Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29857 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Monday, December 13, 2021 | |
Setter
Campbell (Allan Scott) | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29827]
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Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
Falcon | |
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
Today's puzzle finds Campbell in a relatively benign mood.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 | Religious person, // male, one of two higher in rank (6,8) |
A Mother Superior[5] is the head of a female religious community.
| 9a | Look angry /pointing to/ blot on the landscape (7) |
| 10a | Like tyres /found in/ the undergrowth, son and husband ditched? (7) |
" son " = S [s[5]; genealogy]
" husband " = H [h[2] ; genealogy]
Tyre[5] is the British spelling of tire (in the sense of an automobile component).
| 11a | College // register returned (4) |
I have to wonder if "register" and "tone" are truly synonymous. In music, register[2] denotes the range of tones produced by the human voice or a musical instrument.
"college " = ETON
Eton College[7], often informally referred to simply as Eton, is an English independent boarding school for boys located in Eton, Berkshire, near Windsor. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor". It is one of ten English schools, commonly referred to as public schools, regulated by the Public Schools Act of 1868.
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Eton College[7], often informally referred to simply as Eton, is an English independent boarding school for boys located in Eton, Berkshire, near Windsor. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor". It is one of ten English schools, commonly referred to as public schools, regulated by the Public Schools Act of 1868.
Here and There
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| In Britain, an independent school[10] is a school that is neither financed nor controlled by the government or local authorities; in other words, an independent school[2] is not paid for with public money and does not belong to the state school system. In Britain, a public school[2] is a particular category of independent school, namely a secondary school, especially a boarding school, run independently of the state and financed by a combination of endowments and pupils' fees. Another category of independent school is the private school[2,5] which is a school run independently by an individual or group, especially for profit and supported wholly by the payment of fees. What we in North America would call a public school[2] is known in the UK as a state school[5] or a maintained school*. * In England and Wales, a maintained school[5] is a school that is funded by a local education authority. |
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| 12a | Justifiably popular, always? // Goodness gracious me (4,1,5) |
| 14a | Tricky question /brought to light/ in quite a sermon (6) |
| 15a | Carry weapons // to support members (4,4) |
| 17a | Indicate // fielding position elsewhere (5,3) |
In cricket, point[5] is a fielding position on the off side* near the batsman; or a fielder at that position.
* In cricket, the off[5] (also called off side) is the half of the field (as divided lengthways through the pitch) towards which the batsman's feet are pointed when standing to receive the ball. The other half of the field is known as either the leg[5] (also called leg side) or on[5] (also called on side).
| 18a | Attempt mostly opaque // sort of novel like 'Frankenstein'? (6) |
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus[7] is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley.
| 21a | Battle involving the British? // Could it be Salerno? (3,7) |
The wordplay in this clue is a reverse anagram, a cryptic device in which the result of executing the anagram appears in the clue (in this case, SALERNO) and the solution to the clue contains the anagram indicator and fodder that would produce this result (in this case, NEW ORLEANS or an anagram (new) of ORLEANS)*. This is somewhat analogous to the premise of the television game show Jeopardy where contestants are presented with an answer and must respond with a question.
* This is a reversal of the normal relationship in which the anagram indicator and fodder appear in the clue and the result of executing the anagram is found in the solution.
The Battle of New Orleans[7] was fought near New Orleans on January 8, 1815 between the British Army under Major General Sir Edward Pakenham and the United States Army under Brevet Major General Andrew Jackson.
Delving Deeper
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| The Battle of New Orleans took place 18 days after the signing of the Treaty of Ghent, which formally ended the War of 1812, on December 24, 1814, though it would not be ratified by the United States (and therefore did not take effect) until February 16, 1815, as news of the agreement had not yet reached the United States from Europe. Despite a large British advantage in numbers, training, and experience, the American forces defeated a poorly executed assault in slightly more than 30 minutes. The Americans suffered just 71 casualties, while the British suffered over 2,000, including the deaths of the commanding general, Major General Sir Edward Pakenham, and his second-in-command, Major General Samuel Gibbs. |
| 22a | Huge // Greek character losing face (4) |
Omega[5] is the last letter of the Greek alphabet (Ω, ω).
| 24a | Bail out sailor, a // pantomime hero (3,4) |
A pantomime[5] is a traditional British theatrical entertainment, mainly for children, which involves music, topical jokes, and slapstick comedy and is based on a fairy tale or nursery story, usually produced around Christmas.
| 25a | Condiment /that may be/ given a shaking before starter in restaurant? (7) |
Scratching the Surface
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| Starter[3,5] is another name* for an appetizer or the first course of a meal. |
| 26a | Whiskey taken by big-band leader after grouse // dish (4,10) |
" Whiskey " = W[5] [NATO Phonetic Alphabet[7]]
Duke Ellington[5] (1899–1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader. Coming to fame in the early 1930s, Ellington wrote over 900 compositions and was one of the first popular musicians to write extended pieces. Notable works: "Mood Indigo" (1930).
Beef Wellington[5] is a dish consisting of beef coated in pâté and wrapped in puff pastry.
Down
| 1d | Movie star, /with/ stitch in side, keeled over (3,4) |
"side " = TEAM
Side[5] is a British term for a sports team ⇒
* Note that, in Britain, a player is said to be "in a side" or "in a team" rather than "on a team" as one would say in North America.
