Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27791 | |
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Saturday, May 2, 2015 | |
Setter
Cephas (Peter Chamberlain) | |
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27791 – Hints]Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27791 – Review] | |
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Big Dave (Hints)crypticsue (Review) | |
BD Rating
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| 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
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Notes
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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.
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Introduction
This fairly straightforward puzzle gave me no great difficulty.I invite you to leave a comment to let us know how you fared with the puzzle.
Notes on Today's Puzzle
This commentary is intended to serve as a supplement to the review of this puzzle found at Big Dave's Crossword Blog, to which a link is provided in the table above.
Primary indications (definitions) are marked with a solid underline in the clue; subsidiary indications (be they wordplay or other) are marked with a dashed underline in all-in-one (&lit.) clues, semi-all-in-one (semi-&lit.) clues and cryptic definitions. Explicit link words and phrases are enclosed in forward slashes (/link/) and implicit links are shown as double forward slashes (//). Definitions presented in blue text are for terms that appear frequently.
Primary indications (definitions) are marked with a solid underline in the clue; subsidiary indications (be they wordplay or other) are marked with a dashed underline in all-in-one (&lit.) clues, semi-all-in-one (semi-&lit.) clues and cryptic definitions. Explicit link words and phrases are enclosed in forward slashes (/link/) and implicit links are shown as double forward slashes (//). Definitions presented in blue text are for terms that appear frequently.
Across
1a Waif /in/ magazine going backwards in funfair roundabout (10)
Scratching the Surface
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Funfair[5] is a chiefly British term for a fair consisting of rides, sideshows, and other amusements ⇒ (i) a travelling funfair set up every year; (ii) a funfair ride. |
6a A reduced ticket price /for/ long distance (4)
Think bus or train ticket — not theatre ticket.
9a Best way to go? // A1 (5-5)
A1[4][5] or A-one[3] meaning first class or excellent comes from a classification for ships in The Lloyd's Register of Shipping where it means equipped to the highest standard or first-class.
10a Bachelor's second // fish (4)
The wordplay is BA (Bachelor [of Arts]) + S ('s) + S (second; abbrev.).
12a Resist being corrupted /by/ family member (6)
13a Industrial heater /for/ citrus fruit needing link to cook (8)
A limekiln[5] is a kiln in which limestone is burnt or calcined to produce quicklime.
15a It's not still being fired at (6,6)
18a Feeling depressed // without whisky or rum (3,2,7)
Out of spirits[1] is an expression that means depressed. The Chambers Dictionary is the only one of my regular stable of dictionaries in which I can find the term.
21a Cushy job // at home having safe environment (8)
22a State chiefly employs // IT whizz (6)
24a Drink /given by/ doctor early in the day (4)
25a Diana, the Parisian teetotaller, not in favour of // those who dabble (10)
Diana — usually appearing in its diminutive form, Di — continues to be, by far and away, the most popular girl's name in Crosswordland.
"the Parisian" = LE (show explanation )
"teetotaller" = TT (show explanation )
Teetotal[5] (abbreviation TT[5]) means choosing or characterized by abstinence from alcohol ⇒
A teetotaller[5] (US teetotaler; abbreviation TT[5]) is a person who never drinks alcohol.
The term teetotal is an emphatic extension of total, apparently first used by Richard Turner, a worker from Preston [England], in a speech (1833) urging total abstinence from all alcohol, rather than mere abstinence from spirits, as advocated by some early temperance reformers.
hide explanation
Teetotal[5] (abbreviation TT[5]) means choosing or characterized by abstinence from alcohol ⇒
a teetotal lifestyle.
A teetotaller[5] (US teetotaler; abbreviation TT[5]) is a person who never drinks alcohol.
The term teetotal is an emphatic extension of total, apparently first used by Richard Turner, a worker from Preston [England], in a speech (1833) urging total abstinence from all alcohol, rather than mere abstinence from spirits, as advocated by some early temperance reformers.
hide explanation
A dilettante[5] (plural dilettanti or dilettantes) is a person who cultivates an area of interest, such as the arts, without real commitment or knowledge.
