Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29422 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Wednesday, July 22, 2020 | |
Setter
Jay (Jeremy Mutch) | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29422]
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Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
2Kiwis | |
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
Today's puzzle was set by Jay. What more needs to be set? A puzzle from Mr. Consistency is always a joy to solve.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 | Look // more impressive having dismissed first of Republicans (6) |
| 5a | What might be left, // say, in frilly surroundings (6) |
| 10a | Name adopted // when following boxer (5) |
Muhammad Ali[5] is an American boxer; born Cassius Marcellus Clay. He won the world heavyweight title in 1964, 1974, and 1978, becoming the only boxer to be world champion three times.
| 11a | Many a time beset by evil -- good /to be/ mollifying (9) |
| 12a | Person serving Queen /may see/ European question about resistance (7) |
"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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"resistance " = R [symbol used in physics]
An equerry[5] is* an officer of the British royal household who attends or assists members of the royal family.
* Historically, an equerry[5] was an officer of the household of a prince or noble who had charge over the stables.
| 13a | Disappointed /and/ allowed to drink in one (3,4) |
| 14a | Detective reading /for/ fun (9) |
"detective " = DI [detective inspector]
A detective inspector (abbrevation DI[5]) is a senior police officer in the UK. Within the British police, inspector[7] is the second supervisory rank. It is senior to that of sergeant, but junior to that of chief inspector. Plain-clothes detective inspectors are equal in rank to their uniformed counterparts, the prefix 'detective' identifying them as having been trained in criminal investigation and being part of or attached to their force's Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
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A detective inspector (abbrevation DI[5]) is a senior police officer in the UK. Within the British police, inspector[7] is the second supervisory rank. It is senior to that of sergeant, but junior to that of chief inspector. Plain-clothes detective inspectors are equal in rank to their uniformed counterparts, the prefix 'detective' identifying them as having been trained in criminal investigation and being part of or attached to their force's Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
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| 17a | Raises game /and/ strikes (5) |
Beat[5] means to move across (an area of land) repeatedly striking at the ground cover in order to raise game birds for shooting.
| 18a | Expert appearing in newspaper // feature (5) |
The Financial Times[7] (abbreviation FT) is a British international business newspaper that is printed on conspicuous salmon pink newsprint.
| 19a | Is cat meat made // to chew? (9) |
| 21a | Informed by a couple of students // taking everything into account (3,4) |
"student " = L [driver under instruction]
The cryptic crossword convention of L meaning learner or student arises from the L-plate[7], a square plate bearing a sans-serif letter L, for learner, which must be affixed to the front and back of a vehicle in various jurisdictions (including the UK) if its driver is a learner under instruction.
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The cryptic crossword convention of L meaning learner or student arises from the L-plate[7], a square plate bearing a sans-serif letter L, for learner, which must be affixed to the front and back of a vehicle in various jurisdictions (including the UK) if its driver is a learner under instruction.
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| Automobile displaying an L-plate |
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| 23a | Tramp // stumbles across area with last of booze (7) |
| 25a | Pressing // new peers in appointment (9) |
Scratching the Surface
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| A peer[5] is a member of the nobility in Britain or Ireland, comprising the ranks of duke, marquess, earl, viscount, and baron. |
| 26a | Incompetent // writer backed by one with time (5) |
The
use of the word "writer" to clue PEN is likely to be slightly more
cryptic to the Brits than it is to us on this side of the pond. British
solvers will see "pen" as being a writing implement rather than the person wielding that implement. (show more )
In addition to defining pen[3,11] as a writing implement, North American dictionaries also define it as a writer or an author ⇒
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In addition to defining pen[3,11] as a writing implement, North American dictionaries also define it as a writer or an author ⇒
a hired pen, British dictionaries do not list this meaning although they do show pen[2,4] (or the pen[5,10]) as symbolically representing writing as an occupation (a sense of the word not found in US dictionaries).
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| 27a | A challenge to accept women/'s/ promotion on the web (6) |
The abbreviation for women or women's is W[2]. The latter designates a clothing size while the former might be seen on the door to the ladies' room.
Adware[5] (trademark in the US) is software that automatically displays or downloads advertising material such as banners or pop-ups when a user is online.
| 28a | Student failing to start // easy cash job (6) |
Earner[10] is an informal British and Australian term for an activity or thing that produces income, especially illicitly ⇒
a nice little earner.
