Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29210 | |
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Saturday, November 16, 2019 | |
Setter
Unknown | |
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29210 – Hints]Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29210 – Review] | |
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Big Dave (Hints)gnomethang (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.
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Introduction
If, like me, you enjoy cryptic definitions, then today's puzzle is a treat.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
| 8a | American university with current opening /for/ moderate (8) |
"American university " = MIT [Massachusetts Institute of Technology]
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology[5] (abbreviation MIT) is a US institute of higher education, famous for scientific and technical research, founded in 1861 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
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The Massachusetts Institute of Technology[5] (abbreviation MIT) is a US institute of higher education, famous for scientific and technical research, founded in 1861 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
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| 9a | Old boy, boring perhaps, // certainly not square (6) |
"old boy " = OB
In Britain, an old boy[5] (abbreviation OB[2]) is:
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In Britain, an old boy[5] (abbreviation OB[2]) is:
- a former male student of a school or college ⇒
an old boy of Banbury County School
- a former male member of a sports team or company ⇒
the White Hart Lane old boy squared the ball to present an easy chance from 12 yards
‘Look here, old boy,’ he said.
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| 10a | When head's removed, touch // fish (3) |
| 11a | Unsettled /when/ flying? (2,3,3) |
| 12a | Story to introduce the German // songs (6) |
"the German " = DER
A lied[5] (plural lieder) is a type of German song, especially of the Romantic period, typically for solo voice with piano accompaniment.
Scratching the Surface
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| Although lieder do happen to be German songs, the definition is merely "songs" — notwithstanding gnomethang's assertion otherwise on Big Dave's Crossword Blog — as the word "German" is a necessary part of the wordplay. By cryptic crossword convention, it is verboten for only part of a clue element to do "double duty" as he suggests. Note the difference between the situation in this clue and that found in 17d. In the latter clue, the entire wordplay is doing "double duty" by being embedded in the cryptic definition. |
| 13a | Quiz score? (6,9) |
Scratching the Surface
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| Twenty Questions[5] is a spoken parlor game, which encourages deductive reasoning and creativity. The game originated in the United States and was played widely in the 19th century. It escalated in popularity during the late 1940s, when it became the format for a successful weekly radio quiz program and, later, a television program that aired on various US networks. Several incarnations of the game have also aired on radio and television in the UK. In the traditional game, one player is chosen to be the answerer. That person chooses a subject (object) but does not reveal this to the others. All other players are questioners. They each take turns asking a question which can be answered with a simple "Yes" or "No". The answerer answers each question in turn. If a questioner guesses the correct answer, that questioner wins and becomes the answerer for the next round. If 20 questions are asked without a correct guess, then the answerer has stumped the questioners and gets to be the answerer for another round. |
| 15a | Communist record /in/ protracted bureaucracy (3,4) |
| 18a | Room occupied by old // bag (7) |
Holdall[10] is the British name for the piece of luggage known in North America as a carryall[10], a large strong bag with handles.
| 21a | Just over 23 degrees below here? Often more! (9,6) |
The Antarctic Circle[5] is the parallel of latitude 66° 33ʹ south of the equator. It marks the southernmost point at which the sun is visible on the southern winter solstice and the northernmost point at which the midnight sun can be seen on the southern summer solstice.
The Antarctic Circle is 23° 27ʹ north of the South Pole. Thus there are just over 23 degrees of latitude below (south) of it. The temperature at the Antarctic Circle is often more than 23 degrees below zero.
| 24a | Perfect place // best one in posh area (6) |
"posh " = U [upper class]
In Britain, U[5] is used informally as an adjective (in respect to language or social behaviour) meaning characteristic of or appropriate to the upper social classes ⇒
The term, an abbreviation of upper class, was coined in 1954 by Alan S. C. Ross, professor of linguistics, and popularized by its use in Nancy Mitford's Noblesse Oblige (1956).
In Crosswordland, the letter U is frequently clued by words denoting "characteristic of the upper class" (such as posh or superior) or "appropriate to the upper class" (such as acceptable).
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In Britain, U[5] is used informally as an adjective (in respect to language or social behaviour) meaning characteristic of or appropriate to the upper social classes ⇒
U manners.
The term, an abbreviation of upper class, was coined in 1954 by Alan S. C. Ross, professor of linguistics, and popularized by its use in Nancy Mitford's Noblesse Oblige (1956).
In Crosswordland, the letter U is frequently clued by words denoting "characteristic of the upper class" (such as posh or superior) or "appropriate to the upper class" (such as acceptable).
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Utopia[5] is an imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect ⇒ (i)
misplaced faith in political utopias has led to ruin; (ii)
a romantic vision of Utopia.
Origin: the word first appeared in the book Utopia (1516) by Sir Thomas More.
| 25a | Notice worker eating cake /that's/ rich (8) |
"worker " = ANT
The terms "worker" and "social worker" are commonly used in cryptic crossword puzzles to clue ANT or BEE.
A worker[5] is a neuter or undeveloped female bee, wasp, ant, or other social insect, large numbers of which do the basic work of the colony.
In crossword puzzles, "worker" will most frequently be used to clue ANT and occasionally BEE but I have yet to see it used to clue WASP. Of course, "worker" is sometimes also used to clue HAND or MAN.
