Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 28913 | |
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Tuesday, December 4, 2018 | |
Setter
Unknown | |
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28913] | |
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Mr K | |
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
There are a lot of comments on Big Dave's Crossword Blog concerning "stretched, tenuous, or dodgy synonyms" appearing in this puzzle. I initially thought the same, but — in most cases — upon investigation I was able to identify some uncommon meanings that did not readily come to mind or usages with which I was not personally familiar. In such cases, I include the results of my investigation in my review on the chance that others may also be struggling to reconcile the terms.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 Drink left // actor playing a subordinate part (7)
"drink" = SUP (show explanation )
As a verb, sup[5] is a dated or Northern English term meaning to take (drink or liquid food) by sips or spoonfuls ⇒ (i)
As a noun, sup[5] means
As a verb, sup[5] is a dated or Northern English term meaning to take (drink or liquid food) by sips or spoonfuls ⇒ (i)
she supped up her soup delightedly; (ii)
he was supping straight from the bottle.
As a noun, sup[5] means
- a sip of liquid ⇒
he took another sup of wine
- (in Northern England or Ireland) an alcoholic drink ⇒
the latest sup from those blokes at the brewery
Port[5] is the side of a ship or aircraft that is on the left when one is facing forward ⇒ (i)
the ferry was listing to port; (ii) [as modifier]
the port side of the aircraft.
Origin: probably originally the side containing an entry port or facing the port (quayside) for loading
Support[1] (noun) denotes an actor playing a subordinate part with a star.
5a Give talk about // what was in Thatcher's grasp? (7)
The wordplay parses as HAND (give) + reversal of (about) GAB (talk).
Post Mortem
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I failed to see the reversal in the wordplay and tried to find a sense in which BAG could mean "talk about" — and nearly succeeded.
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Margaret Thatcher[5], Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven (1925–2013) was a British Conservative stateswoman, prime minister 1979–90. She was the country's first female prime minister, and became the longest-serving British prime minister of the 20th century. Her period in office was marked by an emphasis on monetarist policies, privatization of nationalized industries, and trade union legislation. She became known for her determination and her emphasis on individual responsibility and enterprise.
Accessory or Weapon?
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In an article entitled 'I was handbagged by Mrs Thatcher', the BBC reports:Margaret Thatcher's handbag was an icon of an era: a weapon wielded against opponents or unfortunate ministers. |
9a Climb on // table (5)
Board[5,10] is an archaic term for a table, especially one used for eating at, and especially when laden with food ⇒
he looked at the banquet which was spread upon his board.
10a Rodent entertaining retreating cat with hard // whiskers (9)
"hard" = H (show explanation )
11a Knocked out // a dishonest criminal (10)
12a Appears to scrub male/'s/ spots (4)
14a Running // over as rationing's broadcast (12)
"over" = O [cricket term] (show explanation )
18a Men loved step dancing // events (12)
21a American with diamonds -- Detective Sergeant // puts two and two together? (4)
"diamonds" = D [card suit] (show explanation )
DS[10] is the abbreviation for Detective Sergeant. (show more )
Within the British police, sergeant[7] is the first supervisory rank. Sergeant is senior to the rank of constable, and junior to inspector. Detective sergeants are equal in rank to their uniformed counterparts; only the prefix 'detective' identifies them as having completed at least one of the various detective training courses authorising them to conduct and/or manage investigations into serious and/or complex crime.
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Within the British police, sergeant[7] is the first supervisory rank. Sergeant is senior to the rank of constable, and junior to inspector. Detective sergeants are equal in rank to their uniformed counterparts; only the prefix 'detective' identifies them as having completed at least one of the various detective training courses authorising them to conduct and/or manage investigations into serious and/or complex crime.
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A Questionable Definition?
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In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Mr K states The ? indicates that we have here a definition by example. Yes, that could be true. Instead of "two and two", the setter could have used "three and three" or "two and five" or any other pair of numbers. However, the phrase put two and two together[5] is an idiom meaning to draw an obvious conclusion from what is known or evident. Therefore, I would say that the question mark may well be indicating that we are to apply a literal meaning to the phrase rather than interpret it in the idiomatic sense. |
22a A primarily tight belt -- I have /to get/ fit (10)
The definition is a bit of a stretch for a North American — but not for a Brit.
