Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29729 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Friday, July 16, 2021 | |
Setter
Zandio | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29729]
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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
The clue at 9d certainly generated a "storm in a teacup" (as the Brits would say) or a "tempest in a teapot" (as we would put it).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 | Offensive // criticism (6) |
| 4a | Funeral item // that may require a DJ? (5,3) |
DJ is the abbreviation for dinner jacket[10], the British name* for a man's semi-formal evening jacket without tails, usually black with a silk facing over the collar and lapels.
* North American name: tuxedo
A black tie[5] is a black bow tie worn with a dinner jacket.
I think it would likely be customary to wear a black necktie* to a funeral—although perhaps not necessarily a bow tie.
* As Wikipedia states
For a semi-formal funeral day attire, the mourner may wear a matching black jacket and waistcoat [vest] presumably with black necktie.[7]
| 10a | Union territory // where rat meets defeat (4,5) |
Shop[5] is an informal British term meaning to inform on (someone) ⇒
she shopped her husband to bosses for taking tools home.
What did he say?
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In his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Deep Threat tells us to start withAnother word for ‘rat’ or ‘grass’ .... Grass[5] is an informal British term meaning:
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Shop floor[5] is a British term for the part of a workshop or factory where production as distinct from administrative work is carried out.
| 11a | Pinches // snacks (5) |
Although Deep Threat sees it differently in his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, for me the most obvious sense of bite[5] in the first definition is to press into a part of the body, causing pain ⇒
the handcuffs bit into his wrists.
| 12a | Cheers before I advance /in/ final (4-3) |
Cheers[5] is an informal British expression of gratitude or acknowledgement for something ⇒
Billy tossed him the key. ‘Cheers, pal.’.
Ta[5] is an informal British exclamation signifying thank you ⇒
‘Ta,’ said Willie gratefully.
| 13a | Lent ear to broadcast -- // it's never-ending (7) |
| 14a | A model revolutionary, // he was fabulously creative (5) |
Aesop[5,10] (?620–564 BC) was a Greek storyteller who authored fables in which animals are given human characters and used to satirize human failings. The moral animal fables associated with him were probably collected from many sources, and initially communicated orally. Aesop is said to have lived as a slave on the island of Samos.
| 15a | Perhaps corner // rook or knight? (3,5) |
In soccer, a corner[5] (also corner kick) is a place kick* taken by the attacking side from a corner of the field after the ball has been sent over the byline** by a defender.
* a place kick[5] is a kick made after the ball is first placed [in a stationary position] (in soccer) on the ground or (in rugby and North American football) on a tee
** the byline[5] (also byeline) is the part of the goal line to either side of the goal
Set piece[5] is a British term for a carefully organized and practised move* in a team game by which the ball is returned to play, as at a scrum or a free kick** ⇒
in the 89th minute another set piece produced the third goal.
* a seemingly equivalent term — and one commonly heard in North American sport — is set play[5], a prearranged manoeuvre carried out from a restart by the team who have the advantage ⇒
the Germans scored the deciding goal on a set play, off a corner kick in the 15th minute
** in soccer and rugby, a free kick[5] is an unimpeded kick of the stationary ball awarded to one side as a penalty for a foul or infringement by the other side
In chess, a piece[5] is a king, queen, bishop, knight, or rook, as opposed to a pawn.
| 18a | Old royal // part of London (8) |
A royal[5] is a member of the royal family ⇒
the royals are coming under the TV microscope.
Victoria[5]
(1819–1901) was queen of Great Britain and Ireland 1837–1901 and
empress of India 1876–1901. (show more )
She succeeded to the throne on the death of her uncle, William IV, and married her cousin Prince Albert in 1840. She took an active interest in the policies of her ministers, but largely retired from public life after Prince Albert's death in 1861. Her reign was the longest in British history until it was surpassed by that of Elizabeth II in 2015.
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She succeeded to the throne on the death of her uncle, William IV, and married her cousin Prince Albert in 1840. She took an active interest in the policies of her ministers, but largely retired from public life after Prince Albert's death in 1861. Her reign was the longest in British history until it was surpassed by that of Elizabeth II in 2015.
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Victoria[7] is an area of central London in the City of Westminster. It is named after Victoria Station, which is a major transport hub. The station was named after the nearby Victoria Street.
| 20a | Part of spring /is/ damper -- field to get cut occasionally (5) |
| 23a | Where food's prepared /in/ high-vis vest? (7) |
Worktop[5] is a British term* for a flat surface for working on, especially in a kitchen.
