Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29835 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Wednesday, November 17, 2021 | |
Setter
Jay (Jeremy Mutch) | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29835]
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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
Today's puzzle from Jay is reviewed on Big Dave's Crossword Blog by the 2Kiwis; one member of the pair—KiwiColin—gets a special shout-out from the setter.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 | Resident // worker following popular custom (10) |
"worker " = ANT
The terms "worker" and "social worker" are commonly used in cryptic crossword puzzles to clue ANT or BEE.
A worker[5] is a neuter or undeveloped female bee, wasp, ant, or other social insect, large numbers of which do the basic work of the colony.
In crossword puzzles, "worker" will most frequently be used to clue ANT and occasionally BEE but I have yet to see it used to clue WASP. Of course, "worker" is sometimes also used to clue HAND or MAN.
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The terms "worker" and "social worker" are commonly used in cryptic crossword puzzles to clue ANT or BEE.
A worker[5] is a neuter or undeveloped female bee, wasp, ant, or other social insect, large numbers of which do the basic work of the colony.
In crossword puzzles, "worker" will most frequently be used to clue ANT and occasionally BEE but I have yet to see it used to clue WASP. Of course, "worker" is sometimes also used to clue HAND or MAN.
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| 6a | Time lost from lead, perhaps /for/ something to eat (4) |
" time " = T [t[1]]
| 10a | Moderate losing head // on more than one occasion! (5) |
| 11a | Go on bended knee /as/ fuel can get tricky out of area (9) |
" area " = A[2]
| 12a | Slowly get shut of // heaps, apparently? (5,3) |
Get shut of[5] is an informal expression meaning to get rid of ⇒
the sooner we get shut of this government the better.
Occurrence: I have to presume that this is a British expression as I found it only in British dictionaries.
The wordplay in this clue is a reverse anagram (show more
), a type of wordplay that reverses the customary relationship between wordplay and solution by giving the result of the anagram
operation in the clue and requiring the solver to find an anagram
indicator and anagram fodder that would produce that result.
In this clue, the solution is PHASE OUT which—if interpreted as wordplay—would be an anagram (OUT) of PHASE producing the result HEAPS which is given in the clue.
In a 'normal' anagram, the anagram indicator (operator) and anagram fodder (the material on which the indicator operates) are given in the clue and the solver executes the anagram operation on the fodder to find the result which forms all or part of the solution.
In a 'reverse anagram', this relationship is reversed. The anagram result is given in the clue and the solver must find the required anagram indicator and anagram fodder which would produce this result. This is not unlike the premise of the TV game show Jeopardy — where contestants are given the answer and must respond with a question.
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
In this clue, the solution is PHASE OUT which—if interpreted as wordplay—would be an anagram (OUT) of PHASE producing the result HEAPS which is given in the clue.
In a 'normal' anagram, the anagram indicator (operator) and anagram fodder (the material on which the indicator operates) are given in the clue and the solver executes the anagram operation on the fodder to find the result which forms all or part of the solution.
In a 'reverse anagram', this relationship is reversed. The anagram result is given in the clue and the solver must find the required anagram indicator and anagram fodder which would produce this result. This is not unlike the premise of the TV game show Jeopardy — where contestants are given the answer and must respond with a question.
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
| 13a | Hen // party's ending in reverse of true (5) |
| 15a | Sickness has student going back /for/ food (7) |
"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.
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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.
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| Automobile displaying an L-plate |
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| 17a | Nationalist // group will be in touch (7) |
| 19a | City // people originally rely on (7) |
Preston[5] is a city in northwestern England, the administrative centre of Lancashire, on the River Ribble. It was the site in the 18th century of the first English cotton mills.
| 21a | Caller /putting/ Italian in shade (7) |
| 22a | Jelly /may be/ a special interest choice initially (5) |
| 24a | Husked rice in fertiliser /may provide/ such treatment (8) |
| 27a | Second English lesson /is/ potentially distinct (9) |
| 28a | List // in which one may be left troubled? (5) |
The second part of the clue alludes to the expression leave (someone) in the lurch[5] meaning to leave (someone) abruptly and without assistance or support when they are in a difficult situation.
| 29a | Expert holding right /for/ so much land (4) |
| 30a | Dwelling // on a time set for renewal (10) |
Maisonette[3,4,11] is a chiefly British term for self-contained living accommodation often occupying two floors of a larger house and having its own outside entrance.
Down
| 1d | Sarcasm should be limited /and/ smooth (4) |
| 2d | Get a free ride /seeing/ problem with increase (5-4) |
| 3d | Flower borders? (5) |
Flower is used in the whimsical cryptic crossword sense of something that flows — in other words, a river.
| 4d | A tout planned to go round Britain -- /in/ this vessel? (7) |
GB[10] is a common abbreviation* for Great Britain.
* Prior to Brexit, GB[10] was also the International Vehicle Registration (IVR) code for Great Britain. However, post Brexit, the code has been changed to UK (although some dictionaries clearly have yet to catch up with the change).[7]
| 5d | Unremitting // rise of marijuana suppressed by French denials (3-4) |
The French word for 'no' is non[8].
| 7d | Clergymen expect to keep up // opposition (5) |
| 8d | Sadly true -- Lear pinches technology // writer's output (10) |
IT[5] is the abbreviation for information technology.
Scratching the Surface
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| The surface reading might be seen to be a reference to English humorist and illustrator Edward Lear[5] (1812–1888) whose works include A Book of Nonsense (1845) and Laughable Lyrics (1877). He also published illustrations of birds and of his travels around the Mediterranean. His best-known piece is likely "The Owl and the Pussy-Cat"[7]. |
| 9d | A loud, boring guest occasionally /gives/ inspiration (8) |
Afflatus[5] is a formal term for a divine creative impulse or inspiration ⇒
His playing has the afflatus of genius and the purity of a child.
| 14d | Free space, as in a // large body of water (7,3) |
The Caspian Sea[5] is a large landlocked salt lake, bounded by Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, and Iran. It is the world's largest body of inland water with an area of about 371,800 sq. km (143,550 sq. miles). Its surface lies 28 m (92 ft) below sea level.
| 16d | Goes in capturing heart of rich // individuals offering incentives (8) |
| 18d | Understand printer // corrected text regularly (9) |
| 20d | Country // chap set up on Spanish island with no end of pizazz (7) |
Ibiza[5] is the westernmost of the Balearic Islands*.
* The Balearic Islands[5] (also the Balearics) are a group of Mediterranean islands off the east coast of Spain, forming an autonomous region of that country, with four large islands (Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza, Formentera) and seven smaller ones.
Namibia[5] is a country in southern Africa, on the Atlantic Ocean.
| 21d | Changes direction to incorporate most of new // appearances (7) |
| 23d | Exercises found in standard // composition (5) |
| 25d | Officer with popular // name (5) |
| 26d | Small tool /needed for/ footwear (4) |
" small " = S[5] [clothing size]
References
Key to Reference Sources:
[1] - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition
[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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