Puzzle at a Glance
| |
|---|---|
Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29450 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Monday, August 24, 2020 | |
Setter
Campbell (Allan Scott) | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29450]
| |
Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
pommers | |
BD rating
| |
| Difficulty - ★★ | Enjoyment - ★★★★ |
Falcon's experience
┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐
███████████████████████████████████ └────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘ | |
|
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
| |
Introduction
Like several mentioned on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, it was difficult to establish a foothold on this puzzle. Once I had, the left-hand side was completed fairly quickly but the right-hand side put up considerably more resistance.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 | |
|
|
| Click here for further explanation and usage examples of markup conventions used on this blog. | |
Across
| 1a | Expect // head to back social worker, here in Paris (10) |
Pate[5] is an archaic or humorous term for a person's head.
"social worker" = ANT (show explanation )
The phrase "social worker" is commonly used in cryptic crossword puzzles to clue ANT.
A social insect is an insect that lives in a colony with other insects of the same species.
A worker[5] is a neuter or undeveloped female bee, wasp, ant, or other social insect, large numbers of which do the basic work of the colony.
In crossword puzzles, "worker" (or "social worker") will most frequently be used to clue ANT and occasionally BEE but I have yet to see it used to clue WASP. Of course, "worker" is sometimes also used to clue HAND or MAN.
hide explanation
The phrase "social worker" is commonly used in cryptic crossword puzzles to clue ANT.
A social insect is an insect that lives in a colony with other insects of the same species.
A worker[5] is a neuter or undeveloped female bee, wasp, ant, or other social insect, large numbers of which do the basic work of the colony.
In crossword puzzles, "worker" (or "social worker") will most frequently be used to clue ANT and occasionally BEE but I have yet to see it used to clue WASP. Of course, "worker" is sometimes also used to clue HAND or MAN.
hide explanation
The French word for 'here' is ici[8].
| 6a | One maintaining discipline /in/ women's joint (4) |
A whip[5] is an official of a political party appointed to maintain parliamentary discipline among its members, especially so as to ensure attendance and voting in debates.
| 9a | A woman may wear this // headgear round Ireland, almost new (7) |
The Story Behind the Picture
| |
|---|---|
| In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, pommers illustrates this clue with a picture of Ena Sharples, a character who appeared in the British soap opera Coronation Street from 1960 to 1980. |
| 10a | Dish // returned books to male teacher (7) |
It is common practice for British school students to address (or refer to) their male teachers as "Sir", as in To Sir, with Love[7], a 1967 British drama film starring Sidney Poitier that deals with social and racial issues in an inner-city school.
Risotto[5] is an Italian dish of rice cooked in stock with ingredients such as vegetables and meat or seafood.
| 12a | Having rung from bar, // behave improperly (4,3,2,4) |
Post Mortem
| |
|---|---|
| Although less than completely satisfied with it, I had settled on SEEM OUT OF LINE. |
| 14a | Accomplished players /seen as/ dull (8) |
| 15a | Highlight // mental pressure (6) |
| 17a | Italian knocked back sensible // herbal drink (6) |
"Italian " = IT [in reference to either the language or the vermouth]
| 19a | Mad // joke, finest around (8) |
| 21a | Dire prospects affected // morale (6,2,5) |
| 24a | Black Sea country /in/ a state (7) |
Georgia[5]is a country in the Caucasus region of south-western Asia, on the
eastern shore of the Black Sea and bordering Russia, Turkey, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. (show more )
An independent kingdom in medieval times, Georgia became part of the Russian empire in the 19th century and then was absorbed into the Soviet Union. On the break-up of the USSR in 1991, Georgia became an independent republic outside the Commonwealth of Independent States.
hide
An independent kingdom in medieval times, Georgia became part of the Russian empire in the 19th century and then was absorbed into the Soviet Union. On the break-up of the USSR in 1991, Georgia became an independent republic outside the Commonwealth of Independent States.
hide
| 25a | Don't disturb // English bishop during holiday (5,2) |
Leave be[10] is an informal expression meaning to leave undisturbed.
| 26a | Speed /of/ old car heading off (4) |
| 27a | Watch out for developments // as we detain criminal (4,3,3) |
Down
| 1d | One ringing hospital /in/ pain (4) |
In golf, ace[5] is an informal term for a hole in one.
