Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29329 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Saturday, April 4, 2020 | |
Setter
Unknown | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29329]
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Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
Tilsit | |
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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Notes
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This puzzle appears on the Monday Diversions page in the Saturday, November 28, 2020 edition of the National Post. As of March 28, 2020, The Daily Telegraph suspended the contests associated with its Saturday (and Sunday) puzzles due to logistical issues created by the COVID-19 situation. As a result, effective with this puzzle and continuing until such time as the contests are reinstated, you will find only a single post on Big Dave's Crossword Blog related to the Saturday puzzle. During this period, the post for the Saturday puzzle will be a full review in the same format as the posts for weekday puzzles. | |
Introduction
Just like in an Indiana Jones movie, the setter has laid some traps for the unwary.See the note above regarding a change in format for posts on Big Dave's Crossword Blog dealing with puzzles published in The Daily Telegraph on Saturdays.
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 | Doctor No's at place to trade in // 007's vehicle? (5,6) |
James Bond[5] (known also by his code name 007) is a fictional British secret agent in the spy novels of English author Ian Fleming (1908 – 1964). Bond[7] is an intelligence officer in the Secret Intelligence Service, commonly known as MI6.
Bond's most famous car[7] is the silver grey Aston Martin DB5, first seen in Goldfinger; it later featured in Thunderball, GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, Casino Royale, Skyfall and Spectre.
Delving Deeper
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| In the early Bond stories Fleming gave Bond a battleship-grey Bentley 4 1⁄2 Litre with an Amherst Villiers supercharger. After Bond's car was written off by Hugo Drax in Moonraker, Fleming gave Bond a Mark II Continental Bentley, which he used in the remaining books of the series. During Goldfinger, Bond was issued with an Aston Martin DB Mark III with a homing device, which he used to track Goldfinger across France. Bond returned to his Bentley for the subsequent novels. The Bond of the films has driven a number of cars, including the Aston Martin V8 Vantage, during the 1980s, the V12 Vanquish and DBS during the 2000s, as well as the Lotus Esprit; the BMW Z3, BMW 750iL and the BMW Z8. He has, however, also needed to drive a number of other vehicles, ranging from a Citroën 2CV to a Routemaster Bus, amongst others. |
Scratching the Surface
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| Dr. No[7] is the sixth novel in Ian Fleming's James Bond series, first published in the UK in 1958. It was the first James Bond feature film of the Eon Productions series, released in 1962 and starring Sean Connery. |
| 10a | The ultimate // feature of some games (5) |
Omega[5] is used in the sense of the last in a series ⇒
That's the beginning and the end, the alpha and the omega, and there's no exceptions.
| 11a | It's more alarming admitting if // one means to break up (9) |
A scarifier[5] is a tool with spikes or prongs used for breaking up matted vegetation in the surface of a lawn.
| 12a | Every Russian in sporty car // to gad about (9) |
Ivan[7] is a Slavic male given name, a variant of the Greek name Iōánnēs (English: John) from Hebrew יוֹחָנָן Yôḥānnān meaning 'God is gracious'. It is worldwide associated with Russia and it's culture and is very popular in that country. It also enjoys a near monopoly among Russian denizens of Crosswordland.
GT[2] (abbreviation for Italian Gran Turismo, which translates as "grand touring" in English) is a name given to certain fast but comfortable sports cars.
| 13a | Little chap // beginning to thrive before long (5) |
Titch[5] (also tich) is an informal British term for a small person ⇒
the titch of the class.
| 14a | Colourless // football team switching pair at the back (6) |
Albion[7] is the name of many football [soccer] teams in the UK (Wikipedia lists an even dozen). Two of these clubs compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system:
- Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club[7] (commonly referred to simply as Brighton) is an English professional football club based in the city of Brighton and Hove.
