Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29723 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Friday, July 9, 2021 | |
Setter
proXimal (Steve Bartlett) | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29723]
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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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Introduction
There is little doubt about the authorship of today's puzzle. Even had he not left a comment on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, an X in each of the four quadrants is the the unmistakable hallmark of proXimal.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 | Tell a learner /is/ relaxed (8) |
"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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| 6a | Harry /and/ Queen on stamp (6) |
"Queen " = R [Regina]
Queen may be abbreviated as Q, Qu. or R.
Q[5] is an abbreviation for queen that is used especially in describing play in card games and recording moves in chess.
Qu.[2] is another common abbreviation for Queen.
In the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms*, Regina[5] (abbreviation R[5]) [Latin for queen] denotes the reigning queen, used following a name (e.g. Elizabetha Regina, Queen Elizabeth — often shortened to ER) or in the titles of lawsuits (e.g. Regina v. Jones, the Crown versus Jones — often shortened to R. v. Jones).
* A Commonwealth realm[7] is a sovereign state that is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and shares the same person, currently Elizabeth II, as its head of state and reigning constitutional monarch, but retains a crown legally distinct from the other realms. There are currently sixteen Commonwealth realms, the largest being Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom with the remainder being smaller Caribbean and Pacific island nations.
Thus Queen Elizabeth signs her name as 'Elizabeth R' as seen here on Canada's paint-stained constitution[7].
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Queen may be abbreviated as Q, Qu. or R.
Q[5] is an abbreviation for queen that is used especially in describing play in card games and recording moves in chess.
Qu.[2] is another common abbreviation for Queen.
In the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms*, Regina[5] (abbreviation R[5]) [Latin for queen] denotes the reigning queen, used following a name (e.g. Elizabetha Regina, Queen Elizabeth — often shortened to ER) or in the titles of lawsuits (e.g. Regina v. Jones, the Crown versus Jones — often shortened to R. v. Jones).
* A Commonwealth realm[7] is a sovereign state that is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and shares the same person, currently Elizabeth II, as its head of state and reigning constitutional monarch, but retains a crown legally distinct from the other realms. There are currently sixteen Commonwealth realms, the largest being Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom with the remainder being smaller Caribbean and Pacific island nations.
Thus Queen Elizabeth signs her name as 'Elizabeth R' as seen here on Canada's paint-stained constitution[7].
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Stamp[5] is used in the sense of a characteristic or distinctive impression or quality ⇒
He works alone, without helpers, and every gun that leaves his shop bears the distinctive stamp of a master's work.
Badge[5] is used in the sense of a feature or sign which reveals a particular quality ⇒
philanthropy was regarded as a badge of social esteem.
You could say that the four Xs in the solutions are proXimal's badge or stamp.
| 9a | Part of aircraft soldiers // modify (6) |
| 10a | Race is on to rectify // situation (8) |
| 11a | Straight // students primarily drink pop (4-4) |
Slap-bang[10] is an informal mainly British term* denoting directly or immediately ⇒
Of course, slap-bang in the middle of town the rents are high.
* US equivalent: slam-bang
| 12a | Come down on // press, receiving popular backing (6) |
| 13a | Excess publicity // about show? Definitely (12) |
| 16a | Son has played with top six // players (12) |
| 19a | Accommodation /that's/ popular recluse regularly ignored (6) |
| 21a | Verbally state deal /for/ canvas used in craft (8) |
| 23a | Under obligation // remain with husband from early days (8) |
| 24a | Measure // by figure to block alien (6) |
"alien " = ET [E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial]
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial[7] (often referred to simply as E.T.) is a 1982 American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg. It tells the story of a lonely boy who befriends an extraterrestrial, dubbed "E.T.", who is stranded on Earth. He and his siblings help the extraterrestrial return home while attempting to keep it hidden from their mother and the government.
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E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial[7] (often referred to simply as E.T.) is a 1982 American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg. It tells the story of a lonely boy who befriends an extraterrestrial, dubbed "E.T.", who is stranded on Earth. He and his siblings help the extraterrestrial return home while attempting to keep it hidden from their mother and the government.
