Puzzle at a Glance
| |
|---|---|
Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29775 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Wednesday, September 8, 2021 | |
Setter
Jay* (Jeremy Mutch) | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29775]
| |
Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
2Kiwis | |
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
| |
|
Notes
| |
* In the absence of evidence to the contrary, I assume this puzzle has been set by Jay. | |
Introduction
I came up one short of an unaided finish. I wandered down the wrong path at 22a and needed a bit of electronic help to guide me back to the right course. The clue should have been easy enough to solve; however, it is sometimes difficult to get a wrong idea out of one's mind once one has become fixated on it.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 | |
|
|
| Click here for further explanation and usage examples of markup conventions used on this blog. | |
Across
| 1a | Entertaining // transport supremo? (7) |
Supremo[5] is an informal British term meaning:
- a person in overall charge of an organization or activity ⇒
Instead he will defer to a new supremo who will take charge in the spring
- a person with great authority or skill in a certain area ⇒
an interior by design supremo Kelly
| 5a | Policeman keeping hot // butcher's requirement (7) |
| 9a | Drew, /being/ caught by reversal of offside rule (5) |
| 10a | Regularly pull in cheers /for/ egg production (9) |
| 11a | Superiority /of/ former monk's accommodation in French church (10) |
| 12a | Footbridge? (4) |
| 14a | Baby walker /may see/ trouble with a ramp being moved (12) |
Perambulator[5] is a dated British term for a pram*.
* British name for a baby carriage.
| 18a | Internet facility // that could produce Chinese anger (6,6) |
| 21a | To mum /it's/ nonsense (4) |
Tosh[5] is an informal British term meaning rubbish [foolish words or speech] or nonsense ⇒
it's sentimental tosh.
| 22a | Straining, // prepared to cover student allowance (10) |
"student " = L [driver under instruction]
The cryptic crossword convention of L meaning learner or student arises from the L-plate[7], a square plate bearing a sans-serif letter L, for learner, which must be affixed to the front and back of a vehicle in various jurisdictions (including the UK) if its driver is a learner under instruction.
hide
The cryptic crossword convention of L meaning learner or student arises from the L-plate[7], a square plate bearing a sans-serif letter L, for learner, which must be affixed to the front and back of a vehicle in various jurisdictions (including the UK) if its driver is a learner under instruction.
 |
| Automobile displaying an L-plate |
hide
Post Mortem
| |
|---|---|
| I went down the wrong path here, turning right when I should have turned left. I mistakenly took "prepared" to be an anagram indicator making the wordplay an anagram of (prepared) STRAINING containing (to cover) L (student) with the definition being "allowance". Of course, I couldn't find a solution to satisfy those conditions. In fact, I was to discover there seems to be only one word that matches the checking letters and, once it was revealed, the parsing became blatantly obvious. |
| 25a | Working out // final account (9) |
| 26a | Mum's mum wearing that is // ridiculous (5) |
Nan[5] is an informal British term for one's grandmother.
| 27a | Minor charges may be admitted in such places (7) |
Here and There
| |
|---|---|
| In Britain, a crèche[5]
is not a representation of the nativity scene but a nursery where
babies and young children are cared for during the working day*. |
| 28a | Narrow strips of cloth used to cover // athletes? (7) |
Down
| 1d | Invoice occasionally sent /for/ accommodation (6) |
| 2d | Tidy // growth in forestry (6) |
| 3d | Pardon // clue ending in chaos (10) |
In the Roman Catholic Church, an indulgence[5] (mainly historical) is a grant by the Pope of remission of the temporal punishment in purgatory still due for sins after absolution. The unrestricted sale of indulgences by pardoners was a widespread abuse during the later Middle Ages.
| 4d | Leave nothing outside of stove // that could be cooked (5) |
The definition alludes to the expression cook (someone's) goose[5] meaning to spoil (someone's) plans or cause (someone's) downfall⇒
I've got enough on you to cook your goose.
| 5d | Eggs on reserve /in/ handy container (6,3) |
Bag[10] is an informal British term meaning to to reserve or secure the right to do or to have something ⇒
he bagged the best seats in the theatre.
* Having no handle or strap, it must—unless stowed in a larger purse—be carried in one's hand and is thus a "handy container". [By the way, purse[5] is another North Americanism; to Brits it is a handbag.]
| 6d | Country // gent depressed by love (4) |
"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
Oman[5,7], officially the Sultanate of Oman, is an Arab country at the southeastern corner of the Arabian peninsula.
| 7d | Religious office putting pressure on port tariff (8) |
Rio de Janeiro[5] [commonly known as Rio] is a city in eastern Brazil, on the Atlantic coast. The chief port of Brazil, it was the country’s capital from 1763 until 1960, when it was replaced by Brasilia.
