Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29926 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Friday, March 4, 2022 | |
Setter
silvanus | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29926]
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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
"Friday" puzzles are produced on a rotatiing basis by three setters – proXimal, silvanus, and Zandio with today's puzzle coming from the second of the trio.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 | Exclamation of mistake /from /doctor attending surgical procedures (6) |
Doctor Who[7] is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC which has had widespread distribution in North America. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior appears as a blue police box*.
* A police box[5] is a telephone (or earlier, telegraph) kiosk [booth] specially for the use of police or members of the public wishing to contact the police.
Op[5] is an informal short form for:
- a surgical operation ⇒
a minor op
- (ops) military operations ⇒
the ops room
- a radio or telephone operator* ⇒
Assistant engineer makes it sound rather grand, they were just called tape ops really, the skivvies of the recording studio
* or, by inference from the usage example, an equipment operator
| 4a | Language // buff (6) |
| 8a | Gathered // parent essentially is stopping friend travelling (8) |
| 10a | One after another // articulate apprentice (2,4) |
| 11a | Finish off aircraft // design (4) |
| 12a | Cut back // on comedies broadcast (10) |
If you are trying to incorporate a "Z" in the solution, keep in mind that Brits usually prefer a spelling modelled on French!
| 13a | Flashy // style, one's suit to a T! (12) |
| 16a | Type of bread /in/ grill with very bare metal (12) |
Grill[5] is used in the informal sense of subject (someone) to intense questioning or interrogation.
| 20a | Legendary little guy // developing Herculean power is inspired (10) |
" power " = P[10] [symbol used in physics]
| 21a | Clarified butter // Frenchman maybe picked up (4) |
Guy (pronounced 'ghee') is a common masculine given name in French ⇒
Guy Lafleur[7].
Ghee[5] is clarified butter made from the milk of a buffalo or cow, used in South Asian cooking ⇒
a delicious meal cooked in ghee.
| 22a | Ring // Eric about touring Cornwall on vacation (6) |
The phrase "on vacation" is an indication to remove the contents (interior letters) from the word "C[ornwal]L". Vacation[5] is used in the sense of the action of leaving something one previously occupied ⇒
On the vacation of the post, the senior managers assembled and discussed eligible candidates.
In this clue, "about" is an anagram indicator and "touring" – in the sense of 'going around' (as in "touring Europe") – is a containment indicator.
Scratching the Surface
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Ring[3] (often used with up) is used in a chiefly British sense meaning to call (someone) on the telephone ⇒ (i) She rang me at noon; (ii) Let's ring her up. Cornwall[5] is a county occupying the extreme southwestern peninsula of England. I suspect the use of the word "vacation" in the surface reading may be viewed by Brits as a North American usage.
The British use the word holiday(s) for what North Americans (especially our neighbours south of the border) would call vacation[5]. (show more )
Holiday[5,10] (often holidays) is a chiefly British term for a period in which a break is taken from work or studies for rest, travel, or recreation ⇒ (i) I spent my summer holidays on a farm; (ii) Fred was on holiday in Spain. According to British dictionaries, the usual US and Canadian term for such a break is vacation. However, I am accustomed to hearing the two terms used almost interchangeably in this sense—in much the same manner that I would use fall and autumn interchangeably. This may not be the case in all parts of Canada, but I grew up in the Maritimes and have lived in Eastern Ontario for most of my life, both areas where British traditions are particularly strong. In Britain, the word vacation[5] has a very specific meaning, a fixed holiday period between terms in universities and law courts ⇒ the Easter vacation. In North America, such a period might be called a break[7]. hide |
| 23a | Learned // rubbish mostly over period of time (8) |
| 24a | Dirty // newspaper I left filling hotel yard (6) |
The Financial Times[7] (abbreviation FT) is a British international business newspaper that is printed on conspicuous salmon pink newsprint.
" left " = L [l[2]]
" hotel " = H[5] [NATO Phonetic Alphabet[7]]
" yard " = Y [y or y.[1]; unit of linear measure]
| 25a | Review of court decision // to attract interest (6) |
Down
| 1d | Overheard complaint initially about student // that waiter brings? (4,4) |
Post Mortem
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| In the wordplay, I failed to recognize that " initially " = IST [looks like 1st (first)]. |
"student " = L [driver under instruction]
The cryptic crossword convention of L meaning learner or student arises from the L-plate[7], a square plate bearing a sans-serif letter L, for learner, which must be affixed to the front and back of a vehicle in various jurisdictions (including the UK) if its driver is a learner under instruction.
hide
The cryptic crossword convention of L meaning learner or student arises from the L-plate[7], a square plate bearing a sans-serif letter L, for learner, which must be affixed to the front and back of a vehicle in various jurisdictions (including the UK) if its driver is a learner under instruction.
