Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 28887 | |
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Saturday, November 3, 2018 | |
Setter
Unknown | |
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28887 – Hints]Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28887 – Review] | |
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Tilsit (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
While, for crypticsue, this puzzle may have rated only a mere two stars for difficulty, many others — as evidenced by the comments on Big Dave's Crossword Blog — found it much more challenging.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 program, 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 directly from a dictionary or at least phrased in a non-misleading fashion similar to one that would be found in a dictionary
- 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 (for example, defining topiary as "clip art")
- a "whimsical definition": a definition "invented" by the setter often by extrapolating a non-existent meaning for a word from a similar word (for example, defining a bird as a "winger" [something possessing wings] or a river as a ''flower" [something that flows] or to extrapolate that, since disembowel means 'to remove the innards of ', that discontent must mean 'to remove the contents of')
- a "definition by example": the presence of one of these is often flagged with a question mark (for example, defining atoll as "coral?" where an atoll is but one form that coral may take).
I identify precise definitions by marking them with a solid underline in the clue and other varieties of definition (such as cryptic definitions, whimsical definitions, definitions by example, etc.) 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 Outskirts of Brisbane left right behind // too (7)
Scratching the Surface
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| Brisbane[5] is the the capital of the state of Queensland in Australia. It was founded in 1824 as a penal colony. |
5a Blue // landscape depicted by old boy (7)
"old boy" = OB (show explanation )
In Britain, an old boy[5] (abbreviation OB[2]) is:
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In Britain, an old boy[5] (abbreviation OB[2]) is:
- a former male student of a school or college ⇒
an old boy of Banbury County School
- a former male member of a sports team or company ⇒
the White Hart Lane old boy squared the ball to present an easy chance from 12 yards
‘Look here, old boy,’ he said.
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9a Carpenter's mate with uniform held in stomach, sadly English // droopy feature (6,9)
In Britain, the word "mate[5]" — in addition to meaning a person’s husband, wife, or other sexual partner — can also be an informal term for a friend or companion ⇒
my best mate Steve.
"The Walrus and the Carpenter"[7] is a narrative poem by Lewis Carroll — pen name of English writer Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (1832–1898) — that appeared in his book Through the Looking-Glass, published in December 1871.
Uniform[5] is a code word representing the letter U, used in radio communication.
A walrus moustache[5] is a long, thick, drooping moustache.
Do You Remember ... ?
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For hockey fans — especially those from Ottawa — this clue may stir memories. During the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoff quarterfinal series between the Montreal Canadiens and the Ottawa Senators, Montreal player Brandon Prust referred to then Ottawa coach Paul MacLean as a "bug-eyed, fat walrus". The outcome? The "walrus" coached his team to a decisive victory — defeating the heavily favoured Canadiens in the best of seven series four games to one. [The title reads "Separated at birth". "Morse" is the French word for "walrus".] |
10a Measure // edge (4)
11a Husband rather // routine? (5)
12a Duck enclosure // not bolted (4)
"duck" = O [cricket term] (show explanation )
In cricket, a duck[5] (short for duck's egg) is a batsman’s score of nought [zero] ⇒
In British puzzles, "duck" is used to indicate the letter "O" based on the resemblance of the digit "0" to this letter.
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In cricket, a duck[5] (short for duck's egg) is a batsman’s score of nought [zero] ⇒
he was out for a duck. This is similar to the North American expression goose egg[5] meaning a zero score in a game.
In British puzzles, "duck" is used to indicate the letter "O" based on the resemblance of the digit "0" to this letter.
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15a Mob means // one takes this route on ship (7)
In her review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, crypticsue has parsed the wordplay differently from the way that Tilsit — and myself — have parsed it.
The word on[5] is interpreted as 'on to'; that is, the definition is equivalent to saying "one takes this route on to [a] ship" or "to board [a] ship".
