Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29809 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Monday, October 18, 2021 | |
Setter
Campbell (Allan Scott) | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29809]
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Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
pommers | |
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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Notes
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This puzzle appears on the Monday Diversions page in the Saturday, January 22, 2022 edition of the National Post. | |
Introduction
Again we come to that point in the publishing cycle when the "Monday" puzzle actually appears on a Monday—or, at least, on the Monday Diversions page—in the National Post.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
| 5a | Available // for one wrongly parted by force (2,5) |
On offer[a] is the British equivalent of the North American term on sale[a] and like the North American term it can mean either:
- available for purchase or acquisition
- offered at a discounted price for a certain, limited period of time
* In the UK, the terms 'on offer' and 'on sale' would seem to be used interchangeably in the first sense; in the second sense, only the term 'on offer' appears to be used.
[a] Farlex Dictionary of Idioms
| 7a | A complex network // to take one's breath away (5) |
| 9a | Beginning to scare me, describing revolutionary/'s/ plot (6) |
The word ''describing" is used as a containment indicator. (show more )
The use of the word "describe(s)" (or variations thereof such as "describing" or "described by") as either a containment indicator or a hidden word indicator is a common cryptic crossword device which relies on describe[1,2,12] being used in the sense of to trace out or delineate ⇒
* Although, to be precise, it is the tracks left by the skaters' blades that describe the circles.
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The use of the word "describe(s)" (or variations thereof such as "describing" or "described by") as either a containment indicator or a hidden word indicator is a common cryptic crossword device which relies on describe[1,2,12] being used in the sense of to trace out or delineate ⇒
skaters describing circles on the ice*.
* Although, to be precise, it is the tracks left by the skaters' blades that describe the circles.
hide
"revolutionary " = CHE [Guevara]
Che Guevara[7]
(1928–1967) was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author,
guerrilla leader, diplomat, and military theorist. A major figure of the
Cuban
Revolution, his stylized visage has become a ubiquitous countercultural
symbol of rebellion and global insignia within popular culture.
hide
Che Guevara[7]
(1928–1967) was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author,
guerrilla leader, diplomat, and military theorist. A major figure of the
Cuban
Revolution, his stylized visage has become a ubiquitous countercultural
symbol of rebellion and global insignia within popular culture.hide
| 10a | Learned // line to repeat (8) |
| 11a | Squash up, /then/ continue (5,5) |
| 13a | Rebuke after wife // stole (4) |
| 14a | Tale of woe, /as/ difficult chance goes to waste around close of play (4-4,5) |
| 16a | Some up in eucalyptus // tree (4) |
Scratching the Surface
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| The eucalyptus[5] (also eucalypt)* is a fast-growing evergreen Australasian tree that has been widely introduced elsewhere. It is valued for its timber, oil, gum, resin, and as an ornamental tree. |
| 17a | Corrupt // deal, by implication? (4,6) |
This reverse anagram clue (show more
) reverses normal relationships by placing the result of the anagram
operation in the clue and asking the solver to find the anagram
indicator and anagram fodder that would produce that result.
The solution is LEAD ASTRAY (corrupt) which—if interpreted as wordplay—would be an anagram (ASTRAY) of LEAD producing the result (by implication) DEAL which is found in the clue itself.
In a 'normal' clue, the wordplay appears in the clue and the result of executing the wordplay is found in the solution. For instance, in an anagram type clue, the anagram indicator (operator) and anagram fodder (the material on which the indicator operates) appears in the clue and the outcome of performing the anagram operation is found in the solution.
In a 'reverse anagram', this situation is reversed. The anagram indicator and anagram fodder are found in the solution and the result of executing the anagram operation appears in the clue. This is not unlike the premise of the TV game show Jeopardy — where contestants are given the answer and must respond with a question. Here the solver is given the result of the anagram operation and must find the anagram indicator and fodder which would produce it.
If, like myself, you have a background in mathematics and engineering, you might think a more appropriate term for such a clue would be 'inverse anagram' rather than 'reverse anagram' as this type of construct is analogous to the concept of inverse functions in those fields.
hide
The solution is LEAD ASTRAY (corrupt) which—if interpreted as wordplay—would be an anagram (ASTRAY) of LEAD producing the result (by implication) DEAL which is found in the clue itself.
In a 'normal' clue, the wordplay appears in the clue and the result of executing the wordplay is found in the solution. For instance, in an anagram type clue, the anagram indicator (operator) and anagram fodder (the material on which the indicator operates) appears in the clue and the outcome of performing the anagram operation is found in the solution.
In a 'reverse anagram', this situation is reversed. The anagram indicator and anagram fodder are found in the solution and the result of executing the anagram operation appears in the clue. This is not unlike the premise of the TV game show Jeopardy — where contestants are given the answer and must respond with a question. Here the solver is given the result of the anagram operation and must find the anagram indicator and fodder which would produce it.