Fit[5] is an informal British term meaning sexually attractive or good-looking ⇒
who's this fit babe?.
25a Managed // behaviour by editor (9)
26a Having lost gallons, wait around /for/ vessel (5)
27a Small steps? // They go downhill in the snow (7)
Here and There
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| In North America, sledge[1,2,3,4,5,10,11,12,14]
would clearly be considered to be a less commonly — perhaps even rarely — used name for a sled[1,2,3,4,5,10,11,12,14]
while, in the UK, the situation would appear to be reversed*. |
28a Organ with a switch finally stuck in church -- /it's/ a pain (7)
"church" = CE [Church of England] (show explanation )
The Church of England[10] (abbreviation CE[10]) is the reformed established state Church in England, Catholic in order and basic doctrine, with the Sovereign as its temporal head.
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The Church of England[10] (abbreviation CE[10]) is the reformed established state Church in England, Catholic in order and basic doctrine, with the Sovereign as its temporal head.
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Down
1d Slug oddly born far // underground (6)
"born" = B (show explanation )
Way[5] (adverb) is an informal term denoting at or to a considerable distance or extent or far (used before an adverb or preposition for emphasis) ⇒ (i)
his understanding of what constitutes good writing is way off target; (ii)
my grandchildren are way ahead of others their age.
Underground[5] (often the Underground) is a British name for an underground railway, especially the one in London, England ⇒
travel chaos on the Underground.
2d Places // rubbish in lake? On the contrary (6)
Contrarianism
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| The phrase "on the contrary" tells the solver to reverse the logic or meaning of the statement immediately preceding it. Doing so restates the wordplay to read "lake in rubbish". |
Rubbish[3,4,11] (noun) is used in the sense* of nonsense (foolish words or speech).
* Oxford Dictionaries Online considers the word rubbish[5] (in all senses) to be British — despite it not being characterized as such by American dictionaries. I would think that, as a noun, the word has long ago become accepted in North America. That is not the case, however, when it is used as an adjective or verb.
Pants[5] is an informal British term meaning rubbish or nonsense ⇒
he thought we were going to be absolute pants.
3d Exotic lady in Rio captivating king, // by and large (10)
"king" = R [abbreviation for Rex] (show explanation )
In the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms*, Rex[5] (abbreviation R[5]) [Latin for king] denotes the reigning king, used following a name (e.g. Georgius Rex, King George — often shortened to GR) or in the titles of lawsuits (e.g. Rex v. Jones, the Crown versus Jones — often shortened to R. v. Jones).
* A Commonwealth realm[7] is a sovereign state that is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and shares the same person, currently Elizabeth II, as its head of state and reigning constitutional monarch, but retains a crown legally distinct from the other realms. There are currently sixteen Commonwealth realms, the largest being Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom with the remainder being smaller Caribbean and Pacific island nations.
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In the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms*, Rex[5] (abbreviation R[5]) [Latin for king] denotes the reigning king, used following a name (e.g. Georgius Rex, King George — often shortened to GR) or in the titles of lawsuits (e.g. Rex v. Jones, the Crown versus Jones — often shortened to R. v. Jones).
* A Commonwealth realm[7] is a sovereign state that is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and shares the same person, currently Elizabeth II, as its head of state and reigning constitutional monarch, but retains a crown legally distinct from the other realms. There are currently sixteen Commonwealth realms, the largest being Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom with the remainder being smaller Caribbean and Pacific island nations.
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Scratching the Surface
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| Rio de Janeiro[5] (commonly known as Rio) is a city in eastern Brazil, on the Atlantic coast. The chief port of Brazil, it was the country’s capital from 1763 until 1960, when it was replaced by Brasilia. |
4d Some witches emitted upsetting // spells (5)
5d He is woeful, strangely, with student leaving // her indoors? (9)
"learner" = L [driver under instruction] (show more )
The cryptic crossword convention of L meaning learner or student arises from the L-plate[7], a square plate bearing a sans-serif letter L, for learner, which must be affixed to the front and back of a vehicle in various jurisdictions (including the UK) if its driver is a learner under instruction.
