Prologue
Anticipating that readers would be without a puzzle today, I had prepared this bonus puzzle feature in advance. Thanksgiving is well-known as a day for overindulgence in turkey. Today you can also overindulge in puzzles with this bonus puzzle — namely, the puzzle that the National Post skipped on September 1 (Labour Day).
The puzzle appearing on the Monday Diversions page in Saturday's puzzle is covered in a separate posting.
Happy Thanksgiving Day.
There were several terms that I encountered for the first time today — the bit of Scouse at 11a, the Australian description of being sick at 12a, and the British traffic signal at 20a. Fortunately, none of these prevented me from finishing the puzzle.
I invite you to leave a comment to let us know how you fared with the puzzle.
Donna[8] is actually the Italian word for woman. A better translation for lady would likely be signora[8].
Chardonnay[5] is (1) a variety of white wine grape used for making champagne and other wines or (2) a wine made from the Chardonnay grape.
Rex[5] (abbreviation R[5]) [Latin for king] denotes the reigning king, used following a name (e.g. Georgius Rex, King George) or in the titles of lawsuits (e.g. Rex v. Jones, the Crown versus Jones — often shortened to R. v. Jones).
This is an &lit. (all-in-one) clue. The entire clue is both definition and wordplay — of course, under different respective interpretations.
Clubmoor[7] is a neighbourhood of Liverpool, Merseyside, England.
In the north-west of England (especially Liverpool), scally[5] (an abbreviation of scallywag) means a roguish self-assured young person, typically a man, who is boisterous, disruptive, or irresponsible ⇒
Scouse[5] (referred to by Gazza in his review) is the dialect or accent of people from Liverpool ⇒
In Australia, crook[11] is used as an adjective meaning sick or ill.
Carpet[5] is British slang meaning to reprimand severely ⇒
In Britain, a filter[5] is (1) an arrangement whereby vehicles may turn left (or right) while other traffic waiting to go straight ahead or turn right (or left) is stopped by a red light ⇒
The surface reading refers to the box[5] (also box tree), a slow-growing European evergreen shrub or small tree (Buxus sempervirens) with small glossy dark green leaves. It is widely used in hedging and for topiary, and yields hard, heavy timber.
Poleaxe[5] is another term for battleaxe[5], a large broad-bladed axe used in ancient warfare. As a verb, poleaxe[5] means to cause great shock to ⇒
The flounder[5] is a small flatfish that typically occurs in shallow coastal water.
Bloke[5] is an informal British term for a man ⇒
Cove[5] is a dated informal British term for a man ⇒
A bay[5] is a section of wall between two buttresses or columns, especially in the nave of a church.
Flat[5] is a chiefly British term for what would be called an apartment in North America — a set of rooms forming an individual residence, typically on one floor and within a larger building containing a number of such residences ⇒
A basilica[5,10] is a Roman Catholic church that has been granted special privileges by the Pope. St Peter's Basilica[5] [used as an illustration by Gazza in his review] is a Roman Catholic basilica in the Vatican City. Built in the 16th century on the site of a structure erected by Constantine on the supposed site of St Peter’s crucifixion, it is the largest Christian church.
St. Peter's Basilica[7] is one of four Papal Basilicas or Major Basilicas of Rome the others being the Basilica of St. John Lateran, Santa Maria Maggiore and St. Paul outside the Walls. St. Peter's Basilica is neither the Pope's official seat nor first in rank among the Major Basilicas of Rome. This honour is held by the Pope's cathedral, the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran which is the mother church of all churches and parishes in communion with the Catholic Church. However, St. Peter's is most certainly the Pope's principal church, as most Papal ceremonies take place there due to its size, proximity to the Papal residence, and location within the Vatican City walls.
In the Church of England, a canon[5] is a member of the clergy who is on the staff of a cathedral, especially one who is a member of the chapter[5] [the governing body of a religious community or knightly order] ⇒
John Collins[7] (1905–1982) [whose picture appears in Gazza's review] was an Anglican priest who was active in several radical political movements in the United Kingdom. He was appointed as a canon of St Paul's Cathedral, London in 1948, an office he held for 33 years. Collins was strongly opposed to the spread of nuclear weapons and was one of many on the left in Britain who believed that it was unnecessary and wrong for Britain to own such weapons. He was one of the founders of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND).
It seems that in Britain, anon[2,5,10] means in a short time or soon; whereas, in North American, anon[3,11] may mean either (1) at another time or later or (2) in a short time or soon. The perfect response to any request for action must surely be "I'll do it anon". You could not but deliver on your promise.
