Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30425
A full review by Rahmat Ali
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This puzzle was published on 7th Oct 2023
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from Kolkata. A fairly nice puzzle from Cephas that I highly enjoyed solving and thereafter writing a review of the same for your kind perusal and valuable comment.
I was aware that HMS, part of ‘HMS Pinafore’, the answer to the clue of 12d, is the abbreviation of ‘His Majesty’s Ship’ or ‘Her Majesty’s Ship’. HMS is, in fact, a prefix used for ships of the navy in some monarchies. But I wanted to know more about the comic opera ‘HMS Pinafore’ and hence visited the net. ‘HMS Pinafore’ in the opera is the fictional British Royal Navy Ship and the story takes place aboard this ship. The full name of this two-act opera was ‘HMS Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor’, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W.S. Gilbert. It was the fourth operatic collaboration and the first international sensation of Sullivan and Gilbert. It was originally entitled ‘HMS Semaphore’, an appellation suggested completely by rhyme and something had to rhyme with three cheers more. As ‘HMS Semaphore’ was not particularly funny, it was finally changed to ‘HMS Pinafore’ at the suggestion of Sullivan. After it opened at the Opera Comique in London on 25 May 1878, it ran for 571 performances, becoming the second-longest run of any musical theatre piece up to that time. Interestingly, it was not a success in the beginning. It suffered from weak ticket sales that was ascribed to a heat wave that made the theatre particularly uncomfortable. By mid-August, cooler weather had arrived. The sales of the tickets began to pick up. By September, ‘HMS Pinafore’ was playing to full houses at the Opera Comique.
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Across
1a Thriving, enter good firm (5,6)
GOING STRONG: The definition of an informal phrase meaning continuing to be healthy, vigorous or successful is arrived at from a charade of GO IN (enter) as to enter a place, G (good) as the abbreviation for good and STRONG (firm) as firm and determined
9a Mouthpiece that could be vital (5)
ORGAN: Double nounal definition; the second being a part of an organism which is typically self-contained and has a specific vital function that takes to the first referring to a musical instrument with pipes of different lengths through which air is forced
10a Equip graduate with part in complicated procedure (9)
RIGMAROLE: A charade of RIG (equip) as to equip a ship or sailing boat with sails and rigging, MA (graduate) as the abbreviation for Master of Arts that is a postgraduate degree and (with) ROLE (part) as a part or character in a drama, film etc that is played by an actor or actress leads to the definition of a noun meaning a lengthy and complicated procedure
11a Send out American detective put in charge (7)
RADIATE: A combo of (American) as the abbreviation for American and DI (detective) as the abbreviation for Detective Inspector placed inside (put in) RATE (charge) as a charge, payment or price fixed according to a ratio, scale or standard something takes to the definition of a verb meaning to emit or send out rays or waves
12a Held a map out in part of car (8)
HEADLAMP: An anagram (out) of HELD A MAP guides to the definition of a strong light on the front of a motor vehicle
14a A triumph staff reported, relating to hearing (8)
ACOUSTIC: A from the clue followed by COUP (triumph) as an instance of successfully achieving something difficult and STICK (staff) as a long, think piece of wood used for support in walking or as a weapon, both serving as homophones heard by the audience (reported) leads to the definition of an adjective meaning relating to sound or the sense of hearing
15a Briefly spot description of requirements (4)
SPEC: Almost all the letters (briefly) of SPEC[K] (spot) as a tiny spot guides to the definition of the colloquial shortening of speculation a detailed description of requirements etc
17a What might go from one side to the other? (7)
BREADTH: A cryptic definition of a measurement of the distance from one side of an object to the opposite side, especially when it is shorter than the distance between the other two sides of the object
19a Show some ancient houses (4)
MEAN: Part of or hidden inside (houses) [SO]ME AN[CIENT] guides to the definition of a verb meaning to show, signify, convey or indicate
20a Rubbish produced by any number working with feeling (8)
NONSENSE: The definition of a noun referring to words or language having no meaning or conveying no intelligible ideas is produced from a charade of N (any number) as any indefinite number, especially in a series in mathematics, ON (working) as functioning or working as of an electrical appliance or power supply and (with) SENSE (feeling) as feeling for what is appropriate
21a Phase out dilapidated tavern (8)
TAPHOUSE: An anagram (dilapidated) of PHASE OUT guides to the definition of a public house or a place where alcoholic drinks, especially beer, are available on tap
23a Word of warning was flipping expected! (7)
FORESAW: FORE (word of warning) as an exclamation called out as a warming to people in the path of a golf ball followed by WAS from the clue turning or coming back (flipping) as a reversal in the across clue leads to the definition of a verb in the past tense, meaning expected, saw beforehand or knew in advance
25a Sight site for one that could be used in a pun? (9)
