Puzzle at a Glance
| |
|---|---|
Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29869 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Tuesday, December 28, 2021 | |
Setter
X-Type | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29869]
| |
Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
Mr K | |
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
| |
Introduction
I am a big fan of cryptic definitions and this puzzle has a couple of outstanding ones at 1d and 17d.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 | Sack, following support /for/ unwanted report (8) |
| 5a | Spot Nicholas, reportedly // looking attractive (6) |
| 10a | Prison: /or/ quite literally, the very end of prison? (9,6) |
| 11a | Britain and NI getting precipitation, along with Spain /and/ another country (7) |
British Poli Sci 101
| |
|---|---|
| Here the setter uses "Britain and NI" to mean United Kingdom (UK). Although the terms Great Britain (often shortened to Britain) and United Kingdom are commonly used interchangeably—the UK Olympic Team is even officially branded as Team GB[7] rather than Team UK—strictly speaking, the terms have different meanings. From a political perspective, Great Britain[5] comprises the countries of England, Scotland, and Wales. Northern Ireland[5] (abbreviation NI[5]) is a province of the United Kingdom occupying the northeast part of Ireland. Together they comprise the United Kingdom[7] (UK) whose name in full is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. * From a geographical perspective, Great Britain[7] is the island on which the countries of England, Scotland, and Wales are largely situated (these countries extend beyond the boundaries of geographical Great Britain to take in other nearby islands). |
| 12a | Agents /with/ female performers (7) |
A factor[5] is an agent who buys and sells goods on commission ⇒
his father was chief factor for the Hudson's Bay Company.
| 13a | Rugby tactic // that cuts through? (8) |
In rugby, scissors[5] is a tactical move in which a player running diagonally takes the ball from a teammate and changes the direction of the attack, or feints to do so.
| 15a | Made to go around clubs: /it's/ a trail (5) |
" clubs " = C[1] [card suit]
| 18a | Harsh sounds /made by/ river snakes (5) |
" river " = R [R or R.[2]; on maps]
Asp is a name given to at least four different species of snakes (show more ):
hide
- the European asp[7], a small southern European viper (Vipera aspis) with an upturned snout.
- the Egyptian cobra[7] (Naja haje), one of the largest cobra species native to Africa, second to the forest cobra (Naja melanoleuca).
- the Saharan horned viper[7] (Cerastes cerastes), a venomous viper species native to the deserts of Northern Africa and parts of the Middle East.
- the Saharan sand viper[7] (Cerastes vipera), also known as the Egyptian asp or Cleopatra's asp, a venomous viper species endemic to the deserts of North Africa and the Sinai Peninsula.
hide
| 20a | European knight (so-called) // owed something by right (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
" knight " = N[2] [chess notation]
| 23a | Significant calcium /found in/ Spanish island (7) |
Ca[5] is the symbol for the chemical element calcium.
Majorca[5] is the largest of the Balearic Islands*.
* The Balearic Islands[5] (also the Balearics) are a group of Mediterranean islands off the east coast of Spain, forming an autonomous region of that country, with four large islands (Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza, Formentera) and seven smaller ones.
| 25a | Run over and play guitar, perhaps, // where the conductor stands (7) |
"run " = R [cricket notation]
| 26a | Firstly, have pen: treble one ... um ...? Bother this; /just tell us/ what the digits are! (9,6) |
The entire clue works as a sort of cryptic definition in which the precise definition is embedded. The first part of the clue creates context to suggest that the required digits are a telephone number.
| 27a | Salesperson -- yes, son -- // gives money back (6) |
Ay (a variant spelling of aye[5,10]) is an archaic or dialect (except in voting by voice) expression of assent* ⇒
aye, you're right there.
* The term is still in use when voting to signify "I assent" ⇒
all in favour say ayeand in nautical circles, in the form aye aye, as a response accepting an order ⇒
aye aye, captain.
" son " = S [s[5]; genealogy]
| 28a | Have second thoughts about // donkeys found in reserve (8) |
The abbreviation for reserve is res.[2].
