Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29325 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Tuesday, March 31, 2020 | |
Setter
Unknown | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29325]
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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
A fairly gentle bit of mental exercise today. Having never read Wodehouse, I can't take credit for recognizing the literary reference in 28a. I gleaned knowledge of its existence from the discussion on Big Dave's Crossword Blog and fleshed it out with some further research. By the way, with the Phase I COVID lockdown firmly in effect around the world at the end of March (when the puzzle appeared in the UK), the number of comments on Big Dave's site are becoming quite formidable. Today, in addition to discovering nuggets like Gussie and his newts, you can learn how to cut your own hair and make macaroni cheese (the British name for what we call macaroni and cheese).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 | Leave // a bar with university teacher (7) |
A don[10] is a member of the teaching staff at a university or college, especially at Oxford or Cambridge.
| 5a | Fizzy drink, cold or not, initially // it's enjoyed at the cinema? (7) |
Cinema[5] is the British name for a movie theatre.
| 9a | Bad move to grab scorpion's tail: // poison! (5) |
| 10a | Mock // failing after Liberal leaves (9) |
"Liberal " = L [member of a nearly extinct British political party]
The Liberal Party[5] (abbreviation Lib.[5] or L[2])* in Britain emerged in the 1860s from the old Whig Party and until the First World War was one of the two major parties in Britain. In 1988 the party regrouped with elements of the Social Democratic Party to form the Social and Liberal Democrats, now known as the Liberal Democrats.
However, a small Liberal Party still exists (founded in 1989 by members of the original Liberal Party opposed to its merger with the Social Democratic Party) although it has never held a UK, Scottish or European parliamentary seat, though it has had representation on local councils.[7]
* Although Lib.[5] may be the more common abbreviation for the Liberal Party in Britain — likely to distinguish it from the the Labour Party[5] (abbreviation Lab.[5]) — Chambers 21st Century Dictionary indicates that L[2] may also be used.
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The Liberal Party[5] (abbreviation Lib.[5] or L[2])* in Britain emerged in the 1860s from the old Whig Party and until the First World War was one of the two major parties in Britain. In 1988 the party regrouped with elements of the Social Democratic Party to form the Social and Liberal Democrats, now known as the Liberal Democrats.
However, a small Liberal Party still exists (founded in 1989 by members of the original Liberal Party opposed to its merger with the Social Democratic Party) although it has never held a UK, Scottish or European parliamentary seat, though it has had representation on local councils.[7]
* Although Lib.[5] may be the more common abbreviation for the Liberal Party in Britain — likely to distinguish it from the the Labour Party[5] (abbreviation Lab.[5]) — Chambers 21st Century Dictionary indicates that L[2] may also be used.
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| 11a | Moral sense // against discipline at school (10) |
| 12a | Sack // female with temper (4) |
| 14a | Provide posts /for/ animals (12) |
| 18a | I return and seem upset about Queen/'s/ demands (12) |
"Queen " = Q
Queen may be abbreviated as Q, Qu. or R.
Q[5] is an abbreviation for queen that is used especially in describing play in card games and recording moves in chess.
Qu.[2] is another common abbreviation for Queen.
In the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms*, Regina[5] (abbreviation R[5]) [Latin for queen] denotes the reigning queen, used following a name (e.g. Elizabetha Regina, Queen Elizabeth — often shortened to ER) or in the titles of lawsuits (e.g. Regina v. Jones, the Crown versus Jones — often shortened to R. v. Jones).
* A Commonwealth realm[7] is a sovereign state that is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and shares the same person, currently Elizabeth II, as its head of state and reigning constitutional monarch, but retains a crown legally distinct from the other realms. There are currently sixteen Commonwealth realms, the largest being Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom with the remainder being smaller Caribbean and Pacific island nations.
Thus Queen Elizabeth signs her name as 'Elizabeth R' as seen here on Canada's paint-stained constitution[7].
hide
Queen may be abbreviated as Q, Qu. or R.
Q[5] is an abbreviation for queen that is used especially in describing play in card games and recording moves in chess.
Qu.[2] is another common abbreviation for Queen.
