Tuesday, April 27, 2021 — DT 29442

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph DT 29442
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph Friday, August 14, 2020
Setter Zandio
Link to full review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29442]
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 managed to complete this puzzle unaided. Fortunately, I recalled the puppets from an encounter with them in a previous puzzle. Nevertheless, 7d was my last one in — the penny finally dropping long after the rest of the puzzle had been put to bed.

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	Making an issue of what's been written? (10)

6a	Italian church // passion (4)

"Italian " = IT [in reference to either the language or the vermouth]

This cluing might be explained in a couple of ways:

• It.^[10] is an abbreviation for Italy or Italian [language].


• Italian^[10] is another name for Italian vermouth. It^[5] is a dated informal British term for Italian vermouth ⇒ he poured a gin and it.

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10a	Shabby inner-city parking /causes/ depression (5)

 "parking " = P [symbol on street signs]

P is a symbol for 'parking' used on street signs.

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11a	Charging // in, verbalising (9)

12a	Trooped off /to see/ something exploding (7)

13a	Colourful bit of scenery // drops -- sign the show's over (7)

14a	Communist allowed ground-up dry tea /for/ celebration (3,6,3)

18a	Electrical fault noticed // with restricted observation? (5-7)

Like some others, I contemplated SHORT-CIRCUIT but did not write it in as I could not parse it.

21a	Slip put right near the back of a book (7)

23a	Praise // British university breaking routine (7)

24a	Food giving a chap toil when cooking (9)

Chipolata^[5] is a British term for a small thin sausage.

25a	Makes more flat // golfing equipment (5)

26a	Revolutionary 'Something in the Air', with a // narrative (4)

Scratching the Surface
"Something in the Air"[7] is a song recorded by British rock band Thunderclap Newman that was a No. 1 single for three weeks on the UK Singles Chart in July 1969.

27a	Disregarding odds, unties astern -- the US task, /finding/ wartime havens (6,4)

Nissen hut^[5] is a British name for a tunnel-shaped hut made of corrugated iron with a concrete floor, named after Peter N. Nissen (1871–1930), the British engineer who invented it. This structure would seem to be similar to (and, given that Nissen died in 1930, likely predate) the American Quonset hut^[5] (Trademark) from the Second World War which is named after Quonset Point, Rhode Island, where such huts were first made.

Down

1d	Vegetable bringing in ready // money once (6)

Prior to the introduction of the euro in 2002, the peseta^[5] was the basic monetary unit of Spain, equal to 100 centimos.

For a long time, I toyed with POTATO thinking it might be another Cockney term for money (from a pound of potatoes, perhaps).

Once again, I did not write it in as I could not parse it.

Scratching the Surface
Here we have a great example of needing to separate a common term into its component parts with one part going in the wordplay and the other part contributing to the definition. Ready money[5] (also called ready cash) is money in the form of cash that is immediately available ⇒ you might find yourself without the ready money you need to snap up a bargain.

2d	Obscure // outbreak starts with Belgium not France (6)

I suppose outbreak and flurry are synonymous within the bounds of of cryptic crossword licence:

• An outbreak^[5] is a sudden occurrence of something unwelcome, such as war or disease.
• A flurry^[5] is a sudden short period of activity or excitement ⇒ there was a brief flurry of activity in the hall.

although we have had an outbreak of COVID-19 that has been anything but short-lived.

"Belgium " = B [IVR code]

The International Vehicle Registration (IVR) code for Belgium is B^[5].

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

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"France " = F [IVR code]

The International Vehicle Registration (IVR) code for France is F^[5].

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

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3d	Discharge /from/ lemon -- impatient to get cleaned up (14)

4d	Populace/'s/ vote given to Hearts with two narrow away wins (3,6)

"hearts " = H [card suit]

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

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When reporting sports results, the score of the home team is always shown first. Thus a narrow win by the visiting team might be 0-1.

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Hoi polloi^[5] (usually the hoi polloi) is a derogatory term for the masses or the common people ⇒ avoid mixing with the hoi polloi.

