Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29712 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Saturday, June 26, 2021 | |
Setter
chalicea (Shirley Curran) | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29712 – Hints]Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29712 – 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
This puzzle generated much confusion—both when it originally appeared in the UK in June and in my mind now.Usually when there are multiple versions of clues, it is because a problem is discovered with the clue after the print edition of The Daily Telegraph has been released. In such cases, the clue is corrected on the Telegraph Puzzles website but, of course, cannot be corrected in the print edition of the newspaper which has already been printed. This results in the existence of two versions of the clue.
However, in the case of today's puzzle, a different scenario unfolded. The correct puzzle was printed but an earlier draft was initially posted on the Telegraph Puzzles website. While the correct version was eventually posted on the website, anyone who had downloaded the puzzle prior to the change had the "incorrect" version of the clues.
Last evening, when I became aware of the existence of a second version of the puzzle, I jumped to the conclusion that the incorrect version had appeared in the print edition of The Daily Telegraph and would therefore be the one to be published (as is invariably the case) by the National Post. Last evening, I posted a warning that there would likely be errors in the puzzle published in the National Post. However, this morning I was astounded to see that the National Post had printed the correct clues. Still unaware of the full story, I revised last evening's post. Further research led me to an understanding of the full story and yet another revision to last evening's post.
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 | Declined // rubbish diamonds (7) |
| 5a | Army securing large essentially superior // case for weapon (7) |
| 9a | Stick /with/ cold response one's covered up with lip (9) |
A tic[2] is a habitual nervous involuntary movement or twitch of a muscle, especially of the face.
Are tics a response to stimuli? I found the following definition in a paper in a medical journal:
Stimulus-bound tics (SBTs) belong to stimulus-induced behaviors and are
defined as tics that occur in response to internal or external stimuli.
Based on the maxim "the exception proves the rule", one must conclude that not all tics are a response to stimuli. If they were, there would be no need to define a special category of tics that are a response to stimuli.
Stick[5] is an informal British term denoting severe criticism or treatment ⇒
I took a lot of stick from the press.
| 10a | Notions // partly guide assistants (5) |
| 11a | Pave with stones /and/ waterproofing material (5) |
Pitch[5,11] means to pave (a road) with stones ⇒
another sort of stone is used for pitching streets.
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.
Pitch was traditionally used to help caulk the seams of wooden sailing vessels, and to coat earthenware vessels for the preservation of wine. Pitch is also used in the waterproofing of wooden containers, the making of torches, the polishing of high-quality optical lenses and mirrors, and in jewellery making.
| 12a | Shaver/'s/ strangely gone rusty (9) |
| 13a | Trembling, // chant about winter in Paris (9) |
The French word for 'winter' is hiver[8].
Alternative Clue
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The clue that originally appeared on the Telegraph Puzzles website was:
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| 16a | Portion /of/ pastry dish with starters of chicken and egg (5) |
| 17a | Characteristic /of/ drink of beer with nothing in it (5) |
| 18a | Lost /and/ found note with too much inside (9) |
Found[5] is used in the sense of to make (an article) by melting and moulding metal.
| 20a | Style of music /in/ clubs Callas is performing (9) |
Scratching the Surface
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| Maria Callas[5] (1923–1977) was an American-born operatic soprano, of Greek parentage; born Maria Cecilia Anna Kalageropoulos. She was a coloratura soprano whose bel canto style of singing was especially suited to 19th-century Italian opera. |
Alternative Clue
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The clue that originally appeared on the Telegraph Puzzles website was:
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| 23a | Additional // craft recalled by one-time partner (5) |
| 25a | Sprite/'s/ pretty unknown (5) |
"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.
hide
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.
hide
| 26a | Unable to part, detective leaves // unseen (9) |
"detective " = DI [detective inspector]
A detective inspector (abbrevation DI[5]) is a senior police officer in the UK. Within the British police, inspector[7] is the second supervisory rank. It is senior to that of sergeant, but junior to that of chief inspector. Plain-clothes detective inspectors are equal in rank to their uniformed counterparts, the prefix 'detective' identifying them as having been trained in criminal investigation and being part of or attached to their force's Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
hide
A detective inspector (abbrevation DI[5]) is a senior police officer in the UK. Within the British police, inspector[7] is the second supervisory rank. It is senior to that of sergeant, but junior to that of chief inspector. Plain-clothes detective inspectors are equal in rank to their uniformed counterparts, the prefix 'detective' identifying them as having been trained in criminal investigation and being part of or attached to their force's Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
hide
| 27a | Worry /of/ short show before noon (7) |
| 28a | Superlatively gloomy // day ship set out (7) |
Ark[5] is an archaic name for a ship or boat. The best known example is undoubtedly Noah's ark[5], the ship in which Noah, his family, and the animals were saved from the Flood, according to the biblical account (Genesis 6–8).
Down
| 1d | Unusually precise // instructions (7) |
| 2d | On the radio, feeble // pretence (5) |
A feint[5] is a deceptive or pretended blow, thrust, or other movement, especially in boxing or fencing.
Alternative Clue
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|---|---|
The clue that originally appeared on the Telegraph Puzzles website was:
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| 3d | Most insignificant // website regularly supporting insult (9) |
| 4d | United over Yankee // god (5) |
| 5d | German citizen/'s/ fast food (9) |
I think the setter is whimsically suggesting that a citizen of the German city of Hamburg might be known as a Hamburger.
In fact, in German, a male citizen of Hamburg[7] is known as a Hamburger and a female citizen is a Hamburgerin. The correct term in English for both is apparently Hamburgian.[7]
| 6d | Dishonesty // mostly in government houses (5) |
| 7d | Handle fellows with primarily tactful // management (9) |
| 8d | Again wait on // book (7) |
| 14d | Version of totalitarianism LA star rejected /as/ fake (9) |
| 15d | Presence of virus; // confine it somehow (9) |
| 16d | Problematic posers for university // academic (9) |
| 17d | Tranquil, in the main? (7) |
The main[5] is an archaic or literary term for the open ocean.
| 19d | Are in retreat, // like one's neighbours? (7) |
| 21d | Approach // filthy place on the outskirts of Lille (5) |
Scratching the Surface
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| Lille[5] is an industrial city in northern France, near the border with Belgium, the capital of Nord-Pas-de-Calais. |
| 22d | Rising dust storm // continued (5) |
A dust devil[5] is a small whirlwind or air vortex over land, visible as a column of dust and debris ⇒
the wind kicked up dust devils in the street.
| 24d | Check on the French // set of data (5) |
"the French " = LE [French definite article]
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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