Thursday, November 6, 2014 — DT 27514

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27514
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Thursday, June 12, 2014
Setter RayT (Ray Terrell)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27514]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By archy and mehitabel
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 made good progress on this puzzle until I "hit the wall" with five or six clues remaining to be solved. However, a bit of intense mental effort paid off and the remaining holdouts eventually succumbed.

Today's review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog is written by archy and mehitabel — otherwise known as pommers and Kath. Should you be unfamiliar with the background of archy the cockroach and mehitabel the alley cat, see my blog from August 11, 2014.

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

Notes on Today's Puzzle

This commentary is intended to serve as a supplement to the review of this puzzle found at Big Dave's Crossword Blog, to which a link is provided in the table above.

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

Across

1a   State /of/ coalminer working around bottom of mine (10)

State^[5] is used in a sense in which it means involving the ceremony associated with a head of state ⇒ the Queen paid a state visit to Malaysia.

6a   Find fault /in/ vehicle parking (4)

9a   Killed // repeatedly in the past, it's said (5)

10a   Preserve /from/ damage caused absorbing nearly everything (9)

12a   Performer // from start is teasing (7)

Note that in 10a, "from" acts as a link word between the definition and wordplay but in this clue it serves as part of the wordplay being a hidden word indicator.

13a   Go through European // valley (5)

Combe^[5] is a British term for a short valley or hollow on a hillside or coastline, especially in southern England.

15a   Women from Essen or Asuncion? Probably Asuncion (7)

In this semi-&lit. clue, the entire clue functions as the definition which, effectively, could be stated as "women who are more likely to come from Asuncion than Essen". The wordplay (indicated by the dashed underline) is found in the middle of the clue.

Essen^[5] is an industrial city in the Ruhr valley, in northwestern Germany; population 583,200 (est. 2006).

Asunción^[5] is the capital and chief port of Paraguay; population 519,100 (est. 2007).

Señora^[5] is a title or form of address used of or to a Spanish-speaking woman, corresponding to Mrs or madam ⇒ Señora Dolores.

16a   Sups second after embracing maiden /in/ 'Twilight' (7)

Of course, my first thought was that "sups" is being used in the often appearing British sense of 'drinks'. However, today the setter has employed it in different sense — one that should be more familiar to North American solvers.

In cricket, a maiden^[5], also known as a maiden over, (abbreviation M)^[5] is an over in which no runs are scored. An over^[5] is 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.

The surface reading likely refers to The Twilight Saga^[7], a series of five romance fantasy films based on the four Twilight^[7] series novels by American author Stephenie Meyer.

18a   Fashionable girl /in/ a state (7)

Today the most popular girl in Crosswordland uses her full name.

20a   Cut skin cell evenly with this? (7)

The entire clue serves as the definition while the portion with the dashed underline constitutes the wordplay.

21a   Topless model, // substantial ... (5)

On Big Dave's blog, archy illustrates this clue with what is surely a testament to the marvels of modern surgery! (I think that I am likely on safe ground in attributing the picture to him rather than to mehitabel)

23a   ... portion of stripper out in erotic // performance (7)

25a   Checking about end of aileron // in the air (9)

26a   Stand at the front of the class (5)

On Big Dave's blog, Physicist explains "in a Victorian classroom, there was an easel (holding a blackboard) at the front of the class for the teacher to use.".

27a   Described by median or mean? (4)

I would say that this is a full &lit. clue. The entire clue serves as the definition as the solution can mean (be described by) either "median" or "mean". The wordplay is likely intended to convey — although I have some reservations as to whether it actually works — that the solution is hidden in (described by) mediaN OR Mean.

Although the use of the word "describe" as a containment indicator is a common cryptic crossword convention, this is the first time that I recall seeing it used as a hidden word indicator. This device relies on describe^[3] being used in the sense of to trace the form or outline of ⇒ describe a circle with a compass.

As a containment indicator, one would expect to see 'MEDIA_EAN' containing (describing) NORM with the rationale for the wordplay being that the container (MEDIA_EAN) forms an outline around the contained entity (NORM) in a similar manner to the circumference of a circle forming an outline around the circular area contained within it. However, in this clue, the setter has "MEDIAN OR MEAN' describing 'NORM' — and I am not sure that works.

