Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29360 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Monday, May 11, 2020 | |
Setter
Campbell (Allan Scott) | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29360]
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Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
pommers | |
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 was a Monday puzzle in the UK and is gentle even by that day's relaxed standards.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 | Ride taken round Honshu, principally, by // inscrutable person (6) |
Sphinx[5] is used in the metaphorical sense of an enigmatic or inscrutable [impossible to understand or interpret] person.
Origin: In Greek mythology, the Sphinx[5] was a winged monster having a woman's head and a lion's body. It propounded a riddle about the three ages of man, killing those who failed to solve it, until Oedipus was successful, whereupon the Sphinx committed suicide. (The Egyptian sphinx is undoubtedly better known, but the word almost certainly derives from Greek mythology.)
Scratching the Surface
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| Honshu[5] is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. |
| 4a | Bad fire /in/ branch (8) |
Off[10] might mean bad in the sense of food or drink that has gone bad, sour, etc ⇒
this milk is off.
| 10a | A dry, mostly freezing, // upper room (5) |
"dry " = TT [teetotal]
Teetotal[5] (abbreviation TT[5]) means choosing or characterized by abstinence from alcohol ⇒
A teetotaller[5] (US teetotaler; abbreviation TT[5]) is a person who never drinks alcohol.
The term teetotal is an emphatic extension of total, apparently first used by Richard Turner, a worker from Preston [England], in a speech (1833) urging total abstinence from all alcohol, rather than mere abstinence from spirits, as advocated by some early temperance reformers.
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Teetotal[5] (abbreviation TT[5]) means choosing or characterized by abstinence from alcohol ⇒
a teetotal lifestyle.
A teetotaller[5] (US teetotaler; abbreviation TT[5]) is a person who never drinks alcohol.
The term teetotal is an emphatic extension of total, apparently first used by Richard Turner, a worker from Preston [England], in a speech (1833) urging total abstinence from all alcohol, rather than mere abstinence from spirits, as advocated by some early temperance reformers.
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| 11a | Significant // worker, one having special skills (9) |
| 12a | Prune // others spreading, indefinite number (7) |
"indefinite number " = N [mathematical symbol]
| 13a | Uncomplaining, // study portable shelter (7) |
| 14a | Fight adversary misguidedly /creating/ work throughout the night (9,5) |
| 17a | Held one's gran if upset, // conciliatory words // being required (2,4,8) |
Despite being positioned at the end of the clue, the words "being required" function as a link phrase. The setter has employed a complex sentence structure for the sake of the surface reading. One can phrase the clue in a straight forward definition-link-wordplay fashion but, in doing so, the surface reading becomes almost meaningless:
- Conciliatory words /required for/ held one's gran if upset (2,4,8)
Scratching the Surface
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| Gran[5] is an informal British term for one's grandmother. |
| 21a | News coming back about old // soldier (7) |
"old " = O [linguistics]
In linguistics, O[12] is the abbreviation for Old ⇒ (i)
However, a second entry from this same source shows o (lower case) meaning old (not capitalized) suggesting that the use of this abbreviation may not necessarily be confined to the field of linguistics.
Another possibility arises from the British abbreviation OAP[5] standing for old-age pensioner.
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In linguistics, O[12] is the abbreviation for Old ⇒ (i)
OFr[Old French]; (ii)
OE[Old English].
However, a second entry from this same source shows o (lower case) meaning old (not capitalized) suggesting that the use of this abbreviation may not necessarily be confined to the field of linguistics.
Another possibility arises from the British abbreviation OAP[5] standing for old-age pensioner.
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| 23a | Stuff // at sea it polluted (7) |
| 24a | Love // speech introducing Democrat (9) |
"Democrat " = D [member or supporter of US political party]
| 25a | Percentage // of quota cut (5) |
| 26a | Legacy /of/ millions missing from retreat (8) |
A hermitage[5] is the dwelling of a hermit, especially when small and remote.
| 27a | Cool // customer, initially wearing tartan (6) |
Down
| 1d | Celebrity on mixed gins -- // Leo, perhaps (4,4) |
In astrology, Leo[10] (also called the Lion) is the fifth sign of the zodiac, symbol ♌, having a fixed fire classification and ruled by the sun. The sun is in this sign between about July 23 and Aug 22.
| 2d | Stew at ball? // A delicate matter (3,6) |
Hotpot[5] is a British term for a casserole of meat and vegetables, typically with a topping of sliced potato.
| 3d | Item worn /with/ audacity ahead of match (7) |
Neck[10] is an informal [seemingly British] term meaning impudence or audacity ⇒
she had the neck to ask for a rise*.
