Monday, September 27, 2021 — DT 29724 (Published Saturday, September 25, 2021)

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph DT 29724
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph Saturday, July 10, 2021
Setter Unknown
Link to full review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29724 – Hints] Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29724 – Review]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by Tilsit (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
This puzzle appears on the Monday Diversions page in the Saturday, September 25, 2021 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

I realize the review is appearing a bit late today. I interrupted my work on it when it was about 99% complete, then forgot I hadn't finished it.
 
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.

Markup Conventions
"//" - marks the boundary between wordplay and definition when no link word or link phrase is present "/[link word or phrase]/" - marks the boundary between wordplay and definition when a link word or link phrase is present	"solid underline" - precise definition "dotted underline" - cryptic definition "dashed underline" - wordplay "wavy underline" - whimsical and inferred definitions
Click here for further explanation and usage examples of markup conventions used on this blog.

Across

1a	US city // is behind new online map (11)

7a	In error, Greek character backing // exercise system (7)

Eta^[5] is the seventh letter of the Greek alphabet (Η, η).

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Pilates^[10] is a system of gentle exercise performed lying down that stretches and lengthens the muscles, designed to improve posture, flexibility, etc. It is named after Joseph Pilates (1880–1967), its German inventor.

8a	Threatened // people defeated by first shot (7)

In tennis and similar games, ace^[5] means:

• (noun) a service that an opponent is unable to return and thus wins a point
• (verb) serve an ace against (an opponent)

A player who is aced is "defeated by first shot" because having failed to return the serve, there can be no second (or subsequent) shot from their opponent.

10a	Starter in Rajasthan filling belly; boy, // it's hot! (8)

Tum^[2] is a colloquial British name for the stomach.

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Turmeric^[5] is a bright yellow aromatic powder obtained from the rhizome of a plant of the ginger family, used for flavouring and colouring in Asian cooking and formerly as a fabric dye.

Fact Check
The clear consensus among those commenting at Big Dave's Crossword Blog is that turmeric is bitter not hot and used more as a colouring agent than a flavouring agent.

Scratching the Surface
Rajasthan[5] is A state in western India, on the Pakistani border; capital, Jaipur. The western part of the state consists largely of the Thar Desert.

11a	Twins // placing car behind empty garage (6)

Mini^[7] is an automobile brand, currently owned by BMW, but originally introduced as a model under the Austin and Morris marques by the now defunct British Motor Corporation (BMC).

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Gemini^[5] is a northern constellation (the Twins), said to represent the twins Castor and Pollux, whose names are given to its two brightest stars.

13a	Country // lady needing no introduction (4)

Oman^[5,7], officially the Sultanate of Oman, is an Arab country at the southeastern corner of the Arabian peninsula.

14a	Extra // odd Italian forms (10)

16a	Prehistoric monument // seen on the ground, inspiring gasps initially (10)

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

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Stonehenge^[5] is a megalithic^* monument on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England. (show more )

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^* Megalith^[5] is an archaeological term for a large stone that forms a prehistoric monument (e.g. a standing stone) or part of one (e.g. a stone circle).

Completed in several constructional phases from c.2950 BC, it is composed of a circle of sarsen stones^* surrounded by a bank and ditch and enclosing a circle of smaller bluestones^**. Within this inner circle is a horseshoe arrangement of five trilithons with the axis aligned on the midsummer sunrise, an orientation that was probably for ritual purposes.

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^* Sarsen^[5] (also sarsen stone) is a sandstone boulder of a kind which occurs on the chalk downs of southern England. Such stones were used in constructing Stonehenge and other prehistoric monuments.
^** Bluestones^[5] are the smaller stones made of dolerite found in the inner part of Stonehenge.
^*** A trilithon^[5] (also trilith) is a megalithic structure consisting of two upright stones and a third across the top as a lintel.

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18a	Nation /that/ was controlled by me (4)

21a	Eat // in drinking establishment (6)

22a	I blacken the name of // Briton, say (8)

A Briton^[5] is a native or inhabitant of [the island of] Great Britain, or a person of British descent.

