Wednesday, May 8, 2013 — DT 27109

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27109
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Saturday, February 23, 2013
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27109 - Hints]  Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27109 - Review]
Big Dave's Review Written By Big Dave (Hints) gnomethang (Review)
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★★★	Enjoyment - ★★
Falcon's Experience ┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐ ███████████████████████████████████ └────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘ Legend: █ - solved without assistance █ - incorrect prior to use of puzzle solving tools █ - solved with assistance from puzzle solving tools █ - solved with aid of checking letters provided by puzzle solving tools █ - unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Big Dave's blog █ - reviewed by Falcon for Big Dave's blog

Introduction

I finished today's puzzle without calling in my electronic assistants — admittedly, in two sittings. This would clearly seem to support crypticsue's frequent admonition to set the puzzle aside and "cogitate" when an apparent impasse is reached.

This having been a Saturday "Prize Puzzle" in Britain, we find two postings on Big Dave's Crossword Blog — one on the date of publication containing hints for selected clues (as well as the majority of reader comments) and a full review issued following the entry deadline for the contest.

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.

Across

1a   Go to pieces as rent's increased (5,2)

9a   Outline in which one car is overturned (8)

10a   Grandee adopted defensive stance (2,5)

11a   Cares not about one farther up the tree (8)

12a   Creator of a ramshackle hut finished with gold (6)

Or^[5] is gold or yellow, as a heraldic tincture. In heraldry, a tincture^[5] is any of the conventional colours (including the metals and stains, and often the furs) used in coats of arms.

13a   Escape outpouring that follows passing of coach perhaps (10)

15a   Old Bob is able to look at something quickly (4)

In the UK, a shilling^[2] (abbreviation s^[2])  was a monetary unit and coin, in use prior to the introduction of decimal currency in 1971, worth one twentieth of a pound or 12 old pence (12d). Bob^[2] is an informal term for a shilling. The word "old" alludes to the fact that the shilling is no longer in circulation since the introduction of decimal currency.

16a   American native whose day always seems the same? (9)

Groundhog Day^[7] is a 1993 American comedy film starring Bill Murray who plays an arrogant and egocentric Pittsburgh TV weatherman who, during a hated assignment covering the annual Groundhog Day event in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania finds himself in a time loop, repeating the same day again and again. After indulging in hedonism and numerous suicide attempts, he begins to re-examine his life and priorities.

21a   Artillerymen's pints carried away (4)

In the UK, the Royal Regiment of Artillery^[7], commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA), is the artillery arm of the British Army.

22a   Nice cat lad gets befuddled -- it's not intended (10)

24a   Count governed in a daze (6)

25a   Told of French beginning to take Scottish isle, suffering complete reverse (8)

In French, de^[8] is a preposition meaning 'of'. Arran^[5] is an island in the Firth of Clyde, in the west of Scotland.

27a   Increase  prison sentence (7)

28a   State of uncertainty caused by southern coppers reportedly holding American (8)

In Britain, pence^[5] is a plural form of penny. Oxford advises that both pence and pennies have existed as plural forms of penny since at least the 16th century. The two forms now tend to be used for different purposes: pence refers to sums of money (five pounds and sixty-nine pence) while pennies refers to the coins themselves (I left two pennies on the table).

In Britain's current decimal currency system, a penny^[5] is a bronze coin and monetary unit equal to one hundredth of a pound (and is abbreviated p). In the system formerly used, a penny was equal to one twelfth of a shilling or 240th of a pound (and was abbreviated d, for denarius).

29a   Film expert standing in front of gallery (7)

The Tate Gallery^[5] (commonly known as simply the Tate) is a national museum of art in London, England founded in 1897 by the sugar manufacturer Sir Henry Tate (1819 – 1899) to house his collection of modern British paintings, as a nucleus for a permanent national collection of modern art. It was renamed Tate Britain in 2000, when the new Tate Modern gallery opened.

