Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29378 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Monday, June 1, 2020 | |
Setter
Campbell (Allan Scott) | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29378]
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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
I believe this was the first — and so far only — time I have given a single star for difficulty to a puzzle. Some things apparently do not change. As was the case in June, 23a was the last clue to be solved.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 | Electrician // put on board (6) |
Spark[5] (also Sparks) is informally used as a nickname for a radio operator or an electrician, especially in the armed forces ? (i)
she is the sexiest Spark that ever went to sea*; (ii)
I know a Sparks so I'll get him to look over it.
* I note with interest that the first of these usage examples has now vanished from the Lexico website — I guess it was not deemed appropriate for these politically correct times
| 5a | Engineers track // access (8) |
"engineers " = RE [Royal Engineers]
The Corps of Royal Engineers[7], usually just called the Royal Engineers (abbreviation RE), and commonly known as the Sappers[7], is a corps of the British Army that provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces.
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The Corps of Royal Engineers[7], usually just called the Royal Engineers (abbreviation RE), and commonly known as the Sappers[7], is a corps of the British Army that provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces.
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| 9a | Truthful /in/ flat (2,3,5) |
| 10a | Gang /from/ Cheshire town on the radio (4) |
Crewe[5] is a town and major railway junction in Cheshire, west central England.
| 11a | No thanks required by count, last off, /so/ don't mention it (3,2,3) |
Ta[5] is an informal British exclamation signifying thank you ?
‘Ta,’ said Willie gratefully.
| 12a | Equally // calm, lake close to city (6) |
| 13a | Prejudice /shown by/ British international --when? (4) |
| 15a | Collaboration /from/ me at sporting function (8) |
| 18a | Everyone taken in by most of band/'s/ blatant publicity (8) |
| 19a | Stake /in/ Victorian tearoom (4) |
| 21a | A part of poem/'s/ hostile (6) |
| 23a | A short indication of approval heard /for/ puzzle (8) |
| 25a | Wintry weather // at present, after first sign of spring (4) |
| 26a | Garland /given/ girl having tea at home (5,5) |
Cha (also chai) is a variant spelling of char[5], an informal British name for tea [in the sense of a drink].
| 27a | Accept members // carry weapons (4,4) |
| 28a | Head, copping it, taken aback, /is/ to serve a prison sentence (2,4) |
Down
| 2d | Horse // in handicap, in touch (5) |
| 3d | Listens during actual // dummy run (9) |
| 4d | Fruit, no end, /for/ ruler (6) |
A sultan[10] is the sovereign of a Muslim country, especially of the former Ottoman Empire.
| 5d | Rebels // turn on sign (15) |
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.
| 6d | Copper left -- trial date coming up, /getting/ close (3-2-3) |
Close[5] (often found in street names) is a British term for a residential street without through access ?
she lives at 12 Goodwood Close.
| 7d | Relative /having/ soiled article removed (5) |
| 8d | Suspect something's wrong -- // let alarms off (5,1,3) |
| 14d | One name put forward // beforehand (2,7) |
| 16d | How things stand // with second wife wearing two hats? (5,4) |
| 17d | Piece of equipment /that could make/ mum more embarrassed (8) |
| 20d | Under pressure, ready for a change, // said Grace? (6) |
| 22d | One in eight perhaps // bank on Queen (5) |
An eight[5] is an eight-oared rowing boat or its crew.
"Queen " = ER [regnal cipher of Queen Elizabeth]
The regnal ciphers (monograms) of British monarchs are initials formed from the Latin version of their first name followed by either Rex or Regina (Latin for king or queen, respectively). Thus, the regnal cipher of Queen Elizabeth is ER[5] — from the Latin Elizabetha Regina.
* A cipher[5] (also cypher) is a monogram[5] or motif of two or more interwoven letters, typically a person's initials, used to identify a personal possession or as a logo.
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The regnal ciphers (monograms) of British monarchs are initials formed from the Latin version of their first name followed by either Rex or Regina (Latin for king or queen, respectively). Thus, the regnal cipher of Queen Elizabeth is ER[5] — from the Latin Elizabetha Regina.
* A cipher[5] (also cypher) is a monogram[5] or motif of two or more interwoven letters, typically a person's initials, used to identify a personal possession or as a logo.
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| 24d | Turn of phrase /used in/ papers on the Isle of Man (5) |
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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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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