Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29911 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Tuesday, February 15, 2022 | |
Setter
Unknown | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29911]
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Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
Mr K | |
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
This was a Tuesday puzzle in the UK and is quite typical of puzzles published on that day of the week. Tuesday puzzles are believed to be set by several different setters whose identity rarely comes to light.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 | Cooked beans, a meal /for/ Jack (4,6) |
The entry for jack in The Chambers Dictionary would fill a page if it were not spread over parts of two pages. Among the definitions, one finds jack[1] defined as (often with capital) a sailor.
In the Royal Navy, according to Lexico (Oxford Dictionary of English), able seaman[5] is a rank of sailor above ordinary seaman and below leading seaman. On the other hand, Collins English Dictionary tells us that an able seaman[10] (also called able-bodied seaman) is an ordinary seaman, especially one in the merchant navy, who has been trained in certain skills.
| 6a | Spots // expert penning note (4) |
| 9a | Cool nun is working out, keeping very // fit (10) |
" very " = V [v or v.[2]]
| 10a | Eats // insect larva (4) |
| 12a | Deceive // bloke about the Spanish (6) |
Bloke[5] is an informal British* term for a man ⇒
he’s a nice bloke.
* Very British, but certainly also very familiar to anyone on this side of the pond who has ever watched a British film or television programme.
From a British perspective, dude[5] is an informal, mainly North American term for a man or guy (often as a form of address).
Origin: Late 19th century (denoting a dandy); probably shortened from doodle, perhaps with allusion to Yankee Doodle Dandy
"the Spanish " = EL [Spanish definite article]
| 13a | Dismiss // anagram of worth? (5,3) |
In this clue, the wordplay is a reverse anagram (indicated by "anagram of ... ?"), a cryptic device in which the result of executing the anagram appears in the clue (in this case, WORTH) and the solution to the clue contains the anagram indicator (OUT) and fodder (THROW) that would produce this result*. This is somewhat analogous to the premise of the television game show Jeopardy where contestants are presented with an answer and must respond with a question.
* This is a reversal of the normal relationship in which the anagram indicator and fodder appear in the clue and the result of executing the anagram is found in the solution.
| 15a | Nice woman // annoyed with me, Leo lies deviously (12) |
Nice[5] is a resort city on the French Riviera, near the border with Italy.
The French word for miss (unmarried woman) is mademoiselle[8].
| 18a | Broker // in dreary time at sea (12) |
| 21a | Cheek to criticise // cooking equipment (8) |
Cheek[10] is an informal term for impudent talk.
Sauce[5] is an informal British term for impertinence ⇒
‘None of your sauce,’ said Aunt Edie.
| 22a | Vet // caught rook in spot by rear of garden (6) |
"caught " = C [cricket notation]
"rook " = R [chess piece]
R[5] is an abbreviation for rook that is used in recording moves in chess.
A rook[5] (also known by the informal, old-fashioned term castle*[5]) is a chess piece, typically with its top in the shape of a battlement, that can move (if not obstructed by another chess piece or pawn) any number of spaces in any direction along a rank or file on which it stands. Each player starts the game with two rooks at opposite ends of the first rank.
* It is apparent from numerous comments on Big Dave's Crossword Blog over the years that chess purists hold that the proper name for this piece is a rook and that under no circumstances whatsoever is it ever to be referred to as a castle. Furthermore, they take great umbrage should those of us less attuned to the niceties of the "game of kings" happen to commit this cardinal sin.
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R[5] is an abbreviation for rook that is used in recording moves in chess.
A rook[5] (also known by the informal, old-fashioned term castle*[5]) is a chess piece, typically with its top in the shape of a battlement, that can move (if not obstructed by another chess piece or pawn) any number of spaces in any direction along a rank or file on which it stands. Each player starts the game with two rooks at opposite ends of the first rank.
* It is apparent from numerous comments on Big Dave's Crossword Blog over the years that chess purists hold that the proper name for this piece is a rook and that under no circumstances whatsoever is it ever to be referred to as a castle. Furthermore, they take great umbrage should those of us less attuned to the niceties of the "game of kings" happen to commit this cardinal sin.
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| 24a | Reportedly raise // bird (4) |
The word "rear" , when pronounced in a non-rhotic accent (show explanation ) typical of dialects found in many parts of Britain (especially southeastern England), sounds like "rhea" .
Non-rhotic accents omit the sound < r > in certain situations, while rhotic accents generally pronounce < r > in all contexts. Among the several dozen British English accents which exist, many are non-rhotic while American English (US and Canadian) is mainly rhotic. This is, however, a generalisation, as there are areas of Britain that are rhotic, and areas of America that are non-rhotic. For more information, see this guide to pronouncing < r > in British English.