Scratching the Surface
Heart of Midlothian Football Club[7], commonly known as Hearts, is a professional football [soccer] club in Edinburgh, Scotland. The team competes in the Scottish Championship, the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League.

5d	On the up, some prosper eventually -- /or/ not (5)

I don't understand why, in his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Deep Threat marks this as an all-in-one clue. To my mind, the definition is simply provided by the final word.

7d	Rest found here in Bill and Ben's garden? (4,4)

Bill and Ben are the principal characters from the Flower Pot Men^[7], a British children's programme, produced by BBC television, first transmitted in 1952, and repeated regularly for more than twenty years. Bill and Ben are two little men made of flower pots who lived at the bottom of an English suburban garden. A reboot of the show called Bill and Ben was produced in 2001.

The solution alludes to the fact that the pair are identical in appearance and live in a garden.

8d	Bad manners // where driving is fastest? (8)

9d	Something printed /from/ two journalists I crashed into south of border (7,7)

15d	Island folk // project a hit, Ian Stewart boasts (9)

Scratching the Surface
Ian Stewart[7] (1938–1985) was a Scottish keyboardist and co-founder of the Rolling Stones. He was removed from the line-up in May 1963 at the request of manager Andrew Loog Oldham who felt he did not fit the band's image. He remained as road manager and pianist for over two decades and was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with the rest of the band in 1989.

16d	Spirits /seen in/ German city church steeple's entrance (8)

Essen^[5] is an industrial city in the Ruhr valley, in northwestern Germany.

"church " = CE [Church of England]

The Church of England^[10] (abbreviation CE^[10]) is the reformed established state Church in England, Catholic in order and basic doctrine, with the Sovereign as its temporal head.

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17d	Brief time in front of grave around memorial /showing/ grief (8)

"brief time " = MO

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

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^* 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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19d	Strange dusk gathers over uniform // figures in square (6)

"over " = O [cricket term]

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

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"uniform " = U [NATO Phonetic Alphabet]

In what is commonly known as the NATO Phonetic Alphabet^[7]*, Uniform^[5] is a code word representing the letter U.

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^* officially the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet

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20d	Playing // lines United used to replace energy once (6)

"United " = U

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

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"energy " = E [symbol used in physics]

In physics, E^[5] is a symbol used to represent energy in mathematical formulae ⇒ E = mc².

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Scratching the Surface

Manchester United Football Club[7], commonly known as Man United or simply United*, is an English professional football [soccer] club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League (the top level in the English football league system). * Although, in Britain, the word United[5] is commonly used in the names of soccer and other sports teams formed by amalgamation, it would seem that the name United in the absence of other context would customarily be assumed to be a reference to Manchester United.

22d	Coming from the south, one's goal /to make/ US city (5)

In the wordplay, one^[2] is used in a formal or facetious (first person) sense denoting I or me ⇒ One doesn't like to pry, but could you please explain ... (which accounts for the first person contraction in the solution).

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Key to Reference Sources: 

  ^[1]   - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition

  ^[2]   - Search Chambers - (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)

  ^[3]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (American Heritage Dictionary)

  ^[4]   - TheFreeDictionarycom (Collins English Dictionary)

  ^[5]   - Lexico (formerly Oxford Dictionaries Online) (Oxford Dictionary of English)

  ^[6]   - Lexico (formerly Oxford Dictionaries Online) (Oxford Advanced American Dictionary)

  ^[7]   - Wikipedia

  ^[8]   - Reverso Online Dictionary (Collins French-English Dictionary)

  ^[9]   - Infoplease (Random House Unabridged Dictionary)

^[10]   - CollinsDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)

^[11]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary)

^[12]   - CollinsDictionary.com (Webster’s New World College Dictionary)

^[13]   - MacmillanDictionary.com (Macmillan Dictionary)

^[14]   - CollinsDictionary.com (COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary)

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

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Signing off for today — Falcon

Monday, April 26, 2021 — DT 29441 (Published Saturday, April 24, 2021)

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph DT 29441
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph Thursday, August 13, 2020
Setter Unknown
Link to full review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29441]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by Miffypops
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
This puzzle appears on the Monday Diversions page in the Saturday, April 24, 2021 edition of the National Post.

