Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29819 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Friday, October 29, 2021 | |
Setter
proXimal (Steve Bartlett) | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29819]
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Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
Deep Threat | |
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 is the first of two puzzles skipped by the National Post on Monday, February 7, 2022. | |
Your Bonus Puzzle
Introduction
After the appearance of a couple of Xs, I knew this was shaping up to be a proXimal creation and I was on the lookout for the remaining pair. This may have been a bit of an aid in finishing the puzzle.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 | Unwelcome adviser // supports European at club (4-4,6) |
"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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| 9a | Work out // approach to secure place (7) |
| 10a | Official, say, in European Union rejected // one taking flight (7) |
" European Union " = EU[2]
| 11a | Stringed instrument // spoils broadcast (4) |
| 12a | Fun // family member receiving a kiss (10) |
| 14a | Hold // a cuddly toy after turning in (6) |
| 15a | Cut off // facial hair in half-hearted act (8) |
Tache[4] is an informal short term for moustache.
| 17a | Awful // singer finally accepted by choir, if desperate (8) |
| 18a | Virtually // unlimited hats, comprising three different sizes (6) |
" large " = L[5] [clothing size]
" medium " = M[5] [clothing size]
"[third] size " = OS [outsize; British clothing size]
| 21a | Worker admits messing around /in/ job (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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| 22a | Dram /from/ hotel consumed by drunk (4) |
Dram[5] is a Scottish term for a small drink of whisky or other spirits ⇒
a wee dram to ward off the winter chill.
| 24a | Noted // female artist linked to Kent, not capital (7) |
Tracey Emin[7] is an English artist and part of the group known as Britartists or YBAs (Young British Artists).
Delving Deeper
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 Highlights of her work include Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963–1995[7], a tent appliquéd with names*, exhibited at the Royal Academy in London and My Bed[7] (shown above), an installation at the Tate Gallery consisting of her own unmade dirty bed with used condoms and blood-stained underwear. * the names of, literally, everyone she had ever slept with, but not necessarily in the sexual sense |
Scratching the Surface
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| Kent[5] is a county on the south-eastern coast of England. |
| 25a | Old poetry university dons do to death (7) |
"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.
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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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" university " = U[1]
| 26a | Genuinely // hell here, day two at sea (14) |
Down
| 1d | Was first to support doe's mate /that's/ collapsed (7) |
| 2d | Accept // heavenly body on Tom withers when neglected (4,2,5,4) |
I presume the use of "neglected" as an anagram indicator is premised on the likelihood that something that is not cared for properly will soon become a mess.
| 3d | Comfortable // having arms lifted (4) |
| 4d | Father upset with former partners /giving/ tips (6) |
| 5d | Some Parisian keeping chest with silver /for/ stagnant times (4,4) |
"some Parisian " = DES
The French partitive article* des[8] means 'some''.
* Reverso identifies des as a determiner; a partitive article is a quantifier which is a subclass of determiners. [Note: Determiners have traditionally been classed as either adjectives or pronouns; however, modern theorists of grammar prefer to distinguish determiners as a separate word class.]
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The French partitive article* des[8] means 'some''.
* Reverso identifies des as a determiner; a partitive article is a quantifier which is a subclass of determiners. [Note: Determiners have traditionally been classed as either adjectives or pronouns; however, modern theorists of grammar prefer to distinguish determiners as a separate word class.]
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An ark[5] (short for Ark of the Covenant*) is a chest or cupboard housing the Torah scrolls in a synagogue.
* The Ark of the Covenant[5] (also Ark of the Testimony) was the wooden chest which contained the tablets of the laws of the ancient Israelites. Carried by the Israelites on their wanderings in the wilderness, it was later placed by Solomon in the Temple at Jerusalem.
The phrase the dark ages[5] denotes a period of supposed unenlightenment ⇒
a throwback to the dark ages of computing.
