Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29863 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Monday, December 20, 2021 | |
Setter
Campbell (Allan Scott) | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29863]
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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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Notes
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This puzzle appears on the Monday Diversions page in the Saturday, April 2, 2022 edition of the National Post. | |
Introduction
What more could I possibly add to pommers' description of this puzzle in his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog ⇒Elegant clues, not too hard but a couple to cause the head scratching. I enjoyed it a lot and hope you did too.
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 | Drink // less wine the two resolved (3,4,7) |
As an anagram indicator, resolve[5] (past participle resolved) may be used in the the sense (said of something seen at a distance) to turn into a different form when seen more clearly ⇒
as we drew closer, the orange light resolved itself into four roadwork lanterns.
| 9a | I intend returning article on a // blood condition (7) |
Tricky Parsing
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| I initially parsed the wordplay the same way pommers does in his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog. However, on closer examination, I discovered this does not quite work. I had to think a bit to get the parsing correct as there are two instances of the letter "A" in the solution and it is a bit tricky to identify which one is clued by which element in the wordplay. The parsing is {a reversal of (returning) {I (from the clue) + MEAN (intend)} + A ([indefinite] article)} following (on) A (from the clue). The complexity of the parsing is attested to by the fact I had to introduce an extra level of brackets "{{()}}" beyond those that I normally employ. |
| 10a | Paunch? // Bad bad sign (7) |
| 11a | Small Italian // model (3) |
" small " = S[5] [clothing size]
| 12a | Underling // dished out brandies (11) |
As an anagram indicator, I presume dish[10] (past participle dished) is used in a British sense meaning to ruin or spoil ⇒
she dished her chances of getting the job.
| 14a | Basil, for one, is // in other balcony (6) |
More Tricky Parsing
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| The best way I can see for this clue to work is to include the word "is" in the definition. By doing so, one can interpret the clue to be telling the solver to find an adjective that could describe "basil". If one omits the word "is" from the definition, then the definition would seem to be a noun ("basil") while the solution is an adjective ("herbal"). Admittedly, the noun "basil" can act as a modifier ("basil tea") but I'm not sure that justifies saying that it is a synonym of "herbal". |
| 15a | Meeting // about one acquiring Greek steamship (8) |
" about " = C [c.[2]; circa (Latin)]
Gr.[2] is the abbreviation for Greek.
" steamship " = SS[2] [steamship]
| 17a | Spent // day flying to ridge (3-5) |
What did he say?
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In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, pommers advises us to think ofKnackered[5] is an informal British term meaning very tired or exhausted.Spent as in knackered. |
| 19a | Left one by a // wealthy heiress (6) |
"left " = PORT [nautical term]
Portia[7] is a female protagonist of William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. She is a rich, beautiful, intelligent heiress.
| 22a | When husband goes after peak // provider of wood (8,3) |
" husband " = H [h[2] ; genealogy]
The mountain ash[5] is a small deciduous tree of the rose family, with compound leaves, white flowers, and red berries.
| 23a | Enjoy // trick right away (3) |
| 24a | Troublemaker /in/ Russian government wanting new leader (7) |
The Kremlin[10] is a 12th-century citadel in Moscow, containing the former Imperial Palace, three Cathedrals, and the offices of the Russian government (for which the name is commonly used as a metonym).
A gremlin[5] is an imaginary mischievous sprite regarded as responsible for an unexplained problem or fault, especially a mechanical or electronic one.
| 26a | Communion cup /in/ church placed next to girl (7) |
" church " = CH [ch[2]]
| 27a | Utterly despicable /in/ past, trick prior to draw (6,8) |
Down
| 1d | How much do I owe you /from/ lost games that we had? (5,3,6) |
| 2d | Farm vehicle /and/ buggy overturned on hill (7) |
A buggy[10] is a light horse-drawn carriage having either four wheels (especially in the US and Canada) or two wheels (especially in Britain and India).
A cart[10] is a light open horse-drawn vehicle having two wheels and springs, for business or pleasure.
"hill " = TOR
A tor[7] is a large, free-standing rock outcrop that rises abruptly from the surrounding smooth and gentle slopes of a rounded hill summit or ridge crest. In the South West of England, the term is commonly also used for the hills themselves – particularly the high points of Dartmoor in Devon and Bodmin Moor in Cornwall.
hide
A tor[7] is a large, free-standing rock outcrop that rises abruptly from the surrounding smooth and gentle slopes of a rounded hill summit or ridge crest. In the South West of England, the term is commonly also used for the hills themselves – particularly the high points of Dartmoor in Devon and Bodmin Moor in Cornwall.
hide
| 3d | Collector of bits and pieces? (11) |
Bit[2] is an obsolete British term (used in compounds) for a coin, especially a small coin ⇒
threepenny bit*.
* Before the introduction of decimal currency in Britain in 1971, the threepence coin[7], usually simply known as a threepence, thruppence, or threepenny bit, was a unit of currency equaling one eightieth of a pound sterling, or three old pence sterling.
A piece[5] is a a coin of specified value ⇒
a 10p* piece.
* p is the abbreviation for pence
| 4d | Embarrassed about a B&B /being/ dingy (6) |
| 5d | Clearance /given by/ boss on range (8) |
| 6d | Son, notice, /is/ unhappy (3) |
" son " = S [s[5]; genealogy]
| 7d | Tell untruths about honey drink /and/ cordial (7) |
Here and There
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| In Britain, cordial[10]
is a drink with a fruit base, usually sold in concentrated form and diluted with water before being drunk. In North America, cordial[5] is another term for liqueur[5], a strong, sweet alcoholic spirit, usually drunk after a meal. |
| 8d | Below formal declaration, // a comment, somewhat restrained? (14) |
| 13d | Fashionable well-respected centre /is/ cheery (2,4,5) |
The expression in good heart[1] means in good spirits or in good courage.
| 16d | Ruled around end of thirties, /then/ abdicated (8) |
Scratching the Surface
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| Edward VIII[5,7] (1894–1972) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, and Emperor of India from 20 January 1936 until his abdication in December of the same year in order to marry the American divorcee Mrs Wallis Simpson.. |
| 18d | Chap eating prime piece of rump before // cheese (7) |
Gruyère[5] is a firm, tangy cheese.
Origin: named after Gruyère, a district in Switzerland, where it was first made
| 20d | In French city, I originally maligned // travel industry (7) |
Tours[5] is an industrial city in west central France, on the River Loire.
What did he say?
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In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, pommers instructs us toI'm afraid if you do you will not arrive at the correct solution. Only the "I" goes in the French city; the "M" follows the French city.Take the I from the clue and an M (originally Maligned) and put them in a French city. |
| 21d | Mostly awkward, old // cowboy (6) |
Tours[5] is an industrial city in west central France, on the River Loire.
A gaucho[5] is a cowboy from the South American pampas.
| 25d | The Parisian round // house (3) |
"the Parisian " = LE [French definite article]
In astrology, a house[10] is any any of the 12 divisions of the zodiac.
In astrology, Leo[10] (also called the Lion) is the fifth sign of the zodiac, symbol ♌.
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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