Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29217 | |
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Monday, November 25, 2019 | |
Setter
Campbell (Allan Scott) | |
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29217] | |
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Miffypops | |
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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This puzzle appears on the Monday Diversions page in the Saturday, June 27, 2020 edition of the National Post.
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Introduction
Every five weeks — barring shenanigans by the editors at the National Post — the planets align and the puzzles are published in the National Post on the same day of the week on which they appeared in the UK.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.
| Markup Conventions | |
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| Click here for further explanation and usage examples of markup conventions used on this blog. | |
Across
| 1a | Rally: // scholars will go before second date (4,7) |
| 7a | Strange claim about American /in/ 'Miss Saigon', say (7) |
Miss Saigon is a 1989* musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil — the pair's second major success, following Les Misérables in 1985. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's 1904 opera Madame Butterfly, and similarly tells the tragic tale of a doomed romance involving an Asian woman abandoned by her American lover. The setting of the plot is relocated to 1970s Saigon during the Vietnam War, and Madame Butterfly's story of marriage between an American lieutenant and a geisha is replaced by a romance between a United States Marine and a seventeen-year-old South Vietnamese bargirl.
* London West End; Broadway 1991
| 8a | Distorted // point of view held by doctor (7) |
| 10a | Rant /from/ dreadful-sounding family group (8) |
The word "DIRE" , when pronounced in a non-rhotic accent (show explanation
) typical of dialects found in many parts of Britain (especially
southeastern England), sounds like "DIA".
Non-rhotic accents omit the sound < r > in certain situations, while rhotic accents generally pronounce < r > in all contexts. Among the several dozen British English accents which exist, many are non-rhotic while American English (US and Canadian) is mainly rhotic. This is, however, a generalisation, as there are areas of Britain that are rhotic, and areas of America that are non-rhotic. For more information, see this guide to pronouncing < r > in British English.
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Non-rhotic accents omit the sound < r > in certain situations, while rhotic accents generally pronounce < r > in all contexts. Among the several dozen British English accents which exist, many are non-rhotic while American English (US and Canadian) is mainly rhotic. This is, however, a generalisation, as there are areas of Britain that are rhotic, and areas of America that are non-rhotic. For more information, see this guide to pronouncing < r > in British English.
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Who is he talking about?
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In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Miffypops suggests weMark Knopfler[7] is a British musiciam who was the lead guitarist, lead singer, and songwriter for the rock band Dire Straits, which he co-founded with his younger brother, David Knopfler, in 1977. The group disbanded is 1995.think Mark Knopfler. |
| 11a | Always filling tin /in/ river (6) |
The symbol for the chemical element tin is Sn[5] (from late Latin stannum).
The Severn[5] is a river of southwestern Britain. Rising in central Wales, it flows north-east then south in a broad curve for some 290 km (180 miles) to its mouth on the Bristol Channel, flowing through the English counties of Shropshire, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire on its way to the sea.
| 13a | Trademark: // duck behind chunk of wood (4) |
"duck " = O [cricket term]
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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| 14a | Crowd // at ball, number having gatecrashed (10) |
| 16a | Group of dancers // refrain, joining queue (6,4) |
"queue " = LINE [chiefly British]
Queue[5] is a chiefly British term meaning a line or sequence of people or vehicles awaiting their turn to be attended to or to proceed. As Collins English Dictionary states, the usual US and Canadian term is line[10] (in this sense of the word).
The American Heritage Dictionary has the following to say about the history of the word queue[3]:
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Queue[5] is a chiefly British term meaning a line or sequence of people or vehicles awaiting their turn to be attended to or to proceed. As Collins English Dictionary states, the usual US and Canadian term is line[10] (in this sense of the word).
The American Heritage Dictionary has the following to say about the history of the word queue[3]:
When the British stand in queues (as they have been doing at least since 1837, when this meaning of the word is first recorded in English), they may not realize they form a tail. The French word queue from which the English word is borrowed is a descendant of Latin co-da, meaning "tail." French queue appeared in 1748 in English, referring to a plait of hair hanging down the back of the neck. By 1802 wearing a queue was a regulation in the British army, but by the mid-19th century queues had disappeared along with cocked hats. Latin co-da is also the source of Italian coda, which was adopted into English as a musical term (like so many other English musical terms that come from Italian). A coda is thus literally the "tail end" of a movement or composition.
