Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29341 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Saturday, April 18, 2020 | |
Setter
Unknown | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29318]
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Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
Tilsit | |
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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Notes
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This puzzle appears on the Monday Diversions page in the Saturday, December 12, 2020 edition of the National Post. As of March 28, 2020, The Daily Telegraph suspended the contests associated with its Saturday (and Sunday) puzzles due to logistical issues created by the COVID-19 situation. As a result, effective with the April 4, 2020 puzzle (published in the National Post on November 30, 2020) and continuing until such time as the contests are reinstated, you will find only a single post on Big Dave's Crossword Blog related to the Saturday puzzle. During this period, the post for the Saturday puzzle will be a full review in the same format as the posts for weekday puzzles. | |
Introduction
I found this puzzle provided a pretty stiff mental workout.I invite you to leave a comment to let us know how you fared with the puzzle.
Addition to Today's Puzzle
Although clue 15d as published in the printed edition of The Daily Telegraph was the same as the clue appearing in the National Post today, a modified version of the clue appeared on the Telegraph Puzzles website. I am quite confident that this was not a case of the original clue being incorrect but rather was done merely to make the clue easier to solve. However, as several commenters on Big Dave's Crossword Blog point out, the extra words rather diminish the surface reading of the clue. The modified clue is:- 15d Last but one team member in political residence? (6,3)
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 | Robber /in/ group seizing equipment (7) |
| 5a | Austere // detectives in CIA sent back (7) |
Tec[5] is a dated informal term* for a detective.
* Given its absence from American dictionaries, it would appear to be a British term.
| 9a | I'm within illuminated // boundary (5) |
| 10a | In NY a sole freshly cooked // with onions (9) |
The adjective lyonnaise[5] is used to describe food, especially sliced potatoes, cooked with onions or with a white wine and onion sauce.
| 11a | Coming out badly in tax claim /is/ let-down (10) |
| 12a | The straight approach initially, then right // tyrant (4) |
A tsar[5] (also czar or tzar) was an emperor of Russia before the revolution of 1917.
| 14a | Pioneer // priest on island adopting strange rites (12) |
The Isle of Man[5]
(abbreviation IOM[5])
is an island in the Irish Sea (show more ).
The island is a British Crown dependency having home rule, with its own legislature (the Tynwald) and judicial system. It was part of the Norse kingdom of the Hebrides in the Middle Ages, passing into Scottish hands in 1266 for a time, until the English gained control in the early 15th century. Its ancient language, Manx, is still occasionally used for ceremonial purposes.
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The island is a British Crown dependency having home rule, with its own legislature (the Tynwald) and judicial system. It was part of the Norse kingdom of the Hebrides in the Middle Ages, passing into Scottish hands in 1266 for a time, until the English gained control in the early 15th century. Its ancient language, Manx, is still occasionally used for ceremonial purposes.
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| 18a | Retailer dealing in Leicester and Derby? (12) |
Leicester[5] (also known as Red Leicester) is a kind of mild, firm orange cheese originally made in Leicestershire, England.
Derby[5] is a hard cheese made from skimmed milk, chiefly in Derbyshire, England.
Cheesemonger[5] is a British term for a person who sells cheese, butter, and other dairy products.
| 21a | English anger /seen in/ nearby country (4) |
The country is "nearby" the place where the English live.
Éire[5] is the Gaelic name for Ireland and was the official name of the Republic of Ireland from 1937 to 1949.
| 22a | Wine // lover Jo is taking in Los Angeles (10) |
Beaujolais[5] is a light red or (less commonly) white burgundy wine produced in the Beaujolais district of south-eastern France.
| 25a | China must embrace change, daughter // thought (9) |
In Britain, china[5] is an informal term for a friend (or, as the Brits would say, a mate*). This meaning comes from cockney rhyming slang (show explanation ), where china is the shortened form of china plate which rhymes with 'mate'.
Rhyming slang[5] is a type of slang that replaces words with rhyming words or phrases, typically with the rhyming element omitted. For example, butcher’s, short for butcher’s hook, means ‘look’ in cockney rhyming slang.
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* In Britain, mate[5] — in addition to being a person’s husband, wife, or other sexual partner — is an informal term for a friend or companion ⇒
Rhyming slang[5] is a type of slang that replaces words with rhyming words or phrases, typically with the rhyming element omitted. For example, butcher’s, short for butcher’s hook, means ‘look’ in cockney rhyming slang.
