Wednesday, April 3, 2019 — DT 28871

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28871
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Tuesday, October 16, 2018
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28871]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Mr K
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★★	Enjoyment - ★★★
Falcon's Experience ┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐ ███████████████████████████████████ └────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘ Legend: █ - solved without assistance █ - incorrect prior to use of puzzle solving tools █ - solved with assistance from puzzle solving tools █ - solved with aid of checking letters provided by puzzle solving tools █ - solved but without fully parsing the clue █ - unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Big Dave's Crossword Blog █ - solved with aid of checking letters provided by solutions from Big Dave's Crossword Blog █ - reviewed by Falcon for Big Dave's Crossword Blog █ - yet to be solved

Introduction

I would say that we are presented with a not overly taxing exercise today.

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.

Click here for an explanation of conventions and symbols used in explaining the parsing of clues.

The purpose of this article is to explain the conventions and symbols that I use on this blog in explaining the parsing of clues.

Legend: The following symbols are used in reviews: "*" anagram "~" sounds like "<" indicates that the preceding letters are reversed "( )" encloses contained letters "_" replaces letters that have been deleted "†" indicates that the word is present in the clue

The review of a clue takes the following general structure:

#a/d   Clue containing parsing markup (num^*)

---

^* num = numeration

Explanations pertaining to the wordplay (or first definition in a double definition)

(Horizontal separator)

---

Explanations pertaining to the definition (or second definition in a double definition) and solution.

Explanatory Box

An explanatory box provides additional information about the clue. In most cases this information will not necessarily help in solving the clue but provides information about the clue. In the case of the weekday syndicated Daily Telegraph puzzles, such information is often intended to help the North American solver appreciate how the clue may be perceived by a British solver. These boxes may also provide information on people, places, films, television programmes, works of art and literature, etc. mentioned in the clue. Although the titles of these boxes will usually be drawn from a standard list, I do occasionally throw in a title specifically suggested by the subject at hand. The standard titles include: Scratching the Surface - an explanation of the surface reading of the clue Delving Deeper - in-depth information pertaining to a subject mentioned in an explanation The Story Behind the Picture - for weekday puzzles, information about an illustration found on Big Dave's Crossword Blog What did he/she/they say? - for weekday puzzles, an explanation of a remark made in a review or comment on Big Dave's Crossword Blog What are they talking about? - for weekday puzzles, an explanation of a discussion on Big Dave's Crossword Blog One box that may provide information that could prove helpful in solving the clue is the following: Here and There - for weekday puzzles, discusses words whose British meaning differs from their North American meaning

Note that there are many types of cryptic crossword clue and it is not my intention to exhaustively go through all of them here. I will only deal with clue types to the extent necessary to explain the conventions and symbols used on the blog. Furthermore, be aware that, in the world of cryptic crosswords, there seems to be an exception to every rule.

With one exception that I can think of, cryptic crossword clues provide two routes to the solution. These are commonly referred to as the definition and wordplay. While these terms serve well for most clues, there are some cases where the more formal terms of primary indication and subsidiary indication may be more appropriate.

Most cryptic crossword clues consist of a definition (primary indication) and wordplay (subsidiary indication). The definition may be a "precise definition" (a definition that is either taken straight from a dictionary or at least phrased in a non-misleading fashion) or it may be a "cryptic definition" (a definition misleadingly phrased so as to misdirect the solver either with respect to the meaning of the definition as a whole or to an incorrect sense of a word used in the definition).

The only type of clue that I can think of where there are not two ways of finding the solution are those in which the entire clue is a cryptic definition.

I identify precise definitions by marking them with a solid underline in the clue and cryptic definitions by marking them with a dotted underline.

In clues in which both definition and wordplay are present, the two parts of the clue combine to provide an overall meaningful statement (the surface reading) which usually bears no relationship to the underlying cryptic reading of the clue. In some cases, an extra word or phrase will be inserted into the clue to create a meaningful link between the definition and wordplay. I define clues which contain such a link word or link phrase as having an explicit link and clues which contain no link word or link phrase as having an implicit link.

I mark the existence of an explicit link by enclosing the link word or link phrase between forward slashes (/link/) and mark the existence of an implicit link with double forward slashes (//) positioned between the definition and wordplay.

Examples

A few examples may help to illustrate these points more clearly.

The first example is a clue used by Jay in DT 28573:

• 4d   Fellow left work // a failure (4)

Here the definition is "a failure" which is marked with a solid underline to show that it is a precise definition. The wordplay parses as F (fellow; abbrev.) + L (left; abbrev.) + OP (work; abbrev. used in music) which gives us the solution F|L|OP. The double forward slashes (//) between the definition and wordplay indicate the existence of an "implicit link" between the two parts of the clue (that is, no extra words are inserted into the clue to form the link).

The second example is a clue used by Giovanni in DT 28575:

• 29a   Female going to match // travels with mother in advance (10)

Here the definition "female going to match" is cryptic (the setter is attempting to misdirect our thoughts to a sports event rather than a marriage ceremony) and thus is marked with a a dotted underline. The wordplay is {RIDES (travels) + (with) MA (mother)} contained in (in) BID (advance) giving us the solution B(RIDES|MA)ID. As in the first example, the double forward slashes indicate the presence of an implicit link.

The third example is a clue used by Rufus is DT 28583:

• 18d   Knight caught by misplaced big blow /is/ staggering (8)

Here the definition is "staggering" which is marked with a solid underline to show that it is a precise definition. The wordplay parses as N ([chess symbol for] knight) contained in (caught in) an anagram (misplaced) of BIG BLOW producing the solution WOBBLI(N)G. Finally, forward slashes mark the link word (/is/).

I also use distinctive underlining to mark &lit.^[7] and semi-&lit. clues. Note that the reviewers on Big Dave's Crossword Blog generally prefer to refer to these clue types by the less pretentious names of all-in-one or semi-all-in-one clues respectively.

In an &lit. clue^[7] (or all-in-one clue) the entire clue provides not only the definition (when read one way), but under a different interpretation also serves as the wordplay.