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The terms "worker" and "social worker" are commonly used in cryptic crossword puzzles to clue ANT or BEE.
A worker[5] is a neuter or undeveloped female bee, wasp, ant, or other social insect, large numbers of which do the basic work of the colony.
In crossword puzzles, "worker" will most frequently be used to clue ANT and occasionally BEE but I have yet to see it used to clue WASP. Of course, "worker" is sometimes also used to clue HAND or MAN.
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| 26a | Greek character died /in/ sludge (3) |
Mu[5] is the twelfth letter of the Greek alphabet (Μ, μ).
| 27a | Diana shortly needing European // aerial (6) |
You may have noticed that, in Crosswordland, a European is almost invariably a Pole.
A dipole[10] is a directional radio or television aerial [antenna] consisting of two equal lengths of metal wire or rods, with a connecting wire fixed between them in the form of a T.
| 28a | Cherish // sinner -- he must be converted (8) |
Down
| 1d | Fish // pub served during harvest (6) |
| 2d | Drink, hot, acceptable /in/ tube (6) |
| 3d | Gym with a special ramp built /for/ sporting occasion (10,5) |
| 4d | Drinker's obvious hangover? (4,3) |
What did he say?
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In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, gnomethang describes this clue as aThe Campaign for Real Ale[7] (CAMRA) is an independent voluntary consumer organisation headquartered in St Albans, England, which promotes real ale, real cider and the traditional British pub. It is now the largest single-issue consumer group in the UK, and is a founding member of the European Beer Consumers Union (EBCU).great cryptic definition of the part of the constitution that hangs over the belt on a committed CAMRA member. Real ale[7] is the name coined by CAMRA in 1973 for a type of beer defined as "beer brewed from traditional ingredients, matured by secondary fermentation in the container from which it is dispensed, and served without the use of extraneous carbon dioxide". The heart of the definition is the maturation requirements. If the beer is unfiltered, unpasteurised and still active on the yeast, it is a real ale; it is irrelevant whether the container is a cask or a bottle. CAMRA does not support the promotion and sale of keg* based craft beer. CAMRA's Internal Policy document states that real ale can only be served from cask without the use of additional carbonation. This policy means that "any beer brand which is produced in both cask and keg versions" is not admitted to CAMRA festivals or supported by CAMRA.[7] * Here keg is used — not in the sense of a small barrel — but in the sense of a pressurized metal barrel with a valve at one end, used to store and dispense beer or other carbonated drinks. |
| 5d | The road to ruin? (9,6) |
| 6d | Down flier? (8) |
| 7d | Knight in messy latrine // located within (8) |
"knight " = N [chess notation]
A knight[5] is a chess piece, typically with its top shaped like a horse’s head, that moves by jumping to the opposite corner of a rectangle two squares by three. Each player starts the game with two knights.
N[5] is the abbreviation for knight used in recording moves in chess [representing the pronunciation of kn-, since the initial letter k- represents 'king'].
As an aside, it is interesting to note that the Chambers 21st Century Dictionary defines:
On the other hand, both The Chambers Dictionary and the Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary list K or K.[1,11] as an abbreviation for knight without specifying the specific context in which this abbreviation is used. However, the context may well be in an honours list rather than in a game of chess. In the UK, for instance, KBE[5] stands for Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
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A knight[5] is a chess piece, typically with its top shaped like a horse’s head, that moves by jumping to the opposite corner of a rectangle two squares by three. Each player starts the game with two knights.
N[5] is the abbreviation for knight used in recording moves in chess [representing the pronunciation of kn-, since the initial letter k- represents 'king'].
As an aside, it is interesting to note that the Chambers 21st Century Dictionary defines:
- K[2] as an abbreviation used in chess for knight.
- K[2] is a symbol used in chess to represent a king.
- N[2] is a symbol used in chess to represent a knight.
On the other hand, both The Chambers Dictionary and the Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary list K or K.[1,11] as an abbreviation for knight without specifying the specific context in which this abbreviation is used. However, the context may well be in an honours list rather than in a game of chess. In the UK, for instance, KBE[5] stands for Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
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| 14d | Somewhat horrendous // death (3) |
| 16d | Structure in Steinbeck shows // genius (8) |
Albert Einstein[5] (1879–1955) was a German-born American theoretical physicist, founder of the special and general theories of relativity. His name has become synonymous with genius ⇒
you won't have to be an Einstein to use it.
Scratching the Surface
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| John Steinbeck[5] (1902–1968) was an American novelist. His work, for example Of Mice and Men (1937) and The Grapes of Wrath (1939), is noted for its sympathetic and realistic portrayal of the migrant agricultural workers of California. Nobel Prize for Literature (1962). |
| 17d | Might we need this one as pot boils? (8) |
The entire clue is a cryptic definition in which the wordplay is embedded (as indicated by the double underline).
In the cryptic definition, we are to infer that the pot is being boiled as the initial step in preparing a pot of tea.
| 19d | Electrical discharge /from/ vessel, reportedly (3) |
| 20d | Keep // changing dialect (7) |
A keep[5] is the strongest or central tower of a castle, acting as a final refuge.
| 22d | Contractual addenda /for/ travellers (6) |
| 23d | Does it conceal seamy side of our habits? (6) |
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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