DT 29945

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 29945

A full review by Rahmat Ali

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This puzzle was published on 26^th Mar 2022

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

Greetings from Kolkata. A friendly and straightforward Saturday puzzle from Chalicea that I enjoyed solving and thereafter writing a review of the same for your kind perusal and significant comments.

‘Manufacturer’ as part of the clue of 23a and ‘gunsmith’ as its answer made me inquisitive and I visited the net to know if any differences existed between the two. I found out that a manufacturer is any person engaged in the business of manufacturing firearms or ammunition and the term includes all those who are engaged in such business on a part-time basis. On the other hand, a gunsmith is any person licensed as a dealer, which includes a gunsmith who is engaged in the business of repairing firearms or making or fitting special barrels, stocks, or trigger mechanisms to firearms. The activities for a manufacturer include, inter alia, assembly of firearms, making modifications or alterations to firearms that change performance and durability, disassembling firearms and rebuilding them for resale and purchasing used or new guns and making modifications and then reselling the firearms. As against these, the activities of a gunsmith include, inter alia, engraving or camouflaging a firearm, repairing or adjusting a trigger assembly, attaching stocks and barrels for individual customers and returning the firearms to them for their personal use.

‘Yemeni’ as the answer to the clue of 3d took me to my childhood days and I remembered a song of a movie by the name ‘Alam Ara’ that I watched with my aunt in a cinema hall in the-then Calcutta. The song described a seven-year old Yemeni boy who, after sighting the moon of Ramadan, insisted on fasting, but his parents would not allow him on the pretext that he was too small for it. But the stubborn little boy would have none of it. He ate the pre-dawned meal and began and completed his fast of the first day. I have always liked to fast. I might have fasted for the first time at the age of six or seven, but I do clearly remember that I fasted for two days – on the first and last days. But once I started fasting for the whole month, probably after three to four years later, I continued doing so throughout my life and never missed or skipped the occasion. The month of Ramadan is scheduled to start from tomorrow evening after the sighting of the moon and, In Sha Allah, I will fast again. And ‘Ramadan Mubarak’ to all fasters around the world. Now, I wanted to know more about Yemen. I am aware of the geographical boundaries of the country: it is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, the Gulf of Aden to the south and Oman to the east. The net enlightened me that like the Gulf Arab countries, Yemen is technically Gulf. But the Gulf Cooperation Council did not take Yemen within its fold, probably for being a Republic and not a monarchy or presumably for not being a rich country like the other Arab countries. But still there are some facts it could boast of. Its historic town of Zabid was its capital from the 13^th to the 15^th century and an important centre of learning for the whole Arab and Islamic world. Algebra is said to have been invented at this town in the early 9^th century by a lesser-known scholar Al-Jazari. Yemen’s biggest sports event took place in 2010 when it hosted the 20^th Arabian Gulf Cup in Aden and Abyan in its southern part.

‘Timpani’ as the answer to the clue of 7d is the plural of ‘timpano’ in the Italian language.

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

4a    Angry about university recruitment, essentially, following good financial gift (8)
GRATUITY: RATTY (angry) as bad-tempered and irritable is placed around (about) a combo of U (university) as the abbreviation for university and IT as the innermost or essential letters (essentially) from [RECRU]IT[MENT] and preceded by (following) G (good) as the abbreviation for good take to the definition of a gift, usually of money, separate from and additional to payment made for a service

8a    Vitality of black feline (6)
BOUNCE: A charade of B (black) as the abbreviation of black on lead pencils to indicate softness and OUNCE (feline) as now generally the snow leopard, a big cat of Asia with markings similar to a leopard’s guides to the definition of a lively or energetic quality

9a    Irritating, varying rise in volume (8)
TIRESOME: An anagram (varying) of RISE is placed inside (in) TOME (volume) as a large book or volume, leading to the definition of an adjective meaning loosely irritating, troublesome or irksome

10a    Organised isle ends unemployment (8)
IDLENESS: An anagram (organised) of ISLE ENDS guides to the definition of the state of being inactive or without work

11a    Ceremony with religious song lacking special mysticism at heart (6)
RITUAL: The definition of a religious or solemn ceremony consisting of a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order is arrived at from [SPI]RITUAL (religious song) as the Sacred-Black American religious song that is devoid of (lacking) a combo of SP (special) as the abbreviation for special and I as the middle letter (at heart) of [MYST]I[CISM]

12a    Element of regret over narcotic (8)
EUROPIUM: RUE (regret) as to feel remorse into a position of coming back (over) as a reversal in the across clue is followed by OPIUM (narcotic) as the dried narcotic juice of the white poppy, arriving at the definition of the metallic chemical element of atomic number 63 of the rare-earth group that is used especially in television screens and fluorescent lamps

13a    Impressive English politician has curtailed time in charge (8)
EMPHATIC: E (English) as the abbreviation for English and MP (politician) as the abbreviation for Member of Parliament is followed by HA[S] that has been shortened with the removal of the final letter (curtailed) and further followed by T (time) as the symbol for time in physics and IC (in charge) as the abbreviation for in charge, arriving at the definition of an adjective meaning very significant or strongly marked

16a    Eccentric Nineties physicist (8)
EINSTEIN: An anagram (eccentric) of NINETIES guides to the definition of the German-born theoretical physicist, best known for developing the theory of relativity

19a    Cherish sinner, he changed
ENSHRINE: An anagram (changed) of SINNER HE guides to the definition of a verb meaning to preserve or consider a right, tradition or idea as sacred

21a    Part-time worker recalled the Spanish religious building (6)
TEMPLE: TEMP (part-time worker) as a colloquial term for a temporarily-employed secretarial or other office worker followed by EL (the Spanish) as the Spanish for definite article ‘the’ that has called back or returned (recalled) as a reversal in the across clue, taking to the definition of a building or place dedicated to or regarded as the house of a god.

