Wednesday, August 26, 2015 — DT 27749

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27749
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Saturday, March 14, 2015
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27749 – Hints] Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27749 – Review]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By Big Dave (Hints) crypticsue (Review)
BD Rating
Difficulty - ★★	Enjoyment - ★★★
Falcon's Experience ┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐ ███████████████████████████████████ └────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘ Legend: █ - solved without assistance █ - incorrect prior to use of puzzle solving tools █ - solved with assistance from puzzle solving tools █ - solved with aid of checking letters provided by puzzle solving tools █ - solved but without fully parsing the clue █ - unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Big Dave's Crossword Blog █ - solved with aid of checking letters provided by solutions from Big Dave's Crossword Blog █ - reviewed by Falcon for Big Dave's Crossword Blog █ - yet to be solved
Notes
As this was a Saturday "Prize Puzzle" in Britain, there are two entries related to it on Big Dave's Crossword Blog — the first, posted on the date of publication, contains hints for selected clues while the second is a full review issued following the entry deadline for the contest. The vast majority of reader comments will generally be found attached to the "hints" posting with a minimal number — if any — accompanying the full review.

Introduction

In her review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog, crypticsue rated this puzzle as worthy of two stars for difficulty. I would say that it was well-deserving of two stars. For the life of me, I could not remember the second word in the name of Jane Austen's book — despite having both checking letters. How unbelievable is that?

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   Firebrands // stirred up maturer blokes (13)

Scratching the Surface
Bloke[5] is an informal British term for a man ⇒ he’s a nice bloke. [Surely few North Americans would be unfamiliar with this term.]

9a   Goes down fast /with/ a lack of calming drugs, not having a temperature (9)

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

10a   One stuffing daily // post in university (5)

Daily^[5] (also daily help) is a dated British term for a woman who is employed to clean someone else’s house each day.

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

11a   Extremist // caught in awful tragedy (5)

12a   Release unauthorised information on radio -- // one of five a day? (4)

5 A Day^[5] is any of various national campaigns in countries such as the USA, the United Kingdom and Germany, to encourage the consumption of at least five portions of fruit and vegetables each day, following a recommendation by the World Health Organization that individuals consume "a minimum of 400g of fruit and vegetables per day (excluding potatoes and other starchy tubers).

13a   People get Euston's second // fare list (4)

Scratching the Surface

Your Choices from Today's Menu Euston[7] is a village and civil parish in Suffolk in eastern England whose population, in 2005, was 130. Euston Road[7] is an important thoroughfare in central London, England. It was originally the central section of the New Road from Paddington to Islington, opened in 1756, London's first bypass, through the fields to the north of London, now generally regarded as being in central London. Euston railway station[7] or London Euston is a central London railway terminus. It is the sixth busiest railway station in the UK. Euston[7] is a London Underground [subway] station served by the Victoria line and both branches of the Northern line. It directly connects with the Euston railway station above it. Euston Square[7] is a London Underground station on the Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines located within walking distance of Euston railway station. It should not be confused with the nearby Euston tube station for the Northern and Victoria lines.

15a   Inadvertently reveal // the French doctor in Jersey perhaps (3,4)

"the French" = LE (show explanation )

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

hide explanation

Scratching the Surface

The setter has deceivingly capitalized the word "Jersey" to deflect our attention away from the garment and make us think of the island. Jersey[5] is the largest of the Channel Islands (show explanation ); population 91,900 (est. 2009); capital, St Helier. The Channel Islands[5] are a group of islands in the English Channel off the northwestern coast of France, of which the largest are Jersey, Guernsey, and Alderney. Formerly part of the dukedom of Normandy, they have owed allegiance to England since the Norman Conquest in 1066, and are now classed as Crown dependencies.  hide explanation

17a   It will build body -- // heavenly one if given a start (7)

If the letter A (from the clue) were to be added to the start of the solution, the result would be a heavenly body.