Introduction

Reading through the comments on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, I see that various solvers foundered in different corners of the puzzle. For me, it was the northeast which caused me to call in electronic reinforcements.

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	Meal -- I get it cooked, // OK? (10)

6a	Stone /or/ piece of broken glass possibly hard to remove (4)

"hard " = H [grade of pencil lead]

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

hide

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Sard^[5] is a yellow or brownish-red semi-precious stone consisting of a variety of chalcedony.

10a	Joy /in/ church always (5)

11a	Astronaut switching components // using a lot of force (9)

Neil Armstrong^[5] (1930–2012) was an American astronaut. He commanded the Apollo 11 mission, during which he became the first man to set foot on the moon (20 July 1969).

Post Mortem
After spending a considerable amount of time trying to make this clue an anagram (switching components) of "astronaut", I eventually found the solution based solely on the definition and checking letters. However, it was still a long time until the penny dropped on the explanation for the wordplay.

12a	One of the 19 against entering that // foreign city (8)

In this clue, one must treat the wordplay as a series of instructions: [Step 1] One of the 19; [Step 2] against entering that [i.e., the result from Step 1].

The numeral "19" is a cross reference indicator pointing to clue 19a (show more ).

To complete the clue, a solver must replace the cross reference indicator with the solution to the clue starting in the light^* identified by the cross reference indicator.

The cross reference indicator may include a directional indicator but this is customarily done only in situations where there are both Across and Down clues originating in the light that is being referenced.

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^* light-coloured cell in the grid

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The problem with this clue is that sago^[7] is not a cereal; it is a starch extracted from the spongy centre, or pith, of various tropical palm stems.

Delving Deeper

Sago is a major staple food for the lowland peoples of New Guinea and the Moluccas — not to mention British boarding school students (to whom it is popularly — or, perhaps more accurately, unpopularly — known as frogspawn). Sago is often produced commercially in the form of "pearls". Sago pearls can be boiled with water or milk and sugar to make a sweet sago pudding. Sago pearls are similar in appearance to tapioca pearls and the two may be used interchangeably in some dishes. In the UK, both sago and tapioca have long been used in sweet milk puddings which, as evidenced by a number of comments on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, are an unwelcome staple at British boarding schools.

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Santiago^[5] is the capital of Chile, situated to the west of the Andes in the central part of the country.

13a	Native /seen as/ upright type (5)

I doubt that there were few — if any — solvers for whom this "native" was the first to pop to mind.

A Roman is a native^[2] of (someone born in) modern or ancient Rome.

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Roman^[5] is type of of a plain upright kind used in ordinary print, especially as distinguished from italic and Gothic.

15a	Leader of people inclined /to be/ flexible (7)

17a	One beloved // Scotsman maybe about to come into money (7)

"Scotsman maybe " = IAN

Ian^[7] (also Iain) is a name of Scottish Gaelic origin, corresponding to English/Hebrew John. It is a common name for a Scotsman — and especially so in Crosswordland.

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"about " = C [circa]

The preposition circa^[5] (abbreviation c^[5], c.^[5], or ca^[5]), usually used preceding a date or amount, means approximately [or about] ⇒ (i) the church was built circa 1860; (ii) Isabella was born c.1759; (iii) he was born ca 1400.

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19a	The Archers and such, say, on the radio? // We gobble them up! (7)

The Archers^[7] is a British radio soap opera broadcast on BBC Radio since 1951. Having aired over 19,300 episodes, it is the world's longest-running drama. It was initially billed an everyday story of country folk and now, a contemporary drama in a rural setting. The series centres around the lives of the Archer clan who run a third-generation family farm in the fictional village of Ambridge in the English Midlands.

21a	Changed // key before band's final piece (7)

22a	Way of looking at something // that could be right (5)

24a	Looking embarrassed about condition /being/ mentioned again (8)

27a	Learner is not half timid type going around in // mini? No! (9)

"learner " = 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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Mini^[7] is an automobile brand, currently owned by BMW, but originally introduced as a model under the Austin and Morris marques by the now defunct British Motor Corporation (BMC).

