Monday, October 5, 2015 — DT 27787

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27787
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27787]
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
Notes
The National Post has skipped DT 27785 and DT 27786 which were published in The Daily Telegraph on Saturday, April 25, 2015 and Monday, April 27, 2015.

Introduction

I had quite a bit of difficulty in the northwest quadrant and likely spent as much time there as I did on the rest of the puzzle. Elsewhere in the puzzle, I found a couple of definitions to be rather questionable.

The National Post has once again skipped a couple of puzzles so the review that I had prepared for today is sitting unused. Oh well, not to despair. I shall serve it to you on Thanksgiving Day when the National Post does not publish.

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 (//). Definitions presented in blue text are for terms that appear frequently.

Across

4a   Like some magazines including detailed art // index (8)

The setter uses "detailed" in a whimsical cryptic crossword sense meaning having the tail removed — based on an analogy with words such as deflowered or defrocked.

8a   Writer /finding/ soldiers in sound condition (6)

"soldiers" = OR (show explanation )

In the British armed forces, the term other ranks^[5] (abbreviation OR^[5]) refers to all those who are not commissioned officers.

hide explanation

George Orwell^[5] (1903–1950) was a British novelist and essayist, born in India; pseudonym of Eric Arthur Blair. Orwell’s work is characterized by his concern for social injustice. His most famous works are Animal Farm (1945), a satire on Communism as it developed under Stalin, and Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949), a dystopian account of a future state in which every aspect of life is controlled by Big Brother.

9a   Exercise? It is embraced by poet mostly /for/ fitness (8)

"exercise" = PT (show explanation )

PT^[5] is the abbreviation [British, according to Oxford Dictionaries Online] for physical training^[5], the systematic use of exercises to promote bodily fitness and strength.

hide explanation

W. H. Auden^[5] (1907–1973) was a British-born poet, resident in America from 1939; full name Wystan Hugh Auden. Look, Stranger! (1936) and Spain (1937, on the Civil War) secured his position as a leading left-wing poet. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for The Age of Anxiety (1947).

10a   Breakdown -- /and/ what might resolve it? (8)

Scratching the Surface
The Brits might well see breakdown[10] in the surface reading as referring to a failure of the engine or other working parts of a vehicle or machine [in particular, an automobile] ⇒ Her old car was unreliable, so the trip was plagued by breakdowns. In Britain, roadside assistance is known as breakdown service[10] ⇒ If you stop on the hard shoulder, wait for the police or breakdown service.

11a   Influence // unsettling camp hosted by Italian (6)

In his review, Gazza chooses the second of a couple of possible explanations for the use of "Italian" to clue IT (show explanation ).

• It.^[10] is an abbreviation for Italian or Italy.


• Italian^[10] is another name for Italian vermouth. It^[5] is an informal, dated British term for Italian vermouth ⇒ he poured a gin and it.

hide explanation

12a   Note chap devised /for/ memorial site (8)

13a   Set aside // bowling regulation? (8)

In cricket, an over^[5] is a span of bowling, in particular 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.

I had seen the wordplay as a simple charade, OVER (bowling) + RULE (regulation). However, in his review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Gazza points out that one can read the wordplay as a phrase with "bowling regulation" leading to "over rule".

16a   Rigid boat /in/ difficulty (8)

19a   English politician, one going into old drink // shop (8)

21a   It's carried out smoothly in bars (6)

In music, legato^[5] means:

1. (as an adverb or adjective) in a smooth flowing manner, without breaks between notes ⇒ (i) the notes were played legato by the bassoons; (ii) his tremolo and legato work; or
2. (as a noun) a piece or passage marked to be performed legato.

What is known to a British musician as a bar, would be called a measure by an American musician.

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, the vertical line is also known as a bar, but often the term bar-line is used in order to avoid confusion between the two meanings of bar. In American English, the word bar stands for the lines and nothing else.

23a   Second collection of teachers surrounding fellows /in/ Tube station (8)

"second" = MO (show explanation )

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

hide explanation

In the UK, NUT^[5] stands for the National Union of Teachers [much to the delight of their students, I am sure].

The Tube^[5] is a British trademark for the underground railway system in London ⇒ a cross-London trek on the Tube.

