Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29227 | |
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Friday, December 6, 2019 | |
Setter
Giovanni (Don Manley) | |
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29227] | |
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Deep Threat | |
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, July 11, 2020 edition of the National Post.
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Introduction
It seems that Giovanni is like RayT and a certain US president — you either love them or hate them. As usual, we see comments from the opposing camps on Big Dave's Crossword Blog.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 | Scottish king /seen as/ dull mug (6) |
Duncan I[5] (c.1010–1040) was king of Scotland 1034–40. He was killed in battle by Macbeth.
The Chambers Dictionary defines can[1] to be a drinking-mug.
| 5a | Maiden, one facing emotional pressure /as/ 'the other woman'? (8) |
"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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| 9a | Wild ape, grunter /in/ exciting tale (4-6) |
| 10a | A modern miss collecting pounds /for/ charity (4) |
"pounds " = L [British monetary unit]
The pound[5] (also pound sterling) is the basic monetary unit of the UK, equal to 100 pence. While the symbol for pound is £, it is often written as L[10].
The Chambers Dictionary defines the upper case L[1] as the abbreviation for pound sterling (usually written £) and the lower case l[1] as the abbreviation for pound weight (usually written lb) — both deriving from the Latin word libra* .
* In ancient Rome, the libra[5] was a unit of weight, equivalent to 12 ounces (0.34 kg). It was the forerunner of the pound.
hide explanation
The pound[5] (also pound sterling) is the basic monetary unit of the UK, equal to 100 pence. While the symbol for pound is £, it is often written as L[10].
The Chambers Dictionary defines the upper case L[1] as the abbreviation for pound sterling (usually written £) and the lower case l[1] as the abbreviation for pound weight (usually written lb) — both deriving from the Latin word libra* .
* In ancient Rome, the libra[5] was a unit of weight, equivalent to 12 ounces (0.34 kg). It was the forerunner of the pound.
hide explanation
| 11a | Free from grime // when brought into class (8) |
| 12a | Numbers crazy about // fruit (6) |
The damson[7] or damson plum is an edible drupaceous fruit, a subspecies of the plum tree. Varieties are found across Europe, but the name "damson" is derived from and most commonly applied to forms which are native to Ireland and Great Britain. Damsons are relatively small plum-like fruit with a distinctive, somewhat astringent taste, and are widely used for culinary purposes, particularly in fruit preserves or jam.
| 13a | Think /as/ timid type that's lost love (4) |
"love " = O [nil score in tennis]
In tennis, squash, and some other sports, love[5] is a score of zero or nil ⇒
Although folk etymology has connected the word with French l'oeuf 'egg', from the resemblance in shape between an egg and a zero, the term apparently comes from the phrase play for love (i.e. the love of the game, not for money).
hide
In tennis, squash, and some other sports, love[5] is a score of zero or nil ⇒
love fifteen. The resemblance of a zero written as a numeral (0) to the letter O leads to the cryptic crossword convention of the word "love" being used to clue this letter.
Although folk etymology has connected the word with French l'oeuf 'egg', from the resemblance in shape between an egg and a zero, the term apparently comes from the phrase play for love (i.e. the love of the game, not for money).
hide
| 15a | Community member, // mostly horrible, wanting drink in pub? (8) |
| 18a | Displaced people /creating/ ado with Paris wrecked (8) |
| 19a | Things that can kill // animal in retreat (4) |
Gat[10] is mainly US slang for a pistol or revolver.
Origin: shortened from Gatling gun
| 21a | Bird, // old and cold, grasped by an animal doctor (6) |
"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.
hide
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.
hide
The avocet[5] is a long-legged wading bird with a slender upturned bill and strikingly patterned plumage.
| 23a | I exist concealing endless desire, one // appearing to be unreal (8) |
While I believe that this clue does not parse, I note that no objections were raised on Big Dave's Crossword Blog.