Down

2d   Reject belief in bird losing weight then adding weight (8)

Is the wren — as Big Dave states — a "British bird". I suppose the answer may be yes — and no.

The wrens^[7] are mostly small, brownish passerine birds in the mainly New World family Troglodytidae. There are approximately 80 species of true wrens in approximately 20 genera. Only the Eurasian Wren occurs in the Old World, where in Anglophone regions it is commonly known simply as the "wren" as it is the originator of the name. The name wren has also been applied to other, unrelated birds, particularly the New Zealand wrens (Acanthisittidae) and the Australian wrens (Maluridae).

3d   In conflict about flogging (8)

4d   Mark's after articles from France and Germany, getting stress (10)

In French, un^[8] is the masculine singular form of the indefinite article [don't be misled by Big Dave's hint], while der^[8] is a form of the German definite article used in various declensions.

5d   Graphic symbol of swindler's confession? (4)

6d   Lay out trendy underwear (6)

"Lay out" in the sense of making a purchase that you hope will generate a return.

In Britain, an undershirt is is known as a vest^[4] (and what North Americans think of as a vest would be called a waistcoat).

7d   One of the family runs into trouble (7)

On cricket scorecards, the abbreviation R^[5] indicates run(s).

8d   Bid of £100 raised by end (2-5)

Ton^[5] is British slang for a hundred, in particular a speed of 100 mph, a score of 100 or more, or a sum of £100 ⇒ he scored 102 not out, his third ton of the tour.

The example relates to cricket where batsmen bat in pairs, one at either end of the pitch. The batting side (team) is out when ten of the eleven players have been dismissed as there is no longer enough players to form a pair. The remaining batsman is said to be "not out", although the batting side itself is out.

11d   Cut off a date line when travelling (9)

14d   Second Catholic's disposed to be concerned with education (10)

17d   Incline to fail, interrupting scholarship perhaps (8)

18d   Part of shoe damaged -- it's a blow (8)

19d   Glossy coat to go missing, worn by Romeo (7)

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

20d   Player putting key in a lock (7)

23d   Reread novel that's more treasured (6)

26d   Otherwise gripped by Handel's 'Esther' (4)

Esther^[7] is an oratorio by German-born British Baroque composer George Frideric Handel (1685 – 1759) and is generally acknowledged to be the first English oratorio. The work was originally composed in about 1718, but was heavily revised into a full oratorio in 1732.

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, May 7, 2013 — DT 27108

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27108
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Friday, February 22, 2013
Setter Giovanni (Don Manley)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27108]
Big Dave's 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 █ - unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Big Dave's blog █ - reviewed by Falcon for Big Dave's blog

Introduction

Another brief posting today, although considerably more timely than yesterday's.

Signing off for today — Falcon

Monday, May 6, 2013 — DT 27107

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27107
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Thursday, February 21, 2013
Setter RayT (Ray Terrell)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27107]
Big Dave's Review Written By pommers
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 █ - unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Big Dave's blog █ - reviewed by Falcon for Big Dave's blog

Introduction

Not only is the review late, but it is abbreviated. With July seeming to have arrived two months prematurely after an abnormally cold April, it is just too tempting to spend time outside. Besides, there are endless chores to accomplish in the yard. Not to mention that the Stanley Cup Playoffs have begun. There are definitely not enough hours in the day to do everything.

Signing off for today — Falcon

Saturday, May 4, 2013 — Eclectic Sextet

Introduction

In today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon, the setters have assembled a diverse collection of musical instruments which should produce some rather interesting musical performances.

