Puzzle at a Glance
| |
|---|---|
Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29841 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Wednesday, November 24, 2021 | |
Setter
Jay (Jeremy Mutch) | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29841]
| |
Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
2Kiwis | |
BD rating
| |
| Difficulty - ★★★ | Enjoyment - ★★★★ |
Falcon's experience
┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐
███████████████████████████████████ └────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘ | |
|
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
| |
|
Notes
| |
This puzzle appears on the Monday Diversions page in the Saturday, March xx, 2022 edition of the National Post. | |
Introduction
Despite heading down the wrong path (or, more precisely, up the wrong hill) at one point, I did not find this puzzle overly challenging.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 | |
|
|
| Click here for further explanation and usage examples of markup conventions used on this blog. | |
Across
| 1a | Fresh title adopted by infernal poet /and/ dabbler (10) |
Inferno[7] (Italian for "Hell") is the first part of Italian writer Dante Alighieri's 14th-century epic poem Divine Comedy. It is followed by Purgatorio and Paradiso. The Inferno describes Dante's journey through Hell, guided by the ancient Roman poet Virgil.
| 6a | Friends from the east? // Precisely (4) |
Slap[10] is used as an adverb in an informal sense meaning exactly or directly ⇒
he arrived slap on time.
| 10a | Trail behind Her Majesty /getting/ a drink (5) |
"Her Majesty " = ER[5] [regnal cipher of Queen Elizabeth]
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 Queen Elizabeth is ER[5]—from the Latin Elizabetha Regina.
* 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.
hide
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 Queen Elizabeth is ER[5]—from the Latin Elizabetha Regina.
* 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.
hide
| 11a | Beefy sending son to back /for/ accoutrements (9) |
" son " = S [s[5]; in genealogies]
| 12a | A fool to be attached to northern // city (7) |
Antwerp[5] is a port in northern Belgium, on the Scheldt. By the 16th century it had become a leading European commercial and financial centre.
| 13a | Expression of weariness /coming from/ house on hill, mostly (5-2) |
" house " = HO [ho.[10]]
According to The Chambers Dictionary, heigh-ho[1] is an exclamation expressive of weariness*.
* Other dictionaries show the term as expressing a broader range of emotions with the American Heritage Dictionary[3] providing the longest list: fatigue, mild surprise, boredom, disappointment, or sometimes exultation.
Post Mortem
| |
|---|---|
| I went astray by supposing that the "hill" would be a TOR with "hill, mostly" cluing TO. |
| 14a | /Taking/ collagen daily may reveal // an ulterior motive! (6,6) |
I would say that the wordplay is simply "collagen daily may reveal" with the word "taking" functioning somewhat in the manner of a link word in the sense of making use of.
| 18a | More and more // home care must be arranged individually (12) |
| 21a | Institutes needing no area /for/ meals (7) |
" area " = A[2]
| 23a | Particle absorbed by some /or/ other science (7) |
| 24a | What might measure article on the fourth dimension? (9) |
The entire clue is a (cryptic) definition in which the wordplay is embedded. In their review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, the 2Kiwis make no mention of the wordplay which is PIECE (article) following (on [in an across clue]) TIME (the fourth dimension).
The fourth dimension[5] is is time regarded as analogous to linear dimensions.
| 25a | Form of insect /giving/ single male a turn (5) |
An imago[5] is the final and fully developed adult stage of an insect, typically winged.
| 26a | Reportedly pushed under // water pipe (4) |
| 27a | A good child on endless trail // that's seen in cave (10) |
A stalagmite[5] is a mound or tapering column rising from the floor of a cave, formed of calcium salts deposited by dripping water and often uniting with a stalactite.
Down
| 1d | Money /offering/ a right to support party lines? (6) |
"party " = DO
Do[5,12] is an informal British[5] or chiefly British[12] term* for a party or other social event ⇒
* Although one US dictionary (Webster’s New World College Dictionary[12]) supports the contention by Lexico (Oxford Dictionary of English)[5] that this usage is at least chiefly British, two other US dictionaries[3,11] do not.
hide
Do[5,12] is an informal British[5] or chiefly British[12] term* for a party or other social event ⇒
the soccer club Christmas do.
