Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 28850 | |
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Friday, September 21, 2018 | |
Setter
Giovanni (Don Manley) | |
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28850] | |
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Deep Threat | |
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
It being a Giovanni creation, one expects the puzzle to contain some unfamiliar words — or familiar words with unfamiliar meanings. Today, I had a fairly long list of words that I worked out from the wordplay and whose validity I then needed to confirm in my dictionaries.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.
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Across
1a Supply // prisoner with words of commendation (10)
6a Ace getting married /is/ emotionally overwhelmed (4)
9a Tree /in/ line a knight hides behind (5)
"knight" = N [chess notation] (show explanation )
A knight[5] is a chess piece, typically with its top shaped like a horse’s head, that moves by jumping to the opposite corner of a rectangle two squares by three. Each player starts the game with two knights.
N[5] is the abbreviation for knight used in recording moves in chess [representing the pronunciation of kn-, since the initial letter k- represents 'king'].
As an aside, it is interesting to note that the Chambers 21st Century Dictionary defines:
On the other hand, both The Chambers Dictionary and the Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary list K or K.[1,11] as an abbreviation for knight without specifying the specific context in which this abbreviation is used. However, the context may well be in an honours list rather than in a game of chess. In the UK, for instance, KBE[5] stands for Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
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A knight[5] is a chess piece, typically with its top shaped like a horse’s head, that moves by jumping to the opposite corner of a rectangle two squares by three. Each player starts the game with two knights.
N[5] is the abbreviation for knight used in recording moves in chess [representing the pronunciation of kn-, since the initial letter k- represents 'king'].
As an aside, it is interesting to note that the Chambers 21st Century Dictionary defines:
- K[2] as an abbreviation used in chess for knight.
- K[2] is a symbol used in chess to represent a king.
- N[2] is a symbol used in chess to represent a knight.
On the other hand, both The Chambers Dictionary and the Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary list K or K.[1,11] as an abbreviation for knight without specifying the specific context in which this abbreviation is used. However, the context may well be in an honours list rather than in a game of chess. In the UK, for instance, KBE[5] stands for Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
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Rowan is another name for the European mountain ash[10], a rosaceous tree having clusters of small white flowers and bright red berries.
10a Number here with heartless interceptions -- // grasping types (9)
"Number here" indicates the number of this clue.
The clue is referring to the interception of a player carrying the ball and not the ball itself. In rugby and North American football, a tackle[5] is an act of seizing and attempting to stop a player in possession of the ball.
12a Oriental // festival the beginning of November (7)
13a Show initiative after quiet // appeal (5)
"quiet" = P [music notation] (show explanation )
15a Show // drama beginning with hellish location (7)
In Roman mythology, Dis[10] is:
- (also called Orcus or Pluto) the god of the underworld;
- the abode of the dead or underworld.
17a Flounder /as/ man at party, finally upsetting top lady (7)
"top lady" = ER (show explanation )
19a A way to get around the Big Apple, // no matter what (7)
The Big Apple[5] is an informal name for New York City.
Anyroad[10] is a northern English dialect word for anyway.
21a Bird the woman's tucked into, // something smoked (7)
The coot[5] is an aquatic bird of the rail family, with blackish plumage, lobed feet, and a bill that extends back on to the forehead as a horny shield.
A cheroot[2,5,10] is a cigar with both ends open (cut off squarely at both ends).
22a Is word of disapproval backfiring /for/ African? (5)
The Tutsi[5] are a people forming a minority of the population of Rwanda and Burundi but who formerly dominated the Hutu majority. Historical antagonism between the peoples led in 1994 to large-scale ethnic violence, especially in Rwanda.
24a Attack // impudent talk about parrot (7)
The lory[5] is a small Australasian and southeast Asian parrot with a brush-tipped tongue for feeding on nectar and pollen, having mainly green plumage with patches of bright colour.
What did he say?
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In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Deep Threat refers to the 'impudent talk" in question asSauce[5] is an informal British term for impertinence or cheek ⇒sauce. ‘None of your sauce,’ said Aunt Edie— which, in North America, would be known as sass[5]. |
27a Useless stuff /from/ American soldier --maiden breaks down (9)
"American soldier" = GI (show explanation )
A GI[5] is a private soldier in the US army ⇒
Origin: Contrary to popular belief, the term apparently is not an abbreviation for general infantryman, but rather derives from the term government (or general) issue (originally denoting equipment supplied to US forces).
