Monday 23 November 2009

No 9695, Monday 23 Nov 09, M.Manna

Some awful clues today
ACROSS
 1  - Proposition from me to her (7) - THEOREM*
 5  - On way, somehow lost quarter of horses under their care (7) - {OSTL*}{E}RS Anno pending
10 - A game on which the captain rules (6) - BRIDGE [DD]
11 - Banish to a lower division (8) - RELEGATE [E] Relegate is not Banishing in the true sense
12 - To pose a threat to a mean engineer, improper (6) - MENA*{CE} Engineer on double duty?
13 - Saying little, go after Act I production (8) - TACI*{TURN}
14 - The motto of British is to revert to the low point of the problem (6) - {B}OTTOM* Why of the problem?
15 - Given directions, uses the right piece (6) - {R}ECIPE* Given or gives?
18 - A big German gun not to sleep on one (6) - BERTH{A}
20 - Al got them together to meet her (6) - THELMA*
23 - Latch properly to tie one related to sports (8) - ATHLETIC*
25 - Concedes it’s mad to make changes (6) - ADMITS*
26 - Fellow turned it, fool, it’s only fractional part (8) - {MAN}{TI<-){SSA<-} )
27 - Not free from variation (6) - UNEVEN [E]
28 - Aerial delivered before woman returned (7) - {ANTE}NNA<- )e
29 - It may be hot for her in a common Eurasian wasteland (7) - {HEATH}{ER} Where has her H gone? Anno doubtful
DOWN
 2  - Ambassador has caviare for superstars (6) - {HE}{ROE}S S from?
 3  - Only fellow on strike? (3,3,3) - ODD MAN OUT [CD]
 4  - Either U or I? (7) - ELEMENT [CD]
 6  - Makes a stroke that curves through the air (7) - SPLICER ? Anno pending
 7  - Arranges to get in Illinois with neither spurious nor false claim (5) - LEGIT*
 8  - Hopeless situations (8) - RATTRAPS [CD] What a hopeless clue if the answer is correct
 9  - Initiate march another way — one has to handle numbers (13) - ARITHMETICIAN*
16 - Tom, say, swallows representative piece of cheese (9) - CA{MEMBER}T
17 - Trains soldier to control use of force (8) - {RE}STRAIN*
19 - A skilled worker ran it as required (7) - ARTISAN*
21 - Removal time guaranteed (7) - {ERA}{SURE}
22 - A goddess writing one note after another (6) - ATHENE Anno pending
24 - Henry gets in late to use machine (5) - LAT{H}E


GRID


14 comments:

  1. Quite agree with your annos for 11 ac, 14 ac and 8 dn.

    Just hazarding a couple of guesses:

    29 ac - It may be hot for her in a common Eurasian wasteland (7) - {HEATH}{ER} Where has her H gone? Anno doubtful
    DOWN

    Maybe the setter had HEAT + HER in mind, and not HEATH + ER?

    2 dn - Ambassador has caviare for superstars (6) - {HE}{ROE}S S from?

    Possibly ROES is used in plural form to mean caviar (also spelt caviare)? That could perhaps explain the presence of S there.


    Richard

    ReplyDelete
  2. Is ANTE for delivered a commonly seen in CW?
    I felt it was kind of weak.

    ReplyDelete
  3. i suppose ante is for before...

    ReplyDelete
  4. See the link provided for ANTE, it is a term commonly used in poker etc. Ante up, meaning pay up

    ReplyDelete
  5. Richard,
    If we accept your argument then what is 'Eurasian wasteland' though Heath also doesn't qualify for it

    ReplyDelete
  6. It looks like heather refers to a Eurasian shrub that grows in the wasteland. So the anno {HEAT}{HER} seems appropriate although the definition could have been more precise.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I did write HEAT+HER first, but did not find any wasteland linked to Eurasia as such changed it. God & Manna only know which anno is correct. On second thoughts, I also feel HEAT+HER is the correct anno.

    ReplyDelete
  8. While the nerve-racking and hair-splitting as a result of guesswork goes on here, some of the compilers - if at all they are keeping a watch over this blog - may be having the last laugh.

    Or, who knows, laughing their way to the bank.


    Richard

    ReplyDelete
  9. I am glad to say that Indian blogs and Indian bloggers on crosswords are getting attention in the UK.

    In the Comments under my blog on today's Daily Telegraph crossword, the blog owner has cited an article by Shuchi in her blog and alludes to the comments I made thereunder.

    He reveals that Chaturvasi is Rishi in disguise.

    Visit, if you like,

    http://bigdave44.com/2009/11/23/dt-26093/

    ReplyDelete
  10. Can someone please provide the anno for 5 Ac. Is "On way" means "RS" and if so how?

    ReplyDelete
  11. Also, Anno for 10 Ac please... Is this really a DD?

    ReplyDelete
  12. 10ac is indeed a DD, as Col. Deepak notes.

    The second def of BRIDGE is a narrow raised platform on a ship from where the captain gives orders.

    ReplyDelete

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