Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29740 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Thursday, July 29, 2021 | |
Setter
Giovanni (Don Manley) | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29740]
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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
This was a puzzle in which the answers to the clues were teased out slowly. Ironically, the American general did make a "last stand" and managed to prevail until I called in my electronic reinforcements.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 | Require // return of label in the middle of muddle (6) |
| 5a | Fresh alert's given with ship // lacking traditional means of navigation? (8) |
| 9a | Tiresome divas cavorting /in/ a scary film? (8,5) |
From a British perspective, movie[5] is a mainly North American term for a cinema film.
| 10a | Produce // tinkle to interrupt fight (5,3) |
| 11a | /In/ a flap // we had knocked back drink (6) |
The setter has phrased to clue in such a way as to place the link word "in" at the beginning. Had the setter used a normal 'wordplay-link word-definition' order, the clue would have read:
- We had knocked back drink /in/ a flap (6)
A dewlap[5] is a fold of loose skin hanging from the neck or throat of an animal, especially that present in many cattle.
| 12a | /It's/ the fellow I am scared of, not a // young female (6) |
Somewhat like 11a, but with the addition of the pronoun "it", this clue is phrased such that what is effectively a link word comes at the beginning. Were the clue to be phrased in a normal 'definition-link word-wordplay' structure, it would read:
- Young female /is/ the fellow I am scared of, not a (6)
The wordplay parses as HE (the fellow) + I (directly from the clue) + {FE[
| 14a | Abiding outside, with sign of something wrong inside /and/ outside (8) |
| 16a | Groups /associated with/ US general left trapped (8) |
Post Mortem
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| Despite his frequent appearance in puzzles, the US general did not come readily to mind. Perhaps I was distracted by noticing that the first name and middle initial of another US general, Ulysses S. Grant, fit the checking letters. |
George Armstrong Custer[5] (1839–1876) was an American cavalry general. He served with distinction in the American Civil War but led his men to their deaths in a clash (popularly known as Custer's Last Stand) with the Sioux at Little Bighorn in Montana.
| 19a | Whispering /when there's/ bad result (6) |
| 21a | Confirm // an international match is to be broadcast (6) |
Test[5] (short for Test match[5]) denotes an international cricket or rugby match, typically one of a series, played between teams representing two different countries ⇒
the Test match between Pakistan and the West Indies.
| 23a | Reporter // snares PM on journey (8) |
Pressman[5] is a mainly British term for a journalist.
| 25a | Tick when something is seen to be correct? (6,2,5) |
Tick[5] is an informal British term for a moment ⇒ (i)
I shan’t be a tick; (ii)
I’ll be with you in a tick.
Intended Misdirection
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| In this clue, we are likely expected to be misdirected by focusing on another British meaning of tick. Tick[5] is a British* term for a mark (✓) used to indicate that an item in a list or text is correct or has been chosen, checked, or dealt with. * although one that hardly sounds foreign to my ear As a verb (which is how it is used in the surface reading of the clue), tick[5] means to mark (an item) with a tick or select (a box) on a form, questionnaire, etc. to indicate that something has been chosen, checked, approved, or dealt with. |
| 26a | Like tree /in/ plot outside agricultural establishment (8) |
| 27a | Look at // feature of Yorkshire garden (6) |
Scratching the Surface
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| Yorkshire[5] is a county of northeastern England. |
Down
| 2d | Back // worst runner at 'Aydock? (7) |
An aitch (H) dropped by the setter in the clue—in imitation of cockney
speech mannerisms (show more )—indicates that the solver must also drop one in the solution.
A cockney[5,10] is a native of East London [specifically that part of East London known as the East End[5]], traditionally one born within hearing of Bow Bells (the bells of St Mary-le-Bow[7] church).
The cockney[5] dialect is characterized by dropping the aitch (H) from the beginning of words as well as the use of rhyming slang[5], a type of slang that replaces words with rhyming words or phrases, typically with the rhyming element omitted. For example, butcher’s, short for butcher’s hook, means ‘look’ in cockney rhyming slang.
