ST 3325 (Full Review)

Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3325

A full review by Rahmat Ali

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This puzzle was published on 13^th July 2025

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

Greetings from Kolkata. A lovely, delightful puzzle from Dada this Sunday that I enjoyed solving and thereafter writing a full review of his puzzle for your kind perusal and valuable comments.

After solving the puzzle, I became interested in knowing about the etymology of ‘tom-tom’ and hence explored the net. I found out that ‘tom-tom’ has an interesting etymology rooted in colonial encounters with Indian music. It is an English adaptation of ‘tamtam’ (टमटम), an onomatopoeic word in Hindi, mimicking the sound or a rhythmic beat of a type of drum, used in South Asia that included the southern part of India and Sri Lanka that was known earlier as Ceylon. The drum is similar to a small hand drum or kettle drum, often used in ceremonies or communication. The term ‘tom-tom’ also has variants in the Telugu and Hindi languages, but only in Sri Lanka is there an indigenous drum with the name ‘thammattama’ sounding like’ tam-mat-tam’, shortened to ‘tamtam’. The term entered English in the late seventeenth to early eighteenth century, during the British colonial period in these countries. The British colonists used to complain loudly about the noise generated by the tom-toms of the natives throughout South Asia. Tom-tom was later broadened in English to refer to any drum that produced a deep, resonant sound, especially in Western music, where ‘tom-toms’ refer to the cylindrical drums used in drum kits aka the tom-tom drums. A tom-tom is also known as a tom drum.

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Across

1a           Male twins, one’s beaten (3-3)
TOM-TOM: TOM (male) as denoting a male name or referring to a male animal, especially a cat that is repeated (twins), leading to the definition of an American Indian or oriental drum played with the hands that is beaten on or played

4a           Maldivian, say, hammered red nails (8)
ISLANDER: The definition of a native or inhabitant of an island, an example of which is a Maldivian, a native or inhabitant of the Maldives, an island country in north-central Indian Ocean is reached from an anagram (hammered) of REDNAILS

9a           Shelter appearing, though not at first (6)
AWNING: The definition of a roof-like shelter of canvas or other material extending over a doorway, from the top of a window, over a deck etc, in order to provide protection, as from the sun, is obtained from [D]AWNING (appearing) as a verb in the continuous form denoting beginning to appear or develop barring the use of the first letter (though not at first)

10a        Phenomenal destruction (8)
SMASHING: Double definition; the second being a noun relating to the act of destruction, especially of breaking something into small pieces that takes to the first an adjective denoting fantastic, phenomenal, excellent or extraordinarily impressive

12a        Picture that’s the same! (4)
SNAP: Double definition again; the second referring to as the word shouted in joy by the first player in a type of card game on spotting a matching pair of cards to thereafter winning all the cards on the table that takes to the first an informal term denoting a photograph taken quickly and informally

13a        Comedian on the fringes carries inferior joker (5)
CLOWN: The outermost letters  (on the fringes) of C[OMEDIA]N holds inside (carries) LOW (inferior) as inferior or less good than is expected or desired, leading to the definition of a joker, jester or buffoon

14a        Average, poor (4)
MEAN: Double definition; the second being an adjective denoting poor in quality and appearance, especially of a place or inferior, as of a person’s mental capacity or understanding that takes to the first a noun referring to a mathematical average of a set of numbers or an average amount or value

17a        Push free information that’s supplied to journalists (5,7)
PRESS RELEASE: A charade of PRESS (push) as a verb meaning to push, force or exert pressure and RELEASE (free) as another verb denoting to free a person or animal from captivity or imprisonment or free someone from obligation or duty guides to the definition of an official announcement or report or a public statement containing information about an event that has happened or is going to happen supplied to the journalists or members of the press

20a        Especially fashionable and fussy (2,10)
IN PARTICULAR: The definition of a phrase denoting especially or specifically distinguished from others is deduced from a charade of IN (fashionable) as currently fashionable or trendy and PARTICULAR (fussy) as denoting fussy, choosy or exacting about details

23a        Part of shop entered, unlocked (4)
OPEN: Hidden or seen inside (part of) [SH]OP EN[TERED] takes to the definition of an adjective denoting unlocked, unlatched or unbolted, especially in the context of referring to a door

24a        Yellowy black in mare, unusually (5)
AMBER: The definition of a deep yellow colour is reached from B (black) as the abbreviation of black on lead pencils to indicate softness placed inside (in) an anagram (unusually) of MARE

25a        Herd somewhere on the Isle of Wight heard! (4)
COWS: The definition of the plural term for a female bovine animal and also collectively known as a herd is reached from COWES (somewhere on the Isle of Wight) as an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight, serving as a homophone to the audience (heard)

28a        Barrel otherwise put in place for the gents, say? (8)
LAVATORY: A combo of VAT (barrel) as a large vessel, such as a tub, cistern or barrel, used to hold or store liquids and OR (otherwise) as a conjunction denoting ‘or else’ or otherwise placed inside (put in) LAY (place) as to place in or bring to a particular position takes to the definition of a room equipped with washing and often toilet facilities, an example of which is GENTS, a sign on a door referring to a public lavatory for men

29a        Great predator’s caged for example (6)
LEGION: The definition of an adjective meaning a good many or a great many is obtained from LION (predator) as a predator or an animal that hunts and seizes other animals for food that has taken inside (caged) EG (for example) as the abbreviation for the Latin phrase exempli gratia meaning ‘for example’; predator’s being a contracted version of ‘lion has’

