ST 3311 (full review)

Daily Telegraph Cryptic No 3311

A full review by Rahmat Ali

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This puzzle was published on 06^th April 2025

BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

Greetings from Kolkata. A nice and witty 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.

Yearling, the answer to the clue of 11a, was known to me only two years ago, through solving an earlier ST puzzle and writing a review on it. This time I took to the net to learn more about the young horse and found out that they may be further defined by sex, using the term ‘colt’ and ‘filly’ to describe any male or female horse under age four. Incidentally, I was aware of ‘colt’ and ‘filly’ in my childhood too. Now, I further learnt from the net that younglings are comparable in development to a very early adolescent and are not mature physically. While they may be in the earliest stages of sexual maturity, they are considered too young to be breeding stock. Before horses become yearlings, the foals are weanlings and are usually aged between four and six months. Weanlings are animals that have been weaned, ate solid food independently and no longer relies on its mother’s milk for nutrients. Weaning usually refers to the horse, though the word can be used to describe any livestock including lamb, calf or pig. Although weanlings are separated from their dam and often grouped with other weanlings to keep each other company, it is a very stressful time for them. Weanlings are also called weaners. A super weaner is an exceptionally large elephant seal which has been nursing from more than one lactating female and weights considerably more than its peers at weaning age.

Impala, the answer to the clue of 25a, is a medium-sized antelope found in eastern and southern Africa. It features a glossy, reddish brown coat. The impala remains active mainly during the day and may be gregarious or territorial depending upon the climate and geography. There are three distinct social groups – the territorial males, bachelor herds and female herds. An annual, three-week-long rut takes place toward the end of the wet season, typically in May. Rutting males fight over dominance and the victorious male courts females in oestrus. Gestation lasts six to seven months, following which a single calf is born and immediately concealed in cover. Calves are suckled for four to six months; young males, who are forced out of the all-female groups, join bachelor herds, while females may stay back. An impala may look like a deer, but it is only an antelope with permanent horns usually on males, whereas deer shed and regrow their antlers, usually annually and also typically only males. True deer belong to the Cervidae family that includes moose, elk and reindeer, impalas belong to the Bovidae family that includes cows, goats and sheep. Coming to the etymology of the impala, I learnt that the first attested English name, in 1802, was palla or pallah, from the Tswana phala ‘red antelope’; the name ‘impala’ was first attested in 1875 and is directly from Zulu. Impala is also known by its Afrikaans name ‘rooibok’ that incidentally means ‘red buck’.

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Across

7a          Cold: most ice melting on the surface (8)
COSMETIC: C (cold) as the abbreviation for cold as to designate cold water in a faucet followed by an anagram (melting) of MOST ICE guides to the definition of an adjective denoting involving or producing a concession, improvement etc that is superficial or on the surface

9a          A plank on ship (6)
ABOARD: A from the clue followed by BOARD (plank) as a plank of a long flat slab of sawed lumber takes to the definition of an adverb meaning on a passenger vehicle, for example, a ship

10a        Come off line: redial anew (6)
DERAIL: The definition of a verb meaning to run or come off the rails or line is fetched from an anagram (anew) of REDIAL

11a        Horse in a grey, luck initially out (8)
YEARLING: The definition of a racehorse one year old, as calculated from 1 January of its year of foaling is fetched from an anagram (out) of a combination of IN A GREY and the initial or first letter (initially) of L[UCK]

12a        Financial concern about king mucking about (6,8)
MONKEY BUSINESS: MONEY BUSINESS (financial concern) as financial concern, where MONEY serves as an adjective meaning relating to finance and BUSINESS a noun referring to a commercial operation, concern or company placed around (about) K (king) as the abbreviation for king in chess notation guides to the definition of a noun denoting being unfair or dishonest with someone

15a        One or two cafe workers, though no corkers! (1,3)
A FEW: The definition of an adjective or determiner indicating not many or a small number of something, an example of which is the phrase ‘one or two’ that is an informal term meaning a few is reached from [C]AFÉ W[ORKERS] that is subject to the removal of (though no) [C] and [ORKERS] (corkers)

17a        Refuge required in Tokyo, as I said (5)
OASIS: The definition of a refuge or a situation or place preserved surrounding unpleasantness is part of or hidden inside (required in) [TOKY]O, AS I S[AID]

19a        Change hands, switched over (4)
SWAP: The definition of a verb meaning to trade, change or exchange one thing for another is reached from PAWS (hands) as the plural for an informal term denoting a person’s hand subject to comeback or reversal in the across clue (switched over)

20a        Error in data entry I spied, not small – row of figures to look at? (8,6)
IDENTITY PARADE: An anagram (error in) of DATA ENTRY I [S]PIED without taking into consideration (not) S (small) as the abbreviation for small takes to the definition of a row of people, including a person who is believed to have committed a crime and who are shown to a witness to find out if the witness recognises that person

23a        Adorable skill of dog in park? (8)
FETCHING: Double definition; the second referring to a skill associated with a dog in a park such as bringing back a ball or stick that takes to the first an adjective denoting adorable, charming or attractively befitting

25a        Devil appearing like an animal (6)
IMPALA: IMP (devil) as a small, mischievous devil or sprite and À LA (appearing like) as appearing like or in the style or manner of someone or thing leads to the definition of a graceful antelope often seen in large herds in open woodland in southern and east Africa

27a        Plot in story can help explain my emotions, primarily (6)
SCHEME: The definition of an intrigue or underhand plot is arrived at from the primary or initial letters (primarily) of S[TORY] C[AN] H[ELP] E[XPLAIN] M[Y] E[MOTIONS]

