Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29342 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Monday, April 20, 2020 | |
Setter
Campbell (Allan Scott) | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29342]
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Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
Falcon | |
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
While solving this puzzle, I began to experience a feeling of déjà vu but, on completion, had to check the review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog to confirm that I had previously reviewed the puzzle there. After the passage of eight months, it was almost like solving the puzzle for the first time.The day I reviewed this puzzle on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, the setter of the puzzle, Allan Scott, dropped by with several comments. He mentions that his pseudonym Campbell comes from actor George C. Scott (whose middle name is Campbell). He also sets puzzles for the Financial Times (FT) under the pseudonym Falcon (from Antarctic explorer Robert Falcon Scott). As I mention in a comment on Big Dave's site, this duplication of pseudonyms was raised on my very first review for Big Dave's Crossword Blog a decade ago.
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 | Murder /in/ institution probed by one leading police department (8) |
Home[5] is used in the sense of an institution for people needing professional care or supervision ?
an old people's home.
"police department " = CID [Criminal Investigation Department]
| 5a | Fawn /seen in/ group of trees close to wall (6) |
| 10a | Policeman with precise advice, reportedly, /for/ local governing body (8,7) |
"policeman " = DI [detective inspector]
A detective inspector (abbrevation DI[5]) is a senior police officer in the UK. Within the British police, inspector[7] is the second supervisory rank. It is senior to that of sergeant, but junior to that of chief inspector. Plain-clothes detective inspectors are equal in rank to their uniformed counterparts, the prefix 'detective' identifying them as having been trained in criminal investigation and being part of or attached to their force's Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
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A detective inspector (abbrevation DI[5]) is a senior police officer in the UK. Within the British police, inspector[7] is the second supervisory rank. It is senior to that of sergeant, but junior to that of chief inspector. Plain-clothes detective inspectors are equal in rank to their uniformed counterparts, the prefix 'detective' identifying them as having been trained in criminal investigation and being part of or attached to their force's Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
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In Britain, a district council[10] is the elected council representing an administrative district in the UK.
| 11a | Casual // worker absent earlier (7) |
| 12a | Wild about Spain and Germany // banded together? (7) |
| 13a | We fuss about length and line? /That's/ rich! (4-2-2) |
| 15a | Writer ringing about // groom (5) |
The
use of the word "writer" to clue PEN is likely to be slightly more
cryptic to the Brits than it is to us on this side of the pond. British
solvers will see "pen" as being a writing implement rather than the person wielding that implement. (show more )
In addition to defining pen[3,11] as a writing implement, North American dictionaries also define it as a writer or an author ?
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In addition to defining pen[3,11] as a writing implement, North American dictionaries also define it as a writer or an author ?
a hired pen, British dictionaries do not list this meaning although they do show pen[2,4] (or the pen[5,10]) as symbolically representing writing as an occupation (a sense of the word not found in US dictionaries).
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| 18a | Hog's back, // cooler when heading off (5) |
A hog's back (variant of hogback[5]) is a long hill or mountain ridge with steep sides.
| 20a | Family, // edgier unfortunately, following gym (8) |
Family[2] is used in the sense of all those descended from a common ancestor.
Pedigree[2] is used in the sense of a a person's or animal's line of descent, especially if long and distinguished.
| 23a | Pirate's sword, perhaps // nicked by young woman (7) |
Scratching the Surface
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In the surface reading, nick[5] is used in an informal British sense meaning to steal ? he'd had his car nicked by joyriders. |
| 25a | Come to an arrangement /in/ a wood after party (2,1,4) |
In Britain, deal[5] would appear to be a commonly used term for fir or pine wood as a building material or a plank made of fir or pine wood — what we in North America would commonly refer to as lumber*.
* In Britain, the word lumber[5] has a totally different meaning than it does in North America, being articles of furniture or other household items that are no longer useful and inconveniently take up storage space.
Apparently, this meaning of deal[3,11] also exists (or, perhaps, once existed) in North America, but I would think that it is rarely used these days — at least by the general public.
"party " = DO
Do[5,12] is an informal British[5] or chiefly British[12] term* for a party or other social event ?
* Although Webster’s New World College Dictionary[12] supports the contention by Oxford Dictionaries Online[5] that this usage is British, two other US dictionaries do not characterize do[3,11] used in this sense as a British term.
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Do[5,12] is an informal British[5] or chiefly British[12] term* for a party or other social event ?
the soccer club Christmas do.
* Although Webster’s New World College Dictionary[12] supports the contention by Oxford Dictionaries Online[5] that this usage is British, two other US dictionaries do not characterize do[3,11] used in this sense as a British term.
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| 26a | Fictional detective /in/ mews I reportedly upset (4,5,6) |
Lord Peter Wimsey[7] is the fictional protagonist in a series of detective novels and short stories by English crime writer Dorothy L. Sayers (1893 – 1957) and their continuation by Jill Paton Walsh. An amateur who solves mysteries for his own amusement, Wimsey is an archetype for the British gentleman detective.
