ST 3293 (full review)

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3293

A full review by Rahmat Ali

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This puzzle was published on 1^st December 2024

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

Greetings from Kolkata. A tough though entertaining 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.

I was aware of both Homer, the blind Greek poet to whom are attributed the ‘Iliad’ and the ‘Odyssey’ and homer, the homing pigeon that formed part of the wordplay to the clue of 26a, but I knew too much of Homer and too little of homer, so I took to the net and updated my information on the gentle bird. Homer is the colloquial term for the homing pigeon that is also called a mail pigeon or messenger pigeon. The homing pigeon is a type of domestic pigeon. It is selectively bred for its ability to find its way home over extremely long distances. This skill helped these birds to carry messages and the practice came to be known as ‘pigeon post’. They were used commercially to deliver communication until the advent of telephones. When used during wars, they were obviously called as ‘war pigeons’. Their average flying speed over moderate 600 miles is around 60 miles per hour that can also increase to 100 miles per hour. Homing pigeons were potentially being used for pigeon post in Ancient Egypt by 1350 BCE. Messages were tied around the legs of the pigeon, which was freed and could reach its original nest. The sport of flying messenger pigeons was well-established as early as 3000 years ago. They were used to proclaim the winner of the Ancient Olympics. Messenger pigeons were used as early as 1150 in Baghdad and also later by Genghis Khan, the 13th-century warrior in central Asia who founded the Mongol Empire, which stretched from the Pacific Ocean to Europe. By 1167, a regular service between Baghdad and Syria had been established by Sultan Nur ad-Din. In Damietta, by the mouth of the Nile, the Spanish traveller, Pedro Tafur saw carrier pigeons for the first time, in 1436, though he imagined that the birds made round trips, out and back. The Republic of Genoa equipped their system of watch towers in the Mediterranean Sea with pigeon posts. In the Indian subcontinent, Tipu Sultan, the ruler of Mysore (1750–1799) also used messenger pigeons; they returned to the Jamia Masjid mosque in Srirangapatna, his headquarters. The pigeon holes may be seen in the mosque’s minarets even to this day. In 1818, a great pigeon race called the Cannonball Run took place at Brussels The outcome of the 1815 Battle of Waterloo has often been claimed to have been delivered to London by pigeon but there is no evidence for this and it is very unlikely; the pigeon post was rare until the 1820s. During the Franco-Prussian War, pigeons were used to carry mail between besieged Paris and the French unoccupied territory. In December 1870, it took ten hours for a pigeon carrying microfilms to fly from Perpignan to Brussels. By the 19^th century, homing pigeons were used extensively for military communications and newspapers sometimes used carrier pigeons. To get news from Europe quicker, some New York City newspapers used carrier pigeons. The distance from Europe to Halifax, Nova Scotia, is relatively short. So reporters stationed themselves in Halifax, wrote the information received from incoming ships and put the messages in capsules attached to the legs of homing pigeons. The birds would then fly from Halifax to New York City where the information would be published. The Taliban banned the keeping or use of pigeons, including racing pigeons, in Afghanistan in the late 1990s. Homing pigeons were still employed in the 21^st century by certain remote police departments in the Odisha state in eastern India to provide emergency communication services following natural disasters. In March 2002, it was announced that India’s Police Pigeon Service messenger system in Odisha was to be retired, due to the expanded use of the Internet.

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

8a          Hour squeezed into minute – woohoo! (4)
WHEE: H (hour) as the abbreviation for hour taken inside (squeezed into) WEE (minute) as tiny, minute or very small takes to the definition of an expression of delight, exuberance etc, an example of which is woohoo, that is an exclamation of joy, approval etc

9a          Express mood (3)
AIR: Double definition; the first being a verb meaning to express an opinion or grievance publicly and the second a noun referring to a mood or general impression produced by a predominant quality or characteristic

10a        Those remaining parents head ignored (6)
OTHERS: The definition of a pronoun denoting those remaining or a further or additional persons or things of the type already mentioned is deduced from [M]OTHERS (parents) as the plural of the female parent of children, the initial or leading letter of which (head) is not taken into account (ignored)

11a        Rough rocks in position (6)
OFFICE: A charade of OFF (rough) as unwell or rough and ICE (rocks) as rocks e.g. a drink of Scotch (whisky) served with ice can be referred to as ‘Scotch on the rocks’ leads to the definition of a position of authority or services, typically one of a public nature

12a        Fox, don’t be so tame? (8)
BEWILDER: BE WILDER (don’t be so tame) as to be more undomesticated or untamed or not to be so tame or cultivated takes to the definition of a verb meaning to fox, baffle or perplex someone

13a        Continually, one thing following another anagrammatically? (5,5,5)
NIGHT AFTER NIGHT:The definition of a phrase meaning continually or repeatedly for consecutive nights, usually for a long, indefinite period of time is arrived at from one THING undergoing the rearrangement of its letters (anagrammatically) AFTER (following) as preceded by or placed after THING (another) as the same thing occurring in the beginning with the same rearrangement

15a        In the zone where butter might be found? (2,1,4)
ON A ROLL: Double phrasal definition; the second being the obvious answer that butter might be found on a roll that takes to the first meaning on a streak of success or intense activity, an example of which is ‘in the zone’, an informal American expression denoting to be in a state of heightened active concentration or peak performance or making great choices and flowing through an activity with ease and skill

17a        The last moves, crafty behaviour? (7)
STEALTH: THE LAST from the clue subject to an anagram (moves) guides to the definition of a crafty furtive movement

