Friday, December 6, 2013 — DT 27265

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27265
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Saturday, August 24, 2013
Setter Cephas (Peter Chamberlain)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27265 - Hints] Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27265 - Review]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Big Dave (Hints) crypticsue (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
Notes As this was a Saturday "Prize Puzzle" in Britain, there are two entries related to it on Big Dave's Crossword Blog — the first, posted on the date of publication, contains hints for selected clues while the second is a full review issued following the entry deadline for the contest. The vast majority of reader comments will generally be found attached to the "hints" posting with a minimal number — if any — accompanying the full review.

Introduction

This morning, I was staring blankly at the nearly completed grid — with only 12d left to solve — with the radio playing in the background. As I was about to throw in the towel and issue a plea for help to my electronic assistants, an item came on the news dealing with an investigation into rail safety. Eureka!

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. The underlined portion of the clue is the definition.

Across

1a   Two loud experts communicating in person? (4,2,4)

Forte^[5] (abbreviation f^[5]) is a musical direction meaning (as an adjective) loud or (as an adverb) loudly.

6a   Baker forged link (4)

9a   Criminal organises, embracing start of gangster hostility (10)

10a   Notice  measles symptom (4)

13a   Diplomat's secured missing diamonds (7)

Diamonds (abbreviation D^[2]) is a suit in a deck of cards.

15a   I affectionately will wave goodbye to daughter, giving an expression of regret (2,4)

16a   Warm current discovered while working online (2,4)

El Niño^[5] is an irregularly occurring and complex series of climatic changes affecting the equatorial Pacific region and beyond every few years, characterized by the appearance of unusually warm, nutrient-poor water off northern Peru and Ecuador, typically in late December. The effects of El Niño include reversal of wind patterns across the Pacific, drought in Australasia, and unseasonal heavy rain in South America.

17a   One could show a woman the time of her life (10,5)

18a   Thief returned instrument used by Queen (6)

In this clue, "used by" is a charade indicator that one should interpret as meaning 'positioned next to".

20a   Weighty melons exchanged (6)

21a   Hopelessness of the French duo (7)

In grammatical terminology, des^[8] is a French determiner^[5] meaning 'some' or 'of the'.

22a   Cut makes Conservative on edge (4)

25a   Fixer and Mafia boss, unconscious (10)

Al Capone^[5] (1899–1947) 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. [He now seems to be the one and only crime boss in Crosswordland.]

26a   Vegetable lasagne starter -- yikes! (4)

Starter^[5] is a chiefly British term [but one not totally foreign to Canada] meaning the first course of a meal.

27a   Italian staggered into a plane (10)

A Neapolitan^[5] is a native or inhabitant of Naples.

Down

1d   Anxiety's extreme, going over point (4)

2d   Pen impounded by narcotic agent (4)

3d   Deal with unknown contract (6)

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 typically represented symbolically by the letters x, y and z.]

4d   Unexpectedly find posh chap his place for a takeaway (4,3,4,4)

In Britain, takeaway^[5] can mean either (1) a restaurant or shop selling cooked food to be eaten elsewhere ⇒ (i) a fast-food takeaway; (ii) [as modifier] a takeaway pizza or (2) a meal or dish bought from a shop or restaurant to be eaten elsewhere ⇒ (i) he phoned for a takeaway; (ii) he is happy to eat Chinese takeaway. The equivalent North American term is takeout^[5].

In her review, crypticsue shows the definition as being "a takeaway" indicating that she is treating takeaway in the first sense listed above, i.e. as a restaurant. However, to avoid leaving part of the clue unaccounted for, I would have to conclude that takeaway is being used in the second sense (a meal) thereby resulting in "place for a takeaway" being the restaurant.

5d   Fool with high explosive makes for cover (6)

In British slang, a clot^[5] is a foolish or clumsy person ⇒ Watch where you’re going, you clot!.

