for use in an emergency. Since 2013, this organization has been called the Army Reserve.

hide explanation

20a   Vacant type with a grass // container on the table? (6)

21a   Impressive carriage /in/ attendance? (8)

22a   The man provided the Queen // a farm animal (6)

"the Queen" = ER (show explanation )

The regnal ciphers (monograms) of British monarchs are initials formed from the Latin version of their first name followed by either Rex or Regina (Latin for king or queen, respectively). Thus, the regnal cipher of Queen Elizabeth is ER^[5] — from the Latin Elizabetha Regina.

hide explanation

23a   Outburst /from/ two females united in row on the way back (8)

"united" = U (show explanation )

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

hide explanation

24a   Offence /caused by/ dressing up as priests -- I must leave (8)

25a   Sneaks // doing nothing aboard ship (6)

In Crosswordland, you will find that a ship is almost invariably a steamship, the abbreviation for which is SS^[10]. Thus "aboard ship" or "on board ship" (or sometimes merely "on board") is code for 'contained in SS'.

Down

2d   Glutton guzzling remainder, finishing off plate // standing (8)

3d   Popular worker sat on by strange // sort of animal (8)

"worker" = ANT (show explanation )

The phrase "worker" is commonly used in cryptic crossword puzzles to clue ANT.

A worker^[5] is a neuter or undeveloped female bee, wasp, ant, or other social insect, large numbers of which do the basic work of the colony.

In crossword puzzles, "worker" will most frequently be used to clue ANT and occasionally BEE but I have yet to see it used to clue WASP. Of course, "worker" is sometimes also used to clue HAND or MAN.

hide explanation

Rum^[5] is a dated informal British term meaning odd or peculiar ⇒ it’s a rum business, certainly.

4d   Defender // meaning to follow a game (9)

5d   Fast // to appreciate those who applaud (4,3,8)

Like the clappers^[5] is an informal British expression meaning very fast or very hard ⇒ she ran off like the clappers.

6d   Give a lift to // valet working in case of exposure (7)

7d   Poor // news leader protected by tricky editing (8)

8d   Truly // retreat, in sacred environment (8)

14d   Read about being adopted by posh people /in/ exchanges (5-4)

Toff^[5] is a derogatory, informal British term for a rich or upper-class person.

15d   Incandescent // women strike those stupidly sacking son (5-3)

16d   Some tennis team -- including a // reserve! (3,5)

In tennis, darts, and other games, a set^[5] is a group of games counting as a unit towards a match ⇒ he took the first set 6-3.

"team" = SIDE (show explanation )

Side^[5] is a British term for a sports team ⇒ there was a mixture of old and young players in their side. [Note that a player is "in a side" rather than "on a team" as one would say in North America]

In North America, the term side^[3] is used in a very general fashion that can denote one of two or more opposing individuals, groups, teams, or sets of opinions. While this same general usage would seem to exist as well in the UK, the term side^[5] is also used there in a much more specific sense to mean a sports team, as we can clearly see from the following usage examples ⇒ (i) Previous England rugby sides, and England teams in many other sports, would have crumbled under the weight of such errors.; (ii) They'll face better sides than this Monaco team, but you can only beat what's put in front of you.

hide explanation

17d   Emphasised being upset -- not Diana! (8)

18d   Amusing tale /of/ a bit of money split by European Diplomatic Corps (8)

Note^[5] is a British term for a banknote ⇒ a ten-pound note.

CD^[5] is the abbreviation for corps diplomatique (diplomatic corps).

19d   It's fine during awful upset // to eat one's fill (5,2)

Stoke up^[5] is an informal expression meaning to consume a large quantity of food or drink to give one energy ⇒ Carol was at the coffee machine, stoking up for the day.

Key to Reference Sources: 

^[1]   - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition
^[2]   - Search Chambers - (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)
^[3]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (American Heritage Dictionary)
^[4]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
^[5]   - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford Dictionary of English)
^[6]   - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford 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)

Signing off for today — Falcon

Monday, December 21, 2015 — DT 27859

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27859
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27859]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Gazza
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
The National Post has skipped DT 27858 which was published in The Daily Telegraph on Monday, July 20, 2015.

