Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29000 | |
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Saturday, March 16, 2019 | |
Setter
Unknown | |
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29000 – Hints]Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29000 – Review] | |
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Big Dave (Hints)crypticsue (Review) | |
BD Rating
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| Difficulty - ★★★ | Enjoyment - ★★★ |
Falcon's Experience
┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐
███████████████████████████████████
└────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘
Legend:
█ - solved without assistance
█ - incorrect prior to use of puzzle solving tools
█ - solved with assistance from puzzle solving tools
█ - solved with aid of checking letters provided by puzzle solving tools
█ - solved but without fully parsing the clue
█ - unsolved or incorrect prior to visiting Big Dave's Crossword Blog
█ - solved with aid of checking letters provided by solutions from Big Dave's Crossword Blog
█ - reviewed by Falcon for Big Dave's Crossword Blog
█ - yet to be solved
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Notes
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As this was a Saturday "Prize Puzzle" in Britain, there are two entries related to it on Big Dave's Crossword Blog — the first, posted on the date of publication, contains hints for selected clues while the second is a full review issued following the entry deadline for the contest. The vast majority of reader comments will generally be found attached to the "hints" posting with a minimal number — if any — accompanying the full review.
This puzzle appears on the Monday Diversions page in the Saturday, September 14, 2019 edition of the National Post.
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Introduction
Today, several digits on the puzzle counter roll over — this being puzzle number DT 29000. While there should be nothing particularly significant about numbers such as this, they are customarily treated as major milestones.On the day that this puzzle appeared in the UK, the Brits were preoccupied with rugby — it being the final day of the 2019 Six Nations Championship*[7]. Three matches were played that day: France defeated Italy 25-14, Wales defeated Ireland 25-7 in the match that occasions the most comment on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, and England and Scotland played to a 38-38 draw. The Calcutta Cup (mentioned in several comments on Big Dave's Crossword Blog) is a trophy awarded to the winner of the match between England and Scotland. As the 2019 match ended in a draw, Scotland finds itself in possession of the cup on the basis of winning in 2018.
* The Six Nations Championship[7] is an annual international rugby union competition between the teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. The current champions are Wales, having won the 2019 tournament.
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
| 4a | Prompt // check on car -- that is to save tax (8) |
In the UK, MOT[5] (also MOT test) refers to a compulsory annual test for safety and exhaust emissions of motor vehicles of more than a specified age.
Origin: abbreviation of Ministry of Transport, which introduced the original test
A value added tax[5] (abbreviation VAT)
is a tax on the amount by which the value of an article has been
increased at each stage of its production or distribution. (show more )
The European Union value added tax[7] (or EU VAT) is a value added tax on goods and services within the European Union (EU). The EU's institutions do not collect the tax, but EU member states (including the UK) are each required to adopt a value added tax that complies with the EU VAT code. Different rates of VAT apply in different EU member states, ranging from 17% in Luxembourg to 27% in Hungary. In the UK, the rate is 20%.
Canada's Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) are each instances of a value added tax.[7]
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The European Union value added tax[7] (or EU VAT) is a value added tax on goods and services within the European Union (EU). The EU's institutions do not collect the tax, but EU member states (including the UK) are each required to adopt a value added tax that complies with the EU VAT code. Different rates of VAT apply in different EU member states, ranging from 17% in Luxembourg to 27% in Hungary. In the UK, the rate is 20%.
Canada's Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) are each instances of a value added tax.[7]
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| 8a | Power given by Irish water // that produces agricultural turnover (6) |
"power" = P [symbol used in physics] (show reference )
Lough[10] [pronounced identically to and having the same meaning as the Scottish word loch[10]] is an Irish word meaning lake.
In British English, the name of this farm implement is spelt plough[5]; in US English, it is spelled plow.
| 9a | Tea-maker // who tries really hard? (8) |
| 10a | Blended label rum -- // one should keep water away (8) |
| 11a | Old rocker's following used to be // dissipated (6) |
Ted[2] is short for Teddy boy[5], a slang term originally applied to a young man belonging to a subculture in 1950s Britain characterized by a style of dress based on Edwardian fashion (typically with drainpipe trousers, bootlace tie, and hair slicked up in a quiff* and a liking for rock-and-roll music. The name comes from from Teddy, pet form of the given name Edward (with reference to Edward VII's reign). Judging by the entry in the Chambers 21st Century Dictionary, it would appear that the term Teddy boy[2] is now applied to any unruly or rowdy adolescent male.
