Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29334 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Friday, April 10, 2020 | |
Setter
Zandio | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29334]
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Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
Deep Threat | |
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
This puzzle was published on Good Friday in the UK and is set by Zandio. While it is not the first puzzle of his that we have seen, it is the first time that he has stepped out from behind the curtain and taken a bow. He drops into Big Dave's Crossword blog with some interesting and insightful thoughts at Comment #46 as well as at the sixth entry in that thread.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 | Stomach perhaps // that makes a noise in church? (5) |
| 4a | Sadly addicted after swallowing ecstasy, /getting/ committed (9) |
"ecstasy " = 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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| 9a | One acting badly about food sent back // Big Mac? (9) |
| 10a | Implied // thing cooked for 9 should have new stuffing (5) |
The
numeral "9" is a cross
reference indicator to clue 9a (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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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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| 11a | Book // substitute (7) |
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.
| 12a | What candidate and attacker both want (7) |
In soccer [football to Brits (apart from Oxford Dictionaries)], a cross[5] is a pass of the ball across the field towards the centre close to one's opponents' goal ⇒
Beckham's low cross was turned into the net by Cole.
Post Mortem
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| I had to use a wordfinder program to help with this one. I picked the correct solution from the list of possibilities based on a candidate wanting voters to make crosses beside their name on their ballots. However, it took a long time for it to twig that attacker was being used in a soccer context. |
| 13a | One might hang on until it gets warmer (6) |
| 15a | Kids' tasks // wrecked mower -- husband OK about that? (8) |
| 18a | Going on and on about kiss /being/ superficial (8) |
| 20a | 'Revolver' // LP I stole, minus sleeves (6) |
Scratching the Surface
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| Revolver[7] is the seventh studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Released in August 1966, the album was the Beatles' final recording project before their retirement as live performers and marked the group's most overt use of studio technology to date, building on the advances of their late 1965 release Rubber Soul. It has since become regarded as one of the greatest and most innovative albums in the history of popular music, with recognition centred on its range of musical styles, diverse sounds, and lyrical content. |
| 23a | After a half-day, could // say 'Djiboutian' (7) |
Synonyms . . . really?
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| In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Deep Threat informs us that the final piece in the charade is "what is supposed to be a synonym of ‘could’". His skepticism is well-founded. I can attest from personal experience that just because one could do something a year ago, does not mean that one can still do it today. |
A Djiboutian[5] is a native or inhabitant of Djibouti, a country on the north-eastern coast of Africa. (show more )
The territory became a French protectorate under the name of French Somaliland in 1897. It was renamed the French Territory of the Afars and Issas in 1946, the Afars and the Issas forming the two main ethnic groups. In 1977 the country achieved independence as the Republic of Djibouti.
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The territory became a French protectorate under the name of French Somaliland in 1897. It was renamed the French Territory of the Afars and Issas in 1946, the Afars and the Issas forming the two main ethnic groups. In 1977 the country achieved independence as the Republic of Djibouti.
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| 24a | Kind of pencil, round and silver, // that's used by a woman (7) |
HB[5] is the abbreviation for 'hard black' (used in describing a medium grade of pencil lead).
| 26a | A chap /in/ rep (5) |
"chap " = GENT
Chap[3,4,11] is an informal British[5] or chiefly British[3] term for a man or boy — although a term that is certainly not uncommon in Canada. It is a shortened form of chapman[3,4,11], an archaic term for a trader, especially an itinerant pedlar[a,b].
[a] Pedlar is the modern British spelling of peddler[14] which, in most senses, is considered by the Brits to be a US or old-fashioned British spelling. The exception is in the sense of a dealer in illegal drugs which the Brits spell as drug peddler.
[b] The current meaning of chap[2] dates from the 18th century. In the 16th century, chap meant 'a customer'. The dictionaries do not explain how a shortened form of 'chapman' (pedlar) came to mean 'customer'.
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Chap[3,4,11] is an informal British[5] or chiefly British[3] term for a man or boy — although a term that is certainly not uncommon in Canada. It is a shortened form of chapman[3,4,11], an archaic term for a trader, especially an itinerant pedlar[a,b].
[a] Pedlar is the modern British spelling of peddler[14] which, in most senses, is considered by the Brits to be a US or old-fashioned British spelling. The exception is in the sense of a dealer in illegal drugs which the Brits spell as drug peddler.
[b] The current meaning of chap[2] dates from the 18th century. In the 16th century, chap meant 'a customer'. The dictionaries do not explain how a shortened form of 'chapman' (pedlar) came to mean 'customer'.
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Scratching the Surface
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Rep[2,5]
is an informal short form for repertory theatre (also simply repertory). It can refer either to the performance of various plays, operas, or
ballets by a company at regular short intervals ⇒ once, when I was in rep, I learned Iago in three days) or to a repertory theatre or company ⇒ the Birmingham Rep*. * Birmingham Repertory Theatre[7], commonly called Birmingham Rep or just The Rep, is a theatre located in Birmingham, England. |
| 27a | Country // area repeatedly restricting deviant rituals (9) |
| 28a | Holding flower back, shy son /presents/ plants (9) |
Flower is being used in the whimsical cryptic crossword sense of something that flows — in other words, a river.
