Saturday, December 24, 2016 — Crumbs and Dregs

Seasons Greetings

Introduction

You should be able to finish today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon and still have plenty of time to start your Christmas shopping.

I would like to wish readers a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy Hanukkah

Should you are looking for something to pass the time on Boxing Day, stop by for a bonus puzzle.

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

Solution to Today's Puzzle

Falcon's Experience ┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐ ███████████████████████████████████ └────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘ Legend: █ - solved without assistance █ - incorrect prior to use of puzzle solving tools █ - solved with assistance from puzzle solving tools █ - solved with aid of checking letters provided by puzzle solving tools █ - solved but without fully parsing the clue █ - yet to be solved

Legend:	"*" anagram; "~" sounds like; "<" letters reversed
	"( )" letters inserted; "_" letters deleted; "†" explicit in the clue
	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 (//).

Across

1a   Fate // is fulfilled after kindergarten (6)

K|IS|MET — {IS (†) + MET (fulfilled)} following (after) K (kindergarten)

4a   Al Capone, // neckwear expert (8)

SCARF|ACE — SCARF (neckwear) + ACE (expert)

Al Capone^[5] (1899–1947), nicknamed  Scarface, was an American gangster of Italian descent. He dominated organized crime in Chicago in the 1920s and was indirectly responsible for many murders, including the St Valentine’s Day Massacre.

Cutting Deeper ... (not merely scratching the surface)

Capone[7] was born in Brooklyn (New York) and began his life of crime in New York City before moving to Chicago. Capone inadvertently insulted a woman while working the door at a Brooklyn night club and was slashed by her brother Frank Gallucio. The wounds led to the nickname that Capone loathed: "Scarface". Capone's boss, racketeer Frankie Yale, insisted that Capone apologize to Gallucio, and later Capone hired him as a bodyguard. When photographed, Capone hid the scarred left side of his face, saying that the injuries were war wounds. Capone was called "Snorky", a term for a sharp dresser, by his closest friends.

9a   Arousing, // strangely, to Eric (6)

EROTIC* — anagram (strangely) of TO ERIC

10a   Source of illumination // faint around Kentucky (8)

S(KY)LIGHT — SLIGHT (faint) containing (around) KY (Kentucky; abbrev.)

11a   One also entering gets ready to shoot // some parrots (9)

COCK(A|TOO)S — {A (one) + TOO (also)} contained in (entering) COCKS (gets ready to shoot)

13a   Sports centre // brought back an earned run average (5)

{ARE|NA}< — reversal (brought back) of {AN (†) + ERA (earned run average; abbrev.)

Earned run average^[11] (abbreviation ERA) is a a figure used to indicate the effectiveness of a baseball pitcher, obtained by calculating the average number of earned runs scored against the pitcher for every nine innings pitched.

14a   Inside the veranda, nonsense // occasionally (4,3,4)

_E|VER AND A|NON_ — hidden in (inside) thE VERANDA NONsense

18a   Turning neon, aged dad // departed (4,3,4)

{DEAD AND GONE}* — anagram (turning) of NEON AGED DAD

21a   Cot is remade /for/ Greek philosopher (5)

STOIC* — anagram (remade) of COT IS

22a   Stop Italian painter/’s/ meal planner (9)

DIE|TITIAN — DIE (stop; cease functioning, as a motor) + TITIAN (Italian painter)

Titian^[5] (circa 1488–1576) was an Italian painter. The most important painter of the Venetian school, he experimented with vivid colours and often broke conventions of composition. He painted many sensual mythological works, including Bacchus and Ariadne (circa 1518–23).

24a   Treading shifting // slope (8)

GRADIENT* — anagram (shifting) of TREADING

25a   Jailbird gripping Ann/’s/ blaster (6)

C(ANN)ON — CON (jailbird) containing (gripping) ANN (†)

26a   From an African country, // Susan embraces some northern Europeans (8)

SU(DANES)E — SUE ([diminutive of] Susan) containing (embraces) DANES (some Northern Europeans)

27a   Pigs taking down // pieces of lumber (6)

BOAR(D)S — BOARS (pigs) containing (taking) D (down)

Note to British Readers
Lumber has quite a different meaning in North American than it does in Britain. Your lumber[5] would be junk to us, while you might refer to our lumber as deal[5].

