Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3215
A full review by Rahmat Ali
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This puzzle was published on 4th June 2023
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Greetings from Kolkata. A slightly tougher Sunday puzzle of Dada that I enjoyed solving and thereafter writing a full review of his puzzle for your kind perusal and important feedback.
‘Rhea’, the answer to part of the wordplay to the clue of 15d, was known to me since my childhood, but now the net enlightened me further. It is either of two South American ratite birds, Rhea americana and Pterocnemia pennata of the family Rheidae that resemble but are smaller than the African ostrich and that have three toes, a fully feathered head and neck, an undeveloped tail and pale gray to brownish feathers that droop over the rump and back. However, I could not find rheas anywhere in the net as native to Australia as the clue suggests. Instead, they are found exclusively in South America, usually in open grasslands.
I also got to know more about ‘Pils’, the answer to part of the wordplay to the clue of 18d. It is also the short version of ‘Pilsener’ or ‘Pilsner’. The history of beer in the modern Czech Republic, historically Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia, goes back even before the Slavic migration in the 6th century, although the ingredients differed from those used today. Brewing took place in Břevnov Monastery in 993. The city of Brno of Moravia had the right to brew beer from the 12th century, while Plzeň and České Budějovice of Bohemia or their respective German names Pilsen and Budweis had brewing in the 13th century as both these places had also many German-speaking inhabitants. The Pilsner was invented in the Czech town of Pilsen in the late 1800s and the original style that Josef Groll brewed is lovingly known as the Bohemian or Czech Pilsner. The style, characterised by its pale golden yellow colour, has low to moderate carbonation and features bready and malty flavours and aromas. Hop bitterness is medium. These Pilsners are usually the darkest in colour in the Pilsner family. When the Germans brewed the Pilsner style, they had to adapt the brewing methods slightly due to limited availability of water and other Bohemian Pilsner resources. The result was a Pilsner that differed from the Bohemian or Czech Pilsner. Inevitably, it came to be known as the German Pilsner, which is lighter in colour and slightly less hoppy than its Czech counterpart. It is commonly referred to as a ‘Pils’ to signify its German craftsmanship. Nevertheless, the Bohemian Pilsner and the German Pilsner are the two most common Pilsner styles in the world. Ironically, both Pilsen and Budweis are now free of the German speakers and their descendants. The German-speaking people of Pilsen got reduced to one third of the population before the First World War, while Budweis remained a German-speaking enclave until 1880 after which the Czechs became the majority. The German-speaking people of both these places sides with the Nazis during the Second World War with a hope that their territory would be merged with Austria after the war was over. But that was not destined to be. Germany lost and the German-speaking inhabitants were expelled from both Pilsen and Budweis by the Soviet Union in 1945, according to the provisions of the Beneš decrees and the Potsdam Agreement and all of their properties was confiscated.
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Across
1a Sticky and wet — as shellfish? (6)
CLAMMY: The definition of an adjective meaning sticky and slightly wet in an unpleasant way is arrived at cryptically from the adjective formation from AS from the clue and CLAM (shellfish) as an edible shellfish with two shells joined together, used as food, that is AS CLAM or CLAMMY
4a Small, small nails — a lot (6)
STACKS: A charade of S (small) as the abbreviation for small, TACKS (small nails) as short, sharp nails each with a broad head leads to the definition of a colloquial plural noun meaning a lot or a great deal
8a Punch highe? (8)
UPPERCUT: UPPER as highe[r] in position or status that has been CUT or made short with the removal of its last letter that leads to the definition of a noun meaning a punch delivered with an upwards motion and the arm bent or a punch used in boxing that travels along a vertical line at the opponent’s chin
10a River, black one ebbing in peninsula (6)
IBERIA: A combo of AIRE (river) as a major river in Yorkshire, England, B (black) as the abbreviation of black on lead pencils to indicate softness and I (one) as the Roman numeral for one in a charade drawing or falling back (ebbing) as a reversal in the across clue leads to the definition of the second-largest European peninsular by area