28a   Player teed off // time and again (10)

Down

1d   Hot work following cold // slice of meat (4)

In music, Op.^[5] (also op.) is an abbreviation meaning opus (work). It is used before a number given to each work of a particular composer, usually indicating the order of publication.

2d   Stopped // umpire getting pelted (9)

3d   At sea, entered marina /leaving/ sea (13)

To explain the link word, consider that after executing the wordplay, one ends up with (is left with) the solution to the clue.

4d   Retribution /in/ relation with English people backed (7)

The word nemesis (often Nemesis) can mean retributive justice ⇒ Nemesis is notoriously slow.

In Greek mythology, Nemesis^[5] is a goddess usually portrayed as the agent of divine punishment for wrongdoing or presumption (hubris).

5d   First-class study occupied by husband /and/ idiot (7)

A1^[4][5] or A-one^[3] meaning first class or excellent comes from a classification for ships in The Lloyd's Register of Shipping where it means equipped to the highest standard or first-class.

In Britain, to read^[5] means to study (an academic subject) at a university ⇒ (i) I’m reading English at Cambridge; (ii) he went to Manchester to read for a BA in Economics.

7d   Shock /of/ member supporting a Labour leader (5)

The Labour Party^[5] in Britain is a left-of-centre political party formed to represent the interests of ordinary working people that since the Second World War has been in power 1945–51, 1964–70, 1974-9, and 1997–2010. Arising from the trade union movement at the end of the 19th century, it replaced the Liberals as the country’s second party after the First World War.

8d   Used to hold // her in sleep when upset (10)

11d   Dancing cancan with tempo I'm // backing (13)

14d   Breathing in // desire (10)

17d   Former wife petitioned, /it's/ reported (9)

19d   Group of jumbos // fine without head (7)

I might add that the word for "fine" might also be used to describe a narrow crack in one of the vehicles referred to in the clue.

20d   Secretly bring in // non-wizard joining Hogwarts finally (7)

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry^[7], shortened Hogwarts, is a fictional British school of magic for students aged eleven to eighteen, and is the primary setting for the first six books in British novelist J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series.

In the Harry Potter book series, a Muggle^[7] is a person who lacks any sort of magical ability and was not born into the magical world. Muggles also do not have any magical blood.

22d   Mail perhaps /with/ rubbish on Queen (5)

Rubbish^[3,4,11] is used in the sense of foolish words or speech; in other words, nonsense. Although Oxford Dictionaries Online considers the word rubbish^[5] to be chiefly British, I would think it is a familiar term in North America.

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.

The Daily Mail [commonly referred to as the Mail] is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper. First published in 1896, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun.

24d   'Friend' // everybody, an unknown number (4)

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.]

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, November 5, 2014 — DT 27513

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27513
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Setter Jay (Jeremy Mutch)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27513]
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 █ - 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

It is not an overtaxing puzzle today. Fortunately, I had solved 1a before getting to 5d — otherwise I might have found myself in some difficulty. Those who think that British and North American brains are wired diametrically in reverse have only to look to the solution to 5d for proof.

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

Notes on Today's Puzzle

This commentary is intended to serve as a supplement to the review of this puzzle found at Big Dave's Crossword Blog, to which a link is provided in the table above.

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

Across

1a   Astounded /by/ second pick-up following boom (13)

9a   Fundamental // precursor to invention (9)

The proverb necessity is the mother of invention^[5] tells us that when the need for something becomes essential, you are forced to find ways of getting or achieving it.

10a   Escaped // ducks adopted by London college (5)

In cricket, a duck^[5] is a batsman’s score of nought [zero] ⇒ he was out for a duck. This is similar to the North American expression goose egg^[5] meaning a zero score in a game. In British puzzles, duck is used to indicate the letter "O" based on the resemblance of the digit "0" to this letter.

The London School of Economics and Political Science^[7] (informally the London School of Economics or LSE) is a public research university specialised in social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London. Despite its name, LSE conducts teaching and research across a range of social sciences, as well as in mathematics, statistics, media, philosophy and history.

11a   Complete // some without territorials (5)

12a   Lacking authorisation /for/ recess? (4)

Several visitors to Big Dave's site failed to comprehend scchua's explanation of the wordplay. Another term for "authorisation" is OK, so "lacking authorisation" would be NO OK.

13a   Scottish family forgets name for daughter /getting/ dressed (4)

15a   Found // date upset by unprotected sheep (7)

In the phrase "unprotected sheep", the word "unprotected" directs one to remove the initial and final letters of a term for a group of sheep.