* North American term: countertop
High-vis[5] (also hi-vis) is an informal short form for high-visibility[5], an adjective denoting outer clothing made of a fluorescent or reflective material intended to ensure that the garment's wearer can be easily seen by other people.
| 25a | Take a drag /and/ give a smile? (5,2) |
| 26a | Yes-man // now transferring a forward (5) |
| 27a | Wind up /getting/ unfair tie rearranged (9) |
The phrasal verb wind (someone) up[5] is an informal British expression meaning to tease or irritate (someone) ⇒
she's only winding me up.
| 28a | Holding back, // washes it antiseptically in part (8) |
| 29a | Tired /of/ notice about fish having to be put back (6) |
Down
| 1d | One may snarl // at a snail meandering about (8) |
Alsatian[5] is a British name for a German shepherd, a large dog of a breed typically used as guard dogs or for police work.
| 2d | River in question/'s/ somewhere near the Equator (7) |
| 3d | Drinks maker // initially cautious of price cap being raised (6,3) |
| 5d | How someone on Mount Rushmore looks // over the top (6,4,4) |
Mount Rushmore National Memorial[7] is a colossal sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The sculpture features the 60-foot (18 m) heads of Presidents George Washington (1732–1799), Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) and Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865).
| 6d | Telegraph // guy? (5) |
A cable[10] (also called overseas telegram, international telegram, or cablegram) is a telegram sent abroad by submarine cable, radio, communications satellite, or by telephone line.
Scratching the Surface
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| The Daily Telegraph[7] is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper, founded in 1855 as The Daily Telegraph and Courier, which is published in London and distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally—and is the newspaper in which this puzzle initially appeared. |
| 7d | Little bird -- one about to go under an // enormous boat, that would be unfortunate (7) |
The tits, chickadees, and titmice[7] constitute the Paridae, a large family of small passerine birds which occur in the northern hemisphere and Africa. These birds are called either "chickadees" or "titmice" in North America, and just "tits" in the rest of the English-speaking world.
The RMS [Royal Mail Ship] Titanic[5] was a British passenger liner, the largest ship in the world when she was built and supposedly unsinkable, that struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic on her maiden voyage in April 1912 and sank with the loss of 1,490 lives.
| 8d | They display art /in/ moderate sizes (6) |
| 9d | Prophetic part of CV? (3,11) |
Job[5,7] is a book of the Bible telling the story of Job, a prosperous man whose patience and piety were tried by undeserved misfortunes, and who, in spite of his bitter lamentations, remained confident in the goodness and justice of God. In rabbinical literature, Job is called one of the prophets of the Gentiles. In Islam, Job is also considered a prophet.
This clue caused much consternation on Big Dave's Crossword Blog, where several complained that a Job Description and a CV (Curriculum Vitae)—or résumé as it is known in North America—are quite different documents. However, this being a cryptic crossword, terms are apt to be used in a whimsical fashion. A CV would include a list of the previous jobs held by the applicant and a bit of information concerning each one. Each of these entries is a description of a previous job (or, in other words, a "job description").
| 16d | Gore perhaps after airgun exploded, covering uniform // first (9) |
Al Gore[5] was US vice president 1993–2001. (show more )
A Tennessee Democrat, he served in the US House of Representatives 1977–85 and US Senate 1985–93. He lost the 2000 presidential bid to George W. Bush in one of the closest and most controversial elections in US history. His book An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It (2006) was highly influential. Nobel Peace Prize (2007, shared with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change).
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A Tennessee Democrat, he served in the US House of Representatives 1977–85 and US Senate 1985–93. He lost the 2000 presidential bid to George W. Bush in one of the closest and most controversial elections in US history. His book An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It (2006) was highly influential. Nobel Peace Prize (2007, shared with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change).
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| 17d | Czech beer served up for a Yankee -- ice-covered? (8) |
Pils[5] is another name for Pilsner[5] (also Pilsener), a lager beer with a strong hop flavour, originally brewed at Pilsen in the Czech Republic.
Origin: abbreviation for Pilsner
| 19d | Advances // where parents say children shouldn't play (7) |
Scratching the Surface
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| I have observed that Brits often use "in" where we would use "on". For example, they play "in a team" whereas we play "on a team". Similarly, it appears that British kids play "in the road" while ours play "on the road". |
| 21d | Some expensive car -- target when upwardly mobile in this? (3,4) |
While some would mark the definition in this clue as merely the single word "this", I see the entire clue as a cryptic definition in which the wordplay is embedded.
| 22d | Son touched by woman doing magic // turn (6) |
Scratching the Surface
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In the surface reading, a turn[5] is a short performance, especially one of a number given by different performers in succession ⇒ (i) Lewis gave her best ever comic turn; (ii) he was asked to do a turn at a children’s party. |
| 24d | Secret meeting /to get/ crack on street (5) |
Key to Reference Sources:
[1] - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition
[2] - Search Chambers - (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)
[3] - TheFreeDictionary.com (American Heritage Dictionary)
[4] - TheFreeDictionarycom (Collins English Dictionary)
[5] - Lexico (formerly Oxford Dictionaries Online) (Oxford Dictionary of English)
[6] - Lexico (formerly Oxford Dictionaries Online) (Oxford Advanced American Dictionary)
[7] - Wikipedia
[8] - Reverso Online Dictionary (Collins French-English Dictionary)
[9] - Infoplease (Random House Unabridged Dictionary)
[10] - CollinsDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
[11] - TheFreeDictionary.com (Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary)
[12] - CollinsDictionary.com (Webster’s New World College Dictionary)
[13] - MacmillanDictionary.com (Macmillan Dictionary)
[14] - CollinsDictionary.com (COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary)
[15] - CollinsDictionary.com (Penguin Random House LLC/HarperCollins Publishers Ltd )
Signing off for today — Falcon
