Tuesday, August 28, 2018 — DT 28713

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28713
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Saturday, April 14, 2018
Setter Unknown
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28713 – Hints] Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28713 – 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

I was definitely not on the setter's wavelength today. In fact, it has been a very long time since I needed this amount of electronic help to complete a puzzle. Thus I was devastated to see that crypticsue awarded it only a mere two stars for 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.

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 explanation

Across

1a   Take advantantage of // what Italy and India have reported (10)

Did you notice the bug in this clue? A second little six-legged beastie has crept in.

6a   Port // bottle's seal (4)

Cork^[5] is:

• a county in the Republic of Ireland, in the province of Munster, on the Celtic Sea
• the county town of Cork, a port on the Lee River

9a   Caught mistress taking tea? // One could be lucky (10)

"caught" = C (show explanation )

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

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

hide explanation

The question mark following "tea" indicates that this is a definition by example.

10a   Frightful // characters appearing regularly in Burghley (4)

Scratching the Surface
Burghley House[7] is a grand sixteenth-century country house in Cambridgeshire, England. The medieval settlement of Burghley[7], mentioned in Domesday [otherwise known as the Doomsday Book], was abandoned by 1450. Failure to locate its site leads to the supposition that it lay below Burghley House.

12a   Device for carrying // babies (6)

13a   In the red, fashionable // music maker (8)

Claret^[5] could mean red in either of a couple of senses:

• a red wine from Bordeaux, or wine of a similar character made elsewhere
• a deep purplish-red colour

15a   Insist Romans misrepresented /in/ broadcast (12)

18a   Wife fighting to secure high-class // sale (5,7)

Dutch^[5] (usually one's old dutch) is an informal British term (especially among cockneys) meaning one's wife.

Delving Deeper

A cockney[5,10] is a native of East London [specifically that part of East London known as the East End[5]]. The cockney[5] dialect is characterized by dropping the aitch (H) from the beginning of words as well as the use of rhyming slang*. * Rhyming slang[5] is a type of slang that replaces words with rhyming words or phrases, typically with the rhyming element omitted. For example, butcher’s, short for butcher’s hook, means ‘look’ in cockney rhyming slang. Dutch, an abbreviation for duchess, is believed to come from the phrase "Duchess of Fife". Thus "wife" rhymes with "Duchess of Fife", drop "Fife" leaving "duchess" which is abbreviated to "dutch".

"high-class" = 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

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A Dutch auction^[5] is a method of selling in which the price is reduced until a buyer is found ⇒ we aren't interested in quoting prices over the phone, because that only leads to a Dutch auction.

21a & 22a   It involves tricks // to tighten with spanner (8,6)

The setter is using "spanner" in a whimsical sense denoting something that spans a river.

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Contract bridge^[10] is the most common variety of the card game bridge, in which the declarer receives points counting towards game and rubber only for tricks bid and made, with any additional tricks (overtricks) counting as bonus points.

Scratching the Surface
In the surface reading, spanner[5] is a British name for a wrench. From a British perspective, a wrench[5] is an adjustable tool like a spanner, used for gripping and turning nuts or bolts.

22a   See 21a

24a   What may catch // something like a fly (4)

With the checking letters T_A_ in place, I thought this might be a cryptic definition of a TOAD!

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Fly^[5] is a historical British term for a one-horse hackney carriage.

A trap^[5] is a light, two-wheeled carriage pulled by a horse or pony.

25a   Remote inns served // soup (10)

Minestrone^[5] is a fairly thick soup containing vegetables and pasta.

26a   Useless English // gent (4)

27a   In Lib-Dem leader I will replace ace making comeback // that can’t be beaten (10)

British politician Sir Vince Cable^[7] is the Leader of the Liberal Democrats^*.

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^* The Liberal Democrats^[7] (often referred to as the Lib Dems) are a liberal British political party, formed in 1988 as a merger of the Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party (SDP), a splinter group from the Labour Party.

Down

1d   Set up the French // seafood (6)

Cock^[5] can mean to set up in the following senses:

• to set the firing pin, hammer, or breech block of (a firearm) so that a pull on the trigger will release it and thus fire the weapon
• to set the shutter mechanism of (a camera) so that the shutter can be tripped by pressing the shutter-release button

"the French | the Parisian" = LE (show explanation )

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

hide explanation

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A cockle^[5] is an edible burrowing bivalve mollusc with a strong ribbed shell.

