DT 30575 (full review)

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30575

A full review by Rahmat Ali

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This puzzle was published on 30^th Mar 2024

BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

Greetings from Kolkata. An amiable, entertaining Saturday puzzle from NY Doorknob that I enjoyed solving and thereafter writing a review of the same for your kind perusal and significant feedback.

During my early days at school, I was familiar with the mathematical ‘vulgar’, a type of the definition to the clue of 5d. It was then a routine work of solving vulgar fractions for quite some time. A vulgar fraction is one based on everyday arithmetic and specially refers to one in which there are two whole numbers that are placed above and below a horizontal line called the numerator and denominator respectively. Neither the numerator nor the denominator can be zero. However, I was too small to think of checking its etymology. Now I became interested in delving deep into the history of the fraction that was described as ‘vulgar’ and therefore searched the net. I learnt that the word was not at all an offensive one but, rather, it meant ‘simple’ or ‘common’. It did never possess its current meaning of ‘crude’ but, instead, it attributed to something as ‘popular’. In the European languages, the root ‘vulgar’ once meant ‘widely accessible or popular’, an example of which can been seen in the French language where for scientific popularisation, the phrase is vulgarisation scientifique. The word ‘vulgar’ has its origin in the Latin word vulgus meaning ‘common people’. Volk in German and folk in English also come from this very Latin word. Vulgar turned up first in English in the fourteenth century and then referred to something that was in common or general use of something customary or done as a matter of everyday practice. Nothing disapproving about the word was noted. That old usage survived in a few fixed phrases. A couple that are now archaic are vulgar tongue, the language that was spoken by ordinary people, not one full of expletives; another was vulgar name, the common name of a species, as opposed to its scientific name. In course of time, vulgar went down in the world. It moved from ‘in ordinary use’ and ‘relating to the ordinary people’ to ‘commonplace’. By the seventeenth century, it had started to assume our modern senses of ‘lacking sophistication or good taste’ and ‘making explicit and offensive reference to sex or bodily functions’.

NY Doorknob made good use of the Nato phonetic alphabet to frame three of his down clues viz. ‘Echo’ in 1d, ‘Romeo’ in 8d and ‘Charlie’ in 20d.

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

9a          Run further (5)
EXTRA: Double definition; the first being a noun referring to a run scored at cricket from a bye, leg-bye, wide or no-ball and the second an adjective meaning additional, further or added to an existing or usual amount or number

10a        & 6 Down Hairstyle fixed with roller (9,4)
PERMANENT WAVE: A charade of PERMANENT (fixed) as an adjective denoting fixed, unchanging or everlasting and WAVE (roller) as a noun as referring to a long heavy sea roller as it advances towards the shore takes to the definition of a hairstyle consisting of long lasting artificial waves or curls in hair induced by chemical treatment

11a        Rumblings below after those hottish starters? (7)
THUNDER: UNDER (below) as a preposition denoting below or beneath the underside, base or surface coming after or preceded by (after) the starting or initial letters (starters) of T[HOSE] H[OTTISH] guides to the deep rumbling noises accompanying a flash of lightning during a violent storm

12a        News boss, seated at last, tucked into fish and cheese (7)
CHEDDAR: A combo of ED (news boss) as the abbreviation for editor who is in overall charge of editing and who determines the final content of a text of a newspaper or magazine and the last or final letter (at last) of [SEATE]D placed inside (tucked into) CHAR (fish) as any small fish of the genus Salvelinus, of the salmon family, found in mountain lakes and rivers takes to the definition of a kind of hard cheese originally made at Cheddar in Somerset

13a        Joe holding king initially reluctant playing card (5)
JOKER: JOE from the clue keeping inside (holding) K (king) as the abbreviation for king in chess notation and followed by the initial or first letter (initially) of R[ELUCTANT] yields the definition of a playing card, typically bearing the figure of a jester, used in certain games as the highest ranking card or as a wild card that does not belong to any of the four suits

14a        The French character standing without doubt relaxed (9)
LEISURELY: Le (the French) as the definite article ‘the’ in French language used with singular, masculine words followed by I (character standing) as the character appearing upright, erect or standing and SURELY (without doubt) as an adverb denoting certainly, assuredly or without doubt leads to the definition of an adjective denoting unhurried, unrushed or relaxed

16a        Cook to study catering for home-based enterprise (7,8)
COTTAGE INDUSTRY: An anagram (cook) of TO STUDY CATERING is applied for arriving at the definition of a small-scale industry in which the work is done wholly or largely by people in their own homes

19a        Ooh! The cat’s engineered trouble with canine! (9)
TOOTHACHE: OOH! THE CAT is subject to an anagram (engineered) that provides the definition of a sharp, stabbing pain due to a crack or cavity in a tooth, an example of which can be a canine that is a pointed tooth situated between the incisors and pre-molars

21a        Penny put down for tartan cloth (5)
PLAID: P (penny) as the abbreviation for new penny or new pence and LAID (put down) as a verb in the past tense meaning put down or placed something in the correct position forming a charade takes to the definition of a long piece of tartan material that is worn over the shoulder as part of the Scottish Highland traditional dress

23a        Napoleon for one a large penguin? (7)
EMPEROR: Double nounal definition; the second being a type of penguin, Aptenodytes forsteri, that is the tallest and heaviest of all living penguin species and is endemic to Antarctica that takes to the first referring to the high title of sovereignty held by Napoleon of France, for example

25a        Circle lake bed first (7)
COTERIE: ERIE (lake) as the fourth-largest of the five Great Lakes in North America coming after or preceded by (first) COT (bed) as a small bed with high barred sides for a baby or very young child leads to the definition of a social, literary or other exclusive circle of people

