Tuesday, December 16, 2014 — DT 27542

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27542
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Setter Shamus (Philip Marlow)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27542]
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

By Gazza's reckoning this puzzle was a bit more difficult than one's we have seen recently. I therefore felt rather pleased — or as the Brits would say, chuffed — to have finished it without resorting to electronic aids.

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   Former partner's place found by address // search (11)

Pl.^[5] (also pl.) is the abbreviation for Place (in street addresses) ⇒ 3 Palmerston Pl., Edinburgh.

7a   Shirt, say, no longer wanted /with/ players away? (4-3)

In this clue, the word "with" serves as a link (expressing causality) between the definition and wordplay. The preposition with^[5] may be used to indicate the cause of condition ⇒ he was trembling with fear. Used in this sense, the word "with" essentially means "resulting from".

8a   Maybe Mohican /gets/ dry and cold in cabin (7)

Mohican^[5] is the British name for a Mohawk^[5] [haircut].

10a   Window /makes/ admirer easy to pick up (8)

In addition to being a semicircular window over a door or window, often having sash bars like the ribs of a fan, the Brits also use the name fanlight^[10] for a transom or skylight.

11a   Beef /in/ hotel consumed by footballer right away (6)

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

A winger^[5] is an attacking player in football [soccer] as well as in other sports, such as hockey [which, to the Brits, would mean field hockey] and ice hockey [the word "ice" being redundant to a Canadian].

Whinge^[5] is an informal British term that, as a verb, means to complain persistently and in a peevish or irritating way ⇒ stop whingeing and get on with it! and, as a noun, denotes an act of complaining persistently and peevishly ⇒ she let off steam by having a good whinge.

13a   Jug /in/ dirty place initially covered (4)

Cover means to hide or conceal. Thus "initially covered" is used to clue 'with the initial letter hidden or concealed'.

14a   Get hat and coat confused? /That's/ to be idiotic (3,3,4)

Goat^[5] is an informal British term for a stupid person or fool. Thus, to act the goat is to act like a fool ⇒ just for once, stop acting the goat.

16a   Place in which sound quality is cultivated? (6,4)

Health farm^[5] is a chiefly British term for a residential establishment where people seek improved health by a regimen of dieting, exercise, and treatment.

18a   House in the Home Counties /for/ trainer perhaps (4)

The Home Counties^[5] are the counties surrounding London in southeast (SE) England, into which London has extended.

However, no exact definition of the term exists and the composition of the Home Counties^[7] remains a matter of debate. Oxford Dictionaries Online restrictively lists them as being chiefly Essex, Kent, Surrey, and Hertfordshire while the cited Wikipedia article provides a considerably longer list.

21a   Remove travel items /from/ peacekeeping group? (6)

22a   A top firm that's defending case in unusual // resort (8)

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

24a   Competitor // hurried into makeshift tent (7)

25a   Appropriately presented // like a nun? (2,5)

26a   Green /and/ wild cornfield bound by banks of estuary (11)

Down

1d   Ascetic restricting source of comfort /in/ perfume (7)

An Essene^[5] is a member of an ancient Jewish ascetic sect of the period from the 2nd century BC to the 2nd century AD in Palestine, who lived in highly organized groups and held property in common. The Essenes are widely regarded as the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

2d   Visionary figure announced // gain (6)

3d   Old fellows on strike carrying article /that's/ improvised (3,3,4)

F^[2] is the abbreviation for Fellow (of a society, etc). For instance, it is found in professional designations such as FRAIC (Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada).

4d   Scented bag missing sides? // A pain (4)

5d   Man's here /getting/ independent shares I distributed (5,3)

The Isle of Man^[5] is an island in the Irish Sea which is a British Crown dependency having home rule, with its own legislature (the Tynwald) and judicial system.

I^[1] is the abbreviation for independent, perhaps in the context of a politician with no party affiliation.

6d   Admission of failure /in/ retrograde study a don demolished (2,3,2)

Con^[5] is an archaic term meaning to study attentively or learn by heart (a piece of writing)  ⇒ the girls conned their pages with a great show of industry.

A don^[10] is a member of the teaching staff at a university or college, especially at Oxford or Cambridge.

7d   Establishment unlikely to favour instant consumption? (6,5)

9d   One regularly boosting a rep's income? (7-4)

Rep^[5] is an informal shortened form of repertory^[5]. It can refer either to the performance of various plays, operas, or ballets by a company at regular short intervals,  or to a repertory theatre or company.