Scratching the Surface

Strictly speaking, Great Britain[5] is England, Wales, and Scotland considered as a unit although the name is also often used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom. Usage: Great Britain is the name for the island that comprises England, Scotland, and Wales, although the term is also used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom is a political unit that includes these countries and Northern Ireland. The British Isles is a geographical term that refers to the United Kingdom, Ireland, and surrounding smaller islands such as the Hebrides and the Channel Islands

24a	Aged, not decrepit, // did a dance (7)

The tango^[5] is a ballroom dance originating in Buenos Aires, characterized by marked rhythms and postures and abrupt pauses.

25a	A pressing household chore? (7)

26a	Light // box to carry on banner (11)

Post Mortem
From the checking letters, CANDLE would have been a nice fit as the first part of the solution. From the comments on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, I see I was far from the only one to fall into this trap.

Down

1d	A student hugged by girl -- // that's infectious (7)

"student " = L [driver under instruction]

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 jurisdictions (including the UK) if its driver is a learner under instruction.

Automobile displaying an L-plate

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2d	Spice /in/ stone cask brought up (6)

A tun^[5] is a large beer or wine cask.

3d	I sent a side to play /in/ Borneo etc (4,6)

Borneo^[5] is a large island of the Malay Archipelago, comprising Kalimantan (a region of Indonesia), Sabah and Sarawak (states of Malaysia), and Brunei.

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The East Indies^[5] comprises the islands of southeast Asia, especially the Malay Archipelago.

4d	Cat // rising in the morning, out of bed (4)

The puma^[5] is a large American wild cat (Felis concolor) with a plain tawny to greyish coat, found from Canada to Patagonia.

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Alternative names: cougar^[5], mountain lion^[5], or (in North America) panther^[5]

5d	Hang about, that is // intimate stuff (8)

6d	Cult I connected to // area (7)

7d	George of England perhaps, // unlikely star in panto (6,5)

St George^[5] is the Patron saint of England. (show more )

He is reputed in legend to have slain a dragon, and may have been martyred near Lydda in Palestine some time before the reign of Constantine. His cult did not become popular until the 6th century, and he probably became patron saint of England in the 14th century. Feast day, 23 April.

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Scratching the Surface
Panto[5] is an informal British short form for pantomime[5], a traditional British theatrical entertainment, mainly for children, which involves music, topical jokes, and slapstick comedy and is based on a fairy tale or nursery story, usually produced around Christmas.

9d	Platform for workers // teaching doctor (8,3)

12d	Appalling // wind finally is blowing (10)

15d	One creating a stir in the cup? (8)

Scratching the Surface
The surface reading may be intended to evoke the British expression a storm in a teacup[5] meaning great outrage or excitement about a trivial matter. North American equivalent: a tempest in a teapot

17d	Natural // magic in a grotto, somewhat uplifting (7)

19d	Drink // studied, moan out loud (3,4)

Read^[5] is a British term meaning to study (an academic subject) at a university ⇒ (i) I’m reading English at Cambridge; (ii) he went to Manchester to read for a BA in Economics.

What did he say?
In his hints on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Tilsit tells us to start with A homophone for a word that means studied (at uni) .... Uni[5] is an informal (originally Australian) short form for university ⇒ he planned to go to uni.

20d	Two fathers requiring a // temple (6)

In Christian belief, the Father^[5] is a name for God as the the first person of the Trinity.

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In India and East Asia, a pagoda^[5] is a Hindu or Buddhist temple, typically in the form of a many-tiered tower.

23d	Leads in Ibsen dramas often lacking /for/ film star (4)

Scratching the Surface
Henrik Ibsen[5] (1828–1906) was a Norwegian dramatist. (show more ) He is credited with being the first major dramatist to write tragedy about ordinary people in prose. Ibsen’s later works, such as The Master Builder (1892), deal increasingly with the forces of the unconscious and were admired by Sigmund Freud. Other notable works: Peer Gynt (1867), A Doll’s House (1879), Ghosts (1881). hide

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Key to Reference Sources: 

  ^[1]   - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition

  ^[2]   - Search Chambers - (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)

  ^[3]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (American Heritage Dictionary)

  ^[4]   - TheFreeDictionarycom (Collins English Dictionary)

  ^[5]   - Lexico (formerly Oxford Dictionaries Online) (Oxford Dictionary of English)

  ^[6]   - Lexico (formerly Oxford Dictionaries Online) (Oxford Advanced 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)

^[15]   - CollinsDictionary.com (Penguin Random House LLC/HarperCollins Publishers Ltd )

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Signing off for today — Falcon

Saturday, September 25, 2021 — On A High

Introduction

Today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon—while by no means overly difficult—takes us to geographical and intellectual heights.