* The Dark Ages[5] was the period in western Europe between the fall of the Roman Empire and the high Middle Ages, c.500–1100 AD, during which Germanic tribes swept through Europe and North Africa, often attacking and destroying towns and settlements. It was judged to have been a time of relative unenlightenment, though scholarship was kept alive in the monasteries and learning was encouraged at the courts of Charlemagne and Alfred the Great.
| 6d | Maybe football // final played on schedule (10) |
| 7d | Dog/'s/ tongue going over badger beneath stump (7,8) |
The English Foxhound[7] is one of the four foxhound breeds. These dogs are scent hounds, bred to hunt foxes by scent.
| 8d | Provided straps to // one refusing to climb (6) |
| 13d | Piloting after releasing right engineer /for/ submarine chamber (6,4) |
" right " = R [r or r.[2]]
Alexander Graham Bell[5] (1847–1922) was a Scottish-born US scientist. He invented a method for transmitting speech electrically and gave the first public demonstration of the telephone in 1876; he founded the Bell Telephone Company the following year.
Delving Deeper
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| Alexander Graham Bell[7] was born in Edinburgh (so
Brits think of him as a Scot), he moved to Canada at the age of 23
(so we Canucks think of him as a Canadian), and he was granted US citizenship at
the age of 35 (so Yanks think of him as an American). The year
following his move to Canada, he began training instructors at schools
for the deaf in the US — and, from that time until his death, he
maintained residences in both Canada and the US and divided his time
between the two countries. As it was not until several years after inventing the telephone that Bell took out US citizenship, he was clearly a Canadian* at the time of its invention. A great deal of the experimental work required to bring the telephone to fruition — as well as the first public demonstrations of the device — took place at his home near Brantford, Ontario. * technically, a British subject in Canada as the status of "Canadian citizen" did not exist prior to the Immigration Act, 1910 |
A diving bell[5] is an open-bottomed chamber supplied with air, in which a person can be let down under water.
| 16d | Clash // is between manager's top and tie (8) |
What did he say?
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In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Deep Threat describes the final element of the wordplay asHe uses tie[5] in a British sense meaning a sports match [contest] between two or more players or teams in which the winners proceed to the next round of the competition ⇒a sporting tie or contest. Swindon Town have gained themselves a third round tie* against Oldham. * This does not mean — as a North American might suppose — that Swindon Town and Oldham played to a draw in the third round. Rather, it means that Swindon Town defeated their opponent in the second round and will move on to face Oldham in the third round. |
| 17d | One jokes // over dismissal in personnel department (6) |
The axe[5] (also US the ax) is a measure intended to reduce costs drastically, especially one involving redundancies* [dismissals].
* Redundancy[5] is a British term denoting the state of being no longer in employment because there is no more work available ⇒
the factory's workers face redundancy⇒ (i)
the factory’s workers face redundancy; (ii)
the car giant is expected to announce around 5,000 redundancies.
" personnel department " = HR[5] [human resources]
| 19d | Unsteady // pig's foot leaving first run on yard (7) |
A trotter[5] is a pig's foot used as food ⇒
Food like pigs trotters, tripe [stomach of a cow] and chitterlings [smaller intestines of a pig] are all foods which we tried to avoid eating, but now they are being served up at some of the trendiest restaurants in London.
"run " = R [cricket notation]
" yard " = Y [y or y.[1]]
| 20d | Wool /from/ African country changing hands (6) |
Angola[5] is a republic on the west coast of southern Africa. (show more )
Angola was a Portuguese possession from the end of the 16th century until it achieved independence in 1975. Independence was followed by years of civil war, chiefly between the ruling Marxist MPLA and the UNITA movement; this was halted by the signing of a ceasefire in 2002.
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Angola was a Portuguese possession from the end of the 16th century until it achieved independence in 1975. Independence was followed by years of civil war, chiefly between the ruling Marxist MPLA and the UNITA movement; this was halted by the signing of a ceasefire in 2002.
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" [original] hand " = " right " = R [r or r.[2]]
" [replacement] hand " = " left " = L [l[2]]
Angora[5] is a yarn or fabric made from the hair of the angora* goat or rabbit.
| 23d | Hook up // bucket down after flipping over (4) |
Bucket down[5] is a British term meaning to rain heavily ⇒
The rain was bucketing down hard and showed no sign of letting up.
Teem[3,4] (often followed by down or with rain) means to pour in torrents; that is, to rain hard or heavily ⇒
it's teeming down.
Occurrence: Of the reference sources I consulted, this sense was found in virtually all of the British dictionaries and about half of the US dictionaries.
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
I think National Post pulled a fast one. Your solve doesn’t match the puzzle. Or maybe the cold weather has finally frozen my brain
ReplyDeletePuzzler,
DeleteThank you for bringing this to my attention. Sorry I didn't notice your comment earlier before Tuesday's blog was posted.