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| Automobile displaying an L-plate |
hide
| 2d | Indian is one /from/ Haryana ecologist upset (5) |
Scratching the Surface
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| Haryana[5] is a state of northern India. It was formed in 1966, largely from Hindi-speaking parts of the former state of Punjab. |
| 3d | Warning // powerful rainstorm's beginning to come in (7) |
| 5d | Foreign banker // loves keeping Republican in touch regularly (7) |
" love " = O [love[5]; nil score in tennis] thus " loves " = OO
" Republican " = R[5] [member or supporter of the US Republican Party]
Banker is used here as a whimsical Crosswordland term for a river — something that has banks. After all, if a tanker is something that has tanks then does it not logically follow that a banker must be something that has banks.
The Orinoco[5] is a river in northern South America, which rises in southeastern Venezuela and flows 2,060 km (1,280 miles), entering the Atlantic Ocean through a vast delta. For part of its length it forms the border between Colombia and Venezuela.
| 6d | Repeatedly discovered fine string so // essential (9) |
The setter uses the word "discovered" to indicate that the solver must strip away the outer letters of the words [
| 7d | Set // tough English examination at last (6) |
" English " = E[2]
| 9d | Fail to catch someone in, perhaps? (4,3,4) |
I look at this clue as a precise definition embedded in a cryptic definition.
As a precise definition, the phrase drop the ball[5] is an informal North American expression meaning to make a mistake or mishandle things [in other words, to fail] ⇒
And so they have a responsibility, and they're dropping the ball from where I'm sitting.
The cryptic definition alludes to cricket, where the batting side is said to be "in". Thus, a member of the fielding side who literally "drops the ball" fails to catch a ball hit in his direction by a member of the batting side (i.e., by someone who is "in").
| 14d | Based on observation, // claim pier suffered damage (9) |
| 15d | Stand /is/ quiet at Leeds surprisingly (8) |
Scratching the Surface
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| 17d | Rising actor receives award that's primarily /for/ play (7) |
"award " = CBE
CBE[5] stands for Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
The Order of the British Empire[5] is an order of knighthood applicable to the United Kingdom and certain Commonwealth realms which was instituted in 1917 and is divided into five classes, each with military and civilian divisions. The classes are: Knight or Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE), Knight or Dame Commander (KBE/DBE), Commander (CBE), Officer (OBE), and Member (MBE). The two highest classes entail the awarding of a knighthood.
hide
CBE[5] stands for Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
The Order of the British Empire[5] is an order of knighthood applicable to the United Kingdom and certain Commonwealth realms which was instituted in 1917 and is divided into five classes, each with military and civilian divisions. The classes are: Knight or Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE), Knight or Dame Commander (KBE/DBE), Commander (CBE), Officer (OBE), and Member (MBE). The two highest classes entail the awarding of a knighthood.
hide
Macbeth[7] (full title The Tragedy of Macbeth) is a tragedy written by English playwright William Shakespeare. Set mainly in Scotland, the play dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those who seek power for its own sake.
What did he say?
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In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Deep Threat describes the play as oneIn the superstitious backstage world of theatre, some believe that the play is cursed, and will not mention its title aloud, referring to it instead as "The Scottish Play".that theatrical folk avoid pronouncing. |
| 18d | Lebanon's to prioritise housing // constantly (3-4) |
| 19d | Give false impression female /will find/ confidence (6) |
| 21d | Cheddar, for instance, // attractive old American ignored (5) |
" old " = O[12] [linguistics;
OFr(Old French),
OE(Old English)]
Cheddar Gorge[7] is a limestone gorge in the Mendip Hills, near the village of Cheddar, Somerset, England*. The gorge is the site of the Cheddar show caves, where Britain's oldest complete human skeleton, Cheddar Man, estimated to be over 9,000 years old, was found in 1903.
* The cheese known as Cheddar[5] was, of course, named after the village of Cheddar where it was originally made.
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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