Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29680 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Thursday, May 20, 2021 | |
Setter
Giovanni (Don Manley) | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29680]
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Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
Miffypops | |
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
I would say that Giovanni produces among the smoothest surfaces of any setter. A great example is 13d in today's puzzle where the wordplay leads so smoothly into the definition that one must work really hard to figure out where the boundary between the two lies.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 | Unorthodox denomination /of/ revolutionary church in street (4) |
| 3a | Good impersonators // mouthed expressions (5) |
| 6a | Cut? // Listen to expert in the surgery (4) |
Surgery[5] is the British term* for a place where a doctor, dentist, or other medical practitioner treats or advises patients.
* North American term: doctor's office, dentist's office, etc.
| 8a | Novel character /making one/ laugh first off -- something fruity by Nordic citizen (11,4) |
Huckleberry "Huck" Finn[7] is a fictional character created by Mark Twain who first appeared in the book The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and is the protagonist and narrator of its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884). Huck also narrates Tom Sawyer Abroad and Tom Sawyer, Detective, two shorter sequels to the first two books.
* Mark Twain[5] (1835–1910) was an American novelist and humorist; pseudonym of Samuel Langhorne Clemens.
Geography Refresher
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| Miffypops may need to brush up on his American geography. In his review on Big Dave Crossword Blog, he situates Huck Finn in the "American Deep South". However, Missouri, where the novel is set, is actually in the American Midwest. |
| 9a | Window // opener in hospital (6) |
Lancet[10] is short for lancet window[10], a narrow window having a lancet arch*.
* a lancet arch[10] (also called acute arch, Gothic arch, pointed arch, ogive) is a narrow acutely pointed arch having two centres of equal radii.
A lancet[10] (also called lance) is a pointed surgical knife with two sharp edges.
| 10a | Go-between // to admire when resolution has been established (8) |
As an anagram indicator, resolve[5] (and derived forms such as resolution) may possibly be being used in the the sense (said of something seen at a distance) to turn into a different form when seen more clearly ⇒
the orange light resolved itself into four roadwork lanterns.
| 11a | Extra money // collected by painter (estimated) (8) |
| 13a | Desperate situations // increase in Civil Service (6) |
CS[5] is an abbreviation for Civil Service[10], the British term for the service responsible for the public administration of the government of a country*.
* It excludes the legislative, judicial, and military branches. Members of the civil service have no official political allegiance and are not generally affected by changes of governments. In Australia and New Zealand — not to mention Canada — the term public service[10] is used instead.
| 15a | It sounds like toothy reptile // spat? (6) |
A spat[5] (usually spats [as they are worn in pairs]) is a short cloth gaiter* covering the instep and ankle.
* A gaiter[5] (usually gaiters [for the same reason as above]) is a protective covering of cloth or leather for the ankle and lower leg ⇒
gaiters to keep snow out of your boots.
Are They Or Aren't They?
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| Although the items depicted in the illustration used by Miffypops in his review are gaiters, I'm somewhat doubtful that they are spats. My understanding is that spats are ankle-length gaiters. |
| 17a | Happen // to regret accompanying space traveller (4,4) |
| 19a | Artist in river /gets/ attire to reduce risk of getting soaked (8) |
"artist " = RA [Royal Academician | Royal Academy]
The River Wear[7] (pronounced WEER to rhyme with fear) in North East England rises in the Pennines and flows eastwards, mostly through County Durham to the North Sea in the City of Sunderland. At 60 mi (97 km) long, it is one of the region's longest rivers.
| 21a | Drink // litres -- our getting drunk without measure of intelligence? (6) |
| 22a | Naughty Adam's a charmer -- ah, terribly, // terribly crazy! (3,2,1,5,4) |
The phrase (as) mad as a March hare[5] is an informal expression denoting (of a person) completely mad or irrational; crazy.
How Do I Parse Thee, Let Me Count The Ways ...
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In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Miffypops parses this clue as:
I'm not going to hurl any brickbats at him as that is exactly the way I parsed the clue. However, in the thread arising from Comment #19 on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, a fairly compelling argument is made that this clue is a charade of two anagrams—that is, an anagram of (naughty) ADAMS + an anagram of (terribly) A CHARMER AH—with the definition being simply "terribly crazy" [Note: I have chosen to show this version]. I say "fairly compelling" because the argument supporting this interpretation involves, in part, the supposition that the setter would not use two modifiers in the definition when one would do. However, if the objective were brevity, might one not equally well argue that the setter would not use two anagram indicators when one would do? |
| 23a | Pollutes // a planet (4) |
| 24a | Agreement to finish early -- // something to enjoy (5) |
| 25a | A specialist in education /is/ lying (4) |
A Bachelor of Education[7] (B.Ed.) is an undergraduate professional degree which prepares students for work as a teacher in schools.
