Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29390 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Monday, June 15, 2020 | |
Setter
Campbell (Allan Scott) | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29390]
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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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Notes
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This puzzle appears on the Monday Diversions page in the Saturday, February 13, 2021 edition of the National Post. The National Post has skipped DT 29389 which was published in The Daily Telegraph on Saturday, June 13, 2020. | |
Introduction
Due to the National Post having skipped a puzzle, things are shaping up for us to receive the puzzles on the same day of the week and the same day of the month (albeit a different month) for the second week in succession.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 | Representative // in Capitol I harassed (10) |
Given recent events in Washington, this clue certainly carries a whole new significance from what it did when I first encountered it eight months ago!
A representative[10] is a person representing a constituency in a deliberative, legislative, or executive body, especially (with a capital, Representative) a member of the United States House of Representatives (the lower house of Congress).
Scratching the Surface
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In the US, a capitol[5] is a building housing a legislative assembly ? the work is on display at the Utah state capitol; in particular, the Capitol[5] is the seat of the US Congress in Washington DC. |
| 6a | Victory by good // side (4) |
| 9a | Mathematical symbol: // short symbol written by scholar (5) |
In mathematics, the upper case sigma[5] (S) is the symbol for a mathematical sum and the lower case sigma[5] (s) is the symbol for standard deviation.
* Sigma[5] is the eighteenth letter of the Greek alphabet (S, s).
| 10a | Put back /in/ control, say (9) |
| 12a | Thoughtfulness /of/ Charlie on team, helping (13) |
"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
hide
"team " = SIDE
Side[5] is a British term for a sports team ?
* Note that, in Britain, a player is said to be "in a side" or "in a team" rather than "on a team" as one would say in North America.
In North America, the term side[3] is used in a very general fashion that can denote one of two or more opposing individuals, groups, teams, or sets of opinions. While this same general usage is also found in the UK, the term side[5] is also used there in a much more specific sense to mean a sports team, as we can clearly see from the following usage examples ? (i)
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Side[5] is a British term for a sports team ?
there was a mixture of old and young players in* their side.
* Note that, in Britain, a player is said to be "in a side" or "in a team" rather than "on a team" as one would say in North America.
In North America, the term side[3] is used in a very general fashion that can denote one of two or more opposing individuals, groups, teams, or sets of opinions. While this same general usage is also found in the UK, the term side[5] is also used there in a much more specific sense to mean a sports team, as we can clearly see from the following usage examples ? (i)
Previous England rugby sides, and England teams in many other sports, would have crumbled under the weight of such errors.; (ii)
They'll face better sides than this Monaco team, but you can only beat what's put in front of you.
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| 14a | Form of acting, // extremely original in show once more (4-4) |
| 15a | Stick /with/ a present containing diamonds (6) |
| 17a | Musical piece // from 'Chess' on a tape (6) |
Scratching the Surface
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| Chess[7]
is a musical with music by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, formerly
of ABBA, and lyrics by Tim Rice. The play involves a politically driven, Cold War-era chess tournament between two men—an American grandmaster and a Soviet grandmaster—and their fight over a woman who manages one and falls in love with the other. Far better known in the UK than in North America, the show opened in London's West End in 1986 where it played for three years. A much-altered U.S. version premiered on Broadway in 1988, but survived only for two months. |
| 19a | Game // course allowed to be included (8) |
| 21a | Rib uncle being clumsy with item of cutlery, // fork-like utensil (8,5) |
A runcible spoon[5] is a fork curved like a spoon, with three broad prongs, one of which has a sharpened outer edge for cutting.
| 24a | A gorilla playfully trapping tail of short // reptile (9) |
| 25a | Blow in bursts with old // verve (5) |
"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.
hide
| 26a | Band // when inside say nothing (4) |
| 27a | Husband, Alf, after cap /for/ his wife? (6,4) |
Cap[3] is used in the sense of to follow with something better; in other words, to surpass or outdo ?
the magician capped his last trick with a disappearing act that brought the audience to its feet.
Scratching the Surface
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| The clue is likely an allusion to Alf Garnett[7], a fictional character from the British sitcom Till Death Us Do Part (1965-1975) and its follow-on and spin-off series Till Death... (1981) and In Sickness and in Health (1985-1992). As I read a description of Alf, I noticed that he seemed to share characteristics with another well-known TV character — an observation that turned out to be well-founded. Alf was a working class man, forever complaining that he worked and worked and yet lived somewhere near the poverty line, and was a staunch supporter of the Conservative Party, although he didn't support one-time leader Margaret Thatcher, because he believed that a woman's place was at home "chained to the bloody kitchen sink!" and blamed Thatcher's husband Denis for not telling her "to keep her place". Generally Alf blamed his problems on everybody but himself. His family was the usual target of his anger and frustration. In the shows, Garnett was regularly ridiculed for his illogical views and hypocrisy by his family, but he stubbornly refused to admit he was wrong. Alf was mean and selfish towards his emotionally detached wife, Else, referring to her as a "silly old moo". Else usually turned a deaf-ear to most of Alf's rantings, but if he got too personal she would come up with a sharp retort to put him firmly in his place. Alf was outraged when his daughter, Rita, decided to marry Michael, her long-haired, unemployed boyfriend. Michael is from Liverpool and a Catholic of Irish descent; precisely the type of person Alf most hated. If this sounds familiar, the American sitcom All in the Family (1971-1979) was essentially a clone of Till Death Do Us Part that featured Archie Bunker as Garnett's analog. Like Garnett in British popular culture, Bunker became an icon in American popular culture for his very conservative views, although the Bunker character was portrayed as somewhat more likable than Garnett ever was. |
Down
| 1d | Qualify? // I don't know (4) |
| 2d | American soldier in pub // reasoned correctly (7) |
"American soldier " = GI
A GI[5] is a private soldier in the US army ?
