Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29906 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Wednesday, February 9, 2022 | |
Setter
Jay (Jeremy Mutch) | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29906]
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Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
2Kiwis | |
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 – as did the 2Kiwis – the southeast to be the most difficult part of the puzzle. Under time pressure, I resorted to a bit of electronic help to get me across the finish line.There is a lengthy discussion on Big Dave's Crossword Blog of a video circulating on social media showing French soccer star Kurt Zouma (who plays for the English team West Ham United) abusing his two cats. You can read about the incident here. It proved to be a very costly episode for Zouma.
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 | Careless // friends from the east needing career (8) |
| 5a | Answer thought /to be/ happily occupied (6) |
" answer " = A[1]
| 9a | Pass law // delayed by members holding one (9) |
| 11a | Conscious /of/ a revolutionary green European (5) |
" European " = E[2]
| 12a | Husband interrupting walk /and/ train of thought (6) |
" husband " = H [h[2]; genealogy]
| 13a | Identify problem /of/ floundering dog in sea (8) |
| 15a | Part of car // transport cost after European articles (13) |
In French, the masculine singular form of the indefinite article is un[8].
In German, der[8] is one of several forms that the definite article may assume.
| 18a | Dexterity /shown by/ the French in view of worker (7,2,4) |
"the French " = LE [French definite article]
| 22a | Conservative with baskets of food /and/ drink (8) |
" Conservative " = C[5] [member of a British political party]
Champers[5] is an informal British name for champagne.
| 23a | Vessel returning to dock in low // country (6) |
Monaco[5] is a principality forming an enclave within French territory, on the Mediterranean coast near the Italian frontier; population 38,000 (estimated 2015); official language, French. (show more )
The smallest sovereign state in the world apart from the Vatican, Monaco was ruled by the Genoese from medieval times and by the Grimaldi family from 1297, becoming a constitutional monarchy in 1911. It includes the resort of Monte Carlo.
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The smallest sovereign state in the world apart from the Vatican, Monaco was ruled by the Genoese from medieval times and by the Grimaldi family from 1297, becoming a constitutional monarchy in 1911. It includes the resort of Monte Carlo.
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Scratching the Surface
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| The Low Countries[5] is a name for the region of north-western Europe comprising the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg. |
| 26a | 'Bubbles' mostly /must be/ Turner (5) |
Scratching the Surface
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Bubbles[7], originally titled A Child's World, is an 1886 painting by English artist Sir John Everett Millais that became famous when it was used over many generations in advertisements for Pears soap.
J. M. W. Turner[5]
(1775–1851) was an English painter; full name Joseph Mallord William
Turner. (show more )
He made his name with landscapes and stormy seascapes, becoming increasingly concerned with depicting the power of light by the use of primary colours, often arranged in a swirling vortex. Notable works: Rain, Steam, Speed (1844); The Fighting Téméraire (1838). hide | |||
| 27a | Express regret in public /for/ lapse (9) |
| 28a | Person who believes // he must replace women in dance (6) |
" women " = W[2] [marking on a public toilet, perhaps]
| 29a | Rehearsal /of/ Spooner's card game at an end (5,3) |
The Rev. W. A. Spooner has bequeathed to us the name for a slip of the tongue that is oft-encountered in cryptic crosswords. (show more )
William Archibald Spooner[7] (1844–1930) was a long-serving Oxford don, notable for absent-mindedness, and supposedly liable to transpose the initial sounds or letters of two or more words, with unintentionally comic effect, as in the sentence
Spooner[a] held a Doctor of Divinity degree and thus was entitled to be called Dr. Spooner. Therefore, in crossword clues, you may often find him referred to as either "Rev. Spooner" or "Dr. Spooner".
[a] Dr. Spooner of Oxford: An outline biography, age-of-the-sage.org
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William Archibald Spooner[7] (1844–1930) was a long-serving Oxford don, notable for absent-mindedness, and supposedly liable to transpose the initial sounds or letters of two or more words, with unintentionally comic effect, as in the sentence
you have hissed the mystery lectures. Such phrases became known as spoonerisms[5], and are often used humorously. Many spoonerisms have been invented by others and falsely attributed to Spooner.
