Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29283 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Tuesday, February 11, 2020 | |
Setter
Unknown | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29283]
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Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
Mr K | |
BD rating
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| Difficulty - ★★ | Enjoyment - ★★★ |
Falcon's experience
┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐
███████████████████████████████████ └────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘ | |
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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
A gentle "Tuesday" puzzle — which also happens to appear in Canada on a Tuesday, an event that comes to pass only once every five weeks.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 | Instructed // old king and old socialist (7) |
Tutankhamen[5] (also Tutankhamun) (died c.1352 BC) (colloquially known as King Tut[7]) was an Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th dynasty, reigned c.1361–c.1352 BC. His tomb, containing a wealth of rich and varied contents, was discovered virtually intact by the English archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922.
"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.
Another possibility arises from the British abbreviation OAP[5] standing for old-age pensioner.
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.
Another possibility arises from the British abbreviation OAP[5] standing for old-age pensioner.
hide
| 5a | Left // Dave struggling to contain lion? (7) |
| 9a | Unlovely boy good /for/ church music (9) |
Plainsong[5] (also known as plainchant[5]) is unaccompanied church music sung in unison in medieval modes and in free rhythm corresponding to the accentuation of the words, which are taken from the liturgy.
| 10a | Dignified // knocking beer back (5) |
| 11a | Arab // seen in Romania (5) |
An Omani[5] is a native or inhabitant of Oman[5,7], officially the Sultanate of Oman, an Arab country at the southeastern corner of the Arabian peninsula.
| 12a | Male is taken in by worthless // fortune-telling (9) |
| 13a | Military command: // go after crippled U-boat (5-4) |
| 16a | Admonish // Charlie, flogged outside (5) |
"Charlie " = C [NATO Phonetic Alphabet]
In what is commonly known as the NATO Phonetic Alphabet[7]*, Charlie[5] is a code word representing the letter C.
* officially the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet
hide
In what is commonly known as the NATO Phonetic Alphabet[7]*, Charlie[5] is a code word representing the letter C.
* officially the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet
hide
| 17a | Ascetic's last to leave // German city (5) |
An Essene[5] is a member of an ancient Jewish ascetic sect of the period from the 2nd century BC to the 2nd century AD in Palestine, who lived in highly organized groups and held property in common. The Essenes are widely regarded as the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Essen[5] is an industrial city in the Ruhr valley, in northwestern Germany.
| 18a | Cry, /having/ cut gathering fruit (4,1,4) |
| 20a | Case /for/ governmental responsibility (9) |
| 23a | Nasty bug /from/ priest keeping company (1,4) |
"priest " = ELI
| 25a | Criticise severely // when stopping nonsense (5) |
| 26a | Canine, say, barking // regardless (2,3,4) |
As an anagram indicator, barking[5] is used in an informal British sense meaning completely mad or demented ⇒ (i)
we are all a bit barking; (ii) [as submodifier]
has she gone completely barking mad?.
| 27a | Opponent takes over church /in/ ancient city (7) |
| 28a | Stylish // English worker holding on (7) |
"worker " = ANT
The terms "worker" and "social worker" are commonly used in cryptic crossword puzzles to clue ANT or BEE.
A worker[5] is a neuter or undeveloped female bee, wasp, ant, or other social insect, large numbers of which do the basic work of the colony.
In crossword puzzles, "worker" will most frequently be used to clue ANT and occasionally BEE but I have yet to see it used to clue WASP. Of course, "worker" is sometimes also used to clue HAND or MAN.
hide
The terms "worker" and "social worker" are commonly used in cryptic crossword puzzles to clue ANT or BEE.
A worker[5] is a neuter or undeveloped female bee, wasp, ant, or other social insect, large numbers of which do the basic work of the colony.
In crossword puzzles, "worker" will most frequently be used to clue ANT and occasionally BEE but I have yet to see it used to clue WASP. Of course, "worker" is sometimes also used to clue HAND or MAN.
hide
"on " = LEG [cricket term]
In cricket, the on[5] (also known as on side) is another name for the leg[5] (also called leg side), the half of the field (as divided lengthways through the pitch) away from which the batsman’s feet are pointed when standing to receive the ball ⇒
The other half of the field is known as the off[5] (also called off side).
hide
In cricket, the on[5] (also known as on side) is another name for the leg[5] (also called leg side), the half of the field (as divided lengthways through the pitch) away from which the batsman’s feet are pointed when standing to receive the ball ⇒
he played a lucky stroke to leg.
