ST 3258 (full review)

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3258

A full review by Rahmat Ali

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This puzzle was published on 31^st Mar 2024

BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

Greetings from Kolkata. A lovely and pleasant puzzle from Dada this Sunday that I enjoyed solving and thereafter writing a full review of his puzzle for your kind perusal and important feedback.

After solving the puzzle, I took a trip down memory lane seconded by nostalgic feelings of my early childhood when I was learning to read the Koran, the answer to the clue of 21a. I was then only nine years old and already attending Joseph Day School, a primary English-medium school at that time upto Class IV only. Besides English, I also learnt Bengali and Hindi languages in that school. So, for the classes on Koran that is in the Arabic language, I had to go to the house of my private tutor, who was an old lady, on the two days of the week viz. Saturday and Sunday when my school remained closed. The classes were just for learning to read the holy book without actually knowing the meaning. I remember I completed my course of reading the full Koran in a very short time. The entire Koran is in verses. Salaah or namaaz is an obligatory prayer performed by a practising Muslim five times a day. During such prayers, verses from the Koran are recited. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims have to get engaged in performing additional prayer called Taraweeh along with the last or fifth namaaz of the day that actually takes places during late evening. The whole Koran is recited at least once during Taraweeh prayers of the month taken collectively. Although there are 114 surah or chapters in the Koran, some large ones comprising many pages while some small ones consisting of only few lines, with the shortest surah occupying only two lines, for convenience, the holy book has been divided into 30 equal ajza or parts. This also facilitate the recitation of the Koran for Taraweeh prayers, typically at the rate of one part a night. I also learnt from the net that in medieval times, when it was too costly for most Muslims to purchase a manuscript, copies of the Koran were kept in mosques and made accessible to people. These copies frequently took the form of a series of thirty parts, more specifically as one book for each part, so that while one is reading one part, someone else can easily read another part picking from the lot. The practice is that if anyone wants to read a part of the Koran, they can start from anywhere in the holy book. But to finish reading the entire Koran, one has to read in the sequence or order as presented therein. Hafiz is the title awarded to someone who has completely memorised the Koran. During my early life, I attempted to memorise the Koran. It took me around six months to memorise exactly half of the first part or, precisely, one-sixtieth part of the Koran. After that, I discontinued due to my academic studies. But now, while doing M.A. (Arabic), the language is appearing to me far easier than ever before. This has also rekindled my interest in memorising the Koran and I have already started doing so, though I also know that it is a long way to go. On the other hand, the Islamic month of Ramadan is drawing to a close and the day when this review goes for publication, it will be either the day or the eve of Eid al-Fitr here in India as the new month starts with the sighting of the crescent moon. It is always the people of the countries of West Asia and those falling along the same range of longitudes who first witness the appearance of the crescent moon. After the moon has been sighted, the following day is the day of Eid al-Fitr. It is forbidden to fast on this day and one has to eat something, especially a sweet dish, before proceeding to the specific prayer on this occasion in the morning after the sun has risen and more specifically at a time when people take their breakfast. Wish you all Eid al-Fitr Mubarak!

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

9a          Endless bohemian love for animal (5)
HIPPO: HIPP[Y] (bohemian) as someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, i.e., whose behaviour implied a rejection of convention values, similar to a bohemian whose way of life is away from society’s conventional norms and expectations that is devoid of its end or terminal letter (endless) and followed by O (love) as the score of zero in a game of tennis takes to the definition of the shortened name of hippopotamus, that is a large, dark grey animal of Africa that lives in or near rivers and that has a big head, short legs and thick skin

10a        Come on, it’s difficult for financial expert (9)
ECONOMIST: An anagram (difficult) of COME ON, IT’S guides to the definition of an expert who studies the relationship between the resources of a society and its production or output

11a        Somewhat contrarily, Gehenna is in Utopian country (7)
TUNISIA: Part of or hidden inside (somewhat) [GEHENN]A IS IN UT[OPIAN] that is seen coming from the other side (contrarily) as a reversal in the across clue takes to the definition of the northernmost country in Africa

12a        Magnificent, a US city (7)
AUGUSTA: AUGUST (magnificent) as an adjective meaning august, majestic or splendid followed by A from the clue leads to the definition of a consolidated city-county on the central eastern border of the state of Georgia of the United States

13a        Leader lost in battle before second push (5)
PRESS: The leading or starting letter (leader) missing (lost) in [Y]PRES (battle) as a battle but more specifically as a series of three battles fought between the German and the Allied armies during the First World War and placed in front of (before) S (second) as the abbreviation for second in respect of time takes to the definition of a verb meaning to make push something firmly, often without causing it to move permanently

14a        Flash jewel ultimately claimed by identical leader (9)
TWINKLING: The definition of a noun denoting an instant or a very short or brief time is arrived at from the ultimate or final letter (ultimately) of [JEWE]L held (claimed) by a combo of TWIN (identical) as an adjective meaning identical or forming a matching, complementary or closely connected pair and KING (leader) as the leader, sovereign or monarch of a country

16a        On earlier gate, one way out? (3,6,6)
LEG BEFORE WICKET: A charade of LEG (on) as a term in cricket referring to the leg side, BEFORE (earlier) as earlier or during the period of time preceding a particular event or time and WICKET (gate) as a small door or gate, especially one built into or near a larger one takes to the definition of one situation in the sport of cricket in which the batter is dismissed for using any part of the person except the hand to illegally stop a bowled ball that would otherwise have hit the wicket

19a        Veteran alerts God when tottery (3,6)
OLD STAGER: ALERTS GOD from the clue is subject to an anagram (when tottery), taking to the definition of an old hand or veteran or someone who has been through many battles or given long service

