Friday, December 5, 2014 — DT 27535

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27535
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Monday, July 7, 2014
Setter Rufus (Roger Squires)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27535]
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

We expect a gentle puzzle from Rufus, and today's offering is more so than usual.

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   Puzzle that has many twists and turns before being solved (6,4)

6a   Poems, /inspired by/ love of the French? (4)

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.

 In French, the combination of the preposition de^[8] (meaning of) and les (the plural form of the definite article) becomes des.

10a   Around this time // I should be in credit with returned account (5)

11a   Slanderer /is/ not an incisive member of the set (9)

12a   Grand occasion, of course (8)

The Grand National^[5] is an annual horse race established in 1839, a steeplechase run over a course of 4 miles 856 yards (about 7,200 metres) with thirty jumps, at Aintree, Liverpool, in late March or early April. The race may be familiar as the setting for National Velvet^[7], a 1944 film based on the 1935 novel of the same name by British author Enid Bagnold (1889-1981). The film stars Mickey Rooney, Donald Crisp and a young Elizabeth Taylor.

13a   Times called in bars (5)

No, not closing time at the pub.

In music, tempo^[5] (plural tempos or tempi) denotes the speed at which a passage of music is or should be played.

15a   Spent money on things // -- like free-range eggs (4,3)

17a   Suppress background noise when playing // squash (7)

I believe that the words "when playing" are to be included in the first definition with the inference being that we interpret them to mean "when [the radio is] playing".

Squelch^[3,4] is an electric circuit that cuts off a radio receiver when the signal is too weak for reception of anything but noise. While none of my dictionaries show this word being used as a verb in this sense — as Rufus does in the clue, it is not a big leap to suppose that it could be so used.

Squelch^[3,4] can also mean to crush completely or squash.

19a   The largest Chinese flower (7)

The setter uses flower in a whimsical cryptic crossword sense meaning something that flows — in other words, a river.

The Yangtze^[5] is the principal river of China, which rises as the Jinsha in the Tibetan highlands and flows 6,380 km (3,964 miles) southwards then generally eastwards through central China, entering the East China Sea at Shanghai.

21a   Yet a cricketer is not out to improve his (7)

Batting average^[7] is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. In cricket, a player's batting average is the total number of runs he has scored divided by the number of times he has been out. Thus the fewer times he has been out, the better his batting average.

22a   Teacher/'s/ pet that doesn't get to play out (5)

24a   Courses for non-drivers? (8)

This is a type of clue that we come to expect from Rufus. We are expected to fall into the trap of thinking that the clue is referring to golf courses. For more of the same, see 29a.

27a   The present animal should have no oral examination (4,5)

Don't look a gift horse in the mouth^[5] is a proverb cautioning one not to find fault with something that you have discovered or been given. It is premised on the practice of prospective purchasers to inspect the condition of a horse's teeth.

28a   Poetically inferior to // place in Wales (5)

Neath^[7] is a town and community situated in the principal area of Neath Port Talbot, Wales with a population of 19,258 in 2011.

29a   Imposed duty (4)

I'm afraid I don't comprehend Miffypops' comment on this clue. To me, it is one of Rufus' notorious "barely cryptic" clues in which we are expected to fall into the trap of interpreting the clue as a reference to a customs duty.

Reading through the comments on Big Dave's blog, I see that others share my view.

30a   Spring locks outside, // makes an illegal entry (10)

Down

1d   Sweet // music? (4)

In Britain, a sweet^[5] is a small shaped piece of confectionery made with sugar ⇒ a bag of sweets. In other words, sweets would be candy^[5] to us and a sweet is what we would refer to as a piece of candy.

In Britain, rock^[5] is a kind of hard confectionery in the form of cylindrical peppermint-flavoured sticks ⇒ a stick of rock.

2d   Savage // ban is repeatedly put on Scotsman (9)

If a Scotsman makes an appearance is Crosswordland, he is almost certain to be named Ian.

3d   Shade giving cover for troops (5)

4d   It can be arranged /for/ ministers (7)

5d   Secures // damages (7)

7d   Corporation lawyer is first /to get/ information (5)

Corporation^[3,4,5,11] is a dated humorous term for a large paunch or pot belly.