Down

1d   Sailing boats carrying five // crabs (8)

K(V)ETCHES — KETCHES (sailing boats) containing (carrying) V ([Roman numeral for] five)

Kvetch^[3,4,11] (from Yiddish) is an informal US term meaning to complain or grumble incessantly and whiningly.

2d   Someone kissing // small sponge (8)

S|MOOCHER — S (small; abbrev.) + MOOCHER (sponge)

3d   Mrs. Peron // held back by natives (5)

{_EVITA_}< — reversed (back) and hidden in (held ... by) nATIVEs

Eva Perón^[5] (1919–1952) was an Argentinian politician, second wife of Juan Perón; full name María Eva Duarte de Perón; known as Evita. A former actress, after her marriage in 1945 she became de facto Minister of Health and of Labour until her death from cancer; her social reforms earned her great popularity with the poor.

5d   Play // lacked a sane cast (5,3,3)

{CAKES AND ALE}* — anagram (cast) of LACKED A SANE

Lovely concept, spoiled only by the fact that the work is not a play.

Cakes and Ale^[5] (subtitled The Skeleton in the Cupboard) is a novel (published in 1930) by the British author W. Somerset Maugham.

6d   Found out again // about piece of land cleared (9)

RE|L|EARNED — RE (about) + L (piece [initial letter] of Land) + EARNED (cleared; wages after deductions)

7d   Fish with Eastern // film director (3,3)

ANG LE|E — ANGLE (fish) + E (Eastern; abbrev.)

Ang Lee^[7] is a Taiwanese-born film director, screenwriter and producer. Lee has won the Academy Award for Best Director twice: for Brokeback Mountain (2005) and for Life of Pi (2012). He also won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000).

8d   Catch // parent dancing (6)

ENTRAP* — anagram (dancing) of PARENT

12d   Send Don’s Dad mixed // trifles (4,3,4)

{ODDS AND ENDS}* — anagram (mixed) of SEND DONS DAD

15d   Craving // supplement containing certain vitamin (9)

ADDI(C)TION — ADDITION (supplement) containing (†) C (certain vitamin)

16d   Sharer of a prize // bovine, private (2- 6)

CO-W|INNER — COW (bovine) + INNER (private)

17d   Flags // sinner’s payment for audit (8)

PENNANTS~ — sounds like (for audit) PENANCE (sinner's payment)

19d   Canada’s neighbour gets more advanced // conventions (6)

US|AGES — US (Canada's neighbour) + AGES (gets more advanced)

20d   Chicken // showed fear vocally (6)

COWARD~ — sounds like (vocally) COWERED (showed fear)

23d   State // I see in marriage vow (5)

I|D(AH)O — AH (I see) contained in (in) I DO (marriage vow)

Epilogue

The title of today's review is inspired by 5d and 12d.

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

Friday, December 23, 2016 — DT 28227

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28227
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Friday, September 23, 2016
Setter Giovanni (Don Manley)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28227]
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

Typical of a Giovanni puzzle, I solved a handful of clues very quickly before progress ground to a virtual stop. Next followed a stretch of very slow advancement, after which the pace began to pick up again as the grid filled in.

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

7a   More than one wild animal // in river by vessel delights (14)

The Po^[7] is a river that arises in the Cottian Alps and flows eastward across northern Italy entering the Adriatic Sea through a delta near Venice.

9a   Sober /and/ at ease, consuming water (10)

11a   Quiet time /to get/ something to read? (4)

"quiet" = P (show explanation )

Piano^[3,5] (abbreviation p^[5]), is a musical direction meaning either (as an adjective) soft or quiet or (as an adverb) softly or quietly.

hide explanation

12a   What fuels boiler? (3)

In an &lit. clue^[7] (or, as some prefer to call it, all-in-one clue) such as this, the entire clue provides not only the definition (when read one way), but under a different interpretation also serves as the wordplay.

