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DT 30341 (full review)

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30341

A full review by Rahmat Ali

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This puzzle was published on 1st July 2023

BD Rating – Difficulty ** Enjoyment ****

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

Spooner, part of the wordplay to the clue of 20d, prompted me to take a trip down memory lane. I reminisced about my days when I was in my late teens and studying English literature as one of the subjects for graduation. I came across words like spoonerism, malapropism, hamartia, nemesis etc for the first time and found them absolutely enthralling! Other than spoonerism, I would like to discuss malapropism, too. A spoonerism is a verbal error in which a speaker accidentally transposes the initial sounds or letters of two or more words, often to humorous effect. It is named after the Oxford don and ordained master, William Archibald Spooner, who was notoriously prone to this mistake. I now learnt from the net that The Oxford English Dictionary recorded ‘spoonerism’ in 1900 and the word was well established by 1921, both well before Spooner’s death in 1930. Although Spooner got the credit, spoonerisms of a different variety were already in use as early as the sixteenth century in France. At that time, there lived in France a writer by the name François Rabelais. In his novel Pantagruel, he wrote, “Il n’y a qu’une antistrophe entre femme folle à la messe et femme molle à la fesse” in which one can clearly see the transposition of the words “femme folle à la messe et femme molle à la fesse“. These are known as contrepèteries. There are a lot many contrepèteries as there are a lot many spoonerisms. However, the best of the spoonerisms according to me is “You have hissed all my mystery lectures. You have tasted a whole worm. Please leave Oxford on the next town drain.” Well, one can easily decode the transpositions. On the other hand, a malapropism is the blundering use of a word that rhymes with, or sounds like, the original word. ‘The Rivals’ of Sheridan was one of the plays that I had to study for the bachelor degree course. A fictional character, Mrs. Malaprop is in that comedy of manners. Mrs. Malaprop frequently misspeaks by using words which do not have the meaning that she intends but which sound similar to words that do. Sheridan chose her name in humorous reference to the word ‘malapropos’, an adjective or adverb meaning ‘inappropriate’ or ‘inappropriately’, derived from the French phrase mal à propos, which literally means ‘poorly placed’. The first person known to have used the word ‘malaprop’ specifically in the sense of a ‘speech error’ is Lord Byron in 1814. Some of the celebrated malapropisms spoken by Mrs. Malaprop are “Illiterate him quite from your memory”, “She’s as headstrong as an allegory on the banks of the Nile”, “He is the very pineapple of politeness” and “Sure, if I reprehend anything in this world, it is the use of my oracular tongue, and a nice derangement of epitaphs!” If not malapropisms, the sentences would have had the actual words like obliterate, alligator, pinnacle, apprehend, vernacular and epithets respectively.

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Across

1a    Convenient for the audience, cover what a golfer might have (8)
HANDICAP: HANDY (convenient) as close at hand or conveniently near serving as a homophone heard by the audience (for the audience) followed by CAP (cover) as a flat brimless hat, usually with a peak, that serves as a cover or protection takes to the definition of a way of equalising competition by allowing a certain number of strokes to a golfer playing against a better opponent

9a    Way out from wind tunnel (8)
LOOPHOLE: A charade of LOOP (wind) as to wind around something in coils and HOLE (tunnel) as an underground passage or burrow dug by an animal leads to the definition of a way of evading or escaping an obligation, enforcement of a law or contract etc

10a    Drawer containing a corny novel? (6)
CRAYON: An anagram (novel) of CORNY having inside (containing) A from the clue guides to the definition of a small stick of coloured wax used for drawing

11a    Countenance economising and avoiding climb-down (4-6)
FACE-SAVING: A charade of FACE (countenance) as the front part of a person’s head from the forehead to the chin and SAVING (economising) as spending less or reducing one’s expenses takes to the definition of the preserving of one’s reputation, credibility or dignity

12a    A bishop features amount owing (7)
ARREARS: A from the clue, RR (bishop) as the abbreviation for Right Reverend who is a bishop or a retired archbishop and EARS (features) as distinctive attributes of the face, two in number lead to the definition of the amount of money that is owed but not paid by its due date for accounts like loans and mortgages

14a    Rush to include revolutionary instructor (7)
TEACHER: TEAR (rush) as an informal verb meaning to move quickly in a reckless or excited manner to incorporate or contain (include) CHE (revolutionary) as referring to Ernesto Che Guevara, the Argentine Marxist revolutionary who was also a physician, author, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist, arriving at the definition of a person who teaches, especially in a school

