Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3333
A full review by Rahmat Ali
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This puzzle was published on 7th September 2025
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from Kolkata. A straightforward and gentle 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.
Hindu, the answer to the clue of 23d, is derived from the Indo-Aryan and Sanskrit word ‘Sindhu’ that refers to a large body of water. It was used as the name of the Indus River along with its tributaries. I read from the net that the word first appeared around 6th century BCE in the Persian inscription of Darius I to denote a geographical region beyond the river that used to be called as ‘Sindhu’. In Zend Avesta, the sacred book of the Persians, we find the mention of ‘Hapta Hindu’ that the phrase derived from the Sanskrit phrase ‘Saptha Sindhu’, as the Persians had difficulty in pronouncing the ‘s’ sound. Over time, the term evolved to encompass the religious and cultural traditions of people living in the Indian subcontinent, particularly those who were not Muslim. According to Article 25 of the Constitution of India, ‘Hindus shall be construed as including a reference to persons professing the Sikh, Jaina or Buddhist religions and the reference to Hindu religious institutions shall be construed accordingly. Section 2 in The Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, states a Hindu to be ‘any person who is a Hindu by religion in any of its forms or developments, including a Virashaiva, a Lingayat or a follower of the Brahmo, Prarthana or Arya Samaj, any person who is a Buddhist, Jaina or Sikh by religion, any other person who is not a Muslim, Christian, Parsi or Jew by religion. So, I believe that by that logic, Muslim, Christian, Parsi or Jew cannot be included in or deemed as part of Hinduism i.e. Hindu religion. Again, India is a Hindu-dominated country inhabited also by Muslims, Christians, Parsis and Jews and, again, also by Sikhs, Buddhists and Jainas, if some of the people from the last three communities consider their faiths as different from or do not include themselves within the purview of the Hindu religion. So, a Hindu alone is an Indian is not true. Furthermore, there are Hindus in Nepal and Bangladesh, too. In fact, only till very recently, the only Hindu kingdom on earth was Nepal.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.
Across
1a Mention with care parlous seat of an empire (7,4)
ANCIENT ROME: An anagram (parlous) of a combo of MENTION and (with) CARE takes to the definition of the Empire of Rome between 27 BC and 476 AD with a great civilisation centred on the city of Rome, marked by a republic, influencing law, politics, language and architecture across Europe and the Mediterranean
9a Women turned on night vision? (3,4)
NEW MOON: An anagram (turned) of WOMEN followed by ON from the clue leads to the definition of the phase of the moon when it appears as a slender crescent when night sets in that serves as an example of a night vision i.e. one’s ability to see in dim light when it is dark
10a Toothed wheel has vessel reversing – that’s the spirit! (6)
COGNAC: COG (toothed wheel) as a wheel with square or triangular teeth around the edge that is used in a machine to turn another wheel or part having or followed by (has) CAN (vessel) as a cylindrical metal container coming from the other end (reversing) as a reversal in the across clue that guides to the definition of a high-quality brandy, name after the commune of Cognac, France, that is also regarded as a spirit i.e. a strong alcoholic drink
12a Again send off for instrument that doesn’t show Celsius (7)
REORDER: The definition of a verb meaning to again order or send off as in ordering or sending something is fetched from RE[C]ORDER (instrument) as a musical instrument consisting of a wooden or plastic tube that one blows down while covering holes with their fingers that is devoid of (doesn’t show) C (Celsius) as the abbreviation for Celsius
13a Energetic Goth, one rocking (2,3,2)
ON THE GO: The definition of an informal term for a verb meaning energetic or very active or busy is reached when a combo of GOTH and ONE from the clue is subject to an anagram (rocking)
14a A filthy home beyond end of town, horrid (5)
NASTY: A combo of A from the clue and STY (filthy home) as a very dirty or filthy place or abode coming after (beyond) the ending or terminal letter (end) of [TOW]N takes to the definition of an adjective denoting horrid or very unpleasant or disagreeable
15a English city freshman? (9)
NEWCASTLE: The definition of a major port city in northeast England is reached from a charade of NEW (fresh) as fresh or not previously used or owned and CASTLE (man) as a chess piece or chess ‘man’ like pawn, knight, rook etc; freshman being split up as two words
17a Cruel, having a void in one suit? (9)
HEARTLESS: The definition of an adjective meaning harsh or cruel is arrived at cryptically from another adjective denoting having a void in one of the four suits in cards, e.g. hearts, hence no hearts in cards or heartless
20a Iffy swamp, American (5)
BOGUS: The definition of an adjective denoting spurious, sham or not genuine, an example of which is iffy i.e. unreliable or suspicious is reached from a charade of BOG (swamp) as a swampy kind of ground made up mostly of decomposing plants and mosses and US (American) as adjectival abbreviation for the United States or belonging to the United States
22a Stop – being very loyal? (7)
STAUNCH: Double definition; the second being an adjective denoting being or firmly loyal or committed, e.g. a staunch ally can mean a very loyal or committed ally that takes to the first a verb meaning to stop the flow, especially of blood, e.g. to staunch the bleeding
24a Smooth skin on animal, old bovine beast (7)
BUFFALO: BUFF (smooth) as to smooth, polish or shine a surface followed by the outermost letters (skin) on A[NIMA]L and O (old) as the abbreviation for old takes to the definition of a bovine beast that is part of the cattle family
25a Bill and Josephine getting in touch (6)