11a Briton ends in Wales: charabanc to Newport (4)
SCOT: The ending or last letters (ends) in [WALE]S: [CHARABAN]C [T]O [NEWPOR]T guides to the definition of a native of Scotland or a person of Scottish descent who is also a Briton; Scotland being one of the four countries of Great Britain
12a Impressive witness going off (3-7)
EYE-POPPING: The definition of an informal adjective meaning astonishing or strikingly impressive is arrived at from a charade of EYE (witness) as to look at or on attentively or to watch carefully and POPPING (going off) as a verb in the continuous form meaning going off or going off with a bang
13a A bore, possible reason for apparent expansion of corporation? (7,5)
STUFFED SHIRT: Double nounal definition; the second being an item of clothing with some material or padding inside which would provide the reason why the wearer looked to have put on weight that leads to the first a bore who is extremely formal, pompous and old-fashioned, especially one who is officious in a position of authority and expecting to be treated as someone very important
16a Best cricketer, say — spinner? (6,6)
RECORD PLAYER: Double nounal definition; the second being an apparatus for reproducing sound from records, comprising a turntable that spins the record at a constant speed and a stylus that slides along in the groove and picks up the sound, together with an amplifier and a loudspeaker that leads to the first a cricket player, as an example, who has played brilliantly and created a record or some records in the sport
20a Scream with delight about a pop band — decent fare? (6,4)
SQUARE MEAL: SQUEAL (scream with delight) as to say something in a high-pitched, excited tone placed around (about) a combo of A from the clue and REM (pop band) as the quintessential college rock and pop band formed by some students from Athens, Georgia, United States in 1980 and got disbanded in 2011 after releasing its last album Collapse into Now that combined power pop, straightforward rock and acoustic ballads into a single audio palette takes to the definition of a substantial, satisfying and balanced meal
21a Old sovereign is backing father (4)
SIRE: A combo of ER (old sovereign) as the abbreviation for Elizabeth Regina in New Latin meaning Queen Elizabeth and IS from the clue is going back (backing) as a reversal in the across clue guides to the definition of a male parent of an animal, especially a horse
22a Bone set briefly, bust in the middle (6)
RADIUS: RADI[O] (set) as a wireless receiving, or receiving and transmitting, set that is having most of the letters (briefly) followed by the central or innermost letters (in the middle) of [B]US[T] takes to the definition of the outer bone of the forearm in humans or its equivalent in other animals
23a Gas ring, note, on the blink (8)
NITROGEN: An anagram (on the blink) of RING, NOTE leads to the definition of a colourless, odourless, tasteless gas that is the most plentiful element in earth’s atmosphere and a constituent of all living matter
24a Sort of heady years, the best period (6)
HEYDAY: An anagram (sort of) HEADY followed by Y (years) as the abbreviation for year or years takes to the definition of the period of a person’s greatest success, popularity, prosperity, activity or vigour
25a A selection of articles, therefore, for book (6)
ESTHER: Part of or hidden inside (a selection of) [ARTICL]ES, THER[EFORE] leads to the definition of a book in the third section of the Hebrew Bible that later became part of the Christian Old Testament
Down
1d Full figure? Chap regularly quick to conceal it (8)
CAPACITY: The regular or alternate letters (regularly) of ChAp followed by PACY (quick) as fast, lively or smart to hide or have inside (conceal) IT from the clue guides to the definition of a noun denoting the maximum figure or amount that may be contained, held, absorbed etc
2d Backs in Barcelona football game never sit on the ball (5)
ALERT: The ending or last letters (backs) each in [BARCELON]A [FOOTBAL]L [GAM]E [NEVE]R [SI]T takes to the definition of an adjective meaning quick to notice any unusual and potentially dangerous or difficult circumstances, able to think clearly or intellectually active
3d Staff will confiscate the dodgy weapon (7)
MACHETE: MACE (staff) as a heavy, usually ornamented, staff carried as a mark of authority will take in (confiscate) an anagram (dodgy) of THE to supply the definition of a heavy knife or cutlass used in Central and South America as a tool and a weapon
5d Capital E x 3, did you say? (7)
TRIPOLI: TRIPLE E (E x 3) as ‘three times E’ serving as a homophone heard by the audience (did you say?) guides to the definition of the capital and largest city of Libya, a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa
