Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3250
A full review by Rahmat Ali
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This puzzle was published on 4th Feb 2024
BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***
Greetings from Kolkata. A straightforward puzzle with too many anagrams from Dada this Sunday that also brought Serengeti again to the solvers within just one day! But he is not to be blamed since the Saturday puzzle was not his creation and the Sunday puzzle was prescheduled. However, I enjoyed solving the puzzle and thereafter writing a full review on it for your kind perusal and important feedback.
I wanted to know about the etymology and other details of ‘pepperoni’, the answer to the clue of 27a, and therefore explored the net. Pepperoni has come from ‘peperoni’, the plural for ‘peperone’, the Italian word for ‘bell pepper’. Also, the word ‘peperoncino’ refers to hot and spicy chili peppers in the Italian language. The first use of the term ‘pepperoni’ as a sausage dates back to 1919, when the Italian immigrants in New York City created a cured dry sausage, with similarities to the spicy salamis of southern Italy on which it is based. Pepperoni is made from pork or from a mixture of pork and beef. Turkey meat is also commonly used as a substitute, but the use of poultry in pepperoni must be appropriately labelled in the United States. It is typically seasoned with paprika or other chili pepper. Prior to cooking, pepperoni is characteristically soft, slightly smoky and bright red. Sliced pepperoni is one of the most popular pizza toppings in American pizzerias. Traditionally made pepperonis curl into ‘cups’ in the pizza oven’s intense heat; commercialisation of the production of pepperoni created slices that would lie flat on the pie. The curled ‘cup and char’ style of pepperoni remained popular in pockets of the Midwest. Although the word ‘pepperoni’ has come from the plural word ‘peperoni’, it is itself singular and its plural is ‘pepperonis’. However, the BRB lists ‘peperoni’ as an alternative spelling of ‘pepperoni’.
The phrase ‘chink in armour’, part of the wordplay to the clue of 17d, denotes an area of vulnerability. It has traditionally been used to refer to a weak spot in a figurative suit of armour. The standard meaning is similar to that of Achilles’ heel. Etymologically, ‘chink in one’s armour’ has been used idiomatically since the mid-seventeenth century. It is based on a definition of chink meaning a crack or gap, dating back to around 1400.
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Across
1a Drink stirred up, taste is drawing chap in (4,8)
ASTI SPUMANTE: An anagram (stirred) of UP TASTE IS taking inside (drawing … in) MAN (chap) as an adult male human being leads to the definition of a sweet sparkling white wine made in and around the village of Asti in Piedmont, Italy
9a Extravagant player in a female performer (9)
BALLERINA: BALLER (extravagant player) as a person who has come into money and spends it extravagantly like a rich athlete followed by IN A from the clue takes to the definition of a female ballet-dancer
10a Rock like that in chest (5)
TORSO: A charade of TOR (rock) as a hill or a rocky height and SO (like that) as an adverb meaning in the way or manner indicated, described or implied guides to the definition of the part of the human body between the neck and the diaphragm or the chest that is between the neck and the abdomen
11a Girl playing Hamlet (6)
THELMA: An anagram (playing) of HAMLET takes to the definition of the name of a girl that is of Greek origin meaning ‘will’, ‘desire’ or ‘volition’
12a Power in a stride that’s extraordinary, proceeded on foot (8)
TRAIPSED: P (power) as the symbol for power in physics placed inside (in) A STRIDE that’s subject to an anagram (extraordinary) takes to the definition of a verb in the past tense denoting walked from one place to another, often feeling tired or bored
13a Swine more foolish? (6)
RASHER: Double definition; the second being an adjective in the comparative degree meaning more foolish, imprudent or ill-advised that takes to the first a noun referring to the name of the pet pig that is a British comic strip published with the character’s first appearance in the comics magazine ‘The Beano’ in issue 1920 in ‘Dennis the Menace and Gnasher’
15a Fabulous overhead skill? (8)
SMASHING: Double definition; the first being an adjective meaning excellent, wonderful or fabulous and the second a noun referring to a type of shot in tennis that is hit above the hitter’s head with a serve-like motion, also known as an overhead
18a Care shown welcoming ’em, serve tea (2,6)
BE MOTHER: BOTHER (care shown) as to concern or care or take the trouble to do something taking inside (welcoming) ‘EM from the clue yields the definition of an idiomatic and facetious expression meaning to pour out tea for others
19a Shock when leader of republic enters battle (6)
FRIGHT: The leading or initial letter (leader) of R[EPUBLIC] goes inside (enters) FIGHT (battle) as to engage in a war or battle, arriving at the definition of a sudden alarming shock
21a Capital that man links, strangely, with capital in Iceland (8)
HELSINKI: HE (that man) as the pronoun used to refer to a man, boy or male animal previously mentioned or easily identified followed by an anagram (strangely) of LINKS and (with) the capital letter (capital) in I[CELAND] guides to the definition of the capital and largest city of Finland
23a Cruel blocking off entrance to theme park? (6)
UNFAIR: [F]UNFAIR (theme park) as a fair with side-shows rides and amusements, an example of which can be a theme park or an amusement park that is organised around some theme devoid of its first letter (blocking off entrance) takes to the definition of an adjective meaning unjust, cruel or not kind or considerate
26a New girl, old relative (5)
