Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29413 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Monday, July 13, 2020 | |
Setter
Campbell (Allan Scott) | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29413]
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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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Introduction
After seven months, it was almost like I had never seen this puzzle before.I invite you to leave a comment to let us know how you fared with the puzzle.
Note Regarding Yesterday's Puzzle
Yesterday, the National Post published the wrong grid with the puzzle. The grid was actually very similar to the correct grid with only two black squares being found in different locations. So I expect some of you may have figured that out and dealt with it. Nevertheless, I have now added a copy of the puzzle with the correct grid to my review of the puzzle for the benefit of anyone who may have thrown in the towel yesterday.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 | Miserly type, // cold fish, saving pile (10) |
| 6a | Fashionably smart // young woman docked (4) |
| 9a | Prepare gen vigorously /for/ consultation document (5,5) |
In the UK, a Green Paper[5] is a preliminary report of government proposals that is published in order to provoke discussion.
Scratching the Surface
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Gen[5] is an informal British term for information ⇒ you’ve got more gen on him than we have. |
| 10a | Excuse /made by/ Tuck, endlessly? (4) |
A Bit of Deception
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| In the world of cryptic crosswords, it is considered fair game to misleadingly capitalize words which do not require capitals (such as "Tuck" in this clue) but it is not cricket to fail to capitalize words which require capitals. Here, the setter likely intends for our attention to be drawn to Friar Tuck from the Robin Hood legend. |
| 12a | Very small // container attached to back of lorry (4) |
Scratching the Surface
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| Lorry[5] is the common name in the UK for the vehicle known in North America as a truck[5]; nevertheless, the word truck is also used in the UK*. |
| 13a | Crawler, // extremely smarmy chap, not refined (9) |
Crawler[5] is an informal British term for a person who behaves obsequiously in the hope of gaining favour.
| 15a | Prince unhappy with court /and/ shopping centre (8) |
Precinct[10] is used in a British sense denoting an area in a town closed to motor traffic, as for shopping.
| 16a | Wrath involving large // one catching fish? (6) |
| 18a | Duty // of force in charge close to palace (6) |
| 20a | Study awful rot written about church // music (8) |
| 23a | At sea, // chiefly? (2,3,4) |
One might see this as either a double definition or a charade. When I first saw it back in July, I was leaning toward the former. However, today I would vote for the latter.
As a double definition, the first definition is a literal interpretation of the solution.
Alternative parsing:
- At sea, // chiefly? (2,3,4)
The main[5] is an archaic or literary term for the open ocean.
| 24a | Dubious // fines collected by city on a regular basis (4) |
| 26a | Piece of information // I came across on the way back (4) |
| 27a | Politician // managed to entertain European known to all (10) |
"European " = E [as in E number]
E[1,2] is the abbreviation for European (as in E number*).
* An E number[1,4,10,14] (or E-number[2,5]) is any of various identification codes required by EU law, consisting of the letter E (for European) followed by a number, that are used to denote food additives such as colourings and preservatives (but excluding flavourings) that have been approved by the European Union.
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E[1,2] is the abbreviation for European (as in E number*).
* An E number[1,4,10,14] (or E-number[2,5]) is any of various identification codes required by EU law, consisting of the letter E (for European) followed by a number, that are used to denote food additives such as colourings and preservatives (but excluding flavourings) that have been approved by the European Union.
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A Republican[5] is a member or supporter of the Republican Party[5], a US political party favouring a right-wing stance, limited central government, and tough, interventionist foreign policy. It was formed in 1854 in support of the anti-slavery movement preceding the Civil War.*
* although, of late, might it have strayed from some of these principles?
| 28a | Set of tables // in fine study? (4) |
Nest[5] is used in the sense of a set of similar objects of graduated sizes, made so that each smaller one fits into the next in size for storage ⇒
a nest of tables.
| 29a | Love quiet reformed person /in/ penal establishment (4,6) |
"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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Open prison[5] is a British term for a prison with the minimum of restrictions on prisoners' movements and activities.