27a        On my back, in a sense unacknowledged (9)
ANONYMOUS: A combo of ON from the clue and MY also from the clue but in a reverse order (back) placed inside (in) a combo of A from the clue and NOUS (sense) as a slang term for common sense guides to the definition of an adjective denoting without any name acknowledged, as that of author, contributor or the like

28a        Leader snatched from platform? That’s hatred! (5)
ODIUM: The leading or beginning letter (leader) removed or taken away (snatched) from [P]ODIUM (platform) as an elevated platform, especially for an orchestra conductor or public speaker takes to the definition of a general or widespread hatred or disgust

Down

1d          Echo in club creates rhythm (4)
BEAT: E (Echo) as the letter represented by Echo in the NATO phonetic alphabet placed inside (in) BAT (club) as a flattish club for striking the ball in cricket creates a definition of a strong rhythm in popular music

2d          Rook coming in fast delivered blow (6)
STRUCK: R (rook) as the abbreviation for rook in chess notation entering or getting inside (coming in) STUCK as an adjective meaning fast, fixed or joined guides to the definition of a verb in the past tense meaning inflicted or delivered a blow or stroke

3d          British tree died: another tree showing rot (10)
BALDERDASH: A charade of B (British) as the abbreviation for British, ALDER (tree) as any shrub or tree belonging to the genus Alnus, related to the birches, usually growing in moist ground, D (died) as the abbreviation for died as used to indicate a date of death and ASH (another tree) as another tree that is a well-known timber tree of the olive family guides to the definition of a slang term for a noun meaning rot, crap or senseless talk

4d          Rising LA rents increase continually (6)
SPIRAL: A combo of LA from the clue and RIPS (rents) as a verb in the third person singular form meaning rents or tears away roughly or energetically seen going upwards (rising) as reversals in the down clue takes to the verb meaning to increase continually or to increase with steady acceleration

5d          Splinter group welcoming Republican – is this vulgar? (8)
FRACTION: FACTION (splinter group) as a small organised dissenting group within a larger one, especially in politics taking inside (welcoming) R (Republican) as an abbreviation for Republican as in the States guides to the definition of any part of a unit in arithmetic, a type of which can be a vulgar fraction, that is a part of unity or several equal parts of unity

6d          See 10 Across

7d          Double first? (4,4)
DEAD HEAT: A cryptic definition of a result in a competition or race when two of those taking part (double) finish at exactly the same time or grab the first position (first)

8d          Gullible Romeo on the whisky waited outside (6-4)
STARRY-EYED: A combo of R (Romeo) as the letter represented by Romeo in the NATO phonetic alphabet placed upon (on) RYE (whisky) as a type of whisky made from fermented mash of grain in the down clue having surrounded or encircled by (outside) STAYED (waited) as remained or waited in the same place takes to the definition of an adjective meaning gullible, given to naïve wishes or full of unsophisticated optimism

13d        Brash fellow needs lift — convertible halted? (4-3-3)
JACK-THE-LAD: The definition of an informal term for a brash, cocksure young man is arrived at from JACK (lift) as a verb meaning to raise or lift with a special device followed by an anagram (convertible) of HALTED

15d        Corrupt Putin sour about American dethronement? (10)
USURPATION: An anagram (corrupt) of PUTIN SOUR placed around (about) A (American) as the abbreviation for American guides to the definition of a noun meaning dethronement or wrongfully seizing and holding an office or powers by force, especially the seizure of a throne or supreme authority

17d        See 26 down

18d        Parisian is carrying shipment — French delicacy (8)
ESCARGOT: The definition of an edible snail, usually prepared as an appetiser or entrée or eaten with a sauce made of melted butter and garlic and regarded as a delicacy in France is arrived at from EST (Parisian is) as the French word for the auxiliary verb ‘is’ as can be heard in Paris, the capital of France holding inside (carrying) CARGO (shipment) as a noun referring to goods moved overseas via ship or ocean carriers

20d        Forgive Charlie breaking old custom (6)
EXCUSE: The definition of a verb denoting to forgive someone for a fault or offence is arrived at C (Charlie) as the letter represented by Charlie in the Nato phonetic alphabet bifurcating or separating (breaking) EX (old) as a prefix indicating of a person no longer what they were but still living or as someone with whom a person was once associated in a relationship or marriage and USE (custom) as an established custom, wont or practice

22d        Cowardly answer following attack (6)
AFRAID: The definition of an adjective meaning struck with fear, lacking courage or cowardly is arrived at from a charade of A (answer) as the abbreviation for answer, F (following) as the abbreviation for following and RAID (attack) as a sudden assault, seizure or attack

24d        Fish in streams (4)
RAYS: Double nounal definition; the second referring to the plural of a narrow stream of radiant energy, especially visible light, each travelling in a straight or nearly straight line that takes to the first denoting the plural of a skate, thornback, torpedo or any similar flat-bodied elasmobranch fish

26d        & 17 Down Memo PM has not written out for actress (4,8)
EMMA THOMPSON: An anagram (written out) of MEMO PM HAS NOT guides to the definition of a celebrated British actress and screenwriter

Some of the clues that I liked in this puzzle were 10a, 16a, 19a, 23a, 25a, 27a, 3d, 6d, 7d, 8d and 13d; 3d being the best of the lot. My prayers to the Almighty for the eternal rest and peace of BD and my thanks to NY Doorknob for the entertainment and to Gazza for the assistance. Looking forward to being here again. Have a nice day.