Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29256 | |
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Friday, January 10, 2020 | |
Setter
proXimal (Steve Bartlett)
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Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29256] | |
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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Introduction
The "Friday" mystery setter has been unmasked and it turns out to be proXimal (Steve Bartlett) who for a considerable period of time alternated on "Thursdays" with RayT. In his "Thursday" creations, he avoided the use of the letter X. However, his "Friday" offerings have included four Xs each. As someone remarked on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, he seems intent on quickly depleting the supply of Xs left over from his "Thursday" puzzles.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 | Putting in case /for/ physical sport (6) |
| 5a | Winding path once /leading to/ monument (8) |
The Story Behind the Picture
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| Deep Threat illustrates his hint on Big Dave's Crossword Blog with a picture of The Cenotaph[7], a war memorial situated on Whitehall in London. It began as a temporary structure erected for a peace parade following the end of the First World War but following an outpouring of national sentiment it was replaced in 1920 by a permanent structure and designated the United Kingdom's primary national war memorial. |
| 9a | Carriage // of French wine people start to tip (10) |
| 10a | Leave /and/ live having abandoned son (4) |
| 11a | Most bubbly // girl's beginner, help to suppress energy (8) |
| 12a | Celebration // of life, as a tear regularly gets shed (6) |
A fiesta[5] (a term adopted from Spanish*) is an event marked by festivities or celebration ⇒
the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta.
| 13a | Report of Asian city // shop (4) |
Delhi[5] (also known as Old Delhi) is a walled city on the River Jumna in north central India, which was made the capital of the Mogul empire in 1638 by Shah Jahan (1592–1666).
*New Delhi[5] is the capital of India, a city in north central India built 1912–29 to replace Calcutta (now Kolkata) as the capital of British India. With Delhi, it is part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi.
| 15a | Flood // finished, predatory beast returned (8) |
| 18a | Dog // discovered biting bovine hard (8) |
A foxhound[5] is a dog of a smooth-haired breed with drooping ears, often trained to hunt foxes in packs over long distances.
| 19a | Drink // in paprika sauce from the East (4) |
Saki[5,10], a variant spelling of sake[5,10] (or saké[5,10]), is a Japanese alcoholic drink made from fermented rice, traditionally drunk warm in small porcelain cups.
| 21a | Domestic animal eats everything -- // one's moved by fork-lift (6) |
| 23a | A carpet sure to excite // enthusiasts (8) |
| 25a | Can finish in any // minute (4) |
| 26a | Night on the town /in/ becoming uniform (7,3) |
| 27a | Review // fake nails, say (8) |
| 28a | Runs off to secure ten // contracts (6) |
Down
| 2d | Love great // end to Greek series (5) |
"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).
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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).
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Mega[5] is an informal term that would seem to have a broader range of meanings in the UK than in North America:
- (adjective) very large or huge ⇒
he has signed a mega deal to make five movies
- (adjective) excellent ⇒
it will be a mega film
- (adverb) extremely ⇒
they are mega rich
Omega[5] is the last letter of the Greek alphabet (Ω, ω).
| 3d | This minor criminal /is/ forger (9) |
Ironsmith[5] is another name for blacksmith.
| 4d | Understand // playground game upset that girl (6) |
| 5d | Furniture /displaying/ artists' busts? (6,2,7) |
A clue where one should treat both the wordplay and solution as complete phrases to truly appreciate the equivalence.
| 6d | Told // number, bound to ring independent female (8) |
"independent " = I [politician with no party affiliation]
I[1] is the abbreviation for independent, in all likelihood in the sense of a politician with no party affiliation.
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I[1] is the abbreviation for independent, in all likelihood in the sense of a politician with no party affiliation.
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| 7d | Article on Middle East // topic (5) |
| 8d | Popular pair in field /getting/ decoration (9) |
Paintwork[5] is a British* term for painted surfaces in a building or on a vehicle ⇒
the paintwork on the window frames was blistered and peeling.
*Although Lexico characterizes the term as British and it does not appear in the three US dictionaries that I consulted, the term does not sound at all foreign to me.
| 14d | Mental imagery /of/ IT career? (9) |
| 16d | Bird/'s/ short flight performed with ease (4,5) |
A fish eagle[5] is an eagle that catches and feeds on fish ⇒
The osprey is often called the fish hawk or the fish eagle.
| 17d | Set up bath and lock // support (8) |
| 20d | Quarrel involving a king/'s/ list of duties ... (6) |
"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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| 22d | ... faithful // left king, maybe, dropping leader (5) |
| 24d | Run old-fashioned English // course (5) |
Key to Reference Sources:
[1] - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition
[2] - Search Chambers - (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)
[3] - TheFreeDictionary.com (American Heritage Dictionary)
[4] - TheFreeDictionarycom (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)
Signing off for today — Falcon
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