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The cryptic crossword convention of L meaning learner or student arises from the L-plate[7], a square plate bearing a sans-serif letter L, for learner, which must be affixed to the front and back of a vehicle in various jurisdictions (including the UK) if its driver is a learner under instruction.
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The phrase "her indoors" is a cryptic manner (indicated by the question mark) of expressing "the woman in the house".
6d Letter /from/ school turning up (4)
"school" = ETON (show explanation )
Eton College[7], often informally referred to simply as Eton, is an English independent boarding school for boys located in Eton, Berkshire, near Windsor. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor". It is one of ten English schools, commonly referred to as public schools, regulated by the Public Schools Act of 1868.
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Eton College[7], often informally referred to simply as Eton, is an English independent boarding school for boys located in Eton, Berkshire, near Windsor. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor". It is one of ten English schools, commonly referred to as public schools, regulated by the Public Schools Act of 1868.
Here and There
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| In Britain, an independent school[10] is a school that is neither financed nor controlled by the government or local authorities; in other words, an independent school[2] is not paid for with public money and does not belong to the state school system. In Britain, a public school[2] is a particular category of independent school, namely a secondary school, especially a boarding school, run independently of the state and financed by a combination of endowments and pupils' fees. Another category of independent school is the private school[2,5] which is a school run independently by an individual or group, especially for profit and supported wholly by the payment of fees. What we in North America would call a public school[2], is known in the UK as a state school[5] or a maintained school*. * In England and Wales, a maintained school[5] is a school that is funded by a local education authority. |
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7d Tossing a caber -- it/'s/ possible cause of ill-health (8)
Scratching the Surface
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| A caber[5] is a roughly trimmed tree trunk used in the Scottish Highland sport of tossing the caber. This involves holding the caber upright by one end and running forward to toss it so that it lands on the opposite end. |
8d Assuming // visitor endlessly goes on Twitter (8)
Before Jack Dorsey[7] and friends appropriated the name, twitter[5] was the social media of birds ⇒ (i)
sparrows twittered under the eaves; (ii)
the swallows were settling to roost with a good deal of twittering.
13d Picky // individual (10)
15d Urges // dad to return with small spades (9)
Petite[5] (an adjective appropriated from French) means (of a woman) attractively small and dainty ⇒
she was petite and vivacious.
"spades" = S [card suit] (show explanation )
16d Adult cavorts, accepting volume // rises (8)
"adult" = A [former film certificate] (show more )
The A (Adult) certificate is a former film certificate[7] issued by the British Board of Film Classification. This certificate existed in various forms from 1912 to 1985, when it was replaced by the PG (Parental Guidance) certificate. [Despite its demise in the real world, it continues to find widespread use in Crosswordland.]
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The A (Adult) certificate is a former film certificate[7] issued by the British Board of Film Classification. This certificate existed in various forms from 1912 to 1985, when it was replaced by the PG (Parental Guidance) certificate. [Despite its demise in the real world, it continues to find widespread use in Crosswordland.]
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"volume" = V [in physics and chemistry] (show explanation )
In physics and chemistry, V[5] is a symbol used to represent volume in mathematical formulae ⇒
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In physics and chemistry, V[5] is a symbol used to represent volume in mathematical formulae ⇒
pV = nRT.
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Rise[5] is used in the sense of to reach a higher position in society or one's profession ⇒
the officer was a man of great courage who had risen from the ranks.
17d Dope in court? (8)
Dope[5] is information about a subject, especially if not generally known ⇒
our reviewer will give you the dope on hot spots around the town.
19d Dine out (6)
20d Order // grass to be cut after 31 days? (6)
23d Free, for example, to climb // hill-range (5)
A mountain range[7] or hill range* is a series of mountains or hills ranged in a line and connected by high ground.
* I failed to find this term hyphenated as it is in the clue
A ridge[5] is a long, narrow hilltop, mountain range, or watershed ⇒
the North-East ridge of Everest.
24d Whip and head of government // spoke (4)
Spoke[1,2,3,4,10,11,12] is another name for a rung of a ladder [a fact seemingly unknown only to myself and the editors of Oxford Dictionaries Online].
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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