DT 30635 (full review)

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30635

A full review by Rahmat Ali

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This puzzle was published on 8^th June 2024

BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

Greetings from Kolkata. A good, pleasant Saturday puzzle from the setter that I enjoyed solving and thereafter writing a review of the same for your kind perusal and important feedback.

I explored the net and found out that Manx, the answer to the clue of 1a, is also the historical language of the Manx people, an ethnic group originating on the Isle of Man, in the Irish Sea in Northern Europe. They belong to the diaspora of the Gaelic ethnolinguistic group, which now populate the parts of the British Isles and Ireland which once were the Kingdom of the Isles and Dál Riata. Manx is also known as Manx Gaelic that is a Gaelic language of the insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, itself a branch of the Indo-European language family. Although few children native to the Isle of Man speak Manx as a first language, there has been a steady increase in the number of speakers since the death of Ned Maddrell, the last speaker to grow up in a Manx-speaking community environment, in 1974. Still, the language has never been totally out of use, with some having knowledge of it as a heritage language. Manx is often cited as a good example of language revitalisation efforts. In 2015, around 1,800 people had varying levels of second-language conversational ability. Since the late twentieth century, Manx has become more visible on the island, with increased signage, radio broadcasts and a Manx-medium primary school. The revival of Manx has been made easier because the language was well recorded, for instance, the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer had been translated into Manx and audio recordings made of native speakers.

Animal magnetism, the answer to the clue of 13a/3d, is also known as mesmerism. I came to know that this theory is invented by Franz Mesmer, a German doctor of the eighteenth century. Animal magnetism posits the existence of an invisible natural force Lebens magnetismus possessed by all living things, including humans, animals and vegetables. Mesmer claimed that the force could have physical effects, including healing. The vitalist theory attracted numerous followers in Europe and the United States and was still popular in the nineteenth century. The earlier practitioners were often called magnetisers rather than mesmerists. It had an important influence in medicine for about seventy-five years from its beginnings in 1779 and continued to have some influence for another fifty years. Hundreds of books were written on the subject between 1766 and 1925. Animal magnetism is no longer practised today though very few places continue to view it as a form of alternative medicine.

I had to console myself by forcibly inserting a non-existent ‘and’ to justify my explanation to the clue of 7d which after all is not proper. For some time, I had also imagined the clue as an interrogation: Regularly set up roads & in an Orwellian superstate?

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

1a          Person unknown from Douglas perhaps (4)
MANX: A charade of MAN (person) as an adult male human being and X (unknown) as a variable, unknown or yet to be ascertained quantity or factor as used in mathematics, especially in algebra takes to the definition of somebody from the Isle of Man, the capital of which is Douglas that in Manx language is known as Doolish

3a and 20d         Jazzman rings Private Pike’s mum according to Spooner (5,5)
MILES DAVIS: The definition of the American jazz trumpeter, bandleader and composer who was among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20^th-century music is reached from a combo of DIALS (rings) as a verb in the simple present tense third person singular form meaning calls, rings or telephones and MAVIS (Private Pike’s mum) as referring to Mavis Pike, the mother of Private Frank Pike, a fictional Home Guard private and junior bank clerk in the BBC television sitcom that is subject to an utterance of spoonerism (according to Spooner) as to utter a verbal error in which a speaker transposes the initial sounds or letters of two or more words, often to humorous effect

6a          Born, then died in poverty (4)
NEED: NÉE (born) as an adjective meaning born, used in giving a married woman’s maiden name after her surname followed by (then) D (died) as the abbreviation for died as used to indicate a date of death leads to the definition of a state that requires relief, such as extreme poverty or distress

8a          Frank is right on (15)
STRAIGHTFORWARD: The definition of an adjective meaning honest or frank is arrived at from a charade of STRAIGHT (right) as an informal term for an adverb meaning immediately or without delaying or hesitating and FORWARD (on) as another adverb meaning on, ahead or at a more advanced point in space or time

9a          Football Association? (6)
LEAGUE: A cryptic definition of an organised group of clubs (association) of sports (football) which play each other over a period for a championship