12d   Fetching // a pamphlet I have consumes short time (10)

15d   Being jumpy in bars? (8)

Staccato^[5] is a musical direction denoting that a piece is to be performed with each sound or note sharply detached or separated from the others ⇒ a staccato rhythm.

In music notation, a bar^[7] (or measure) is a segment of time defined by a given number of beats, each of which are assigned a particular note value. The word bar is more common in British English, and the word measure is more common in American English, although musicians generally understand both usages. Originally, the word bar derives from the vertical lines drawn through the staff [or stave] to mark off metrical units. In British English, these vertical lines are called bar, too, but often the term bar-line is used in order to make the distinction clear. In American English, the word bar stands for the lines and nothing else.

17d   Mate up at sea close to gunwale /for/ Nelson, perhaps (7)

Horatio Nelson^[5], Viscount Nelson, Duke of Bronte (1758–1805) was a British admiral. Nelson became a national hero as a result of his victories at sea in the Napoleonic Wars, especially the Battle of Trafalgar, in which he was mortally wounded.

Nelson^[7] was wounded several times in combat, losing one arm in the unsuccessful attempt to conquer Santa Cruz de Tenerife and the sight in one eye in Corsica.

19d   Champion cyclist going over top with a // break (7)

Sir Chris Hoy^[5] is a Scottish cyclist. A multiple world champion in track cycling, he won his sixth Olympic gold medal in 2012, more than any other British athlete in history. He shares with Bradley Wiggins the record for the highest total number of Olympic medals won by a British athlete (seven).

20d   Maintain // rising part of ship (6)

23d   Disturb // bird (4)

Stir^[5] is an informal term for prison [on both sides of the Atlantic] ⇒ I’ve spent twenty-eight years in stir.

Bird^[10] is British slang for prison or a term in prison, especially in the phrase do (one's) bird. This is yet another instance of Cockney rhyming slang (of which we saw several examples in yesterday's puzzle). Bird is shortened from birdlime, rhyming slang for time (as in a prison sentence).

In his review, Gazza mentions porridge^[5], another informal British expression for time spent in prison — a term which appeared in yesterday's puzzle.

Although Gazza indicates that stir is "another informal term for bird or porridge", that would not be my understanding. Stir is slang for prison and porridge is slang for time spent in prison, while bird is slang for either prison or time spent in prison. Thus, although stir and porridge are each synonyms of bird (in different senses of this word), they are not synonyms of each other — unless I have misread the dictionaries or the dictionaries do not correctly reflect the way that Brits actually use these terms.

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 15, 2014 — DT 27541

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27541
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Monday, July 14, 2014
Setter Rufus (Roger Squires)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27541]
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

This is one of those rare weeks when the planets align and we are presented with a "Monday" puzzle on a Monday. Having been created by Rufus, the puzzle is not overly difficult — but, nevertheless, very enjoyable.

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   A life of one's own (13)

10a   Big egg-producer /from/ nothing, on the way to get wealthy (7)

11a   Stand before the speaker (7)

A cryptic definition where the portion with the solid underline is a straight definition and the portion with the dashed underline provides some additional elaboration. This type of clue relies for its cryptic effect on the solver misreading the clue. In this case, the setter expects us to envision a listener or group of listeners standing in front of a speaker.

12a   Horses /and/ badgers (4)

13a   Start playing snooker, /getting/ a series of points (5)

In billiards, pool, or snooker, the verb break^[5] means to make the first stroke at the beginning of a game and the noun break^[5] means a player’s turn to make the opening shot of a game ⇒ whose break is it?.

In snooker and billiards, break^[5] means a consecutive series of successful shots, scoring a specified number of points ⇒ a break of 83 put him in front for the first time.

14a   Going to drop one // clanger (4)

Without a knowledge of British slang, the surface reading in this clue will have little meaning. Of course, that may actually make the clue easier to solve as one will not be distracted by the surface reading.

Clanger^[5] is an informal British term for an absurd or embarrassing blunder ⇒ the minister had dropped a massive political clanger. To drop a clanger^[10] is to make a blunder.

17a   Is stout possibly, /so/ doesn't dance (4,3)

18a   It controls the waves, /though/ the rain is wild (7)

The illustration in Miffypops' review is a picture of Ena Sharples^[5], one of the original characters from the British soap opera Coronation Street, played by Violet Carson.

