Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 31223
A full review by Rahmat Ali
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This puzzle was published on 25th April 2026
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Greetings from Kolkata. A nice and brilliant Saturday puzzle from the setter that I enjoyed solving and thereafter writing a review of the same for your kind perusal and significant feedback.
After solving the puzzle, I explored the internet and found a great deal of information about Walter Raleigh, who features in the wordplay for 23a. I had previously read about him in my early twenties in ‘History of English Literature’. Sir Walter Raleigh (1552–1618) was an English explorer, soldier, writer and courtier, best known for his role in the expansion of England’s presence overseas during the reign of Elizabeth I. Born into a Protestant gentry family in Devon, Raleigh first gained distinction as a soldier in Ireland, where his service and ambition brought him to the attention of the Queen. He soon became one of her favourites, receiving lands, titles and influence at court. Raleigh is closely associated with early attempts to establish English colonies in North America. He sponsored expeditions to the New World, including those that led to the ill-fated Roanoke Colony, often referred to as the ‘Lost Colony’. Although these ventures did not result in permanent settlement, they marked important early steps in England’s later colonial expansion. Beyond exploration, Raleigh was also a noted intellectual and writer. During a period of imprisonment in the Tower of London, he composed his ambitious but unfinished work, ‘The History of the World’, reflecting his wide learning and humanist interests. His poetry, though less extensive, is valued for its elegance and reflective tone. Raleigh’s fortunes declined after the death of Elizabeth I and the accession of James I of England. Accused of involvement in a plot against the new king, he was imprisoned for many years. Although later released to lead an expedition to South America in search of gold, the venture failed and worsened relations with Spain. On his return, he was arrested once more and executed in 1618. Walter Raleigh remains a complex and often romanticised figure; an embodiment of the ambitions, rivalries and uncertainties of the Elizabethan age.
Next, I also looked up Paul Mescal, who features in the wordplay for 6d. Paul Mescal has rapidly emerged as one of the most compelling actors of his generation, combining quiet intensity with emotional authenticity. Born in Dublin and raised in Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland, Mescal initially trained at ‘The Lir Academy’, where he developed a strong foundation in stage performance. Before gaining international recognition, he appeared in a number of theatre productions, earning praise for his naturalistic style. Mescal rose to prominence with his portrayal of Connell Waldron in the acclaimed television adaptation of ‘Normal People’, based on the novel by Sally Rooney. His nuanced performance captured the complexities of youth, intimacy and vulnerability, earning him a BAFTA Television Award and widespread critical acclaim. The role established him as a distinctive talent capable of conveying deep emotion with remarkable subtlety. Following this breakthrough, Mescal transitioned successfully to film with his debut in the psychological drama ‘The Lost Daughter’. His performance in ‘Aftersun’ was particularly lauded, with critics praising his understated yet profoundly affecting portrayal of a young father. The role earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, confirming his status as a serious and versatile performer. He gained further recognition for his performances in the psychological drama ‘All of Us Strangers’, the historical action film ‘Gladiator II’ and for his portrayal of William Shakespeare in ‘Hamnet’. Mescal has since taken on a variety of roles across independent and mainstream cinema, demonstrating both range and ambition. Known for his thoughtful approach to acting, he often gravitates towards character-driven narratives that explore human relationships and inner conflict. Despite his rising fame, he maintains a relatively low public profile, focusing primarily on his craft rather than celebrity. With a growing body of critically acclaimed work and a reputation for sincerity and depth, Paul Mescal continues to shape a promising career, marking him as one of the most interesting figures in contemporary film and television.