Spooner[a] held a Doctor of Divinity degree and thus was entitled to be called Dr. Spooner. Therefore, in crossword clues, you may often find him referred to as either "Rev. Spooner" or "Dr. Spooner".
[a] Dr. Spooner of Oxford: An outline biography, age-of-the-sage.org
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Dummy run[5,10] is a British term for a practice, rehearsal or trial run.
Down
| 1d | Separates /and/ suddenly shows an interest, holding power line (6,2) |
" power " = P[10] [symbol used in physics]
" line " = L [l.[5]; in textual references ⇒
l. 648]
| 2d | Skinless sausages /may produce/ such emotion (5) |
Banger[5] is an informal British term for a sausage ⇒
bangers and mash*.
* mash[5] is an informal British term for mashed potato
Origin: from the sound made when they explode during cooking
| 3d | Lose heart // as pride is shattered? (7) |
| 4d | Mock // poor actor after onset of stress (4) |
| 6d | Pain -- // managed amazingly without New Zealand! (7) |
| 7d | Propose a fresh area /for/ such a programme (4,5) |
" area " = A[2] [geometry]
The Story Behind the Picture
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| The 2Kiwis illustrate their hint on Big Dave's Crossword Blog with a photo of a scene from the British soap opera Coronation Street (circa 1970, I believe). |
| 8d | Dredge // unfinished part of swimming pool (6) |
| 10d | Move /to/ Dubai, say, covering golf? (8) |
An emirate[10] is the government, jurisdiction, or territory of an emir*. In this case, it refers to a member state of the United Arab Emirates[5] (also UAE), sometimes simply called the Emirates[7], an independent state on the south coast of the Persian Gulf, west of the Gulf of Oman. The United Arab Emirates was formed in 1971 by the federation of the independent sheikhdoms formerly called the Trucial States: Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah (joined early 1972), Sharjah, and Umm al-Qaiwain.
* Emir[5] is a title of various Muslim (mainly Arab) rulers.
" golf " = G[5] [NATO Phonetic Alphabet[7]]
| 14d | Know, oddly, about wild angora // jumper (8) |
| 16d | Take apart /and/ amend list for distribution (9) |
| 17d | City // school having to cover D-day (8) |
"school " = 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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In addition to being the name of the capital of Alberta, Edmonton[7] is also the name of a town in north London, England, located in the historic county of Middlesex. It is centred 8.4 miles (13.5 km) north-northeast of Charing Cross*.
* Since the early 19th century, Charing Cross[7] (a street junction in the City of Westminster) has generally been accepted as the notional "centre of London" and is the point from which distances from London are calculated.
As the clue specifies "city", the reference may well be to the Canadian city rather than the British town. I see that several British visitors to Big Dave's Crossword Blog concur with this conclusion.
| 19d | Leading lady has kiss for Mike, // say (7) |
" Mike " = M[5] [NATO Phonetic Alphabet[7]]
| 20d | The wreckage /of/ many buried in brief notoriety (7) |
| 21d | Church group attached to old // cat (6) |
" old " = O[12] [linguistics;
OFr(Old French),
OE(Old English)]
| 24d | Fireguards put up to protect // carpenter's tool (5) |
| 25d | Live with a socially acceptable // boyfriend (4) |
"socially acceptable " = U [upper class]
In Britain, U[5] is used informally as an adjective (in respect to language or social behaviour) meaning characteristic of or appropriate to the upper social classes ⇒
The term, an abbreviation of upper class, was coined in 1954 by Alan S. C. Ross, professor of linguistics, and popularized by its use in Nancy Mitford's Noblesse Oblige (1956).
In Crosswordland, the letter U is frequently clued by words denoting "characteristic of the upper class" (such as posh or superior) or "appropriate to the upper class" (such as acceptable).
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In Britain, U[5] is used informally as an adjective (in respect to language or social behaviour) meaning characteristic of or appropriate to the upper social classes ⇒
U manners.
The term, an abbreviation of upper class, was coined in 1954 by Alan S. C. Ross, professor of linguistics, and popularized by its use in Nancy Mitford's Noblesse Oblige (1956).
In Crosswordland, the letter U is frequently clued by words denoting "characteristic of the upper class" (such as posh or superior) or "appropriate to the upper class" (such as acceptable).
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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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