In future, I will mark such clues with a combined solid and dashed underline. Although this is a departure from past practice, it would seem to make more sense than using a dotted underline as I have in the past). Henceforth, the dotted underline will be reserved for cryptic definitions.

In a semi-&lit. clue (or semi-all-in-one clue), either:

• the entire clue acts as the definition while a portion of the clue provides the wordplay; or
• the entire clue acts as the wordplay while a portion of the clue provides the definition.

For these clues, I will mark the definition with a solid underline and the wordplay with a  dashed underline. This means that a portion of the clue may have a solid underline, a portion of the clue may have a dashed underline and a portion of the clue may have a combined solid and dashed underline.

One final clue type is what I characterize as a cryptic definition comprised of a precise definition combined with cryptic elaboration. For example, in DT 28560 (setter unknown) the following clue appears:

•  26d   Heroic exploit, whichever way you look at it (4)

As the entire clue is a cryptic definition, it is marked with a dotted underline. The 'precise definition' is "heroic exploit" and is indicated by a solid underline.

Given the numeration, the precise definition could give rise to at least two solutions, DEED or FEAT. However, the 'cryptic elaboration' ("whichever way you look at it") indicates that the solution is a palindrome thereby immediately eliminating one of the two obvious choices.

Note that the part of the clue that I have called 'cryptic elaboration' does not provide a second independent route to the solution (as the wordplay would do in most other types of clue). Rather it merely provides a piece of additional information (elaboration) related to the 'precise definition'.

Again, this approach is a departure from past practice, but like the other changes mentioned previously is intended to remove inconsistencies in the way that I have been applying parsing markup to clues. The markup rules that I have been using until now evolved bit-by-bit over a long period of time resulting in some degree of internal inconsistency.

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Across

1a   Doctor behind // plan (5)

Aft^[5] is an originally nautical term denoting at, near, or towards the stern of a ship or tail of an aircraft ⇒ (i) Travis made his way aft; (ii) the aft cargo compartment.

4a   Arabs lost ground /in/ handicap (9)

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

Scratching the Surface
An Arab[5] is a horse of a breed originating in Arabia, with a distinctive high-set tail. A handicap[5] is a race or contest in which a disadvantage is imposed on a superior competitor in order to make the chances more equal.

9a   List includes a respiratory organ set back /in/ a reptile (9)

Rota^[5] is a British term for a list showing when each of a number of people has to do a particular job ⇒ a cleaning rota.

A gill^[5] is the paired respiratory organ of fishes and some amphibians, by which oxygen is extracted from water flowing over surfaces within or attached to the walls of the pharynx.

10a   Stroll /or/ walk without leader (5)

11a   Won seat easily, /so/ don't concern yourself (2,5)

12a   Ride? // Finished circuit (7)

Ride^[5] is used in the sense of to project or overlap ⇒ when two lithospheric plates collide, one tends to ride over the other.

13a   Thinly scattered, // boxes by edge of Delamere (6)

Scratching the Surface
Delamere[7] is a village of about 1,000 residents in the county of Cheshire, England.

15a   Confused padre coming round with // forest creature (3,5)

The red panda^[5] (also called lesser panda) is a raccoon-like mammal with thick reddish-brown fur and a bushy tail, native to high bamboo forests from the Himalayas to southern China.

18a   Fresh buns -- adjust heat // to brown? (8)

20a   Silver // dollar ultimately pocketed by spy (6)

Argent^[5] is silver as a heraldic tincture.

23a   Doorman, // discontented bruiser, carrying little weight (7)

The setter uses "discontented" to indicate that the inner letters of "BruiseR" are to be removed. This cryptic device is based on the whimsical logic that if disembowel means to remove one's innards, then it only stands to reason that discontent must mean to remove one's contents.

24a   Source of illumination, // bad in the morning in work (3,4)

Ill^[5] could mean bad in any of several senses:

• poor in quality ⇒ ill judgment dogs the unsuccessful
• harmful ⇒ she had a cup of the same wine and suffered no ill effects
• hostile ⇒ it did give rise to a lot of ill feelings
• (especially of fortune) not favorable ⇒ no one less deserved such ill fortune than McStay

"work" = OP (show explanation )

In music, an opus^[5] (Latin 'work', plural opuses or opera) is a separate composition or set of compositions.

The abbreviation Op.^[5] (also op.), denoting opus, is used before a number given to each work of a particular composer, usually indicating the order of publication. The plural form of Op. is Opp..

Opus^[5] can also be used in other contexts to denote an artistic work, especially one on a large scale ⇒ he was writing an opus on Mexico.

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26a   Letter // from Rochdale physician (5)

Aleph^[5] is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

Scratching the Surface
Rochdale[5] is a town of about 100,000 residents in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines on the River Roch, 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Manchester.

27a   Untold // pounds collected by earl's wife (9)

"pounds" = L (show explanation )

The pound^[5] (also pound sterling) is the basic monetary unit of the UK, equal to 100 pence. While the symbol for pound is £, it is often written as L^[10].

The Chambers Dictionary defines the upper case L^[1] as the abbreviation for pound sterling (usually written £) and the lower case l^[1] as the abbreviation for pound weight (usually written lb) — both deriving from the Latin word libra^* .

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^* In ancient Rome, the libra^[5] was a unit of weight, equivalent to 12 ounces (0.34 kg). It was the forerunner of the pound.

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A countess^[5] is:

• the wife or widow of a count [a foreign — from a British perspective — nobleman] or earl [a British nobleman]
• a woman holding the rank of count or earl in her own right

28a   Small mischievous child gave away // mug (9)

"small" = S [clothing size] (show reference )

S^[5] is the abbreviation for small (as a clothing size).

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Mug^[5] is an informal British term for a stupid or gullible person ⇒ they were no mugs where finance was concerned.

29a   A pot I ordered /for/ courtyard (5)

A patio^[5] is a roofless inner courtyard in a Spanish or Spanish-American house.

Down

1d   Perhaps spiritual support needed over one's // doctor's opinion (9)

2d   Book // unfortunately includes typos at the start (5)

3d   Fierce creature // American soldier upset in lock (7)

"American soldier" = GI (show explanation )

A GI^[5] is a private soldier in the US army ⇒ she went off with a GI during the war.

