Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29271 | |
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Tuesday, January 28, 2020 | |
Setter
X-Type | |
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29271] | |
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
Mr K | |
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
Today's puzzle is gentle and fun, with anagram lovers being especially well-served today.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 | Celebrity //coming from nowhere, now nobody (6) |
| 4a | Line /in/ answer penned by Boris, strangely (6) |
In meteorology, an isobar[5] is a line on a map connecting points having the same atmospheric pressure at a given time or on average over a given period.
Scratching the Surface
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| Boris Johnson[5] is a British Conservative statesman and former journalist, prime minister since 2019. He was Mayor of London 2008–16 and Foreign Secretary 2016–18. |
| 8a | Bull and mare desperate /for/ shelter (8) |
| 10a | Antelopes /from/ eastern districts (6) |
The eland[5] is a large spiral-horned African antelope which lives in open woodland and grassland.
| 11a | Creep // from Altrincham (4) |
Scratching the Surface
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| Altrincham[7] is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, south of the River Mersey 8 miles (13 km) southwest of Manchester. |
| 12a | Sort out again, /finding/ nothing in tangled earrings by middle of bed (10) |
| 13a | Event // about cats and mice run badly (12) |
| 16a | Bury lass on front of rocket -- /for/ such a space journey? (12) |
Scratching the Surface
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Bury[7] [pronounced berry*] is a large market town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Irwell 7.9 miles (12.7 km) northwest of Manchester. * Although according to Gazza in a review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog As someone who used to live in said borough I have to say that this is not the way the locals pronounce it – they make it sound more like flurry than merry. |
| 20a | Cart jet bumpily over railway // path (10) |
| 21a | Excellent of French /to provide/ assistant (4) |
| 22a | Blow it! I may be stuck behind this // big creature (6) |
According to Chambers
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Entry from The Chambers Dictionary:
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Wapiti[3,4,11] is another name for the elk*, a large deer (Cervus canadensis) with large much-branched antlers, native to North America and now also common in the South Island of New Zealand.
* Wapiti is the principal name by which this animal is known in the UK, although it may also be referred to as the American elk or Canadian elk. In Britain, elk[5] (when used without qualification) is another name for the moose (Alces alces).
| 23a | Terribly tiring backing Brussels // plot (8) |
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. (show more )
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 within its European Quarter. 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.
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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 within its European Quarter. 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.
hide
| 24a | Main course served to Americans // on board, it's said (6) |
Here and There
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| In the US and Canada, an entrée[2,10] (pronounced on tray) is the main course of a meal. Most UK dictionaries, define entrée[2,10] as a dish served before a main course; in particular, a small dish served after the fish course and before the main course at a formal dinner. Strangely, the primary entry in Lexico (formerly Oxford Dictionaries Online) defines entrée[5] in the North American fashion as being the main course of a meal. Does this indicate that the North American usage is beginning to take hold in the UK? |
| 25a | Supernatural being eating startled gnu: // swallow completely (6) |
Down
| 1d | Ancient Italian six-footer briefly // charming (8) |
Not Biologically Correct
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| The term "six-footer" is often used in cryptic crosswords to mean insect, a creature with six legs (and thus six feet as well). However, a tick is not an insect; it is an arachnid, and like other arachnids, such as spiders, has eight legs. [I note that this annomally has also been picked up on by a couple of visitors to Big Dave's Crossword Blog.] |
| 2d | Short chap coming up with unfinished article -- /from/ this direction? (5) |
| 3d | Old rare metal /detected in/ animals (7) |
Wolfram[11] is another name for tungsten, a rare, bright gray, lustrous metallic element having a high melting point used in electric-lamp filaments.
| 5d | Ten sung about // weapon (4,3) |
A Sten gun[5] is a type of lightweight British sub-machine gun.
| 6d | Some sense in this, perhaps: /finding/ undergarment in small room (5,4) |
| 7d | Food // right on a plate (6) |
| 9d | Poor satire upset one, // from experience (1,10) |
A posteriori[5] means relating to or denoting reasoning or knowledge which proceeds from observations or experiences to the deduction of probable causes ⇒
This volume presents the most up-to-date information available on a posteriori error estimation for finite element approximation in mechanics and mathematics.
| 14d | Trim spliff /in/ dodgy nightclub (4,5) |
Spliff[5] is an informal British name for a cannabis cigarette.
| 15d | You may find this on your shoulders, // end of beard and collar (8) |
| 17d | I let cat out -- /that's/ touching (7) |
| 18d | Do something audacious: // see if this thing fits (3,2,2) |
Try it on[5] is an informal British expression meaning:
- to attempt to deceive or seduce someone ⇒
he was trying it on with my wife
- to deliberately test someone’s patience to see how much one can get away with
| 19d | Musical // lubricant? (6) |
Grease[7] is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. Named after the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as greasers, the musical is set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School and follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of peer pressure, politics, personal core values, and love. The score borrows heavily from the sounds of early rock and roll. In its original production in Chicago, Grease was a raunchy, raw, aggressive, vulgar show. Subsequent productions sanitized it and toned it down.
| 21d | 21 Across is drunk -- socially acceptable -- // cheers! (5) |
The
numeral and directional indicator "21 Across" is a cross
reference indicator to clue 21a (show more ).
To complete the clue, a solver must replace the cross reference indicator with the solution to the clue starting in the light* identified by the cross reference indicator.
The cross reference indicator may include a directional indicator but this is customarily done only in situations where there are both Across and Down clues originating in the light that is being referenced.
* light-coloured cell in the grid
hide
To complete the clue, a solver must replace the cross reference indicator with the solution to the clue starting in the light* identified by the cross reference indicator.
The cross reference indicator may include a directional indicator but this is customarily done only in situations where there are both Across and Down clues originating in the light that is being referenced.
* light-coloured cell in the grid
hide
"socially acceptable " = 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
Cheers[5] is an informal British expression of good wishes on parting or ending a conversation ⇒
Cheers, Jack, see you later
Adieu[5] (from French: 'goodbye' or 'farewell') is a chiefly literary term that means:
- (exclamation) goodbye
- (noun) a goodbye ⇒
he whispered a fond adieu
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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