17a   The blighter /is/ average, covering a case of need (2-3-2)

Blighter^[5] is an informal British term for a person who is regarded with contempt, irritation, or pity ⇒ you little blighter!

Whereas, in the previous clue, the indicator "unprotected" was used to discard the outer letters of the fodder, in the present clue the indicator "case of" is used to select the outer letters of the fodder.

18a   Fine ducks on view, say, with day's // main course (7)

F^[5] is an abbreviation for fine, as used in describing grades of pencil lead [a usage that Oxford surprisingly characterises as British].

The ducks from 10a reprise their performance.

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

20a   Play, /but/ be absorbed by match being fixed (7)

MacBeth^[5] (circa 1005–1057) was king of Scotland 1040–57. He came to the throne after killing his cousin Duncan I in battle, and was himself defeated and killed by Malcolm III. Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth considerably embroiders the historical events.

21a   A bit of an idiot, actually! (4)

In this clue, one could view the entire clue as being the wordplay with "a bit" being the definition. This is the approach that scchua takes in his review. However, I would take issue with him when he refers to the clue as a WIWD (wordplay intertwined with definition). In fact, I would say that it is quite the opposite, DIWW (definition intertwined with wordplay).

One might also interpret the clue as:

• 21a   A bit // of an idiot, actually! (4)

where the definition remains "a bit" but the wordplay takes the form of a hidden word (of) in "an idiot actually".

22a   Look after contents of lost // city (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.

Oslo^[5] is the capital and chief port of Norway, on the south coast at the head of Oslofjord; population 839,423 (2007). Founded in the 11th century, it was known as Christiania (or Kristiania) from 1624 until 1924 in honour of Christian IV of Norway and Denmark (1577–1648).

23a   Parrot // beginning to make a crow cry (5)

A macaw^[5] is a large long-tailed parrot with brightly coloured plumage, native to Central and South America.

26a   Waistline /that's/ roughly right (5)

27a   Jet has to carry // animal (5,4)

Jet^[5] is (1) a hard black semi-precious variety of lignite, capable of being carved and highly polished  ⇒ jet beads and (2) (also jet black) a glossy black colour ⇒ her jet-black hair.

28a   Removed religious restriction // -- and secret code changes (13)

Down

1d   Rebukes // lots after language (6-8)

Lashings^[5] is an informal British term for a copious amount of something, especially food or drink ⇒ chocolate cake with lashings of cream.

2d   A French copper on time -- rough as a diamond (5)

In French, the masculine singular form of the indefinite article is un^[8].

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

3d   Diplomacy /means/ freedom (10)

4d   One involved in gender-bending // ruled (7)

5d   A cougar's victims? (3,4)

Toy boy^[5] is an informal British term for a male lover who is much younger than his partner. This is a reversal of the way that the term is known in North America, namely boy toy^[3,11]. It would seem that, in Britain, boy toy^[5] is an informal term for a young woman considered sexually attractive to men. Thus North Americans interpret the expression "boy toy" as 'a boy who is a toy (for an older woman)" while the Brits interpret the same expression as '(a young woman who is) a toy for a boy'.

In his review, scchua illustrates this clue with images of Italian actress Lory Del Santo^[7]. At one time Del Santo was in the gossip columns mainly for her relationship with Eric Clapton (who dedicated the song "Lady of Verona" to her) and for the tragic death of their son, Conor, who died in 1991, at the age of four and a half, when he fell out of an open bedroom window on the 53rd floor of a Manhattan apartment building. Today, it seems she makes the Italian gossip pages for her "penchant for toy boys".

6d   Threatening // good learner in university year (4)

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

 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 countries (including the UK) if its driver is a learner under instruction.

7d   Learning // to recognise ridge (9)

8d   Poor toddler who ate lizard's tail /is/ unconscious (4,2,3,5)

14d   Cupid/'s/ rival god (10)

The setter cleverly places the word "cupid" at the beginning of the clue so that the capitalization will misdirect solvers into thinking of the Roman god.

In Roman mythology, Cupid^[5] is the god of love. He is represented as a naked winged boy with a bow and arrows, with which he wounds his victims. The equivalent in Greek mythology is Eros.

