Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29367 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Tuesday, May 19, 2020 | |
Setter
Unknown | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29367]
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Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
Mr K | |
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 was confronted with a few new words and sayings in today's puzzle — the bread at 21a, the cake at 19d and the expression at 3d. Fortunately, I was able to work them all out from the wordplay and later confirm from the dictionary that they are correct.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 | Hat leaving Charlie with rings // -- bowler sometimes does this (7) |
"Charlie " = C [NATO Phonetic Alphabet]
In what is commonly known as the NATO Phonetic Alphabet[7]*, Charlie[5] is a code word representing the letter C.
* officially the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet
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In what is commonly known as the NATO Phonetic Alphabet[7]*, Charlie[5] is a code word representing the letter C.
* officially the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet
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In cricket, an appeal[5] is a call by the bowler or fielders on the umpire to declare a batsman out, traditionally with a shout of ‘How's that?’.
Delving Deeper
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| For example, one way for a batsman in cricket to be dismissed is to be caught out[5]; that is for a player on the opposing team to catch a ball that has been hit by the batsman before it touches the ground. However, even though the ball may have been caught, the batsman is not actually dismissed until the fielding team appeal to the umpires for a decision, traditionally using the expression "How's that" (or "Howzat"). That is, the fielder will claim a catch out by appealing to the umpires for a decision. In cricket, it seems, umpires do not render a decision until requested to do so by the players. |
| 5a | Pictures can be seen here // since getting developed, enthralling mother (7) |
Cinema[5] is the British name for a movie theatre.
| 9a | Appear // excited to follow dad (3,2) |
| 10a | Trendy positions /for/ cases (9) |
| 11a | Link // prisoner with new wing getting defaced? (10) |
The setter uses "defaced" to instruct the solver to remove the initial letter of [
| 12a | China // tea (4) |
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.
Maté[10] (or mate; also known as Paraguay tea, yerba or yerba maté) is a stimulating milky beverage made from the dried leaves of the maté tree, an evergreen tree cultivated in South America for its leaves, which contain caffeine.
| 14a | Resemblances // I initially missed caught by Israeli -- it's strange (12) |
| 18a | Walk ignoring a learner/'s/ state of physique (12) |
"learner " = L [driver under instruction]
The cryptic crossword convention of L meaning learner or student arises from the L-plate[7], a square plate bearing a sans-serif letter L, for learner, which must be affixed to the front and back of a vehicle in various jurisdictions (including the UK) if its driver is a learner under instruction.
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The cryptic crossword convention of L meaning learner or student arises from the L-plate[7], a square plate bearing a sans-serif letter L, for learner, which must be affixed to the front and back of a vehicle in various jurisdictions (including the UK) if its driver is a learner under instruction.
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| Automobile displaying an L-plate |
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| 21a | Left bumpkin/'s/ farmhouse? (4) |
A farmhouse loaf[5] is a loaf of white bread, oval or rectangular in shape, with a rounded top.
* I found no reference source indicating that the word "farmhouse" on its own means loaf. Perhaps, one might use it in that way when placing an order at a bakery,
I would like two loaves of bread — one French, one farmhouse. Of course, the setter has indicated in the clue that the definition is "questionable".
| 22a | Stroll over with most of linen // -- it's suitable for jumpers (10) |
Scratching the Surface
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The construction of the clue is likely designed to make us think that the word "jumper" is referring to an item of clothing. While the word "jumper" is the name of an article of clothing on both sides of the
Atlantic, it is quite a different piece of apparel across the pond where it denotes a sweater rather than a dress. (show more )
In Britain, a jumper[5] is a knitted garment typically with long sleeves, worn over the upper body (in other words, a sweater). The dress that North Americans call a jumper[5] is known to the Brits as a pinafore[5] — defined as a collarless sleeveless dress worn over a blouse or jumper [sweater]. Thus, if a British lass were to wear a pinafore over her jumper and a North American gal were to wear a jumper over her sweater, they would be dressed identically. hide |
| 25a | Present minutes before hospital department/'s/ medical attention (9) |
"hospital department " = ENT
| 26a | Pick up // smell, perhaps (5) |
| 27a | What tennis player might do after a fault // -- hold back (7) |
In tennis and similar games, a fault[5] is a service of the ball not in accordance with the rules.
* A fault[7] is a serve that falls long or wide of the service box, or does not clear the net. There is also a "foot fault" when a player's foot touches the baseline or an extension of the center mark before the ball is hit. Following the initial fault on a service, the server retakes that serve. If the second service is also a fault, the server double faults, and the receiver wins the point.
| 28a | Allegiance /from/ 50 kings and queens? Not at first (7) |
Down
| 1d | Animal /from/ mountain area: tailless cat (6) |
| 2d | Very hot // farm animal gripping leg (6) |
| 3d | Take on board // ace pirate at sea around Portugal (10) |
The phrase take (something) on board[5] is a seemingly British term meaning to fully consider or assimilate a new idea or situation ⇒
we've got to take accusations of sexism on board.
| 4d | Fleet // Street admitting endless trouble and strife (5) |
Trouble and strife[5] is British rhyming slang for wife ⇒
The rhymers par excellence have been the Cockneys of London, who have developed an elaborate and colourful collection of slang terms based on rhyme, such as trouble and strife for ‘wife’ and mince pies for ‘eyes’.
