Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29843 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Friday, November 26, 2021 | |
Setter
proXimal (Steve Bartlett) | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29843]
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Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
Deep Threat | |
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 found this puzzle quite difficult and am glad to see that Deep Threat supports that assessment. I did use electronic help on the final four clues although—with one exception—even that did not immediately produce the required solution but merely provided a gentle hint that was enough to get me onto the right path.I did twig to the fact that the puzzle was shaping up to be an X-less pangram but not until late in the game. In fact, by the time that realization dawned, I was only missing the J. However, that did help me solve 6a.
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 | Excellent way /to make/ theme music (10) |
| 6a | German sure was heartless // Bond baddie (4) |
The German word for 'yes' is ja[8].
Jaws[7], a fictional character in the James Bond films* The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and Moonraker (1979), is one of the most popular James Bond henchmen. He is a highly skilled killer relying on his brute strength and steel teeth to quickly dispatch his victims.
* The character does not appear in Ian Fleming's novels but is inspired by the description of a hoodlum named Sol "Horror" Horowitz in his novel The Spy Who Loved Me.
| 9a | Pronounced damage to fruit // plots (5) |
| 10a | Quit Euros playing /in/ blue (9) |
| 12a | Large type /of/ bricks covering major city (5,8) |
| 14a | New bug going round, caught in gym // with child (8) |
" new " = N[5] [in place names on maps]
PT[10] is the abbreviation for physical training[10], an old-fashioned term for training and practice in sports, gymnastics, etc, as in schools and colleges.
Post Mortem
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|---|---|
| What could possibly go wrong here? Why, just about everything! To start with, I presumed that "gym" would be cluing PE (physical education); I never gave PT (physical training) a thought. Next, "new" is obviously cluing N and the "bug" could be an ANT. Well, that doesn't appear to be working. Then, a brainwave hits; the bug is a GNAT which is "going round" N (clued by "new"). However, I still cannot fully parse the wordplay. Eventually, I stop beating my head against a brick wall and look at Deep Threat's explanation. |
| 15a | Where E is given in senior // course (6) |
Afters[5] is an informal British term for the sweet course following the main course of a meal ⇒
there was apple pie for afters.
| 17a | Councillor casual /and/ not pressed (6) |
" Councillor " = CR [Cr[2]]
| 19a | Joining // transport heading off on motorway (8) |
Motorway[2,5] (abbreviation M[5]) is a British, Australian, and New Zealand term for a dual-carriageway road [divided highway] designed for fast-moving traffic, especially one with three lanes per carriageway [direction of travel] and limited access and exit points [controlled access].
| 21a | Nightingale // had maple to fly around (4,2,3,4) |
Florence Nightingale[5,7] (1820–1910) was an English nurse and medical reformer who is regarded as the founder of modern nursing.
In 1854, during the Crimean War, she improved sanitation and medical procedures at the army hospital at Scutari, achieving a dramatic reduction in the mortality rate. She was known as "The Lady with the Lamp"* after her habit of making rounds at night.
* The solution to this clue is a minor variation of this epithet.
| 24a | Friendly // porter seen regularly when working (9) |
In British sport, a friendly[5,14] is a match which is not part of a competition, and is played for entertainment or practice, often without any serious effort to win.
North American equivalent: exhibition game
| 25a | Device used in writing // club successfully in the end (5) |
| 26a | One against South // European wine ignoring Italy (4) |
"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
Asti[7] (formerly known as Asti Spumante)
is a sparkling white Italian wine (show more ).
Asti is produced throughout southeastern Piedmont but production is particularly focused around the towns of Asti and Alba. Since 1993 the wine has been classified as a Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) and as of 2004 was Italy's largest producing appellation.
Hide
Asti is produced throughout southeastern Piedmont but production is particularly focused around the towns of Asti and Alba. Since 1993 the wine has been classified as a Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) and as of 2004 was Italy's largest producing appellation.
Hide
In the card game bridge, North[5] (N) and South[5] (S) comprise one partnership and play against East[5] (E) and West[5] (W) who form the other partnership.
| 27a | Burrow fast incorporating space /for/ colony (10) |
A sett[5] (also set) is the underground lair or burrow of a badger.
