ST 3278 (full review)

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3278

A full review by Rahmat Ali

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This puzzle was published on 18^th August 2024

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

Greetings from Kolkata. An excellent though tough puzzle from Dada this Sunday that I enjoyed solving and thereafter writing a full review of his puzzle for your kind perusal and significant feedback.

Signori, the answer to the clue of 13a, reminded me once again of the days when I was the lone student learning Italian at Atulya Ghosh Institute of Languages in Kolkata a decade ago. I was fascinated by the genders and numbers of the Italian grammar. To this day, I could remember vividly that: gentleman is ‘signore’, while gentlemen are ‘signori’; lady is ‘signora’ while ladies are ‘signore’. Thus, we can see that ‘signore’ is the common word for both the singular gentleman and the plural ladies. But the gender is ascertained through the correct use of ‘the’ in the Italian language. Thus, the gentleman is ‘il signore’, while the gentlemen are ‘i signori’; the lady is ‘la signora’ while the ladies are ‘le signore’.

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

1a          Mark on bill, figure applied to various grains (6,4)
DOLLAR SIGN: DOLL (figure) as a small model of a human figure, typically one of a baby or girl, used as a child’s toy placed before (applied to) an anagram (various) of GRAINS leads to the definition of a mark $ placed before a number on a bill etc to indicate that it stands for dollars, also known as dollar mark

6a          Lost in maze, romantic love (4)
ZERO: Part of or hidden inside (lost in) [MA]ZE, RO[MANTIC] takes to the definition of nought, nil or no quantity or number, an example of which is love in tennis, squash and some other sports representing a score of nil or zero

10a        Wind winds backwards! (5)
SPOOL: LOOPS (winds) as a verb in the third person simple present tense singular form meaning winds around something in coils coming from the opposite side (backwards) as a reversal in the across clue guides to the definition of a verb meaning to wind or be wound onto a reel

11a        One with knowledge on dough, moist once kneaded (9)
ECONOMIST: The definition of a person who has special knowledge or is a professional and practitioner in the social science discipline of economics that is the study of wealth or dough, for example, that is a slang term for money is fetched from an anagram (kneaded) of MOIST ONCE

12a        Small unnamed object, eh? Anything but! (7)
WHATNOT: The definition of a stand with shelves for small objects is reached from a charade of WHAT (eh?) as an interjection used in expressing surprise, an example of which is ‘eh’ that serves as another interjection used in expressing inquiry or failure to hear or slight surprise and NOT (anything but) as an adverb used in understatements to suggest that the opposite of a following word or phrase is true, an example of which is the idiom ‘anything but’ meaning not at all, not in any way or indicating just the opposite of something

13a        Men, determined soldiers from the East (7)
SIGNORI: A combo of IRON (determined) as resolute or determined and GIS (soldiers) as the plural for GI that is an informal term for a soldier in the United States armed forces, especially the army, reinterpreted as ‘government issue’ or ‘general issue’ that is coming from the eastern side (from the East) as a reversal in the across clue, leading to the definition of the plural of a title or form of address used of or to an Italian speaking man, corresponding to Mr or Sir

14a        Shiner produced when one European confronts another (6,6)
FRENCH POLISH: The definition of a shiny varnish for furniture, consisting chiefly of shellac dissolved in spirit is arrived at when FRENCH or a person from France that is in the European continent (one European) meets or comes in front of (confronts) POLISH or a person from Poland that is also in the European continent and hence another European (another)

18a        Stop game for ball hitter (6,6)
SQUASH RACKET: A charade of SQUASH (stop) as to put a stop to or to suppress or subdue a feeling or action and RACKET (game) as an illegal enterprise carried on for profit, such as extortion, fraud, prostitution, drug peddling etc, an example of which is the game, a slang term for prostitution takes to the definition of a small racket with a long handle used to hit the ball in a game of squash

21a        Nice gal, remarkably divine (7)
ANGELIC: An anagram (remarkably) of NICE GAL yields the definition of an adjective meaning holy, seraphic, celestial or divine

23a        Artist on for a second time recalled in Monroe film? (7)
NIAGARA: RA (artist) as the abbreviation for Royal Academician, denoting a practising artist of the Royal Academy of Arts preceded by or coming after (on) AGAIN (a second time) as an adverb meaning once more or a second time seen returning (recalled) as a reversal in the across clue guides to the definition of a 1953 American thriller that starred Marilyn Monroe

24a        Girl behind male in vegetation (9)
STAGNANCY: NANCY (girl) as the name of a girl preceded by or coming after (behind) STAG (male) as an adjective meaning male as in ‘stag party’ takes to the definition of a state of inactivity, an example of which is vegetation meaning idleness, lethargy or a life devoid of mental or social activity

25a        Place between tines spaced out? (5)
INSET: The definition of a verb meaning to set in or to insert or place between or within is obtained from an anagram (spaced out) of TINES

26a        Facial feature senses through the ears? (4)
NOSE: The definition of a facial feature that is the part projecting about the mouth on the face, containing the nostrils and used for breathing and smelling is arrived at from a homophone heard by the audience (through the ears) of KNOWS (senses) as a verb in the simple present tense third person singular form meaning senses, understands or recognises

