Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29208 | |
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Thursday, November 14, 2019 | |
Setter
proXimal (Steve Bartlett) | |
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29208] | |
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Kath | |
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
Quite early I recognized this puzzle as a potential pangram — or, it being a "Thursday" puzzle, a near pangram missing only the X. In a departure from my usual habits, I actually remembered to keep track of the letters as I worked through the puzzle. I wonder if counting letters like this is considered to be akin to counting cards in a casino?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 | Support composer giving out unknown // previous compositions (8) |
Franz Liszt[5] (1811–1886) was a Hungarian composer and pianist. (show more )
He was a key figure in the romantic movement; many of his piano compositions combine lyricism with great technical complexity, while his twelve symphonic poems (1848–58) created a new musical form.
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He was a key figure in the romantic movement; many of his piano compositions combine lyricism with great technical complexity, while his twelve symphonic poems (1848–58) created a new musical form.
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"unknown " = Z [algebraic notation]
| 5a | Shelter // a year in overcrowded neighbourhood (6) |
| 10a | Rocking tunes -- love absurd // musical (6,9) |
What did he say?
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In Comment #36 on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Miffypops writesSunset Boulevard[7] is a Tony Award-winning musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber based on Billy Wilder's Academy Award-winning 1950 film of the same title[7]. The show opened in London's West End in 1993 and on Broadway in 1994. The title comes from the thoroughfare of that name which runs through Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, California.I would question whether 10ac was a musical. I don’t remember any songs from it.. The film (not a musical) on which it is based stars William Holden as Joe Gillis, a struggling screenwriter, and Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond, a former silent-film star who draws him into her demented fantasy world, where she dreams of making a triumphant return to the screen. Sunset Boulevard (the film) was nominated for 11 Academy Awards (including nominations in all four acting categories) and won three. It has been ranked by the American Film Institute as one of the top 20 greatest movies ever made. |
| 11a | Incident // is put on record; old editor to retire (7) |
"record " = EP [extended play]
EP[10] (abbreviation for extended-play) is one of the formats in which music is sold, usually comprising four or five tracks. An EP contains more cuts than a single[5] but fewer than an LP or long-playing[5] record.
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EP[10] (abbreviation for extended-play) is one of the formats in which music is sold, usually comprising four or five tracks. An EP contains more cuts than a single[5] but fewer than an LP or long-playing[5] record.
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"old " = O [linguistics]
In linguistics, O[12] is the abbreviation for Old ⇒ (i)
However, a second entry from this same source shows o (lower case) meaning old (not capitalized) suggesting that the use of this abbreviation may not necessarily be confined to the field of linguistics.
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In linguistics, O[12] is the abbreviation for Old ⇒ (i)
OFr[Old French]; (ii)
OE[Old English].
However, a second entry from this same source shows o (lower case) meaning old (not capitalized) suggesting that the use of this abbreviation may not necessarily be confined to the field of linguistics.
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| 12a | Spot that woman's // instruments (7) |
| 13a | Jibe about backward Nordic // girl (8) |
| 15a | Disgust /of/ outcast getting knocked back (5) |
| 18a | Inform banks in West to drop // charges (5) |
| 20a | Wrongly form // pies to be cooked with mash (8) |
Scratching the Surface
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Mash[5] is an informal British term for mashed potato ⇒ for supper there was sausages and mash. |
| 23a | Reportedly recognised bad smell near overturned // baby (7) |
| 25a | Foul // seafood covering meal left by me (7) |
| 26a | Politician/'s/ period in power little welcomed by nurse (7,8) |
| 27a | Once more arrange // holiday destination (6) |
In the first definition, resort[1] (spelled re-sort[5] by Lexico*) is used in the sense of to sort (something) again or differently ⇒
children find pleasure in sorting and re-sorting boxes of buttons.
* formerly Oxford Dictionaries Online
| 28a | Humiliated // criminal agreed to go in two days (8) |
Down
| 1d | Vehicle on pavement edge clipped // street performer (6) |
Pavement[5] (the British name for sidewalk[5]) is defined as a raised paved* or asphalted path for pedestrians at the side of a road ⇒ (i)
he fell and hit his head on the pavement; (ii)
a pavement cafe.