Bank and Monument^[7] are interlinked London Underground and Docklands Light Railway stations that form a public transport complex spanning the length of King William Street in the City of London (not to be confused with the city of London ). Bank station, named after the Bank of England, opened in 1900 at Bank junction and is served by the Central, Northern and Waterloo and City lines, and the Docklands Light Railway. Monument station, named after the Monument to the Great Fire of London, opened in 1884 and is served by the District and Circle lines. The stations have been linked as an interchange since 1933. The station complex is the one of the busiest on the London Underground network.

The City of London^[7] is a city and ceremonial county within London. It constituted most of London from its settlement by the Romans in the 1st century AD to the Middle Ages, but the conurbation has since grown far beyond the City's borders. The City is now only a tiny part of the metropolis of London, though it remains a notable part of central London. It is one of two districts of London to hold city status, the other being the adjacent City of Westminster.

It is widely referred to simply as the City (often written as just "City" and differentiated from the phrase "the city of London" by capitalising "City") and is also colloquially known as the Square Mile, as it is 1.12 sq mi (2.90 km²), in area. Both of these terms are also often used as metonyms for the United Kingdom's trading and financial services industries, which continue a notable history of being largely based in the City. This is analogous to the use of the terms Wall Street and Bay Street to refer to the financial institutions located in New York and Toronto respectively.

hide

24a   Trail of paper shredded for union? (8)

25a   Something soothing // in a car being convertible (6)

Arnica^[5] is:

1. any of many species of plant of the daisy family which bears yellow, daisy-like flowers, found in cooler regions of the northern hemisphere; or
2. a preparation of the arnica plant used medicinally, especially for the treatment of bruises.

26a   Educated // lawyer led astray with yen to quit (4-4)

"yen" = Y (show explanation )

The yen^[5] (abbreviation Y^[5])  is the basic monetary unit of Japan.

hide explanation

Down

1d   Ornament, // new, carried by vehicle ridden on time (7)

"new" = N (show explanation )

N^[5] is an abbreviation (chiefly in place names) for New ⇒ N Zealand.

hide explanation

2d   Diplomat will chase after // infernal creature (9)

HE^[2] is the abbreviation for His or Her Excellency, where Excellency^[2] (usually His, Her or Your Excellency or Your or Their Excellencies) is a title of honour given to certain people of high rank, e.g. ambassadors.

A hellhound^[5] is a demon in the form of a dog.

3d   State // unfortunately close to risk area (6)

4d   Object to cricket? The reverse -- // it shows limited focus (11,4)

After reversing the wordplay, it becomes GRASSHOPPER (cricket) + MIND (to object).

I might object to crickets and grasshoppers being considered synonymous.

A cricket^[5] is any of many genera and species of insect in the family Gryllidae related to the grasshoppers but with shorter legs. The male produces a characteristic musical chirping sound.

A grasshopper^[5] is any of many genera and species of plant-eating insect of the family Acrididae with long hind legs which are used for jumping and for producing a chirping sound, frequenting grassy places and low vegetation.

A grasshopper mind^[2] is a mind that is unable to concentrate on any one subject for long.

5d   Foreign party // unconscious on drink, we hear (8)

6d   Arrange // shot in film (3-2)

Once again, I would question the validity of the definition.

A shot^[10] is a length of film taken by a single camera without breaks, used with others to build up a full motion picture or television film.

Set-up^[10] (or setup) denotes the position of the camera, microphones, and performers at the beginning of a scene.

I had guessed that a set-up might be a type of cinematic shot used to establish the time and place of the ensuing action. However, I was unable to find any evidence to support that conjecture.

7d   Progressive // artist caught in ring (7)

"artist" = RA (show explanation )

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

hide explanation

"caught" = C (show explanation )

In cricket, similar to baseball, one way for a batsman to be dismissed is to be caught out^[5], that is for a player on the opposing team to catch a ball that has been hit by the batsman before it touches the ground.

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

hide explanation

14d   Slate // prudish article penned by socialist (9)

Slate^[5] is an informal British term meaning to criticize severely ⇒ his work was slated by the critics.

15d   Put hands round // device in saloon? (8)

Saloon^[5] (also saloon car) is a British term for a car [known in Canada, the US, and New Zealand as a sedan^[10]] having a closed body and a closed boot [trunk] separated from the part in which the driver and passengers sit ⇒ a four-door saloon.