16d   Cold and rather stupid editor // took out a lease (9)

19d   Where to put dead stub out at home? (7)

This is a semi-&lit. (semi-all-in-one) clue which could also be called — as scchua characterises it — a WIWD (wordplay intertwined with definition) clue. The entire clue forms the definition, while the portion with the dashed underlining provides the wordplay.

In a chiefly British usage, dust^[3,4,11] means ashes or household refuse. In Britain a dustbin^[5] (in North America, a garbage can^[5] or, less commonly, a garbage bin) is a container for household refuse, especially one kept outside and a dustman^[5] (in North America, a garbage man^[5]) is a man employed to remove household refuse from dustbins.

20d   Harbour fee /from/ North African on time (7)

A Moor^[5] is a member of a northwestern African Muslim people of mixed Berber and Arab descent. In the 8th century they conquered the Iberian peninsula, but were finally driven out of their last stronghold in Granada at the end of the 15th century.

24d   Do // church and have dinner (5)

In Britain, do^[5] is an informal term for swindle ⇒ a thousand pounds for one set of photos — Jacqui had been done.

25d   Elegant hotel in island group west of Cuba (4)

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

The Channel Islands^[5] (abbreviation CI^[5]) are a group of islands in the English Channel off the northwestern coast of France, of which the largest are Jersey, Guernsey, and Alderney. Formerly part of the dukedom of Normandy, they have owed allegiance to England since the Norman Conquest in 1066, and are now classed as Crown dependencies. 

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, November 4, 2014 — DT 27512

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27512
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27512]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Gazza
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★★	Enjoyment - ★★★
Falcon's Experience ┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐ ███████████████████████████████████ └────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘ Legend: █ - solved without assistance █ - incorrect prior to use of puzzle solving tools █ - solved with assistance from puzzle solving tools █ - solved with aid of checking letters provided by puzzle solving tools █ - solved but without fully parsing the clue █ - unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Big Dave's Crossword Blog █ - solved with aid of checking letters provided by solutions from Big Dave's Crossword Blog █ - reviewed by Falcon for Big Dave's Crossword Blog █ - yet to be solved

Introduction

There is not much about this puzzle to cause one to work up a sweat — aside from trying to sort out the spelling of the Wagner opera.

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

Notes on Today's Puzzle

This commentary is intended to serve as a supplement to the review of this puzzle found at Big Dave's Crossword Blog, to which a link is provided in the table above.

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

Across

1a   Sparks flying across centre in Montgenevre, before one // social event there? (5-3)

Montgenèvre^[7], a commune of the Hautes-Alpes department in southeastern France, is a ski resort located in in the French Cottian Alps on the Franco-Italian border.

5a   Notice only // change (6)

9a   Yellow // invertebrate? (9)

11a   Composer: // he wrote nonsense about Hungary's capital (5)

Edward Lear^[5] (1812–88) was an English humorist and illustrator. He wrote A Book of Nonsense (1845) and Laughable Lyrics (1877). He also published illustrations of birds and of his travels around the Mediterranean.

Franz Lehár^[5] (1870–1948) was a Hungarian composer. He is chiefly known for his operettas, of which the most famous is The Merry Widow (1905).

12a   Bad // storm around northern end of Quebec (6)

13a   Healing ointment said /to come from/ a royal residence (8)

Balmoral Castle^[5] is a holiday residence of the British royal family, on the River Dee in Scotland.

15a   English inside eat hot scones prepared /as/ a snack (6,2,5)

18a   Threaten // to turn up with broken nose and choppers (4,4,5)

22a   One may help you along the way (8)

23a   Caught, sadly, bringing in illegal, originally /from/ ferry port (6)

On cricket scorecards, the abbreviation c^[5] denotes caught (by).

 Calais^[5] is a ferry port in northern France; population 75,790 (2006). Captured by Edward III in 1347 after a long siege, it remained an English possession until it was retaken by the French in 1558.

26a   Join // one by end of esplanade (5)

27a   Wagner opera // long confused with Rhine (9)

Richard Wagner^[5] (1813–1883) was a German composer who developed an operatic genre which he called music drama, synthesizing music, drama, verse, legend, and spectacle. Notable works: The Flying Dutchman (opera, 1841), Der Ring des Nibelungen (a cycle of four operas, 1847–74), Tristan and Isolde (music drama, 1859), and the Siegfried Idyll (1870).

Lohengrin^[5] is a Romantic opera in three acts composed and written by Richard Wagner, first performed in 1850.

