DT 30905 (full review)

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30905

A full review by Rahmat Ali

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This puzzle was published on 19^th April 2025

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 kind perusal and significant feedback.

After solving the puzzle, I became interested in knowing the etymology of Nosey Parker, part of the wordplay to the clue of 12a and explored the net to find out that it is early twentieth-century invention from a postcard caption that read ‘The Adventures of Nosey Parker’, referring to a peeping Tom in Hyde Park.

I also wanted to know the etymology of assailant, the definition to the clue of 16d and learnt that the word traces back to the Latin words ‘ad’ meaning ‘at’ or ‘towards’ and ‘salire’ meaning ‘to leap’. This Vulgar Latin combination ‘adsalire’ was originally meant to leap at or to attack someone, reflecting the act of a person attacking another. The word evolved through Old French ‘assalir’ to Modern French ‘assaillir’ and Middle English to its current form. I also came to learn that most people use the term ‘attacker’ in casual conversation and it’s the lawyers or police who usually talk about ‘assailant’. At one place, the description of the act of an assailant is given as ‘Leap at someone and you’re an assailant. The figurative use of mental states, emotions etc is from the mid-fourteenth-century while the meaning ‘attack with arguments, abuse, criticism etc is from around the beginning of the fifteenth century.

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Across

1a          See 25 Down

5a          Like stocks soon yielding capital (6)
ATHENS: AS (like) as a conjunction denoting ‘like’ that is used to indicate by comparison the way that something happens or is done stores or keeps inside (stocks) THEN (soon) as immediately or soon afterward, yielding the definition of the capital and largest city of Greece

9a          See 13 Across

11a        Heather before noon leaving the States (5)
ERICA: The definition of a plant of the genus Erica, especially heather is fetched from AM (before noon) as the Latin abbreviation for ante meridiem meaning ‘before noon’ i.e. in the morning coming out of (leaving) [AM]ERICA (the States) as more specifically referring to the United States of America

12a        What Nosey Parker might do – save money? (4,2)
BUTT IN: The definition of a phrasal verb meaning to interrupt a conversation, often in a rude or unwelcome way, meddle in someone else’s affairs or intrude in a way that is not needed or desired, an example of which is what is done by a Nosey Parker, a colloquial phrase for a prying person or one who sticks their nose into other people’s business when it is not wanted is arrived at from a charade of BUT (save) as a conjunction meaning save, except that, other than or unless and TIN (money) as a slang term for money

13a and 9 Across             House red my ruin when out with looker? Cheers! (5,3,2,4,3)
HERE’S MUD IN YOUR EYE: An anagram (when out) of HOUSE RED MY RUIN and (with) EYE (looker) as referring to the organ that can see beyond the surface, perceive deeper meanings or under the complexities of a situation takes to the definition of an informal expression denoting friendly feelings toward companions before drinking or serving as convivial toast to one’s drinking companions, an example of which is ‘Cheers!’, a colloquial interjection denoting good health, used when drinking a toast

15a        Volte-face hater suggests? (6,2,5)
CHANGE OF HEART: The definition of a sudden and complete change in opinion or in views expressed is reached from the word ‘hater’ that suggests it as the change brought forth when the word ‘heart’ is subject to an anagram or, precisely, hater suggests ‘change of heart’

18a        Californian currency is found in hospital loo? (3,10)
SAN FRANCISCAN: The definition of a native or inhabitant of San Francisco that is in California in the United States and hence a Californian is got from a combo of FRANC (currency) as the primary unit of currency in Franc, Belgium, Luxembourg and Monaco before the adoption of the euro and IS from the clue placed inside (in) SAN (hospital) as the commonly known name for Sydney Adventist Hospital, the largest private and largest ‘not-for-profit’ hospital in Sydney, Australia and CAN (loo) as a slang term for a lavatory

22a        Two mates, both with a shed? 13 9! (4-4)
CHIN-CHIN: CHIN[A] and CHIN[A] (two mates) as each a Cockney rhyming slang for mate and each having discarded (both with … shed) A from the clue guides to the definition of a colloquial interjection denoting good health as a toast, an example of which is the definition to the clue of the combo of 13a and 9a

23a        Spirit tipsy chemist hides (6)
PSYCHE: The definition of the human soul, mind or spirit is part of or found hidden inside (hides) [TI]PSY CHE[MIST]

26a        Follow farm vehicle turning east (5)
TRACE: The definition of a verb meaning to follow or mark the outline of something is reached from CART (farm vehicle) as a two-wheeled vehicle without springs, used for farm purposes coming from the other side (turning) as a reversal in the across clue followed by E (east) as the abbreviation for east

27a        Clear West Country river containing single rodent (9)
EXONERATE:  EXE (West Country river) as a river in England that rises at Exe Head, near the village of Simonsbath, on Exmoor in Somerset, with most of its length lying in Devon having inside a combo of ONE (single) as being or amounting to a single unit or individual or entire thing, item or object and RAT (rodent) as a rodent that resembles a large mouse, typically have a pointed snout and a long tail takes to the definition of a verb meaning to clear or absolve someone from blame for a fault or wrongdoing

28a        Complete religious work in Ireland (6)
ENTIRE: The definition of an adjective meaning as complete, whole or with no part left out is obtained from NT (religious work) as the abbreviation for New Testament that is the collection of religious books related to second part of the Christian Bible, consisting of writings about Christ and the Apostles after his death, and documents from the very first years of the Christian Church placed inside (in) EIRE (Ireland) as the Irish language name for Ireland

