Puzzle at a Glance
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Puzzle number in The Daily Telegraph
DT 29944 | |
Publication date in The Daily Telegraph
Friday, March 25, 2022 | |
Setter
NY Doorknob aka Donnybrook (Paul Bringloe) | |
Link to full review
Big Dave's Crossword Blog [DT 29944]
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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
I would say Deep Threat is correct when he predicts in the intro to his review on Big Dave's Crossword Blog that this puzzle "might cause the odd problem for the overseas members of our community". I had encountered a fair number of the British references in previous puzzles but there were also some new ones for me.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 | Judges // united: lawmakers must restrain anger (7) |
" lawmaker(s) " = MP(S)[5] [Member(s) of Parliament]
| 9a | Five entering rocky route on // approach (8) |
| 10a | Agreement // favouring tightwad right to be cancelled (7) |
" right " = R [r or r.[2]]
| 11a | Chuck returning in waterway /sees/ man-eater (8) |
Bin[5] is an informal British term meaning to throw (something) away by putting it in a bin.
| 12a | With British mole shot outside // Tobermory? (6) |
Tobermory[7] is one of the Wombles who are fictional pointy-nosed, furry creatures created by English writer Elisabeth Beresford and originally appearing in a series of children's novels from 1968. They live in burrows, where they aim to help the environment by collecting and recycling rubbish in creative ways.
Origin: The character is named after the capital of the Isle of Mull, in the Scottish Inner Hebrides.
| 13a | Very tense: keen on arrest (4-6) |
| 15a | Shelley's // Inferno? (4) |
In the wordplay, the 's is possessive. Thus the wordplay can be interpreted as "belonging to Shelley" or "contained in Shelly".
| 16a | Holly for instance // always the ingénue? (9) |
| 21a | Beastly noise // reason tattooist must stop? (4) |
| 22a | Democrat among pine trees altered // decree in advance (10) |
" Democrat " = D[5] [member or supporter of the US Democratic Party]
| 24a | Milk about to be brought round -- // moggies love it (6) |
Pinta[5] is an informal British term for a pint of milk.
Origin: a pronunciation of 'pint of', arising from a spelling used by the National Dairy Council from 1958 in an advertising slogan ⇒
Drinka pinta milka day.
" about " = C [c.[2]; circa (Latin)]
Moggie[5] (or moggy) is an informal British term for a cat, especially one that does not have a pedigree or is otherwise unremarkable ⇒
I have three other cats (two moggies and one Bengal/Tonkinese cross).
| 25a | Perhaps an 18 can? (4,4) |
The
numeral "18" is a cross
reference indicator pointing to clue 18d (show more ).
To complete the clue, a solver must replace the cross reference indicator with the solution to the clue starting in the light* identified by the cross reference indicator.
The cross reference indicator may include a directional indicator but this is customarily done only in situations where there are both Across and Down clues originating in the light that is being referenced.
* light-coloured cell in the grid
hide
To complete the clue, a solver must replace the cross reference indicator with the solution to the clue starting in the light* identified by the cross reference indicator.
The cross reference indicator may include a directional indicator but this is customarily done only in situations where there are both Across and Down clues originating in the light that is being referenced.
* light-coloured cell in the grid
hide
The expanded clue is "Perhaps an Indianan can?" where "Indianan can" is a particular case of "American toilet".
From a British perspective, the can[5] is an informal North American term for the toilet.
In Britain, the term restroom[5] (or rest room[1]) denotes a room in a public building for people to relax or recover in as contrasted to North America where it means a toilet [in the sense of a room rather than a fixture] in a public building.
| 27a | Thrilling // sensation cut short angry speech (7) |
| 28a | Be on diet fixed /and/ disciplined (8) |
| 29a | A new banknote should be announced, // one feels (7) |
Tenner[5] is an informal British name for a ten-pound note.
The word "tenner" , when pronounced in a non-rhotic accent (show explanation
) typical of dialects found in many parts of Britain (especially
southeastern England), sounds like "tenna".
Non-rhotic accents omit the sound < r > in certain situations, while rhotic accents generally pronounce < r > in all contexts. Among the several dozen British English accents which exist, many are non-rhotic while American English (US and Canadian) is mainly rhotic. This is, however, a generalisation, as there are areas of Britain that are rhotic, and areas of America that are non-rhotic. For more information, see this guide to pronouncing < r > in British English.
hide
Non-rhotic accents omit the sound < r > in certain situations, while rhotic accents generally pronounce < r > in all contexts. Among the several dozen British English accents which exist, many are non-rhotic while American English (US and Canadian) is mainly rhotic. This is, however, a generalisation, as there are areas of Britain that are rhotic, and areas of America that are non-rhotic. For more information, see this guide to pronouncing < r > in British English.
