ST 3225 (full review)

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3225

A full review by Rahmat Ali

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This puzzle was published on 13^th Aug 2023

BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

Greetings from Kolkata. Dada has given us an enjoyable solve this Sunday and now I present to you a full review of his puzzle. Hope to have your valuable feedback and comments.

Platinum, the answer to the clue of 24a, is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, transition metal. It is also an extremely rare metal. Because of its silverish-white colour in appearance, it is sometimes mistaken for silver. No wonder its name originates from Spanish platina, a diminutive of Spanish plata that means silver. The seventieth wedding anniversary of a couple is their platinum wedding anniversary, or simply their platinum anniversary. From the net, I further learnt that platinum has remarkable resistance to corrosion, even at high temperatures and is therefore regarded as a noble metal. It is used in catalytic converters, laboratory equipment, electrical contacts and electrodes, platinum resistance thermometers and dentistry equipment. Its resistance to wear and tarnish is well suited to use in fine jewellery. It is also used in the glass industry to manipulate molten glass. It occurs in a concentration of only 0.005 ppm in earth’s crust. Seventy-five per cent of the world’s known platinum is in South Africa. Large platinum deposits are also present in the state of Tamil Nadu in our country. Incidentally, platinum also exists in higher abundances on the moon and in meteorites.

Drill, the answer to the clue of 13d, took me to the fond memories of my childhood days. I reminisced taking part in drill once a week along with my classmates in school. It was compulsory and a time of forty minutes in place of a usual class period was allotted for the purpose.

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Across

7a    Sweet English writer, incautious (9)
FOOLHARDY: A charade of FOOL (sweet) as a cold dessert made of pureed fruit mixed or served with cream or custard and HARDY (English writer) as the surname of the English novelist and poet Thomas Hardy who had many of his novels set in Wessex guides to the definition of an adjective meaning recklessly bold or rash

8a    Nose surgery behind some nasal orifice, primarily (5)
SNOOP: The definition of a verb meaning to look or pry especially in a sneaking or meddlesome manner is arrived at from OP (surgery) as the abbreviation for operation that is medical surgery performed on a patient placed after (behind) each of the primary or first letters (primarily) of S[OME] N[ASAL] O[RIFICE]

10a    Slight stain sultanate has covered up (6)
INSULT: Part of or hidden inside (has covered up) [STA]IN SULT[ANATE] guides to the definition of a noun meaning an affront or a disrespectful or scornfully abusive remark or action

11a    Male bird split by a chopper (8)
TOMAHAWK: TOM (male) as the male of various animals, especially a domestic cat and HAWK (bird) as a bird of prey with broad rounded wings and a long tail, typically taking prey by surprise with a short chase separated (split) by A from the clue leads to the definition of the UH-2A interim attack helicopter, which the United States Army designated H-2 ‘Tomahawk’

12a    Party bores a shade blessed (6)
ADORED: DO (party) as an informal term for a party or other social event gets inside (bores) A from the clue and RED (shade) as a colour of pigment, arriving at the definition of a verb in the past tense meaning loved or revered intensely

14a    Perfect sound for broadcast (6)
AIRING: AI replacing A1 (perfect) as first-rate or excellent; I representing the Roman numeral for 1 followed by RING (sound) as a loud, clear sound or tone takes to the definition of a transmission of a television or radio programme

16a    Move about in prison (4)
STIR: Double definition; the second being a slang term for a prison that leads to the first a verb meaning to move about actively or busily

17a    Rapid writer (5)
SWIFT: Double definition; the second being an Anglo-Irish satirist, essayist, poet and author famous for his children’s classic ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ that guides to the first an adjective meaning happening quickly or promptly

18a    Fund band that’s retrogressive (4)
POOL: LOOP (band) as a length of thread, rope or similar material doubled or crossing itself, used as fastening or handle that’s going backward (retrogressive) as a reversal in the across clue, arriving at the definition of a common fund for making investments

19a    Kid irritated crab? (6)
NIPPER: Double nounal definition; the second being a crustacean, found chiefly on seashores, with a broad carapace, stalked eyes and five pairs of legs, the first pair of which are modified as pincers for nipping that takes to the first a colloquial term for a little boy or girl

21a    Myth for example written in advance (6)
LEGEND: EG (for example) as the abbreviation for the Latin phrase exempli gratia meaning ‘for example’ is placed inside (written in) LEND (advance) as to let out money at interest, taking to the definition of a popular myth coming down from the past or a traditional story popularly regarded as historical but not authenticated

24a    Peculiar man lit up, whitish-grey (8)
PLATINUM: An anagram (peculiar) of MAN LIT UP guides to the definition of greyish-white or silvery colour

26a    Hammer action (6)
STRIKE: Double definition; the second being a noun denoting an industrial action of the collective suspension of work, agreed upon by a number of workers with the purpose of reaching a certain end that leads to the first a verb meaning to deal or aim a blow or stroke, as with the fist, a weapon or a hammer

27a    Slow mover‘s cruise round pole (5)
SNAIL: The definition of a sluggish person or animal is arrived at from SAIL (cruise) as to travel by ship on or across a sea placed around (round) N (pole) as representing the north pole of a magnet