* Although one US dictionary (Webster’s New World College Dictionary[12]) supports the contention by Lexico (Oxford Dictionary of English)[5] that this usage is at least chiefly British, two other US dictionaries[3,11] do not.
hide
" lines " = LL [ll.[5]; in textual references ⇒
ll. 648-650]
| 2d | Left one opening // to tie up (6) |
| 3d | Such votes // unusually hit new helpers welcoming Independent (5-4,5) |
" Independent " = I[1] [politician with no party affiliation]
In the UK, a three-line whip[5] is a written notice, underlined three times to denote urgency, to members of a political party to attend a parliamentary vote ⇒
Failure by MPs to attend a vote with a three-line whip is usually seen as a rebellion against the party and may eventually result in disciplinary action, such as suspension from the parliamentary party.
| 4d | A variable list on poems // down under (9) |
The letter n[10] is used (especially in mathematics) as a symbol to represent an indefinite number (of) ⇒
there are n objects in a box.
Mathematically Imprecise?
| |
|---|---|
| A mathematician would not think of n as a variable; rather it represents any number. That is, the relationship in which it appears holds for any value assigned to n (or, possibly, any value within a specified range) and its value does not depend on the value of other quantities found in the relationship. A variable, on the other hand, is an unknown quantity whose value depends on the value of other quantities in the relationship. Variables (also called unknowns) are typically represented in mathematics by the symbols x, y and z. |
The Antipodes[5] is a term used by inhabitants of the northern hemisphere to refer to Australia and New Zealand.
| 5d | Rubbish // remains after tower evacuated (5) |
| 7d | Hang on desperately in case of lad // writing (8) |
| 8d | Mate should keep a short chronicle // of vicar's work (8) |
In Britain, mate[5]—in addition to meaning a person’s husband, wife, or other sexual partner—can also be an informal term for a friend or companion ⇒
my best mate Steve.
A vicar[5] is a member of the clergy, although the meaning of the term varies
among religious denominations (show more ).
The term vicar may mean:
The term vicar may mean:
- in the the Church of England, an incumbent of a parish where tithes formerly passed to a chapter or religious house or layman;
- in other Anglican Churches, a member of the clergy deputizing for another;
- in the Roman Catholic Church, a representative or deputy of a bishop;
- in the US Episcopal Church, a clergyman in charge of a chapel;
- a cleric or choir member appointed to sing certain parts of a cathedral service.
In the Christian Church, pastoral[5] denotes concerning or appropriate to the giving of spiritual guidance ⇒
pastoral and doctrinal issues.
| 9d | Jump on Conservative, inclined /to get/ seasonal work at home (6-8) |
" Conservative " = C[5] [member of a British political party]
| 15d | Apple /is/ beyond compare (9) |
Nonpareil[7] is a class of old russet apple cultivars.
| 16d | Given accommodation /and/ invoiced to include rent regularly (8) |
| 17d | Number employed by European comedian // likely to bring in a profit (8) |
"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.
hide
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.
hide
| 19d | National /may be/ like this country in Africa (6) |
So[2] means in that [or this] state or condition [i.e., ‛like that’ or ‛like this’] ⇒ (i)
promised to be faithful, and has remained so; (ii)
She told him ‛I am single, and I plan to remain so.’.
Mali[5]
is a landlocked country in West Africa, south of Algeria. Former name (until 1958)
French Sudan. (show more )
Conquered by the French in the late 19th century, Mali became part of French West Africa. It became a partner with Senegal in the Federation of Mali in 1959 and achieved full independence a year later, on the withdrawal of Senegal.
hide
Conquered by the French in the late 19th century, Mali became part of French West Africa. It became a partner with Senegal in the Federation of Mali in 1959 and achieved full independence a year later, on the withdrawal of Senegal.
hide
A Somali[5] is a member of a mainly Muslim people of Somalia [or, in other words, a national of Somalia].
| 20d | My // new job includes year five English (2,4) |
" English " = E[2]
The phrase by Jove[5] is a dated exclamation indicating surprise or used for emphasis ⇒
Sure we got beaten week in and week out, but by Jove we had some fun..
| 22d | Got a whiff of // fish (5) |
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
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.