Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29279 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Thursday, February 6, 2020 | |
Setter
RayT (Ray Terrell) | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29279] | |
Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
Kath | |
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
Typical of a RayT puzzle, this one includes a number of words which, while not necessarily new, are certainly used in ways that are not familiar to me.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 | Drop item put out /in/ readiness (11) |
| 10a | One provides handle // worker turns with hesitation (5) |
| 11a | Breakdown // out in Iran, unfortunately (9) |
| 12a | Stamp out // Ecstasy spread around clubs (9) |
"Ecstasy " = E [the illicit drug Ecstasy]
E[5] is an abbreviation for the drug Ecstasy* or a tablet of Ecstasy ⇒ (i)
* Ecstasy[5] is an illegal amphetamine-based synthetic drug with euphoric effects, originally produced as an appetite suppressant. Also called MDMA (Methylenedioxymethamphetamine).
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E[5] is an abbreviation for the drug Ecstasy* or a tablet of Ecstasy ⇒ (i)
people have died after taking E; (ii)
being busted with three Es can lead to stiff penalties.
* Ecstasy[5] is an illegal amphetamine-based synthetic drug with euphoric effects, originally produced as an appetite suppressant. Also called MDMA (Methylenedioxymethamphetamine).
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| 13a | Cap put on say, turning // icy (5) |
| 14a | Leave /from/ son in monarchy (6) |
| 16a | Poke single lass /getting/ reckless (8) |
| 18a | Hedonist // a bit inhibited by 'hedonist's complaint' (8) |
According to Lexico (formerly Oxford Dictionaries Online), a gadabout[5] is a habitual pleasure-seeker.
While this definition is certainly a good fit with that given in the clue, I must say that the definition from Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary is more in tune with my traditional understanding of the term. It defines gadabout[11] as a person who moves about restlessly or aimlessly, especially from one social activity to another.
I suspect "hedonist's complaint" may be a term invented by RayT. However, it is not out of keeping with traditional epithets for this disease. Historically, gout[7] has been referred to as "the king of diseases and the disease of kings" or "rich man's disease". There is a strong association between gout and the consumption of alcohol, fructose-sweetened drinks, meat, and seafood.
| 20a | Pool perhaps by the empty // cell (6) |
| 23a | Initially tribal object tribe exalts mystically (5) |
In this hallmark RayT initialism clue, the wordplay is provided by the entire clue in which a (more or less) precise definition is embedded.
| 24a | Calm, catching cold in a // bit (9) |
| 26a | Rejected sweetheart can start to get // offensive (9) |
| 27a | Never rained off and on? // Strange! (5) |
| 28a | Forward motion // as prisoners go free (11) |
Down
| 2d | Dance /is/ almost pathetic after drink (5) |
| 3d | Reported missing // before noon (7) |
| 4d | Tense intensity containing end of nuclear // menace (6) |
| 5d | Labour over English tax /for/ deodorant? (8) |
The question mark indicates that "deodorant" is a definition by example.
| 6d | Pulled // round finally in tatters (7) |
| 7d | Questioning // or tearing apart Conservative (13) |
"Conservative " = TORY
A Tory[10] is a member or supporter of the Conservative Party in Great Britain [or, for that matter, in Canada].
The Conservative Party[5] is a a major British political party that emerged from the old Tory Party under Sir Robert Peel in the 1830s and 1840s.
* Historically, a Tory[10] was a member of the English political party that opposed the exclusion of James, Duke of York from the royal succession (1679–80). Tory remained the label for subsequent major conservative interests until they gave birth to the Conservative Party in the 1830s.
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A Tory[10] is a member or supporter of the Conservative Party in Great Britain [or, for that matter, in Canada].
The Conservative Party[5] is a a major British political party that emerged from the old Tory Party under Sir Robert Peel in the 1830s and 1840s.
* Historically, a Tory[10] was a member of the English political party that opposed the exclusion of James, Duke of York from the royal succession (1679–80). Tory remained the label for subsequent major conservative interests until they gave birth to the Conservative Party in the 1830s.
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| 8d | European Union move set up /for/ exchange (8) |
| 9d | Complete /and/ utter lad dancing with a nude (13) |
| 15d | Tranquilliser // is vet's idea getting doctored (8) |
| 17d | Blowing, // polish up fiddle (8) |
Fiddle[5] (noun) is an informal British term for an act of defrauding, cheating, or falsifying ⇒
a major mortgage fiddle.
Blowing[5] is used in the sense of bursting or causing to burst due to pressure or overheating ⇒ "a pipe blew and flooded my locker".
| 19d | Incompetent // builder's front more common in Essex? (7) |
To aitch or not to aitch ... | |
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| The wordplay supposes that the speech of people who hail from Essex, similar to that of Cockneys. is characterized by H-dropping (or, as Wikipedia puts it "the deletion of the voiceless glottal fricative"). However, I was unable to find any evidence to show that this is in fact the case. I presume that those living in Essex would speak Estuary English[7], an English accent associated with the area along the River Thames and its estuary, including London. Although the Wikipedia article states "The boundary between Estuary English and Cockney is far from clearcut", it goes on to state "Despite the similarity between the two dialects, the following characteristics of Cockney pronunciation are generally not present in Estuary English" among which is listed "H-dropping in stressed words". A Wikipedia article on H-dropping[7] provides a map of the areas of England where H-dropping occurs or does not occur. Essex is shown to be in the latter category.  H-dropping in the English language in England (based on Upton and Widdowson, 2006). Dialects in the regions marked "no /h/" feature (variable) H-dropping, while those in the regions marked "/h/" generally do not, although there is some local variation within these regions. |
| 21d | Assert casting upset gripping // performer (7) |
| 22d | Dell // found in wood in glen (6) |
Dell[5] is a literary term for a small valley, usually among trees ⇒ "lush green valleys and wooded dells".
| 25d | Slow // left on fantastic ship (5) |
In Greek mythology, the Argo[10] was the ship in which Jason sailed in search of the Golden Fleece.
Largo[5] is a musical direction meaning in a slow tempo and dignified in style.
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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