DT 30809 (full review)

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30809

A full review by Rahmat Ali

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This puzzle was published on 28^th December 2024

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

Greetings from Kolkata. A fairly straightforward and entertaining Saturday puzzle from the setter that I enjoyed solving and thereafter writing a review of the same for your kind perusal and valuable feedback.

This time, I wanted to know the etymology of Cleopatra, the answer to the clue of 10a, so after finishing the puzzle, I took to the net to learn that the Latinised form Cleopatra comes from ancient Greek Kleopátra, as meaning ‘glory of her father’. The masculine form would have been written either as Kleopátra or Pátroklos. Cleopatra was the name of the sister of Alexander the Great. She was the Cleopatra of Macedonia, as well as the wife of Meleager in Greek mythology, Cleopatra of Alcyone. The name entered the Ptolemaic dynasty through the marriage of Ptolemy V Epiphanes and Cleopatra Syra, a Seleucid princess. Cleopatra adopted title Theā́ Philopátōra which means ‘goddess who loves her father’. Ptolemaic pharaohs were crowned by the Egyptian high priest of Ptah at Memphis, but stayed in the multicultural and largely Greek city of Alexandria, established by Alexander the Great. They spoke Greek and ruled Egypt as Hellenistic Greek monarchs, refusing to learn the native Egyptian language. On the contrary, it was Cleopatra who could speak multiple language by the time she grew up and was the first Ptolemaic ruler known to learn the Egyptian language. Plutarch implies that she also spoke Ethiopian, the language of the ‘Troglodytes’, Hebrew or Aramaic, Arabic, the Syrian language Median and Parthian and she seemingly speak also Latin, although her Roman contemporaries would have preferred of speak with her in her native Koine Greek.

Landau, the answer to the clue of 16a, reminded me of my very early childhood days. Landaus used to come to our locality in Calcutta during the time of wedding programmes. The carriages had to be booked in advance for the occasion. These days, the wedding ceremonies and parties take place mostly in the evening and wedding lightings of various sorts are the beauty of the occasions. But more than half a century ago, these ceremonies and parties used to happen in the daytime and rarely in the evening, since load shedding was a common phenomenon in those days.  The male persons of the bridegroom party would move along with the wedding band – the two most famous ones of Calcutta being the Mahboob Band and the Sohrab Band – and walk all the way to the house of the bride, while the womenfolk would take their seats inside the landaus, taking two or three children along with them and making them stand inside and shutting the windows so as to be in a state of seclusion and not seen by strangers on the way. As a child, I was myself inside a landau many a time, either standing or sitting on the lap of someone. The bridegroom would sit in an open carriage along with some of his friends. What was remarkable was the use of the word ‘landau’ in the local language. When the carriages arrived, a male relative would go inside the house and inform the waiting female folks to board them in Bengali, that is, landau ese gechhe (the landau has come), landau gadi ese gechhe (the landau carriage has come) or sob landau gadi ese gechhe (all the landau carriages have come).

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Across

1a          Drink picked up for Scandinavian (4)
LAPP: A homophone heard by the audience (picked up) of LAP (drink) as to drink by licking up guides to the definition of a native or inhabitant of Lapland that is situated in Scandinavia and consisting of a vast region that spans across Norway, Sweden and Finland

3a          See 19 Across

10a        Moved to palace that houses King and Queen (9)
CLEOPATRA: An anagram (moved) of TO PALACE has inside (that houses) R (King) as the abbreviation for rex, the Latin word for king guides to the definition of Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt who, as its last active ruler, reigned from 51 to 30 BC

11a        More old paintings recalled (5)
EXTRA: The definition of an adjective meaning beyond or more than the usual or the necessary is deduced from EX (old) as old or not following current trend or fashion followed by ART (paintings) as referring to one of the various branches of creative activity that also include music, literature and dance coming from the other end (recalled) as a reversal in the across clue

12a        See 28 Across

13a        Whose words may lead to action? (9)
SLANDERER: A cryptic definition of a person who slanders someone or damages their reputation by making a false spoken statement about them and is bound to be sued for defamation in a court of law