In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, pommers suggests we seek the required "one" in a deck of playing cards rather than on the links. That was also the first thought to pop into my mind but I chose not to follow that approach as the playing card doesn't actually have a one on it and it is, in fact, the highest card in its suit in most card games.
Scratching the Surface
| |
|---|---|
| In the surface reading, ringing on the telephone. |
| 2d | Hears them, oddly, /in/ Italian city (7) |
Trieste[5] is a
city in northeastern Italy, the largest port on the Adriatic and
capital of Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. (show more )
Formerly held by Austria (1382–1918), Trieste was annexed by Italy after the First World War. The Free Territory of Trieste was created after the Second World War but returned to Italy in 1954.
hide
Formerly held by Austria (1382–1918), Trieste was annexed by Italy after the First World War. The Free Territory of Trieste was created after the Second World War but returned to Italy in 1954.
hide
| 3d | Supercilious // cheat going down (13) |
| 4d | Meat dish /in/ earthenware vessel on top of range, by oven (3,5) |
An oast[2] is a kiln for drying hops.
| 5d | Oscar on board cutting // set of cards (5) |
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.
| 7d | Special phone service // arranged in hotel (7) |
| 8d | Inclination // to show compassion about poorly person (10) |
Here and There
| |
|---|---|
| The surface reading, while sounding odd to the North American ear, would be quite natural for Brits. According to Lexico (Oxford Dictionaries), poorly[5] (adjective) is a British* term meaning unwell ⇒ she looked poorly. * Despite Lexico claiming this to be a British usage, US dictionaries define poorly[3,11] (adjective) as meaning in poor health or somewhat ill ⇒ feeling poorly. In fact, the American Heritage Dictionary characterizes poorly used in this sense as a chiefly Southern US term. A statement such as "I am feeling rather poorly today" is likely the only context in which one would encounter this term in North America. Not so in the UK; Lexico provides examples of British usage that I am sure one would never encounter on this side of the pond:
|
| 11d | A nasty fire cut off -- by this at the Old Vic? (6,7) |
The entire clue provides the definition in which the wordplay is embedded.
Old Vic[5] is the popular name of the Royal Victoria Theatre in London. Under the management of Lilian Baylis from 1912 it gained an enduring reputation for its Shakespearean productions.
A safety curtain[5] is a fireproof curtain that can be lowered between the stage and the main part of a theatre to prevent the spread of fire.
| 13d | Kick on, ahead of German // runner (10) |
"on " = LEG [cricket term]
In cricket, the on[5] (also known as on side) is another name for the leg[5] (also called leg side), the half of the field (as divided lengthways through the pitch) away from which the batsman’s feet are pointed when standing to receive the ball ⇒
The other half of the field is known as the off[5] (also called off side).
hide
In cricket, the on[5] (also known as on side) is another name for the leg[5] (also called leg side), the half of the field (as divided lengthways through the pitch) away from which the batsman’s feet are pointed when standing to receive the ball ⇒
he played a lucky stroke to leg.
The other half of the field is known as the off[5] (also called off side).
hide
| 16d | Had a wager about people initially liking // band (8) |
| 18d | Drink wine /in/ comfort (7) |
"drink " = SUP
As a verb, sup[5] is a dated or Northern English term meaning to take (drink or liquid food) by sips or spoonfuls ⇒ (i)
As a noun, sup[5] means
As a verb, sup[5] is a dated or Northern English term meaning to take (drink or liquid food) by sips or spoonfuls ⇒ (i)
she supped up her soup delightedly; (ii)
he was supping straight from the bottle.
As a noun, sup[5] means
- a sip of liquid ⇒
he took another sup of wine
- (in Northern England or Ireland) an alcoholic drink ⇒
the latest sup from those blokes at the brewery
| 20d | Have // groups of searchers succeeded? (7) |
| 22d | Wee drink before start of adapted // play (5) |
Appropriately, wee[5] is an adjective of Scottish origin meaning little. Dram[5] is a Scottish term for a small drink of whiskey or other spirits ⇒
a wee dram to ward off the winter chill.
| 23d | Heard offspring // give up (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
Enjoyed this one very much. Very straightforward clues. Thanks for posting.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this one. The 13-letter clues looked daunting at first but they fell quickly. Last one in, but my favourite, was 13D.
ReplyDelete