Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29300 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Monday, March 2, 2020 | |
Setter
Campbell (Allan Scott) | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29300]
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Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
Miffypops | |
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
Today's rather gentle offering is reviewed on Big Dave's Crossword Blog by Miffypops who has adopted the persona of Jay Gatsby[5], the title character of the 1925 F. Scott Fitzgerald novel The Great Gatsby. Gatsby is a millionaire and the owner of a luxurious mansion where he often hosts extravagant parties, and he is described by the novel's narrator, Nick Carraway, as having "an extraordinary gift for hope". While likely far from being a "luxurious mansion", Miffypops does own a pub and thus constantly finds himself in the role of host. And he does always seem to have an upbeat demeanour — and especially so today, it would seem.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 | Platform /may show/ disgust following application of pressure (6) |
| 5a | Bold disobedience // intended after first half of demo (8) |
| 9a | Has former PM tucked into hot South // American breakfast dish? (4,6) |
Gordon Brown[5] is a British Labour statesman who was prime minister of the UK from 2007–10.
| 10a | Power line /in/ front part of ship (4) |
| 11a | Play // part storing renewable energy? (4,4) |
Peer Gynt[7] is a play in verse by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen published in 1867. Written in Danish—the common written language of Denmark and Norway in Ibsen's lifetime—it is one of the most widely performed Norwegian plays.
| 12a | Insect /discovered in/ place close to desert (6) |
| 13a | Mother joining Church of England // staff (4) |
"Church of England " = CE
The Church of England[10] (abbreviation CE[10]) is the reformed established state Church in England, Catholic in order and basic doctrine, with the Sovereign as its temporal head.
hide
The Church of England[10] (abbreviation CE[10]) is the reformed established state Church in England, Catholic in order and basic doctrine, with the Sovereign as its temporal head.
hide
| 15a | Side by side, // move backwards secured by rope (8) |
| 18a | Make sense of // arguments against? Correct (8) |
| 19a | Stake // needed, unlimited (4) |
| 21a | Fewer working // class (6) |
| 23a | So I heard broadcast // where Ian Smith was premier (8) |
Outside Australia and Canada, the term premier[5] refers to a prime minister or other head of government. In Australia and Canada, a premier is the chief minister of a government of a state or province respectively.
Ian Smith[5] (1919–2007) was a Rhodesian statesman who was prime minister 1964–79. In 1965 he issued a unilateral declaration of independence from Britain (UDI) because he would not agree to black majority rule. He eventually resigned in 1979.
| 25a | Permit // is required to enter Virginia (4) |
| 26a | Spokesperson/'s/ opening snippet (10) |
| 27a | Frequent // red tape involved crossing Spain (8) |
| 28a | Go by land /that's/ bleak (6) |
Down
| 2d | Make a speech // count supporting leader of Opposition (5) |
Count[5] is used in the sense of to regard or be regarded as possessing a specified quality or fulfilling a specified role ⇒
she met some rebuffs from people she had counted as her friends.
Rate[5] is used in the sense of to be regarded in a specified way ⇒
Jeff still rates as one of the nicest people I have ever met.
| 3d | Popular couple // at work (2,7) |
Harness[10] is used as a verb (usually followed by to) meaning to to attach (a draught animal) by means of harness to (a cart, etc).
Couple[10] is used as a verb meaning to to connect (two things) together or (followed by to) to connect (one thing) to (another) ⇒ (i)
to couple railway carriages; (ii)
to couple a caboose to a train.
The phrase in harness[5] is used figuratively to denote in the routine of daily work ⇒
a man who died in harness far beyond the normal age of retirement.
| 4d | Victim /in/ trade centre, unknown Republican (6) |
"unknown " = Y [algebraic notation]
"Republican " = R [member or supporter of US political party]
A Republican[5] (abbreviation R[5] or Rep.[5]) is a member or supporter of the Republican Party[5], one of the two main US political parties*, favouring a right-wing stance, limited central government, and tough, interventionist foreign policy. It was formed in 1854 in support of the anti-slavery movement preceding the Civil War.
* the other being the Democratic Party
Although, in the UK, republican[5] can refer to an advocate of a united Ireland, the abbreviation does not appear to apply to that usage.
hide
A Republican[5] (abbreviation R[5] or Rep.[5]) is a member or supporter of the Republican Party[5], one of the two main US political parties*, favouring a right-wing stance, limited central government, and tough, interventionist foreign policy. It was formed in 1854 in support of the anti-slavery movement preceding the Civil War.
