Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29822 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Tuesday, November 2, 2021 | |
Setter
Unknown | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29822]
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Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
Mr K | |
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
Should anyone still be interested, here is my review of the puzzle published in the National Post on Tuesday, February 8, 2022. On that date, not having realized that the National Post had skipped a couple of puzzles, I posted a review of the wrong puzzle.Then, having written this review, I seem to have forgotten to post it and it languished in draft status for a dog's age.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 | Pub mainly warm -- and good // nuts (7) |
"mainly warm" = KIN[
" good " = G [g or g.[1]; a grade of numismatic coin perhaps]
Barking[5] is an informal British term meaning completely mad or demented ⇒ (i)
we are all a bit barking; (ii) [as submodifier]
has she gone completely barking mad?.
| 5a | Sad // unemployment benefit total reduced (7) |
Dole[5] (usually the dole) is an informal British term* for a benefit paid by the state to the unemployed ⇒ (i)
I was on the dole for three years; (ii)
my next dole cheque.
* although, in my experience, a term not unheard of in Canada
"total reduced" = FUL[
the full enrolment) with the final letter removed (reduced)
| 9a | On reflection, met /for/ a drink (5) |
| 10a | Rod // Hull used to be popular for such a worker (9) |
It took a long time to decipher this clue. I see from Mr K's review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog that he had as much—if not more—difficulty with it.
Rod[5] is used in the sense of an angler ⇒
over a hundred rods turned out for the day, including some famous names.
Hull[7] (official name Kingston upon Hull) is a port city in Yorkshire, England lying on the River Hull, 25 miles (40 km) inland from the North Sea. The economy of Hull was built on trading and seafaring, firstly whaling and later seafishing but the fishing industry declined in the 1970s due to the Cod Wars.
Scratching the Surface
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| There's a clever bit of misdirection in the clue. Rod Hull[7] (1935–1999) was a British comedian and popular entertainer on television in the 1970s and 1980s. He rarely appeared without Emu, a mute, highly aggressive arm-length puppet modelled on the flightless Australian bird of that name. |
| 11a | Hesitancy from Parisian bandaging cut? On the contrary (10) |
Contrarian Convention
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| 12a | Singer /from/ Blur's inside repeatedly (4) |
Lulu Kennedy-Cairns (born Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie), best known by her stage name Lulu[7], is a Scottish singer, actress, and television personality who has been successful in the entertainment business from the 1960s.
Delving Deeper
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| Lulu is
internationally identified, especially by North American audiences, with
the song "To Sir with Love" from the film of the same name and with the title song to the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun. In European countries, she is also widely known for her Eurovision Song Contest winning entry "Boom Bang-a-Bang" and in the UK for her first hit "Shout", which was performed at the closing ceremony of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. |
Scratching the Surface
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| Blur[7] are an English rock band, formed in London in 1988. In the early 1990s, the band achieved mass popularity in the UK, aided by a chart battle with rivals Oasis in 1995 dubbed the "Battle of Britpop". In 1997, their single "Song 2"[7] went to #6 in the US and #1 in Canada on the alternative rock charts. |
| 14a | At sea, hell's warlike // predators (6,6) |
| 18a | I perhaps // alarm nun more if drunk (5,7) |
| 21a | River // craft east of delta (4) |
" delta " = D[5] [NATO Phonetic Alphabet[7]]
The River Dart[7] is a river in Devon, England which rises high on Dartmoor, and releases to the sea at Dartmouth. Its valley and surrounding area is a place of great natural beauty.
| 22a | I know miss struggles crossing river -- this could describe the situation (4,2,4) |
The entire clue is a (somewhat) cryptic definition in which the wordplay is embedded.
| 25a | Nancy's private conversation? (4-1-4) |
Nancy[5] is a city in northeastern France.
| 26a | Tea houses fashionable here? (5) |
Similar to 22a, the entire clue is a (somewhat) cryptic definition in which the wordplay is embedded.
Cha (variant spelling of char[5]) is an informal British name for tea [in the sense of a drink].
| 27a | Boris's ending politicians' // lies (7) |
"politicians " = TORIES [members of a British political party]
A Tory[10] is a member or supporter of the Conservative Party in Great Britain [or, for that matter, in Canada].
The Conservative Party[5] is a major right of centre British political party promoting free enterprise and private ownership that 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.
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A Tory[10] is a member or supporter of the Conservative Party in Great Britain [or, for that matter, in Canada].
The Conservative Party[5] is a major right of centre British political party promoting free enterprise and private ownership that 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.
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Scratching the Surface
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| 28a | Striking // is back, restricting a large hospital department (7) |
" large " = L[5] [clothing size]
"hospital department " = ENT
Down
| 1d | One incarcerated in stir /for/ bird (6) |
Scratching the Surface
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Stir[5] is an informal term for prison [on both sides of the Atlantic] ⇒ I’ve spent twenty-eight years in stir.
Bird[10] is British slang for prison or a term in prison, especially in the phrase do (one's) bird. In this example of Cockney rhyming slang (show explanation ), bird is shortened from birdlime*, rhyming slang for time (as in a prison sentence).
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| 2d | Surrender after Royal Engineers // retreat (6) |
"Royal Engineers " = RE
| 3d | Voice modulations without student's // complaints (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.
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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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As often is the case in Crosswordland, this complaint is medical in nature.
| 4d | After golf, sit about wrapping female/'s/ presents (5) |
" golf " = G[5] [NATO Phonetic Alphabet[7]]
| 5d | Lecture // I'd set up ahead of second programme of study (9) |
| 6d | Reported tragic king /'s/ lecherous look (4) |
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.
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* 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.
| 7d | Hare grabbing a rodent, scratching tail // very well (8) |
Hare[5] is a British expression meaning to run with great speed ⇒
he hared off between the trees.
| 8d | Left with pain, // grow weak (8) |
| 13d | Overdone // ham (10) |
Despite reservations, I have marked this clue as a double definition—as has Mr K on Big Dave's Crossword Blog. However, I note that neither the clue nor the explanation provided by Mr K in his review drew any criticism.
I feel that both parts of the clue have virtually the same meaning with theatrical in the sense "overdone" being merely a case of the application of a term originating in the world of theatre to a broader context.
Perhaps the clue might simply be intended to be a cryptic definition designed to make one think of a ham roast left too long in the oven. While that is certainly the intended surface reading, it does not seem to fully explain the clue.
| 15d | Around university, lesson is awfully // low quality (9) |
| 16d | Hors d'oeuvre -- // it's eaten by vulgar son (8) |
" son " = S [s[5]; in genealogies]
Crudités[5] are mixed raw vegetables served as an hors d'oeuvre, typically with a sauce into which they may be dipped.
| 17d | A horse initially tried to // drink (8) |
Amaretto[5] is a brown almond-flavoured liqueur produced in Italy.
| 19d | Saw Chile without leaders // for a short time (6) |
| 20d | Influence // politician supporting one bill (6) |
" politician " = MP[5] [Member of Parliament]
| 23d | Boats, // smooth and glossy, capsized (5) |
Keel[5] is a literary term for a ship.
| 24d | He painted melting dial (4) |
Another clue where the entire clue is a (somewhat) cryptic definition in which the wordplay is embedded.
Salvador Dalí[5] (1904–1989) was a Spanish painter. A surrealist, he portrayed dream images with almost photographic realism against backgrounds of arid Catalan landscapes. Dalí also collaborated with Buñuel in the production of the film Un Chien andalou (1928). Notable works: The Persistence of Memory (1931).
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| The Persistance of Memory, Salvador Dali (1931) |
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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