Tum^[10] is an informal or childish word for stomach.

In the US, a district attorney^[5] (abbreviation DA) is a public official who acts as prosecutor for the state in a particular district.

Datum^[5] (plural data) is a piece of information ⇒ the fact is a datum worth taking into account.

8d   Shattering in pieces? // Correct (10)

9d   Busts are being developed // beyond comprehension (8)

14d   Dramatist /in/ predicament is unusually wary (10)

Harold Pinter^[5] (1930–2008) [mentioned by Miffypops in his review] was an English dramatist, actor, and director. His plays are associated with the Theatre of the Absurd and are typically marked by a sense of menace. Notable plays: The Birthday Party (1958), The Caretaker (1960), and Party Time (1991). Nobel Prize for Literature (2005).

16d   Completely // wrong? Correct (8)

18d   Times of scarcity won't worry Mr Sprat (4,5)

Jack Sprat^[7] is is an English language nursery rhyme. The most common modern version of the rhyme is:

Jack Sprat could eat no fat.

His wife could eat no lean.

And so between them both, you see,

They licked the platter clean.

20d   Ruler, // pre-Rome, under a new constitution (7)

21d   Work and play may be the same to her (7)

23d   Uses Polish // enthusiasts? (5)

25d   At break of dawn, a girl /appears/ (5)

Contrary to Miffypops' assertion, the "a" is not part of the definition, but rather is included in the wordplay which is an anagram of (at break of) DAWN followed by the A (from the clue).

Despite being found at the end of the clue, the word "appears" functions very much like a link word (and I have marked it as such). This can be seen by undoing the inverted structure of the clue:

• Girl /appears/ at break of dawn a (5)

Of course, unravelling the clue in this manner totally destroys its surface reading.

26d   Huts may be built // in this way (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

Thursday, December 4, 2014 — DT 27534

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27534
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Saturday, July 5, 2014
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27534 – Hints] Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27534 – 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 █ - solved but without fully parsing the clue █ - unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Big Dave's Crossword Blog █ - solved with aid of checking letters provided by solutions from Big Dave's Crossword Blog █ - reviewed by Falcon for Big Dave's Crossword Blog █ - yet to be solved
Notes
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

You should not find today's puzzle to be overly onerous. It was a Saturday "prize puzzle" in the UK, one for which solvers can submit their solutions for a chance to win a small prize (a pen and notebook, I believe). These puzzles are notoriously easy, designed — as recently put by Big Dave — to maximum the number of entries to enable The Daily Telegraph to harvest more addresses for marketing purposes.

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   Lusty // skill shown in country dance (6)

Hey^[10] (or hay) is (1) a circular figure in country dancing or (2) a former country dance in which the dancers wove in and out of a circle.

4a   Carrying // hose (8)

9a   Transform // dog biting a European (6)

10a   Close relative touring part of UK /is/ ominous (8)

The use of the word "tour" as an anagram indicator is predicated on it meaning 'to go around'.

Northern Ireland^[5] (abbreviation NI^[5]) is a province of the United Kingdom occupying the northeast part of Ireland; population 1,775,000 (est. 2008); capital, Belfast.

According to Oxford Dictionaries Online, Northern Ireland is the only major division of the United Kingdom to hold the status of province, with England^[5] and Scotland^[5] being considered countries, and Wales^[5] a principality.

11a   The French politician's not serious -- // it's illuminating (9)

In French, the feminine singular form of the definite article is la^[8].

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).

13a   Loner made // to join army? (5)

14a   Article among DJs' equipment // to overcome disadvantage (4,3,6)

17a   One provides entertainment supply (13)

I'm afraid that I have a small quibble with crypticsue's analysis. Clearly, supply is used as an adverb meaning in a supple manner or pliantly. The corresponding adjective would be supple.

21a   Go // over zero miles per hour? (5)

In cricket, an over^[5] (abbreviation O^[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.

