ST 3254 (full review)

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3254

A full review by Rahmat Ali

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This puzzle was published on 3^rd Mar 2024

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

Greetings from Kolkata. A nice and lovely puzzle from Dada this Sunday that I enjoyed solving and thereafter writing a full review of his puzzle for your kind reading and significant comments.

Wear the pants, an informal phrase in the United States is equivalent to wear the trousers, the answer to the clue of 13a, an informal phrase in the United Kingdom. In American English, if one person in a couple wears the pants, or in British English wears the trousers, they are the one who makes all the decisions.

Greek mythology has always fascinated me. During my childhood, I read many stories pertaining to gods, heroic characters and religious rites of the ancient Greeks. I was also aware of Delphi, the answer to the clue of 26a, and its role and importance in many Greek stories. Now, I wanted to know more about it and so explored the net. I learnt that Delphi took its name from Delphyne, the female serpent who lived there and who was killed by the god Apollo. However, some other sources suggest that it was the male serpent called Python. It also shares the same root with the Greek word for womb, that is, delphys. In legend, previously called Pytho, Delphi was an ancient sacred precinct and the seat of Pythia, the major oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient classical world. The ancient Greeks regarded the centre of the world to be in Delphi, marked by the stone monument known as the Omphalos of Delphi. Today Delphi is a municipality of Greece as well as a modern town adjacent to the ancient precinct. This town was created after removing buildings from the sacred precinct so that the latter could be excavated.

The day this review goes for publication, it will be the second day of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting, for us here in India and the third day for the people of the Middle East, since the moon is sighted there around 21½ hours ahead of our place. I have always fasted during Ramadan and never missed or skipped any day of fasting in my life. I whole-heartedly wish ‘Ramadan Mubarak’ to all fasters around the world.

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

8a          Stop question and answer (4)
WHOA: A charade of WHO (question) as an interrogative pronoun denoting what or which person or persons and A (answer) as the abbreviation for answer guides to the definition of an exclamation used as a command to a horse to make it stop or slow down or to urge a person to stop or wait

9a          Hip-hop hit (3)
RAP: Double definition; the first being a noun referring to a type of popular music of US black origin in which words are recited rapidly and rhythmically over an instrumental backing and the second a verb meaning to strike a hard surface with a series of rapid audible blows, especially in order to attract attention

10a        Attractive though withdrawn, often bubbly thing? (3,3)
HOT TUB: HOT (attractive) as an informal adjective meaning sexually attractive or feeling sexually excited followed by BUT (though) as a conjunction denoting ‘though’ or as used to introduce a phrase or clause contrasting with what has already been mentioned seen returning (withdrawn) as a reversal in the across clue takes to the definition of a large tub, usually designed to accommodate several people, that is filled with hot aerated water and often equipped with a thermostat and whirlpool

11a        Bird hurting where wings clipped (6)
MARTIN: [S]MARTIN[G] (hurting) as feeling or causing a sharp stinging pain, especially of a wound of the body where the outermost letters (wings) are seen cut off or removed (clipped), leading to the definition of a small Eurasian bird, Delichon urbica, of the swallow family with a forked tail, bluish-black head and back, and white rump and underparts

12a        Teas oddly ignored, media types love coffee (8)
ESPRESSO: [T]E[A]S from the clue having not taken into consideration (ignored) the oddly placed letters (oddly) followed by PRESS (media types) as the media or newspapers or journalists viewed collectively and O (love) as the score for zero in a game of tennis takes to the definition of a type of strong black coffee made by forcing steam through ground coffee beans

13a        Rule the roost — taking strides to do it? (4,3,8)
WEAR THE TROUSERS: The definition of a phrase meaning to be the person in a relationship who is in control and who makes decisions for both people or to be the dominant partner in a marriage is cryptically arrived at from taking or wearing trousers (strides) to have sex (do it)

15a        Believe in drink? (7)
SWALLOW: Double verbal definition; the second meaning to cause drink to pass through the mouth and throat into the stomach that takes to the first a slang term denoting to believe without question

17a        Space to get angry after ending of negotiations (7)
STORAGE: A combo of TO from the clue and RAGE (get angry) as the get angry or show extreme or violent anger placed after or preceded by (after) the terminal or last letter (ending) of [NEGOTIATION]S directs to the definition of space or area reserved or available for storing something

20a        Be with ministers, pray desperately for Church governance (15)
PRESBYTERIANISM: An anagram (desperately) of BE and (with) MINISTERS, PRAY guides to the definition of church government by presbyters or elders, equal in rank and organised into graded administrative courts

23a        Minimum on head, still bald! (8)
HAIRLESS: The first or the least letter (minimum) on H[EAD] followed by AIRLESS (still) as still, especially of the atmosphere that is without wind or breeze takes to the definition of an adjective meaning bald or lacking hair