13a   What you see in cycle velodrome // at different heights (5-5)

I would classify this as a combination clue^[7] which intermixes a hidden word clue^[7] with a visual clue. Thus hidden in (in) cycLE VELodrome we "see" the word LEVEL but it is split between the two words in which it is hidden. In cryptic crosswords, the same rule applies to spaces as applies to punctuation — one ignores them except when they are not to be ignored.

What did he say?

In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Deep Threat describes this clue as being like one of the clues in ‘Dingbats’. Dingbats™[7] (known in America as Whatzit?[7])  is the name of a board game that is currently manufactured by German game and toy company Ravensburger. The game, for two or more people, involves solving rebuses (puzzles in which a common word or saying is hidden in a cryptic or otherwise unique arrangement of symbols).

16a   Girl, // one facing endless peril (4)

17a   Six books in a set sitting beside mature // wine (7)

"books in a set" = NT (show explanation )

In Crosswordland, the phrase "religious books" — or often merely the word "books" — is commonly used to clue either the Old Testament (OT) or the New Testament (NT). In today's clue, we see a variation on the theme as the setter employs the phrase "books in a set".

As is frequently the case, the clue provides no indication as to which of the two possible sets of books it is referring.

hide explanation

18a   These played harps, but not the // harp-playing types! (7)

A seraph^[5] (plural seraphim or seraphs) is an angelic being, regarded in traditional Christian angelology as belonging to the highest order of the ninefold celestial hierarchy, associated with light, ardour, and purity.

20a   Celebrity /that's/ knocked over by despicable people (4)

I did myself no favours by initially entered RATS in the grid, parsing the clue as:

• Celebrity that's knocked over /by/ despicable people (4)

I still don't like the wordplay. I could accept a STAR being "knocked over despicable people" where "knocked over" is an adjectival phrase. However, I do not see how "knocked over by despicable people" can possibly give one STAR. Maybe it's a British turn of phrase. However, I do note that my fellow Thursday bloggers from Big Dave's Crossword Blog (Kath [Comment #13] and pommers — as reported by his wife, pommette [Comment #18]) both express similar misgivings about this clue.

21a   Household collections // famous Frenchman featured in odd bits of text (10)

Jean-Jacques Rousseau^[5] (1712–1778) was a French philosopher and writer, born in Switzerland. He believed that civilization warps the fundamental goodness of human nature, but that the ill effects can be moderated by active participation in democratic consensual politics. Notable works: Émile (1762) and The Social Contract (1762).

23a   Garland /from/ the French island (3)

"the French" = LE (show explanation )

In French, the masculine singular form of the definite article is le^[8].

hide explanation

24a   After first half of month perform /in/ sport (4)

As Deep Threat says this is a four-letter month. There are only two — and either one will do.

Judo^[5] is a sport of unarmed combat derived from jujitsu and intended to train the body and mind. It involves using holds and leverage to unbalance the opponent.

25a   Greek character thus transformed Italy, /showing/ ability to bring harmony? (10)

Mu^[5] is the twelfth letter of the Greek alphabet (Μ, μ).

28a   A lot may be // about to be getting a hit from above? (5,3,6)

A double definition, the second of which is cryptic.

Down

1d   Manoeuvring of vehicle /makes/ pet run riot, then collapse (5-5,4)

A three-point turn^[5] is a method of turning a vehicle around in a narrow space by moving forward, backward, and forward again in a sequence of arcs.

2d   See // best standing on head (4)

3d   Within a part of India lurks unknown // artist (4)

Goa^[5] is a state on the west coast of India; capital, Panaji. Formerly a Portuguese territory, it was seized by India in 1961. It formed a Union Territory with Daman and Diu until 1987, when it was made a state.

"unknown" = Y (show explanation )

In mathematics (algebra, in particular), an unknown^[10] is a variable, or the quantity it represents, the value of which is to be discovered by solving an equation ⇒ 3y = 4x + 5 is an equation in two unknowns. [Unknowns are customarily represented symbolically by the letters x, y and z.]

hide explanation

Goya^[5] (1746–1828) was a Spanish painter and etcher; full name Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes. He is known for his works concerning the French occupation of Spain 1808–14, including The Shootings of May 3rd 1808 (1814) and The Disasters of War (1810–14), depicting the cruelty and horror of war.