The Rhine^[5] is a river in western Europe which rises in the Swiss Alps and flows for 1,320 km (820 miles) to the North Sea. It forms the border between Germany and Switzerland in the south, then Germany and France, before flowing north through Germany and westwards through the Netherlands to empty into the North Sea near Rotterdam.

28a   Synopsis // to think over (6)

29a   Budding // team up in hospital unit (8)

In my experience, the busiest section — by far — of the Crosswordland Hospital is the ear, nose and throat (ENT^[2]) department.

Down

1d   Summary // difficult to understand (8)

2d   Rule, /then/ abdicate, not having son (5)

Then^[5], as a link word, might be used in the sense of also or in addition ⇒ I’m paid a generous salary, and then there’s the money I’ve made at the races.

3d   Description of a design that is second // class (7)

The setter uses species and class in a general sense with species^[5] meaning simply a kind or sort ⇒ a species of invective at once tough and suave.

As Gazza points out in his review, "In non-scientific terms [species] and class may be synonyms but in the hierarchy of biological classification the two are quite distinct."

There are seven main taxonomic ranks^[7] defined by the international nomenclature codes for biological classification: kingdom, phylum/division, class, order, family, genus, species.

In biology, a species^[5] (plural same; abbreviation sp. [singular], spp. [plural]) is a group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes or interbreeding. The species is the principal natural taxonomic unit, ranking below a genus and denoted by a Latin binomial, e.g. Homo sapiens.

In biology, a class^[5] is a principal taxonomic grouping that ranks above order and below phylum or division, such as Mammalia or Insecta.

4d   Hold // the fort? (4)

A keep^[5] is the strongest or central tower of a castle, acting as a final refuge.

6d   Cover that's turned up on Austen novel /causes/ a quandary (7)

Jane Austen^[5] (1775–1817) was an English novelist. Her major novels are Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), Emma (1815), Northanger Abbey (1818), and Persuasion (1818). They are notable for skilful characterization, dry wit, and penetrating social observation.

7d   Cinema worker /is/ lax he utters -- energy needs to be conserved (9)

8d   Reptile // to go off, briefly let out (6)

10d   Jumped across opening in lane /and/ caused a surprise (8)

14d   Great // local's so in need of renovation (8)

16d   Relaxed, /getting/ simple summons to meal about lunchtime? (4-5)

I find that the denizens of Crosswordland prefer a rather late lunch — at least by my standards.

17d   The sort of stale joke that might get a roasting! (8)

19d   Her opus excited // entrancing poet (7)

In Greek mythology, Orpheus^[5] was a poet who could entrance wild beasts with the beauty of his singing and lyre playing. He went to the underworld after the death of his wife Eurydice and secured her release from the dead, but lost her because he failed to obey the condition that he must not look back at her until they had reached the world of the living.

20d   Rough terrain /for/ a coach (7)

21d   Published, /and/ gets prosecuted? (6)

24d   A nearly new // suit (5)

25d   First to sell meat // paste? (4)

Paste^[5] is a hard vitreous composition used in making imitation gems ⇒ paste brooches.

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, November 3, 2014 — DT 27511

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27511
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Monday, June 9, 2014
Setter Rufus (Roger Squires)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27511]
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

Introduction

All is right with the world — it's Monday, it's Rufus, and Im not scrambling to get the blog posted. Well, I did get a bit sloppy on 2d which I discovered as I read Miffypops' review on Big Dave's site.

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

Notes on Today's Puzzle

This commentary is intended to serve as a supplement to the review of this puzzle found at Big Dave's Crossword Blog, to which a link is provided in the table above.

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

Across

1a   Change sides? (5,3,5)

10a   Cast a spell // -- can then set spinning (7)

Miffypops makes a rather serious slip-up — inadvertent, I'm sure — in his explanation of the structure of the clue. The words "cast a spell" provide the definition (not the wordplay). The wordplay is made up of the anagram indicator ("set spinning") and the anagram fodder ("CAN THEN").

11a   Threats // can seem ridiculous (7)

12a   Oh dear! // Nothing works (4)

In music, Op.^[5] (also op.) is an abbreviation meaning opus (work). It is used before a number given to each work of a particular composer, usually indicating the order of publication.