17d   Exotic name individual /gives/ plant (7)

An anemone^[5] is any of numerous species of plant of the buttercup family which typically has brightly coloured flowers and deeply divided leaves.

18d   Vessel in front // that generates heat? (7)

What did he say?

In his review, Gazza tells us that the vessel in questions is one used to hold ashes or even The Ashes. The Ashes[10] is a cremated cricket stump in a pottery urn now preserved at Lord's [a cricket ground in London, England]. Victory or defeat in Test matches between England and Australia is referred to as winning, losing, or retaining the Ashes. A 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. hide explanation The concept of The Ashes originated in a satirical obituary published in a British newspaper, The Sporting Times, immediately after Australia's 1882 victory at The Oval [a cricket ground in London, England], their first Test win on English soil. The obituary stated that English cricket had died, and the body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia. The mythical ashes immediately became associated with the 1882–83 series played in Australia, before which the English captain Ivo Bligh had vowed to "regain those ashes". The English media therefore dubbed the tour the quest to regain the Ashes.

20d   Evidence of wit, that might prevent disorder /in/ Asian border region (6)

Might this clue be a timely reminder to get your flu shot?

Punjab^[5] (also the Punjab) is a region of northwestern India and Pakistan, a wide, fertile plain traversed by the Indus and the five tributaries which gave the region its name.

22d   A wife's offence -- lacking love. // Terrible! (5)

"love" = O (show explanation )

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.

Although folk etymology has connected the word with French l'oeuf 'egg', from the resemblance in shape between an egg and a zero, the term apparently comes from the phrase play for love (i.e. the love of the game, not for money).

hide explanation

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, October 3, 2015 — The Reign in Spain ...

Introduction

I found today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon to be a bit less of a challenge than some recent offerings. After a few weeks of relatively difficult puzzles, the setters seem to have eased up on the 20a.

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. Explicit link words and phrases are enclosed in forward slashes (/link/) and implicit links are shown as double forward slashes (//).

Across

1a   Nirvana // is involved in march (8)

PARAD(IS)E — IS (†) contained in (involved in) PARADE (march)

5a   Lifted // front of seat and rubbed to clean (6)

S|WIPED — S (front [initial letter] of Seat) + (and) WIPED (rubbed to clean)

9a   Feline, a lion, roaming a // region of Spain (9)

CAT|A|LONI*|A — CAT (feline) + A (†) + anagram (roaming) of LION + A (†)

11a   Composer // somewhat over-directed (5)

_VER|DI_ — hidden in (somewhat) oVER-DIrected

12a   Stop before I have // something in a salad (6)

END|IVE — END (stop) + IVE (I have; as a contraction, I've)

13a   Fish // straying haphazardly (8)

STINGRAY* — anagram (haphazardly) of STRAYING

15a   Predict // toll-free travelling (8)

FORETELL* — anagram (travelling) of TOLL FREE

16a   That guy in the audience // praising choral piece (4)

HYMN~ — sounds like (in the audience) HIM (that guy)

In the definition, "praising" is an adjective ('a choral piece that gives praise').

19a   A large and small bagel, // too (4)

A|L|S|O — A (†) + L (large; abbrev.) + S (small; abbrev.) + O ([letter that looks like a] bagel)

20a   “Accelerator,” // panted Unser (3,5)

GAS PED|AL — GASPED (panted) + AL (Unser; American race car driver Al Unser)

Al Unser^[7] is a retired American race car driver. He is the father of American race car driver Al Unser, Jr.^[7].

23a   Record band // fading out (8)

TAPE|RING — TAPE (record; as a verb) + RING (band)

I suppose that one might conceivably argue that "record" and "tape" could also be synonyms as nouns. However, I would be far more likely to refer to a tape as a recording rather than a record.

24a   Sodium application preceding a // feeling of revulsion (6)

NA|USE|A — NA ([symbol for the chemical element] sodium) + USE (application) + (preceding) A (†)

27a   Taxer adjusted /for/ bonus (5)

EXTRA* — anagram (adjusted) of TAXER

28a   Rule Prague resident stated aloud /for/ pass to a cancelled event (4,5)

{RAIN CHECK}* — sounds like (stated aloud) {REIGN (rule) + Czech (Prague resident)}

29a   Note about a hugely popular // island of the Pacific (6)

T(A|HIT)I — TI ([musical] note; American spelling) containing (about) {A (†) + HIT (hugely popular; as an adjective)}

30a   Alarmed by blowing // card game, played the first card (8)

WHIST|LED — WHIST (card game) + LED (played the first card)

The definition is to be interpreted in the sense raised an alarm by blowing.