4d   Scheme // to set bar up in secluded seaside location (7)

5d   Belts with ammunition // stop soldier moving (10)

6d   Sue /being/ agile, catching one pet? (10)

8d   Laundress might need to shift // gloopy yellow stuff (7,7)

English mustard^[5] is a kind of mustard made from mustard seeds milled to a powder, having a very hot taste and typically bright yellow in color.

10d   Go off // hill after climbing (3)

"hill" = TOR (show explanation )

A tor^[7] is a large, free-standing rock outcrop that rises abruptly from the surrounding smooth and gentle slopes of a rounded hill summit or ridge crest. In the South West of England, the term is commonly also used for the hills themselves – particularly the high points of Dartmoor in Devon and Bodmin Moor in Cornwall.

hide explanation

Off^[10] (said of food or drink) means having gone bad, sour, etc ⇒ this milk is off.

14d   Bury run, leader in race /being/ unwelcome visitor (10)

Scratching the Surface
Bury[7] [pronounced berry — although not by the locals according to Gazza in a review on Big Dave's blog] is a town in Greater Manchester, England.

15d   Member getting very friendly with name not provided /is/ recognised (10)

19d   Fellow hiding love /is/ a bit more wet (7)

"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

22d   Son meeting father /in/ spring (3)

26d   Heartless trick /will make you/ gossip (4)

The phrase "will make [for] you" is another way of saying "produces".

27d   Writer // that one associates with a certain Mary (4)

When I initially solved this clue, I totally missed the obvious allusion to the nursery rhyme, instead thinking of the writer's sister Mary. It is only now as I write the review that this aspect of the clue jumps out at me.

Charles Lamb^[5] (1775–1834) was an English essayist and critic. Together with his sister Mary he wrote Tales from Shakespeare (1807). Other notable works: Essays of Elia (1823).

The double meaning of Mary could well have been intentional on the part of the setter.

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

Thursday, December 22, 2016 — DT 28226

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28226
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Thursday, September 22, 2016
Setter Shamus (Philip Marlow)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28226]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Falcon
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

Although I was quick to recognize this puzzle as one that I had seen before, I still struggled with a few of the clues. In particular, 18d put up a fight and I was on the verge of seeking electronic help when the penny finally dropped.

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

4a   Domestic lifting? (8)

8a   Foreign dish /in/ US city after spring's back (6)

Paella^[5] is a Spanish dish of rice, saffron, chicken, seafood, etc., cooked and served in a large shallow pan.

9a   Scary // weapon encapsulated in a way of speaking almost (8)

10a   Eleven divided by one makes two! (4,4)

11a   Obvious // protection for an inventive type (6)

12a   Legitimate object of ridicule /in/ whack- a-mole? (4,4)

13a   Stirring element in a service? (8)

16a   Authority over // soldier (8)

"over" = O (show explanation )

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.

hide explanation

19a   Spiteful // tennis player hiding old working method (8)

Venus Williams^[7] is an American professional tennis player who is generally regarded as one of the all-time greats of women's tennis and who, along with younger sister Serena Williams, is credited with ushering in a new era of power and athleticism on the women's professional tennis tour.

21a   Hunk I love /in/ architect's workplace (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

23a   It could be represented in caress? (8)

This is an &lit.^[7] clue (sometimes called an all-in-one clue). The entire clue (when read one way) is the definition, but under a different interpretation takes on the role of wordplay. In the wordplay, one must read the word "represented" as re-presented (presented again or in a different manner).

24a   Names oil that's suffused // pudding (8)

Semolina^[5] is:

1. the hard grains left after the milling of flour, used in puddings and in pasta; or
2. a pudding made of semolina.

This word shows up quite regularly in British puzzles — almost as often as it apparently appears on the menu of British boarding schools — and it is rare indeed to see anyone actually admit to liking this dessert.

Just Desserts

Although the dessert appearing in this clue does happen to be one that North Americans would consider to be pudding, our perception of pudding does not always coincide with that of our British cousins. Whereas in North America, the term pudding[5] denotes specifically a dessert with a soft or creamy consistency, in Britain the term pudding refers to either: [seemingly any] cooked sweet dish served after the main course of a meal; or the dessert course of a meal ⇒ what’s for pudding? [to which the response might well be apple pie].