A gangway[5] is a movable bridge linking a ship to the shore or an opening in the bulwarks by which a ship is entered or left.
16a Kind of clothing // article oddly missing pleat Mary sent back (7)
17a Revolution mainly works in theatre -- // one with unique outlook (7)
The performers in this theatre are medical practitioners.
Op[5] is an informal term for a surgical operation ⇒
a minor op. In the plural (ops), it can denote military operations ⇒
the ops room.
In Greek mythology, a Cyclops[5] is a member of a race of savage one-eyed giants. In the Odyssey, Odysseus escaped death by blinding the Cyclops Polyphemus.
19a Current // will flow through non-stop, I calculate (7)
21a Space // dock approached the wrong way (4)
22a Explorer // that travels via land, water and air (5)
23a Called // relative making good move to the East End (4)
Gran[5] is an informal British term for one's grandmother ⇒ (i)
I'm not your gran, am I?; (ii)
you know how Gran looks forward to seeing us.
"good" = G [academic result] (show reference )
Here and There
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Ring[5] is an informal — more or less British* — term for:
* In North America, the word would seem to be more accepted as a noun ( I'll give you a ring) than as a verb ( I'll ring you). According to various dictionaries, the word ring used in this sense is: |
Scratching the Surface
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The East End[5] is the part of London, England east of the City (show explanation ) as far as the River Lea, including the Docklands — an area whose residents are known as cockneys.
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. hide |
26a It turns men soppy, meeting celebrity // player (15)
Soppy[2] is a colloquial term meaning weakly sentimental. As an anagram indicator, I suppose it implies that the the fodder is unable to "hold itself together [emotionally]".
In the wordplay, the word "celebrity" is used as a modifier (
the event was a celebrity affair).
Note: Upon reading Tilsit's hints, I see that the preceding comments anticipate and respond to his objections concerning the clue.
The A-list[5] denotes a real or imaginary list of the most celebrated or sought-after individuals, especially in show business ⇒ [as modifier]
an A-list celebrity.
27a Regular howler, /having/ damaged car by getting by (7)
Scratching the Surface
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Howler[5] is an informal term* for a very stupid or glaring mistake, especially an amusing one ⇒ the occasional schoolboy howler would amuse the examiners. * Mainly British according to COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary[14], but not designated so by other sources |
28a Nick /is/ closer, in an aggressive way (7)
The nick[5] is an informal British term for prison ⇒
he’ll end up in the nick for the rest of his life.
Down
1d Making deliveries, // being personally inclined to keep left (7)
A delivery[5] is an act of throwing, bowling, or kicking a ball, especially a cricket ball.
In cricket, bowling[7] is the action of propelling the ball toward the wicket defended by a batsman.
2d Corrupt councils' foe's cunning, // in an awkward way (4-11)
3d Forbidding // daughter to join quartet with no following (4)
"daughter" = D [genealogy] (show reference )
"following" = F [publishing] (show explanation )
In publishing, the abbreviation f.[10] (plural ff.) is used to denote following (page).
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In publishing, the abbreviation f.[10] (plural ff.) is used to denote following (page).
hide explanation
4d Announced as Jun-Aug, /in/ brief (7)
5d One studying vision /of/ love is taken in by sect (7)
"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).
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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).
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6d It's in Home Counties // locale (4)
"Home Counties" = SE (show explanation )
The Home Counties[5] are the counties surrounding London in the south-east (SE) part of England, into which London has extended. They comprise chiefly Essex, Kent, Surrey, and Hertfordshire.
No exact definition of the term exists and the composition of the Home Counties remains a matter of debate. While Oxford Dictionaries restrictively lists them as being chiefly Essex, Kent, Surrey, and Hertfordshire, Wikipedia tells us that the Home Counties[7] are generally considered to include Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Surrey and Sussex (although Sussex does not border London).
Other counties more distant from London, such as Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Dorset, Hampshire and Oxfordshire are also sometimes included in the list due to their close proximity to the capital and their connection to the London regional economy.