* the other being the Democratic Party
Although, in the UK, republican[5] can refer to an advocate of a united Ireland, the abbreviation does not appear to apply to that usage.
hide
| 5d | Entirely // because of article on stadium (4,2,3,6) |
Here and There
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Ground[5] denotes an area of land, often with associated buildings and structures, used for a particular sport ⇒ (i)
a football ground; (ii) Liverpool’s new ground is nearing completion(show more ). Although this usage of the word ground is not exclusively British, it does seem to be a usage that has fallen into disfavour in North America. In North America, it would be much more likely for such a venue to be called a field or a stadium. Collins COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary says that a ground[14] is an area of land which is specially designed and made for playing sport or for some other activity. In American English grounds is also used. ⇒ (i) the city's football ground; (ii) a parade ground. I know of only two instances of this usage for sports facilities in North America (although there are undoubtedly others). The Wanderers Grounds[7] is a sports field in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The Polo Grounds[7] was the name of three stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used mainly for professional baseball and American football from 1880 until 1963. As the name suggests, the original Polo Grounds, opened in 1876 and demolished in 1889, was built for the sport of polo. It was converted to a baseball stadium in 1880. In baseball, the stadium served at various times as the home of the New York Giants (now San Francisco Giants), the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets. In football, it was home to the New York Giants (NFL) and New York Jets (AFL). Shea Stadium opened in 1964 and replaced the Polo Grounds as the home of the Mets and Jets. The Polo Grounds was demolished that year and a public housing complex built on the site. hide |
I had initially supposed the solution might be a phrase one would encounter used in a very literal sense in relation to the consequences of a devastating fire (
the house burned down to the ground), however it can apparently also be used in a figurative sense.
Down to the ground[5] is an informal expression meaning completely or totally ⇒
He had moved there from California in 1984 and life in the sunny principality suited him down to the ground.
| 6d | Match found about convict/'s/ body (8) |
A fusee[10] (or fuzee) is a friction match with a large head, capable of remaining alight in a wind.
Lag[5] is an informal British term for a person who has been frequently convicted and sent to prison ⇒
both old lags were sentenced to ten years' imprisonment.
| 7d | A chopped pungent // savoury jelly (5) |
| 8d | Lookout // cross, went mad (5-4) |
A crow's nest[5,10] (or crow's-nest*[10]) is a shelter or platform fixed at the masthead of a vessel as a place for a lookout to stand.
* I note with interest that Lexico (formerly Oxford Dictionaries Online), despite not listing crow's-nest as an acceptable spelling, uses no other spelling in its usage examples.
| 14d | Together // years ago? (2,3,4) |
| 16d | Actor // bad at reading (9) |
| 17d | Mike installed inside carriage /for/ broadcast (8) |
"Mike " = M [NATO Phonetic Alphabet]
In what is commonly known as the NATO Phonetic Alphabet[7]*, Mike[5] is a code word representing the letter M.
* officially the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet
hide
In what is commonly known as the NATO Phonetic Alphabet[7]*, Mike[5] is a code word representing the letter M.
* officially the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet
hide
| 20d | One failing to attend // meal -- ring wife (2-4) |
Here and There
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In Britain, nosh[5,10] is an informal term for food or a meal ⇒ It's not posh nosh, just slightly more upmarket pub grub, so anyone after a real culinary experience should perhaps steer clearwhereas in North America the word denotes a snack or small item of food ⇒ have plenty of noshes and nibbles conveniently placed. |
| 22d | Bar stocking old // Italian wine (5) |
What did he say?
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In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Miffypops describes 'save' as aFrankly, I don't see it as a stretch at all.stretch of a synonym of the word bar. Bar[5] (preposition) is used in a British* sense meaning except for ⇒ his kids were all gone now, bar one. * despite Lexico identifying this usage as British, it hardly seems as such to me Save[5] (preposition) is used in a formal or literary sense meaning other than or except for ⇒ no one needed to know save herself. |
"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
Soave[5] is a dry white wine produced in the region of northern Italy around the village of Soave, near Verona.
| 24d | At home aggressive dog /may make one/ suffer (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] - 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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