18a   Leaves // chaps in revolt (7)

Scratching the Surface
Chap[5] is an informal British term for a man or a boy ⇒ he sounded like a nice, caring sort of chap. [I would think this chap is even more familiar to North Americans than is the bloke above]

20a   Old car // journey hard without acceptable motorway (7)

"hard" = H (show explanation )

H^[5] is an abbreviation for hard, as used in describing grades of pencil lead ⇒ a 2H pencil.

hide explanation

"acceptable" = U (show explanation )

In Britain, U^[5] is used informally as an adjective (in respect to language or social behaviour) meaning characteristic of or appropriate to the upper social classes ⇒ U manners.

The term, an abbreviation of  upper class, was coined in 1954 by Alan S. C. Ross, professor of linguistics, and popularized by its use in Nancy Mitford's Noblesse Oblige (1956).

In Crosswordland, the letter U is frequently clued by words denoting "characteristic of the upper class" (such as posh or superior) or "appropriate to the upper class" (such as acceptable). 

hide explanation

"motorway" = M (show explanation )

Motorway^[2] (abbreviation M^[5]) is a British, Australian, and New Zealand term for a major road for fast-moving traffic, especially one with three lanes per carriageway [direction of travel] and limited access and exit points.

hide explanation

The Triumph Motor Company^[7] was a British car and motor manufacturing company. The Triumph marque (trade-name) is owned currently by BMW.

Delving Deeper

The marque had its origins in 1885 when Siegfried Bettmann (1863–1951) of Nuremberg formed S. Bettmann & Co and started importing bicycles from Europe and selling them under his own trade name in London. The trade name became "Triumph" the following year, and in 1887 Bettmann was joined by a partner, Moritz (Maurice) Schulte, also from Germany. In 1889 the businessmen started producing their own bicycles in Coventry, England. The company was renamed the Triumph Cycle Co. Ltd. in 1897. In 1902, they began producing Triumph motorcycles. By 1918, Triumph — with a boost from wartime production for the British army — had become Britain's largest manufacturer of motorcycles. In 1921, Triumph acquired the assets and premises of the Dawson Car Company and started producing cars. The company encountered financial problems however, and in 1936 the Triumph bicycle and motorcycle businesses were sold. In 1939 the Triumph Motor Company itself went into receivership and was sold. The Second World War stopped the production of cars and the plant was completely destroyed by bombing in 1940. In 1944, Triumph was bought by the Standard Motor Company which in turn was acquired by Leyland Motors, Ltd. in 1960. The last Triumph model was the Acclaim, introduced in 1981 and essentially a rebadged Honda Ballade built under licence from Japanese company Honda. The Triumph name disappeared in 1984, when the Acclaim was replaced by the Rover 200, a rebadged version of Honda's next generation Civic/Ballade model. The British Leyland car division was by then named Austin Rover Group which also ended the Morris marque as well as Triumph. The trademark is owned currently by BMW, which acquired Triumph when it bought the Rover Group in 1994. When it sold Rover, it kept the Triumph marque.

21a   I was in charge of // country (4)

22a   TV award endlessly given to a // work by Austen (4)

In the US, the Emmy^[5] is a statuette awarded annually to an outstanding television programme or performer. [The name is said to originate from Immy, short for image orthicon tube (a kind of television camera tube).]

Emma^[7] is a novel by English writer Jane Austen (1775–1817) that was first published in December 1815.

23a   Subject // for photograph (5)

The words "to" and "for" may be synonyms in a couple of cases.

• To^[10] is a preposition used to indicate equality ⇒ 16 ounces to the pound and for^[10] is a preposition denoting direct equivalence ⇒ (i) word for word: (ii) weight for weight.
• To^[10] is a preposition used to indicate the destination of the subject or object of an action ⇒ heading to the border and for^[10] is a preposition denoting in the direction of ⇒ heading for the border.

26a   Steaks, etc, /make/ old king poorly (5)

The regnal ciphers (monograms) of British monarchs are initials formed from the Latin version of their first name followed by either Rex or Regina (Latin for king or queen, respectively). Thus, the regnal cipher of King George is GR^[5] — from the Latin Georgius Rex.