19a   Talks a lot /with/ holy men going east and west (7)

As a noun, rabbit^[5] is an informal British term for a conversation ⇒ we had quite a heated rabbit about it. As a verb, rabbit^[5] is an informal British term meaning to talk at length, especially about trivial matters ⇒ stop rabbiting on, will you, and go to bed!.

The term comes from the Cockney rhyming slang "rabbit and pork" meaning "talk" [yes, 'pork' rhymes with 'talk' when pronounced in some English accents]. In Cockney rhyming slang, the slang word is obtained by replacing a word (in this case, "talk") by a phrase with which it rhymes ("rabbit and pork") and then dropping the rhyming word from the phrase. Through this process, "talk" becomes "rabbit".

In his review, Miffypops makes reference to Chas & Dave^[7] (often billed as Chas 'n' Dave), an English pop rock duo, most notable as creators and performers of a musical style labelled "rockney", which mixes "pub singalong, music-hall humour, boogie-woogie piano and pre-Beatles rock 'n' roll".

"Rabbit"^[7] is a song by Chas & Dave from the album Don't Give a Monkey's, which was released as a single in November 1980. The song, which stayed on the charts for 8 weeks and peaked at number #8 in January 1981, is about a relationship between a man and a woman, in which the man expresses his love for his girlfriend, but complains that she will not stop talking or, "rabbiting".

22a   The mantle /of/ sleep is disturbed (7)

Although both are cloaks, a mantle and a pelisse are rather different garments.

A mantle^[5] is a loose sleeveless cloak or shawl, worn especially by women ⇒ she was wrapped tightly in her mantle.

Historically, a pelisse^[5] was a woman’s ankle-length cloak with armholes or sleeves.

Mantle is something that envelops and covers, like a tree covered in a mantle of snow. The Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra said, “Blessings on him who invented sleep, the mantle that covers all human thoughts.” Here, sleep is described as a mantle blanketing over the mind.

24a   Toss coin /for/ a picture (4)

25a   With nod we // provide money (5)

In his review, Miffypops says "Here is an anagram with an unusual indicator or maybe without an indicator at all. It is a sort of all in one clue as well. Mmmm. Over to you lot, what do you think?".

I would say that, as an anagram indicator, with is likely used in the sense of using or by means of ⇒ he killed her with an axe.

True, the phrase "with nod we" only explicitly specifies the fodder and leaves the means of accomplishing the result to one's imagination — much like some of Miffypops' hints.

26a   Mean to grab one /or/ two (4)

29a   Beats // a London club side (7)

West Ham United Football Club^[7] is an English professional football [soccer] club based in Upton Park, East London, England currently playing in the Premier League, England's top tier of football. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. Because of the original "works team" roots and links (still represented upon the club badge), they are still known as 'the Irons' or 'the Hammers' amongst fans and the media.

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..

In his intro, Miffypops proclaims "Hurrah!! The oikball is over. Booo! The season is only a couple of weeks away." In his remarks on this clue, he adds "As if we have not had enough oikball over the last few weeks here is a footballing reference to prolong the agony."

Oik^[5] (also oick) is an informal British term for an uncouth or obnoxious person or, as Cambridge Dictionaries Online puts it, an oik is a rude and unpleasant man from a low social class ⇒ In his latest film he plays a racist oik from the East End of London.

Based on Miffypops' comment that "The oikball is over", I initially supposed that oikball must be a reference to preseason football [soccer] games. While his remarks would seem to suggest that the preseason had been completed, a bit of research shows that — at the time that Miffypops wrote his review — the lower ranking divisions of English football appeared to be in the midst of their preseason games while the Premiership (the top tier in English football) had yet to begin its preseason.

Although I could find no source that defined the term, oikball appears to be a derogatory term for football [soccer] used primarily by rugby fans — among whom we would number Miffypops, witness his remark "Roll on September 2015 when the real game has its world cup". The 2015 Rugby World Cup^[7] will be hosted by England from 18 September to 31 October 2015.

There is an old British adage "Football is a gentleman's game played by ruffians, and rugby is a ruffian's game played by gentlemen." This saying cleverly contrasts football (or soccer) with rugby. "Ruffian" is an old-fashioned word meaning a tough, violent, possibly criminal person. The saying shows the irony of the fact that a rough and dangerous game like rugby was played by polite, well-educated "gentlemen", while the much gentler and safer game of football was played by tough, lower-class men with a reputation for violence. Even today rugby players might seem to be very polite gentlemen when compared to many footballers, especially those seen swearing at referees and angrily abusing them when a decision goes against them. Some people might even say that this old British saying still applies today.