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| 25a | Alcohol // diligently on vacation put on cereal (6) |
| 26a | Stay after // farewell call (4,4) |
In the British armed forces, the last post[5] is the second of two bugle calls giving notice of the hour of retiring at night, played also at military funerals and acts of remembrance.
Down
| 2d | Knight noble, Yankee // not quite (6) |
"knight " = N [chess notation]
A knight[5] is a chess piece, typically with its top shaped like a horse’s head, that moves by jumping to the opposite corner of a rectangle two squares by three. Each player starts the game with two knights.
N[5] is the abbreviation for knight used in recording moves in chess [representing the pronunciation of kn-, since the initial letter k- represents 'king'].
As an aside, it is interesting to note that the Chambers 21st Century Dictionary defines:
On the other hand, both The Chambers Dictionary and the Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary list K or K.[1,11] as an abbreviation for knight without specifying the specific context in which this abbreviation is used. However, the context may well be in an honours list rather than in a game of chess. In the UK, for instance, KBE[5] stands for Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
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A knight[5] is a chess piece, typically with its top shaped like a horse’s head, that moves by jumping to the opposite corner of a rectangle two squares by three. Each player starts the game with two knights.
N[5] is the abbreviation for knight used in recording moves in chess [representing the pronunciation of kn-, since the initial letter k- represents 'king'].
As an aside, it is interesting to note that the Chambers 21st Century Dictionary defines:
- K[2] as an abbreviation used in chess for knight.
- K[2] is a symbol used in chess to represent a king.
- N[2] is a symbol used in chess to represent a knight.
On the other hand, both The Chambers Dictionary and the Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary list K or K.[1,11] as an abbreviation for knight without specifying the specific context in which this abbreviation is used. However, the context may well be in an honours list rather than in a game of chess. In the UK, for instance, KBE[5] stands for Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
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An earl[5] is a British nobleman ranking* above a viscount and below a marquess.
* the third highest of the five ranks of British nobility — duke, marquess, earl, viscount, and baron
| 3d | Content to exploit exotic // flower (5) |
Oxlip[5] is the common name of two flowering plants:
- a woodland Eurasian primula with yellow flowers that hang down one side of the stem ⇒
I know a bank where the wild thyme blows, where oxlips and the nodding violet grows…
. - a natural hybrid between a primrose and a cowslip ⇒
The Cowslip Count took place in the spring of 2000 and we received data on over 2,000 places around the UK where cowslips, primroses and false oxlips are growing.
| 4d | Search in boggy place // somewhere in Africa (9) |
Marrakesh is an alternate spelling of Marrakech[5], a city in western Morocco, in the foothills of the High Atlas Mountains. It was founded in 1062 as the capital of the Almoravids.
| 5d | Food /making/ gas rise within passage (7) |
It would seem that lasagne is the preferred British spelling of the Italian dish that, in North America, is more apt to be spelled lasagna*. Of course, in Italy, lasagna is the plural of lasagne[8].
* In British dictionaries, lasagna is listed as an alternative spelling of lasagne[4] while, in North American dictionaries, lasagne is shown as an alternative spelling of lasagna[3].
| 6d | Signal // swimmer in lead to return (5) |
| 7d | Gin mixed with soda is // what doctor might give you (9) |
| 8d | Girl interrupts listener, unknown // agent (8) |
"unknown " = 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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| 13d | Maybe Yoko and John's last English broadcast // without anyone else (2,4,3) |
Yoko Ono[5] is a US musician and artist, born in Japan. She married British musician John Lennon in 1969 and collaborated with him on various experimental recordings.
| 14d | Aggression /from/ cat holding glare (9) |
| 15d | Rebel // base rout destroyed (8) |
| 17d | Minor // extraction of venom in a leg (7) |
| 18d | Devotees /of/ US sitcom first for 'Rachel cut' (6) |
Friends[7] is an American television sitcom which aired for ten seasons from 1994 to 2004.
Scratching the Surface
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| Rachel Green[7], portrayed by
American actress Jennifer Aniston, is one of the six main
characters in Friends. As crypticsue mentions in a comment on Big Dave's Crossword Blog "devotees of the US sitcom did indeed go to the hairdressers and ask for a ‘Rachel cut’". |
| 20d | Tricky to cover bill, // unfortunately (5) |
| 22d | Overturned position is /for/ exercise (3-2) |
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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