Solution to Today's Puzzle

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

Across

1a   _PS|ALTER|Y_ — hidden in (some) griPS ALTER Your

5a   PROFIT~ — sounds like (vocal) PROPHET (oracle)

10a   T|OO LONG — T (time) + (with) OOLONG (tea)

11a   REFRAIN — double definition; "hold back" & "chorus"

12a    SHIV|A — SHIV (knife) + A (†)

13a   {SNARE DRUM}* — anagram (awful) of UNDERARMS

14a   THERE|MIN — THERE (yonder) + MIN (minute)

16a   SP(A)IN — SPIN (ride) containing (around) A (†)

19a   H(AD)ES — AD (spot) contained in (kept by) HES (males)

In Greek mythology, Hades^[5] is the underworld; the land of the spirits of the dead.

21a   RE(C)ORDER — REORDER (make a new arrangement) containing (including) C ([musical] key)

24a   CAST|AN|ET|S — CAST (players) + (with) AN (†) + ET (alien) + S ('s)

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.

27a   CO(A)ST — COST (price) containing (covering) A (†)

Cruise^[5] is used in the sense of to achieve an objective with ease, especially in sport ⇒ Millwall cruised to a 2-0 win over Leicester.

28a   LA(GAS)SE* — anagram (broken) of SEAL containing (around) GAS (cooking fuel)

Emeril Lagasse^[7] is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, television personality, and cookbook author.

29a   P|AT|RIOT — P (Party's leader; first letter [leader] of Party) + AT (†) + RIOT (melee)

30a   DO(TIN)G — DOG (pooch) containing (eats) TIN (can)

31a   TRIANGLE* — anagram (what may produce; implied anagram) of REAL TING

This is an & lit. (all-in-one) clue. The entire clue, when read one way, provides the definition of a small percussion instrument. Read in a second manner, the clue is an implied anagram.

Down

1d   POTASH* — anagram (tossed) of AT SHOP

2d   A|BOL(IS|HE)D — {IS (†) + HE (†)} contained in (caught by) {A (†) + BOLD (forward)}

Note: for effect, the setters have utilized an inverted sentence structure.

3d   {TWO PAIR}~ — sounds like (you might say) TO PARE (to whittle down)

4d   RAGAS — RAG (scrap) + AS (like)

In Indian classical music, raga^[5] refers to (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.

6d   R|AFTER|S — R (right) + AFTER (behind) + S (small)

7d   F(L)AIR — FAIR (exhibition) containing (captivates) L ([Roman numeral for] 50)

8d   TENE(MEN)T — MEN (guys) contained in (in) TENET (principle)

9d   ARMAGNA|C — anagram (cracked) of ANAGRAM + (on) C (Canada's first [letter])

Armagnac^[5] is a type of brandy traditionally made in Aquitaine in SW France.

15d   ME|R|CEDES — {R (right) following (behind) ME (†)} + CEDES (yields)

17d   AVE|RAGING — AVE (hail; exclamation expressing greeting or acclaim) + RAGING (storming)

18d   SHACK|LED — SHACK (humble home) + LED (was first)

20d   SWAN|SON_ — {SWAN SON[G]} (final performance) with the final letter deleted (cut short)

Gloria Swanson^[7] (1899 – 1983) was an American actress, singer and producer, who is best known for her role as Norma Desmond, a faded silent film star, in the critically acclaimed film Sunset Boulevard (1950).

One of the most prominent stars during the silent film era, she made dozens of silents and was nominated for the first Academy Award in the Best Actress category. She had also produced her own films such as Sadie Thompson and The Love of Sunya. In 1929, Swanson transitioned to talkies with The Trespasser. However, personal problems and changing tastes saw her popularity wane during the 1930s when she moved into theater and television.

22d   RI(COT)TA — COT (bed) contained in (eaten by) RITA (†)

23d   STA|TUE — STA (station) + TUE (Tuesday)

25d   SIGHT~ — sounds like (vocally) CITE (allude to)

26d   SUPER* — anagram (plastic) of PURSE

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, May 3, 2013 — DT 27106

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27106
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Setter Jay (Jeremy Mutch)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27106]
Big Dave's Review Written By scchua
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 █ - unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Big Dave's blog █ - reviewed by Falcon for Big Dave's blog

Introduction

For a change, I recognized that the puzzle is a pangram — but I only suspected this might be the case when the Q appeared in the penultimate clue to be solved. When I checked the population of the puzzle, I discovered that the other 25 letters were already present and accounted for.