---

Origin: Contrary to popular belief, the term apparently is not an abbreviation for general infantryman, but rather derives from the term government (or general) issue (originally denoting equipment supplied to US forces).

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4d   Shrewd // like Egyptian king, last in line (6)

Tutankhamen^[5] (also Tutankhamun) (died c.1352 BC) [familiarly known as King Tut] was an Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th dynasty, reigned c.1361–c.1352 BC. His tomb, containing a wealth of rich and varied contents, was discovered virtually intact by the English archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922.

5d   Men had an argument after book // taken from library? (8)

"men" = 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.

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"book" = B [publishing term] (show reference )

The abbreviation for book is b^[1,12] (or b.).^*

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^* Although neither of the two dictionaries in which a listing for this abbreviation is found provide information on the context in which it is used, I would guess that it might be in publishing, in particular in bibliographies or footnotes and endnotes in academic works when referencing one or more books in a series of books ⇒ see b. 3, p. 233.

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6d   Part-exchange // due to be arranged in region to the north? (5,2)

Part-exchange^[1,5] (verb) is a British term denoting (for a buyer) to give or (for a seller) take an article that the seller owns as part of the payment for another, more expensive, article ⇒ the caravans [travel trailers] had been part-exchanged in favour of better-equipped vans.

Trade up^[5] means to sell a small or relatively inexpensive house, car, etc, and replace it with a larger or more expensive one.

7d   Taking everything into consideration, // loan can be arranged (2,7)

8d   Lottery // odds? Very small, essentially (5)

SP^[5] is the abbreviation for starting price^[7], the odds prevailing on a particular horse in the on-course fixed-odds^* betting market at the time a race begins.

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^* To the best of my limited knowledge in this field, this term would not be encountered in North America as betting on horse racing here is based on parimutuel betting rather than fixed-odds betting.

"very small" = WEE [Scottish] (show explanation )

Wee^[5] is a Scottish adjective meaning little ⇒ (i) when I was just a wee bairn; (ii) the lyrics are a wee bit too sweet and sentimental.

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^* The word may be of Scottish origin but, like the Scots themselves, the word has migrated around the world.

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As a containment indicator, essentially means 'constituting the essence or core of'.

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Sweep^[5] is an informal shortened form for sweepstake^[5] (also sweepstakes [the more common spelling in North America, I would say]), a race or gambling game in which the winnings comprise all the money that has been staked.

14d   Made sauna uncomfortable, // to a sickening degree (2,7)

16d   A new suggestion regarding // course of finger food? (9)

In Italian cookery, an antipasto^{[2,3,4,5,10,11]} is an appetizer or hors d'oeuvre.

17d   Wanting to ignore // quicker way (5,3)

Cut^[3] means to refuse to speak to or recognize (someone); in other words, to snub ⇒ cut me dead at the party.

19d   Capone, unruffled swallowing hot // drink (7)

Al Capone^[5] (1899–1947), nicknamed  Scarface (show more ), was an American gangster of Italian descent. He dominated organized crime in Chicago in the 1920s and was indirectly responsible for many murders, including the St Valentine’s Day Massacre^* .

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^* The St Valentine's Day Massacre^[5] was the shooting on 14th February 1929 of seven members of the rival ‘Bugsy’ Moran's gang by some of Al Capone's men disguised as policemen.

Capone^[7] was born in Brooklyn (New York) and began his life of crime in New York City before moving to Chicago. Capone inadvertently insulted a woman while working the door at a Brooklyn night club and was slashed by her brother Frank Gallucio. The wounds led to the nickname that Capone loathed: "Scarface". Capone's boss, racketeer Frankie Yale, insisted that Capone apologize to Gallucio, and later Capone hired him as a bodyguard. When photographed, Capone hid the scarred left side of his face, saying that the injuries were war wounds. Capone was called "Snorky", a term for a sharp dresser, by his closest friends.

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21d   Swell, best // kind of desk (4-3)

A swell^[5] is a slow, regular movement of the sea in rolling waves that do not break ⇒ there was a heavy swell.

A roll^[10] is a swell, ripple, or undulation on a surface ⇒ the roll of the hills.

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A roll-top desk^[5] is a writing desk with a flexible cover sliding in curved grooves.

22d   Post // file (6)

File^[5] is used in the sense of a line of people or things one behind another ⇒ files of tourists stream up the narrow lanes of Mont St Michel.

23d   Fish bringing in right // money (5)

Brass^[5] is an informal British term for money ⇒ they wanted to spend their newly acquired brass.

25d   Notice record time // accomplished (5)

"record" = EP (show explanation )

EP^[10] (abbreviation for extended-play) is one of the formats in which music is sold, usually comprising four or five tracks.

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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)
^[12] - CollinsDictionary.com (Webster’s New World College Dictionary)
^[13] - MacmillanDictionary.com (Macmillan Dictionary)
^[14] - CollinsDictionary.com (COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary)

Signing off for today — Falcon

Tuesday, April 2, 2019 — DT 28870

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28870
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Monday, October 15, 2018
Setter X-Type
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28870]
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

It would seem that we may be witnessing the beginning of changes both to the makeup of the Daily Telegraph setter roster as well as to the days on which the work of certain setters appears. Today's puzzle is from a setter we have apparently not encountered before who, in a reply to Comment #15 on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, adopts the pseudonym X-Type and indicates that he or she is "new to the DT [Daily Telegraph]" but that "Most of you know me, as I’ve been setting the harder stuff ... for forty years but now I’m coasting a bit".

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.

Click here for an explanation of conventions and symbols used in explaining the parsing of clues.

The purpose of this article is to explain the conventions and symbols that I use on this blog in explaining the parsing of clues.

Legend: The following symbols are used in reviews: "*" anagram "~" sounds like "<" indicates that the preceding letters are reversed "( )" encloses contained letters "_" replaces letters that have been deleted "†" indicates that the word is present in the clue

The review of a clue takes the following general structure:

#a/d   Clue containing parsing markup (num^*)

---

^* num = numeration

Explanations pertaining to the wordplay (or first definition in a double definition)

(Horizontal separator)

---

Explanations pertaining to the definition (or second definition in a double definition) and solution.