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Down
| 2d | Monkey // doctor holding limb firm (8) |
The marmoset[5] is a small tropical American monkey with a silky coat and a long tail.
| 3d | Still /needing/ one minute on phone (8) |
" one " = I[2] [Roman numeral]
" minute " = M [m or m.[2]]
Mobile[5] (short for mobile phone) is a British term for a cell phone[5] (short for cellular phone) ⇒
we telephoned from our mobile to theirs.
| 4d | Long-running show // possibly needs a rest (10) |
EastEnders[7]
is an award-winning British soap opera which has been broadcast on the BBC since 1985. (show more )
Set in Albert Square in the East End of London in the fictional Borough of Walford, the programme follows the stories of local residents and their families as they go about their daily lives. Consistently among the top-rated TV programmes in Britain, it has tackled many dilemmas that are considered to be controversial and taboo issues in British culture and social life previously unseen on United Kingdom mainstream television.
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Set in Albert Square in the East End of London in the fictional Borough of Walford, the programme follows the stories of local residents and their families as they go about their daily lives. Consistently among the top-rated TV programmes in Britain, it has tackled many dilemmas that are considered to be controversial and taboo issues in British culture and social life previously unseen on United Kingdom mainstream television.
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| 5d | Ultraviolet decay occasionally /seen in/ eye part (4) |
" ultraviolet " = UV[5]
| 6d | Magical character one supporting Black // Country (6) |
A rune[10] is any of the characters of an ancient Germanic alphabet, derived from the Roman alphabet, in use, especially in Scandinavia, from the 3rd century AD to the end of the Middle Ages. Each character was believed to have a magical significance.
The Roman numeral from 3d makes a quick reappearance.
Brunei[5] (official name Brunei Darussalam) is a small oil-rich constitutional sultanate on the
north-western coast of Borneo, divided by parts of Malaysia's state of
Sarawak. (show more )
In the 16th century Brunei dominated Borneo and parts of the Philippines, but its power declined as that of the Portuguese and Dutch grew, and in 1888 it was placed under British protection. It became a fully independent Commonwealth state in 1984.
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In the 16th century Brunei dominated Borneo and parts of the Philippines, but its power declined as that of the Portuguese and Dutch grew, and in 1888 it was placed under British protection. It became a fully independent Commonwealth state in 1984.
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Scratching the Surface
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| The Black Country[7] is an area of the West Midlands in England, West of Birmingham.
In the Industrial Revolution, it became one of the most industrialised
parts of Britain with coal mines, coking, iron foundries and steel mills
producing a high level of air pollution. The first trace of "The Black Country" as an expression dates from the 1840s. The name is believed to come from the soot from the heavy industries that covered the area, although the 30-foot-thick coal seam close to the surface is another possible origin. |
| 7d | Carbon and barium mixed /in/ Carlisle region (7) |
" carbon " = C[5] [chemical symbol]
Cumbria[5] is a county of northwestern England; county town, Carlisle. (show more )
Cumbria was an ancient British kingdom, and the name continued to be used for the hilly north-western region of England containing the Lake District. The county of Cumbria was formed in 1974, largely from the former counties of Westmorland and Cumberland.
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Cumbria was an ancient British kingdom, and the name continued to be used for the hilly north-western region of England containing the Lake District. The county of Cumbria was formed in 1974, largely from the former counties of Westmorland and Cumberland.
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| 8d | Balance on board // say amongst elite US Navy personnel (3,4) |
SEALs[10] are members of the Sea, Air, and Land Teams, an elite special operations unit of the United States Navy.
| 11d | Cold fish -- picture // something to keep it fresh (9) |
" cold " = C [c[1]; as in 'h and c'[1] (referring to water supply)]
Ling[5] is the name of a number of long-bodied edible marine fishes including a large eastern Atlantic fish of the genus Molva related to the cod, in particular Molva molva, which is of commercial importance.
Cling film[5] is the British name for plastic wrap, a thin transparent plastic film that adheres to surfaces and to itself, used as a wrapping or covering for food.
| 14d | Extra large notice to be dismantled? // Vote (2-8) |
In cricket, an extra[5] is a run scored other than from a hit with the bat, credited (in most cases) to the batting side rather than to a batsman. The types of extra[7] are no ball, wide, bye, leg-bye, and penalty runs.
" large " = L[5] [clothing size]
| 17d | Dark scene -- // small number go bad in church (8) |
In art, nocturne[5] denotes a picture of a night scene.
| 18d | Huntress coming into bar /finds/ Hoosier (8) |
In Roman mythology, Diana[10] is the virginal goddess of the hunt and the moon — and is often identified in clues as a huntress, Her counterpart in Greek mythology is Artemis.
Hoosier[5] is a North American term for a native or inhabitant of the US state of Indiana.
| 19d | Garden visitor /in/ two arguments (7) |
| 20d | Disease // sees lamb almost destroyed (7) |
| 23d | Bug one way or another? (6) |
An earwig[5] is a small elongated insect with a pair of terminal appendages that resemble pincers.
Earwig[5] (verb) is an informal British term meaning to secretly listen to a conversation ⇒ (i)
he looked behind him to see if anyone was earwigging; (ii)
A malfunction is being blamed for some callers being able to listen in to other people's calls - and presumably, other people earwigging into their conversations.
| 26d | Concedes // nothing -- then three points! (4) |
Own[5] is ued in a formal sense meaning to admit or acknowledge that something is the case or that one feels a certain way ⇒ (i)
she owned to a feeling of profound jealousy; (ii)
he was reluctant to own that he was indebted.
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