23a   Like liberal // without commitments (5-4)

24a   Vegetarian /and/ soldier run off together (8)

25a   See transfixing crash /in/ skiing race (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.

A slalom^[5] is a ski race down a winding course marked out by poles.

26a   Deeds // one's located in former plans (8)

27a   Crystal-gazer // frightening heartless queen (6)

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.

A scryer^[5] is someone who can [or purports to be able to] foretell the future using a crystal ball or other reflective object or surface.

This was a new term for me, one that I was able to work out from the wordplay [which is always a satisfying outcome].

Down

1d   Sermon, // religious, delivered without note (6)

In music, mi^[3] (in Britain, also spelled me) is the third note of the major scale in sol-fa notation.

2d   Trifling amount to a // robot (9)

3d   Gossip // rag featuring lovers primarily (7)

5d   It could be floating in the wind, lost (11)

This is a semi-&lit. (or semi-all-in-one) clue. The entire clue constitutes the the definition, while the portion marked with a dashed underline doubles as the wordplay — an anagram (floating in) THE WIND LOST.

One of my fellow bloggers, scchua, would refer to this type of clue as "a WIND (wordplay intertwined with definition) clue". That terminology adds a whole new dimension to the mental image of the solution "floating in the WIND".

6d   Monstrous creature // to strike a chord with artist (7)

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.

In Greek mythology, a chimera^[5] is a fire-breathing female monster with a lion’s head, a goat’s body, and a serpent’s tail.

I wondered if one can "strike a chord" on bells. Although I was not able to conclusively resolve the question, I did conclude that one likely can — at least within the limits of cryptic licence.

The figurative expression strike (or touch) a chord^[5] means to cause someone to feel sympathy, emotion, or enthusiasm ⇒ the issue of food safety strikes a chord with almost everyone. [with figurative reference to the emotions being the ‘strings’ of the mind visualized as a musical instrument].

However, in the wordplay, the setter uses the phrase "strike a chord" to mean literally produce a series of harmonious notes by striking bells.

A chord^[5] is a group of (typically three or more) notes sounded together, as a basis of harmony. As a noun, chime^[1] denotes (1) a set of bells tuned in a scale or (2) the harmonious sound of bells or other musical instruments and, as a verb, it means (1) to sound a chime or (2) to sound in chime (i.e., in a harmonious manner).

7d   Italian football team // sink in ground (5)

Football Club Internazionale Milano S.p.A., commonly referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan^[7] outside of Italy, is a professional Italian football [soccer] club based in Milan, Lombardy, Italy that plays in Serie A, the top flight of Italian football.

In her review, crypticsue mentions that Inter Milan is one of two famous football teams based in Milan. The other is Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan^[7] or simply Milan, that also plays in Serie A.

8d   Good morsels minced // thick (8)

Gormless^[5] is an informal British term meaning lacking sense or initiative; in other words, foolish ⇒ a constantly grinning, rather gormless boy.

12d   Learn precise words to // rap after chap embraces bird (3,2,3,3)

To have something off (or down) pat^[5] is to have something memorized perfectly ⇒ she has her answer off pat. I would say "down" rather than "off"; so it took me a while to fill in the missing word. I suppose that "having something off pat" refers to the end state of having successfully memorized something while "getting something off pat" refers to the process of memorizing.

I would think that the name Geoff is more common in the UK than it is in North America. I suspect that the name is more likely to be spelled Jeff on this side of the pond. In that respect, it would not be dissimilar to a British gaol versus a North American jail.

A tit^{[Britannica Concise Encyclopedia]} is any of several songbirds closely related to the chickadee, including the great tit (Parus major), found in Europe, North Africa, and Asia and the tufted titmouse (Parus bicolor), native to North America. These birds are called either "chickadees" or "titmice" in North America, and just "tits" in the rest of the English-speaking world.^[7]

Some may question the preciseness of the setter's claim that rap and pat are equivalent. One commenter on Big Dave's blog said "Mental note – if I ever meet Mysteron [a common nickname on Big Dave's blog for the mystery setter of the puzzle], don’t let them pat me on the head, if they think 'rap' and 'pat' are synonyms.".

