ST 3379 (Full Review)

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3379

A full review by Rahmat Ali

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

This puzzle was published on 26^th July 2026

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

Greetings from Kolkata. A truly entertaining 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.

6d was an interesting clue, featuring Jack’s beanstalk. After solving the puzzle, I searched the internet to learn more about the fairy tale Jack and the Beanstalk and discovered a wealth of fascinating information about its history and origins. Jack and the Beanstalk is one of the best-known English fairy tales, with a literary history that can be traced through several influential versions. Although its roots lie in much older oral folklore, the story first appeared in print under the title The Story of Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean in 1734. This early version introduced the central elements of a poor boy, a handful of magical beans, an enormous beanstalk leading to a giant’s realm and the hero’s daring exploits. The tale was later reworked and moralised as The History of Jack and the Bean-Stalk by Benjamin Tabart in 1807, presenting Jack’s adventures as a lesson in courage, honesty and virtue. During the Victorian period, Henry Cole, writing under the pen name Felix Summerly, further popularised the story by including it in The Home Treasury (1845), where it reached a wide family audience and became firmly established as a classic children’s tale. Joseph Jacobs subsequently rewrote the story for his celebrated collection English Fairy Tales (1890), drawing upon earlier printed texts while aiming to preserve the vigour and character of traditional English storytelling. The tale itself is generally believed to have originated in the oral folk traditions of England, although scholars have recognised motifs shared with much older European and Scandinavian folklore, particularly stories involving a magical ascent to another world and the triumph of an underdog over a fearsome giant. Through its evolution from The Story of Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean to The History of Jack and the Bean-Stalk and later through the influential retellings by Felix Summerly and Joseph Jacobs, Jack and the Beanstalk has endured as a timeless fairy tale, celebrated for its blend of fantasy, adventure, wit and the enduring theme of courage overcoming seemingly impossible odds.

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

1a           Head in old coin (5)
CROWN: Double nounal definition; the second being an old British coin worth five shillings or twenty-five pence used before decimalisation that takes to the first denoting the top or highest part of the head

4a           Precious metal consumed stone (5)
AGATE: A charade of AG (precious metal) as a precious shiny greyish-white metal by the name silver, the chemical element of atomic number 47 and ATE (consumed) as a verb in the past tense meaning took a meal or consumed food leads to the definition of an ornamental stone consisting of a hard variety of chalcedony, typically banded in appearance

10a         Many staff and I go out of business (8)
MANIFOLD: The definition of an adjective denoting many, numerous or various is arrived at from MAN (staff) as to staff or provide with personnel followed by (and) I from the clue and FOLD (go out of business) as to fail, especially to go out of business

11a         Drink spiked by king, more significant (6)
LARGER: LAGER (drink) as a beer of German origin that is fermented for a relatively long time at a low temperature penetrated or got inside (spiked) by R (king) as the abbreviation for rex, the Latin word for king that takes to the definition of an adjective in the comparative degree meaning more significant or important

12a         Maestro, foremost of composers, I’ll give you a lift! (6)
CHOPIN: The definition of the Polish maestro who was a composer and virtuoso pianist of the early Romantic era renowned for the emotional expressiveness of his works for solo piano, many of which adopt the rhythms of Polish folk music and whose full name was Frédéric François Chopin is reached from the first or initial letter (foremost) of C[OMPOSERS] followed by HOP IN (I’ll give you a lift!) as an informal imperative or spoken invitation meaning to get into a car or vehicle, commonly offered by a driver to someone needing a ride

13a         Where devil lives, I am Satan transformed (8)
TASMANIA: The definition of the island state of Australia that is located 240 kilometres to the south of the Australian mainland where the Tasmanian devil, a nocturnal carnivorous marsupial Sarcophilus harrisii of the family Dasyuridae, lives is reached from an anagram (transformed) of I AM SATAN

14a         Savage sharing decorative food (7)
GARNISH: An anagram (savage) of SHARING guides to the definition of an edible decoration added to food

16a         How medicine may be given, failing that partner (6)
ORALLY: The definition of an adverb meaning by means of or through the mouth as the answer to how medicine may be given is arrived at from a charade of OR (failing that) as a conjunction denoting ‘otherwise’ or ‘failing that’ used to introduce an alternative like ‘or’ or ‘otherwise’ and ALLY (partner) as a partner, friend or confederate

17a         Glossy trap – something attractive (6)
MAGNET: A charade of MAG (glossy) as a short form of magazine, an example of which is a glossy i.e. a colossal term for a glossy magazine and NET (trap) as to trap, ensnare or capture leads to the definition of something that naturally attracts or draws things towards it

19a         Major English political party is anxious (5,2)
KEYED UP: A charade of KEY (major) as an adjective denoting major or chief, E (English) as the abbreviation for English and DUP (political party) as the abbreviation for Democratic Unionist Party, the Protestant unionist and loyalist party of Northern Ireland takes to the definition of an adjective meaning very excited, nervous or anxious

21a         Lead in pencil I gather wrong – it’s a form of carbon (8)
GRAPHITE: An anagram of the leading or first letter (lead) in P[ENCIL] and I GATHER guides to the definition of a naturally occurring, steel-gray to black, crystalline form of carbon