10a        Spacesuit, no uniform, ordered for dreamer (8)
ESCAPIST: An anagram (ordered) of SPACES[U]IT from the clue without or not including (no) U (uniform) as the letter represented by Uniform in the NATO phonetic alphabet takes to the definition of someone who doesn’t live in the real world, but dreams, wishes and fantasises instead

11a        Speed reduced in large town, steering clear of Congress? (8)
CHASTITY: HAST[E] (speed) as excessive speed or urgency of movement or action that is shortened with the removal of the last letter (reduced) put inside (in) CITY (large town) as a large or important town leads to the definition of the state or practice of refraining from extramarital, or especially from all, sexual intercourse, or, in other words, steering clear of any congress or sexual intercourse

13a and 3d         Is it a beastly drawing? (6,9)
ANIMAL MAGNETISM: A cryptic definition of the brutish or sensual (animal) power to attract another person sexually based solely on physical attributes (drawing)

15a        Court in frame of mind to back internet business (6)
DOTCOM: CT (court) as the abbreviation for court as used in addresses etc placed inside (in) MOOD (frame of mind) as a frame of mind receptive as to some activity, both coming from the other end (to back) as reversals in the across clue yields the definition of a business that carries out its functions primarily via the internet

17a        Old Greeks from St Pancras drunk leaving clubs (8)
SPARTANS: An anagram (drunk) of ST PAN[C]RAS without (leaving) C (clubs) as the abbreviation for clubs that represent the playing cards takes to the definition of the plural of a person who lived in Sparta, a city-state in the south-eastern Peloponnese region of ancient Greece

19a        Lumber covering frame of Tower Bridge (8)
STRADDLE: SADDLE (lumber) as a colloquial term for a verb meaning to load, burden or lumber hiding inside (covering) the outermost letters (frame) of T[OWE]R produces the definition of another verb denoting to bridge or connect the extremities of a gap

21a        Shoe in box for delivery (6)
OXFORD: Part of or hidden inside (in) [B]OX FOR D[ELIVERY] guides to the definition of a sturdy, low-heeled shoe that laces over the instep

22a        Comment column in The Watchtower? (11,4)
OBSERVATION POST: A charade of OBSERVATION (comment) as a comment or remark of something and POST (column) as a piece of timber or metal fixed firmly in an upright position especially as a stay or support leads to the definition of a position, especially military, from which observations are made and from which artillery fire is directed

23a        Summons author without hesitation (4)
WRIT: The definition of a noun meaning summons or a legal document from a law court telling that one will be involved in a legal process and explaining what one must do is arrived at from WRIT[ER] (author) as an author or novelist or one who writes books or stories or articles or the like having removed (without) ER (hesitation) as an interjection used to express hesitation

24a        Russians ultimately in American airspace (5)
SINUS: The ultimate or final letter (ultimately) of [RUSSIAN]S followed by IN from the clue and US (American) as adjectival abbreviation for the United States or belonging to the United States takes to the definition of any of various air-filled cavities in the bones of the skull, especially one communicating with the nostrils

25a        Goodness associated with the unfinished story (4)
MYTH: MY (goodness) as an interjection used to express dismay or surprise followed by (associated with) TH[E] from the clue that is devoid of its last letter (unfinished) guides to the definition of an ancient traditional story of gods or heroes, especially one offering an explanation of some fact or phenomenon

Down

1d          Lost doctor swallowing special rum (9)
MISPLACED: The definition of a verb in the past tense denoting lost something temporarily by forgetting where one has put it is obtained from MD (doctor) as the abbreviation for Doctor of Medicine, as referring to a physician who has earned a doctorate degree in medicine and specifically allopathic medicine gulping or taking inside (swallowing) an anagram (rum) of SPECIAL

2d          In North Country area’s very blissful state (7)
NIRVANA: Placed inside (in) a combo of N (North) as the abbreviation for North, IRAN (Country) as a mountainous, arid and ethnically diverse country located at the crossroads of West, Central and South Asia and A (area) as the abbreviation for area is V (very) as the abbreviation for very, where ‘area is’ represents area’s from the clue, taking to the definition of a blissful state or a state of perfect blessedness achieved by the extinction of individual existence and by the absorption of the soul into the supreme spirit or any place of complete bliss and delight and peace