14a        Leaves when group performing inside (8)
ABANDONS: The definition of a verb in the present tense third person singular form denoting leaves or deserts is reached from AS (when) as an adverb expressing while or when having inside (inside) a combo of BAND (group) as a company or group of people bound together for any common purpose and ON (performing) as an adjective meaning performing or broadcasting

16a        Secure gold in horse-drawn carriage (6)
LANDAU: A charade of LAND (secure) as an informal term for a verb meaning to secure, obtain or win and AU (gold) as the chemical symbol for gold guides to the definition of a horse-drawn carriage with a folding top

19a, 24 Across, 3 Across and 20 Across   Line in 28 12 disrupted again? How to hear yodelling? All shh! (4,2,1,4,3,1,6,8)
HIGH ON A HILL WAS A LONELY GOATHERD: An anagram (disrupted) of AGAIN HOW TO HEAR YODELLING ALL SHH leads to the definition of a song from the movie ‘The Sound of Music’ that serves as the answer to the combined clue of 28 Across and 12 Across that was written for Maria, played by Julie Andrews, to comfort and distract the children after they find their way to her bedroom, frightened by the thunderstorm

20a        See 19 Across

22a        Wrong to stop assistant turning to reload (9)
REPLENISH: Coming from the other side (turning) as reversals in the across clue of SIN (wrong) as a moral offence and HELPER (assistant) as an assistant or a person who helps someone else to interrupt by getting inside (stop) takes to the definition of a verb meaning to refill, recharge or reload

24a        See 19 Across

26a        Drunken nuisance embodies listlessness (5)
ENNUI: Part of or hidden inside (embodies) of [DRUNK]EN NUI[SANCE] leads to the definition of a noun denoting boredom or a feeling of listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occupation or excitement

27a        County in Belgium – risk here, unusually (9)
BERKSHIRE: The definition of a ceremonial county in South East England is deduced from B (Belgium) as the IVR code for Belgium followed by an anagram (unusually) of RISK HERE

28a and 12 Across          Film spoils much fun, so it does (3,5,2,5)
THE SOUND OF MUSIC: An anagram (spoils) of MUCH FUN, SO IT DOES leads to the definition of the 1965 American musical drama film that starred Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer and was the highest-grossing film of the year and by November 1966, the highest-grossing film of all time, surpassing ‘Gone with the Wind’

29a        Winger losing front part of foot (4)
INCH: [F]INCH (winger) as a seed-eating songbird that typically has a stout bill and colourful plumage that is devoid of (losing) its initial or first letter (front) guides to the definition of a unit of linear measure equal to one twelfth of a foot

Down

1d          Substitute’s back pass? Let me think (5)
LOCUM: The definition of the short version of locum tenens that is a Latin phrase meaning a deputy or substitute or one filling an office temporarily taking the place of another, especially for a doctor or member of the clergy is reached from a reversal (back) of COL (pass) as referring to a depression or pass in a mountain range followed by UM (let me think) as an interjection used by speakers when momentarily hesitating or in doubt as if to indicate ‘let me think’

2d          Media silence about northern recruiters? (5,4)
PRESS GANG: PRESS (media) as newspapers and periodicals collectively followed by GAG (silence) as to silence or prevent someone from speaking freely or disseminating information placed around (about) N (northern) as the abbreviation for Northern guides to the definition of a gang or body of sailors under an officer, empowered to employ men forcibly into the navy

4d          Skilled people Sinatra played with succeeded (8)
ARTISANS: The definition of the plural of a person skilled in a utilitarian art, trade or craft, especially one that involves making things by hand is arrived at from an anagram (played) of SINATRA to which is added (with) S (succeeded) as the abbreviated for succeeded

5d          Where Noah found himself high and dry? (6)
ARARAT: A cryptic definition of the name of the mountain, on the summit of which the Ark of Noah came to rest after the biblical Flood, that was dry and way high above the maximum-risen sea level that was wet

6d          Beyond silly covering banker’s last debt (9)
OVERDRAFT: OVER (beyond) as a preposition denoting down from or beyond the edge of followed by DAFT (silly) as an adjective meaning silly, foolish or stupid hiding inside (covering) the final or terminal letter (last) of [BANKE]R (banker’s) takes to the definition of the overdrawing of a bank account that is sometimes allowed by the bank that becomes a debt or the amount owed by the drawer to the bank

