Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29787 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Wednesday, September 22, 2021 | |
Setter
Jay (Jeremy Mutch) | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29787]
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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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Introduction
Most of this puzzle was quite gentle but I must have spent as much time on the final four clues as I did on the first couple of dozen.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 | Mood /created by/ a most unusual soft present (10) |
| 6a | Millions can be seen on main // vein (4) |
The main[5] is an archaic or literary term for the open ocean.
| 9a | Humorous type/'s/ official warning? (7) |
Caution[5] is a dated informal term for an amusing or surprising person ⇒
‘You're a caution, you are,’ she said.
Caution[5] is a British term for an official or legal warning given to someone who has committed a minor offence but has not been charged, to the effect that further action will be taken if they commit another such offence ⇒
they let him off with a caution.
| 10a | Corrected, replacing leader with son // having vision (7) |
| 12a | Admit police mostly represented talk about // official case (10,3) |
As an anagram indicator, represent is deceptively used* in the sense of re-present[5], meaning to present (something) again, especially for further consideration or in an altered form.
* Remember, in cryptic crosswords, it is common practice to omit or insert punctuation at will—or on a whim.
A diplomatic bag[5] is a container in which official mail is sent to or from an embassy, which is not subject to customs inspection.
US term: diplomatic pouch
| 14a | Backs // finish before Cockney nags (8) |
A reference to Cockney in a clue is almost certainly an indication to drop an aitch (H) in the solution—in imitation of cockney
speech mannerisms (show more ).
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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| 15a | Goes along with // a retrospective view about King George (6) |
"King George " = GR [regnal cipher of King George]
The regnal ciphers (monograms) of British monarchs are initials formed from the Latin version of their first name followed by either Rex or Regina (Latin for king or queen, respectively). Thus, the regnal cipher of King George was GR[5]—from the Latin Georgius Rex.
* A cipher[5] (also cypher) is a monogram[5] or motif of two or more interwoven letters, typically a person's initials, used to identify a personal possession or as a logo.
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The regnal ciphers (monograms) of British monarchs are initials formed from the Latin version of their first name followed by either Rex or Regina (Latin for king or queen, respectively). Thus, the regnal cipher of King George was GR[5]—from the Latin Georgius Rex.
* A cipher[5] (also cypher) is a monogram[5] or motif of two or more interwoven letters, typically a person's initials, used to identify a personal possession or as a logo.
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| 17a | Growth must be seen without popular // line (6) |
| 19a | Bananas some left in a // wheat-based dish (8) |
Semolina[5] is:
- the hard grains left after the milling of flour, used in puddings and in pasta
- a pudding made of semolina
This word shows up quite regularly in British puzzles—almost as often as it apparently appears on the menu of British boarding schools—and it is rare indeed to see anyone actually admit to liking this dessert.
| 21a | Transient /may be/ old enough to accept advance after prison sentence (4,2,7) |
Bird[10] is British slang for prison or a term in prison, especially in the phrase do (one's) bird. In this example of Cockney rhyming slang (show explanation ), bird is shortened from birdlime*, rhyming slang for time (as in a prison sentence).
A bird of passage[5] is:
- a migratory bird
- (figuratively) a person who passes through a place without staying for long
| 24a | Place for artwork /that's/ right in kitchen (7) |
| 25a | Largely outspoken, in trouble /and/ kind of green (7) |
| 26a | Bear /and/ I journey westwards on back of donkey (4) |
Yogi Bear[7] is a cartoon character created by American animation studio Hanna-Barbera. He made his debut in 1958 as a supporting character in The Huckleberry Hound Show. Yogi soon became became more popular than ostensible star Huckleberry Hound and, in 1961, he was given his own show, The Yogi Bear Show.