Poorly^[5] is a chiefly British term meaning unwell ⇒ she looked poorly. While North Americans might use this word to mean 'in poor health', we would do so only in a statement such as I am feeling poorly today. On the other hand, Oxford Dictionaries Online provides the following examples of British usage: (i) I didn't manage too many lengths today but I haven't been for 2 weeks since being poorly sick.; (ii) Zoe Bird, 26, was forced to walk for an hour to reach her home with poorly toddler son Ryan after they were forced to leave the car.; (iii) Jakey on the other hand is poorly due to having an injection.

27a   Compose neat prose /in/ synthetic language (9)

Esperanto^[5] is an artificial language devised in 1887 as an international medium of communication, based on roots from the chief European languages. It retains the structure of these languages and has the advantage of grammatical regularity and ease of pronunciation.

28a   Austen's work /is/ subject of study taken in by male and female novelist (9,4)

Dame Muriel Spark^[5] (1918–2006) was a Scottish novelist. Notable works: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1961) and The Mandelbaum Gate (1965).

Mansfield Park^[7] is the third novel by English writer Jane Austen (1775–1817). It was published in 1814 by Thomas Egerton, who published her two earlier novels, Sense and Sensibility (1811) and Pride and Prejudice (1813). When the novel reached a second edition in 1816, its publication was taken over by John Murray, who also published its successor, Emma (1815).

The lego pieces fit together in a slightly more complex pattern than the 1-2-3 progression that one might infer from crypticsue's explanation. The wordplay is FIELD (subject of study) contained in (taken in by) {MAN (male) + (and) SPARK (female novelist)}.

Down

1d   Reprimands // French perhaps helping in a big way (6-8)

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

2d   Start // working at Pinewood? (5)

Pinewood Studios^[7] is a British film studio and television studio situated in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, approximately 20 miles (32 km) west of central London. The studios have been the base for many productions over the years from big-budget films to television shows, commercials and pop promos and is well known as the home of the James Bond, Harry Potter, Superman, and Carry On film series.

3d   Inauspicious occasion when one has a terrible shock (3,4,3)

4d   Pen love letters in order // to cover up (7)

5d   Spot // sailors taking ship round church (7)

"sailors" = ABS (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

"ship" = SS (show explanation )

In Crosswordland, a ship is rarely anything other than a steamship (abbreviation SS^[5]).

hide explanation

"church" = CE (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.

hide explanation

6d   Eat out // and so on with husband (4)

7d   Modern sculptor's turning up collecting junk // somewhere in palace (9)

Henry Moore^[5] (1898–1986) was an English sculptor and draughtsman. His work is characterized by semi-abstract reclining forms, large upright figures, and family groups, which Moore intended to be viewed in the open air.

Three Way Piece No. 2 (The Archer)

The Henry Moore Sculpture Centre^[7] in the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, opened in 1974. It comprises the world's largest public collection of Moore's work, most of it donated by him between 1971 and 1974. Moore's Three Way Piece No. 2 (The Archer) has also been on display in Nathan Phillips Square at Toronto City Hall since 1966.

Tat^[5] is an informal British term for tasteless or shoddy clothes, jewellery, or ornaments ⇒ the place was decorated with all manner of gaudy tat.

A stateroom^[5] is a large room in a palace or public building, for use on formal occasions.

8d   Whipped chocolate drunk // all day long (6,3,5)

14d   Recorded // terrible dirge without record player mostly (10)

16d   Asian island's in good condition // making use of traditional customs (9)

Bali^[5] is a mountainous island of Indonesia, to the east of Java; chief city, Denpasar; population 3,470,700 (est. 2009).

19d   That man personally /makes/ songs, little being articulated (7)

In her review, crypticsue indicates that she feels the homophone indicator is misplaced. Her objections could be alleviated by phrasing the clue as:

• 19d   That man personally /makes/ songs, articulated by little being (7)

While this would place the homophone indicator where she thinks it should be, the misdirection associated with "little being" would be lost.

Personally, I did not have a problem with the clue as I interpreted the homophone to be the two words taken together with HYMNS ELF sounding like (being articulated) HIMSELF.

