DT 31181 (Full Review)

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31181

A full review by Rahmat Ali

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

This puzzle was published on 7^th March 2026

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

Greetings from Kolkata. A nice, lovely 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 took to the internet because I wanted to update my knowledge about MOT, the synonym standing as an example for ‘test’, which forms part of the wordplay in the clue at 22a. MOT stands for Ministry of Transport, and hence the MOT test means Ministry of Transport Test, as it was originally administered by the Ministry of Transport. The test is now conducted by approved testing centres under the Department for Transport, but the term ‘MOT’ remains in common usage for the legal test. It is an annual, mandatory safety and emissions inspection required to ensure the roadworthiness of vehicles over three years old throughout the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland. The test checks crucial components such as brakes, lights, tyres, seatbelts, the windscreen and exhaust emissions, but it does not cover the condition of the engine, clutch or gearbox. A pass results in a VT20 certificate, while a failure results in a VT30 certificate. The test was introduced in 1960 by the Ministry of Transport with a view to ensuring that vehicles meet minimum road safety and environmental standards.

I think 26a should have been enumerated as 4’1.

Further, I learnt from the internet that COBRA, part of the answer to the clue at 27a, stands for Cabinet Office Briefing Room A on Whitehall. The UK government’s Civil Contingencies Committee was named COBRA after Cabinet Office Briefing Room A, the specific room where the meetings were originally held. It is an emergency response committee of a gathering of ministers, civil servants, the police, intelligence officers and others appropriate to the matter under discussion. When the government announces that it has convened a COBRA meeting, it can give one of two impressions. The first is that it is quickly getting to grips with a thorny issue of immediate national significance. The other is that something bad is happening and perhaps the government is to blame.

Andromeda, the answer to the clue at 2d, was the daughter of Cepheus and Cassiopeia. Her mother, proud of her beauty, boasted that Andromeda was more beautiful than the sea nymphs, the Nereids. Enraged, the sea god Poseidon sent a monstrous sea creature to devastate their kingdom. To appease the god and save the land, Andromeda was chained to a rock by the sea as a sacrifice to the monster. Fate intervened when Perseus, returning after slaying Medusa, saw her. Struck by her beauty, he offered to save her if he could marry her. Her parents agreed. Using the head of Medusa, Perseus turned the sea monster to stone, rescuing Andromeda. The hero and the princess were married and returned safely to her kingdom. Their story became legendary, symbolising bravery, fate and the triumph of love and heroism over danger. Later, the constellations Andromeda, Perseus and Cassiopeia were placed in the night sky to commemorate the tale, ensuring that their story would shine for eternity.

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

1a           Downright dull (4)
DEAD: Double adjectival definition; the second denoting characterised by a lack of activity or excitement, especially of a place or time that takes to the first meaning downright, complete or absolute

3a           Here peers sit, in Lords, returned to power (10)
CHAMBERPOT: The definition of a container, used in a bedroom for urination, that is cryptically referred to as something people sit on to pee or relieve themselves is reached from CHAMBER (Lords) as referring to the Upper Chamber i.e. the House of Lords and part of the UK Parliament, TO from the clue coming from the other end (returned) as a reversal in the across clue and P (power) as the symbol for power in physics

10a        Maoists argued furiously blocking road south (3,6)
RED GUARDS: The definition of members of a strict Maoist youth movement in China, especially active in the cultural revolution of the late 1960s is arrived at from an anagram (furiously) of ARGUED intervening or getting inside (blocking) RD (road) as the abbreviation for road used especially in addresses and on maps or signs and followed by S (south) as the abbreviation for South

11a        Refrain from church when finally contrite (5)
CEASE: The definition of a verb meaning to desist or refrain from doing something is got from CE (church) as the abbreviation for Church of England followed by AS (when) as an adverb denoting while or when and the final or ultimate letter (finally) of [CONTRIT]E

12a        Leader of soldiers, given news, means to fight (5)
SWORD: The leading or initial letter (leader) of S[OLDIERS] to which is added (given) WORD (news) as news or information that takes to the definition of a weapon with a long blade, sharp on one or both edges, for cutting or thrusting and hence a means to fight