7d   Behind bars -- dim person sadly getting one captured (10)

8d   Broadcasting simultaneously with web in operation (10)

11d   What you might call hell of a liberty? (10)

The wordplay here was a bit of a mystery to me. After a bit of research, I have concluded that the phrase "diabolical liberty" must be a very common British expression. American dictionaries appear to consider diabolical and diabolic to be synonyms, whereas British dictionaries make a distinction between the two terms. Typical of American dictionaries, The American Heritage Dictionary defines diabolical^[3] (also diabolic) to mean (1) of, concerning, or characteristic of the devil; in other words, satanic or (2) appropriate to a devil, especially in degree of wickedness or cruelty. Collins English Dictionary defines diabolical^[4] as an adjective meaning excruciatingly bad or outrageous which may be used as an intensifier — and the example chosen to illustrate this latter use is none other than "a diabolical liberty". This tells me that the expression is so common in the UK that it can be used to illustrate this meaning without further explanation.

Fowler's Modern English Usage explains the difference in usage between diabolic and diabolical as follows:

Diabolic is used primarily with direct reference to the devil (as in Byron's Satan...merely bent his diabolic brow an instant, 1822), whereas diabolical is used overwhelmingly in its extended meanings 'bad, disgraceful, awful', describing such things as the weather, road traffic, the performance of a football team, communications, and 'liberties':

Asked our postman about communications between Tunisia and England. He said they were 'diabolical'—S. Townsend, 1982

Then, all of sudden, the gendarmes burst in and nabbed the first two blokes they saw who looked like English toffs, which was a diabolical liberty—Daily Telegraph, 2004.

12d   Crazy reason to support and train leader (10)

The wordplay "crazy reason to support" is interpreted as "crazy; reason to support" which is equivalent to "crazy supported by reason". In a down clue, "support" serves as a charade indicator because the first part of the charade sits on top of (is supported by) the second part of the charade.

13d   Conceded we should block everybody overdrawn (7)

Here "block" is an insertion indicator being used in the sense of "to plug up".

14d   Person choosing to be at crosspurposes? (7)

I debated how much of this clue to underline. Should I underline merely the first two words (as crypticsue has done) or the entire clue?

In most clues, one finds two clearly delineated parts which we usually refer to as a definition and wordplay — or, more properly, a primary indication and a secondary indication. In such clues, each part independently leads to the solution. However, in the current clue, things are a bit more ambiguous. If I were to view the clue as a cryptic definition, I could underline the entire clue. However, I see this clue — while being a cryptic definition — to be an example of a special class of cryptic definition made up a primary indication which is a straight definition (in the current clue, "person choosing") and a secondary indication ("to be at cross-purposes"). The secondary indication does not lead one to the solution on its own (as wordplay would). Rather, it provides a bit of supplementary information (usually, as in this case, stated in a cryptic manner) that narrows the scope of the definition.

Thus, although the entire clue constitutes a cryptic definition, I believe it is more helpful in this situation to underline only the portion of the clue that could stand on its own as a straight definition.

19d   Parson shortly before worship (6)

20d   Outstanding  indicator (6)

23d   Northerner, no amateur on racecourse (4)

Since even residents of Manchester are considered Northeners in the UK, Scots must be from the far North.

Ascot Racecourse^[7] is a famous English racecourse, located in the small town of Ascot, Berkshire, used for thoroughbred horse racing. It is one of the leading racecourses in the United Kingdom, hosting 9 of the UK's 32 annual Group 1 races. The course is closely associated with the British Royal Family, being approximately six miles from Windsor Castle.

24d   Mountain climbing nationalist’s scheme (4)

I was able to find N^[1] as an abbreviation for Nationalist in The Chambers Dictionary.

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 5, 2013 — DT 27264

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27264
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Friday, August 23, 2013
Setter Giovanni (Don Manley)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27264]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Gazza
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★★	Enjoyment - ★★★
Falcon's Experience ┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐ ███████████████████████████████████ └────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘ Legend: █ - solved without assistance █ - incorrect prior to use of puzzle solving tools █ - solved with assistance from puzzle solving tools █ - solved with aid of checking letters provided by puzzle solving tools █ - unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Big Dave's blog █ - reviewed by Falcon for Big Dave's blog

Introduction

While I did call in my electronic reinforcements to help with two hold-out clues, they needed to give me merely a gentle nudge to complete 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. The underlined portion of the clue is the definition.

