Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29802 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Saturday, October 9, 2021 | |
Setter
chalicea (Shirley Curran) | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29802 – Hints]Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29802 – Review] | |
Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
Tilsit (Hints)Rahmat Ali (Review) | |
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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As this was a Saturday "Prize Puzzle" in Britain, there are two entries related to it on Big Dave's Crossword Blog — the first, posted on the date of publication, contains hints for selected clues while the second is a full review issued following the entry deadline for the contest. The vast majority of reader comments will generally be found attached to the "hints" posting with a minimal number — if any — accompanying the full review.
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Introduction
A gentle mental workout today.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
| 4a | Most heated // feeling of dread about boundless grief (8) |
| 8a | Leave // vet interminably holding a pet (6) |
| 9a | Engineers likely /to be/ trustworthy (8) |
| 10a | Pleased with oil I cooked up /for/ plants (8) |
| 11a | Somewhat gruffly in general // quitting hurriedly (6) |
| 12a | Doubtfully ate up mostly foul // stew (3-2-3) |
Pot-au-feu[5] is a French soup of meat, typically boiled beef, and vegetables cooked in a large pot.
Origin: French, literally ‘pot on the fire’
| 13a | Auditor // finally hears half of text on board ship (8) |
In cryptic crossword puzzles, the phrase "on board ship" most often indicates 'contained in SS [steam ship]'; however, today we need a different ship.
| 16a | Some get hanky out /as/ response to present situation (5,3) |
| 19a | Grass protecting ring // broke with established customs (8) |
Bell[5] is an informal British term meaning to telephone (someone) ⇒
no problem, I’ll bell her tomorrow.
| 21a | Picture /of/ old cold farm worker returning (6) |
"old " = O [linguistics]
In linguistics, O[12] is the abbreviation for Old ⇒ (i)
However, a second entry from this same source shows o (lower case) meaning old (not capitalized) suggesting that the use of this abbreviation may not necessarily be confined to the field of linguistics.
Another possibility arises from the British abbreviation OAP[5] standing for old-age pensioner.
hide
In linguistics, O[12] is the abbreviation for Old ⇒ (i)
OFr[Old French]; (ii)
OE[Old English].
However, a second entry from this same source shows o (lower case) meaning old (not capitalized) suggesting that the use of this abbreviation may not necessarily be confined to the field of linguistics.
Another possibility arises from the British abbreviation OAP[5] standing for old-age pensioner.
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In the feudal system, a serf[5] was an agricultural labourer who was bound to working on his lord's estate.
| 23a | Rarely it could be // associated with writing (8) |
| 24a | Disease /in/ fruit recurring we hear (4-4) |
Beri-beri[1] is a mainly tropical disease caused by lack of thiamine (vitamin B₁) which results in nerve inflammation, paralysis, oedema and heart failure.
Spelling: The Chambers Dictionary is alone among the several dictionaries I consult on a regular basis to hyphenate this word; the others all spell it without a hyphen: beriberi[2,3,4,5,10,11,12,15].
| 25a | Hang around /and/ fake illness when mum goes (6) |
| 26a | Move fast! // Don't do this with something unpleasant! (4,2,2) |
This is a double definition where I have marked the second as descriptive.
Down
| 1d | Swell // dance circle working (7) |
| 2d | Reportedly prohibited joker having as topic // fashionable movement (9) |
| 3d | Start // short date with posh fellow (3,3) |
Posh[3,4] denotes upper-class or genteel, especially in the United Kingdom.
Toff[5] is a derogatory, informal British term for a rich or upper-class person.
| 4d | Farmer, // a good country-dweller, welcomes international school (15) |
| 5d | Swimmer // ultimately recognising mature following is hot! (8) |
| 6d | Country/'s/ supporter half-heartedly supporting computer technology (5) |
IT[5] is the abbreviation for information technology.
| 7d | Refusal to speak /of/ riotous license (7) |
| 14d | Inquiring into // pound invested in public showing by clique (9) |
"pound " = L [British monetary unit]
The pound[5] (also pound sterling) is the basic monetary unit of the UK, equal to 100 pence. While the symbol for pound is £, it is often written as L[10].
The Chambers Dictionary defines the upper case L[1] as the abbreviation for pound sterling (usually written £) and the lower case l[1] as the abbreviation for pound weight (usually written lb) — both deriving from the Latin word libra* .
* In ancient Rome, the libra[5] was a unit of weight, equivalent to 12 ounces (0.34 kg). It was the forerunner of the pound.
hide
The pound[5] (also pound sterling) is the basic monetary unit of the UK, equal to 100 pence. While the symbol for pound is £, it is often written as L[10].
The Chambers Dictionary defines the upper case L[1] as the abbreviation for pound sterling (usually written £) and the lower case l[1] as the abbreviation for pound weight (usually written lb) — both deriving from the Latin word libra* .
* In ancient Rome, the libra[5] was a unit of weight, equivalent to 12 ounces (0.34 kg). It was the forerunner of the pound.
hide
| 15d | Novice with inclination /for/ dialect of German (8) |
Tyrolean[2] is the dialect of German that is spoken the Tyrol, an Alpine region that lies mainly in western Austria, although the southern part was ceded to Italy after World War I.
| 17d | Season's yield -- // unusual haste to gather in right volume (7) |
| 18d | King, troublesome fellow, // acquired knowledge (7) |
King Lear*[7] is a tragedy written in 1605 or 1606 by English playwright William Shakespeare (1564–1616). (show more )
The title character descends into madness after disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters (Goneril, Regan and Cordelia) based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all.
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The title character descends into madness after disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters (Goneril, Regan and Cordelia) based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all.
hide
* Lear[5], a legendary early king of Britain, is mentioned by the 12th century Welsh chronicler Geoffrey of Monmouth in his Historia Regum Britanniae (circa 1139; first printed in 1508), an account of the kings of Britain.
Ned[7] is a derogatory term applied in Scotland to hooligans, louts or petty criminals.
Origin: It appears to be a backronym* for a non-educated delinquent.
* A backronym[7] (or bacronym) is an acronym formed from an already existing word. Backronyms may be invented with either serious or humorous intent, or they may be a type of false etymology or folk etymology. The word is a blend of back and acronym.
What did he say?
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In his hints on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Tilsit tells us "troublesome fellow" indicatesTearaway[5] is a British term for A person who behaves in a wild or reckless manner ⇒a slang word for a tearaway. some young tearaways set fire to the house. |
| 20d | British at last go teetotal before the Parisian // drinking bout (6) |
"teetotal " = TT
Teetotal[5] (abbreviation TT[5]) means choosing or characterized by abstinence from alcohol ⇒
A teetotaller[5] (US teetotaler; abbreviation TT[5]) is a person who never drinks alcohol.
The term teetotal is an emphatic extension of total, apparently first used by Richard Turner, a worker from Preston [England], in a speech (1833) urging total abstinence from all alcohol, rather than mere abstinence from spirits, as advocated by some early temperance reformers.
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Teetotal[5] (abbreviation TT[5]) means choosing or characterized by abstinence from alcohol ⇒
a teetotal lifestyle.
A teetotaller[5] (US teetotaler; abbreviation TT[5]) is a person who never drinks alcohol.
The term teetotal is an emphatic extension of total, apparently first used by Richard Turner, a worker from Preston [England], in a speech (1833) urging total abstinence from all alcohol, rather than mere abstinence from spirits, as advocated by some early temperance reformers.
hide
"the French " = LE [French definite article]
Bottle[2] (usually the bottle) is slang for the drinking of alcohol, especially to excess.
| 22d | Work hastily /and/ superficially read page (5) |
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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