Puzzle at a Glance
|
|---|
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 28712 | |
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Friday, April 13, 2018 | |
Setter
Giovanni (Don Manley) | |
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28712] | |
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
| |
Notes
| |
I am currently on vacation. Today's abbreviated posting was prepared
prior to my departure and provides a link to the review at Big Dave's
Crossword Blog for the puzzle that I expect to be published today.
However, the National Post has been known to alter its publication
schedule unexpectedly, so there is no guarantee that my forecast will
necessarily prove to be accurate.
This puzzle appears on the Monday Diversions page in the Saturday, August 25, 2018 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
Giovanni, the master of impeccable cluing, seems to have messed up today — but, then, this puzzle did appear in the UK on Friday the 13th. Not only was there a serious error in one of the clues (which was later corrected on the Telegraph Puzzles website) but another clue employed a construction that is clearly outside the bounds of what is considered fair cluing. To give credit to Giovanni, he does drop in at Comment #1 on Big Dave's Crossword Blog to offer an apology for the error, as does The Daily Telegraph puzzles editor, Chris Lancaster, at Comment #21. However, quip of the day honours go to David Cowie at Comment #6 on Big Dave's site for his take on the faux pas (although even he gets the clue number wrong).I found the puzzle to be extremely difficult and needed considerable electronic help to complete the southeast quadrant — and I was solving the corrected version of the puzzle! The solver can usually expect to learn some new words from a puzzle set by Giovanni, and he certainly does not disappoint on that front today. Furthermore, the puzzle was made more difficult by several instances in which relatively obscure meanings were employed for common words.
I invite you to leave a comment to let us know how you fared with the puzzle.
Error in Today's Puzzle
Clue 20d in the puzzle published today by the National Post will likely read:- 20d Goddess beginning to cavort before American (6)
- 20d Cactus goddess planted outside university (6)
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.
Click here for an explanation of conventions and symbols used in explaining the parsing of clues.
The purpose of this article is to explain the conventions and symbols that I use on this blog in explaining the parsing of clues.
| Legend: The following symbols are used in reviews:
|
The review of a clue takes the following general structure:
#a/d Clue containing parsing markup (num*)
* num = numeration
Explanations pertaining to the wordplay (or first definition in a double definition)
(Horizontal separator)
Explanatory Box
| |
|---|---|
| An explanatory box provides additional information about the clue. In most cases this information will not necessarily help in solving the clue but provides information about the clue. In the case of the weekday syndicated Daily Telegraph puzzles, such information is often intended to help the North American solver appreciate how the clue may be perceived by a British solver. These boxes may also provide information on people, places, films, television programmes, works of art and literature, etc. mentioned in the clue. Although the titles of these boxes will usually be drawn from a standard list, I do occasionally throw in a title specifically suggested by the subject at hand. The standard titles include:
|
Note that there are many types of cryptic crossword clue and it is not my intention to exhaustively go through all of them here. I will only deal with clue types to the extent necessary to explain the conventions and symbols used on the blog. Furthermore, be aware that, in the world of cryptic crosswords, there seems to be an exception to every rule.
With one exception that I can think of, cryptic crossword clues provide two routes to the solution. These are commonly referred to as the definition and wordplay. While these terms serve well for most clues, there are some cases where the more formal terms of primary indication and subsidiary indication may be more appropriate.
Most cryptic crossword clues consist of a definition (primary indication) and wordplay (subsidiary indication). The definition may be a "precise definition" (a definition that is either taken straight from a dictionary or at least phrased in a non-misleading fashion) or it may be a "cryptic definition" (a definition misleadingly phrased so as to misdirect the solver either with respect to the meaning of the definition as a whole or to an incorrect sense of a word used in the definition).
The only type of clue that I can think of where there are not two ways of finding the solution are those in which the entire clue is a cryptic definition.
I identify precise definitions by marking them with a solid underline in the clue and cryptic definitions by marking them with a dotted underline.In clues in which both definition and wordplay are present, the two parts of the clue combine to provide an overall meaningful statement (the surface reading) which usually bears no relationship to the underlying cryptic reading of the clue. In some cases, an extra word or phrase will be inserted into the clue to create a meaningful link between the definition and wordplay. I define clues which contain such a link word or link phrase as having an explicit link and clues which contain no link word or link phrase as having an implicit link.
I mark the existence of an explicit link by enclosing the link word or link phrase between forward slashes (/link/) and mark the existence of an implicit link with double forward slashes (//) positioned between the definition and wordplay.
ExamplesI also use distinctive underlining to mark &lit.[7] and semi-&lit. clues. Note that the reviewers on Big Dave's Crossword Blog generally prefer to refer to these clue types by the less pretentious names of all-in-one or semi-all-in-one clues respectively.
A few examples may help to illustrate these points more clearly.