Scratching the Surface
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Fleet Street[5] is a street in central London in which the offices
of national newspapers were located until the mid 1980s (often used as a metonym for the British Press) ⇒ the hottest story in Fleet Street. |
| 5d | One might investigate Russian satellite // company with dodgy amounts (9) |
A cosmonaut[5] is a Russian astronaut.
| 6d | Tidy // Welsh town? Almost (4) |
Neath[5] is an industrial town in South Wales on the River Neath.
| 7d | One working on an estate, say, // crazy to collect heads of every Cape hyacinth (8) |
In the UK, estate[5] is short for estate car[5], the British name for a station wagon[5].
Scratching the Surface
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| The Cape hyacinth (also known as summer hyacinth[7]) is a species of flowering plant (Ornithogalum candicans) native to moist grassland in South Africa. It is a bulbous perennial growing to 100–120 cm (39–47 in), with strap-shaped leaves and white snowdrop-like flowers in late summer. * The name Cape hyacinth does not appear in the article dealing with the species (Ornithogalum candicans[7]) but is found in the article dealing with the genus (Ornithogalum[7]). |
| 8d | South American writer regularly sets up // tension (8) |
"writer " = PEN [writing implement]
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.
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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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.
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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| 13d | Queen ruined glorious year, // strictly (10) |
"Queen " = R [regina]
Queen may be abbreviated as Q, Qu. or R.
Q[5] is an abbreviation for queen that is used especially in describing play in card games and recording moves in chess.
Qu.[2] is another common abbreviation for Queen.
In the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms*, Regina[5] (abbreviation R[5]) [Latin for queen] denotes the reigning queen, used following a name (e.g. Elizabetha Regina, Queen Elizabeth — often shortened to ER) or in the titles of lawsuits (e.g. Regina v. Jones, the Crown versus Jones — often shortened to R. v. Jones).
* A Commonwealth realm[7] is a sovereign state that is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and shares the same person, currently Elizabeth II, as its head of state and reigning constitutional monarch, but retains a crown legally distinct from the other realms. There are currently sixteen Commonwealth realms, the largest being Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom with the remainder being smaller Caribbean and Pacific island nations.
Thus Queen Elizabeth signs her name as 'Elizabeth R' as seen here on Canada's paint-stained constitution[7].
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Queen may be abbreviated as Q, Qu. or R.
Q[5] is an abbreviation for queen that is used especially in describing play in card games and recording moves in chess.
Qu.[2] is another common abbreviation for Queen.
In the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms*, Regina[5] (abbreviation R[5]) [Latin for queen] denotes the reigning queen, used following a name (e.g. Elizabetha Regina, Queen Elizabeth — often shortened to ER) or in the titles of lawsuits (e.g. Regina v. Jones, the Crown versus Jones — often shortened to R. v. Jones).
* A Commonwealth realm[7] is a sovereign state that is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and shares the same person, currently Elizabeth II, as its head of state and reigning constitutional monarch, but retains a crown legally distinct from the other realms. There are currently sixteen Commonwealth realms, the largest being Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom with the remainder being smaller Caribbean and Pacific island nations.
Thus Queen Elizabeth signs her name as 'Elizabeth R' as seen here on Canada's paint-stained constitution[7].
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The Story Behind the Picture
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| Should the photo illustrating Mr K's review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog have left you puzzled, it really has little to do with the puzzle. The couple in the picture are contestants on Strictly Come Dancing[7] (informally known as Strictly), a British television dance contest in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly ballroom and Latin dance. Mr K provides a bit more information in the thread at Comment #12 on Big Dave's site. |
| 15d | Playwright quietly leaving female before // conflict (9) |
Harold Pinter[5] (1930–2008) was an English dramatist, actor, and director. His plays are associated with the Theatre of the Absurd and are typically marked by a sense of menace. Notable plays: The Birthday Party (1958), The Caretaker (1960), and Party Time (1991). Nobel Prize for Literature (2005).
| 16d | Artist/'s/ model put closer -- eyesight's beginning to go (8) |
| 17d | Those who steal // shoes (8) |
I interpreted steal[5] to be used in the sense of move (somewhere) quietly or surreptitiously.
However, prompted by the discussion on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, I discovered that sneak[5] can mean steal in any of several (more or less similar) senses:
- move or go in a furtive or stealthy way ⇒
I sneaked [snuck] out by the back exit
. - do or obtain (something) in a stealthy or furtive way ⇒
she sneaked [snuck] a glance at her watch
. - creep up on (someone) without being detected ⇒
he sneaks up on us slyly
.
| 19d | Fruitcake // -- some Ellen miserably picked up (6) |
Simnel[10] (also simnel cake[10]) is a British fruit cake containing a layer of marzipan, often coloured with saffron and topped with marzipan, traditionally eaten at Lent or Easter.
| 20d | Just // depend on this setter? On the contrary! (6) |
"this setter " = 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 phrase "on the contrary" tells the solver to reverse the logic or meaning of the statement immediately preceding it. Doing so leads one to reinterpret the wordplay to read "this setter on depend".
| 23d | Satisfied aluminium is this (5) |
The clue is a cryptic definition that we can interpret to mean "What aluminium is an example of". In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, the explanation provided by Mr K is expressed somewhat differently but may amount to the same thing. Whenever possible, I avoid identifying an isolated pronoun as a precise definition. To me, a precise definition is one that could stand alone as a clue in a regular (non-cryptic) crossword — and I defy anyone to solve the clue "This (5)".
Aluminium[5] is the British spelling of the chemical element aluminum, the symbol for which is Al[5].
| 24d | Celebrity // scoundrels on the rise (4) |
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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