Down
| 2d | Group of nations supporting aid fixed /for/ so long (5) |
"group of nations " = EU [European Union]
It would seem that the solution, a word of French origin, has been formally adopted into the English language. Adieu[5] (from French 'goodbye' or 'farewell') is a chiefly literary term that means (as exclamation) goodbye or (as noun) a goodbye ⇒
he whispered a fond adieu.
| 3d | Abandon revolutionary sailor /and/ soldier (6,3) |
Desert Rat[5] is an informal name for a soldier of the 7th British armoured division in the North African desert campaign of 1941–2. The badge of the division was the figure of a jerboa (a desert-dwelling rodent).
| 4d | Dangerous // raid, oddly, on broadcaster (5) |
Sky plc*[7] is a pan-European satellite broadcasting, on-demand internet streaming media, broadband and telephone services company with headquarters in London.
* the designation plc (standing for public limited company[7]) is used in the UK, some Commonwealth jurisdictions, and the Republic of Ireland. The term "public limited company" and the "PLC"/"plc" suffix were introduced in 1981; prior to this, all limited companies bore the suffix "Limited" ("Ltd."), which is still used by private limited companies.
| 5d | Biographical tales about new // vital means of communication? (9) |
Life[5] is another term for biography ⇒
a life of Shelleyfrom which we can deduce that "biographical tales [of an untrue nature]" could be considered "life lies".
Lifeline[5] is used in the sense of a thing on which someone or something depends or which provides a means of escape from a difficult situation ⇒
the telephone has always been a lifeline for Gabby and me.
| 6d | Person who's invited /may be/ judged in hearing (5) |
| 7d | Furiously tail chap pinching old banger (9) |
Chipolata[5] is a British term for a small thin sausage.
| 8d | What's left // after following schedule is cut short? (3,3) |
Fag end[5] denotes the last part of something, especially when regarded as less important or interesting*.
* Brits refer to a cigarette butt as a fag end[5], from which a cigarette became known as a fag (Lexico/Oxford characterizes this process of language development as "elliptical"). The 'remnant' sense of the word fag predates the "cigarette" sense by a couple of centuries.
| 9d | Spies /found in/ a men's toilet (6) |
The gents[5] is a British term for a men's public toilet.
| 15d | Criminal sold a vice /that's/ articulated (9) |
| 16d | Instant // act as broker to support firm regularly (9) |
| 17d | Officer/'s/ new bride touring Baltic port (9) |
Riga[5] is a port on the Baltic Sea, capital of Latvia.
Brigadier[5] is a rank of officer in the British army, above colonel and below major general.
| 18d | German wife and son outside Germany /must be/ impostors (6) |
Frau[5] is a title or form of address for a married or widowed German-speaking woman ⇒
Frau Nordern.
| 20d | Emirates will be empty, hosting opening // occasions (6) |
| 22d | Love playing game /that's/ last of series (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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Omega[5] is used in the sense of the last in a series ⇒
That's the beginning and the end, the alpha and the omega, and there's no exceptions.
| 23d | Subject /of/ note crossing border (5) |
"note " = TE [in tonic sol-fa, the seventh note of a major scale]
From a perusal of entries in American and British dictionaries, I gather that the only recognized spelling of this musical note in the US would be ti[3,11,12] while British dictionaries split into two camps. Two British dictionaries give the principal spelling as te[2,4,10] with ti[2,4,10] as an alternative spelling while two others take the contrary position, giving the spelling as ti[1,5] with te[1,5] as an alternative spelling.
Note that the sister publications, The Chambers Dictionary[1] and Chambers 21st Century Dictionary[2], are diametrically opposed on the issue and Lexico[5] (formerly Oxford Dictionaries Online) has done a complete about face as I have notes in my files from a previous review showing that "Oxford Dictionaries decrees that te is the British spelling with ti being the North American spelling".
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From a perusal of entries in American and British dictionaries, I gather that the only recognized spelling of this musical note in the US would be ti[3,11,12] while British dictionaries split into two camps. Two British dictionaries give the principal spelling as te[2,4,10] with ti[2,4,10] as an alternative spelling while two others take the contrary position, giving the spelling as ti[1,5] with te[1,5] as an alternative spelling.
Note that the sister publications, The Chambers Dictionary[1] and Chambers 21st Century Dictionary[2], are diametrically opposed on the issue and Lexico[5] (formerly Oxford Dictionaries Online) has done a complete about face as I have notes in my files from a previous review showing that "Oxford Dictionaries decrees that te is the British spelling with ti being the North American spelling".
hide
| 24d | Article written /for/ bishop on board perhaps (5) |
A piece[5] is a figure or token used to make moves in a board game ⇒
a chess piece.
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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