Down

1d   Oral agreement // with a lot of people (6)

PACKED~ — sounds like (oral) PACT (agreement)

2d   Evaluated // damaged tread (5)

RATED* — anagram (damaged) of TREAD

3d   Rescue // lunch spot more than a little (8)

DELI|VERY — DELI (lunch spot) + VERY (more than a little)

4d   Cheap price, // boy: $1000 (4)

SON|G — SON (boy) + G ($1000; abbrev. for 'grand')

6d   Flapper holding a five, // flapping (6)

W(A|V)ING — WING (flapper; allusion to a bird's appendage) containing (holding) {A (†) + V ([Roman numeral for] five)}

7d   Picture // entry pierced by sunbeam (9)

PORT(RAY)AL — PORTAL (entry) containing (pierced by) RAY (sunbeam)

8d   Run on TV in moribund // farm activity (8)

D(AIR)YING — AIR (run on TV) contained in (in) DYING (moribund)

10d   Graceful runner, // before run (8)

ANTE|LOPE — ANTE (before) + LOPE (run)

14d   Tires ran all over // kitchen utensil (8)

STRAINER* — anagram (all over) of TIRES RAN

15d   Kind of softball // stuck on tarry gunk (4-5)

FAST|-PITCH — FAST (stuck on) + PITCH (tarry gunk)

Fast^[3] is used in the sense of fixed firmly in place or secure.

Fast-pitch is a type of softball^[7], a variant of baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field.

Delving Deeper

Softball was invented in 1887 in Chicago as an indoor game. It was at various times called indoor baseball, mush ball, playground, softbund ball, kitten ball, and, because it was also played by women, ladies' baseball. The name softball was given to the game in 1926. There are two types of softball. In the most common type, slow-pitch softball, the ball, which can measure either 11 or 12 inches in circumference depending on the league, must arch on its path to the batter, there are 10 players in a team. In fastpitch softball, the pitch is fast, there are nine players on the field at one time, and bunting and stealing are permitted. Softball rules vary somewhat from those of baseball. Two major differences are that the ball must be pitched underhand—from 46 ft. (14 m) for men or 43 ft(13.1 m) for women as compared with 60.5 ft. (18.4 m) in baseball—and that seven innings instead of nine constitute a regulation game. Despite the name, the ball used in softball is not very soft. It is about 12 in. (30.5 cm) in circumference (11 or 12 in. for slow-pitch), which is 3 in. (8 cm) larger than a baseball. The infield in softball is smaller than on an adult or high school baseball diamond but identical to that used by Little League Baseball; each base is 60 ft (18 m) from the next, as opposed to baseball's 90 ft. (27 m).

17d   In the worst condition, // treats it badly (8)

RATTIEST* — anagram (badly) of TREATS IT

18d   Victory secured by a ball’s // forward movements (8)

A|D(V)ANCES — V (victory; famously associated with Sir Winston Churchill) contained in (secured by) {A (†) + DANCE (ball) + S ('s)}

21d   Imagined // a red convertible in front of mountain (6)

DREA*|MT — {anagram (convertible) of A RED} + MT (mountain; abbrev.)

22d   Stuck /with/ diplomacy in speech (6)

TACKED~ — sounds like (in speech) TACT (diplomacy)

25d   That lady’ll // bomb (5)

SHE|LL — SHE (that lady) + LL ('ll; contraction for 'will')

26d   Loaded // in electric heater (4)

_RIC|H_ — hidden in (in) electRIC Heater

Epilogue

The title of today's review is inspired by 28a and 9a.