Across

1a   Become attached to Heather making wild animal noises? (8)

Another name for the common heather of Eurasia is ling^[5].

6a   In drunken sets a female should be most cautious (6)

9a   Male I would want to become, certainly not a huge fellow! (6)

10a   Metamorphosing larvae in plant (8)

Valerian^[5] is a Eurasian plant which typically bears clusters of small pink or white flowers; in particular common valerian (Valeriana officinalis), a valued medicinal herb, and the Mediterranean red valerian (Centranthus ruber), grown for its spurred flowers which attract butterflies.

11a   Put off vehicles I had returned by foot finally (8)

12a   Composer wandering about in Harlem (6)

Gustav Mahler^[5] (1860–1911) was an Austrian composer, conductor, and pianist. Forming a link between romanticism and the experimentalism of Schoenberg, his works include nine complete symphonies (1888–1910) and the symphonic song cycle Das Lied von der Erde (1908).

13a   Seaman having time tucked into eel supplied by market trader (12)

Ordinary seaman (abbreviation OS)^[5] is the lowest rank of sailor in the Royal Navy, below able seaman.

In Britain, a trader^[2] is someone who trades [deals], often one who owns or runs a shop or market stall, or who trades in a particular group of goods. Merchant^[5], in the sense of a retail trader [shopkeeper to the Brits], would seem to be a North American usage. In the UK, the term merchant means a person or company involved in wholesale trade, especially one dealing with foreign countries or supplying goods to a particular trade ⇒ (i) a builders' merchant; (ii) a tea merchant.

Chiefly a British term, monger^[3,4,11] (in combination except in archaic use) denotes a dealer in or trader of a commodity ⇒ (i) an ironmonger; (ii) a fishmonger.

Costermonger^[5] is a dated British term for a person who sells goods, especially fruit and vegetables, from a handcart in the street. The term originated in the early 16th century (denoting an apple seller): from Costard + -monger.

16a   Female workers in a mess, untidy -- their hair needing to be tied up? (12)

The wordplay is an anagram (untidy) of A MESS + (needing to be tied up) TRESSES (their hair). The charade indicator "needing to be tied up" must be interpreted in the sense of "needing to be attached" as a cowboy in the old west might tie up his horse to a hitching post.

19a   Genius -- one character at the end being hospitalised it seems (6)

The setter uses the phrase "being hospitalised" to indicate 'placed in a WARD'.

21a   Indiscriminate  action of cleaner (8)

23a   Accommodation for many women must be so large, I fancy (8)

24a   One gets good toilets in particular huts (6)

Loo^[5] is an informal British term for a toilet.

25a   Wine initially served around lunchtime? That's the way things are (2,2,2)

Asti^[7] (formerly known as Asti Spumante) is a sparkling white Italian wine that is produced throughout southeastern Piedmont but is particularly focused around the towns of Asti and Alba. Since 1993 the wine has been classified as a Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) and as of 2004 was Italy's largest producing appellation.

I have observed that the usual lunchtime in Crosswordland is one o'clock rather than noon.

26a   Soldier returning to old city is enthralled by exquisite bit of sculpture (8)

A GI^[5] is a private soldier in the US army ⇒ she went off with a GI during the war. Contrary to popular belief, the term is apparently not an abbreviation for general infantryman, but rather of government (or general) issue (originally denoting equipment supplied to US forces).

Ur^[5] is an ancient Sumerian city that formerly existed on the Euphrates, in southern Iraq. It was one of the oldest cities of Mesopotamia, dating from the 4th millennium BC, and reached its zenith in the late 3rd millennium BC.

Down

2d   Artist is at home -- a bit of a fruitcake? (6)

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

3d   The isle that sounds snow-covered? (5)

I have noticed lately that hyphens often show up in the National Post disguised as question marks. The clue, as printed in the National Post, is:

• The isle that sounds snow?covered? (5)

The Isle of Wight^[5] (abbreviation IOW^[5]) is an island off the south coast of England, a county since 1974; population 131,700 (est. 2009); administrative centre, Newport. It lies at the entrance to Southampton Water and is separated from the mainland by the Solent and Spithead.