2d   Following advertising get aware of // straight away (6)

Diverging from what crypticsue shows in her review, I would say that the word "get" is a positional indicator (or perhaps, more precisely, part of a positional indicator).

I parse the wordplay as PR (advertising; public relations) + (following ... get) ONTO (aware of).

3d   The people shooting arrows here /in/ classic Western (3,9)

The Searchers^[7] is a 1956 American Western film directed by John Ford, based on the 1954 novel by Alan Le May, set during the Texas–Indian wars, and starring John Wayne as a middle-aged Civil War veteran who spends years looking for his abducted niece (Natalie Wood), accompanied by his adoptive nephew (Jeffrey Hunter). Critic Roger Ebert found Wayne's character, Ethan Edwards, "one of the most compelling characters Ford and Wayne ever created". It has come to be considered a masterpiece and one of the greatest and most influential films ever made^*.

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^* greatest American western and uumber 12 in a list of the 100 greatest American movies of all time (American Film Institute); best western (Entertainment Weekly); seventh best film of all time (British Film Institute's Sight and Sound magazine); number 10 in a list of the 100 best films ever made (French magazine Cahiers du Cinéma)

4d   Sing merrily /being/ drunk, having consumed litres (4)

5d   Steady partner, // one from the same place? (10)

7d   Fine material /that could give/ newspaper distinctive stamp (8)

An organ^[5] is a newspaper or periodical which promotes the views of a political party or movement ⇒ he repositioned the journal as a leading organ of neoconservatism.

Note that DIE is clued by "distinctive stamp" not merely by "stamp".

A die^[5] is:

• a device for cutting or moulding metal into a particular [or distinctive] shape
• an engraved device for stamping a design [distinctive pattern] on coins or medals

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Organdie^[5] (US organdy) is a fine translucent cotton muslin that is usually stiffened and is used for women’s clothing ⇒ brides in flounced organdie gowns.

8d   Island's character /is/ essential element (8)

A key^[5] is a low-lying island or reef, especially in the Caribbean.

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A keystone^[5] is:

• central stone at the summit of an arch, locking the whole together
• (figuratively) the central principle or part of a policy, system, etc., on which all else depends ⇒ cooperation remains the keystone of the government's security policy

11d   Satiric actor masquerading /as/ posh (12)

Posh^[5] is used in a British sense meaning typical of or belonging to the upper class ⇒ she had a posh accent.

14d   Command // having entered 9 perhaps (10)

16d   Trained /to find/ ancient coin in rising river (8)

A ducat^[10] is any of various former European gold or silver coins^*, especially those used in Italy or the Netherlands.

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^* The ducat^[7] was used as a trade coin in Europe from the later middle ages until as late as the 20th century. Many types of ducats had various metallic content and purchasing power throughout the period. The gold ducat of Venice gained wide international acceptance, like the medieval Byzantine hyperpyron and the Florentine florin, or the modern day British pound sterling and the United States dollar.

The Dee^[5,7] could refer to any of several rivers in Scotland, England, Ireland, and Australia among which the most prominent are:

• a river in northeastern Scotland, which rises in the Grampian Mountains and flows eastwards past Balmoral Castle to the North Sea at Aberdeen
• a river that rises in North Wales and flows past Chester and on into the Irish Sea

17d   Colour // newspaper (8)

My first reaction was Is spelling colours without an S not akin to spelling innings without an S?.

That would certainly seem to be the case were we dealing with a noun.

Colours^[5] (noun) is a British term^* for the flag of a country, or of a regiment or ship.

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^* Although Oxford Dictionaries Online claims this to be a British term, I would certainly say that Oxford is mistaken on this point. Not only is this term used in Canada, but Americans use colors in this sense.

A standard^[5] (noun) is a military or ceremonial flag carried on a pole or hoisted on a rope.

However, when used as a modifier, colours loses its S.

A colour guard^[10] is a military guard in a parade, ceremony, etc, that carries and escorts the flag or regimental colours.

A standard-bearer^[5] is a soldier who is responsible for carrying the distinctive flag of a unit, regiment, or army.

Therefore, as long as we consider colour and standard to be modifiers, they each seem to be a synonym of flag.

