ST 3321 (Full Review)

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3321

A full review by Rahmat Ali

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This puzzle was published on 15^th June 2025

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

Greetings from Kolkata. A nice, challenging puzzle from Dada this Sunday that I enjoyed solving and thereafter writing a full review of his puzzle for your kind perusal and valuable feedback.

The BRB defines domino, the answer to the clue of 2d, as one of the oblong pieces with which the game of dominoes is played, usually twenty-eight in number, divided into two compartments, each of which is a blank or marked with from one to six spots. The domino theory is that one event sets off a series of similar events, thus exhibiting the domino effect, the fall of one domino standing on end causing the whole row to fall in turn. I further learnt from the net that the domino effect can be seen in various situations and in many areas of life, including social, political, economic and natural systems. In case of a power grid, if one substation or transmission line fails, it can overload others, leading to widespread blackouts. The failure of one structural component e.g. a bridge girder may cause adjacent parts to fail. One bank’s collapse may cause panic and lead to runs on other banks. A drop in one sector or country can spook global markets, causing global sell-offs and subsequent crash of a stock market. The shutdown of a key supplier can halt production lines across many industries and leading to supply chain disruptions. One person starting a trend on social media can quickly influence thousands or millions. If a few people start buying in bulk e.g., toilet paper, others follow, creating a shortage. One falling rock or bit of snow can trigger a landslide or avalanche. One person taking action can influence others in a group to do the same.

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

1a           Walk in the park, horticultural setting? (3,2,5)
BED OF ROSES: Double definition; the second being a definition by example referring to a horticultural arrangement of an actual garden bed planted with rose bushes that takes to the first an idiom meaning a pleasant, easy situation, an example of which is ‘walk in the park’, an idiom denoting something that is very easy or pleasant to do

6a           A Portuguese city briefly seen many miles away (4)
AFAR: A from the clue followed by FAR[O] (Portuguese city) as a city in the Algarve region of Portugal that is cut short with the exclusion of its last letter (briefly seen) leads to the definition of an adverb meaning from a far distance, an example of which is many miles away

10a        South Africa encloses a second country (5)
SAMOA: SA (South Africa) as the abbreviation for South Africa taking inside (encloses) a combo of A from the clue and MO (second) as an abbreviation for ‘moment’ denoting a slang term for a second or a very short time takes to the definition of an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean

11a        Weaving a lot, I call for the skill of a couturier (9)
TAILORING: An anagram (weaving) of A LOT, I from the clue following by RING (call) as to call someone by telephone guides to the definition of the activity or trade of a one who makes clothes to fit individual customers or, as an example, the skill of a couturier i.e. a fashion designer who manufactures and sells clothes that have been tailored to a client’s specific requirements and measurement

12a        Spend amount of money cutting through bollard (7)
CONSUME: The definition of a verb meaning to waste, use up or spend is obtained from SUM (amount of money) as an amount or quantity of money getting inside (cutting through) CONE (bollard) as one of a series of plastic bollards placed round obstacles etc in the road in order to divert traffic

13a        Plaintiff in criminal court initially punching a parasite (7)
ACCUSER: The definition of a person who claims that someone has committed an offence or done something wrong, an example of which is a plaintiff i.e. a person who accuses another person of some wrongdoing and brings suit in a court is reached from CC (criminal court) as the abbreviation for criminal court as ICC in International Criminal Court placing earlier (initially punching) A from the clue and followed by USER (parasite) as a person who uses a relationship with someone only in order to get some advantage for themselves, an example of which is a parasite i.e. one who habitually takes advantage of the generosity of others without making any useful return

14a        Let in, address appearing abandoned – no-one lives there (6,6)
DESERT ISLAND: An anagram (appearing abandoned) of LET IN, ADDRESS yields the definition of an abandoned, uninhabited, often remote island with no people living on it

18a        Introduce tips and just about pay the bills? (4,4,4)
MAKE ENDS MEET: MAKE … MEET (introduce) as to introduce two persons to get to know each other when together at one place or standing face to face and ENDS (tips) as referring to the plural for ‘tip’ that is the end of a projecting object, thus MAKE ENDS MEET implying to introduce tips to each other, taking to the definition of an expression meaning to manage financially, to just cover expenses of the bills

21a        Love popular man acting the swine? (7)
OINKING: A charade of O (love) as love or the score of zero in a game of tennis, IN (popular) as an informal term for fashionable, popular or trendy and KING (man) as the principle chess piece that can move one square in any direction takes to the definition of a verb in the continuous form meaning uttering the grunting sound of a hog or swine

23a        Whiter wine breaks through (7)
PASTIER: The definition of an adjective in a comparative degree meaning whiter or more pale in colour is got from ASTI (wine) as a type of Italian sparkling wine splitting up by getting inside (breaks) PER (through) as a preposition meaning through, by means of or according to

24a        Pick out large drink and appear drunk? (3,6)
SEE DOUBLE: A charade of SEE (pick out) as to spot-check or pick out and DOUBLE (large drink) as a large measure of alcohol, e.g., a double whisky, especially in a bar guides to the definition of a verb meaning to appear or be drunk, a symptom when one’s vision splits or when one has double vision or sees two images of a single object at the same time, side by side, on top of each other or both i.e. diagonally

25a        Furious in other words about Judas (5)
IRATE: The definition of an adjective meaning furious, enraged or angry is reached from IE (in other words) as the abbreviated form of the Latin phrase id est meaning ‘that is’, ‘that is to say’ or ‘in other words’ placed around (about) RAT (Judas) as referring to a renegade or turncoat, from the rat’s alleged desertion of a doomed ship, an example of which is Judas, another word for traitor following the biblical story of Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus, who betrayed Jesus to the authorities for 30 pieces of silver

