DT 30305 (full review)

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30305

A full review by Rahmat Ali

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

This puzzle was published on 20^th May 2023

BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ****

Greetings from Kolkata. A very friendly and straightforward Saturday puzzle from X-Type that I enjoyed solving and thereafter writing a review of the same for your kind perusal and valuable feedback.

I wanted to know the significance of the bean in ‘beanfeast’, the answer to the clue of 11a, and hence visited the net. I got to learn that it is also known as ‘beano’ in Britain. Other than being an annual dinner hosted by an employer for their employees, the term ‘beanfeast’ is also extended to mean any festive occasion with a meal and perhaps an outing. It probably originated from the ‘Twelfth Night’ feast from the Low Countries, that comprised a ‘king cake’ or pie with a special object or ‘favour’, such as a metal token or a small pottery figure, buried in it. In the Low Countries, a bean was the usual ‘favour’. The person whose slice of cake contained the bean was the ‘bean king’ or ‘bean queen’ for the rest of the night. To redouble their jollification, the king or queen was given not only a paper crown to wear, but also the power to appoint various court officials. However, an alternative origin is traced to 1725 that has the name to the eating of a dish of beans and bacon by the friends of Daniel Day of Wapping, London, who entertained them near his estate at Fairlop in Essex on the first Friday of July. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the ‘beanfeast’ often took the form of a trip to some beauty spot, where the meal was provided.

The word ‘Inge’, part of the wordplay to the clue of 27a, is a popular name given to a female child in the Scandinavian countries that comes with all the blessings of Ing, the god of peace and fertility in Norse mythology, carrying varied meanings like ‘Ing’s protection’, ‘Ing’s beauty’, ‘Ing’s daughter’ etc.

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

1a    Colour gets base coat about right; with eggshell initially, to paint afresh? (10)
REDECORATE: RED (colour) as a colour at the end of the spectrum next to orange and opposite violet has (gets) E (base) as the base of natural logarithms and COAT from the clue placed around (about) R (right) as the abbreviation for right and followed by (with) the initial or first letter (initially) of E[GGSHELL], leading to the definition of a verb meaning to apply paint or wallpaper, again and typically differently, in a room or building

6a    A long time in stage school (4)
AGES: Part of or hidden inside (in) [ST]AGE S[CHOOL] guides to the definition of a very long time

10a    Landlord given a garden plant (5)
HOSTA: HOST (landlord) as the landlord of a pub adding (given) A from the clue yields the definition of an East Asian plant cultivated in the West for its shade-tolerant foliage and loose clusters of tubular mauve or white flowers

11a    Party where one could get one’s finger on the pulse? (9)
BEANFEAST: The definition of an informal term for a celebratory meal or party, especially an annual dinner given by an employer to their employees is cryptically arrived at from the clue suggesting that someone attending the party could touch (get one’s finger on) an edible seed such as a lentil or bean (the pulse)

12a    If dressed to kill, is one this gorgeous? (4-4)
DROP-DEAD: The definition of an adjective meaning stunning, sensational or breathtaking is cryptically arrived at from an instruction to finish someone off (dressed to kill)

13a    Part of jacket friend returned, with middle of belt (5)
LAPEL: The definition of either of the two parts of a jacket or suit coat on the front that is folded back on the chest is arrived at from PAL (friend) as an colloquial term for a friend, mate or chum that came back (returned) as a reversal in the across clue and followed by (with) the central or innermost letters (middle) of [B]EL[T]

15a    Old blokes heard: they spout a lot! (7)
GEYSERS: GEEZERS (old blokes) as the plural for a slang term for a strange elderly person serving as a homophone to the audience (heard) takes to the definition of hot springs that intermittently spout jets of steam and hot water

17a    Dear me: excited about large gemstone (7)
EMERALD: An anagram (excited) of DEAR ME placed around (about) L (large) as one of the various sizes of shirt or other clothing leads to the definition of a transparent, deep-green variety of beryl highly valued as a gemstone

19a    Spreads throughout: like some clues? (7)
RIDDLES: Double definition; the second being a noun referring to statements intentionally phrased so as to require ingenuity in ascertaining their answers or meanings that leads to the first a verb in the third person singular form meaning fills, diffuses or permeates someone or something, especially with something undesirable or spreads throughout or extends or causes to extend over a larger expanse of space or time

21a    Two care desperately and admit defeat (3,4)
EAT CROW: An anagram (desperately) guides to the definition of an idiom meaning to admit that one was wrong or accept that one has been defeated

22a    Express indifference in Welsh rugby (5)
SHRUG: Part of or hidden inside (in) [WEL]SH RUG[BY] takes to the definition of a verb denoting to raise or draw in the shoulders especially to express aloofness, indifference or uncertainty

24a    Lars, with gold, recreated toys (3,5)
RAG DOLLS: A combo of LARS and (with) GOLD is subject to an anagram (recreated) to arrive at the definition of children’s toys, each in the shape of a person, made of cloth stuffed with leftover scraps of material

27a    Eating with Scandinavian girl and rock star? (9)
INGESTING: The definition of a verb in the continuous form meaning taking food or drink into the body by swallowing or consuming it comes with a charade of INGE (Scandinavian girl) as a girl’s name of Scandinavian origin and STING (rock star) as the more popular name of Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, the English musician and actor who was also the frontman, songwriter and bassist for new wave rock band ‘The Police’