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The London Evening Standard^[7] (or simply Evening Standard) is a local, free daily newspaper, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format in London. It is owned by Russian businessman Alexander Lebedev. It is the dominant local/regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London finance. In October 2009, the paper ended a 180-year history of paid circulation and became a free newspaper, doubling its circulation as part of a change in its business plan.

19d   Get attached to film // publicity brothers brought up (6)

In the general case, it is the material that is adsorbed that forms the film rather than the material that does the adsorbing. However, I suppose the latter could also be — but does not necessarily have to be — a film.

Adsorb^[5] [not to be confused with absorb] is a chemistry term denoting (of a solid) to hold (molecules of a gas or liquid or solute) as a thin film on the outside surface or on internal surfaces within the material ⇒ the dye is adsorbed on to the fibre.

20d   Cut energy -- /that’s/ harsh (6)

23d   Fairy // queen hugged by Greek character (4)

"queen" = ER (show explanation )

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

hide explanation

Pi^[5] is the sixteenth letter of the Greek alphabet (Π, π).

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In Persian mythology, a peri^[5] is a mythical superhuman being, originally represented as evil but subsequently as a good or graceful genie or fairy.

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, August 27, 2018 — DT 28712 (Published Saturday, August 25, 2018)

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph DT 28712
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph Friday, April 13, 2018
Setter Giovanni (Don Manley)
Link to Full Review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28712]
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
I am currently on vacation. Today's abbreviated posting was prepared prior to my departure and provides a link to the review at Big Dave's Crossword Blog for the puzzle that I expect to be published today. However, the National Post has been known to alter its publication schedule unexpectedly, so there is no guarantee that my forecast will necessarily prove to be accurate. This puzzle appears on the Monday Diversions page in the Saturday, August 25, 2018 edition of the National Post. 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

Giovanni, the master of impeccable cluing, seems to have messed up today — but, then, this puzzle did appear in the UK on Friday the 13th. Not only was there a serious error in one of the clues (which was later corrected on the Telegraph Puzzles website) but another clue employed a construction that is clearly outside the bounds of what is considered fair cluing. To give credit to Giovanni, he does drop in at Comment #1 on Big Dave's Crossword Blog to offer an apology for the error, as does The Daily Telegraph puzzles editor, Chris Lancaster, at Comment #21. However, quip of the day honours go to David Cowie at Comment #6 on Big Dave's site for his take on the faux pas (although even he gets the clue number wrong).

I found the puzzle to be extremely difficult and needed considerable electronic help to complete the southeast quadrant — and I was solving the corrected version of the puzzle! The solver can usually expect to learn some new words from a puzzle set by Giovanni, and he certainly does not disappoint on that front today. Furthermore, the puzzle was made more difficult by several instances in which relatively obscure meanings were employed for common words.

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

Error in Today's Puzzle

Clue 20d in the puzzle published today by the National Post will likely read:

• 20d   Goddess beginning to cavort before American (6)

This clue was later corrected on the Telegraph Puzzles website to read:

• 20d   Cactus goddess planted outside university (6)

Despite being published in Canada several months after appearing in the UK, the syndicated puzzle carried by the National Post is actually distributed prior to its publication in The Daily Telegraph. I do not recall ever having seen corrections made subsequent to publication in the UK, such as the above, being reflected in the puzzle appearing in The National Post.

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 explanation

Across

1a   Being in // last stage at home secured by lock (10)

6a   Son and daughter outside house // wearing trainers, say? (4)

"house" = HO (show explanation )

Although not found in most of the dictionaries I consulted, ho.^[10] is the abbreviation for house.

hide explanation

9a   Drunk aims a clout, // bringing dire results (10)

10a   What is said to be sort of average // appearance (4)

12a   Bad treatment // is accepted by one providing inspiration (6)

A muse^[5] is a person or personified force who is the source of inspiration for a creative artist^*.

---

^* In Greek and Roman mythology, the Muses^[5] are the nine goddesses, the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, who preside over the arts and sciences.

13a   What sounds like something for cleaning // old carriage (8)

A brougham^[5] is a horse-drawn carriage with a roof, four wheels, and an open driver’s seat in front [named after its designer, Lord Brougham (1778–1868)].

15a   Certain traders // misconstrued as harsh breed (12)

18a   People close to the monarch -- // a couple of PMs? (12)

The clue does not refer to two different PMs, but rather to two instances of a single PM.