30a   Sped too much, /and/ exceeded the limit (7)

The second definition is solid ⇒ I missed recording the last few minutes of the hockey game as it overran its time slot.

The first definition may be somewhat of a whimsical invention of the setter where OVERRAN means RAN (sped) too much (in the sense of too fast).

Of course, one could interpret "too much" in the sense of 'too far' (see below) but then it effectively becomes the same as the second definition.

I found one of the usage examples at Oxford Dictionaries Online to be of interest from two perspectives. First, it is drawn from baseball and, second, it seems ironically appropriate given today's setter.

Overrun^[5] means to run over or beyond ⇒ Rufus overran third base.

31a   Yet it might result from inside information (5-4,4)

Down

2d   At university, drunk /and/ anxious (7)

In Britain, up^[5] means at or to a university, especially Oxford or Cambridge ⇒ they were up at Cambridge about the same time.

3d   A newspaper's deadline, in short? (4)

4d   Succeed with a will // in their resolve (7)

The setter could have easily made the clue simply:

• Succeed in their resolve (7)

However, he has decided to give us an extra nudge ("with a will") to indicate that "succeed" is not being used in the sense of to be successful.

5d   Very big chap who went down to a stone! (7)

In the surface reading, a stone^[5] is a British unit of weight equal to 14 lb (6.35 kg) ⇒ I weighed 10 stone. Such a loss of weight definitely deserves an exclamation point!

6d   A feature of Perpendicular churches (4)

This is as an &lit.^[7] clue (sometimes called an all-in-one clue). The entire clue (when read one way) is the the definition, but under a different interpretation takes on the roll of wordplay.

Perpendicular^[5] is a term denoting denoting the latest stage of English Gothic church architecture, prevalent from the late 14th to mid 16th centuries and characterized by broad arches, elaborate fan vaulting, and large windows with vertical tracery ⇒ the handsome Perpendicular church of St Andrew.

7d   One who'd have to change /for/ the dance (7)

Hoedown^[5] is a North American term [as I suspected] for (1) a lively [country and western] folk dance or (2) a social gathering at which such dancing takes place.

8d   Evidently not turning to crime (5,8)

This is a classic Rufus clue — one that conveys meaning on different levels. The entire clue is a cryptic definition referring to someone who rejects a life of crime. However, the portion of the clue with the solid underline could also be the definition — in a more general sense.

In his review, Miffypops refers to the television show Porridge^[7], a British situation comedy broadcast on BBC1 from 1974 to 1977. The show ran for three series, two Christmas specials and a feature film also titled Porridge (the movie was released under the title Doing Time in North America). Widely considered to be one of the greatest British sitcoms of all time, the show's protagonists are two inmates at the fictional HMP [Her Majesty's Prison] Slade in Cumberland. "Doing porridge" is British slang for serving a prison sentence, porridge once being the traditional breakfast in UK prisons. The series was followed by a 1978 sequel, Going Straight.

9d   Champions away from home? (7,6)

Historically, a champion^[5] was a a knight who fought in single combat on behalf of the monarch.

A knight errant^[5] (plural knights errant) is a medieval knight wandering in search of chivalrous adventures.

15d   Subject // of a Canaletto picture (5)

As a hidden word indicator, think of the word "of" as meaning 'belonging to'.

Canaletto^[5] (1697–1768) was an Italian painter; born Giovanni Antonio Canal. He is famous for his paintings of Venetian festivals and scenery.

16d   Name /is/ right (5)

20d   Rose/'s/ mistake? (7)

Bloomer^[5] being a dated informal British term for a serious or stupid mistake ⇒ he never committed a bloomer.

21d   Takes Mickey to prison? (5,2)

This clue is a play on two different meanings for the phrase "send up".

According to Collins English Dictionary, send up^[10] is (1) slang meaning to send to prison or (2) an informal British expression [although one that I would say is also much in use on this side of the pond] meaning to make fun of, especially by doing an imitation or parody of   ⇒ he sent up the teacher marvellously.

Collins was the only English dictionary to list send up in the sense of send to prison. Several comments from the Brits objected strenuously to this usage as an Americanism. I must say that I find that Collins does tend to include expressions that are not entirely British.

In Britain, one would say send down^[10] when referring to being sent to prison.

