Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29427 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Tuesday, July 28, 2020 | |
Setter
Unknown | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29427]
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Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
Mr K | |
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
A Tuesday puzzle that not only appeared on Tuesday in the UK but is of Tuesday standard (sitting between Monday and Wednesday in terms of difficulty).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 | Told // where pupil might be before education (8) |
In Britain, a form[5] is [or, perhaps more correctly,was] a class or year in a school, usually given a specifying number. This is similar to the North America concept of a grade although the numbering system for forms and grades are vastly different. (show more )
The term "form" seems to have become passé as Miffypops in his review of DT 28163 on Big Dave's Crossword Blog refers to "sixth-former" as "What a schoolchild would be during the year before university back in the old days. This would now be known as year 13 or 14." Furthermore, Wikipedia (see table below) characterizes the term "form" as an "alternative/old name".
A form[7] is a class or grouping of students in a school. The term is used predominantly in the United Kingdom, although some schools, mostly private, in other countries also use the title. Pupils are usually grouped in forms according to age and will remain with the same group for a number of years, or sometimes their entire school career.
Forms are normally identified by a number such as "first form" or "sixth form". A form number may be used for two year groups and differentiated by the terms upper and lower [in general, this would seem to apply primarily for the sixth form]. Usually the sixth form is the senior form of a school [although this apparently does not hold true for New Zealand where they would appear to have a seventh form]. In England, the sixth form is usually divided into two year groups, the lower sixth and upper sixth, owing to the 3-year English college/university system. In Scotland or North America, the 6th form is usually a single year, owing to the 4-year college/university system. If there is more than one form for each year group they will normally be differentiated by letters, e.g., "upper four B", "lower two Y". Schools do not follow a consistent pattern in naming forms [in the foregoing quotation witness Miffypops' reference to "year 14", a term which does not appear in the table below].
Wikipedia would appear to be at best ambiguous and at worst inconsistent on the relationship between the British and American systems of naming school years. The article from which the table below is excerpted shows that the British first form is equivalent to the American 6th grade. On the other hand, the article cited above states "In North America, the 1st Form (or sometimes 'Form I') is equivalent to 7th Grade." However, this latter statement may in fact be a comparison between the few North American schools to use the form system and the vast majority of North American schools that don't rather than a comparison between British and American schools.
hide
The term "form" seems to have become passé as Miffypops in his review of DT 28163 on Big Dave's Crossword Blog refers to "sixth-former" as "What a schoolchild would be during the year before university back in the old days. This would now be known as year 13 or 14." Furthermore, Wikipedia (see table below) characterizes the term "form" as an "alternative/old name".
A form[7] is a class or grouping of students in a school. The term is used predominantly in the United Kingdom, although some schools, mostly private, in other countries also use the title. Pupils are usually grouped in forms according to age and will remain with the same group for a number of years, or sometimes their entire school career.
Forms are normally identified by a number such as "first form" or "sixth form". A form number may be used for two year groups and differentiated by the terms upper and lower [in general, this would seem to apply primarily for the sixth form]. Usually the sixth form is the senior form of a school [although this apparently does not hold true for New Zealand where they would appear to have a seventh form]. In England, the sixth form is usually divided into two year groups, the lower sixth and upper sixth, owing to the 3-year English college/university system. In Scotland or North America, the 6th form is usually a single year, owing to the 4-year college/university system. If there is more than one form for each year group they will normally be differentiated by letters, e.g., "upper four B", "lower two Y". Schools do not follow a consistent pattern in naming forms [in the foregoing quotation witness Miffypops' reference to "year 14", a term which does not appear in the table below].
Wikipedia would appear to be at best ambiguous and at worst inconsistent on the relationship between the British and American systems of naming school years. The article from which the table below is excerpted shows that the British first form is equivalent to the American 6th grade. On the other hand, the article cited above states "In North America, the 1st Form (or sometimes 'Form I') is equivalent to 7th Grade." However, this latter statement may in fact be a comparison between the few North American schools to use the form system and the vast majority of North American schools that don't rather than a comparison between British and American schools.