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.

Across

4a   Something that moves one's spirit? (3,5)

8a   Sort of pressure exerted by broadcasting address (6)

In presumably at least some British dialects, "talk" is pronounced the same as "torque".

9a   Hamlet's liver? (8)

I had entered VILLAGES from VILLAGE (hamlet) + S ('s). That left me sorely perplexed as to why "liver" might mean villages!

10a   Cartridge for printed part of Sunday paper (8)

Cartridge^[4] is used in the sense of a light-tight film container that enables a camera to be loaded and unloaded in normal light. In Britain, such a unit is also known as a cassette magazine or simply a magazine^[4]. The American Heritage Dictionary gives a broader definition of magazine^[3] as a compartment in a camera in which rolls or cartridges of film are held for feeding through the exposure mechanism.

11a   Expecting King George to have keen following (6)

By tradition, the 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 cipher of Queen Elizabeth is ER^[5] — from the Latin Elizabetha Regina — and that of King George was GR^[5] — from the Latin Georgius Rex.

12a   No idea, but left in without snooker equipment (8)

13a   Almost arrived before one with only this to wear! (8)

When a phrase like "this to wear" is the definition, it is to be interpreted as 'the solution is something to wear'.

16a   Muscle-bound man with complaint going west of Madeira, say (8)

Madeira^[5] is an island in the Atlantic Ocean off NW Africa, the largest of the Madeiras, a group of islands which constitutes an autonomous region of Portugal; population 247,161 (2007); capital, Funchal. Encountered by the Portuguese in 1419, the islands were occupied by the Spanish 1580–1640 and the British 1807–14. Madeira^[5] (also called Madeira wine) is a fortified wine from the island of Madeira. In Britain, a Madeira cake^[5] is a close-textured, rich kind of sponge cake —
so named because it was eaten as an accompaniment to a glass of Madeira.

19a   Ladies by lake in famous battle (8)

In Britain, the Ladies^[5] is a term for a women’s public toilet. Loo^[5] is an informal British term for a toilet.

21a   Raise with card winning (4,2)

Note scchua's reference to a court card^[5] — the British name for a face card^[5].

23a   Launch programme in such a work area (4-4)

24a   Heavier than air machine making you go tar free? (8)

An autogiro^[5] (also spelled autogyro) is a form of aircraft with freely rotating horizontal blades and a propeller. It differs from a helicopter in that the blades are not powered but rotate in the slipstream, propulsion being by a conventional mounted engine.

25a   Talk about the French holiday home (6)

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

26a   European on river studies a source of assistance (8)

Down

1d   Half of locums with friend in the area (7)

In Britain, a locum^[5] is a person who stands in temporarily for someone else of the same profession, especially a cleric or doctor.

2d   Adopt a defensive position for old-fashioned side on the field (6,3)

In cricket, the off^[5]  (also off side) is the half of the field (as divided lengthways through the pitch) towards which the batsman's feet are pointed when standing to receive the ball.  The other side of the field is known either as the leg^[5] (also leg side) or on (also on side).

3d   Conclude investigators drowned in river (6)

The Criminal Investigation Department (seemingly better known by its abbreviation CID^[2]) is the detective branch of the British police force.

The Dee^[5] is a river in NE Scotland, which rises in the Grampian Mountains and flows eastwards past Balmoral Castle to the North Sea at Aberdeen. Another river of the same name rises in North Wales and flows past Chester and on into the Irish Sea.

