Sunday, April 6, 2014 — ST 4580

Puzzle at a Glance

Puzzle Number in The Sunday Times ST 4580
Date of Publication in The Sunday Times Sunday, March 9, 2014
Setter Jeff Pearce
Link to Full Review Times for the Times [ST 4580]
Times for the Times Review Written By Dave Perry
Dave Perry's Solving Time ★★★★
Date of Publication in the Toronto Star Saturday, March 29, 2014
Date of Publication in The Vancouver Sun Saturday, April 5, 2014[Note 2]
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 Times for the Times █ - solved with aid of checking letters provided by solutions from Times for the Times █ - yet to be solved
Notes
[1] This puzzle appears on the Sunday puzzles pages in the Saturday, April 5, 2014 edition of the Ottawa Citizen. [2] Unverified as a paywall bars access to the The Vancouver Sun website.

Introduction

This puzzle put up a stiff challenge virtually from the word go. In the end, I threw in the towel and consulted Dave Perry's review with one clue unsolved and a couple of other clues for which the parsing was a mystery.

Notes on Today's Puzzle

This commentary is intended to serve as a supplement to the review of this puzzle found at Times for the Times, to which a link is provided in the table above.

Definitions are underlined in the clue, with subsidiary indications being marked by means of a dashed underline in semi-all-in-one (semi-& lit.) clues and cryptic definitions.

Across

1a   This writer's second drink leads to ruin (4-2)

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

The wordplay in this clue parses as ME (this writer) + ('s; contraction for 'has') S (second) + SUP (drink).

In the surface reading the 's is indicating possession. However, in the cryptic reading, it becomes a contraction for 'has' — and thus a charade indicator. 

The phrase "leads to" is a link between the wordplay and the definition. The general structure of the clue is 'wordplay produces (leads to) definition'.

As a verb, sup^[5] is a dated or Northern English term meaning to take (drink or liquid food) by sips or spoonfuls ⇒ (i) she supped up her soup delightedly; (ii) he was supping straight from the bottle. As a noun, it means (1) a sip of liquid ⇒ he took another sup of wine or (2) in Northern England or Ireland, an alcoholic drink ⇒ the latest sup from those blokes at the brewery.

5a   Racecourse favourite leaving route that may lead to prizes (6)

I was at a total loss here, not having heard of this English seaside resort — never mind its racecourse. However, after a bit of research, I discover that I was within about 25 miles of it when I visited Whitby this past year.

Redcar Racecourse^[7] is a thoroughbred horse racing venue located in Redcar, North Yorkshire, England.

9a   University not about to pursue one with royal connections (9)

Princeton University^[7] is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey.

10a   Oddly pear tree provides spread (4)

11a   Old crib made of bone (6)

Crib^[10] means to steal (another's writings or thoughts).

12a   Feature of Whitehall not cheap to wander around (8)

Whitehall^[7] is a road in the City of Westminster, in central London. Recognised as the centre of Her Majesty's Government, the street is lined with government departments and ministries; the name "Whitehall" is thus also frequently used as a metonym for overall British governmental administration, as well as being a geographic name for the surrounding area. The name is taken from the vast Palace of Whitehall that used to occupy the area but which was largely destroyed by fire in 1698. Whitehall is also widely known for a number of memorial statues and monuments, including Britain's primary war memorial, the Cenotaph.

14a   One bird returned without a nose and tongue (8)

While I managed to find the solution with a bit of electronic help, I failed to parse the clue. My sense of failure was somewhat mitigated by seeing that Dave Perry did not fare much better at it.

The solution is GUJARATI and the wordplay parses as a reversal (returned) of {I ([Roman numeral for] one) + JUG (bird)} containing (without) {A (from the clue) + RAT (nose)}.

In British slang, bird^[10] means prison or a term in prison (especially in the phrase do bird; shortened from birdlime, rhyming slang for time). Jug^[10] is a slang word for jail.

