Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 28892 | |
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Friday, November 9, 2018 | |
Setter
Giovanni (Don Manley) | |
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 28892] | |
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
This was pretty typical Giovanni fare. I worked through it slowly but surely, gradually teasing out the answers.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 Spots // little son being given kisses (6)
"little son" (abbreviation for son) = S [genealogy] (show explanation )
5a Robert depressed about empty day, // a severe setback (4,4)
9a What pianist needs to get to manage black notes? // Sly execution (5,8)
A black key on a piano keyboard[7] is one semitone higher in pitch* than the key immediately below it (i.e., it is a sharp relative to the key below it). Thus, considering the black keys to be sharps, a pianist who wants to play these keys well would need to engage in ("get") some "SHARP PRACTICE".
* It is also one semitone lower in pitch than the key immediately above it (i.e., it is a flat relative to the key above it).
Based on entries from several dictionaries, sharp practice is an old-fashioned term denoting dishonest or barely honest business or professional practices (show explanation ). Given its absence from American dictionaries one would have to conclude that it is a British term.
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- unscrupulous dealing, verging on dishonesty (The Chambers Dictionary)[1]
- dishonesty or cheating; unscrupulous dealing (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)[2]
- dishonest or barely honest dealings ⇒
any kind of sharp practice will ruin a barrister's career
(Oxford Dictionaries Online)[5] - (old-fashioned) dishonest or unscrupulous behaviour in business ⇒ (i)
The report seems to be saying that certain sharp practices are very common in business
; (ii)He accused some solicitors of sharp practice
(Collins English Dictionary)[10] - an action or a way of behaving, especially in business or professional matters, that is clever but dishonest (COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary)[14]
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What is an "ARVE Error"?
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| Those who visit Big Dave's Crossword Blog will see an "ARVE Error" message in place of the video that Deep Threat presumably included in his review. ARVE (Advanced Responsive Video Embedder) is a plugin for the WordPress content management system — the platform on which Big Dave's Crossword Blog operates. I would guess that parameter values that were valid at the time that Deep Threat's review was written in November 2018 are no longer supported, thus causing the error message to be displayed. |
10a First /and/ second to enter wood (8)
"second" = MO (show explanation )
Mo (abbreviation for moment) is an informal British[5,14], chiefly British[2,4], mainly British[10], or not specified as being British[1,11,12] term for a short period of time ⇒
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Mo (abbreviation for moment) is an informal British[5,14], chiefly British[2,4], mainly British[10], or not specified as being British[1,11,12] term for a short period of time ⇒
hang on a mo!. This meaning for the word "mo" is not found in the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language[3].
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11a After short time what has managed /to become/ country's biggest city (6)
Here and There
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Brits use the exclamation eh[10] to express questioning surprise or to seek the repetition or confirmation of a statement or question ⇒ Eh? What did you say?. Canadians, on the other hand, also — one might even say primarily — use the expression* eh[3,11] to ascertain or reinforce a listener's interest or agreement or simply as a conversation filler, equivalent to “you know” or “you see” ⇒ I was on my way, eh, when I realized I had forgotten to call you. * This usage of the expression is so quintessentially Canadian that it is one of the few Canadianisms to merit an entry in these US dictionaries. |
Tehran[5,7] (also Teheran) is the capital and the most populous city of Iran, situated in the foothills of the Elburz Mountains.
12a Deficiency /in/ desert (6)
14a Modest daughter hugging lover finally // expressed doubts (8)
"daughter" = D [genealogy] (show reference )
16a Upset about // meal's last courses? (8)
19a I tried somehow /to be/ less messy (6)
21a Grab // someone of distinction, competent but no leader (6)
Nob[5] is an informal British term for a person of wealth or high social position ⇒
it was quite a do—all the nobs were there.
Nobble[5] is an informal British term meaning to seize or accost (someone) ⇒ (i)
they nobbled him and threw him on to the train; (ii)
people always tried to nobble her at parties.
What did he say?
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In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Deep Threat describes this "person of distinction" asToff[5] is a derogatory, informal British term for a rich or upper-class person.a toff. Whereas toff is deemed to be a derogatory term, nob is apparently not considered so. |
23a Tea // before usual time? Bit of work about to be put into it (4,4)
In physics, the erg[5] is a unit of work or energy, equal to the work done by a force of one dyne when its point of application moves one centimeter in the direction of action of the force.
