Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29333 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Thursday, April 9, 2020 | |
Setter
Unknown | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29333]
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Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
Miffypops | |
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
As many others have reported on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, the southeast corner was the last to fall. While the word at 19d was new to me, I did know the one at 25a from having seen it in previous crosswords — on more than one occasion, I am sure.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 | Gibraltar resident /in/ pub repeatedly getting to talk with energy (7,3) |
The Barbary ape[5] is a tailless macaque monkey that is native to north-western Africa and also found on the Rock of Gibraltar.
| 6a | Clip from the picture, // a long one? (4) |
To complete the definition, replace the pronoun "one" with its antecedent* "picture" — in this case, a motion picture.
* In grammar, an earlier word, phrase, or clause to which another word refers back.
| 9a | Bobby /is/ gloomy, needing courage (10) |
Bottle[5] is an informal British term denoting the courage or confidence needed to do something difficult or dangerous ⇒
I lost my bottle completely and ran.
Bobby[5] is an informal British name for a police officer.
* The term comes from a nickname for Robert, the given name of Sir Robert Peel[5] (1788 – 1850), British Prime Minister 1834-5 and 1841-6, who as Home Secretary (1828–30) established the London Metropolitan Police [perhaps better known as Scotland Yard].
Bluebottle[5] is a dated informal British expression for a police officer.
| 10a | Depressed // academic hugging wife (4) |
A don[10] is a member of the teaching staff at a university or college, especially at Oxford or Cambridge.
| 12a | Most recent development /has/ the French facing ordeal (6) |
| 13a | Move in or out? // I'll take everything in! (8) |
| 15a | Croatian fibs? Possibly // any fibs (12) |
Scratching the Surface
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Croatia[5] is a country in south-eastern Europe, formerly a constituent republic of Yugoslavia. (show more )
Apart from a period of Turkish rule in the 16th–17th centuries, Croatia largely remained linked with Hungary until 1918, when it joined the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (later Yugoslavia). After a period in the Second World War as a Nazi puppet state (1941–5), Croatia became part of Yugoslavia once more and remained a constituent republic until it declared itself independent in 1991. The secession of Croatia led to war between Croats and the Serb minority, and with Serbia; a ceasefire was called in 1992. Croatia joined the EU in 2013. hide |
| 18a | Bury meeting said /to be for/ mediation (12) |
Scratching the Surface
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| Bury[7] [pronounced berry*] is a large market town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Irwell 7.9 miles (12.7 km) northwest of Manchester. * Although according to Gazza in a review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog As someone who used to live in said borough I have to say that this is not the way the locals pronounce it – they make it sound more like flurry than merry. |
| 21a | Milton Keynes etc. very warm? // It may be bad news for game! (8) |
Milton Keynes[5] is a town in Buckinghamshire, south central England.
Bucks.[5] is the abbreviation for Buckinghamshire[5].
| 22a | Top individual // criminal in America (6) |
Al Capone[5]
(1899–1947), nicknamed Scarface (show more ), was an American gangster of Italian descent. He dominated
organized crime in Chicago in the 1920s and was indirectly responsible
for many murders, including the St Valentine’s Day Massacre* .
* The St Valentine's Day Massacre[5] was the shooting on 14th February 1929 of seven members of the rival ‘Bugsy’ Moran's gang by some of Al Capone's men disguised as policemen.
Capone[7] was born in Brooklyn (New York) and began his life of crime in New York City before moving to Chicago. Capone inadvertently insulted a woman while working the door at a Brooklyn night club and was slashed by her brother Frank Gallucio. The wounds led to the nickname that Capone loathed: "Scarface". Capone's boss, racketeer Frankie Yale, insisted that Capone apologize to Gallucio, and later Capone hired him as a bodyguard. When photographed, Capone hid the scarred left side of his face, saying that the injuries were war wounds. Capone was called "Snorky", a term for a sharp dresser, by his closest friends.
hide
* The St Valentine's Day Massacre[5] was the shooting on 14th February 1929 of seven members of the rival ‘Bugsy’ Moran's gang by some of Al Capone's men disguised as policemen.
