Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29943 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Thursday, March 24, 2022 | |
Setter
silvanus | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29943]
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Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
Miffypops | |
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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Notes
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This puzzle appears on the Monday Diversions page in the Saturday, July 23, 2022 edition of the National Post. * The BD Rating for the puzzle may have been set by someone other than Miffypops unless he has abandoned his long-standing practice of not changing it from its default value (***/***). | |
Introduction
For UK solvers, this was a rare "Thursday" appearance for silvanus whose puzzles are usually published on "Friday".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 | Couple // book absorbing week overseas on vacation (7) |
" week " = W [w[2]]
The phrase "on vacation" is an indication to remove the contents (interior letters) from the word "O[versea]S". 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.
| 8a | Photo captures ultimate // source of environmental pollution (7) |
| 10a | Thought student is going /for/ meal (9) |
"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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| 11a | Brownish-coloured // river visited by swans regularly (5) |
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.
| 12a | Woven material // provided from the East? That is right (5) |
So[1,10] is used in an archaic sense meaning provided (that) or in case (that). Unfortunately, the dictionaries provide no usage examples of the word employed in this sense.
" right " = R [r or r.[2]]
| 13a | During hours of darkness, // mistake having change of heart (9) |
| 15a | Various English // beaches may be covered with it (7) |
Shingle[5] is a mass of small rounded pebbles, especially on a seashore ⇒ (i)
a wonderful beach of fine shingle; (ii)
natural features like sand dunes and shingle banks.
| 17a | This month everything /will be/ set up (7) |
Instant[5] (abbreviation inst.[5]) is a dated expression once used in business letters. It is a postpositive adjective meaning of the current month ⇒ (i)
your letter of the 6th instant; (ii)
we are pleased to acknowledge receipt of your letter of 14 inst.
| 18a | Leaving hotel, star in huge Rolls /giving/ autograph (9) |
" hotel " = H[5] [NATO Phonetic Alphabet[7]]
| 20a | Round flatbread? /That's/ mine, thanks! (5) |
Ta[5] is an informal British exclamation signifying thank you ⇒
‘Ta,’ said Willie gratefully.
Pitta[5] (also pitta bread) is the British spelling for pita (bread), a flat, hollow, slightly leavened bread which can be split open to hold a filling ⇒ (i)
low-calorie starters include tzatziki with a little pitta; (ii)
flat pitta breads make perfect sandwiches.
| 21a | Made faux pas // picked up in London's East End (5) |
The cockney*[5] dialect spoken in the East End of London is characterized by dropping the aitch (H) from the beginning of words as well as the use of rhyming slang[5].
* A cockney[5,10] is a native of East London [specifically that part of East London known as the East End[5]], traditionally one born within hearing of Bow Bells (the bells of St Mary-le-Bow[7] church).
| 23a | Spiritual leader // from Koutiala, Mali, a lady upset (5,4) |
The Dalai Lama[5] is the spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhism and, until the establishment of Chinese communist rule, the spiritual and temporal ruler of Tibet.
Scratching the Surface
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| Koutiala[7] is a city of some 138,000 residents in southern Mali. |
| 24a | Disappointment /in/ state of one's car tyres, perhaps? (3-4) |
Although I can find no reference to support let-down being used as an adjective to describe the state of a car's tires which have been deflated, I can imagine that the term may well be used in that sense by the Brits. I have therefore followed the lead of Miffypops who, in his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, has marked the clue as a double definition*.
* However, I do note that the numeration in the solution he provides does not match that given in the clue.
As a noun, a let-down[5] [spelled with a hyphen] is a disappointment.
As a phrasal verb, let down[5] [with no hyphen] is a British expression meaning to deflate a tyre ⇒
Mindless vandals covered his beloved car with eggs and flour and let the tyres down.
| 25a | Pop off after function /for/ an indefinite period (4,3) |
In mathematics, the term sine[5] denotes the trigonometric function that is equal to the ratio of the side opposite a given angle (in a right-angled triangle) to the hypotenuse.
Sine die[5] means (with reference to business or proceedings that have been adjourned) with no appointed date for resumption ⇒
the case was adjourned sine die.
Down
| 1d | Conceding // why bride-to-be is with dressmaker reportedly? (10) |
| 2d | Agree /in/ acting together to withhold payment (6) |
| 3d | Native American, // one miles adrift (8) |
A Seminole[5] is a member of a North American people of the Creek confederacy, noted for resistance in the 19th century to encroachment on their land in Georgia and Florida. Many were resettled in Oklahoma.
| 4d | Drunkard /from/ Kent area acquiring bad smell (6) |
Kent[5] is a county on the south-eastern coast of England.
Pong[5] (adjective pongy[5]) is an informal British term meaning:
- (noun) a strong, unpleasant smell ⇒
corked wine has a powerful pong
- (verb) to smell strongly and unpleasantly ⇒
the place just pongs of dirty clothes
| 5d | Possesses items second husband dropped /in/ battle (8) |
" husband " = H [h[2]; genealogy]
The Battle of Hastings[5] was a decisive battle which took place in 1066 just north of the town of Hastings in southern England. William the Conqueror defeated the forces of the Anglo-Saxon king Harold II; Harold died in the battle, leaving the way open for the Norman Conquest of England.
| 6d | Pack // Stuart's case with pained expression (4) |
| 7d | Resort hotelier's lost // cat (13) |
| 9d | Type of ball towards winger, hotshot /in/ football team (7,6) |
Winger[1] is military slang for a pal, colleague or favourite.*
* I found this meaning only in The Chambers Dictionary
Crystal Palace Football Club[7] is a professional football [soccer] club based in London which competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football.
| 14d | Creature // adapting easily to eat half of peeled banana (5,5) |
| 16d | Relative // number extremely shocked, near rage occasionally, is rising (8) |
| 17d | Romantic // dates I arranged, embracing Liz endlessly (8) |
| 19d | Individual supporting a French duke's tip /is/ ruined (6) |
" a French " = UN [un[8]; French indefinite article]
Although Miffypops in his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog suggests we need the abbreviation for duke, the setter has actually explicitly clued the initial letter of duke with the phrase "duke's tip".
Scratching the Surface
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| A duke[5] (abbreviation D.[10]) is a male holding the highest hereditary title in the British and certain other peerages*. * The peerage[5] is the nobility in Britain or Ireland as a class, comprising the ranks of duke, marquess, earl, viscount, and baron. |
| 20d | Flexible // recruitment essentially in factory (6) |
| 22d | Value // degree (4) |
Rate[5,10] is an informal [almost certainly British*] term meaning to have a high opinion of ⇒ (i)
Mike certainly rated her, goodness knows why; (ii)
the clients do not rate the new system.
* at least when used as in the cited examples
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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