The Dee[5,7] could be any of several rivers in Scotland and England — not to mention Ireland and Australia — the most prominent being:
- a river in northeastern Scotland, which rises in the Grampian Mountains and flows eastwards past Balmoral Castle to the North Sea at Aberdeen
- a river that rises in North Wales and flows into England, past Chester and on into the Irish Sea
- (noun) an act of flinging or throwing something at a target
- (verb) to fling or throw (something) at a
target ⇒
he tore the spectacles off and shied them at her
What did he say?
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In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Deep Threat tells us that part of the solution is aCoconut shy[2,5], a British term for a fairground stall where people throw balls at coconuts to try to knock them off stands and thereby win a prize.word meaning ‘shy’, as in ‘coconut shy’. |
| 29a | Does fast // pass on street heading west (5) |
Down
| 1d | Stand up to that woman, sensible // or not (9) |
| 2d | Olympics, for instance, /has/ a role in sending a message (5) |
| 3d | Grey // car's parked in it (7) |
The clue is obviously referring to a car with a manual transmission, which are far more common in the UK than they are in North America. Since manual transmission cars don’t have a parking gear, the vehicle should be parked in neutral with the parking brake on.
| 4d | Student's goal // of French grant initially withheld (6) |
| 5d | Business leader // I'd confused with minister (8) |
A rector[5] is a member of the clergy, although the meaning of the term varies
among religious denominations (show more ):
- in the the Church of England, an incumbent of a parish where all tithes formerly passed to the incumbent
- in other Anglican Churches, a member of the clergy who has charge of a parish
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in the Roman Catholic Church, a priest in charge of a church or of a religious institution
| 6d | Originated sandwiches container for tea // -- sweet! (7) |
Sweet[5] is a British term for dessert.
Compote[5] is fruit preserved or cooked in syrup.
| 7d | Maybe coach // with time organised football? (9) |
| 8d | Gets uncool // boyfriends? (5) |
| 14d | Petition // fencing knight errant recited, all over Spain (9) |
"knight " = N [chess notation]
A knight[5] is a chess piece, typically with its top shaped like a horse’s head, that moves by jumping to the opposite corner of a rectangle two squares by three. Each player starts the game with two knights.
N[5] is the abbreviation for knight used in recording moves in chess [representing the pronunciation of kn-, since the initial letter k- represents 'king'].
As an aside, it is interesting to note that the Chambers 21st Century Dictionary defines:
On the other hand, both The Chambers Dictionary and the Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary list K or K.[1,11] as an abbreviation for knight without specifying the specific context in which this abbreviation is used. However, the context may well be in an honours list rather than in a game of chess. In the UK, for instance, KBE[5] stands for Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
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A knight[5] is a chess piece, typically with its top shaped like a horse’s head, that moves by jumping to the opposite corner of a rectangle two squares by three. Each player starts the game with two knights.
N[5] is the abbreviation for knight used in recording moves in chess [representing the pronunciation of kn-, since the initial letter k- represents 'king'].
As an aside, it is interesting to note that the Chambers 21st Century Dictionary defines:
- K[2] as an abbreviation used in chess for knight.
- K[2] is a symbol used in chess to represent a king.
- N[2] is a symbol used in chess to represent a knight.
On the other hand, both The Chambers Dictionary and the Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary list K or K.[1,11] as an abbreviation for knight without specifying the specific context in which this abbreviation is used. However, the context may well be in an honours list rather than in a game of chess. In the UK, for instance, KBE[5] stands for Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
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Intercede[5] (usually intercede for someone) means to plead or make an appeal on their behalf.
| 16d | Weight // running amok, girl having seconds (9) |
| 17d | Insist // staff sunbathe -- one's covered up twice (8) |
| 19d | Concert /in/ Reading? (7) |
Scratching the Surface
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| Reading[5] is a town in Berkshire, southern England, on the River Kennet near its junction with the Thames. |
| 21d | Looked away // from second of picadors wounded by bull -- ring's third piercing (7) |
Scratching the Surface
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| In bullfighting, a picador[5] is a person on horseback who goads the bull with a lance. |
Oops!
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| In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Deep Threat obviously intened to write "a term for ‘wounded by a bull’". |
| 22d | Like to get into endless board game // pursuits (6) |
| 23d | Collect // animal tails in the morning (5) |
| 25d | Replacing this compiler with uniform rubbish would be // swell (5) |
"this compiler " = I
It is a common cryptic crossword convention for the creator of the puzzle to use terms such as (the or this) compiler, (the or this) setter, (the or this) speaker, (this) author, (this) writer, or this person to refer to himself or herself. To solve such a clue, one must generally substitute a first person pronoun (I or ME) for whichever of these terms has been used in the clue.
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It is a common cryptic crossword convention for the creator of the puzzle to use terms such as (the or this) compiler, (the or this) setter, (the or this) speaker, (this) author, (this) writer, or this person to refer to himself or herself. To solve such a clue, one must generally substitute a first person pronoun (I or ME) for whichever of these terms has been used in the clue.
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"uniform " = U [NATO Phonetic Alphabet]
In what is commonly known as the NATO Phonetic Alphabet[7]*, Uniform[5] is a code word representing the letter U.
* officially the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet
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In what is commonly known as the NATO Phonetic Alphabet[7]*, Uniform[5] is a code word representing the letter U.
* officially the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet
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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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