ACROSS
1 - Left stranded? Back off, go down to the left, followed by right, left, left, left (6) - BE{R}{
4 - Saint going around in an old Indian kingdom (8) - {NI<-}{CHOLAS}
10 - Draft study plan (9) - {CON}{SCRIPT}
11 - The seven sisters from India escape a famine incited by criminals (5) - MAFIA
13 - Nothing to write about infiltrating cult – It's known to all (4,6) - {O}{PEN} {SEC{RE}T}
15 - We transfer electronic bits to use this! (7) - {WE}{BSIT*}{E} &lit
16 - Work without pressure, like a professional (6) - {EX{P}ERT}
19 - Lovers of the Italian geneticist (6) - ?E?D{IL} (Addendum - {MEN}{DEL} - See comments. Women are not lovers ?)
21 - Extravagant country of the Turkish dynasty (7) - OTTOMAN [CD]
23 - Perhaps, someone like Lenin would excitedly solve this brainteaser at first (10) - {B}{OLSHEVIST*}
25 - Landmass has dissolved? Nothing odd about it (4) - ISLE Anno pending (Addendum - {I}{S}{L}{E} - See comments)
27 - Playboy's finally marrying a cheat (5) - {RO{G}UE}
28 - Abuse Charlie in annex (9) - {ADDI{C}TION}
29 - Good leader's shaggy dog (8) - {AI}{REDALE*} Remember TIN-TIN's dog
DOWN
1 - Withdraw as student's left black and blue (4,4) - {B
2 - Soldiers revolutionary uprising in island is something that can be recreated (9) - {RE}{NEW}{ABLE<-}
3 - Deal with a particular type of person (4) - FACE [DD]
5 - Great selection of print ensemble (7) - INTENSE [T]
6 - Latin man's method has cut short time for a doctor (10) - {HOMO}{EO
7 - Being king, he may be in prison for a long time (5) - {LIFE}{R}
8 - Fight with army in a Greek city (6) - {SPAR}{TA}
9 - Bohemian joint that's conserving power (6) - {HIP}{P}{IE}
14 - What a driver may face when his swindle's unravelled (10) - WINDSHIELD* How did one S become a D
17 - Forgiveness of sin is more treacherous (9) - REMISSION*
18 - Trainee starts to enjoy this surfers' paradise (8) - {INTERN}{E}{T}
20 - Message for world peace at the start of a tennis game? (4-3) - LOVE-ALL [DD]
21 - Playing eleven can score a goal from this position (6) - {ON}{SIDE}
22 - Russian region's not south of the European peninsula (6) -
24 - A winter sport athlete's pistol (5) - LUGER [DD]
{-b}BE R {-L}EFT[/b]
ReplyDelete19A MENDEL anno pending
ReplyDeleteWOW! Spiffytrix! Was out teaching tennis to my wife n kids... so I started late. :) After failing to get a single one of the first few clues I read, I finally noticed that they were spiffy. So I'm gonna take my time and work on them offline... so I don't get tempted to view the vets' answers.
ReplyDeleteOff the top, he/she has really good surface reading. Hopefully the answers will be as satisfying! :)
Welcome to the new setter! Some clues are extremely good, like 30A and 9D.
ReplyDelete25A: even letters of 'dissolved'
MEN (lovers) DEL ('of the' in Italian; you may have come across it in some English film titles)
ReplyDeleteWhen I read (c. 1966) the poem Andrea del Sarto of Robert Browning, I must have learnt what 'del' means.
ReplyDelete1 - Left stranded? Back off, go down to the left, followed by right, left, left, left (6) - BEREFT
ReplyDeletesorry, I am not comfy and need CCE to make me understand the anno.
11AC - Seven Sisters is short for 'NE"? IS this well known?
ReplyDeleteDr pankajam,
ReplyDeleteLeft stranded = BEREFT
go down = EBB
back off = -B
right = R
to the left = EFT, left left left = left left L = L's gone from left
LNS,
ReplyDeleteSeven sisters is well known in India see the link in the main post
1A, wow!! Spiffytrix making a memorable entrance.