15d   Improvement near end of game /going/ to one side? (9)

16d   Expert carrying mild illness receiving a // tribute (8)

18d   Shakespearean // greeting following ancient books (7)

In Crosswordland, the word "books" is often used to clue either the Old Testament (OT) or the New Testament (NT). [Often the clue does not specify whether the reference is to the former or the latter. However, today's setter leaves little doubt.]

Othello^[7] is the title character in The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice, a tragedy by English playwright William Shakespeare (1564–1616).

19d   Some Isles of Scilly districts turned // pleasantly rustic (7)

The Scilly Isles^[5] are a group of about 140 small islands (of which five are inhabited) off the south-western tip of England; population 2,200 (est. 2009); capital, Hugh Town (on St Mary’s).

20d   See me splitting batsman's head and ear! (6)

This is another instance of a semi-&lit. (or semi-all-in-one) clue. The entire clue constitutes the the definition, while the portion marked with a dashed underline providess the wordplay.

In cricket, a beamer^[5] is a ball bowled directly at a batsman’s head or upper body without bouncing (regarded as unsporting [or "not cricket"?]).

Although clearly unintended, the clue evokes the memory of the recent death of Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes after being hit in the head by a ball while batting. In his case, it was not a beamer which struck him, but a bouncer^[5] — a ball bowled fast and short so as to rise high after pitching.

This puzzle appeared in The Daily Telegraph five months ago in early July and the clue would have been composed by the setter sometime prior to that. It therefore seems a bit eerie that we see it a week following Hughes' death.

22d   This writer, with rising deposit, // had a get-together (3,2)

It is a common cryptic crossword convention for the creator of the puzzle to use terms such as compiler, setter, (this) author, (this) 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.

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 3, 2014 — DT 27533

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27533
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Friday, July 4, 2014
Setter Giovanni (Don Manley)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27533]
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 █ - 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 needed a bit of assistance from my electronic helpers today. However, even they let me down on 14d — although this was due, in part, to me feeding them an incorrect sequence of checking letters..

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   Irishman is admitting love, /in/ a manner of speaking (6)

Parents in Crosswordland would seem to draw from a fairly limited list when naming their offspring. Thus we find that an Irishman is either Pat or Paddy, a Scot is almost always named Ian, a German is customarily named Otto (but occasionally Hans), and girls are — more often than not — named Diana (usually shortened to Di). However, she is joined by a woman with a different name in today's puzzle.

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.

5a   Sort of post /made of/ wood mum's put in (8)

9a   Designer /of/ military show presented to the Queen (8)

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.

10a   Mess // in the centre of study? (6)

Midden^[2] is an archaic term for a rubbish heap or a pile of dung.

11a   Cross woman's wanting husband // to look good (3,1,4)

Here we have an appearance by a woman other than the usual one.

Cut a dash^[5] is a British term denoting to be stylish or impressive in one’s dress or behaviour ⇒ the foreign secretary wanted to cut a dash in Brussels.

Cut^[5] (said of a line) means to cross or intersect (another line) ⇒ mark the point where the line cuts the vertical axis.

12a   I'm Scot messing about /in/ TV programme (6)

13a   Most magnificent // match preceded by terrible rage (8)

A Test^[5] (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.

15a   Way // unpretentious saint becomes invisible (4)

17a   Some racer, this! // It's sure to win! (4)

Cert^[5] is an informal British term for a racehorse strongly favoured to win a race.

19a   Assertive about not drinking alcohol, one /becomes/ badly behaved (8)

20a   Gin man briefly knocked back /making/ exit (6)

A gin^[2] (also gin trap) is a wire noose laid as a snare or trap for catching game.

21a   Carry on with syndicate // betting (8)

22a   Selected for team // with other prisoners? (6)

... unless, of course, there has been a mass escape!

In North America, the term side^[3] is used in a very general fashion that can denote one of two or more opposing individuals, groups, teams, or sets of opinions. While this same general usage would seem to exist as well in the UK, the term side^[5] is also used there in a much more specific sense to mean a sports team ⇒ (i) Previous England rugby sides, and England teams in many other sports, would have crumbled under the weight of such errors.; (ii) They'll face better sides than this Monaco team, but you can only beat what's put in front of you..

