DT 31079 (Full Review)

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31079

A full review by Rahmat Ali

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This puzzle was published on 8^th November 2025

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

Greetings from Kolkata. A well-balanced Saturday puzzle from the setter that I enjoyed solving and thereafter writing a review of the same for your kind perusal and significant feedback.

Job, as described by the definition to the clue at 16a, is the central figure in the Book of Job, one of the wisdom books of the Old Testament i.e. the Hebrew Bible. Job is described as a righteous and prosperous man who lives in the land of Uz. He is faithful to God, described as ‘blameless and upright, one who feared God and shunned evil.’ In a heavenly scene, Satan challenges God, suggesting that Job is faithful only because he has been blessed with wealth, health and family. God allows Satan to test Job’s faith, first by taking away his livestock, servants and children and then by afflicting him with painful sores. Despite terrible suffering, Job does not curse God. He says the famous words: ‘The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.’ He does, however, question why such suffering befalls him if he has done nothing wrong. Most of the book is poetic dialogue between Job and his friends viz. Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar), who insist his suffering must be punishment for sin. Job maintains his innocence and pleads for an explanation from God. Eventually, God speaks to Job from a whirlwind, reminding him of the vastness of divine wisdom and the limits of human understanding. Job humbly accepts this and repents of questioning God. In the end, God restores Job’s fortunes, giving him greater prosperity than before and blessing him with a new family. Job has come to symbolise patience in suffering, faith under trial and endurance and steadfastness. That’s why in literature or conversation, calling someone ‘a Job’ or describing them as ‘Job-like’ or ‘stoical’ means they endure hardship calmly and faithfully, exactly what that cryptic clue was playing on.

I explored the internet to know more about mush, the definition to the clue at 21a, albeit after solving the puzzle. I learnt that the command ‘mush’ is required to be used in a forwarding address. This is a play on words, using dog-sledding terminology for a forwarding address. The phrase can be interpreted as ‘move’ or ‘go forward’ like a dog sled team, so a literal forwarding address isn’t possible, but one could create a playful one. Some examples of creative, dog-sledding-themed forwarding addresses are as follows: ‘Mushing’ your old address to a new one. ‘Mush’ as a verb indicate that one’s mail is now heading to this new address. Mush! Your mail is now heading to this new address. Mush! Your mail is forwarding to: [New Address]. Mush Forwarding Service: to [New Address]. Mush! Your mail is on the trail and will arrive at: [New Address]. If you’d like to be more straightforward, you can also use a standard forwarding address with a touch of humour. Mushing your mail to: [New Address]. Forwarding your mail to the new sled dog team! [New Address]. You can also get creative with a playful address. The new trail starts here! Forwarding your mail to: [New Address]. Mush! Moving your mail forward! [New Address]. If you’d like to make it more personal and playful, you can also use a more elaborate phrase like: Mushing your mail forward from the finish line to the new starting line. The best option is to pick a style that fits the context and personal preference.

While air head, as the outcome of the wordplay to the clue at 4d, may be cryptically or whimsically pointing out at someone in charge of airmen or air units, I learnt from the internet that airhead is actually a military term for a base inside hostile territory where supplies and troops can be kept and from where soldiers can more safely fly in and out of the area. This meaning from the 1950s-era comes from the form of the military term ‘beachhead’ and the slang term is from the 1970s.

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

1a           New Avengers agent, lethal (5,3)
NERVE GAS: An anagram (new) of AVENGERS guides to the definition of a noun denoting an agent of chemical warfare that has a rapid disabling or lethal effect by disrupting the transmission of nerve impulses

5a           What acne treatments claim to do for tyrant (6)
DESPOT: DE-SPOT (what acne treatments claim to do) as cryptically to remove spots such as those caused by acne on a person’s face that takes to the definition of a tyrant or a person who wields power oppressively

9a           One French court sitting in modest flat (8)
PUNCTURE: A combo of UN (one French) as ‘one’ as a number in the French language used with singular masculine noun and CT (court) as the abbreviation for court seen inside (sitting in) PURE (modest) as an adjective denoting chaste, decent or modest, leading to the definition of what causes an inflated tyre, having lost some or all of its air, to go flat

10a        African‘s some boxer with no English (6)
SOMALI: The definition of a member of a people speaking a Cushitic language and living primarily in Somalia that is in Africa and hence an African is arrived at from a combo of SOM[E] from the clue and ALI (boxer) as referring to Muhammad Ali, the American professional boxer and activist, widely known by the nickname ‘the Greatest’ and often regarded as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time devoid of (with no) E (English) as the abbreviation for English

