Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29432 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Monday, August 3, 2020 | |
Setter
Campbell (Allan Scott) | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29432]
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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
It has been a few days since I re-solved this puzzle and I don't recall at what point I realized it was a rerun for me. In any event, that knowledge did me little good on the second solve as — judging by my review of the puzzle on Big Dave's Crossword Blog — I managed to virtually recreate my experience from last August (misspelling 3d, difficulty with 11a, etc.).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 | Discover the truth about // collapse? Not initially (6) |
Rumble[5] is an informal British expression meaning to discover (an illicit activity or its perpetrator) ⇒
it wouldn’t need a genius to rumble my little game.
| 4a | Unprincipled // act ended unfortunately (8) |
| 9a | Dog/'s/ stick found outside home (6) |
| 10a | A meeting around five with old Charlie, a lawyer (8) |
"old " = O [linguistics]
In linguistics, O[12] is the abbreviation for Old ⇒ (i)
However, a second entry from this same source shows o (lower case) meaning old (not capitalized) suggesting that the use of this abbreviation may not necessarily be confined to the field of linguistics.
Another possibility arises from the British abbreviation OAP[5] standing for old-age pensioner.
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In linguistics, O[12] is the abbreviation for Old ⇒ (i)
OFr[Old French]; (ii)
OE[Old English].
However, a second entry from this same source shows o (lower case) meaning old (not capitalized) suggesting that the use of this abbreviation may not necessarily be confined to the field of linguistics.
Another possibility arises from the British abbreviation OAP[5] standing for old-age pensioner.
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Advocate[5] is a Scottish or South African term for a barrister.
| 11a | Delivery // of fine motor-launch (3-6) |
A cutter[5] is a light, fast coastal patrol boat ⇒
a coastguard cutter.
Historical: A cutter[5] was a small fore-and-aft rigged sailing boat with one mast, more than one headsail, and a running bowsprit, used as a fast auxiliary.
A delivery[5] is an act of throwing, bowling, or kicking a ball, especially a cricket ball.
In cricket, an off-cutter[5] is a fast off break[5], a ball which deviates [breaks] from the off side* towards the leg side* after pitching** [striking the ground].
* In cricket, the off[5] (also called off side) is the half of the field (as divided lengthways through the pitch) towards which the batsman's feet are pointed when standing to receive the ball. The other half of the field is known as either the leg[5] (also called leg side) or on[5] (also called on side) ⇒
he played a lucky stroke to leg.
** In cricket and golf, pitch[5] denotes (of the ball) to strike the ground (in a particular spot) ⇒ (i)
It is possible to plot where the ball pitched, and where the batsman's shot went, allowing all those graphs to be drawn; (ii)
The ball pitched 15 feet from the hole, bounced three times and dropped in.
| 13a | Bury/'s/ season lacking direction from the start (5) |
Scratching the Surface
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| Not only did Bury's season lack direction, it did not even start. This clue appeared in the UK in August 2020, well after the end of the 2019-20 English Football League (EFL) season. Bury's performance in 2018-19 had earned them promotion from League Two to League One. However, the club was expelled from the league in August 2019, prior to the start of the 2019-20 season. Bury Football Club[7] is an English association football [soccer] club based in Bury, Greater Manchester, whose team last played in English Football League (EFL) League Two, the fourth tier of English football, during the 2018–19 season. Due to financial difficulties, the club has been expelled from the English Football League (EFL) and placed into "administration"*. * Administration[7] is a special category of insolvency status available only to British football clubs that amounts to a form of protection from creditors. |
| 14a | Fill up after pre-MOT work? // Bill may include it (7,6) |
In the UK, MOT[5] (also MOT test) denotes a compulsory annual test for safety and exhaust emissions of motor vehicles of more than a specified age. It is an abbreviation of Ministry of Transport, which introduced the original test.
| 17a | Daydreaming associated with sheep-shearers? (4-9) |
It defies classification
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| This is a clue of a style that seems to defy classification, not falling neatly into any of the common pigeon holes. One might describe it as either a cryptic definition with an embedded precise definition or a precise definition with associated cryptic elaboration. At a stretch, one might even consider it to be a double definition in which the second definition is "associated with sheep-shearers" meaning "wool-gathering" (as a modifier) ⇒ (i) While in Australia, he observed wool-gathering techniques; (ii) While in Australia, he observed techniques associated with sheep-shearers. |
| 21a | Spill // measure close to bar (5) |
A spill[5] is a thin strip of wood or paper used for lighting a fire, candle, pipe, etc.