28a        African billionaire gladly provided backing, to some extent (8)
ALGERIAN: The definition of a native or inhabitant of Algeria, that is in Africa and hence an African is part of or hidden inside (to some extent) [BILLIO]NAIRE GLA[DLY] that is seen coming from the back end (providing backing) as a reversal in the across clue

Down

1d          European staff (4)
POLE: Double definition; the second referring to a long, slender, rounded piece of wood or metal, typically used with one end placed in the ground as a support for something, an example of which is a staff i.e. a long stick used as a support when walking or climbing or on which a standard or flag is raised or hoisted that leads to the first denoting a native or citizen or a Polish-speaking inhabitant of Poland that is a country in Central Europe and hence an European

2d          Begin lifting setter: what might setter do? (6)
EMBARK: The definition of a verb meaning to begin a course of action is obtained from ME (setter) as the setter of this puzzle referring to himself going up (lifting) as a reversal in the down clue followed by BARK (what might setter do) as to let out the sharp explosive cry of a setter i.e. a dog of a breed derived from the spaniel and pointer

3d          Nasty cold consuming kid at first (4)
ICKY: The definition of an adjective meaning nasty or unpleasant is reached from ICY (cold) as denoting very unfriendly, hostile or cold taking inside (consuming) the first or initial letter (at first) of K[ID] s t is reached from ICY (coldy pleasant is reached from  as a support when walking or climbing or on which a standard or flag

4d          Middle Eastern country holding territorials up (6)
QATARI: The definition of a native or inhabitant of Qatar that is in Middle East and hence Middle Eastern is fetched from IRAQ (country) as another country in Middle East keeping inside or retaining (holding) TA (territorials) as the abbreviation for Territorial Army, both seen going upwards, as reversals in the down clue

5d          Calm as a silent dove, you might say, bearing north (8)
COOLNESS: The definition of a noun denoting calm and unruffled self-assurance is deduced from COO LESS (silent dove, you might say) as one might refer to dove or pigeon not uttering the cooing or murmuring sound carrying inside (bearing) N (north) as the abbreviation for north

6d          Place on racecourse where £1,000 put on hack (10)
GRANDSTAND: The definition of an elevated structure on a racecourse, with tiered seating, affording a good view for spectators is reached from a charade involving GRAND (£1,000) as a slang term for a thousand pounds placed upon (put on) STAND (hack) as an informal term for a verb meaning to hack, endure or tolerate in the down clue

8d          Unlikely youth will lose out over old cry of the hunt (5-2)
TALLY-HO: TALL (unlikely) as an adjective denoting far-fetched, unlikely or cock-and-bull, especially when referring to a story that is hard to believe, Y[OUT]H from the clue will remove (lose) [OUT] (out) and O (over) as the abbreviation for over or overs as denoted on cricket scorecards takes to the definition of the cry of a participant at a hunt to encourage the hounds when the quarry is sighted

13d        Store lacking in commodities originally overwhelmed by shoplifting, say? (3-7)
OFF-LICENCE: The definition of a store that sells bottles or cans of alcoholic beverages for consumption off the premises is obtained from the original or beginning letters (originally) of L[ACKING] I[N] C[OMMODITIES] surrounded by (overwhelmed by) OFFENCE (shoplifting, say) as any public wrong or crime, an example of which is shoplifting, that is stealing merchandise form a store

14d        Out of bed and ready for surprise (5)
UPSET: A charade of UP (out of bed) as gotten up from bed or as no longer in bed, especially after sleep is over and SET (ready) as ready or prepared takes to the definition of a surprise, shake-up or sudden change

16d        Awful, heartless war made a deep impression (8)
WRETCHED: The definition of an adjective meaning awful, very bad or of poor quality is arrived at from W[A]R with the core or middle letter removed (heartless) followed by ETCHED (made a deep impression) as a verb in the past tense denoting produced or made a deep impression of something

18d        Supporter carrying father up in small plane, say? (7)
SAPLING: SLING (supporter) as a supporter of an injured arm or hand in the form of a band suspended from the neck having inside PA (father) in a upward direction (up) as a reversal in the down clue leads to the definition of an example of a young plane, that is any tree of the genus Platanus, especially the oriental plane viz. Platanus orientalis and the North American plane viz. Platanus occidentalis or a Eurasian maple with winged fruits, native to central and southern Europe

21d        Lead: it could be followed (6)
TAILED: An anagram (could be) of LEAD: IT guides to the definition of a verb in the past tense meaning followed and observed someone closely, especially in secret

22d        Story on drink (6)
REPORT: The definition of a spoken or written account of an event, usually presented in detail, an example of which is story, that is an account or recital of an event or a series of event, either true or fictitious is reached from a charade of RE (on) as a commercial jargon used to indicate ‘referring to’, ‘regarding’, ‘on’ or ‘about’ and PORT (drink) as a strong, sweet, dark red, occasionally brown or white, fortified wine, originally from Portugal, typically drunk as a dessert wine

24d        Great being around a source of provocation (4)
GOAD: GOD (great) as the supreme or great being placed about (around) A from the clue leads to the definition of a literal and figurative term for a source of provocation

26d        Idle thinker (4)
LOAF: Double definition; the second being a Cockney rhyming slang term for the head or brains as a thinker, as in the phrase ‘use your loaf’ denoting ‘use your head’ i.e. think that takes to the first a verb meaning to loiter or pass time idly

The clues that I liked in this puzzle were 12a, 15a, 19a, 20a, 23a, 25a, 2d, 5d, 8d and 18d; 5d being the best of the lot. 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 seeing you here again. Have a nice day.