25a        Fish, one in the Land of Nod? (6)
KIPPER: KIPPER (one in the Land of Nod) as someone who is asleep or taking a nap, similar to the one in the Land of Nod where people dream while asleep that is cryptically formed from a slang term ‘kip’, a verb meaning to go to bed or to sleep, leading to the definition of a whole herring, a small, oily fish, that has been split in a butterfly fashion from tail to head along the dorsal ridge, gutted, salted or pickled and cold-smoked over smouldering wood chips

26a        Location of Oracle where I held out to maintain power (6)
DELPHI: The definition of a Greek town in ancient Phocis on the slopes of Mount Parnassus that was the site of the famous Oracle of Apollo is reached where an anagram (out) of I HELD has to retain or keep inside (maintain) P (power) as the symbol for power in physics

27a        Metal prong shortened (3)
TIN: TIN[E] (prong) as a prong or sharp point, such as that on a fork or antler that is devoid of its last letter (shortened) guides to the definition of a soft malleable, ductile and high crystalline silvery-white metal

28a        Stuck in mail, a telegram yet to arrive (4)
LATE: Part of or hidden inside (stuck in) [MAI]L, A TE[LEGRAM] takes to the definition of an adjective meaning not arriving, occurring or settled at the due, usual or proper time

Down

1d          Expression unravels when spoken? (6)
PHRASE: FRAYS (unravels) as a verb in the present tense third person singular form meaning unravels or becomes worn at the edge, typically through constant rubbing, especially of a fabric, rope or cord serving as a homophone heard by the audience (when spoken), leading to the definition of a characteristic manner or style of expression

2d          Clerical history exam (8)
PASTORAL: A charade of PAST (history) as former times or the past considered as a whole and ORAL (exam) as a spoken examination or test takes to the definition of an adjective meaning clerical or ecclesiastical

3d          Francophiles’ yen to develop their own territory? (6,9)
FRENCH POLYNESIA: An anagram (to develop) of FRANCOPHILES’ YEN directs to the definition of an overseas collectivity of France and its sole overseas country, comprising 121 geographically dispersed islands and atolls stretching over more than 2,000 kilometres in the South Pacific Ocean

4d          Apparently having missed par, going round in high numbers (7)
APLENTY: An anagram (going round) of AP[PAR]ENTLY from the clue having removed (missed) PAR from it takes to the definition of an adverb meaning in a large number, amount or quantity

5d          Things are more complicated as spadework gets tougher? (3,4,8)
THE PLOT THICKENS: The definition of a phrase used when a situation or series of events is getting more and more complicated and mysterious is cryptically arrived at from a plot or area involving preparatory drudgery (spadework) that eventually becomes harder and harder (gets tougher)

6d          Pressure someone initially put on lock (6)
STRESS: The definition of pressure or tension exerted on a material object is reached from the initial or leading letter (initially) of S[OMEONE] placed upon (put on) TRESS (lock) as a long lock or piece, strand, tuft or ringlet of hair in the down clue

7d          Partly scoop up some litter (4)
PUPS: Part of or hidden inside (partly) [SCOO]P UP S[OME] guides to the definition of a number of young animals born to an animal at one time

14d        Newspaper in stew when not published! (3)
RAG: RAG[OUT] (stew) as a main-dish stew of meat, poultry, fish or vegetables having deleted or removed (when not) OUT (published) as published or made available, especially of a book, journal or magazine takes to the definition of a newspaper, especially one specialising in sensationalism or gossip or one regarded as being of low quality

16d        Series of hostile actions friendly? Not entirely! (3)
WAR: WAR[M] (friendly) as friendly and affectionate or having or showing enthusiasm, affection or kindness without having all the letters or with the last letter removed (not entirely) directs to the definition of a particular armed conflict consisting of a series of battles or campaigns

18d        Bell’s taken on cricket shot, opener (4,4)
RING PULL: RING (bell) as to call someone by telephone placed upon (taken on) PULL (cricket shot) as to play the ball round to the leg side from the off in cricket in the down clue takes to the definition of a metal ring that must be lifted to open a closed metal container

 

19d        Where spinner resides online? (7)
WEBSITE: WEB SITE (where spinner resides) as referring to a web that serves as the residential site for a spinner that is someone that spins, for example a spider, leading to the definition of a group of World Wide Web pages usually containing hyperlinks to each other and made available online by an individual, company, educational institution, government or organisation

21d        Priest played in band (6)
STRIPE: An anagram (played) of PRIEST gives the definition of a long narrow band distinguished, as by colour or texture, from the surrounding material or surface

22d        Solver thus excited about last two in puzzle … (6)
SLEUTH: An anagram (excited) of THUS placed around (about) the final two letters (last two) in [PUZZ]LE leads to the definition of a relentless tracker, a detective or someone who looks for information to solve crimes

24d        … get rid of last of all — and jump! (4)
AXEL: AXE (get rid of) as to dismiss or get rid of someone and the final or ultimate letter (last) of [AL]L takes to the definition of a type of jump in skating

Some of the clues that I liked in this puzzle were 8a, 13a, 15a, 25a, 3d, 4d, 5d, 19d, 22d and 24d; the best of the lot being 5d. 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 assistance. Looking forward to being here again. Have a pleasant day.