Rig[5] is a person’s costume, outfit, or style of dress ⇒
In the UK, religious education[10] (abbreviation RE[5]) is a subject taught in schools which educates about the different religions of the world.
Piano[3,5] (abbreviation p[5]), is a musical direction meaning either (as an adjective) soft or quiet or (as an adverb) softly or quietly.
On cricket scorecards, the abbreviation O[5] denotes over(s). An over[5] is a division of play consisting of a sequence of six balls bowled by a bowler from one end of the pitch, after which another bowler takes over from the other end.
The Apollo program[7], also known as Project Apollo, was the third human spaceflight program carried out by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the United States' civilian space agency. The program was responsible for the landing of the first humans on Earth's Moon in 1969.
We are undoubtedly expected to fall into the trap of thinking that "carp" refers to a fish.
See comment at 17d.
Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27464 | |
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Tuesday, April 15, 2014 | |
Setter
Unknown | |
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27464] | |
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Gazza | |
BD Rating
| |
| Difficulty - ★ / ★★ | Enjoyment - ★★★ |
Falcon's Experience
┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐
███████████████████████████████████
└────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘
Legend:
█ - solved without assistance
█ - incorrect prior to use of puzzle solving tools
█ - solved with assistance from puzzle solving tools
█ - solved with aid of checking letters provided by puzzle solving tools
█ - solved but without fully parsing the clue
█ - unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Big Dave's Crossword Blog
█ - solved with aid of checking letters provided by solutions from Big Dave's Crossword Blog
█ - reviewed by Falcon for Big Dave's Crossword Blog
█ - yet to be solved
| |
Introduction
I invite you to leave a comment to let us know how you fared with the puzzle.
Notes on Today's Puzzle
This commentary is intended to serve as a supplement to the review of this puzzle found at Big Dave's Crossword Blog, to which a link is provided in the table above.
Primary indications (definitions) are marked with a solid underline in the clue; subsidiary indications (be they wordplay or other) are marked with a dashed underline in all-in-one (& lit.) clues, semi-all-in-one (semi-& lit.) clues and cryptic definitions.
Primary indications (definitions) are marked with a solid underline in the clue; subsidiary indications (be they wordplay or other) are marked with a dashed underline in all-in-one (& lit.) clues, semi-all-in-one (semi-& lit.) clues and cryptic definitions.
Across
3a Cautious about Italian lady bringing wine (10)
Donna[8] is actually the Italian word for woman. A better translation for lady would likely be signora[8].
Chardonnay[5] is (1) a variety of white wine grape used for making champagne and other wines or (2) a wine made from the Chardonnay grape.
8a Give a sermon, real beauty about king (6)
Rex[5] (abbreviation R[5]) [Latin for king] denotes the reigning king, used following a name (e.g. Georgius Rex, King George) or in the titles of lawsuits (e.g. Rex v. Jones, the Crown versus Jones — often shortened to R. v. Jones).
9a Terribly obese lot, no longer functional (8)
10a Underling attached to party in power (8)
11a In Clubmoor, a scally? (6)
This is an &lit. (all-in-one) clue. The entire clue is both definition and wordplay — of course, under different respective interpretations.
Clubmoor[7] is a neighbourhood of Liverpool, Merseyside, England.
In the north-west of England (especially Liverpool), scally[5] (an abbreviation of scallywag) means a roguish self-assured young person, typically a man, who is boisterous, disruptive, or irresponsible ⇒
at her Birkenhead school she was head girl, but also had a reputation for being a scally.
Scouse[5] (referred to by Gazza in his review) is the dialect or accent of people from Liverpool ⇒
the man turned on him in Scouse.
12a Uneducated crook in Sydney? Say again (10)
In Australia, crook[11] is used as an adjective meaning sick or ill.
14a Remove quickly and drop clothes over a carpet (4,3,1,5)
Carpet[5] is British slang meaning to reprimand severely ⇒
the Chancellor of the Exchequer carpeted the bank bosses.
20a One vehicle blocking directional traffic signal to obstruct progress (10)
In Britain, a filter[5] is (1) an arrangement whereby vehicles may turn left (or right) while other traffic waiting to go straight ahead or turn right (or left) is stopped by a red light ⇒
a filter laneor (2) a traffic light signalling a filter arrangement.