The other half of the field is known as the off[5] (also called off side).
hide
Down
| 1d | Top CIA agent initially mixed // pudding (7) |
| 2d | Headdress // so long one wears (5) |
The exclamation ta-ra[5] is an informal Northern English expression meaning goodbye.
| 3d | Heroic animal // runs home to young Belgian adventurer (3,3,3) |
"runs " = R [cricket notation]
Tintin[7] is the titular protagonist of The Adventures of Tintin, the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé, pen name of Georges Remi (1907–1983). A reporter and adventurer who travels around the world with his dog Snowy, he appears as a young man, around 14 to 19 years old with a round face and quiff hairstyle.
Rin Tin Tin[7] (1918–1932) was a male German Shepherd who was an international star in motion pictures. He was rescued from a World War I battlefield by an American soldier, Lee Duncan, who trained Rin Tin Tin and obtained silent film work for the dog. Rin Tin Tin was an immediate box-office success and went on to appear in 27 Hollywood films, gaining worldwide fame. Since his death, succeeding generations of his descendants have borne the name (the current being Rin Tin Tin XII).
| 4d | Doctor round surgery // to wilt (5) |
Op[5] is an informal short form for a surgical operation ⇒
a minor op.
| 5d | One unofficially upholding law // leaving it in ruins (9) |
| 6d | Crumbs US soldier /gives/ dog (5) |
Crumbs[5] (a euphemism for Christ) is an informal British term used used to express dismay or surprise ⇒
‘Crumbs,’ said Emily, ‘how embarrassing.’.
Cor[5] is an informal British exclamation expressing surprise, excitement, admiration, or alarm ⇒
Cor! That‘s a beautiful black eye you’ve got!.
"US soldier " = GI
A GI[5] is a private soldier in the US army ⇒
Origin: Contrary to popular belief, the term apparently is not an abbreviation for general infantryman, but rather derives from the term government (or general) issue (originally denoting equipment supplied to US forces).
hide
A GI[5] is a private soldier in the US army ⇒
she went off with a GI during the war.
Origin: Contrary to popular belief, the term apparently is not an abbreviation for general infantryman, but rather derives from the term government (or general) issue (originally denoting equipment supplied to US forces).
hide
The corgi[5] (also Welsh corgi) is a dog of a short-legged breed with a foxlike head.
| 7d | Firm line /taken in/ balancing act (9) |
Tightrope[1] is being used figuratively in the sense of a middle course between dangerous or undesirable alterntives.
| 8d | Poem sung in act // held up (7) |
A lay[5] is a short lyric or narrative poem meant to be sung ⇒
a minstrel recited a series of lays.
| 14d | Domestic support for alumnus // on the look-out (9) |
"old boy " = OB
In Britain, an old boy[5] (abbreviation OB[2]) is:
hide
In Britain, an old boy[5] (abbreviation OB[2]) is:
- a former male student of a school or college ⇒
an old boy of Banbury County School
- a former male member of a sports team or company ⇒
the White Hart Lane old boy squared the ball to present an easy chance from 12 yards
‘Look here, old boy,’ he said.
hide
| 15d | Sun terribly mischievous /or/ concerned for others? (9) |
Scratching the Surface
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| The Sun[7] is a daily tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and Ireland by a division of News UK, a wholly owned subsidiary of Australian-born American publisher and media entrepreneur Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. |
| 16d | Extra weight // that's in the boot? (5,4) |
Boot[5] is the British term for the trunk[5] of a car.
Tyre[5] is the British spelling of tire (in the sense of an automobile part).
| 17d | Ransacked in Roma: pie // shops (7) |
Scratching the Surface
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| Roma[5] is the Italian name for Rome. |
| 19d | Intend to appear in torn // dress (7) |
| 21d | Great lump // taken from turf at source (5) |
| 22d | Some get a rollicking over // talk (5) |
Scratching the Surface
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In the surface reading, rollicking[5] is used in an informal British sense denoting a severe reprimand ⇒ I got the rollicking of my life; I just wanted to bury my head and die!. |
| 24d | City /in/ South Africa in fine area (5) |
Osaka[5] is a port and commercial city in central Japan, on the island of Honshu, capital of Kinki region.
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] - Lexico (formerly Oxford Dictionaries Online) (Oxford Dictionary of English)
[6] - Lexico (formerly Oxford Dictionaries Online) (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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