ST 3183 (full review)

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3183

A full review by Rahmat Ali

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This puzzle was published on 23^rd Oct 2022

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

Greetings from Kolkata. A brilliant Sunday puzzle of Dada that I enjoyed solving and thereafter writing a full review of the same for your kind perusal and necessary feedback.

‘Small intestine’, the answer to the clue of 9a, reminded me of Saturday’s puzzle that had ‘alimentary canal’ in 22a.

Romeo and Juliet, the answer to the clue of 2d, took me to the days of my juvenility. As a teenager, I would love to watch the romantic movies. Some of the Indian romantic films that I watched during my teenage years were Heer Raanjha, Shireen Farhad, Sohni Mahiwal and Laila Majnu. However, there was also one English movie, Romeo and Juliet, that I watched in a cinema hall called Minerva. All these romantic movies had one thing in common. They were also tragedies and all the lovers died young. Since the romantic pairs in all these movies did justice to their work, it was impossible that I could have forgotten their names. Priya Rajvansh and Raaj Kumar did the role of Heer and Raanjha, Madhubala and Pradeep Kumar were in the role of Shireen and Farhad, Nimmi and Bharat Bhushan acted as Sohni and Mahiwal, Ranjeeta and Rishi Kapoor performed the role of Laila and Majnu and Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey were in the role of Romeo and Juliet respectively. Unlike the English movie, all the Indian movies applied the ‘ladies first’ formula when it came to presenting their titles. Again, during my early twenties, I watched first an American movie, ‘Love Story’ starring Ryan O’Neal and Ali MacGraw and then an Indian movie of the same name starring Kumar Gaurav and Vijayta Pandit. Needless to add, besides the romantic movies, I also liked and watched historical, adventurous, suspense and horror movies.

What’s in a name? that which we call a rose | By any other name would smell as sweet. Shakespeare in his play ‘Romeo and Juliet’ uses these lines through Juliet to convey that the naming of things is irrelevant. But when I took to the net to know more about the ‘pigs in blankets’, the answer to the clue of 7d, I found a sea change in the ‘pigs in blankets’ of the United States to those of the United Kingdom, even when the name did not undergo any change. While the ‘pigs in blankets’ in the United States are appetisers, the ‘pigs in blankets’ in the United Kingdom can be consumed along with other food in the main course. In the United States, the ‘pigs in blankets’ are small hot dogs or other sausages wrapped in pastry, while in the United Kingdom, they are kilted sausages or a dish consisting of small sausages wrapped in bacon. They are a popular and traditional accompaniment to roast turkey in a Christmas dinner and are served as a side dish.

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Across

1a    Stop right there and use a ruler? (4,3,4)
DRAW THE LINE: The definition of a phrase meaning to set a limit on what one is willing to do or accept or to know at what point an activity or situation stops being reasonable and starts to be unacceptable is cryptically arrived at from the act one performs by using a ruler

9a    Part of food processor in a mess, little pumpkin ultimately churned up (5,9)
SMALL INTESTINE: An anagram (churned up) of a combination of IN A MESS LITTLE and the last or ultimate letter (ultimately) of [PUMPKI]N guides to the definition a part of the digestive system extending from the stomach to the large intestine and comprising the duodenum, jejunum and ileum collectively

11a    Fragrant resin all gone, oddly (4)
ALOE: The definition of the fragrant resin or the inner layers of wood of certain oriental trees like Aquilaria malaccensis etc is arrived at from the oddly placed letters (oddly) of A[L]L [G]O[N]E

12a    One pilfered by the felon, originally — here’s the culprit! (5)
THIEF: I (one) as the Roman numeral for one is annexed (pilfered) by THE from the clue followed by the initial or the primary letter (originally) of F[ELON], arriving at the definition of a person who commits the crime of stealing something from another person, especially stealthily or secretly

13a    Old second line heading for Omani capital (4)
OSLO: O (old) as the abbreviation for old as OT in Old Testament, the symbol S (second) as second representing the basic unit of time, the abbreviation L (line) used for referring to a particular line on a page or in a play or poem and the head or first letter (heading) for O[MANI] guides to the definition of the capital and most populous city of Norway

16a    Small boats welcome in new design (8)
DINGHIES: HI (welcome) as an exclamation used as a friendly greeting or to attract attention placed inside (in) an anagram (new) of DESIGN, leading to the definition of small open boats, each propelled by oars, sails or an outboard motor

17a    Calls received by Telegraph, one sarcastic (6)
PHONES: Part of or hidden inside (received by) TelegraPH ONE Sarcastic leads to the definition of a verb for third person singular meaning attempts to contact someone by dialling a number on a piece of equipment and speaking into it

19a    One struggling to keep Jack in good health — it’s serious (2,4)
NO JOKE: An anagram (struggling) of ONE to have inside (keep) a combo of J (Jack) as the abbreviation for jack as a playing card ranking below a queen and OK (in good health) as in good shape or health, taking to the definition of phrase meaning a serious matter or difficult understanding

20a    Artist‘s boiling kettle? (8)
WHISTLER: Double definition; the second denoting a kettle whose spout is fitted with a device that gives a whistling sound when steam escapes through it, indicating that the water in it is boiling that leads to the first referring to an American painter whose full name was James Abbott McNeill Whistler and whose most famous painting, ‘Arrangement in Grey and Black No.1’, commonly known as ‘Whistler’s Mother’, is a revered and often parodied portrait of motherhood

