Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29441 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Thursday, August 13, 2020 | |
Setter
Unknown | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29441]
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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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Notes
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This puzzle appears on the Monday Diversions page in the Saturday, April 24, 2021 edition of the National Post. | |
Introduction
Reading through the comments on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, I see that various solvers foundered in different corners of the puzzle. For me, it was the northeast which caused me to call in electronic reinforcements.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 | Meal -- I get it cooked, // OK? (10) |
| 6a | Stone /or/ piece of broken glass possibly hard to remove (4) |
Sard[5] is a yellow or brownish-red semi-precious stone consisting of a variety of chalcedony.
| 10a | Joy /in/ church always (5) |
| 11a | Astronaut switching components // using a lot of force (9) |
Neil Armstrong[5] (1930–2012) was an American astronaut. He commanded the Apollo 11 mission, during which he became the first man to set foot on the moon (20 July 1969).
Post Mortem
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| After spending a considerable amount of time trying to make this clue an anagram (switching components) of "astronaut", I eventually found the solution based solely on the definition and checking letters. However, it was still a long time until the penny dropped on the explanation for the wordplay. |
| 12a | One of the 19 against entering that // foreign city (8) |
In this clue, one must treat the wordplay as a series of instructions: [Step 1] One of the 19; [Step 2] against entering that [i.e., the result from Step 1].
The
numeral "19" is a cross
reference indicator pointing to clue 19a (show more ).
To complete the clue, a solver must replace the cross reference indicator with the solution to the clue starting in the light* identified by the cross reference indicator.
The cross reference indicator may include a directional indicator but this is customarily done only in situations where there are both Across and Down clues originating in the light that is being referenced.
* light-coloured cell in the grid
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To complete the clue, a solver must replace the cross reference indicator with the solution to the clue starting in the light* identified by the cross reference indicator.
The cross reference indicator may include a directional indicator but this is customarily done only in situations where there are both Across and Down clues originating in the light that is being referenced.
* light-coloured cell in the grid
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The problem with this clue is that sago[7] is not a cereal; it is a starch extracted from the spongy centre, or pith, of various tropical palm stems.
Delving Deeper
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| Sago is a major staple food for the lowland peoples of New
Guinea and the Moluccas — not to mention British boarding school students (to whom it is popularly — or,
perhaps more accurately, unpopularly — known as frogspawn). Sago is often produced commercially in the form of "pearls". Sago pearls can be boiled with water or milk and sugar to make a sweet sago pudding. Sago pearls are similar in appearance to tapioca pearls and the two may be used interchangeably in some dishes. In the UK, both sago and tapioca have long been used in sweet milk puddings which, as evidenced by a number of comments on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, are an unwelcome staple at British boarding schools. |
Santiago[5] is the capital of Chile, situated to the west of the Andes in the central part of the country.
| 13a | Native /seen as/ upright type (5) |
I doubt that there were few — if any — solvers for whom this "native" was the first to pop to mind.
A Roman is a native[2] of (someone born in) modern or ancient Rome.
Roman[5] is type of of a plain upright kind used in ordinary print, especially as distinguished from italic and Gothic.
| 15a | Leader of people inclined /to be/ flexible (7) |
| 17a | One beloved // Scotsman maybe about to come into money (7) |
"Scotsman maybe " = IAN
| 19a | The Archers and such, say, on the radio? // We gobble them up! (7) |
The Archers[7] is a British radio soap opera broadcast on BBC Radio since 1951. Having aired over 19,300 episodes, it is the world's longest-running drama. It was initially billed an everyday story of country folk and now, a contemporary drama in a rural setting. The series centres around the lives of the Archer clan who run a third-generation family farm in the fictional village of Ambridge in the English Midlands.
| 21a | Changed // key before band's final piece (7) |
| 22a | Way of looking at something // that could be right (5) |
| 24a | Looking embarrassed about condition /being/ mentioned again (8) |
| 27a | Learner is not half timid type going around in // mini? No! (9) |
"learner " = 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.
 |
| Automobile displaying an L-plate |
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Mini[7] is an automobile brand, currently owned by BMW, but originally introduced as a model under the Austin and Morris marques by the now defunct British Motor Corporation (BMC).
| 28a | Male about 101 -- // young member of family! (5) |
| 29a | Second method /to gain/ supremacy (4) |
| 30a | Female always quiet with desire /shows/ great excitement (5,5) |
Down
| 1d | Want // some special acknowledgement (4) |
| 2d | Soldier /to be in/ Caribbean location shortly? That is right (9) |
Grenada[5]
is a country in the Caribbean, consisting of the island of Grenada (the
southernmost of the Windward Islands) and the southern Grenadine
Islands. (show more )
The island of Grenada was sighted in 1498 by Columbus. Colonized by the French, it was ceded to Britain in 1763, recaptured by the French, and restored to Britain in 1783. It became an independent Commonwealth state in 1974. Seizure of power by a left-wing military group in 1983 prompted an invasion by the US and some Caribbean countries; they withdrew in 1985.
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The island of Grenada was sighted in 1498 by Columbus. Colonized by the French, it was ceded to Britain in 1763, recaptured by the French, and restored to Britain in 1783. It became an independent Commonwealth state in 1974. Seizure of power by a left-wing military group in 1983 prompted an invasion by the US and some Caribbean countries; they withdrew in 1985.
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In the British Army, a grenadier[10]
is a member of the Grenadier Guards, the senior regiment of infantry in the Household Brigade*.
* A household brigade[5] is a brigade comprising troops having (at least nominal) responsibility for guarding the monarch or head of state. (show more )
In the British Army prior to 1950 the term Household Brigade referred only to the Household Cavalry; it was subsequently extended to include the foot guards (Grenadier, Coldstream, Scots, Irish and Welsh guards). The Household Brigade became the Household Division as part of a wider reorganization of the army in 1968.
