Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29664 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Saturday, May 1, 2021 | |
Setter
Unknown | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29664 – Hints]Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29664 – 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
On Big Dave's Crossword Blog, plenty of bets are placed on Cephas (Peter Chamberlain) as the setter of this puzzle. However, late in the day he drops by and denies authorship.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 | Nothing perceptible initially, standing /in/ shadow (10) |
Shadow[5] (usually as a modifier) is a British term* for the opposition counterpart of a government minister or ministry ⇒
the shadow Chancellor**.
* I am quite sure this term is also used in Canada
** The Chancellor of the Exchequer[5] (Chancellor[5] for short) is the chief finance minister of the United Kingdom, who prepares the nation’s annual budgets—a counterpart to the Minister of Finance in Canada or the Secretary of the Treasury in the US.
| 6a | Meat // plans rejected (4) |
| 9a | A step wasn't awkward /in/ elasticated trousers (10) |
Elasticated[5] is a British term meaning (of a garment or part of a garment) made with rubber thread or tape and able to be stretched easily ⇒
trousers with elasticated waists.
Sorting out the pants
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Britain, the word pants[5] generally does not mean trousers* as it does in North America. Rather, it refers to underwear — specifically men's undershorts or women's panties (the latter otherwise known as knickers[5] to the Brits). * Then again, this may not have always been the case or may not be true in all parts of the UK as evidenced by the following observation made by Lincoln Latic in a comment on my review of DT 28909 on Big Dave's Crossword Blog: I didn’t see this [pants used as a synonym for trousers] as an Americanism. I grew up in the northwest of England (before the big influx of Americanisms into the language) and ‘pants’ was the usual term for trousers. You had short pants as a real youngster then progressed into long pants as you got older which for most of us was when you were nearly at the end of primary school probably around aged 9 or 10. What most people consider ‘pants’ refers to now, were called underpants because they went under your pants. * After writing this, I discover Jane (in Comment #17 on Big Dave's Crossword Blog) saying "Really don’t like the American term at 9a, quite off-putting!". A bit more research turned up the fact that The Chambers Dictionary considers sweatpants[1] to be an especially US term and Chambers 21st Century Dictionary deems sweat pants[2] to be an especially North American term. British English is certainly anything but consistent! |
| 10a | Test // returns in regular order (4) |
| 12a | Steed struggling with back in fact // can't stand (6) |
| 13a | Turning out /to be/ appropriate (8) |
| 15a | Nice unmarried woman? (12) |
Nice[5] is a resort city on the French Riviera, near the border with Italy.
The French word for miss (unmarried woman) is mademoiselle[8].
| 18a | One's inclined // to use admin in building (12) |
The answer to the clue is not necessarily inclined—some can be quite vertical. The clue could have been more accurately phrased:
- One may be inclined to use admin in building (12)
| 21a | Prepares tomatoes perhaps, /and/ other items? (8) |
Unlike Tilsit in his hints on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, I have not marked this clue as a double definition as the first part does not satisfy the specified numeration (being a hyphenated word). After writing this, I see that this point also appears in the comments on Big Dave's site.
| 22a | Reportedly, gangs // drift along (6) |
| 24a | I rip off // image (4) |
| 25a | Constable would have had one // tidying up trash in pub (10) |
John Constable[5] (1776–1837) was an English painter. Among his best-known works are early paintings such as Flatford Mill (1817) and The Hay Wain (1821), inspired by the landscape of his native Suffolk.
| 26a | Charming man, // spy needing no introduction (4) |
| 27a | Polish // were fine men, though not entirely (10) |
Down
| 1d | Performing team // not anticipating referee's whistle? (6) |
"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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I interpret this clue to be a descriptive definition; that is, it describes a situation in soccer (or hockey, for that matter) in which the attacking team would not expect a referee (or linesman) to blow their whistle.
In sports such as soccer, rugby or hockey, onside[5] denotes occupying a position where playing the ball or puck is allowed; not offside.
On Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Tilsit marks this clue as a double definition in his hints with the first definition being "One where the team is playing". I'm afraid that I really don't follow that. The wordplay is clearly a charade as crypticsue shows in her review. This point is also the subject of comments on Big Dave's site.
| 2d | Poster designed // quickly (6) |
| 3d | Going around island, day works // fine (12) |
It takes a bigger island
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| You need the two-letter abbreviation for island—not the single letter abbreviation shown by crypticsue in her review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog. |
| 4d | Catch // not entirely lifted (4) |
Scratching the Surface
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| In the surface reading, I would say that catch[5] is used in the sense of a device for securing something such as a door, window or box. |
| 5d | Where television aerial is usually // free (2,3,5) |
I see the first part of the clue as a descriptive definition, much in the same vein as 1d.
| 7d | Trace // page, piece of newspaper? (8) |
| 8d | Mat originally straightened, // dragged through the mud (8) |
| 11d | Great // message about drone is broadcast (12) |
A cable[10] (also called overseas telegram, international telegram, or cablegram) is a telegram sent abroad by submarine cable, radio, communications satellite, or by telephone line.
| 14d | Due to leave centre, release // planned (10) |
| 16d | Wonderful // hitting tennis ball hard (8) |
Smashing[5] is an informal British expression* meaning excellent or wonderful.
| 17d | Reject // change, unhappy (4,4) |
Change as do the leaves in autumn.
| 19d | Unable to speak about fashionable // time (6) |
| 20d | Very popular // ruby stolen (3-3) |
| 23d | Testament maintained by perfect // opponent (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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