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, October 2, 2015 — DT 27784

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27784
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Friday, April 24, 2015
Setter Giovanni (Don Manley)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27784]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Deep Threat
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★★	Enjoyment - ★★★
Falcon's Experience ┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐ ███████████████████████████████████ └────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘ Legend: █ - solved without assistance █ - incorrect prior to use of puzzle solving tools █ - solved with assistance from puzzle solving tools █ - solved with aid of checking letters provided by puzzle solving tools █ - 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

While I was able to complete the puzzle without using electronic assistance, I was left with a list of five solutions which I needed to look up in order to verify that such words or expressions actually existed — 22a, 8d, 9d, 20d, and 24d. Unfortunately, I should have added 16a to that list. Then again, it is a Giovanni puzzle, so obscure words are to be expected.

Then again, one might say that he who lives by the obscure word, dies by the obscure word — as evidenced by 24d.

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

Error in Today's Puzzle

For the third time in four days, a change was made to a clue on the Telegraph Puzzles website. However, unlike the situation on Tuesday and Wednesday where there were no apparent reasons for the changes, the change in today's puzzle was necessitated by an outright error in the puzzle.

Of course, the correction does not appear in the puzzle published in the National Post (for an explanation of why this is so, see the discussion in Wednesday's blog of how a puzzle goes from conception to publication).

The corrected clue is as follows:

• 24d   Measure /that/ sounds suitable (4)

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 (//). Definitions presented in blue text are for terms that appear frequently.

Across

1a   Bit of food // all mixed up with sour herb inside (7,4)

Sausage roll^[5] is a British term for a piece of sausage meat wrapped in pastry and baked.

8a   Critical factor // put off worker -- pit almost falling in (11)

11a   Way to see English being knocked out /in/ defeat (4)

12a   Water /that's/ brown spreading across river (4)

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

13a   One struggling /to establish/ line in attack (7)

15a   Seats // become rotten aboard ship (7)

Addle^[5] (with reference to an egg) means to become rotten, producing no chick ⇒ the extremely hot and dry weather had caused the eggs to addle. [I had never realized that this term applied specifically to eggs.]

"aboard ship" = 'contained in SS' (show explanation )

In Crosswordland, you will find that a ship is almost invariably a steamship, the abbreviation for which is SS^[10]. Thus "aboard ship" or "on board ship" (or sometimes merely "on board") is code for 'contained in SS'.

hide explanation

16a   Strong // piece of material that may be disposable (5)

I must admit that I failed to recognize this as being a double definition. I had it pegged as a cryptic definition, interpreting "strong" to be an allusion to the odour emanating from the piece of material.

Nappy^[10] (with reference to alcoholic drink, especially beer) is a [seemingly British] term meaning:

1. having a head, frothy; or
2. strong or heady.

Nappy^[5] is the British name for diaper^[5].

17a   On edge of plate mother/'s placed/ cheese (4)

Edam^[5] is a round Dutch cheese, typically pale yellow with a red wax coating.

18a   Trim // old man getting about (4)

19a   Old buffoon // opposing the first hint of change (5)

Antic^[10] is an archaic name for an actor in a ludicrous or grotesque part, a clown, or a buffoon.

21a   Helps // foolish person -- is crossing street (7)

22a   Brilliant // hit -- hooked? (7)

Lambent^[5] is a literary term meaning (with respect to light or fire) glowing, gleaming, or flickering with a soft radiance ⇒ (i) the magical, lambent light of the north; (ii) his eyes were huge and lambent in his starved face.

23a   Romantic couple // despite marriage fraying at the edges (4)

The fraying is quite severe — more so on the right than on the left.

26a   Insect /that is/ loud by meadow (4)

"loud" = F (show explanation )

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

hide explanation

27a   Like well-worn sofa // OK for retrieving from skip? (11)

"Skip"^[5] is the British name for a large transportable open-topped container for building and other refuse [in North America, known as a dumpster^[5]] ⇒ I’ve salvaged a carpet from a skip.

28a   Later on I spy zany // celebrity (11)

Down

2d   Help // half of all the characters (4)

3d   Man // to walk ahead of gossipy female (7)

4d   Somehow disabled /in/ sport (4)

5d   Go on a road /as/ fugitive (7)

6d   Hard mineral, not fine // material (4)

"fine" = F (show explanation )

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

hide explanation

7d   Injured climber, a top /becoming/ tricky (11)

8d   Rudest yawn's nastily given /as/ unhelpful response (5,6)

A dusty answer^[5] is a British expression for a curt and unhelpful reply.