Explanatory Box

An explanatory box provides additional information about the clue. In most cases this information will not necessarily help in solving the clue but provides information about the clue. In the case of the weekday syndicated Daily Telegraph puzzles, such information is often intended to help the North American solver appreciate how the clue may be perceived by a British solver. These boxes may also provide information on people, places, films, television programmes, works of art and literature, etc. mentioned in the clue. Although the titles of these boxes will usually be drawn from a standard list, I do occasionally throw in a title specifically suggested by the subject at hand. The standard titles include: Scratching the Surface - an explanation of the surface reading of the clue Delving Deeper - in-depth information pertaining to a subject mentioned in an explanation The Story Behind the Picture - for weekday puzzles, information about an illustration found on Big Dave's Crossword Blog What did he/she/they say? - for weekday puzzles, an explanation of a remark made in a review or comment on Big Dave's Crossword Blog What are they talking about? - for weekday puzzles, an explanation of a discussion on Big Dave's Crossword Blog One box that may provide information that could prove helpful in solving the clue is the following: Here and There - for weekday puzzles, discusses words whose British meaning differs from their North American meaning

Note that there are many types of cryptic crossword clue and it is not my intention to exhaustively go through all of them here. I will only deal with clue types to the extent necessary to explain the conventions and symbols used on the blog. Furthermore, be aware that, in the world of cryptic crosswords, there seems to be an exception to every rule.

With one exception that I can think of, cryptic crossword clues provide two routes to the solution. These are commonly referred to as the definition and wordplay. While these terms serve well for most clues, there are some cases where the more formal terms of primary indication and subsidiary indication may be more appropriate.

Most cryptic crossword clues consist of a definition (primary indication) and wordplay (subsidiary indication). The definition may be a "precise definition" (a definition that is either taken straight from a dictionary or at least phrased in a non-misleading fashion) or it may be a "cryptic definition" (a definition misleadingly phrased so as to misdirect the solver either with respect to the meaning of the definition as a whole or to an incorrect sense of a word used in the definition).

The only type of clue that I can think of where there are not two ways of finding the solution are those in which the entire clue is a cryptic definition.

I identify precise definitions by marking them with a solid underline in the clue and cryptic definitions by marking them with a dotted underline.

In clues in which both definition and wordplay are present, the two parts of the clue combine to provide an overall meaningful statement (the surface reading) which usually bears no relationship to the underlying cryptic reading of the clue. In some cases, an extra word or phrase will be inserted into the clue to create a meaningful link between the definition and wordplay. I define clues which contain such a link word or link phrase as having an explicit link and clues which contain no link word or link phrase as having an implicit link.

I mark the existence of an explicit link by enclosing the link word or link phrase between forward slashes (/link/) and mark the existence of an implicit link with double forward slashes (//) positioned between the definition and wordplay.

Examples

A few examples may help to illustrate these points more clearly.

The first example is a clue used by Jay in DT 28573:

• 4d   Fellow left work // a failure (4)

Here the definition is "a failure" which is marked with a solid underline to show that it is a precise definition. The wordplay parses as F (fellow; abbrev.) + L (left; abbrev.) + OP (work; abbrev. used in music) which gives us the solution F|L|OP. The double forward slashes (//) between the definition and wordplay indicate the existence of an "implicit link" between the two parts of the clue (that is, no extra words are inserted into the clue to form the link).

The second example is a clue used by Giovanni in DT 28575:

• 29a   Female going to match // travels with mother in advance (10)

Here the definition "female going to match" is cryptic (the setter is attempting to misdirect our thoughts to a sports event rather than a marriage ceremony) and thus is marked with a a dotted underline. The wordplay is {RIDES (travels) + (with) MA (mother)} contained in (in) BID (advance) giving us the solution B(RIDES|MA)ID. As in the first example, the double forward slashes indicate the presence of an implicit link.

The third example is a clue used by Rufus is DT 28583:

• 18d   Knight caught by misplaced big blow /is/ staggering (8)

Here the definition is "staggering" which is marked with a solid underline to show that it is a precise definition. The wordplay parses as N ([chess symbol for] knight) contained in (caught in) an anagram (misplaced) of BIG BLOW producing the solution WOBBLI(N)G. Finally, forward slashes mark the link word (/is/).

I also use distinctive underlining to mark &lit.^[7] and semi-&lit. clues. Note that the reviewers on Big Dave's Crossword Blog generally prefer to refer to these clue types by the less pretentious names of all-in-one or semi-all-in-one clues respectively.

In an &lit. clue^[7] (or all-in-one clue) the entire clue provides not only the definition (when read one way), but under a different interpretation also serves as the wordplay.

In future, I will mark such clues with a combined solid and dashed underline. Although this is a departure from past practice, it would seem to make more sense than using a dotted underline as I have in the past). Henceforth, the dotted underline will be reserved for cryptic definitions.

In a semi-&lit. clue (or semi-all-in-one clue), either:

• the entire clue acts as the definition while a portion of the clue provides the wordplay; or
• the entire clue acts as the wordplay while a portion of the clue provides the definition.

For these clues, I will mark the definition with a solid underline and the wordplay with a  dashed underline. This means that a portion of the clue may have a solid underline, a portion of the clue may have a dashed underline and a portion of the clue may have a combined solid and dashed underline.

One final clue type is what I characterize as a cryptic definition comprised of a precise definition combined with cryptic elaboration. For example, in DT 28560 (setter unknown) the following clue appears:

•  26d   Heroic exploit, whichever way you look at it (4)

As the entire clue is a cryptic definition, it is marked with a dotted underline. The 'precise definition' is "heroic exploit" and is indicated by a solid underline.

Given the numeration, the precise definition could give rise to at least two solutions, DEED or FEAT. However, the 'cryptic elaboration' ("whichever way you look at it") indicates that the solution is a palindrome thereby immediately eliminating one of the two obvious choices.

Note that the part of the clue that I have called 'cryptic elaboration' does not provide a second independent route to the solution (as the wordplay would do in most other types of clue). Rather it merely provides a piece of additional information (elaboration) related to the 'precise definition'.

