Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29213 | |
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Wednesday, November 20, 2019 | |
Setter
Jay (Jeremy Mutch) | |
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29213] | |
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
2Kiwis | |
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
Another fine puzzle from Jay — who could well go by the name of Mr. Consistency.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 | European Parliament talks at length about right // vegetables (8,7) |
In the same way that one may use Ottawa, Washington, and London as metonyms for the Canadian, US, and UK governments respectively, Brussels serves as a metonym for the EU and its institutions.
Delving Deeper
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| Brussels[5]
(the capital of Belgium) is also considered the de facto capital of the European Union[7],
having a long history of hosting the institutions of the European Union. The EU has no official capital, and no
plans to declare one, but Brussels hosts the official seats of the
European Commission, Council of the European Union, and European
Council, as well as a seat (officially the second seat but de facto the
most important one) of the European Parliament. The European Parliament[5] is the legislative branch of the European Union, originally established in 1952. From 1958 to 1979 it was composed of representatives drawn from the parliaments of member countries, but since 1979 direct elections have taken place every five years. Through the Single European Act (1987) it assumed a degree of sovereignty over national parliaments*. * A major sore point for Brexit supporters in the UK. The headquarters of the European Parliament[7] are in Strasbourg (France). Luxembourg City (Luxembourg) is home to the administrative offices (the "General Secretariat"). Meetings of the whole Parliament ("plenary sessions") take place in Strasbourg and in Brussels. Committee meetings are held in Brussels. |
| 9a | Importance /of/ current tally (7) |
| 10a | Lives // dangerously initially in new series (7) |
| 11a | Bowled, completely smothering fine // stroke (9) |
| 12a | Run away, // liberated, having changed sides (4) |
| 13a | Turn, almost unable to see // mischievous imp (6) |
| 15a | Inspires // friends to follow Aeneid, oddly (8) |
Scratching the Surface
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| The Aeneid[5] is a Latin epic poem in twelve books by the Roman poet Virgil which relates the travels and experiences of Aeneas after the fall of Troy. |
| 18a | What a defender does /for/ shooter? (8) |
Mark[5] (said of a player in a team game) is a British term meaning to stay close to (an opponent) in order to prevent them getting or passing the ball ⇒
each central defender marks one attacker.
| 19a | Pursued -- /and/ reportedly innocent (6) |
| 22a | Ineffectual type /sees/ king in depression (4) |
"king " = R [Rex]
In the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms*, Rex[5] (abbreviation R[5]) [Latin for king] denotes the reigning king, used following a name (e.g. Georgius Rex, King George — often shortened to GR) or in the titles of lawsuits (e.g. Rex v. Jones, the Crown versus Jones — often shortened to R. v. Jones).
* A Commonwealth realm[7] is a sovereign state that is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and shares the same person, currently Elizabeth II, as its head of state and reigning constitutional monarch, but retains a crown legally distinct from the other realms. There are currently sixteen Commonwealth realms, the largest being Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom with the remainder being smaller Caribbean and Pacific island nations.
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In the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms*, Rex[5] (abbreviation R[5]) [Latin for king] denotes the reigning king, used following a name (e.g. Georgius Rex, King George — often shortened to GR) or in the titles of lawsuits (e.g. Rex v. Jones, the Crown versus Jones — often shortened to R. v. Jones).
* A Commonwealth realm[7] is a sovereign state that is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and shares the same person, currently Elizabeth II, as its head of state and reigning constitutional monarch, but retains a crown legally distinct from the other realms. There are currently sixteen Commonwealth realms, the largest being Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom with the remainder being smaller Caribbean and Pacific island nations.
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Here and There
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| The word drip would appear to have a somewhat different connotation in Britain than in North America. In Britain, drip[5] is an informal term for a weak and ineffectual person whereas, in North America, a drip[3] is a tiresome or annoying person. Now that's not to imply that one can't be both. |
| 23a | Removes // works by Pollock, say (9) |
Jackson Pollock[5] (1912–1956) was an American painter. He was a leading figure in the abstract expressionist movement and from 1947 became the chief exponent of the style known as action painting, whereby he poured, splashed, or dripped paint on to the canvas.
| 26a | School tests content of sumac // fruit (7) |
National Curriculum assessments[7] are a series of educational assessments, colloquially known as Sats or SATs, used to assess the attainment of children attending maintained schools* in England. They comprise a mixture of teacher-led and test-based assessment depending on the age of the pupils.
