Puzzle at a Glance
|
|---|
Puzzle Number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29266 | |
Publication Date in The Daily Telegraph
Wednesday, January 22, 2020 | |
Setter
Jay (Jeremy Mutch) | |
Link to Full Review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29266] | |
Big Dave's Crossword Blog Review Written By
2Kiwis | |
BD Rating
| |
| 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
| |
Introduction
In today's puzzle, Jay takes us on a visit to the zoo. In the comments, we get the first mention that I can recall of the (at the time) impending COVID-19 pandemic.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 | |
|
|
| Click here for further explanation and usage examples of markup conventions used on this blog. | |
Across
| 1a | Limb concealed by most exotic // creatures (7) |
| 9a | Impoverished // country lacking a good part of hospital (8) |
"part of the hospital " = ENT
| 10a | Notice father in study, // without expression (7) |
| 11a | Entertainer /of/ television etc taken in by hoax (8) |
| 12a | Toy // gun found on top of this (6) |
As an initial letter indicator, top[10] is used in the sense of beginning ⇒ (i)
the top of the hour; (ii)
at the top of the programme; (iii)
let's run through this piece one more time from the top.
| 13a | The majority /of/ jungle beasts confronting small rabbit-like creature (5,5) |
| 15a | Queen once // forbidden to go naked (4) |
Anne[7] (1665–1714) became Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702. On 1 May 1707, under the Acts of Union, two of her realms, the kingdoms of England and Scotland, united as a single sovereign state, the United Kingdom of Great Britain. She continued to reign as Queen of Great Britain and Ireland until her death.
| 16a | Helpful types /needing/ Her Majesty in party merchandise (2-7) |
"Her Majesty " = ER [regnal cipher of Queen Elizabeth]
"party " = DO
Do[5,12] is an informal British[5] or chiefly British[12] term* for a party or other social event ⇒
* although Webster’s New World College Dictionary[12] supports the contention by Oxford Dictionaries Online[5] that this usage is British, two other US dictionaries do not characterize do[3,11] used in this sense as a British term
hide
Do[5,12] is an informal British[5] or chiefly British[12] term* for a party or other social event ⇒
the soccer club Christmas do
* although Webster’s New World College Dictionary[12] supports the contention by Oxford Dictionaries Online[5] that this usage is British, two other US dictionaries do not characterize do[3,11] used in this sense as a British term
hide
| 21a | Rows /of/ pigs with no head (4) |
| 22a | Husband found lacking in his greatest failed // schemes (10) |
| 24a | Provisional // section of contract in Germany (6) |
| 25a | Resort /seeing/ case of reasonable progress (8) |
Course[5] is used in the sense of the way in which something progresses or develops ⇒
the course of history.
| 27a | Animal/'s/ mistake eating fibre regularly (7) |
| 28a | Set that may ring // or call in poorly (8) |
Those of us living in Ottawa will be very familiar with the "set" installed in the Peace Tower.
| 29a | State // real changes coming after last month (7) |
Down
| 2d | Saying /from/ the Bible on making a mistake (8) |
Authorized Version[5] (abbreviation AV)[5] is a British name for the King James Bible[5] (also King James Version)*, an English translation of the Bible made in 1611 at the order of James I and still widely used, though never formally ‘authorized’.
* the name by which it is known in North America
| 3d | Changed // doctor and stopped accepting life without protection (8) |
"doctor " = MO [medical officer]
A medical officer[5] (abbreviation MO[5]) is a doctor in charge of the health services of a civilian or military authority or other organization.
hide
A medical officer[5] (abbreviation MO[5]) is a doctor in charge of the health services of a civilian or military authority or other organization.
hide
| 4d | Moving account /of/ Tuareg love in a whirl (10) |
Scratching the Surface
| |
|---|---|
| The Tuareg[5] are a Berber people of the western and central Sahara, living mainly in Algeria, Mali, Niger, and western Libya, traditionally as nomadic pastoralists. |
| 5d | Very keen on // some twin towns (4) |
| 6d | Carnivorous animals /in/ Channel Islands -- who will treat them? (6) |
The Channel Islands[5] (abbreviation CI[5]) are a group of islands in the English Channel off the northwestern coast of France, of which the largest are Jersey, Guernsey, and Alderney. Formerly part of the dukedom of Normandy, they have owed allegiance to England since the Norman Conquest in 1066, and are now classed as Crown dependencies.
A civet[5] (also civet cat) is a slender nocturnal carnivorous mammal with a barred and spotted coat and well-developed anal scent glands, native to Africa and Asia.
| 7d | Bird -- // large one found in typical American pie (7) |
Pecan pie[7] is a pie of pecan nuts mixed with a filling of eggs, butter, and sugar (typically corn syrup). Variations may include white or brown sugar, cane syrup, sugar syrup, molasses, maple syrup, or honey. It is popularly served at holiday meals in the United States and is considered a specialty of Southern U.S. origin.
Is this dish "as American as apple pie[5]"? Discuss.
| 8d | Second fiddle? /That's/ a difficult question (7) |
Post Mortem
| |
|---|---|
| Actually, it was not "a difficult question" and I can't believe I failed to solve the clue without resorting to electronic assistance. |
| 11d | Line of children /seeing/ potential danger in water (9) |
Crocodile[5] is an informal British term for a line of schoolchildren walking in pairs.
| 14d | A team supporting measures // makes way (5,5) |
"team " = SIDE
Side[5] is a British term for a sports team ⇒
* Note that, in Britain, a player is said to be "in a side" or "in a team" rather than "on a team" as one would say in North America.
In North America, the term side[3] is used in a very general fashion that can denote one of two or more opposing individuals, groups, teams, or sets of opinions. While this same general usage is also found in the UK, the term side[5] is also used there in a much more specific sense to mean a sports team, as we can clearly see from the following usage examples ⇒ (i)
hide
Side[5] is a British term for a sports team ⇒
there was a mixture of old and young players in* their side.
* Note that, in Britain, a player is said to be "in a side" or "in a team" rather than "on a team" as one would say in North America.
In North America, the term side[3] is used in a very general fashion that can denote one of two or more opposing individuals, groups, teams, or sets of opinions. While this same general usage is also found in the UK, the term side[5] is also used there in a much more specific sense to mean a sports team, as we can clearly see from the following usage examples ⇒ (i)
Previous England rugby sides, and England teams in many other sports, would have crumbled under the weight of such errors.; (ii)
They'll face better sides than this Monaco team, but you can only beat what's put in front of you.
hide
| 17d | Bowled everyone after easy // game (8) |
| 18d | Oddly safe in coach without one // change (8) |
| 19d | African runner /with/ nothing on way, being affluent (7) |
| 20d | Go round people /to find/ ornamental work (7) |
In architecture, tracery[5] is ornamental stone openwork, typically in the upper part of a Gothic window ⇒
the rose designs were divided by tracery.
| 23d | Ruffle // EU -- lots must be upset (6) |
| 26d | Time to replace learner in sluggish // pack (4) |
"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.
hide
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.
 |
| Automobile displaying an L-plate |
hide
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
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.