Again, this approach is a departure from past practice, but like the other changes mentioned previously is intended to remove inconsistencies in the way that I have been applying parsing markup to clues. The markup rules that I have been using until now evolved bit-by-bit over a long period of time resulting in some degree of internal inconsistency.

hide

Across

1a   Vehicle with favourite // floor covering (6)

4a   Make certain disc is about /to be/ condemned (8)

9a   Parents not married? // Not us (6)

10a   Making mark /but/ not voting; sailor leaves (8)

"sailor" = AB (show explanation )

In the Royal Navy, according to Oxford Dictionaries, 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.

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11a   News item /resulting in/ furrowed brow? (8)

Split the solution (4,4) to get the "furrowed brow".

13a   List // stated a sexual identification (6)

The word "GENDER" , when pronounced in a non-rhotic (show explanation ) accent typical of dialects found in many parts of Britain (especially southeastern England), sounds like  "GENDA".

Non-rhotic accents omit the sound < r > in certain situations, while rhotic accents generally pronounce < r > in all contexts. Among the several dozen British English accents which exist, many are non-rhotic while American English (US and Canadian) is mainly rhotic. This is, however, a generalisation, as there are areas of Britain that are rhotic, and areas of America that are non-rhotic. For more information, see this guide to pronouncing < r > in British English.

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15a   Music to put one's name to? (9,4)

What a glorious opportunity the setter has provided to contrast two clues with similar construction — but possessing a subtle distinction. In this clue, we have a cryptic definition with an embedded precise definition.

Signature tune^[5] is a British term for a distinctive piece of music associated with a particular programme or performer on television or radio.

18a   Where to look for vest? (13)

While the construction of this clue may superficially appear similar to the previous one, on closer examination we discover that the entire clue is wordplay in which the precise definition is embedded. Note that the enumeration for the wordplay is (5,8) while that of the definition is (13).

Here and There
In Britain, a vest[5,7] is an undergarment worn on the upper part of the body, typically having no sleeves — a garment that might be known in North America as a singlet. The garment forming part of a three-piece suit that North Americans (as well as Australians) call a vest is known in the UK as a waistcoat.

22a   Continually bother // this wild creature (6)

24a   Where to buy // new tree? Liar! (8)

26a   Unfinished business // gents possibly deliver around the beginning of Easter (5,3)

The gents^[5] is an informal British term for a men's public toilet.

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

27a   Last of tests? (6)

Given that these tests are given this name precisely because they are the last tests, the definition would hardly seem to be cryptic.

28a   She may serve // 'sir' with a stew, carelessly (8)

29a   Clan uniting with alien // group (6)

A sept^[5] is a subdivision of a clan, originally one in Ireland.

"alien" = ET (show explanation )

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial^[7] (often referred to simply as E.T.) is a 1982 American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg. It tells the story of a lonely boy who befriends an extraterrestrial, dubbed "E.T.", who is stranded on Earth. He and his siblings help the extraterrestrial return home while attempting to keep it hidden from their mother and the government.

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Down

1d   This may be seen in allotment, /or in/ church bordering Scottish lake (6)

"church" = CE [Church of England] (show explanation )

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.

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Loch^[5] is the Scottish word for lake.

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Allotment^[5] is a British term for a plot of land rented by an individual for growing vegetables or flowers. This term is also used in Canada — at least in Ottawa — although one would be more apt to hear it referred to here by the full version of the name, allotment garden^[7].

A cloche^[3,5] is a small, usually bell-shaped, translucent cover for forcing outdoor plants or protecting them from frost.

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Origin: Late 19th century: from French, literally ‘bell’.

2d   Practised, // as coffin put back in funeral carriage? (9)

I would say that the solution split (2-7) [rather than (2,7) as shown by Miffypops in his review] could describe the action of placing a coffin back into a large funeral car.

3d   Promotion for hearing device // that cuts down noise (7)

Split the solution (3,4) to get a favourable mention of a hearing organ. Definitions starting with the word "that" are seen quite often and have to be read as though they contain the implied word "something". So, in this case, "[Something] that cuts down noise".

I initially split the clue as Miffypops shows in his review:

• Promotion for hearing // device that cuts down noise (7)

but rejected it as the wordplay does not work with that parsing.

5d   Consumes // some of the contents of meatsafe (4)

Scratching the Surface
The spelling ("meatsafe") used in the clue would appear to be a typo as I could find not a single source to support it. I located the term only in British dictionaries and it is invariably spelled as two words. Meat safe[5] is a historical British term for a cupboard or cover of wire gauze or a similar material, used for storing meat.

6d   Stones // 7" perhaps captivates husband (7)

In the vinyl era, a single^[7] was typically a record containing a single song on each side of the disc. The most common format of the vinyl single is a 7-inch diameter disc that is played at 45 rpm.

I must say that while I might call such a record either a single or a 45, I would never refer to it as a 7".

"husband" = H [genealogy] (show reference )

The abbreviation for husband is h^[1,2] or h.^{[3,4,10,11,12]} or H^[12] or H.^[4,10,11,12]) [although no context is provided, it may well come from the field of genealogy].

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Shingle^[5] is a mass of small rounded pebbles, especially on a seashore ⇒ (i) a wonderful beach of fine shingle; (ii) natural features like sand dunes and shingle banks.

7d   Bad weather, we hear, /as/ a rule (5)

8d   Worn down -- /or/ marked down, in one's 27? (8)

After considerable dithering, I've elected to mark the second definition as a cryptic definition as I think that it is a bit whimsical.

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In geology, degrade^[5] means to wear down (rock) and cause it to disintegrate.

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The numeral "27" is a cross reference indicator to clue 27a (show more ).

To complete the clue, a solver must replace the cross reference indicator with the solution to the clue starting in the light^* identified by the cross reference indicator.

The cross reference indicator may include a directional indicator but this is customarily done only in situations where there are both Across and Down clues originating in the light that is being referenced.

