DT 30719 (full review)

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30719

A full review by Rahmat Ali

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This puzzle was published on 14^th September 2024

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

Greetings from Kolkata. A nice straightforward Saturday puzzle from NYDK that I enjoyed solving and thereafter writing a review of the same for your meticulous reading and valuable comments.

On the dot, the answer to the clue of 15a, took me down memory lane and I compared the prompt service of State Bank of India in the mid-1980s when I had to send £10 to The Poetry Society, London for participating in a poetry competition to the (what to say?) service of the Bank today when I am in desperate need to send online a mere £1 to The Telegraph, London for accessing onsite the daily puzzles. At that time, I worked at the Bank’s Local Head Office in Calcutta. The Bank’s Park Street Branch was a five-minute walk from the Local Head Office. The day I arrived there, an International Bank Draft for £10 payable to The Poetry Society, London was in my hand in a ten-minute. Today, I have been trying for more than a month to pay through Paypal to The Telegraph, London a very small amount of only £1 using all the three International Debit Cards that I possess, two at the Bank’s Park Circus Branch and one at the Bank’s High Court Branch, both in the city that is now called Kolkata. The branches tried their best to help me; they activated my cards for doing international transactions, but none worked till date. Each of the cards gave the message “Try a different card”. Park Circus Branch even escalated the matter to the Corporate Centre at Mumbai, but the matter could not be resolved. Situated at the centre of a developed nation, State Bank of India, London Main Branch, I presume, may be in a position to guide their superiors at Corporate Centre in Mumbai on how to resolve this issue. I may not be a big customer of the Bank, but certainly I would like to see that the Bank must not disrespect my wish by further wasting my time, rather be ‘on the dot’ to advise me “Approach a foreign bank, we can’t help you.”

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

1a          So become unhinged? (4,1,5,5)
HAVE A SCREW LOOSE: A cryptic definition of an informal phrase meaning to be (so become) deranged or defective, disturbed or unbalanced, especially mentally (unhinged)

9a          See 22 Down

10a        Dim learner coming into assembly (5)
UNLIT: The definition of an adjective meaning dim or without illumination is reached from L (learner) as appearing in an L-plate each displayed at the front and back of a vehicle denoting a learner driver brought inside (coming into) UNIT (assembly) as an integrated assembly of parts that performs a subsidiary function

11a        Not Little Rock? You’re in Colorado here! (7)
BOULDER: Double nounal definition; the second being a home rule city in and the county seat of Boulder County in Colorado, United States that takes to the first referring to a large rock, typically one that has been transported by natural agencies from its native bed and worn smooth by erosion

12a        Sign reversed by top mathematician (6)
EUCLID: CUE (sign) as a sign to an actor to speak etc the last words of another actor’s speech etc coming from the other side (reversed) as a reversal in the across clue having alongside (by) LID (top) as a movable top or cover of a box, chest, jar or pan leads to the definition of a Greek mathematician who lived in Alexandria, Egypt and worked at the Library of Alexandria

15a        Sharp tooth with end damaged (2,3,3)
ON THE DOT: The definition of an informal idiom meaning sharp, prompt or exactly is arrived at from an anagram (damaged) of a combo of TOOTH and (with) END

16a        German runner perhaps in lederhosen (4)
EDER: Part of or hiding inside (in) [L]EDER[HOSEN] takes to the definition of perhaps the name of a 117-kilometre-long major runner or flower, indicating a river in Germany that begins in the eastern Northern Rhine-Westphalia and flows it to Hesse, where it empties into the River Fulda

19a        Interact periodically – that’s smart (4)
NEAT: The regular or alternate letters (periodically) of iNtErAcT guides to the definition of an adjective meaning smart, trim, tidy or well groomed

20a        SAS carrying old pine provided (2,4,2)
SO LONG AS: SAS from the clue having inside (carrying) a combo of O (old) as the abbreviation for old as OT in Old Testament and LONG (pine) as a verb meaning to pine, yearn or desire something produces the definition of a conjunction meaning provided that or during the time that

23a        Swimmer’s position restricting current (6)
PLAICE: The definition of a large edible marine flatfish of European coastal waters that is undoubtedly a swimmer is got from PLACE (position) as a job, post or position having inside or intervened by (restricting) I (current) as the conventional symbol for current in physics

24a and 27 Down            A&E man saves poorly violinist (7-3)
VANESSA-MAE: An anagram (poorly) of a combination of A and (&) E MAN SAVES takes to the definition of a British violinist with album sales reaching several million, having made her the wealthiest entertainer under 30 in the United Kingdom in 2006

26a        Persuasive people mass in Yemeni port (5)
ADMEN: The definition of the plural of a noun meaning plugger, promoter or booster is arrived at from M (mass) as the official symbol for the quantity mass as in physics and chemistry placed inside (in) ADEN (Yemeni port) as the largest and one of the most important ports in Yemen

28a        Disastrous events: anger fades after time (9)
TRAGEDIES: The definition of the plural of a disastrous event, especially one involving distressing loss or injury to life is got from a combo of RAGE (anger) as a fit of anger and DIES (fades) as a verb in the simple present third person singular form meaning fades or ceases existing, often gradually placed after or preceded by (after) T (time) as the symbol for time in physics

