Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 30965
A full review by Rahmat Ali
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This puzzle was published on 28th June 2025
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from Kolkata. A brilliant, straightforward Saturday puzzle from NYDK that I enjoyed solving and thereafter writing a review of the same for your kind perusal and significant feedback.
Sinbad, part of the answer to the clue of 10a and 12a, took me down memory lane and I could recollect it as my evergreen answer since it was the first answer among the many clues solved by me in childhood that I could retain in my mind along with the given clue for all times to come. That was ‘Transgress with wicked sailor’. I even watched the ‘The Golden Voyage of Sinbad’ at a cinema hall by the name ‘Minerva’ that was earlier the historic Elphinstone Picture Palace, the first permanent movie theatre in Calcutta. One interesting fact about this cinema hall is that it was renovated by the Calcutta Municipal Corporation in the late 1980s and renamed as Chaplin Cinema to commemorate Charlie Chaplin’s 100th birth anniversary. Ironically, Chaplin Cinema struggled to remain relevant due to declining fortunes and was eventually demolished in 2013.
I have always known Athene, the answer to the clue of 22d and the Greek goddess of wisdom, warfare and crafts as Athena since childhood and it is the first time I have come across an alternative spelling of Athena after solving the crossword which is a great learning for me. Athene or Athena is known as Minerva in Roman mythology and is often depicted with an owl, her symbol of wisdom.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.
Across
1a and 5 Across 10’s burden a loathsome fiend one escapes somehow (3,3,2,3,3)
OLD MAN OF THE SEA: The definition of a person or burden that one cannot shake off, from the old man in the ‘Arabian Nights’ who, having been carried across a stream by 10 Across i.e. Sinbad the Sailor, refused to get down of his back is arrived at from an anagram (somehow) of A LOATHSOME F[I]END without taking into consideration the letter I (one escapes), where I represents the Roman numeral for one
5a See 1 Across
9a Fervidly hot local astride Romeo (8)
TROPICAL: The definition of an adjective meaning very hot and humid is reached from TOPICAL (local) as another adjective denoting local or relating to a particular place extending across or surrounding (astride) R (Romeo) as the letter represented by Romeo in the NATO phonetic alphabet
10a and 12 Across Fabled 16 in his boat, islander adrift (6,3,6)
SINBAD THE SAILOR: An anagram (adrift) of HIS BOAT ISLANDER takes to the definition of the fictional mariner described as hailing from Baghdad during the early Abbasid Caliphate
12a See 10 Across
13a Projecting lip, blow like Moby-Dick? (5)
SPOUT: Double definition; the second being a verb meaning to blow as a whale, an example of which is Moby-Dick, the titular sperm whale spouting water through its blowhole in Herman’s Melville’s novel of the same name i.e. Moby-Dick that takes to the first a noun referring to a projecting lip or tube for discharging liquid from a container like a teapot or kettle
14a One succeeded twice in an Oxford river (4)
ISIS: A combo of I (one) as the Roman numeral for one and S (succeeded) as an abbreviation for succeeded appearing two times (twice) takes to the definition of an alternative name for the River Thames, used from its source in the Cotswolds until it is joined by the River Thame at Dorchester in Oxfordshire
16a See 19 Across
19a and 16 Across A name, note, in certain Rime, condemned? (7,7)
ANCIENT MARINER: The definition of Coleridge’s wandering sailor in his poem ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ who was initially cursed by his crewmates for bringing bad luck after he kills an albatross and then blamed him for their suffering and eventual deaths is derived from a combo of A from the clue and N (name) as the abbreviation for name is followed by N (note) placed inside (in) an anagram (condemned) of CERTAIN RIME in the all-in-one clue
21a County Council leader at last ousted (4)
MAYO: The definition of the third-largest of Ireland’s 32 counties in area and 18th largest in terms of population is reached from MAYO[R] (council leader) having the last or terminal letter (at last) removed (ousted)
24a See 25 Across
25a and 24 Across One in unsuitable situation to effect maritime rescue? (4,3,2,5)
FISH OUT OF WATER: Double definition; the second being a verbal phrase denoting to take someone out of water in order to rescue them from drowning or to recover or pulling out their dead body from the water if already drowned to death that takes to the first a nounal phrase referring to a person who is in an unaccustomed, unsuitable situation which makes them feel ill at ease
27a Channel connecting oceans without waves we hear (6)
STRAIT: The definition of a channel or narrow passage of water connecting two seas or large areas of water is arrived at from a homophone heard by the audience (we hear) of STRAIGHT (without waves) as an adjective denoting without waves or undulating successions of curves in hair, for example, he usually keeps his hair without waves denoting he has straight hair
28a Mr Hyde perhaps having to change – say nothing (5,3)
ALTER EGO: The definition of the phrase used as an example to describe the character Mr Hyde who is the alter ego of Dr Jekyll in the novel ‘The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ of Robert Louis Stevenson is arrived at from a charade of ALTER (to change) as to change in character or composition, typically in a comparatively small but significant way, EG (say) as the abbreviation for the Latin phrase exempli gratia meaning ‘for example’ or ‘say’ and O (nothing) as the letter representing naught or nothing
29a Picks best celebrity shows in recession (6)