9d   Ribbons /and/ label on dog upset the French female (11)

"the French female" ELLE (show explanation )

Elle^[8] is a French pronoun meaning either she (when used as a subject) or her (as an object).

hide explanation

Tagliatelle^[5] is pasta in narrow ribbons.

10d   Unnecessary // seats in line to be shifted (11)

14d   Wet season // is predominant, reportedly (5)

15d   Ruin // ground with introduction of parking (5)

19d   A project in which a learner appears // perplexed (2,1,4)

"learner" = L (show explanation )

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.

hide explanation

20d   Bad act and more or less everybody could make it (7)

This is a semi-&lit. (semi-all-in-one) clue. The entire clue provides the definition while the portion with the dashed underline is the wordplay.

I failed to grasp the informal expression of the Latin abbreviation.

"more or less" = C (show explanation )

The preposition circa^[5] (abbreviation c or c.^[5]), often used preceding a date, means approximately or about  ⇒ the church was built circa 1860.

hide explanation

24d   Suitable // encounter from what we hear (4)

The intention clearly was for this to be a homophone type clue with the solution being METE. However, the setter appears to have confused the spelling of the solution.

As the wording of the clue stands, the definition would be "suitable" which leads to MEET (an archaic term meaning suitable). The wordplay is sounds like (from what we hear) MEET (encounter).

The clue was corrected on the Telegraph Puzzles website to read:

•  24d   Measure /that/ sounds suitable (4)

Meet^[5] is an archaic term meaning suitable or proper ⇒ it was not meet for us to see the king’s dishonour.

In Biblical use, mete^[5] means to measure out ⇒ with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

Nomenclature Malfunction

In the course of researching this clue, I discovered that the nomenclature commonly applied to this type of clue is sorely wanting. What we commonly call homophone clues would be more appropriately called heterograph clues. Homophones[7] (words having the same pronunciation but different meanings) comprise both heterographs (words having the same pronunciation but different meanings and spellings) and homonyms (words having the same pronunciation and spelling but different meanings). Thus in North America, tire (fatigue) and tire (automobile part) are homonyms. In the UK, on the other hand, tire (fatigue) and tyre (automobile part) are heterographs. In cryptic crosswords, homophone clues always involve words having the same pronunciation but different meanings and spellings (heterographs) and never words having the same pronunciation and spelling but different meanings (homonyms). Note: The definition of homonym used here is that found in Wikipedia. It is also the definition given by Chambers 21st Century Dictionary as well as the Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary. However, dictionaries do not agree on the definition of homonym. Chambers 21st Century Dictionary: A homonym[2] is a word with the same sound and spelling as another, but with a different meaning. Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary: A homonym is a word the same as another in sound and spelling but different in meaning. Collins English Dictionary: A homonyn[10] is one of a group of words pronounced or spelt in the same way but having different meanings. Oxford Dictionaries Online: A homonym[5] is each of two or more words having the same spelling or pronunciation but different meanings and origins. American Heritage Dictionary: A homonym[3] is one of two or more words that have the same sound and often the same spelling but differ in meaning. The Chambers Dictionary: A homonym[1] is a word having the same sound and perhaps the same spelling as another, but a different meaning and origin, sometimes extended to words having a different sound and the same spelling. The Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary tells us that homonyms are, in the strictest sense, both homophones and homographs, alike in spelling and pronunciation. Homonym, however, is used more frequently than homophone, a technical term, when referring to words with the same pronunciation without regard to spelling. Homonym is also used as a synonym of homograph (a word that is spelled identically to another word but may or may not share its pronunciation). Thus, homonym has taken on a broader scope than either of the other two terms and is often the term of choice in a nontechnical context. In other words, homonym has lost its precision through misuse.

25d   Slight // rest (4)

26d   Featureless // accommodation (4)

Flat^[5] is a chiefly British term for what would be called an apartment^[5] in North America — a set of rooms forming an individual residence, typically on one floor and within a larger building containing a number of such residences ⇒ a block of flats.

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, October 1, 2015 — DT 27783

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27783
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Thursday, April 23, 2015
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27783]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Kath
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

While this is not an overly difficult puzzle, it does contain a fairly generous number of Briticisms to raise the ante for those of us on this side of the pond.

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 (//). Definitions presented in blue text are for terms that appear frequently.

