DT 30233 (full review)

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30233

A full review by Rahmat Ali

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This puzzle was published on 25^th Feb 2023

BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****

Greetings from Kolkata. A very enjoyable Saturday puzzle from Cephas that I loved solving and thereafter wrote a review of the same for your kind reading and significant feedback.

Since childhood, I have been loving the word ‘stargazer’, the answer to the clue of 24a, much more than the word ‘astronomer’. Now, I took to the net for a more refined definition of the word. According to Wikipedia, stargazer may refer to an observational astronomer, particularly an amateur. As against the theoretical astronomy, which is basically concerned with calculating the measurable implications of physical models, observational astronomy is a branch of astronomy that is simply concerned with recording data about the observable universe. It is the practice and study of observing celestial objects with the use of telescopes and other astronomical instruments. Theoretical astronomy uses analytical and computational models based on principles from physics and chemistry to describe and explain astronomical objects and astronomical phenomena. Astronomical theorists make several efforts to create theoretical models and thereafter predict the observational consequences of those models from the results. Any phenomenon that is observed as per the prediction of a model helps the astronomer to choose one between various conflicting models that can best explain the phenomenon. Observational astronomy has made rapid progress since the days of Galileo who gazed at the sky through his telescope and recorded what he saw. The astronomical telescope has evolved from a small, manually pointed device for visual observations to a large instrument for visual observations to a big, modern, computer-supervised device with full digital output.

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Across

1a    Plan support also arranged (8)
PROPOSAL: PROP (support) as a rigid support followed by an anagram (arranged) of ALSO guides to the definition of a plan or suggestion, especially a formal or written one, put forward for consideration by others

6a    Frequent land shared by all (6)
COMMON: Double definition; the second being a noun referring to a tract of open land, used by all the inhabitants of a town, parish etc that leads to the first an adjective meaning occurring, found or done often

9a    Notice unending rash (4)
SPOT: SPOT[S] (rash) as patches on the skin that is devoid of its last or ending letter (unending) guides to the definition of a verb meaning to see, notice or recognise someone or something that is difficult to detect or that one is searching for

10a    Run off with nameless convict? That’s allowed (10)
LEGITIMATE: A charade of LEG IT (run off) as an informal verb meaning to flee or run away and (with) I[N]MATE (convict) as a person confined in an institution, especially a prison that is without N (nameless) where N is the abbreviation for name, arriving at the definition of an adjective meaning legal, permissible or admissible

11a    Open circle’s party line (9)
MANIFESTO: A charade of MANIFEST (open) as that may be easily seen by the eye or perceived by the mind and O (circle) as representing the shape of a circle is the lead to the definition of a public written declaration of the intentions, opinions or motives of a sovereign or of a leader, party or body

12a    Prison officer‘s pay (5)
SCREW: Double nounal and slang definition; the first referring to a prison officer or prison guard and the second denoting salary or wages

14a    Credit is doubled for emergency (6)
CRISIS: CR (credit) as the abbreviation for credit and IS from the clue is written twice or repeated (doubled), arriving at the definition of a time of intense difficulty or danger

16a    Preserve cooked meal doctor’s tucking into (6)
EMBALM: Doctor’s can be split up as ‘doctor is’, whereby MB (doctor) as the doctor referred to as holding the degree for MB that is also the abbreviation for Bachelor of Medicine is getting inside (tucking into) an anagram (cooked) of MEAL, taking to the definition of a verb meaning to preserve, especially a dead body, from decay by aromatic drugs or to preserve someone or something in an unaltered state

19a    In porch, I deposited bloomer (6)
ORCHID: Part of or hidden inside (in) [P]ORCH I D[EPOSITED] guides to the definition of any plant or flower, that is a bloomer, of the Orchidaceae or Orchideae family

20a    New way to face service (6)
MODERN: MODE (way) as a way or manner of acting, doing, happening or existing to place before (to face) RN (service) as the abbreviation for Royal Navy that is the smallest of the three services of the armed forces, recruited and reserved for fighting at sea, taking to the definition of an adjective meaning new and not ancient or medieval

22a    Posh son will have time for established procedure (5)
USAGE: U (posh) as a colloquial adjective meaning as used by or found among the upper social classes followed by S (son) as the genealogical abbreviation for son to which will be added (will have) AGE (time) as the time of life reached or of being old, arriving at the definition of a noun referring to a firmly established and generally accepted practice or procedure

24a    Night-watchman? (9)
STARGAZER: A cryptic definition of an astronomer or someone who watches the stars and planets in the sky during the night-time

27a    Debase grown-up with fifth-rate charge? (10)
ADULTERATE: A charade of ADULT (grown-up) as a person who is fully grown or developed and (with) E (fifth-rate) as terrible, awful or the fifth-worst and RATE (charge) as a fixed price paid for something leads to the definition of a verb meaning to debase or falsify, by mixing with something inferior or spurious

