Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29308 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Wednesday, March 11, 2020 | |
Setter
Jay (Jeremy Mutch) | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29308]
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Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
2Kiwis | |
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, Jay takes us on a visit to the aquarium — or, perhaps, a deep sea fishing trip.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 | Master // the last of skills needed with fish (7) |
A kipper[5] is a herring or other fish that has been split open and cured by salting and drying it in the open air or in smoke.
| 5a | Tears seen across unavailable // overpriced items (3-4) |
Off[5] is an informal British term (used with respect to an item on a menu) meaning temporarily unavailable⇒
strawberries are off.
| 9a | Wheeler-dealer /finding/ hotel in one of the Channel Islands (5) |
"hotel " = H [NATO Phonetic Alphabet]
In what is commonly known as the NATO Phonetic Alphabet[7]*, Hotel[5] is a code word representing the letter H.
* officially the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet
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In what is commonly known as the NATO Phonetic Alphabet[7]*, Hotel[5] is a code word representing the letter H.
* officially the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet
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Sark[5], one of the Channel Islands (show more ), is a small island lying to the east of Guernsey.
The Channel Islands[5] (abbreviation CI[5]) are a group of islands in the English Channel off the northwestern coast of France, of which the largest are Jersey, Guernsey, and Alderney. Formerly part of the dukedom of Normandy, they have owed allegiance to England since the Norman Conquest in 1066, and are now classed as Crown dependencies.
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The Channel Islands[5] (abbreviation CI[5]) are a group of islands in the English Channel off the northwestern coast of France, of which the largest are Jersey, Guernsey, and Alderney. Formerly part of the dukedom of Normandy, they have owed allegiance to England since the Norman Conquest in 1066, and are now classed as Crown dependencies.
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| 10a | Dish // only seen after fruit? (5,4) |
Dish or Fish?
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| Lemon sole[5] is not a fish recipe but rather a common European flatfish of the plaice family. It is an important food fish. The fish is actually a type of flounder—not sole—and it has nothing to do with lemon other than it is pale-yellow in color; the name derives from French limande, "flatfish"[a]. [a] Farlex Trivia Dictionary |
| 11a | Hating // classification accorded to senior management (10) |
| 12a | Join // fool in audition (4) |
Nit[5,10] (short for nitwit) is an informal British term for a foolish person ⇒
you stupid nit!.
| 14a | Manage finances /and/ tie the knot? (4,4,4) |
The second part of the clue is a whimsical literal reading of the solution.
Post Mortem
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At Comment #35 on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Walkerbob asks ⇒ Did anyone else consider ‘make ones nest’ for 14a?. Yes, that is exactly what I did. And when I could find no evidence that any such expression exists, I still clung to the idea that the second word must be "one's", I had to resort to a bit of electronic help to extricate me from the mess. |
| 18a | A hovel at best, after renovation /must be/ of superior status (5,3,4) |
The expression above (or below) the salt[12] denotes in a more honored (or less honored) position.
Origin[b]: The term is derived from the social hierarchy of nobility in medieval times, in which salt, a precious commodity then, was set in the middle of the dining table. Those of high noble rank were seated "above the salt," that is, closer to the lord and lady of the house, while those in lower social standing were seated "below" or "beneath" it.
[b] Farlex Dictionary of Idioms
| 21a | Idiot with no time left /for/ an attractive girl (4) |
| 22a | Almost fail to see, and wave stick /for/ bad behaviour (10) |
What did they say?
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In their review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, the 2Kiwis suggest that the final part of the solution is a word meaning toSir Simon Rattle[7] is an English conductor. He rose to international prominence during the 1980s and 1990s with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. From 2002 to 2018, he led the Berlin Philharmonic. In September 2017, he became Music Director of the London Symphony Orchestra, spending the 2017-18 season at the helm of both the Berlin and London ensembles.wave a stick in the manner of Rattle. |
| 25a | Don't worry about // men driven mad! (5,4) |
| 26a | Model talking about // letter from abroad (5) |
Delta[5] is the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet (Δ, δ).
| 27a | Cantankerous // agent drinking wine sent back (7) |
Stroppy[5] is an informal British term meaning bad-tempered and argumentative ⇒
Patricia was getting stroppy.
| 28a | Method of learning about group // award (7) |
A rosette[5] is a rose-shaped decoration, typically made of ribbon, worn by supporters of a sports team or political party* or awarded as a prize ⇒
the showjumping rosettes Samantha had accumulated.
*
In Britain, it is a common practice to wear a rosette to show one's allegiance to a sports team or political party.