The first example is a clue used by Jay in DT 28573:
Here the definition is "a failure" which is marked with a solid underline to show that it is a precise definition. The wordplay parses as F (fellow; abbrev.) + L (left; abbrev.) + OP (work; abbrev. used in music) which gives us the solution F|L|OP. The double forward slashes (//) between the definition and wordplay indicate the existence of an "implicit link" between the two parts of the clue (that is, no extra words are inserted into the clue to form the link).
- 4d Fellow left work // a failure (4)
The second example is a clue used by Giovanni in DT 28575:
Here the definition "female going to match" is cryptic (the setter is attempting to misdirect our thoughts to a sports event rather than a marriage ceremony) and thus is marked with a a dotted underline. The wordplay is {RIDES (travels) + (with) MA (mother)} contained in (in) BID (advance) giving us the solution B(RIDES|MA)ID. As in the first example, the double forward slashes indicate the presence of an implicit link.
- 29a Female going to match // travels with mother in advance (10)
The third example is a clue used by Rufus is DT 28583:
Here the definition is "staggering" which is marked with a solid underline to show that it is a precise definition. The wordplay parses as N ([chess symbol for] knight) contained in (caught in) an anagram (misplaced) of BIG BLOW producing the solution WOBBLI(N)G. Finally, forward slashes mark the link word (/is/).
- 18d Knight caught by misplaced big blow /is/ staggering (8)
In an &lit. clue[7] (or all-in-one clue) the entire clue provides not only the definition (when read one way), but under a different interpretation also serves as the wordplay.
In future, I will mark such clues with a combined solid and dashed underline. Although this is a departure from past practice, it would seem to make more sense than using a dotted underline as I have in the past). Henceforth, the dotted underline will be reserved for cryptic definitions.In a semi-&lit. clue (or semi-all-in-one clue), either:
- the entire clue acts as the definition while a portion of the clue provides the wordplay; or
- the entire clue acts as the wordplay while a portion of the clue provides the definition.
For these clues, I will mark the definition with a solid underline and the wordplay with a dashed underline. This means that a portion of the clue may have a solid underline, a portion of the clue may have a dashed underline and a portion of the clue may have a combined solid and dashed underline.One final clue type is what I characterize as a cryptic definition comprised of a precise definition combined with cryptic elaboration. For example, in DT 28560 (setter unknown) the following clue appears:
- 26d Heroic exploit, whichever way you look at it (4)
Given the numeration, the precise definition could give rise to at least two solutions, DEED or FEAT. However, the 'cryptic elaboration' ("whichever way you look at it") indicates that the solution is a palindrome thereby immediately eliminating one of the two obvious choices.
Note that the part of the clue that I have called 'cryptic elaboration' does not provide a second independent route to the solution (as the wordplay would do in most other types of clue). Rather it merely provides a piece of additional information (elaboration) related to the 'precise definition'.
Again, this approach is a departure from past practice, but like the other changes mentioned previously is intended to remove inconsistencies in the way that I have been applying parsing markup to clues. The markup rules that I have been using until now evolved bit-by-bit over a long period of time resulting in some degree of internal inconsistency.
hide explanation
Across
1a Being in // last stage at home secured by lock (10)
6a Son and daughter outside house // wearing trainers, say? (4)
"house" = HO (show explanation )
Although not found in most of the dictionaries I consulted, ho.[10] is the abbreviation for house.
hide explanation
Although not found in most of the dictionaries I consulted, ho.[10] is the abbreviation for house.
hide explanation
9a Drunk aims a clout, // bringing dire results (10)
10a What is said to be sort of average // appearance (4)
12a Bad treatment // is accepted by one providing inspiration (6)
A muse[5] is a person or personified force who is the source of inspiration for a creative artist*.
* In Greek and Roman mythology, the Muses[5] are the nine goddesses, the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, who preside over the arts and sciences.
13a What sounds like something for cleaning // old carriage (8)
A brougham[5] is a horse-drawn carriage with a roof, four wheels, and an open driver’s seat in front [named after its designer, Lord Brougham (1778–1868)].
15a Certain traders // misconstrued as harsh breed (12)
18a People close to the monarch -- // a couple of PMs? (12)
The clue does not refer to two different PMs, but rather to two instances of a single PM.
21a Carp after agent /is seen as/ disgrace (8)
The roach[5] is an edible Eurasian freshwater fish of the carp family, popular with anglers.
to bring reproach upon one's family.
22a Sympathetic // article penned by cardinal once (6)
Basil Hume[7] (1923–1999) was an English Roman Catholic bishop. He was a monk and priest of the English Benedictine monastery of Ampleforth Abbey and its abbot for 13 years until his appointment as Archbishop of Westminster in 1976. His elevation to cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church followed during the same year. From 1979 Hume served also as President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. He held these appointments until his death from cancer in 1999.
24a Greeting /or/ shower of abuse? (4)
In the second definition, hail[5] is used in the sense of words, ideas, etc, directed with force and in great quantity ⇒
a hail of abuse.
25a Messenger facing difficult situation -- // will letters arrive here? (10)
Hole[5] is used in the sense of an awkward situation ⇒
the team are in a bit of a hole and it's a case of seeing if they can dig themselves out.