Scratching the Surface
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| Mews[5] is a British term for a row or street of houses or flats [apartments] that have been converted from stables or built to look like former stables. |
| 27a | Telephone about file /and/ hand-held tool (6) |
| 28a | Foolish people brought before sheriff primarily, or // judge (8) |
Down
| 1d | Landlady in 'Hound' novel accommodating Sherlock, principally (6) |
In this "all-in-one" clue, the entire clue provides the definition in which the wordplay is embedded.
Sherlock Holmes[7] is a fictional character created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930). A London-based "consulting detective" whose abilities border on the fantastic, Holmes is known for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to adopt almost any disguise and his use of forensic science to solve difficult cases. Holmes has lodgings at 221B Baker Street, London where his landlady is Mrs. Hudson.
The Hound of the Baskervilles[7] is the third of the four crime novels written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes.
| 2d | Poet, // self-made I suspect (9) |
John Masefield[5] (1878 – 1967) was an English poet and novelist. He was appointed Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom in 1930. Notable works: Salt-Water Ballads (1902).
| 3d | Shorten // story heard in support of vicious dog (7) |
| 4d | Game of chance: diamonds // cut (5) |
| 6d | Gather together /in/ circle at college (5,2) |
In British English, up[5] means at or to a university, especially Oxford or Cambridge ?
they were up at Cambridge about the same time.
| 7d | Member of the clergy // from Slavic area (5) |
A vicar[5] is a member of the clergy, although the meaning of the term varies
among religious denominations (show more ).
The term vicar may mean:
The term vicar may mean:
- in the the Church of England, an incumbent of a parish where tithes formerly passed to a chapter or religious house or layman;
- in other Anglican Churches, a member of the clergy deputizing for another;
- in the Roman Catholic Church, a representative or deputy of a bishop;
- in the US Episcopal Church, a clergyman in charge of a chapel;
- a cleric or choir member appointed to sing certain parts of a cathedral service.
| 8d | The French, all unfamiliar with // film (2,2,4) |
La La Land[7] is a 2016 American musical romantic drama film that stars Ryan Gosling as a jazz pianist and Emma Stone as an aspiring actress who meet and fall in love while pursuing their dreams in Los Angeles. The film won six Oscars* at the 89th Academy Awards in 2017.
* Best Director (Damien Chazelle), Best Actress (Emma Stone), Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Original Song ("City of Stars"), and Best Production Design
| 9d | Lecture about a fine force/'s/ framework (8) |
| 14d | Facing // Italian in contest (8) |
"Italian " = IT [in reference to either the language or the vermouth]
| 16d | Break // even in other school, initially (9) |
Elevenses[5] is an informal British term for a short break for light refreshments, usually with tea or coffee, taken about eleven o’clock in the morning.
| 17d | Couple hired // band (8) |
While hired and let both mean rented, the terms seem to be used in distinctly different circumstances — the former in relation to vehicles or other things and the latter for accommodations or property.
Hire[5] is used in a British sense meaning to obtain the temporary use of (something) for an agreed payment ? (i)
we flew to San Diego, hired a car, and headed for Las Vegas; (ii)
On the weekend Adam hired the movie Saving Private Ryan and watched it ....
Let[5] is a British* term meaning to allow someone to have the use of (a room or property) in return for regular payments ? (i)
she let the flat [apartment] to a tenant; (ii)
they’ve let out their house.
* However, based on its appearance in US dictionaries, I seriously doubt that this word is quite as British as Lexico (Oxford Dictionaries) would have us believe.[3,11]
| 19d | Model // not including enough (7) |
| 21d | Stone // jar seen round Northern Ireland (7) |
"Northern Ireland " = NI [Northern Ireland]
Northern Ireland[5] (abbreviation NI[5]) is a province of the United Kingdom occupying the northeast part of Ireland.
According to Oxford Dictionaries, Northern Ireland[5] is the only major division of the United Kingdom to hold the status of province, with England[5], Scotland[5] and Wales[5] considered to be countries.
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Northern Ireland[5] (abbreviation NI[5]) is a province of the United Kingdom occupying the northeast part of Ireland.
According to Oxford Dictionaries, Northern Ireland[5] is the only major division of the United Kingdom to hold the status of province, with England[5], Scotland[5] and Wales[5] considered to be countries.
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| 22d | Actor /in/ Polanski's first film (6) |
Scratching the Surface
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| Roman Polanski (born Raymond Thierry Liebling) is a
Polish-French film director, producer, writer, and actor. He won the
Academy Award for Best Director in 2003 for The Pianist. In 1969, his pregnant wife, Sharon Tate, and four friends were brutally murdered by members of the Manson Family. Polanski himself is a fugitive from the U.S. criminal justice system, having fled the country in 1977 while awaiting sentencing for unlawful intercourse with a minor*. * Although the situation he finds himself in is as much an indictment of the U.S. criminal justice system as it is of his own actions. His victim has blamed the media, reporters, the court, and the judge for having caused "way more damage to me and my family than anything Roman Polanski has ever done", and opined that the judge was using her and Polanski for the media exposure. |
| 24d | Trunk /and/ tangled roots (5) |
| 25d | Game // belonging to old art student (5) |
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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