28a    Actor Jeremy perhaps, in clubs? (5)
IRONS: The surname of Jeremy John Irons, the English actor and activist guides to the definition of golf clubs, each with a metal head and typically with a numeral indicating the degree to which the head is angled in order to loft the ball

29a    Chap in a whirl? (4)
EDDY: Double definition; the first being a diminutive for given names like Edward, Edmund, Edgar, Edison etc and the second referring to a current air, water etc moving against the main current and with a circular motion

30a    Salt given to friend at certain times (10)
SEASONALLY: SEASON (salt) as to preserve with salt or to add salt to food to improve its flavour placed before (given to) ALLY (friend) as a friendly nation or person that helps or cooperate takes to the definition of an adverb meaning relating to or during a particular time or season of the year

Down

1d    German region‘s visitor hurried up somewhat (4)
RUHR: Part of or hidden inside (somewhat) [VISITO]R HUR[RIED] seen going upwards (up) as a reversal in the down clue guides to the definition of a mining and industrial region centred in the valley of the Ruhr River in Germany

2d    Trashed second old city during performance (9)
DESTROYED: A combo of S (second) as the abbreviation for second denoting the basic unit of time and TROY (old city) as an ancient city and archaeological site located at Hisarlik in Anatolia and famous as the setting for the Trojan War as mentioned in Homer’s Iliad is placed inside (during) DEED (performance) as an action that is performed intentionally or consciously, arriving at the definition of a verb in the past tense meaning defeated someone utterly

3d    Irish food that’s a winner! (5)
CHAMP: Double definition; the second being an informal term for and short form of a champion or a person who has surpassed all rivals in a sporting contest or other competition that leads to the first referring to an Irish dish made of potatoes, leeks and spring onions

4d    People taking things the wrong way? (7)
ROBBERS: A cryptic definition of people who take money or property illegally, especially by using force or through threats of violence

5d    The northern ducks walk like this? That’s nonsense! (7)
TWADDLE: The northernmost or the topmost of the three letters (northern) of T[HE] in the down clue is followed by WADDLE (ducks walk like this) as to take short steps and sway from side to side in walking, as the ducks or geese do, leading to the definition of a noun meaning senseless or tedious uninteresting talk

7d    Some picking raspberries take hold eagerly (5)
GRASP: Part of or hidden inside (some) [PICKIN]G RASP[BERRIES] guides to the definition of a verb meaning to take or seize eagerly

8d    Get cosy with feathers from a Yorkshire town? (6,4)
SETTLE DOWN: DOWN (feathers) as soft, fine, fluffy feathers which form the first covering of a young bird or an insulating layer below the contour feathers of an adult bird preceded by or following (from) SETTLE (a Yorkshire town) as a market town and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England settles for the definition of a phrasal verb meaning to get into a comfortable position, either sitting or lying

9d    A female, good at speaking, that’s pretty well off (8)
AFFLUENT: A from the clue, F (female) as the abbreviation for female and FLUENT (good at speaking) as able to express oneself easily and articulately combine to produce the definition of an adjective meaning having a lot of money, property or valuable possessions

14d    Pugnacious, troubled Sis with ‘veg rage’! (10)
AGGRESSIVE: An anagram (troubled) of SIS and (with) ‘VEG RAGE’ guides to the definition of an adjective meaning showing anger and a willingness to attack or confront other people

16d    Person who praises EU record first (8)
EULOGIST: The definition of a person who gives a speech containing great praise, especially for someone who has recently died is arrived at from EU from the clue, LOG (record) as an official record of events during the voyage of a ship or aircraft and IST (first) as representing the ordinal number ‘first’ in which I symbolises the Roman numeral for one

18d    One’s tricked poor if all working (5,4)
APRIL FOOL: An anagram (working) of POOR IF ALL takes to the definition of a person who is the victim of a trick or hoax on April Fool’s Day

20d    A diner’s ordered fish (7)
SARDINE: An anagram (ordered) of A DINER’S guides to the definition of a young pilchard or other young or small herring-like fish

21d    Almost finish plums seen in reserves (7)
ENGAGES: Most of the letters (almost) of EN[D] (finish) as to come or bring to a final point and GAGES (plums) as a variety of small, round and sweet plums, with a unique green colour and growing best in a sunny spot combine to take to the definition of a verb in the third person singular form meaning reserves accommodation, a place etc in advance

23d    Fit sails etc on one end of yard that’s stiff (5)
RIGID: RIG (fit sails etc) as to fit a ship, mast etc with the necessary shrouds, stays, sails etc is placed upon (on) a combo of I (one) as the Roman numeral for one and the ending or last letter (end) of [YAR]D in the down clue, leading to the definition of an adjective meaning hard, firm or inflexible

25d    Soon, I only can hold a bulb (5)
ONION: Part of or hidden inside (can hold) [SO]ON I ON[LY] guides to the definition of a swollen edible bulb used as a vegetable, having a pungent taste and smell and composed of several concentric layers

26d    See European agent (4)
ESPY: The definition of a literary verb meaning to suddenly or unexpectedly see something, especially at a long distance away and previously unnoticed is arrived at from a charade of E (European) as the abbreviation for European as EU in European Union and SPY (agent) as a secret agent employed to watch others or to collect information, especially of a military nature

The clues that I liked in this puzzle were 11a, 12a, 15a, 27a, 5d, 8d, 16d and 21d; 11a being the topper. Thanks to BD for the encouragement, to X-Type for the entertainment and to Gazza for the assistance. Looking forward to being here again. Have a nice day.