---

Historically, a chamberlain^[5] was an officer who managed the household of a monarch or noble.

---

Neville Chamberlain^[5] (1869–1940) was a British Conservative statesman, Prime Minister 1937–40. He pursued a policy of appeasement with Germany, signing the Munich Agreement (1938), but was forced to abandon this policy following Hitler’s invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1939.

21a   Carp after agent /is seen as/ disgrace (8)

The roach^[5] is an edible Eurasian freshwater fish of the carp family, popular with anglers.

---

Reproach^[10] is used in the sense of disgrace or shame ⇒ to bring reproach upon one's family.

22a   Sympathetic // article penned by cardinal once (6)

Basil Hume^[7] (1923–1999) was an English Roman Catholic bishop. He was a monk and priest of the English Benedictine monastery of Ampleforth Abbey and its abbot for 13 years until his appointment as Archbishop of Westminster in 1976. His elevation to cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church followed during the same year. From 1979 Hume served also as President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. He held these appointments until his death from cancer in 1999.

24a   Greeting /or/ shower of abuse? (4)

In the second definition, hail^[5] is used in the sense of words, ideas, etc, directed with force and in great quantity ⇒ a hail of abuse.

25a   Messenger facing difficult situation -- // will letters arrive here? (10)

Hole^[5] is used in the sense of an awkward situation ⇒ the team are in a bit of a hole and it's a case of seeing if they can dig themselves out.

26a   Wise man from the east, // an astronomer? (4)

Seer^[5] is used in the sense of a person of great wisdom and spiritual insight; a prophet.

Martin Rees, Baron Rees of Ludlow^[7] is a British cosmologist and astrophysicist. He has been Astronomer Royal since 1995 and was Master of Trinity College, Cambridge from 2004 to 2012 and President of the Royal Society between 2005 and 2010.

27a   Chain store is awful /for/ those seeking solitude (10)

Anchorite^[5] is a historical term for a religious recluse.

Down

1d   Volunteers taking care of mother /in/ US city (6)

"volunteers" = TA (show explanation )

In the UK, Territorial Army^[5] (abbreviation TA^[5]) was, at one time, the name of a volunteer force founded in 1908 to provide a reserve of trained and disciplined military personnel for use in an emergency. Since 2013, this organization has been called the Army Reserve.

hide explanation

---

Tacoma^[6] is an industrial port city in west central Washington, on Puget Sound, south of Seattle.

2d   Recruit /with/ English name is grabbed by army officer (6)

3d   Somebody OK'd a new // survey of our land (8,4)

Of course, "our land" refers to Britain, specifically England.

The Domesday Book (also Doomsday Book or simply Domesday^[5]) is a comprehensive record of the extent, value, ownership, and liabilities of land in England, made in 1086 by order of William I.

---

Origin: Middle English: an old spelling of doomsday, which was apparently applied because the book was regarded as a final authority.

4d   Some secret, one turning up /in/ short letter? (4)

5d   Not an all-round bargain? (6,4)

7d   Raise // an even number, protected as chicks? (8)

... because the number is sheltered by the chicks' mother.

8d   Andrew spinning something a bit foggy /as/ a sort of philosopher (8)

Historically, a dynamist^[5] was a believer in the philosophical theory of dynamism^[5] which held that phenomena of matter or mind are due to the action of forces rather than to motion or matter.

Red Card to the Setter

The only way that this clue can work is as an "indirect anagram" which is a definite no-no in cryptic crossword circles. An indirect anagram is one in which the anagram fodder is not found in the clue (direct) but must be deciphered through some wordplay (indirect). As an indirect anagram, the wordplay would parse as an anagram (spinning) of ANDY ([diminutive of] Andrew) + MIST (something a bit foggy). The clue would have been fine had it been phrased: Andy spinning something a bit foggy as a sort of philosopher (8)

11d   Something to get a science student fired up? (6,6)

A Bunsen burner^[5] is a small adjustable gas burner used in laboratories as a source of heat. It was designed in 1855 by German chemist Robert Bunsen^[5] (1811–1899).

14d   Criticism /means/ upset editor must get a grip (10)

16d   It's almost 20, dear, in Paris // -- not a day for an overcoat! (8)

The masculine form of the French word for dear is cher^[8].

17d   Holiday location /has/ aspect I'm fussed about (8)

This is where I may be when you read this.