- West Bromwich Albion Football Club[7] (commonly referred to as WBA, West Brom, or Albion) is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England.
| 16a | A kiss cut short to show affection /for/ one that may be related (8) |
| 18a | What's brought /from/ food shop before jolly (8) |
Jolly[5] (adverb) is an informal British term meaning very or extremely ⇒
he is jolly busy.
| 20a | Hospital cutting top-class medication /that's/ on the rise (6) |
"top-class " = U [upper class]
In Britain, U[5] is used informally as an adjective (in respect to language or social behaviour) meaning characteristic of or appropriate to the upper social classes ⇒
The term, an abbreviation of upper class, was coined in 1954 by Alan S. C. Ross, professor of linguistics, and popularized by its use in Nancy Mitford's Noblesse Oblige (1956).
In Crosswordland, the letter U is frequently clued by words denoting "characteristic of the upper class" (such as posh or superior) or "appropriate to the upper class" (such as acceptable).
hide
In Britain, U[5] is used informally as an adjective (in respect to language or social behaviour) meaning characteristic of or appropriate to the upper social classes ⇒
U manners.
The term, an abbreviation of upper class, was coined in 1954 by Alan S. C. Ross, professor of linguistics, and popularized by its use in Nancy Mitford's Noblesse Oblige (1956).
In Crosswordland, the letter U is frequently clued by words denoting "characteristic of the upper class" (such as posh or superior) or "appropriate to the upper class" (such as acceptable).
hide
| 23a | Bridge players perhaps // unpleasant creatures when losing the lead (5) |
| 24a & 26a | Vehicle for 007 // damaged slightly evading hit (3,6,9) |
The Living Daylights[7] is a 1987 spy film and the fifteenth entry in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions, the first of two to star Timothy Dalton as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film's title is taken from Ian Fleming's short story "The Living Daylights", the plot of which also forms the basis of the first act of the film.
| 26a | See 24a |
| 27a | For Frenchman, extremely small // lock (5) |
In French, très[8] is an adverb meaning 'very'.
| 28a | Characters showing relief /from/ disturbed rest slept round about (11) |
Relief[5] is a method of moulding, carving, or stamping in which the design stands out from the surface, to a greater (high relief) or lesser (low relief) extent.
Letterpress[10] is a method of printing in which ink is transferred from raised surfaces to paper by pressure; also known as relief printing.
As ChrisH points out in Comment #37 on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, letterpress is called relief printing not because "the letters are raised from the paper" (as Deep Threat states in his review) but because the surface of the type is raised.
Down
| 2d | Use artillery /for/ cover (5) |
| 3d | Group of stars gathering at // address (7) |
In astronomy, Orion[5] (also Orionis) is a conspicuous constellation (the Hunter), said to represent a hunter holding a club and shield. It lies on the celestial equator and contains many bright stars, including Rigel, Betelgeuse, and a line of three that form Orion's Belt.
| 4d | Fail to find // motorway covering Scottish island (6) |
Motorway[2,5] (abbreviation M[5]) is a British, Australian, and New Zealand term for a dual-carriageway road [divided highway] designed for fast-moving traffic, especially one with three lanes per carriageway [direction of travel] and limited access and exit points [controlled access].
Islay[5] is a large island which is the southernmost of the Inner Hebrides, south of Jura.
| 5d | Organist somehow // dressing down (8) |
| 6d | Stupid // African despot for the listener (7) |
Idi Amin Dada[7] (c.
1925–2003) was the third President of Uganda, ruling from 1971 to 1979.
As commander of the Ugandan Army, he led a military coup in January
1971 that deposed Milton Obote. (show more )
In 1977, when Britain broke diplomatic relations with Uganda, Amin declared he had defeated the British and added "CBE", for "Conqueror of the British Empire", to his title.
Amin's rule was characterized by human rights abuses, political repression, ethnic persecution, extrajudicial killings, nepotism, corruption, and gross economic mismanagement. The number of people killed as a result of his regime is estimated by international observers and human rights groups to range from 100,000 to 500,000.
