Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29294 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Monday, February 24, 2020 | |
Setter
Campbell (Allan Scott) | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29294]
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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
As it seemingly was for many others, 8d was my last clue in. I was on the verge of throwing in the towel and calling for electronic assistance when the solution suddenly hit 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 | Together, /as/ worker being dealt with (4-2-4) |
| 6a | Indefinite number leaving stadium /in/ locality (4) |
"indefinite number " = N [mathematical symbol]
| 9a | Capital /of/ Kentucky put in as well (5) |
Tokyo[5] is the capital of Japan. Formerly called Edo, it was the centre of the military government under the shoguns (1603–1867). It was renamed Tokyo in 1868, when it replaced Kyoto as the imperial capital.
| 10a | Patch up women's house /in/ TV series (6,3) |
The abbreviation for women or women's is W[2]. The latter designates a clothing size while the former might be seen on the door to the ladies' room.
Doctor Who[7] is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC which has had widespread distribution in North America. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior appears as a blue police box*.
* A police box[5] is a telephone (or earlier, telegraph) kiosk specially for the use of police or members of the public wishing to contact the police.
| 12a | Blow over // pop off having drink (3,4) |
Pop off[10] is used informally in the sense of to die, especially suddenly or unexpectedly.
| 13a | Appointment // to meet son, tense after test (5) |
| 15a | Aloofness // shown in public, in essence (7) |
| 16a | Daughter of Lear, stuffing two ducks, /needed to find/ herb (7) |
King Lear[7]* is a tragedy written in 1605 or 1606 by English playwright William Shakespeare (1564–1616). The title character descends into madness after disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters (Goneril, Regan and Cordelia) based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all.
* Lear[5], a legendary early king of Britain, is mentioned by the 12th century Welsh chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth in his Historia Regum Britanniae (circa 1139; first printed in 1508), an account of the kings of Britain.
"duck " = O [cricket term]
In cricket, a duck[5] (short for duck's egg) is a batsman’s score of nought [zero] ⇒
In British puzzles, "duck" is used to indicate the letter "O" based on the resemblance of the digit "0" to this letter.
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In cricket, a duck[5] (short for duck's egg) is a batsman’s score of nought [zero] ⇒
he was out for a duck. This is similar to the North American expression goose egg[5] meaning a zero score in a game.
In British puzzles, "duck" is used to indicate the letter "O" based on the resemblance of the digit "0" to this letter.
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| 18a | Pair of wrestlers, // game couple (3,4) |
| 20a | Strong // check (7) |
| 21a | Scoundrel/'s/ accent, not British (5) |
| 23a | Old king holding on /for/ Churchill, say (7) |
"Old King Cole"[7]
is a British nursery rhyme
first attested in 1708. (show more )
Though there is much speculation about the identity of King Cole, it is unlikely that he can be identified reliably as any historical figure. The poem describes a merry king who called for his pipe, bowl, and musicians, with the details varying among versions.
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Though there is much speculation about the identity of King Cole, it is unlikely that he can be identified reliably as any historical figure. The poem describes a merry king who called for his pipe, bowl, and musicians, with the details varying among versions.
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"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).
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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).
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Churchill College[7] is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It was established in 1958 as as a national and Commonwealth memorial to Britain's wartime Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill.
| 25a | Police officer /with/ prisoners brought before board (9) |
Board[5,10] is an archaic term for a table, especially one used for eating at, and especially when laden with food ⇒
he looked at the banquet which was spread upon his board.
| 26a | Omit to collect large // threshing implement (5) |
| 27a | German song // told a tale (4) |
A lied[5] (plural lieder) is a type of German song, especially of the Romantic period, typically for solo voice with piano accompaniment.
| 28a | Collapsed on tenth lap /in/ Olympic event (10) |
Down
| 1d | Detest // pillbox, for example, on top of embankment (4) |
| 2d | Really // showing approval about current king climbing (2,7) |
| 3d | Very happy, // giddy teens online, tackling me (2,4,7) |
| 4d | Ghastly // house I'd renovated (7) |
| 5d | A name in Conservative party supporting new and old? // That's not possible (2,3,2) |
"Conservative " = C [member of British political party]
The abbreviation for Conservative may be either C.[10] or Con.[10].
The Conservative Party[5] is a major right of centre British political party promoting free enterprise and private ownership 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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The abbreviation for Conservative may be either C.[10] or Con.[10].
The Conservative Party[5] is a major right of centre British political party promoting free enterprise and private ownership 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.
hide
"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
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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
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"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.
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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.
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| 7d | Noisy // argument with daughter ending in acrimony (5) |
| 8d | D'Arcy's character? (10) |
| 11d | Where watch may display time, // seemingly (2,3,4,2,2) |
A literal reading of the solution will provide the answer to the question posed in the first part of the clue. In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Miffypops seemingly overlooks the fact that the last word in the clue is a precise definition.
| 14d | Old // hit carols I broadcast (10) |
| 17d | Musical passage /in/ film (5,4) |
Annie[7] is a Broadway musical based upon the popular comic strip Little Orphan Annie created by American cartoonist Harold Gray (1894–1968). The original Broadway production, which opened in 1977, ran for nearly six years and won the Tony Award for Best Musical.
Annie Hall[7] is a 1977 American romantic comedy film directed and co-written by Woody Allen and starring Allen and Diane Keaton. The film won four Academy Awards — Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Actress.
| 19d | Grim, // the old lady about to grab taxi (7) |
| 20d | Conspicuous, // foreigner in street (7) |
| 22d | Type /in/ information, extremely reliable (5) |
Gen[5] is an informal British term for information ⇒
you’ve got more gen on him than we have.
| 24d | I must not be involved in basic // plot (4) |
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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