ST 3237 (full review)

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3237

A full review by Rahmat Ali

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This puzzle was published on 5^th Nov 2023

BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****

Greetings from Kolkata. A great puzzle from Dada this Sunday that I enjoyed solving and thereafter writing a full review which I now present for your kind perusal and precious feedback.

Lesotho, the answer to the clue of 27a, took me down memory lane. During my twenties, I began to take a lot of interest in quiz and this interest remained all throughout my life. While I participated in many quiz contests and won prizes in some of them, I also conducted many such programmes. Many companies and academic institutions and even the bank where I worked for thirty-nine years invited me on many occasions to be the quizmaster. During the 80s and 90s, with a view to developing the habit of youngsters of our locality into getting more into the quiz world and enhancing their knowledge, I would invite them to assemble inside the premises of a welfare society that offered us room for certain hours on Sundays, free of cost. To make the quiz sessions more interesting, I would often ask humorous questions. One such question was on Lesotho. The question: Besides English, what is the official language of Lesotho? The answer: Sesotho.

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

8a    Audio equipment these days not half complicated (7)
HEADSET: An anagram (complicated) of THESE DA[YS] without the last two letters or half of the word (not half) guides to the definition of an equipment consisting of a small pair of headphones that one can use for listening to a radio or recorded music or for using a phone

10a    Bond with expert, excessive (7)
PROFUSE: The definition of an adjective meaning abundant or very plentiful, especially of something offered or discharged is reached with FUSE (bond) as to melt a material or object with intense heat so as to join it with something else preceded by (with) PRO (expert) as colloquially referring to a professional sportsperson or a person who excels at a particular sport or other activity

11a    One of those downtrodden by the privileged few? (3,6)
RED CARPET: A cryptic definition of a long, red floor covering laid on the ground for the limited distinguished visitors or chosen persons (the privileged few) who would be required to tread or travel along or walk down (downtrodden) the course of it to reach the podium to collect trophies and awards

12a    Religious official cut meat (5)
RABBI: RABBI[T] (meat) as the flesh of the rabbit as food is shortened (cut) as by removing the last letter yields the definition of the chief religious official of a synagogue who is trained usually in a theological seminary and duly ordained and who delivers the sermon at a religious service

13a    The brief line for cast (5)
THROW: Most of the letters (brief) of TH[E] followed by ROW (line) as a line of things, people, animals etc arranged next to each other takes to the definition of a noun referring to a cast, especially of dice or a fishing line

14a    Plant in midst of minor blaze (7)
INFERNO: FERN (plant) as a green vascular plant that reproduces via spores and having neither seeds nor flowers placed inside (in) the innermost letters (midst) of [M]INO[R] leads to the definition of a large fire that is dangerously out of control

17a    Unpredictable on-the-spot layout – is it? (7,5-3)
PENALTY SHOOT-OUT: An anagram (unpredictable) of ON-THE-SPOT LAYOUT takes to the definition of a way of deciding the result of a football match that has ended in a draw by allowing different players from each team to take five shots from a spot that is also known as the penalty spot or a mark on the pitch on which the ball is placed prior to the shot being taken, where even if the scores are level after both teams have taken five shots, it continues until one team or the other wins

19a    Very poor, save more? (7)
USELESS: The definition of an informal adjective denoting having no ability or skill in a specified activity or area is arrived at from USE LESS (save more) as to make less or limited use of something so that one could save more of the same, as a corollary

21a    Gravy: what might one dip in it? (5)
BREAD:  The definition of a slang word for money is arrived at from a cryptic way of telling that this is what one might dip in gravy that is another slang word for money, especially that is obtained by corrupt practices

24a    Expression of puzzlement in torture with love (5)
HELLO: A charade of HELL (torture) as a situation, experience or place of great suffering and (with) O (love) as a score of zero, especially in tennis, squash and some other sports takes to the definition of an interjection used to express surprise

26a    Shots fired from vessel, not well protected (9)
ARTILLERY: The definition of a class of heavy military range weapons that include mounted projectile-firing guns or missile launchers, mobile or stationary, light or heavy, as distinguished from small arms is arrived at from ILL (not well) as suffering from an illness or disease or feeling unwell taken in or guarded (protected) by ARTERY (vessel) as a blood vessel in humans and most other animals that takes blood away from the heart to one or more parts of the body

27a    Country invested in trouble so thoroughly! (7)
LESOTHO: Part of or hidden inside (invested in) [TROUB]LE SO THO[ROUGHLY] guides to the definition of a landlocked country in Southern Africa and an enclave of South Africa