A taper[10] is a thin wooden or waxed strip for transferring a flame; another name for spill.
| 23a | Put down, ahead of cheers, in // harbour (9) |
Cheers[5] is an informal British expression of gratitude or acknowledgement for something ⇒
Billy tossed him the key. ‘Cheers, pal.’.
Ta[5] is an informal British exclamation signifying thank you ⇒
‘Ta,’ said Willie gratefully.
| 24a | Geographer /in/ vehicle on a high rocky hill (8) |
In the UK, Merc[5] is an informal name for a Mercedes car*.
* I would say that North Americans (at least those of a certain age) would apply the name Merc to a different automobile, the Mercury — even though this brand has been defunct since 2010 (show more ).
Mercury[7] is a defunct division of the American automobile manufacturer Ford Motor Company. Marketed as an entry-level premium brand for nearly its entire existence, Mercury was created in 1938 by Edsel Ford. Forming half of the Lincoln-Mercury Division, the brand was intended to bridge the price gap between the Ford and Lincoln vehicle lines. In a similar context, Buick and Oldsmobile played the same role within General Motors while the Chrysler Division did so within Chrysler Corporation (following the end of DeSoto and the creation of Imperial).
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* I would say that North Americans (at least those of a certain age) would apply the name Merc to a different automobile, the Mercury — even though this brand has been defunct since 2010 (show more ).
Mercury[7] is a defunct division of the American automobile manufacturer Ford Motor Company. Marketed as an entry-level premium brand for nearly its entire existence, Mercury was created in 1938 by Edsel Ford. Forming half of the Lincoln-Mercury Division, the brand was intended to bridge the price gap between the Ford and Lincoln vehicle lines. In a similar context, Buick and Oldsmobile played the same role within General Motors while the Chrysler Division did so within Chrysler Corporation (following the end of DeSoto and the creation of Imperial).
hide
"high rocky hill " = TOR
A tor[7] is a large, free-standing rock outcrop that rises abruptly from the surrounding smooth and gentle slopes of a rounded hill summit or ridge crest. In the South West of England, the term is commonly also used for the hills themselves – particularly the high points of Dartmoor in Devon and Bodmin Moor in Cornwall.
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A tor[7] is a large, free-standing rock outcrop that rises abruptly from the surrounding smooth and gentle slopes of a rounded hill summit or ridge crest. In the South West of England, the term is commonly also used for the hills themselves – particularly the high points of Dartmoor in Devon and Bodmin Moor in Cornwall.
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Gerardus Mercator[5] is the Latinized name of Gerhard Kremer (1512–1594), a Flemish geographer and cartographer who invented the system of map projection that is named after him.
| 25a | Journalist going in for a // felt hat (6) |
| 26a | Hotel guest /and/ I study others outside (8) |
| 27a | Take in // summary (6) |
Down
| 1d | Page on king /and/ member of the clergy (6) |
The recto[5] is a right-hand page of an open book, or the front of a loose document.
"king " = R [Rex]
In the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms*, Rex[5] (abbreviation R[5]) [Latin for king] denotes the reigning king, used following a name (e.g. Georgius Rex, King George — often shortened to GR) or in the titles of lawsuits (e.g. Rex v. Jones, the Crown versus Jones — often shortened to R. v. Jones).
