Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29746 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Thursday, August 5, 2021 | |
Setter
RayT (Ray Terrell) | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29746]
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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 found this puzzle from RayT to be a bit on the tricky side. As always with his puzzles, there are a few synonyms that seem to be rather stretched. However, a check in the dictionary usually shows that they are quite reasonable when viewed in the proper context.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 | Changing usual partner /is/ miraculous (12) |
| 9a | Poor dog with appendage possibly // docked (9) |
| 10a | Note finally held in own // pitch (5) |
| 11a | Regulations /of/ frontiers without opening (6) |
| 12a | Old lady regretted backing // state (8) |
State[10] is used in the sense of ceremonious style, as befitting wealth or dignity ⇒
to live in state.
| 13a | Perfect // control embracing female sweetheart (6) |
"sweetheart " = E
A common cryptic crossword construct is to use the word "sweetheart" to clue the letter 'E', the middle letter (heart) of the word 'swEet'.
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A common cryptic crossword construct is to use the word "sweetheart" to clue the letter 'E', the middle letter (heart) of the word 'swEet'.
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| 15a | People seen, at last, working (8) |
A last[5] is a shoemaker’s model [of the foot] for shaping or repairing a shoe or boot.
| 18a | Came out // depressed after fine (8) |
| 19a | State beds /for/ deliveries (6) |
| 21a | Massive // decrease in fossil fuel (8) |
| 23a | Socialist leader // threw Right over (6) |
Fidel Castro[5] (1927–2016) was a Cuban statesman, prime minister 1959–76 and president 1976–2008.
| 26a | Weapon, // long and narrow, cuts enemies initially (5) |
| 27a | Delay // sailors eating eats (9) |
| 28a | It's cooler in Alaska, maybe (12) |
A cryptic definition of a device that is a cooler not only in Alaska but elsewhere in North America as well.
From a British perspective, cooler[5] is a North American term for a refrigerator.
In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Miffypops' interpretation of this clue is based on the (mistaken, in my view) belief that North Americans use the term "refrigerator" for what is called a "fridge" in the UK. However, all British dictionaries clearly state that fridge is merely a shortened form of refrigerator. For example, The Chambers Dictionary defines refrigerator[1] as an apparatus or chamber for producing and maintaining a low temperature (contracted to fridge, especially when in domestic use). As far as I am aware, the situation is the same anywhere in North America. I would be surprised to learn that people in Alaska do not use the term fridge.
Down
| 1d | Support // victim being picked up (7) |
| 2d | Old man embarrassed /getting/ peeled (5) |
| 3d | Bottom line /leading to/ change (9) |
Line and range might be synonyms in any of several senses, including:
| 4d | Strong // beer, holding bottle opener? (4) |
Strong[5] is used in the sense of able to perform a specified action well and powerfully ⇒
he was not a strong swimmer.
| 5d | Weaker person /could be/ unusually grounded (8) |
| 6d | Possibly bleached, // like chicken (5) |
| 7d | Window // when framed by putty? (8) |
In the wordplay, I believe putty[10] is being used as a verb meaning to fix*, fill, or coat with putty.
* in the sense of to make or become firm, stable, or secure
Cement[5] means to fix with cement ⇒
wooden posts were cemented into the ground.
| 8d | Tries purchasing top of trouser // suit (6) |
Scratching the Surface
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| Trouser suit[5] is the British name for a pantsuit[5] (or pants suit), a pair of trousers and a matching jacket worn by women. |
| 14d | Messing around time /for/ minor (8) |
Footling[5] means trivial and irritating ⇒
year after year you come with the same footling complaint.
| 16d | Officer // rose, say, accepting one good promotion (9) |
Brier is a variant spelling of briar[5], any of a number of prickly scrambling shrubs, especially a wild rose.
Brigadier[5] is a rank of officer in the British army*, above colonel and below major general.
* this rank also existed in the Canadian Army from 1953-1968
| 17d | Carafe // of French nectar drunk (8) |
| 18d | Superficial // account found in dossier (6) |
| 20d | Trail taking opposite directions // back (7) |
| 22d | Panorama /is/ understood to be broadcast (5) |
| 24d | River // Dart ultimately divided (5) |
The Trent[5] is the chief river of central England, which rises in Staffordshire and flows 275 km (170 miles) generally north-eastwards, uniting with the River Ouse 25 km (15 miles) west of Hull to form the Humber estuary.
Scratching the Surface
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| The River Dart[7] is a river in Devon, England which rises high on Dartmoor, and releases to the sea at Dartmouth. Its valley and surrounding area is a place of great natural beauty. |
| 25d | Potential Prince /in/ haze about Queen (4) |
"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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The clue alludes to a fairy tale prince on whom a spell has been cast turning him into a frog. When kissed by a princess, the spell is broken and he turns back into a prince.
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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