26a Regretted // impolite sound (4)
27a Bury's runner, // one entering uninvited (10)
Scratching the Surface
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| In the surface reading, Bury[7] is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Irwell, 7.9 miles (12.7 km) north-northwest of the city of Manchester. |
Down
1d Fellow coming in to recycle // rubbish (6)
Rubbish[5] (characterized by Oxford Dictionaries Online as being a chiefly British term) is the British term for garbage[5] (characterized by Oxford Dictionaries Online as being a chiefly North American term).
2d Excessively bright // embellishment, not new (6)
3d Prosaic // in reality (6-2-4)
Diverging from crypticsue's assessment, I would not consider this to be a double definition as I believe the solution would be spelled 'matter of fact' (without the hyphens) in the sense of "in reality".
4d Experienced // hat-maker (4)
5d Balls delivered /by/ popular footballer acquired by Saints (10)
Despite a surface referring to football, the underlying clue is actually concerned with cricket.
A winger[5] is an attacking player in football [soccer] as well as in other sports, such as hockey [which, to the Brits, would mean field hockey] and ice hockey [the word "ice" being redundant to a Canadian].
"saint" = S (show explanation )
In cricket, an inswinger[5] is a ball bowled with a swing from theoff to theleg side.
In cricket, the leg[5] (also known as the leg side) is the half of the field (as divided lengthways through the pitch) away from which the batsman's feet are pointed when standing to receive the ball ⇒
The leg side is also known as the on[5] (also called the on side). Naturally, the other side of the field is known as the off[5] (also called the off side).
hide explanation
In cricket, the off[5] (also called off side) is the half of the field (as divided lengthways through the pitch) towards which the batsman's feet are pointed when standing to receive the ball.
The other half of the field is known as either the leg[5] (also called leg side) or on[5] (also called on side) ⇒
hide explanation
In cricket, the leg[5] (also known as the leg side) is the half of the field (as divided lengthways through the pitch) away from which the batsman's feet are pointed when standing to receive the ball ⇒
he played a lucky stroke to leg.
The leg side is also known as the on[5] (also called the on side). Naturally, the other side of the field is known as the off[5] (also called the off side).
hide explanation
In cricket, the off[5] (also called off side) is the half of the field (as divided lengthways through the pitch) towards which the batsman's feet are pointed when standing to receive the ball.
The other half of the field is known as either the leg[5] (also called leg side) or on[5] (also called on side) ⇒
he played a lucky stroke to leg.
hide explanation
Scratching the Surface
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| Southampton Football Club[7] is an English football [soccer] club, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire, who currently compete in the Premier League (the top level in the English football league system). |
7d Pretty bird /making/ 'Ring of Fire'? (8)
8d Varying tones are // to resound (8)
11d Concerned with company's divisions, // go mad (12)
14d Distributing /of/ novel so inspired (10)
16d Deliberate // swindle, meeting partisan? (8)
A sider[10] is someone who sides with another person.
17d Hard time /for/ one entering theatre (5,3)
The definition is definitely whimsical.
19d Keep optimistic // feature on expert (4,2)
Keep one's chin up[10] (or, [as an expression of encouragement], Chin up!) means to keep cheerful under difficult circumstances.
20d Elder // Spanish gentleman touring Italy (6)
Señor[5] (plural Señores) is a title or form of address used of or to a Spanish-speaking man, corresponding to Mr or sir ⇒
he is certain his information is correct, Señor.
As a containment indicator, touring is used in the sense of travelling or going around — with the emphasis on around.
"Italy" = I (show explanation )
The International Vehicle Registration (IVR) code for Italy is I[5] [from Italian Italia].
hide explanation
The International Vehicle Registration (IVR) code for Italy is I[5] [from Italian Italia].
hide explanation
23d Garden party /with/ lot to be announced (4)
Fete[5] (also fête) is a British term for a public function, typically held outdoors and organized to raise funds for a charity, including entertainment and the sale of goods and refreshments ⇒
a church fete.
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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