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* In Britain, mate[5] — in addition to being a person’s husband, wife, or other sexual partner — is an informal term for a friend or companion ⇒
my best mate Steve.
| 26a | Peter Sellers somewhat // brusque? (5) |
Scratching the Surface
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| Peter Sellers[5] (1925 – 1980) was an English comic actor. He made his name in The Goon Show, a radio series of the 1950s, but is best known for the ‘Pink Panther’ series of films of the 1960s and 1970s, in which he played the French detective Inspector Clouseau. |
| 27a | Royals upset northern // woman (7) |
Rosalyn[7] is a female given name.
| 28a | Lightly cooked part /in/ cheese dish (7) |
Rarebit[5] (also Welsh rarebit) is a dish of melted and seasoned cheese on toast, sometimes with other ingredients. The name is an alteration of Welsh rabbit[5] (probably originally used humorously).
Down
| 1d | Romantic song // everyone gets nasty about (6) |
| 2d | Prisoner // one meant to corrupt (6) |
| 3d | Supremely evil influence // in Chartist reforms (10) |
Antichrist[5] is used in the sense of a person or thing regarded as supremely evil or as a fundamental enemy or opponent ⇒
I see the media as the Antichrist*.
* By any chance, I wonder, a quote from Donald Trump?
Scratching the Surface
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| Chartism[5] was a UK parliamentary reform movement of 1837–48, the principles of which were set out in a manifesto called The People’s Charter
and called for universal suffrage for men, equal electoral districts,
voting by secret ballot, abolition of property qualifications for MPs,
and annual general elections. |
| 4d | Husband stocks food shop /in/ capital territory (5) |
The National Capital Territory of Delhi consists of the cities of New Delhi[5], the capital of India, a city in north central India built 1912–29 to replace Calcutta (now Kolkata) as the capital of British India and Delhi[5] (also known as Old Delhi*), a walled city on the River Jumna in north central India, which was made the capital of the Mogul empire in 1638 by Shah Jahan (1592–1666).
| 5d | Love // helping after trouble (9) |
| 6d | Beat /and/ not beet? (4) |
| 7d | Hard work /gets/ paintings into book (8) |
It seems to me that 'hard work" is toil, not toilsome.
| 8d | Woodland space // becoming brighter (8) |
| 13d | Game in which ale served up /for/ pirate (10) |
Footer[5] is an informal British term* for football [soccer].
* a (less common, apparently) variant of footy[5] (also footie).
A freebooter[5] is a pirate or lawless adventurer.
| 15d | Last but one in // political residence? (6,3) |
... or the modified clue from the Telegraph Puzzles website (see Addition to Today's Puzzle above):
- Last but one team member in // political residence? (6,3)
at cricket I played in the first eleven.
* Note that, in Britain, the words "side" and "team" are synonymous and 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.
While teams in both sports mentioned above comprise eleven players, the clue clearly alludes to the former sport as the players do come "in" according to a particular order — and are dismissed in a particular (not necessarily the same) order.
In cricket, a player who is batting is said to be in[5]. Conversely, a player
who is fielding is said to be out[5]. If you have not seen it before (or are in need of a refresher), you may enjoy reading an explanation of cricket for a foreigner (which may well leave you unsure whether you are coming or going).
CRICKET: AS EXPLAINED TO A FOREIGNER...Now, should you have not quite followed that explanation, here is my attempt to clarify the "ins" and "outs" of cricket:
You have two sides, one out in the field and one in. Each man that's in the side that's in goes out, and when he's out he comes in and the next man goes in until he's out. When they are all out, the side that's out comes in and the side that's been in goes out and tries to get those coming in, out. Sometimes you get men still in and not out.
When a man goes out to go in, the men who are out try to get him out, and when he is out he goes in and the next man in goes out and goes in. There are two men called umpires who stay out all the time and they decide when the men who are in are out. When both sides have been in and all the men have been out, and both sides have been out twice after all the men have been in, including those who are not out, that is the end of the game.
Simple!