7d          Leader in Aerosmith quits festival compound (5)
ESTER: The head or leading letter (leader) in A[EROSMITH] comes out of or leaves (quits) E[A]STER (festival) as the most important festival of the Christian Church, commemorating the Resurrection of Christ takes to the definition of a chemical compound that is formed by bonding of an alcohol group with a group of organic acids, by losing water molecules

8d          Order Yuan when travelling all the time? (4-5)
YEAR-ROUND: ORDER YUAN from the clue is subject to an anagram (when travelling) to yield the definition of an adjective denoting happening or continuing throughout the year

9d          Very impressive record in charge (4)
EPIC: The definition of an adjective denoting very impressive or heroic in quality is fetched from a charade of EP (record) as an extended-play record that lasts for about 8 minutes on each side and IC (in charge) as the abbreviation for in charge, preferably written as I/C

14d        Criminal ran brothel – not entirely detestable? (9)
ABHORRENT: An anagram (criminal) of RAN BROTHE[L] without taking into consideration the last letter (not entirely) leads to the definition of an adjective meaning detestable, loathsome or repugnant

15d        Couple protest about 101 bound by the dozen? (9)
DUODECIMO: DUO (couple) as referring to two persons, associated in some way, an example of which is couple denoting two persons considered as partners, especially a man and woman followed by DEMO (protest) as a colloquial term for demonstration, i.e. a public expression of feelings, especially of protest, as by a mass-meeting, a procession etc placed around (about) CI (101) as the Roman numeral for 101 leads to the definition of an adjective denoting bound by a dozen or twelve formed of sheets folded so as to make twelve leaves

17d        The German Renaissance painter – one to advise more greens? (9)
DIETITIAN: A charade of DIE (the German) as the German definite article meaning ‘the’ that is used in front of feminine singular nouns and TITIAN (Renaissance painter) as the celebrated English name of Tiziano Vecellio, the most important artist of Renaissance Venetian painting guides to the definition of an authority on diet or a specialist in the study of nutrition who is more likely to advise to include leafy green vegetables in diets because of their excellent nutritive value

18d        Seducer, reluctant, brought to a Brazilian port (8)
LOTHARIO: The definition of a man whose chief interest is seducing women is reached from LOTH (reluctant) as an adjective meaning reluctant or unwilling coming into contact with (brought to) A from the clue and RIO (Brazilian port) as referring to Rio de Janeiro that is a city and port in Brazil

21d        Mammoth upset over book about forest dweller (6)
GIBBON: BIG (mammoth) as large, gigantic or mammoth set upwards (upset) as a reversal in the down clue placed upon (over) a combo of B (book) as an abbreviation for book and ON (about) as a preposition denoting about, regarding or concerning leads to the definition of a small ape with long arms that lives in trees in the forests of South Asia

23d        Box in church for coins (5)
PENCE: A charade of PEN (box in) as to box in, trap or confine someone in a restricted space and CE (church) as the abbreviation for the Church of England guides to the definition of the plural term for penny that denotes a former British coin and monetary unit that was equal to one twelfth of a shilling that in turn was equal to one twentieth of a pound

24d        Too small to be consumed by a large duck (4)
ALSO: The definition of an adverb meaning likewise or too is arrived at from S (small) as the abbreviation for small taken in (to be consumed by) a combination of A from the clue, L (large) as the abbreviation for large that is usually referred to large size of shirt or other clothing and O (duck) as a batsman’s score of nought or zero in cricket

25d        Cold fish served up with hot worm (5)
LEECH: A combo of C (cold) as the abbreviation for cold and EEL (fish) as a snake-like fish with a slender elongated body and poorly developed fins going in an upward direction (served up) as reversals in the down clue followed by (with) H (hot) as the abbreviation for hot, especially with reference to water takes to the definition of a blood-sucking annelid worm, especially aquatic

Some of the clues that I liked in this puzzle were 10a, 13a, 29a, 2d, 6d, 7d, 15d and 17d, 10a being the topper. 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 an enjoyable day.