4d   International trains diverted going from A to B (2,7)

5d   Music in very old books lodged in passage into building (7)

In Crosswordland, the word "books" is often used to clue either the Old Testament (OT) or the New Testament (NT). Today's setter leaves no doubt by using the phrase "old books".

A gavotte^[5] is (1) a medium-paced French dance, popular in the 18th century or (2) a piece of music accompanying or in the rhythm of a gavotte, composed in common time beginning on the third beat of the bar. In her 1972 hit, You're So Vain, Carly Simon sings "You had one eye in the mirror / As you watched yourself gavotte".

6d   More than one US location offering cooked meals (5)

Salem^[5] is the name of at least two US locations. It is the name of the state capital of Oregon, situated on the Willamette River south-west of Portland; population 153,435 (est. 2008). It is also the name of a city and port in NE Massachusetts, on the Atlantic coast north of Boston; population 41,256 (est. 2008). First settled in 1626, it was the scene in 1692 of a notorious series of witchcraft trials.

7d   Use binoculars to see these  little old things with wrens on? (9)

The farthing^[5], a former monetary unit and coin of the UK, withdrawn in 1961, was equal to a quarter of an old penny.

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 used prior to Decimal Day^[5] (February 15, 1971), a penny was equal to one twelfth of a shilling or 240th of a pound (and was abbreviated d, for denarius).

Although, in earlier years, the farthing had been made of various other metals, in its later years it was a bronze coin. Not only was it small in value, it was small in physical dimensions, having a diameter of only 20 mm. Farthings had existed since the days of Oliver Cromwell when they were made originally in silver and for over 250 years the image of Britannia was firmly established as the reverse of the farthing. However in 1937 the Britannia reverse gave way to an image of a wren.

8d   Drudge looking very hot exuded liquid from mouth (8)

13d   Fellow in bed holding club is disposed to fight (9)

Gazza's hint may well need some explanation for North American readers. In the UK, a child's bed is called a cot^[5] rather than a crib^[5].

14d   Completely understanding mother, good person with energy, joining circle (9)

15d   Editor served up drinks for people resolving an issue (8)

17d   Sounds like the Cockney chap's unfriendly? Cool it! (4,3)

A cockney^[5] is a native of East London [specifically the East End], traditionally one born within hearing of Bow Bells (the bells of St Mary-le-Bow^[7] church). Cockney is also the name of the dialect or accent typical of cockneys, which is characterised by dropping H from the beginning of words and the use of rhyming slang^[5].

In Britain, off^[5] is used informally to mean unfriendly or hostile ⇒ there’s no one there except the barmaid, and she’s a bit off.

18d   Like many a library book, see, carried by old granny (2,4)

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.

Nan^[5] is an informal British name for one’s grandmother — however, it is a term in use well beyond the shores of Britain.

20d   Part of Yorkshire offering the ultimate in grand beers (5)

Yorkshire^[5] is a historic county of Northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Within the borders of Yorkshire are areas which are widely considered to be among the greenest in England, due to the vast stretches of unspoiled countryside in the Yorkshire Dales [valleys] and North York Moors [tracts of open uncultivated upland, typically covered with heather] and to the open aspect of some of the major cities.

22d   Chum with hesitancy in speech is not so bright (5)

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 4, 2013 — DT 27263

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27263
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Thursday, August 22, 2013
Setter RayT (Ray Terrell)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27263]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Big Dave
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★★	Enjoyment - ★★★★
Falcon's Experience ┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐ ███████████████████████████████████ └────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘ Legend: █ - solved without assistance █ - incorrect prior to use of puzzle solving tools █ - solved with assistance from puzzle solving tools █ - solved with aid of checking letters provided by puzzle solving tools █ - unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Big Dave's blog █ - reviewed by Falcon for Big Dave's blog

Introduction

Today's puzzle from RayT is on the gentle side — both in level of difficulty and in terms of innuendo.

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. The underlined portion of the clue is the definition.

