Friday, December 31, 2021 — DT 29793

Happy New Year

Puzzle at a Glance
Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph DT 29793
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph Wednesday, September 29, 2021
Setter Jay (Jeremy Mutch)
Link to full review Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29793]
Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by Big Dave
BD rating
Difficulty - ★★★	Enjoyment - ★★★
Falcon's experience ┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐ ███████████████████████████████████ └────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘
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

Introduction

Pretty standard fare from Jay—not overly difficult but a joy to solve.

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
"//" - marks the boundary between wordplay and definition when no link word or link phrase is present "/[link word or phrase]/" - marks the boundary between wordplay and definition when a link word or link phrase is present	"solid underline" - precise definition "dotted underline" - cryptic definition "dashed underline" - wordplay "wavy underline" - whimsical and inferred definitions
Click here for further explanation and usage examples of markup conventions used on this blog.

Across

1a	Swimmer // caught the flu -- it's bad (10)

"caught " = C [cricket notation]

In cricket, one way for a batsman to be dismissed is to be caught out^[5], that is for a player on the opposing team to catch a ball that has been hit by the batsman before it touches the ground.

On cricket scorecards, the abbreviation c^[5] or c.^[2,10] denotes caught (by).

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The cuttlefish^[5] is a swimming marine mollusc that resembles a broad-bodied squid, having eight arms and two long tentacles that are used for grabbing prey. Its internal skeleton is the familiar cuttlebone, which it uses for adjusting buoyancy.

6a	Boast /of/ credit that hurt (4)

10a	Subject /offering/ latitude without resistance (5)

"resistance " = R [symbol used in physics]

In physics, R^[5] is a symbol used to represent electrical resistance in mathematical formulae.

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11a	Event for a cyclist // suffering after prison? (4,5)

12a	Minister /and/ bishop aim to protect first lady (8)

"bishop " = RR [Right Reverend]

Right Reverend^[5] (abbreviation RR^[2]) is a title given to a bishop, especially in the Anglican Church ⇒ the Right Reverend David Jenkins, Bishop of Durham.

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"first lady " = EVE

In the Bible, Eve^[5,10] is the first woman, mother of the human race, fashioned by God from the rib of Adam, companion of Adam and mother of Cain and Abel^* [Gen 2:18-25].

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^* not to mention Seth and her other sons and daughters [Gen 5:4]

Disobeying God, Eve^[7] succumbs to the serpent's temptation to eat the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and shares the fruit with Adam. As a result, the first humans are expelled from the Garden of Eden.

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13a	This girl /may see/ Independent complaint rejected (5)

"Independent " = I [politician with no party affiliation]

I^[1] is the abbreviation for independent, in all likelihood in the sense of a politician with no party affiliation.

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What did he say?

In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Big Dave informs us that this "complaint" may also be known as a whinge. Whereas North Americans merely whine, it would seem that Brits both whine and whinge. Whinge[5] is an informal British term that means: (verb) to complain persistently and in a peevish or irritating way ⇒ stop whingeing and get on with it!  (noun) an act of complaining persistently and peevishly ⇒ she let off steam by having a good whinge This would seem to connote a stronger level of complaint than a whine[5] which is defined as: (verb) to complain in a feeble or petulant way ⇒ (i)she began to whine about how hard she had been forced to work; (ii)‘My legs ache,’ he whined (noun) a feeble or petulant complaint ⇒a constant whine about the quality of public services

15a	Copies /may be/ run off initially in sections (7)

17a	Ready to move, covering a good // distance (7)

"good " = G [academic result]

The abbreviation G^[a] for good comes from its use in education as a grade awarded on school assignments or tests.

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^[a] Collins English to Spanish Dictionary

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19a	Firm backed to pressure US // ink producer (7)

"pressure " = P [symbol used in physics]

In physics, p^[5] is a symbol used to represent pressure in mathematical formulae.

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21a	Leading lady // cheated, stifling urge (7)

"cheated " = DONE [past tense of 'do']

Do^[5] is an informal British term meaning to swindle ⇒ It was only after travelling to Amsterdam and meeting the fraudsters that she became suspicious and contacted police, who told her: ‘Sorry, but you've been done.’.