| 27a | Scale /of/ new rant about good by church (10) |
Down
| 1d | Curves /shown by/ Caprice so regularly (4) |
Scratching the Surface
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| Caprice[7] is both a surname and a female given name so I would say the surface reading is likely an allusion to a shapely woman. |
| 2d | What potter did /seeing/ sign of decay outwardly exposed (7) |
| 3d | Upset poppy sellers, pinching one -- /that's/ the road to ruin (8,5) |
The phrase slippery slope[5] denotes a course of action likely to lead to something bad or disastrous ⇒
he is on the slippery slope towards a life of crime.
| 4d | After-effect /of/ transfer that's good for daughter? (8) |
"Good" reprises its role from 27a.
| 5d | Belief // essential to opera stars? (5) |
While British dictionaries show Rasta as an abbreviation for Rastafarian (an adherent of Rastafarianism), I found none that explicitly list it as an abbreviation for the belief itself. However, US dictionaries do explicitly define Rasta[3,11] as an abbreviation for Rastafarianism.
Rastafarianism is a religious movement of Jamaican origin. Rastafarians believe that Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia was the Messiah and that blacks are the chosen people and will eventually return to their African homeland. They have distinctive codes of behaviour and dress, including the wearing of dreadlocks and the smoking of cannabis, and they follow a diet that excludes pork, shellfish, and milk.
| 7d | Food must be so /from/ area covered by European list (7) |
"European " = E [as in E number]
E[1,2] is the abbreviation for European (as in E number*).
* An E number[1,4,10,14] (or E-number[2,5]) is any of various identification codes required by EU law, consisting of the letter E (for European) followed by a number, that are used to denote food additives such as colourings and preservatives (but excluding flavourings) that have been approved by the European Union.
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E[1,2] is the abbreviation for European (as in E number*).
* An E number[1,4,10,14] (or E-number[2,5]) is any of various identification codes required by EU law, consisting of the letter E (for European) followed by a number, that are used to denote food additives such as colourings and preservatives (but excluding flavourings) that have been approved by the European Union.
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| 8d | Island // very keen on a hydrogen vehicle? (10) |
To understand this clue one must remember that Brits fuel their vehicles with petrol rather than gasoline, so to them "gas" is not a liquid petroleum fuel but a gaseous substance such as hydrogen or oxygen.
| 11d | Attacking cooking on gas /that's/ cheap (5,3,1,4) |
| 13d | Transport // bill not bad per person infected (5,5) |
A beach buggy[5] (also known as dune buggy[5]) is a low wide-wheeled motor vehicle for recreational driving on sand.
| 16d | Bulletin /sees/ all points supported by players (8) |
| 18d | What might block // promotion after fears exposed (7) |
| 20d | President on prohibition and adult // art from Japan (7) |
Dwight David Eisenhower[5] (1890–1969) was an American general and Republican statesman, 34th president of the US 1953–61; known as Ike. In the Second World War he was Supreme Commander of Allied Expeditionary Forces in western Europe 1943–5. As president, he adopted a hard line towards communism.
"adult " = A [former British film classification]
The A (Adult) certificate is a former film certificate[7] issued by the British Board of Film Classification. This certificate existed in various forms from 1912 to 1985, when it was replaced by the PG (Parental Guidance) certificate. [Despite its demise in the real world, it continues to find widespread use in Crosswordland.]
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The A (Adult) certificate is a former film certificate[7] issued by the British Board of Film Classification. This certificate existed in various forms from 1912 to 1985, when it was replaced by the PG (Parental Guidance) certificate. [Despite its demise in the real world, it continues to find widespread use in Crosswordland.]
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Ikebana[5] is the art of Japanese flower arrangement, with formal display according to strict rules.
| 22d | Portugal and Spain must welcome positive vote /for/ beneficiary of order (5) |
| 23d | Fine for male in additional // warning (4) |
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
If your last four involved 16d, 23d, 25a and 27a, then I had a similar struggle.
ReplyDeleteAs I recall, my "final four" were mostly different from yours -- although they did include 27a. At this point, I don't remember exactly which other clues were included.
ReplyDelete