Illustrated (appropriately arranged left to right) are rosettes supporting three UK political parties: Labour, Liberal Democrats, and Conservatives.Down
| 1d | Window frames // the girl in elite forces (6) |
In the UK, the Special Air Service[5] (abbreviation SAS[5]) is a specialist army regiment trained in commando techniques of warfare, formed during the Second World War and used in clandestine operations, frequently against terrorists.
| 2d | Pictures // one married a long time (6) |
| 3d | Something red-hot with coffee turned up // giving nothing away (5-5) |
| 4d | Some consider elite // got going again (5) |
| 5d | Such creatures // at home may be protected by short workers (9) |
Short[5] (noun) is a British term for a drink of spirits served in a small measure* or, as Collins English Dictionary puts it, a short[10] is a drink of spirits as opposed to a long drink such as beer.
"worker " = ANT
The terms "worker" and "social worker" are commonly used in cryptic crossword puzzles to clue ANT or BEE.
A worker[5] is a neuter or undeveloped female bee, wasp, ant, or other social insect, large numbers of which do the basic work of the colony.
In crossword puzzles, "worker" will most frequently be used to clue ANT and occasionally BEE but I have yet to see it used to clue WASP. Of course, "worker" is sometimes also used to clue HAND or MAN.
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The terms "worker" and "social worker" are commonly used in cryptic crossword puzzles to clue ANT or BEE.
A worker[5] is a neuter or undeveloped female bee, wasp, ant, or other social insect, large numbers of which do the basic work of the colony.
In crossword puzzles, "worker" will most frequently be used to clue ANT and occasionally BEE but I have yet to see it used to clue WASP. Of course, "worker" is sometimes also used to clue HAND or MAN.
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| 6d | Whales should cross northern // water (4) |
| 7d | Struggle for words /seeing/ line adopted by developer (8) |
| 8d | Watch // people welcoming policeman full of energy (8) |
PC[5] is a British designation for a police constable ⇒
PC Bartholomew made his report.
| 13d | Walks by sea -- // and sleep as shattered (10) |
| 15d | Northern Ireland business centre supporting the new // race (9) |
"Northern Ireland " = NI [Northern Ireland]
Northern Ireland[5] (abbreviation NI[5]) is a province of the United Kingdom occupying the northeast part of Ireland.
According to Oxford Dictionaries, Northern Ireland[5] is the only major division of the United Kingdom to hold the status of province, with England[5], Scotland[5] and Wales[5] considered to be countries.
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Northern Ireland[5] (abbreviation NI[5]) is a province of the United Kingdom occupying the northeast part of Ireland.
According to Oxford Dictionaries, Northern Ireland[5] is the only major division of the United Kingdom to hold the status of province, with England[5], Scotland[5] and Wales[5] considered to be countries.
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The term "the City[5], short for the City of London[5] (a borough of — and not to be confused with — the city of London) (show explanation
), is commonly used as a metonym for the United Kingdom's
trading and financial services industries which are largely based there.
This is similar to the use of the terms Wall Street and Bay Street to
refer to the financial institutions located in New York and Toronto
respectively.
The City of London[7] is a city and ceremonial county within London. It constituted most of London from its settlement by the Romans in the 1st century AD to the Middle Ages, but the conurbation has since grown far beyond the City's borders. The City is now only a tiny part of the metropolis of London, though it remains a notable part of central London. It is one of two districts of London to hold city status, the other being the adjacent City of Westminster.
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The City of London[7] is a city and ceremonial county within London. It constituted most of London from its settlement by the Romans in the 1st century AD to the Middle Ages, but the conurbation has since grown far beyond the City's borders. The City is now only a tiny part of the metropolis of London, though it remains a notable part of central London. It is one of two districts of London to hold city status, the other being the adjacent City of Westminster.
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| 16d | On board ship, a diner ordered // game (8) |
"on board ship " = 'contained in SS'
Sardines[5] is a British children's game based on hide-and-seek, in which one child hides and the other children, as they find the hider, join him or her in the hiding place until just one child remains.
| 17d | Impress // archery enthusiast (4,4) |
| 19d | Hairstyle // that's caught on a line perhaps (6) |
A mullet[1] is a style of haircut which The Chambers Dictionary cheekily defines as a hairstyle that is short at the front, long at the back, and ridiculous all round.
Origin: The word perhaps comes from the English dialect term mullethead, meaning a fool.
A mullet[5] is any of various chiefly marine fish that are widely caught for food.
| 20d | Set out to hold fliers /for/ attack (6) |
"fliers " = RAF
The Royal Air Force[5] (abbreviation RAF) is the British air force, formed in 1918 by amalgamation of the Royal Flying Corps (founded 1912) and the Royal Naval Air Service (founded 1914).
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The Royal Air Force[5] (abbreviation RAF) is the British air force, formed in 1918 by amalgamation of the Royal Flying Corps (founded 1912) and the Royal Naval Air Service (founded 1914).
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| 23d | Daughter is into wild rice // drink (5) |
| 24d | Cut // yield (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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