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A cockney[5,10] is a native of East London [specifically that part of East London known as the East End[5]], traditionally one born within hearing of Bow Bells (the bells of St Mary-le-Bow[7] church).
The cockney[5] dialect is characterized by dropping the aitch (H) from the beginning of words as well as the use of rhyming slang[5], a type of slang that replaces words with rhyming words or phrases, typically with the rhyming element omitted. For example, butcher’s, short for butcher’s hook, means ‘look’ in cockney rhyming slang.
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Haydock Park Racecourse[7] is a racecourse in Merseyside, North West England used for both flat racing (competitions in which horses do not jump obstacles) and National Hunt racing (competitions where horses must jump obstacles).
| 3d | Crime /of/ a king wanting male heir? (5) |
"king " = R [Rex]
In the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms*, Rex[5] (abbreviation R[5]) [Latin for king] denotes the reigning king, used following a name (e.g. Georgius Rex, King George — often shortened to GR) or in the titles of lawsuits (e.g. Rex 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.
hide
In the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms*, Rex[5] (abbreviation R[5]) [Latin for king] denotes the reigning king, used following a name (e.g. Georgius Rex, King George — often shortened to GR) or in the titles of lawsuits (e.g. Rex 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.
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| 4d | /In/ conversation // daughter is having to use bad language about love (9) |
This is yet another instance (similar to 11a) where the link word (again, as it was in 11a, "in") is positioned at the beginning of the clue.
"love " = O [nil score in tennis]
In tennis, squash, and some other sports, love[5] is a score of zero or nil ⇒
Although folk etymology has connected the word with French l'oeuf 'egg', from the resemblance in shape between an egg and a zero, the term apparently comes from the phrase play for love (i.e. the love of the game, not for money).
hide
In tennis, squash, and some other sports, love[5] is a score of zero or nil ⇒
love fifteen. The resemblance of a zero written as a numeral (0) to the letter O leads to the cryptic crossword convention of the word "love" being used to clue this letter.
Although folk etymology has connected the word with French l'oeuf 'egg', from the resemblance in shape between an egg and a zero, the term apparently comes from the phrase play for love (i.e. the love of the game, not for money).
hide
| 5d | Pony // I kept in sanctuary, having lost its tail (7) |
Sheltie[5] (also shelty) is another name for a Shetland pony* or sheepdog.
* The Shetland pony[10,12] is a very small sturdy breed of pony, originally from the Shetland Islands off the north coast of Scotland, with a long shaggy mane and tail and a shaggy coat in winter.
| 6d | Having members // carrying weapons (5) |
| 7d | Energetic folk? // They can be shocking (4,5) |
| 8d | Man eats irregularly -- // fellow of note going from bar to bar (7) |
Bedřich Smetana[5] (1824–1884) was a Czech composer. Regarded as the founder of Czech music, he was dedicated to the cause of Czech nationalism, as is apparent in his operas, such as The Bartered Bride (1866) and in the cycle of tone poems Ma Vlast (‘My Country’, 1874–9).
Here and There
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| A bar[7] (or measure) is a segment of time defined by a given number of beats, each of which are assigned a particular note value. The word bar is more common in British English, and the word measure is more common in American English, although musicians generally understand both usages. Originally, the word bar derives from the vertical lines drawn through the staff (or stave) to mark off metrical units. In British English, the vertical line is also known as a bar, but often the term bar-line is used in order to avoid confusion between the two meanings of bar. In American English, the word bar stands for the lines and nothing else. * In standard Western musical notation[7], the staff[7], or stave, is a set of five horizontal lines and four spaces that each represent a different musical pitch—or, in the case of a percussion staff, different percussion instruments—on which a musical score is written. For British musicians, stave would seem to be the name of choice whereas in North America, staff is likely the more commonly used term. |
| 13d | The female in company dealt with an // offshore worker (9) |
| 15d | One causes hurt, /getting/ soldiers trapped between two hills (9) |
"hill " = TOR
A tor[7] is a large, free-standing rock outcrop that rises abruptly from the surrounding smooth and gentle slopes of a rounded hill summit or ridge crest. In the South West of England, the term is commonly also used for the hills themselves – particularly the high points of Dartmoor in Devon and Bodmin Moor in Cornwall.