* Quiff[3,4] is a chiefly British term for a prominent tuft of hair, especially one brushed up above the forehead.
| 12a | Repress // what head and tail of pups do? (6,2) |
The head (initial letter) and tail (final letter) of P(UP)S bottle (form a container around) the word UP.
| 13a | Most uneven // nap, having eaten duck --that's horrid! (8) |
"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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| 16a | In great detail, // eventually (2,6) |
| 19a | Doctor envied church // grounds (8) |
"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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| 21a | It's left on Dec 24 by Santa and his reindeer, /and/ grand to put around rhubarb (6) |
G as an abbreviation for grand is a North American usage that the Brits would appear to have embraced (show more ).
While the abbreviation G for "grand" is deemed by British dictionaries to be an Americanism, it seems to be one that is well known to Brits — undoubtedly from American gangster films. It is frequently seen in British crossword puzzles and never seems to garner the abuse that usually greets the appearance of American terms.
Grand[5] is an informal term for a thousand dollars or pounds ⇒
G is defined in various British dictionaries as follows:
While the abbreviation G for "grand" is deemed by British dictionaries to be an Americanism, it seems to be one that is well known to Brits — undoubtedly from American gangster films. It is frequently seen in British crossword puzzles and never seems to garner the abuse that usually greets the appearance of American terms.
Grand[5] is an informal term for a thousand dollars or pounds ⇒
he gets thirty-five grand a year. While the term "grand" itself would seem to be commonly used in the UK, the informal abbreviation G[5] meaning grand appears to be regarded as a North American usage ⇒
I was up nine Gs on the blackjack tables.
G is defined in various British dictionaries as follows:
- Oxford Dictionaries: (North American informal) abbreviation for grand, a thousand dollars)[5].
- Chambers 21st Century Dictionary: (North American slang) abbreviation for a grand, 1000 dollars[2].
- Collins English Dictionary: (mainly US slang) a symbol for grand (a thousand dollars or pounds)[4,10].
Rhubarb[5] is an informal British term denoting nonsense* ⇒
it was all rhubarb, about me, about her daughter, about art.
* The term may well come from the theatre world where the term rhubarb[5] refers to the noise made by a group of actors to give the impression of indistinct background conversation, especially by the random repetition of the word ‘rhubarb’.
Rot[3,4,11] is used in the sense of pointless talk or nonsense.
| In the 20th century it became common during December in large shops
or department stores to have a "cavern" in which an actor dressed up as
Santa Claus would give gifts to children. Grottos can be large
walk-through fantasy cavern-like areas incorporating animatronic
characters such as elves and pantomime characters. This tradition
started in Britain in 1879 and then extended in the 1890s to Australian
and American department stores seeking to attract customers. The world's first Christmas grotto was in Lewis's Bon Marche Department Store in Liverpool, England. The grotto was opened in 1879, entitled "Christmas Fairyland". A staple of Liverpool's festive season, many generations first visited Father Christmas here, with the final displays covering over 10,000 square feet (930 m2). The Grotto has now moved to St. Johns Market, St. Johns Shopping Centre (Liverpool, UK) and runs by the name 'Liverpool's Famous Grotto'. Nowadays department stores and shopping centres in the UK still host Santa's Grottos. It is traditional that the children receive a toy from Father Christmas upon visiting his Grotto be it in a shopping mall or a little garden centre. Grottos are sometimes free and sometimes they charge parents to let their kids see Santa and receive a surprise gift. |
| 23a | Out-of-the-way // tipsy cuddles, ecstasy to be hugged (8) |
"Ecstasy | drug" = E (show explanation )
E[5] is an abbreviation for the drug Ecstasy* or a tablet of Ecstasy ⇒ (i)
* Ecstasy[5] is an illegal amphetamine-based synthetic drug with euphoric effects, originally produced as an appetite suppressant. Also called MDMA (Methylenedioxymethamphetamine).
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E[5] is an abbreviation for the drug Ecstasy* or a tablet of Ecstasy ⇒ (i)
people have died after taking E; (ii)
being busted with three Es can lead to stiff penalties.
* Ecstasy[5] is an illegal amphetamine-based synthetic drug with euphoric effects, originally produced as an appetite suppressant. Also called MDMA (Methylenedioxymethamphetamine).