20a        Error from Hogwarts student? (8,7)
SPELLING MISTAKE: The definition of an error in the conventionally accepted form of spelling a word in this all-in-one clue is cryptically reached from MISTAKE (error) as error, fault or blunder in SPELLING (from Hogwarts students) as referring to casting spell through witchery or wizardry as taught to students at Hogwarts, a fictional boarding school of magic for young wizard, that is MISTAKE from SPELING or, precisely, SPELLING MISTAKE

23a        Folks connected with remarkable epics, for example (8)
SPECIMEN: MEN (folks) as humans or persons, regardless of sex or age, and example which is folks, referring to people in general coming after or preceded by (connected with) an anagram (remarkable) of EPICS that takes to the definition of an example regarded as typical of its class

25a        A king engaged by princess in martial art (6)
KARATE: A combo of A from the clue and R (king) as the abbreviation for rex, the Latin word for king held or placed inside (engaged by) KATE (princess) as referring to Catherine, Princess of Wales and a member of the British royal family who is reported by the media as Kate, a diminutive form of Catherine that produces the definition of a Japanese martial art of unarmed self-defence using blows, now a popular combative sport

26a        Homer, say, Greek character gone travelling (6)
PIGEON: The definition of a stout seed or fruit-eating bird with a small head, short legs and a cooing voice, typically having grey and white plumage, an example of which is a homer that is a homing pigeon or a pigeon trained to return home is arrived at from PI (Greek character) as the sixteenth letter of the Greek alphabet followed by an anagram (travelling) of GONE

27a        Relative goes to town, finally (3)
SON: The definition of a boy or man in relation to either or both of his parents is reached from each of the final or terminal letters (finally) of [GOE]S [T]O [TOW]N

28a        Middle torn from book for Christmas (4)
NOEL: The middle letter (middle) from NO[V]EL (book) as a printed and bound book that is an extended work of fiction is removed (torn), guiding to the definition of another word for Christmas, especially as a refrain in carols and on Christmas cards, that is also written as NOËL

Down

1d          Look ridiculous if thus (6)
SHUFTI: The definition of a quick look around, originally military slang, is arrived at from an anagram (ridiculous) of IF THUS

2d          Crack that’s deep, rich ground (8)
DECIPHER: The definition of a verb meaning to crack to change a secret message from code into ordinary language is fetched from an anagram (ground) of DEEP, RICH

3d          Where American game played, party cutting bottom card (8,7)
BASEBALL DIAMOND: The definition of a baseball field or a ball field upon which the game of baseball, pertaining mostly to North America, is played is fetched from BALL (party) as a large formal party for dancing intervening by getting inside and separating (cutting) BASE (bottom) as the bottom of something considered as its support and DIAMOND (card) as one of the four suits in a conventional pack of playing cards, denoted by a red diamond

4d          Honour expert by admitting it (7)
PROBITY: The definition of a noun meaning honesty, decency or uprightness is got from PRO (expert) as an expert in a field of endeavour followed by BY from the clue taking inside (admitting) IT from the clue

5d          Rugby player, skinny man advanced (7-8)
FORWARD-THINKING: A charade of FORWARD (rugby player) as a rugby player who participates in scrums and line-outs and attempts to win the ball for their team, THIN (skinny) as skinny or having little or too little flesh or fat on the body, KING (man) as the principle chess piece that can move one square in any direction guides to the definition of an adjective meaning advanced or planning or tending to plan for the future

6d          Spice that’s crisp, by the sound of it? (6)
CHILLI: The definition of a small hot-tasting pod of a variety of capsicum, used in sauces, relishes and spice powders is obtained from a homophone heard by the audience (by the sound of it) of CHILI (crisp) as uncomfortably or unpleasantly cold, an example of which is crisp that is cool, fresh and invigorating, especially of the weather

7d          Lake in Manchester I expect (4)
ERIE: The definition of the fourth-largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally is extracted from part of or hiding inside (in) [MANCHEST]ER I E[XPECT]

14d        Success severely affected (3)
HIT: Double definition; the first being a noun denoting a smash or a conspicuous success and the second a verb in the past tense meaning affected, especially adversely or severely

16d        Pinch sharp object, pulling it up (3)
NIP: The definition of a verb meaning to bite or pinch sharply in reached from PIN (sharp object) as a small, sharp device that is made for attaching and holding things together being lifted (pulling it up) as a reversal in the down clue

18d        A broken ringlet becoming different (8)
ALTERING: A from the clue followed by an anagram (broken) of RINGLET leads to the definition of a verb in the continuous form meaning changing, making or becoming different

19d        Worry if cricket side is in time (7)
AGONISE: The definition of a verb meaning to undergo great mental anguish through worrying about something is arrived at from a combo of ON (cricket side) as the on side in cricket on which the batsman stands normally the bowler’s right and IS from the clue placed inside (in) AGE (time) as the time of life reached or of being old

21d        Eclair that’s decorated, more fancy (6)
LACIER: ECLAIR from the clue subject to an anagram (that’s decorated) guides to the definition of an adjective in the comparative degree meaning fancier or gauzier with small, ornate details

22d        Stuff figure, something small and furry (6)
KITTEN: A charade of KIT (stuff) as a set of articles or equipment needed for a specific purpose and TEN (figure) as a cardinal number one more than nine leads to the definition of a baby cat that is something small and furry

24d        Charity after little money – given it? (4)
PAID: AID (charity) as the aid or voluntary giving of help, typically in the form of money, to those in need coming after or preceded by (after) P (little money) as the abbreviation for penny that refers to a small sum of money leads to the definition of a verb in the participle form meaning given someone the money that is due for work done, goods received or a debt incurred

The clues that I liked in this puzzle were 8a, 12a, 13a, 15a, 20a, 25a, 26a, 2d and 5d; 26a 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.