25a   Nurse working /to get/ sheet of tissue (6)

26a   Gambling activity // permitted in course (8)

Down

1d   Horse on meadow close to stiff // bit of laurel (3,4)

The bay^[5] (also known as laurel^[5], bay laurel, bay tree, or sweet bay) is an evergreen Mediterranean shrub with deep green leaves and purple berries. Its aromatic leaves are used in cookery and were formerly used to make triumphal crowns for victors.

2d   Girl in credit rejected low // place of learning (9)

3d   Capital // left in grip of unreasonable behaviour (6)

Manila^[5] is the capital and chief port of the Philippines, on the island of Luzon; population 1,660,700 (est. 2007).

4d   Chap with anger following featureless film // advertising generally (7,8)

Chap is an informal British^[5] or chiefly British^[3] term for a man or boy (note on etymology ).

Chap^[3,4,11] is a shortened form of chapman^[3,4,11], an archaic term for a trader, especially an itinerant pedlar^[a,b].

---

^[a] Pedlar is the modern British spelling of peddler^[c] which, in most senses, is a US or old-fashioned British spelling. The exception is in the sense of a dealer in illegal drugs which the Brits spell as drug peddler.

^[b] The current meaning of chap^[2] dates from the 18th century. In the 16th century, chap meant 'a customer'. The dictionaries do not explain how a shortened form of 'chapman' (pedlar) came to mean 'customer'.

^[c] Collins COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary

hide explanation

Cove^[5] is a dated informal British term for a man ⇒ he is a perfectly amiable cove.

"film" = ET (show explanation )

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

hide explanation

5d   Cut down fruit /that's/ come into view again (8)

6d   Slim Italian shows // restraint (5)

7d   Come across // Republican not working after college (3,4)

"Republican" = R (show explanation )

A Republican^[5] (abbreviation R^[5])  is a member or supporter of the Republican Party^[5], one of the two main US political parties (the other being the Democratic Party), 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.

In the UK, republican^[5] can refer to an advocate of a united Ireland but the abbreviation does not seem to apply to that usage.

hide explanation

Uni^[5] is an informal (originally Australian) term for university ⇒ he planned to go to uni.

14d   Full-time // staff supports for each hospital department (9)

"hospital department" = ENT (show explanation )

Should you not have noticed, the ear, nose and throat (ENT^[2]) department is the most visited section, by far, in the Crosswordland Hospital.

hide explanation

15d   Equity, say, is beginning to trouble // Belfast politician? (8)

In the UK, US, and several other countries, Equity^[5] is a trade union to which all professional actors must belong.

A Unionist^[5] is:

1. A person, especially a member of a Northern Ireland political party, who is in favour of the union of Northern Ireland with Great Britain; or
2. Historically, a member of a British political party formed in 1886 which supported maintenance of the parliamentary union between Great Britain and Ireland.

17d   Goth, one that's mobilised /and/ very active (2,3,2)

Scratching the Surface
A goth[5] is a member of a subculture favouring black clothing, white and black make-up, and goth music*. * a style of rock music derived from punk, typically with apocalyptic or mystical lyrics.

18d   Fool's stolen // criminal record (7)

Mug^[5] is an informal British term for a stupid or gullible person ⇒ they were no mugs where finance was concerned.

20d   Delicacy /in/ French resort toyboy vacated (6)

Nice^[5] is a resort city on the French Riviera, near the border with Italy; population 348,721 (2007).

22d   Peer over line /that's/ amusing (5)

A  peer^[5] is a member of the nobility in Britain or Ireland, comprising the ranks of duke, marquess, earl, viscount, and baron.

A lord^[10] is a male member of the nobility, especially in Britain.

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 21, 2016 — DT 28225

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28225
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Wednesday, September 21, 2016
Setter Jay (Jeremy Mutch)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28225]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By KiwiColin
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 detected a bit of an auto racing theme in today's puzzle. In any event, I sped though it fairly quickly and experienced no major holdups.

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   Racing driver with puncture /making/ corner (10)

Jenson Button^[7] is a British racing driver currently under contract with McLaren-Honda, as a reserve driver. He won the 2009 Formula One World Championship, driving for Brawn GP.