Across

1a   For each error the compiler's tolerant (10)

It is a common cryptic crossword convention for the creator of the puzzle to use terms such as compiler, setter, author, writer, or this person to refer to himself or herself. To solve such a clue, one must generally substitute a first person pronoun (I or me) for whichever of these terms has been used in the clue.

However, the scenario today is a bit more complex.  The setter has combined compiler with an 's (which, in the cryptic reading, is a contraction for has), thus using the phrase "the compiler's" to clue IVE (I've).

6a   Lover's knot, it's said (4)

9a   One providing security in the main? (10)

The main^[5] is an archaic or literary term referring to the open ocean.

10a   Macho man's twosome's back without sweetheart (4)

Here we find another cryptic crossword staple, in which "sweetheart" is interpreted as the middle letter (heart) of swEet.

12a   Reportedly keep hidden inflatable toy (4)

I might have done better had I thought in terms of "keep oneself hidden" rather than "keep something hidden". Then again, I had not previously encountered this British name for an air mattress.

In Britain, lilo^[5] is a name for a type of inflatable mattress which is used as a bed or for floating on water. The word comes from Li-lo, a trademarked name for such a product. Brits would also know this object as an airbed^[5], whereas North Americans would call it an air mattress^[5].

13a   Shop say protecting press right to the end! (9)

15a   Former partner, abusive in tried case, forced out (8)

16a   Optimistic club chasing trophy, losing head (6)

18a   Upright corroded by time (6)

20a   Balanced and level in endless farce (8)

23a   Rising politician entrapped by one cruising (9)

In many Commonwealth countries (including Britain and Canada), a member of the House of Commons or similar legislative body is known as a Member of Parliament^[10] (or MP^[5] for short).

24a   Try seen in international event (4)

A Test (short for Test match)^[5] is an international cricket or rugby match, typically one of a series, played between teams representing two different countries ⇒ the Test match between Pakistan and the West Indies.

26a   Exercise question follows start of term (4)

27a   Prudent to claim foul after drop (10)

28a   Fabulous woman finished by love (4)

In the Aeneid (an epic by the Roman poet Virgil), Dido^[5] is the queen and founder of Carthage, who fell in love with the shipwrecked Aeneas and killed herself when he deserted her.

29a   Dares to be different taking hard quality paper (10)

A broadsheet^[5] (also broadsheet newspaper) is a newspaper with a large format, regarded as more serious and less sensationalist than tabloids ⇒ the tabloidization of the broadsheets.

Down

1d   Bond's exploit trailing Q's predecessor (4)

Royal Navy Commander James Bond^[7], CMG, RNVR, is a fictional character created by British journalist and novelist Ian Fleming in 1953. He is the protagonist of the James Bond series of novels, films, comics and video games.

Q^[7] is a fictional character in the James Bond films and film novelizations. Q (standing for Quartermaster), like M, is a job title rather than a name. He is the head of Q Branch (or later Q Division), the fictional research and development division of the British Secret Service.

2d   One's down-to-earth and on a roll (7)

3d   Doctor in unit performing birth (12)

4d   Silences bands covering Queen (8)

Today, RayT shakes things up a little by introducing a different short form for Queen.

5d   It's said some discover ballet... (6)

7d   ...understanding some indecent entertainment (7)

8d   Consider too little Cruise's replacement? (10)

Thomas Cruise Mapother IV, widely known as Tom Cruise^[7], is an American film actor and producer.

11d   Animals in river bank charm endlessly (12)

I initially questioned the use of "animals" in the plural. But, as Big Dave says, "the plural of this animal can be spelt the same as the singular although there are other options". Of course, there would seem to be a caveat to his statement that he has neglected to include. After checking several British and American dictionaries, I found this spelling variant only in The Chambers Dictionary.

14d   Confidential secret with dirt spread (10)

17d   Man with igloo melting in country (8)

19d   Natural nude's unveiled around ends of piano (7)

21d   Repetitive performance around stage getting prize (7)

A rosette^[5] is a rose-shaped decoration, typically made of ribbon, worn by supporters of a sports team or political party or awarded as a prize ⇒ the showjumping rosettes Samantha had accumulated.