Across

1a   Say something tactless /and/ lose a real friend (4,1,5)

I made a wild stab and guessed that the expression might be "drop a crock" — but the dictionaries confirmed that it isn't.

Drop a brick^[5] is an informal British expression meaning to make an indiscreet or embarrassing remark ⇒ he dropped a brick when he admitted that he knew where we were going.

Brick^[5] is a dated informal British term for a generous, helpful, and reliable person ⇒ ‘You are really a brick, Vi,’ Gloria said.

Although Kath shows the latter part of the clue as being a cryptic definition, I have opted not to do so. This is not to say that her interpretation is incorrect, merely that I have a slightly different perspective.

In the sense "lose a real friend", I see the solution to the clue as being not so much a cryptic definition as it is a literal interpretation of an idiom, like saying that "raining cats and dogs" means "pets falling from the sky". As wordplay, the latter part of the clue can be parsed as DROP (lose) + A (from the clue) + BRICK (real friend).

After writing the above, I see that this very issue was discussed in the threads attached to at least two comments on Big Dave.s Crossword Blog (Comment #19 and Comment #31).

6a   Lie alongside // a capsized unwieldy vessel (4)

10a   Gusset /in/ cardigan and jumper Terry Wogan originally let out (5)

I initially attempted to parse the wordplay as IN (from the clue) + SET (cardigan and jumper). Of course that left half the words in clue unaccounted for. Eventually, the penny dropped, and I realized that the wordplay is [TW]INSET (cardigan and jumper) with TW (Terry Wogan originally; initial letters of Terry Wogan) removed (let out).

According to British dictionaries, twinset^[5] is a chiefly British term for a woman’s matching cardigan and jumper.

Delving Deeper

In Britain, a jumper[5] is a knitted garment typically with long sleeves, worn over the upper body (in North American parlance, a sweater — in particular, a pullover). What those of us in North America would call a jumper, the Brits would call a pinafore[5] (a collarless sleeveless dress worn over a blouse or [British] jumper [i.e., North American sweater]). Thus, if a British lass were to wear a pinafore over her jumper and a North American gal were to wear a jumper over her sweater, they would be dressed identically. The terms sweater and pullover would also appear to be in common use in the UK.

A gusset^[5] is a piece of material sewn into a garment to strengthen or enlarge a part of it.

An inset^[5] is a section of cloth or needlework inserted into a garment ⇒ elastic insets in the waistband.

Scratching the Surface

Sir Terry Wogan[7] is an Irish radio and television broadcaster who has worked for the BBC in the United Kingdom for most of his career. Before he retired from his weekday breakfast programme Wake Up to Wogan on BBC Radio 2 in 2009, it had eight million regular listeners, making him the most listened-to radio broadcaster in Europe. Wogan began his career at Irish broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTE) where he presented shows such as Jackpot in the 1960s. Wogan has been a leading media personality in the UK since the late 1960s and is often referred to as a "national treasure". He is known in the United Kingdom for his BBC One chat show Wogan, presenting Children in Need, Wake Up to Wogan, the game show Blankety Blank and Come Dancing and as the BBC's commentator for the Eurovision Song Contest from 1971 to 2008. Wogan currently presents a two-hour Sunday morning show, Weekend Wogan, on BBC Radio 2.

11a   Delinquent pedals around an English // seafront (9)

12a   Stout turned cheese /into/ silky stuff (7)

Taffeta^[5] is a fine lustrous silk or similar synthetic fabric with a crisp texture.

13a   Bird dips into quantity of money // that's hidden in chest (7)

14a   Author's head // failing to generate ideas (7,5)

18a   Memorably // observe eminent person pinching contents of till (12)

21a   Reserves // support look good (7)

"look" = LO (show explanation )

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.

hide explanation

"good" = G (show explanation )

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

hide explanation

Most dictionaries define backlog^[5] along the lines of an accumulation of uncompleted work or matters needing to be dealt with ⇒ the company took on extra staff to clear the backlog of work.

However, The Chambers Dictionary puts a positive spin on the term by listing backlog^[1] as a reserve or accumulation of business, stock, work, etc that will keep one going for some time. The American Heritage Dictionary seemingly goes even further in this direction, with its first definition for backlog^[3] being a reserve supply or source and it second being an accumulation, especially of unfinished work or unfilled orders.