Origin: Contrary to popular belief, the term apparently is not an abbreviation for general infantryman, but rather derives from the term government (or general) issue (originally denoting equipment supplied to US forces).
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A GI[5] is a private soldier in the US army ?
she went off with a GI during the war.
Origin: Contrary to popular belief, the term apparently is not an abbreviation for general infantryman, but rather derives from the term government (or general) issue (originally denoting equipment supplied to US forces).
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Local[5] is an informal British term for a pub convenient to a person’s home ?
had a pint in the local.
| 3d | Hobby/'s/ starting point, oddly (13) |
Trainspotting*[5] is a British term for the hobby of collecting train or locomotive numbers.
* The name is also often used in a derogatory sense to refer to any activity that involves the obsessive study of the minutiae of any minority interest or specialized hobby ?
the idea is to make the music really really collectable so the trainspotters will buy it in their pathetic thousands.
| 4d | Church dignitary /in/ a line following king, maybe (8) |
| 5d | Come up // a slope (5) |
| 7d | Fancy // goods initially imported by island state (7) |
| 8d | New sleeping-place mostly occupied by English // commando (5,5) |
One can suppose that the intended soldier is not a member of the United States Army Special Forces[7] but a member of the British Commandos[7] of the Second World War.
| 11d | Gossip // once grand slam broadcast (13) |
| 13d | Angry, anglers about a // critical point (10) |
Rod[5] is used here as a metonym for an angler ?
over a hundred rods turned out for the day, including some famous names.
| 16d | Pole // bowled over with vigour, dismissing first one (8) |
| 18d | Last of batsmen, positive around leg // stump (7) |
"leg " = ON [cricket term]
In cricket, the leg[5] (also called leg side) is another name for the on[5] (also known as on side), the half of the field (as divided lengthways through the pitch) away from which the batsman’s feet are pointed when standing to receive the ball ?
The other half of the field is known as the off[5] (also called off side).
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In cricket, the leg[5] (also called leg side) is another name for the on[5] (also known as on side), the half of the field (as divided lengthways through the pitch) away from which the batsman’s feet are pointed when standing to receive the ball ?
he played a lucky stroke to leg.
The other half of the field is known as the off[5] (also called off side).
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Scratching the Surface
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In cricket, the leg stump[7] is the stump* on theleg side of a wicket ? he let the next ball go by outside leg stump. * a stump[5] is each of the three upright pieces of wood which form a wicket |
| 20d | SI unit spelt differently -- ampère /in/ this country (7) |
A is the symbol for ampere[10] (French ampère), the basic SI* unit of electric current.
* SI stands for Système International (d'Unités)
Tunisia[5] is a country in North Africa. (show more )
Tunisia has a Mediterranean coastline and extends south into the Sahara Desert. Phoenician coastal settlements developed into the commercial empire of Carthage (near modern Tunis). The area was conquered by the Arabs in the 7th century and became part of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century; a French protectorate was established in 1886. The rise of nationalism led to independence and the establishment of a republic in 1956–7, with Habib ibn Ali Bourguiba becoming the country's first President. In 2010–11 a series of popular demonstrations led to President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, who had succeeded Bourguiba in 1987, leaving office.
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Tunisia has a Mediterranean coastline and extends south into the Sahara Desert. Phoenician coastal settlements developed into the commercial empire of Carthage (near modern Tunis). The area was conquered by the Arabs in the 7th century and became part of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century; a French protectorate was established in 1886. The rise of nationalism led to independence and the establishment of a republic in 1956–7, with Habib ibn Ali Bourguiba becoming the country's first President. In 2010–11 a series of popular demonstrations led to President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, who had succeeded Bourguiba in 1987, leaving office.
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Scratching the Surface
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| As a former French protectorate, Tunisia would be expected to use the French spelling ampère. |
| 22d | Loose-limbed, // Italian male after end of drill (5) |
"Italian " = IT [in reference to either the language or the vermouth]
| 23d | What may appear just before one gets to hotel? (4) |
In what is commonly known as the NATO Phonetic Alphabet[7]*, Hotel[5] is a code word representing the letter H and Golf[5] is a code word representing the letter G.
* officially the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet
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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