You have two sides [teams], one out in the field and one in [batting]. Each man that's in the side [in Britain, one says "in a side" rather than "on a team"] that's in [batting] goes out [I believe this means that he forgoes the cucumber sandwiches in the clubhouse in order to go out to the playing area to bat], and when he's out [dismissed] he comes in [returns to the clubhouse for more cucumber sandwiches] and the next man goes in [bats] until he's out [dismissed]. When they are all out [all players (but one) on the batting side are dismissed], the side that's out [fielding] comes in [bats] and the side that's been in [batting] goes out [fields] and tries to get those coming in [to bat], out [dismissed]. Sometimes you get men still in [batting] and not out [Since batsmen must always bat in pairs, the team is dismissed once ten of the eleven players have been dismissed, leaving no partner for the lone remaining player. Although the team is "out" (dismissed), the eleventh played is said to be "not out".].hide
When a man goes out [from the clubhouse to the playing area] to go in [bat], the men who are out [fielding] try to get him out [dismissed], and when he is out [dismissed] he goes in [returns to the clubhouse] and the next man in [scheduled to bat] goes out [from the clubhouse to the playing area] and goes in [bats]. There are two men called umpires who stay out [on the playing area] all the time [(they never get to eat cucumber sandwiches)] and they decide when the men who are in [batting] are out [dismissed]. When both sides have been in [batted] and all the men have been out [dismissed], and both sides have been out [dismissed] twice after all the men have been in [batted], including those who are not out [the eleventh player who has batted but not been dismissed], that is the end of the game.
Note: In cricket, the division of play is called an 'innings', rather than an 'inning' as in baseball. The word "innings' (like the words 'fish' or 'sheep') can be either singular or plural. A cricket match consists of four innings* (or sometimes two innings) with ten "outs" (dismissals) per innings. In cricket, each team's at bat is called an innings whereas, in baseball, each team's at bat constitutes a half inning. Thus, in baseball, the visiting team bats in the top of each inning and the home team bats in the bottom of each inning. In cricket, one side bats in the first and third innings and the other team bats in the second and fourth innings.Simple! (although the remarks concerning the cucumber sandwiches may not be entirely accurate)
10 Downing Street[7], colloquially known in the United Kingdom as Number 10, is the headquarters of Her Majesty's Government and the official residence and office of the First Lord of the Treasury, a post which, for much of the 18th and 19th centuries and invariably since 1905, has been held by the Prime Minister.
| 16d | Bowler claiming credit /for/ sensational headline (8) |
Seamer[5] (another term for seam bowler[5]) is a cricket term for a bowler, generally fast, who makes the ball deviate by bouncing on its seam.
According to Lexico (Oxford Dictionaries), screamer[5] is a US term for a sensational or very large headline.
| 17d | That man travels round British // Isles (8) |
The Hebrides[5] is a group of about 500 islands off the north-western coast
of Scotland. The Inner Hebrides are separated from the Outer Hebrides
by the Little Minch. (show more )
The Inner Hebrides include the islands of Skye, Mull, Jura, Islay, Iona, Coll, Eigg, Rhum, Staffa, and Tiree. The Little Minch separates this group from the Outer Hebrides, which include the islands of Lewis and Harris, North and South Uist, Benbecula, Barra, and the isolated St Kilda group. The shipping forecast area Hebrides covers an area of the Atlantic off the northwestern coast of Scotland.
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The Inner Hebrides include the islands of Skye, Mull, Jura, Islay, Iona, Coll, Eigg, Rhum, Staffa, and Tiree. The Little Minch separates this group from the Outer Hebrides, which include the islands of Lewis and Harris, North and South Uist, Benbecula, Barra, and the isolated St Kilda group. The shipping forecast area Hebrides covers an area of the Atlantic off the northwestern coast of Scotland.
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| 19d | Zulu on barge moved around // city (6) |
"Zulu " = Z [NATO Phonetic Alphabet]
In what is commonly known as the NATO Phonetic Alphabet[7]*, Zulu[5] is a code word representing the letter Z.
* officially the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet
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In what is commonly known as the NATO Phonetic Alphabet[7]*, Zulu[5] is a code word representing the letter Z.
* officially the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet
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Zagreb[5] is the capital of Croatia.
| 20d | Verbal agreement /for/ rise (6) |
| 23d | Short // articles in French and German (5) |
"article in French " = UN
"article in German " = DER
| 24d | Thanks accepted by the Spanish // and others (2,2) |
Ta[5] is an informal British exclamation signifying thank you ⇒
‘Ta,’ said Willie gratefully.
"the Spanish " = EL [Spanish definite article]
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
Managed to fill in answers for all the clues but needed google for 16d and blog to explain 15d
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