Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29709 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Wednesday, June 23, 2021 | |
Setter
NY Doorknob, aka Donnybrook (Paul Bringloe) | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29709]
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Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
2Kiwis | |
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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This puzzle appears on the Monday Diversions page in the Saturday, September 4, 2021 edition of the National Post. | |
Introduction
This is a rare "Wednesday" that is not a Jay creation. However, we were warned some time ago to expect the occasional "Wednesday" puzzle from other setters. I thought this was a fairly typical Jay puzzle although I found one or two clues presented a bit of extra challenge.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 | Further // loan on security (7) |
| 5a | Gifted // small son brought in milk (7) |
| 9a | Alsatian? /Or/ poodle transformed with CGI? (6,3) |
Alsatian[5] is a British name for a German shepherd, a large dog of a breed typically used as guard dogs or for police work.
Scratching the Surface
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CGI[5] is the abbreviation for computer-generated imagery (special visual effects created using computer software) ⇒ fewer real stunts are performed because filmmakers can just use CGI. |
| 10a | Church district not completely /in/ capital (5) |
Paris[5] is the capital of France, on the River Seine.
| 11a | Young forever // lacking regular income? Wife's gone (7) |
| 12a | Scene changed after sailor /gets/ leave (7) |
"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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| 13a | Prescription for Verity? (5,4) |
A truth drug[10,12] (or, especially North American, truth serum) is any of various drugs supposed to have the property of making people tell the truth, as by relaxing them.
Scratching the Surface
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| Verity[7] (and variants such as Veretie, Verety, Verita, Veritie, etc.) is a female first name and a surname. As a first name Verity derives from the Latin feminine noun veritas, meaning "truth". It is thus an equivalent of Alethea, a female first name first used in England circa 1585, derived from an ancient and modern Greek feminine noun meaning "truth". It was adopted in England as a Puritan and Quaker virtue name, truthfulness being considered as a desirable attribute especially in a female, and following a new Protestant tradition of naming children after virtues instead of saints in order to avoid idolatry. Verity is also a surname, which may have more ancient unrelated origins, possibly being a corruption of a similar word. |
| 16a | Clever // comment pedant keeps back (5) |
| 17a | Also have wine, as discussed, // when needed (2,3) |
Hock[5] is a British term for a dry white wine from the German Rhineland.
Ad hoc[5]can be used as either:
- an adverb meaning when necessary or needed ⇒
the group was constituted ad hoc
. - an adjective meaning created or done for a particular purpose as necessary ⇒
the discussions were on an ad hoc basis
.
Origin: Latin, literally 'to this'
| 18a | Lucky escape: // electrician finally making circuit safe (4,5) |
In Britain, earth*[5] means:
- (noun) an electrical connection to the ground, regarded as having zero electrical potential ⇒
ensure metal fittings are electrically bonded to earth
- (verb) to connect (an electrical device) with the ground ⇒
the front metal panels must be soundly earthed
* Being an electrical engineer, I can't help but note the irony that earth[5] is defined by Lexico (Oxford Dictionaries) as a British term meaning an "electrical connection to the ground" and ground[5] as a North American term meaning an "electrical connection to the earth".
| 21a | Drunken peril holding tin: // it's lager! (7) |
The symbol for the chemical element tin is Sn[5] (from late Latin stannum).
Pilsner[5] (also Pilsener) is a lager beer with a strong hop flavour, originally brewed at Pilsen in the Czech Republic.
| 22a | Goddess! // Stop luring me in! (7) |
In Greek mythology, Demeter[5] is the corn* goddess, daughter of Cronus and Rhea and mother of Persephone. She is associated with Cybele and her symbol is typically an ear of corn*. The Eleusinian mysteries were held in honour of her. Her counterpart in Roman mythology is Ceres.
* In Britain, the phrase "ear of corn" does not mean what North Americans would take it to mean. In the UK, corn[5] denotes the chief cereal crop of a district, especially (in England) wheat or (in Scotland) oats. An ear[5] is the seed-bearing head or spike of a cereal plant. Thus in Britain, an "ear of corn" is what we would call a spike of grain. The British name for North American corn[5] is maize, and a North American ear of corn[5] to them would be a head of maize. However, in their inconsistent fashion, they do use the terms popcorn[5], corncob[10] and corn on the cob[5] in the same way we do. Go figure!
| 25a | Anxious // worker safely evacuated (5) |
"worker " = ANT
The terms "worker" and "social worker" are commonly used in cryptic crossword puzzles to clue ANT or BEE.
A worker[5] is a neuter or undeveloped female bee, wasp, ant, or other social insect, large numbers of which do the basic work of the colony.
In crossword puzzles, "worker" will most frequently be used to clue ANT and occasionally BEE but I have yet to see it used to clue WASP. Of course, "worker" is sometimes also used to clue HAND or MAN.
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The terms "worker" and "social worker" are commonly used in cryptic crossword puzzles to clue ANT or BEE.
A worker[5] is a neuter or undeveloped female bee, wasp, ant, or other social insect, large numbers of which do the basic work of the colony.
In crossword puzzles, "worker" will most frequently be used to clue ANT and occasionally BEE but I have yet to see it used to clue WASP. Of course, "worker" is sometimes also used to clue HAND or MAN.
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| 26a | Crewmen given fish: // this seals deal (9) |
The hake[5] is a large-headed elongated fish with long jaws and strong teeth. It is a valuable commercial food fish.
| 27a | Pastry // one very good, coarse and large (7) |
"one very good " = ST [saint]
Aside from being a "one very good" in a religious sense, saint[5] is also an informal term for any very virtuous, kind, or patient person ⇒
The abbreviation for Saint is St*[5] ⇒
* The British do not use a period—or, as they would say, full stop—at the end of abbreviations formed from the initial and final letters of a word.