20d   Walk wearily /from/ wild parties (7)

24d   Bear // father's letters? (5)

I saw the solution early on from the definition but did not write it in as I could not fathom the wordplay. Finally, I broke down and put pencil to paper. Eureka! As soon as I saw the letters before me in black and white, the wordplay jumped out at me.

25d   Sweet // enthusiast scoffing last of caramel (4)

Sweet^[5] is the British term for a sweet dish forming a course of a meal; in other words, a pudding or dessert.

In Britain, a flan^[2] is an open pastry or sponge case with a savoury or fruit filling, usually round in shape. In North America, in addition to this meaning, flan^[3,11] is also an alternative name for crème caramel, a custard that is baked in a caramel-lined mold and served chilled with the caramel side up. However, it would appear that the latter usage does not occur in Britain, so the reference to caramel in the clue may well have nothing to do with this meaning of the word.

Key to Reference Sources: 

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

Signing off for today — Falcon

Tuesday, August 25, 2015 — DT 27748

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27748
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Friday, March 13, 2015
Setter Giovanni (Don Manley)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27748]
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
Notes
The National Post has skipped DT 27746 and DT 27747 which were published in The Daily Telegraph on Wednesday, March 11, 2015 and Thursday, March 12, 2015.

Introduction

Deep Threat rates the difficulty level of this puzzle as two stars. However, I would place it more in the mid-three star range. Despite completing it without needing to call in my electronic assistants, I found the puzzle to be definitely at the upper limit of my solving ability. My first read through of the across clues produced exactly zero solutions. I got a few of the down clues and was then slowly and painstakingly able to build on those footholds. It was a stiff mental workout — but a very satisfying one.

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   New student may be given that // coat (6)

5a   Powder in lotion /or/ resin seen around a pit (8)

Calamine^[5] is a pink powder consisting of zinc carbonate and ferric oxide, used to make a soothing lotion or ointment.

9a   Male and one female by back of the depot /for/ demonstration (13)

10a   US city /in/ desert with one personality (3,5)

San Diego^[5] is an industrial city and naval port on the Pacific coast of southern California, just north of the border with Mexico; population 1,279,329 (est. 2008).

11a   Fox? // Has got into hospital -- bother! (6)

Fox Talbot^[5] (1800–1877) was an English pioneer of photography; full name William Henry Fox Talbot. He produced the first photograph on paper in 1835. Five years later he discovered a process for producing a negative from which multiple positive prints could be made, though the independently developed daguerreotype proved to be superior.

A number of his works are held in the collections of the National Gallery of Canada.

12a   What's near fire? /It's/ hot soil (6)

14a   Castle // quickly established by promontory (8)

Ness^[5] (a term usually found in place names) means a headland or promontory ⇒ Orford Ness.

The wordplay is FAST (quickly) + (established by) NESS (promontory).

A fastness^[10] is a stronghold or fortress.

16a   Got // reminder about remedial treatment (8)

19a   A bishop in the present time /seen as/ bigoted (6)

Right Reverend^[5] (abbreviation RR^[2]) is a title given to a bishop, especially in the Anglican Church ⇒ the Right Reverend David Jenkins, Bishop of Durham.

21a   Verses of song /in/ bars (6)

A stave^[11] is a verse or stanza of a poem or song.

A stave^[5] is a strong wooden stick or iron pole used as a weapon.

23a   Attempts to get worker joining in // songs (8)

Shy^[5] is a dated term meaning, as a noun, an act of flinging or throwing something at a target and, as a verb, to fling or throw (something) at a target ⇒ he tore the spectacles off and shied them at her.

The phrase have a shy at^[5] means to try to hit something, especially with a ball or stone. This expression also has an archaic sense meaning to attempt to do or obtain something ⇒ have a shy at putting the case to me.

"worker" = ANT (show explanation )

A worker^[5] is a neuter or undeveloped female bee, wasp, ant, or other social insect, large numbers of which do the basic work of the colony.

