Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29663 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Friday, April 30, 2021 | |
Setter
silvanus | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29663]
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Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
Deep Threat | |
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, July 17, 2021 edition of the National Post. | |
Introduction
Today's offering from silvanus is a real treat of a puzzle although my lack of familiarity with Indian cooking proved to be my undoing.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 | Sky feature, // series inspiring a popular book (7) |
"book " = B
The abbreviation for book is b[1] (or b.[1]) or B[12].*
* Although neither of the two dictionaries in which a listing for this abbreviation is found provide information on the context in which it is used, I would guess that it might be in publishing, in particular in bibliographies or footnotes and endnotes in academic works when referencing one or more books in a series of books ⇒
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The abbreviation for book is b[1] (or b.[1]) or B[12].*
* Although neither of the two dictionaries in which a listing for this abbreviation is found provide information on the context in which it is used, I would guess that it might be in publishing, in particular in bibliographies or footnotes and endnotes in academic works when referencing one or more books in a series of books ⇒
see b. 3, p. 233.
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Scratching the Surface
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| Sky plc*[7]
is a pan-European telecommunications company with headquarters in
London that is engaged in satellite broadcasting, on-demand internet streaming
media, broadband and telephone services.
* the designation plc stands for public limited company[7] (show more )
The designation plc (standing for public limited company[7]) is used in the UK, some Commonwealth jurisdictions, and the Republic of Ireland. The term "public limited company" and the "PLC"/"plc" suffix were introduced in 1981; prior to this, all limited companies bore the suffix "Limited" ("Ltd."), which is still used by private limited companies. hide |
| 5a | Husband Bill feeds pigs /and/ dogs (7) |
Bill[2] is used in the sense of an advertising poster.
| 9a | Duke describes worker as // a Walter Mitty character (9) |
"worker " = ANT
The terms "worker" and "social worker" are commonly used in cryptic crossword puzzles to clue ANT or BEE.
A worker[5] is a neuter or undeveloped female bee, wasp, ant, or other social insect, large numbers of which do the basic work of the colony.
In crossword puzzles, "worker" will most frequently be used to clue ANT and occasionally BEE but I have yet to see it used to clue WASP. Of course, "worker" is sometimes also used to clue HAND or MAN.
hide
The terms "worker" and "social worker" are commonly used in cryptic crossword puzzles to clue ANT or BEE.
A worker[5] is a neuter or undeveloped female bee, wasp, ant, or other social insect, large numbers of which do the basic work of the colony.
In crossword puzzles, "worker" will most frequently be used to clue ANT and occasionally BEE but I have yet to see it used to clue WASP. Of course, "worker" is sometimes also used to clue HAND or MAN.
hide
Walter Mitty[7] is a fictional character in James Thurber's first short story "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty". Mitty is a meek, mild man with a vivid fantasy life. The story was first published in The New Yorker in 1939, and in book form in My World—and Welcome to It in 1942. It was made into a film in 1947 starring Danny Kaye, with a remake directed by, and starring Ben Stiller released in 2013.
| 10a | Civilian // militia, unfit for training, it's initially ... (5) |
The Chambers Dictionary defines mufti[1] as the civilian dress of someone who wears a uniform when on duty; plain clothes; a civilian*.
* In my entire collection of dictionaries, The Chambers Dictionary is the only one to list this latter meaning.
| 11a | ... helping // what current soldiers are doing? (7) |
| 12a | I hurried around in pursuit of small // cocktail (7) |
A sidecar[5] is a cocktail of brandy and lemon juice with orange liqueur.
Pulling Up Short
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I'm afraid Deep Threat's explanation of the wordplay on Big Dave's Crossword Blog falls a bit short. He neglected to account for the first letter in the solution. The parsing should be:
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| 13a | In tears, lady badly // corrupted (3,6) |
| 16a | Smallest // born escapes from animal by lake (5) |
| 17a | Walls of emerald upset my // colour scheme (5) |
Cor[5] is an informal British exclamation expressing surprise, excitement, admiration, or alarm ⇒
Cor! That‘s a beautiful black eye you’ve got!.
| 18a | Former college welcomes politician, old American, // in grand manner (9) |
Poly[5] is short for polytechnic[5], a dated British term* for an institution of higher education offering courses at degree level or below, especially in vocational subjects.
* In Britain the term polytechnic has largely dropped out of use. In 1989 British polytechnics gained autonomy from local education authorities and in 1992 were able to call themselves universities.
"politician " = MP
"old " = O [linguistics]
In linguistics, O[12] is the abbreviation for Old ⇒ (i)
However, a second entry from this same source shows o (lower case) meaning old (not capitalized) suggesting that the use of this abbreviation may not necessarily be confined to the field of linguistics.
Another possibility arises from the British abbreviation OAP[5] standing for old-age pensioner.
hide
In linguistics, O[12] is the abbreviation for Old ⇒ (i)
OFr[Old French]; (ii)
OE[Old English].
However, a second entry from this same source shows o (lower case) meaning old (not capitalized) suggesting that the use of this abbreviation may not necessarily be confined to the field of linguistics.
Another possibility arises from the British abbreviation OAP[5] standing for old-age pensioner.
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| 21a | Craft in stone // Madonna holding child (7) |
"Craft in stone" is a cryptic way of expressing "a craft that involves working in stone".