Down
| 1d | Something in the boudoir, perhaps, that listens to pillow talk? (6) |
| 2d | Falls /causing/ eye problems? (9) |
| 3d | Desires // iced cakes (7) |
Fancy[5] (noun) is a British name for a small iced cake ⇒
chocolate fancies.
| 4d | Excited ears I // prick up? (5) |
| 6d | Forces /getting/ cold, with zero on loose scree (7) |
" cold " = C [c or c.[1]; symbol found on water taps]
| 7d | Unit rottweiler hides // explosive (5) |
Nitro[5] is short for nitroglycerine[5] (also US nitroglycerin), an explosive yellow liquid made by nitrating glycerol, used in explosives such as dynamite.
| 8d | Exposed wood treated with secret // preservative (8) |
Creosote[5] (also creosote oil) is a dark brown oil containing various phenols and other organic compounds, distilled from coal tar and used as a wood preservative.
| 9d | Dies from sniffing tobacco? (6,2) |
Snuff it[5] is an informal British expression meaning to die.
The cryptic allusion is to snuff[5], powdered tobacco that is sniffed up the nostril rather than smoked.
| 14d | Someone who should know a 26: // a surgeon? (8) |
A double definition in which the second is whimsical.
The
numeral "26" is a cross
reference indicator pointing to clue 26a (show more ).
To complete the clue, a solver must replace the cross reference indicator with the solution to the clue starting in the light* identified by the cross reference indicator.
The cross reference indicator may include a directional indicator but this is customarily done only in situations where there are both Across and Down clues originating in the light that is being referenced.
* light-coloured cell in the grid
hide
To complete the clue, a solver must replace the cross reference indicator with the solution to the clue starting in the light* identified by the cross reference indicator.
The cross reference indicator may include a directional indicator but this is customarily done only in situations where there are both Across and Down clues originating in the light that is being referenced.
* light-coloured cell in the grid
hide
| 16d | Business leader facing half-hearted mob: // very bad (9) |
| 17d | One who helps those who are lost for words? (8) |
| 19d | Agent drinking strong wine up /becoming/ argumentative (7) |
Stroppy[5] is an informal British term meaning bad-tempered and argumentative ⇒
Patricia was getting stroppy.
| 21d | The problems spoken of in Yorkshire /are,/ on paper, insubstantial things (7) |
I dithered over whether to include the word "on" in the definition or exclude it (as Mr K has done in his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog). In the end, I opted to include it as it does not make sense to me to include it as part of the link phrase.
In dialects spoken in Northern England (including Yorkshire), the word the is commonly shortened to t'. An old Yorkshire saying goes "The only good thing to come out of Lancashire is t’road back to Yorkshire".*
* Rivalry between these two northern counties dates back at least to the Wars of Roses[5], the 15th-century English civil wars between the Houses of York and Lancaster, represented by white and red roses respectively, during the reigns of Henry VI, Edward IV, and Richard III.
| 22d | Singular male irritates: /giving/ smug looks (6) |
" singular " = S [s[5]; grammar]
| 24d | Brief month on ecstasy with soft, // sweet drink (5) |
"ecstasy " = E [the illicit drug Ecstasy]
E[5] is an abbreviation for the drug Ecstasy* or a tablet of Ecstasy ⇒ (i)
* Ecstasy[5] is an illegal amphetamine-based synthetic drug with euphoric effects, originally produced as an appetite suppressant. Also called MDMA (Methylenedioxymethamphetamine).
hide
E[5] is an abbreviation for the drug Ecstasy* or a tablet of Ecstasy ⇒ (i)
people have died after taking E; (ii)
being busted with three Es can lead to stiff penalties.
* Ecstasy[5] is an illegal amphetamine-based synthetic drug with euphoric effects, originally produced as an appetite suppressant. Also called MDMA (Methylenedioxymethamphetamine).
hide
A julep[5] is a sweet flavoured drink made from a sugar syrup, sometimes containing alcohol or medication.
| 25d | Former official // transported in free vehicle (5) |
In Britain, unlike Canada*, reeve is a historical term. In Anglo-Saxon England, a reeve was a local official, in particular the chief magistrate of a town or district. It was also once the name of an official supervising a landowner's estate.
* The term continues to be used in Canada as the title of the president of a village or town council.
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.