23a   Most well set // to pass away with tears being shed all round (8)

24a   One works with lifeless arms (8)

25a   Ecclesiastical offence // by saint is unknown (6)

St Simon^[5] was an Apostle; known as Simon the Zealot. According to one tradition he preached and was martyred in Persia along with St Jude.

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.]

Down

2d   A top company outside centre of Hull -- /in/ port (8)

Hull^[5] is a city and port in northeastern England, situated at the junction of the Hull and Humber Rivers; population 263,000 (est. 2009). Official name Kingston upon Hull.

Acapulco^[5] is a port and resort in southern Mexico, on the Pacific coast; population 616,384 (2005). Full name Acapulco de Juárez.

3d   Go beyond // nature and go wild (8)

4d   Work hard on article always /as/ one promoting a cause (9)

5d   Salesman hopes to sell object thus, // if you think that matters (3,4,3,5)

Double definition, with the former being cryptic.

6d   Wanting only the best // in hotel, it is thought (7)

7d   Sailor given order, losing heart, /is/ to give up (8)

In the Royal Navy, according to Oxford Dictionaries Online, able seaman^[5] (abbreviation AB^[5]), is a rank of sailor above ordinary seaman and below leading seaman. On the other hand, Collins English Dictionary tells us that an able seaman^[10] (also called able-bodied seaman) is an ordinary seaman, especially one in the merchant navy, who has been trained in certain skills.

8d   Belief blokes should be housed in // family apartment? (8)

Bloke^[5] is an informal British term for a man.

In Britain, the word tenement seems not to carry the negative connotation that it does in North America. In Britain, a tenement^[4] is merely a room or flat [apartment] for rent or (also called tenement building) a large building divided into separate flats [apartments], whereas in North American, a tenement^[3,11] is generally regarded as a rundown, low-rental apartment building — often overcrowded and located in a poor section of a large city — whose facilities and maintenance barely meet minimum standards.

14d   Fish // of poor quality poet brought aboard ship (9)

Tin^[1] is sometimes used informally as an adjective to mean paltry.

Thomas Gray^[5] (1716–1771) was an English poet, best known for ‘Elegy Written in a Country Church-Yard’ (1751).

In Crosswordland, a ship rarely fails to be a steamship (abbreviation SS^[5]).

15d   Average // playing of violin -- male leader, not female (8)

16d   Stop // little woman keeping a father and son pinned down (8)

Finally, the usual woman appears.

In music, a diapason^[10] is either of two stops (open and stopped diapason) usually found throughout the compass of a pipe organ that give it its characteristic tone colour.

17d   Glamour surrounds revolutionary model/'s/ movement popular with workers (8)

Chartism^[5] was a UK parliamentary reform movement of 1837–48, the principles of which were set out in a manifesto called The People’s Charter and called for universal suffrage for men, equal electoral districts, voting by secret ballot, abolition of property qualifications for MPs, and annual general elections.

18d   Verbally attacks // plump boy (6,2)

Round on^[5] means to make a sudden verbal attack on ⇒ she rounded on me angrily. Although the expression is unfamiliar to me, it is seemingly not a Briticism as it is to be found in The American Heritage Dictionary^[3].

19d   Specially designed bedroom -- // could it send you to sleep? (7)

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 2, 2014 — DT 27532

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27532
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Thursday, July 3, 2014
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27532]
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

This was a gentle workout. Now off to the gym for a some more vigorous exercise.

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   What's blocking // criminal courts I bet around five? (11)

I would slightly modify the explanation given on Big Dave's blog to read "An anagram (criminal) of COURTS I BET around the Roman numeral for five".

Here, the definition might seem to be suggesting that the solution is a noun ("What is blocking"; or, in other words, 'something that is blocking').