Nose^[5] is an informal [presumably British] term for a police informer ⇒ he knew that CID men are allowed to drink on duty as much of their time is spent with noses. Rat^[10] is (mainly US) slang for an informer or stool pigeon.

The Criminal Investigation Department (seemingly better known by its abbreviation CID^[2]) is the detective branch of the British police force.

Gugarati^[5] is the Indic language of Gujarat, spoken by about 40 million people. Gujarat^[5] is a state in western India, with an extensive coastline on the Arabian Sea; capital, Gandhinagar. Formed in 1960 from the northern and western parts of the former state of Bombay, it is one of the most industrialized parts of the country.

16a   Left open but unfinished (4)

18a   Kit to boast about (4)

Kit^[10] may mean (1) clothing and other personal effects, especially those of a traveller or soldier ⇒ (i) safari kit; (ii) battle kit or (2) clothing in general (especially in the phrase get one's kit off [get naked]).

19a   Getting short model a cocktail of gin (8)

Surely, Dave Perry has mistyped his explanation of the clue.

The wordplay parses as TWIGG (short model; TWIGG[Y] with the final letter deleted) + ING {an anagram of (a cocktail [mixture] of) GIN}.

Lesley Lawson (née Hornby), widely known by the nickname Twiggy^[7], is an English model, actress and singer. In the mid-1960s she became a prominent British teenage model of swinging sixties London. Twiggy was initially known for her thin build (thus her nickname) and her androgynous look consisting of large eyes, long eyelashes, and short hair. In 1966, she was named "The Face of 1966" by Britain's Daily Express newspaper and voted British Woman of the Year.

21a   Rest around river and go down (8)

Rest^[10] is death regarded as repose   ⇒ eternal rest. As a noun, decease^[10] is a more formal word for death and, as a verb, it is a more formal word for die.

22a   Detest old Turner being placed outside (6)

The surface reading alludes to English painter J. M. W. Turner^[5] (1775–1851); full name Joseph Mallord William Turner. He made his name with landscapes and stormy seascapes, becoming increasingly concerned with depicting the power of light by the use of primary colours, often arranged in a swirling vortex. Notable works: Rain, Steam, Speed (1844); The Fighting Téméraire (1838).

24a   Party returned to middle of Pacific island (4)

The Labour Party^[5] in Britain (abbreviation Lab.^[5]) is a left-of-centre political party formed to represent the interests of ordinary working people that since the Second World War has been in power 1945–51, 1964–70, 1974-9, and 1997–2010. Arising from the trade union movement at the end of the 19th century, it replaced the Liberals as the country’s second party after the First World War.

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

26a   Cutters go round tense swimmers (9)

27a   Belittle Derbyshire opening pair's average (6)

Derbyshire^[5] is a county of north central England; county town, Matlock.

28a   Asian city new to a canvasser (6)

Nagoya^[5] is a city in central Japan, on the south coast of the island of Honshu, capital of Chubu region; population 2,154,287 (2007).

Goya^[5] (1746–1828) was a Spanish painter and etcher; full name Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes. He is famous for his works treating the French occupation of Spain (1808–14), including The Shootings of May 3rd 1808 (painting, 1814) and The Disasters of War (etchings, 1810–14), depicting the cruelty and horror of war.

Down

2d   Reason old mate departed gripping job at uni? (11)

In Britain, mate^[5] is an informal term (1) for a friend or companion ⇒ my best mate Steve or (2) used as a friendly form of address between men or boys ⇒ ‘See you then, mate.’.

Uni^[5] is an informal [seemingly British] term for university ⇒ he planned to go to uni.

Expostulate^[10] (usually followed by with) means to argue or reason (with), especially in order to dissuade from an action or intention.

3d/17d   One speaking in a funny way about press is a comedian (5,8)

Mill^[10], as a noun, can mean any of various processing or manufacturing machines, especially one that grinds, presses, or rolls and, as a verb, to grind, press, or pulverize in or as if in a mill.

