Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29937 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Thursday, March 17, 2022 | |
Setter
RayT (Ray Terrell) | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29937]
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Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
Stephen L | |
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
The puzzle solving week began on a gentle note and now closes in a similar fashion. I can't believe that I resorted to electronic help to find the word for obscene.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
| 7a | Agreeable // rustic type trapping Labour's leader (8) |
Scratching the Surface
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| The Labour Party[5] is a left-of-centre political party in Britain. |
| 9a | Democrat with more eccentric // ramble (6) |
" Democrat " = D[5] [member or supporter of the US Democratic Party]
This is one of those cases where the setter has used a meaning for a word that seems to be found only in The Chambers Dictionary which (among other things) defines dodder[1] as to ramble in talk.
| 10a | Student wanting overmuch training initially? (4) |
This is a hallmark RayT acrostic or initialism clue in which the entire clue is the wordplay in which the somewhat nebulous definition is embedded.
Swot[5] is an informal, derogatory British term for a person who studies very hard ⇒
Besides, these days a cool pair of glasses is seen as a fashion plus, and I'm less likely to be called ‘four eyes’ today than when I was the speccy swot at school.
| 11a | Spreading glue inside // frameworks (10) |
| 12a | Worst // gambler? (6) |
Worst[5] is used as a verb meaning to get the better of or defeat* ⇒
this was not the time for a deep discussion—she was tired and she would be worsted.
* Ironically, in this sense worst is a synonym of best[5] which, as a verb, means to outwit or get the better of (someone) ⇒
she refused to allow herself to be bested.
| 14a | Entitled // lie with bilge broadcast (8) |
| 15a | Covering of short dress /giving/ flash (6) |
| 17a | Church officer in charge // describing cross? (6) |
" officer " = LT [Lt or Lt.[2]; Lieutenant]
" in charge " = IC [i/c[2]]
My markup of the clue is at variance with that used by Stephen L in his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog. To my way of thinking, the solution is not a synonym for cross but an adjective that can describe a particular type of cross. Admittedly, my markup is not totally satisfying but I see no way to make it better. One can interpret the clue as saying the wordplay produces a result that can describe a cross.
A Celtic cross[5] is a Latin cross with a circle round the centre.
| 20a | Bottle // from ship's crew to persevere (8) |
| 22a | Beer keeps radius // more extensive (6) |
Lager[3,10] is a light-bodied effervescent beer of German origin, fermented for a relatively long time at a low temperature in a closed vessel using yeasts that sink to the bottom of the brew.
" radius " = R [r or r.[2]]
| 23a | Brains /in/ cranium, as term indicates (10) |
The Story Behind the Picture
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Stephen L illustrates his hint for this clue on Big Dave's Crossword Blog with a shot from the set of Mastermind[7], a British television game show, well known for its challenging questions, intimidating setting and air of seriousness. (show more )
Devised by Bill Wright, the basic format of Mastermind has never changed—contestants face two rounds, one on a specialised subject of the contestant's choice, the other a general knowledge round. Wright drew inspiration from his experiences of being interrogated by the Gestapo during World War II. In each round, the contestant is given a set period of time to answer questions. The questioner reads out a question. If the contestant gives the correct answer, he or she scores one point, and the questioner then reads out the next question. The contestant may pass (by simply saying "pass") if he or she doesn't know the answer, or prefers not to spend time trying to remember the answer: the questioner does not begin to read the next question until the contestant has given an answer or said "pass". If a question is answered incorrectly, the questioner will give the correct answer before reading out the next question; this uses some of the contestant's remaining time. However, if the contestant passes, the questioner moves straight on to the next question: the answer is not read out until the end of the round. hide |
| 24a | Submissive // male with surprised expression (4) |
" male " = M [m or m.[2]]
| 25a | Awards // Globe followed by shocks (6) |
Oscar[5] (trademark in the US) is the nickname for a gold statuette given as an award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, presented annually since 1928 for achievement in the film industry in various categories.
| 26a | It delays going abroad // regularly (8) |
Down
| 1d | Perfect // female out of control (8) |
" female " = F [f or f.[2]]
| 2d | Queen inclined /to be/ fascinated (4) |
"Queen " = R [Regina]
Queen may be abbreviated as Q, Qu. or R.
Q[5] is an abbreviation for queen that is used especially in describing play in card games and recording moves in chess.
Qu.[2] is another common abbreviation for Queen.
In the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms*, Regina[5] (abbreviation R[5]) [Latin for queen] denotes the reigning queen, used following a name (e.g. Elizabetha Regina, Queen Elizabeth — often shortened to ER) or in the titles of lawsuits (e.g. Regina v. Jones, the Crown versus Jones — often shortened to R. v. Jones).
* A Commonwealth realm[7] is a sovereign state in the Commonwealth of Nations that has Elizabeth II as its monarch and head of state. Each realm functions as an independent state, equal with the other realms and nations of the Commonwealth. There are currently fifteen Commonwealth realms, the largest being Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom with the remainder being smaller Caribbean and Pacific island nations.
Thus Queen Elizabeth signs her name as 'Elizabeth R' as seen here on Canada's paint-stained constitution[7].
hide
Queen may be abbreviated as Q, Qu. or R.
Q[5] is an abbreviation for queen that is used especially in describing play in card games and recording moves in chess.
Qu.[2] is another common abbreviation for Queen.
In the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms*, Regina[5] (abbreviation R[5]) [Latin for queen] denotes the reigning queen, used following a name (e.g. Elizabetha Regina, Queen Elizabeth — often shortened to ER) or in the titles of lawsuits (e.g. Regina v. Jones, the Crown versus Jones — often shortened to R. v. Jones).
* A Commonwealth realm[7] is a sovereign state in the Commonwealth of Nations that has Elizabeth II as its monarch and head of state. Each realm functions as an independent state, equal with the other realms and nations of the Commonwealth. There are currently fifteen Commonwealth realms, the largest being Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom with the remainder being smaller Caribbean and Pacific island nations.
Thus Queen Elizabeth signs her name as 'Elizabeth R' as seen here on Canada's paint-stained constitution[7].
hide
| 3d | Ultimately, dead nettle /could create/ risk (6) |
| 4d | A dodgy club admitting the man's // tacky (8) |
| 5d | Doctor is trained purchasing minute // supply (10) |
I would express the parsing of the clue slightly differently than does Stephen L on Big Dave's Crossword Blog. I would say it's an anagram of (doctor) IS TRAINED containing (purchasing) M(inute).
" minute " = M [m or m.[2]]
| 6d | Cancel // physical, taking exercise (6) |
| 8d | Piglet, finally greased, // sweated (6) |
| 13d | Driving // rain let loose below storm's centre (10) |
| 16d | Save lock of hair /for/ support (8) |
| 18d | Skilfully // caught handle on empty lavatory (8) |
"caught " = C [cricket notation]
| 19d | Spring up catching concealed // insects (6) |
| 21d | Obscene // programme for the audience (6) |
| 22d | Book // margin held in both hands (6) |
" left " = L [l[2]]
" right " = R [r or r.[2]]
| 24d | Crazy sweetheart // scored (4) |
" sweetheart " = E ['heart' of swEet]
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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