NANNA: N (new) as the abbreviation for new followed by ANNA (girl) as a girl’s name leads to the definition of a pet name of the mother of one’s father or mother
27a Slices of meat, vegetable upon one (9)
PEPPERONI: The definition of a thin slice of a highly spiced pork and beef sausage is arrived at from a charade of PEPPER (vegetable) as a hollow green, red or yellow vegetable with seeds inside it and belonging to any of various tropical plants of the solanaceous genus Capsicum, ON (upon) as used to indicate position above or upon and supported by or in contact with and I (one) as the Roman numeral for one
28a It’s titanic, as complicated for data analyst (12)
STATISTICIAN: An anagram (complicated) of IT’S TITANIC, AS leads to the definition of an expert in the preparation and analysis of statistics
Down
1d Judge runs into a vicious dog, perhaps? (7)
ARBITER: The definition of a judge or umpire or a person empowered to judge or decide a disputed issue is arrived at from R (runs) as the abbreviation for run or runs scored in cricket that goes inside (into) a combo of A from the clue and BITER (vicious dog, perhaps) as someone who bites or cuts into, injures or pierces the skin of a person with the teeth, fangs or mouthpart, for example, a vicious dog
2d Mark placed over letter, line in ebbing and flowing waves (5)
TILDE: The definition of the diacritical mark ( ~ ) that is placed over a letter in some languages to indicate the palatal nasal sound ‘ny’ as in the Spanish ‘señor’ pronounced as ‘senyor’ is reached from L (line) as the abbreviation for line placed inside (in) tide (ebbing and flowing waves) as the regular, twice-a-day ebbing and flowing movement of the sea
3d Rough estimates, most arousing (9)
STEAMIEST: An anagram (rough) of ESTIMATES takes to the definition of an adjective in the superlative degree meaning randiest, horniest or most arousing
4d Some digit I nudged up, whole number (4)
UNIT: Part of or hidden inside (some) of [DIGI]T I NU[DGED] going upwards (up) as a reversal in the down clue guides to the definition of the least whole number
5d A horse drives characters mixed up with those? (8)
ANAGRAMS: A from the clue, NAG (horse) as a horse, especially a small one and RAMS (drives) as a verb in the present tense third person singular form meaning forces or drives, as by heavy blows leads to the definition of the plural or a word or phrase formed by rearranging the letters of a different word or phrase, typically using all the original letters exactly once
6d Musical instruction that unites those twenty instruments, first of all (5)
TUTTI: The first or initial letters each (first of all) of T[HAT] U[NITES] T[HOSE] T[WENTY] I[NSTRUMENTS] takes to the definition of a term used as a musical direction for all to perform together
7d Ironing needing immediate attention (8)
PRESSING: Double definition; the first a verb in the continuous form referring to applying pressure to especially clothes, sheets etc to flatten, shape or smooth them, typically by ironing and a second an adjective meaning requiring quick or immediate action or attention
8d Commanding figure, champion boxer, say? (3,3)
TOP DOG: The definition of a colloquial term for the winner, leader, chief or dominant person of a group is arrived at from a charade of TOP (champion) as a champion or a person regarded as exceptionally good and DOG (boxer, say) as a wild or domestic animal of the genus Canis that includes the wolf and fox, an example of which is boxer that is a medium-sized, smooth-haired dog of a breed, with bulldog blood, developed in Germany
14d Melon is a funny food for puddings (8)
SEMOLINA: An anagram (funny) of MELON IS A takes to the definition of a pudding made of the hard grains left after the milling of flour
16d Plain site, green building (9)
SERENGETI: The definition of a large plain in Northern Tanzania, part of which is set aside as a national wildlife sanctuary is arrived at from an anagram (building) of SITE, GREEN
17d Speak to jerks after wife, showing chink in armour (4,4)
WEAK SPOT: An anagram (jerks) of SPEAK TO placed after (after) W (wife) as the genealogical abbreviation for wife leads to the definition of a place or point at which something is weak or vulnerable, that is synonymous with the idiom ‘chink in one’s armour’ that refers to an area of vulnerability
18d What is secured by strap at the back (6)
BEHIND: EH (what) as used to ask for confirmation or repetition or to express inquiry, especially after failure to hear contained (secured) by BIND (strap) as to strap or tie or fasten something tightly together guides to the definition of a preposition meaning at the back or end or in the rear
20d Winding force in trio son composed (7)
TORSION: An anagram (composed) of TRIO SON guides to the definition of the force that causes winding or twisting or the state of being twisted
22d Inappropriate forty winks in it (5)
INAPT: The definition of an adjective meaning incapable, unsuited or inappropriate is arrived at from NAP (forty winks) as a few moments of sleep or a very short nap, especially taken during the daytime, that is the rest or the refreshing quiet or repose of sleep placed inside (in) IT from the clue
24d Perfect oil stirred in garlic dip (5)
AIOLI: AI (perfect) as first-rate, first class, perfect or excellent having an anagram (stirred) of OIL inside (in) takes to the definition of a garlic-flavoured dip or mayonnaise
25d Work on painting initially, American (4)
OPUS: The initial or first letters (initially) of O[N] P[AINTING] followed by US (American) as the adjectival abbreviation for the United States or belonging to the United States in the down clue leads to the definition of work, especially a musical composition in which one is numbered in order of publication
The clues that I liked in this puzzle were 18a, 21a 23a, 27a, 2d, 5d, 18d and 25d; the best of the lot being 18a. 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 nice day.
3*/3* ….
liked 18A ” Care shown welcoming ’em, serve tea (2,6)”