29a        Ann working with dad sells this archipelago (8,7)
SHETLAND ISLANDS: An anagram (working) of ANN and (with) DAD SELLS THIS guides to the definition of an archipelago of about 100 islands in the North Atlantic off the north coast of Scotland

Down

1d          Potato side in mess supplied with roasts (4,6)
HASH BROWNS: The definition of pre-cooked potatoes, diced or mashed, mixed with chopped onion, seasoned and fried until brown is arrived from a charade of HASH (mess) as a mess, jumble or muddle and BROWNS (roasts) as a verb in the simple present third person singular form meaning roasts or fries to a brown colour

2d          Airborne emission from ground up to arrival (6,5)
VAPOUR TRAIL: The definition of a white trail of condensed vapour left by high-flying aircraft is obtained from an anagram (ground) of UP TO ARRIVAL

3d          Cut down in a game with Germany (8)
ABRIDGED: The definition of a verb in the past tense meaning cut down or shortened by condensing, especially of a piece of writing is reached from A from the clue followed by BRIDGE (game) as a card game related to whist, played by four players in two competing partnerships who at the beginning of each hand bid for the right to declare a trump suit, seek to win tricks equal to the final bid and play with the hand of declarer’s partner exposed and played by declarer and D (Germany) as the abbreviation for Deutschland, the German word for Germany

4d          Bird on elevated moor in virtual space (4,4)
CHAT ROOM: CHAT (bird) as any small songbird of a subfamily Turdinae of thrushes placed upon (on) MOOR from the clue that is raised (elevated) as a reversal in the down clue leads to the definition of a designated virtual channel where users communicate with each other through the internet, traditionally in plain text only

5d          In Madrid the consistent team? (6)
ELEVEN: A charade of EL (in Madrid the) as the Spanish for masculine singular definite article ‘the’ that can be heard in Madrid, the capital of Spain and EVEN (consistent) as steady or consistent takes to the definition of a team of eleven players as in cricket, football, hockey etc

6d          Send out power-driven boat (6)
LAUNCH: Double definition; the second being a noun referring to a large power-drive boat for pleasure or short runs that directs to the first a verb meaning to send out, dart or catapult

7d          Loud cry from Cockney winger (3)
OWL: Double nounal definition; the second being a nocturnal bird of prey with large eyes, a facial disc, a hooked beak and typically a loud hooting call that guides to the first referring to a loud, prolonged cry of distress as the Cockney version for the word ‘howl’

8d          Poet denied potassium has food (4)
EATS: [K]EATS (poet) as one of the celebrated English poets of the second generation of Romantic poets devoid of (denied) K (potassium) as the symbol for potassium in chemistry takes to the definition of a verb in the simple present tense third person singular form meaning has or consumes food

13d        No 1 sign diet needs adjusting? (11)
INDIGESTION: A cryptic definition of a disorder of digestive function characterised by discomfort, heartburn or nausea, obviously leading to adjustment in diet as the first priority is arrived at from an anagram (needs adjusting) of NO I SIGN DIET in this all-in-one clue, where 1 has been represented as I, the Roman numeral for one

14d        Spring locks outside – enters illegally (10)
TRESPASSES: SPA (spring) as a mineral spring having surrounded by (outside) TRESSES (locks) as the plural of a long lock or piece, strand, tuft or ringlet of hair guides to the definition of a verb in the simple present third person singular form meaning enters wrongfully upon land belonging to another

17d        Dish last on menu in Slovakia almost cooked (8)
SOUVLAKI: The definition of a Greek dish of lamb, consisting of pieces of seasoned meat roasted on skewers, similar to a shish kebab is reached from the last or terminal letter (last) on [MEN]U placed inside (in) an anagram (cooked) of most of the letters (almost) of SLOVAKI[A]

18d        Line with Bad Romance that could become mush (8)
CORNMEAL: L (line) as the abbreviation for line preceded or supported by (with) an anagram (bad) of ROMANCE leads to the definition of a meal made from corn, used in a wide variety of foods, an example of which can be mush or cornmeal boiled in water of milk until thick

21d        Extraordinary gesture (6)
SIGNAL: Double definition; the second being a noun referring to any sign, gesture, token etc serving to communicate information that directs to the first an adjective meaning outstanding, extraordinary or remarkable

22d and 9 Across            Is it 27 on magnificent horse in Somerset town? (6-5-4)
WESTON-SUPER-MARE: Perhaps referring to the surname of the actress of the yesteryears Mae WEST (Is is 27 …?) that has her forename appearing in 27d, followed by ON from the clue, SUPER (magnificent) as an informal term for an adjective meaning glorious, terrific or magnificent and MARE (horse) as an adult female horse, leading to the definition of a seaside town and civil parish in the North Somerset unitary authority area in the county of Somerset, England

25d        Low voice not pure on the radio (4)
BASS: The definition of a male singing voice of the lowest range is attained from a homophone (on the radio) of BASE (not pure) as vile, worthless, debased or not pure

27d        See 24 Across

The clues that I liked in this puzzle were 1a, 11a, 12a, 23a, 28a, 4d, 7d, 13d and the combo of 22d&9a; 1a being the best of the lot. My prayers to the Almighty for the eternal rest and peace of BD and my thanks to NYDK for the entertainment and to Gazza for the assistance. Looking forward to be here again. Have a nice day.