Oops! There may be an element of cryptic licence involved here — but then, again, the setter does admit that "nothing works". The plural of opus^[5] is opuses or opera. The plural form of the abbreviation seems to be Opp.

13a   Fruit // drink very quietly being swallowed (5)

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.

14a   Country /that/ puts physical education before sport (4)

PE^[5] is the abbreviation for physical education (or Phys Ed, as it would likely be known to most school kids).

Rugby union^[10] (abbreviation RU^[5]) is a form of rugby football played between teams of 15 players (in contrast to rugby league^[5], which is played in teams of thirteen). Might Miffypops be a fan of this game!

17a   Sailing boat seen in seaway in extremis -- /it's/ rough (7)

Properly, in extremis^[5] is an adverbial phrase meaning (1) in an extremely difficult situation ⇒ one or two would talk to the press in extremis or (2) at the point of death ⇒ cannibalism is rare but, in extremis, it is something to which the human species will resort.

However, the intent of the setter becomes clear when one reverts to the original Latin meaning of the phrase, in 'in' + extremis, ablative plural of extremus 'outermost'.

18a   It's not customary /for/ holy man to travel widely (7)

19a   An animal must have some // means of defence (7)

22a   Legal or otherwise, /it's/ a lively movement (7)

The musical direction allegro^[5] means at a brisk speed.

24a   Fashion's key /in/ Chinese society (4)

Ton^[5] means fashionable style or distinction ⇒ riches and fame were no guarantee of a ticket—one had to have ton. The ton^[5] denotes fashionable society ⇒ it is the most elegant establishment and half the ton was there.

In the US, a tong^[5] is a Chinese association or secret society, frequently associated with organized crime ⇒ the tong wars in Chinatown.

25a   A person will be surprised if you take him this (5)

26a   A handy guide to future events? (4)

29a   The end /is/ not in reach (7)

Come^[10] is used in the sense of to extend or reach ⇒ she comes up to my shoulder.

30a   Leave // a musical group -- no making a comeback (7)

31a   Could be he or she's to make firm // statement (13)

Down

2d   He's broken out /of/ quarters -- peace is disturbed (7)

Not knowing this meaning of "quarter", I fell into the trap of supposing that the definition must be "He's broken out of quarters" with the anagram fodder being "PEACE IS". This led to the incorrect conclusion that the solution would be ESCAPIE which I surmised must be some weird alternative British spelling. Wrong on all counts!

A quarter^[5] is the direction of one of the points of the compass, especially as a direction from which the wind blows.

3d   It's not cheap, // my love (4)

4d   A stiff examination (7)

5d   Cheeky but attractive features (7)

"Cheeky" takes the whimsical sense of located on the cheek.

6d   Swan's on the wing -- // they're seen in fields of barley (4)

7d   Bookstand in service (7)

8d   Being upset, stand it no more // -- protest! (13)

9d   Take control for granted? (6,7)

15d   Refuse // to discard as worthless (5)

"Refuse" is a noun, rather than a verb.

16d   Not well, goes to doctor, /that's/ routine (5)

20d   Observe and report on // lizard (7)

A monitor^[5] (also called monitor lizard) is a large tropical Old World lizard with a long neck, narrow head, forked tongue, strong claws, and a short body. Monitors were formerly believed to give warning of crocodiles.

21d   Picture // catalogue to the French (7)

In French, when the preposition à^[8] (to) would otherwise precede le (the masculine singular form of the definite article), the combination is replaced by au (meaning 'to the').

22d   Antique // chair that's broken must be taken into account (7)

23d   Raise the spirits /of/ a cleric in depression (7)

Doctor of Divinity^[7] (abbreviation D.D. or DD, Divinitatis Doctor in Latin) is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects. In the United Kingdom, Doctor of Divinity has traditionally been the highest doctorate granted by universities, usually conferred upon a religious scholar of standing and distinction. In the United States, the Doctor of Divinity is usually awarded as an honorary degree.

A glen^[5] is a narrow valley, especially in Scotland or Ireland.

27d   High light, // low point (4)

28d   Composed // a piece of classical music (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

Saturday, November 1, 2014 — Feminist Stress

Introduction

Although today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon was not one of their more difficult ones, the southeast corner did give the grey matter a gentle workout.

Sometimes a seemingly mundane clue can launch one on a journey of discovery. Such was the case today where my efforts to track down who — if anyone — was being referenced in 8d, led not to Meg Ryan (who I thought might be my destination) but to a totally unexpected subject.

