Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29452 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Wednesday, August 26, 2020 | |
Setter
Jay (Jeremy Mutch) | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29452]
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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
Yesterday was my turn as blogger on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, so I was multitasking preparing this review while at the same time monitoring and responding to comments on the puzzle which appeared in The Daily Telegraph yesterday. At times, I almost lost track of which puzzle was which.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 | Leverage /needed for/ acquisition (8) |
| 5a | Old fool importing European // wildcat (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.
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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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Clot[5] is an informal British term for a foolish or clumsy person ⇒
Watch where you’re going, you clot!.
"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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| 9a | Fine points /supplied by/ French city with connections (8) |
Nice[5] is a resort city on the French Riviera, near the border with Italy.
| 10a | Move to employ international // flyer (6) |
| 12a | One in my reserves /is/ a very rich person (9) |
Bag[10] is an informal British term meaning to to reserve or secure the right to do or to have something ⇒
he bagged the best chair.
| 13a | Perennial // list must include fuel regularly (5) |
| 14a | Sweetener /found in/ cake and sugar, essentially (4) |
Bung[10] (noun) is British slang for a bribe.
| 16a | Stops // son being adopted by believers (7) |
| 19a | Tension /caused by/ troubled coward crossing line (4,3) |
| 21a | Supporters // mostly go without food around November (4) |
| 24a | Geordie mate/'s/ state? (5) |
Geordie[5] is an informal British term for a person from Tyneside* or for the English dialect or accent typical of people from Tyneside* .
* Tyneside[5] is an industrial conurbation on the banks of the River Tyne, in northeastern England, stretching from Newcastle upon Tyne to the coast.
| 25a | Spinning fine yarn /that's/ beyond words (9) |
| 27a | Spoil // broadcast by Independent politician (6) |
"Independent " = I [politician with no party affiliation]
I[1] is the abbreviation for independent, in all likelihood in the sense of a politician with no party affiliation.
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I[1] is the abbreviation for independent, in all likelihood in the sense of a politician with no party affiliation.
hide
"politician " = MP
| 28a | People in charge at sea /must get/ butterflies (8) |
The admiral[5] is a butterfly which has dark wings with bold red or white markings.
| 29a | Refuse to drop British // music such as this (6) |
As a musical term, garage[5] can denote either:
- (also garage rock) a style of unpolished, energetic rock music associated with suburban amateur bands ⇒
a garage band
- (also UK garage) a form of dance music incorporating elements of drum and bass, house music, and soul, characterized by a rhythm in which the second and fourth beats of the bar are omitted
| 30a | Stress /caused by/ cooking pies and mash (8) |
Scratching the Surface
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Mash[5] is an informal British term for mashed potato ⇒ for supper there was sausages and mash. |
Down
| 1d | Both parents must cover North American // state (6) |
Strictly speaking, this clue parses as {PA + MA} (both parents) containing (must cover) {N (North) + A (American)}.
The reason is that The Chambers Dictionary* does not list NA as an abbreviation for North American (North America, yes, but not North American). However, it does list N as an abbreviation for North and A as an abbreviation for American.
* The Chambers Dictionary is considered to be the "bible" for The Daily Telegraph puzzles
| 2d | Sport /needing/ a hundred in syndicate (6) |
| 3d | Sacred time's filled // with passion (5) |
| 4d | Situation // report supporting the girl (7) |
Shebang[10] is slang for a situation, matter, or affair (especially in the phrase the whole shebang).
| 6d | A woman /who's/ unusually sure -- no act! (9) |
| 7d | License // to lift fodder stored in empty locale (8) |
| 8d | Intrusion /that sees/ new stars possessing sixth sense (8) |
| 11d | Some famous editors // took drugs (4) |
| 15d | Reluctant /and/ regretting going topless, full of new resolve (9) |
| 17d | Becoming aware of // exhibition centre turning up in swindle (8) |
The National Exhibition Centre[7] (NEC) is an exhibition centre located in Birmingham, England. It has 20 interconnected halls, set in grounds of 611 acres (2.54 km2) making it the largest exhibition centre in the UK. It is the busiest and seventh-largest exhibition centre in Europe.
| 18d | Leaflet written about baby food // that's sticky and attracts insects (8) |
| 20d | Heartlessly quick // strike (4) |
| 21d | Licence // charge about right with party millions (7) |
"party " = DO
Do[5,12] is an informal British[5] or chiefly British[12] term* for a party or other social event ⇒
* Although one US dictionary (Webster’s New World College Dictionary[12]) supports the contention by Lexico (Oxford Dictionary of English)[5] that this usage is at least chiefly British, two other US dictionaries[3,11] do not.
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Do[5,12] is an informal British[5] or chiefly British[12] term* for a party or other social event ⇒
the soccer club Christmas do.
* Although one US dictionary (Webster’s New World College Dictionary[12]) supports the contention by Lexico (Oxford Dictionary of English)[5] that this usage is at least chiefly British, two other US dictionaries[3,11] do not.
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| 22d | Snake taken initially on board American // vessels (1-5) |
| 23d | Becomes relaxed under student // charters (6) |
"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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| 26d | Footballers must have it on hospital // trust (5) |
The Football Association[7], also known simply as the FA, is the governing body of football [soccer] in England. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest football association in the world and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the amateur and professional game in England.
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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