22d   More spruce from island in stream over river (6)

25d   Sing originally, supported by jazz fan? (4)

Scat^[5] (also scat singing) is improvised jazz singing in which the voice is used in imitation of an instrument

Key to Reference Sources: 

^[1]   - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition
^[2]   - Search Chambers - (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)
^[3]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (American Heritage Dictionary)
^[4]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
^[5]   - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford Dictionary of English)
^[6]   - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford American Dictionary)
^[7]   - Wikipedia
^[8]   - Reverso Online Dictionary (Collins French-English Dictionary)
^[9]   - Infoplease (Random House Unabridged Dictionary)
^[10] - CollinsDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
^[11] - TheFreeDictionary.com (Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary)

Signing off for today — Falcon

Tuesday, December 3, 2013 — DT 27262

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27262
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Setter Jay (Jeremy Mutch)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27262]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog 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

As scchua reported was also his experience, it was the southwest quadrant that gave me the most trouble today.

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. The underlined portion of the clue is the definition.

Across

1a   Part of theatre for cleric worried by attire (5,6)

Dress circle^[5], according to Oxford Dictionaries Online, is the British name for the first level of seats above the ground floor in a theatre. A similar definition for dress circle^[3,4,11], is found in both The American Heritage Dictionary and the Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, as well as in Collins English Dictionary — with all three making no mention of the term being British. The Farlex Trivia Dictionary notes that it is so called because it is a circular row of seats at an entertainment, the spectators of which are expected to be in dress clothes.

9a   Stopped protecting the setter, and made improvements (7)

It is a common cryptic crossword convention for the creator of the puzzle to use terms such as compiler, setter, author, writer, or this person to refer to himself or herself. To solve such a clue, one must generally substitute a first person pronoun (I or me) for whichever of these terms has been used in the clue.

10a   Accommodate  force (6)

12a   This city within city that's constant? (7)

The history of Rome^[7] spans more than two and a half thousand years, since its legendary founding in 753 BC. Rome is one of the oldest continuously occupied cities in Europe. It is referred to as "The Eternal City", a notion expressed by ancient Roman poets and writers.

However, this clue did manage to generate a lot of confusion. In his review, scchua comments "The clue doesn’t seem right, as the answer in the grid is another name for a city containing or outside (not within) another smaller City." My reaction to the wordplay was that it would be an excellent indication for Vatican City. Amazingly, Jay (the setter of the puzzle) comments "the confusion has arisen because of my own incompetence in failing to check the definition of the 'Eternal city'. I had mistakenly taken it to be the Vatican. My apologies to all".

Before looking at the comments at Big Dave's site, I had pursued another theory. The city of Kyoto, Japan — or, more precisely, the historical Heian-kyō^[7] district within it — has been dubbed Yorozuyo no Miya ("The Eternal City"). Thus Heian-kyō, a city within the city of Kyoto, would seem to fit the clue very well.

13a   Complain a look gets cow cross (7)

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.

A beefalo^[5] is a hybrid animal of a cross between cattle and buffalo.

14a   American blokes investing energy in flops (5)

Bloke^[5] is British slang for a man ⇒ he’s a nice bloke.

Dude^[2] is a colloquial North American, especially US, term for a man.

15a   Toast, bed and drink (7,2)

As a verb, sup^[5] is a dated or Northern English term meaning to take (drink or liquid food) by sips or spoonfuls ⇒ (i) she supped up her soup delightedly; (ii) he was supping straight from the bottle. As a noun, it means (1) a sip of liquid ⇒ he took another sup of wine or (2) in Northern England or Ireland, an alcoholic drink ⇒ the latest sup from those blokes at the brewery.

17a   Courier, or person in train, having me for father (9)

20a   Just brilliant, losing head! (5)

22a   Nothing is found in pictures but insects (7)

I have observed that, if one doesn't like the result found in one dictionary, one often needs merely to consult a different dictionary to get a result more to one's liking.

Oxford Dictionaries Online gives the plural of imago^[5] as imagos or imagines, while The American Heritage Dictionary, Collins English Dictionary, and the Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary all have the plural of imago^[3,4,11] as imagoes or imagines. The Chambers Dictionary covers all the bases by including all three spelling variants — imagines, imagos, and imagoes.