4d   Be slightly unbalanced and resolve a case -- how unorthodox (4,1,5,5)

5d   Offence caused by college male in lively environment (8)

In the UK, poly^[5] is used as a short form for polytechnic^[5], an institution of higher education offering courses at degree level or below, especially in vocational subjects. In Britain the term polytechnic has largely dropped out of use. In 1989 British polytechnics gained autonomy from local education authorities and in 1992 were able to call themselves universities.

6d   Animal lair with no ventilation oppresses priest (5)

7d   Odds on Alice, possibly, must be exceptional (7)

In horse racing, starting price (abbreviation SP)^[10] [likely a British term] means the latest odds offered by bookmakers at the start of a race.

14d   Drama underlying second promise to provide fencing (9)

15d   Government financier's salary covered by working extra (8)

17d   An area that's rubbed out by age, of course (7)

18d   Found topless model worried about tiger! (7)

20d   Ditch or river full of fish? Quite the contrary (6)

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

22d   City play up in knockout (5)

Kyoto^[5] is an industrial city in central Japan, on the island of Honshu; population 1,389,595 (2007). Founded in the 8th century, it was the imperial capital from 794 until 1868.

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, May 2, 2013 — DT 27105

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27105
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27105]
Big Dave's 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 █ - unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Big Dave's blog █ - reviewed by Falcon for Big Dave's blog

Introduction

It was not too difficult a challenge today, but — as usual — I developed a mental block with respect to a couple of clues.

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.

Across

3a   Army bigwig and idol commonly treated as fine orator (6)

The phrase "commonly treated" is to be interpreted as 'commonly pronounced' — at least, how "hero" would be commonly pronounced in the East End of London. The Cockney^[2] dialect, spoken by the natives of an area in the East End of London, is characterised by dropping the H from the beginning of words.

Marcus Tullius Cicero^[5] (106–43 BC) was a Roman statesman, orator, and writer. As an orator and writer Cicero established a model for Latin prose; his surviving works include speeches, treatises on rhetoric, philosophical works, and letters. A supporter of Pompey against Julius Caesar, in the Philippics (43 BC) he attacked Mark Antony, who had him put to death.

6a   Criticise  social gathering (4)

8a   A list of duties switched initially for a network carrier? (5)

In Britain, a rota^[5] is a list showing when each of a number of people has to do a particular job ⇒ a cleaning rota.

9a   Spiritual feeling? It riles yogi terribly (11)

10a   Singer vocalising note (5)

In North America, a ''tenner" would be a ten dollar bill, whereas in Britain it is a ten pound note.

11a   Misrepresented MP over time around North getting better (11)

Is "improvement" really synonymous with "getting better". The closest I could come to making them interchangeable is in the expression "there's still room for improvement". However, I think that I would say "there's still room to get better" rather than "there's still room for getting better".

16a   Issue, say, linked to engineers on reflection (6)

The engineers today are not the usual Corps of Royal Engineers (RE)^[5] (the field engineering and construction corps of the British army) but the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME; pronounced phonetically as "Reemee")^[7], a corps of the British Army that has responsibility for the maintenance, servicing and inspection of almost every electrical and mechanical piece of equipment within the British Army from battle tanks and helicopters to dental tools and cooking equipment/utensils.

17a   Counter busy person detaining copper in outdoor party (8)

The symbol for the chemical element copper is Cu^[5].

19a   Bird aboard boat fluttering in foreign land (8)

20a   Exchange short article for bandage (6)

22a   Look about English bishop backing fancy political manipulation (11)

Right Reverend^[5] (abbreviation RR^[2]) is a title given to a bishop, especially in the Anglican Church.

25a   Nine roaming around university in boredom (5)

27a   A great sign devised by a military base? (7,4)

28a   Exotic fare from America in boat that's docked (5)

29a   Some applause for factory employee (4)

30a   Do gets assorted heavy food (6)

Stodge^[5] is British slang for food that is heavy, filling, and high in carbohydrates ⇒ she ate her way through a plateful of stodge.