28a	Male about 101 -- // young member of family! (5)

29a	Second method /to gain/ supremacy (4)

30a	Female always quiet with desire /shows/ great excitement (5,5)

"quiet " = P [music notation (piano)]

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.

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Down

1d	Want // some special acknowledgement (4)

2d	Soldier /to be in/ Caribbean location shortly? That is right (9)

Grenada^[5] is a country in the Caribbean, consisting of the island of Grenada (the southernmost of the Windward Islands) and the southern Grenadine Islands. (show more )

The island of Grenada was sighted in 1498 by Columbus. Colonized by the French, it was ceded to Britain in 1763, recaptured by the French, and restored to Britain in 1783. It became an independent Commonwealth state in 1974. Seizure of power by a left-wing military group in 1983 prompted an invasion by the US and some Caribbean countries; they withdrew in 1985.

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In the British Army, a grenadier^[10] is a member of the Grenadier Guards, the senior regiment of infantry in the Household Brigade^*.

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^* A household brigade^[5] is a brigade comprising troops having (at least nominal) responsibility for guarding the monarch or head of state.  (show more )

In the British Army prior to 1950 the term Household Brigade referred only to the Household Cavalry; it was subsequently extended to include the foot guards (Grenadier, Coldstream, Scots, Irish and Welsh guards). The Household Brigade became the Household Division as part of a wider reorganization of the army in 1968.

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3d	Sailor with old books // that may have mystical signs (5)

"sailor " = TAR

Tar^[5] is an informal, dated nickname for a sailor. The term came into use in the mid 17th century and is perhaps an abbreviation of tarpaulin, also used as a nickname for a sailor at that time.

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"old books " = OT [Old Testament]

In Crosswordland, "books" — or related terms such as today's "old books" — is commonly used to clue either the Old Testament (OT) or the New Testament (NT).

 Often the clue does not specify whether the reference is to the former or the latter. However, today's setter specifies the required choice very precisely.

hide

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A tarot^[5] is a pack of tarot cards (the Tarot)^* or a card from such a pack.

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^* The Tarot is traditionally a pack of 78 playing cards with five suits, used for fortune-telling and (especially in Europe) in certain games. The suits are typically swords, cups, coins (or pentacles), batons (or wands), and a permanent suit of trumps.

4d	Doctor, // wise man accommodating fool (7)

Mage^[5] is an archaic or literary term for a magician or learned person.

What did he say?

In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Miffypops describes the "wise man" as One of three who visited Joseph Mary and Jesus. The word "mage" is an anglicized form of Latin magus (the plural of which is magi). The Magi[2] were the three* wise men or astrologers from the east who brought gifts to the infant Jesus, guided by a star. Also called the Three Kings and the Three Wise Men (Matthew 2:1-12). * Matthew is the only one of the four canonical gospels to mention the Magi[7]. Matthew reports that they came "from the east" to worship the "king of the Jews". The gospel never mentions the number of Magi, but most western Christian denominations have traditionally assumed them to have been three in number, based on the statement that they brought three gifts. In Eastern Christianity, especially the Syriac churches, the Magi often number twelve. By the way, I am fairly confident that, strictly speaking (from the perspective of a linguist), the plural of mage is mages — rather than magi. Nevertheless, loosely speaking (within the bounds of cryptic crossword licence), a Mage could be said to be one of the Magi.

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Doctor^[5] is used as a verb in the sense of change the content or appearance of (a document or picture) in order to deceive; in other words, falsify.

5d	Performance cancelled -- // something discouraging (4-3)

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.

7d	Panic // in the manner of fighting corps (5)

"fighting corps " = RM [Royal Marines]

The Royal Marines^[5] (abbreviation RM^[5]) is a British armed service (part of the Royal Navy) founded in 1664, trained for service at sea, or on land under specific circumstances.