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

Solution to Today's Puzzle

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

Legend:	"*" anagram; "~" sounds like; "<" letters reversed
	"( )" letters inserted; "_" letters deleted; "†" explicit in the clue
	Primary indications (definitions) are marked with a solid underline in the clue; subsidiary indications (be they wordplay or other) are marked with a dashed underline in all-in-one (& lit.) clues, semi-all-in-one (semi-& lit.) clues and cryptic definitions.

Across

1a   Wipe tar off // bug (7)

WIRETAP* — anagram (off) of WIPE TAR

5a   Gun // company gaining attention (7)

FIR(EAR)M — FIRM (company) containing (gaining) EAR (attention)

9a   Branch next to someone pressing // cheese (9)

LIMB|URGER — LIMB (branch) + (next to) URGER (someone pressing)

Limburger^[5] is a soft white cheese with a characteristic strong smell, originally made in Limburg. Limburg^[5] is a former duchy of Lorraine, divided in 1839 between Belgium and the Netherlands. It now forms a province of northeastern Belgium (capital, Hasselt) and a province of the southeastern Netherlands (capital, Maastricht).

10a   Kick off // a 1978 Peace Nobelist (5)

BEGIN — double definition

Menachem Begin^[5] (1913–92) was an Israeli statesman, Prime Minister 1977–83. His hard line on Arab-Israeli relations softened in a series of meetings with President Sadat of Egypt, which led to a peace treaty between the countries. Nobel Peace Prize (1978, shared with Sadat).

11a   Brought back sandwich shop bagel // covered with grease (5)

{O|ILED}< — reversal (brought back) of {DELI (sandwich shop) + O ([letter that looks like a] bagel)}

12a   Go for the aforementioned boxer's // heart medicine (9)

DIG|IT|ALI|S — DIG (go for; I dig Rock and Roll music — Peter, Paul and Mary) + IT (the aforementioned) + ALI (boxer) + S ('s)

Muhammad Ali^[5] is an American boxer; born Cassius Marcellus Clay. He won the world heavyweight title in 1964, 1974, and 1978, becoming the only boxer to be world champion three times.

13a   Loves // raw material in commercials (6)

AD(ORE)S — ORE (raw material) contained in (in) ADS (commercials)

14a   Motorcycle attachment, // revved, is put in reverse (7)

{SI|DECAR}< — reversal (put in reverse) of {RACED (revved) + IS (†)}

17a   Upset or mad at // bullfighter (7)

MATADOR* — anagram (upset) of OR MAD AT

20a   Abstract art in Jumble // grid (6)

M(ATR*)IX — anagram (abstract) of ART contained in (in) MIX (jumble)

It seems to me that one could hardly call the Jumble format a grid, but I suppose we can allow the setters some cryptic leeway.

Jumble^[7] is a word puzzle with a clue, a drawing illustrating the clue, and a set of words, each of which is “jumbled” by scrambling its letters. A solver reconstructs the words, and then arranges letters at marked positions in the words to spell the answer phrase to the clue. The clue and illustration always provide hints about the answer phrase. The answer phrase frequently uses a homophone or pun.

Jumble, created in 1954, is one of the most valuable properties of its distributor, US company Tribune Content Agency, which owns the JUMBLE trademarks and copyrights. Daily and Sunday Jumble puzzles appear in over 600 newspapers in the United States and internationally.

23a   Almost hit Southeast Asian peninsula's // mountains (9)

HI_|MALAYA|S — HI (almost hit; HI[T] with the final letter deleted) + MALAYA (Southeast Asian peninsula) + S ('s)

US Dictionaries present Malaya^[3,11] as another name for the Malay Peninsula^[3,11]. However, it seems that you won't find it listed as such in British dictionaries.

25a   Girl's nickname // came up, grabbing interest (5)

ROS(I)E — ROSE (came up) containing I (interest; symbol used in financial formulae)

26a   Gets rid of // outbuildings (5)

SHEDS — double definition

27a   Crook // playing clarinets (9)

LARCENIST* — anagram (playing) of CLARINETS

28a   Dark // imperfection in Bashful (7)

S(WART)HY — WART (imperfection) contained in (in) SHY (bashful)

Bashful is one of the seven dwarfs in Walt Disney's 1937 animated musical fantasy film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs^[7] based on a German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. The story had earlier been made into a Broadway play that debuted in 1912. The dwarfs are not given names in the fairy tale. In the 1912 production, they were named Blick, Flick, Glick, Snick, Plick, Whick and Quee. Disney renamed them Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, Bashful, Sneezy, and Dopey.

