ST 3164 (full review) – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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ST 3164 (full review)

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3164

A full review by Rahmat Ali

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This puzzle was published on 12th June 2022

BD Rating – Difficulty *Enjoyment *****

Greetings from Kolkata. Dada has given us a very straightforward Sunday puzzle that was highly enjoyable. I now present to you again a full review of the same and would be happy to receive your valuable feedback.

‘Esprit’, the answer to the clue of 1a, is taken as a loanword from French meaning ‘spirit’. Likewise, many phrases with ‘esprit’ are available in the English dictionary. ‘Esprit de corps’ is regard for the honour of the body to which one belongs; ‘esprit de l’escalier’ is thinking of an apt or witty retort after the opportunity of making it is past and ‘esprit fort’ is a free-thinker.

Like the House of ‘York’ that featured in ST 3129, the House of ‘Lancaster’, the answer to the clue of 15d, was also a cadet branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet that originated from the lands of Anjou in France. The three kings of the House of Lancaster were Henry IV, Henry V and Henry VI. It was the rivalry between the two cadet branches of York and Lancaster that led to the decades-long ‘Wars of the Roses’ for the English succession, culminating in the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 when the reign of the Plantagenet ended with the death of Richard III. I further learnt from the net that the last remaining fragment of Lancastrian title was derived by Henry Tudor through his mother, Margaret, who was a great-granddaughter of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster. His father, Edmund Tudor, the 1st Earl of Richmond, died three months before he was born in 1509. Henry Tudor as Henry VII declared himself King of England by right of conquest in 21 August 1485. The very next day, his forces defeated the Yorkist army of Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field. His coronation took place in October and on 18 January 1486, he married Elizabeth of York, thus ending the Wars of the Roses and giving rise to the Tudor dynasty.

‘Flushed’, as part of the wordplay to the clue of 20d, made me inquisitive and the very first information that I hit upon in the net was that face flushing is not confined to fever, exercise and strong emotions, but can be attributed to many causes like alcohol flush reaction, inflammation, allergies, intake of spicy foods or certain medicines, temperature change and hormonal change like menopause. Physiologically, flushing is caused by increased blood flow under the skin. Vasodilation or widening of blood vessels occurs when there is relaxation of smooth muscle cells within the blood vessel walls. Areas such as the face, ears, neck, upper chest and upper arms have countless blood vessels under the skin and a surge in blood flow can cause these blood vessels to widen and fill with blood. However, persistent flushing can lead to other symptoms such as diarrhoea, hives, wheezing or dyspnoea. In rare cases, facial flushing can lead to a symptoms of carcinoid syndrome that are associated with tumours of the enterochromaffin cells, a type of neuroendocrine cell found in the gastrointestinal tract. In all such cases, one should consult one’s doctor.

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

1a    Papa in novel tries wit (6)
ESPRIT: P as the letter represented by Papa in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet is placed inside (in) an anagram (novel) of TRIES, taking to the definition of a noun meaning the quality of being lively, vivacious or witty

5a    Famous songwriter
somewhere in Germany (6)
BERLIN: Double definition; the second being the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population that leads to the first the name of Irving BERLIN, the American composer, songwriter and lyricist, whose music forms a great part of the Great American Songbook



10a    Encourage minister in the lead (3,2)
REV UP: A charade of REV (minister) as a usually-written title prefixed in place of Reverend or a minister or member of the clergy and UP (in the lead) as in a position that is ahead of others, leading to the definition of a phrasal verb meaning to enliven or stimulate or to make someone more active or effective

11a    French food associate fed to pet (9)
CAMEMBERT: MEMBER (associate) as a person belonging to a group, society or team is put into (fed to) CAT (pet) as a small domesticated carnivorous mammal with soft fur, a short snout, and retractable claws and widely kept as a pet or for catching mice, taking to the definition of a kind of rich, soft, creamy cheese with a whitish rind, originally made near Camembert in Normandy


12a    North America circumnavigated by horse in the end (7)
FINALLY: NA (North America) as the abbreviation for North America is surrounded (circumnavigated) by FILLY (horse) as a young female horse, especially one less than four years old, arriving at the definition of an adverb meaning ultimately, at long last or in the end