If, like myself, you have a background in mathematics and engineering, you might think a more appropriate term for such a clue would be 'inverse anagram' rather than 'reverse anagram' as this type of construct is analogous to the concept of inverse functions in those fields.
hide
| 19a | Rating on manoeuvres // in the dark (8) |
Scratching the Surface
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Rating[5] is a British term for a non-commissioned sailor in the navy ⇒the rest of the new crew was made up of naval ratings. Origin: So named from the position or rating held by a sailor, recorded on a ship's books. |
| 20a | Undergraduate ultimately failing // to pass (6) |
| 22a | Unimportant // match (5) |
| 23a | Film /of/ artist popular with staff (4,3) |
"artist " = RA [Royal Academician | Royal Academy]
Rain Man[7] is a 1988 American road drama film starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise. The highest-grossing film of 1988, it won in four categories at the 61st Academy Awards—Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (for Hoffman), and Best Original Screenplay.
Down
| 1d | Not quite twelve -- // sleep lightly (4) |
| 2d | Last, // nevertheless (5,3) |
The first part of the clue is a literal interpretation of the solution.
| 3d | Left // section with editor (6) |
| 4d | Barge /in/ on a brat, upset about argument (10) |
Narrowboat[5] is a British term for a canal boat less than 7 ft (2.1 metres) wide with a maximum length of 70 ft (21.3 metres) and steered with a tiller rather than a wheel.
| 5d | Perhaps Wilde/'s/ opening scene caused another rumpus initially (5) |
Oscar Wilde[5]
(1854–1900) was an Irish dramatist, novelist, poet, and wit. (show more )
His advocacy of ‘art for art’s sake’ is evident in his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890). As a dramatist he achieved success with the comedies Lady Windermere’s Fan (1892) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895). Wilde was imprisoned (1895-7) for homosexual offences and died in exile.
Wilde spent most of his period of incarceration in Reading Gaol, 30 miles (48 km) west of London. Upon his release he left immediately for France, never to return to Ireland or Britain. There he wrote his last work, The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898), a long poem commemorating the harsh rhythms of prison life. He died destitute in Paris at the age of 46.[7]
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His advocacy of ‘art for art’s sake’ is evident in his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890). As a dramatist he achieved success with the comedies Lady Windermere’s Fan (1892) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895). Wilde was imprisoned (1895-7) for homosexual offences and died in exile.
Wilde spent most of his period of incarceration in Reading Gaol, 30 miles (48 km) west of London. Upon his release he left immediately for France, never to return to Ireland or Britain. There he wrote his last work, The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898), a long poem commemorating the harsh rhythms of prison life. He died destitute in Paris at the age of 46.[7]
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| 6d | Heavy wave sweeping over vessel /in/ fairground ride (13) |
A roller[5] is a long swelling wave that appears to roll steadily towards the shore.
Coaster[10] is a British term for a vessel or trader* engaged in coastal commerce.
| 8d | Form of English // inlet (7) |
Estuary English[7] is an English accent associated with the area along the River Thames and its estuary, including London. Estuary English may be compared with Cockney, and there is some debate among linguists as to where Cockney speech ends and Estuary English begins.
| 12d | No doubt // convinced, stop it! (4,6) |
To my mind, the term 'sure enough' is hardly synonymous with 'no doubt'. Nevertheless, from the following listing, I discover that The Chambers Dictionary clearly disagrees:
- sure enough no doubt; in very fact; accordingly; there's no denying
| 14d | Raleigh, at sea, /produces/ something for shock? (4,3) |
A shock[5] is an unkempt or thick mass of hair ⇒
a man with a shock of ginger hair.
| 15d | Piece of pork // over -- starts to reheat it on top of barbecue (5,3) |
| 17d | Allowed to keep article over /in/ outhouse (4-2) |
Here and There
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| In Britain, an outhouse[5] is a
building such as a shed or barn that is built on to or in* the grounds
of a house rather than an outside toilet (as the term would be understood in North America). In North America, such a structure would be called an outbuilding[5] (a term that also appears to be used in the UK).
* note that Brits say "in the grounds" rather than "on the grounds"; they would also say that a player is "in a team" rather than "on a team" and that children are playing "in the road" rather than "on the road". |
| 18d | Serious crime /of/ beheaded parish priest (5) |
In the Church of England, a parson[5,10] is a parish priest, formerly applied only to those who held ecclesiastical benefices*—that is, a rector or a vicar.
* A benefice[5] is a permanent Church appointment, typically that of a rector or vicar, for which property and income are provided in respect of pastoral duties.
| 21d | Charitable donations to the needy // members, we hear (4) |
In a non-rhotic accent (show explanation ) typical of dialects found in many parts of Britain (especially southeastern England), the words "arms" and "alms" are pronounced similarly which you can judge for yourself from the following speech samples: "arm" and "alms" . [Note: for the first word, a speech sample is available only in the singular.]
Non-rhotic accents omit the sound < r > in certain situations, while rhotic accents generally pronounce < r > in all contexts. Among the several dozen British English accents which exist, many are non-rhotic while American English (US and Canadian) is mainly rhotic. This is, however, a generalisation, as there are areas of Britain that are rhotic, and areas of America that are non-rhotic. For more information, see this guide to pronouncing < r > in British English.
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Non-rhotic accents omit the sound < r > in certain situations, while rhotic accents generally pronounce < r > in all contexts. Among the several dozen British English accents which exist, many are non-rhotic while American English (US and Canadian) is mainly rhotic. This is, however, a generalisation, as there are areas of Britain that are rhotic, and areas of America that are non-rhotic. For more information, see this guide to pronouncing < r > in British English.
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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 )
Signing off for today — Falcon
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