Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29364 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Friday, May 15, 2020 | |
Setter
Silvanus | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29364]
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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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Notes
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This puzzle appears on the Monday Diversions page in the Saturday, January 9, 2021 edition of the National Post. | |
Introduction
Like many others (judging by the comments on Big Dave's Crossword Blog), I found this puzzle a bit 9a but still good fun.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 | Training run and jog Ben has /in/ city (12) |
Johannesburg[5] is a city in South Africa, the capital of the province of Gauteng.
| 8a | Consultant, // regularly paid, avoids worry (7) |
| 9a | Somewhat difficult // mess engulfing River Police officer (7) |
"police officer " = 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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Scratching the Surface
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| River police[5] denotes a police force, or a department of one, with responsibility for patrolling rivers. |
| 11a | Sick notes /in/ disrepute (3,4) |
In sol-fa notation, fa[1,2,4,5,10] (in the UK, generally considered a variant spelling of fah[1,2,4,5,10]) is the fourth note of a major scale. (show more )
Among the reference sources I consulted, the British dictionaries (with one exception) have fa[2,4,5,10] as a variant spelling of fah[2,4,5,10]. The lone outlier, The Chambers Dictionary, lists fah[1] as an anglicized spelling of fa[1] (which presumably is Italian). On the other hand, the US dictionaries all show fa[3,11,12] as being the only spelling.
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Among the reference sources I consulted, the British dictionaries (with one exception) have fa[2,4,5,10] as a variant spelling of fah[2,4,5,10]. The lone outlier, The Chambers Dictionary, lists fah[1] as an anglicized spelling of fa[1] (which presumably is Italian). On the other hand, the US dictionaries all show fa[3,11,12] as being the only spelling.
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In sol-fa notation, me[1,2,4,5,10] (or mi[1,2,3,4,5,10,11]) is the third note of a major scale. British
dictionaries are split on which spelling is the principle one whereas American dictionaries show only the mi spelling. (show more )
Among the reference sources I consulted, two British dictionaries have me[2,5] as the principal spelling with mi as a variant[2] or US[5] spelling. However, three other British dictionaries take the contrary position, listing mi[1,4,10] as the principal spelling with me as a variant[4,10] or anglicized[1] spelling (the original spelling presumably being Italian). Three US dictionaries show only one spelling — mi[3,11,12].
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Among the reference sources I consulted, two British dictionaries have me[2,5] as the principal spelling with mi as a variant[2] or US[5] spelling. However, three other British dictionaries take the contrary position, listing mi[1,4,10] as the principal spelling with me as a variant[4,10] or anglicized[1] spelling (the original spelling presumably being Italian). Three US dictionaries show only one spelling — mi[3,11,12].
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Ill fame[5] (also ill repute[5]) is a dated term for the state of being held in low esteem by the public; in other words, disrepute ⇒ (i)
John Walker was bound ‘for being in a Notorious house with a woman of known ill fame and Reputation’; (ii)
women of ill repute.
| 12a | Overheard legend resisting // wine (7) |
Legend[5] is used in the sense of the wording on a map or diagram explaining the symbols used.
Chianti[5] is a dry red Italian wine produced in Tuscany named after the Chianti Mountains of Italy.
| 13a | Guard // criminal (5) |
| 14a | A second prisoner departs, having stuffed sack /and/ escaped (9) |
| 16a | Game's copyright superseding patent, initially // it carries charge (9) |
C[5] (also ©) is the abbreviation for copyright.
On first glance, I interpreted the phrase "game's copyright" to be a statement indicating possession and protested there is no C in PARTRIDGE. However, I quickly came to the realization that the 's which is a possessive form in the surface reading becomes a contraction for 'has' in the cryptic reading. Thus the wordplay can be construed to read:
- Game has copyright superseding patent, initially
| 19a | First sign of parish notice about // priest (5) |
| 21a | Sheer material /in/ newspaper attracting unknown journalists essentially (7) |
An organ[5] is a newspaper or periodical which promotes the views of a political party or movement ⇒
he repositioned the journal as a leading organ of neoconservatism.
"unknown " = Z [algebraic notation]
In mathematics (algebra, in particular), an unknown[10] is a variable, or the quantity it represents, the value of which is to be discovered by solving an equation ⇒
In mathematical formulae, unknowns are typically represented symbolically by the letters x, y and z.
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In mathematics (algebra, in particular), an unknown[10] is a variable, or the quantity it represents, the value of which is to be discovered by solving an equation ⇒
3y = 4x + 5 is an equation in two unknowns.
In mathematical formulae, unknowns are typically represented symbolically by the letters x, y and z.
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The phrase "journalists essentially" is used to clue the middle letter of "journAlists". This cryptic crossword device is based on essence[5] denoting the intrinsic nature or indispensable quality of something, especially something abstract, which determines its character or, in other words, its core or heart.