26a        Victim of deception a little messed up, evidently (4)
DUPE: The definition of a person who is easily deceived or victimised is part of or hidden inside (a little) [MESSE]D UP, E[VIDENTLY]

27a        Scoundrel in teen agreed to reform (10)
DEGENERATE: The definition of a depraved, immoral or corrupt person, an example of which is a scoundrel i.e. an unprincipled or villainous person is reached from TEEN AGREED from the clue subject to an anagram (to reform)

Down

1d           Split part, saving a little time (6)
BISECT: The definition of a verb meaning to cut or split into two equal parts is obtained from BIT (part) as a part of something keeping inside (saving) SEC (a little time) as a colloquial term for a second of time

2d           A playing piece in effect? (6)
DOMINO: A cryptic definition of a playing piece i.e. one of a set of small rectangular tiles in the game of dominoes, when pushed, knocks over the next, and so on, leading to the chain reaction of falling dominoes or, in other words, creating a cascading effect called the ‘domino effect’

3d           Ferret out ideas, embellished for journalist (8,6)
FEATURES EDITOR: An anagram (embellished) of FERRET OUT IDEAS leads to the definition of a journalist who commissions, writes and edits feature articles for a publication like a magazine or newspaper

4d           Improving when it comes to subject, and not getting A (2,3,4)
ON THE MEND: The definition of an idiom denoting getting better or improving after an illness or injury or recovering one’s health is arrived at from ON (when it comes to) as meaning ‘when it comes to’, for example, ‘On politics, she is very opinionated’ can mean ‘When it comes to politics, she is very opinionated’, THEME (subject) as a subject of discourse, discussion, meditation or composition followed by [A]ND from the clue having excluded (not getting) A from it

5d           Musical note and key detailed (5)
EVITA: The definition of a famous musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber on the life of Argentine political leader Eva Perón, the second wife of Argentine President Juan Perón is reached from E (note) as the third note or sound of the natural diatonic scale in music and VITA[L] (key) as key, absolute necessary or of crucial importance devoid of its tail or the last letter in the down clue (detailed)

7d           Fast food order in a rotten type of beef (8)
FRIESIAN: FRIES (fast food order) as the shortened name for French fries that are thinly sliced, deep-fried potatoes and served hot and salted and regarded as a common fast food order followed by an anagram (rotten) of IN A from the clue takes to the definition of a type of less marbled and leaner beef coming from a heavy breed of dairy-cattle, especially from the Dutch province of Friesland, especially from the steers among them that aren’t used for breeding and cull cows or the older dairy cows that are no longer used for milk production

8d           Classic in vogue for 11 Across (3,5)
RAG TRADE: TRAD (classic) as a shortened form of traditional jazz, a style of early twentieth-century jazz which originated in New Orleans and often called as classic jazz placed inside (in) RAGE (vogue) as a colloquial term denoting a vogue is arrived at from the definition of a colloquial phrase denoting the trade that is concerned with designing, making and selling clothes, an example of which is tailoring as in 11 Across i.e. work done by a person who makes, repairs or alters clothing, particularly suits, coats and other outer garments

9d           English county: bird rises and rises there, flying about (14)
WORCESTERSHIRE: The definition of a ceremonial county in the West Midlands of England is arrived at from CROW (bird) as a large bird with mostly glossy black plumage, a heavy bill and a raucous voice going upwards (rises) as a reversal in the down clue followed by (and) RISES THERE from the clue subject to an anagram (flying about)

15d        Watch for one magazine article (9)
TIMEPIECE: The definition of a piece of machinery for keeping time, one example of which is a watch is fetched from a charade of TIME (magazine) as an American news magazine based in New York City and PIECE (article) as a literary work or composition, an example of which is an article, i.e. a written composition on a subject, published in magazine, newspaper etc

16d        Yours truly stood up and ran in cameo (8)
EMBOSSED: ME (yours truly) as the setter of this crossword referring to himself or as used by any other speaker referring to themselves in an upward direction (stood up) as a reversal in the down clue followed by BOSSED (ran) as a verb in the past tense meaning ran, managed or controlled something takes to the definition of an adjective meaning ‘raised or standing out in relief’, an example of which is the phrase ‘in cameo’ that can be taken as ‘like a cameo’ or ‘in the style of a cameo’ meaning raised or carved in relief, especially of a gem with figure, usually a head or bust in profile

17d        Shallow type in drip (4-4)
SKIN-DEEP: The definition of an adjective meaning superficial or shallow is arrived at KIND (type) as a particular variety placed inside (in) SEEP (drip) as to flow or leak slowly through porous material or small holes, especially of a liquid, an example of which is to drip i.e. to let fall or be so wet as to shed small drops of liquid

19d        Capital of this country, capital of Albania! (6)
TIRANA: The initial or beginning letter (capital) of T[HIS], IRAN (country) as a country in West Asia and the capital letter (capital) of A[LBANIA] in the all-in-one clue fetches the definition of the capital of Albania

20d        Unoccupied zone evacuated – stop right there! (6)
FREEZE: FREE (unoccupied) as an adjective meaning empty, vacant or unoccupied and Z[ON]E from the clue having its inner letters taken out (evacuated) guides to the definition of a command to stop still instantly or risk being shot, especially in the States

22d        Part of a house strong wind catches buffeted at first (5)
GABLE: The definition of the triangular part of an exterior wall of a house between the top of the side-walls and the slopes on the roof is reached from GALE (strong wind) as a strong wind of between about 30 and 60 mph, force 8 on the Beaufort scale taking inside (catches) the first or initial letter (at first) of B[UFFETED]

There were many clues that I liked in this puzzle such as 14a, 18a, 21a, 24a, 2d, 3d, 9d and 20d; 2d 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 encouragement. Looking forward to being here again. Have a nice day.