"fast " = LENT
In the Christian Church, Lent[5] is the period preceding Easter, which is devoted to fasting, abstinence, and penitence in commemoration of Christ’s fasting in the wilderness. In the Western Church it runs from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday, and so includes forty weekdays [including Saturdays]*.
* This is rather oversimplified as the beginning and end of Lent actually varies among churches. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, Lent begins on Clean Monday (the Monday preceding Ash Wednesday) and ends on the Friday preceding Palm Sunday (however, fasting continues through Holy Week). In the Roman Catholic Church, Lent ends on Maundy Thursday (the Thursday preceding Good Friday).
hide
In the Christian Church, Lent[5] is the period preceding Easter, which is devoted to fasting, abstinence, and penitence in commemoration of Christ’s fasting in the wilderness. In the Western Church it runs from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday, and so includes forty weekdays [including Saturdays]*.
* This is rather oversimplified as the beginning and end of Lent actually varies among churches. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, Lent begins on Clean Monday (the Monday preceding Ash Wednesday) and ends on the Friday preceding Palm Sunday (however, fasting continues through Holy Week). In the Roman Catholic Church, Lent ends on Maundy Thursday (the Thursday preceding Good Friday).
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In printing, the em[2] is a unit of measurement, based on the 12-point lower-case 'm', used in spacing material, and in estimating dimensions of pages.
Down
| 1d | Lacking credit, cancels // membership fee (4) |
Subs[10] is a British term for money paid to be a subscribing member of a club, organization, etc. ⇒
He hadn't paid his subs to the cricket club.
| 2d | Blue novel about marine // in service (7) |
| 3d | Ignores rent /for/ cheap shop (8,5) |
| 4d | Queen scoffed about male monarch // sitting again (8) |
"Queen " = R [Regina]
Queen may be abbreviated as Q, Qu. or R.
Q[5] is an abbreviation for queen that is used especially in describing play in card games and recording moves in chess.
Qu.[2] is another common abbreviation for Queen.
In the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms*, 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.
Thus Queen Elizabeth signs her name as 'Elizabeth R' as seen here on Canada's paint-stained constitution[7].
hide
Queen may be abbreviated as Q, Qu. or R.
Q[5] is an abbreviation for queen that is used especially in describing play in card games and recording moves in chess.
Qu.[2] is another common abbreviation for Queen.
In the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms*, 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.
Thus Queen Elizabeth signs her name as 'Elizabeth R' as seen here on Canada's paint-stained constitution[7].
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| 5d | No time in Arctic to stray // around (5) |
| 7d | Living // in centre of Southampton upset friend (7) |
Scratching the Surface
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| Southampton[5] is an industrial city and seaport on the south coast of England, in Hampshire. It lies at the end of Southampton Water, an inlet of the English Channel opposite the Isle of Wight. In 1912 it was the departure point for the British passenger liner RMS Titanic[7] on her first and only voyage — intended destination, North America. |
| 8d | Pet resists bouncing around // relative (10) |
| 11d | University resident gathering class /is/ not educational (13) |
Uni[5] is an informal (originally Australian) short form for university ⇒
he planned to go to uni.
In Britain, a form[5] is [or, perhaps more correctly,was] a class or year in a school, usually given a specifying number. This is somewhat similar to the North America concept of a grade although the numbering system for forms and grades are vastly different. (show more )
The term "form" seems to have become passé as Miffypops in his review of DT 28163 on Big Dave's Crossword Blog refers to "sixth-former" as "What a schoolchild would be during the year before university back in the old days. This would now be known as year 13 or 14." Furthermore, Wikipedia (see table below) characterizes the term "form" as an "alternative/old name".
A form[7] is a class or grouping of students in a school. The term is used predominantly in the United Kingdom, although some schools, mostly private, in other countries also use the title. Pupils are usually grouped in forms according to age and will remain with the same group for a number of years, or sometimes their entire school career.
Forms are normally identified by a number such as "first form" or "sixth form". A form number may be used for two year groups and differentiated by the terms upper and lower [in general, this would seem to apply primarily for the sixth form]. Usually the sixth form is the senior form of a school [although this apparently does not hold true for New Zealand where they would appear to have a seventh form]. In England, the sixth form is usually divided into two year groups, the lower sixth and upper sixth, owing to the 3-year English college/university system. In Scotland or North America, the 6th form is usually a single year, owing to the 4-year college/university system. If there is more than one form for each year group they will normally be differentiated by letters, e.g., "upper four B", "lower two Y". Schools do not follow a consistent pattern in naming forms [in the foregoing quotation witness Miffypops' reference to "year 14", a term which does not appear in the table below].