12a and 27 Across           American in The Ritz: all obey volatile film star (9,6)
ELIZABETH TAYLOR: A (American) as the abbreviation for American placed inside THE RITZ: ALL OBEY and subject to an anagram (volatile) leads to the definition of an American film actress who was noted for her unique beauty and her portrayals of volatile and strong-willed characters

13a        Minions abandoning southern nation (5)
YEMEN: YE[S] MEN (minions) as the plural of an informal term for a weak person who always agrees with their political leader or their superior at work from which S (southern) as the abbreviation for southern is going out (abandoning) guides to the definition of a country in West Asia

14a        Elderly fumed? Not at first (4)
AGED: The definition of an adjective meaning having lived or existed for a long time, elderly or no longer young is got from [R]AGED (fumed) as a verb in the past tense denoting fumed or felt, showed or expressed great or violent uncontrollable anger devoid of the first or initial letter (not at first)

16a        Job so described in Costa I stupidly left (7)
STOICAL: The definition of an adjective meaning enduring pain and hardship as Job is so described for his patience and endurance in the fact of extreme suffering in the Book of Job in the Old Testament  without showing one’s feelings or complaining is reached from an anagram (stupidly) of a combo of COSTA I followed by L (left) as the abbreviation for left

19a        Reach that is very limited by pain (7)
ACHIEVE: The definition of a verb meaning to attain, accomplish or reach is obtained from a combo of IE (that is) as the abbreviated form of the Latin phrase id est meaning ‘that is’ and V (very) as the abbreviation for very getting inside (limited by) ACHE (pain) as a dull persistent and usually moderately intense pain

21a        Dog-sledder’s forwarding address in grim US hamlet (4)
MUSH: The definition of the forwarding address or the command to go forward by a dog-sledder i.e. a person who drives a dog team and to get them moving or going forward, uses the forwarding address is part of or hiding inside (in) [GRI]M US H[AMLET]

24a        See 28 Across

25a        Mistake is admitted by the heartless bully (9)
TERRORISE: A combo of ERROR (mistake) as a mistake, blunder or wrong decision and IS from the clue placed inside (admitted by) T[H]E from the clue devoid of the core or inner letter (heartless) takes to the definition of a verb meaning to create and maintain a state of extreme fear and distress in someone, an example of which is to bully i.e. to seek to harm, intimidate or coerce someone perceived as vulnerable

27a        See 12 Across

28a and 24 Across           Bolshevik leader‘s mandrill I’ve trained at home (8,5)
VLADIMIR LENIN: The definition of the Bolshevik leader i.e. the leader of the radical majority faction of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party who became the first head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 until his death in 1924 is deduced from an anagram (trained) of MANDRILL I’VE followed by IN (at home) as at or inside one’s home

29a        Trouble drinking spirit in one strange situation (1,3,2)
A RUM DO: ADO (trouble) as foolish or unnecessary talk, trouble or activity taking inside (drinking) RUM (spirit) as an alcoholic spirit distilled from sugar-cane residues or molasses leads to the definition of a strange, odd or peculiar situation or turn of events, especially one that might be considered somewhat disreputable or distasteful

30a        Separate book top class doesn’t need (8)
ESTRANGE: The definition of a verb meaning to separate or cause alienation is arrived at combo of [B]EST (top) as that which is the most excellent, outstanding or desirable and RANGE (class) as a class, rank or order from which B (book) as the abbreviation for book is not required and hence removed (doesn’t need)

Down

1d           Perhaps lacking sleep, second son leaves city (6)
NAPLES: NAPLES[S] (perhaps lacking sleep) as an adjective denoting without nap i.e. short or casual sleep or probably lacking sleep, of which the second S (son) as a genealogical abbreviation for son comes out (leaves), leading to the definition of the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy

2d           Artist on generally gloomy film (6)
RENOIR: The definition of the surname of the French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style whose full name was Pierre-Auguste Renoir is arrived at from a charade of RE (on) as a commercial jargon used to indicate ‘on’, ‘about’, ‘concerned’ or ‘regarding’ followed by NOIR (generally gloomy film) as the genre of film generally known for its dark, gloomy, moody themes and visuals

3d           Rate changed to accommodate ten more (5)
EXTRA: An anagram (changed) of RATE to include (accommodate) X (ten) as the Roman numeral for ten leads to the definition of an adjective meaning more than or beyond what is usual, normal, expected or necessary