19d   Food /with/ bit of cloth not to be considered (6)

Ragout^[5] is a highly seasoned dish of small pieces of meat stewed with vegetables  ⇒ a ragout of duck braised in red wine.

The version of the clue that I expect to appear in the National Post:
20d   Goddess // beginning to cavort before American (6)

The wordplay parses as C (beginning to [initial letter of] Cavort) + ERE (before) + US. While this produces the solution required to properly fill the grid, it is a type of cactus (see below) rather than a goddess.

The clue would have worked had it been phrased (for example) as:

• Cactus beginning to collapse before American (6)

The corrected version of the clue from the Telegraph Puzzles website:
20d   Cactus // goddess planted outside university (6)

In Roman mythology, Ceres^[5] is the goddess of agriculture. Her counterpart in Greek mythology is Demeter.

Cereus^[10] may refer to:

• any tropical American cactus of the genus Cereus, especially C. jamacaru of northern Brazil, which grows to a height of 13 metres (40 feet)
• any of several similar and related cacti, such as the night-blooming cereus

23d   Little woman often seen following Eliza (4)

After some deliberation, I have decided to mark this clue as a cryptic definition with an embedded precise definition.

The precise definition points to one of the title characters in Little Women^[7], a novel by American author Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888), which was originally published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869. The novel follows the lives of four sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March—detailing their passage from childhood to womanhood, and is loosely based on the author and her three sisters. Little Women is set in the Alcott family home, Orchard House, in Concord, Massachusetts.

The cryptic definition alludes to a diminutive of a woman's name (little woman) that often follows the name Eliza (in doing so, forming another woman's name).

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

Saturday, August 25, 2018 — Who Let the Dogs Out

Introduction

I hope today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon did not catch too many barking up the wrong tree.

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

Solution to Today's Puzzle

Falcon's Experience ┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐ ███████████████████████████████████ └────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘ Legend: █ - solved without assistance █ - incorrect prior to use of puzzle solving tools █ - solved with assistance from puzzle solving tools █ - solved with aid of checking letters provided by puzzle solving tools █ - solved but without fully parsing the clue █ - yet to be solved

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 explanation

Across

1a   Patter about one // dog (7)

SP(AN)IEL — SPIEL (patter) containing (about) AN (one)

5a   Switch favourite // breed of dog (7)

WHIP|PET — WHIP (switch) + PET (favourite)

9a   Labrador, perhaps, // confused tree and river (9)

RETRIEVER* — anagram (confused) of {TREE + (and) RIVER}

10a   Canine // cacophony preceding game of capture (5)

DIN|GO — DIN (cacophony) preceding (†) GO (game of capture)

Go is played on a grid of black lines

(usually 19×19). Game pieces, called stones,

are played on the lines' intersections.

Go^[7] is an abstract strategy board game for two players, in which the aim is to surround more territory than the opponent. The game was invented in China more than 2,500 years ago and is believed to be the oldest board game continuously played to the present day. From China the game spread, first to Korea and Japan, and eventually worldwide. Despite its relatively simple rules, Go is very complex. Compared to chess, Go has both a larger board with more scope for play and longer games, and, on average, many more alternatives to consider per move. In a simple and anecdotal way of explaining the rules of Go, a teacher simply says to a student "you may place your stone (playing piece) on any point on the board, but if I surround that stone, I may remove it." The name Go is derived from the Japanese name of the  game "igo".

11a   Dog // who understands, in part (5)

_HO|UND_ — hidden in (in part) wHO UNDerstands

12a   Type of dog // you set after geese in wild (6,3)

{SEEING E}*|YE — YE (you) following (set after) anagram (wild) of GEESE IN

13a   Made obedient // companion ashamed, taking second (8)

MA(S)TE|RED — {MATE (companion) + RED (ashamed)} containing (taking) S (second; abbrev.)

15a   Important-sounding // dog star (6)

SIRIUS~ — sounds like (sounding) SERIOUS (important)

In a mental lapse, the name of this star completely eluded me. Then by some fortuitous twist of fate. I happened to think of cereus, the much-discussed cactus in Monday's puzzle.

18a   Good one who shows // well under pressure (6)

G|USHER — G (good; abbrev. used by teachers in marking scholastic work) + USHER (one who shows [people to their seats])

19a   Fluffy animal // atop great height in den (8)

L(ON|G|H)AIR — {ON (atop) + G (great; abbrev. [see note]) + H (height)} contained in (in) LAIR (den)

Note: this is far from the first time that Cox and Rathvon have used the word "great" to clue the letter "G". However, despite an extensive search of my dictionaries, I have yet to find one that supports this use.