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Aside from being a "one very good" in a religious sense, saint[5] is also an informal term for any very virtuous, kind, or patient person ⇒
she's a saint to go on living with that man.
The abbreviation for Saint is St*[5] ⇒
St George.
* The British do not use a period—or, as they would say, full stop—at the end of abbreviations formed from the initial and final letters of a word.
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Strudel[5] is a dessert of thin pastry rolled up round a fruit filling and baked.
| 28a | Republican in Senate unusually // sincere (7) |
"Republican " = R [member or supporter of US political party]
A Republican[5] (abbreviation R[5] or Rep.[5]) is a member or supporter of the Republican Party[5], one of the two main US political parties*, favouring a right-wing stance, limited central government, and tough, interventionist foreign policy. It was formed in 1854 in support of the anti-slavery movement preceding the Civil War.
* the other being the Democratic Party
Although, in the UK, republican[5] can refer to an advocate of a united Ireland, the abbreviation does not appear to apply to that usage.
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A Republican[5] (abbreviation R[5] or Rep.[5]) is a member or supporter of the Republican Party[5], one of the two main US political parties*, favouring a right-wing stance, limited central government, and tough, interventionist foreign policy. It was formed in 1854 in support of the anti-slavery movement preceding the Civil War.
* the other being the Democratic Party
Although, in the UK, republican[5] can refer to an advocate of a united Ireland, the abbreviation does not appear to apply to that usage.
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Down
| 1d | Stop after snake /makes for/ pitch (7) |
Asp is a name given to at least four different species of snakes (show more ):
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- the European asp[7], a small southern European viper (Vipera aspis) with an upturned snout.
- the Egyptian cobra[7] (Naja haje), one of the largest cobra species native to Africa, second to the forest cobra (Naja melanoleuca).
- the Saharan horned viper[7] (Cerastes cerastes), a venomous viper species native to the deserts of Northern Africa and parts of the Middle East.
- the Saharan sand viper[7] (Cerastes vipera), also known as the Egyptian asp or Cleopatra's asp, a venomous viper species endemic to the deserts of North Africa and the Sinai Peninsula.
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Pitch[5,7] is a sticky resinous black or dark brown substance that is semi-liquid when hot and hardens when cold which can be natural or manufactured, derived from petroleum, coal tar, or plants. Various forms of pitch may also be called tar, bitumen, or asphalt. Pitch produced from plants is also known as resin.
| 2d | Profit /from/ uranium found in valley (5) |
| 3d | Hotel in pleasant // position (5) |
| 4d | The ultimate consumer? (3-4) |
This is an &lit. clue[7], a clue in which the entire clue is both wordplay (according to one reading) and definition (under a different reading).
| 5d | Moment one // monster and knight seen in land? (3,4) |
"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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Bag[10] is an informal British term meaning to to reserve or secure the right to do or to have something ⇒
he bagged the best chair.
The Big Bang[5] is the rapid expansion of matter from a state of extremely high density and temperature which according to current cosmological theories marked the origin of the universe.
| 6d | Sent a snap to be developed, // incidentally (2,7) |
En passant[5] is an adverb meaning by the way or incidentally.
Origin: French, literally ‘in passing’
| 7d | Tiger seen abroad // where lion holds sway? (9) |
The Serengeti[5] is a vast plain in Tanzania, to the west of the Great Rift Valley. In 1951 the Serengeti National Park was created to protect the area’s large numbers of wildebeest, zebra, and Thomson’s gazelle. It is a place presumably ruled by the King of Beasts.
| 8d | Carefully analyse // underworld worshippers? (7) |
In Roman mythology, Dis[10] is:
- (also called Orcus or Pluto) the god of the underworld;
- the abode of the dead or underworld.
| 14d | Work on furnishings // before magistrate takes case (9) |
| 15d | Cut demand to keep variable // stock (9) |
| 17d | American soft fruit // is exhibited (7) |
| 18d | Arctic swimmer // raced northward with Prince Harry (7) |
Hal and Harry have been nicknames for Henry at least as far back as the days of William Shakespeare.
Henry V[7] is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1599. It tells the story of King Henry V of England, focusing on events immediately before and after the Battle of Agincourt (1415) during the Hundred Years' War. The play is the final part of a tetralogy, preceded by Richard II, Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry IV, Part 2. The original audiences would thus have already been familiar with the title character, who was depicted in the Henry IV plays as a wild, undisciplined lad known as "Prince Harry" and by Falstaff as "Hal".
The narwhal[5] is a small Arctic whale (Monodon monoceros), the male of which has a long forward-pointing spirally twisted tusk developed from one of its teeth.
Scratching the Surface
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| I'm sure the setter would not be disappointed were we to be misdirected into thinking he is referring to a present day Prince Harry. |
| 19d | An eminent Florentine/'s/ unhurried pace? (7) |
Dante[5] (1265–1321), full name Dante Alighieri, was an Italian poet. (show more )
His reputation rests chiefly on The Divine Comedy (c.1309–20), an epic poem describing his spiritual journey through Hell and Purgatory and finally to Paradise. His love for Beatrice Portinari is described in Vita nuova (c.1290–4).
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His reputation rests chiefly on The Divine Comedy (c.1309–20), an epic poem describing his spiritual journey through Hell and Purgatory and finally to Paradise. His love for Beatrice Portinari is described in Vita nuova (c.1290–4).
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Although Dante was born in Florence, he spent the latter part of his life living in forced exile and is buried in Ravenna. [7]
In music, andante[5] is an adverb and adjective meaning (especially as a direction) in a moderately slow tempo.
| 20d | Good skill involves men /producing/ item worn (7) |
| 23d | Some salami served /for/ cheapskate (5) |
| 24d | Occasionally ignored threat of French // business (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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