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

Symbols and Markup Conventions
"*" - anagram "~" - sounds like "<" - indicates the preceding letters are reversed "( )" - encloses contained letters "_" - replaces letters that have been deleted  "†" - indicates that the word is present in the clue	"//" - marks the boundary between wordplay and definition when no link word or link phrase is present "/[link word or phrase]/" - marks the boundary between wordplay and definition when a link word or link phrase is present "solid underline" - precise definition "dotted underline" - cryptic definition "dashed underline" - wordplay "wavy underline" - whimsical and inferred definitions
Click here for further explanation and usage examples of the symbols and markup conventions used on this blog.

Across

1a	O man, ski country, maybe?? (5,9)

{ROCKY MOUNTAINS}* — anagram of (maybe) O MAN SKI COUNTRY

This is an &lit. clue^[7], a clue in which the entire clue is both wordplay and definition (in this case, the definition being decidedly on the cryptic side).

9a	Drama sure misrepresented // attackers (9)

MARAUDERS* — anagram of (misrepresented) DRAMA SURE

10a	Leader’s foremost supporter carrying one // sign (5)

L(I)BRA — {L (Leader's foremost [initial letter] + BRA (supporter)} containing (carrying) I ([Roman numeral] one)

11a	One M&M containing seaweed // blend (7)

A|M(ALGA)M — A (one) + {M (†) + (&) M (†)} containing (†) ALGA (seaweed)

12a	Apt for housing… // apt when housing five (7)

LI(V)ABLE — LIABLE (apt) containing (when housing) V ([Roman numeral] five)

13a	Former // monk (5)

PRIOR — double definition

14a	Prestigious // prize kitty returned (3-6)

{TOP| DRAWER}< — reversal of (returned) {REWARD (prize) + POT (kitty)}

17a	Wild bears hunt // someone scantily clad (9)

SUNBATHER* — anagram of (wild) BEARS HUNT

19a	More drastic // alternatives adopted by the two of us (5)

W(ORS)E — ORS (alternatives) contained in (adopted by) WE (the two of us)

20a	Illegally copied // page I graded (7)

P|I|RATED — P(age) + I (†) + RATED (graded)

23a	Left, dividing hot // pastry (7)

STO(L)LEN or STOL(L)EN — L(eft) contained in (dividing) STOLEN (hot)

25a	Sun god with 502 // rays (5)

RA|DII — RA ([Egyptian] sun god) + DII ([Roman numeral] 502)

26a	Part of the world // I am occupying while in Oregon (4,5)

AS(I|A M)IN|OR — {I (†) + AM (†)} contained in (occupying) {AS (while) + IN (†) + OR (Oregon)}

27a	An elite listing, perhaps?? (14)

INTELLIGENTSIA* — anagram of (perhaps) AN ELITE LISTING

Another &lit. clue, similar to 1a.

Down

1d	Liquor and bit of beer before a // dance (5)

RUM|B|A — RUM (liquor) + (and) B (bit [initial letter] of Beer) preceding (before) A (†)

2d	Pink // vehicle on land (9)

CAR|NATION — CAR (vehicle) + (on) NATION (land)

Pink^[5] is another name for a carnation.

3d	Northern German coming after you, // junior (7)

YOU|N|GER — {N(orthern) + GER (German)} following (coming after) YOU (†)

4d	Be superior to // Thermo Vac, surprisingly (9)

OVERMATCH* — anagram of (surprisingly) THERMO VAC

5d	Aslan turned // snooty? (5)

NASAL* — anagram of (turned) ASLAN

6d	Done with // Pacino fan (3,4)

AL|L OVER — AL (Pacino; American actor Al Pacino) + LOVER (fan)

7d	Bigwig // reversed prohibition on body odour? (5)

{NAB|OB}< — reversal of (reversed) {BAN (prohibition) following (on) BO (body odour)}

If ever there were a clue where the order of operations is critical, this is surely it.

Flouting Conventions?