Down
| 1d | Caught? Then long time /in/ prison (4) |
"caught " = C [cricket notation]
| 2d | Part of the time residents upset // recluse (7) |
An eremite[5] is a Christian hermit or recluse.
| 3d | One who takes after writer, New York // tightwad (5-7) |
| 4d | An afterthought squeezed into gift // bag (8) |
| 5d | Ditch // swimmer crossing river (6) |
The tench[5] is a European freshwater fish of the carp family, popular with anglers and widely introduced elsewhere.
| 7d | Abandoned in vestibule, // something a traveller may carry (7) |
Holdall[10] is the British name for the piece of luggage known in North America as a carryall.
| 8d | There's much talk from me // about supposedly mad character on strike (10) |
The Hatter[7] (called Hatta in Through the Looking-Glass) is a fictional character in English writer Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and the story's sequel Through the Looking-Glass (1871). He is often referred to as the Mad Hatter, though this term was never used by Carroll. The phrase "mad as a hatter" pre-dates Carroll's works and the characters the Hatter and the March Hare are initially referred to as "both mad" by the Cheshire Cat, with both first appearing in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, in the seventh chapter titled "A Mad Tea-Party".
| 11d | German writer enclosing long // frightening story (5-7) |
Friedrich von Schiller[5] (1759–1805) was a German playwright, poet, historian, and critic. (show more )
Initially influenced by the Sturm und Drang movement, he was later an important figure of the Enlightenment. His historical plays include the trilogy Wallenstein (1800), Mary Stuart (1800), and William Tell (1804). Among his best-known poems is ‘Ode to Joy’, which Beethoven set to music in his Ninth Symphony.
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Initially influenced by the Sturm und Drang movement, he was later an important figure of the Enlightenment. His historical plays include the trilogy Wallenstein (1800), Mary Stuart (1800), and William Tell (1804). Among his best-known poems is ‘Ode to Joy’, which Beethoven set to music in his Ninth Symphony.
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| 14d | Antagonism /in/ place after work (10) |
"work " = OP [opus]
In music, an opus[5] (Latin 'work', plural opuses or opera) is a separate composition or set of compositions.
The abbreviation Op.[5] (also op.), denoting opus, is used before a number given to each work of a particular composer, usually indicating the order of publication. The plural form of Op. is Opp..
Opus[5] can also be used in other contexts to denote an artistic work, especially one on a large scale ⇒
hide
In music, an opus[5] (Latin 'work', plural opuses or opera) is a separate composition or set of compositions.
The abbreviation Op.[5] (also op.), denoting opus, is used before a number given to each work of a particular composer, usually indicating the order of publication. The plural form of Op. is Opp..
Opus[5] can also be used in other contexts to denote an artistic work, especially one on a large scale ⇒
he was writing an opus on Mexico.
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| 17d | Decline // drink and go (8) |
Passing Observation
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| While solving this clue, it occurred to me that, as a noun, decline means downturn and, as a verb, means turn down. |
| 19d | Suitability /of/ female, one giving evidence after wife dismissed (7) |
| 21d | Get back on track /in/ France, impressed by meandering course (7) |
| 22d | Highly delighted? // Not true (4,2) |
Most dictionaries have the solution as a hyphenated word. However, The Chambers Dictionary is the Bible as far as The Daily Telegraph puzzles are concerned. The first definition is found in very few dictionaries.
Made up[1,2] (or made-up*[14]), said of a person, is an informal British term** meaning extremely pleased, highly delighted, or chuffed [informal British term meaning very pleased] ⇒
'll be made up if I get in the top five, that would be great.
* despite showing this term as hyphenated in the definition, Collins COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary spells it as two words in the usage example
** judging by the discussion on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, the expression is not merely British but specifically Northern English and unfamiliar to those living in the south of England
Made up[1,2] (or made-up[3,4,5,10,11,12,14,15]), said of a story, etc., means concocted, false, (falsely) fabricated, fictional, invented, or not true.
| 25d | Clerical dignitary blowing top // immediately (4) |
A canon[5] is a member of the clergy who is on the staff of a cathedral, especially one who is a member of the chapter* ⇒
he was appointed canon of Christ Church, Oxford.
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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