Earl Grey[5] is a kind of China tea flavoured with bergamot*.
Origin: Probably named after the 2nd Earl Grey (1764–1845).
* Bergamot[5] is an oily substance extracted from the rind of a dwarf variety of Seville orange, used in cosmetics and as flavouring in Earl Grey tea.
25a Building complex // redeveloped in e.g. south-east (7,6)
Housing estate[5,12] is the British name for a housing development, a residential area in which the houses have all been planned and built at the same time.
26a Good boy, not completely thick, // cheers up (8)
"good" = G [academic result] (show reference )
27a Wicked person // perched outside the underworld (6)
In Roman mythology, Dis[10] is the underworld or abode of the dead.
Down
2d Bit of cash // first pocketed by European (7)
In Crosswordland, more often than not, you will find that a European hails from Poland.
A pistole[5] is any of various gold coins used in Europe or Scotland in the 17th and 18th centuries.
3d Bird // caught landing on garden implement (5)
"caught" = C [cricket notation] (show explanation )
In cricket, one way for a batsman to be dismissed is to be caught out[5], that is for a player on the opposing team to catch a ball that has been hit by the batsman before it touches the ground.
On cricket scorecards, the abbreviation c.[2,10] or c[5] denotes caught (by).
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In cricket, one way for a batsman to be dismissed is to be caught out[5], that is for a player on the opposing team to catch a ball that has been hit by the batsman before it touches the ground.
On cricket scorecards, the abbreviation c.[2,10] or c[5] denotes caught (by).
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A crake[5] is a bird of the rail family with a short bill such as the corncrake[5], a secretive Eurasian crake inhabiting coarse grasslands, with mainly brown streaked plumage and a distinctive double rasping call.
4d Follower of team // to drink beer (9)
"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
Porter[5] is a dark brown bitter beer brewed from malt partly charred or browned by drying at a high temperature (originally made as a drink for porters).
5d Laid into // bed, judge gets tucked in (7)
6d Article jamming pipe /is/ an old coin (5)
A ducat[10] is any of various former European gold or silver coins, especially those used in Italy or the Netherlands.
7d Joyous socialist // waffled (9)
Blithe[5] is used in the literary sense of happy or carefree ⇒
a blithe seaside comedy.
Here and There
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| The word "waffle" has a different meaning in Britain than it does on this side of the Atlantic. To Brits, waffle[5] means:
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Blither[5] (variant form of blather) means to talk in a long-winded way without making very much sense ⇒
I won't blither on too much about the job itself.
8d Had too much on one's plate -- but managed to deal with it! (7)
13d Overseas travellers will have this, // going in a particular direction (9)
The phrase "oversEAS Travellers" has bound within it the word EAST (i.e., it has "EAST BOUND").
15d Storm is to put off // drivers (9)
17d English friend goes round old church /that is/ historically significant (7)
18d Using offensive words, tries to put off // some going through snow? (7)
Sledge[5] is an informal cricket term meaning to make taunting or teasing remarks to (an opposing player, especially a batsman) in order to disturb their concentration.
Equivalent North American term: (verb) trash-talk; (noun) trash talk
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*. |
20d Teams // participating in chapel evensong (7)
Eleven[5] is the number of players in* a cricket[7] side [team] or an Association football[7] [soccer] team — and is frequently used as a metonym for such a team ⇒
at cricket I played in the first eleven.
* Note that, in Britain, the words "side" and "team" are synonymous and a player is said to be "in a side" or "in a team" rather than "on a team" as one would say in North America.
Scratching the Surface
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In the
Christian Church, evensong[5] is a service of evening prayers, psalms, and canticles,
conducted according to a set form, especially that of the Anglican
Church ⇒ choral evensong. |
22d One left in West Country city, not half // one missing home? (5)
The term West Country[5] denotes the south-western counties of England.
Exeter[5] is a city in southwestern England, the county town of Devon, on the River Exe.
24d Good money abroad? // Excellent! (5)
Good (which first appeared in 26a) takes the stage again.
The rand[5] (abbreviation R[10]) is the basic monetary unit of South Africa, equal to 100 cents.
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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