Naming of School Years (British System vs American System)[7]
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| Age Range | British System | American System | |
| Name | Alternative/Old Name | Name | |
| 11-12 | Year 7 | First form | 6th grade |
| 12-13 | Year 8 | Second form | 7th grade |
| 13-14 | Year 9 | Third form | 8th grade |
| 14-15 | Year 10 | Fourth form | 9th grade |
| 15-16 | Year 11 | Fifth form | 10th grade |
| 16-17 | Year 12 | Lower sixth form | 11th grade |
| 17-18 | Year 13 | Upper sixth form | 12th grade |
hide
| 5a | Result // at university -- second in fashion (6) |
In Britain, up[5] means at or to a university, especially Oxford or Cambridge ⇒
they were up at Cambridge about the same time.
| 9a | Bubbly // drunk in Greece? About time (9) |
| 11a | Enquirer understands only partly -- // repeat (5) |
| 12a | Discourteously // departs city after game (6) |
Ely[5] (pronounced EE-lee) is a cathedral city in the fenland of Cambridgeshire, eastern England, on the River Ouse.
| 13a | The plane trips // apparently one never forgets (8) |
| 15a | Bill // determines VAT changes (13) |
As the definition, bill[2] is used in the sense of an advertising poster.
Scratching the Surface
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| In the surface reading, bill[5] is used in the sense of a draft of a proposed law presented to parliament for discussion.
A value added tax[5] (abbreviation VAT)
is a tax on the amount by which the value of an article has been
increased at each stage of its production or distribution. (show more )
The European Union value added tax[7] (or EU VAT) is a value added tax on goods and services within the European Union (EU). The EU's institutions do not collect the tax, but EU member states (including the UK) are each required to adopt a value added tax that complies with the EU VAT code. Different rates of VAT apply in different EU member states, ranging from 17% in Luxembourg to 27% in Hungary. In the UK, the rate is 20%. Canada's Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Harmonized Sales Tax (HST)[7] are each instances of a value added tax. hide |
| 18a | It could describe wheel turning // red, perhaps (13) |
| 22a | Quietly mentioning // worshipping (8) |
| 23a | Deer almost zip over // long grass (6) |
Transpecied
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| Bambi[7] is a 1942 American animated drama film produced by Walt Disney and based on the book Bambi, A Life in the Woods by Austrian author Felix Salten. The main character is Bambi, a white-tailed deer in the movie. Disney took the liberty of changing Bambi's species into a white-tailed deer from his original species of roe deer, since roe deer are not native to North America, and the white-tailed deer is more widespread in the United States. |
From a British perspective, zip[5] is an informal North American term* meaning 'nothing at all'.
* thus the large number of comments on Big Dave's Crossword Blog from Brits who report never having heard the term
| 26a | Sound /from/ hooter around middle of shift (5) |
In Britain, hooter[3,5,10,11,12] is an informal term for a person's nose rather than — as in North America — (somewhat or sometimes) vulgar slang for a woman's breast (usually used in the plural).
Scratching the Surface
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|---|---|
| In the surface reading, hooter[5] is used in a British sense meaning a siren or steam whistle, especially one used as a signal for work to begin or finish. In the UK, it can also denote the horn of a motor vehicle. |
| 27a | Appear with leaders from newspapers, covering yesterday/'s/ crisis (9) |
| 28a | Meal includes a new // type of pastry (6) |
| 29a | Lies // about working with nuns with no sign of hesitation (8) |
Lie[10] is used in the sense of to exist or consist inherently (usually foll by in) ⇒
strength lies in unity.
Down
| 1d | Single church with finest // food (3,5) |
| 2d | Cleared // fine grass (5) |
| 3d | Soldier/'s/ uniform (7) |
A regular[5] is a member of the permanent professional armed forces of a country ⇒
the garrison consisted of 200 regulars.
| 4d | Poet heading off /for/ snacks (4) |
There are a couple candidates for the poet:
- John Keats[5,7] (1795–1821) was an English poet. A principal figure of the romantic movement, he wrote all of his most famous poems, including ‘La Belle Dame sans Merci’, ‘Ode to a Nightingale’, and ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn’, in 1818 (published in 1820). He died from tuberculosis at the age of 25.
- W. B. Yeats[5] (1865–1939) was an Irish poet and dramatist; full name William Butler Yeats. His play The Countess Cathleen (1892) and his collection of stories The Celtic Twilight (1893) stimulated Ireland’s theatrical, cultural, and literary revival. Notable poetry: The Tower (1928) and The Winding Stair (1929). He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923.
| 6d | One may swallow this // lie (4,3) |
Pork pie[10] (often shortened to porky) is mainly British and Australian rhyming slang (show explanation ) for a lie [in the sense of an untruth].