* In Britain, pave[5] means to cover (a piece of ground) with flat stones or bricks — rather than asphalt ⇒
the yard at the front was paved with flagstones.
Kerb[5] is the British spelling of curb.
| 2d | Sure // trick provided to lift depression (9) |
| 3d | Now idle, resolved // to do this? (3,4) |
One could well consider the entire clue to be the definition.
| 4d | Occasionally used scabbard with English // sword (5) |
| 6d | Top // salesman's first with consumer (7) |
| 7d | Say farewell // the French way (5) |
| 8d | Doctor styled scruffily // in humble fashion (8) |
"doctor " = MO [medical officer]
A medical officer[5] (abbreviation MO[5]) is a doctor in charge of the health services of a civilian or military authority or other organization.
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A medical officer[5] (abbreviation MO[5]) is a doctor in charge of the health services of a civilian or military authority or other organization.
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| 9d | High over a road, small // birds of prey (8) |
| 14d | Absorbed by Iron Maiden number, I // like Maiden (8) |
The symbol for the chemical element iron is Fe[5] (from Latin ferrum).
"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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Scratching the Surface
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| Iron Maiden[7] are an English heavy metal band formed in 1975 and still active today. A planned 2020 Australian tour is cancelled until further notice because of the quarantine. |
| 16d | Filled // up tape with old broadcast (9) |
| 17d | Managed to be overwhelmed by frets about // relocation (8) |
| 19d | Note books on hire are regularly /getting/ dirtier (7) |
"note " = SO [fifth note of a major scale]
According to most British dictionaries*, so[2,4,5,10] and sol[2,4,5,10] are variant spellings of soh[2,4,5,10], (in tonic sol-fa) the fifth note of a major scale. On the other hand, The Chambers Dictionary lists so[1] and soh[1] as variant spellings of sol[1].
* US dictionaries do not recognize the soh spelling and list so[3,11,12] as a variant spelling of sol[3,11,12].
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According to most British dictionaries*, so[2,4,5,10] and sol[2,4,5,10] are variant spellings of soh[2,4,5,10], (in tonic sol-fa) the fifth note of a major scale. On the other hand, The Chambers Dictionary lists so[1] and soh[1] as variant spellings of sol[1].
* US dictionaries do not recognize the soh spelling and list so[3,11,12] as a variant spelling of sol[3,11,12].
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"books " = OT [Old Testament]
In Crosswordland, the term "books" — and related phrases such as "collection of books" or "religious books" — are commonly used to clue either the Old Testament (OT) or the New Testament (NT).
Today, as is often the case, the clue provides no indication whether the reference is to the former or the latter.
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In Crosswordland, the term "books" — and related phrases such as "collection of books" or "religious books" — are commonly used to clue either the Old Testament (OT) or the New Testament (NT).
Today, as is often the case, the clue provides no indication whether the reference is to the former or the latter.
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| 21d | Transport firm /collecting/ gold fabrication within hour (7) |
Haulier[5] is a British term* for a person or company employed in the transport of goods or materials by road ⇒
a major haulier between Europe and Asia.
* North American term hauler.
| 22d | Loved // a party with wine (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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| 24d | Oriental vessels crossing river /for/ factory (5) |
| 25d | Bird /from/ east with legs aloft (5) |
A snipe[5] is any of several species of wading bird of marshes and wet meadows, with brown camouflaged plumage, a long straight bill, and typically a drumming display flight.
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)
Once again out of sync with Kath and most of the BD posters, as I needed no help and only a bit of additional time nudged this puzzle into two star territory. Never heard of a haulier; ridiculous word, but nothing else fits the crossing letters.
ReplyDeleteCollins English Dictionary provides a second meaning, namely "a person that hauls, especially a mine worker who conveys coal from the workings to the foot of the shaft". Perhaps there is some parallelism with "collier".
ReplyDelete