24a   One of three allowed on excursion (7)

25a   Join coppers, missing nothing in pursuit of son (6)

26a   Accommodation for busy workers (7)

27a   Practical Greens seen to be troubled (11)

Down

2d   Nonsense surrounding study on small beavers, for example (7)

3d   Burden on reserve's attachment to bike (9)

Bag^[5] is used in the sense of to succeed in securing (something) ⇒ (i) we’ve bagged three awards for excellence; (ii) get there early to bag a seat in the front row.

4d   Thoroughly search around middle of Don Valley (5)

While several streams in England and Scotland take the name River Don, the mention here is most likely to the River Don^[7] in South Yorkshire, England. It rises in the Pennines and flows for 70 miles (110 km) eastwards, through the Don Valley. It originally joined the Trent, but was re-engineered in the 1620s, and now joins the River Ouse.

However, the construction of the clue is a bit of misdirection. We actually need to identify quite a different type of valley.

Coomb^[5] is an alternative spelling of combe (which can also be spelled coombe), a British term for a short valley or hollow on a hillside or coastline, especially in southern England.

5d   Finished up accepting story in stand-out work (7)

Relievo^[10] is another name for relief^[10] which in sculpture and architecture is (1) the projection of forms or figures from a flat ground, so that they are partly or wholly free of it or (2) a piece of work of this kind.

6d   Record Germany's positive response on case of mass stoppages (3,4)

In German, ja^[8] means yes.

7d   Remained confused after supporter's deception (11)

8d   Saw both sides of bridge maintained (6)

11d   Tricky problems for osteopath to put right (3,8)

16d   It should be under the record (9)

18d   Cleaner's familiar fizzy drink (7)

Shampoo^[Wiktionary] is a humorous slang term for champagne.

19d   Selfishness of work in different times (7)

20d   Answer found in additions to contract for corporate attackers (7)

21d   French impudence since dropping the odds (6)

23d   Gangster never holding back (5)

Key to Reference Sources: 

^[1]   - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition
^[2]   - Search Chambers - (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)
^[3]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (American Heritage Dictionary)
^[4]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
^[5]   - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford Dictionary of English)
^[6]   - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford American Dictionary)
^[7]   - Wikipedia
^[8]   - Reverso Online Dictionary (Collins French-English Dictionary)
^[9]   - Infoplease (Random House Unabridged Dictionary)
^[10] - CollinsDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
^[11] - TheFreeDictionary.com (Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary)

Signing off for today — Falcon

Monday, December 2, 2013 — DT 27261

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27261
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27261]
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 █ - unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Big Dave's blog █ - reviewed by Falcon for Big Dave's blog

Introduction

While this is a fairly gentle puzzle, some knowledge of British geography would be an asset in solving it.

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. The underlined portion of the clue is the definition.

Across

1a   Print cast out including actor ultimately for official copy (10)

6a   Minor error in female garment (4)

10a   Lout misbehaving near North Bedfordshire town (5)

Luton^[5] is an industrial town in Bedfordshire, England, to the north-west of London; population 187,800 (est. 2009).

11a   Supervise on outings individual after prank around hotel (9)

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

12a   Party person, one with nervous habit during game (8)

Politico^[5] is an informal, chiefly derogatory term for a politician or person with strong political views ⇒ an opponent of trendy left politicos.

13a   Vision carried by padre ambitiously (5)

15a   Selfish figure caught entering site under review (7)

17a   Russian establishment's source of trouble after change of leader (7)

The Moscow Kremlin^[7], often referred to as simply the Kremlin, is a historic fortified complex at the heart of Moscow. It is the best known of kremlins (Russian citadels) and includes five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Kremlin Wall with Kremlin towers. The complex serves as the official residence of the President of the Russian Federation.

A gremlin^[5] is an imaginary mischievous sprite regarded as responsible for an unexplained mechanical or electronic problem or fault ⇒ a gremlin in my computer omitted a line.