6d Queen bringing two little boys into line turned up (9)
CLEOPATRA: The definition of the Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC and its last active ruler is arrived at from bringing a combo of LEO and PAT (two little boys) as the names of two boys inside (in) ARC (line) as the shape of a curved line that is seen going upwards (turned up) as a reversal in the down clue
7d Scrawny local dressed in the blue (6)
SKINNY: The definition of an adjective meaning thin, especially unattractively thin or too thin is arrived at from INN (local) as a public lodging house serving food and drink to travellers covered or wrapped (dressed) in SKY (the blue) as referring to the light blue colour of a clear sky
9d Worker on plant remarkably green: so true! (4,7)
TREE SURGEON: An anagram (remarkably) of GREEN SO TRUE guides to the definition of a person who preserves diseased trees by filling cavities, amputating damaged branches etc
14d Convention in country adopted by all thieves, literarily? (9)
FORMALITY: The definition of a noun meaning mere convention at the expense of substance is reached from MALI (country) as a landlocked country of West Africa, mostly in the Saharan and Sahelian regions embraced by (adopted by) FORTY (all thieves, literarily) as the total number of thieves in a folk tale called ‘Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves’ originally in Arabic that was added as one of the stories in Les mille et une nuits, the French translation of the compilation of Middle Eastern folk tales called ‘One Thousand and One Nights’ (Arabic: Alf Laylah wa-Laylah) in the 18th century by Antoine Galland, and often known in English as the ‘Arabian Nights’
15d That woman has welcomed a native of Australia — bravo! (4,4)
HEAR HEAR: HER (that woman) as a genitive or possessive pronoun or a pronoun in the accusative or dative case pertaining to the third person singular feminine gender has taken in (welcomed) a combo of A from the clue and RHEA (a native of Australia) as a large flightless bird of South American grasslands, resembling a small ostrich with greyish-brown plumage, leading to the definition of a phrasal expression denoting wholehearted agreement with something said, especially in a speech
17d Revolutionary school in London joins a club (7)
CHELSEA: CHE (revolutionary) as referring to Ernesto Che Guevara, the Argentine Marxist revolutionary who was also a physician, author, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist followed by LSE (school in London) as the abbreviated version of London School of Economics and A from the clue guides to the definition of an English professional football club based in Fulham, West London
18d German discipline evident, having finished off opening German beer (7)
PILATES: The definition of a type of mind-body exercise developed in the early 20th century by German physical trainer Joseph Pilates, after whom it was named is arrived at from ATE (finished off) as completely consumed something parting by getting inside (opening) PILS (German beer) as a type of lager beer with a hop flavour brewed by the Germans and a short form of Pilsener or Pilsner, originally from Pilsen, a town in Bohemia in the Czech Republic that once had a significant German-speaking population
19d Compress fruit (6)
SQUASH: Double definition; the second being a noun referring to a fruit of various marrow-like plants of the genus Cucurbita, with edible flesh, vegetable marrow that leads to the first a verb meaning to press into pulp, crush flat, squeeze or mash
21d Beastly sin? (5)
SLOTH: A cryptic definition of one of the Seven Deadly Sins that basically means laziness and in broader terms reflects a complete disinclination toward care, love, contribution and faith, the virtues that open upon our true dignity, purpose and eternal destiny that is arrived at from the adjective like a beast (beastly) as referring to a sloth that is a beast or animal that moves very slowly and spends much of its time hanging by its feet from trees
The clues that I liked in this puzzle were 8a, 13a, 16a, 20a, 24a, 5d, 14d and 18d; 5d being the best of the lot. My prayers to the Almighty for the eternal rest and peace of BD and my thanks to Dada for the entertainment and to Gazza for the assistance. Would love to be here again. Have a nice day.
Thanks for the write-up Rahmat Ali. I am glad you were puzzled by 15d too; neither could I find any internet reference to a rhea bird being native to Australia.
Thank you so much, Jezza, for liking my review.
Thank you. I now understand 8a! I always look forward to your review.
Thank you so much, MsGlad, for your kind comment of always looking forward to my review.
4*/4* …
liked 16A ” Best cricketer, say — spinner? (6,6)”