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Non-rhotic accents omit the sound < r > in certain situations, while rhotic accents generally pronounce < r > in all contexts. Among the several dozen British English accents which exist, many are non-rhotic while American English (US and Canadian) is mainly rhotic. This is, however, a generalisation, as there are areas of Britain that are rhotic, and areas of America that are non-rhotic. For more information, see this guide to pronouncing < r > in British English.
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| 25a | Relative // kisses and cuddles flipping nurse (10) |
In Britain, a sister[5] (often Sister) is a senior female nurse, typically in charge of a ward.
| 26a | Prime Minister/'s/ leadership -- it tarnishes, to an extent (4) |
William Pitt[5] (1759–1806), known as Pitt the Younger, was Prime Minister of Britain 1783–1801 and 1804-6, The youngest-ever Prime Minister, he introduced reforms to reduce the national debt.
He was the son of William Pitt[5], 1st Earl of Chatham (1708–1778) who was known as Pitt the Elder. As Secretary of State (effectively Prime Minister), the elder Pitt headed coalition governments 1756–61 and 1766-8. He brought the Seven Years War to an end in 1763 and also masterminded the conquest of French possessions overseas, particularly in Canada and India.
| 27a | Begrudge start of drop in salary /for/ now (7-3) |
Down
| 1d | Where one might find shops // are shielding scoundrel (6) |
"scoundrel " = CAD
Cad[2,3,4,5,10,11,12,14,15] is a dated informal British* term for a man who behaves dishonourably, especially towards a woman ⇒
* with the exception of Lexico (Oxford Dictionaries)[5], all the British dictionaries that I consulted[2,4,5,10,14] characterize this term as British while none of the American dictionaries do so[3,11,12,15]
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Cad[2,3,4,5,10,11,12,14,15] is a dated informal British* term for a man who behaves dishonourably, especially towards a woman ⇒
her adulterous cad of a husband.
* with the exception of Lexico (Oxford Dictionaries)[5], all the British dictionaries that I consulted[2,4,5,10,14] characterize this term as British while none of the American dictionaries do so[3,11,12,15]
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| 2d | Solitary // student just goes round Spain (6) |
"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.
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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 |
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| 3d | Jumbo is unlikely to break this // well-built fence (5,7) |
Jumbo[5] denotes a very large airliner (originally and specifically a Boeing 747). [The maximum speed of such an aircraft is unlikely to exceed the solution to the clue.]
| 4d | Some trespassers climbing // part of church (4) |
An apse[5] is a large semicircular or polygonal recess in a church, arched or with a domed roof and typically at the church's eastern end.
| 5d | High-water mark /from/ ship -- sea too rough (10) |
Apotheosis[5] is the highest point in the development of something; a culmination or climax ⇒
his appearance as Hamlet was the apotheosis of his career.
| 7d | Groups of drivers // grumble lifting lavatory seat initially (3,5) |
Loo[5] is an informal British term for a toilet [either as a plumbing fixture or a room].
Here and There
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| In both Britain and North American, lavatory[5] can mean a room, building, or cubicle containing a toilet or toilets. However, when it comes to the fixtures within such a space the word has markedly different meanings on either side of the pond.
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| 8d | Anger // this writer tipping over beer (8) |
"this writer " = ME
It is a common cryptic crossword convention for the creator of the puzzle to use terms such as (the or this) compiler, (the or this) setter, (the or this) speaker, (this) author, (this) writer, or this person to refer to himself or herself. To solve such a clue, one must generally substitute a first person pronoun (I or ME) for whichever of these terms has been used in the clue.
hide
It is a common cryptic crossword convention for the creator of the puzzle to use terms such as (the or this) compiler, (the or this) setter, (the or this) speaker, (this) author, (this) writer, or this person to refer to himself or herself. To solve such a clue, one must generally substitute a first person pronoun (I or ME) for whichever of these terms has been used in the clue.
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Bitter[5] is a British name for beer that is strongly flavoured with hops and has a bitter taste ⇒ (i)
a pint of bitter; (ii)
the company brews a range of bitters.
| 11d | Prisoners tense -- disturbance // building (12) |
" tense " = T [t or t.[1]; grammar term]
| 14d | Patron/'s/ complaint surrounding northern player (10) |
| 16d | Announces journey /and/ destination of plane? (8) |
| 17d | Beer in France is // most strong (8) |
Stout[5] is a kind of strong, dark beer brewed with roasted malt or barley.
"in France is " = EST
| 19d | Relaxed // editor, on balance? On the contrary (6) |
| 20d | Papers might be placed here // in river without resistance (2-4) |
The Tay[5] is the longest river in Scotland, flowing 192 km (120 miles) eastwards through Loch Tay, entering the North Sea through the Firth of Tay.
" resistance " = R[2] [electrical resistance, symbol used in physics]
In tray[5] is a mainly British term for a tray on a person's desk for letters and documents that have to be dealt with.
| 23d | Soapsuds regularly // work (4) |
In music, an opus[5] is a separate composition or set of compositions.
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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