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A GI[5] is a private soldier in the US army ⇒
she went off with a GI during the war.
Origin: Contrary to popular belief, the term apparently is not an abbreviation for general infantryman, but rather derives from the term government (or general) issue (originally denoting equipment supplied to US forces).
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"maiden" = M [cricket term] (show explanation )
In cricket, a maiden[5], also known as a maiden over and denoted on cricket scorecards by the abbreviation m.[10], is an over* in which no runs are scored.
* 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.
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In cricket, a maiden[5], also known as a maiden over and denoted on cricket scorecards by the abbreviation m.[10], is an over* in which no runs are scored.
* 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.
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A gimcrack[5] is a cheap and showy ornament; a knick-knack ⇒
He was driving some sissy little Japanese car with odd little tires and wheels and a bunch of ugly gewgaws and gimcracks bolted on.
28a Spirit /with/ look not OK -- ugh, awful! (5)
29a Type /to be/ curt, sending husband away (4)
30a Job // is troubled with angst with chaps interrupting (10)
"chaps" = MEN (show explanation )
Chap[3,4,11] is an informal British[5] or chiefly British[3] term for a man or boy — although a term that is certainly not uncommon in Canada. It is a shortened form of chapman[3,4,11], an archaic term for a trader, especially an itinerant pedlar[a,b].
[a] Pedlar is the modern British spelling of peddler[14] which, in most senses, is considered by the Brits to be a US or old-fashioned British spelling. The exception is in the sense of a dealer in illegal drugs which the Brits spell as drug peddler.
[b] The current meaning of chap[2] dates from the 18th century. In the 16th century, chap meant 'a customer'. The dictionaries do not explain how a shortened form of 'chapman' (pedlar) came to mean 'customer'.
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Chap[3,4,11] is an informal British[5] or chiefly British[3] term for a man or boy — although a term that is certainly not uncommon in Canada. It is a shortened form of chapman[3,4,11], an archaic term for a trader, especially an itinerant pedlar[a,b].
[a] Pedlar is the modern British spelling of peddler[14] which, in most senses, is considered by the Brits to be a US or old-fashioned British spelling. The exception is in the sense of a dealer in illegal drugs which the Brits spell as drug peddler.
[b] The current meaning of chap[2] dates from the 18th century. In the 16th century, chap meant 'a customer'. The dictionaries do not explain how a shortened form of 'chapman' (pedlar) came to mean 'customer'.
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Down
1d Twenty losing head /and/ heart (4)
2d State // requirement after moths have invaded wardrobe? (3,6)
3d Royal females // governed small island (5)
In oriental countries, especially India, a rani[10] (or ranee) is a queen or princess; the wife of a rajah.
4d Like fatty food /in/ college pantry? (7)
Buttery[5] is a British term for a room in a college where food is kept and sold to students.
5d Letters may inform them of legal requirements (7)
A letter[1,5] is a person who lets [offers for rent] a room or property.
7d Writer /has/ extra line fitting in (5)
In cricket, an extra[5] is a run scored other than from a hit with the bat, credited (in most cases) to the batting side rather than to a batsman. The types of extra[7] are no ball, wide, bye, leg-bye, and penalty runs.
In cricket, a wide[5] (also called wide ball) is a ball that is judged to be too wide of the stumps for the batsman to play, for which an extra is awarded to the batting side.
"line" = L [publishing term] (show explanation )
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]
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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]
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8d Some French notion about traitor /supplying/ essential requirements (10)
In French, des[8] is a partitive article meaning 'some'.
Desideratum[5] (plural desiderata) is something that is needed or wanted ⇒
integrity was a desideratum.
11d Quieten down, /having/ a very quiet rest (7)
14d Notice five workers keeping time -- // rewards // offered (10)
In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Deep Threat shows the definition as "rewards offered". While I don't discount that as a possible interpretation, I would point out that the definition could also be merely the the word "rewards" with the word "offered" being a link word (or equivalent) that happens to be positioned at the end of the clue due to the clue structure chosen by the setter. This can be demonstrated by a slight rewording of the clue to put its elements in their customary order:
- Notice five workers keeping time /offers/ rewards (10)
16d Dafter // ladies maybe where seaside entertainment takes place? (7)
The ladies[5] is a British term for a women’s public toilet.
