Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29460 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Friday, September 4, 2020 | |
Setter
silvanus | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29460]
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Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
Deep Threat | |
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
After two days of pulling up one clue short of the finish line, today I was able to cross without using electronic assistance.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 | Clash between boxers perhaps that Sky would stage? (8) |
I have opted to go along with Deep Threat in marking the entire clue as a cryptic definition (in which a precise definition is embedded). I did consider marking it as a double definition (with the second cryptic) which I think may almost work:
- Clash between boxers perhaps // that Sky would stage?
Scratching the Surface
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| Sky plc*[7]
is a pan-European telecommunications company with headquarters in
London that is engaged in satellite broadcasting, on-demand internet streaming
media, broadband and telephone services. * the designation plc stands for public limited company[7] |
| 5a | Some radical politician, revolutionary // having calm demeanour (6) |
| 9a | Criminal rules a con /could be/ light-fingered (9) |
| 11a | Little bit /of/ dessert Alex essentially leaves (5) |
| 12a | Debate // about working to cover case of asbestosis (6) |
| 13a | Paper coverage connected with unions? (8) |
I thought GIFTWRAP fit the bill admirably until the checking letters disqualified it.
| 15a | Accidents // fail to restrict Ray following United beyond pre-Christmas period (13) |
In tonic sol-fa notation, re* is the US or a variant British spelling* of the second note of a major scale.
* The only recognized spelling in American Dictionaries is re[3,6,11,12] while most British dictionaries show re[2,4,5,10] as a variant spelling of ray[2,4,5,10]. The Chambers Dictionary takes a different approach, showing the spelling as "re[1] (also anglicized in spelling as ray)".
| 18a | At sea, certain ensign /displays/ stubbornness (13) |
| 22a | Discharge of firearms /consisting of/ fine lead shot (8) |
| 23a | Cleric said /to be/ one that's loaded? (6) |
A canon[5] is a member of the clergy who is on the staff of a cathedral, especially one who is a member of the chapter* ⇒
he was appointed canon of Christ Church, Oxford.
What did he say?
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In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Deep Threat describes the weapon in question asI bet the man packing it is a bit slow on the draw.A firearm. |
| 26a | Handle European /making/ complaint (5) |
"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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| 27a | Treatment applied to man's right // leg tendon (9) |
| 28a | Property // close to collapse, say (6) |
| 29a | Meat dish /from/ a top store, not quite fresh (3,5) |
Down
| 1d | Musical instruments to entertain elderly /in/ low spirits (8) |
| 2d | A trail going north /for/ police officer (5) |
In his review, Deep Threat interprets trail as a noun. I thought of trail[5] as a verb meaning to draw or be drawn along behind someone or something ⇒
Alex trailed a hand through the clear water.
A Garda[5] is a member of the state police force of the Republic of Ireland (which is also known as the Garda).
| 3d | Bitter // personal description of one issuing reprimands, reportedly (3-4) |
| 4d | Catchy phrase /of/ pantomime villain (4) |
A pantomime[5] is 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. One of the most popular pantomime stories is Peter Pan[7] whose arch enemy is Captain Hook[7].
| 6d | Match // official on pitch current couple occasionally upset (7) |
In Britain, pitch[5] is another term for field[5] in the sense of an area of ground marked out or used for play in an outdoor team game ⇒
a football [soccer] pitch.
Lucifer[5,10] is an archaic term for a friction match, a type of match struck by rubbing it on a rough surface. It was originally a trade name for a match manufactured in England in the 19th century.
| 7d | Tune Oscar composed /for/ mistress (9) |
| 8d | Gentleman keeled over, supporting girl coming out /with/ rubbish (6) |
| 10d | Nationality /of/ extreme independent socialists' leader visiting school (8) |
"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.
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| 14d | Terrace // view intermittently over river with a hotel below (8) |
While hardly my idea of a verandah, The Chambers Dictionary defines verandah[1] (alternative spelling of veranda) as a roofed gallery [covered walk], terrace [raised paved* area alongside a house] or open portico along the front or side of a building.
* paved means covered with paving stones, not asphalt
And Chambers is not alone, click here to see what Collins English Dictionary thinks a veranda looks like.
| 16d | Tightwad /from/ Welsh town discovered begging previously (9) |
Flint[7] is a town in Flintshire, Wales, lying on the estuary of the River Dee.
| 17d | Top name, keen ultimately to enter // female party (3,5) |
Height[5] is used in the sense of the point or period at which something is at its best or strongest ⇒
with ICUs full, the situation appeared bleak at the height of the third wave.
Hen night[5] is an informal British term for a celebration held for a woman who is about to get married, attended only by women.
| 19d | Most remarkable // trial absorbs everyone (7) |
| 20d | One working hard // cleared out gutter subsequently (7) |
Grafter[2,5] is an informal British term for a hard worker.
| 21d | Group /of/ people a guerrilla captures (6) |
| 24d | Nigerian ready // to broadcast in North America (5) |
Ready*[5,10] is an informal British term for ready money*[5,10], funds for immediate use or, in other words, available money or cash ⇒
Because I haven't got the readies to hand, I could offer a pittance now and promise to pay the rest at a date more to my convenience.
* Ready[5,10] (also called readies) is also known as the ready[10] (also called the readies); ready money[5,10] also goes by the name ready cash.
The naira[5] is the basic monetary unit of Nigeria, equal to 100 kobo.
| 25d | Something to shoot // unlimited meat (4) |
Gammon[5] is a British term that can denote either:
- ham which has been cured or smoked like bacon ⇒
gammon steaks
- the bottom piece of a side of bacon, including a hind leg ⇒
a whole gammon on the bone
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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