The use of "on" as a positional indicator is likely the most widely flouted convention in cryptic crosswords. In a down clue, "A on B" usually indicates "A preceding B" as A sits on top of B and this is AB when read from top to bottom. An example which adheres to this principle is 2d in today's puzzle. In an across clue, many would argue that "A on B" indicates "A following B". The rationale for this being that for A to be written on B, B must have already been written. Since English is written left to right, one must therefore first write B and then write A on it. Some setters—Cox and Rathvon among them—commonly ignore this latter convention and use "A on B" in an across clue to indicate either "A following B" or "A preceding B". In this clue, we encounter a different issue—what appears to be an across clue construct in a down clue.

8d	Happy-go-lucky // tribe taking in a whistle-blower (8)

C(A|REF)REE — CREE (tribe) containing (taking in) { A (†) + REF (whistle blower)}

13d	Pop’s fun // official document (8)

PA|S|SPORT — PA (pop) + S ('s) + SPORT (fun)

15d	American general, around one, // kicking the bucket (9)

PER(I)SHING — PERSHING (American general; John J. Pershing^[7]) containing (around) I ([Roman numeral] one)

16d	Military aircraft // distort paths (9)

WARP|LANES — WARP (distort) + LANES (paths)

18d	Actor who danced // a step for the audience (7)

A|STAIRE — A (†) + sounds like (for the audience) STAIR (step)

Fred Astaire^[5] (1899–1987) was an American dancer, singer, and actor; born Frederick Austerlitz. He is famous for starring in a number of film musicals, including Top Hat (1935), in a successful partnership with Ginger Rogers.

19d	Overdose taken by female // friend of Dorothy (7)

WO(OD)MAN — OD (overdose) contained in (taken by) WOMAN (female)

In American author L. Frank Baum's 1900 children's novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz^[7], a young farm girl named Dorothy and her pet dog Toto are swept away from their Kansas home by a tornado to the magical Land of Oz where she meets the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman and the Cowardly Lion who accompany her and Toto on their journey to the Emerald City to seek help from the Wizard in returning home to Kansas.

21d	Managed keeping party // hazard in the basement (5)

RA(DO)N — RAN (managed) containing (keeping) DO (party)

22d	Inspire with Liberal // Southern speech (5)

DRAW|L — DRAW (inspire; as in "draw a breath") + L (Liberal; Canadian political party)

24d	Roman revised // opera by Bellini (5)

NORMA* — anagram of (revised) ROMAN

Norma^[7] is an opera by Italian composer Vincenzo Bellini (1801–1835) first produced at La Scala in Milan in 1831.

Epilogue

In a remark relating to 19d, Richard writes in the Comments below "I’m always impressed where C&R string words together that have a meaning but must often be separated to parse the clue."

His comment prompted me to dredge the following from my archives. It is perhaps doubly appropriate given 10a.

Lift and Separate

The solving technique to which he refers is often described as "lift-and-separate"—an allusion to a phrase that appeared regularly in advertising campaigns for Playtex brassieres in the 1960's. The term applies to a clue construct in which a seemingly single conceptual unit (which can be either a word or a phrase) must be split into separate pieces playing different roles. In 19d, a single conceptual unit ("female friend") must be separated into two elements, with "female" comprising part of the wordplay and "friend" being part of the definition.

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Key to Reference Sources: 

  ^[1]   - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition

  ^[2]   - Search Chambers - (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)

  ^[3]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (American Heritage Dictionary)

  ^[4]   - TheFreeDictionarycom (Collins English Dictionary)

  ^[5]   - Lexico (formerly Oxford Dictionaries Online) (Oxford Dictionary of English)

  ^[6]   - Lexico (formerly Oxford Dictionaries Online) (Oxford Advanced 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)

^[15]   - CollinsDictionary.com (Penguin Random House LLC/HarperCollins Publishers Ltd )

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Signing off for today — Falcon

Friday, September 24, 2021 — DT 29723

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph DT 29723
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph Friday, July 9, 2021
Setter proXimal (Steve Bartlett)
Link to full review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29723]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by Deep Threat
BD rating
Difficulty - ★★★	Enjoyment - ★★★
Falcon's experience ┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐ ███████████████████████████████████ └────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘
Legend: █ - solved without assistance █ - incorrect prior to use of puzzle solving tools █ - solved with assistance from puzzle solving tools █ - solved with aid of checking letters provided by puzzle solving tools █ - solved but without fully parsing the clue █ - unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Big Dave's Crossword Blog █ - solved with aid of checking letters provided by solutions from Big Dave's Crossword Blog █ - reviewed by Falcon for Big Dave's Crossword Blog █ - yet to be solved

Introduction

There is little doubt about the authorship of today's puzzle. Even had he not left a comment on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, an X in each of the four quadrants is the the unmistakable hallmark of proXimal.