Down

1d   Set of players in shed (4)

2d   One held responsible for rage? (11)

3d   Bearing to consider reportedly in road (11)

In Britain, a motorway^[5] is a dual-carriageway road [divided highway] designed for fast traffic, with relatively few places for joining or leaving.

4d   Old spiritual leader caught boxer by pub (6)

On cricket scorecards, the abbreviation c^[5] indicates caught (by). Muhammad Ali^[7] (born Cassius Clay, Jr.) is an American former professional boxer. Pub^[5] itself is actually a shortened form of public house^[5] — which apparently can be abbreviated (shortened) as PH (although I failed to find it listed in any of several dictionaries that I consulted).

5d   Like an area about to get rewritten in a log (8)

6d   Almost finest award for a sweeper (5)

The Order of Merit^[7] (abbreviation OM^[5]) is a dynastic order recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by King Edward VII, admission into the order remains the personal gift of its Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, and is limited to 24 living recipients at one time from these countries plus a limited number of honorary members. The current membership includes one Canadian (former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien).

7d   Part of weekend receiving deliveries in shiny material (5)

In cricket, when a team is batting — and, thereby, receiving deliveries from a bowler — it is said to be "in".

12d   Hard work moving slow barge in middle of week (5-6)

13d   Former partner named by famous investigator in state of agitation (11)

Eliot Ness^[7] (1903 – 1957) was an American Prohibition agent, famous for his efforts to enforce Prohibition in Chicago, Illinois, and the leader of a legendary team of law enforcement agents nicknamed The Untouchables.

14d   Where driver begins, note, on surface of road to hesitate? (6)

This musical note is spelled ti^[4] in the US. However, the Brits prefer to spell it te^[4].

15d   Get a cab ordered lacking cold drink source? (6)

18d   Meeting objective  like a bull? (2,6)

In Britain, bull^[5] is another name for a bullseye ⇒ aim for the bull!.

21d   A measure taken up by journalist given huge affection (6)

23d   Minor person screened in edition of paper (5)

Here screened means 'appearing in a motion picture'.

24d   Stiff gear I had encountered (5)

26d   Flag from fair I snatched (4)

A flag^[4] is any of various plants [including the iris] that have long swordlike leaves.

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, May 1, 2013 — DT 27104

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27104
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Monday, February 18, 2013
Setter Rufus (Roger Squires)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27104]
Big Dave's Review Written By Libellule
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 █ - unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Big Dave's blog █ - reviewed by Falcon for Big Dave's blog

Introduction

Today — as often happens — I developed a mental block concerning one clue which totally stymied all attempts to solve it. I think that I became so attached to the notion that the solution to 22a must begin with the letter S that I failed to consider any other possibilities. Fortunately, my trusty Word Finder software was not afflicted with a similar blind spot.

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.

Across

1a   American detained by courts in European country (7)

This country seems to be very popular of late.

5a   It means fewer hands and less hair (4,3)

I would say that the entire clue may be a cryptic definition in the form of a double definition where a second appearance of the words "it means" is implied. Thus, we read the clue as being "It means fewer hands and [it means] less hair".

9a   Succession of Emperors, perhaps with new clothes (5)

10a   Items of luggage may be this  severely tested (2,3,4)

I failed to find the expression on the rack^[5] in an American dictionary, but the meaning — suffering intense distress or strain — would seem pretty obvious. The rack^[5] was a medieval instrument of torture consisting of a frame on which the victim was stretched by turning rollers to which the wrists and ankles were tied.

11a   Striking reminder of a Lowry figure? (10)

L. S. Lowry^[7] (1887 – 1976) was an English artist famous for painting scenes of life in the industrial districts of North West England in the mid-20th century. He developed a distinctive style of painting and is best known for urban landscapes peopled with human figures often referred to as "matchstick men". A large collection of Lowry's work is on permanent public display in a purpose-built art gallery on Salford Quays (a part of Greater Manchester), appropriately named the Lowry. Lowry rejected five honours during his life – including a knighthood in 1968 and consequently holds the record for the most rejected British honours.