16a    Cried as the compiler got married (5)
MEWED: The definition of a verb in the past tense meaning made a characteristic high-pitched crying noise, especially of a cat or some kinds of bird is arrived at as ME (the compiler) as the setter of this puzzle and WED (got married) as became husband and wife through marriage formed a charade


17a    Unpleasant, like some bowlers? (5)
SEAMY: A cryptic way of arriving at the adjective of seam bowlers or seamers in cricket, who use a bowling technique called seam bowling by which the ball is deliberately bowled on to its seam, to cause a random deviation when the ball bounces (like some bowlers) that leads to the definition of an adjective meaning sordid, disreputable or unpleasant

18a    Parrot beginning to mimic a different bird sound (5)
MACAW: The definition of a large long-tailed parrot with brightly coloured plumage, native to Central and South America is arrived at from the beginning or starting letter (beginning) to M[IMIC] followed by A from the clue and CAW (different bird sound) as the harsh cry of a rook, crow or similar bird


20a    Final blow by 28 with a marsupial (5)
KOALA: KO (final blow) as the abbreviation and colloquial term for ‘to knock out’ that is to dislodge by a blow or to strike unconscious or incapable of recovering in time, as in boxing has alongside (by) AL (28) as AL Capone, the American gangster and businessman who attained notoriety during the Prohibition Era and (with) A from the clue, arriving at the definition of a bearlike arboreal Australian marsupial that has thick grey fur and feeds on eucalyptus leaves


22a    Scottish author with the ultimate in writer’s block? (7)
BARRIER: Sir James Matthew BARRIE (Scottish author) as the Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan and (with) the final or last letter (ultimate) in [WRITE]R is yielding the definition of a circumstance or obstacle that keeps people or things apart or prevents communication or progress

24a    Similarity of nearly everyone in agony suffering (7)
ANALOGY: Almost all the letters (nearly) of AL[L] (everyone) as everybody or everyone placed inside (in) an anagram (suffering) of AGONY, leading to the definition of a noun meaning a similarity between like features of two things, on which a comparison may be based

26a    Delightful spelling (10)
ENCHANTING: Double definition; the second being a verb in the continuous form referring to bewitching or casting a spell over someone that guides to the first an adjective meaning powerfully pleasing, appealing or delightful

27a    City teenager took part in wild revelry (6)
RIOTED: A charade of RIO (city) as the contracted name of Rio de Janeiro, the second most populous city of Brazil and TED (teenager) as the slang term for Teddy boy, most distinctive youth style of 1950s Britain takes to the definition of a verb in the past tense meaning took part in a violent public disturbance or an unrestrained revelry


28a    Thug gets gran fighting (8)
GANGSTER: An anagram (fighting) of GETS GRAN guides to the definition of a member of a gang of violent criminals

29a    Murray perhaps may finally play great (8)
ALMIGHTY: AL (Murray perhaps) as probably the first name of Al Murray, nickname of Alastair James Hay Murray, the English comedian, actor, musician and writer followed by MIGHT (may) as sometimes used interchangeably with its present tense ‘may’ and the final or last letter (finally) of [PLA]Y take to the definition of an informal term of an adjective meaning enormous, colossal or very great

Down

2d    Beneficiary delivered broadcast in flight (8)
AIRBORNE: HEIR (beneficiary) as a person who actually succeeds to property, title etc on the death of its previous holder and BORN (delivered) as delivered or gave birth to a child, both serving as homophones heard by the audience (broadcast), leading to the definition of an adjective meaning in flight or in the air after taking off, especially of an aircraft

3d    Does one not enjoy night vision? (10)
DAYDREAMER: A cryptic definition of a person indulged in a pleasant fantasy while remaining awake

4d    Agree with clubs playing well (7)
CONFORM: A charade of C (clubs) as the abbreviation for clubs that represent the playing cards followed by ON FORM (playing well) as a phrase meaning playing or performing well, especially of a sports player or team, arriving at the definition of a verb meaning to agree with something or to bring into agreement, correspondence or harmony

5d    Courage to play a string instrument? (5)
PLUCK: Double definition; the second being a verb referring to sound a musical instrument or its strings with one’s finger or a plectrum that takes to the first a noun meaning spirited and determined courage