27a        Star element in US agent (7,3)
LEADING MAN: The definition of an actor who plays the principal male role in a motion picture or play, an example of which is a star or the one who plays the leading role in a film is got from LEAD (element) as a soft heavy toxic malleable metallic element, IN from the clue and G-MAN (US agent) as an agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States

Down

1d          Drop pig amid much squealing? (6)
DISOWN: SOW (pig) as the word for a female pig placed inside (amid) DIN (much squealing) as a jumble of loud, usually discordant sounds takes to the definition of a verb meaning to cast off, drop, abandon or repudiate someone

2d          Sponge I see as base for upside-down dessert (6)
LOOFAH: The definition of the fibrous network of the fruit of a tropical plant of the gourd family, which is dried, bleached and used as a hard, rough bath sponge is deduced from AH (I see) as an interjection expressing surprise, joy, pity etc equivalent to the idiom ‘I see’ meaning I understanding or comprehend what you mean that is written below (as base for) FOOL (dessert) as a cold dessert made of pureed fruit mixed or served with cream or custard that is seen inverted (upside-down) as a reversal in the down clue

3d          A tired sport? (3-2,9)
ALL-IN WRESTLING: The definition of a style of professional wrestling with no intentionally agreed set of rules in this all in one clue is cryptically arrived at from a charade of ALL IN (tired) as an idiom meaning tired or exhausted and WRESTLING (sport) as a sport in which two opponents struggle hand to hand in order to pin or press each other’s shoulders to the mat or ground, with the style, rules and regulations

4d          Sugar in carrot? (9)
SWEETENER: Double nounal definition; the second referring to an offer of something enticing as a means of persuasion, often contrasted with the threat of something punitive or unwelcome that takes to the first denoting a sweet crystalline substance obtained from various plants, consisting essentially of sucrose, and used to sweeten food and drink

5d          Improper amount of weight (5)
GROSS: Double definition; the second being a noun referring to the amount of weight or specifically the total weight of the contents, for example, of a parcel that includes the weight of the box, the wrapping, the stickers and the item or items kept inside the box that takes to the first an adjective meaning improper, indecent, coarse or vulgar

7d          Constant written in code is inconstant in parts (8)
EPISODIC: PI (constant) as a mathematical constant that is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter, approximately equal to 3.14159 put inside (written in) an anagram (inconstant) of CODE IS guides to the definition of an adjective meaning in parts or divided or separated into parts or sections

8d          Clear off, certainly (8)
OUTRIGHT: The definition of an adjective meaning clear and undisputed is obtained from a charade of OUT (off) as off, mistaken or in error and RIGHT (certainly) as an interjection expression agreement, acquiescence or readiness

9d          Locating no more rubbish, miscellaneous objects piled up (14)
CONGLOMERATION: An anagram (rubbish) of LOCATING NO MORE takes to the definition of an occurrence combining miscellaneous things into a somewhat rounded mass

15d        Pedestrian, cheeky and naughty (9)
HACKNEYED: The definition of an adjective meaning pedestrian or dull by excessive use is reached from an anagram (naughty) of CHEEKY AND

16d        Person hired to kill, while special forces failing (8)
ASSASSIN: The definition of a murderer, especially one who kills a prominent figure by a surprise attack and is often hired to do the deed is arrived at from a charade of AS (while) as an adverb expressing while or when, SAS (special forces) as an abbreviation of Special Air Service that is a special forces unit of the British Army and SIN (failing) as failure to adhere to moral practices

17d        Fine material deleted, good girl! (3,5)
CUT GLASS: The definition of a glassware shaped or decorated by cutting instruments or abrasive wheels is ascertained from a charade of CUT (deleted) as a verb in the past tense meaning removed, deleted or omitted, G (good) as the abbreviation for good and LASS (girl) as a girl or young woman

19d        Oily substance in wood, medicinal primarily (6)
BALSAM: The definition of an aromatic resinous oily substance exuded by various trees and shrubs and used as a base for certain fragrance and medical preparations is got from BALSA (wood) as very light wood that is soft and easily cut, sometimes used in making models of aircraft etc followed by the primary or initial letter (primarily) of M[EDICINAL]

20d        Pasty on heap, loose (6)
WANTON: WAN (pasty) as pale and giving the impression of illness or exhaustion, especially of a person’s complexion or appearance placed upon (on) TON (heap) as a large number or amount in the down clue leads to the definition of an adjective meaning loose, immoral, licentious or lewd

22d        Top of oar in stick for boat (5)
CANOE: The topmost or first letter (top) of O[AR] in the down clue placed inside (in) CANE (stick) as referring to a walking-stick takes to the definition of a light, narrow, flat-bottomed boat, propelled by one or more paddles

There were many clues that I liked in this puzzle such as 12a, 14a, 24a, 27a, 1d, 2d, 3d, 4d, 7d and 9d; 1d being the best of the lot. 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.