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A tor[7] is a large, free-standing rock outcrop that rises abruptly from the surrounding smooth and gentle slopes of a rounded hill summit or ridge crest. In the South West of England, the term is commonly also used for the hills themselves – particularly the high points of Dartmoor in Devon and Bodmin Moor in Cornwall.
hide
| 17d | This writer's restricted by following // yesteryear's bishop (7) |
"this writer's " = IM
It is a common cryptic crossword convention for the creator of the puzzle to use terms such as (the or this) compiler, (the or this) setter, (the or this) speaker, (this) author, (this) writer, or this person to refer to himself or herself. To solve such a clue, one must generally substitute a first person pronoun (I or ME) for whichever of these terms has been used in the clue.
Today, the the creator of the puzzle has made the scenario more complicated by combining "this writer" with the verb "to be"* producing "this writer's" (a contraction of "this writer is") which must be replaced by "I'm" (a contraction of "I am").
hide
It is a common cryptic crossword convention for the creator of the puzzle to use terms such as (the or this) compiler, (the or this) setter, (the or this) speaker, (this) author, (this) writer, or this person to refer to himself or herself. To solve such a clue, one must generally substitute a first person pronoun (I or ME) for whichever of these terms has been used in the clue.
Today, the the creator of the puzzle has made the scenario more complicated by combining "this writer" with the verb "to be"* producing "this writer's" (a contraction of "this writer is") which must be replaced by "I'm" (a contraction of "I am").
hide
Hugh Latimer[5] (c.1485–1555) was an English Protestant prelate and martyr. One of Henry VIII's chief advisers when the king broke with the papacy, under Mary I he was condemned for heresy and burnt at the stake at Oxford with Nicholas Ridley.
| 18d | Dad's climbing a lot of trees /to find/ what lies below bark (7) |
In tree trunks, sapwood[5] is the soft outer layers of recently formed wood between the heartwood and the bark, containing the functioning vascular tissue.
| 20d | Oxford material? (7) |
Intended Misdirection
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| Here, we are likely expected to interpret the clue as alluding to a student qualified to attend Oxford University[5], the oldest English university, comprising a federation of thirty-nine colleges, the first of which, University College, was formally founded in 1249. The university was established at Oxford soon after 1167. |
| 22d | Not all cricket enthusiasts /observed/ the last wicket to fall? (5) |
Cricket 101
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| This clue requires the solver to have a basic understanding of cricket. In cricket, the term wicket[5] can have a variety of meanings (not unlike hockey, where goal can mean either the net or an instance of putting the puck in the net). First, wicket is the name given to each of the sets of three stumps with two bails across the top at either end of the pitch*, defended by a batsman. * or, confusingly, wicket (see second meaning below) Second, wicket is another name for the pitch[5], the prepared strip of ground between the two sets of stumps* ⇒ when they inspected the wicket, they found it being rolled by some prisoners. * or, confusingly, wickets (see first meaning above) Third, and the sense in which it is being used in this clue, wicket is a term for the dismissal of a batsman; each of ten* dismissals regarded as marking a division of a side’s innings ⇒ Darlington won by four wickets. * Because batsmen always bat in pairs, once ten of the eleven players on a team have been dismissed, the team can no longer form a pair and consequently is dismissed. I presume that an instance of the dismissal of a batsman may commonly be referred to figuratively as the fall of a wicket. In some cases, the dismissal of a batsman actually does involve the physical wicket falling; for example, if the bastsman is bowled out (when the ball delivered by the bowler strikes the wicket and breaks it). However, if a batsman is caught out (when a member of the fielding team catches a ball that has been hit by the batsman before it touches the ground), the batsman is dismissed without the wicket being broken (although such a dismissal would presumably still figuratively be considered to be the "fall of a wicket"). Thus the tenth wicket to fall marks the end of the batting side's innings. |
| 24d | A Parisian escaping from disabling device /is/ wounded (5) |
"a Parisian " = UN
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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