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* A household brigade[5] is a brigade comprising troops having (at least nominal) responsibility for guarding the monarch or head of state. (show more )
In the British Army prior to 1950 the term Household Brigade referred only to the Household Cavalry; it was subsequently extended to include the foot guards (Grenadier, Coldstream, Scots, Irish and Welsh guards). The Household Brigade became the Household Division as part of a wider reorganization of the army in 1968.
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| 3d | Sailor with old books // that may have mystical signs (5) |
"old books " = OT [Old Testament]
In Crosswordland, "books" — or related terms such as today's "old books" — is commonly used to clue either the Old Testament (OT) or the New Testament (NT).
Often the clue does not specify whether the reference is to the former or the latter. However, today's setter specifies the required choice very precisely.
hide
In Crosswordland, "books" — or related terms such as today's "old books" — is commonly used to clue either the Old Testament (OT) or the New Testament (NT).
Often the clue does not specify whether the reference is to the former or the latter. However, today's setter specifies the required choice very precisely.
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A tarot[5] is a pack of tarot cards (the Tarot)* or a card from such a pack.
* The Tarot is traditionally a pack of 78 playing cards with five suits, used for fortune-telling and (especially in Europe) in certain games. The suits are typically swords, cups, coins (or pentacles), batons (or wands), and a permanent suit of trumps.
| 4d | Doctor, // wise man accommodating fool (7) |
Mage[5] is an archaic or literary term for a magician or learned person.
What did he say?
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In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Miffypops describes the "wise man" asThe word "mage" is an anglicized form of Latin magus (the plural of which is magi).One of three who visited Joseph Mary and Jesus. The Magi[2] were the three* wise men or astrologers from the east who brought gifts to the infant Jesus, guided by a star. Also called the Three Kings and the Three Wise Men (Matthew 2:1-12). * Matthew is the only one of the four canonical gospels to mention the Magi[7]. Matthew reports that they came "from the east" to worship the "king of the Jews". The gospel never mentions the number of Magi, but most western Christian denominations have traditionally assumed them to have been three in number, based on the statement that they brought three gifts. In Eastern Christianity, especially the Syriac churches, the Magi often number twelve. By the way, I am fairly confident that, strictly speaking (from the perspective of a linguist), the plural of mage is mages — rather than magi. Nevertheless, loosely speaking (within the bounds of cryptic crossword licence), a Mage could be said to be one of the Magi. |
Doctor[5] is used as a verb in the sense of change the content or appearance of (a document or picture) in order to deceive; in other words, falsify.
| 5d | Performance cancelled -- // something discouraging (4-3) |
A turn[5] is a short performance, especially one of a number given by different performers in succession ⇒ (i)
Lewis gave her best ever comic turn; (ii)
he was asked to do a turn at a children’s party.
| 7d | Panic // in the manner of fighting corps (5) |
"fighting corps " = RM
[Royal Marines]
| 8d | Musical instruction /gets/ unintelligent one undone, confused (10) |
Diminuendo[5] is a direction to perform a passage of music with a decrease in loudness.
Post Mortem
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| I initially tried to use DUNCE ("unintelligent one") in the solution. Once I realized that had too many letters, I tried to find a four-letter synonym. As Kath, my blogging colleague from Big Dave's Crossword Blog, might say, "dim". |
| 9d | Fashionable top female to rave, // never able to be wrong (8) |
"top female " = ER [regnal cipher of Queen Elizabeth]
The regnal ciphers (monograms) of British monarchs are initials formed from the Latin version of their first name followed by either Rex or Regina (Latin for king or queen, respectively). Thus, the regnal cipher of Queen Elizabeth is ER[5] — from the Latin Elizabetha Regina.
* A cipher[5] (also cypher) is a monogram[5] or motif of two or more interwoven letters, typically a person's initials, used to identify a personal possession or as a logo.
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The regnal ciphers (monograms) of British monarchs are initials formed from the Latin version of their first name followed by either Rex or Regina (Latin for king or queen, respectively). Thus, the regnal cipher of Queen Elizabeth is ER[5] — from the Latin Elizabetha Regina.
* A cipher[5] (also cypher) is a monogram[5] or motif of two or more interwoven letters, typically a person's initials, used to identify a personal possession or as a logo.
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Post Mortem
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| I managed to figure out everything but the "top female". I guess that qualifies as "dimmer". |
| 14d | Spot when king leaves castle -- fantastic // things worth looking at (10) |
| 16d | Suffering from a bruising defeat? (6-2) |
The entire clue would appear to be a cryptic definition in which a precise definition is embedded.
| 18d | Race to get first /for/ keen professional? (9) |
| 20d | Artists turned up to eat // fish (7) |
"artist " = RA; thus "artists" = "RAS"
| 21d | American sitting in a tree, unusually // ascetic (7) |
| 23d | Endless sport leading to graduate /getting/ low grade? (5) |
Gamma[5] is a British term for a third-class mark given for an essay or other piece of work ⇒
I was very close to a First, but got a gamma double-minus in "Political Institutions".
In a comment on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, LabradorsruleOK provides a link to a page on the website of the Oxford (University) Study Abroad Programme that shows a comparison of Oxford grades with US grades. It really is worth a look.
| 25d | Greek author // upset water on work (5) |
"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 ⇒
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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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Aesop[5,10] (?620–564 BC) was a Greek storyteller who authored fables in which animals are given human characters and used to satirize human failings. The moral animal fables associated with him were probably collected from many sources, and initially communicated orally. Aesop is said to have lived as a slave on the island of Samos.
| 26d | Distance // spanned by mountain chain (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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