22a    Fabric
considered (4)
FELT: Double definition; the second being a verb in the past tense meaning had a belief or impression, especially without an identifiable reason that leads to the first referring to a kind of cloth made by rolling and pressing wool or another suitable textile accompanied by the application of moisture or heat, which causes the constituent fibres to mat together to create a smooth surface

23a    Old German boy has stolen a kiss (5)
SAXON: SON (boy) as a boy in relation to either or both of his parents has taken inside (stolen) a combo of A from the clue and X (kiss) as used in a letter or message to symbolise a kiss, leading to the definition of a member of a people that inhabited parts of central and northern Germany from the times of the Romans, many of whom conquered and settled in much of southern England in the 5^th-6^th centuries 

24a    Join idiot in conversation? (4)
KNIT: NIT (idiot) as a foolish person serving as a homophone heard by the audience (in conversation) guides to the definition of a verb meaning to unite or cause to unite

27a    Solver with shellshock, more distraught (8,6)
SHERLOCK HOLMES: An anagram (distraught) of SHELLSHOCK MORE takes to the definition of a fictional detective who was an expert in solving cases pertaining to crime and who was created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the British author

28a    Cold counter with cod, plaice etc? (5-6)
STAND-OFFISH: The definition of an adjective meaning unfriendly or distant and cold in manner is arrived at from STAND OF FISH (counter with cod, plaice etc) as a counter with cod, plaice etc displayed for sale

Down

2d    Play whose characters go just beyond Quebec and India? (5,3,6)
ROMEO AND JULIET: The definition of the tragedy written by Shakespeare about the doomed romance of two teenagers from feuding families as the most famous love story ever written is arrived at from the characters ROMEO and JULIET that go just beyond Quebec and India respectively in the NATO phonetic alphabet

3d    Upward surge for wild animal (4)
WOLF: FLOW (surge) as the rise of a tide or a river that is going upwards (upward) as a reversal in the down clue leads to the definition of a wild carnivorous mammal which is the largest member of the dog family, living and hunting in packs and native to both Eurasia and North America

4d    Lift thing he moved round back of house (8)
HEIGHTEN: An anagram (moved) of THING HE surrounds (round) the last or the back letter (back) of [HOUS]E, leading to the definition of a verb meaning to bring or take up something to a higher position

5d    Rubbish
kittens, say (6)
LITTER: Double definition; the second being an example of a number of young animals like kittens born to an animal at one time that leads to the first referring to rubbish such as paper, cans and bottles left lying in an open or public place

6d    Home near Exeter seems tiny, initially (4)
NEST: The first or initial letters (initially) of N[EAR] E[XETER] S[EEMS] T[INY] guides to the definition of a place of rest, retreat or lodging

7d    Appetisers with pork warmed up? (4,2,8)
PIGS IN BLANKETS: The definition of the plural to the singular version, PIGS IN A BLANKET that refers to a small hot dog wrapped in pastry and is commonly served as an appetiser in the United States is arrived at from PIGS (pork) as farm animals, each with a fat body and short legs, a small tail and a wide nose and earlier referred to as pork but now obsolete, wrapped IN BLANKETS (warmed up) to protect them from catching cold

8d    Show mattered, son performing (11)
DEMONSTRATE: An anagram (performing) of MATTERED SON leads to the definition of a verb meaning to give a practical exhibition and explanation of how a machine, skill or craft works or is performed

10d    Immutable, as stone flying through the air, perhaps? (4-3-4)
HARD-AND-FAST: HARD (as stone) as having a solid or firm surface or texture and unbreakable as goes the simile ‘as hard as stone’ and FAST (flying through the air, perhaps) as possibly moving swiftly through the air, especially of creatures, objects or aircraft

14d    A king, in retiring, all of a quiver (5)
SHAKY: A combo of A from the clue and K (king) as the abbreviation for king in chess notation is placed inside (in) SHY (retiring) as reserved or nervous in the company of other people, taking to the definition of an adjective meaning tremulous or unsteady

15d    Card game with tricks finally played (5)
WHIST: An anagram (played) of a combo of WITH and the final letter (finally) of [TRICK]S leads to the definition of a card game played by two against two, in which the object is to take a majority of the thirteen tricks, each trick over six scoring one point

18d    Half opting twice for train (4-4)
CHOO-CHOO: 50 percent or 4 out of 8(half) letters of CHOO[SING] (opting) as picking out someone or something as being best or most appropriate of the given alternatives that is repeated (twice) takes to the definition of a child’s word for a railway train

21d    Dance with two beers? (6)
CANCAN: CAN (beer) as referring to one of the two cans of beer that is repeated (two) as CANCAN (beers) what is cryptically constructed as its plural form, leading to the definition of an uproarious dance of French origin, usually performed on stage by women of the chorus and originally considered very improper because of the high kicking and raising of skirts

25d    Necessary requirement for story in bed (4)
PLOT: Double nounal definition; the first referring to a plan or main story, especially of a movie or literary work that takes to the second denoting a small area of ground marked off for some special use

26d    Note remaining briefly, musical symbol (4)
CLEF: C (note) as one of the notes of the musical scale and most of the letters (briefly) of LEF[T] (remaining) as remaining to be used or dealt with take to the definition of a musical symbol used to indicate which notes are represented by the lines and spaces on a musical stave

There were several clues that I liked in this puzzle such as 9a, 12a, 16a, 20a, 27a, 28a, 2d, 7d, 15d, 18d and 25d and the best of the lot was 20a. Thanks once again to BD for the encouragement, to Dada for the entertainment and to Gazza for the assistance. Would love to be here again. Have a nice day.