However, as the solution is an adjective, we must look for another way of interpreting the definition. I would conclude that one must read the question "What is blocking?" in the sense of "How might one describe the act of blocking? "

9a   Crossing river is low northern // ass (5)

10a   How indiscriminate tourist might pack /for/ whatever happens (2,3,4)

11a   Wine /from/ second retailer running short (7)

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

Moselle^[5] (also Mosel) is a light medium-dry white wine produced in the valley of the River Moselle. The Mosel^[5] (also Moselle) is a river of western Europe, which rises in the Vosges mountains of northeastern France and flows 550 km (346 miles) north-east through Luxembourg and Germany to meet the Rhine at Koblenz.

12a   Find in diary new expression -- // describing far-sighted policy? (4-4)

14a   Retired father and mother, say? /That's/ obvious (8)

15a   Eject // some mischievous teenagers (4)

17a   In the morning, if in work, /will get/ raise (7)

19a   Eastern place of pride -- /and/ place of innocence (4)

Eden^[5] (also Garden of Eden) is the place where Adam and Eve lived in the biblical account of the Creation, from which they were expelled for disobediently eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge [thereby losing their innocence]. The term Eden has come to mean a place or state of great happiness; an unspoilt paradise ⇒ the lost Eden of his childhood.

20a   Tory minister with number boarding posh car, // one having authority (8)

The monogram RR appears on the grill of a Rolls Royce automobile.

Michael Gove^[7] is a British Conservative Party politician and Member of Parliament (MP). At the time that this puzzle was published in the UK, he held the post of Secretary of State for Education in the British cabinet. On 15 July 2014, he was replaced in a cabinet reshuffle and moved to the post of chief whip of the Conservative Party. This was alleged by some to be a demotion, although Prime Minister David Cameron denied this was the case.

21a   Dickensian character engaged in plain // dogsbody's work (8)

Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of Eighty^[5] (commonly known as Barnaby Rudge) is a historical novel by British writer Charles Dickens (1812–1870).

Dogsbody^[5] is an informal British term for a person who is given menial tasks to do, especially a junior in an office ⇒ I got myself a job as typist and general dogsbody on a small magazine.

23a   Facing action? (2,5)

The cryptic aspect of this clue is that the setter expects us to initially think of a battlefield — rather than a courtroom.

25a   Team is run in order /to get/ medical substance (9)

26a   Ball /or/ shot that's within limits of game (5)

27a   Dub dry wine unusually good /for/ celebratory occasion (4,7)

Ruby wedding^[5] is a British term for the fortieth anniversary of a wedding.

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

Down

2d   Outlaw getting brief delight /in/ instrument (5)

3d   Dram consumed nearly // in a short time? (7)

The question mark indicates that the solution is an example of a time that could be in the near future.

Nigh^[5] is an archaic or literary term meaning near ⇒ (i) [as an adjective] the end is nigh ; (ii) [as an adverb] they drew nigh unto the city.

4d   Subservient type // caught in a French roadside lodge heading north (5,3)

On cricket scorecards, the abbreviation c.^[2,10] or c^[5] denotes caught or caught by.

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

Uncle Tom^[5] is a derogatory, chiefly North American term for a black man considered to be excessively obedient or servile to whites [from the name of the hero of American novelist Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852)].

5d   News story, // 'Sex appeal and the writer', getting sent up (4)

"It"^[7] is a term that has come to mean sex appeal - although, in its earliest manifestation, it seems that the term pertained more to personality than to glamorous looks. Although the term had been used as early as 1904 by Rudyard Kipling, it was popularized  in the 1927 film It starring Clara Bow (who became known as the It Girl).

It is a common cryptic crossword convention for the creator of the puzzle to use terms such as compiler, setter, (this) author, (this) 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.

6d   Diplomat /having/ attention broken by girl close to embassy (8)

7d   Degenerated to elderly // drunk ... (9)

Trolleyed^[5] (also trollied) is an informal British term meaning extremely drunk ⇒ they decided to get really trolleyed to celebrate.

8d   ... curate with tiny rum, number having been consumed /in/ doubt (11)

A curate^[5] is a member of the clergy engaged as assistant to a vicar, rector, or parish priest.