29a        Gut feeling vague when DI vanishes (8)
INSTINCT: The definition of an adjective meaning gut feeling or idea is derived from IN[DI]STINCT (vague) as vague, blurred or hazy having removed (when … vanishes) DI from the clue

Down

1d          Dog second in queue (8)
TAILBACK: A charade of TAIL (dog) as to dog, chase or go after and BACK (second) as to second, endorse or give support to someone takes to the definition of a queue of traffic stretching back from an obstruction

2d          Country poem without the Spanish part (5)
EGYPT: The definition of a country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula is reached from [EL]EGY (poem) as a poem of serious reflection, typically a lament for the dead having removed (without) EL (the Spanish) as the Spanish for masculine singular definite article ‘the’ and followed by PT (part) as the abbreviation for part commonly used in formal documents or when referring to a specific part of something

3d          Witty old woman back on drugs (7)
AMUSING: The definition of an adjective denoting witty or ludicrous or causing laughter by being incongruous is arrived at from MA (old woman) as a childish contraction for mamma i.e. mother who is an old woman coming up from below (back) as a reversal in the down clue followed by USING (on drugs) as taking illegal drug or drugs

4d          Guevara with Munch? (4)
CHEW: A charade of CHE (Guevara) as referring to Ernesto Che Guevara, the Argentine Marxist revolutionary who was also a physician, author, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist and W (with) as the abbreviation for with takes to the definition of a verb meaning to bite and grind food in the mouth with the teeth, especially to make it easier to swallow, an example of which is to munch i.e. to chew food steadily or vigorously and often audibly

6d          Girl with the misshapen ears (7)
THERESA: The definition of a girl’s name of Greek origin, most commonly meaning ‘to harvest’ is fetched from THE from the clue and an anagram (misshapen) of EARS

7d          Puzzling magnetic waves around island (9)
ENIGMATIC: The definition of an adjective meaning mysterious, puzzling or difficult to interpret or understand is reached from an anagram (waves) of MAGNETIC placed about (around) I (island) as the abbreviation for island as we find in geographical map book

8d          Son in convenient place for drink (6)
SHANDY: A charade of S (son) as the genealogical abbreviation for son and HANDY (in convenient place) as in convenient place or easily within reach guides to the definition of an alcoholic drink made of beer and ginger beer or lemonade

10d        Adele ultimately inclined to throttle pub trumpeter (8)
ELEPHANT: The ultimate or final letter (ultimately) of [ADEL]E followed by LEANT (inclined) as a verb in the past tense meaning inclined or bent from a vertical position to have inside (to throttle) PH (pub) as a shorthand for ‘public house’ seen on old signs, maps of listings especially in the United Kingdom and is regarded as a more traditional or formal term for a pub leads to the definition of the largest living mammal, having a very thick skin, a trunk and ivory tusks, sometimes nicknamed as a trumpeter, especially by poets, because of the trumpeting sound it makes with its trunk.

14d        Ms Kelly’s traditional tales about wet weather (8)
LORRAINE: The definition of the Scottish television presenter who has presented various television shows for ITV and STV and was promoted to Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2020 for services to broadcasting, journalism and charity is obtained from LORE (traditional tales) as traditional knowledge or tales passed on by word of mouth placed around (about) RAIN (wet weather) as a wet weather in the form of water falling from the clouds to earth in drops

16d        Aggressor in trouble between two creatures (9)
ASSAILANT: The definition of an aggressor or assaulter or a person who attacks another, either physically or verbally is fetched from AIL (trouble) as to trouble or afflict someone placed in the midst of (between) ASS and ANT (two creatures) as referring to two animals, the former referring to a small, usually grey, long-eared animal of the horse genus and the latter to a small, hymenopterous, scavenging social insect, living in organised colonies

17d        Pursuit of profit? (8)
INTEREST: Double nounal definition; the second referring to the profit in goods or money that is made on invested capital that takes to the first denoting a hobby or pursuit or something in which one is interested

19d        Related to fission: new uranium crystal? (7)
NUCLEAR: The definition of an adjective meaning relating to the nucleus of an atom or powered by the fission or fusion of atomic nuclei is deduced from a charade of N (new) as  the abbreviation for new, U (uranium) as the chemical symbol for uranium and CLEAR (crystal) as an adjective meaning transparent or unclouded, especially of a substance, an example of which is crystal denoting clear and transparent

20d        Check six-footer internalising pressure (7)
INSPECT: The definition of a verb meaning to check, examine or investigate is reached from INSECT (six-footer) as a small arthropod animal that has six legs and generally one or two pairs of wings incorporating or taking inside P (pressure) as the symbol for pressure as in physics

21d        Treated chesty grass-cutter (6)
SCYTHE: An anagram (treated) of CHESTY guides to the definition of a long-handled agricultural tool with a curved blade at the end, used for mowing grass

24d        Tea at home for Bond (5)
CHAIN: A charade of CHA (tea) as an informal term for tea and IN (at home) as at or inside one’s home takes to the definition of any connection or unifying bond

25d and 1 Across             Who’d chat, then becoming excited? 13 9! (4,3,5)
DOWN THE HATCH: An anagram (becoming excited) of WHO’D CHAT, THEN leads to the definition of a colloquial phrase denoting your health, cheers – said when about to drink something, especially alcohol, an example of which is the definition to the clue of the combo of 13a and 9a

There were several clues that I liked in this puzzle such as 5a, 11a, 13a&9a, 15a, 18a, 29a, 6d and 10d; 18a 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 seeing you here again. Have a nice day.