Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29643 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Wednesday, April 7, 2021 | |
Setter
Jay (Jeremy Mutch) | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29643]
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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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Notes
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This puzzle appears on the Monday Diversions page in the Saturday, June 19, 2021 edition of the National Post. | |
Introduction
Following a one-week leave of absence, Jay is back with his usual highly enjoyable offering.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 | Save son caught parking on edge (6) |
"caught " = C [cricket notation]
| 5a | Dashing // family mostly involved in outbreak (6) |
| 10a | Pulls in // listeners across north (5) |
| 11a | Europeans // ruined Paris and east of Calais (9) |
Scratching the Surface
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| 12a | Tosses half of butter /for/ main dish (7) |
"Main dish" is a cryptic allusion to seafood, the main[5] being an archaic or literary term for the open ocean.
| 13a | Volunteers with only daughter // having claws (7) |
"volunteers " = TA [Territorial Army]
| 14a | Accept a rise /and/ go away (4,1,4) |
Here and There
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Rise[5] is the British term* for an increase in salary or wages ⇒ non-supervisory staff were given a 5 per cent rise. |
| 17a | Heard result of injury, // makes tea (5) |
| 18a | Set my clues lacking any regular // form (5) |
| 19a | Gather English literature must be rejected /as/ barren (9) |
| 21a | Where a presenter might have words /having/ reported heavy traffic? (7) |
Presenter[5] is a British* term for a person who introduces and appears in a television or radio programme.
* In North America, more specific terms such as host, emcee, announcer or anchor might be used for such a person. Some — or perhaps all — of these terms are also used in the UK but presenter is a general term that covers all the bases.
Autocue[5] (British trademark) is the British name for a teleprompter[5].
| 23a | Panda // car wrecked during police officer's round (7) |
A bearcat[5] is a bearlike climbing mammal, especially the red panda* or binturong**.
* The red panda[5] (also called lesser panda or cat-bear) is a raccoon-like mammal with thick reddish-brown fur and a bushy tail, native to high bamboo forests from the Himalayas to southern China.
** The binturong[5] is a tree-dwelling Asian civet with a coarse blackish coat and a muscular prehensile tail.
What did they say?
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In their review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, the 2Kiwis describe the police officer’s round asMr Plod the Policeman is a character in the Noddy stories for children by English children's writer Enid Blyton[7] . Plod[5] (also PC* Plod) has been adopted as an informal British term for a police officer.the route walked by a Mr Plod. |
Scratching the Surface
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| Panda car[5] is an informal British term for a small police patrol car (originally black and white or blue and white). |
| 25a | Food /found by/ two men on board round back of larder (4,5) |
The king prawn[5] is a large edible prawn which is of great commercial value.
What did they say?
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In their review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, the 2Kiwis describe two men on board asA pawn may or may not be a "chess piece".two chess pieces. In chess, according to Lexico (Oxford Dictionaries), a piece[5] is a king, queen, bishop, knight, or rook, as opposed to a pawn. However, in a remarkable display of inconsistency, the very same dictionary defines a pawn[5] is a chess piece of the smallest size and value. |
| 26a | Discover // area covered by the French navy ... (5) |
"the French " = LE [French definite article]
| 27a | /... and/ approve // when posted (6) |
The word "and" is effectively part of the link between the two clues which is primarily indicated by the ellipses.
| 28a | A measure of distress is terribly // relative (6) |
Down
| 2d | Language /of/ answer found in copy (5) |
Carib[5] is the language of the Caribs, an an
indigenous South American people living mainly in coastal regions of
French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, and Venezuela. (show more )
Carib is the only member of the Cariban family of languages still spoken by a substantial number of people (around 20,000).
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Carib is the only member of the Cariban family of languages still spoken by a substantial number of people (around 20,000).
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| 3d | Unable to get enough // working at sea in it (9) |
| 4d | Problem /of/ Beethoven perhaps, sacking the first three (5) |
Ludwig van Beethoven[5] (1770–1827) was a German composer. (show more )
Despite increasing deafness Beethoven was responsible for a prodigious output: nine symphonies, thirty-two piano sonatas, sixteen string quartets, the opera Fidelio (1814), and the Mass in D (the Missa Solemnis, 1823). In his Ninth Symphony (1824) he broke with precedent in the finale by introducing voices to sing Schiller's Ode to Joy. He is often seen as bridging the classical and romantic movements.