21a        Religious text informer passed back: nothing in it (5)
KORAN: The definition of the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God is reached from NARK (informer) as an informer or spy, especially one working for the police coming from the other end (passed back) as a reversal in the across clue having inside (in it) O (nothing) as the letter representing nought or nothing

23a        Tory welcomes five into her band (7)
CHEVRON: CON (Tory) as the abbreviation for the Conservative Party of the United Kingdom that is also called the Tory Party takes in (welcomes) a set of V (five) as the Roman numeral for five that is itself placed inside (into) HER from the clue, leading to the definition of a V-shaped band on the sleeve, a mark of non-commissioned rank or of long service or good conduct

25a        Presidential car? (7)
LINCOLN: A cryptic definition of a luxury car named after the 16^th US President, Abraham Lincoln by its founder Henry Leland, who was highly inspired by the landmark President and for years, the Lincoln Continental was the official car of the US Presidency

27a        Jolly, in a solemn way! (9)
SERIOUSLY: Double adverbial definition; the first as a colloquial term meaning very or extremely and the second denoting solemnly, earnestly or in a solemn or earnest manner

28a        Pet has rooted out a salad plant (5)
CRESS: C[A]RESS (pet) as a verb meaning to pet someone or to touch or stroke someone, gently or lovingly that has struck or erased (rooted out) A from the clue leads to the definition of any of pungent-leaved cruciferous plants of various genera often used as a culinary garnish and in salads

Down

1d          Which unit of power did you say? (4)
WHAT: A homophone heard by the audience (did you say?) of WATT (unit of power) as the practical and MKS unit of power, equal to a rate of working of one joule per second takes to the definition of an interrogative adjective denoting which thing or a relative pronoun and adjective indicating that which

2d          Cleaner leech (6)
SPONGE: Double nounal definition; the first being a noun denoting a piece of artificial or natural material that is soft and light and full of holes and can hold water easily, used for washing or cleaning and the second referring to one who habitually depends on others for support without reciprocating

3d          Happy about relative being compatible (10)
CONSISTENT: CONTENT (happy) as happy or showing satisfaction with things as they are placed around (about) SIS (relative) as an informal term for a sister guides to the definition of an adjective meaning being compatible or in agreement with itself

4d          Meal with stewed pears on time (6)
REPAST: The definition of a meal or the food eaten or provided at a meal is obtained from an anagram (stewed) of PEARS placed upon (on) T (time) as the symbol for time in physics in the down clue

5d          Pair lose ground in split (8)
POLARISE: An anagram (ground) of PAIR LOSE takes to the definition of verb meaning to split into opposing camps

6d          Medal vanishing, heart ripped out (4)
GONG: The definition of a slang term for a medal is arrived at from GO[I]NG (vanishing) as disappearing, vanishing or ceasing to exist that is subject to its innermost letter (heart) being taken out or removed (ripped out)

7d          Twit lowers heartbeat (8)
DIPSTICK: A charade of DIPS (lowers) as a verb in the present tense third person singular form meaning lowers or drops something suddenly or lowers into any liquid for a moment and TICK (beat) as a recurring beat, as of a heart yields the definition of a stupid or inept person

8d          That singer, going wrong, put right (10)
STRAIGHTEN: THAT SINGER from the clue is subject to an anagram (going wrong), producing the definition of a verb meaning to put or set right or to put things or places in order

13d        Tablet that hurt patient — one of those lying on bed? (10)
PILLOWCASE: A charade of PILL (tablet) as a small tablet or capsule of medicine, usually designed to be swallowed whole or dissolved in the mouth, OW (that hurt) as an interjection used especially in response to intense or sudden paid and CASE (patient) as referring to a patient, brought to hospital, who is in need of an urgent medical care leads to the definition of a removable washable cover of cotton, linen, nylon etc for a pillow that is kept on bed

15d        Reportedly take gift in trinket (5-5)
KNICK-KNACK: A homophone heard by the audience (reportedly) of NICK (take) as an informal verb meaning to steal, take or walk away with followed by KNACK (gift) as a noun referring to a natural endowment, gift, talent or an innate capability guides to the definition of a trinket or a small, trifling, ornamental or would-be ornamental article

17d        Devices in bottom of bag gyrated when activated (8)
GADGETRY: The definition of small, ingenious appliances or devices collectively each one of which is very useful for a particular job is reached from the last or lowest letter (bottom) of [BA]G in the down clue followed by an anagram (when activated) of GYRATED

18d        Musician in trio sang out of key? (8)
ORGANIST: An anagram (out of key) of TRIO SANG guides to the definition of a musician who plays the organ, especially professionally or at religious services

20d        Spaniard’s article in Sun provides information (6)
RELAYS: EL (Spaniard’s article) as the definite article ‘the’ in Spanish language used with singular, masculine words placed inside (in) RAYS (Sun) as referring to sunshine or sunlight considering in the context of sunbathing takes to the definition of a verb in the present tense third person singular form meaning transmits news or information

22d        Editor when rattled was going berserk (6)
RIOTED: An anagram (when rattled) of EDITOR directs to the definition of a verb in the past tense meaning took part or was taking part in a violent public order or disturbance after losing control

24d        Space where dock set up (4)
ROOM: MOOR (dock) as to dock or fasten a vessel by means of cables, anchors or lines taken upwards (set up) as a reversal in the down clue leads to the definition of a necessary or available space or referring to a space unoccupied

26d        Noxious odour so eye-watering initially, one smells (4)
NOSE: The definition of the organ that helps one to smell is arrived at from the initial or starting letters (initially) each of N[OXIOUS] O[DOUR] S[O] E[YE-WATERING]

Some of the clues that I liked in this puzzle were 12a, 16a, 21a, 23a, 28a, 1d, 7d, 13d, 15d and 17d; the top amongst them 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 nice day.