Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 28839 | |
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Saturday, September 8, 2018 | |
Setter
Unknown | |
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28839 – Hints]Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28839 – 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.
This puzzle appears on the Monday Diversions page in the Saturday, February 16, 2019 edition of the National Post.
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Introduction
This puzzle is certainly far more difficult than the "Saturday prize puzzles" to which we are accustomed. I needed some electronic assistance to finish. Ironically, I was able to correctly uncover both the British tennis player and heptathlete from the wordplay. I even recalled the characters from the British sit-com who I have encountered in previous puzzles (in fact, I've actually visited the town of Holmfirth in West Yorkshire where the location shooting for the programme was done).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.
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:
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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
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| 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:
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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 Cloth /that's/ small for top of beer mug (10)
Mug[5] is an informal British term for a stupid or gullible person ⇒
they were no mugs where finance was concerned.
6a Prevent onset of bee // sting (4)
10a Brand of computer // program mostly needed for this product (5)
My initial thought was that APPLET could be clued adequately by merely the word "program". So, what is the purpose of the words "needed for this product".
After not inconsiderable deliberation, I have concluded that the wordplay has to be parsed as APPLE[
11a Improve a financial centre/'s/ dishonesty (9)
The City[5] [or here, simply City] is short for the City of London[5] (not to be confused with the city of London).
The City of London[7] is a city and ceremonial county within London. It constituted most of London from its settlement by the Romans in the 1st century AD to the Middle Ages, but the conurbation has since grown far beyond the City's borders. The City is now only a tiny part of the metropolis of London, though it remains a notable part of central London. It is one of two districts of London to hold city status, the other being the adjacent City of Westminster.
It is widely referred to simply as the City (often written as just "City" and differentiated from the phrase "the city of London" by capitalising "City") and is also colloquially known as the Square Mile, as it is 1.12 sq mi (2.90 km2), in area. Both of these terms are also often used as metonyms for the United Kingdom's trading and financial services industries, which continue a notable history of being largely based in the City. This is analogous to the use of the terms Wall Street and Bay Street to refer to the financial institutions located in New York and Toronto respectively.
12a Wreck // right to enter depot going round and round? (7)
13a Overall, Henman's head over heels // in love (7)
Tim Henman[7] is a retired British professional tennis player. He was the first male player from the United Kingdom since Roger Taylor in the 1970s to reach the semi-finals of the Wimbledon Men's Singles Championship. Henman was ranked British number 1 in 1996 and again from 1999 to 2005, from which point he was succeeded by Andy Murray. He reached a career high ranking of World No. 4 during three different periods between July 2002 and October 2004.
14a One engaged by president is put in to stop // gloating over victory (12)
I had to stretch my brain to accept the definition but I suppose a "triumphalist winner" would be a "winner gloating over victory". I have always had difficulty coming to grips with a situation like this in which a prepositive modifier (one that precedes the word it modifies) is equated to a postpositive modifier (one that follows the word it modifies).
A Hidden Message?
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Sometimes what is not said is as telling as what is said. Entries in Oxford Dictionaries Online customarily describe world leaders as "statesmen" (or "stateswomen") as:
Donald Trump[5] (1946–) 45th President of the US, since 2017; ...It would appear that the editors at Oxford Dictionaries Online just could not bring themselves to apply the term "statesman" in this case. |
18a Incredible story // Wilde's valet fabricated after love (3,5,4)
"love" = O [tennis term] (show explanation )
In tennis, squash, and some other sports, love[5] is a score of zero or nil ⇒
Although folk etymology has connected the word with French l'oeuf 'egg', from the resemblance in shape between an egg and a zero, the term apparently comes from the phrase play for love (i.e. the love of the game, not for money).
hide explanation
In tennis, squash, and some other sports, love[5] is a score of zero or nil ⇒
love fifteen. The resemblance of a zero written as a numeral (0) to the letter O leads to the cryptic crossword convention of the word "love" being used to clue this letter.