3d          See 13 Across

4d          Leader sacrificed, forty let out in chance event (7)
LOTTERY: An anagram (out) of a combo of [F]ORTY that is having its leading or initial letter (leader) removed (sacrificed) and LET from the clue leads to the definition of a situation whose success or outcome is governed by chance or something that is regarded as a chance event

5d          Endless criticism about old philosopher (5)
STOIC: STIC[K] (criticism) as an informal term for severe criticism or treatment that is devoid of its end or terminal letter (endless) placed around (about) O (old) as the abbreviation for old as OT in Old Testament guides to the definition of any disciple of Zeno, a Hellenistic philosopher from Citium, Cyprus, who founded the Stoic school of philosophy, which was taught by him in Athens from about 300 BC

6d          Cheap paper‘s latest run? (9)
NEWSPRINT: The definition of the cheap, fairly rough paper on which newspapers are printed is reached from a charade of NEW (latest) as latest or having recently come into existence or use and SPRINT (run) as an act or short spell of running at full speed

7d          Regularly set up roads in an Orwellian superstate (7)
EURASIA: The regular or alternate letters (regularly) of [S]E[T] U[P] R[O]A[D]S and I[N] A[N] takes to the definition of a superstate comprising continental Europe, Russia all the way to the Bering Strait, a small sliver of North Africa and a big chunk of the Middle East and Central Asia, as described by George Orwell in his book ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ that he wrote in 1948

12d        Host acts badly gorging Japanese dish (9)
SACRAMENT: The definition of the consecrated elements of the Eucharist, especially the bread, as in use by the Roman Catholics is arrived at from an anagram (badly) of ACTS taking inside or filling (gorging) RAMEN (Japanese dish) as a Japanese dish of clear broth containing vegetables, noodles and often pieces of meat

13d        Adult record in a sense showing equivalence (9)
ANALOGOUS: A combo of A (adult) as the abbreviation for adult signifying the rating of motion pictures meant for only the adult viewers in some countries and LOG (record) as a regular or systematic record of incidents or observations or a record of a ship’s performance and experiences placed inside (in) another combo of A from the clue and NOUS (sense) as a slang term for common sense or practical intelligence takes to the definition of an adjective meaning bearing some resemblance or equivalence

14d        Stick it out, then abandon final (4-5)
LAST-DITCH: A charade of LAST (stick it out) as to survive, endure or manage to continue in a state or position and (then) DITCH (abandon) as a slang term for a verb meaning to abandon, discard or get rid of guides to the definition of an adjective meaning done or made as a final recourse, especially to prevent a crisis or disaster

16d        Love to be in credit for the month (7)
OCTOBER: O (love) as the score of zero in a game of tennis followed by TO BE from the clue placed inside (in) CR (credit) as the abbreviation for credit takes to the definition of the tenth month of the year that comes after September and before November

17d        Put honey in traps set up to catch midget (7)
SWEETEN: The definition of a verb meaning to ‘put honey in’ as in ‘he sweetens/puts honey in his bedtime drink’ to cite an example is reached from NETS (traps) as the plural of a trap of various sizes made of netting to catch fish, birds or insects seen going upwards (set up) as a reversal in the down clue to hold inside (catch) WEE (midget) as an adjective meaning little or very small

18d        Guy disheartened after a game in defence (7)
APOLOGY: G[U]Y from the clue having its heart or the inner letter removed (disheartened) preceded by or following (after) a combo of A from the clue and POLO (game) as a game played between two teams who ride horses and carry long wooden hammers with which they hit a small, hard ball, trying to score goals leads to the definition of a defence or justification or an apologia that is a formal written defence of one’s opinions or conduct

20d        See 3 Across

The clues that I liked in this puzzle were 3a/20d, 8a, 11a, 13a/3d, 24a, 25a and 12d; 11a being the best of the lot. My prayers to the Almighty for the eternal rest and peace of BD and my thanks to the setter for the entertainment and to Gazza for the assistance. Looking forward to being here again. Have a pleasant day.