Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29947 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Tuesday, March 29, 2022 | |
Setter
Unknown | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29947]
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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
The setter of this puzzle has employed several words in unfamiliar ways. I still have not reconciled myself to one of these usages.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 | Dock sale almost returned small // sailor's weapon? (7) |
The indicator "almost" is a direction to discard the final letter of a word in the fodder.
" small " = S[5] [clothing size]
" small " = S[5] [clothing size]
| 5a | Journalists and their boss // campaigned (7) |
| 9a | Leaders leaving pub to eat // something in the main? (1-4) |
The indicator "leaders leaving" is a direction to discard the initial letters of three words in the fodder.
The main[5] is an archaic or literary term for the open ocean.
The main[5] is an archaic or literary term for the open ocean.
| 10a | Awful // beggars regularly ignored, for example, with debts (9) |
The indicator "regularly ignored" is a direction to discard a regular sequence of letters from a word in the fodder.
* A regular sequence is almost always a sequence consisting of every second letter — which might be either the odd numbered letters (the sequence starting with the first letter in the fodder) or the even numbered letters (the sequence starting with the second letter in the fodder). As is customarily the case, the setter does not specify which sequence is needed – something we must figure out by trial and error.
| 11a | Trendy, fine male wearing formal clothing // ahead of schedule (2,4,4) |
" male " = M [m or m.[2]]
| 12a | Artist/'s/ day with boxer (4) |
" day " = D [d[2]]
Muhammad Ali[5] is an American boxer; born Cassius Marcellus Clay. He won the world heavyweight title in 1964, 1974, and 1978, becoming the only boxer to be world champion three times.
Muhammad Ali[5] is an American boxer; born Cassius Marcellus Clay. He won the world heavyweight title in 1964, 1974, and 1978, becoming the only boxer to be world champion three times.
A surrealist, he portrayed dream images with almost photographic realism against backgrounds of arid Catalan landscapes. Dalí also collaborated with Buñuel in the production of the film Un Chien andalou (1928). Notable works: The Persistence of Memory (1931).
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| 14a | Convinced Parisian he holds a // secret (12) |
" Parisian he " = IL [il[8]; French word for 'he']
| 18a | Verify // gold teeth? I can't, unfortunately (12) |
" gold " = AU [Au[5]; chemical symbol (from Latin aurum)]
| 21a | Some opera I'd appreciated? (4) |
From my perspective, the entire clue constitutes the wordplay in which a precise definition is embedded. I admit one could follow Mr K's lead and consider the entire clue to be the definition. However, I have not done so as I feel it adds nothing of substance to the definition.
Aida[7] is an opera by Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901). Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it premièred in Cairo in 1871.
Aida[7] is an opera by Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi (1813–1901). Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it premièred in Cairo in 1871.
| 22a | Cut of meat remains // tricky to eat with these? (10) |
| 25a | At sea on certain // vessel (9) |
| 26a | Animal // hospital with answer about hunger (5) |
" answer " = A[1]
| 27a | Bad seaside // condition (7) |
| 28a | German city church/'s/ central part (7) |
Down
| 1d | Relative /from/ America swallowing mint? On the contrary (6) |
| 2d | First of the wild // animals might graze from this (6) |
The indicator "first of" is a direction to use the initial letter of a word in the fodder.
| 3d | No star more fantastic for one? (10) |
I see the entire clue as a cryptic definition in which the wordplay is embedded. Unlike 21a, it would be virtually impossible to solve the present clue without taking into consideration information provided by its first part.
| 4d | Panic /from/ wife stuck in chair (5) |
" wife " = W [w[2]; genealogy term]
| 5d | Aid camper's wound? I might (9) |
Another instance where the entire clue is a cryptic definition in which the wordplay
is embedded.
| 6d | So // try supporting the Queen (4) |
"the Queen " = ER[5] [regnal cipher of Queen Elizabeth]
The regnal ciphers (monograms) of British monarchs are initials formed from the Latin version of their first name followed by either Rex or Regina (Latin for king or queen, respectively). Thus, the regnal cipher of Queen Elizabeth is ER[5] – from the Latin Elizabetha Regina.
* A cipher[5] (also spelled cypher) is a monogram[5] or motif of two or more interwoven letters, typically a person's initials, used to identify a personal possession or as a logo.
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The regnal ciphers (monograms) of British monarchs are initials formed from the Latin version of their first name followed by either Rex or Regina (Latin for king or queen, respectively). Thus, the regnal cipher of Queen Elizabeth is ER[5] – from the Latin Elizabetha Regina.
* A cipher[5] (also spelled cypher) is a monogram[5] or motif of two or more interwoven letters, typically a person's initials, used to identify a personal possession or as a logo.
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| 7d | Koala is shot crossing middle of private // land (8) |
The indicator "middle of" is a direction to use the letter that
forms the middle or core of a word in the fodder.
Slovakia is a country in central Europe. (show more )
Slovakia was dominated by Hungary until it declared independence in 1918 and united with the Czech-speaking areas of Bohemia and Moravia to form Czechoslovakia. The eastern of the two constituent republics of Czechoslovakia, Slovakia became independent on the partition of that country on 1 January 1993. It joined NATO and the EU in 2004.
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Slovakia was dominated by Hungary until it declared independence in 1918 and united with the Czech-speaking areas of Bohemia and Moravia to form Czechoslovakia. The eastern of the two constituent republics of Czechoslovakia, Slovakia became independent on the partition of that country on 1 January 1993. It joined NATO and the EU in 2004.
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| 8d | Authority lacking in // one who follows (8) |
For the life of me, I could not see how authority and discipline would be synonyms. I was able to find a website Authority vs Discipline – What's the difference? that explains:
"As nouns the difference between authority and discipline is that authority is (uncountable) the power to enforce rules or give orders while discipline is a controlled behaviour; self-control."
So it seems that authority is externally imposed control and discipline is self-control. While far from satisfying, it is the best explanation I can find.
| 13d | What one might be after visiting the theatre -- or a comedy show (2,8) |
| 15d | Big gamble? // Not likely! (3,6) |
| 16d | Level-headed // criminal carries weapon (8) |
| 17d | Second time university undermines // undergraduates? (8) |
" second " = S [s[2]; measure of time]
" time " = T [t[1]; symbol used in physics]
" university " = U [(U or U.)[1]]
I believe undermine and dent are likely synonyms in a figurative sense, as in
" time " = T [t[1]; symbol used in physics]
" university " = U [(U or U.)[1]]
I believe undermine and dent are likely synonyms in a figurative sense, as in
undermine/dent one's reputation.
| 19d | Loose rocks put on knight/'s/ shield (6) |
" knight " = N[2] [chess notation (N is used for kNight as K is used for King)]
| 20d | European nation/'s/ assets (6) |
" European " = E[2]
| 23d | Shilling kept in clean // wallet (5) |
In the British currency system used prior to the introduction of the current decimal currency system in 1971, a shilling[5] (abbreviation s[5]) was a coin and monetary unit equal to one twentieth of a pound or twelve pence.
| 24d | Gossip comes up with a // story (4) |
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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