I parse the wordplay as I (from the clue) + LIVE (exist) containing (concealing) {LUS (endless desire; LUS[
I thought perhaps the definition might be a noun ("one appearing to be unreal"). However, my dictionaries show that "illusive" is strictly an adjective and cannot be a noun.
| 25a | English people of fashion /in/ college (4) |
The ton[5] denotes fashionable society ⇒
it is the most elegant establishment and half the ton was there.
"college" = ETON (show explanation )
Eton College[7], often informally referred to simply as Eton, is an English independent boarding school for boys located in Eton, Berkshire, near Windsor. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor". It is one of ten English schools, commonly referred to as public schools, regulated by the Public Schools Act of 1868.
hide explanation
Eton College[7], often informally referred to simply as Eton, is an English independent boarding school for boys located in Eton, Berkshire, near Windsor. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor". It is one of ten English schools, commonly referred to as public schools, regulated by the Public Schools Act of 1868.
Here and There
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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. In Britain, a public school[2] is a particular category of independent school, namely a secondary school, especially a boarding school, run independently of the state and financed by a combination of endowments and pupils' fees. Another category of independent school is the private school[2,5] which is a school run independently by an individual or group, especially for profit and supported wholly by the payment of 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*. * In England and Wales, a maintained school[5] is a school that is funded by a local education authority. |
hide explanation
| 26a | Direction taken by sailor? // One makes a bit of a meal of it! (4,6) |
A double definition, with both parts being more or less cryptic.
The main[5] is an archaic or literary term for the open ocean.
| 27a | New tiro, learner within day working // with skill (8) |
"learner " = 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 |
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| 28a | Planet faced with onset of deadly // shortage? (6) |
Down
| 2d | Superior wise person demonstrates // customary style of language (5) |
"superior " = 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).
hide
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).
hide
| 3d | Gloomy // church always getting smaller in number (9) |
| 4d | Something sweet /making/ aunt go crazy (6) |
| 5d | Variation by mule -- this being awkward? (15) |
In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Deep Threat calls this "a sort of reverse anagram". I agree that it is a sort of anagram, although I am not convinced that "reverse anagram" is the most appropriate term for it (although I don't have a better one to offer).
In a "normal anagram", both the indicator and fodder are found in the clue and the result is in the solution. In what I think of as a "reverse anagram", the indicator and fodder are found in the solution with the result residing in the clue. In the present case, the situation is more complicated; the result ("variation by mule") and indicator ("being awkward") are found in the clue, with the fodder ("manoeuvrability") being situated in the solution.
Of course, since an anagram is a symmetric function, once we recognize that an anagram is involved, we can solve it as though it were a "normal anagram" (in fact, I know of no other way to solve it). That is, knowing that an anagram of the solution produces 'VARIATION BY MULE', it naturally follows that an anagram of 'VARIATION BY MULE' produces the solution.
| 6d | Go across // step half missing on rickety ladder (8) |
| 7d | Field /with/ only half the Spanish football team (5) |
Real Madrid is the common name for Real Madrid Club de Fútbol[7] (Royal Madrid Football Club), a professional football [soccer] club based in Madrid, Spain that plays in La Liga, the top division of the Spanish football league system.
| 8d | Thus male has no time for self-denial, /being/ languid (9) |
| 14d | As one outside home, // very unlike welcome guest (9) |
| 16d | Possibly a sugar, not // something bitter (9) |
Angostura[5] is short for Angostura bitters[5], a trademark for a kind of tonic [carbonated soft drink with a bitter flavour] first made in Angostura*.
* Angostura[5] was the former name (until 1846) for Ciudad Bolívar[5], a city in southeastern Venezuela. The name was changed to honour the country’s liberator, Simón Bolívar.
| 17d | One opposed gets to induce // scorn (8) |
| 20d | Having a position /in/ power, subsequently lambasted (6) |
| 22d | Piece of poetry /from/ somewhere in Switzerland, unfinished? (5) |
A canton[5] is a subdivision of a country established for political or administrative purposes; in particular, a state of the Swiss Confederation.
A canto[5] is one of the sections into which certain long poems are divided ⇒
Dante 's Divine Comedy has 100 cantos.
| 24d | Call /and/ sink into chair maybe after six (5) |
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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