Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29668 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Thursday, May 6, 2021 | |
Setter
Unknown | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29668]
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Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
Kath | |
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
Had the normal rotation been followed, this would have been a RayT puzzle. However, he appears to have taken a day off and we get a substitute setter in his place.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 | Colourless band // that is associated with a DJ (5,3) |
DJ (or dj) is the abbreviation for dinner jacket[10], the British name for a tuxedo, a man's semiformal evening jacket without tails, usually black with a silk facing over the collar and lapels.
A black tie[5] is a black bow tie worn with a dinner jacket.
| 9a | Nag in a fight (8) |
| 10a | Beastly noise by river /in/ a desolate place (4) |
Moor[5] is a chiefly British term for a tract of open uncultivated upland, typically covered with heather.
| 11a | Praise /from/ firm met with a grunt -- working after hours? (12) |
| 13a | Business // to begin -- right for any number to get involved (8) |
"any number " = N [mathematical symbol]
| 15a | Plane crashing close to India // in mountainous territory (6) |
In this clue, the phrase "close to" denotes "next to" rather than "the final letter of".
Nepali[5] is an adjective meaning relating to Nepal* or its language or people [thus "in Nepal"].
* Nepal[5] is a mountainous landlocked country in southern Asia, in the Himalayas (and including Mount Everest).
| 16a | Shut up /in/ quiet part of hospital (4) |
"part of the hospital " = ENT
| 17a | Monster // repulsed in the course of terrible turbulence (5) |
| 18a | Blast // from modern radio echoing (4) |
Blast[5] is an informal British expression of annoyance ⇒
Blast! The car won't start!.
| 20a | Was inclined /to be/ well educated, though neglecting reading? (6) |
The three Rs[5] of reading, writing and arithmetic (reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic) are regarded as the fundamentals of learning ⇒
why couldn't they just leave well alone and let pupils concentrate on the three Rs?.
| 21a | Light support (8) |
| 23a | Race // with dear Charles hiding in shelter (12) |
Chas.[5] is an abbreviation for Charles.
Today, we know a steeplechase[5] as a horse race run on a racecourse having ditches and hedges as jumps. Originally, however, it was a cross country race in which a steeple marked the finishing point.
| 26a | Wander // round surrounded by sheep (4) |
| 27a | Piles are arranged /in/ framework (8) |
An espalier[3] is:
- a tree or shrub that is trained to grow in a flat plane against a wall or trellis, often in a symmetrical pattern; or
- a trellis or other framework on which an espalier is grown.
| 28a | Expecting /to be/ quiet as a ruler (8) |
Quiet reprises its role from 16a.
Down
| 2d | What it's possible to get through when there's difficulty? (8) |
A loophole[5] is an ambiguity or inadequacy in the law or a set of rules. If it is big enough, you can drive a truck through it.
| 3d | Something associated with the pomp of a final musical performance? (12) |
I interpret the clue to be an allusion to the Last Night of the Proms[7], the second half of which traditionally consists of British patriotic pieces including Sir Edward Elgar's "Pomp & Circumstance March No. 1".
The term prom[5] (or Prom) is short for promenade concert[5], a British name for a concert of classical music at which a part of the audience stands in an area without seating, for which tickets are sold at a reduced price. The most famous series of such concerts is the annual BBC Promenade Concerts (known as the Proms), instituted by Sir Henry Wood in 1895.
Note: Prom[5], in the sense of a formal dance, is a North American expression.
The Pomp and Circumstance Marches[7] (full title Pomp and Circumstance Military Marches), Op. 39, are a series of five (or six*) marches for orchestra composed by English composer Sir Edward Elgar (1857–1934).
* Five were completed by Elgar during his lifetime; the sixth was completed posthumously based on work left unfinished at his death.
| 4d | Artist // that is revolutionary (6) |
J. M. W. Turner[5]
(1775–1851) was an English painter; full name Joseph Mallord William
Turner. (show more )
He made his name with landscapes and stormy seascapes, becoming increasingly concerned with depicting the power of light by the use of primary colours, often arranged in a swirling vortex. Notable works: Rain, Steam, Speed (1844); The Fighting Téméraire (1838).
hide
He made his name with landscapes and stormy seascapes, becoming increasingly concerned with depicting the power of light by the use of primary colours, often arranged in a swirling vortex. Notable works: Rain, Steam, Speed (1844); The Fighting Téméraire (1838).
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| 5d | Vessel /in/ underground channel heading off (4) |
| 6d | Awful creep, about ten, // behaving insincerely (8) |
In the definition, "behaving" is a gerund, a verb form [present participle, to be precise] which functions as a noun.
| 7d | Sea creature // some sailor caught (4) |
Orca[5] is another term for killer whale.
| 8d | Removal // from Eden, toil being involved (8) |
Scratching the Surface
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| Eden[5] (also Garden of Eden) is the place where Adam and Eve lived in the biblical account of the Creation, from which they were expelled for disobediently eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge. |
| 12d | Insect // sadly trapped in hole -- hard to get out (12) |
A lepidopteran[5], is a member of Lepidoptera[5], the order of insects that comprises the butterflies and moths.
| 14d | Match /with/ elements of supreme quality (5) |
| 16d | Column // to endure when given external support (8) |
| 17d | Plant /with/ sign of new life daughter and I found in open country (8) |
Buddleia[5] is a widely cultivated shrub with clusters of fragrant lilac, white, or yellow flowers.
Origin: named in honour of English botanist Adam Buddle (died 1715)
| 19d | Engineers try hard /to gain/ control (8) |
| 22d | The person writing leading article that is // ungenerous soul (6) |
"the person writing " = ME
It is a common cryptic crossword convention for the creator of the puzzle to use terms such as (the or this) compiler, (the or this) setter, (the or this) speaker, (this) author, (this) writer, or this person to refer to himself or herself. To solve such a clue, one must generally substitute a first person pronoun (I or ME) for whichever of these terms has been used in the clue.
hide
It is a common cryptic crossword convention for the creator of the puzzle to use terms such as (the or this) compiler, (the or this) setter, (the or this) speaker, (this) author, (this) writer, or this person to refer to himself or herself. To solve such a clue, one must generally substitute a first person pronoun (I or ME) for whichever of these terms has been used in the clue.
hide
| 24d | Spot /with/ exceptional perception an unknown character (4) |
"unknown character " = Y [algebraic notation]
In mathematics (algebra, in particular), an unknown[10] is a variable, or the quantity it represents, the value of which is to be discovered by solving an equation ⇒
In mathematical formulae, unknowns are typically represented symbolically by the letters x, y and z.
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In mathematics (algebra, in particular), an unknown[10] is a variable, or the quantity it represents, the value of which is to be discovered by solving an equation ⇒
3y = 4x + 5 is an equation in two unknowns.
In mathematical formulae, unknowns are typically represented symbolically by the letters x, y and z.
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| 25d | Fish /or/ grouse? (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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