6d    Poorest journalist’s material (7)
WORSTED: A charade of WORST (poorest) as an adjective meaning of the poorest quality or the lowest standard and ED (journalist) as the abbreviation for editor being in charge of the final content of a journal or a newspaper or magazine takes to the definition of a fabric made from a fine smooth yarn spun from combed long-staple wool and having a close-textured surface with no nap


7d    Perfect wax (6)
POLISH: Double definition; the second being a noun meaning a substance used to give something a smooth and shiny surface when rubbed in that leads to the first a verb meaning to improve or perfect by pruning, rubbing, refining or adding the finishing touches to something

8d    Question about garden tool that divides the land? (8)
HEDGEROW: HOW (question) as a question concerning the way or manner in which something is done, achieved etc is placed around (about) EDGER (garden tool) as a tool that is held in the hand and is used for cutting grass that hangs over the edge of a hard surface in the garden, taking to the definition of a rough or mixed hedge of wild shrubs and occasional trees, typically bordering a country lane or between fields and can also be used to divide sections of a property such as dividing recreational areas from garden areas


13d    I will leave older Spaniard (5)
SEÑOR: I, the ninth letter of the alphabet, will leave SEN[I]OR (older) as older and more experienced than the other members of a team to produce the definition of a title or form of address used of or to a Spanish-speaking man, corresponding to Mr or Sir

14d    Delivered in crates, last electric car (5)
TESLA: Part of or hidden inside (delivered in) [CRA]TES, LA[ST] guides to the definition of an all-electric car that do not consume greenhouse gas-emitting gasoline and do not directly create carbon dioxide, the manufacturing company deriving its name after the famous physicist Nikola Tesla


15d    Early rock music? (6-4)
CRADLE-SONG: A cryptic definition of the earliest music possibly heard by a person as a baby when rocked to sleep

17d    Beer mugs smashed in sink (8)
SUBMERGE: An anagram (smashed) of BEER MUGS guides to the definition of a verb meaning to descend below a surface of an area of water


19d    One will not agree to have one (8)
ARGUMENT: A cryptic definition of an unfriendly discussion or a matter of debate or contention taking place when people disagree with each other or one another

20d    Spooner’s joint covering vital message (7)
KEYNOTE: KNEE (joint) as the joint between the thigh and the lower leg in humans and COAT (covering) as an animal’s covering of fur or hair is to subject to an utterance of spoonerism (spooner) as to utter a verbal error in which a speaker transposes the initial sounds or letters or two or more words, often to humorous effect, leading to the definition of the central idea, principle, policy or the like of a speech, thought, political campaign etc

21d    What’s needed to make grandee angered? (7)
ANAGRAM: The definition of a word, phrase or name formed by rearranging the letters of another is arrived at exactly as an answer to the question that is needed to make the letters of ‘grandee’ rearranged to form ‘angered’

23d    Engineers are unable to withdraw (6)
RECANT: A charade of RE (engineers) as the abbreviation for Royal Engineers and CAN’T (are unable to) as the contraction of ‘cannot’ meaning ‘do or does not have the ability of’ or ‘is or are unable to’, arriving at the definition of a verb meaning to withdraw or repudiate a statement or belief formally and publicly

25d    Spanish aunt on river with a headdress (5)
TIARA: TÍA (Spanish aunt) as the word for aunt in the Spanish language is placed upon (on) R (river) as the written abbreviation for River, used especially on maps in the down clue followed by (with) A from the clue, taking to the definition of a high headdress worn by ancient Persian kings that also represented the king’s crown

The clues that I liked in this puzzle were 9a, 12a, 17a, 18a, 27a, 29a, 2d, 15d, 20d and 21d; 15d being the best of the lot. My prayers to the Almighty for the eternal rest and peace of BD and my thanks to Cephas for the entertainment and to Gazza for the assistance. Looking forward to being here again. Have a nice day.

7 comments on “DT 30341 (full review)

    1. Thank you so much, MsGlad, for your kind comment of finding my review as ever an interesting and extremely clear.

  1. I loathe spoonerisms but maybe I’ll take more kindly to them now. Interesting about malapropisms, how Sheridan chose her name! I always enjoy your theses. O

  2. 3*/3* …
    liked 21D ” What’s needed to make grandee angered? (7)” …
    took me a moment while to work out one of your spoonerisms Rahmat …. “You have tasted a whole worm” …. !

    1. Somewhere they have even doubled it. You have tasted two whole worms. That is decoded to “You have wasted two whole terms.”

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