Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29637 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Wednesday, March 31, 2021 | |
Setter
Chris Lancaster (Telegraph Puzzles Editor)
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Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29637]
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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
While solving this puzzle and preparing the review, I thought to myself "There is no way this puzzle was set by Jay". As Big Dave's Crossword Blog was down all day yesterday, I had no way of confirming my suspicion until I had finished the review. By that time, Big Dave's site was back online and I discovered that I was indeed correct—the puzzle was set by Telegraph Puzzles Editor Chris Lancaster. In fact, if you look closely, you will find what may be an indication of who the setter is at 14d.I invite you to leave a comment to let us know how you fared with the puzzle.
Solution to Tuesday's Puzzle
The solution for the Tuesday, June 8, 2021 puzzle published in the Wednesday, June 9, 2021 edition of the National Post is incorrect. The correct solution can be found on Page A2 of today's (Friday, June 11, 2021) edition of the National Post.
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 | Finally, zookeepers nervously fed larger // pride (4-6) |
Scratching the Surface
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| A pride[5] is a group of lions forming a social unit. |
| 6a | Impressive // stone Pict houses (4) |
Scratching the Surface
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The Picts[5] were an ancient people inhabiting northern Scotland in Roman times. (show more )
Roman writings of around 300 AD apply the term Picti to the hostile tribes of the area north of the Antonine Wall. Their origins are uncertain, but they may have been a loose confederation of Celtic tribes. hide |
| 9a | One might be painting destroyer? (10) |
Although the term is now applied to a person who attacks established or traditional concepts, principles, laws, etc., the original meaning of iconoclast[10] is a destroyer of religious images or sacred objects.
Scratching the Surface
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| The impact of this clue is lost if 'naval vessel' is not the first thing that comes to mind when you see the word "destroyer". |
| 10a | Bitterness /caused by/ broadcast of Asterix, perhaps (4) |
Asterix[7] is the fictional titular hero of the French comic book series Asterix. The series portrays him as a diminutive but fearless Gaulish warrior living in the time of Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars.
| 12a | Four in five answer // test (4) |
Viva voce[5] (often shortened to viva[5]) is a British term for an oral examination, typically for an academic qualification ⇒ (i)
candidates may be called for a viva voce; (ii)
assessment of the PhD is by thesis and viva voce.
| 13a | Staff leave // vegetables (9) |
Mangetout[5] (plural mangetout or mangetouts) is the British name for the snow pea, a variety of pea with an edible pod, eaten when the pod is young and flat.
Origin: Early 19th century: from French mange tout, literally ‘eat all’.
| 15a | Italian food: // tackle a lot, then second helping of pizza! (8) |
Rigatoni[5] is pasta in the form of short hollow fluted tubes.
| 16a | Barman//'s shake Mr Bean regularly sent back (6) |
The definition is whimsical, supposing that someone who composes bars of music could be called a 'barman'.
Here and There
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| A bar[7] (or measure) is a segment of time defined by a given number of beats, each of which are assigned a particular note value. The word bar is more common in British English, and the word measure is more common in American English, although musicians generally understand both usages. Originally, the word bar derives from the vertical lines drawn through the staff (or stave)* to mark off metrical units. In British English, the vertical line is also known as a bar, but often the term bar-line is used in order to avoid confusion between the two meanings of bar. In American English, the word bar stands for the lines and nothing else. * In standard Western musical notation[7], the staff[7], or stave, is a set of five horizontal lines and four spaces that each represent a different musical pitch—or, in the case of a percussion staff, different percussion instruments—on which a musical score is written.
For British musicians, stave[5] would seem to be the name of choice whereas in North America, staff[1,2,3,4,10,11] is likely the more commonly used term. (show more )
Both Oxford Dictionaries and Collins English Dictionary characterize stave[1,2,3,4,5,10,11] as a British term, although American dictionaries do not seem to consider this to be the case. Furthermore, most dictionaries show stave[1,2,3,4,10,11] as an alternative term for staff[1,2,3,4,10,11]. Oxford Dictionaries, on the other hand, takes a contrarian view, listing staff[5] as an alternative term for stave[5]. hide |
Scratching the Surface
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| Mr Bean*[7] is a British sitcom starring English comedian Rowan Atkinson
in the title role. The programme, which was originally broadcast on ITV
in the UK from 1990 to 1995, has been extensively aired in North
America. * I have used the British spelling (Mr Bean)—as has the setter of this puzzle. The Wikipedia article cited contains an illogical mishmash of British and American (Mr. Bean) spellings. [Note: there is no period in the British spelling] |
| 18a | Fool // that's got a good grip? (6) |
| 20a | Harbour oddly deep /and/ steep (8) |
In addition to being a noun, marinade[5] (as a verb) is another term for marinate.