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22a	Design criteria /can be/ a help for viewers? (5)

24a	No girls attracted to end of ancient // furniture items? (8)

Here and There
In Britain, a tallboy[5] is a tall chest of drawers, typically one mounted on legs and in two sections, one standing on the other. In North America, a tallboy[5] is a large can in which beer or another drink is sold, typically holding 16 or 25 US fluid ounces.

27a	Strange case -- youth /is/ one who's persuaded without effort (4,5)

28a	Bar in American city /supplying/ dope (5)

 Inn^[5] is used in the sense of a pub, typically one in the country, in some cases providing accommodation.

29a	Dish that's cooked /for/ brood (4)

The name of this dish comes from its method of cooking rather than its ingredients.

30a	Data seen in most unusual // ecosystem (10)

Down

1d	Ignores // prunes! (4)

2d	Classified as revolutionary church in organised protest (3,6)

"church " = CE [Church of England]

The Church of England^[10] (abbreviation CE^[10]) is the reformed established state Church in England, Catholic in order and basic doctrine, with the Sovereign as its temporal head.

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3d	Temptation -- eating last of garlic // bread (5)

4d	Dogs needing change of lead /and/ restraints (7)

Scratching the Surface
Lead[5] is a British* term for leash, a strap or cord for restraining and guiding a dog or other domestic animal ⇒ the dog is our constant walking companion and is always kept on a lead. * Despite being characterized as a British term by Lexico (Oxford Dictionaries), lead[3] is defined in The American Heritage Dictionary as another name for a leash.

5d	Rising protest must be admitted by state, // sooner or later (7)

Here and There

In addition to the various senses* in which North Americans use demo[5] as a short form for demonstration, the Brits also use it in the sense of a public meeting or march protesting against something or expressing views on a political issue ⇒ a peace demo. * these include: a demonstration of a product or technique ⇒ a cookery [cooking] demo  a version of something such as computer software produced to demonstrate its capabilities or for use as a trial ⇒ there is a demo to try before you buy a recording made to demonstrate the capabilities of a musical group or performer or as preparation for a full recording ⇒ (i) we recorded a three-song demo; (ii) a demo track.

7d	Creature // in love depressed by case of rash (5)

"love " = O [nil score in tennis]

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).

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8d	Really // fine at home -- always (4,1,5)

The phrase well I never!^[5] is an informal exclamation expressing great surprise or indignation.

9d	Fish // bite on river Tay with no trouble at first (8)

Scratching the Surface
The Tay[5] is the longest river in Scotland, flowing 192 km (120 miles) eastwards through Loch Tay, entering the North Sea through the Firth of Tay.

14d	Provides cover for // tours and helps out (10)

16d	Facing // work, advance with energy (8)

"work " = OP [opus]

In music, an opus^[5] (Latin 'work', plural opuses or opera) is a separate composition or set of compositions.

The abbreviation Op.^[5] (also op.), denoting opus, is used before a number given to each work of a particular composer, usually indicating the order of publication. The plural form of Op. is Opp..

Opus^[5] can also be used in other contexts to denote an artistic work, especially one on a large scale ⇒ he was writing an opus on Mexico.

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"energy " = E [symbol used in physics]

In physics, E^[5] is a symbol used to represent energy in mathematical formulae ⇒ E = mc².

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18d	Anyone upset about party in Africa /is/ a pest (9)

The African National Congress^[5] (abbreviation ANC) is a South African political party and black nationalist organization. (show more )

Having been banned by the South African government 1960–90, the ANC was victorious in the country’s first democratic elections in 1994 and its leader Nelson Mandela became the country’s President.

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20d	Fruit /may be/ an obligation when up (7)

A satsuma^[5] is a tangerine of a hardy loose-skinned variety, originally grown in Japan.

21d	Don keeps Phil off // this creature (7)

Scratching the Surface
Whether coincidental or deliberate, my first thought was Don and Phil Everly who constituted the American country rock duo The Everly Brothers[7], known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing.

23d	Make certain, rejecting right // result (5)

25d	Throw away travel // game (5)

Bin^[10,14] (also called dustbin or rubbish^* bin) is a British term for a garbage can or trash can.

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^* Rubbish^[10,14] is the British term for garbage or trash.

As a verb, bin^[5] is an informal term meaning to throw (something) away by putting it in a bin.

26d	Calmly suggest removing contents /to get/ sac (4)

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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 )

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Signing off for today — Falcon