Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29941 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Tuesday, March 22, 2022 | |
Setter
Unknown | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29941]
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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
There's lots to like about this puzzle and if you'd care for a bonus chuckle, check out the video that Manders posts in Comment #27 on Big Dave's Crossword Blog.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 | Tight bra -- it's a // person who fills cups (7) |
| 5a | Second half of FA game // cut short (7) |
Scratching the Surface
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| FA stands for the Football Association[7], the governing body of football [soccer] in England. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest football association in the world and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the amateur and professional game in England. |
| 9a | Primarily reigning, ultimately like the Queen? (5) |
I have marked the entire clue as wordplay in which the definition (by example as indicated by the question mark) is embedded. I note that Mr K, in his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, has marked the entire clue as definition. That was also my initial inclination but, after some thought, I concluded that "the Queen" is sufficient as a definition and including the remaining words adds nothing of substance.
"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.
hide
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.
hide
| 10a | Noblewomen /including/ board game in membership fee (9) |
The Story Behind the Picture
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| The photo that Mr K uses to illustrate this clue in his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog shows Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall (wife of Prince Charles) playing chess with a group of schoolchildren on a giant chessboard. You can find a video of the event here. |
| 11a | New Yorker's an entertaining quiet // busybody (4,6) |
Nosy parker[5] (or nosey parker[1]) is an informal British term for an overly inquisitive person.
Origin: The expression comes from an early 20th century postcard caption ‘The Adventures of Nosey Parker’, referring to a peeping Tom in London's Hyde Park.
| 12a | Attempt to follow a river // vessel (4) |
" river " = R [R or R.[2]; on maps]
In Greek mythology, the Argo[10] was the ship in which Jason sailed in search of the Golden Fleece.
| 14a | Like this clue // about a lad's bicycle? (12) |
| 18a | Ended nice novel admitting writer/'s/ impartiality (12) |
The
use of the word "writer" to clue PEN is likely to be slightly more
cryptic to the Brits than it is to us on this side of the pond. British
solvers will see "pen" as being a writing instrument rather than the person wielding that instrument. (show more )
In addition to defining pen[3,11] as a writing implement, North American dictionaries also define it as a writer or an author ⇒
hide
In addition to defining pen[3,11] as a writing implement, North American dictionaries also define it as a writer or an author ⇒
a hired pen, British dictionaries do not list this meaning although they do show pen[2,4] (or the pen[5,10]) as symbolically representing writing as an occupation (a sense of the word not found in US dictionaries).
hide
| 21a | Golf club // sarcasm not unknown (4) |
"unknown " = Y [algebraic symbol]
In mathematics (algebra, in particular), an unknown[10] is a variable, or the quantity it represents, the value of which is to be discovered by solving an equation ⇒
In mathematical formulae, unknowns are typically represented symbolically by the letters x, y and z.
hide
In mathematics (algebra, in particular), an unknown[10] is a variable, or the quantity it represents, the value of which is to be discovered by solving an equation ⇒
3y = 4x + 5 is an equation in two unknowns.
In mathematical formulae, unknowns are typically represented symbolically by the letters x, y and z.
hide
| 22a | Commotion /from/ a bear in film east of city (10) |
Before being "a bear in film"*, the bear appeared in a book (actually in a couple of books). Baloo[7] (Hindi: "bear") is a main fictional character featured in Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book from 1894 and The Second Jungle Book from 1895. Baloo, a bear, is the strict teacher of the cubs of the Seeonee wolf pack. His most challenging pupil is the "man-cub" Mowgli. Baloo and Bagheera, a panther, save Mowgli from Shere Khan the tiger and endeavour to teach Mowgli the Law of the Jungle in many of The Jungle Book stories.
* There have been at least four film adaptations of the books – Zoltán Korda's 1942 film, Disney's 1967 animated film and its 2016 live action remake, and Warner Brothers 2018 film, Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle.
Hull[5] is a city and port in northeastern England, situated at the junction of the Hull and Humber Rivers. Official name Kingston upon Hull.
| 25a | Anguish from loving // judge with facial hair (9) |
| 26a | Blacksmith uses this // in African village (5) |
| 27a | Awful // doctor was in charge of hospital cut (7) |
" doctor " = DR [Dr[2]]
| 28a | Resolution worse without wife /for/ support (7) |
" wife " = W [w[2]; genealogy]
Down
| 1d | Pedestrian // bowled over with item of jewellery (6) |
| 2d | Enjoy // spicy condiment (6) |
| 3d | Tips /from/ a great number getting into fights (10) |
Tip[10] is a British term for a dump for refuse, etc.
| 4d | Dangerous creature in UK // summer? (5) |
The adder[5] (also called viper) is a small venomous Eurasian snake which has a dark zigzag pattern on its back and bears live young. It is the only poisonous snake in Britain.
An adder[5] is an electronic unit which adds together two input variables.
As an All-in-One
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| The adder[7] is cold-adapted and hibernates in the winter. In Great Britain, males and females hibernate for about 150 and 180 days respectively. In northern Sweden hibernation lasts 8–9 months. [Thus, in general, the adder may pose a danger in summer but not in winter.] |
| 5d | Original // tyre, cheap wheels (9) |
Scratching the Surface
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| Tyre[5] is the British spelling of tire (in the sense of an automobile component). |
| 6d | Hear genuine // rock and roll (4) |
| 7d | Editor picked up author/'s/ report (8) |
| 8d | Regularly being sick on church // seat (8) |
| 13d | Teach robbing in the main? (10) |
The main[5] is an archaic or literary term for the open ocean.
Blackbeard[10] was the nickname of Edward Teach[10] (died 1718), an English pirate active in the West Indies and on the Atlantic coast of North America.
| 15d | Girl put on small amount of weight, daughter // declared (9) |
" daughter " = D [d[2]; genealogy]
| 16d | Female is underneath home, the man had // concluded (8) |
" female " = F [f or f.[2]]
| 17d | Recommend // lawyer (8) |
Advocate[5] is a Scottish or South African term for a barrister.
| 19d | Screen protecting large // plant (6) |
" large " = L[5] [clothing size]
| 20d | Ambition that is /to be/ a footballer? (6) |
In Britain, a footballer[5] is a soccer player.
Goalie[5] is an informal term for goalkeeper* or goaltender**.
* A goalkeeper[5] is a player in soccer or field hockey whose special role is to stop the ball from entering the goal.
** From a British perspective, goaltender[5] is a North American term for a goalkeeper, especially in ice hockey.
| 23d | European supporting made-up story? Good // lord! (5) |
" European " = E[2]
" good " = G [g or g.[1]; a grade of numismatic coin perhaps]
The term liege[10] can mean either a liege lord* or a liegeman** – in this clue, it is the former.
* Liege lord[10] is a historical term for a feudal lord [nobleman] entitled to allegiance and service.
** Liegeman[5] is a historical term for a vassal [holder of land by feudal tenure] who owed feudal service or allegiance to a nobleman [liege lord].
| 24d | Casanova // scholarly? Not half (4) |
A Casanova[5] is a man notorious for seducing women.
Origin: Italian adventurer Giovanni Jacopo Casanova[5] (1725–1798); full name Giovanni Jacopo Casanova de Seingalt. He is famous for his memoirs describing his sexual encounters and other exploits.
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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