28a    Mr Oates, flawed genius (7)
MAESTRO: An anagram (flawed) of MR OATES takes to the definition of a distinguished conductor or performer of classical music or a distinguished figure in any field

Down

1d    Desire new shirt and trousers, primarily (6)
THIRST: An anagram (new) of SHIRT and the initial or first letter (primarily) of T[ROUSERS] takes to the definition of a verb meaning to have a strong desire for something

2d    Official language (8)
MANDARIN: Double nounal definition; the second being the standard literary and most widely spoken form of Chinese, the official language of China that leads to the first referring to a member of any of nine ranks of officials under the erstwhile Chinese Empire or a high-ranking official or senior bureaucrat, especially one perceived as reactionary and secretive

3d    Author‘s novel I read with scowl (5,5)
OSCAR WILDE: An anagram (novel) of a combo of I READ and (with) SCOWL guides to the definition of the nineteenth century Irish poet and playwright whose full name was Oscar Fingal O’Fflahertie Wills Wilde

4d    Focus on location, fair (9)
SPOTLIGHT: A charade of SPOT (location) as a location or a particular place or point and LIGHT (fair) as pale or not dark or deep in colour leads to the definition of a verb meaning to direct attention to a problem or situation

5d    Pub welcoming old pig (4)
BOAR: BAR (pub) as an establishment where alcohol and sometimes other refreshments are served accepting or taking in (welcoming) O (old) as the abbreviation for old as OT in Old Testament guides to the definition of an uncastrated domestic male pig

6d    Flexible masseur? (6)
RUBBER: Double definition; the first used as an adjective as in ‘rubber band’ that is another name for ‘elastic band’ and the second a noun referring to a male person who rubs or kneads parts of the body to stimulate circulation and promote relaxation

7d    Her pilot worked out where aircraft should land (8)
HELIPORT: An anagram (worked out) of HER PILOT guides to the airport or landing place for helicopters

9d    Stick valve on top of engine (4)
TAPE: TAP (valve) as a device by which a flow of liquid or gas from a pipe or container is controlled placed upon (on) the topmost or highest letter (top) of E[NGINE] in the down clue guides to the definition of a verb meaning to use strips of sticky material, especially to fix two things together or to fasten a parcel

15d    Team player writing extra note about party (10)
FOOTBALLER: FOOTER (extra note) as a piece of text, such as a page number or a title, that appears as extra note at the bottom of a page of a document placed around (about) BALL (party) as a large formal party for dancing takes to the definition of a person who plays football, a game in which two opposing teams of eleven players each defend goals at opposite ends of a field having goal posts at each end

16d    Cosmetic OK in woad, he gathered (9)
EYESHADOW: The definition of a coloured cosmetic for the eyelids is attained from YES (OK) as a word of affirmation, agreement or consent placed inside (in) an anagram (gathered) of WOAD, HE

17d    Drain ear after first of piercings (8)
PLUGHOLE: LUGHOLE (ear) as a slang term for the ear, especially referring to its hole, preceded by or following (after) the first letter (first) of P[IERCINGS] takes to the definition of a hole at the bottom of a bath, sink or tub through which waste water drains and which can be closed with a plug

18d    Treetop needing surgery, a little work (8)
OPERETTA: TREETOP is being subject to an anagram (needing surgery) and thereafter followed by A from the clue, leading to the definition of a short, light, often rather trivial, musical drama

20d    Obtain tinsel for decoration (6)
ENLIST: The definition of a verb meaning to engage a person or their help or support is arrived at from TINSEL that is subject to an anagram (for decoration)

22d    Politician on road to reverse decay (3,3)
DRY ROT: A combo of TORY (politician) as a member or supporter of the Conservative Party which evolved from Royalist politicians in Great Britain and RD (road) as the abbreviation for road used especially in addresses and on maps or signs to overturn (reverse) as a reversal in the down clue leads to the definition of a decay of seasoned timber, resulting in its becoming brittle and crumbling to a dry powder, caused by various fungi

23d    Stop baseball team on the rise (4)
STEM: METS (baseball team) as an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens going upwards (on the rise) as a reversal in the down clue guides to the definition of a verb meaning to stop something unwanted from spreading or increasing

25d    Porridge in vessels, lid off (4)
OATS: The definition of a cereal crop or its grains, boiled in water or milk to make food called porridge is arrived at from [B]OATS (vessels) as the plural of a small vessel for travelling over water, propelled by oars, sails or an engine that is having B, its topmost letter (lid) removed away (off)

There were several clues that I liked in this puzzle such as 10a, 11a, 13a, 17a, 19a, 26a, 15d, 16d and 17d; the best among the lot being 17d. 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.