In crossword puzzles, "worker" will most frequently be used to clue ANT and occasionally BEE but I have yet to see it used to clue WASP. Of course, "worker" is sometimes also used to clue HAND or MAN.

hide explanation

A shanty^[5] (British also sea shanty; archaic or US chantey or chanty) is a song with alternating solo and chorus, of a kind originally sung by sailors while performing physical labour together. [the term originated in the mid 19th century, probably from French chantez! 'sing!', imperative plural of chanter]

25a   English gentleman -- // bow-tie sort 'ere possibly (6,7)

Bertie Wooster^[7] is a recurring fictional character in the Jeeves novels of British author P. G. Wodehouse (1881–1975). An English gentleman, one of the "idle rich" and a member of the Drones Club, he appears alongside his valet, Jeeves, whose genius manages to extricate Bertie or one of his friends from numerous awkward situations.

26a   Taunt directed at saints /is/ uncalled for (8)

"saint" = S (show explanation )

S^[5] (chiefly in Catholic use) is an abbreviation for Saint ⇒ S Ignatius Loyola.

hide explanation

27a   Author // without much experience, we hear (6)

Graham Greene^[5] (1904–1991) was an English novelist. The moral paradoxes he saw in his Roman Catholic faith underlie much of his work. Notable works: Brighton Rock (1938), The Power and the Glory (1940), and The Third Man (written as a screenplay, and filmed in 1949; novel 1950).

Down

2d   Servant goes after farm animal /that's/ run amok (7)

Historically, a page^[5] is a man or boy employed as the personal attendant of a person of rank.

3d   Like coal maybe, /as/ material brought to surface (5)

In his review, Deep Threat states "When I first solved this clue I thought it was a rather weak cryptic definition. I only spotted the wordplay while writing this blog." I could almost say "Ditto" to describe my experience, except I failed to spot the wordplay until it was pointed out by Deep Threat.

4d   Sort of course /in/ Religious Education given to new student (9)

In the UK, religious education^[10] (abbreviation RE^[5]) is a subject taught in schools which educates about the different religions of the world.

Fresher^[5] is an informal British term for freshman.

5d   Discarded // actors start to object very loudly (4,3)

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.

6d   Certainly not the most // exciting tales (5)

7d   Drug addict /in/ sea ship (9)

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

Mainline^[5] (noun mainliner) is an informal term meaning to inject (a drug) intravenously ⇒ (i) Mariella mainlines cocaine five times a day: (ii) he started mainlining on heroin.

8d   Soldiers /of/ Mons once coming to premature end, terribly (3-4)

Non-com^[5] is an informal military term for a non-commissioned officer.

What did he say?
In his review, Deep Threat refers to the solution as an abbreviated form of a term for senior other ranks. In the British armed forces, the term other ranks[5] (abbreviation OR[5]) refers to all those who are not commissioned officers.

Scratching the Surface
Mons[5] is a town in southern Belgium, capital of the province of Hainaut; population 91,152 (2008). It was the scene in August 1914 of the first major battle of the First World War between British and German forces.

13d   Dog seen around Fleet Street area journalist // rescued (9)

Fleet Street^[7] is a street in the City of London named after the River Fleet, London's largest underground river. It was the home of British national newspapers until the 1980s. Even though the last major British news office, Reuters, left in 2005, the term Fleet Street continues to be used as a metonym for the British national press.

Do not confuse the City of London with the city of London (show explanation ).

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 explanation

The EC postcode serves the City of London [postcode being the British counterpart of the Canadian postal code or American zip code]. The EC (Eastern Central) postcode area^[7] (also known as the London EC postcode area) is a group of postcode districts in central London, England. It includes almost all of the City of London as well as parts of several other London boroughs.

Deep Threat may have been a bit loose in his terminology when he referred to EC as "the London postal district which contains Fleet Street". I believe that a more precise description would be that Fleet Street lies in the EC4 postcode district (see photo above) which is found in the EC postcode area.

15d   Evil girl and one almost good /in/ musical event (9)

"good" = G (show explanation )

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

hide explanation

17d   Artist having item of furniture /that/ can be valued (7)

"artist" = RA (show explanation )

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

hide explanation

18d   The infernal world has possession of // rejects (7)

In Roman mythology, Dis^[10] is:

1. (also called Orcus or Pluto) the god of the underworld; or
2. the abode of the dead or underworld.

The equivalent in Greek mythology is Hades^[10].

