Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29204 | |
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Saturday, November 9, 2019 | |
Setter
Unknown | |
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29204 – Hints]Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29204 – Review] | |
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Big Dave (Hints)crypticsue (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
In two of today's clues (8d and 11d), I was able to work out the correct solution from the wordplay but then had to verify that such terms actually exist. In 17d, I had forgotten about this term for an agglomeration of birds and needed an electronic nudge in order to complete the puzzle.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 | History // behind stadium (10) |
Ground[5] denotes an area of land, often with associated buildings and structures, used for a particular sport ⇒ (i)
Collins COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary says that a ground[14] is an area of land which is specially designed and made for playing sport or for some other activity. In American English grounds is also used. ⇒ (i)
I know of only two instances of this usage for sports facilities in North America (although there are undoubtedly others).
The Wanderers Grounds[7] is a sports field in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
The Polo Grounds[7] was the name of three stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used mainly for professional baseball and American football from 1880 until 1963. As the name suggests, the original Polo Grounds, opened in 1876 and demolished in 1889, was built for the sport of polo. It was converted to a baseball stadium in 1880. In baseball, the stadium served at various times as the home of the New York Giants (now San Francisco Giants), the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets. In football, it was home to the New York Giants (NFL) and New York Jets (AFL).
Shea Stadium opened in 1964 and replaced the Polo Grounds as the home of the Mets and Jets. The Polo Grounds was demolished that year and a public housing complex built on the site.
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a football ground; (ii)
Liverpool’s new ground is nearing completion. Although this usage of the word ground is not exclusively British, it does seem to be a usage that has fallen into disfavour in North America. In North America, it would be much more likely for such a venue to be called a field or a stadium (show more ).
Collins COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary says that a ground[14] is an area of land which is specially designed and made for playing sport or for some other activity. In American English grounds is also used. ⇒ (i)
the city's football ground; (ii)
a parade ground.
I know of only two instances of this usage for sports facilities in North America (although there are undoubtedly others).
The Wanderers Grounds[7] is a sports field in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
The Polo Grounds[7] was the name of three stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used mainly for professional baseball and American football from 1880 until 1963. As the name suggests, the original Polo Grounds, opened in 1876 and demolished in 1889, was built for the sport of polo. It was converted to a baseball stadium in 1880. In baseball, the stadium served at various times as the home of the New York Giants (now San Francisco Giants), the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets. In football, it was home to the New York Giants (NFL) and New York Jets (AFL).
Shea Stadium opened in 1964 and replaced the Polo Grounds as the home of the Mets and Jets. The Polo Grounds was demolished that year and a public housing complex built on the site.
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| 6a | Argument /from/ father in street (4) |
| 9a | Curse // what firefighters do (2,2,6) |
| 10a | Threaten // weaver? (4) |
| 12a | Church festival /is/ something of little importance (4) |
Whit[5] is a British short form for Whitsuntide, the weekend or week including Whit Sunday, the seventh Sunday after Easter, a Christian festival commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2).
| 13a | Bats in the Belfry? (4,5) |
The Belfry[7] is a golf resort and hotel in Wishaw, Warwickshire, near Birmingham, England. It has hosted the Ryder Cup [a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States] on four occasions and is the location of the headquarters of the Professional Golfers' Association [the British counterpart to the Professional Golfers Association of America]. In 2019, The Belfry was honoured as the World's Best Golf Hotel at the World Golf Awards.
| 15a | Plant // lines on Sweeney Todd, possibly (8) |
In this clue, the setter brings into play a common cryptic crossword device, using "lines" to clue RY, the abbreviation for railway.
Sweeney Todd[5] was a barber who murdered his customers, the central character of a play by George Dibdin Pitt (1799–1855) and of later plays.
The barberry[5] is a spiny shrub which typically has yellow flowers and red berries, frequently grown for ornamental hedging.
| 16a | Marked place // to use drugs (3-3) |
Gear[5] is an informal British term for illegal drugs.
| 18a | Believe // conker will get smashed (6) |
Scratching the Surface
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| Conker[5] is a British name for the hard, shiny dark brown nut of a horse chestnut tree. |
| 20a | Beetle perhaps quickly /goes into/ shell (8) |
The Volkswagen Beetle[7], officially the Volkswagen Type 1, or informally the Volkswagen Bug, is a two-door, four passenger, rear-engined economy car manufactured and marketed by German automaker Volkswagen (VW) from 1938 until 2003.
| 23a | PM // second to none endlessly holding ring (9) |
| 24a | Exchange // prisoners of hostile power in return (4) |
Swop[10,12] is a chiefly British variant spelling of swap.
| 26a | Waterway used by crews, // not odd characters in oilskins (4) |
Isis[10] is the local name for the River Thames at Oxford, England. The boat house of the Oxford University Boat Club[10] was once located on the river. However, several years ago the club relocated to the nearby Redgrave Pinsent Rowing Lake (an artificial lake in an old quarry which opened in 2006). Thus today there are likely fewer crews using the river than there were at one time.