12a   Refuse permission to examine ring (4)

14a   All out -- or an insignificant person in? (6,2,4)

18a   Key meetings are disrupted by conflict (12)

21a   Quote it in church (4)

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

22a   Means of securing  devotion (10)

25a   Ruth uses a new reference book (9)

26a   Innocent one in church body (5)

27a   Possibly show me love in one way or another (7)

The wordplay is an anagram (possibly) of SHOW ME containing (in) O (love). One might argue that the the O is part of the anagram fodder and that "in" is merely a link word between the wordplay and definition. However, I think that would be considered to be an indirect anagram — something that is not permissible (as I understand the cryptic crossword conventions).

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.

28a   Irritates with unnecessary loss of a point (7)

Down

1d   Assurance dad will turn up and see doctor (6)

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.

In Britain, the degree required to practice medicine is a Bachelor of Medicine^[7] (MB, from Latin Medicinae Baccalaureus), which is equivalent to a North American Doctor of Medicine (MD, from Latin Medicinae Doctor). The degree of Doctor of Medicine also exists in Britain, but it is an advanced degree pursued by those who wish to go into medical research. Physicians in Britain are still addressed as Dr. despite not having a doctoral degree.

2d   It's any made-up reason (6)

3d   Transfix in rehearsal (3-7)

Transfix^[5] can mean (1) cause (someone) to become motionless with horror, wonder, or astonishment ⇒ (i) he was transfixed by the pain in her face; (ii) she stared at him, transfixed or (2) pierce with a sharp implement or weapon ⇒ a field mouse is transfixed by the curved talons of an owl. I was only familiar with the former.

4d   Around or a series of rounds? (5)

5d   Initially canines stay calm around upheaval (9)

6d   Still  without a rise? (4)

7d   Attendant taking tea to Evita (8)

In Britain, tea may informally be called cha (or chai or char)^[5].

Eva Perón^[7] (1919 – 1952) was the second wife of Argentine President Juan Perón (1895 – 1974) and served as the First Lady of Argentina from 1946 until her death in 1952. She is often referred to by the affectionate Spanish language diminutive Evita.

8d   Assume control and receive deliveries? (4,4)

In cricket, an over^[5] is a division of play consisting of a sequence of six balls bowled [or delivered] by a bowler from one end of the pitch, after which another bowler takes over from the other end.

13d   Rock group that's been around for a long time (10)

Stonehenge^[5] is a megalithic monument on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England. Completed in several constructional phases from circa 2950 bc, it is composed of a circle of sarsen stones surrounded by a bank and ditch and enclosing a circle of smaller bluestones. Within this inner circle is a horseshoe arrangement of five trilithons with the axis aligned on the midsummer sunrise, an orientation that was probably for ritual purposes.

15d   Piece of bad fielding brings defeat (9)

... bad fielding in cricket — or baseball.

16d   Trains or coaches (8)

17d   It's displayed by weatherman in his other map (8)

An isotherm^[5] is a line on a map connecting points having the same temperature at a given time or on average over a given period.

19d   An idle drunk gets rejection (6)

20d   Emphasise needing second lock (6)

23d   Vicar has no head for crime (5)

Although the term parson^[5] is applied informally to any member of the clergy, especially a Protestant one, formally the term means a beneficed member of the clergy; a rector or a vicar. A benefice^[5] is a permanent Church appointment, typically that of a rector or vicar, for which property and income are provided in respect of pastoral duties. In the Church of England, a rector^[5] is the incumbent of a parish where all tithes formerly passed to the incumbent, whereas a vicar^[5] is an incumbent of a parish where tithes formerly passed to a chapter or religious house or layman. The terms rector and vicar are also used in the Roman Catholic Church, but with a different meaning in each case.

24d   Attempt to form a party (4)

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