Rhyming slang[5] is a type of slang that replaces words with rhyming words or phrases, typically with the rhyming element omitted. For example, butcher’s, short for butcher’s hook, means ‘look’ in cockney* rhyming slang.
* A cockney[5,10] is a native of East London [specifically that part of East London known as the East End[5]], traditionally one born within hearing of Bow Bells (the bells of St Mary-le-Bow[7] church). Cockney is also the name of the dialect or accent typical of cockneys, which is characterised by dropping the aitch (H) from the beginning of words as well as the use of rhyming slang.
While one commonly sees only the shortened form of rhyming slang, pork pie is one of those cases where both the full expression and the shortened version see to be in general use.
hide explanation
Rhyming slang[5] is a type of slang that replaces words with rhyming words or phrases, typically with the rhyming element omitted. For example, butcher’s, short for butcher’s hook, means ‘look’ in cockney* rhyming slang.
* A cockney[5,10] is a native of East London [specifically that part of East London known as the East End[5]], traditionally one born within hearing of Bow Bells (the bells of St Mary-le-Bow[7] church). Cockney is also the name of the dialect or accent typical of cockneys, which is characterised by dropping the aitch (H) from the beginning of words as well as the use of rhyming slang.
While one commonly sees only the shortened form of rhyming slang, pork pie is one of those cases where both the full expression and the shortened version see to be in general use.
hide explanation
| 7d | Albert -- he brewed a // hot drink (6,3) |
| 8d | Teachers' publication holds clear // beliefs (6) |
Tes[5], formerly known as the Times Educational Supplement, is a weekly UK publication aimed at education professionals. It was first published in 1910 as a pull-out supplement in The Times newspaper.
| 10d | Assembles // beds outside room upside-down (8) |
| 14d | Live one circulating boxing clubs? // Fury (8) |
| 16d | Change // volume on song and one cuts quality of sound, almost (9) |
An aria[5] is a long accompanied song for a solo voice, typically one in an opera or oratorio.
| 17d | My sonny, screwing up small // coats, hides? (8) |
| 19d | Service // scooters, we're told (7) |
Vespa[5] (Trademark) is an Italian make of motor scooter.
The word "vespers" , when pronounced in a non-rhotic accent (show explanation ) typical of dialects found in many parts of Britain (especially southeastern England), sounds like "Vespas".
Non-rhotic accents omit the sound < r > in certain situations, while rhotic accents generally pronounce < r > in all contexts. Among the several dozen British English accents which exist, many are non-rhotic while American English (US and Canadian) is mainly rhotic. This is, however, a generalisation, as there are areas of Britain that are rhotic, and areas of America that are non-rhotic. For more information, see this guide to pronouncing < r > in British English.
hide
Non-rhotic accents omit the sound < r > in certain situations, while rhotic accents generally pronounce < r > in all contexts. Among the several dozen British English accents which exist, many are non-rhotic while American English (US and Canadian) is mainly rhotic. This is, however, a generalisation, as there are areas of Britain that are rhotic, and areas of America that are non-rhotic. For more information, see this guide to pronouncing < r > in British English.
hide
In the Roman Catholic Church, vespers[2] is the sixth of the canonical hours*, taking place towards evening. In some other Christian churches, vespers[2] is an evening service (also known as evensong).
* The canonical hours are the hours appointed for prayer and devotion or the services prescribed for these times, which are matins, lauds, terce, sext, none, vespers and compline.
| 20d | Oscar classifies // fruit (7) |
Range[5] is used in the sense of to place or arrange in a row or rows or in a specified manner ⇒
After she'd gone he had drawn up a scorecard, ranging her qualities on one side - her intellectual gifts and vivid, racy conversation - and on the other all the vicious things she'd said.
| 21d | Observed // old tree died (6) |
"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.
hide
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.
hide
| 24d | Outlaws around 500 // groups (5) |
| 25d | One very brave // Roman leader? Not quite (4) |
Herod the Great[5,7] (circa 74-4 BC) was Roman client king of Judea who ruled 37-4 BC. According to the New Testament, Jesus was born during his reign, and he ordered the massacre of the innocents (Matt. 2:16).
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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