Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29634 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Saturday, March 27, 2021 | |
Setter
Chris Lancaster (Telegraph Puzzles Editor)
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Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29634 – Hints]Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29634 – Review] | |
Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
Tilsit (Hints)Big Dave (Review) | |
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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As this was a Saturday "Prize Puzzle" in Britain, there are two entries related to it on Big Dave's Crossword Blog — the first, posted on the date of publication, contains hints for selected clues while the second is a full review issued following the entry deadline for the contest. The vast majority of reader comments will generally be found attached to the "hints" posting with a minimal number — if any — accompanying the full review.
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Introduction
Under pressure of deadline, I threw in the towel and called in electronic aid to finish this one off.I invite you to leave a comment to let us know how you fared with the puzzle.
Solution to This Puzzle
The solution for this 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 the 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 | Solving aid that's peaked? (8-3) |
Peak[5,10] is a British term for a stiff brim (visor) at the front of a cap.
| 7a | Risks // taken by rich ancestors (7) |
| 8a | Charge // retiring US soldier occupying Scottish island (7) |
"US soldier " = GI
A GI[5] is a private soldier in the US army ⇒
Origin: Contrary to popular belief, the term apparently is not an abbreviation for general infantryman, but rather derives from the term government (or general) issue (originally denoting equipment supplied to US forces).
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A GI[5] is a private soldier in the US army ⇒
she went off with a GI during the war.
Origin: Contrary to popular belief, the term apparently is not an abbreviation for general infantryman, but rather derives from the term government (or general) issue (originally denoting equipment supplied to US forces).
hide
Arran[5] is an island in the Firth of Clyde, in the west of Scotland.
| 10a | Current // description of water-skier, perhaps (8) |
| 11a | More suitable // tradesperson (6) |
A fitter[10] is a person who is skilled in the assembly and adjustment of machinery, especially of a specified sort ⇒ (i)
a pipe fitter; (ii)
an electrical fitter.
| 13a | Flower // shirts (4) |
Flower is used in the whimsical cryptic crossword sense of something that flows — in other words, a river.
The Tees[5] is a river of northeastern England which rises in Cumbria and flows 128 km (80 miles) generally south-eastwards to the North Sea at Middlesbrough.
| 14a | See eel fighting with chub -- // it could be Danish (4,6) |
Danish blue[5] is a soft, salty, strongly flavoured white cheese with blue veins.
Scratching the Surface
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| The chub[5] is a thick-bodied European river fish with a grey-green back and white underparts. |
| 16a | Scruffy child, // kid with a cake (10) |
A muffin[5] is defined as a small domed spongy cake made with eggs and baking powder ⇒
blueberry muffins.
What did he say?
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In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Big Dave describes this sense of the word 'muffin' asTo a Brit, muffin[5] has traditionally denoted what we in North America know as an English muffin. Perhaps they should refer to our style of muffins as American muffins.an example of how Americanisms are taking over – it always used to be a thick round baked yeast roll, usually toasted and served with butter. |
| 18a | Peel fruit, we hear (4) |
| 21a | United // improved, Solskjaer finally sacked (6) |
Scratching the Surface
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| Manchester United Football Club[7], commonly known as Man United or simply United*, is an English professional football [soccer] club, based in Old Trafford,
Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League (the top level in
the English football league system). * Although, in Britain, the word United[5] is commonly used in the names of soccer and other sports teams formed by amalgamation, it would seem that the name United in the absence of other context would customarily be assumed to be a reference to Manchester United. Ole Gunnar Solskjær[7] is a Norwegian professional football manager and former player who is the current manager of Manchester United. |
| 22a | American's well-built, // as they've ordered (8) |
Although I failed to find a reference that identifies heavyset as an American term, the fact that the term is present in all my American dictionaries but it only one British dictionary suggests that to be the case.
| 24a | Controversial // reason for action online? (7) |
| 25a | Bring to life // musical pair on the air (7) |
The wordplay (which took me forever to see) is sounds like (on the air) {ANNIE (musical) + MATE (pair; as a verb)}
Annie[7] is a Broadway musical based upon the popular comic strip Little Orphan Annie created by American cartoonist Harold Gray (1894–1968). The original Broadway production, which opened in 1977, ran for nearly six years and won the Tony Award for Best Musical.
| 26a | Press cast to drink beer, facing issue /in/ rep (11) |
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.
Issue[5] is a legal term denoting children of one's own ⇒
the earl died without male issue.
Down
| 1d | Rubbish // tango: move like a duck! (7) |
| 2d | At home, dog, small, // suffers (6) |
| 3d | Blows to bring one round? (4,2,4) |
Kiss of life[12] is a chiefly British term for mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
| 4d | Cheat regularly on capsized // mariner (4) |
In the Bible, Noah[5] was a Hebrew patriarch represented as tenth in descent from Adam. According to a story in Genesis he made the ark which saved his family and specimens of every animal from the Flood.
| 5d | Coast road/'s/ my special place (8) |
Cor[5] is an informal British exclamation expressing surprise, excitement, admiration, or alarm ⇒
Cor! That‘s a beautiful black eye you’ve got!.
A corniche[5] is a road cut into the edge of a cliff, especially one running along a coast.
| 6d | Triple rum, hot inside, /could be/ aphrodisiac (7) |
As an anagram indicator, rum[5] is used in a dated informal British sense meaning odd or peculiar ⇒
it’s a rum business, certainly.
A philtre[5] is a love potion, a drink supposed to arouse love and desire for a particular person in the drinker.
| 7d | Chip glass // that's found on bed (11) |
Counterpane[5] is a dated term for a bedspread.
| 9d | HQ // never moving money about (5,6) |
The cent[5] is a monetary unit in various countries*,
equal to one hundredth of a dollar, euro, or other decimal currency
unit. However, in Britain — despite having adopted a decimal currency
system — one hundredth of a pound is known as a penny rather than a cent.
* Collins English Dictionary lists some 85 jurisdictions having the cent[10] as a monetary unit worth one hundredth of their respective standard units (show list ).
American Samoa, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Australia, Austria, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bermuda, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Brunei, Canada, the Cayman Islands, Cyprus, Dominica, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guyana, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Kosovo, Liberia, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, the Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritius, Mayotte, Micronesia, Monaco, Montenegro, Namibia, Nauru, the Netherlands, the Netherlands Antilles, New Zealand, the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Réunion, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, the Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Surinam, Swaziland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, the United States, the Vatican City, the Virgin Islands, and Zimbabwe.
hide
* Collins English Dictionary lists some 85 jurisdictions having the cent[10] as a monetary unit worth one hundredth of their respective standard units (show list ).
American Samoa, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Australia, Austria, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bermuda, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Brunei, Canada, the Cayman Islands, Cyprus, Dominica, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guyana, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Kosovo, Liberia, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, the Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritius, Mayotte, Micronesia, Monaco, Montenegro, Namibia, Nauru, the Netherlands, the Netherlands Antilles, New Zealand, the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Réunion, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, the Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Surinam, Swaziland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, the United States, the Vatican City, the Virgin Islands, and Zimbabwe.
hide
| 12d | Careful // doctor led a tribe east (10) |
| 15d | Jeopardise hosting leader in Ark // Royal (8) |
Scratching the Surface
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| The Ark Royal[7] was an English galleon that served as the English flagship in a number of engagements, including the battles that resulted in the defeat of the Spanish Armada. |
| 17d | Support for execution? (7) |
| 19d | Stay away /from/ a black spot (7) |
| 20d | Shuns // when without space (6) |
| 23d | Exercise outside to compress // muscles (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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