A priorate[10] is the office, status, or term of office of a prior[10], a monk ranking immediately below an abbot*.
* A prior may serve as the head of a small monastery (which would be known as a priory[5]) or as the deputy head of a large monastery (which would be known as an abbey and be led by an abbot).
| 8d | Managed with spirit, /and/ didn't have enough! (3,5) |
Short[5] (noun) is a British term for a drink of spirits served in a small measure* or, as Collins English Dictionary puts it, a short[10] is a drink of spirits as opposed to a long drink such as beer.
| 13d | Organize people with time for new // estate (10) |
| 15d | Drinks /supplied by/ ace flying Spitfire (9) |
Scratching the Surface
| |
|---|---|
| An ace[5]
is a pilot who has shot down many enemy aircraft. The Spitfire[5] is a single-seat, single-engined British fighter aircraft of the Second World War. It is particularly remembered for its role in the Battle of Britain. |
| 16d | Inscrutable // European Community should welcome reformed Tories (8) |
"European Community " = EC
The European Community was the predecessor of the European Union.
Achieving European Union occurred in three stages.
Stage 1: The European Economic Community[5] (abbreviation EEC), an institution of the European Union, is an economic association of western European countries set up by the Treaty of Rome (1957). The original members were France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.
Stage 2: The European Community[5] (abbreviation EC) is an economic and political association of certain European countries, incorporated since 1993 in the European Union. The European Community was formed in 1967 from the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the European Economic Community (EEC), and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom); it comprises also the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the European Court of Justice. Until 1987 it was still commonly known as the EEC. The name ‘European Communities’ is still used in legal contexts where the three distinct organizations are recognized.
Stage 3: The European Union[5] (abbreviation EU) is an economic and political association of certain European countries as a unit with internal free trade and common external tariffs. The European Union was created on 1 November 1993, with the coming into force of the Maastricht Treaty. It encompasses the old European Community (EC) together with two intergovernmental ‘pillars’ for dealing with foreign affairs and with immigration and justice. The terms European Economic Community (EEC) and European Community (EC) continue to be used loosely to refer to what is now the European Union. The European Union consists of 28 member states, 19 of which use the common currency unit, the euro.[7]
hide
The European Community was the predecessor of the European Union.
Achieving European Union occurred in three stages.
Stage 1: The European Economic Community[5] (abbreviation EEC), an institution of the European Union, is an economic association of western European countries set up by the Treaty of Rome (1957). The original members were France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.
Stage 2: The European Community[5] (abbreviation EC) is an economic and political association of certain European countries, incorporated since 1993 in the European Union. The European Community was formed in 1967 from the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the European Economic Community (EEC), and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom); it comprises also the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the European Court of Justice. Until 1987 it was still commonly known as the EEC. The name ‘European Communities’ is still used in legal contexts where the three distinct organizations are recognized.
Stage 3: The European Union[5] (abbreviation EU) is an economic and political association of certain European countries as a unit with internal free trade and common external tariffs. The European Union was created on 1 November 1993, with the coming into force of the Maastricht Treaty. It encompasses the old European Community (EC) together with two intergovernmental ‘pillars’ for dealing with foreign affairs and with immigration and justice. The terms European Economic Community (EEC) and European Community (EC) continue to be used loosely to refer to what is now the European Union. The European Union consists of 28 member states, 19 of which use the common currency unit, the euro.[7]
hide
Scratching the Surface
| |
|---|---|
|
In Britain, a Tory[10] is a member or supporter of the Conservative Party[5], a major right of centre British political party promoting free enterprise and private ownership (show more ).
The Conservative Party[5] emerged from the old Tory Party* under Sir Robert Peel in the 1830s and 1840s. * Historically, a Tory[10] was a member of the English political party that opposed the exclusion of James, Duke of York from the royal succession (1679–80). Tory remained the label for subsequent major conservative interests until they gave birth to the Conservative Party in the 1830s. hide |
| 17d | Service engineers must cover bill /for/ butcher (8) |
| 19d | Space station on time -- /that's/ an illusion (6) |
Mir[5] was a Soviet space station, launched in 1986 and designed to be permanently manned. It was deliberately brought down into the Pacific Ocean in 2001.
| 20d | King understood revolutionary crossing line // shows respect (6) |
| 23d | Cat /may see/ row about golf (5) |
| 24d | Opening without uniform /for/ flier (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
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.