26a Wise man from the east, // an astronomer? (4)
Seer[5] is used in the sense of a person of great wisdom and spiritual insight; a prophet.
Martin Rees, Baron Rees of Ludlow[7] is a British cosmologist and astrophysicist. He has been Astronomer Royal since 1995 and was Master of Trinity College, Cambridge from 2004 to 2012 and President of the Royal Society between 2005 and 2010.
27a Chain store is awful /for/ those seeking solitude (10)
Anchorite[5] is a historical term for a religious recluse.
Down
1d Volunteers taking care of mother /in/ US city (6)
"volunteers" = TA (show explanation )
In the UK, Territorial Army[5] (abbreviation TA[5]) was, at one time, the name of a volunteer force founded in 1908 to provide a reserve of trained and disciplined military personnel for use in an emergency. Since 2013, this organization has been called the Army Reserve.
hide explanation
In the UK, Territorial Army[5] (abbreviation TA[5]) was, at one time, the name of a volunteer force founded in 1908 to provide a reserve of trained and disciplined military personnel for use in an emergency. Since 2013, this organization has been called the Army Reserve.
hide explanation
2d Recruit /with/ English name is grabbed by army officer (6)
3d Somebody OK'd a new // survey of our land (8,4)
Of course, "our land" refers to Britain, specifically England.
The Domesday Book (also Doomsday Book or simply Domesday[5]) is a comprehensive record of the extent, value, ownership, and liabilities of land in England, made in 1086 by order of William I.
Origin: Middle English: an old spelling of doomsday, which was apparently applied because the book was regarded as a final authority.
4d Some secret, one turning up /in/ short letter? (4)
5d Not an all-round bargain? (6,4)
7d Raise // an even number, protected as chicks? (8)
... because the number is sheltered by the chicks' mother.
8d Andrew spinning something a bit foggy /as/ a sort of philosopher (8)
Historically, a dynamist[5] was a believer in the philosophical theory of dynamism[5] which held that phenomena of matter or mind are due to the action of forces rather than to motion or matter.
Red Card to the Setter
| |
|---|---|
| The only way that this clue can work is as an "indirect anagram" which is a definite no-no in cryptic crossword circles. An indirect anagram is one in which the anagram fodder is not found in the clue (direct) but must be deciphered through some wordplay (indirect). As an indirect anagram, the wordplay would parse as an anagram (spinning) of ANDY ([diminutive of] Andrew) + MIST (something a bit foggy). The clue would have been fine had it been phrased:
|
11d Something to get a science student fired up? (6,6)
A Bunsen burner[5] is a small adjustable gas burner used in laboratories as a source of heat. It was designed in 1855 by German chemist Robert Bunsen[5] (1811–1899).
14d Criticism /means/ upset editor must get a grip (10)
16d It's almost 20, dear, in Paris // -- not a day for an overcoat! (8)
The masculine form of the French word for dear is cher[8].
17d Holiday location /has/ aspect I'm fussed about (8)
This is where I may be when you read this.
19d Food /with/ bit of cloth not to be considered (6)
Ragout[5] is a highly seasoned dish of small pieces of meat stewed with vegetables ⇒
a ragout of duck braised in red wine.
The version of the clue that I expect to appear in the National Post:
20d Goddess // beginning to cavort before American (6)
20d Goddess // beginning to cavort before American (6)
The wordplay parses as C (beginning to [initial letter of] Cavort) + ERE (before) + US. While this produces the solution required to properly fill the grid, it is a type of cactus (see below) rather than a goddess.
The clue would have worked had it been phrased (for example) as:
- Cactus beginning to collapse before American (6)
The corrected version of the clue from the Telegraph Puzzles website:
20d Cactus // goddess planted outside university (6)
20d Cactus // goddess planted outside university (6)
In Roman mythology, Ceres[5] is the goddess of agriculture. Her counterpart in Greek mythology is Demeter.
Cereus[10] may refer to:
- any tropical American cactus of the genus Cereus, especially C. jamacaru of northern Brazil, which grows to a height of 13 metres (40 feet)
- any of several similar and related cacti, such as the night-blooming cereus
23d Little woman often seen following Eliza (4)
After some deliberation, I have decided to mark this clue as a cryptic definition with an embedded precise definition.
The precise definition points to one of the title characters in Little Women[7], a novel by American author Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888), which was originally published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869. The novel follows the lives of four sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March—detailing their passage from childhood to womanhood, and is loosely based on the author and her three sisters. Little Women is set in the Alcott family home, Orchard House, in Concord, Massachusetts.
The cryptic definition alludes to a diminutive of a woman's name (little woman) that often follows the name Eliza (in doing so, forming another woman's name).
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)
[12] - CollinsDictionary.com (Webster’s New World College Dictionary)
[13] - MacmillanDictionary.com (Macmillan Dictionary)
[14] - CollinsDictionary.com (COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary)
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.