Capone[7] was born in Brooklyn (New York) and began his life of crime in New York City before moving to Chicago. Capone inadvertently insulted a woman while working the door at a Brooklyn night club and was slashed by her brother Frank Gallucio. The wounds led to the nickname that Capone loathed: "Scarface". Capone's boss, racketeer Frankie Yale, insisted that Capone apologize to Gallucio, and later Capone hired him as a bodyguard. When photographed, Capone hid the scarred left side of his face, saying that the injuries were war wounds. Capone was called "Snorky", a term for a sharp dresser, by his closest friends.
hide
| 24a | Archbishop/'s/ exclamation of annoyance you texted (4) |
Desmond Tutu[5] is a South African clergyman. As General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches (1979–84) he became a leading voice in the struggle against apartheid. He was Archbishop of Cape Town 1986–96. Nobel Peace Prize (1984).
| 25a | Decorative coverings /in/ a capital city nabbed by criminals (10) |
A caparison[5] is an ornamental covering spread over a horse's saddle or harness.
| 26a | Some pans in kitchen may be in this (4) |
The entire clue provides the definition in which the wordplay is embedded.
| 27a | Reprobate // will have nothing to do with Dickensian character (5,5) |
Black[5] is a dated British expression meaning to refuse to handle (goods), undertake (work), or have dealings with (a person or business) as a way of taking industrial action ⇒
the printers blacked firms trying to employ women.
Uriah Heep[7]
is a fictional character created by Charles Dickens in his novel David Copperfield. (show more )
Heep, one of the main antagonists of the novel, is notable for his cloying humility, obsequiousness, and insincerity, making frequent references to his own " 'umbleness"*. His name has become synonymous with sycophancy.
* The cockney[5] dialect spoken in the East End of London is characterized by dropping the aitch (H) from the beginning of words.
hide
Heep, one of the main antagonists of the novel, is notable for his cloying humility, obsequiousness, and insincerity, making frequent references to his own " 'umbleness"*. His name has become synonymous with sycophancy.
* The cockney[5] dialect spoken in the East End of London is characterized by dropping the aitch (H) from the beginning of words.
hide
Down
| 1d | Champagne /makes one/ animated (6) |
| 2d | Stirs up // French author tearing out first page, then second (6) |
Marcel Proust[5] (1871–1922) was a French novelist, essayist, and critic. (show more )
Proust devoted much of his life to writing his novel À la recherche du temps perdu (published in seven sections between 1913 and 1927). Its central theme is the recovery of the lost past and the releasing of its creative energies through the stimulation of unconscious memory [now, there's an ability that would certainly be a boon to cryptic crossword devotees].
hide
Proust devoted much of his life to writing his novel À la recherche du temps perdu (published in seven sections between 1913 and 1927). Its central theme is the recovery of the lost past and the releasing of its creative energies through the stimulation of unconscious memory [now, there's an ability that would certainly be a boon to cryptic crossword devotees].
hide
| 3d | A male deep-toned with a robe /suitable for/ diplomat (12) |
An ambassadress[5] is a woman who is an accredited diplomat sent by a country as its official representative to a foreign country.
| 4d | Creature in mountain? // It may be climbing below you (4) |
The yeti[5] (also called Abominable Snowman[5]) is a large hairy creature resembling a human or bear, said to live in the highest part of the Himalayas.
| 5d | /What gets/ me involved with politics /as/ an argumentative type (10) |
Despite being positioned at the beginning of the clue, the phrase "what gets" acts in a fashion not unlike that of a link phrase. At the expense of the surface reading, one could rephrase the clue as:
- Me involved with politics /gets [produces]/ an argumentative type (10)
| 7d | List of rules /in/ old literature carried by professional officer (8) |
"old literature " = OT [Old Testament]
In Crosswordland, "books" — or related terms such as today's "literature" — is commonly used to clue either the Old Testament (OT) or the New Testament (NT). Often the clue does not specify whether the reference is to the former or the latter. However, today's setter specifies the required choice very precisely.