What did he say?
In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, KiwiColin describes the latter part of the charade as a puncture or place in a tyre where the air could leak out. Tyre[5] is the British spelling of tire, in the sense of a part of an automobile.

6a   Chief /from/ eastern border going the other way (4)

Emir^[5] (also amir) is a title of various Muslim (mainly Arab) rulers ⇒ HRH the Emir of Kuwait.

10a   Humours // daughter during lows (5)

11a   No Conservative switches on the radio /for/ such pieces of music (9)

"Conservative" = C (show explanation )

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

A Tory^[10] is a member or supporter of the Conservative Party in Great Britain or Canada.

Historically, a Tory^[10] was a member of the English political party that opposed the exclusion of James, Duke of York from the royal succession (1679–80). Tory remained the label for subsequent major conservative interests until they gave birth to the Conservative Party in the 1830s.

The Conservative Party^[5] is a a major British political party that emerged from the old Tory Party under Sir Robert Peel in the 1830s and 1840s. Since the Second World War, it has been in power 1951–64, 1970-74, and 1979–97. It governed in a coalition with the Liberal Democrats from 2010 until the general election of May 2015, in which it was returned with a majority.

hide explanation

A nocturne^[5] is a short musical composition of a romantic nature, typically for piano.

12a   Singer // so professional must welcome article (7)

Casting Light on the Picture
The illustration used by KiwiColon in his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog is a photo of New Zealand operatic soprano Dame Kiri Te Kenawa[5].

13a   Pretend // to be discerning? (4,3)

14a   Music producer // secure in sleeping around (12)

The glockenspiel^[5] is a musical percussion instrument having a set of tuned metal pieces mounted in a frame and struck with small hammers.

18a   Small and enchanting woman has meals /for/ centres of communication (12)

Board^[10] means to to give or receive meals or meals and lodging^* in return for money or work. Thus the phrase "has meals" is used by the setter to clue BOARDS.

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^* when used on its own, the word "board" almost always seems to mean meals and lodging but when used in combination means meals alone ⇒ (i) room and board; (ii) board and lodging.

21a   Formula 1's certain // split (7)

Formula One^[7] (also Formula 1 or F1 and officially the FIA Formula One World Championship) is the highest class of single-seat auto racing that is sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The "formula", designated in the name, refers to a set of rules, to which all participants' cars must conform. The F1 season consists of a series of races, known as Grands Prix (from French, meaning grand prizes), held worldwide on purpose-built circuits and public roads.

23a   Excited, secures // the high ground (7)

24a   Appear hurt, /but/ hurry up (4,5)

25a   Good competition /is/ a blessing (5)

"good" = G (show explanation )

The abbreviation G^[10] for good likely relates to its use in grading school assignments or tests.

hide explanation

26a   The positive aspect // of many Anglicans (4)

Yin and yang^[10] are the two complementary principles of Chinese philosophy: Yin is negative, dark, and feminine, Yang positive, bright, and masculine. Their interaction is thought to maintain the harmony of the universe and to influence everything within it.

27a   Brides test new // homes (10)

Bedsit^[5] (also bedsitter or bed-sitting room) is a British term for a one-roomed unit of accommodation typically consisting of combined bedroom and sitting room with cooking facilities.

Down

1d   Puzzle /of/ rising total collected by worker (6)

"of" ⇒ link word (show explanation )

When used as a link word, "of" denotes that the definition is formed from the constituent parts found in the wordplay.

This is based on the word of^[5] being used as a preposition indicating the material or substance constituting something ⇒ (i) the house was built of bricks; (ii) walls of stone.

hide explanation

"worker" = BEE (show explanation )

The word "worker" and the phrase "social worker" are commonly used in cryptic crossword puzzles to clue ANT or BEE.

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

2d   Soldiers /needing/ oxygen in exercise from the south (6)

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

3d   Barriers make this part of meal // a challenge? (8,6)

This clue almost looks like it wants to be a cryptic definition or some sort of all-in-one clue — but it doesn't quite seem to work as such. Rather, I would say that the wordplay parses as OBSTACLE (barriers make this; i.e., something comprised of barriers) + COURSE (part of a meal).