* In England and Wales, a maintained school[5] is a school that is funded by a local education authority. In North America, such a school would be called a public school. However, in the UK, the term public school is used for a special class of independent school. (read more )
In Britain, an independent school[10] is a school that is neither financed nor controlled by the government or local authorities; in other words, an independent school[2] is not paid for with public money and does not belong to the state school system.
A private school[2,5] is a special case of independent school, being a school run independently by an individual or group, especially for profit and supported wholly by the payment of fees.
A public school[2] is yet another class of independent school, a secondary school, especially a boarding school run independently of the state, financed by a combination of endowments and pupils' fees.
What we in North America would call a public school[2], is known in the UK as a state school[5] or a maintained school*.
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In Britain, an independent school[10] is a school that is neither financed nor controlled by the government or local authorities; in other words, an independent school[2] is not paid for with public money and does not belong to the state school system.
A private school[2,5] is a special case of independent school, being a school run independently by an individual or group, especially for profit and supported wholly by the payment of fees.
A public school[2] is yet another class of independent school, a secondary school, especially a boarding school run independently of the state, financed by a combination of endowments and pupils' fees.
What we in North America would call a public school[2], is known in the UK as a state school[5] or a maintained school*.
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This test should not be confused with the SAT[7] (Scholastic Aptitude Test or Scholastic Assessment Test), a Reasoning Test taken by high school students in the United States for admission into colleges.
A satsuma[5] is a tangerine of a hardy loose-skinned variety, originally grown in Japan.
Scratching the Surface
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Sumac[5] likely refers not to the North American sumac with which we are familiar but to the fruits of the Mediterranean sumac, used as a spice, especially in Middle Eastern cuisine ⇒ The spice sumac is made from the dried, powdered berries. |
| 27a | Motivate // one part of church after end of sermon (7) |
| 28a | Shy girl // dressed in silk overnight (9,6) |
Down
| 1d | Runner perhaps needing to reserve // somewhere to sit (7) |
Runner[2] is another term for runner bean[5], a British name for the plant (Phaseolus coccineus) also called scarlet runner (the name by which we know it in North America).
According to Wikipedia, "In the UK, the flowers [of the scarlet runner[7]] are often ignored, or treated as an attractive bonus to cultivating the plant for the beans, whereas in the US the scarlet runner is widely grown for its attractive flowers by people who would never think of eating it." In my experience, we Canucks are closer to the Yanks than the Brits in our treatment of this plant.
Bag[10] is an informal British term meaning to to reserve or secure the right to do or to have something ⇒
he bagged the best chair.
| 2d | Rough as a diamond? (5) |
I think we have to look at this as a cryptic definition with an embedded precise definition (the latter marked with a double underline to show the dual role that it plays). I don't believe that it can be a double definition as the two definitions would define essentially the same thing.
| 3d | Criminal is nervous, /seeing/ relics (9) |
| 4d | Release // upper-class type supporting the French (3,3) |
Toff[5] is a derogatory, informal British term for a rich or upper-class person.
| 5d | Going off // fish netted in swindle (8) |
| 6d | Recklessly courting danger /of/ skin infection? (4) |
| 7d | Makes waves, /seeing/ mostly improper evening shifts (9) |
Although I was unable to find late listed as a noun in any of my dictionaries, that is how it is being used here. Perhaps one could use it this way in a context such as ⇒
This week I work three early shifts followed by two lates.
| 8d | Nuns // stress terribly crossing Italy (7) |
| 14d | Lawyer /may see/ obstruction placed across street (9) |
| 16d | Religious teacher /with/ degree needing his hair restyled (9) |
A maharishi[5] is a great Hindu sage or spiritual leader.
| 17d | Damage in French port reduced // such seafood (8) |
Calais[5] is a ferry port in northern France. Captured by Edward III in 1347 after a long siege, it remained an English possession until it was retaken by the French in 1558.
Calamari[5] (also calamares) is squid served as food.
| 18d | Jellyfish // assumed to be wobbly (7) |
A medusa[11] is the free-swimming body form in the life cycle of a jellyfish or other coelenterate, usually dome-shaped with tentacles.
| 20d | Head of state taken in by respectable // pedigree (7) |
| 21d | Inviting // when family has gone without one (6) |
| 24d | Cool // approach to climbing mountain (5) |
| 25d | Manage to catch one /for/ bankruptcy (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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