22a Boxes and elms, initially thinly scattered (6)
The surface reading refers to the box[5] (also box tree), a slow-growing European evergreen shrub or small tree (Buxus sempervirens) with small glossy dark green leaves. It is widely used in hedging and for topiary, and yields hard, heavy timber.
23a Caused great shock to one from Warsaw made redundant? (8)
Poleaxe[5] is another term for battleaxe[5], a large broad-bladed axe used in ancient warfare. As a verb, poleaxe[5] means to cause great shock to ⇒
I was poleaxed by this revelation.
24a Father crossing lake for fish (8)
The flounder[5] is a small flatfish that typically occurs in shallow coastal water.
25a A large bloke in bay (6)
Bloke[5] is an informal British term for a man ⇒
he’s a nice bloke.
Cove[5] is a dated informal British term for a man ⇒
he is a perfectly amiable cove.
A bay[5] is a section of wall between two buttresses or columns, especially in the nave of a church.
26a Beer may be flat? Kind wife brought in (4-6)
Flat[5] is a chiefly British term for what would be called an apartment in North America — a set of rooms forming an individual residence, typically on one floor and within a larger building containing a number of such residences ⇒
a block of flats.
Down
1d Something short to read about river and tiny stream (8)
2d Various alibis around papal church (8)
A basilica[5,10] is a Roman Catholic church that has been granted special privileges by the Pope. St Peter's Basilica[5] [used as an illustration by Gazza in his review] is a Roman Catholic basilica in the Vatican City. Built in the 16th century on the site of a structure erected by Constantine on the supposed site of St Peter’s crucifixion, it is the largest Christian church.
St. Peter's Basilica[7] is one of four Papal Basilicas or Major Basilicas of Rome the others being the Basilica of St. John Lateran, Santa Maria Maggiore and St. Paul outside the Walls. St. Peter's Basilica is neither the Pope's official seat nor first in rank among the Major Basilicas of Rome. This honour is held by the Pope's cathedral, the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran which is the mother church of all churches and parishes in communion with the Catholic Church. However, St. Peter's is most certainly the Pope's principal church, as most Papal ceremonies take place there due to its size, proximity to the Papal residence, and location within the Vatican City walls.
3d Excellent, say (6)
4d Clergyman beheaded immediately (4)
In the Church of England, a canon[5] is a member of the clergy who is on the staff of a cathedral, especially one who is a member of the chapter[5] [the governing body of a religious community or knightly order] ⇒
he was appointed canon of Christ Church, Oxford.
John Collins[7] (1905–1982) [whose picture appears in Gazza's review] was an Anglican priest who was active in several radical political movements in the United Kingdom. He was appointed as a canon of St Paul's Cathedral, London in 1948, an office he held for 33 years. Collins was strongly opposed to the spread of nuclear weapons and was one of many on the left in Britain who believed that it was unnecessary and wrong for Britain to own such weapons. He was one of the founders of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND).
It seems that in Britain, anon[2,5,10] means in a short time or soon; whereas, in North American, anon[3,11] may mean either (1) at another time or later or (2) in a short time or soon. The perfect response to any request for action must surely be "I'll do it anon". You could not but deliver on your promise.
5d Is time aboard rig causing grief? (8)
Rig[5] is a person’s costume, outfit, or style of dress ⇒
the rig of the American Army Air Corps.
6d Number lower, would you believe! (2,4)
7d A second carrier is off course (6)
13d Permissible to go topless? That's terrible (5)
15d Bid to imprison complete delinquent (8)
16d Look into religious education examination (8)
In the UK, religious education[10] (abbreviation RE[5]) is a subject taught in schools which educates about the different religions of the world.
17d Keep book under piano (8)
Piano[3,5] (abbreviation p[5]), is a musical direction meaning either (as an adjective) soft or quiet or (as an adverb) softly or quietly.
18d A referendum over space programme (6)
On cricket scorecards, the abbreviation O[5] denotes over(s). An over[5] is a division of play consisting of a sequence of six balls bowled by a bowler from one end of the pitch, after which another bowler takes over from the other end.
The Apollo program[7], also known as Project Apollo, was the third human spaceflight program carried out by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the United States' civilian space agency. The program was responsible for the landing of the first humans on Earth's Moon in 1969.
19d Game bird and carp (6)
We are undoubtedly expected to fall into the trap of thinking that "carp" refers to a fish.
21d Broadcast, at first, completely commercial song (6)
23d Softly paddle in front of boat (4)
See comment at 17d.
Key to Reference Sources:Signing off for today — Falcon
[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)
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