What did he say?
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In his hints on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Big Dave makes reference toThe Boat Race[7] is an annual rowing race between the Oxford University Boat Club and the Cambridge University Boat Club, rowed between competing eights on the River Thames in London, England. It usually takes place on the last weekend of March or the first weekend of April.one of the crews in the Boat Race. |
| 27a | Dishearten // loser I made drunk (10) |
| 28a | Knocked back drink with hotel // close by (4) |
"Hotel " = H [NATO Phonetic Alphabet]
In what is commonly known as the NATO Phonetic Alphabet[7]*, Hotel[5] is a code word representing the letter H.
* officially the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet
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In what is commonly known as the NATO Phonetic Alphabet[7]*, Hotel[5] is a code word representing the letter H.
* officially the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet
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| 29a | Rich // European students getting turned out? (4-6) |
A tricky bit of wordplay here, {E(uropean) + LL (students)} contained in (getting ... out) WHEELED (turned)
"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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"student " = L [driver under instruction]
The cryptic crossword convention of L meaning learner or student arises from the L-plate[7], a square plate bearing a sans-serif letter L, for learner, which must be affixed to the front and back of a vehicle in various jurisdictions (including the UK) if its driver is a learner under instruction.
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The cryptic crossword convention of L meaning learner or student arises from the L-plate[7], a square plate bearing a sans-serif letter L, for learner, which must be affixed to the front and back of a vehicle in various jurisdictions (including the UK) if its driver is a learner under instruction.
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| Automobile displaying an L-plate |
Down
| 1d | Animated rabbit // is annoying (4) |
Bugs Bunny[7]
is an animated cartoon character, best known for his starring roles in
the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of animated short films,
produced by Warner Bros. during the golden age of American animation. (show more )
Bugs is an anthropomorphic gray hare or rabbit who is famous for his flippant, insouciant personality; a pronounced New York accent; his portrayal as a trickster; and his catch phrase "Eh... What's up, doc?", usually said while chewing a carrot.
Bugs Bunny has appeared in more films than any other cartoon character, is the ninth most-portrayed film personality in the world, and has his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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Bugs is an anthropomorphic gray hare or rabbit who is famous for his flippant, insouciant personality; a pronounced New York accent; his portrayal as a trickster; and his catch phrase "Eh... What's up, doc?", usually said while chewing a carrot.
Bugs Bunny has appeared in more films than any other cartoon character, is the ninth most-portrayed film personality in the world, and has his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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| 2d | Provide small child to fill in /as/ baseball player (7) |
| 3d | Heartless loud-mouthed directors // to be ignored (2,2,3,5) |
Gobby[5] (adjective) is an informal British term denoting (of a person) tending to talk too loudly and in a blunt or opinionated way.
* Gob[5] is an informal British term for one's mouth ⇒
Jean told him to shut his big gob. The formation of gobby from gob is similar to that of mouthy from mouth.
| 4d | Men cross about Spain /being/ hot place to grow fruit (8) |
"men " = OR [other ranks]
In the British armed forces, the term other ranks[5] (abbreviation OR[5]) refers to all those who are not commissioned officers.
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In the British armed forces, the term other ranks[5] (abbreviation OR[5]) refers to all those who are not commissioned officers.
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| 5d | Lack the French // pique (6) |
| 7d | Liberal // academic exercise (7) |
| 8d | Newspaper always accommodates right // person with flexible opinions (4-6) |
The Times[7]
is a British daily national newspaper based in London. (show more )
The paper began in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register and became The Times on 1 January 1788.
The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times (founded in 1821) are published by Times Newspapers, since 1981 a subsidiary of News UK, itself wholly owned by the News Corp group headed by Australian-born American publisher and media entrepreneur Rupert Murdoch.