13a        See 26 Across

14a        Soused Democrat forced to renounce whiskey (8)
DRENCHED: The definition of an adjective meaning completely wet or soaked is reached from D (Democrat) as the abbreviation for Democrat followed by [W]RENCHED (forced) as forced or wrested violently without the use of (to renounce) W (whiskey) as the letter represented by Whiskey in the NATO phonetic alphabet

16a        Look old taking book inside summerhouse (6)
GAZEBO: A combo of GAZE (look) as to look fixedly or long and steadily, especially in admiration or abstraction and O (old) as the abbreviation for old as OT in Old Testament holding or retaining inside (taking … inside) B (book) as the abbreviation for book guides to the definition of a summerhouse or other small structure giving a commanding view of the landscape

19a        Rick in Casablanca and Abilene endlessly drunk (6)
BLAINE: The definition of the surname of the protagonist Rick in the 1942 American romantic drama film ‘Casablanca’ is reached when ABILEN[E] without the end or terminal letter (endlessly) is subject to an anagram (drunk)

20a        Horrible Gaultier tie (8)
LIGATURE: An anagram (horrible) of GAULTIER leads to the definition of a tie or slur that connects two notes in music, indicating they are played as one sustained note

22a        Top meal without starter succeeded in test (9)
UPPERMOST: The definition of an adjective denoting highest, top or topmost is arrived at from [S]UPPER (meal) as a light meal eaten in the evening devoid of the starting or initial letter (without starter) and S (succeeded) as the abbreviation for succeeded put inside (in) MOT (test) as in the UK driving test, commonly known as the MOT test, where MOT stands for Ministry of Transport

24a        Where the young go crazy (5)
POTTY: Double definition; the second being an adjective meaning somewhat silly or crazy that takes to the first a noun referring to a small pot for use as a toilet by an infant or young child

26a, 13 Across and 21 Down       South Korean yogi liked nutty 19 Across’ line for 9 Down (5,7,2,3,3)
HERE’S LOOKING AT YOU KID: An anagram (nutty) of SOUTH KOREAN YOGI LIKED guides to the definition of an iconic, improvised line spoken by Rick Blaine i.e. 19 Across to Ilsa Lund i.e. 9 Down that serves as a toast, a term of endearment and a bittersweet farewell in the 1942 American romantic drama film ‘Casablanca’

27a        Reptile, one ruling civil contingencies committee (4,5)
KING COBRA: The definition of the world’s longest venomous snake that is a reptile is reached from a charade of KING (one ruling) as a monarch who rules a territory and COBRA (civil contingencies committee) as referring to the UK government civil contingencies committee, named after Cabinet Office Briefing Room A, abbreviated as COBRA, the specific room where the meetings were originally held

28a        Musician knocks poet capturing hearts (10)
RHAPSODIST: The definition of someone who performs or recites epic poetry, often in music-like form is got from RAPS (knocks) as a verb in the third person singular present tense meaning knocks smartly or vigorously taking inside (capturing) H (hearts) as the abbreviation for the card suit of Hearts

29a        Olympian from Egyptian port returned (4)
ZEUS: The definition of the king of the Greek gods who lived on Mount Olympus and hence an Olympian is reached from SUEZ (Egyptian port) as the major Egyptian port city located at the southern entrance of the Suez Canal on the Red Sea coming from the other side (returned) as a reversal in the across clue

Down

1d           Shoots game (5)
DARTS: Double definition; the second being a noun denoting a game in which small pointed missiles are thrown at a dartboard that brings to the first a verb in the third person singular present tense meaning shoots an animal, for example with a dart, especially to inject a drug

2d           Princess tied to rock stars in group (9)
ANDROMEDA: Double definition; the second being a constellation in the northern hemisphere between Cassiopeia and Pegasus that takes to the first referring to an Ethiopian princess and daughter of Cassiopeia who was fastened to a rock and exposed to a sea monster that was sent by Poseidon, but she was rescued by Perseus, whom she later married

4d           Proclaimed leader corrupt in high definition! (8)
HERALDED: The definition of a verb in the past tense denoting proclaimed, especially with enthusiasm is obtained from an anagram (corrupt) of LEADER placed inside (in) HD (high definition) as the abbreviation for high definition