In the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms*, Regina[5] (abbreviation R[5]) [Latin for queen] denotes the reigning queen, used following a name (e.g. Elizabetha Regina, Queen Elizabeth — often shortened to ER) or in the titles of lawsuits (e.g. Regina v. Jones, the Crown versus Jones — often shortened to R. v. Jones).
* A Commonwealth realm[7] is a sovereign state that is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and shares the same person, currently Elizabeth II, as its head of state and reigning constitutional monarch, but retains a crown legally distinct from the other realms. There are currently sixteen Commonwealth realms, the largest being Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom with the remainder being smaller Caribbean and Pacific island nations.
Thus Queen Elizabeth signs her name as 'Elizabeth R' as seen here on Canada's paint-stained constitution[7].
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| 21a | Give up // completely? Not completely (4) |
| 22a | Ben's issues developing // concerns (10) |
| 25a | Large // former lover nervous to eat four (9) |
| 26a | Picture // that is in periodical? On the contrary (5) |
The phrase "on the contrary" tells the solver to reverse the logic or meaning of the statement immediately preceding it. Doing so leads one to reinterpret the wordplay to read "periodical in that is".
| 27a | Splash and support // little swimmer (7) |
| 28a | Indicate // some newts e.g. Gussie returned (7) |
Scratching the Surface
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| Gussie[7] is a shortened version of the given names Augustus, Augusta, Gustave and others. Augustus "Gussie" Fink-Nottle[7] is a recurring fictional character in the Jeeves novels of English humorist P. G. Wodehouse (1881 – 1975), being a lifelong friend of Jeeves's master Bertie Wooster and a country member of the Drones Club*. He wears horn-rimmed spectacles and studies newts. * Jeeves is a valet in the employ of Bertie Wooster; the Drones's Club is a gentlemen's club in London of which both Wooster and Fink-Nottle are members. |
Down
| 1d | Help // notice immorality (6) |
| 2d | Showing tiredness, perhaps, leaving yard /for/ shade (6) |
| 3d | Popular // comrade upset by nervous twitch (10) |
| 4d | Easily deceived // one in part of church (5) |
The nave[5] is the central part of a church building, intended to accommodate most of the congregation. In traditional Western churches it is rectangular, separated from the chancel by a step or rail, and from adjacent aisles by pillars.
| 5d | Rule // head teacher stated (9) |
| 6d | Top // dog, reportedly (4) |
| 7d | Nothing worrying in a girl/'s/ master (8) |
| 8d | Nancy's refusal to pick up // rubbish (8) |
Nancy[5] is a city in northeastern France.
The French word for 'no' is non[8].
| 13d | Turing left shaking /and/ quivering (10) |
Scratching the Surface
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| Alan Turing[5] (1912 – 1954) was an English mathematician. He developed the concept of a theoretical computing machine, a key step in the development of the first computer, and carried out important code-breaking work in the Second World War. He also investigated artificial intelligence. |
| 15d | Engineer holds one very // big wheel (9) |
"very " = V [context uncertain]
The abbreviation v (or v.)[1,2,5,10] stands for very.
Although this definition is found in most of my British dictionaries, it does not appear in any of my American dictionaries. Unfortunately no explanation is given as to the specific context in which one might encounter this usage. The only possibility that I can imagine is when combined with G as a grade of VG (very good) on school tests or assignments.
hide
The abbreviation v (or v.)[1,2,5,10] stands for very.
Although this definition is found in most of my British dictionaries, it does not appear in any of my American dictionaries. Unfortunately no explanation is given as to the specific context in which one might encounter this usage. The only possibility that I can imagine is when combined with G as a grade of VG (very good) on school tests or assignments.
hide
| 16d | Regular // visit (8) |
| 17d | Shot // tiger's head held by country gentleman and daughter (8) |
A squire[5] is a man of high social standing who owns and lives on an estate in a rural area, especially the chief landowner in such an area.
| 19d | Large car /from/ Spain, say (6) |
In the UK, estate[5] is short for estate car[5], the British name for a station wagon[5].
| 20d | Claim // a lock is upside down (6) |
| 23d | More than one thought // I would relapse, regularly (5) |
| 24d | Keen on // badminton, in part (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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