Introduction

I didn't find this quite the walk in the park that Gazza reports as his experience. The lower half fell into place quite quickly once I arrived there. I then had to exercise the grey matter a bit on the upper half.

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.

Primary indications (definitions) are marked with a solid underline in the clue; subsidiary indications (be they wordplay or other) are marked with a dashed underline in all-in-one (&lit.) clues, semi-all-in-one (semi-&lit.) clues and cryptic definitions. Explicit link words and phrases are enclosed in forward slashes (/link/) and implicit links are shown as double forward slashes (//). Definitions presented in blue text are for terms that appear frequently.

Across

1a   Row /as/ spaceship advanced for oxygen (6)

"advanced: = A (show explanation )

In the UK (with the exception of Scotland), A level^[5] (advanced level^[5]) is a qualification in a specific subject typically taken by school students aged 16-18, at a level above GCSE^[5] (General Certificate of Secondary Education).

hide explanation

O^[5] is the symbol for the chemical element oxygen.

4a   Page in small book /shows/ butter knife, for example (8)

9a   Shrewd to include an // early king of England (6)

Canute^[5] (also Cnut or Knut) (D.1035) was a Danish king of England 1017–35, Denmark 1018–35, and Norway 1028–35, son of Sweyn I. He is remembered for demonstrating to fawning courtiers his inability to stop the rising tide; this has become distorted in folklore to suggest that Canute really expected to turn back the tide.

10a   Sprang up to deliver // receptacle for flowers, as trophy? (8)

In cricket, bowl^[5] means (for a bowler) to propel [or deliver] (the ball) with a straight arm towards the batsman, typically in such a way that the ball bounces once.

A rosebowl^[1,10] (or rose bowl^[5]) is a decorative bowl for displaying roses.

I thought that trophy might be a second definition — similar to 6d where I think we may have two definitions. However, I could find no evidence of a rosebowl (or even a rose bowl) being given as a trophy in any major event (although I suspect that somewhere, sometime, someone has likely received a rosebowl as a trophy). As for the Rose Bowl college football game played every New Year's Day in Pasadena, California, the name refers to the stadium and not to the trophy (which is shown to the right). Besides, as Gazza has pointed out, the spelling does not match the numeration in the clue.

Perhaps "trophy" refers to the roses as cut flowers which are displayed in much the same way that a big game hunter or angler would mount and display a prized specimen.

11a   Chap, one I transported across island /in/ ancient land (9)

Phoenicia^[5] was an ancient country on the shores of the eastern Mediterranean, corresponding to modern Lebanon and the coastal plains of Syria. It consisted of a number of city states, including Tyre and Sidon, and was a flourishing centre of Mediterranean trade and colonization during the early part of the 1st millennium BC.

Scratching the Surface
Chap[5] is a [well-travelled] informal British term for a man or a boy ⇒ he sounded like a nice, caring sort of chap.

13a   Correspond /with/ supporter after end of test (5)

14a   Put off speech about one /in/ decline (13)

17a   Learn about what is going on round a track /and/ avoid being caught (3,4,4,2)

21a   Some from a hallowed // place in Nebraska (5)

Omaha^[5] is a city in eastern Nebraska, on the Missouri River; population 438,646 (est. 2008).

23a   Ran estate in eccentric way /breeding/ aardvarks, say (9)

The aardvark^[5] (Orycteropus afer) is a nocturnal badger-sized burrowing mammal of Africa, with long ears, a tubular snout, and a long extensible tongue, feeding on ants and termites. Also called antbear.

As a link word, breeding^[5] has the sense of producing or leading to (something) over a period of time ⇒ success had bred a certain arrogance.

24a   One who judges // animals, tailless kind (8)

25a   Put a stop to // hoax? Endless nonsense (6)

26a   Wall hanging // records trial (8)

27a   Free Turkish commander back in Moroccan port (6)

In the Ottoman Empire, aga^[10] (or agha) could have been either (1) a title of respect, often used with the title of a senior position or (2) a military commander.