4d           Fool an RAF commander? (7)
AIRHEAD: The definition of primarily an informal, disapproving term for a silly, stupid or scatter-brained person who is not considered clever is arrived at from AIR HEAD (RAF commander) as cryptically describing someone who could be the head of the air force or someone in charge of airmen of air units, an example of which can be an RAF commander i.e. a commander in the Royal Air Force

6d           Like Lassie, last of two animals put first? (9)
EPONYMOUS: The definition of an adjective meaning named after the specified person, place or thing, usually its founder, creator, inventor, discoverer or source i.e. named after or giving one’s name to something, an example of which is Lassie, the eponymous dog in ‘Lassie Come Home’, the 1940 novel and the 1943 film named after her is arrived at from a combo of PONY and MOUS[E] (two animals) as the name of two animals having E, the last or terminal letter (last) placed in the beginning (put first)

7d           Where chemist works fast to dress wound (8)
PHARMACY: The [A cryptic] definition of a place where a chemist works [and where one can quickly or instantly get things i.e. necessary items to dress a wound – now corrected to:] is obtained from PACY (fast) outside (dress) HARM (wound)

8d           Complication involving Rhode Island figure (8)
TRIANGLE: TANGLE (complication) as a confused or complicated state taking in (involving) RI (Rhode Island) as the abbreviation for Rhode Island that is a US state in New England leads to the definition of a plane figure with three straight sides and three angles

11d        Resistance units sent for King Charles? (4)
OHMS: Double nounal definition; the first being OHMS (resistance units) as the plural of ohm (Ω), the SI unit electrical resistance as in physics and the second as the cryptic reference to the postal abbreviation O.H.M.S. i.e. ‘On His Majesty Service’ that represent the monarch of the United Kingdom; currently being King Charles, the present monarch

15d        Wife never climbing in pleasant forest (9)
GREENWOOD: A combo of W (wife) as the genealogical abbreviation for wife and NE’ER (never) as a poetic contraction for never in an ascending mode (climbing) as reversals in the down clue placed inside (in) GOOD (pleasant) as pleasant or agreeable leads to the definition of a forest that is green with foliage

17d        Servant saving 50 leads cheers in capital city (8)
VALLETTA: VALET (servant) as a male servant who looks after his employer by doing things such as caring for his clothes and cooking for him retaining or keeping inside (saving) L (50) as the Roman numeral for fifty coming before (leads) TA (cheers) as an informal interjection for ‘thank you’, often used in the same contexts as ‘cheers’ that takes to the definition of the seaport and capital city of Malta that is an archipelago in the central Mediterranean between Sicily and the North African coast

18d        Much obliged to a hunky criminal (5,3)
THANK YOU: The definition of an interjection thank you, meaning much obliged, that is, an expression of gratitude or polite acknowledgment is arrived at from the anagram (criminal) of TO A HUNKY

20d        French are binding feet for amphibians (4)
EFTS: ES (French are) as the word for ‘are’ in the French language used only with second-person singular informal pronoun ‘tu’ e.g. ‘tu es’ meaning ‘you are’ surrounding (binding) FT (feet) as the abbreviation for feet, guiding to the definition of the term used as plural of young newts

21d        Mrs Bale lost sanity (7)
MARBLES: An anagram (lost) of MRS BALE yields the definition of a slang term meaning common sense or sanity

22d        Time to stop that chap, an assassin (6)
HITMAN: T (time) as the symbol for time as in physics to intervene or get inside (stop) HIM (that chap) as referring to a certain male person followed by AN from the clue that guides to the definition of a person hired to ‘do a hit’ i.e. to kill or assassinate another person

23d        Echo in valley for dragon-slayer (6)
GEORGE: E (Echo) as the letter represented by Echo in the Nato phonetic alphabet placed inside GORGE (valley) as a deep narrow valley with steep rocky sides leads to the definition of a saint who rescued the king’s daughter and saved the people of a town from the tyranny of a dragon whom he slew and thus came to known as dragon-slayer

26d        Ruling class (5)
ORDER: Double definition; the second meaning a class, kind or sort distinguished from others by character or rank that takes to the first denoting a ruling, decree, mandate or command

There were several clues that I liked in this puzzle such as 1a, 5a, 9a, 10a, 16a, 21a, 29a, 4d and 6d; 5a being the best of the lot. My prayers to the Almighty for the eternal rest and peace of BD and my thanks to the setter for the entertainment. Looking forward to being with you here again. Have a nice day.