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8d	Musical instruction /gets/ unintelligent one undone, confused (10)

Diminuendo^[5] is a direction to perform a passage of music with a decrease in loudness.

Post Mortem
I initially tried to use DUNCE ("unintelligent one") in the solution. Once I realized that had too many letters, I tried to find a four-letter synonym. As Kath, my blogging colleague from Big Dave's Crossword Blog, might say, "dim".

9d	Fashionable top female to rave, // never able to be wrong (8)

"top female " = ER [regnal cipher of Queen Elizabeth]

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.

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^* A cipher^[5] (also cypher) is a monogram^[5] or motif of two or more interwoven letters, typically a person's initials, used to identify a personal possession or as a logo.

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Post Mortem
I managed to figure out everything but the "top female". I guess that qualifies as "dimmer".

14d	Spot when king leaves castle -- fantastic // things worth looking at (10)

"king " = K [playing card or chess notation]

K^[5] is an abbreviation for king that is used especially in describing play in card games and recording moves in chess.

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16d	Suffering from a bruising defeat? (6-2)

The entire clue would appear to be a cryptic definition in which a precise definition is embedded.

18d	Race to get first /for/ keen professional? (9)

20d	Artists turned up to eat // fish (7)

"artist " = RA; thus "artists" = "RAS"

A Royal Academician (abbreviation RA^[10]) is a member of the Royal Academy of Arts^[5] (also Royal Academy; abbreviation also RA^[10]), an institution established in London in 1768, whose purpose is to cultivate painting, sculpture, and architecture in Britain.

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21d	American sitting in a tree, unusually // ascetic (7)

23d	Endless sport leading to graduate /getting/ low grade? (5)

Gamma^[5] is a British term for a third-class mark given for an essay or other piece of work ⇒ I was very close to a First, but got a gamma double-minus in "Political Institutions".

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Origin: gamma^[5] is third letter of the Greek alphabet (Γ, γ)

In a comment on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, LabradorsruleOK provides a link to a page on the website of the Oxford (University) Study Abroad Programme that shows a comparison of Oxford grades with US grades. It really is worth a look.

25d	Greek author // upset water on work (5)

"work " = OP [opus]

In music, an opus^[5] (Latin 'work', plural opuses or opera) is a separate composition or set of compositions.

The abbreviation Op.^[5] (also op.), denoting opus, is used before a number given to each work of a particular composer, usually indicating the order of publication. The plural form of Op. is Opp..

Opus^[5] can also be used in other contexts to denote an artistic work, especially one on a large scale ⇒ he was writing an opus on Mexico.

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Aesop^[5,10] (?620–564 BC) was a Greek storyteller who authored fables in which animals are given human characters and used to satirize human failings. The moral animal fables associated with him were probably collected from many sources, and initially communicated orally. Aesop is said to have lived as a slave on the island of Samos.

26d	Distance // spanned by mountain chain (4)

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Key to Reference Sources: 

  ^[1]   - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition

  ^[2]   - Search Chambers - (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)

  ^[3]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (American Heritage Dictionary)

  ^[4]   - TheFreeDictionarycom (Collins English Dictionary)

  ^[5]   - Lexico (formerly Oxford Dictionaries Online) (Oxford Dictionary of English)

  ^[6]   - Lexico (formerly Oxford Dictionaries Online) (Oxford Advanced American Dictionary)

  ^[7]   - Wikipedia

  ^[8]   - Reverso Online Dictionary (Collins French-English Dictionary)

  ^[9]   - Infoplease (Random House Unabridged Dictionary)

^[10]   - CollinsDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)

^[11]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary)

^[12]   - CollinsDictionary.com (Webster’s New World College Dictionary)

^[13]   - MacmillanDictionary.com (Macmillan Dictionary)

^[14]   - CollinsDictionary.com (COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary)

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

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Signing off for today — Falcon

Saturday, April 24, 2021 — Spring Fever

Introduction

Today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon with its seasonally appropriate theme was a nice start to a beautiful day. At noon here in Ottawa, we have clear blue skies overhead and the thermometer reads 20° C. I think Richard has succinctly captured the mood in his comment so I have unabashedly appropriated it as the title of today's review.