23a    Manufacturer adding barrels to stocks (8)
GUNSMITH: A cryptic way of reaching the definition of a smith or workman who makes or repairs guns or small arms from fitting barrels as discharging tubes of guns through which bullets travel when the guns are fired to stocks as parts of guns that provide structural support, to which the barrels, actions and firing mechanisms are attached

24a    Dreadful toccatas with each note disconnected (8)
STACCATO: An anagram (dreadful) of TOCCATAS guides to the adverbial definition in music meaning with each note sharply detached or separated from the others

25a    Unaccompanied student merely goes round Spain (6)
LONELY: L (student) as an abbreviation appearing in red in a white plate attached to a car or a two-wheeler to warn other drivers that the person driving is a learner followed by ONLY (merely) that goes round E (Spain) as the IVR code for España, the Spanish name for Spain, arriving at the definition of an adjective meaning having no companion or escort

26a    Abuse whisky on a trip, initially (8)
MALTREAT: MALT (whisky) as a whisky made only from malted barley and not blended with grain whisky, the preposition RE (on) as a commercial jargon used to indicate ‘with reference to’, ‘regarding’ or ‘concerning’, A from the clue and the first or initial letter (initially) of T[RIP] take to the definition of a verb meaning to treat someone with cruelty or violence

Down

1d    Rough cover left on casing of uranium (7)
HOODLUM: HOOD (cover) as a flexible covering for the head and back of a neck, followed by L (left) as the abbreviation for left that is placed upon (on) the outer covering or the outermost letters (casing) of U[RANIU]M, leading to the definition of a person who engages in crime and violence

2d    Social creature runs away with beloved animals (9)
ANTELOPES: A charade of ANT (social creature) as eusocial insect of the family Formidicae and ELOPES (runs away with beloved) as escapes privately, especially with a lover, usually to get married takes to the definition of swift-running even-toed ruminants with smooth hair and upward-pointing horns, that are indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia

3d    The old folk, one a Gulf inhabitant (6)
YEMENI: A charade of YE (the) as the archaic spelling for ‘the’, MEN (old folk) as elderly people collectively and I (one) as the Roman numeral for one leads to the definition of a native or inhabitant of Yemen, a Gulf country

4d    Rile person by acquiring their browser? (3,8,4)
GET SOMEONE’S GOAT: A cryptic way of arriving at the definition of an idiomatic phrase meaning to upset or irritate someone from GET (acquiring) as to succeed in taking possession of something followed by SOMEONE’S (their) as belonging to or associated with a person of unspecified sex and GOAT (browser) as an animal, among others, that browses or feeds on the rough shoots of plants

5d    Supplies of aid from harassed prison-guard lacking working gun (8)
AIRDROPS: An anagram (harassed) of PRISO[N-GU]ARD that is deficient of (lacking) NGU being an anagram (working) of GUN, leading to the definition of acts of dropping or landing of supplies, troops or equipment by parachutes from an aircraft

6d    Worry mates publicly climbing houses (5)
UPSET: Part of or hidden inside (houses) maTES PUblicly that is going up (climbing) as a reversal in the down clue leads to the definition of a verb meaning to make someone disappointed or worried or to disconcert or distress someone

7d    Frenzy almost following reduction of time for orchestral instruments (7)
TIMPANI: PANI[C] (frenzy) as a violent mental or emotional agitation that has most of its letters (almost) after the removal of its last letter is preceded by (following) TIM[E] that has undergone a curtailment (reduction) with its last letter removed, arriving at the definition of kettledrums, especially when played by one musician in an orchestra

14d    Out of consideration employees finally quit living accommodation (9)
APARTMENT: APART (out of consideration) as used to indicate that one is dismissing something from consideration or moving from one tone or topic to another, MEN (employees) as male members of a workforce, team etc and the ultimate or final letter (finally) of [QUI]T take to the definition of a set of rooms for living in, especially on one floor of a building

15d    Unruffled involving publicity for lover’s song, maybe (8)
SERENADE: SERENE (unruffled) as calm or not agitated taking in (involving) AD (publicity) as the short form for advertisement or the process of making something known to the general public, leading to the definition of an example of a song suitable for or suggestive of the evening, especially one with a romantic theme sung or played under a lady’s window by a suitor

17d    Lack of movement as one European boards broken-down train (7)
INERTIA: I (one) as the Roman numeral for one followed by E (European) as the abbreviation for European as in EU or European Union that steps inside (boards) an anagram (broken-down) of TRAIN, arriving at the definition of the tendency to do nothing or the feeling of not wanting to move

18d    Fit in cubicle (7)
INSTALL: IN from the clue and STALL (cubicle) as an individual compartment for an animal in a stable or cowshed, enclosed on three sides take to the definition of a verb meaning to place or fix equipment or machinery in position ready for use

20d    Record section of confusing lecture (6)
SINGLE: Part of or hidden inside (section of) confuSING LEecture reveals the definition of a gramophone record with usually only one tune, or other short recording, on each side

22d    Ornament with little loops in centre of hand-picked baby bed (5)
PICOT: PI as the middle or innermost letters (centre) of [HAND-]PI[CKED] and COT (baby bed) as a small bed with high-barred sides for a baby or very young child lead to the definition of a verb meaning to ornament, trim or edge with small, threadlike loops on lace, ribbon, fabric, crochet etc.

Several clues that I liked in this puzzle were 4a, 9a, 11a, 12a, 23a, 2d, 3d, 4d, 15d, 17d and 22d; 4d being the topper. Many thanks to Chalicea for the entertainment and to BD for the encouragement. Looking forward to being here again. Have an enjoyable day.

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