Loo[5] is an informal British term for a toilet.
The British Pleasure Pier
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| Pleasure piers[7]
were first built in Britain during the early 19th century with the
earliest structure being the Ryde Pier on the Isle of Wight, opened in
1814. At that time the introduction of the railways for the first time
permitted mass tourism to dedicated seaside resorts. The large tidal
ranges at many such resorts meant that for much of the day, the sea was
not visible from dry land. The pleasure pier was the resorts' answer,
permitting holidaymakers to promenade over and alongside the sea at all
times. Providing a walkway out to sea, pleasure piers often include
amusements and theatres as part of the attraction. The world's longest
pleasure pier is at Southend-on-sea, Essex, and extends 1.3 miles (2.1
km) into the Thames estuary. Following the building of the world's first seaside pier at Ryde, the pier became fashionable at seaside resorts in England and Wales during the Victorian era, peaking in the 1860s with 22 being built in that decade. A symbol of the typical British seaside holiday, by 1914, more than 100 pleasure piers were located around the UK coast. In a 2006 UK poll, the public voted the seaside pier onto the list of icons of England. |
Daft[5] is an informal British term meaning silly or foolish ⇒
don't ask such daft questions.
18d Small room /in/ house left half abandoned, wonderful thing earlier (5,4)
"house" = HO (show explanation )
Although not found in most of the dictionaries I consulted, ho.[10] is the abbreviation for house.
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Although not found in most of the dictionaries I consulted, ho.[10] is the abbreviation for house.
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Glory hole[10] is an informal name for a room, cupboard, or other storage space that contains an untidy and miscellaneous collection of objects.
Oo-er, missus!
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Although the term glory hole[3] does appear in at least one American
dictionary with the above meaning, it is not a term with which I am
familiar. Perhaps the term is avoided on this side of the pond due to
another, rather salacious, connotation here (show explanation , WARNING: Explicit Content). Although Oxford Dictionaries Online shows this as a "US" meaning, it is clear from the comments on Big Dave's Crossword Blog that the term is well-known to some Brits!
Glory hole[3,5] is an informal North American term for a hole in a wall, especially in a bathroom stall or a booth, through which fellatio or masturbation is conducted incognito between male homosexuals. hide explanation |
20d Describes // leading couple from Denmark, old people (7)
The Picts[5] were an ancient people inhabiting northern Scotland in Roman times*.
* Roman writings of around 300 AD apply the term Picti to the hostile tribes of the area north of the Antonine Wall. Their origins are uncertain, but they may have been a loose confederation of Celtic tribes.
21d Big figures /in/ firm, one going down after failure (7)
A colossus[5] (plural colossi) is:
- a statue that is much bigger than life size ⇒
two statues known as the Colossi of Memnon
; - a person or thing of enormous size, importance, or ability ⇒ (i)
He was a colossus among lawyers and a giant among men
; (ii)the Russian Empire was the colossus of European politics
.
Delving Deeper
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| Perhaps the most famous such statue was the Colossus of Rhodes[5], a huge bronze statue of the sun god Helios, one of the
Seven Wonders of the World. Built c.292–280 BC, it stood beside the
harbour entrance at Rhodes for about fifty years. * The port city of Rhodes[5] is the capital of the island of Rhodes, a Greek island in the south-eastern Aegean, off the Turkish coast, the largest of the Dodecanese Islands and the most easterly island in the Aegean Sea. |
23d Mum grabbed by sailor /in/ river (5)
"sailor" = TAR (show explanation )
The Tamar[5] is a river in southwestern England which rises in northwestern Devon[a] and flows 98 km (60 miles) generally southwards, forming the boundary between Devon and Cornwall[b] and emptying into the English Channel through Plymouth Sound.
[a] Devon[5] (also called Devonshire) is a county of southwestern England.
[b] Cornwall[5] is a county occupying the extreme southwestern peninsula of England.
25d A church musician may have such // an ear? (5)
26d Scamper /as/ female on fire (4)
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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