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

Solution to Today's Puzzle

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

Symbols and Markup Conventions
"*" - anagram "~" - sounds like "<" - indicates the preceding letters are reversed "( )" - encloses contained letters "_" - replaces letters that have been deleted  "†" - indicates that the word is present in the clue	"//" - marks the boundary between wordplay and definition when no link word or link phrase is present "/[link word or phrase]/" - marks the boundary between wordplay and definition when a link word or link phrase is present "solid underline" - precise definition "dotted underline" - cryptic definition "dashed underline" - wordplay "wavy underline" - whimsical and inferred definitions
Click here for further explanation and usage examples of the symbols and markup conventions used on this blog.

Across

1a	Spring // meadow with earliest of primroses (4)

LEA|P — LEA (meadow) + (with) P (earliest [initial letter] of Primroses)

3a	Early // or mid-april changes (10)

PRIMORDIAL* — anagram of (changes) OR MIDAPRIL

9a	Attack // a season outspokenly (7)

ASSAULT~ — sounds like (outspokenly) {A (†) + SALT (season)}

11a	Allergen // was wild, engulfing our group (7)

RAG(WE)ED — RAGED (was wild) containing (engulfing) WE (our group)

12a	A green, with fluid, // surviving (10)

WEATHERING* — anagram of (fluid) A GREEN WITH

13a	Rose // found in grape terrace (4)

_PE|TE_ — hidden in (found in) graPE TErrace

Pete Rose^[7] is an American former professional baseball player and manager. Rose played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1963 to 1986, and managed the Cincinnati Reds from 1984 to 1989. A holder of many records and winner of numerous awards, Rose has been banned for life from baseball and declared permanently ineligible for election to the Baseball Hall of Fame for betting on baseball while a player and manager including placing bets on his own team.

15a	Like a saint // always wearing rose (7)

R(EVER)ED — EVER (always) contained in (wearing) RED (rose)

17a	Many a spring // run surrounded by mists (7)

ST(R)EAMS — R (run; abbreviation from baseball) contained in (surrounded by) STEAMS (mists)

19a	Ruined instead? (7)

STAINED* — anagram of (ruined) INSTEAD

This is what is known as a semi-&lit. clue^*. The entire clue provides the wordplay in which the precise definition is embedded.

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^* Were the entire clue to be both wordplay and definition, it would be a true &lit. clue^[7]. In fact, if you can convince yourself that the entire clue constitutes a precise definition, feel free to call this an &lit. clue.

21a	Holiday diner // food’s beginning Sunday in spring (7)

F|EASTER — F (Food's beginning [initial letter]) + EASTER (Sunday in spring)

Diner is used in the sense of a person partaking of the food and not an establishment serving the food.

22a	Spring time // argument (4)

SPA|T — SPA (spring) + T(ime)

23a	On warm day, I turned // farmer of sorts (10)

DAIRYWOMAN* — anagram of (turned) ON WARM DAY I

26a	Teach a new skill // mid-april, and in Quebec, fall (7)

R|ET|RAIN — R (mid-April; middle letter of ApRil) + ET (and in Quebec; French word meaning 'and') + RAIN (fall; figuratively, leaves rain from the trees in the autumn breeze)

27a	Springtime test // of a city figure (7)

MAY|ORAL — MAY (springtime) + ORAL (test)

The wordplay perhaps works a bit better as a complete phrase, with a "springtime test" being a "MAY ORAL".

Thank you to "Pedant Chris" for pointing out  the error originally present in the markup.