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The Home Counties[5] are the counties surrounding London in the south-east (SE) part of England, into which London has extended. They comprise chiefly Essex, Kent, Surrey, and Hertfordshire.
No exact definition of the term exists and the composition of the Home Counties remains a matter of debate. While Oxford Dictionaries restrictively lists them as being chiefly Essex, Kent, Surrey, and Hertfordshire, Wikipedia tells us that the Home Counties[7] are generally considered to include Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Surrey and Sussex (although Sussex does not border London).
Other counties more distant from London, such as Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Dorset, Hampshire and Oxfordshire are also sometimes included in the list due to their close proximity to the capital and their connection to the London regional economy.
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7d Chopped-up spam in mac with cheese /as/ fall-back option? (6,9)
8d Going on and on // about first sign of trucks breaking road up (7)
Oops!
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In her review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, I'm sure that crypticsue intended to write:
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13d Presently being full of whisky, // black out (5)
Whisky or whiskey
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| In international radio communication, Whiskey[1] or whiskey[1] is a code word for the letter w. As the above definition comes from The Chambers Dictionary* (which I understand to be the authority for spelling in The Daily Telegraph Cryptic Crossword), "whiskey" would seemingly be the spelling that should have been used by the setter. * As I have The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition (2008), it is also possible that the spelling has changed in more recent editions Both Oxford Dictionaries Online and Collins English Dictionary also show the spelling (when used in this sense) as Whiskey[4,10] or whiskey[5]. However, Chambers 21st Century Dictionary specifies the spelling as Whisky[2]. According to Wikipedia, the NATO phonetic alphabet[7], officially denoted as the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet, and also commonly known as the ICAO phonetic alphabet, and in a variation also known officially as the ITU phonetic alphabet and figure code, is the most widely used radiotelephone spelling alphabet. The article would appear to be internally unclear, in most cases showing the spelling as Whiskey However, a table in the section dealing with International Aviation[7] shows the ICAO spelling as Whiskey prior to 1956 and Whisky from 1956 onward. |
14d Forecasters backed Italian runner/'s/ speed (5)
Met[5] is an abbreviation for the Met Office[7] (the Meteorological Office until 2000), the United Kingdom's national weather service.
The setter is using the word "runner" in a whimsical sense of something that runs or flows — in other words, a river.
The Po[7] is a river that arises in the Cottian Alps and flows eastward across northern Italy entering the Adriatic Sea through a delta near Venice.
17d One ace -- clubs -- following, say, queen // of hearts (7)
"clubs" = C [card suit] (show explanation )
18d Agent stocking cold spirit /and/ other alcohol (7)
Scrumpy[5] is a British term for rough strong cider, especially as made in the West Country of England.
19d Income // deposited rises, protecting man at the top (7)
Takings[3,10] is the income earned, taken or received by a shop, business, etc. ⇒
The pub said that their takings were fifteen to twenty thousand pounds a week.
20d Barge /in/ having lost some shades? (7)
A lighter[5] is a flat-bottomed barge or other unpowered boat used to transfer goods to and from ships in harbour.
The second part ot the clue is a cryptic definition of an adjective denoting paler in colour.
24d Department /that'll give you/ an A in geometry (4)
While there might also be other contexts in which the words share a common meaning, a good example of department and area being synonymous is:
- department[10] — a branch or subdivision of learning ⇒
physics is a department of science
- area[10] — a subject field or field of study
25d 'Georgia, Georgia // on my mind?' No, out of it (4)
"Georgia" = GA (show explanation )
Not only is GA[5] the abbreviation for the US state of Georgia in official postal use, but Ga[10] is a common abbreviation for Georgia in other contexts as well.
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Not only is GA[5] the abbreviation for the US state of Georgia in official postal use, but Ga[10] is a common abbreviation for Georgia in other contexts as well.
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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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