Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29155 | |
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Friday, September xx, 2019 | |
Setter
Giovanni (Don Manley) | |
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29155] | |
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
With regard to today's puzzle, I can offer no better assessment than to echo that of Deep Threat on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, "I found today’s Giovanni very accessible, with only the oily substance at 19d giving me any trouble."I invite you to leave a comment to let us know how you fared with the puzzle.
Introducing A Format Change
For several years, I have been hiding information dealing with words and
features that appear frequently in puzzles. This removes information
that regular readers no doubt find repetative while still making it
accessible to newcomers to the site or to others who choose to look at
it. In the past, access to the hidden information has been through a (show more ) link (or link with a similarly-worded label). Starting today, access will be by clicking on an
element of the entry itself. For instance, in the review of clue 11a,
click on the word "daughter" to reveal the hidden information.
Clicking on "show more" has revealed the hidden information. You can hide the information again by clicking on "hide" below.
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Clicking on "show more" has revealed the hidden information. You can hide the information again by clicking on "hide" below.
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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.
| Markup Conventions | |
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| Click here for further explanation and usage examples of markup conventions used on this blog. | |
Across
| 1a | Belief /as/ source of hope in troubled times? (6) |
Theism[2] is the the belief in the existence of God or a god, especially one revealed supernaturally to humans.
| 4a | Pussy eats stewed bream /or/ some other seafood (8) |
Scratching the Surface
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| The bream[5] (Abramis brama) is a greenish-bronze deep-bodied freshwater fish native to Europe. |
| 9a | Previous enemy's ending /in/ house of prayer (6) |
A priory[5] is a small monastery or nunnery that is governed by a prior or prioress.
| 10a | Physically abusive types /offering/ kisses? (8) |
Down the Garden Path
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| Not finding the first definition in any of my regularly-consulted dictionaries, I had initially supposed it to be a whimsical extrapolation from the verb ('one who smacks'). However, upon reading Deep Threat's review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, I saw his description of it as a word describing people who, in PC terminology, are physically abusive. I naively thought that PC referred to personal computer and spent some time trying to verify that smackers were somewhat akin to trolls (the word "physically" should have alerted me to the fact that I was heading down the proverbial garden path but unfortunately it didn't). While the search proved fruitless, it did reveal that the Merriam-Webster Dictionary does define smacker as one that smacks. In fact, it goes on to say that the first known use of the word was in 1611 — and was used in this very sense. I finally twigged to the fact that Deep Threat was actually referring to politically correct terminilogy for those who administer corporal punishement to children. |
| 11a | Sadly never having had food, daughter /becomes/ exhausted (9) |
| 13a | Girl // revealed in silly diary (5) |
| 14a | Underground worker, ace thinking properly // about study of ores (13) |
| 17a | Cool instruction to assistant dealing with letters /seen as/ trivial (13) |
Split the final eleven letters of the solution (4,2,1,3'1) to obtain an instruction that an one might give to their correspondence secretary.
| 21a | Maybe censor // article in Gaelic language (5) |
Erse[5] is a dated term for the Scottish or Irish Gaelic language.
| 23a | In pain, // wasted away, left abandoned (9) |
| 24a | Horse with excellent name -- // Ben, maybe? (8) |
Ben[5] (used especially in place names) is Scottish for a high mountain or mountain peak ⇒
Ben Nevis*.
* Ben Nevis[5] is a mountain in western Scotland. Rising to 1,343 m (4,406 ft), it is the highest mountain in the British Isles.
| 25a | Robe -- // king has one on, smothering maiden with love (6) |
" maiden " = M [scoreless over in cricket]
In cricket, a maiden[5], also known as a maiden over and denoted on cricket scorecards by the abbreviation m.[10], is an over* in which no runs are scored.
* An over[5] is a division of play consisting of a sequence of six balls bowled by a bowler from one end of the pitch, after which another bowler takes over from the other end.
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In cricket, a maiden[5], also known as a maiden over and denoted on cricket scorecards by the abbreviation m.[10], is an over* in which no runs are scored.
* An over[5] is a division of play consisting of a sequence of six balls bowled by a bowler from one end of the pitch, after which another bowler takes over from the other end.
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" love " = O [nil score in tennis]
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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A kimono[5] is a long, loose traditional Japanese robe with wide sleeves, tied with a sash. The name has also come to mean a garment similar to a kimono worn elsewhere as a dressing gown.
| 26a | Sign of a bull? // One grins, shaking (4-4) |
| 27a | Greek characters // given guidance about endless assignment (6) |
Delta[5] is the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet (Δ, δ).
Down
| 1d | A good sort /in/ formal headgear (6) |
Topper[5] is a dated informal British term for an exceptionally good person or thing ⇒
She was a topper,’ he said with emotion.