13a    Number nine, peg between two poles (7)
SIXTEEN: A combo of IX (nine) as the Roman numeral for nine and TEE (peg) as a small plastic or wooden peg with a concave head that acts as a support for a ball on a golf course is placed in the midst of (between) S and N (two poles) as the abbreviated form of South and North poles respectively, leading to the definition of a number equivalent to one more than fifteen

14a    Moved to balmier US city (9)
BALTIMORE: An anagram (moved) of TO BALMIER guides to the definition of the most populous city in the state of Maryland in the United States

17a    Country where some fifty Latinos retired (5)
ITALY: Part of or hidden inside (some) fiftY LATInos having pulled back or retreated (retired) as a reversal in the across clue takes to the definition of a European country with a long Mediterranean coastline

18a    Delicate material around balloon ultimately burst (5)
LANCE: LACE (delicate material) as a delicate ornamental fabric made by looping, knotting, plaiting or twisting threads into definite patterns placed about (around) the last or ultimate letter (ultimately) of [BALLOO]N, providing the definition of a verb meaning to move suddenly and quickly, as if by cutting one’s way

19a    Wild gorilla snatching at reptile (9)
ALLIGATOR: An anagram (wild) of GORILLA taking inside (snatching) AT from the clue lead to the definition of a large semiaquatic reptile of a mainly American family related to the crocodile but with a shorter, broader snout and other distinguishing characteristics


21a    Slowing down, top dog in the underwear industry? (7)
BRAKING: A cryptic way of arriving at the definition of a verb in the continuous form meaning making a moving vehicle slow down or stop by using a brake from KING (top dog) as a person regarded as the finest or most important in their sphere or group in the BRA (underwear) industry or an industry that deal with underwear or undergarment worn by women to support the breasts, that is to say, KING in BRA industry, or, more concisely, BRA KING

23a    Celebrity confined to earth, hot stuff (7)
MUSTARD: STAR (celebrity) as a very famous or talented entertainer or sports player or an outstandingly successful person who is supposed to draw the public kept within (confined to) MUD (earth) as the wet soft earth, leading to the definition of a hot-tasting yellow or brown paste made from the crushed seeds of certain mustard plants, typically eaten with meat or used as a cooking ingredient, food seasoning or condiment

25a    To a certain extent, viscount ain’t educated — simple! (9)
UNTAINTED: Part of or hidden inside (to a certain extent) viscoUNT AIN’T EDucated guides to the definition of an adjective meaning simple or not contaminated, spoiled or affected slightly with something bad

26a    Furious speed passing third on grid (5)
IRATE: RATE (speed) as the speed with which something moves or happens preceded by or following (passing) I as the third letter (third) on [GR]I[D], arriving at the definition of an adjective meaning full of fury or extremely angry

27a    Monster put on wrapping paper (6)
DRAGON: DON (put on) as to put on an item of clothing is covering or enclosing (wrapping) RAG (paper) as a newspaper, typically one regarded as being of low quality, taking to the definition of a fabulous winged scaly-armoured fire-breathing monster, often a guardian of treasure


28a    Amount of time, very little (6)
MINUTE: Double definition of heteronyms; the first being a noun meaning a period of time equal to sixty seconds or a sixtieth of an hour and the second an adjective meaning miniscule or extremely small

Down

2d    Odd number observed, divided by five (5)
SEVEN: SEEN (observed) as perceived with the eyes or discerned visually separated into two parts with the insertion of (divided by) V (five) as the Roman numeral for five, leading to the definition of an odd number that lies between the numbers six and eight

3d    Super-evil Machiavellian, nasty (9)
REPULSIVE: An anagram (Machiavellian) of SUPER-EVIL guides to the definition of an adjective meaning arousing intense distaste or disgust

4d    Crude — like metal fasteners? (5)
TACKY: TACKS (metal fasteners) as specially-developed metal tacks made from special alloy and stainless steel to fasten light weight parts such as nameplates and wiring clips to heavier metal products like pumps, valves and machinery by way of heat treating and tempering so that they are much harder and tougher than the material into which they are being driven cryptically leading to TACK-Y (like metal fasteners) as having the characteristics of a tack that takes to the definition of an adjective meaning crude, sleazy, cheaply vulgar or in bad taste

