Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29954 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Wednesday, April 6, 2022 | |
Setter
Jay (Jeremy Mutch) | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29954]
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Big Dave's Crossword Blog review written by
2Kiwis | |
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 Daily Telegraph "Wednesday" puzzle from Jay is always a joy to solve and today's is no exception.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 | Creature /in/ river representing horse icon (10) |
" river " = R [(R or R.)[2]; on maps]
As an anagram indicator, representing is deceptively used* in the sense of re-presenting[5] meaning presenting (something) again, especially for further consideration or in an altered form.
As an anagram indicator, representing is deceptively used* in the sense of re-presenting[5] meaning presenting (something) again, especially for further consideration or in an altered form.
* Remember, in cryptic crosswords, it is common practice to omit or insert punctuation at will – or on a whim.
| 6a | Cut // yield (4) |
| 10a | Occasionally leaving Lennon out in // boredom (5) |
| 11a | Pure Elvis gyrating? // Disgusting! (9) |
Elvis Presley[5,7]
(1935–1977) was an American rock-and-roll and pop singer; full name
Elvis Aaron Presley. (show more )
He was the dominant personality of early rock and roll with songs such as ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ and ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ (both 1956). Regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century, he is often referred to as "the King of Rock and Roll", or simply, "the King". He also made a number of films, including King Creole (1958).
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He was the dominant personality of early rock and roll with songs such as ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ and ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ (both 1956). Regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century, he is often referred to as "the King of Rock and Roll", or simply, "the King". He also made a number of films, including King Creole (1958).
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Scratching the Surface
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| Elvis was known for his exaggerated gyrating body movements which earned him the nickname "Elvis the Pelvis". Presley's appearance on a 1956 episode of the Milton Berle Show created a storm of controversy. Television critics were outraged: Jack Gould of The New York Times wrote, "Mr. Presley has no discernible singing ability. ... His one specialty is an accented movement of the body ... primarily identified with the repertoire of the blond bombshells of the burlesque runway." Ben Gross of the New York Daily News opined that popular music "has reached its lowest depths in the 'grunt and groin' antics of one Elvis Presley. ... Elvis, who rotates his pelvis ... gave an exhibition that was suggestive and vulgar, tinged with the kind of animalism that should be confined to dives and bordellos". Ed Sullivan, whose own variety show was the nation's most popular, declared him "unfit for family viewing".[7] |
| 12a | Expressions /produced by/ serious experts (8) |
| 13a | Order // egghead to drop one (5) |
" one " = I[2] [Roman numeral]
| 15a | Sort of cake // now cooked and covered in cheese (7) |
Brie[5] is a kind of soft, mild, creamy cheese with a firm white skin.
| 17a | Afraid one forgets to a certain extent, /being/ doomed (4,3) |
| 19a | Unfashionable players // in Coventry (7) |
Send (someone) to Coventry[5] is a British expression meaning to refuse to associate with or speak to someone ⇒
Thus someone who has been shunned might be said to be "in Coventry".
some people ignore and send to Coventry individuals they disapprove of.
Thus someone who has been shunned might be said to be "in Coventry".
| 21a | Soldiers, capturing one, make a mistake /getting/ chains (7) |
In the UK, the Special Air Service[5] (abbreviation SAS[5]) is
a specialist army regiment trained in commando techniques of warfare,
formed during the Second World War and used in clandestine operations,
frequently against terrorists.
The " one " from 13a makes a return engagement.
The " one " from 13a makes a return engagement.
Especially in Spanish-speaking countries or the western US, sierra[5] is a term for a long jagged mountain chain.
| 22a | This may throw light /on/ Boris perhaps accepting endless danger (5) |
| 24a | Label attached to writer working /for/ military HQ (8) |
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 ⇒
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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).
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The Pentagon[5] is a pentagonal building serving as the headquarters of
the US Department of Defense, near Washington DC.
| 27a | The setter's voice /is/ calm (9) |
"the setter's " = IM
It is a common cryptic crossword convention for the creator of the puzzle to use terms such as (the or this) compiler, (the or this) setter, (the or this) speaker, (this) author, (this) writer, or this person to refer to himself or herself. To solve such a clue, one must generally substitute a first person pronoun (I or ME) for whichever of these terms has been used in the clue.
Today, the the creator of the puzzle has made the scenario more complicated by combining "the setter" with the verb "to be"* producing "the setter's" (a contraction of "the setter is") which must be replaced by "I'm" (a contraction of "I am").
* Although in the surface reading "the setter's" is showing possession, in the wordplay it is interpreted as a contraction of "the setter is".
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It is a common cryptic crossword convention for the creator of the puzzle to use terms such as (the or this) compiler, (the or this) setter, (the or this) speaker, (this) author, (this) writer, or this person to refer to himself or herself. To solve such a clue, one must generally substitute a first person pronoun (I or ME) for whichever of these terms has been used in the clue.
Today, the the creator of the puzzle has made the scenario more complicated by combining "the setter" with the verb "to be"* producing "the setter's" (a contraction of "the setter is") which must be replaced by "I'm" (a contraction of "I am").
* Although in the surface reading "the setter's" is showing possession, in the wordplay it is interpreted as a contraction of "the setter is".