5d           Doctor on boat in capital (6)
MOSCOW: MO (doctor) as the abbreviation for Medical Officer who is a doctor in charge of the health services of a civilian or military authority or other organisation placed upon in the down clue (on) SCOW (boat) as a large flat-bottomed boat with square ends, used chiefly for transporting freight leads to the definition of the capital of Russia

6d           Ena holding youngster eats a hot snack (9)
ENCHILADA: ENA from the clue keeping inside (holding) CHILD (youngster) as a young human being below the age of puberty or below the legal age of majority taking inside (eats) A from the clue leads to the definition of a Mexican dish consisting of a rolled stuffed tortilla cooked with a chilli-flavoured sauce that’s a hot snack

7d           No serious accident: police initially called (5)
PRANG: The definition of a road accident in which the vehicles involved are only slightly damaged is attained from the initial or the head letter in the down clue (initially) of P[OLICE] followed by RANG (called) as a verb in the past tense denoting called by telephone

8d           Time passed with that European card game (6-3)
TWENTY-ONE: T (time) as the symbol for time as in physics, WENT (passed) as a verb in the past tense meaning passed or elapsed and (with) YON (that) as a pronoun meaning that or those yonder followed by E (European) as the abbreviation for European as EU in European Union leads to the definition of a card game of chance or the winning score of twenty-one points which is its object

9d           Ilsa in Casablanca, Lima and in Berlin (4)
LUND: The definition of the surname of Ilsa in the 1942 American romantic drama film ‘Casablanca’ is got from a charade of L (Lima) as the letter represented by Lima in the NATO phonetic alphabet and UND (and in Berlin) as the German word for ‘and’ that could obviously be heard in Berlin, the capital and the largest city of Germany

14d        Libertine in uniform somehow breached walls (9)
DEBAUCHER: The definition of a person who actively leads or corrupts others into vice, an example of which is a libertine i.e. a person who indulges in immoral or hedonistic behaviour, especially without restraint is arrived at from U (Uniform) as the letter represented by Uniform in the NATO phonetic alphabet surrounded by (walls) an anagram (somehow) of BREACHED

15d        Differences in Nicaraguan rebels crossing street (9)
CONTRASTS: The definition of a plural noun denoting differences, dissimilarities or distinctions is arrived at from CONTRAS (Nicaraguan rebels) as a Nicaraguan counter-revolutionary guerrilla force from 1979 to 1990 overlapping or surrounding (crossing) ST (street) as the abbreviation for street that is a type of paved way in a city, town or village

17d        Just English left on rising Italian island (9)
EQUITABLE: The definition of an adjective meaning just and right is reached from a combo of E (English) as the abbreviation for English and QUIT (left) as a verb in the past tense meaning departed from, abandoned or left placed upon in the down clue (on) ELBA (Italian island) as a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy going in an upward direction (rising) as a reversal in the down clue

18d        Detectives wait on southern swells (8)
DISTENDS: A charade of DIS (detectives) as the plural of DI i.e. the abbreviation for Detective Inspector followed by TENDS (waits on) as a verb in the third person singular present tense denoting waits on or attends and S (southern) as the abbreviation for southern takes to the definition of yet another verb in the third person singular present tense meaning swells out or expands

21d        See 26 Across

23d        Old man covers chest in warm coat (5)
PARKA: PA (old man) as a colloquial term for father, also known sometimes as ‘old man’ wraps up or takes inside (covers) ARK (chest) as a chest or coffer, leading to the definition of a very warm jacket or coat with a hood that often has fur inside

24d        Fairy Liquid’s top removed from bottle (4)
PUCK: The definition of a mischievous fairy in the play ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ of William Shakespeare is obtained from the topmost or head letter (top) of (Liquid’s) that is subtracted or taken away (removed) from P[L]UCK (bottle) as courage or bottle

25d        Wait up to welcome eastern poet (5)
YEATS: STAY (wait) as to linger or wait in order to do or experience something in an upward direction (up) as a reversal in the down clue to embrace or take in (welcome) E (eastern) as the abbreviation for eastern guides to the definition of the Irish poet, dramatist, writer and literary critic who was one of the foremost figures of twentieth-century literature

There were several clues that I liked in this puzzle such as 3a, 22a, 24a, 27a, 6d, 7d, 14d, 15d and 24d; 24a 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. Looking forward to seeing you here again. Have a nice day.