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Across
9a Adored female animator working with American (9)
INAMORATA: An anagram (working) of ANIMATOR followed by (with) A (American) as the abbreviation for American takes to the definition of a female sweetheart or lover who is obviously an adored female
10a First killer casing hotel in Bond (5)
CHAIN: CAIN (first killer) as the first killer on earth whose victim was his own brother Abel as mentioned in the biblical Book of Genesis holding or keeping inside (casing) H (hotel) as the letter represented by Hotel in the NATO phonetic alphabet leads to the definition of any connection or unifying bond
11a Tune not bad, but lacking introduction (3)
AIR: The definition of a simple tune or melody for either vocal or instrumental performance is got from [F]AIR (not bad) as an adjective meaning mediocre, passable or not bad devoid of (but lacking) the introductory or initial letter (introduction)
12a Dutch house dog eating nothing for tea (6,5)
ORANGE PEKOE: ORANGE (Dutch house) as referring to the House of Orange of the Dutch royal family followed by PEKE (dog) as a Chinese breed of small short-legged dogs with a long silky coat and broad flat muzzle taking inside (eating) O (nothing) as the letter representing naught or nothing leads to the definition of a black tea composed of the smallest top leaves and grown in India and Sri Lanka
13a Two rabbits in French province once (7)
GASCONY: A charade of GAS and CONY (two rabbits) as two rabbits, derived from the addition of a verbal rabbit and a nounal rabbit; the former meaning to chatter, especially vapidly, an example of which is to rabbit i.e. to chatter or talk inconsequentially and the latter referring to the European rabbit, especially in older English usage that guides to the definition of a region that was a province of the southwestern Kingdom of France that succeeded the Duchy of Gascony from 602 to 1453
14a Retail activity back near old Italian port (7)
SALERNO: SALE (retail activity) as a retail activity that is the act of selling goods followed by NR (near) as the abbreviation for near coming from the other side (back) as a reversal in the across clue and O (old) as the abbreviation for old leads to the definition of the port that is located in the gulf of the Tyrrhenian Sea in southwestern Italy
16a Like Dorothy’s house in that famed 1939 film? (4,4,3,4)
GONE WITH THE WIND: Like in the famed 1939 film ‘The Wizard of Oz’, the house of Dorothy Gale is famously swept away by a tornado or is, literally, ‘gone with the wind’, the phrase cryptically directs to the definition referring to the title of the other famed 1939 film ‘Gone with the Wind’
20a Not much resistance for darts champ Luke (7)
LITTLER: A charade of LITTLE (not much) as an adverb meaning scarcely or not much and R (resistance) as the symbol for resistance in physics guides to the definition of the surname of the English professional darts player who, at the age of 17 years and 347 days, became the youngest world champion in darts history
23a Damaged Walter Raleigh’s first vessel (7)
TRAWLER: An anagram (damaged) of WALTER followed by the first or initial letter (first) of R[ALEIGH] (Raleigh’s) guides to the definition of a vessel that uses a wide-mouthed, bag-shaped net to catch seafish
25a Two spies guarding English royal line (11)
PLANTAGENET: PLANT and AGENT (two spies) as referring to two spies; the former being a person stationed in a given location as a spy or observer and the latter denoting especially a secret agent who is employed in espionage for a government holding or keeping inside (guarding) E (English) as the abbreviation for English that takes to the definition of a line of English kings, ruling from the ascent of Henry II in 1154 to the death of Richard III in 1485
26a Pot knocked over – little crash? (3)
NAP: PAN (pot) as a metal pot usually with a handle, used for cooking food turned from a horizontal position (knocked over) as a reversal in the across clue leads to the definition of a brief sleep, often during the day, an example of which is little crash e.g. ‘have a crash’ meaning ‘have a sleep’
28a Broken piece in London skyscraper (5)
SHARD: Double nounal definition; the second being the United Kingdom’s tallest building at 309.6 metres that is located in Southwark, London that takes to the first denoting a broken piece or fragment of a brittle substance, especially of pottery
29a and 1 Down Tragedian cut out to embrace one Russell comedy (9,4)
EDUCATING RITA: An anagram (out) of TRAGEDIAN CUT taking inside (to embrace) I (one) as the Roman numeral for one guides to the definition of a 1983 British comedy-drama film with a screenplay by Willy Russell based on his 1980 stage play
Down
1d See 29 Across
2d Detachment, small, gets in roaring drunk (8)
GARRISON: The definition of a military post, especially one that is permanently established, an example of which is a detachment i.e. a permanent unit, usually smaller than a platoon, organised for special duties is arrived at from S (small) as the abbreviation for small placed inside (gets in) an anagram (drunk) of ROARING
3d Florid jumper worn by choice oddly (6)
ROCOCO: The definition of an adjective meaning florid, ornate or excessively elaborate in speech, literary style etc is got from ROO (jumper) as an informal Australian term for kangaroo or a large Australian marsupial known for its great leaping power, an example of which is a jumper i.e. an animal that jumps having inside (worn by) the oddly-placed letters (oddly) of C[H]O[I]C[E] i.e. COC
4d Agent taking players around country one leaves (8)