Rum^[5] is a dated informal British term meaning odd or peculiar ⇒ it’s a rum business, certainly.

12d   Premier // cricketer Clive getting control of flight? (5,6)

Outside of Australia and Canada, the term Premier^[5] refers to a Prime Minister of other head of government. In Australia and Canada, a Premier is the chief minister of a government of a state or province.

Clive Lloyd^[5] is a former West Indies cricketer. One of the most successful Test captains of all time, he captained the West Indies between 1974 and 1985 and oversaw their rise to become the dominant Test-playing nation. He played for his home nation of Guyana in West Indies domestic cricket, and for Lancashire (he was made captain in 1981) in England. [A Test match is an international match, typically one of a series, played between teams representing two different countries.]

The autopilot of an aircraft is traditionally called "George", purportedly after one of the key contributors to its development, George DeBeeson, a pilot/inventor, who patented an "Automatic Airplane Control" autopilot in 1931. (read more)

Julie Hagerty and Leslie Nielsen in the cockpit.

The autopilot "Otto" is on the left.

I had some difficulty putting an identity to the puffed up pilot pictured in the review by archy and mehitabel, A Google search on the image only brought up hits related to a Tweet from a US Airways customer relations officer to a female complainant very graphically illustrating what she should do with her complaints regarding poor airline service. However, once I finally had a chance to read through the comments at Big Dave's site, I discovered that the image is from the 1980 American film Airplane!^[7], a parody of the disaster film genre. By the way, in the film the autopilot is named Otto — not George.

David Lloyd George^[5], 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor (1863–1945) was a British Liberal statesman, Prime Minister 1916–22. As Chancellor of the Exchequer (1908–15), he introduced old-age pensions (1908) and national insurance (1911). His coalition government was threatened by economic problems and trouble in Ireland, and he resigned when the Conservatives withdrew their support in 1922.

13d   Duck /and/ farm animal mainly raised on fat (7)

In their review, archy and mehitabel illustrate this clue with a picture of Number 4468 Mallard^[7], a London and North Eastern Railway steam locomotive built in 1938. It is historically significant as the holder of the world speed record for steam locomotives.

If you are at a loss as to which farm animal is called for, have a look at the solution to 24d.

16d   Preserving // South Africa's big cat with tax coming in (9)

In their review, archy and mehitabel comment "Not 100% sure that this works. We have a verb as definition but a noun as the answer." In reality, the definition is a gerund^[5], a verb form which functions as a noun.

17d   In the East End, very narrow river // passenger-carrier (8)

The East End^[5] is the part of London, England east of the City of London^[5] [not to be confused with the city of London] as far as the River Lea, including the Docklands.

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 the H from the beginning of words and the use of rhyming slang^[5].

Thus, the phrase "in the East End" is telling us to drop the H from the beginning of a word that means "very narrow" — a word which is often used to describe cracks appearing in the vehicle that is the solution to the clue.

18d   Ornament // at home kept in shape (8)

19d   Intellectual, // say, taken with German capital (7)

In this instance, the setter uses G^[10] as the abbreviation for German.

22d   Decadent end to reign /in/ French city (5)

Rouen^[5] is a port on the River Seine in northwestern France, capital of Haute-Normandie; population 110,276 (2006). Rouen was in English possession from the time of the Norman Conquest until captured by the French in 1204, and again 1419–49; in 1431 Joan of Arc was tried and burnt at the stake there [thus while the territory was under English rule!].

24d   Meat // lit with brandy (not outside) (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

Monday, December 1, 2014 — DT 27531

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27531
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Setter Jay (Jeremy Mutch)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27531]
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 █ - 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 would second Big Dave's assessment that "this is a fairly straightforward puzzle". His comment indicating that he experienced some slight degree of difficulty with 1a reinforced my suspicion that this might be a North American expression. However, I found the term listed in a couple of British dictionaries, but not in North American dictionaries. Granted, the North American dictionaries are more dated than are the British ones, and this is a fairly recently coined term.

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   Budget holiday // planning at any cost must include Italy (10)

The International Vehicle Registration (IVR) code for Italy is I^[5].