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.

Markup Conventions
"//" - marks the boundary between wordplay and definition when no link word or link phrase is present "/[link word or phrase]/" - marks the boundary between wordplay and definition when a link word or link phrase is present	"solid underline" - precise definition "dotted underline" - cryptic definition "dashed underline" - wordplay "wavy underline" - whimsical and inferred definitions
Click here for further explanation and usage examples of markup conventions used on this blog.

Across

1a	Tell a learner /is/ relaxed (8)

"learner " = L [driver under instruction]

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 jurisdictions (including the UK) if its driver is a learner under instruction.

Automobile displaying an L-plate

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6a	Harry /and/ Queen on stamp (6)

"Queen " = R [Regina]

Queen may be abbreviated as Q, Qu. or R.

Q^[5] is an abbreviation for queen that is used especially in describing play in card games and recording moves in chess.

Qu.^[2] is another common abbreviation for Queen.

In the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms^*, Regina^[5] (abbreviation R^[5]) [Latin for queen] denotes the reigning queen, used following a name (e.g. Elizabetha Regina, Queen Elizabeth — often shortened to ER) or in the titles of lawsuits (e.g. Regina v. Jones, the Crown versus Jones — often shortened to R. v. Jones).

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^* A Commonwealth realm^[7] is a sovereign state that is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and shares the same person, currently Elizabeth II, as its head of state and reigning constitutional monarch, but retains a crown legally distinct from the other realms. There are currently sixteen Commonwealth realms, the largest being Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom with the remainder being smaller Caribbean and Pacific island nations.

Thus Queen Elizabeth signs her name as 'Elizabeth R' as seen here on Canada's paint-stained constitution^[7].

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Stamp^[5] is used in the sense of a characteristic or distinctive impression or quality ⇒ He works alone, without helpers, and every gun that leaves his shop bears the distinctive stamp of a master's work.

Badge^[5] is used in the sense of a feature or sign which reveals a particular quality ⇒ philanthropy was regarded as a badge of social esteem.

You could say that the four Xs in the solutions are proXimal's badge or stamp.

9a	Part of aircraft soldiers // modify (6)

"soldiers " = OR [other ranks]

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

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10a	Race is on to rectify // situation (8)

11a	Straight // students primarily drink pop (4-4)

Slap-bang^[10] is an informal mainly British term^* denoting directly or immediately ⇒ Of course, slap-bang in the middle of town the rents are high.

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^* US equivalent: slam-bang

12a	Come down on // press, receiving popular backing (6)

13a	Excess publicity // about show? Definitely (12)

16a	Son has played with top six // players (12)

19a	Accommodation /that's/ popular recluse regularly ignored (6)

21a	Verbally state deal /for/ canvas used in craft (8)

23a	Under obligation // remain with husband from early days (8)

"husband " = H [genealogy]

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

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24a	Measure // by figure to block alien (6)

"by " = X [multiplication sign]

In arithmetic, the preposition by^[10] denotes multiplied by ⇒ four by three equals twelve.

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"alien " = ET [E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial]

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

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25a	Alcohol // diligently on vacation put on cereal (6)

26a	Stay after // farewell call (4,4)

In the British armed forces, the last post^[5] is the second of two bugle calls giving notice of the hour of retiring at night, played also at military funerals and acts of remembrance.

Down

2d	Knight noble, Yankee // not quite (6)

"knight " = N [chess notation]

A knight^[5] is a chess piece, typically with its top shaped like a horse’s head, that moves by jumping to the opposite corner of a rectangle two squares by three. Each player starts the game with two knights.

N^[5] is the abbreviation for knight used in recording moves in chess [representing the pronunciation of kn-, since the initial letter k- represents 'king'].