4d   Vehicle /for/ ordering bacon and mash? (6,3)

A hansom^[10] (also hansom cab) is a two-wheeled one-horse carriage with a fixed hood. The driver sits on a high outside seat at the rear.

5d   Look at copper -- married // doctor (5)

"look" = LO (show explanation )

Lo^[5] is an archaic exclamation used to draw attention to an interesting or amazing event ⇒ and lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them.

hide explanation

"copper" = CU (show explanation )

The symbol for the chemical element copper is Cu^[5] (from late Latin cuprum).

hide explanation

I would say that the wordplay likely parses as LO (look) + (at; situated next to) CU (copper) + M (married; abbrev.).

"Lo" is an exclamation meaning 'look!' or 'behold' and I do not believe that it can mean "look at".

Locum^[5] (short for locum tenens) is a British term for a person who stands in temporarily for someone else of the same profession, especially a cleric or doctor.

7d   Chap mainly performing outside left // instrument (8)

Chap^[3,4,11], an informal British^[5] or chiefly British^[3] term for a man or boy, is a shortened form of chapman^[3,4,11], an archaic term for a trader, especially an itinerant pedlar^[a,b].

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^[a] Pedlar is the modern British spelling of peddler^[c] which, in most senses, is a US or old-fashioned British spelling. The exception is in the sense of a dealer in illegal drugs which the Brits spell as drug peddler.

^[b] The current meaning of chap^[2] dates from the 18th century. In the 16th century, chap meant 'a customer'. The dictionaries do not explain how a shortened form of 'chapman' (pedlar) came to mean 'customer'.

^[c] Collins COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary

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A mandolin^[5] is a musical instrument resembling a lute, having paired metal strings plucked with a plectrum. It has a characteristic tremolo when sustaining long notes.

8d   About to pay /and/ move house (8)

Move house^[d] is a British term meaning to move (i.e., go to live in another house) ⇒ We have just moved house and are planning to paint some of the rooms.

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^[d] Collins COBUILD English Usage

9d   Sweet // kid thus lighter? Unlikely (7,7)

Sweet^[5] is the British name for candy.

Turkish delight^[3,4,11] is a jelly-like candy flavoured with flower essences, usually cut into cubes and covered with powdered sugar.

15d   Assesses, /and/ leaves upset about letter from Greece turning up (9)

Tau^[5] is the nineteenth letter of the Greek alphabet (Τ, τ).

16d   Part of house full yesterday, // conveniently (8)

17d   Limits // matches with county (4,4)

Tie^[5] is a British term meaning a sports match between two or more players or teams in which the winners proceed to the next round of the competition ⇒ Swindon Town have gained themselves a third round tie against Oldham^*.

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^* This usage example does not mean — as a North American might presume — that Swindon Town and Oldham played to a draw in the third round. Rather, it means that Swindon Town defeated their opponent in the second round and will move on to face Oldham in the third round.

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Down^[5] is one of the Six Counties of Northern Ireland, since 1973 an administrative district; chief town, Downpatrick.

19d   Close friend must drop note /for/ warder's charge (6)

Ti^[1] is the seventh note of the major scale in tonic sol-fa.^*

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^* According to several British dictionaries, the principal spelling is te^[2,4,10] with ti^[2,4,10] being an alternative spelling. However, Oxford Dictionaries decrees that te^[5] is the British spelling with ti being the North American spelling. In the American dictionaries that I consulted, the only spelling listed is ti^[3,11]. The Chambers Dictionary stands alone — even from its sister publication Chambers 21st Century Dictionary — in showing ti^[1] to be the principal spelling with te^[1] as an alternative spelling.

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Warder^[5] is a British term for a guard in a prison.

20d   Items of some worth, // in the form of radios (6)

22d   Cancel // Times before starting Express (5)

Scratching the Surface
The Times[7] is a British daily national newspaper based in London. The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers, since 1981 a division of News UK, a wholly owned subsidiary of Australian-born American publisher and media entrepreneur Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. The Daily Express[7] is a daily national middle market tabloid newspaper in the United Kingdom.

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