The Times and The Sunday Times do not share editorial staff, were founded independently and have only had common ownership since 1967.
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The paper began in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register and became The Times on 1 January 1788.
The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times (founded in 1821) are published by Times Newspapers, since 1981 a subsidiary of News UK, itself wholly owned by the News Corp group headed by Australian-born American publisher and media entrepreneur Rupert Murdoch.
The Times and The Sunday Times do not share editorial staff, were founded independently and have only had common ownership since 1967.
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A time-server[5] is a person who changes their views to suit the prevailing circumstances or fashion ⇒
they were replaced with loyal time-servers.
| 11d | A mortal chess blunder? (8,4) |
The entire clue is both wordplay and definition (as indicated by the double underline).
A scholar's mate[5] is a chess game in which White mates Black on the fourth move with the queen, supported by the king's bishop.
| 14d | Flying airborne, taking in a tense // deviation from course (10) |
| 17d | Somewhat rusty member of parliament? (5,3) |
A parliament[5] is a group of rooks or owls ⇒
it is uncommon to see a parliament of owls in the wild.
The tawny owl[5] (Strix aluco) is a common Eurasian owl with either reddish-brown or grey plumage and a familiar quavering hoot.
| 19d | Offensive // article removed from newspaper (7) |
A cutting[10] (also called, especially in the US and Canada, clipping) is an article, photograph, etc, cut from a newspaper or other publication.
| 21d | Shunning company // like mole discovered sheltering spies (7) |
The setter uses "discovered" to indicate that the solver must strip away the outer letters of the word [
"spies " = CIA
The Central Intelligence Agency[5] (abbreviation CIA) is a federal agency in the US responsible for coordinating government intelligence activities. Established in 1947 and originally intended to operate only overseas, it has since also operated in the US.
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The Central Intelligence Agency[5] (abbreviation CIA) is a federal agency in the US responsible for coordinating government intelligence activities. Established in 1947 and originally intended to operate only overseas, it has since also operated in the US.
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| 22d | Religious leader -- the old // cartoon character (6) |
Ye[5] is a pseudo-archaic term for the ⇒
The word 'ye' in this sense was originally a graphic variant of 'the' rather than an alternative spelling.
Thorn[5] is an Old English and Icelandic runic letter, þ or Þ, representing the dental fricatives /ð/ and /θ/. It was eventually superseded by the digraph th — and thus þe (the old spelling of 'the') became the modern spelling 'the'.
In late Middle English þ (thorn) came to be written identically with y, so that þe (the) could be written ye. This spelling (usually ye*) was kept as a convenient abbreviation in handwriting down to the 19th century, and in printers' types during the 15th and 16th centuries. It was never pronounced as ‘yee’ in the past, but this is the pronunciation used today.
* I interpret the phrase "usually ye" to mean that the word was customarily not capitalized because the character "y" is not being used to represent the letter "y" in the modern English alphabet but rather as a graphic variant of thorn. Thus, in bygone days, the name of the drinking establishment above would presumably have been written
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Ye Olde Cock Tavern. The character "y" in this word was originally not the letter "y" in the modern English alphabet but a variant representation of the Old English and Icelandic letter thorn (þ or Þ). (show more )
The word 'ye' in this sense was originally a graphic variant of 'the' rather than an alternative spelling.
Thorn[5] is an Old English and Icelandic runic letter, þ or Þ, representing the dental fricatives /ð/ and /θ/. It was eventually superseded by the digraph th — and thus þe (the old spelling of 'the') became the modern spelling 'the'.
In late Middle English þ (thorn) came to be written identically with y, so that þe (the) could be written ye. This spelling (usually ye*) was kept as a convenient abbreviation in handwriting down to the 19th century, and in printers' types during the 15th and 16th centuries. It was never pronounced as ‘yee’ in the past, but this is the pronunciation used today.
* I interpret the phrase "usually ye" to mean that the word was customarily not capitalized because the character "y" is not being used to represent the letter "y" in the modern English alphabet but rather as a graphic variant of thorn. Thus, in bygone days, the name of the drinking establishment above would presumably have been written
ye Olde Cock Tavern(and pronounced "the old cock tavern").
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Popeye the Sailor[7] is a fictional muscular American cartoon character who first appeared in the daily comic strip Thimble Theatre in 1929. The strip was renamed Popeye in later years. While the daily strip ceased in 1994, the Sunday strips continue.
| 25d | Metal // van (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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