Madonna[10] (a term used mainly in the Roman Catholic Church) is a designation of the Virgin Mary.
| 22a | Burden // on farmers originally facing bad weather (7) |
Burden[5] is an archaic name for the refrain or chorus of a song.
Scratching the Surface
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| Far from seeing it as a burden, I am sure farmers are rejoicing at the current spell of rainy weather. |
| 25a | Assess // fruit across Ukraine's capital (5) |
Gage[5] is another name for greengage[5], a sweet greenish fruit resembling a small plum.
| 26a | Different // hybrid of white rose (9) |
| 27a | A little surprised at Edith /being/ given tranquillisers (7) |
| 28a | Claiming soldiers last played // sad musical pieces (7) |
Down
| 1d | No, // not something a showjumper wants? (7) |
A refusal[5] is an instance of a horse stopping short or running aside at a jump ⇒
Dollar Girl hit several fences and had a refusal.
| 2d | Middle // son keeps away from wrongdoer (5) |
| 3d | Reportedly canal boat pilot /is making/ spicy snack (5) |
Bargee[5] is a British term for a person in charge of or working on a barge.
In Indian cuisine, a bhaji[5] is a small flat cake or ball of vegetables, fried in batter.
The word "bargee" , when pronounced in a non-rhotic accent (show explanation
) typical of dialects found in many parts of Britain (especially
southeastern England), sounds like "bhaji" .
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
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.
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| 4d | One complaining /of/ coach ultimately punching footballer (7) |
A winger[5] is an attacking player positioned near to one of the sidelines in soccer [aka association football or (to Brits) simply football], [field] hockey, and other sports.
Here and There
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| Whereas North Americans merely whine, it would seem that Brits both whine and whinge. Whinge[5] is an informal British term that means:
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| 5d | Is fairly discontented after school test // answer (7) |
The test referred to in the clue is not the SAT[7] (Scholastic Aptitude Test or Scholastic Assessment Test), a Reasoning Test taken by high school students in the United States for admission into colleges.
Rather, it is the National Curriculum assessments[7], a series of educational assessments, colloquially known as Sats or SATs, used to assess the attainment of children attending maintained schools* in England. They comprise a mixture of teacher-led and test-based assessment depending on the age of the pupils.
* In England and Wales, a maintained school[5] is a school that is funded by a local education authority. In North America, such a school would be called a public school. However, in the UK, the term public school is used for a special class of independent school. (read more )
In Britain, an independent school[10] is a school that is neither financed nor controlled by the government or local authorities; in other words, an independent school[2] is not paid for with public money and does not belong to the state school system.
A private school[2,5] is a special case of independent school, being a school run independently by an individual or group, especially for profit and supported wholly by the payment of fees.
A public school[2] is yet another class of independent school, a secondary school, especially a boarding school run independently of the state, financed by a combination of endowments and pupils' fees.
What we in North America would call a public school[2], is known in the UK as a state school[5] or a maintained school*.
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In Britain, an independent school[10] is a school that is neither financed nor controlled by the government or local authorities; in other words, an independent school[2] is not paid for with public money and does not belong to the state school system.
A private school[2,5] is a special case of independent school, being a school run independently by an individual or group, especially for profit and supported wholly by the payment of fees.
A public school[2] is yet another class of independent school, a secondary school, especially a boarding school run independently of the state, financed by a combination of endowments and pupils' fees.
What we in North America would call a public school[2], is known in the UK as a state school[5] or a maintained school*.
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| 6d | Marian periodically raised fuss about sick // creature (9) |
| 7d | Bad international spies, extremely lawless // government agents, say (9) |
Off[10] (said of food or drink) means having gone bad, sour, etc ⇒
this milk is off.
| 8d | Mistake over blocking comedy sketch /displaying/ root vegetable (7) |
Skirret[5] is An East Asian plant of the parsley family, formerly cultivated in Europe for its edible carrot-like root.
| 14d | Daughter supports sad hunch about // small dog (9) |
| 15d | File on hospital department /is/ rigorous (9) |
"hospital department " = ENT
| 17d | Mother declines // sum awarded by court (7) |
| 18d | Pale yew, so good now and again /as/ boarding material (7) |
Boarding[5] denotes long, flat, thin pieces of wood used to build or cover something ⇒
The investigator then pressed his face against the weathered boarding, his eye even with the hole.
| 19d | US police officer // alarms suspect outside hotel (7) |
Marshal[5] is a US term for a federal or municipal law-enforcement officer.
| 20d | Keen, say, to vary // bets (7) |
Yankee[5] is an informal term for a bet on four or more horses to win (or be placed) in different races.
Delving Deeper
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| According to The Chambers Dictionary, a Yankee[1] (also Yankee bet) is a multiple bet on four horses in four races, consisting of six doubles*, four trebles**, and one accumulator***. * a double[1] is a combined bet on two races, stake and winnings from the first being bet on the second ** a treble[2] is a type of cumulative bet that involves the better choosing three horses from three different races; the original stake money plus any winnings from the first race then goes on the horse from the second race, after which, if the second horse wins, the total is laid on the horse from the third race *** accumulator[2] (also accumulator bet) is a British term for a bet on four or more races, where the original money bet and any money won are bet on the next race, so that the better either wins a lot of money or loses it all |
| 23d | Meeting // in favour of you finally having minutes (5) |
| 24d | Strange // story in article (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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