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^* light-coloured cell in the grid

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In the second definition, perhaps we can think of degrade^[5] being used somewhat along the lines of an archaic sense meaning to reduce (someone) to a lower rank, especially as a punishment ⇒ he was degraded from his high estate.

12d   Almost // new before breakfast? (6)

14d   Destroy the French, making a great commotion (6)

"the French" = LE (show explanation )

In French, the masculine singular form of the definite article is le^[8].

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16d   Not very brave // UN soldier, maybe, harbouring ill-will (9)

"soldier" = ANT (show explanation )

A soldier^[5] is a wingless caste of ant or termite with a large specially modified head and jaws, involved chiefly in defence.

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Gall^[5] is used in the sense of annoyance or irritation ⇒ he was filled with gall at the suspected ambitions of his old enemies.

17d   Trimming // hair somewhere underneath (8)

A furbelow^[5] is a gathered strip or pleated border of a skirt or petticoat (which explains the remark by one of the regular lady visitors, Expat Chris, at Comment #11 on Big Dave's Crossword Blog). In the plural, furbelows denotes showy ornaments or trimmings ⇒ frills and furbelows just made her look stupid.

19d   Creature // laying eggs on climbing grass (3,4)

While one might consider the word "laying" to be a link word, I think it may better be thought of as part of a split charade indicator ("laying ... on").

The roe deer (also called simply roe^[5]) is a small Eurasian deer which lacks a visible tail and has a reddish summer coat that turns greyish in winter.

20d   Pretend // the writer's a machine with energy (7)

"the writer's" = IM (show explanation )

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

Today, the setter has made the scenario slightly more complicated by combining "the writer" with the verb "to be"^* producing "the writer's" (a contraction of "the writer is") which must be replaced by "I'm" (a contraction of "I am").

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^* Although in the surface reading "the writer's" is showing possession, in the wordplay it is interpreted as a contraction of "the writer is".

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As a machine, a gin^[5] can be either:

• a machine for separating cotton from its seeds.
• a machine for raising and moving heavy weights.

"energy" = E [symbol used in physics] (show reference )

In physics, E^[5] is a symbol used to represent energy in mathematical formulae ⇒ E = mc².

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21d   Peter's excited /to be/ ready in advance (6)

23d   Garment /making/ girl very warm in the middle (5)

Without a doubt, Diana (often appearing in its diminutive form Di) is the most popular female name in Crosswordland.

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A dhoti^[5] is a garment worn by male Hindus, consisting of a piece of material tied around the waist and extending to cover most of the legs.

25d   Star gundog ultimately turned up // antelopes (4)

The gnu^[5] (also called wildebeest) is a large dark African antelope with a long head, a beard and mane, and a sloping back.

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)
^[12] - CollinsDictionary.com (Webster’s New World College Dictionary)
^[13] - MacmillanDictionary.com (Macmillan Dictionary)
^[14] - CollinsDictionary.com (COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary)

Signing off for today — Falcon

Monday, April 1, 2019 — DT 28869 (Published Saturday, March 30, 2019)

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28869
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Saturday, October 13, 2018
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28869 – Hints] Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28869 – Review]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Big Dave (Hints) gnomethang (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. This puzzle appears on the Monday Diversions page in the Saturday, March 30, 2019 edition of the National Post.

Introduction

Some things never change. I failed to notice that this puzzle is a pangram (a puzzle in which every letter of the alphabet appears at least once in the solutions to the clues).

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.

Click here for an explanation of conventions and symbols used in explaining the parsing of clues.

The purpose of this article is to explain the conventions and symbols that I use on this blog in explaining the parsing of clues.

Legend: The following symbols are used in reviews: "*" anagram "~" sounds like "<" indicates that the preceding letters are reversed "( )" encloses contained letters "_" replaces letters that have been deleted "†" indicates that the word is present in the clue

The review of a clue takes the following general structure:

#a/d   Clue containing parsing markup (num^*)

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^* num = numeration

Explanations pertaining to the wordplay (or first definition in a double definition)

(Horizontal separator)

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Explanations pertaining to the definition (or second definition in a double definition) and solution.

Explanatory Box

An explanatory box provides additional information about the clue. In most cases this information will not necessarily help in solving the clue but provides information about the clue. In the case of the weekday syndicated Daily Telegraph puzzles, such information is often intended to help the North American solver appreciate how the clue may be perceived by a British solver. These boxes may also provide information on people, places, films, television programmes, works of art and literature, etc. mentioned in the clue. Although the titles of these boxes will usually be drawn from a standard list, I do occasionally throw in a title specifically suggested by the subject at hand. The standard titles include: Scratching the Surface - an explanation of the surface reading of the clue Delving Deeper - in-depth information pertaining to a subject mentioned in an explanation The Story Behind the Picture - for weekday puzzles, information about an illustration found on Big Dave's Crossword Blog What did he/she/they say? - for weekday puzzles, an explanation of a remark made in a review or comment on Big Dave's Crossword Blog What are they talking about? - for weekday puzzles, an explanation of a discussion on Big Dave's Crossword Blog One box that may provide information that could prove helpful in solving the clue is the following: Here and There - for weekday puzzles, discusses words whose British meaning differs from their North American meaning

Note that there are many types of cryptic crossword clue and it is not my intention to exhaustively go through all of them here. I will only deal with clue types to the extent necessary to explain the conventions and symbols used on the blog. Furthermore, be aware that, in the world of cryptic crosswords, there seems to be an exception to every rule.

With one exception that I can think of, cryptic crossword clues provide two routes to the solution. These are commonly referred to as the definition and wordplay. While these terms serve well for most clues, there are some cases where the more formal terms of primary indication and subsidiary indication may be more appropriate.

Most cryptic crossword clues consist of a definition (primary indication) and wordplay (subsidiary indication). The definition may be a "precise definition" (a definition that is either taken straight from a dictionary or at least phrased in a non-misleading fashion) or it may be a "cryptic definition" (a definition misleadingly phrased so as to misdirect the solver either with respect to the meaning of the definition as a whole or to an incorrect sense of a word used in the definition).

The only type of clue that I can think of where there are not two ways of finding the solution are those in which the entire clue is a cryptic definition.