5d    Revelation, beautiful woman (9)
BOMBSHELL: Double definition; the first being a noun meaning an unexpected and surprising event, especially an unpleasant one and the second also a noun referring to a stunningly attractive woman

6d    Note held by king changed recording (5)
REMIX: MI (note) as the third note of a major scale in tonic sol-fa taken in (held) by REX (king) as the title used by a reigning king, arriving at the definition of a reorchestration or a piece of music which has been altered from its original state by adding, removing or changing pieces of the item

7d    Leg in a net, tangled up — graceless (9)
INELEGANT: An anagram (tangled up) of LEG IN A NET guides to the definition of an adjective meaning having or showing a lack of physical grace, good taste or refinement

8d    Porter regularly going over lovely, small building (6)
PREFAB: The alternate letters (regularly) of PoRtEr placed upon (going over) FAB (lovely) as a shortened version for the informal adjective ‘fabulous’ meaning superb or marvellous in the down clue take to the definition of a colloquial term for a prefabricated building, especially a house


9d    Malodorous coloured liquid filling malodorous place (6)
STINKY: INK (coloured liquid) as a coloured liquid used for writing, drawing, printing, or duplicating going inside (filling) STY (malodorous place) as an extremely filthy place, leading to the definition of an adjective meaning having a strong and unpleasant or offensive smell

15d    House, as central, demolished (9)
LANCASTER: An anagram (demolished) of AS CENTRAL guides to the definition of the English royal house that reigned from 1399 to 1461

16d    Endless fruit and a nut in a stew for primate (5-4)
ORANG-UTAN: ORANG[E] (fruit) as a large round juicy citrus fruit with a tough bright reddish-yellow rind without the last or ending letter (endless) followed by (and) an anagram (stew) of A NUT take to the definition of a large, tree-dwelling anthropoid ape with long red hair, long arms, and hooked hands and feet, found only in the forests of Sumatra and Borneo


17d    One’s gin and it designed for drinking, perhaps (9)
INGESTION: An anagram (designed) of ONE’S GIN and IT guides to the definition of the process of taking food, drink or another substance into the body by swallowing or absorbing it

18d    Painful struggles of one expecting
work (6)
LABOUR: Double definition; the second being a noun meaning any practical work, especially when it involves hard physical effort that leads to the first also a noun referring to the all-out effort and painful hard work involved in pushing a baby out of the womb so as to complete the process of childbirth by a woman who is expecting and has reached the last stage of pregnancy

20d    Appearing more flushed, running up and down just the same? (6)
REDDER: A cryptic way of arriving at the definition of an adjective in the comparative degree that also serves as a palindrome from its positive degree RED (flushed) as having the face rosy or temporarily suffused with blood, especially with anger, shame or embarrassment and serving as also part of the wordplay that is noticed going both ways in the down clue (running up and down just the same)

22d    Sweet thing in cakes is needed, getting topping on those? (5)
ICING: I[N] C[AKES] I[S] N[EEDED] GETTIN[G] with each taking the first or topmost letter (getting top on those) in the down clue take to the definition of a mixture of sugar with water, egg white or butter, used as a coating for cakes or biscuits


23d    Encoding device way above top of mountain (5)
MODEM: MODE (way) as a way, style or manner of doing something placed over (above) the leading or topmost letter (top) of M[OUNTAIN] in the down clue, leading to the definition of a network device that both modulates and demodulates analog carrier signals for encoding and decoding digital information for processing


24d    A bit isolated (5)
APART: A from the clue and PART (bit) as an amount or section which, when combined with others, makes up the whole of something, taking to the definition of an adverb meaning at a distance from the main body

There were several clues that I liked in this puzzle such as 10a, 11a, 12a, 13a, 21a, 23a, 25a, 27a, 2d, 5d, 9d, 15d, 18d and 20d, with 21a topping my list. Thanks once again to Dada for the entertainment, to BD for the encouragement and to Gazza for the assistance. Would love to be here again. Have a wonderful day.

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