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In 1977, when Britain broke diplomatic relations with Uganda, Amin declared he had defeated the British and added "CBE", for "Conqueror of the British Empire", to his title.
Amin's rule was characterized by human rights abuses, political repression, ethnic persecution, extrajudicial killings, nepotism, corruption, and gross economic mismanagement. The number of people killed as a result of his regime is estimated by international observers and human rights groups to range from 100,000 to 500,000.
hide
| 7d | Lout with money // just about fit for purpose (5-3-5) |
Rough[5] (noun) is used in a British sense meaning a disreputable and violent person ⇒
the rear of the column was attacked by roughs.
Ready[5,10] or the ready[10] (also called readies or the readies) is an informal British term for ready money[5,10] (also called ready cash), funds for immediate use or, in other words, available money or cash ⇒
Because I haven't got the readies to hand, I could offer a pittance now and promise to pay the rest at a date more to my convenience.
The phrase fit for purpose[2] means (of an institution, facility, etc.) well equipped or well suited for its designated role or purpose.
Rough and ready[2] denotes quickly prepared and not polished or perfect, but usually good enough for the purpose.
| 8d | Visit our amazingly // talented musicians (8) |
| 9d | Indiana Jones perhaps // loathes a corgi barking (13) |
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?.
Indiana Jones[7] is an American media franchise based on the adventures of Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., a fictional professor of archaeology, that began in 1981 with the film Raiders of the Lost Ark.
| 15d | Sweet // shot? (5-3) |
A bull's-eye[2] is a large 'hard' round peppermint sweet [candy].
| 17d | Note // time absorbed in handicraft (8) |
Crotchet[5] is a British name for a quarter note, a note having the time value of a quarter of a semibreve* or half a minim**, represented by a large solid dot with a plain stem.
| 19d | Trace // viewer regularly introducing Top Gear driver (7) |
I must make a small correction to Deep Threat's parsing of the wordplay on Big Dave's Crossword Blog. It should read "the alternate letters of the word VIEWER,
Top Gear[7] is a British motoring magazine programme which airs on the BBC. The Stig[7] is a character featured on the show whose identity is kept anonymous. The character wears a racing suit and full-face helmet with black visor to conceal their identity. The show is currently on its third Stig, the identity of the first two having been exposed — the first in a newspaper article and the second in court proceedings.
| 21d | Love potion /makes/ Duke of Edinburgh tango with the queen (7) |
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh[7] is the husband of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms. He may be known as Phil to close associates as well as to the headline writers of British tabloids.
"tango " = T [NATO Phonetic Alphabet]
In what is commonly known as the NATO Phonetic Alphabet[7]*, Tango[5] is a code word representing the letter T.
* officially the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet
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In what is commonly known as the NATO Phonetic Alphabet[7]*, Tango[5] is a code word representing the letter T.
* officially the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet
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"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.
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| 22d | Removing vice from China perhaps /is/ a hard problem (6) |
| 25d | Plans // advanced in certain days in Rome (5) |
I would say that "certain days in Rome" refers not to "the middle days of a Roman month" (as Deep Threat expresses it in his review) but to "the middle days of (several) Roman months". Whereas the ides of March is a single day (the15th of March), the ides of January, February and March would be three days (the 13th of January, the 13th of February, and the 15th of March).
" advanced " = A [advanced level academic qualification]
In the UK (with the exception of Scotland), A level[5] (advanced level[5]) is a qualification in a specific subject typically taken by school students aged 16-18, at a level above GCSE[5] (General Certificate of Secondary Education).
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In the UK (with the exception of Scotland), A level[5] (advanced level[5]) is a qualification in a specific subject typically taken by school students aged 16-18, at a level above GCSE[5] (General Certificate of Secondary Education).
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In the ancient Roman calendar, ides[5] was a day falling roughly in the middle of each month (the 15th day of March, May, July, and October, and the 13th of other months) from which other dates were calculated.
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
