Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 27429 | |
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Wednesday, March 5, 2014 | |
Setter
Jay (Jeremy Mutch) | |
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 27429] | |
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
scchua | |
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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Introduction
As scchua also found, it was the northeast quadrant that put up the stiffest fight today.
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
1a A quiet middle of the week gives time for reflection and penitence (3,9)
Ash Wednesday[5] is the first day of Lent in the Western Christian Church, marked by services of penitence.
9a Restaurant's celebration in song after start of Christmas (9)
In Britain, a fete[5] is 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.
In music, an aria[5] is a long accompanied song for a solo voice, typically one in an opera or oratorio.
10a Developed a symbol of England (5)
The rose is the national flower of England[7]. It is usually red, and is used, for instance, in the emblems of the English Golf Union and England national rugby union team.
In scchua's review, the visual hint is a picture of American striptease artist Gypsy Rose Lee[5] (1914–1970) who, in the 1930s, became famous on Broadway for her sophisticated striptease act.
11a Man of God confined to actual room in church (6)
12a Concede, about to pass on slope (8)
13a Run out of gear in a flash? (6)
15a A banner's principal business? (8)
18a Surgeons' initially positive response about call for medical instruments (8)
19a Easy to follow -- a set down! (6)
21a Moved by a feminine defect after work (8)
Although it amounts to the same thing, technically the first F comes from the abbreviation for feminine (grammar) rather than the abbreviation for female (gender) as shown in scchua's explanation.
23a Bug spies recruiting morally reprehensible person (6)
The Central Intelligence Agency[5] (abbreviation CIA) is a federal agency in the US responsible for coordinating government intelligence activities. Established in 1947 and originally intended to operate only overseas, it has since also operated in the US.
Cad[10] is an old-fashioned informal British term for a man who does not behave in a gentlemanly manner towards others.
26a Newspaper article that is written in politically correct English (5)
27a Shape approach following ruined broadcast (9)
28a Wine globally distributed for recreation area (7,5)
Down
1d A case of lawyers accepting endless desire for recesses (7)
2d Removes from board and sulks (5)
In draughts [the British name for the game of checkers], huff[5] means to remove (an opponent’s piece that could have made a capture) from the board as a forfeit [from the former practice of blowing on the piece].
3d Create a diversion? (9)
4d Trainspotter getting into designer drugs? (4)
Trainspotter[5] is a British term for a person who collects train or locomotive numbers as a hobby. It is also often used in a derogatory sense to refer to a person who obsessively studies the minutiae of any minority interest or specialized hobby ⇒
the idea is to make the music really really collectable so the trainspotters will buy it in their pathetic thousands.
In his review, scchua equates trainspotter to anorak. In its original meaning, an anorak[5] is a waterproof jacket, typically with a hood, of a kind originally used in polar regions.
However, in Britain, anorak[5] is an informal, derogatory term for a studious or obsessive person with unfashionable and largely solitary interests ⇒
with his thick specs, shabby shoes, and grey suit, he looks a bit of an anorak. The term derives from the anoraks worn by trainspotters, regarded as typifying this kind of person.
5d What type of leather has changed colour? (8)
Shagreen[5] is (1) sharkskin used as a decorative material or, due to its natural rough surface of pointed scales, as an abrasive or (2) a kind of untanned leather with a rough granulated surface.
6d Adult attraction turning up for prize (5)
The A (Adult) certificate is a former film certificate[7] issued by the British Board of Film Classification. This certificate existed in various forms from 1912 to 1985, when it was replaced by the PG (Parental Guidance) certificate.
7d Showing great fear, with time for cold looming (8)
8d 'Pence' is the French for 'Pound'! (6)
Pence[5] is a plural form of penny[5], a British bronze coin and monetary unit equal to one hundredth of a pound in Britain's modern decimal currency system. The abbreviation for penny or pence is p[5].
In French, est[8] is the third person singular of the present indicative of the verb être (to be).
In French, the masculine singular form of the definite article is le[8].
Pestle[3] means to pound, grind, or mash with or as if with a pestle.
14d Originally ferried across area to get exclusive (8)
Although I wanted to spell the solution as RARIFIED, I was to discover that is an alternate spelling of RAREFIED.
16d Son's up with motorists carrying new mail for religious leader (5,4)
The Automobile Association[7] (The AA) is a British motoring association founded in 1905, which was demutualised in 1999 to become a private limited company which currently provides car insurance, driving lessons, breakdown cover [roadside assistance], loans, motoring advice and other services.
The Dalai Lama[5] is the spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhism and, until the establishment of Chinese communist rule, the spiritual and temporal ruler of Tibet.
17d Intellectual's brother tucked into dish served at breakfast (8)
18d Smart son has something for baby to wear (6)
Nappy[5] is the British name for a diaper[5].
20d Hear about old one of Shakespeare's? (7)
22d Company embracing communist belief system (5)
24d Criminal, e.g., naturally restricting rise of good person (5)
25d Look at South American prison (4)
The can[5] is an informal North American term for a prison ⇒
our friends will get a year or two in the can.
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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