Up the river^[5] is an informal North American expression meaning to or in prison ⇒ we were lucky not to be sent up the river that time boy [with allusion to Sing Sing prison, situated up the Hudson River from the city of New York].

Take the mickey^[5] is an informal British expression meaning to tease or ridicule someone ⇒ they would take the mickey out of me with sickening enthusiasm.

Apparently, according to the chatter on Big Dave's site, this is another instance of Cockney rhyming slang (see comment at 19a). Mickey is short for Mickey Bliss which rhymes with piss, so to take the mickey out of someone means to take the piss out of them. No one seems to know who Mickey Bliss was — or even if there really ever was such a bloke.

22d   Stretch // a point and look inside (7)

Lo^[5] is an archaic exclamation used to draw attention to an interesting or amazing event ⇒ and lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them.

23d   A couple of scraps /for/ bird (7)

27d   Cut down // when damaged (4)

28d   Eager // to know about the Orient (4)

Ken^[5] is a Scottish and Northern English term meaning (1) know [in the sense of to be aware of] ⇒ d’ye ken anyone who can boast of that? or (2) recognize or identify ⇒ that’s him—d’ye ken him?.

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, December 13, 2014 — Not a Current Focus

Introduction

There is little I can say about today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon other than that I completed it without much difficulty. However, a busy weekend schedule delayed completion of the blog.

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   Act funny /in/ sleeping bag (7)

BE|DROLL — BE (act) + DROLL (funny)

5a   Biblical man partakes of // dream-inducing fruits (7)

LOT|USES — LOT (Biblical man) + USES (partakes of)

In the Bible, Lot^[5] is the nephew of Abraham, who was allowed to escape from the destruction of Sodom (Gen. 19). His wife, who disobeyed orders and looked back, was turned into a pillar of salt.

The solution refers not to the sacred water lily from Asian or Egyptian culture but to Greek mythology where the lotus^[5] is a plant whose fruit induced a dreamy forgetfulness and an unwillingness to leave.

9a   Patch with grass // that, in Mexico, divides road (5)

R(ESO)D — ESO (that, in Mexico; i.e., the Spanish word for 'that'^[8]) contained in (divides) RD ([abbreviation for] road)

10a   Admirer taking in // money manager (9)

F(IN)ANCIER — FANCIER (admirer) containing (taking) IN (†)

I initially thought that the containment indicator must be "taking in", leading me to look for a word meaning manager that could be constructed from admirer containing money. However, the containment indicator is merely "taking" as in ingesting (taking a pill).

11a   Nothing in hot, dry ground /for/ Kansas girl (7)

D(O)ROTHY or DOR(O)THY —O (nothing; letter that looks like a 0) contained in (in) anagram (ground) {HOT (†) + DRY (†)}

As an anagram indicator, ground is the past tense or past participle of the verb grind^[5]. An anagram indicator is a word that denotes movement or transformation. Grind denotes transformation in the sense of wheat being ground into flour.

I learned a thing or two in researching the solution to this clue. I hadn't realized the extent of the Oz series of novels and it had never struck me before how appropriate is Dorothy's last name in that she is conveyed from Kansas to Oz by a strong wind..

Dorothy Gale^[7] is a fictional character and protagonist of many of the Oz novels by the American author L. Frank Baum. Her best friend is Oz's ruler Princess Ozma. Dorothy first appears in Baum's classic children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and reappears in most of its sequels. In addition, she is the main character in various adaptations, notably the classic 1939 movie adaptation of the book, The Wizard of Oz. In later books, Oz steadily becomes more familiar to her than her homeland of Kansas. Indeed, Dorothy eventually goes to live in an apartment in the Emerald City, but only after her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry have settled in a farmhouse on its outskirts, unable to pay the mortgage on their house in Kansas. Dorothy's best friend Princess Ozma, officially makes her a princess in a later book.

12a   Surprisingly, Sinatra /is/ someone with a useful skill (7)

ARTISAN* — anagram of SINATRA

Frank Sinatra^[5] (1915–1998) was an American singer and actor. His many hits include ‘Night and Day’ and ‘My Way’. He won an Oscar for his role in the film From Here to Eternity (1953).

13a   Witticism about actor Bruce is // in the current style (9)

MO(DERN|IS)T — MOT (witticism) containing (about) {DERN (actor Bruce) + IS (†)}

Bruce Dern^[7] is an American actor who has appeared in more than 80 feature films, receiving Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor for the 1978 film Coming Home and Best Actor for the 2013 film Nebraska.