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Despite increasing deafness Beethoven was responsible for a prodigious output: nine symphonies, thirty-two piano sonatas, sixteen string quartets, the opera Fidelio (1814), and the Mass in D (the Missa Solemnis, 1823). In his Ninth Symphony (1824) he broke with precedent in the finale by introducing voices to sing Schiller's Ode to Joy. He is often seen as bridging the classical and romantic movements.
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| 5d | So bereft -- a disastrous // meal (5,4) |
| 6d | Crustaceans // cook finally found on stream (5) |
| 7d | Fresh greens with meat pie oddly unavailable /in/ conservation area (9) |
The Serengeti[5] is a vast plain in Tanzania, to the west of the Great Rift Valley. In 1951 the Serengeti National Park was created to protect the area’s large numbers of wildebeest, zebra, and Thomson’s gazelle.
| 8d | Plenty must support vacant zombie // fanatic (6) |
| 9d | A team's // unrelated remarks (6) |
"team " = SIDE
Side[5] is a British term for a sports team ⇒
* Note that, in Britain, a player is said to be "in a side" or "in a team" rather than "on a team" as one would say in North America.
In North America, the term side[3] is used in a very general fashion that can denote one of two or more opposing individuals, groups, teams, or sets of opinions. While this same general usage is also found in the UK, the term side[5] is also used there in a much more specific sense to mean a sports team, as we can clearly see from the following usage examples ⇒ (i)
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Side[5] is a British term for a sports team ⇒
there was a mixture of old and young players in* their side.
* Note that, in Britain, a player is said to be "in a side" or "in a team" rather than "on a team" as one would say in North America.
In North America, the term side[3] is used in a very general fashion that can denote one of two or more opposing individuals, groups, teams, or sets of opinions. While this same general usage is also found in the UK, the term side[5] is also used there in a much more specific sense to mean a sports team, as we can clearly see from the following usage examples ⇒ (i)
Previous England rugby sides, and England teams in many other sports, would have crumbled under the weight of such errors.; (ii)
They'll face better sides than this Monaco team, but you can only beat what's put in front of you.
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| 15d | Island group /getting/ central points in arguments (9) |
A key[5] is a low-lying island or reef, especially in the Caribbean.
The Rolling Stones[5]
(informally the Stones) are an English rock group featuring singer Mick Jagger and guitarist
Keith Richards. (show more )
Originally a rhythm-and-blues band, they became successful with a much-imitated rebel image, and are known for songs such as ‘Satisfaction’ (1965) and ‘Jumping Jack Flash’ (1968).
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Originally a rhythm-and-blues band, they became successful with a much-imitated rebel image, and are known for songs such as ‘Satisfaction’ (1965) and ‘Jumping Jack Flash’ (1968).
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A keystone[5] is the central principle or part of a policy, system, etc., on which all else depends.
| 16d | I can rave, supporting European // traveller (9) |
"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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| 17d | Pubs full of unusually clean // stickers (9) |
| 18d | Son has no // trousers (6) |
Here we have the son from 1a in a return engagement.
| 20d | Stretch // script with no beginning and finish (6) |
| 22d | Group of trees // manage to conceal skinhead? (5) |
The setter uses the word "skinhead" to clue the letter 'S', the initial letter (head) of the word 'Skin'.
| 23d | Reward /from/ bishop -- our treat (5) |
"bishop " = B [chess piece]
B[5] is an abbreviation for bishop that is used in recording moves in chess.
A bishop[5] is a chess piece, typically with its top shaped like a mitre. Unless obstructed by another piece or pawn*, a bishop can move in any direction along a diagonal on which it stands. Each player starts the game with two bishops, one moving on white squares and the other on black.
* see the discussion at 25a concerning whether or not a pawn is properly a chess piece
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B[5] is an abbreviation for bishop that is used in recording moves in chess.
A bishop[5] is a chess piece, typically with its top shaped like a mitre. Unless obstructed by another piece or pawn*, a bishop can move in any direction along a diagonal on which it stands. Each player starts the game with two bishops, one moving on white squares and the other on black.
* see the discussion at 25a concerning whether or not a pawn is properly a chess piece
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| 24d | Box // car past its best (5) |
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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