HOMOPHONE: The definition of each of two or more words having the same pronunciation but different meanings, origins or spelling, for example, know and no, threw and through etc is arrived from the given example of sight and site the clue exhibits
26a Make arrest and walk out? Quite the opposite (3,2)
RUN IN: The definition of an informal phrasal verb meaning to take into custody or arrest someone is arrived from RUN and IN as quite the opposite of ‘walk’ and ‘out’ respectively
27a Street urchin, say, sent back to grab absolute bargain (11)
GUTTERSNIPE: EG (say) as the abbreviation for the Latin phrase exempli gratia meaning ‘for example’ coming back (sent back) as a reversal in the across clue to take inside (grab) a combo of UTTER (absolute) as complete or absolute and SNIP (bargain) as a cheap buy or a bargain takes to the definition of a derogatory term for a scruffy and badly behaved child who spends most of their time on the street
Down
2d Lady with nothing, as it happens (5)
OLIVE: A charade of O (nothing) as the letter representing nought or nothing and LIVE (as it happens) as at or as an actual event or performance guides to the definition of a feminine given name of English origin
3d Unlikely to settle for a long time? (7)
NOMADIC: A cryptic definition of an adjective meaning roaming about from place to place aimlessly, frequently or without a fixed pattern of movement that is the characteristic feature of a nomad who is unlikely to settle down somewhere for a pretty, long time
4d Person totally unsuited to running? (8)
STREAKER: A cryptic definition of a person who runs naked in a public place, especially in order to gain attention
5d Finished in a higher position (4)
OVER: Double definition; the first being an adjective meaning finished or complete and the second a preposition denoting in a higher position or at a higher level
6d There is the prospect of hidden riches in this (4,4)
GOLD RUSH: A cryptic definition of a rapid movement of people flocking to a newly discovered goldfield
7d Plant arranged in tangle under bottom of hedge (9)
EGLANTINE: An anagram (arranged) of IN TANGLE placed under (under) the lowest or last letter (bottom) of [HEDG]E in the down clue takes to the definition of any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bears roses including the Eurasian rose with prickly stems and fragrant leaves and bright pink flowers followed by scarlet hips
8d Bury coins where roads might meet (11)
INTERCHANGE: A charade of INTER (bury) as to bury or place a dead body in a grave or tomb, typically with funeral rites and CHANGE (coins) as coins as opposed to banknotes guides to the definition of a highway intersection consisting of a system of several different road levels arranged so that vehicles may move from one road to another without crossing the streams of traffic
12d Unusual name for ship in comic opera (1,1,1,8)
H M S PINAFORE: An anagram (unusual) of NAME FOR SHIP guides to the definition of the name of a comic opera in two acts that opened at the Opera Comique in London on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances
13d Soldier favoured defensive work (7)
PARAPET: A charade of PARA (soldier) as an informal noun for a paratrooper who is a trained to be dropped by parachute into battle or into enemy territory and PET (favoured) as favoured, cherished, preferred or chosen takes to the definition of a defensive wall made of earth or stone that was built to protect soldiers on the roof of a fort or a castle
16d Trapping singer Ann off-key (9)
ENSNARING: An anagram (off-key) of SINGER ANN guides to the definition of a verb in the continuous form meaning catching in or as in a trap
17d Dedication shown by British author Doris? (8)
BLESSING: The definition of a noun meaning invocation, consecration or dedication is arrived at from B (British) as the abbreviation for British and LESSING (author Doris) as the surname of Doris May Lessing, a British-Zimbabwean novelist who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2007
18d Cross section raised to form emergency exit (8)
TRAPDOOR: ROOD (cross) as a crucifix or cross, especially one set on a beam or screen at the entrance to the chancel of a church and PART (section) as a section which, when combined with others, makes up the whole of something, both taken upwards (raised) as reversals in the down clue clue takes to the definition of a door set in a floor, stage or ceiling, especially one flush with its surface to allow fast exits and entrances
19d Second heron flying to find another bird (7)
MOORHEN: A charade of MO (second) as an informal term for a short period of time and an anagram (flying) of HERON guides to the definition of any of various medium-sized water birds of the genus Gallinula of the rail family that feed in open water margins
22d Boy heard stirring when star appears? (5)
SUNUP: SON (boy) as a boy or man in relation to either or both of his parents serving as a homophone to the audience (heard) and UP (stirring) as an adjective meaning marked by agitation, excitement, or activity takes to the definition of sunrise or the time in the morning when the sun, that is the star round which the earth orbits, appears or full daylight arrives
24d Tiny particle that’s not quite like snow? (4)
WHIT: The definition of a very small part or amount is arrived at from most of the letters (not quite) of WHIT[E] that is of or like the colour of fresh snow
The clues that I liked in this puzzle were 10a, 14a, 21a, 25a, 27a, 4d, 6d, 8d, 12d and 18d; 4d being the topper. 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.
3*/3* …
liked 3D “Unlikely to settle for a long time? (7)”