22a         Meal right, pack sandwiches (6)
BRUNCH: The definition of a late-morning meal eaten instead of breakfast and lunch is got from R (right) as the abbreviation for right covered by (sandwiches) BUNCH (pack) as a pack or cluster or a group of a people or things

23a         Currency in which yours truly invested, the first person from Asia (6)
YEMENI: YEN (currency) as the official currency of Japan having inside (in which … invested) ME (yours truly) as referring to the setter of this puzzle and followed by I (the first person) as referring to the first-person singular pronoun guides to the definition of an adjective meaning from, of, belonging to or relating to Yemen, a country in Asia and hence ‘from Asia’

24a         Two-hour race for some, relative jogged round though (8)
MARATHON: The definition of a race on foot of 26 miles 385 yards normally taken 3 to 3.5 hours by advance runners, that can also be completed in just around two hours by elite runners is reached from MA (relative) as a childish contraction for mamma or mother followed by RAN (jogged) as jogged or trotted at a moderately swift pace placed about (round) THO’ (though) as the American or poetic spelling of the adverb and conjunction ‘though’

25a         Maxim, a little saying, no meaning (5)
GNOME: The definition of a short pithy saying or maxim that expresses a general truth or fundamental principle is part of or hidden inside (a little) [SAYIN]G NO ME[ANING]

26a         Reportedly big jar (5)
GRATE: A homophone heard by the audience (reportedly) of GREAT (big) as big or relative large in size, number or extent guides to the definition of a verb meaning to jar or make an unpleasant rasping sound

Down

2d           Selfish driver who may sound like a bore? (4,3)
ROAD HOG: The definition of a swinishly selfish or boorishly reckless motorist or any other driver or user of the road is cryptically arrived at from HOG i.e. a castrated boar sounding like a bore as referring to the selfish or reckless driver on the ROAD, that is, a ROAD HOG

3d           Person flogging fish is an impudent type (14)
WHIPPERSNAPPER: A charade of WHIPPER (person flogging) as a person who flogs, whips or lashes another with a whip or similar instrument and SNAPPER (fish) as any of various marine fishes of the family Lutjanidae, related to the basses guides to the definition of an insignificant, presumptuous or impudent person

5d           Leave wife and split costs (2,5)
GO DUTCH: A charade of GO (leave) as to leave a place or depart and DUTCH (wife) as a cockney slang for wife takes to the definition of a phrase meaning to share the cost of something, especially a meal, equally

6d           Fairy tale featuring Jack’s beanstalk, perhaps? (4,5)
TALL STORY: The definition of an exaggerated, implausible or unbelievable tale is cryptically reached from ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’, a classic fairy tale about a boy, Jack, who climbs a towering beanstalk grown from magic beans and defeats the giant he meets at the top, whereby STORY (fairy tale) featuring TALL (Jack’s beanstalk, perhaps) yields TALL STORY

7d           Swallow feathers (4)
DOWN: Double definition; the second being a noun referring to the fine, soft, fluffy features forming the first plumage of a young bird that leads to the first a verb meaning to gulp or swallow hastily

8d           Living ingredients in a pudding? (5-3-6)
BREAD-AND-BUTTER: The definition of a person’s livelihood i.e. main source of income or means of making a living is arrived at from BREAD AND BUTTER (ingredients in a pudding) as the principal ingredients in a bread-and-butter pudding in which leftover buttered bread is scattered with raisins and layered in an oven dish, covered with an egg custard mixture seasoned with nutmeg, vanilla or other spices, then baked

9d           TV show Israel broadcast (6)
SERIAL: The definition of a television programme presented in episodes is reached from an anagram (broadcast) of ISRAEL

15d         Feeling at home with training (9)
INTUITION: The definition of a noun denoting a feeling, idea, impression or instinctive knowing is obtained from a charade of IN (at home) as at or inside one’s home and (with) TUITION (training) as training, tutoring or teaching

18d         Old clothes on – yes! (6)
AGREED: AGED (old) as an adjective denoting old or advanced in years taking inside (clothes) RE (on) as RE (on) as a commercial jargon used to indicate ‘on’, ‘about’, ‘referring to’ or ‘regarding’ leads to the definition of an adverb denoting yes, absolutely or all right

19d         Ensure relative remains shut up! (4,3)
KEEP MUM: KEEP (ensure … remains) as to ensure that someone or something stays or remains in a certain state and MUM (mother) as the colloquial term for one’s mother, used especially by a child to address or refer to her takes to the definition of an idiom meaning to stay silent, keep quiet or shut up

20d         Recognise when ready for mining work? (4,3)
PICK OUT: The definition of a verb meaning to see or recognise a person, thing etc is cryptically obtained from PICK as a tool used in mining and OUT as ready or available (when ready for mining work)

22d         Judicial punishment swift, say (4)
BIRD: Double definition; the second being a creature with feathers and wings, usually able to fly, an example of which is a swift, an insectivorous bird with long slender wings and spending most of its life on the wing that takes to the first denoting a term in prison that is a judicial punishment

 

There were many clues that I liked in this puzzle such as 10a, 12a, 13a, 19a, 21a, 24a, 3d, 5d, 6d, 8d, 18d and 20d; 12a being the top of the lot. My prayers to the Almighty for the eternal rest and peace of BD and my thanks to Dada for the entertainment. Looking forward to being here again. Have a pleasant day.