15a   Had a meal taken by my // chum (5)

M(ATE)Y — ATE (had a meal) contained in (taken by) MY (†)

The two American dictionaries found at TheFreeDictionary.com (The American Heritage Dictionary and the Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary) define matey^[3,4,11] as being a chiefly British term taking only an adjectival form and meaning sociable or friendly. The British dictionary (Collins English Dictionary) not only adds an alternative spelling (maty) but — in addition to the adjectival form — includes a nounal form meaning friend or fellow (usually used in direct address).

See comment at 10a regarding "taken" as a containment indicator.

17a   Flower part/’s/ strange pleat (5)

PETAL* — anagram (strange) of PLEAT

19a   Distribute // Spanish information from a computer (6,3)

SP|READ OUT — SP ([abbreviation of] Spanish) + READ OUT (information from a computer)

In computer science, read out^[4] means (1) the act of retrieving information from a computer memory or storage device or (2) the information retrieved.

22a   Agassi zestfully holds // court sessions (7)

_ASSIZES_ — hidden in (holds) AgASSI ZEStfully

The term assize appears to be used — and have been used — around the world with a variety of meanings in different contexts and at different periods of history.

The American Heritage Dictionary defines assize^[3] as (1) a session of a court or (2) a decree or edict rendered at such a session, whereas Collins English Dictionary defines assize^[4] as a US term for (1) a sitting of a legislative assembly or administrative body or (2) an enactment or order of such an assembly.

The courts of assize, or assizes^[7], were periodic criminal courts held around England and Wales until 1972, when together with the quarter sessions they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court. The assizes heard the most serious cases, which were committed to it by the quarter sessions (local county courts held four times per year), while the more minor offences were dealt with summarily by justices of the peace in petty sessions (also known as magistrates' courts).

André Agassi^[5] is a American retired professional tennis player. During 1992–2003, he won the men’s singles title at one Wimbledon, two US Open, one French Open, and four Australian Open tournaments.

24a   Yankee in Paris corrupted // old European kingdom (7)

PR(US)SIA — US (Yankee; as an adjective) contained in (in) anagram (corrupted) of PARIS

Prussia^[5] was a former kingdom of Germany. Originally a small country on the southeastern shores of the Baltic, under Frederick the Great it became a major European power covering much of modern northeastern Germany and Poland. After the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1 it became the centre of Bismarck’s new German Empire, but following Germany’s defeat in the First World War the Prussian monarchy was abolished.

25a   A number // observed around activity (9)

S(EVENT)EEN — SEEN (observed) containing (around) EVENT (activity)

26a   Fear // agitated adder (5)

DREAD* — anagram (agitated) of ADDER

27a   Going down, // get rid of the smell? (7)

DESCENT —double definition, the latter whimsical

The setters whimsically reason that if defrock means to figuratively strip a priest of his frock, then descent must mean to get rid of a scent.

28a   That woman’s outfit sounded // pretty hairy (7)

{HIR|SUTE}~ — sounds like (sounded) {HER (that woman's) + SUIT (outfit)}

Down

1d   Ruby, in time of prosperity /and/ state of ennui (7)

BO(RED)OM — RED (ruby) contained in (in) BOOM (time of prosperity)

2d   Cast doubt on // CDs I tried out (9)

DISCREDIT* — anagram (out) of CDS I TRIED

3d   Senior citizen // seen in manifold stereotypes (7)

_OLDSTER_ — hidden in manifOLD STEReotypes

4d   Myrna holds feet // high (5)

LO(FT)Y — LOY (Myrna) containing (holds) FT ([abbreviation of] feet)

Myrna Loy^[7] (1905–1993) was an American film, television and stage actress. Following a series of minor roles — initially in silent films — her career took off with her portrayal of Nora Charles in The Thin Man (1934).

Although Loy was never nominated for a competitive Academy Award, in March 1991 she was presented with an Honorary Academy Award with the inscription "in recognition of her extraordinary qualities both on screen and off, with appreciation for a lifetime's worth of indelible performances". She and Maureen O'Hara are the only two actresses to receive an Academy Award for acting without having been nominated previously.