19a   Criticise disruptive Latin boy with no end of hubbub (3,4)

21a   Singer with glasses getting attached to new instrument (7)

This is a visual clue^[7] — a rarely seen type of clue. The setter has used the word "glasses" to clue the letter combination OO, which looks like a pair of spectacles.

22a   Check foreign car close to port (5)

24a   Arrangement to reverse concessions in ring (8)

Disposal^[5] is used in a literary sense meaning the arrangement of something ⇒ she brushed her hair carefully, as if her success lay in the sleek disposal of each gleaming black thread.

27a   Girl entertaining a gross eccentric in birthday surprise? (9)

A kissogram^[5] [a word that I failed to find in American dictionaries] is a novelty greeting or message delivered by a man or woman who accompanies it with a kiss, prearranged as a humorous surprise for the recipient.

28a   Collect female and the rest, going to hospital (5)

29a   Hoot producing urban disorder (4)

30a   Dylan at sea aboard pleasure-boat on the whole (2,3,5)

The solution to this clue was slow to materialize as I tend to associate this type of watercraft more with the transportation of freight than I do with pleasure-boats.

Down

1d   Duty to provide list of casualties (4)

2d   Literary collection still linked to diary among some (9)

3d   Pride perhaps getting onto major road in peninsula (5)

The A1^[7] is the longest numbered road in the UK, at 410 miles (660 km). It connects London, the capital of England and the United Kingdom, with Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland.

4d   Evidence of sale concerning place in theatre, we hear (7)

5d   Sitcom captain's a strutting sort (7)

Captain Stephen Peacock^[7] is a fictional character from the BBC One comedy show, Are You Being Served?. Captain Peacock, the somewhat stuffy floorwalker in a department store, considers himself above the assistants with both his position and his dubious military record.

7d   Dissolute son staying in Cornish fishing village (5)

Looe^[7] is a small coastal town, fishing port and civil parish in the former Caradon district of south-east Cornwall, England, with a population of 5,280 (2001 census).

8d   Outstanding intern MEP trained while touring Spain (3-7)

MEP^[5] is the abbreviation for Member of the European Parliament.

The International Vehicle Registration (IVR) code for Spain is E^[5] (from Spanish España).

9d   That man's without journalistic direction, lacking in attention (8)

The somewhat dubious wordplay seems to be HE (that man) + ('s; contraction for has) EDLESS (without journalistic direction; i.e., without an editor).

14d   Cruel US writer Alice, one covering high points? (4-6)

Fell^[5] is a literary term meaning of terrible evil or ferocity; or deadly ⇒ the fell disease that was threatening her sister.

A fell^[5] is a hill or stretch of high moorland, especially in northern England. Moor^[5] is a chiefly British term for a tract of open uncultivated upland, typically covered with heather. A fell-walker is someone who engages in fell-walking^[5], the activity of walking or rambling on the fells.

Alice Walker^[5] is an American writer and critic. Notable novels: The Color Purple (Pulitzer Prize, 1982) and Possessing the Secret of Joy (1992).

16d   It's key here to activate estate, maybe? (8)

In Britain, a station wagon^[5] is known as an estate car^[5] (which is often shortened to just estate^[5]). I have observed that the Brits have a propensity to shorten expressions such as this (consisting of an adjective and noun) by dropping the noun and using the adjective as a noun (thus, estate car becomes shortened to estate). North Americans, on the other hand, tend to just drop the adjective (with station wagon being shortened to wagon).

18d   Mind pillaging type that's beset last character in park with a fellow (4,5)

20d   Methodical  medical worker (7)

21d   One supplying address for union? (4,3)

23d   Club admitted into clubland is costly (5)

In Britain, clubland^[5] is (1) an area of a town or city with many nightclubs or (2) the world of nightclubs and nightclubbers ⇒ (i) he was already a star in clubland; (ii) the show featured four clubland favourites.

25d   Parts cut off from Cornish river (5)

Of^[2] is a preposition, one usage of which is to show origin ⇒ people of Glasgow.

The River Fal^[7] flows through Cornwall, England, rising on Goss Moor and reaching the English Channel at Falmouth.

26d   Trainer, say, providing prop right away (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