Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29647 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Monday, April 12, 2021 | |
Setter
Campbell (Allan Scott) | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29647]
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Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
Falcon | |
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
I found it interesting to see that I had reviewed this puzzle for Big Dave's Crossword Blog on the day I got my first dose of COVID vaccine and earlier this week I received my second shot.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 | Succeeded with a spot of moving // flattery (4,4) |
| 6a | Blunt, // independent married couple (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.
hide
I[1] is the abbreviation for independent, in all likelihood in the sense of a politician with no party affiliation.
hide
| 9a | Take one's hat off to // daughter entering a stretch of boggy ground (6) |
| 10a | Method /that may get/ a fish very quietly hooked (8) |
The roach[5] is an edible Eurasian freshwater fish of the carp family, popular with anglers.
| 11a | Exclamation made by one hitting another /in/ pop group? (4,4) |
Take That[7] are an English pop group formed in Manchester in 1990.
Delving Deeper
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| Take That have had 28 top 40 singles and 17 top 5 singles in the UK Singles Chart, 12 of which have reached number one. They have also had eight number one albums on the UK Albums Chart. Their biggest hit single, "Back for Good", reached number one in many countries including the UK, Germany, Australia, and Norway and was also their only US hit, where it reached number seven. |
| 12a | Hear about object, // very fashionable (6) |
| 13a | Inaccurately portray // reformed miser here (12) |
| 16a | Sauce // on heat in B&B, say (6,6) |
On heat[5] is a British term* denoting (of a female mammal) in the receptive period of the sexual cycle⇒
the female is only on heat for a few days.
* North American term: in heat
Brandy butter[5] is a British term for a stiff mixture of brandy, butter, and sugar, served with hot desserts.
| 19a | Comic book crimefighter, // officer's personal assistant (6) |
In the British armed forces, batman[5] is a dated term for a member of the lower ranks assigned to an officer as a personal servant.
| 21a | Invented story about Republican /causes/ conflict (8) |
"Republican " = R [member or supporter of US political party]
A Republican[5] (abbreviation R[5] or Rep.[5]) is a member or supporter of the Republican Party[5], one of the two main US political parties*, favouring a right-wing stance, limited central government, and tough, interventionist foreign policy. It was formed in 1854 in support of the anti-slavery movement preceding the Civil War.
* the other being the Democratic Party
Although, in the UK, republican[5] can refer to an advocate of a united Ireland, the abbreviation does not appear to apply to that usage.
hide
A Republican[5] (abbreviation R[5] or Rep.[5]) is a member or supporter of the Republican Party[5], one of the two main US political parties*, favouring a right-wing stance, limited central government, and tough, interventionist foreign policy. It was formed in 1854 in support of the anti-slavery movement preceding the Civil War.
* the other being the Democratic Party
Although, in the UK, republican[5] can refer to an advocate of a united Ireland, the abbreviation does not appear to apply to that usage.
hide
| 23a | Part of the woodwork /in/ pub by bridge (8) |
The woodwork[5] is an informal term denoting the wooden frame of a soccer goal (used in reference to a shot that is a near miss) ⇒
Rangers hit the woodwork twice and missed other good chances to score.
| 24a | One doing wilful damage /in/ museum close to Whitehall (6) |
The Victoria and Albert Museum[5] (abbreviation V & A) is a national museum of fine and applied art in South Kensington, London, created in 1852 and having collections principally of pictures, textiles, ceramics, and furniture.
Scratching the Surface
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Whitehall[5] is a street in Westminster, London, in which many government offices are located. The name is commonly used as an allusive reference to the British civil service or to the British government, its offices, or its policy ⇒ critics claim that councils are being railroaded by Whitehall into approving the schemes. |
| 25a | Ill at ease // concerning border (2,4) |
| 26a | Go off and film // rat (8) |
Down
| 2d | Trying experience /in/ gold trade (6) |
| 3d | Food: // tons ready to be harvested (5) |
Tripe[5] is the first or second stomach of a cow or other ruminant used as food.
| 4d | Too quick // a shot, very ungainly (9) |
| 5d | Rabbit, // soft baby's toy (7) |
Rabbit[5] is an informal British term meaning:
- (noun) a conversation ⇒
we had quite a heated rabbit about it
- (verb) to talk at length, especially about trivial matters ⇒
stop rabbiting on, will you, and go to bed!
Delving Deeper
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| The term rabbit[5] (meaning talk) is Cockney* rhyming slang arising from the expression
"rabbit and pork"[5].
In Cockney rhyming slang, a
word (in this case, "talk") is replaced by a phrase with which it rhymes
(in this
case, "rabbit
and pork"). Although the entire rhyming phrase may sometimes be used, it
is more often the case that the rhyming word (in this case, "pork"**) is dropped leaving the slang word (in this
case, "rabbit"). Thus, through
this process, "talk" becomes "rabbit".