28a    Invalid returned from hospital lunch (4)
NULL: Part of or hidden inside (from) [HOSPITA]L LUN[CH] that has come back (returned) from it, as a reversal in the across clue, arriving at the definition of an adjective meaning invalid or having no legal or binding force

29a    Support, being overdrawn after holiday? (6)
TRIPOD: OD (overdrawn) as the abbreviation for overdrawn representing drawn from one’s bank account beyond one’s credit coming after or following (after) TRIP (holiday) as a journey or excursion, especially for pleasure, taking to the definition of a support with three legs for a piece of equipment such as a camera

30a    Spotted a careless mark with a later day (8)
POSTDATE: An anagram (careless) of SPOTTED A guides to the definition of a verb meaning to assign a date later than the actual one to a cheque or other document or mark with a date later than the time of signing

Down

2d    Cancel bellringers’ encore? (6)
REPEAL: The definition of a verb meaning to revoke, annul or cancel is arrived at from RE- (encore) as a prefix denoting again or here, calling for PEAL as the changes rung upon a set of bells, in the form of repetition of a performance by persons who ring bells on stated occasions or church bells or musical hand-bells (bellringers)

3d    Founder developing a rich part (9)
PATRIARCH: An anagram (developing) A RICH PART guides to the definition of the father or male founder of something

4d    Joint second team in the Olympics, maybe (10)
SILVERSIDE: The definition of a joint or cut of beef taken from the rump, below the aitchbone is cryptically arrived at from probably the team or a set of people constituting one side in a competitive event at the Olympics that has come second or won the silver medal

5d    Fair illumination (5)
LIGHT: Double definition; that second being a noun referring to the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible that leads to the first an adjective meaning pale, especially of a colour

6d    Oddly chintzy municipality, perhaps (4)
CITY: The oddly-placed letters (oddly) in ChInTzY takes to the definition of perhaps a municipality of higher rank

7d    I’m standing up twice before Concorde’s first take off (5)
MIMIC: I’M from the clue going upwards (standing up) as a reversal in the down clue two times (twice) placed before (before) the initial or first letter (first) of C[ONCORDE] (Concorde’s), arriving at the definition of a verb meaning to imitate someone or their actions or words, especially in order to entertain or ridicule

8d    Honestly arranged surreptitiously (2,3,3)
ON THE SLY: An anagram (arranged) of honestly guides to the definition of a phrase meaning in secretive fashion, often because it is wrong or bad

13d    Sore head getting gentle treatment (10)
TENDERNESS: A charade of TENDER (sore) as of a part of the body sensitive to pain and NESS (head) as a headland or promontory takes to the definition of the feeling of concern, gentle affection or warmth

15d    Presumed to hold an amount of money (3)
SUM: Part of or hidden inside (to hold) [PRE]SUM[ED] guides to the definition of a particular amount or quantity of money

17d    Having made a deal, lawyers profited (9)
BARGAINED: A charade of BAR (lawyers) as barristers or advocates collectively as in the United Kingdom or lawyers collectively as in the United States and GAINED (profited) as made an increase of a specified amount takes to the definition of a verb in the past tense meaning negotiated the terms of an agreement, transaction etc

18d    Card sure to shake champion (8)
CRUSADER: An anagram (to shake) of CARD SURE guides to the definition of a person who campaigns vigorously for political, social or religious change or for any good cause

21d    In France, she’s overwhelmed by part that’s shot (6)
PELLET: She’s is a contraction of ‘she is’, whereby ELLE (she) as the pronoun used to refer to a woman, girl or female animal previously mentioned or easily identified in the French language (in France) or as they say in France is engulfed or covered (overwhelmed) by PT (part) as the abbreviation for part, arriving at the definition of a piece of small shot or other lightweight bullet

23d    Half-hearted run leads to dance (5)
GALOP: GAL[L]OP (run) as a full-on run or the fastest gait of a horse having one L of the two middle or central letters LL removed (half-hearted) that leads to a lively dance or dance tune in double time

25d    Finally accept inclination to provide public transport (5)
TRAMP: The final or last letter (finally) of [ACCEP]T followed by RAMP (inclination) as an inclined plane or a sloping surface joining two different levels, as at the entrance or between floors of a building provides the cryptic definition of transport or journey made by the general public on foot

26d    Unwanted plant, very small, died (4)
WEED: A charade of WEE (very small) as tiny, little or very small and D (died) as the abbreviation for died as used to indicate a date of death takes to the definition of any useless plant or small growth or any plant growing where it is not wanted, especially amongst cultivated plants

The clues that I liked in this puzzle were 10a, 11a, 14a, 16a, 24a, 4d, 7d, 8d, 17d and 21d; the best of the lot being 24a. Many thanks to BD for the encouragement, to Cephas for the entertainment and to Gazza for the assistance. Looking forward to being here again. Have a nice day.