Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29405 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Thursday, July 2, 2020 | |
Setter
Unknown | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29405]
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Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
Miffypops | |
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
The string of gentle challenges continues today.
In the intro to his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Miffypops thanks the setter for providing "an early loaf of bread and a slice of cake to go with my early morning cup of cha". The cake is found in 19a and cha is a British term for tea. But the bread may be unfamiliar to some readers. Bloomer[2], in addition to being an item of ladies' apparel and an embarrassing error, is also a British term for a longish crusty loaf of white bread, with rounded ends and several diagonal slashes across the top.By the way, Miffypops is in exceptional form today and his review is guaranteed to elicit a chuckle or two.
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 | Good article about old English // author who wrote in German (6) |
Old English[5] (abbreviation OE[5]) was the language of the Anglo-Saxons (up to about 1150). Also called Anglo-Saxon, it was an inflected language with a Germanic vocabulary, very different from modern English.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe[5] (1749–1832) was a German poet, playwright, and scholar. Involved at first with the Sturm und Drang movement, Goethe changed to a more measured and classical style, as in the ‘Wilhelm Meister’ novels (1796–1829). Notable dramas: Götz von Berlichingen (1773), Torquato Tasso (1790), and Faust (1808–32).
| 5a | Women's undergarments -- // they may cause embarrassment (8) |
Bloomers[5] are women's loose-fitting knee-length knickers [panties], considered old-fashioned.
Bloomer[5] is a dated informal British term for a serious or stupid mistake ⇒
About 45 minutes later, he committed his bloomer, and there is no doubt in my mind that the champion jockey made the elementary mistake of thinking that he had the race won aboard the second - favourite.
| 9a | An Irishman too nasty /to bring/ peace and concord? (13) |
| 10a | Criticising // action of quarry workers? (8) |
| 11a | Sound /of/ Bertrand in speech? (6) |
Bertrand Russell[5], 3rd Earl Russell (1872–1970) was a British philosopher, mathematician, and social reformer. (show more )
In Principia Mathematica (1910–13) he and A. N. Whitehead attempted to express all of mathematics in formal logic terms. He expounded logical atomism in Our Knowledge of the External World (1914) and neutral monism in The Analysis of Mind (1921). A conscientious objector during the First World War, he also campaigned for women's suffrage and against nuclear arms. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950.
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In Principia Mathematica (1910–13) he and A. N. Whitehead attempted to express all of mathematics in formal logic terms. He expounded logical atomism in Our Knowledge of the External World (1914) and neutral monism in The Analysis of Mind (1921). A conscientious objector during the First World War, he also campaigned for women's suffrage and against nuclear arms. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950.
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| 12a | US city // street in financially favourable situation (6) |
| 14a | Last bits, // fancy details -- any number to be filled in (4,4) |
"any number " = N [mathematical symbol]
| 16a | Holy person with top-class car, // one in no hurry (8) |
Roller[5] is an informal name for a Rolls-Royce[10], a make of very high-quality, luxurious, and prestigious British* car.
* Although the Rolls-Royce company is no longer British-owned.
| 19a | Cake /provided by/ entrance to a university (6) |
Gateau[5] [from French gâteau, 'cake'] is a British term for a rich cake, typically one containing layers of cream or fruit.
Funnier across the pond
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| I suspect that Miffypops' joke about the gate is far more effective across the pond than it is here. The phrase "our fence" pronounced in a non-rhotic* British accent would sound somewhat like "offence" -- at least far more similar than the way I say it. * Non-rhotic accents omit the sound < r > in certain situations, while rhotic accents generally pronounce < r > in all contexts. |
| 21a | Word of thanks with poet /getting/ ceremonial tunic (6) |
Ta[5] is an informal British exclamation signifying thank you ⇒
‘Ta,’ said Willie gratefully.