Down
| 1d | Retirees finally relaxing, /making/ money no more (9) |
Until the introduction of the euro in 2002, the schilling[5] was the basic monetary unit of Austria, equal to 100 groschen.
| 2d | Clown -- crazy person, // a fair attraction? (7) |
Coco the Clown, arguably the most famous clown in the United Kingdom in the mid-20th century, was the professional persona of Latvian*-born British circus performer Nicolai Poliakoff[7] (1900–1974). His son Michael Polakovs[7] (1923– 2009) carried on the tradition, performing under the name of Coco the Clown in the US.
* at that time part of the Russian Empire
The cryptic definition is an allusion to the British fairground amusement known as a coconut shy[2,5], a stall where people throw* balls at coconuts to try to knock them off stands and thereby win a prize. As the coconuts are targets, one could say they attract the balls thrown by the fairgoers.
* Shy[5] is a dated term meaning:
- (noun) an act of flinging or throwing something at a target
- (verb) to fling or throw (something) at a
target ⇒
he tore the spectacles off and shied them at her
| 3d | A big beast // stars (5,4) |
The Great Bear[5] is the anglicized name of the constellation Ursa Major[5], one of the largest and most prominent northern constellations. The seven brightest stars form a familiar formation known in the UK as the Plough or Charles's Wain and in North America as the Big Dipper, and include the Pointers.
| 4d | Appropriate /having/ terrible temper to keep quiet (3-4) |
| 5d | Bit of rubbish in hut // (the tiniest bit) (5) |
| 6d | Pessimistic // sort of believer hiding accomplishment (9) |
A deist[2] is someone who believes in the existence of God without acceptance of any religion or message revealed by God to man*.
* as opposed to a theist[2] who believes in the existence of God or a god, especially one revealed supernaturally to humans.
| 7d | Trick performed /brings/ excuse (7) |
| 12d | New sensation /for/ Europeans (9) |
An Estonian is a native or inhabitant of Estonia[5], a Baltic country on the south coast of the Gulf of Finland. (show more )
Previously ruled by the Teutonic Knights and then by Sweden, Estonia was ceded to Russia in 1721. It was proclaimed an independent republic in 1918 but was annexed by the USSR in 1940 as a constituent republic, the Estonian SSR. With the break-up of the Soviet Union Estonia regained its independence in 1991.
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Previously ruled by the Teutonic Knights and then by Sweden, Estonia was ceded to Russia in 1721. It was proclaimed an independent republic in 1918 but was annexed by the USSR in 1940 as a constituent republic, the Estonian SSR. With the break-up of the Soviet Union Estonia regained its independence in 1991.
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| 13d | Firm understood to be sacking leader // colluding in crime (9) |
| 14d | Leader /making/ a sharp point (9) |
| 16d | A learner meeting a couple of graduates // somewhere in America (7) |
"learner " = L [driver under instruction]
The cryptic crossword convention of L meaning learner or student arises from the L-plate[7], a square plate bearing a sans-serif letter L, for learner, which must be affixed to the front and back of a vehicle in various jurisdictions (including the UK) if its driver is a learner under instruction.
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The cryptic crossword convention of L meaning learner or student arises from the L-plate[7], a square plate bearing a sans-serif letter L, for learner, which must be affixed to the front and back of a vehicle in various jurisdictions (including the UK) if its driver is a learner under instruction.
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| Automobile displaying an L-plate |
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| 17d | My herb /in/ a floral arrangement (7) |
Cor[5] is an informal British exclamation expressing surprise, excitement, admiration, or alarm ⇒
Cor! That‘s a beautiful black eye you’ve got!.
What did he say?
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In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Miffypops instructs us to start with aBlimey[5] (also cor blimey) is an informal British exclamation used to express surprise, excitement, or alarm.three-letter word meaning my or blimey. Another variant of this term is gorblimey[5], an informal expression of surprise or indignation. |
| 18d | What's good in a crumble? // Nonsense! (7) |
Rhubarb[5] is an informal British term denoting nonsense* ⇒
it was all rhubarb, about me, about her daughter, about art.
* This usage may well come from the world of British theatre where the term rhubarb[5] refers to the noise made by a group of actors to give the impression of indistinct background conversation, especially by the random repetition of the word ‘rhubarb’.
| 20d | Faithful // old lover has to behave (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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