20d   Two terms of cricket // go on too long (7)

In cricket, an over^[5] is a division of play consisting of a sequence of six balls bowled by a bowler from one end of the pitch, after which another bowler takes over from the other end.

In cricket, a run^[5] is a unit of scoring achieved by hitting the ball so that both batsmen are able to run between the wickets, or awarded in some other circumstances.

22d   Horse // let out after first hint of sunshine (5)

Let^[5] is a chiefly British term meaning to allow someone to have the use of (a room or property) in return for regular payments ⇒ (i) she let the flat to a tenant; (ii) they’ve let out their house. [I would think that this is one of those British terms that is familiar enough to most North Americans that they would readily understand it even though they likely wouldn't use it.]

Hire^[10] can mean to acquire the temporary use of (a thing) or the services of (a person) in exchange for payment. However, it can also mean precisely the opposite, namely (often followed by out) to provide (something) or the services of (oneself or others) for an agreed payment, usually for an agreed period. Here, it is used in the latter sense.

Shire^[10] is short for shire horse^[10], a large heavy breed of carthorse with long hair on the fetlocks.

24d   Miss maybe /in/ hat crossing end of street (5)

Tile^[10] is old-fashioned British slang for a hat. Apparently the expression arises from the fact that "it’s something that goes over-head" — alluding to roofing tiles.

Key to Reference Sources: 

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

Signing off for today — Falcon

Monday, August 24, 2015 — DT 27740 (Bonus Puzzle)

Prologue

The National Post may be publishing on a reduced schedule for the summer. However, that doesn't mean you have to break your Monday puzzle habit. Here is DT 27740, one of the two puzzles that the National Post skipped on Tuesday, August 18, 2015.

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 27740
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Setter Jay (Jeremy Mutch)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27740]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By 2Kiwis
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 skipped this puzzle on Tuesday, August 18, 2015.

Introduction

I can't argue with the assessment of the 2Kiwis on this puzzle — although my performance is hardly indicative of a two-star level of difficulty.

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   Plot // swindles and breach of copyright (10)

6a   Shrewd // to ignore right of course (4)

Obviously the 2Kiwis were not the only ones for whom this clue was an 11a. Among those having difficulty with this clue, one would number myself and virtually everyone leaving a comment on Big Dave's Crossword Blog.

Cute^[2,10] can mean clever, cunning or shrewd.

Delving Deeper
Cute[2] was originally a shortened form of acute in the sense "keenly perceptive or discerning, shrewd." In this sense cute is first recorded in a dictionary published in 1731. Probably cute came to be used as a term of approbation for things demonstrating acuteness or ingenious design, and so it went on to develop its own sense of "pretty, fetching."

Cut^[5] is an informal term meaning to ignore or refuse to recognize (someone) ⇒ they cut her in public.

10a   Performance scheduled /for/ part of London (5)

Acton^[5] is a large area within the London Borough of Ealing in west London, England, 6.1 miles (10 km) west of Charing Cross [considered to mark the centre of London].

11a   Gamble on Eire developing // a particular pet hate (4,5)

Scratching the Surface
Eire[5] is the Gaelic name for Ireland, the official name of the Republic of Ireland from 1937 to 1949.

12a   Steal, /but/ lawyers win (7)

13a   Draw out // professional student working with force of gravity (7)

"student" = 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

"force of gravity" = G (show explanation )

G^[5] is the abbreviation for a unit of acceleration equal to that produced by the earth’s gravitational field ⇒ I was pinned to the floor by six Gs!.

hide explanation

14a   Not a sad visit arranged /for/ especially talented people (5,7)

Idiot savant^[2] (plural idiot savants or idiots savants) is a term used in psychology meaning someone with a mental disability who nevertheless shows a remarkable talent in some specific respect, such as memorizing or rapid calculation. The expression comes from French where it literally means 'clever idiot'. While either version of the plural is acceptable in English, only the latter is grammatically correct in French.