Wikipedia would appear to be at best ambiguous and at worst inconsistent on the relationship between the British and American systems of naming school years. The article from which the table below is excerpted shows that the British first form is equivalent to the American 6th grade. On the other hand, the article cited above states "In North America, the 1st Form (or sometimes 'Form I') is equivalent to 7th Grade." However, this latter statement may in fact be a comparison between the few North American schools to use the form system and the vast majority of North American schools that don't rather than a comparison between British and American schools.
hide
The term "form" seems to have become passé as Miffypops in his review of DT 28163 on Big Dave's Crossword Blog refers to "sixth-former" as "What a schoolchild would be during the year before university back in the old days. This would now be known as year 13 or 14." Furthermore, Wikipedia (see table below) characterizes the term "form" as an "alternative/old name".
A form[7] is a class or grouping of students in a school. The term is used predominantly in the United Kingdom, although some schools, mostly private, in other countries also use the title. Pupils are usually grouped in forms according to age and will remain with the same group for a number of years, or sometimes their entire school career.
Forms are normally identified by a number such as "first form" or "sixth form". A form number may be used for two year groups and differentiated by the terms upper and lower [in general, this would seem to apply primarily for the sixth form]. Usually the sixth form is the senior form of a school [although this apparently does not hold true for New Zealand where they would appear to have a seventh form]. In England, the sixth form is usually divided into two year groups, the lower sixth and upper sixth, owing to the 3-year English college/university system. In Scotland or North America, the 6th form is usually a single year, owing to the 4-year college/university system. If there is more than one form for each year group they will normally be differentiated by letters, e.g., "upper four B", "lower two Y". Schools do not follow a consistent pattern in naming forms [in the foregoing quotation witness Miffypops' reference to "year 14", a term which does not appear in the table below].
Wikipedia would appear to be at best ambiguous and at worst inconsistent on the relationship between the British and American systems of naming school years. The article from which the table below is excerpted shows that the British first form is equivalent to the American 6th grade. On the other hand, the article cited above states "In North America, the 1st Form (or sometimes 'Form I') is equivalent to 7th Grade." However, this latter statement may in fact be a comparison between the few North American schools to use the form system and the vast majority of North American schools that don't rather than a comparison between British and American schools.
Naming of School Years (British System vs American System)[7]
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| Age Range | British System | American System | |
| Name | Alternative/Old Name | Name | |
| 11-12 | Year 7 | First form | 6th grade |
| 12-13 | Year 8 | Second form | 7th grade |
| 13-14 | Year 9 | Third form | 8th grade |
| 14-15 | Year 10 | Fourth form | 9th grade |
| 15-16 | Year 11 | Fifth form | 10th grade |
| 16-17 | Year 12 | Lower sixth form | 11th grade |
| 17-18 | Year 13 | Upper sixth form | 12th grade |
hide
| 13d | See LA police officer turning up after a // catastrophe (10) |
| 16d | Foodstuff /in/ steam on large overturned barrel (8) |
" large " = L[5] [clothing size]
A tun[5] is a large beer or wine cask.
| 18d | Unlimited // lenses ordered and worn by daughter (7) |
" daughter " = D [d[2]; genealogy]
| 20d | A really quiet ramble /is/ OK (7) |
| 22d | Sample // foremost of sculptures where it might be displayed? (5) |
In Britain, an important sculpture (foremost of sculptures) might be displayed "in [the] Tate". Thus the wordplay is S (foremost [initial letter] of Sculptures) contained in (in) TATE.
The Tate Gallery[5] (commonly known simply as the Tate) is a national museum of art in London, England founded in 1897 by the sugar manufacturer Sir Henry Tate (1819–1899) to house his collection of modern British paintings, as a nucleus for a permanent national collection of modern art. It was renamed Tate Britain in 2000, when the new Tate Modern gallery opened*.
* I think it would be safe to surmise that by that time the original collection could no longer be considered "modern".
| 23d | Growth // in fancy stationery (4) |
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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