I identify precise definitions by marking them with a solid underline in the clue and cryptic definitions by marking them with a dotted underline.

In clues in which both definition and wordplay are present, the two parts of the clue combine to provide an overall meaningful statement (the surface reading) which usually bears no relationship to the underlying cryptic reading of the clue. In some cases, an extra word or phrase will be inserted into the clue to create a meaningful link between the definition and wordplay. I define clues which contain such a link word or link phrase as having an explicit link and clues which contain no link word or link phrase as having an implicit link.

I mark the existence of an explicit link by enclosing the link word or link phrase between forward slashes (/link/) and mark the existence of an implicit link with double forward slashes (//) positioned between the definition and wordplay.

Examples

A few examples may help to illustrate these points more clearly.

The first example is a clue used by Jay in DT 28573:

• 4d   Fellow left work // a failure (4)

Here the definition is "a failure" which is marked with a solid underline to show that it is a precise definition. The wordplay parses as F (fellow; abbrev.) + L (left; abbrev.) + OP (work; abbrev. used in music) which gives us the solution F|L|OP. The double forward slashes (//) between the definition and wordplay indicate the existence of an "implicit link" between the two parts of the clue (that is, no extra words are inserted into the clue to form the link).

The second example is a clue used by Giovanni in DT 28575:

• 29a   Female going to match // travels with mother in advance (10)

Here the definition "female going to match" is cryptic (the setter is attempting to misdirect our thoughts to a sports event rather than a marriage ceremony) and thus is marked with a a dotted underline. The wordplay is {RIDES (travels) + (with) MA (mother)} contained in (in) BID (advance) giving us the solution B(RIDES|MA)ID. As in the first example, the double forward slashes indicate the presence of an implicit link.

The third example is a clue used by Rufus is DT 28583:

• 18d   Knight caught by misplaced big blow /is/ staggering (8)

Here the definition is "staggering" which is marked with a solid underline to show that it is a precise definition. The wordplay parses as N ([chess symbol for] knight) contained in (caught in) an anagram (misplaced) of BIG BLOW producing the solution WOBBLI(N)G. Finally, forward slashes mark the link word (/is/).

I also use distinctive underlining to mark &lit.^[7] and semi-&lit. clues. Note that the reviewers on Big Dave's Crossword Blog generally prefer to refer to these clue types by the less pretentious names of all-in-one or semi-all-in-one clues respectively.

In an &lit. clue^[7] (or all-in-one clue) the entire clue provides not only the definition (when read one way), but under a different interpretation also serves as the wordplay.

In future, I will mark such clues with a combined solid and dashed underline. Although this is a departure from past practice, it would seem to make more sense than using a dotted underline as I have in the past). Henceforth, the dotted underline will be reserved for cryptic definitions.

In a semi-&lit. clue (or semi-all-in-one clue), either:

• the entire clue acts as the definition while a portion of the clue provides the wordplay; or
• the entire clue acts as the wordplay while a portion of the clue provides the definition.

For these clues, I will mark the definition with a solid underline and the wordplay with a  dashed underline. This means that a portion of the clue may have a solid underline, a portion of the clue may have a dashed underline and a portion of the clue may have a combined solid and dashed underline.

One final clue type is what I characterize as a cryptic definition comprised of a precise definition combined with cryptic elaboration. For example, in DT 28560 (setter unknown) the following clue appears:

•  26d   Heroic exploit, whichever way you look at it (4)

As the entire clue is a cryptic definition, it is marked with a dotted underline. The 'precise definition' is "heroic exploit" and is indicated by a solid underline.

Given the numeration, the precise definition could give rise to at least two solutions, DEED or FEAT. However, the 'cryptic elaboration' ("whichever way you look at it") indicates that the solution is a palindrome thereby immediately eliminating one of the two obvious choices.

Note that the part of the clue that I have called 'cryptic elaboration' does not provide a second independent route to the solution (as the wordplay would do in most other types of clue). Rather it merely provides a piece of additional information (elaboration) related to the 'precise definition'.

Again, this approach is a departure from past practice, but like the other changes mentioned previously is intended to remove inconsistencies in the way that I have been applying parsing markup to clues. The markup rules that I have been using until now evolved bit-by-bit over a long period of time resulting in some degree of internal inconsistency.

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Across

1a   Penny weighing very little? /That's/ a predicament (6)

"penny"  = P (show explanation )

In Britain's current decimal currency system, a penny^[5] (plural pennies [for separate coins] or pence [for a sum of money]) is a bronze coin and monetary unit equal to one hundredth of a pound. The abbreviation for penny or pence is p^[5] ⇒ a 10p piece.

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9a   Asking for // gent, squire's all over the place (10)

Oops!
In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, gnomethang has included an extra S in the anagram fodder.

Scratching the Surface
A squire[5] is a man of high social standing who owns and lives on an estate in a rural area, especially the chief landowner in such an area.

10a   Disguise // chef finally having mixed guacamole outside (10)

11a   Crazy, but often seen with motive? (4)

I would say that this clue is a cryptic definition in which a precise definition is accompanied by cryptic elaboration, in this case telling us that the solution to the clue is often encountered as the first part of a word that ends with -motive.

This clue structure is similar to clues that contain a precise definition accompanied by a phrase such as "running in both directions" which indicates that the solution is a palindrome.

12a   A giant // in excited eagerness (4)

Gog and Magog^[5] are two giant statues standing in Guildhall^*, London, representing either the last two survivors of a race of giants supposed to have inhabited Britain before Roman times, or Gogmagog, chief of the giants, and Corineus, a Roman invader.

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^* Guildhall is a building in the City of London, England that has been used as a town hall for several hundred years, and is still the ceremonial and administrative centre of the City of London and its Corporation (show more ). It should not be confused with London's City Hall, the administrative centre for Greater London. The term "Guildhall" refers both to the whole building and to its main room, which is a medieval great hall. The building is traditionally referred to as Guildhall, never "the" Guildhall.

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.

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In Britain, the term corporation^[5] may refer to a group of people elected to govern a city, town, or borough ⇒ the City of London Corporation.