Organza[5] is a thin, stiff, transparent dress fabric made of silk or a synthetic yarn.
| 23a | Cartoon strip /that's/ of little worth (7) |
Peanuts[7] is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz (1922–2000) that ran from 1950 to 2000, continuing in reruns following the author's death.
| 24a | Chicken given supplements ultimately // displays signs of ageing (7) |
| 25a | Nothing leads this writer, discontented refusnik, to back // foreign government (7) |
"this writer " = ME
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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The setter uses "discontented" to indicate that the inner letters of "R
The Kremlin[10] is a 12th-century citadel in Moscow, containing the former Imperial Palace, three Cathedrals, and the offices of the Russian government (for which the name is commonly used as a metonym).
Scratching the Surface
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Refusnik[2] (variant spelling of refusenik) can mean either:
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| 26a | Frugal // Norm, simple character confronting debts (12) |
"Simple Simon"[7] is a popular English language nursery rhyme. (show more )
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- Simple Simon met a pieman,
- Going to the fair;
- Says Simple Simon to the pieman,
- Let me taste your ware.
- Says the pieman to Simple Simon,
- Show me first your penny;
- Says Simple Simon to the pieman,
- Indeed I have not any.
- Simple Simon went a-fishing,
- For to catch a whale;
- All the water he had got,
- Was in his mother's pail.
- Simple Simon went to look
- If plums grew on a thistle;
- He pricked his fingers very much,
- Which made poor Simon whistle.
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Down
| 1d | Spear, // article Indonesian discards before river rises (7) |
A Javan[5] is a native or inhabitant of Java, a large island in the Malay Archipelago, forming part of Indonesia.
The Nile[5] is a river in eastern Africa, [disputably (show more
)] the longest river in the world, which rises in east central Africa
near Lake Victoria and flows 6,695 km (4,160 miles) generally northwards
through Uganda, South Sudan, Sudan, and Egypt to empty through a large
delta into the Mediterranean.
There are many factors, such as the source, the identification or the definition of the mouth, and the scale of measurement of the river length between source and mouth, that determine the precise meaning of "river length"[7]. As a result, the length measurements of many rivers are only approximations. In particular, there has long been disagreement as to whether the Nile or the Amazon is the world's longest river. The Nile has traditionally been considered longer, but in recent years some Brazilian and Peruvian studies have suggested that the Amazon is longer by measuring the river plus the adjacent Pará estuary and the longest connecting tidal canal.
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There are many factors, such as the source, the identification or the definition of the mouth, and the scale of measurement of the river length between source and mouth, that determine the precise meaning of "river length"[7]. As a result, the length measurements of many rivers are only approximations. In particular, there has long been disagreement as to whether the Nile or the Amazon is the world's longest river. The Nile has traditionally been considered longer, but in recent years some Brazilian and Peruvian studies have suggested that the Amazon is longer by measuring the river plus the adjacent Pará estuary and the longest connecting tidal canal.
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| 2d | One kept prisoner for 18 // years under army (7) |
The
numeral "18" is a cross
reference indicator to clue 18d (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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| 3d | Am insured to cook /for/ nanny (9) |
| 4d | Moral belief // within Elizabeth I consistently (5) |
| 5d | Tortilla dish, // whisper love eating it (7) |
One of the meanings for burr[1] given by The Chambers Dictionary is:
- burr or bur verb intransitive to speak with a burr; to whisper hoarsely; to murmur
"love " = O [nil score in tennis]
In tennis, squash, and some other sports, love[5] is a score of zero or nil ⇒
Although folk etymology has connected the word with French l'oeuf 'egg', from the resemblance in shape between an egg and a zero, the term apparently comes from the phrase play for love (i.e. the love of the game, not for money).
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In tennis, squash, and some other sports, love[5] is a score of zero or nil ⇒
love fifteen. The resemblance of a zero written as a numeral (0) to the letter O leads to the cryptic crossword convention of the word "love" being used to clue this letter.
Although folk etymology has connected the word with French l'oeuf 'egg', from the resemblance in shape between an egg and a zero, the term apparently comes from the phrase play for love (i.e. the love of the game, not for money).
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| 6d | Son leaves showing calm acceptance, /having/ prevailed (7) |
| 7d | Good enough // outside, it's a fantastic small plant (12) |
| 10d | Occupation accustomed to everyday shocks and sometimes severe cutbacks? (12) |
| 15d | Coat perhaps // keeps flashing inside leg area (9) |
| 17d | Ceremonial emblems // Algeria reforms (7) |
| 18d | Lintels beginning to go /for/ extortionate prices (7) |
A lintel[5] is a horizontal support of timber, stone, concrete, or steel across the top of a door or window.
A transom[5] is a strengthening crossbar, in particular one set above a window or door.
In North America (but apparently not in Britain), transom[5] is short for transom window[5], a window set above the transom of a door or larger window.
| 19d | It's not designed to cure // home with unpleasant smell (7) |
| 20d | Makes twice as many // shots in snooker? (7) |
In billiards and snooker, a double[10] is a strike in which the object ball is struck so as to make it rebound against the cushion to an opposite pocket.
| 22d | Tea // service close to grandma getting knocked over (5) |
Mass[5] is the celebration of the Christian Eucharist*, especially in the Roman Catholic Church.
* Eucharist[5] (also known as Communion[5]) is the Christian service, ceremony, or sacrament commemorating the Last Supper, in which bread and wine are consecrated and consumed.
Assam[10] is a high-quality black tea grown in the state of Assam in north-east India.
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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