Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29659 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Monday, April 26, 2021 | |
Setter
Campbell (Allan Scott) | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29659]
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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
When I blogged this puzzle on Big Dave's Crossword Blog back in April, the first clue prompted some stimulating banter in the comments relating to the the movie Airplane.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 | George/'s/ firearm I found in bed (9,5) |
George[10] is an informal British name for the automatic pilot in an aircraft.
| 9a | Oven is only partially used /for/ meat (7) |
| 10a | A member after volume, one about // horror story creature (7) |
| 11a | Arrest // sailor following end of altercation (3) |
"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.
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| 12a | Reveal awful pain /is/ constant (11) |
| 14a | Sinister // member of the nobility over in Cyprus (6) |
A peer[5] (see also 13d) is a member of the nobility in Britain or Ireland, comprising the ranks of duke, marquess, earl, viscount, and baron. (show more )
In the British peerage, earldoms and baronies were the earliest to be conferred; dukes were created from 1337, marquesses from the end of the 14th century, and viscounts from 1440. Such peerages are hereditary, although since 1958 there have also been non-hereditary life peerages. All peers were entitled to a seat in the House of Lords until 1999, when their number was restricted to 92 as an interim reform measure.
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In the British peerage, earldoms and baronies were the earliest to be conferred; dukes were created from 1337, marquesses from the end of the 14th century, and viscounts from 1440. Such peerages are hereditary, although since 1958 there have also been non-hereditary life peerages. All peers were entitled to a seat in the House of Lords until 1999, when their number was restricted to 92 as an interim reform measure.
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| 15a | Bakers working in North American // state (8) |
| 17a | Ship that is carrying good // women's wear (8) |
| 19a | Rodent, // second to appear in bazaar (6) |
"second " = MO [short period of time]
Mo[5] (abbreviation for moment) is an informal term* for a short period of time ⇒
* Identified by several British dictionaries as being a British[5][14], chiefly British[2][4], or mainly British[10] term. However, one British[1] and two US dictionaries[11][12] do not specify that it is British. This meaning of the word "mo" is not found in a third US dictionary[3].
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Mo[5] (abbreviation for moment) is an informal term* for a short period of time ⇒
hang on a mo!.
* Identified by several British dictionaries as being a British[5][14], chiefly British[2][4], or mainly British[10] term. However, one British[1] and two US dictionaries[11][12] do not specify that it is British. This meaning of the word "mo" is not found in a third US dictionary[3].
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| 22a | HQ/'s/ courage and heart (5,6) |
| 23a | Party time /for/ Dorothy (3) |
"party " = DO
Do[5,12] is an informal British[5] or chiefly British[12] term* for a party or other social event ⇒
* Although one US dictionary (Webster’s New World College Dictionary[12]) supports the contention by Lexico (Oxford Dictionary of English)[5] that this usage is at least chiefly British, two other US dictionaries[3,11] do not.
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Do[5,12] is an informal British[5] or chiefly British[12] term* for a party or other social event ⇒
the soccer club Christmas do.
* Although one US dictionary (Webster’s New World College Dictionary[12]) supports the contention by Lexico (Oxford Dictionary of English)[5] that this usage is at least chiefly British, two other US dictionaries[3,11] do not.
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| 24a | Resolute // biblical character, leader of army (NT) (7) |
"biblical character " = ADAM
Scratching the Surface
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| In the surface reading, NT is the abbreviation for New Testament. In addition to being a necessary part of the wordplay, this also provides an element of misdirection as Adam actually makes his appearance early in the Old Testament. |
| 26a | Typical // long-standing customer (7) |
| 27a | Deception /of/ criminals taking in prelates abroad (5,9) |
Down
| 1d | Approaching Christmas, my days are numbered (6,8) |
| 2d | Number with clever // sound (7) |
| 3d | Man supporting college principal/'s/ work of art (11) |
A man[5] is a figure or token used in playing a board game ⇒
Mr Kravchuk, who prides himself on his chess-playing prowess, did not give up his man easily.
A piece[5] is a figure or token used to make moves in a board game ⇒
a chess piece.
A master[5] is the head of a college or school.
| 4d | Little rascal/'s/ very difficult question head ignored (6) |
Tinker[5] is an informal British term for a mischievous child ⇒
little tinkers, we were.
| 5d | Incautious // knight (8) |
Cavalier[2] is an archaic term for a horseman or knight.
| 6d | Iris Murdoch's // distinctive doctrine (3) |
Although the 's shows possession in the surface reading, it is a contraction for has in the wordplay.
Scratching the Surface
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| Dame Iris Murdoch[5] (1919–1999) was a British novelist and philosopher, born in Ireland. She is primarily known for her novels, many of which explore complex sexual relationships and spiritual life. Notable novels: The Sandcastle (1957) and The Sea, The Sea (Booker Prize, 1978). |
| 7d | Sources // at home penetrating first of oil rigs (7) |
| 8d | Court officer // upset as garments tear (8-2-4) |
A sergeant-at-arms[2] (also serjeant-at-arms) is an officer of a court or parliament who is responsible for keeping order.
| 13d | Emblem of country/'s/ peerage lads vandalised (6,5) |
The peerage[5] is the nobility in Britain or Ireland as a class, comprising the ranks of duke, marquess, earl, viscount, and baron. (see also 14a)
| 16d | Find a way around // team on stage (8) |
"team " = SIDE
Side[5] is a British term for a sports team ⇒
* Note that, in Britain, a player is said to be "in a side" or "in a team" rather than "on a team" as one would say in North America.
In North America, the term side[3] is used in a very general fashion that can denote one of two or more opposing individuals, groups, teams, or sets of opinions. While this same general usage is also found in the UK, the term side[5] is also used there in a much more specific sense to mean a sports team, as we can clearly see from the following usage examples ⇒ (i)
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Side[5] is a British term for a sports team ⇒
there was a mixture of old and young players in* their side.
* Note that, in Britain, a player is said to be "in a side" or "in a team" rather than "on a team" as one would say in North America.
In North America, the term side[3] is used in a very general fashion that can denote one of two or more opposing individuals, groups, teams, or sets of opinions. While this same general usage is also found in the UK, the term side[5] is also used there in a much more specific sense to mean a sports team, as we can clearly see from the following usage examples ⇒ (i)
Previous England rugby sides, and England teams in many other sports, would have crumbled under the weight of such errors.; (ii)
They'll face better sides than this Monaco team, but you can only beat what's put in front of you.
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| 18d | Group /from/ Ireland -- vehicle shown in article, overturned (7) |
Nirvana[7] was an American rock band formed in 1987. The group disbanded following the suicide of lead singer and founding member Kurt Cobain in 1994.
| 20d | Note // what act has? (6,1) |
| 21d | Irish novelist // frowning on English (6) |
Laurence Sterne[5] (1713–1768) was an Irish novelist. He is best known for his nine-volume work The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy (1759–67), which parodied the developing conventions of the novel form.
| 25d | Girl removing top /is/ a fool (3) |
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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