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14a   First step, // introduce about four (10)

17a   Devil // getting on with mostly agreeable Kelvin (3,4)

"Kelvin" = K (show explanation )

In physics, K^[2] is the abbreviation for the kelvin scale or a degree on the kelvin scale.

The kelvin^[2] is a unit of thermodynamic or absolute temperature in the SI system, equal to 1/273.16 of the absolute temperature of the triple point^* of water, and equal in magnitude to one degree on the Celsius scale.

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^* In physics, triple point^[2] denotes the temperature and pressure at which the solid, liquid and vapour phases of a particular substance, or of any combinations of these phases (e.g. two solids and a liquid) can coexist in equilibrium. To my understanding, the triple point of water is effectively the freezing point.

The unit is named after the UK physicist Sir William Thomson, Lord Kelvin (1824-1907).

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Nick^[2] (also Old Nick) is another name for the devil.

18a   Grouse // making grand deep sound? (7)

The use of the letter 'G' as an abbreviation for 'grand' is one North American usage that the Brits appear to have embraced (show more ).

While the abbreviation G for "grand" is deemed by British dictionaries to be an Americanism, it seems to be one that is well known to Brits — undoubtedly from American gangster films. It is frequently seen in British crossword puzzles and never seems to garner the abuse that usually greets the appearance of American terms.

Grand^[5] is an informal term for a thousand dollars or pounds ⇒ he gets thirty-five grand a year. While the term "grand" itself would seem to be commonly used in the UK, the informal abbreviation G^[5] meaning grand appears to be regarded as a North American usage ⇒ I was up nine Gs on the blackjack tables.

G is defined in various British dictionaries as follows:

• Oxford Dictionaries: (North American informal) abbreviation for grand, a thousand dollars)^[5].
• Chambers 21st Century Dictionary: (North American slang) abbreviation for a grand, 1000 dollars^[2].
• Collins English Dictionary: (mainly US slang) a symbol for grand (a thousand dollars or pounds)^[4,10].

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20a   Steep slope // recent maps disguised (10)

21a   Power /of/ wife lying in state (4)

"wife" = W [genealogy] (show explanation )

The abbreviation for 'wife' is w^[1,2,12] or w.^[3,4,10,11] [although no context is provided, it may come from the field of genealogy].

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22a   Officer has American // drink (4)

23a   Direct empty cartridge // close to target (5-5)

25a   Might England's openers // consolidate? (10)

Scratching the Surface

The England cricket team[7] represents England and Wales in international cricket. England, as a founding nation, is a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC), the global governing body of cricket. Until the 1990s, Scottish and Irish players also played for England as those countries were not yet ICC members in their own right. In cricket, an opener[2] is either of the two* batsmen who begin the batting for their team. * remember, in cricket, batsmen always bat in pairs

26a   Excessively bright // rig has collapsed (6)

Down

2d   Messenger is beaten going round //  metropolis (3,7)

This messenger is of the heavenly variety.

3d   Travel carrying little weight /in/ island (4)

Gozo^[5] is a Maltese island, to the north-west of the main island of Malta.

4d   Officer/'s/ phoney tip-off -- car about to be seized (7,3)

5d   Wretched // group circling Long Island (7)

In the US, LI^[5] is the abbreviation for Long Island^[5], an island on the coast of New York State. Its western tip, comprising the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, is separated from Manhattan and the Bronx by the East River and is linked to Manhattan by several bridges.

6d   Present // from the residents (4)

7d   Always // a metallist suffered (2,3,5)

Scratching the Surface
In Economics, a metallist[5] is an advocate of metal coinage as the principal or sole currency; specifically an adherent of the theory of metallism.

8d   Take no notice of // Italian gentleman failing to start (6)

Signor^[5] (also Signore, plural Signori) is a title or form of address used of or to an Italian-speaking man, corresponding to Mr or sir ⇒ (i) Signor Ugolotti; (ii) I am a man of honour, Signor.

13d   Trap positions American inside // pretentious public houses (3,7)

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

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Public house^[5] is the formal British name for a pub.

Gin palace^[5] is a depreciative British term for a public house, especially one that is gaudily or pretentiously decorated.

15d   Bringing up to scratch, perhaps /that's/ annoying (10)

16d   Half-dozen with nasty allusion /that is/ wicked (10)

19d   In France, I love crossing wealthy // city (7)

The French pronoun je^[8] means 'I'.

"love" = O [tennis term] (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).

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Jericho^[5] is a modern town and ancient city in Palestine, in the West Bank north of the Dead Sea.  (show more )

According to the Bible, Jericho was a Canaanite city destroyed by the Israelites after they crossed the Jordan into the Promised Land; its walls were flattened by the shout of the army and the blast of the trumpets.

Occupied by the Israelis since the Six Day War of 1967, in 1994 Jericho was the first area given partial autonomy under the PLO–Israeli peace accord.

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20d   Cut // tax (6)

23d   /Get/ stick for going up and down? (4)

I consider the word "get" to be merely a bit of window dressing to enhance the surface reading of the clue. In the cryptic analysis, it can effectively be interpreted to denote "The solution to this clue is a word meaning". Just as a link word is neither part of the definition nor the wordplay, the word "get" here is not part of the cryptic definition.

A pogo^[5] (also pogo stick) is a toy for jumping about on, consisting of a long, spring-loaded pole with a handle at the top and rests for a person's feet near the bottom.

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

24d   Look // always beyond lake (4)

Key to Reference Sources: 

^[1]   - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition
^[2]   - Search Chambers - (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)
^[3]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (American Heritage Dictionary)
^[4]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
^[5]   - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford Dictionary of English)
^[6]   - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford American Dictionary)
^[7]   - Wikipedia
^[8]   - Reverso Online Dictionary (Collins French-English Dictionary)
^[9]   - Infoplease (Random House Unabridged Dictionary)
^[10] - CollinsDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
^[11] - TheFreeDictionary.com (Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary)
^[12] - CollinsDictionary.com (Webster’s New World College Dictionary)
^[13] - MacmillanDictionary.com (Macmillan Dictionary)
^[14] - CollinsDictionary.com (COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary)

Signing off for today — Falcon