6a   Tea, say, with small Scottish // dainty (4)

Wee^[5] is a chiefly Scottish adjective meaning little ⇒ (i) when I was just a wee bairn; (ii) the lyrics are a wee bit too sweet and sentimental. The word may be of Scottish origin but, like the Scots themselves, the word has migrated around the world.

Twee^[5] is a British term meaning excessively or affectedly quaint, pretty, or sentimental ⇒ although the film’s a bit twee, it’s watchable.

9a   Go with lad /for/ thrills (5,2)

10a   Let off the hook, // sailors love getting drunk (7)

In the Royal Navy, according to Oxford Dictionaries Online, able seaman^[5] (abbreviation AB^[5]), is a rank of sailor above ordinary seaman and below leading seaman. On the other hand, Collins English Dictionary tells us that an able seaman^[10] (also called able-bodied seaman) is an ordinary seaman, especially one in the merchant navy, who has been trained in certain skills.

12a   Addition to bill /from/ mass accusation? (7,6)

14a   Symbolic tale /making you/ really upset about travel (8)

One should interpret the link phrase "making you" in the sense 'producing for you [the solver]'.

15a   Arrangement /by which/ mother is protected by garrison (6)

17a   Material /to give/ daughter a disguise (6)

19a   Fish // left in sink (8)

A flounder^[5] is any of several species of small flatfish typically found in shallow coastal water.

21a   Attention /paid in/ Mass (13)

The word "Mass" is deceptively — and quite deliberately — capitalized.

As a link word, the setter might be using pay^[10] in the sense of to yield a return of ⇒ the shares pay 15 per cent.

24a   Craftsman // pictures tax-free investment (new) (7)

In the UK, ISA^[5] stands for individual savings account, a scheme allowing individuals to hold cash, shares, and unit trusts free of tax on dividends, interest, and capital gains; in 1999 it replaced both personal equity plans (PEPs) and tax-exempt special savings accounts (TESSAs).

25a   Get rid of // boils spreading in a hospital (7)

26a   Thanks the Navy /for/ a feature of the Lake District (4)

Ta^[5] is an informal British exclamation signifying thank you ⇒‘Ta,’ said Willie gratefully.

The Royal Navy^[5] (abbreviation RN) is the British navy. It was the most powerful navy in the world from the 17th century until the Second World War.

A tarn^[5] is a small mountain lake.

27a   Writer met rate for changing // a line of verse (10)

Down

1d   Location /making/ sense in audition (4)

2d   One can under pressure! (7)

3d   Resist charges for designing // machines in store (4,9)

4d   Fresher-smelling South // African city (8)

Although I didn't think of it as meaning "fresh", according to Chambers 21st Century Dictionary tangy^[2] means with a fresh sharp smell or flavour.

Tangiers^[5] is a seaport on the northern coast of Morocco, on the Strait of Gibraltar commanding the western entrance to the Mediterranean; population 762,583 (2004). Portuguese from the end of the 15th century, Tangier was ruled by the sultan of Morocco 1684–1904, when it came under international control; it passed to the newly independent monarchy of Morocco in 1956.

5d   Love to put a value on // talk (5)

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.

7d   New law from /producing/ metal (7)

Wolfram^[10] is another name for tungsten^[10]. The symbol for this element (W) is derived from the former name.

8d   Simple // carbon, for example, used on a railway (10)

11d   What children may have to wear /for/ lunch, if room so untidy (6,7)

13d   Convenient-sounding ship/'s/ activity requiring skill (10)

16d   Affable // student welcomed by country worker once (8)

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.

18d   Brute/'s/ in form -- on steroids! (7)

20d   Surgeon /has/ time in study first (7)

22d   Touch /that's/ integral to getting even (5)

23d   Person who does clean // fish (4)

Char^[5] is another name for a charwoman^[5], a dated British term for a woman employed as a cleaner in a house or office.

Since do^[5], is an informal British term meaning to do the cleaning for a person or household ⇒ Florrie usually did for the Shermans in the mornings, might the setter have chosen to word the clue simply:

• Person who does // fish (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