Wednesday, November 11, 2020

Wednesday, November 11, 2020 — DT 29314


Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29314
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Wednesday, March 18, 2020
Setter
Jay (Jeremy Mutch)
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29314]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
2Kiwis
BD rating
Difficulty - ★★Enjoyment - ★★★★
Falcon's experience
┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐
███████████████████████████████████
└────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘
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
Notes

This puzzle appears on the Wednesday Diversions page in the Tuesday, November 10, 2020 edition of the National Post.

Introduction

I thought the puzzle was a bit different from what Jay usually gives us. Nevertheless, still very enjoyable.

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
  • "//" - marks the boundary between wordplay and definition when no link word or link phrase is present
  • "/[link word or phrase]/" - marks the boundary between wordplay and definition when a link word or link phrase is present
  • "solid underline" - precise definition
  • "dotted underline" - cryptic definition
  • "dashed underline" - wordplay
  • "double underline" - both wordplay and definition
Click here for further explanation and usage examples of markup conventions used on this blog.

Across

1a Contradiction // for example accepted by people (8)

5a Expressions of disapproval /must be/ a mistake (6)

9a Tour abandoned by occupants reluctant // to cross (8)

10a Search // part of character reference rejected (6)

12a Be not as important /as/ many? (9)

13a Stand, /seeing/ everybody by empty seat (5)

14a A viewer's problem /may/ be left out of fashion (4)

16a Tries to change, keeping lines /as/ framework for growth (7)

"lines " = LL

In textual references, the abbreviation for lines (of written matter) is ll.[5,10] ll. 648-650.

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19a Mind // game for children? (7)

One's marbles[5] is an informal term for one's mental faculties.

21a Exclamation made by clumsy // sailor about work? (4)

Ordinary seaman[5] (abbreviation OS[5]) is the lowest rank of sailor in the Royal Navy, below able seaman.

"work " = OP [opus]

In music, an opus[5] (Latin 'work', plural opuses or opera) is a separate composition or set of compositions.

The abbreviation Op.[5] (also op.), denoting opus, is used before a number given to each work of a particular composer, usually indicating the order of publication. The plural form of Op. is Opp..

Opus[5] can also be used in other contexts to denote an artistic work, especially one on a large scale ⇒ he was writing an opus on Mexico.

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24a Swimmer // always found across lake (5)

An elver[5] is a young eel, especially when undergoing mass migration upriver from the sea.

25a Committed /and/ old-fashioned about playing dice (9)

27a Popular number two's first // aim (6)

28a Inactive // type of investor confronting new worker (8)

When it comes to investing in the stock market, I am familiar with bulls and bears — and even pigs — but not stags.

Stag[5] is a British term for a person who applies for shares in a new issue with a view to selling at once for a profit.

"new " = N [abbreviation used on maps]

N[5] is an abbreviation (chiefly in place names) for New ⇒ N Zealand.

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"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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29a Boy hugging the girl /must be/ whipped (6)

30a Hunting animal, // report a criminal pinching diamonds (8)

"diamonds " = D [card suit]

Diamonds[2] (abbreviation D[2]) is one of the four suits of playing-cards.

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Down

1d Bill for work before leaving? (6)

I have to think that the entire clue is a sort of cryptic definition in which a precise definition is embedded. The latter part of the clue alludes to — but does not define — what the 2Kiwis in their review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog refer to as "What somebody leaving a job will give to their employer".

2d Prepare for increased production /in/ Prague, possibly (4,2)

3d Stealing // newspaper? (5)

The Financial Times[7] (abbreviation FT) is a British international business newspaper that is printed on conspicuous salmon pink newsprint.

4d Jobs without protection reportedly viewed /as/ dirty (7)

6dOne may do this after an alarming breakdown (9)

7dHanger-on /finding/ resistance in balance disturbed (8)

"resistance " = R [symbol used in physics]

In physics, R[5] is a symbol used to represent electrical resistance in mathematical formulae.

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8d Not in form? // Do better (8)

In Britain, a form[5] is [or, perhaps more correctly,was] a class or year in a school, usually given a specifying number. This is similar to the North America concept of a grade although the numbering system for forms and grades are vastly different. (show more )

The term "form" seems to have become passé as Miffypops in his review of DT 28163 on Big Dave's Crossword Blog refers to "sixth-former" as "What a schoolchild would be during the year before university back in the old days. This would now be known as year 13 or 14." Furthermore, Wikipedia (see table below) characterizes the term "form" as an "alternative/old name".

