Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29401 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Saturday, June 27, 2020 | |
Setter
Unknown | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29401 – Hints]Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29401 – Review] | |
Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
Tilsit (Hints)crypticsue (Review) | |
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 27, 2021 edition of the National Post. As this was a Saturday "Prize Puzzle" in Britain, there are two entries related to it on Big Dave's Crossword Blog — the first, posted on the date of publication, contains hints for selected clues while the second is a full review issued following the entry deadline for the contest. The vast majority of reader comments will generally be found attached to the "hints" posting with a minimal number — if any — accompanying the full review. | |
Introduction
As Tilsit writes in the introduction to his hints on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, today one has to "think a little outside the box". While on this subject, you may have noticed a new type of markup appearing in some on my reviews recently — a wavy underline. I use this in cases where the definition is not a precise definition, not really a cryptic definition, but is — well — a little outside the box. Such cases include what I call whimsical definitions and inferred definitions. An example of the former is found at 1a in today's puzzle where "down-to-earth" is used to mean "grounded". An example of the latter would be the whimsical use of "discover" in the sense of "to remove one's cover" by inferring that this meaning must naturally follow from "disrobe" meaning "to remove one's robe".I have also recently done a bit of long overdue maintenance on the sidebar, repairing (where possible) broken links and removing links pointing to websites that seemingly no longer exist.
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 | Practical and realistic -- /so/ grounded? (4-2-5) |
Expanding on what crypticsue says about the solution in her review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, "without the hyphens, this phrase would [literally] mean on the ground". With the hyphens, I suggest that it can be considered to whimsically mean on the ground. Thus I have marked the latter part of the clue as a whimsical definition.
| 9a | Arab // in next to no time coming back (5) |
"next to no time " = MO (thus "in next to no time" is "in a mo")
Mo[5] (abbreviation for moment) is an informal term* for a short period of time ⇒
* Identified by several British dictionaries as being a British[5][14], chiefly British[2][4], or mainly British[10] term. However, one British[1] and two US dictionaries[11][12] do not specify that it is British. This meaning of the word "mo" is not found in a third US dictionary[3].
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Mo[5] (abbreviation for moment) is an informal term* for a short period of time ⇒
hang on a mo!.
* Identified by several British dictionaries as being a British[5][14], chiefly British[2][4], or mainly British[10] term. However, one British[1] and two US dictionaries[11][12] do not specify that it is British. This meaning of the word "mo" is not found in a third US dictionary[3].
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| 10a | Monster /wants/ patriarch and prophet beheaded (9) |
In the Old Testament, Levi[10] is the third son of Jacob and Leah and the ancestor [patriarch] of the tribe of Levi (Genesis 29:34).
In the Old Testament, Nathan[10] is a prophet at David's court (II Samuel 7:1–17; 12:1–15).
What did he say?
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In his hint on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Tilsit describes Nathan asDavid did have a son named Nathan[7] but he was not the prophet; at least one scholar suggests that Bathsheba (Nathan's mother) chose the name in honour of the prophet.a prophet who was the son of David. |
A leviathan[5] is a monster from the Bible, identified in different passages with the whale and the crocodile (e.g. Job 41, Ps. 74:14), and with the Devil (after Isa. 27:1).
| 11a | Influential // France international missed in cup-tie ... (7) |
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.
Cup tie[5] is a British term for a match in a competition for which the prize is a cup.
In this instance, the winner of the match will advance to play in the championship game.
| 12a | ... again, /but/ for the last time? (4,4) |
| 14a | /See/ animal go on rampage /in/ bush (8) |
The word "see", despite coming at the beginning of the clue, plays a role similar to that of a link word. In effect, it is part of a split link phrase "see ... in". At the expense of the surface reading, one could rephrase the clue as:
- Animal go on rampage /seen in/ bush (8)
- {anagram fodder} {anagram indicator} /link phrase/ {definition}
What did she say?