A tabard[2] is a short loose sleeveless jacket or tunic, worn especially by a knight over his armour or, with the arms of the king or queen on the front, by a herald.
| 23a | Like many a blind // Italian (8) |
| 25a | On the golf course // messing about (7,6) |
| 26a | Doomed // fools suffering setback in exploit (8) |
Nit[5,10] (short for nitwit) is an informal British term for a foolish person ⇒
you stupid nit!.
| 27a | Leg gets stuck in bit of wood, // running (6) |
Down
| 2d | Play // books set on top of celebrity magazine (7) |
"books " = OT [Old Testament]
In Crosswordland, "books" — or sometimes a more specific term such as "old books" or "new books" — is commonly used to clue either the Old Testament (OT) or the New Testament (NT).
Today, as is often the case, the clue provides no indication whether the reference is to the former or the latter.
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In Crosswordland, "books" — or sometimes a more specific term such as "old books" or "new books" — is commonly used to clue either the Old Testament (OT) or the New Testament (NT).
Today, as is often the case, the clue provides no indication whether the reference is to the former or the latter.
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Hello![7] is a weekly magazine specializing in celebrity news and human-interest stories, published in the United Kingdom since 1988. It is the United Kingdom local edition of ¡Hola!, the Spanish weekly magazine. A Canadian version of the magazine, Hello! Canada, has been published since 2006.
Othello[7] (The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice) is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603.
| 3d | Birds // back with first one descending to ground (5) |
| 4d | Passionate // end of the movement, a recital's final bit (9) |
| 5d | Girl /in/ game ultimately lost (7) |
| 6d | Broadcasting // as one walking very happily? (2,3) |
| 7d | An item possibly seen when going round the ship (9) |
Under different interpretations, the entire clue is both wordplay and definition.
Mainsheet[5] is a nautical term for a sheet* used for controlling and trimming the mainsail of a sailing boat.
* A sheet[5] is a rope attached to the lower corner of a sail for securing or extending the sail or for altering its direction.
| 8d | Caused irritation, /having/ acted as boss after row (7) |
| 13d | Attacked /and/ broken up? (4,5) |
The phrasal verb take (someone or something) apart or take apart (someone or something)[5] means to attack, criticize, or defeat (someone or something) in a vigorous or forceful way ⇒
she was relishing the sight of me being verbally taken apart.
What did he say?
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In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Miffypops tells us the second definition relates to whatGeorge Daniels[7] (1926–2011) was an English horologist [watchmaker] who is considered by some to have been one of the best in the world in the field of luxury mechanical watches and timepieces. Whether he is known for dismantling a watch as a child is anybody's guess -- it's sometimes hard to tell when Miffypops is being serious. However, one can well imagine he did.George Daniels did with the watch he found as a boy. |
| 15d | E-learning can be arranged, // by and large (2,7) |
| 17d | Pirate's funny // walk (7) |
| 18d | Wrecked // artist, very old (7) |
"very " = V [context uncertain]
The abbreviation* v (or v.)[1,2,5,10] stands for very.
* Although this abbreviation is found in most of my British dictionaries, it does not appear in any of my American dictionaries. Unfortunately no explanation is given as to the specific context in which one might encounter this usage. The only possibility that I can imagine is when combined with G as a grade of VG (very good) on school tests or assignments.
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The abbreviation* v (or v.)[1,2,5,10] stands for very.
* Although this abbreviation is found in most of my British dictionaries, it does not appear in any of my American dictionaries. Unfortunately no explanation is given as to the specific context in which one might encounter this usage. The only possibility that I can imagine is when combined with G as a grade of VG (very good) on school tests or assignments.
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| 20d | Leave // a bar, accompanied by university teacher (7) |
A don[10] is a member of the teaching staff at a university or college, especially at Oxford or Cambridge.
| 22d | Lower oneself /to be/ entertained by rude ignoramus (5) |
| 24d | Something digital, mostly with quiet // beat (5) |
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)
[15] - CollinsDictionary.com (Penguin Random House LLC/HarperCollins Publishers Ltd )
Signing off for today — Falcon
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