Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29833 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Monday, November 15, 2021 | |
Setter
Campbell (Allan Scott) | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29833]
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Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
pommers | |
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
The usual enjoyable fare from Campbell; it's a 'midweeker' for us but it kicked off the week for the Brits.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 | Walk casually /in/ street, wind behind (6) |
Roll[10] is used in the sense of to make into a ball or cylinder by winding over and over itself or something else ⇒
to roll a cigarette.
| 5a | Drink -- // a suitable one agent knocked back (8) |
| 10a | On the blink, TV near // bar (6) |
| 11a | Fashion icon ringing a doctor, // part of circle (8) |
Dame Mary Quant[7] is a Welsh fashion designer and British fashion icon who became an instrumental figure in the 1960s London-based Mod and youth fashion movements. She was one of the designers who took credit for the miniskirt and hot pants.
| 12a | Raised in W Somerset, near busy // resort town (6-5-4) |
Weston-super-Mare[5] is a resort in south-western England*, on the Bristol Channel.
* In reality, the resort is located in Somerset but in the north central part of the county rather than the western part.
| 16a | Film // based on fact -- it follows King George (4,4) |
"King George " = GR[5] [regnal cipher]
The regnal ciphers (monograms) of British monarchs are initials formed from the Latin version of their first name followed by either Rex or Regina (Latin for king or queen, respectively). Thus, the regnal cipher of King George was GR[5]—from the Latin Georgius Rex.
* A cipher[5] (also spelled cypher) is a monogram[5] or motif of two or more interwoven letters, typically a person's initials, used to identify a personal possession or as a logo.
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The regnal ciphers (monograms) of British monarchs are initials formed from the Latin version of their first name followed by either Rex or Regina (Latin for king or queen, respectively). Thus, the regnal cipher of King George was GR[5]—from the Latin Georgius Rex.
* A cipher[5] (also spelled cypher) is a monogram[5] or motif of two or more interwoven letters, typically a person's initials, used to identify a personal possession or as a logo.
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True Grit[7] is a 1969 American Western film starring John Wayne as U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn. Wayne won his only Oscar for his performance in the film. It is the first film adaptation of Charles Portis' 1968 novel of the same name, the second being released in 2010.
| 18a | Quite // popular act (6) |
The exclamation quite[5] is used* to express agreement with or understanding of a remark or statement ⇒
‘Lovely evening, isn't it?’ ‘Quite,’ he replied.
* I would gather that this may be primarily a British usage.
| 20a | Queen /showing/ restraint entertaining head of government, American (6) |
" American " = A[1]
In the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms (show more ), Regina[5] (abbreviation R[5]) [Latin for queen] denotes the reigning queen, used following a name (e.g. Elizabetha Regina, Queen Elizabeth — often shortened to ER) or in the titles of lawsuits (e.g. Regina v. Jones, the Crown versus Jones — often shortened to R. v. Jones).
A Commonwealth realm[7] is a sovereign state that is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and shares the same person, currently Elizabeth II, as its head of state and reigning constitutional monarch, but retains a crown legally distinct from the other realms. There are currently sixteen Commonwealth realms, the largest being Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom with the remainder being smaller Caribbean and Pacific island nations.
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A Commonwealth realm[7] is a sovereign state that is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and shares the same person, currently Elizabeth II, as its head of state and reigning constitutional monarch, but retains a crown legally distinct from the other realms. There are currently sixteen Commonwealth realms, the largest being Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom with the remainder being smaller Caribbean and Pacific island nations.
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| 21a | Unclear situation /in/ neutral region (4,4) |
| 22a | CD /in/ comic -- pal drops it off (10,5) |
CD[5] is the abbreviation for corps diplomatique (diplomatic corps).
| 27a | Answer: draw off small measure, // if necessary (2,1,5) |
" answer " = A[1]
At a pinch[5.14] is a British expression meaning if absolutely necessary ⇒
the rear will accommodate two adults or three smaller people at a pinch
North American term: in a pinch
| 28a | Away goal causes // upset (6) |
| 29a | Aquatic bird -- it nested within banks of estuary /for/ donkey's years (8) |
The tern[5] is a seabird related to the gulls, typically smaller and more slender, with long pointed wings and a forked tail.
| 30a | Sappers, weary, // go to bed (6) |
In Britain, the Sappers is a common name for the Corps of Royal Engineers[7]—usually just called the Royal Engineers (abbreviation RE)—a corps of the British Army that provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces.
* A sapper[5] is a soldier responsible for tasks such as building and repairing roads and bridges, laying and clearing mines, etc.
Down
| 2d | Where a course at university may take one, // in some measure (2,1,6) |
| 3d | Plain the man fell, /being/ past it? (4,3,4) |
A fell[5] is a hill or stretch of high moorland, especially in northern England.
| 4d | Crease? Any number /in/ sheets, etc (5) |
| 6d | Round // fruit, soft (5) |
| 7d | Looter overlooking a // person on horseback (5) |
| 8d | Found in Croatia, rare // crown (5) |
| 9d | Incompetent fool, // the old man, mostly supported by a daughter (7) |
| 13d | Out of bed, drunk /is/ nervy (7) |
Here and There
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In Britain, nervy[5] means:
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| 14d | Best // stretch of thoroughfare, lit extensively (5) |
| 15d | After having blundered, Italian // succeeded (4,1,2,2,2) |
| 17d | River and wood crossing area /in/ kingdom (5) |
" river " = R [R or R.[2]; on maps]
" area " = A[2]
| 19d | Regard first at the crease /as/ a big surprise? (3-6) |
When batting, a batsman in cricket is said to be 'at the crease*' much as a batter in baseball would be said to be 'at the plate'.
* In cricket, a crease[10] is any of three lines (bowling crease, popping crease, or return crease) near each wicket marking positions for the bowler or batsman. This clue specifically relates to the popping crease, a line four feet in front of each wicket behind which a batsman must stand when batting.
In cricket, an opener[2] is either of the two* batsmen who begin the batting for their team.
* in cricket, batsmen always bat in pairs, positioned at opposite ends of the pitch
| 20d | Communist measure /demonstrates/ undue bureaucracy (3,4) |
| 23d | Smooth // tree (5) |
The plane[5] (also plane tree) is a tall spreading tree of the genus Platanus of the northern hemisphere, with maple-like leaves and bark which peels in uneven patches.
| 24d | Bulb // lit, current not off (5) |
" current " = I[2] [electric current; symbol used in physics]
| 25d | Type of necktie /produced by/ a Caledonian (5) |
Caledonian[5] is a humorous or literary term for a person from Scotland.
Origin: Caledonia[10] was the Roman name for Scotland. The term is now used poetically and, sometimes, humorously.
| 26d | Chapter on old Irish // group of singers (5) |
" chapter " = C [c.[2]; in textual references]
" old " = O[12] [linguistics;
OFr(Old French),
OE(Old English)]
" Irish " = IR [Ir.[10]]
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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