23a   Very loud seaman in the drink? // Gracious! (7)

"very loud" = FF (show explanation )

Fortissimo^[5] (abbreviation ff^[5]) is a direction used in music to mean either (as an adjective) very loud  or (as an adverb) very loudly.

hide explanation

"seaman" = AB (show explanation )

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.

hide explanation 

24a   One's got it all over /with/ tragic demise (RIP) (9)

25a   Chick might settle on this // jumper with short sleeves (5)

The jumper from 10a returns — at least as far as the surface reading is concerned. However, for purposes of cryptic analysis, it becomes an animal from Down Under. Roo^[5] is an informal Australian term for a kangaroo.

"Short sleeves" is used to denote the letters on each side of ShorT.

26a   Characters in Tokyo gangs /attaining/ spiritual discipline (4)

27a   Give up // present title for 24 hours? (4,2,1,3)

As in 1a, I will opt not to label this a double definition.

Think of the wordplay as "present title for [give a name to] 24 hours" or, in other words, "call it a day".

Down

1d   Delicacy // isn't commonly penetrating outskirts of Dudley (6)

Scratching the Surface

Dudley[7] is a large town in the West Midlands of England, 8 miles (13 km) north-west of Birmingham. The town is the administrative centre of a metropolitan area with a population of 312,900 at the 2001 census. Dudley is sometimes called the capital of the Black Country (see below). Originally a market town in the Middle Ages, Dudley was one of the birthplaces of the Industrial Revolution, and grew into an industrial centre during the 19th century with its iron, coal, and limestone industries. The air pollution produced by coal mines, coking operations, iron foundries and steel mills led to this area of the West Midlands being dubbed the Black Country[7].

2d   Rouse stiffly off and on /and/ become rigid (6)

In her review, Kath tells you to take the odd letters of "rouse stiffly". However, you would be well advised to take the even letters.

3d   Welsh factories redeveloped // directly (2,3,4,5)

4d   Civil War soldier perhaps // or a recent revolutionary (2-7)

5d   Policeman points /and/ carries on (5)

7d   Clever clogs // support popular TV (8)

Brainbox^[5] is an informal British term for a very clever person.

Clever clogs (also clever Dick^[5]) is an informal British term for a person who is irritatingly and ostentatiously knowledgeable or intelligent ⇒ she’s such a clever Dick—you can’t tell her anything.

Behind the Picture
What does the illustration have to do with the clue? Very little, Kath just likes dogs. The image is taken from the website of Clever Clogs Canine Training, a dog training business based in the Cheshire and South Manchester area of England.

8d   This lot going about in a frenzy, heading off /for/ London (3,5)

The Smoke^[5] (or the Big Smoke) is an informal British term for a big city, especially London ⇒ she was offered a job in the Smoke.

9d   Skip // how to find use for a nut? (4,1,4,3,2)

15d   Production of Lear outside picks up /in/ run-through (9)

Scratching the Surface
King Lear[7] is a tragedy by English playwright William Shakespeare (1564-1616).

16d   Pride // drooling -- lion's first to go out and last to tuck in (8)

17d   Carrying // hose (8)

19d   'Une route secondaire' // in France maybe (6)

In Great Britain, B roads^[7] are numbered local routes, which have lower traffic densities than the main trunk roads, or A roads. This classification has nothing to do with the width or quality of the physical road, and B roads can range from dual carriageways [divided highways] to single track roads with passing places.

The French phrase translates as "A secondary road" which, in Great Britain would be "A B road".

20d   One fat fly starts off // smartly (6)

22d   School waiving rights /for/ third grade (5)

Grammar school^[3] is a chiefly British term for a secondary or preparatory school.

Gamma^[5] is the third letter of the Greek alphabet (Γ, γ). Gamma^[5] is also a British term for a third-class mark given for an essay or other piece of work.

Scratching the Surface

As evidenced by dutch's confusion in Comment #8 at Big Dave's Crossword Blog ("third grade – couldn’t find evidence for this, when would you use this context?"), the Brits would not see the word "grade" as referring to a school class — instead, they would use the word "form". In Britain, a form[5] is a class or year in a school, usually given a specifying number. Thus the fifth form would be the British linguistic counterpart (although not the academic equivalent) of the fifth grade in North America and Form One would be akin to saying Grade One.

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