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In her review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, crypticsue writes with respect to the definitionI might have been inclined to agree with her; however, I discover that the magnolia[5] is a tree or shrub with large, typically creamy-pink or -white, waxy flowers.Bush is needed for the surface reading, but really it is a tree. |
| 15a | What heavy drinker does // to exercise (4) |
| 17a | Fouled aplenty? // Referee may award this (7) |
The clue could be treated as separate wordplay and definition. However, the entire clue provides an even better definition.
While the setter likely had football [soccer] in mind, the clue works equally well for other sports — including hockey.
| 19a | Man's one // from Paisley (4) |
The Isle of Man[5]
(abbreviation IOM[5])
is an island in the Irish Sea (show more ).
The island is a British Crown dependency having home rule, with its own legislature (the Tynwald) and judicial system. It was part of the Norse kingdom of the Hebrides in the Middle Ages, passing into Scottish hands in 1266 for a time, until the English gained control in the early 15th century. Its ancient language, Manx, is still occasionally used for ceremonial purposes.
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The island is a British Crown dependency having home rule, with its own legislature (the Tynwald) and judicial system. It was part of the Norse kingdom of the Hebrides in the Middle Ages, passing into Scottish hands in 1266 for a time, until the English gained control in the early 15th century. Its ancient language, Manx, is still occasionally used for ceremonial purposes.
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Scratching the Surface
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| Paisley[5] is a town in central Scotland, to the west of Glasgow. |
| 20a | Mr Fawlty is king? /Here's/ creature with lethal gaze! (8) |
Basil Fawlty[7] is the main character of the British sitcom Fawlty Towers, played by John Cleese. Basil has become an iconic British comedy character that is widely recognised around the world, despite only 12 half-hour episodes ever being made.
The basilisk[5] is a mythical reptile with a lethal gaze or breath, hatched by a serpent from a cock's egg ⇒
In heraldry the basilisk is represented as an animal with the head, torso and legs of a cock, the tongue of a snake and the wings of a bat.
| 21a | Her plans unexpectedly // change (8) |
Shrapnel[1][5][10] is an informal British term for loose change or small change ⇒
little more than a few pounds* and a handful of shrapnel.
* British currency
| 23a | Honourable /in/ leading Tories? (7) |
In Britain, a Tory[10] is a member or supporter of the Conservative Party[5], a major right of centre British political party promoting free enterprise and private ownership ("show more ").
The Conservative Party[5] emerged from the old Tory Party* under Sir Robert Peel in the 1830s and 1840s.
* Historically, a Tory[10] was a member of the English political party that opposed the exclusion of James, Duke of York from the royal succession (1679–80). Tory remained the label for subsequent major conservative interests until they gave birth to the Conservative Party in the 1830s.
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The Conservative Party[5] emerged from the old Tory Party* under Sir Robert Peel in the 1830s and 1840s.
* Historically, a Tory[10] was a member of the English political party that opposed the exclusion of James, Duke of York from the royal succession (1679–80). Tory remained the label for subsequent major conservative interests until they gave birth to the Conservative Party in the 1830s.
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| 25a | Protection // in flying saucer orbiting moon ultimately (9) |
| 26a | Wild dog /making/ noise disappear (5) |
A dingo[5] is a wild or half-domesticated dog with a sandy-coloured coat, found in Australia.
| 27a | Make difference Canute couldn't? (4,3,4) |
Canute[5] (also Cnut or Knut) (died 1035) was a Danish king of England 1017–35, Denmark 1018–35, and Norway 1028–35, son of Sweyn I. He is remembered for demonstrating to fawning courtiers his inability to stop the rising tide; this has become distorted in folklore to suggest that Canute really expected to turn back the tide.