Although folk etymology has connected the word with French l'oeuf 'egg', from the resemblance in shape between an egg and a zero, the term apparently comes from the phrase play for love (i.e. the love of the game, not for money).
hide explanation
Scratching the Surface
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Oscar Wilde[5]
(1854–1900) was an Irish dramatist, novelist, poet, and wit. (show more )
His advocacy of ‘art for art’s sake’ is evident in his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890). As a dramatist he achieved success with the comedies Lady Windermere’s Fan (1892) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895). Wilde was imprisoned (1895-7) for homosexual offences and died in exile. Wilde spent most of his period of incarceration in Reading Gaol, 30 miles (48 km) west of London. Upon his release he left immediately for France, never to return to Ireland or Britain. There he wrote his last work, The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898), a long poem commemorating the harsh rhythms of prison life. He died destitute in Paris at the age of 46.[7] hide |
21a What might keep a listener warm? (7)
23a East German with lots of money, // one sticking their head in the sand? (7)
The German word for 'east' is Ost[8].
Perhaps I'd Rather Not Know
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| In behavioral finance, "ostrich effect"[7] is a term coined to describe attempts made by investors to avoid negative financial
information. It has been defined as "the avoidance of apparently risky financial situations by pretending they do not exist" or more broadly "avoiding to expose oneself to [financial] information that one fears may cause psychological discomfort". The name comes from the common (but false [see below]) legend that ostriches bury their heads in the sand to avoid danger. However, the financial theory may be as flawed as the ostrich legend. Researchers have found no perceivable attempt by investors to ignore or avoid negative information, but instead found that "investors increase their portfolio monitoring following both positive and daily negative market returns, behaving more like hyper-vigilant meerkats than head-in-the-sand ostriches". They dubbed this phenomenon "meerkat effect". From Animal Myths Busted on the National Geographic Kids website: MYTH: Ostriches bury their heads in the sand when they're scared or threatened. HOW IT STARTED: It's an optical illusion! Ostriches are the largest living birds, but their heads are pretty small. "If you see them picking at the ground from a distance, it may look like their heads are buried in the ground," says Glinda Cunningham of the American Ostrich Association. WHY IT'S NOT TRUE: Ostriches don't bury their heads in the sand—they wouldn't be able to breathe! But they do dig holes in the dirt to use as nests for their eggs. Several times a day, a bird puts her head in the hole and turns the eggs. So it really does look like the birds are burying their heads in the sand! |
24a I'll deliver // crude oil with barter (9)
25a Tree // having been around longer (5)
26a Small, ultimately stunted /and/ unwanted plant (4)
It seems that there are two possible solutions to this clue. I parsed the wordplay as WEE (small) + D (ultimately stunted; final letter of stunteD).
"small" = WEE [Scottish] (show explanation )
Wee[5] is a Scottish adjective meaning little ⇒ (i)
* The word may be of Scottish origin but, like the Scots themselves, the word has migrated around the world.
hide explanation
Wee[5] is a Scottish adjective meaning little ⇒ (i)
when I was just a wee bairn; (ii)
the lyrics are a wee bit too sweet and sentimental.
* The word may be of Scottish origin but, like the Scots themselves, the word has migrated around the world.
hide explanation
However, crypticsue has parsed it as WEED[
Weedy[5] is an informal British term denoting (of a person) thin and physically weak in appearance ⇒
he was small and weedy.
27a Food served here // is appetiser, fresh, penny off (10)
In her review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, I am sure crypticsue intended to write "An anagram (fresh) of IS APPETISER once you have removed (off) one P for penny)".
In Britain's current decimal currency system, a penny[5] (plural pennies [for separate coins] or pence [for a sum of money]) is a bronze coin and monetary unit equal to one hundredth of a pound. The abbreviation for penny or pence is p[5] ⇒
a 10p piece.
Down
1d What might be sung /in/ shed (6)
A shanty[5] (also known in Britain as sea shanty; archaic or US chantey or chanty) is a song with alternating solo and chorus, of a kind originally sung by sailors while performing physical labour together.
Origin: Mid 19th century: probably from French chantez! ‘sing!’, imperative plural of chanter 'to sing'.
2d Make effort to restrain piano // virtuoso (6)
"piano" = P (show explanation )
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.
hide explanation
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.
hide explanation
3d Kit that's sillier yet working without // batteries (5-9)
In the cryptic parsing of the wordplay, the word "that's" is interpreted as a contraction of "that has" rather than "that is".