| 23a | Put fizz into // cabaret with no cast (9) |
As an anagram indicator, cast[5] is used in the sense of to shape (metal or other material) by pouring it into a mould while molten ⇒
when hammered or cast, bronze could be made into tools.
| 24a | Catch sight of // in wife's pyjamas (4) |
Scratching the Surface
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| Pyjamas[5] is the British spelling of the night attire that would be spelled pajamas in the US. |
| 26a | Ancient poet // seen back in Vladivostok (4) |
Ovid[5] (43 BC–c.17 AD) was a Roman poet; full name Publius Ovidius Naso. He is particularly known for his elegiac love poems (such as the Amores and the Ars Amatoria) and for the Metamorphoses, a hexametric epic which retells Greek and Roman myths.
| 27a | Make weak// argument about Lilith going naked (10) |
| 28a | Only // crack when victor departs (4) |
| 29a | Berkshire town/'s/ first leader (10) |
Maidenhead[5] is a town in Berkshire, southern England to the west of London on the River Thames; population 53,900 (est. 2009).
Down
| 1d | Son gets syrup // drink (4) |
Syrup[5] is an informal British term for a wig.
Origin: This is an example of Cockney rhyming slang (show explanation ). Syrup comes from the
phrase "syrup of figs". The slang term is obtained by replacing "wigs" with "syrup of figs",
then dropping the rhyming element "figs" leaving "syrup".
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.
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.
hide explanation
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.
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.
hide explanation
Syrup of figs[5] is a laxative syrup made from dried figs, typically with senna and carminatives.
| 2d | Head of facilities // on the hunt? (7) |
Facilities[2] is a euphemistic term for a lavatory [toilet].
Loo[5] is an informal British term for a toilet [either as a room or a plumbing fixture].
What did they say?
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In their review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, the 2Kiwis describe the latter part of wordplay asConvenience[5] is a British — or, at least, chiefly British[3] — term for a public toilet ⇒facilities that might be ‘conveniently’ placed. the large council [municipal] car park next to the public conveniences. |
| 3d | Film /in/ attic? (4,2,3,3) |
Room at the Top[7] is a 1959 British film based on the 1957 novel of the same name by John Braine. The film won two Academy Awards—Best Actress for Simone Signoret and Best Adapted Screenplay for Neil Paterson*.
* Canadian writer Mordecai Richler's uncredited contributions to the adaptation seemingly went unrecognized
| 4d | Dig melon out -- // get rich from this! (4,4) |
| 5d | Begrudge // gift quietly set aside (6) |
| 7d | Soldiers // also included in scheme (7) |
| 8d | Daughter in possession of coke truly suffering // withdrawal symptoms (4,6) |
The phrase "in possession of" can denote either "have (something) in one's possession" or for one to "be possessed (by someone or something)". Here, it means the former in the surface reading and the latter in the wordplay.
Cold turkey[5] is used in the sense of the unpleasant symptoms caused by suddenly ceasing to take a drug to which one is addicted ⇒
stopping the drug may result in cold turkey.
| 11d | Senate giving criminal // something to take away? (8,4) |
The mathematician in me says the definition is incorrect. The solution is a direction to take something away and not the entity that is taken away. The clue, to my mind, should have perhaps been phrased:
- Senate giving criminal direction to take something away? (8,4)
- Senate giving criminal order to take something away? (8,4)
| 14d | Type of grid /that could make/ Christopher reportedly angry (5-5) |
| 17d | Reread if novel // somewhat lacking in atmosphere? (8) |
| 19d | My face /is/ friendly (7) |
Cor[5] is an informal British exclamation expressing surprise, excitement, admiration, or alarm ⇒
Cor! That‘s a beautiful black eye you’ve got!.
Dial[5] is an informal British term for a person's face ⇒
he must be one of the new batch—I haven't seen his dial before.
| 21d | Placate // monkey eating small round things (7) |
| 22d | Picture maker // turned up with Academician (6) |
"Academician " = RA [Royal Academician]
| 25d | Drop // live commercial (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
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