* for a North American, a raise (in pay)
Tie[5] is a British term meaning a sports match between two or more players or teams in which the winners proceed to the next round of the competition ⇒
Swindon Town have gained themselves a third round tie* against Oldham.
* This does not mean — as a North American might suppose — that Swindon Town and Oldham played to a draw in the third round. Rather, it means that Swindon Town defeated their opponent in the second round and will move on to face Oldham in the third round.
| 5d | Language used before preparing // something for the salad? (6,8) |
| 6d | Constant // check (7) |
| 7d | In abeyance // round Mediterranean resort (2,3) |
Nice[5] is a resort city on the French Riviera, near the border with Italy.
| 8d | Deal with Yankee, /making/ pact (6) |
"Yankee " = Y [NATO Phonetic Alphabet]
In what is commonly known as the NATO Phonetic Alphabet[7]*, Yankee[5] is a code word representing the letter Y.
* officially the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet
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In what is commonly known as the NATO Phonetic Alphabet[7]*, Yankee[5] is a code word representing the letter Y.
* officially the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet
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| 9d | A lot of possibly unproductive activity // travelling between places? (5,3,6) |
| 15d | Extraordinary // worker having sparkling wine in football club (9) |
"worker " = ANT
The terms "worker" and "social worker" are commonly used in cryptic crossword puzzles to clue ANT or BEE.
A worker[5] is a neuter or undeveloped female bee, wasp, ant, or other social insect, large numbers of which do the basic work of the colony.
In crossword puzzles, "worker" will most frequently be used to clue ANT and occasionally BEE but I have yet to see it used to clue WASP. Of course, "worker" is sometimes also used to clue HAND or MAN.
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The terms "worker" and "social worker" are commonly used in cryptic crossword puzzles to clue ANT or BEE.
A worker[5] is a neuter or undeveloped female bee, wasp, ant, or other social insect, large numbers of which do the basic work of the colony.
In crossword puzzles, "worker" will most frequently be used to clue ANT and occasionally BEE but I have yet to see it used to clue WASP. Of course, "worker" is sometimes also used to clue HAND or MAN.
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Asti[7] (formerly known as Asti Spumante)
is a sparkling white Italian wine (show more ).
Asti is produced throughout southeastern Piedmont but production is particularly focused around the towns of Asti and Alba. Since 1993 the wine has been classified as a Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) and as of 2004 was Italy's largest producing appellation.
Hide
Asti is produced throughout southeastern Piedmont but production is particularly focused around the towns of Asti and Alba. Since 1993 the wine has been classified as a Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) and as of 2004 was Italy's largest producing appellation.
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In Britain*, FC[5] is the abbreviation for Football Club (where football refers to Association football[7] or soccer) ⇒
Liverpool FC.
* This usage is not confined to Britain, as can be seen from the names of many Canadian soccer teams such as Toronto FC[7], Vancouver Whitecaps FC[7], and the former Ottawa Fury FC[7] (but not the Montreal Impact[7]).
| 16d | Heavenly body /of/ a bodybuilder? (8) |
Here "bodybuilder" refers not to the athlete but to the substance the athlete ingests to achieve the desired physique.
| 18d | Stop after snake /makes for/ pitch (7) |
Asp is a name given to at least four different species of snakes (show more ):
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- the European asp[7], a small southern European viper (Vipera aspis) with an upturned snout.
- the Egyptian cobra[7] (Naja haje), one of the largest cobra species native to Africa, second to the forest cobra (Naja melanoleuca).
- the Saharan horned viper[7] (Cerastes cerastes), a venomous viper species native to the deserts of Northern Africa and parts of the Middle East.
- the Saharan sand viper[7] (Cerastes vipera), also known as the Egyptian asp or Cleopatra's asp, a venomous viper species endemic to the deserts of North Africa and the Sinai Peninsula.
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Pitch[5,7] is a sticky resinous black or dark brown substance that is semi-liquid when hot and hardens when cold which can be natural or manufactured, derived from petroleum, coal tar, or plants. Various forms of pitch may also be called tar, bitumen, or asphalt. Pitch produced from plants is also known as resin.
| 19d | Misprint /in/ literature on period of history ending in turmoil (7) |
Literal[5] (noun) is a term used in the British printing industry to denote a misprint of a letter ⇒
Extensive mistakes may hardly count (as when the entire first edition was misprinted in italics), but literals can be crucial in a conflicted society which fetishes minor differences.
| 20d | Join // a church following a tense time (6) |
| 22d | Love dreary // perfume (5) |
"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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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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