A form[7] is a class or grouping of students in a school. The term is used predominantly in the United Kingdom, although some schools, mostly private, in other countries also use the title. Pupils are usually grouped in forms according to age and will remain with the same group for a number of years, or sometimes their entire school career.

Forms are normally identified by a number such as "first form" or "sixth form". A form number may be used for two year groups and differentiated by the terms upper and lower [in general, this would seem to apply primarily for the sixth form]. Usually the sixth form is the senior form of a school [although this apparently does not hold true for New Zealand where they would appear to have a seventh form]. In England, the sixth form is usually divided into two year groups, the lower sixth and upper sixth, owing to the 3-year English college/university system. In Scotland or North America, the 6th form is usually a single year, owing to the 4-year college/university system. If there is more than one form for each year group they will normally be differentiated by letters, e.g., "upper four B", "lower two Y". Schools do not follow a consistent pattern in naming forms [in the foregoing quotation witness Miffypops' reference to "year 14",  a term which does not appear in the table below].

Wikipedia would appear to be at best ambiguous and at worst inconsistent on the relationship between the British and American systems of naming school years. The article from which the table below is excerpted shows that the British first form is equivalent to the American 6th grade. On the other hand, the article cited above states "In North America, the 1st Form (or sometimes 'Form I') is equivalent to 7th Grade." However, this latter statement may in fact be a comparison between the few North American schools to use the form system and the vast majority of North American schools that don't rather than a comparison between British and American schools.

 Age RangeBritish SystemAmerican System
NameAlternative/Old NameName
11-12Year 7First form6th grade
12-13Year 8Second form7th grade
13-14Year 9Third form8th grade
14-15Year 10Fourth form9th grade
15-16Year 11Fifth form10th grade
16-17Year 12Lower sixth form11th grade
17-18Year 13Upper sixth form12th grade

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11d Ship's steward has // a way of attracting attention (4)

15d Play // patience (9)

Play[5] is used in the sense of the space in or through which a mechanism can or does move ⇒ the steering rack was loose, and there was a little play.

17d Put at risk adopting a // measure such as this (8)

18d Succeeded, supporting independent // soldiers (8)

"succeeded " = S [genealogy term]

The abbreviation s[5] stands for succeeded, in the sense of to have taken over a throne, office, or other position from ⇒ he succeeded Hawke as Prime Minister. It might be seen, for instance, it charts of royal lineages.

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20d Team // profile (4)

"team " = SIDE

Side[5] is a British term for a sports team ⇒ there was a mixture of old and young players in* their side.

* Note that, in Britain, a player is said to be "in a side" or "in a team" rather than "on a team" as one would say in North America.

In North America, the term side[3] is used in a very general fashion that can denote one of two or more opposing individuals, groups, teams, or sets of opinions. While this same general usage is also found in the UK, the term side[5] is also used there in a much more specific sense to mean a sports team, as we can clearly see from the following usage examples ⇒ (i) Previous England rugby sides, and England teams in many other sports, would have crumbled under the weight of such errors.; (ii) They'll face better sides than this Monaco team, but you can only beat what's put in front of you.

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Profile[5] is used in the sense of an outline of something, especially a person's face, as seen from one side the man turned and she caught his profile.

21d Experienced type /in/ The Lords working with no hotel (7)

"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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Scratching the Surface
The Lords[10] is short for the House of Lords[10], the upper chamber of the British Parliament.

22d Channel /that's/ trustworthy, we hear (6)

23d Boss on paper /may see/ rising tendency suppressing men (6)

"men " = OR [other ranks]

In the British armed forces, the term other ranks[5] (abbreviation OR[5]) refers to all those who are not commissioned officers.

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26d Locked up /and/ cold -- what 21 Down may be (5)

The numeral and directional indicator "21 Down" is a cross reference indicator to clue 21d (show more ).

To complete the clue, a solver must replace the cross reference indicator with the solution to the clue starting in the light* identified by the cross reference indicator.

The cross reference indicator may include a directional indicator but this is customarily done only in situations where there are both Across and Down clues originating in the light that is being referenced.

* light-coloured cell in the grid

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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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