Siege artillery[7] (also siege guns or siege cannons) is the heavy guns designed to bombard fortifications, cities, and other fixed targets, as distinct from, e.g., field artillery. They were capable of firing heavy cannonballs or shells that required enormous transport and logistical support to operate. They lacked mobility and thus were rarely useful in more mobile warfare situations. They have been generally superseded by heavy howitzers (towed and self-propelled artillery), strategic bomber aircraft, surface-to-surface missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and multiple rocket launchers in modern warfare.
4d Clegg’s friend certain /to show/ calmness (9)
Norman Clegg[7], often nicknamed Cleggy, and William Simmonite, better known by his nickname Compo[7], are fictional characters from the world's longest-running sitcom — the British television production Last of the Summer Wine. The series was broadcast on the BBC from 1973 to 2010.
5d Olympic medallist // taking time off from sport (5)
Jess Ennis[7] (now Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill) is a retired British track and field athlete from England, specialising in multi-eventing disciplines (pentathlon and hepthatlon) and 100 metres hurdles. As a competitor in heptathlon, she is the 2012 Olympic champion, a three-time world champion (2009, 2011, 2015), and the 2010 European champion. She is also the 2010 world indoor pentathlon champion.
7d Miss flying // air taxi that's set out about five (8)
A "miss flying" might less cryptically be referred to as a female flyer ...
8d Sticking weapons // in horse set on running (8)
... and "sticking weapons" are ones with pointy ends.
9d They're often blocks // landlords with money to invest put up front (7,7)
A letter[1,5] is a person who lets [offers for rent] a room or property.
Block letters[5] are plain capital letters. [All block letters are capital letters; but not all capital letters are block letters. Thus the appearance of the modifier "often" in the definition.]
15d Scent // what Presbyterians oppose vocally (9)
Popery[5] is an archaic, derogatory term denoting Roman Catholicism and the doctrines, practices, and ceremonies associated with the Pope or the papal system ⇒
the Anglicans campaigned against popery.
This is a rare instance in which the homophone may actually work better for the North American ear than for the British ear. Judge from the following pronunciation samples:
- American Heritage Dictionary: popery ; potpourri
- Oxford Dictionaries Online: popery ; potpourri or
16d We locals prepared // salad (8)
17d Lovely // fit girl comes in (8)
19d Stop // back (6)
Hinder[5,10] (adjective) denotes (especially of a bodily part) situated at or further towards the back or rear; posterior ⇒
the hinder parts.
Delving Deeper
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This meaning of "hinder" was new to me but it does appear in every dictionary that I consulted — both British and American. Nevertheless, I am certain that virtually no one would use the expression hinder quartersin preference to hind quarters. In her review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, crypticsue characterizes the term as "Scottish" which I am sure she has taken from The Chambers Dictionary. However, a careful reading of the dictionary entry reveals that it is not this meaning that is Scottish but rather a different sense of the word. Hinder[1] is a Scots term meaning last as in this hinder nichtmeaning 'last night'. |
20d Attack // daily grind enthusiastically at first (6)
Daily[5] (noun) is a dated British term for a woman who is employed to clean someone else’s house each day.
Char[5] is an informal British term for charwoman[5] (or charlady[5]), a dated British name for a woman employed as a cleaner in a house or office.
22d One old prime minister or another gets a // kind of bread (5)
Pitt[5] is the name of two British Tory statesmen:
- William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham (1708–1778); known as Pitt the Elder. As Secretary of State (effectively prime minister), he headed coalition governments 1756–61 and 1766–8. He brought the Seven Years War to an end in 1763 and also masterminded the conquest of French possessions overseas, particularly in Canada and India.
- William Pitt (1759–1806), prime minister 1783–1801 and 1804–6, the son of Pitt the Elder; known as Pitt the Younger. The youngest-ever prime minister, he introduced reforms to reduce the national debt.
Pitta[5] (also pitta bread) is the British spelling for pita (bread), a flat, hollow, slightly leavened bread which can be split open to hold a filling ⇒ (i)
low-calorie starters include tzatziki with a little pitta; (ii)
flat pitta breads make perfect sandwiches.
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)
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