Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29652 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Saturday, April 17, 2021 | |
Setter
Chris Lancaster (Telegraph Puzzles Editor) | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29652 – Hints]Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29652 – Review] | |
Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
Tilsit (Hints)crypticsue (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
This puzzle appeared in the UK on the day of Prince Philip's funeral. That knowledge may be of some assistance in solving the puzzle.The term Nina comes from the practice of American caricaturist Al Hirschfeld[7] (1903 – 2003) to hide the name of his daughter Nina in his drawings. You can read more on this subject in the article What is a Nina? on the Crossword Unclued website.
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 | Royal // figure with bond he'd built across UK? (4,2,9) |
A royal[5] is a member of the royal family ⇒
the royals are coming under the TV microscope.
| 9a | Trim // sailor, somewhere high (7) |
"sailor " = AB [able seaman]
In the Royal Navy, according to Lexico (Oxford Dictionary of English), able seaman[5] (abbreviation AB[5]), is a rank of sailor above ordinary seaman and below leading seaman. On the other hand, Collins English Dictionary tells us that an able seaman[10] (also called) is an ordinary seaman, especially one in the merchant navy, who has been trained in certain skills.
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In the Royal Navy, according to Lexico (Oxford Dictionary of English), able seaman[5] (abbreviation AB[5]), is a rank of sailor above ordinary seaman and below leading seaman. On the other hand, Collins English Dictionary tells us that an able seaman[10] (also called) is an ordinary seaman, especially one in the merchant navy, who has been trained in certain skills.
hide
| 10a | Danger signals // exposed Malay spirits (7) |
Alarum[5] is an archaic term for alarm.
| 11a | Film // hen, perhaps (5) |
| 12a | Part of tyre factory/'s/ routine (9) |
Tyre[5] is the British spelling of tire (in the sense of an automobile component).
| 14a | Row about fresh // contract (4,2) |
| 16a | International team's second to wear unusual silver // uniforms (8) |
Livery[5] is a special uniform worn by a servant, an official, or a member of a City Company* ⇒ (i)
yeomen of the guard wearing a royal red and gold livery; (ii)
pageboys in scarlet and green livery.
* City Company[5] is a British term for a corporation descended from an ancient trade guild of London
| 18a | Records go /in/ artistic production (8) |
In the wordplay, "records" is a verb.
| 19a | Workshop /with/ boss I love (6) |
A boss[5] is a stud on the centre of a shield.
"love " = O [nil score in tennis]
In tennis, squash, and some other sports, love[5] is a score of zero or nil ⇒
Although folk etymology has connected the word with French l'oeuf 'egg', from the resemblance in shape between an egg and a zero, the term apparently comes from the phrase play for love (i.e. the love of the game, not for money).
hide
In tennis, squash, and some other sports, love[5] is a score of zero or nil ⇒
love fifteen. The resemblance of a zero written as a numeral (0) to the letter O leads to the cryptic crossword convention of the word "love" being used to clue this letter.
Although folk etymology has connected the word with French l'oeuf 'egg', from the resemblance in shape between an egg and a zero, the term apparently comes from the phrase play for love (i.e. the love of the game, not for money).
hide
| 21a | Parking licence /is/ commonplace (9) |
A commonplace[5] (noun) is a trite saying or topic; in other words, a platitude ⇒
it is a commonplace to talk of the young being alienated.
| 25a | Occasionally asked after low // creature (5) |
| 27a | Folding business? (7) |
Origami[5] is the Japanese art of folding paper into decorative shapes and figures.
| 28a | Sign of hesitation entering museum // gallery (7) |
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.
Gallery[2] is used in the sense of a a covered walkway open on one or both sides.
| 29a | Finally resting, sleeps with grace, tho' moving // service here? (2,7,6) |
St George's Chapel[7] at Windsor Castle in England was the site of Prince Philip's funeral.