Spike Milligan^[5] (1918–2002) was an Irish comedian and writer who was born in India; born Terence Alan Milligan. He came to prominence in the British cult radio programme The Goon Show (1951-9).

4d   After being poorly I clear up sick (8)

In Britain, poorly^[5] is not only used as an adverb, but also as an adjective meaning unwell ⇒ she looked poorly.

The wordplay is an anagram of I CLEAR UP leading to a the solution PECULIAR.

I initially thought that the anagram indicator must be "sick"; however, after a great deal of deliberation, I have concluded that it has to be "after being poorly".

I suppose peculiar means sick as in ⇒ Having had too many beers the night before, I awoke feeling peculiar.

5d   Arguments with son following arrest (3-3)

6d   What's central part of amoeba? (9)

From a typographical perspective, a diphthong^[10] is a digraph or ligature representing a composite vowel. From what I can decipher, the ae in Caesar is a digraph, while the æ in Cæsar is a ligature.

Perhaps the clue might better have been written thus:

• 6d   What's central part of amœba? (9)

Despite "œ" here being a diphthong from a typographical perspective, I was unable to find any evidence that it is a diphthong from the phonetical point of view in which a diphthong^[10] is defined as a vowel sound, occupying a single syllable, during the articulation of which the tongue moves from one position to another, causing a continual change in vowel quality, as in the pronunciation of a in English late, during which the tongue moves from the position of (e) towards ((ɪ)).

Although spelled differently, the word amoeba (US ameba) appears to be pronounced identically in the UK (əˈmiːbə) and US (ə-mē′bə) with the digraph oe taking a "long e" sound in both cases.

Thus, I am led to conclude that a phonetical diphthong — such as the a in late — can be represented typographically by a single letter, while a typographical diphthong — such as the œ in amœba — may not be a diphthong at all from a phonetical perspective.

7d   Front of boat? That's not right! (3)

This is another instance where I failed to fully parse the clue. I did realize that the clue is indicating that we need to concern ourselves with the stern of the boat rather than its front — which was sufficient information to determine the solution.

Since this is an & lit. (all-in-one) clue, it can be read one way as the definition and a second way as wordplay. However, I find myself unable to rigorously explain either reading.

I have to suppose that in the second interpretation we are expected to parse the clue as [R]AFT (boat) that has ('s) not R (right) at the front. The 's is a contraction for 'is' in one reading and a contraction for 'has' in the other.

8d   Thick dustmen start to irritate silly old fogey (5-2-3-3)

In Britain, a dustman^[5] is a man employed to remove household refuse from dustbins (the British name for garbage cans^[5]).

13d   Castle in Spain or elevated cottage? (3,2,3,3)

The expression 'castle in Spain' (usually seen as part of the phrase 'building castles in Spain') means to daydream (an equivalent expression being 'building castles in the air'). An article on "Castles in Spain" has this to say:

Nowadays, ‘castles in Spain’ means something splendid but non-existent. “Fashionable adventurers in France used to impose on the credulous and get money and social advantages out of them by telling tales of their ‘castles in Spain’, which, needless to say, they did not possess,” is the explanation of Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable.

The expression appears to have entered the English language from French where the expression is "bâtir Châteaux en Espagne".
Of course, another means of saying the same thing is pie in the sky^[10], illusory hope or promise of some future good; in other words, false optimism.

In Britain, cottage pie^[10] is another name for shepherd's pie.

15d   Ben and I argue about an ingredient of moussaka (9)

Moussaka^[5] is a Greek dish made of minced lamb, aubergines, and tomatoes, with cheese sauce on top.

Aubergine^[10] is the British name for eggplant.

17d   See 3d

20d   Fruit and nuts served up by boy (6)

The damson^[3] (also damson plum) is a Eurasian plum tree (Prunus insititia) cultivated since ancient times for its edible fruit or the oval, bluish-black, juicy plum of this tree.

23d   By a pine (5)

25d   Place to leave fruit for parrot (3)

Key to Reference Sources: 

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

Signing off for this week — Falcon