As an aside, it is interesting to note that the Chambers 21st Century Dictionary defines: 

• K^[2] as an abbreviation used in chess for knight. 
• K^[2] is a symbol used in chess to represent a king. 
• N^[2] is a symbol used in chess to represent a knight.

The dictionary fails to specify how one differentiates an abbreviation from a symbol.

On the other hand, both The Chambers Dictionary and the Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary list K or K.^[1,11] as an abbreviation for knight without specifying the specific context in which this abbreviation is used. However, the context may well be in an honours list rather than in a game of chess. In the UK, for instance, KBE^[5] stands for Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

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An earl^[5] is a British nobleman ranking^* above a viscount and below a marquess.

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^* the third highest of the five ranks of British nobility — duke, marquess, earl, viscount, and baron

"Yankee " = Y [NATO Phonetic Alphabet]

In what is commonly known as the NATO Phonetic Alphabet^*[7], Yankee^[5] is a code word representing the letter Y.

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^* officially the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet

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3d	Content to exploit exotic // flower (5)

Oxlip^[5] is the common name of two flowering plants:

• a woodland Eurasian primula with yellow flowers that hang down one side of the stem ⇒ I know a bank where the wild thyme blows, where oxlips and the nodding violet grows….
• a natural hybrid between a primrose and a cowslip ⇒ The Cowslip Count took place in the spring of 2000 and we received data on over 2,000 places around the UK where cowslips, primroses and false oxlips are growing.

4d	Search in boggy place // somewhere in Africa (9)

Marrakesh is an alternate spelling of Marrakech^[5], a city in western Morocco, in the foothills of the High Atlas Mountains. It was founded in 1062 as the capital of the Almoravids.

5d	Food /making/ gas rise within passage (7)

It would seem that lasagne is the preferred British spelling of the Italian dish that, in North America, is more apt to be spelled lasagna^*. Of course, in Italy, lasagna is the plural of lasagne^[8].

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^* In British dictionaries, lasagna is listed as an alternative spelling of lasagne^[4] while, in North American dictionaries, lasagne is shown as an alternative spelling of  lasagna^[3].

6d	Signal // swimmer in lead to return (5)

"lead " = PB [plumbum]

The symbol for the chemical element lead is Pb^[5] (from Latin plumbum).

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7d	Gin mixed with soda is // what doctor might give you (9)

8d	Girl interrupts listener, unknown // agent (8)

"unknown " = Y [algebraic notation]

In mathematics (algebra, in particular), an unknown^[10] is a variable, or the quantity it represents, the value of which is to be discovered by solving an equation ⇒ 3y = 4x + 5 is an equation in two unknowns.

In mathematical formulae, unknowns are typically represented symbolically by the letters x, y and z.

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13d	Maybe Yoko and John's last English broadcast // without anyone else (2,4,3)

Yoko Ono^[5] is a US musician and artist, born in Japan. She married British musician John Lennon in 1969 and collaborated with him on various experimental recordings.

14d	Aggression /from/ cat holding glare (9)

15d	Rebel // base rout destroyed (8)

17d	Minor // extraction of venom in a leg (7)

18d	Devotees /of/ US sitcom first for 'Rachel cut' (6)

Friends^[7] is an American television sitcom which aired for ten seasons from 1994 to 2004.

Scratching the Surface
Rachel Green[7], portrayed by American actress Jennifer Aniston, is one of the six main characters in Friends. As crypticsue mentions in a comment on Big Dave's Crossword Blog "devotees of the US sitcom did indeed go to the hairdressers and ask for a ‘Rachel cut’".

20d	Tricky to cover bill, // unfortunately (5)

22d	Overturned position is /for/ exercise (3-2)

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Key to Reference Sources: 

  ^[1]   - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition

  ^[2]   - Search Chambers - (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)

  ^[3]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (American Heritage Dictionary)

  ^[4]   - TheFreeDictionarycom (Collins English Dictionary)

  ^[5]   - Lexico (formerly Oxford Dictionaries Online) (Oxford Dictionary of English)

  ^[6]   - Lexico (formerly Oxford Dictionaries Online) (Oxford Advanced 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)

^[15]   - CollinsDictionary.com (Penguin Random House LLC/HarperCollins Publishers Ltd )

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Signing off for today — Falcon