hide
In Crosswordland, "books" — or related terms such as today's "literature" — is commonly used to clue either the Old Testament (OT) or the New Testament (NT). Often the clue does not specify whether the reference is to the former or the latter. However, today's setter specifies the required choice very precisely.
hide
| 8d | Study tragic female, a // lady in Italy (8) |
Many of the novels of English writer Thomas Hardy[7] (1840 – 1928) concern tragic characters struggling against their passions and social circumstances, among them Tess of the d'Urbervilles[7] (extended title: Tess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented). (show more )
The novel initially appeared in a censored and serialised version, published by the British illustrated newspaper The Graphic in 1891 and in book form in 1892. Though now considered a major nineteenth-century English novel and possibly Hardy's masterpiece, Tess of the d'Urbervilles received mixed reviews when it first appeared, in part because it challenged the sexual morals of late Victorian England.
hide
The novel initially appeared in a censored and serialised version, published by the British illustrated newspaper The Graphic in 1891 and in book form in 1892. Though now considered a major nineteenth-century English novel and possibly Hardy's masterpiece, Tess of the d'Urbervilles received mixed reviews when it first appeared, in part because it challenged the sexual morals of late Victorian England.
hide
A contessa[5] is an Italian countess.
| 11d | Style of speech stars /found in/ books (12) |
In astrology, Aries[10] (also called the Ram) is the first sign of the zodiac, symbol ♈, having a cardinal fire classification, ruled by the planet Mars. The sun is in this sign between about March 21 and April 19.
| 14d | Brawl // with no one getting charged? (4-3-3) |
Split the solution (4,3,3) to get a phrase indicating that no one has to pay.
| 16d | Debate is about // what costs NHS billions (8) |
The National Health Service[5] (abbreviation NHS) is a system of national medical care in the UK paid for mainly by taxation and started by the Labour government in 1948.
| 17d | Farm animals not reared /in/ Durham location (8) |
Stockton-on-Tees[7], also simply referred to as Stockton, is a large market town in County Durham, England.
| 19d | After-effect of rain in Italy -- // letting in water maybe (6) |
The Po[7] is a river that arises in the Cottian Alps and flows eastward across northern Italy entering the Adriatic Sea through a delta near Venice.
Porose[5] is biological term denoting full of pores.
What are they talking about?
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At Comment #4 on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, crypticsue writesOn December 31, 2010 in a review of DT 26437, gnomethang (affectionately also known as Gnomey) described the Po as a Chinese river—a faux pas that continues to haunt him nearly a decade later.my last one in was 19d and I did laugh (for obvious crossword-blog-related reasons) when I ‘saw’ the wordplayto which Miffypops repliesI promised myself that I would not mention Gnomey. |
Post Mortem
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| As seems to be the case for many, this was also my last one in. After staring at the three checking letters (all vowels) for what seemed like an eternity, I finally broke down and called upon my word finder software for assistance. The correct solution was easily picked from the list of possible candidates that it provided. And, yes, the gnomethang incident did immediately come to mind! |
| 20d | Organises // group drink (4,2) |
"drink " = SUP
As a verb, sup[5] is a dated or Northern English term meaning to take (drink or liquid food) by sips or spoonfuls ⇒ (i)
As a noun, sup[5] means
As a verb, sup[5] is a dated or Northern English term meaning to take (drink or liquid food) by sips or spoonfuls ⇒ (i)
she supped up her soup delightedly; (ii)
he was supping straight from the bottle.
As a noun, sup[5] means
- a sip of liquid ⇒
he took another sup of wine
- (in Northern England or Ireland) an alcoholic drink ⇒
the latest sup from those blokes at the brewery
| 23d | Drug agent from US // contributing to anarchy (4) |
Here and There
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| From a British perspective, narc[5] (also nark) is an informal North American term for an official narcotics agent. Nark[5] is an informal British term for a police informer ⇒ I’m not a copper’s nark. |
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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