30a        Yell isn’t recreated without noise! (8)
SILENTLY: An anagram (recreated) of YELL ISN’T takes to the definition of an adverb meaning without noise or without making any sound or saying anything

31a        Crib that’s German rocked (6)
MANGER: The definition of a trough from which horses and cattle take food, an example of which is a crib i.e. a manger or container for animal fodder is fetched from an anagram (that’s . . . rocked) of GERMAN

Down

1d           Ultimately, priest managed month in part of church (8)
TRANSEPT: The ultimate or final letter (ultimately) of [PRIES]T followed by RAN (managed) as a verb in the past tense denoting managed, controlled or directed and SEPT (month) as the month of September in its abbreviated form guides to the definition of the part of a church at right angles to the greatest length between the nave and the apse or choir

2d           Seductress and cannibal? (3-5)
MAN-EATER: Double definition; the second denoting a cannibal i.e. a person who eats the flesh of other humans that takes to the first referring to a woman given to acquiring and dispatching male lovers, an example of which is a seductress i.e. a woman who seduces, especially in the sexual sense

3d           Fine housing in farmyard sound? (4)
OINK: OK (fine) as an adjective denoting fine, satisfactory, very well or all right taking inside (housing) IN from the clue guides to the definition of the characteristic grunting sound made by a pig or hog that could be heard in a farmyard

5d           More results produced, first of wins secured for very great competitor? (4,8)
SUMO WRESTLER: An anagram (produced) of MORE RESULTS having taken inside (secured) the first or initial letter (first) of W[INS] leads to the definition of a competitive combatant, extremely heavy and great in size, engaged in the Japanese form of wrestling, in which the winner forces his opponent outside a marked circle or by making him touch the ground with any part of his body except the soles of his feet

6d           Almost everything like that too (4)
ALSO: Most of the letters (almost) of AL[L] (everything) as everything one has, or taken into account or considered followed by SO (like that) as an adverb denoting likewise or like that produces the definition of another adverb meaning too, besides or in addition

7d           Steer left for bunk (6)
DRIVEL: A charade of DRIVE (steer) as to steer or guide and control the movement of a vehicle and L (left) as the abbreviation for left leads to the definition of a worthless message, also known by the terms bunkum or bunk

8d           Referring to spirit, a queen (6)
REGINA: RE (referring to) as a commercial jargon used to indicate ‘referring to’, ‘regarding’, ‘on’ or ‘about’ followed by GIN (spirit) as a spirit distilled from grain or malt and flavoured with juniper berries or other aromatic substances and A from the clue takes to the definition of the Latin name for ‘queen’ and also the title of a reigning queen

11d        American officer a trifle upset with medal (5,7)
FLEET ADMIRAL: The definition of the highest ranking officer in the US Navy, ranking next above admiral is reached from an anagram (upset) of a combo of A TRIFLE and (with) MEDAL

15d        Through university, produce notes? (5)
USING: The definition of a preposition denoting through, by means of or employing, an example of which is ‘go using the system’ meaning ‘go through the system’ is arrived at from a charade of U (university) as the abbreviation for university and SING (produce notes) as to emit musical notes or more or less songlike sounds

16d        Analyse piece from biopsy, characteristically (5)
PSYCH: The definition of a verb meaning to analyse, solve or comprehend is part of or hidden inside (piece from) [BIO]PSY, CH[ARACTERISTICALLY]

18d        Total in flower (8)
BLOOMING: Double definition; the second being an adjective meaning in flower or currently flowering that takes to the first used informally as an intensifier for total or complete, for example, ‘That’s a blooming disaster!’ can be interpreted as ‘That’s a total disaster!’

19d        Person I suspect ending in slammer – is one? (8)
PRISONER: PERSON I from the clue subject to an anagram (suspect) and followed by the end or last letter (ending) in [SLAMME]R takes to the definition of a person under arrest and who ends up in slammer, which is a slang term for a prison in this all-in-one clue

21d        Many sketches initially erased (6)
OODLES: The definition of an informal noun meaning a very great number or amount of something is reached from [D]OODLES (sketches) as a verb in the present tense third person singular form denoting draws or sketches aimlessly, especially when preoccupied that is having its initial or first letter (initially) taken away (erased)

22d        Insect that’s despicable sat upon by you and I (6)
WEEVIL: The definition of any of numerous beetles of the family Curculionidae, having the head prolonged into a snout and destructive to nuts, grain, fruit etc is reached from EVIL (despicable) as malicious, despiteful, despicable or very unpleasant above which is sitting or placed (sat upon by) WE (you and I) as the pronoun used by a speaker to refer to himself or herself and one or more other people to whom spoken considered together

26d        Private school where one of those played up (4)
ETON: The definition of the formal Eton College that is a private school for boys in the town of Eton, Berkshire, England that was founded in 1440 by Henry VI is reached from NOTE (one of those played) as one of the distinct and isolatable sounds of a particular pitch in music played by an instrument in an upward direction (up) as a reversal in the down clue

27d        Greek letter, guess second in fact (4)
BETA: The definition of the second letter of the Greek alphabet is got from BET (guess) as to imagine, assume or guess followed by the second letter (second) in [F]A[CT]

There were many clues that I liked in this puzzle such as 1a, 13a, 17a, 20a, 28a, 1d, 2d, 3d, 5d, 18d and 21d; 2d 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 encouragement. Looking forward to being here again.