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In grammar, the passive voice[5] is a form or set of forms of a verb in which the subject undergoes the action of the verb (e.g. 'they were killed' as opposed to the active form 'he killed them').
| 28a | Collection // at church by bishop (5) |
| 29a | Crazy // sisters with time for nobody, initially (4) |
" time " = T [t[1]; symbol used in physics]
The indicator "initially" is a direction to use the initial letter of a word in the fodder.
The indicator "initially" is a direction to use the initial letter of a word in the fodder.
| 30a | A welcome must include employees with second // contracts (10) |
" second(s) " = S [s[2]; measure of time]
Down
| 1d | Admire efforts to circumvent // danger to shipping (4) |
| 2d | In term son moved // closest to the centre (9) |
| 3d | Hate // speaker's stand, lacking power (5) |
| 4d | People seen outside hotel after each // complaint (7) |
| 5d | Fought against // work attitude with Germany (7) |
"work " = OP [opus]
In music, an opus[5] (Latin 'work', plural opuses or opera) is a separate composition or set of compositions.
The abbreviation Op.[5] (also op.), denoting opus, is used before a number given to each work of a particular composer, usually indicating the order of publication. The plural form of Op. is Opp..
Opus[5] can also be used in other contexts to denote an artistic work, especially one on a large scale ⇒
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In music, an opus[5] (Latin 'work', plural opuses or opera) is a separate composition or set of compositions.
The abbreviation Op.[5] (also op.), denoting opus, is used before a number given to each work of a particular composer, usually indicating the order of publication. The plural form of Op. is Opp..
Opus[5] can also be used in other contexts to denote an artistic work, especially one on a large scale ⇒
he was writing an opus on Mexico.
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| 7d | Check covering golf // rule (5) |
| 8d | Journalists rebel, supporting united // force (10) |
Pressurise*[5] is used in an informal British sense meaning to attempt to persuade or coerce (someone) into doing something ⇒
don't let anyone pressurize you into snap decisions.
* pressurise is a variant British spelling of pressurize
| 9d | European lap dancer's naked // beauty (8) |
" European " = E[2]
| 14d | Sailor's choice crossing river /will be/ preoccupation (10) |
"sailor " = AB [able seaman]
In the Royal Navy, according to Lexico (Oxford Dictionary of English), able seaman[5] (abbreviation AB[5]) is a rank of sailor above ordinary seaman and below leading seaman. On the other hand, Collins English Dictionary tells us that an able seaman[10] (also called able-bodied seaman) is an ordinary seaman, especially one in the merchant navy, who has been trained in certain skills.
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In the Royal Navy, according to Lexico (Oxford Dictionary of English), able seaman[5] (abbreviation AB[5]) is a rank of sailor above ordinary seaman and below leading seaman. On the other hand, Collins English Dictionary tells us that an able seaman[10] (also called able-bodied seaman) is an ordinary seaman, especially one in the merchant navy, who has been trained in certain skills.
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The " river " from 1a makes another appearance.
| 16d | Accident avoided // close to girl (4,4) |
| 18d | Omitted most of team? (9) |
I see the entire clue as wordplay in which a precise definition is embedded.
Eleven[5] is the number of players in* a cricket[7] side [team] or an Association football[7] [soccer] team — and is frequently used as a metonym for such a team ⇒
Eleven[5] is the number of players in* a cricket[7] side [team] or an Association football[7] [soccer] team — and is frequently used as a metonym for such a team ⇒
at cricket I played in the first eleven.
* Note that, in Britain, the words "side" and "team" are synonymous and a player is said to be "in a side" or "in a team" rather than "on a team" as one would say in North America.
In the wordplay, split the solution (6,3). If one had "forgot ten", they would have "omitted most of team".
| 20d | Dressing, /seeing/ better contact from track and trace (7) |
Better[5] is used as a verb meaning to improve on or surpass (an existing or previous level or achievement) ⇒
Despite the slight deviation in terminology, I believe "track and trace" may refer to Britain's National Health Service (NHS) Coronavirus test-and-trace system app[b], an exposure notification app that works similarly to the COVID Alert app deployed in Canada. As explained on the BBC News website:
his performance can hardly be bettered.
Despite the slight deviation in terminology, I believe "track and trace" may refer to Britain's National Health Service (NHS) Coronavirus test-and-trace system app[b], an exposure notification app that works similarly to the COVID Alert app deployed in Canada. As explained on the BBC News website:
"If you have the app, and you spend enough time close to another person
using it, you will receive a "ping" alert if they later test positive
for Covid... If you are "pinged" you're advised - but not legally obliged - to self-isolate for 10 days."
[b] "Coronavirus: How does the NHS test-and-trace system and app work?", BBC News
Delving Deeper
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| I am very familiar with the use of the term ping[10]
in computer networking where it means to send a test message to (a computer or
server) in order to check whether it is responding or how long it takes
it to respond. However, as in the case of many technical terms, ping[5] seems to have slipped into common parlance – at least in the UK – with a less technical meaning, namely to send an electronic message to (someone) ⇒ at least a dozen people have pinged me or called to tell me this. |
| 21d | Honest /and/ as free at heart (7) |
The indicator "at heart" is a direction to use the letters that form the heart or core of a word in the fodder.
| 23d | Upset pundit missing Democrat/'s/ contribution (5) |
" Democrat " = D[5] [member or supporter of the US Democratic Party]
| 25d | White must dismiss last couple /for/ record (5) |
| 26d | Errant husband hides // like this (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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