Topper[5] is an informal term for a tophat ⇒
he raised his topper to her.
What did he say?
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In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Deep Threat describes the second definition asThe Royal Ascot[7], held each year in June at Ascot Racecourse in England, comprises a series of horse races spread over a period of five days. Dating back to 1711 when it was founded by Queen Anne, it is a major event in the British social calendar, and press coverage of the attendees and what they are wearing often exceeds coverage of the actual racing. Day three (Thursday) is known colloquially (but not officially) as Ladies' Day.an informal term for the sort of hat worn by men at Royal Ascot. The most prestigious viewing area is the Royal Enclosure which has a strictly enforced dress code. For women, only a day dress with a hat is acceptable, with rules applying to the length and style of the dress. In addition, women must not show bare midriffs or shoulders. For men, black or grey morning dress with top hat is required. |
| 2d | I deem rip's bad /in/ protective layer (9) |
| 3d | Endeavoured /to be/ good person, motivated without leader (7) |
" good person " = ST [saint]
| 5d | Giving new style to // funny old men, girl full of energy (11) |
| 6d | Support wooden person /in/ tasks still to be dealt with (7) |
Log[1] is a figurative term for an inert or insensitive person.
| 7d | In conclusion this writer /is/ correct (5) |
" this writer " = ME [cryptic crossword convention]
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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| 8d | The empty farm's outhouse // that can be tried out (8) |
In Britain, an outhouse[5] is a building such as a shed or barn that is built on to or in the grounds of a house rather than — as in North America — an outside toilet.
The only difference that I can see between the British definitions for outhouse[5] and outbuilding[5] is that the former may be — but is not necessarily — "built on to ... a house" and its size relative to the house is not specified whereas the latter is defined to be "a smaller separate building".
| 12d | Finish // period with one group of people (11) |
| 15d | Ruffian // that could give someone a close shave (3-6) |
Cut-throat[5] is a dated term for a murderer or other violent criminal ⇒
a disreputable squad of thieves, cut-throats, and deserters.
Cut-throat[5] is short for cut-throat razor[5] , a British term for a razor having a long blade set in a handle, usually folding like a penknife.
| 16d | Team's players -- // they may be collecting money on Sunday (8) |
" team " = SIDE
Side[5] is a British term for a sports team ⇒
* Note that, in Britain, a player is said to be "in a side" rather than "on a team" as one would say in North America.
In North America, the term side[3] is used in a very general fashion that can denote one of two or more opposing individuals, groups, teams, or sets of opinions. While this same general usage is also found in the UK, the term side[5] is also used there in a much more specific sense to mean a sports team, as we can clearly see from the following usage examples ⇒ (i)
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Side[5] is a British term for a sports team ⇒
there was a mixture of old and young players in* their side.
* Note that, in Britain, a player is said to be "in a side" rather than "on a team" as one would say in North America.
In North America, the term side[3] is used in a very general fashion that can denote one of two or more opposing individuals, groups, teams, or sets of opinions. While this same general usage is also found in the UK, the term side[5] is also used there in a much more specific sense to mean a sports team, as we can clearly see from the following usage examples ⇒ (i)
Previous England rugby sides, and England teams in many other sports, would have crumbled under the weight of such errors.; (ii)
They'll face better sides than this Monaco team, but you can only beat what's put in front of you.
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Sidesman[5] is a British term for a churchwarden's assistant, who performs such duties as showing worshippers to their seats and taking the collection during a church service.
| 18d | Bigger // kitchen device being heard (7) |
| 19d | Oily substance -- // a product available in Belfast? (7) |
Belfast[5] is the capital and chief port of Northern Ireland[5] (abbreviation NI[5]), a province of the United Kingdom occupying the northeast part of Ireland.
Split the solution (1,2,4) to get a phrase that satisfies the wordplay.
Aniline[5] is a colourless oily liquid present in coal tar. It is used in the manufacture of dyes, drugs, and plastics, and was the basis of the earliest synthetic dyes.
| 20d | Awful // notes after party upset (6) |
" party " = DO
Do[5,12] is an informal British[5] or chiefly British[12] term* for a party or other social event ⇒
* although Webster’s New World College Dictionary[12] supports the contention by Oxford Dictionaries Online[5] that this usage is British, two other US dictionaries do not characterize do[3,11] used in this sense as a British term
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Do[5,12] is an informal British[5] or chiefly British[12] term* for a party or other social event ⇒
the soccer club Christmas do.
* although Webster’s New World College Dictionary[12] supports the contention by Oxford Dictionaries Online[5] that this usage is British, two other US dictionaries do not characterize do[3,11] used in this sense as a British term
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| 22d | Fevers /with/ some vague symptoms (5) |
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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