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| 18a | Small head of dandelion, // unwanted plant (4) |
| 21a | One who fishes /in/ corner by river (6) |
| 22a | Splash // first drop of sauce on dish (8) |
| 24a | I land us in trouble /getting/ something for the garden perhaps (7) |
| 25a | Defeat, // not in sport (7) |
| 26a | Bargains to be had here /in/ a bar close to ground (3,4,4) |
As an anagram indicator, ground is used as the past tense or past participle of the verb grind[5]. An anagram indicator is typically a word that denotes movement or transformation. Grind denotes transformation, for example, in the sense of grain being ground into flour.
Car boot sale[5] (or boot sale[5]) is a British term for an outdoor sale at which people sell unwanted possessions, typically from the boots* of their cars.
Down
| 1d | Fly problem upset // horse (7) |
| 2d | Notice about vicious dog /in/ stable (6) |
| 3d | Courage under tap? // This doesn't contain that sort of drink! (4,6) |
Bottle[5] is an informal British term denoting the courage or confidence needed to do something difficult or dangerous ⇒
I lost my bottle completely and ran.
Tap[5] is used in an informal sense meaning to obtain money or information from (someone) ⇒
As for Paul himself, he is the oddball in his family whom they cannot quite work out, but tap for money as if he was a bank.
The definition cryptically implies that the answer doesn't contain the sort of drink dispensed from a tap (in a pub).
| 4d | European married revolutionary American /in/ novel (4) |
"European " = E [as in E-number]
E[1,2] is the abbreviation for European (as in E number*).
* An E number[1,4,10,14] (or E-number[2,5]) is any of various identification codes required by EU law, consisting of the letter E (for European) followed by a number, that are used to denote food additives such as colourings and preservatives (but excluding flavourings) that have been approved by the European Union.
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E[1,2] is the abbreviation for European (as in E number*).
* An E number[1,4,10,14] (or E-number[2,5]) is any of various identification codes required by EU law, consisting of the letter E (for European) followed by a number, that are used to denote food additives such as colourings and preservatives (but excluding flavourings) that have been approved by the European Union.
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Emma[7] is a novel by English writer Jane Austen (1775–1817) that was first published in 1815.
| 5d | Insinuation /made by/ union upset about result (8) |
| 6d | The Spanish convict brought over on // vessel (7) |
"the Spanish " = EL [Spanish definite article]
Lag[5] is an informal British term for a person who has been frequently convicted and sent to prison ⇒
both old lags were sentenced to ten years' imprisonment.
A galleon[5] was a sailing ship in use (especially by Spain) from the 15th to the 18th centuries, originally as a warship, later for trade. Galleons were typically square-rigged and had three or more decks and masts ⇒
a Spanish treasure galleon wrecked off the Florida Keys.
| 7d | Note young woman/'s/ section of society (6,5) |
In music, middle C[5] is the C near the middle of the piano keyboard, written on the first leger line below the treble stave or the first leger line above the bass stave.
* Leger line is another name for ledger line[5], a short line added for notes above or below the range of a stave.
| 9d | Put on important match between local teams -- // event at fete, maybe (6,5) |
Derby[2] (also local derby) is a British term for a race or a sports event or contest, especially a contest between teams from the same area.
Fete[5] (also fête) is a British term for a public function, typically held outdoors and organized to raise funds for a charity, including entertainment and the sale of goods and refreshments ⇒
a church fete.
A donkey derby[5] is a race between competitors riding donkeys.
What did he say?
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In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Miffypops explains the second word in the answer asa match between two local sides.
To Brits, "side" is another word for team (show more ).
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. hide |
What is being discussed?
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At Comment #6 on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Chris Rich write(s)Donkey rides[7] are a traditional feature of seaside resorts in the United Kingdom. Children are allowed to ride donkeys on a sandy beach for a fee in summer months while on holiday [vacation], normally led in groups at walking pace.Nice to see 9D – we had the ambulatory version on the beach here at Southend-on-Sea right up until 2010, when health and safety stepped in and robbed children of this simple pleasure. The tradition started in Victorian times, but is now much less popular. It is probable that the donkeys offered to ride on were originally working draught animals in the cockle industries around the coast. |
| 12d | One's abrupt shredding // a vegetable for the chow mein? (4,6) |
| 15d | Brazilian city surrounded by marvellous // lake (8) |
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.
| 17d | Developing naturally // in cargo at sea (7) |
| 19d | Girl -- // is she French? (7) |
In French, est[8] is the third person singular of the present indicative of the verb être (to be). In other words, it means 'is'.
Elle[8] is a French pronoun meaning either she (when used as a subject) or her (as an object).
| 20d | Watchword /of/ guy having painting put up (6) |
| 23d | A length therefore /might be/ further (4) |
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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