Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29828 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Tuesday, November 9, 2021 | |
Setter
Unknown | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29828]
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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
I won't quibble with Mr K's characterization of today’s puzzle as being from "the more straightforward end of the ... spectrum" and I shared his "big smile right at the end"—once the true meaning of the definition dawned on me.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 | Act restricting police department /is/ agreed (7) |
"police department " = CID [Criminal Investigation Department]
| 5a | Rubbish // tango -- stumble and sway (7) |
Rubbish[3,4,11] is used in the sense of nonsense (foolish or pointless writing or speech).
" tango " = T[5] [NATO Phonetic Alphabet[7]]
| 9a | Benefit /from/ a face covering, we're told (5) |
| 10a | Sloth perhaps // ends daily unwinding (6,3) |
In Christian tradition, the sins of pride, covetousness, lust, anger, gluttony, envy, and sloth are known as the seven deadly sins[5].
| 11a | Nick is grabbing drink with yen // to relax (4,2,4) |
Nick[5] is an informal British term meaning to steal ⇒
he'd had his car nicked by joyriders.
" yen " = Y[5] [Japanese monetary unit[5]]
| 12a | Tip from Dominic Raab: dismissing answer /is/ dull (4) |
Scratching the Surface
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| Dominic Raab[7] is a British politician serving as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor since 2021. |
| 14a | Poor // value of Braun for grooming (12) |
Scratching the Surface
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| Braun[7] is a German* consumer products company particularly well known for its industrial product design from the mid-20th century which included electric shavers and record players.
* From 1984 until 2007, Braun was a wholly owned subsidiary of The Gillette Company, which had purchased a controlling interest in the company in 1967. Braun is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Procter & Gamble, which acquired Gillette in 2005. |
| 18a | Start // to approach short blokes with stick (12) |
| 21a | Egg on // uniform -- regret scrubbing every other part (4) |
" uniform " = U[5] [NATO Phonetic Alphabet[7]]
| 22a | Yearning to break most of finest // possessions (10) |
| 25a | Neighbours perhaps // lather Aida? (4,5) |
Aida[7] is an opera by Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901). Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it premièred in Cairo in 1871.
Neighbours[7] is an Australian television soap opera. First broadcast in 1985, it is the longest running drama series on Australian television. Having been sold to over 60 countries around the world, it is one of Australia's most successful media exports. The show has proved to be more popular in the United Kingdom than in Australia.
| 26a | Former lover, with skill, turning // over (5) |
Although both over and extra are terms used in cricket, that is not the case in thus clue; today, they are simply everyday generic terms.
| 27a | How one might cook // sea fish (4-3) |
The deep[5] is a literary term for the sea ⇒
denizens of the deep.
Fry[5] are young fish, especially when newly hatched.
As Mr K alludes in his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, one might—but does not have to—take the entire clue to be the definition.
| 28a | Tasteless // hot drink I had (7) |
Down
| 1d | End of Third World // famine (6) |
| 2d | Grumpy // about revolting year (6) |
" about " = C [c[2]; circa (Latin)]
| 3d | Bond's after diamonds /and/ amorous relationships (10) |
" diamonds " = D[2] [card suit]
| 4d | Avoid // setter perhaps penning last bit of crossword with ecstasy (5) |
"ecstasy " = E [the illicit drug Ecstasy]
E[5] is an abbreviation for the drug Ecstasy* or a tablet of Ecstasy ⇒ (i)
* Ecstasy[5] is an illegal amphetamine-based synthetic drug with euphoric effects, originally produced as an appetite suppressant. Also called MDMA (Methylenedioxymethamphetamine).
hide
E[5] is an abbreviation for the drug Ecstasy* or a tablet of Ecstasy ⇒ (i)
people have died after taking E; (ii)
being busted with three Es can lead to stiff penalties.
* Ecstasy[5] is an illegal amphetamine-based synthetic drug with euphoric effects, originally produced as an appetite suppressant. Also called MDMA (Methylenedioxymethamphetamine).
hide
| 5d | Change // trains leaving current platform? Not half! (9) |
" current " = I[2] [electric current; symbol used in physics]
| 6d | Fool's topless // friend (4) |
Wally[5] is an informal British term for a silly or inept person ⇒
I must have looked a total wally but I didn't care.
Origin: There are many theories of the origin: one story tells of a Wally who became separated from companions at a 1960s pop festival; the name, announced many times over a loudspeaker, was taken up as a chant by the crowd.
| 7d | Report // from French writer (8) |
| 8d | Student in bed none fancy // dignified (8) |
"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.
hide
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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| 13d | Disobey // mad gran's sister, leaving Italy (10) |
| 15d | Many cheer evil // foe (4-5) |
| 16d | Loathsome // defendant admits resistance (8) |
" resistance " = R[2] [electrical resistance, symbol used in physics]
| 17d | Amidst mayhem, I gratefully // leave country (8) |
| 19d | Section of foot // soldiers should be this? (6) |
| 20d | Man? // And what one isn't, it's said (6) |
The Isle of Man[5]
is an island in the Irish Sea (show more ).
The island is a British Crown dependency having home rule, with its own legislature (the Tynwald) and judicial system. It was part of the Norse kingdom of the Hebrides in the Middle Ages, passing into Scottish hands in 1266 for a time, until the English gained control in the early 15th century. Its ancient language, Manx, is still occasionally used for ceremonial purposes.
hide
The island is a British Crown dependency having home rule, with its own legislature (the Tynwald) and judicial system. It was part of the Norse kingdom of the Hebrides in the Middle Ages, passing into Scottish hands in 1266 for a time, until the English gained control in the early 15th century. Its ancient language, Manx, is still occasionally used for ceremonial purposes.
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The wordplay is an allusion to "No man is an island" which is a famous line from Devotions upon Emergent Occasions[7], a 1624 prose work by English poet John Donne (1572–1631).
| 23d | Took a picture, capturing // animal (5) |
The okapi[5] is a large browsing mammal of the giraffe family that lives in the rainforests of northern Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire). It has a dark chestnut coat with stripes on the hindquarters and upper legs.
| 24d | Playing this, one might be putting // upsetting record on loudly (4) |
In the definition, putting is the present participle of putt rather than put.
Penny Slow to Drop
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| Although I solved the clue easily enough, it was only while writing the review that I realized how the word "putting" is being used. Once I twigged to that, this suddenly became my favourite clue. |
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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