Down
| 1d | Terribly idle lad // rang (7) |
| 2d | 1000 lines welcoming Queen /in/ Irish county (5) |
Ry[5] is the abbreviation for railway.
"Queen " = ER [regnal cipher of Queen Elizabeth]
The regnal ciphers (monograms) of British monarchs are initials formed from the Latin version of their first name followed by either Rex or Regina (Latin for king or queen, respectively). Thus, the regnal cipher of Queen Elizabeth is ER[5] — from the Latin Elizabetha Regina.
* A cipher[5] (also cypher) is a monogram[5] or motif of two or more interwoven letters, typically a person's initials, used to identify a personal possession or as a logo.
hide
The regnal ciphers (monograms) of British monarchs are initials formed from the Latin version of their first name followed by either Rex or Regina (Latin for king or queen, respectively). Thus, the regnal cipher of Queen Elizabeth is ER[5] — from the Latin Elizabetha Regina.
* A cipher[5] (also cypher) is a monogram[5] or motif of two or more interwoven letters, typically a person's initials, used to identify a personal possession or as a logo.
hide
Kerry[5] (also County Kerry) is a county of the Republic of Ireland, on the south-western coast in the province of Munster.
| 3d | Instructions to take on 51 English // hospital workers (9) |
| 4d | Get rid of // ultimately vile joke for the audience (5) |
| 5d | Angry // group of proletarians turned up (5) |
| 6d | Offer to purchase artist/'s/ twisted material (5) |
| 7d | I endure if playing // like Germany? (9) |
| 8d | Problems /of/ husband left surrounded by fools (7) |
| 13d | Broadcast // race, then hack (7) |
Hack[5] is used in the sense of a writer or journalist producing dull, unoriginal work.
| 15d | Attractive // part of bowler's job (9) |
Unlike baseball umpires, cricket umpires do not deliver a decision unless one is requested by the fielding side. If the fielding side believes a batsman is out, the fielding side must appeal[7], by asking "How's that?"(HowzThatt), "Wot Wot" or "How was he?" (or by any other means that either umpire deems to be a method of appealing).
The
umpire's response is either to raise his index finger above his head to
indicate that the batsman is out, or to clearly say "not out", which is
usually accompanied with a shake of the head. The 'out' signal is the
only signal that if indicated by the striker's end umpire, does not
require confirmation by the bowler's end umpire.| 17d | Delicately built type // destroyed room etc over pub (9) |
An ectomorph[5] is a person with a lean and delicate build of body ⇒
If you are now starting a fitness programme, it is a good idea for you to know what is your body type - mesomorph, ectomorph, endomorph, or a cross between two types.
| 18d | Those in charge /of/ champion boxers? (3,4) |
| 20d | Complete // position of 'w' in 'wall'? (7) |
| 22d | Bad hairdo -- run out /in/ such a state (5) |
"run " = R [cricket notation]
Scratching the Surface
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| The surface reading may allude to the dismissal of a batsman in cricket. Run out[7] denotes the dismissal of a batsman by hitting a wicket with the ball while the batsman is out of his ground (show explanation
) while running. Should this occur while the batsman is out of his
ground for any reason other than running, the batsman would be said to
have been stumped rather than run out.
Being "out of his ground"[7] is defined as not having any part of the batsman's body or his bat touching the ground behind the popping crease. * In cricket, a crease[10] is any of three lines (bowling crease, popping crease, or return crease) near each wicket marking positions for the bowler or batsman. Note that, in cricket, a crease is a line—not an area as it is in (ice) hockey and lacrosse. Thus, in cricket, a batsman is said to be "at the crease"—unlike hockey or lacrosse, where a player is said to be "in the crease". hide |
| 23d | American ruler loses kilo // exercising (5) |
| 24d | Some kneel, visiting // singer (5) |
| 26d | Admit // adult leaving Greece (3,2) |
As a deletion indicator, leaving[5] is used in the sense of abandoning (a spouse or partner) ⇒
her boyfriend left her for another woman.
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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