* Cockneys[5,10], the natives of that part of East London known as the East End[5], speak a dialect (also known as cockney) that is
characterised by dropping the aitch (H) from the beginning of words as
well as the use of rhyming slang
** The word "pork" , when pronounced in a non-rhotic accent (show explanation ) typical of dialects found in many parts of Britain (especially southeastern England), more or less rhymes with "talk" . Non-rhotic accents omit the sound < r > in certain situations, while rhotic accents generally pronounce < r > in all contexts. Among the several dozen British English accents which exist, many are non-rhotic while American English (US and Canadian) is mainly rhotic. This is, however, a generalisation, as there are areas of Britain that are rhotic, and areas of America that are non-rhotic. For more information, see this guide to pronouncing < r > in British English. hide As for the expression "rabbit and pork", apparently it is common practice to combine these two meats in a dish (as a Google search for 'rabbit and pork recipe' will quickly prove). One recipe I found sheds some light on why these meats often appear together: "Rabbit can be dry some times so here it is cooked with belly pork and cyder to create a warming substantial casserole". |
| 6d | Place under batting // data (5) |
In cricket, a player who is batting is said to be in[5]. Conversely, a player
who is fielding is said to be out[5]. The ins and outs of cricket are explained in thisexplanation of cricket for a foreigner (which may well leave you unsure whether you are coming or going—therefore, I have also provided a translation).
CRICKET: AS EXPLAINED TO A FOREIGNER...Now, should you have not quite followed that explanation, here is my attempt to clarify the "ins" and "outs" of cricket:
You have two sides, one out in the field and one in. Each man that's in the side that's in goes out, and when he's out he comes in and the next man goes in until he's out. When they are all out, the side that's out comes in and the side that's been in goes out and tries to get those coming in, out. Sometimes you get men still in and not out.
When a man goes out to go in, the men who are out try to get him out, and when he is out he goes in and the next man in goes out and goes in. There are two men called umpires who stay out all the time and they decide when the men who are in are out. When both sides have been in and all the men have been out, and both sides have been out twice after all the men have been in, including those who are not out, that is the end of the game.
Simple!
You have two sides [teams], one out in the field and one in [batting]. Each man that's in the side [in Britain, one says "in a side" rather than "on a team"] that's in [batting] goes out [I believe this means that he forgoes the cucumber sandwiches in the clubhouse in order to go out to the playing area to bat], and when he's out [dismissed] he comes in [returns to the clubhouse for more cucumber sandwiches] and the next man goes in [bats] until he's out [dismissed]. When they are all out [all players (but one) on the batting side are dismissed], the side that's out [fielding] comes in [bats] and the side that's been in [batting] goes out [fields] and tries to get those coming in [to bat], out [dismissed]. Sometimes you get men still in [batting] and not out [Since batsmen must always bat in pairs, the team is dismissed once ten of the eleven players have been dismissed, leaving no partner for the lone remaining player. Although the team is "out" (dismissed), the eleventh player is said to be "not out".].hide
When a man goes out [from the clubhouse to the playing area] to go in [bat], the men who are out [fielding] try to get him out [dismissed], and when he is out [dismissed] he goes in [returns to the clubhouse] and the next man in [scheduled to bat] goes out [from the clubhouse to the playing area] and goes in [bats]. There are two men called umpires who stay out [on the playing area] all the time [(they never get to eat cucumber sandwiches)] and they decide when the men who are in [batting] are out [dismissed]. When both sides have been in [batted] and all the men have been out [dismissed], and both sides have been out [dismissed] twice after all the men have been in [batted], including those who are not out [the eleventh player who has batted but not been dismissed], that is the end of the game.
Note: In cricket, the division of play is called an 'innings', rather than an 'inning' as in baseball. The word "innings' (like the words 'fish' or 'sheep') can be either singular or plural. A cricket match consists of four innings* (or sometimes two innings) with ten "outs" (dismissals) per innings. In cricket, each team's at bat is called an innings whereas, in baseball, each team's at bat constitutes a half inning. Thus, in baseball, the visiting team bats in the top of each inning and the home team bats in the bottom of each inning. In cricket, one side bats in the first and third innings and the other team bats in the second and fourth innings.Simple! (although the remarks concerning the cucumber sandwiches may not be entirely accurate)
| 7d | Posers for supply // teacher (9) |
As an anagram indicator, supply[5] is a variant spelling of supplely[5], an adverb meaning 'in a supple manner'.
| 8d | Depression following popular Channel Islands // event (8) |
The Channel Islands[5] (abbreviation CI[5]) are a group of islands in the English Channel off the northwestern coast of France, of which the largest are Jersey, Guernsey, and Alderney. Formerly part of the dukedom of Normandy, they have owed allegiance to England since the Norman Conquest in 1066, and are now classed as Crown dependencies.
| 13d | Made light of // notes describing one newspaper chief (9) |
Minim[5] is a British name for a half note, a note having the time value of two crotchets* or half a semibreve**, represented by a ring with a stem.
* Crotchet[5] is a British name for a quarter note.
** Semibreve[5] is a British name for a whole note.
| 14d | Dog, // barking terrier, biting vet endlessly (9) |
As an anagram indicator, barking[5] is used in an informal British sense meaning completely mad or demented ⇒ (i)
we are all a bit barking; (ii) [as submodifier]
has she gone completely barking mad?.
| 15d | Manage after hearing // test (5,3) |
| 17d | Ready to take part // on horseback, on account of Italian (2,3,2) |
"Italian " = IT [in reference to either the language or the vermouth]
| 18d | Musical piece, // likewise with a beat, coming up (6) |
So[10] is used in the sense of also or likewise ⇒
I learned to speak Spanish and so can you.
A sonata[10] is an instrumental composition, usually in three or more movements, for piano alone (piano sonata) or for any other instrument with or without piano accompaniment (violin sonata, cello sonata, etc).
| 20d | Illustrious // person of wealth, extremely likeable (5) |
Nob[5] is an informal British term* for a person of wealth or high social position ⇒
it was quite a do—all the nobs were there.
| 22d | Livener // kept in bucket, on ice (5) |
Livener[5] is an informal British term for something with an invigorating effect, especially an alcoholic drink.
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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