Down

1d   Instructions: /put/ boiled rice on edges of plate (6)

2d   A leader in Turkey supporting deception over line /in/ pact (9)

A concordat^[5] is an agreement or treaty, especially one between the Vatican and a secular government relating to matters of mutual interest ⇒ Napoleon I’s concordat with the papacy.

3d   Put out // mischievous text about elected Conservative (7)

"Conservative" = C (show explanation )

The abbreviation for Conservative may be either C.^[10] or Con.^[10].

hide explanation

Extinct^[5] is used in the sense of no longer alight ⇒ his now extinct pipe.

5d   Leading player // waving to organist after start of pastorale (11)

A protagonist^[5] is the leading character or one of the major characters in a play, film, novel, etc. ⇒ (i) the novel’s main protagonist is an American intelligence officer; (ii) the hard-boiled protagonist of the movie Blade Runner.

Scratching the Surface
In music, a pastorale[5] is: a slow instrumental composition in compound time, usually with drone notes in the bass ⇒ the pastorales in Handel’s Messiah and Corelli’s Christmas Concerto; or a simple musical play with a rural subject ⇒ these two short pastorales are considered the earliest true operas in French.

6d   Choose artist /to portray/ complex // Greek girl (7)

I believe one could interpret "complex Greek girl" to be a cryptic definition (as Gazza has shown in his review) or possibly as a double definition (as I have chose to do — just to be different).

In Greek mythology, Electra^[5] is the daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra. She persuaded her brother Orestes to kill Clytemnestra and Aegisthus (their mother’s lover) in revenge for the murder of Agamemnon.

In psychoanalysis, Electra complex^[5] is an old-fashioned term for the Oedipus complex (show explanation ) as manifested in young girls.

In psychoanalysis, the term Oedipus complex^[5] refers in Freudian theory to the complex of emotions aroused in a young child, typically around the age of four, by an unconscious sexual desire for the parent of the opposite sex and wish to exclude the parent of the same sex. (The term was originally applied to boys, the equivalent in girls being called the Electra complex.)

hide explanation

7d   Funny // turn after onset of dizziness (5)

A turn^[5] is a short performance, especially one of a number given by different performers in succession ⇒ (i) Lewis gave her best ever comic turn; (ii) he was asked to do a turn at a children’s party.

8d   Broadcasting // about egg production? (8)

12d   Ingratiate oneself // to groom with act of kindness (5,6)

15d   Up /for/ a swing instrumental? (2,3,4)

"In the Mood"^[7] is a big band-era #1 hit recorded by American bandleader Glenn Miller. It topped the charts for 13 straight weeks in 1940 in the U.S. and one year later was featured in the movie Sun Valley Serenade.

16d   Rating on manoeuvres // in the dark (8)

18d   Swears violently catching second // fish (7)

The wrasse^[5] (plural wrasse or wrasses) is any of numerous species of marine fish with thick lips and strong teeth, typically brightly coloured with marked differences between the male and female.[The name comes from a Cornish word meaning 'old woman'.]

Generally one uses the plural form "fish" when speaking of more than one member of the same species and "fishes" when speaking of multiple species. I presume that the plural "wrasses" can be used since the term wrasse encompasses numerous species.

19d   Male circle welcoming a // trial (7)

20d   Queen of Persia // protected by Xerxes there (6)

In the Bible, Esther^[5] is a woman chosen on account of her beauty by the Persian king Ahasuerus (generally supposed to be Xerxes I) to be his queen. She used her influence with him to save the Israelites in captivity from persecution.

Scratching the Surface
Xerxes I[5] (circa 519–465 BC), son of Darius I, was king of Persia 486–465. His invasion of Greece achieved victories in 480 at Artemisium and Thermopylae, but defeats at Salamis (480) and Plataea (479) forced him to withdraw.

22d   Old author // a model set up (5)

Aesop^[10] (?620–564 BC) was a Greek author of fables in which animals are given human characters and used to satirize human failings.

Key to Reference Sources: 

^[1]   - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition
^[2]   - Search Chambers - (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)
^[3]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (American Heritage Dictionary)
^[4]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
^[5]   - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford Dictionary of English)
^[6]   - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford 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)

Signing off for today — Falcon