Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29932 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Friday, March 11, 2022 | |
Setter
Zandio | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29932]
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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
This puzzle fails to be a pangram by one letter – a Z. As it was set by Zandio, the missing Z could be his "signature".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 | Zoom lens that's employed covertly, by the way (5,6) |
I think this is an outstanding cryptic definition of a device with a lens that is hidden beside the roadway to catch zooming vehicles exceeding the posted limit.
A speed camera[5] is a roadside camera triggered by speeding vehicles, taking either video footage or a photograph of the vehicle with a record of its speed.
| 7a | Ran // no more and was heading back (7) |
| 8a | Very in debt, cutting back endlessly /in/ camp (7) |
" very " = V [v or v.[2]]
A bivouac[5] is a temporary camp without tents or cover, used especially by soldiers or mountaineers.
| 10a | A practice happy families perhaps // contest when visiting (4,4) |
Happy Families[7] is a traditional card game played in the UK, usually with a specially made set of picture cards, featuring illustrations of fictional families of four, most often based on occupation types. The object of the game is to collect complete families. An adaptation of the game for use with an ordinary set of playing cards is known as Go Fish[7].
| 11a | Minister /bringing/ 150 to Morecambe? (6) |
As a charade indicator, the word to[10] is used in the sense of against, upon, or onto ⇒ (i)
put your ear to the wall; (ii)
shoulder to the wheel; (iii)
nose to the grindstone.
The British comic duo Morecambe and Wise[7] (also known as Eric and Ernie), comprised of Eric Morecambe (1926-1984) and Ernie Wise (1925–1999), were a British comic double act, working in variety, radio, film and most successfully in television. Their partnership lasted from 1941 until Morecambe's death in 1984. They have been described as "the most illustrious, and the best-loved, double-act that Britain has ever produced".
Scratching the Surface
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| Morecambe is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. It is the home town of Eric Morecambe[7] (born John Eric Bartholomew) who took his stage name from the town. |
| 13a | Flipped over small Yorkie or poodle -- // they're all divine (4) |
" small " = S[5] [clothing size]
| 14a | Concert instrument that's flat (5,5) |
| 16a | Anticipate // spring -- what might be shot to accompany article? (4,3,3) |
| 18a | What may cover area with tender loving care? (4) |
The entire clue is a cryptic definition in which the wordplay is embedded.
" area " = A[2] [geometry]
| 21a | Filled // one's sack going round university (6) |
" university " = U [U or U.[1]]
| 22a | He was paid to paint // sign and adorn bust (8) |
In astrology, Leo[10] (also called the Lion) is the fifth sign of the zodiac, symbol ♌.
Leonardo da Vinci[5] (1452–1519) was an Italian painter, scientist, and engineer. (show more )
His paintings are notable for their blended colour and shading in the technique known as sfumato; they include The Virgin of the Rocks (1483–5), The Last Supper (1498), and the enigmatic Mona Lisa (1504–5). He devoted himself to a wide range of other subjects, from anatomy and biology to mechanics and hydraulics: his nineteen notebooks include studies of the human circulatory system and plans for a type of aircraft and a submarine.
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His paintings are notable for their blended colour and shading in the technique known as sfumato; they include The Virgin of the Rocks (1483–5), The Last Supper (1498), and the enigmatic Mona Lisa (1504–5). He devoted himself to a wide range of other subjects, from anatomy and biology to mechanics and hydraulics: his nineteen notebooks include studies of the human circulatory system and plans for a type of aircraft and a submarine.
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The Wikipedia article on Leonardo da Vinci[7] mentions numerous commissions he received from nobles and high church officials for paintings.
| 24a | Taken out of context, remembrance /may be/ intense (7) |
| 25a | Opening for hearing next to old currency // reserve (7) |
Prior to the introduction of the euro in 2002, the mark[5] (also Deutschmark or Deutsch Mark) was the basic monetary unit of Germany, equal to 100 pfennig.
| 26a | Spin drier in the bathroom? (6,5) |
A roller towel[5] is a long towel with the ends joined and hung on a roller or one fed through a device from one roller holding the clean part to another holding the used part.
Down
| 1d | Show a bit of taste, wardrobe // attendant (7) |
| 2d | Standard // directions given with clue (6) |
A standard[5] is a military or ceremonial flag carried on a pole or hoisted on a rope.
| 3d | Tabloid // rat we'd confused with monk (10) |
Tabloid[10] is used here as a modifier meaning designed to appeal to a mass audience or readership; in other words, sensationalist ⇒
tabloid television.
Downmarket[5] is a mainly British term denoting relatively inexpensive or less prestigious ⇒
an interview for the downmarket tabloids.
| 4d | Group, // Three Degrees -- one's heading north, another fails to appear (4) |
Abba[5] is a Swedish pop group that became popular in the 1970s with catchy, well-crafted songs such as ‘Waterloo’ (1974) and ‘Knowing Me Knowing You’ (1977).
Scratching the Surface
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| The Three Degrees[7] is an American female vocal group formed circa 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Although 16 women have been members over the years, the group has always been a trio. Despite its American roots, the group may be better known in Britain than in North America having achieved 13 Top 50 hit singles in the UK between 1974 and 1985. |
| 5d | One's posted // eleven redrafts to capture action in theatre (8) |
Op[5] is an informal short form for a surgical operation ⇒
a minor op.
| 6d | A Queen song about upper-class // homes for goldfish? (7) |
" Queen " = Q[5] [playing card or chess piece]
"upper-class " = 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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| 7d | I encourage comic to entertain Juliet, // sweet thing (6,5) |
" Juliet† " = J[5] [NATO Phonetic Alphabet[7]]
† the official NATO spelling is Juliett[7] (to facilitate use by speakers of languages other than English), an inconvenient fact that setters—not to mention dictionary editors—choose to ignore
| 9d | Crazy about going to Yale? // One counts the hours, chirpily (6,5) |
" about " = C [c.[2]; circa (Latin)]
Yale[7] is one of the world's oldest lock manufacturers. The business was founded in 1868 in Stamford, Connecticut by Henry R. Towne and Linus Yale, Jr., an inventor of the pin tumbler lock. Yale's headquarters are now located in Stockholm, Sweden.
| 12d | Daughter enters wearing uniform -- that comes with stick /and/ carrot! (10) |
" daughter " = D [d[2]; genealogy]
" uniform " = U[5] [NATO Phonetic Alphabet[7]]
| 15d | Delicate // and French, that man getting physical (8) |
"and French " = ET
| 17d | Tough // dragon maybe accommodating British, not northern (7) |
" British " = B [B or B.[1]]
| 19d | Announced Prince Charles possibly /to get/ overseas post (7) |
The term heir male of the body[5] denotes an heir who is a lineal descendant, specifically (in the United Kingdom) one who is entitled to inherit freehold land under the rules relating to intestacy in force before the Administration of Estates Act of 1925.
| 20d | Warden aggravated // the cross nominee for Scotland (6) |
St Andrew's cross[5] (also called saltire) is a diagonal or X-shaped cross, especially white on a blue background (as a national emblem of Scotland).
| 23d | Plates of meat ending up /in/ garden party (4) |
Plates of meat[5] is British rhyming slang for feet ⇒
These days most Londoners know that plates, as in plates of meat, mean feet.
Fete[5] (also fête) is a British term for a public function, typically held outdoors and organized to raise funds for a charity, including entertainment and the sale of goods and refreshments ⇒
a church fete.
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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