In North America, the term side[3] is used in a very general fashion that can denote one of two or more opposing individuals, groups, teams, or sets of opinions. While this same general usage is also found in the UK, the term side[5] is also used there in a much more specific sense to mean a sports team, as we can clearly see from the following usage examples ⇒ (i)
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Side[5] is a British term for a sports team ⇒
there was a mixture of old and young players in* their side.
* Note that, in Britain, a player is said to be "in a side" or "in a team" rather than "on a team" as one would say in North America.
In North America, the term side[3] is used in a very general fashion that can denote one of two or more opposing individuals, groups, teams, or sets of opinions. While this same general usage is also found in the UK, the term side[5] is also used there in a much more specific sense to mean a sports team, as we can clearly see from the following usage examples ⇒ (i)
Previous England rugby sides, and England teams in many other sports, would have crumbled under the weight of such errors.; (ii)
They'll face better sides than this Monaco team, but you can only beat what's put in front of you.
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Mae West[5] (1892–1980) was an American actress and dramatist. She made her name on Broadway in her own comedies Sex (1926) and Diamond Lil (1928), memorable for their spirited approach to sexual matters*, before embarking on her successful Hollywood career in the 1930s.
* Mae West is renowned for having delivered lines such as ⇒
Is that a gun in your pocket, or are you just glad to see me?— although the precise circumstances surrounding this quote are unclear and the premise of the joke dates as far back as the ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes (Quote Investigator).
| 2d | Who I meant when confused about Italian/'s/ novel (3,5,2,5) |
The Woman in White[7] is a mystery novel by English novelist and playwright Wilkie Collins written in 1859.
| 3d | Mythological god // raised in Tarsus or Ephesus (4) |
In Greek mythology, Eros[5] is the god of love, son of Aphrodite — the equivalent in Roman mythology being Cupid[5].
Scratching the Surface
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| Tarsus[7] is an ancient city in southern Turkey, the capital of Cilicia and the birthplace of St Paul. It is now a market town. Ephesus[5] was an ancient Greek city on the west coast of Asia Minor, in present-day Turkey, site of the temple of Diana, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It was an important centre of early Christianity; St Paul preached there and St John is traditionally said to have lived there. |
| 4d | Understand about daughter /making one/ grow furious (3,3) |
" daughter " = D [d[2]; genealogy]
| 5d | Area with lines laid in dock, 50 // side by side (8) |
" area " = A[2]
" lines " = LL [ll.[5]; in textual references ⇒
ll. 648-650]
| 6d | Mug newly married man outside in // vestry (6,4) |
| 7d | Merry individual in charge of team of rowers? (3,4,3,5) |
Merry[5,10] is an informal British term meaning slightly and good-humouredly drunk ⇒
after the third beer he began to feel quite merry*.
* In Canada, someone in this state would likely be described as
feeling happy.
One over the eight[5] is an informal British expression meaning one drink too many*.
* When I reviewed this puzzle on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, I supposed the expression "one over the eight" related to a Breathalyzer reading of 0.08 (as you may infer from the illustration I chose). However, that seems not to be the case, as it probably comes from the assumption that the average person can drink eight pints of beer without getting drunk.
The setter has seemingly re-imagined the expression to mean someone who has consumed more than eight pints.
The clue also alludes to eight[5] as the crew of an eight-oared rowing boat.
| 8d | Island, // source of cough syrup in original form (6) |
Cyprus[5] is an
island lying in the eastern Mediterranean about 80 km (50 miles) south
of the Turkish coast. (show more )
A Greek colony in ancient times, Cyprus was held by the Turks from 1571 until 1878, when it was placed under British administration. After virtual civil war between the Greek Cypriots (some of whom favour enosis or union with Greece) and the Turkish Cypriots, Cyprus became an independent Commonwealth republic in 1960. In 1974 Turkish forces took over the northern part of the island, which proclaimed itself the independent Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in 1983 but has not received international recognition. The Greek Cypriot–controlled Republic of Cyprus joined the EU in May 2004.
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A Greek colony in ancient times, Cyprus was held by the Turks from 1571 until 1878, when it was placed under British administration. After virtual civil war between the Greek Cypriots (some of whom favour enosis or union with Greece) and the Turkish Cypriots, Cyprus became an independent Commonwealth republic in 1960. In 1974 Turkish forces took over the northern part of the island, which proclaimed itself the independent Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in 1983 but has not received international recognition. The Greek Cypriot–controlled Republic of Cyprus joined the EU in May 2004.
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| 13d | Partner // improved on fifty per cent (6,4) |
| 16d | Strong wind that's got up breaks safety device /in/ body of plane (8) |
| 17d | Friendly foreign correspondent, perhaps (3,3) |
| 19d | Greek cast in series /causes/ annoyance (7) |
Gr.[2] is the abbreviation for Greek.
| 20d | Complain tearfully /as/ name appears in jeans upside-down (6) |
" name " = N [n or n.[1]]
| 23d | Clerical dignitary heading off // soon (4) |
A canon[2] is a member of the clergy* attached to a cathedral.
* in rank, below a dean
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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