Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29289 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Tuesday, February 18, 2020 | |
Setter
Unknown | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29289]
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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
The combination of 2d and 9a in the northwest corner held out long after the rest of the clues had been vanquished. In this, I was not alone as evidenced by the comments on Big Dave's Crossword Blog.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 | Feverish // girl with nervous twitch (7) |
| 5a | Boring // unruly adolescent with debts? (7) |
Ted[2] is short for Teddy boy[5], a slang term originally applied to a young man belonging to a subculture in 1950s Britain characterized by a style of dress based on Edwardian fashion (typically with drainpipe trousers, bootlace tie, and hair slicked up in a quiff* and a liking for rock-and-roll music. The name comes from from Teddy, pet form of the given name Edward (with reference to Edward VII's reign). Judging by the entry in the Chambers 21st Century Dictionary, it would appear that the term Teddy boy[2] is now applied to any unruly or rowdy adolescent male.
* Quiff[3,4] is a chiefly British term for a prominent tuft of hair, especially one brushed up above the forehead.
| 9a | Thieves // oddly set to be restrained by court orders (7) |
Dubious Synonym?
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| Are court orders not rulings rather than rules? Apparently, not necessarily. In law, a rule[10] is an order by a court or judge. |
| 10a | Dubious // cult trapping American quietly (7) |
| 11a | Each person/'s/ so stiff after end of exercise (9) |
This clue brought a smile once the penny dropped. Stiff[5] is used in the informal sense of a dead body.
| 12a | Master /and/ student get paid (5) |
"student " = 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.
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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.
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| Automobile displaying an L-plate |
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| 13a | Tense requests /for/ jobs (5) |
| 15a | Spinning Jenny, to me, /is/ fun (9) |
Scratching the Surface
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| The spinning jenny[5] was a machine for spinning with more than one spindle at a time, patented by James Hargreaves in 1770. |
| 17a | Educated // Conservative is livid, unfortunately, about Spain (9) |
"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.
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Dubious Synonym?
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| Does educated necessarily imply civilised? |
| 19a | Sleazy nightclub limiting Romeo/'s/ enthusiasm (5) |
"Romeo " = R [NATO Phonetic Alphabet]
In what is commonly known as the NATO Phonetic Alphabet[7]*, Romeo[5] is a code word representing the letter R.
* officially the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet
hide
In what is commonly known as the NATO Phonetic Alphabet[7]*, Romeo[5] is a code word representing the letter R.
* officially the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet
hide
| 22a | Call on // model after six (5) |
| 23a | Meal // turning bakers fat (9) |
| 25a | Strips // bones, eating most of another (7) |
| 26a | Greek god with one leg // wasting away (7) |
In Greek mythology, Eros[5] is the god of love, son of Aphrodite — the equivalent in Roman mythology being Cupid.
"leg " = ON [cricket term]
In cricket, the leg[5] (also called leg side) is another name for the on[5] (also known as on 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 leg[5] (also called leg side) is another name for the on[5] (also known as on 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
| 27a | Daughter, rejecting most of pudding, // got up (7) |
Here and There
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| Whereas, in North America, the term pudding[5]
specifically means a dessert with a soft or creamy consistency, in
Britain it denotes a much broader range of sweetened usually cooked
desserts. While the word pudding clearly does not encompass every dessert, it would seem to include the vast majority — certainly far more than in North America. Collins COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary describes dessert[14] as a sweet dish such as fruit or a pudding, that you eat at the end of a meal. In the UK, pudding[5] is also another name for the dessert course of a meal. Although it would sound bizarre to a North American ear, if a Brit were to ask What’s for pudding?, the response might well be Apple pie. The word dessert[10,12] can also have different meanings in Britain. As in North America, it can mean the sweet, usually last course of a meal. However, it can also denote (especially formerly) fruit, dates, nuts, etc, served at the end of a meal after, or in place of, the sweet course. So, it would appear, one might conclude a meal with a pudding course followed by a dessert course. |
Got up[10] is used not to mean rose from one's bed but in the informal sense of dressed oneself in a particular way, especially showily or elaborately.
| 28a | Flipping crazy golfer's after new // holes (7) |
Ernie Els[7] is a South African professional golfer, who has been one of the top professional players in the world since the mid-1990s — and one who makes frequent visits to Crosswordland.
Down
| 1d | Force the Queen to release // fanatic (7) |
"the Queen " = ER [regnal cipher of Queen Elizabeth]
The regnal ciphers (monograms) of British monarchs are initials formed from the Latin version of their first name followed by either Rex or Regina (Latin for king or queen, respectively). Thus, the regnal cipher of Queen Elizabeth is ER[5] — from the Latin Elizabetha Regina.
* A cipher[5] (also cypher) is a monogram[5] or motif of two or more interwoven letters, typically a person's initials, used to identify a personal possession or as a logo.
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The regnal ciphers (monograms) of British monarchs are initials formed from the Latin version of their first name followed by either Rex or Regina (Latin for king or queen, respectively). Thus, the regnal cipher of Queen Elizabeth is ER[5] — from the Latin Elizabetha Regina.
* A cipher[5] (also cypher) is a monogram[5] or motif of two or more interwoven letters, typically a person's initials, used to identify a personal possession or as a logo.
hide
| 2d | One hopes you're entering these // pleas? (7) |
The first definition refers to the solver of this puzzle; the second to responses to charges in court.
| 3d | Reveal youngster's opening // the box (5) |
Telly[5] is an informal British term for television ⇒ (i)
there’d been a cowboy film on telly; (ii)
a black-and-white telly.
| 4d | Doctor cures most // clients (9) |
| 5d | Cross // yard following inspection (5) |
| 6d | Showed // heads of department increasing shamelessness and messed around (9) |
| 7d | Aspiration to leave hospital and be worthy of // work (7) |
| 8d | Partly fasten it askew, lifting // material (7) |
Satinet[5] is a variant spelling of satinette, a fabric with a similar finish to satin, made partly or wholly of cotton or synthetic fibre.
| 14d | Results // so-so until reforms (9) |
| 16d | After day in prison, European intended to ignore a // verdict (9) |
The jug[5] is an informal term for prison ⇒
three months in the jug.
"European " = E [as in E number]
E[1,2] is the abbreviation for European (as in E number*).
* An E number[1,4,10,14] (or E-number[2,5]) is any of various identification codes required by EU law, consisting of the letter E (for European) followed by a number, that are used to denote food additives such as colourings and preservatives (but excluding flavourings) that have been approved by the European Union.
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E[1,2] is the abbreviation for European (as in E number*).
* An E number[1,4,10,14] (or E-number[2,5]) is any of various identification codes required by EU law, consisting of the letter E (for European) followed by a number, that are used to denote food additives such as colourings and preservatives (but excluding flavourings) that have been approved by the European Union.
hide
| 17d | Embarrassed after chap/'s/ plastered (7) |
Cove[5] is a dated informal British term for a man ⇒
he is a perfectly amiable cove.
Origin: Mid 16th century: perhaps from Romany kova ‘thing or person’.
| 18d | Absurd to change leader -- /that's/ plain to see (7) |
Risible[5] is an adjective meaning provoking laughter through being ludicrous ⇒
a risible scene of lovemaking in a tent.
| 20d | Assume // one quarry contains silver (7) |
| 21d | Makes bigger // offers (7) |
| 23d | Corrupt Democrat // located (5) |
"Democrat " = D [member or supporter of US political party]
| 24d | Noted // family heartlessly wrapping the present (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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