22a   Precise quality /of/ string she untangled (9)

RIGHTNESS* — anagram (untangled) of STRING SHE

24a   Puppy // with means of assistance (5)

W|HELP — W (with; abbrev.) + HELP (means of assistance)

25a   Boxer eating last of spaghetti, bagel, /and/ garlic sauce (5)

A(I|O)LI — ALI (boxer; Muhammad Ali^[7]) containing (eating) {I (last [letter] of spaghettI + O ([letter that looks like a] bagel)}

26a   Misplaced mat in “Lad: A // Dog” (9)

DALMATIAN* — anagram (misplaced) of MAT IN LAD A

Scratching the Surface
Lad: A Dog[7] is a 1919 American novel written by Albert Payson Terhune. Composed of twelve short stories first published in magazines, the novel is based on the life of Terhune's real-life Rough Collie, Lad.

27a   Sled dog // ruined Moe’s day (7)

SAMOYED* — anagram (ruined) of MOES DAY

28a   Stops // certain believers collaring schnauzer’s head (7)

DE(S)ISTS — DEISTS (certain believers) containing (collaring) S (Schnauzer's head [initial letter])

Down

1d   Grain // organization captivated by reconstituted mush (7)

S(ORG)HUM* — ORG (organization; abbrev.) contained in (captivated by) anagram (reconstituted) of MUSH

2d   Truman included in rosters of the elite // humane society members? (9)

AL(TRU)ISTS — TRU ([diminutive of] Truman) contained in (included in) A-LISTS (rosters of the elite)

The definition here is mildly cryptic, intended to direct our thoughts to "members of a Humane Society" rather than "humane members of society". This misdirection is also certainly apropos given the theme of the puzzle.

3d   I competed // with lots of climbers (5)

I|VIED — I (†) + VIED (competed)

4d   John, yours truly, and that woman had // showered (8)

LAV|I|SHED — LAV (john; abbrev. for lavatory) + I (yours truly) + (and) SHED (that woman had; contracted as she'd)

5d   Campaign site associated with vice // governor (6)

WAR|DEN — WAR (campaign) + DEN (site associated with vice)

6d   Ten dining out, // using tabs (9)

INDENTING* — anagram (out) of TEN DINING

7d   Trump vice president/’s/ small change (5)

PENCE — double definition

Mike Pence^[7] is an American politician and lawyer serving as the 48th and current Vice President of the United States.

---

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.

8d   Cloths for wiping outside of red // garden tools (7)

T(R)OWELS — TOWELS (cloths for wiping) containing (outside of) R (red)

14d   Cry “Feel it!” undergoing conversion // thrill (9)

ELECTRIFY* — anagram (undergoing conversion) of CRY FEEL IT

16d   Strange mirages, i.e., // mental pictures (9)

IMAGERIES* — anagram (strange) of MIRAGES IE

17d   Showed sympathy for/ Atlantic fish, eating northern flatfish (8)

CO(N|SOLE)D — COD (Atlantic fish) containing (eating) {N (northern (abbrev.) + SOLE (flatfish)}

Cod^[7] is the common name of fish of the genus Gadus. The two most common species of cod are the Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), which lives in the colder waters and deeper sea regions throughout the North Atlantic, and the Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus), found in both eastern and western regions of the northern Pacific.

18d   Some Europeans // answer after beginning (7)

GERM|ANS — ANS (answer; abbrev.) following (after) GERM (beginning; as in a germ of an idea)

20d   Complains // about evergreens (7)

RE|PINES — RE (about; concerning) + PINES (evergreens)

Repine^[5] is a literary term meaning to feel or express discontent; fret ⇒ you mustn't let yourself repine.

21d   Provided // food initially, quit (6)

F|ENDED —F (food initially; initial letter of Food) + ENDED (quit)

23d   Tidy up // grand space (5)

G|ROOM — G (grand; abbrev., grand being slang for $1000) + ROOM (space)

24d   Sports // merchandise audited (5)

WEARS~ — sounds like (audited) WARES (merchandise)

Epilogue

The theme of this puzzle became apparent pretty quickly.

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