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| 24a | Learned folk /will be/ polite, rational, internally ... (8) |
| 25a | ... more calm, // sitting back in chauffeured limousine (6) |
| 26a | Northern god missing nothing, consumed /in/ menace (8) |
Down
| 1d | Puzzle /seeing/ married male, strong beast, oppressed by what he calls a cold! (7) |
Man flu[10] is an informal, derogatory term* for a case of the common cold as suffered by a man, implying that he is exaggerating the debilitating effects of the illness.
* an ailment recorded in most of my British dictionaries but yet to make an appearance in any of my American dictionaries
| 2d | Traitor after endless fortune -- one has /to be/ well-paid (9) |
On first appearances, a third person construction in the clue ("one has") would seem to become a first person construction in the solution ("I've").
The pronoun one[5] can be used to refer to the speaker, or any person, as representing people in general. Although technically a third person pronoun, in certain contexts when referring to the speaker, it can effectively be considered to be used as a first person pronoun. For instance, the statement
As distasteful as this task is, one has got to do what one has got to dois equivalent to
As distasteful as this task is, I've got to do what I've got to do.
| 3d | The woman loveless love // put off (6) |
"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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| 4d | False impression /made by/ undertaking absorbing little program about chicken (15) |
The clueing "little program" denotes not a program with only a few lines of code but rather that we need a shortened version of the word APPLICATION.
In the computing field, an app[5] (short for application) is an an application, especially as downloaded by a user to a mobile device ⇒
apparently there are these new apps that will actually read your emails to you.
| 5d | Reject // that could show worth? (5,3) |
This is a reverse (or inverse)* wordplay clue. The solution consists of an anagram indicator and anagram fodder that produces a result found in the wordplay.
* In a "normal" clue, the indicator and fodder would be found in the wordplay with the result appearing in the solution.
In cryptic crossword syntax, THROW OUT could indicate an anagram of (out) THROW.
| 6d | Circulation aids // weathercocks, it's said (5) |
| 7d | Having defeats and victories only, apparently, // in an open-neck shirt? (7) |
In her review, crypticsue does not mark this as a double definition (as I do) seemingly because she spells the solution to the first part with a hyphen (which I don't).
| 14d | House idly refurbished // in a frightful way (9) |
| 15d | I will join good number going to rave // in the dark (8) |
"good" = G [academic result] (show reference )
Scratching the Surface
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| Rave[3,4,11] (also rave-up) is a chiefly British term for a raucous or boisterous party, especially a dance. |
| 17d | Like a mere // stain? (7) |
A double definition, the first being whimsical.
Mere[5] is a literary British term for a lake or pond ⇒
the stream widens into a mere where hundreds of geese gather.
Those of us in Ottawa should be familiar with this word as the Mackenzie King Estate (the country estate of Canada’s 10th and longest-serving prime minister, William Lyon Mackenzie King) is located just across the Ottawa River in Kingsmere, Quebec, on the shores of Kingsmere Lake (a name which surely amounts to Kingslake Lake).
A tarn[5] is a small mountain lake.
| 18d | Half of school rejected studying sacred books by this writer, // one inventing plots (7) |
In the UK, religious education[10] (abbreviation RE[5]) is a subject taught in schools which educates about the different religions of the world.
"this writer" = ME (show explanation )
It is a common cryptic crossword convention for the creator of the puzzle to use terms such as (the or this) compiler, (the or this) setter, (the or this) speaker, (this) author, (this) writer, or this person to refer to himself or herself. To solve such a clue, one must generally substitute a first person pronoun (I or ME) for whichever of these terms has been used in the clue.
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It is a common cryptic crossword convention for the creator of the puzzle to use terms such as (the or this) compiler, (the or this) setter, (the or this) speaker, (this) author, (this) writer, or this person to refer to himself or herself. To solve such a clue, one must generally substitute a first person pronoun (I or ME) for whichever of these terms has been used in the clue.
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| 20d | Pay /and/ enter with the wrong order! (6) |
The indicator "with the wrong order" instructs us to reverse the order of the words in the phrase clued by the fodder. Thus, when the order of the words is changed, COME IN (enter) is transformed into INCOME.
| 22d | Melody /that gives/ those people energy (5) |
"energy" = E [symbol used in physics] (show reference )
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 Advanced 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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