18a   Almost certain -- putting a coat on /and/ giving up (12)

Behind the Picture
The photo, taken in Louisville, Kentucky on April 28, 2011, shows Art Hoffman waving what is purported to be the "Largest White Flag Waved in Surrender". He waved the flag (which measured 93 inches by 68 inches) in surrender to the flooding of the Ohio River that devastated the town of Louisville.

21a   Locked up right // person with secret information (7)

23a   Those people must accept charge /for/ treatment (7)

24a   Travel essential // for hire, including one catch (6,3)

Let^[5] is a chiefly British term meaning to allow someone to have the use of (a room or property) in return for regular payments ⇒ (i) she let the flat to a tenant; (ii) they’ve let out their house. [I'm not sure that this word is as British as Oxford Dictionaries Online would have us believe.]

Toilet bag^[5] is a British term for a waterproof bag for holding toothpaste, soap, and other bathroom items when travelling [North American toiletry bag].

25a   The links /or/ the range? (5)

Neither a golf course nor a driving range.

26a   Couple // about to give birth stay without influence (4)

27a   Excited stars model /for/ great artists (3,7)

An old master^[5] is (1) a great artist of former times, especially of the 13th-17th century in Europe ⇒ the Dutch old masters or (2) a painting by a great artist of former times ⇒ a large collection of old masters.

Down

1d   Irritable // taxi driver having to cross river (6)

2d   Temperament /shown by/ angry EU rant? (6)

3d   Cause of hold-ups at the couturier /is/ a sensation (4,3,7)

4d   Archer/'s/ fleece -- popular with gangster? (5,4)

5d   Overtake dangerously /when/ upset (3,2)

In their review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog, the 2Kiwis say The first definition seems to be a North American usage. (We, and probably most of you, would use IN for the second word.).

I think I can safely say that they are dead wrong on this point. "Cut up" is very clearly a British term. We North Americans — like our New Zealand friends — would certainly say "cut in".

In Britain, as in Canada, cut in^[10] means (of a driver, motor vehicle, etc) to draw in front of another vehicle leaving too little space while cut up^[10] is an informal term that denotes (of a driver) to overtake or pull in front of (another driver) in a dangerous manner. Thus the latter term would seem to cover a broader range of dangerous manoeuvres than the former term.

Cut up^[10] is an informal [presumably British] term meaning to affect the feelings of deeply.

7d   Creatures // shown by navy netted by cousin at sea (8)

"navy" = RN (show explanation )

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

hide explanation

8d   Perk up, // seeing her dressed up leaving hotel (8)

Without help from my electronic assistants, I failed to see the anagram here.

"hotel" = H (show explanation )

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


hide explanation

9d   Minor problems // at home with ladies? (14)

The ladies^[5] is a British term for a women’s public toilet.

Convenience^[5] is a British — or, at least, chiefly British^[3] — term for a public toilet ⇒ the large council [municipal] car park next to the public conveniences.

15d   Plan /to/ put treasure under layers of rock (9)

16d   Lent a hand // when changing sides takes time (8)

17d   Long to take in topless joint -- /it's/ spotless (8)

19d   Delayed by father/'s/ sense of taste (6)

20d   Extremely happy and rational over // such mammals (6)

While not strictly necessary for the purpose of the definition, the word "such" does serve to emphasize that we a looking for a specific kind of mammal and not mammals in general. Of course, its main purpose is to enhance the surface reading.

22d   Non-conformist // bishop in dance (5)

"bishop" = B (show explanation )

B^[5] is an abbreviation for bishop that is used in recording moves in chess.

hide explanation

Behind the Picture

James Dean[7] (1931–1955) was an American actor. He is a cultural icon of teenage disillusionment and social estrangement, as expressed in the title of his most celebrated film, Rebel Without a Cause (1955), in which he starred as troubled teenager Jim Stark. The other two roles that defined his stardom were loner Cal Trask in East of Eden (1955) and surly ranch hand Jett Rink in Giant (1956). Dean's enduring fame and popularity rest on his performances in only these three films, in two of which he is the leading actor. Dean's premature death in a car crash cemented his legendary status. He became the first actor to receive a posthumous Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, and remains the only actor to have had two posthumous acting nominations. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked him the 18th best male movie star on their AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars list.

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