ELECTS: The definition of a verb in the present tense third person singular form meaning picks i.e. chooses and votes for is part of or hidden inside (shows) [BE]ST CELE[BRITY] that is coming from the back side (in recession)
30a Corrupt books seen after ten years (8)
DECADENT: The definition of an adjective meaning degraded, immoral or corrupt is arrived at from NT (books) as the abbreviation for New Testament that is a collection of Christian texts and forming the second part of the Christian Bible, consisting of the Gospels, Acts, Epistles and Book of Revelation, which together describe the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, preceded by or coming after (after) DECADE (ten years) as a series or period of ten years
Down
1d Pieces of eight? (6)
OCTETS: A cryptic definition of compositions or pieces for eight people
2d Hopeless party mounted protest (6)
DOOMED: The definition of an adjective meaning hopeless, condemned or cursed is reached from DO (party) as an informal term for a party or other social event followed by DEMO (protest) a colloquial term for demonstration, i.e. a public expression of feelings, especially of protest, as by a mass-meeting, a procession that is seen going up (mounted) in the down clue
3d Two articles about the setter’s soul (5)
ANIMA: AN and A (two articles) as the two indefinite articles in the English grammar placed around I’M (the setter) as the setter of this crossword puzzle referring to themselves guides to the definition of the soul, the innermost part of the personality
4d Mysterious utterances so clear when deciphered (7)
ORACLES: The definition of the plural noun denoting wise, sententious or mysterious utterances is attained when SO CLEAR from the clue is subject to an anagram (deciphered)
6d Top setter? (9)
HAIRSPRAY: A cryptic definition of a sticky, quick-drying liquid used to set the covering of top or hair of a person i.e. sprayed on the hair to keep it in place
7d Wild bean soup something served? (8)
SUBPOENA: An anagram (wild) of BEAN SOUP leads to the definition of a writ or a formal written order that is served to a person to appear before a court or other legal proceedings
8d Concerned with hearing German car run in sport (8)
AUDITORY: The definition of an adjective meaning relating to hearing, to the sense of hearing or to the organs of hearing is arrived at from AUDI (German car) as referring to the German car brand of Audi AG followed by R (run) as the abbreviation for run or runs scored in cricket placed inside (in) TOY (sport) as to sport or play with something idly or casually
11d Drive after parking vehicle mum uses (4)
PRAM: RAM (drive) as to drive or force by heavy blows preceded by or coming after (after) P (parking) as the abbreviation for parking takes to the definition of a four-wheeled carriage for a baby, pushed by its mother etc on foot
15d Small fruit, perfect flavour (9)
SPEARMINT: A charade of S (small) as the abbreviation for small, PEAR (fruit) as a yellowish-green or brownish-green edible fruit that is typically narrow at the stalk and wider towards the base, with sweet, slightly gritty flesh and MINT (perfect) as perfect, brand-new or fresh, for example, in mint condition denoting in perfect condition guides to the definition of a common herb having clusters of small purplish flowers and yielding an oil used as a flavouring
17d Put rubbish in sack (3,5)
LAY WASTE: LAY (put) as to put, place or prepare and WASTE (rubbish) as garbage, rubbish or trash in a charade takes to the definition of a verb meaning to devastate or to destroy or ruin something, an example of which is to sack i.e. to destroy, plunder or pillage
18d Second bed delivered without repercussions (4-4)
SCOT-FREE: A charade of S (second) as the abbreviation for second, COT (bed) as a small bed with high barred sides for a baby or very young child and FREE (delivered) as released, liberated or delivered from oppression or slavery or no longer confined or imprisoned leads to the definition of an adjective denoting free from punishment or penalty or implying that someone has avoided the expected or deserved repercussions for their actions
20d Proteinaceous food essential to most of us (4)
TOFU: The definition of a soft, pale food that has very little flavour but is high in protein, made from the seed of the soya plant is part of or hidden inside (essential to) [MOS]T OF U[S]
21d Wine trade in Moët curtailed (7)
MOSELLE: The definition of a light medium-dry white wine produced in the valley of the River Mosel is got from SELL (trade) as to give or hand over something in exchange for money, an example of which is trade i.e. the action of buying and selling goods and services placed inside (in) MOË[T] from the clue that has been shortened with the exclusion of the terminal letter (curtailed)
22d How aerobics begins to create divine figure? (6)
ATHENE: The obvious answer to the part of the question ‘how aerobics begins’ is A followed by E, or simply, A then E, that is, A THEN E that takes to the definition of the Greek goddess of wisdom and strategic warfare
23d Not going under in a launch (6)
AFLOAT: The definition of an adverb and adjective meaning in a floating state or staying above water is got from A from the clue and FLOAT (launch) as to launch a commercial enterprise, scheme, idea etc
26d Nothing on Titanic for Greek character (5)
OMEGA: O (nothing) as the letter representing naught or nothing placed upon in the down clue (on) MEGA (Titanic) as an adjective meaning huge or very large, an example of which can be titanic i.e. something huge or mega like a mega project can be said to be a titanic project yields the definition of the 24th and final letter of the Greek alphabet
There were several clues that I liked in this puzzle such as 9a, 21a, 28a, 30a, 6d, 7d, 18d, 22d and 23d; 22d 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.
2*/4* …
liked 2D “Hopeless party mounted protest (6)”