* A Commonwealth realm[7] is a sovereign state that is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and shares the same person, currently Elizabeth II, as its head of state and reigning constitutional monarch, but retains a crown legally distinct from the other realms. There are currently sixteen Commonwealth realms, the largest being Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom with the remainder being smaller Caribbean and Pacific island nations.
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In the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms*, Rex[5] (abbreviation R[5]) [Latin for king] denotes the reigning king, used following a name (e.g. Georgius Rex, King George — often shortened to GR) or in the titles of lawsuits (e.g. Rex v. Jones, the Crown versus Jones — often shortened to R. v. Jones).
* A Commonwealth realm[7] is a sovereign state that is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and shares the same person, currently Elizabeth II, as its head of state and reigning constitutional monarch, but retains a crown legally distinct from the other realms. There are currently sixteen Commonwealth realms, the largest being Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom with the remainder being smaller Caribbean and Pacific island nations.
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A rector[5]
is a member of the clergy, although the meaning of the term varies
among religious denominations (show more ):
- in the the Church of England, an incumbent of a parish where all tithes formerly passed to the incumbent
- in other Anglican Churches, a member of the clergy who has charge of a parish
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in the Roman Catholic Church, a priest in charge of a church or of a religious institution
| 2d | Reveal nothing /in/ political statement? (9) |
| 3d | Lassitude /of/ monkey gulping oxygen (7) |
A langur[5] is a long-tailed arboreal Asian monkey with a characteristic loud call.
The symbol for the chemical element oxygen is O[5].
| 5d | Support /offered by/ soldiers aboard tender, so composed (11) |
| 6d | Get rid of // dreadful boils in a hospital (7) |
| 7d | Flawless /in/ part supporting former lover (5) |
| 8d | Suppositions /of/ male splitting Conservatives (8) |
"Conservative " = TORY [member of British political party]
A Tory[10] is a member or supporter of the Conservative Party in Great Britain [or, for that matter, in Canada].
The Conservative Party[5] is a major right of centre British political party promoting free enterprise and private ownership that 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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A Tory[10] is a member or supporter of the Conservative Party in Great Britain [or, for that matter, in Canada].
The Conservative Party[5] is a major right of centre British political party promoting free enterprise and private ownership that 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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| 12d | Feathery stuff from a plant, // lots the wind scattered (11) |
| 15d | A grim ugly character /in/ pantomime (9) |
Pantomime[5] is used in the sense of an absurdly exaggerated piece of behaviour ⇒
he made a pantomime of checking his watch.
Scratching the Surface
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| In the surface reading, pantomime[5] denotes a traditional British theatrical entertainment, mainly for children, which involves music, topical jokes, and slapstick comedy and is based on a fairy tale or nursery story, usually produced around Christmas. |
| 16d | Couple send up // one who's unfaithful (3-5) |
| 18d | Kid returned then left with // daisy chain, perhaps (7) |
| 19d | Sharon, say, /has/ British statesman blowing top (7) |
Benjamin Disraeli[5], 1st Earl of Beaconsfield (1804–1881) was a
British Conservative statesman; Prime Minister 1868 and 1874–80. (show more )
He was largely responsible for the introduction of the second Reform Act (1867). He also ensured that Britain bought a controlling interest in the Suez Canal (1875) and made Queen Victoria Empress of India.
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He was largely responsible for the introduction of the second Reform Act (1867). He also ensured that Britain bought a controlling interest in the Suez Canal (1875) and made Queen Victoria Empress of India.
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Ariel Sharon[5] (1928–2014) was an Israeli general and Likud statesman, prime minister 2001–6; born Ariel Scheinerman.
| 20d | In cooler temperature, // child /is delivered/ (6) |
Despite being situated at the end of the clue, the words "is delivered" constitute a link phrase (or the equivalent thereof). This can be illustrated by restating the clue (although with a far less compelling — to say the least — surface reading) as:
- In cooler temperature /delivers/ child (6)
- Child /is delivered by/ in cooler temperature (6)
| 22d | Is below standard /for/ a European capital (5) |
Paris[5] is the capital of France, on the River Seine.
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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