5d   Redeveloped ancestral // English duchy (9)

LANCASTER* — anagram (redeveloped) of ANCESTRAL

The Duchy of Lancaster^[7] is a royal duchy in England, held in trust for the Sovereign and used to provide income for the British monarch. It is one of two royal duchies, the other being the Duchy of Cornwall, which provides income to the Prince of Wales. The duchy comprises 18,700 hectares (46,000 acres), including key urban developments, historic buildings, and farm land in many parts of England and Wales, as well as large holdings in Lancashire.

6d   Through destiny, timeless // Dickensian character (4,3)

_TINY| TIM_ — hidden in (through) desTINY TIMeless

Timothy Cratchit, called "Tiny Tim"^[7], is a fictional character from the 1843 novel A Christmas Carol by English writer Charles Dickens (1812–1870). He is a minor character, the young son of Bob Cratchit, and is seen only briefly, but serves as an important symbol of the consequences of the protagonist's choices.

7d   Pieces of paper // petticoats (5)

SLIPS — double definition

8d   Wiry // loop found in pigpen (7)

ST(RING)Y — RING (loop) contained in (found in) STY (pigpen)

14d   Demanding // purpose, hugging family member (9)

IN(SIS)TENT — INTENT (purpose) containing (hugging) SIS (family member)

16d   French painter is behind time /with/ bride’s outfit (9)

T|ROUSSEAU — ROUSSEAU (French painter) following (is behind) T (time)

Henri Rousseau^[5] (1844–1910) was a French painter; known as le Douanier (‘customs officer’). After retiring as a customs official in 1893, he created bold and colourful paintings of fantastic dreams and exotic jungle landscapes, such as Sleeping Gypsy (1897) and Tropical Storm with Tiger (1891).

17d   Changing diapers /is/ lauded (7)

PRAISED — anagram (changing) of DIAPERS

18d   Box containing Buddhist // cough drop (7)

LO(ZEN)GE — LOGE ([theatre] box) containing (†) ZEN (Buddhist; as an adjective)

Zen^[4] means (1)  a Japanese school of Buddhism, of 12th-century Chinese origin, teaching that contemplation of one's essential nature to the exclusion of all else is the only way of achieving pure enlightenment or (2), used as a modifier, of or relating to this school.

20d   Into pieces, // like below (7)

AS|UNDER — AS (like) + UNDER (below)

21d   Garbage // truck’s beginning to move like a duck (7)

T|WADDLE — T (truck's beginning; initial letter of Truck) + WADDLE (to move like a duck)

23d   Rescues // southern bird class (5)

S|AVES — S (southern) + AVES (bird class)

Aves^[5] is a class of vertebrates which comprises the birds.

24d   Drink at a party // buffet (5)

PUNCH —double definition; the latter being a verb

Epilogue

The title of today's blog is inspired by 13a and 19a.

Key to Reference Sources: 

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

Signing off for today — Falcon

Friday, December 12, 2014 — DT 27540

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27540
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Saturday, July 12, 2014
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27540 – Hints] Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27540 – 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

Although this should have been Cephas' spot in the rotation, the Brits did not deem this to be one of his creations.

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   Suit /you'll need/ when entering church (4)

This suit would actually be contested in a court of law — rather than a church.

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

3a   Cool//  number, new song about the French female (10)

Today the setter goes a step further than usual — specifying the version of the definite article down to the gender.

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

9a   Orderly // to have a snack after end of session (4)

10a   Coping with supporters // a bad result upset? (10)

A coping^[5] is the top, typically curved or sloping, course of a brick or stone wall.

A balustrade^[5] is a railing [or, presumably, coping (see following definition)] supported by balusters, especially one forming an ornamental parapet to a balcony, bridge, or terrace.

A baluster^[5] is a short decorative pillar forming part of a series supporting a rail or coping.

11a   Another court // passage (7)

Ct^[2] is the abbreviation for Court in street addresses — and possibly in other contexts as well.

13a   Questioning /of/ physicist cut short by old American (7)

Polish-born French physicist Marie Curie^[5] (1867–1934) and her husband, French physicist Pierre Curie^[5] (1859–1906), were pioneers of radioactivity. Working together on the mineral pitchblende, they discovered the elements polonium and radium, for which they shared the 1903 Nobel Prize for Physics with A.-H. Becquerel. After her husband’s accidental death Marie received another Nobel Prize (for chemistry) in 1911 for her isolation of radium. She died of leukaemia, caused by prolonged exposure to radioactive materials.