Down
| 2d | Round container Crusoe finally dropped in // sea (5) |
Scratching the Surface
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| Robinson Crusoe[5] is the hero of Daniel Defoe’s novel Robinson Crusoe (1719), who survives a shipwreck and lives for years on a desert island. |
| 3d | Excellent surgeon in northeast /shows/ innocence (7) |
| 4d | Construction // you once put in river (8) |
The River Ouse[5] (rhymes with booze rather than mouse)
is a river of northeastern England, formed at the confluence of the Ure
and Swale in North Yorkshire and flowing 92 km (57 miles)
south-eastwards through York to the Humber estuary. There are also
several other rivers in England having the same or similar name.
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- a river of southeastern England, which rises in the Weald of West Sussex and flows 48 km (30 miles) south-eastwards to the English Channel
- (also Great Ouse) a river of eastern England, which rises in Northamptonshire and flows 257 km (160 miles) eastwards then northwards through East Anglia to the Wash near King’s Lynn
- (also Little Ouse) a river of East Anglia, which forms a tributary of the Great Ouse
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In Britain, an outhouse[5] is a building such as a shed or barn that is built on to or in* the grounds of a house rather than an outside toilet (as the term would be understood in North America).
* note that Brits say "in the grounds" rather than "on the grounds"; they also say that a player is "in a team" rather than "on a team"
| 5d | Stands for election // in Brunswick (4) |
Scratching the Surface
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| Brunswick[5] is an industrial city in Lower Saxony, Germany. Historically: Brunswick[5] is a former duchy and state of Germany, mostly incorporated into Lower Saxony. |
| 6d | Swineherd always /seen in/ celebration? (8) |
I was skeptical, but it turns out that hogman[5] is actually a word, meaning a person (especially a man) who tends hogs; a pig farmer.
Ay[10] is an archaic or poetic term meaning ever or always.
Hogmanay[5] is the Scottish name for New Year's Eve and the celebrations that take place at this time.
| 7d | Brave // daughter having lost certain female relatives? (9) |
| 8d | Bill to announce // opera (7,4) |
William Tell[7] is an 1829 French-language opera by Italian composer Gioachino Rossini based on Friedrich Schiller's play William Tell, which, in turn, drew on the William Tell legend. The opera's overture is often heard independently of the complete work. Its high-energy finale, "March of the Swiss Soldiers", is particularly familiar through its use in the American radio and television shows of The Lone Ranger.
Scratching the Surface
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| In the surface reading, bill[2] is used in the sense of an advertising poster. |
| 12d | Not to be approached -- // like exhausted kangaroo? (3,2,6) |
| 13d | Dreadful Ms Baker // joins ship (7) |
| 16d | See sprain affected // winger (9) |
A passerine[5] is a bird having feet that are adapted for perching. These birds constitute the order Passeriformes and comprise more than half of all bird species, including all songbirds.
| 17d | Linguist /in/ college once moved across lake (8) |
Poly[5] is a dated British term* for a polytechnic[5], an institution of higher education offering courses at degree level or below, especially in vocational subjects.
* In Britain the term polytechnic has largely dropped out of use. In 1989 British polytechnics gained autonomy from local education authorities and in 1992 were able to call themselves universities.
Got[5] is used in the sense of moved or have come into a specified position, situation, or state ⇒
she got into the car.
| 18d | Complete // from beginning to end, concealing nothing (8) |
| 19d | Fix /where/ your setter admits to espionage? (7) |
"your setter " = I
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.
Today, rather than use the term "this setter", our setter prefers to be known as "your setter".
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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.
Today, rather than use the term "this setter", our setter prefers to be known as "your setter".
hide
| 22d | Classic film // festival admits 50, approximately (2,3) |
Eid[5] (also Id) is a Muslim festival, in particular Eid al-Fitr or Eid al-Adha.
El Cid[7] is a 1961 epic historical drama film starring Charlton Heston and Sophia Loren. The film is loosely based on the life of the 11th-century Castilian warlord Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, called "El Cid" (from the Arabic as-sidi, meaning "The Lord").
| 24d | Audible drop /in/ level (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)
[15] - CollinsDictionary.com (Penguin Random House LLC/HarperCollins Publishers Ltd )
Signing off for today — Falcon
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