29a   To add up // completely (7)

TO|TALLY — TO (†) + TALLY (add up)

Down

1d   Testament that hurts // tree (6)

WILL|OW — WILL (testament) + OW (that hurts; That hurts!)

2d   Sheep ran /and/ roamed (7)

RAM|BLED — RAM ([male] sheep) + BLED (ran; as dye, for instance)

3d   The 500 keeping below // made a lot of noise (9)

TH(UNDER)E|D — {THE (†) + D ([Roman numeral for] 500)} containing (keeping) UNDER (below)

4d   A deity housed in father's // temples (7)

P(A|GOD)A|S — {A (†) + GOD (deity)} contained in (housed in) {PA (father) + S ('s)}

5d   Looks for food // for a long time (7)

FOR|AGES — FOR (†) + AGES (a long time)

6d   Cheer about British // android (5)

RO(B)OT — ROOT (cheer) containing (about) B (British)

7d   In exchange, licorice /is/ very good (7)

_ANGE|LIC_ — hidden in (in) exchANGE LICorice

8d   Feminist Ryan keeps // government office (8)

_MINIST|RY_ — hidden in (keeps) feMINIST RYan

Feminist Ryan Gosling is a single topic Tumblr microblog created by Danielle Henderson showcasing a series of images based on stillshots of Canadian heartthrob actor Ryan Gosling seemingly submerged in thought over which are superimposed various excerpts from feminist literature works.

She has also written a book based on the blog titled Feminist Ryan Gosling: Feminist Theory (as imagined) from Your Favorite Sensitive Movie Dude.

Gosling's popularity with feminists appears to stem from statements he made in 2010, when after a three year hiatus from acting, he returned to the screen as the lead role in the 2010 drama film Blue Valentine. Shortly before its release, the film was given an NC-17 rating by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) due to a scene involving Gosling’s character giving oral pleasure to the female protagonist. Gosling publicly criticized MPAA’s decision by saying it is sexist to give films with scenes depicting women performing oral sex R ratings while his scene in Blue Valentine was given a NC-17 rating. The actor’s bold statement received praises from women’s blogosphere, most notably a column post on Ms. Magazine blog in November 2010.

15d   Laundry soap // fellow placed behind hamper (9)

DETER|GENT — GENT (fellow) following (placed behind) DETER (hamper)

16d   Weight // problem initially covered by new messiah (8)

EM(P)HASIS* — P (problem initially; initial letter of Problem) contained in (covered by) an anagram (new) of MESSIAH

18d   Paint // a sales agent encountered from behind (7)

{TEMPERA}< — reversal (from behind) of {A (†) + REP (sales agent) + MET (encountered)}

19d   Troy lay ruined, /in/ majesty (7)

ROYALTY* — anagram (ruined) of TROY LAY

Royalty^[5] is likely used in the sense of the status or power of a king or queen ⇒ the brilliance of her clothes, her jewels, all revealed her royalty.

20d   Aquatic mammal // must set about turning boat (7)

MUS(KRA<)T — MUST (†) containing (set about) a reversal (turning) of ARK (boat)

21d   Gradually plant // is engulfing front of new plow (7)

I(N)S|TILL — IS (†) containing (engulfing) N (front [initial letter] of New) + TILL (plow)

22d   Crazy about English // actor in "Reds" (6)

B(E)ATTY — BATTY (crazy) containing (about) E (English)

Reds^[7] is a 1981 epic film that was co-written, produced, and directed by Warren Beatty. The picture centers on the life and career of John Reed, the journalist and writer who chronicled the Russian Revolution in his book Ten Days That Shook the World. Beatty stars in the lead role alongside Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson.

24d   Composer/'s/ catalogue heard (5)

LISZT~ — sounds like (heard) LIST (catalogue)

Franz Liszt^[5] (1811–1886) was a Hungarian composer and pianist. He was a key figure in the romantic movement; many of his piano compositions combine lyricism with great technical complexity, while his twelve symphonic poems (1848–58) created a new musical form.

Epilogue

The title of today's blog was inspired by 8d and 16d.

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