14a   Assembly of peers, triumvirate // reforming economic policy? (11)

In the former Soviet Union, perestroika^[5] was the policy or practice of restructuring or reforming the economic and political system. First proposed by Leonid Brezhnev in 1979 and actively promoted by Mikhail Gorbachev, perestroika originally referred to increased automation and labour efficiency, but came to entail greater awareness of economic markets and the ending of central planning.

A troika^[5] (from a Russian word meaning 'set of three') is a group of three people working together, especially in an administrative or managerial capacity.

18a   Pep pill taken by one before endless criticism /makes one/ become violently angry (2,9)

A pill^[10] is a small ball of matted fibres that forms on the surface of a fabric through rubbing.

Stick^[5] is an informal British term meaning severe criticism or treatment  ⇒ I took a lot of stick from the press.

Read "makes one" as meaning "produces the result for the one solving the puzzle".

21a   Turtle avoiding soft // ground (7)

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.

22a   Legislator // spilt no tears (7)

A legislator from the Canadian Upper House ...

23a   Derision cast about politician // behind bars (10)

... is followed by one from the Lower House.

24a   Asian // neckwear, by the sound of it (4)

25a   Member of 15's band, // Ms Fitzgerald, back touring Canada, left for clubs (5-1-4)

The numeral "15" in the clue is a cross reference indicator directing the solver to insert the solution to clue 15d in its place to complete the clue.

Ella Fitzgerald^[5] (1917–1996) was an American jazz singer, known for her distinctive style of scat singing.

Allan-a-Dale^[7] [one among several spellings of the name] is a figure in the Robin Hood legend. According to the stories, he was a wandering minstrel who became a member of Robin's band of outlaws, the "Merry Men."

26a   Nimble // agent catching leader in race (4)

Down

1d   Disdain /shown by/ prisoner over bait (8)

2d   Top of the bill // set off on vessel (4,4)

Star turn is a British term for the person or performance that is the most interesting or exciting^[10] or the person or act that gives the most heralded or impressive performance in a programme^[5] ⇒ (i) he was stopped by the arrival on stage of the star turn; (ii) she was the star turn of the night.

4d   Love role /in/ abstract school (2,3)

Op art^[5] is a form of abstract art that gives the illusion of movement by the precise use of pattern and colour, or in which conflicting patterns emerge and overlap. Bridget Riley and Victor Vasarely are its most famous exponents.

5d   Statesman /in/ place of worship, unwell (9)

Sir Winston Churchill^[5] (1874–1965) was a British Conservative statesman, Prime Minister 1940-5 and 1951-5.

6d   Change involving degrees Centigrade /causes/ argument (11)

7d   Female soldier /in/ river (6)

An Amazon^[5] is a member of a legendary race of female warriors believed by the ancient Greeks to exist in Scythia or elsewhere on the edge of the known world.

8d   Insect // set free by misguided set (6)

The tsetse^[5] (also tsetse fly) is an African bloodsucking fly which bites humans and other mammals, transmitting sleeping sickness and nagana. Nagana^[5] is a disease of cattle, antelope, and other livestock in southern Africa, characterized by fever, lethargy, and oedema, and caused by trypanosome parasites transmitted by the tsetse fly.

12d   A small gesture by topless people /in/ clandestine meeting (11)

15d   Much associated with this outlaw (5,4)

Much the Miller's Son^[7] was, in the tales of Robin Hood, one of his Merry Men. He becomes an outlaw when he is caught poaching.

16d   Falsely incriminate // rather small chap taken in drink (6,2)

Chap^[5] is an informal British term for a man or a boy.

Titch^[5] is an informal British term for a small person ⇒ the titch of the class.

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

Stitch up^[10] is British slang meaning to incriminate (someone) on a false charge by manufacturing evidence.

17d   Inadequate supply /from/ Detroit perhaps following onset of strike? (8)

19d   A dry one around // Greek region (6)

Teetotal^[5] (abbreviation TT^[5]) means choosing or characterized by abstinence from alcohol ⇒ a teetotal lifestyle. The term is an emphatic extension of total, apparently first used by Richard Turner, a worker from Preston [England], in a speech (1833) urging total abstinence from all alcohol, rather than mere abstinence from spirits, as advocated by some early temperance reformers.

Attica^[5] is a triangular promontory of eastern Greece. With the islands in the Saronic Gulf it forms a department of Greece, of which Athens is the capital.

20d   Drive // mostly right, then left (6)

22d   Blow up // second fountain (5)

Key to Reference Sources: 

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

Signing off for today — Falcon