ADJOIN: AD (bill) as an abbreviation for advertisement, an example of which is a bill i.e. an advertisement usually printed on a page or in a leaflet, intended for wide distribution and JO (Josephine) as a diminutive of Joanna, Joseph, Josepha or Josephine coming into contact with (getting) IN from the clue guides to the definition of a verb meaning ‘to touch’ or ‘to meet’
26a Least academic, back of class, bottom (7)
SLOWEST: The definition of an adjective in the superlative degree denoting dullest in learning or understanding is reached from the final or terminal letter (back) of [CLAS]S followed by LOWEST (bottom) as an adjective denoting minimal or bottommost
27a High, when one over the eight? (2,5,4)
ON CLOUD NINE: The definition of a colloquial phrase denoting extremely pleased or happy or in a state of great elation or joy is cryptically arrived at from ON CLOUD (high, when) as an idiom suggesting a high or lofty or elevated state or denoting when one is high, happy or excited or in high spirits or full of energy due to achievement or reaching a high position and NINE (one over the eight) as the cardinal number next above eight
Down
2d Do any changes after number twelve (7)
NOONDAY: An anagram (changes) of DO ANY preceded by or coming after (after) NO (number) as the abbreviation for number leads to the definition of the middle of the day when it is exactly twelve o’clock or when the clock strikes twelve
3d Being in the dark, difficult canoeing round river (9)
IGNORANCE: The definition of a noun meaning lack of knowledge or inspiration i.e. being in the dark is arrived at from an anagram (difficult) of CANOEING placed about (around) R (river) as the abbreviation for River, used especially for maps in an atlas or a geography book
4d Somewhat brown, a chocolate chip (5)
NACHO: Part of or hidden inside (somewhat) [BROW]N A CHO[COLATE] guides to the definition of a tortilla chip topped with melted cheese and often additional toppings
5d Yachting event bringing about great cheers (7)
REGATTA: The definition of a sporting event consisting of a series of boat or yacht races is arrived at from an anagram (bringing about) of GREAT followed by TA (cheers) as an informal interjection for ‘thank you’, often used in the same contexts as ‘cheers’
6d Most unkind putting yours truly on a tree house? (7)
MEANEST: The definition of an adjective denoting unkind, spiteful or unfair in the superlative degree is reached from ME (yours truly) as the setter of this crossword referring to himself or as used by any other speaker referring to themselves placed upon in the down clue (on) a combo of A from the clue and NEST (tree house) as a house built in a tree by a bird In order to lay eggs and give births to baby birds
7d Free swimming in French sea (11)
ENFRANCHISE: The definition of a historical term for a verb denoting to free a slave is reached from an anagram (swimming) of IN FRENCH SEA
8d Wife getting love when squeezed by children, faints (11)
SWOONS: A combo of W (wife) as the genealogical abbreviation for wife and (getting) O (love) as love or the score of zero in a game of tennis absorbed inside by (squeezed by) SONS (children) as male children that takes to the definition of a verb in the present tense third person singular form denoting faints, especially from extreme emotion
11d Dog given little drinks pants (5,6)
BOXER SHORTS: A charade of BOXER (dog) as a medium-sized dog of a breed with a smooth brown coat and a broad squarish muzzle taken alongside (given) SHORTS (little drinks) as a drink of spirits served in a small measure guides to the definition of men’s loose underpants similar in shape to the shorts worn by boxers
16d Swab has gone to pot in bowl (9)
WASHBASIN: SWAB HAS from the clue subject to an anagram (gone to pot) and followed by IN from the clue takes to the definition of a bowl that is attached to the wall in a bathroom or near a toilet and has pipes to supply and carry away water, in which one washes their hands
18d Animation in a boy with racket (7)
ALADDIN: The definition of a 1992 American animated musical fantasy film based on the Arabic folktale of the same name from a collection of Middle Eastern folktales compiled in the Arabic language during the Islamic Golden Age and its English translation was named ‘The Arabian Nights’ is fetched from a combo of A from the clue followed by LAD (boy) as an informal term for a boy or young man and (with) DIN (racket) as a racket or a loud, unpleasant and prolonged noise
19d Metal sheet in fact’s opening, work to secure it (7)
TINFOIL: The definition of a metal made into very thin sheets like paper used especially for covering or wrapping food is arrived at from a combo of IN from the clue and the opening or starting letter (opening) of F[ACT] (fact’s) has TOIL (work) as to work extremely hard to take it inside (to secure it)
20d Good thing about university, very powerful for idiot (7)
BUFFOON: BOON (good thing) as a good thing or a thing that is helpful or beneficial placed around (about) a combo of U (university) as an abbreviation and FF (very powerful) as the cryptic abbreviation for the phrase ‘very powerful’ where F serves as the abbreviation for ‘forte’ denoting very loud, strong or powerful or FF is the abbreviation for ‘fortissimo’ meaning very loud guides to the definition of a person who does silly things, sometimes intentionally, that make other people laugh
21d Good composer for The Stones? (6)
GRAVEL: A charade of G (good) as the abbreviation for good and RAVEL (composer) as the French composer and pianist, whose full name was Joseph Maurice Ravel takes to the definition of small stones, often used to make the surface of paths and roads
23d Indian dish in Dundee’s eaten (5)
HINDU: Part of or hidden inside (eaten) [DIS]H IN DU[NDEE’S] guides to the definition of a person who believes in the religion of Hinduism, the majority of whom live in the Indian subcontinent and hence Indian
There were many clues that I liked in this puzzle such as 1a, 9a, 15a, 24a, 25a, 27a, 7d, 8d, 11d, 19d and 21d; 11d 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.