28a    Scum in office retired — oh well! (5,4)
NEVER MIND: VERMIN (scum) as people perceived as despicable and as causing problems for the rest of society put inside (in) DEN (office) as a room, often secluded, in a house or apartment, designed to provide a quiet, comfortable and informal atmosphere for conversation, reading, writing etc having pulled back or retreated (retired) as a reversal in the across clue leads to the definition of a phrase used to tell someone that they need not do something or worry about something because it is not important

Down

1d    Captured by generalissimo, untethered horse (5)
MOUNT: Part of or hidden inside (captured by) [GENERALISSI]MO, UNT[ETHERED] guides to the definition of a horse that is ridden or is available for riding

2d    Clumsily flail about, when back of heel caught in stumble (8)
FLOUNDER: The definition of a verb meaning to struggle or stagger clumsily in mud or water is arrived at from the terminal or last letter (back) of [HEE]L taken inside (caught in) FOUNDER (stumble) as to stumble or fall from exhaustion, lameness etc, especially of a horse or its rider

3d    Pharaoh possibly: mummy’s bandaged heading for sarcophagus (6)
MASTER: MATER (mummy) as a slang term for mother used by students of a public school has covered (bandaged) the head or the topmost letter (heading) for S[ARCOPHAGUS] in the down clue, leading to the definition of a person, especially male, who commands and controls, an example may be one of the Pharaohs who ruled in ancient Egypt

4d    Censor inspector in film (4)
EDIT: DI (inspector) as the abbreviation for Detective Inspector that is a police rank placed inside (in) ET (film) as simply known for the science fiction movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial guides to the definition of a verb meaning to prepare written material for publication by correcting, condensing or otherwise modifying it

5d    Newsreader‘s supportive item in the main? (6)
ANCHOR: Double nounal definition; the second being a heavy object attached to a cable or chain and used to moor a ship to the bottom of the main or sea, typically having a metal shank with a pair of curved, barbed flukes at one end that leads to the first a broadcaster as on a news programme who introduces reports by other broadcasters and usually reads the news

6d    Opening in door’s first covered by dog (3,6)
BOW WINDOW: The definition of a large window that curves out from the outside wall of a building is arrived at from a combo of IN from the clue and the initial or leading letter (first) of D[OOR] (door’s) surrounding (covered by) BOWWOW (dog) as a childish or facetious term for a dog

9d    Top mark in German? (6)
UMLAUT: A cryptic definition of a diacritical sign (¨) that shows dots placed on the top of a vowel, especially in German, to indicate a change brought about by a vowel or semivowel in the syllable that follows

13d    Exercise where doctor in need of a doctor! (5)
DRILL: The definition of a training exercise or a session of it is arrived at from a charade of DR (doctor) as used as an abbreviated version of the title ‘Doctor’ used before a doctor’s name and ILL (in need of a doctor) as suffering from bad health or disease and in need of a doctor

15d    Member’s supporter hosting tour, young man (9)
STRIPLING: SLING (member’s supporter) as a hanging support for an injured arm or foot taking in (hosting) TRIP (tour) as a journey or excursion, especially for pleasure to arrive at the definition of a literary and facetious term for a youth or a young man in the state of adolescence or just passing from boyhood to manhood

17d    Looking to take out a line (6)
STRING: ST[A]RING (looking) as looking fixedly at someone or something with one’s eyes wide open having A from the clue subject to removal (to take out), leading to the definition of a thin line of twisted fibre used for tying, pulling, fastening etc

18d    View girl cradled by parents (8)
PANORAMA: The definition of a literary and figurative term for a wide or complete view is fetched from NORA (girl) as the name of a girl protected or surrounded (cradled) by PA and MA (parents) as childish contractions for father and mother respectively

20d    Dialect in soap, it proving incomprehensible (6)
PATOIS: An anagram (proving incomprehensible) of SOAP, IT guides to the definition of the dialect of a particular region, especially one with low status in relation to the standard language of the country

22d    Seal takes off after first of geese (6)
GASKET: The definition of a mechanical seal which fills the space between two or more mating surfaces, generally to prevent leakage from or into the joined objects while under compression is deduced from an anagram (off) of TAKES placed after the initial or beginning letter (first) of G[EESE]

23d    Thin layer over top of tapestry broke (5)
SKINT: The definition of a slang term for an adjective meaning hard up or without money is arrived at from SKIN (thin layer) as the thin layer of tissue forming the natural outer covering of the body of a person or animal placed upon (over) the head or topmost letter (top) of T[APESTRY] in the down clue

25d    Come across food for the audience? (4)
MEET: MEAT (food) as any food that comes from the flesh of an animal serving as a homophone heard by the audience (for the audience) guides to the definition of a verb meaning to find or come across in passing

There were several clues that I liked in this puzzle such as 7a, 11a, 14a, 19a, 21a, 28a, 5d, 6d, 9d, 13d and 15d; the best of the lot being 13d. 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. Looking forward to being here again. Have a pleasant day.