CATALYST: The definition of an agent that stimulates or precipitates a reaction, development or change is reached from CAST (players) as referring to the players or the group of performers in a play, motion picture etc placed about (around) [I]TALY (country) as a country in Southern and Western Europe having I (one) as the Roman numeral for one coming out (leaves)
5d Triads capturing English banker (6)
GANGES: GANGS (triads) as the plural of a group of a people who associate together or act as an organised body, especially for criminal or illegal purposes, an example of which are triads i.e. transnational organised crime syndicates originating from seventeenth-century Chinese secret societies, evolving from political anti-Qing movements into powerful criminal cartels seizing or keeping inside (capturing) E (English) as the abbreviation for English takes to the definition of a trans-boundary river of Asia which flows through India and Bangladesh that gets flooded particularly in Bangladesh during the monsoon, an example of which is a banker i.e. a term used in Australia and New Zealand referring to a river flooded to the top its banks
6d Paul Mescal’s content to play Bones (8)
SCAPULAE: An anagram (to play) of a combination of PAUL and the inner letters (content) of [M]ESCA[L] (Mescal’s) guides to the definition of the two large, flat, triangular bones forming the back part of the shoulder
7d Dog show advertiser (6)
BARKER: Double nounal definition; the second referring to a show advertiser or a person who stands at the entrance to a show, as in a carnival or fair, calling out its attractions to passers-by that takes to the first an animal that makes a bark or a barking sound e.g. a dog
8d King previously called for joint (4)
KNEE: A charade of K (king) as the abbreviation for king in chess notation and NÉE (previously called) as an adjective denoting previously called or known as, particularly used to indicate the maiden name of a married woman that takes to the definition of the joint of the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
13d Russian writer‘s repeated attempts on line (5)
GOGOL: The definition of the Russian novelist, short-story writer and playwright of Ukrainian origin, whose full name was Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol is reached from GO and GO (repeated attempts) as singularly referring to an attempt or trial at something that is seen repeated followed by L (line) as the abbreviation for line
15d Religious group ruling (5)
ORDER: Double definition; the second denoting a ruling that is an authoritative or official decision e.g. a court ruling that leads to the first referring to a religious order that is a group of persons who bind themselves by vows in order to devote themselves to the pursuit of religious aims
17d Clearly awaiting execution, but comfortable (4-2-2)
WELL-TO-DO: A charade of WELL (clearly) as an adverb denoting perfectly or clearly and TO DO (awaiting execution) as still to begin and carry through to completion i.e. awaiting execution guides to the definition of an adjective meaning comfortable, well-off or having adequate income
18d Mat woven with Inuit element (8)
TITANIUM: An anagram (woven) of a combo of MAT and (with) INUIT leads to the definition of a strong, light and corrosion-resistant, metallic element having symbol Ti and atomic number 22
19d Laid up in ordinary island state (8)
ILLINOIS: ILL (laid up) as an adjective denoting laid up or suffering from or affected with an illness, followed by IN from the clue, O (ordinary) as the abbreviation for ordinary as O-level in Ordinary level and IS (island) as an abbreviation for island takes to the definition of a state in the Midwestern region of the United States bordering Indiana in the east and the Mississippi River in the west
21d In which we find leaves gathered for potting? (3,3)
TEA BAG: A cryptic definition of a small sack, usually of thin paper holding gathered tea leaves (leaves gathered) for putting into a pot for making an individual serving of tea (for potting)
22d Feel remorse having run over white bird (6)
REGRET: The definition of a verb meaning to feel sorrow or remorse for an act, fault, disappointment etc is arrived at from R (run) as the abbreviation for run or runs scored in cricket placed upon in the down clue (over) EGRET (white bird) as a white bird with long legs, that is a type of heron, usually found wading along marshy shorelines
24d Last, not first, swimmer off course (6)
ASTRAY: [L]AST from the clue without the first or initial letter (not first) followed by RAY (swimmer) as a flat-bodied elasmobranch fish that is a swimmer takes to the definition of an adjective or adverb denoting off course, off the right track or adrift
25d After job (4)
POST: Double definition; the second being a noun meaning a job or position in a company or organisation that takes to the first a prefix, occurring originally in loanwords from Latin, meaning after, subsequent to or behind e.g. postgraduate, postscript etc
27d Summon wannabe knight (4)
PAGE: Double definition; the second being a noun referring to a medieval youth training for knighthood, receiving education and performing services at court or in a nobleman’s household that guides to the first a verb meaning to seek or summon by sending a page round, by repeatedly calling aloud for especially using a public address system
There were several clues that I liked in this puzzle such as 9a, 12a, 13a, 16a, 25a, 26a, 3d, 4d and 6d; 25a 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 here again. Have a nice day.