Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29326 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Wednesday, April 1, 2020 | |
Setter
Jay (Jeremy Mutch) | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29326]
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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
An enjoyable, if rather gentle, puzzle from Jay.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 | Number // act in haste, upset about drug (11) |
"drug " = E [the illicit drug Ecstasy]
E[5] is an abbreviation for the drug Ecstasy* or a tablet of Ecstasy ⇒ (i)
* Ecstasy[5] is an illegal amphetamine-based synthetic drug with euphoric effects, originally produced as an appetite suppressant. Also called MDMA (Methylenedioxymethamphetamine).
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E[5] is an abbreviation for the drug Ecstasy* or a tablet of Ecstasy ⇒ (i)
people have died after taking E; (ii)
being busted with three Es can lead to stiff penalties.
* Ecstasy[5] is an illegal amphetamine-based synthetic drug with euphoric effects, originally produced as an appetite suppressant. Also called MDMA (Methylenedioxymethamphetamine).
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"Number" is used in the whimsical cryptic crossword sense of 'something that numbs'.
| 9a | Suitable material? (9) |
| 10a | Cancel // credit accepted by reserve (5) |
Reserve[10,14] is a mainly British term for a member of a team who only plays if a playing member drops out; in other words, a substitute.
| 11a | Give confidence // when certain (6) |
| 12a | Blow // ration after late meal with no starter (8) |
Supper[2] is used in the sense of a late-night snack that usually consists of a drink, e.g. tea, cocoa, etc. and toast, biscuits, etc. that is taken just before bedtime and in addition to the main evening meal.
* The British use the term biscuit[3,4,11] to refer to a range of foods that include those that would be called either cookies or crackers in North America. A North American biscuit[5] is similar to what is known in Britain as a scone.
An uppercut[5] is a punch delivered with an upwards motion and the arm bent.
Scratching the Surface
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| Starter[3,5] is another name* for an appetizer or the first course of a meal. |
| 13a | Feature /of/ group given task (6) |
| 15a | Candidate // pairs off with worker (8) |
"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.
hide
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.
hide
| 18a | Spoilt // absurd pipe dream with no source of income (8) |
| 19a | Local dispute /resulting in/ burial site (6) |
Local[5] is an informal British term for a pub convenient to a person’s home ⇒
had a pint in the local.
A barrow[5] is an ancient burial mound.
| 21a | Story /of/ euphoria after the end of winter (8) |
| 23a | A social climber sent back one // plant such as this (6) |
| 26a | Article covering origins of import tariff /and/ tax (5) |
| 27a | Brown agrees to be different // wearing these! (9) |
The exclamation point flags the fact that we are not dealing with a precise definition. The definition can be inferred to be "something that one might wear".
Here and There
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| The term dungarees has a different meaning in Britain than it does on this side of the Atlantic. In Britain, dungarees[5] are a garment consisting of trousers with a bib held up by straps over each shoulder, made of denim, corduroy, or heavy cotton and worn as casual or working clothes*. * The North American term for such a garment is overalls[5] — another term which has a different (or, at least, broader) meaning across the pond. In Britain, overalls are a one-piece garment with trousers to cover the legs and either a bib top (as in North America) or a top with sleeves (coveralls[2] to North Americans). In North America, dungarees[5] is a dated name for blue jeans, trousers made of blue denim. |
| 28a | Sweet // maiden adopted by court officer depressed (11) |
"maiden " = M [scoreless over in cricket]
In cricket, a maiden[5], also known as a maiden over and denoted on cricket scorecards by the abbreviation m.[10], is an over* in which no runs are scored.
* An over[5] is a division of play consisting of a sequence of six balls bowled by a bowler from one end of the pitch, after which another bowler takes over from the other end.
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In cricket, a maiden[5], also known as a maiden over and denoted on cricket scorecards by the abbreviation m.[10], is an over* in which no runs are scored.
* An over[5] is a division of play consisting of a sequence of six balls bowled by a bowler from one end of the pitch, after which another bowler takes over from the other end.
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In the UK, a marshal[5] is an official accompanying a judge on circuit to act as secretary and personal assistant.
Here and There
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| Sweet[5] is the British term for a piece of candy*. * In Britain, candy[5] denotes not confectionery but sugar crystallized by repeated boiling and slow evaporation ⇒ making candy at home is not difficult—the key is cooking the syrup to the right temperature. |
Down
| 1d | Praise // a very quiet lad welcoming university (7) |
| 2d | Family members /making/ trips topless? (5) |
| 3d | Dark, // rough sea, about to go to bed (9) |
| 4d | Greet /with/ shock, finally changing sides (4) |
| 5d | Very French advance /must be/ a sin (8) |
In French, très[8] is an adverb meaning 'very'.
| 6d | Social status /of/ Conservative having lost seat (5) |
"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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| 7d | Environment // somewhat protected by Panama? (7) |
A panama[5] (also panama hat) is a man’s wide-brimmed hat of straw-like material, originally made from the leaves of a particular tropical palm tree.
In cryptic crosswords, the convention is that misleading capitalization is allowed but it is not permissable to omit necessary capitalization.
| 8d | Home comfort /offered by/ a marine professor's position (8) |
"marine " = RM [Royal Marine]
The Royal Marines[5] (abbreviation RM)[5] is a British armed service (part of the Royal Navy) founded in 1664, trained for service at sea, or on land under specific circumstances.
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The Royal Marines[5] (abbreviation RM)[5] is a British armed service (part of the Royal Navy) founded in 1664, trained for service at sea, or on land under specific circumstances.
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Note that this is not a case of omitting necessary capitalization as a member of the Royal Marines could be referred to either as a marine (lower case as a generic term) or a (Royal) Marine (upper case).
| 14d | Tense wild tale about European politician /and/ model (8) |
"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
"politician " = MP
In Britain (as in Canada), a politician elected to the House of Commons is known as a Member of Parliament[10] (abbreviation MP[5]) or, informally, as a member[5].
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In Britain (as in Canada), a politician elected to the House of Commons is known as a Member of Parliament[10] (abbreviation MP[5]) or, informally, as a member[5].
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| 16d | Transcribe aria to man /and/ his sweetheart (9) |
An inamorata[5] is a person's female lover.
| 17d | Instrument // that's used by logger? (8) |
Not unlike the case in 27a, the solver must infer the definition to be "something used by logger". The logger[5] in question is not a lumberjack but a device for capturing data.
| 18d | Prudish // play on words about girl being educated (7) |
Educating Rita[7] is a 1980 stage comedy by British playwright Willy Russell that was the basis of a 1983 Academy Award winning film featuring Michael Caine and Julie Walters.
| 20d | Political enforcer understood // logger's requirement (7) |
A whip[5] is an official of a political party appointed to maintain parliamentary discipline among its members, especially so as to ensure attendance and voting in debates.
This time, it is the other definition of logger which one needs.
A whipsaw[5] is a saw with a narrow blade and a handle at both ends, used typically by two people.
| 22d | A bit of weather must // heat unit (5) |
The therm[5] is a unit of heat, especially as the former statutory unit of gas supplied in the UK equivalent to 100,000 British thermal units or 1.055 × 108 joules.
| 24d | Small source of water /is/ fine for an American (5) |
From a British perspective, swell[5] is an informal, dated North American expression meaning excellent or very good.
| 25d | Measure // part of mountain chain (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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