28a	Late spring burst // doing home repairs (10)

PLASTERING* — anagram of (burst) LATE SPRING

29a	After start of spring, ate // fish (4)

S|HAD — HAD (ate) following (after) S (start [initial letter] of Spring)

Down

1d	Mistaken on a world’s // language borrowings (4,5)

{LOAN WORDS}* — anagram of (mistaken) ON A WORLDS

2d	Lost // a meal in Britain, including piece of steak (2,3)

A|T (S)EA — {A (†) + TEA (meal in Britain)} containing (including) S (piece [initial letter] of Steak)

4d	Stopped working, // given new wheels? (7)

RETIRED — double definition; the second a bit cryptic

5d	Horses carrying in // soldiers (7)

MAR(IN)ES — MARES ([female] horses) containing (carrying) IN (†)

6d	Joplin piece and a // Shankar piece (4)

RAG|A — RAG (Joplin piece) + (and) A (†)

Scott Joplin^[7] (c. 1867/1868–1917) was an African-American composer and pianist. Joplin achieved fame for his ragtime compositions, and was later titled The King of Ragtime. During his brief career, he wrote 44 original ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas. One of his first pieces, the Maple Leaf Rag, became ragtime's first and most influential hit, and has been recognized as the archetypal rag.

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Ravi Shankar^[5] (1920–2012) was an Indian sitar player and composer. From the mid 1950s he toured Europe and the US giving sitar recitals, doing much to stimulate contemporary Western interest in Indian music.

In Indian classical music, raga^[5] (also rag) denotes (1) each of the six basic musical modes which express different moods in certain characteristic progressions, with more emphasis placed on some notes than others or (2) a piece using a particular raga.

7d	Coarse // eglantine tidied up (9)

INELEGANT* — anagram of (tidied up) EGLANTINE

8d	Stick // 500 in balcony section (5)

LO(D)GE — D ([Roman numeral] 500) contained in (in) LOGE (balcony section)

10d	The woman inside taking advantage of // theatre work (8)

US(HER)ING — HER (the woman) contained in (inside) USING (taking advantage of)

14d	Show place // slipping boy award (8)

BROADWAY* — anagram of (slipping) BOY AWARD

16d	Oddly active, a la // Milky Way (3,6)

{VIA LACTEA}* — anagram of (oddly) ACTIVE A LA

Via Lactea is the Classical Latin name for the Milky Way^[7].

According to various accounts in Greek mythology, the Milky Way was formed when Hera, the queen of the gods, was either tricked into suckling the infant Heracles or had the the infant placed unknowingly at her breast while she was asleep. When she awoke, or when the infant bit her nipple hard, she tore Heracles away from her breast and splattered her breast milk across the heavens.

18d	Saint called, and was first // stifled (9)

ST|RANG|LED — ST (saint) + RANG (called) + (and) LED (was first)

20d	New drier: an // accessory in the kitchen (7)

DRAINER* — anagram of (new) DRIER AN

21d	Boss // in favour of reversed ID (7)

FOR|EMAN< — FOR (in favour of) + reversal of (reversed) NAME (ID)

22d	Band // leaves in the opposite direction (5)

STRAP< — reversal of (in the opposite direction) PARTS (leaves)

24d	Parade // one month (5)

MARCH — double definition

25d	Group of actors // tossed (4)

CAST — double definition

Epilogue

One doesn't need to be much of a detective to suss out the theme of today's puzzle. As I thought about it, the title that I stole from Richard not only captures the normal seasonal restlessness at this time of year but could also be seen as an allusion to the surging pandemic that we find ourselves in the midst of.

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Key to Reference Sources: 

  ^[1]   - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition

  ^[2]   - Search Chambers - (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)

  ^[3]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (American Heritage Dictionary)

  ^[4]   - TheFreeDictionarycom (Collins English Dictionary)

  ^[5]   - Lexico (formerly Oxford Dictionaries Online) (Oxford Dictionary of English)

  ^[6]   - Lexico (formerly Oxford Dictionaries Online) (Oxford Advanced American Dictionary)

  ^[7]   - Wikipedia

  ^[8]   - Reverso Online Dictionary (Collins French-English Dictionary)

  ^[9]   - Infoplease (Random House Unabridged Dictionary)

^[10]   - CollinsDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)

^[11]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary)

^[12]   - CollinsDictionary.com (Webster’s New World College Dictionary)

^[13]   - MacmillanDictionary.com (Macmillan Dictionary)

^[14]   - CollinsDictionary.com (COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary)

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

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Signing off for today — Falcon