ReplyDeleteCV,
ReplyDeleteMEN (lovers) DEL ('of the' in Italian; you may have come across it in some English film titles)
Women are not lovers!?!
thanks VJ.
ReplyDeleteModifying VJ's explanation
ReplyDeleteLeft stranded? = Definition = BEREFT
Back off = Deletion indicator (Deletion of Back of EBB}
go down = EBB
to the left = Reversal indicator for EBB
followed by = position indicator
right = R
left = LEFT
left = Deletion indicator
left = L
Dr RP I hope I have not confused you further!
I agree with LNS. Seven sisters = NE is a stretch.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if writing "seven sister states" as "seven sisters" is acceptable. Need confirmation on this. Well we don't write twin cities as "twins," do we? I'm not sure
Thanks for the correction, Deepak. I was kinda confused when I wrote than anno
ReplyDeleteIs this new setter part of the top secret good news? Loved doing the crossword today.
ReplyDeleteVJ The North East States are commonly known as 'Seven Sisters'. So it is ok. I am also willing to stretch that much to put in NE
ReplyDeleteSuresh @ 09:30,
ReplyDeleteYes it is
Wonder what the rest of the TSGN is.
ReplyDeleteWait and watch
ReplyDeleteDeepak 9:02
ReplyDeleteI agree that lovers could be men or women who love.
There is an erroneous impression in India that 'lovers' denote only men and that women who are loved are 'ladyloves' or
'sweethearts' or some such term.
Is the setter labouring under that illusion?
Deepak and CV re men and lovers. There are several words which can mean lovers. Men, women, casanova etc. Use of any of these is perfectly acceptable in my opinion
ReplyDeleteGood morning all
ReplyDeleteSurprised to see the name and even more on the clues. Now it has become an open secret initially i was bereft later dawned on looking at the websites at the onside of the internet instead of suffering in an isle with the sound of the luger echoed piercing the windshield backed down and seek remission with a homeopath. On the face it looks like a sonnet but it took an expert like mendel to finish it off. Otherwise i would have looked like an hippie.
Love all
Good Day
Mathu
TSGN!!! Curiosity is killing the cat!!!
ReplyDeleteSuresh, thanks for clarifying.
ReplyDeletetx Col ,it is crystal clear now.
ReplyDeletePP As long as it is only the cat it is ok
ReplyDeleteIf I remember right, it was mentioned somewhere that we have to wait till October 2 for the rest of TSGN.
ReplyDeleteCV, who was hazarding guesses alongside us, now seems to be on the inside track. He has advised us, on the Orkut THC forum, not to hazard guesses on the identity of the new setter, and to allow the nom-de-plume be.
Though it is easy to guess, we will respect his wishes. In any case, we are happy to see someone progress from solver to setter.
Col,
In 4a, it surprises me that you have not put Saint in black, bold, italics as befitting the definition required. SAINT NICHOLAS aka Santa Claus.
Were a standard format to be followed, it helps the visitors, who include many a beginner, for whom this blog serves as a veritable reference for honing their cruciverbalistic skills.
The clueing for 1a is on the lines of the puzzle I had mentioned on this blog last Sunday which Kishore guessed right immediately (reminds me I have still to respond to his probability puzzle in cards).
ReplyDeleteWhat does 222222 stand for? This was the reply Kamal Hassan gets from the station master when he asks for the timing of the next train.
Ans: Two to two TO two two (1:58 to 2:02)
What's TSGN?
ReplyDeleteVJ Ref Suresh@09:30
ReplyDeleteVJ,
ReplyDeleteSee Suresh's 9:30 comment for the meaning of TSGN
Oh, lol... Thanks Col and Suresh. I must have missed that part. I think it's too early to say if it's good or bad. I like the pseudonym though. It sounds nice.
ReplyDelete2 Dn. From where NEW has come? Is it from
ReplyDeleterevolutionary(ideas)?
16 Ac. Without pressure - I have taken it to mean remove P. Is it ' work with pressure, like a professional'?
Muthiah
ReplyDelete16 AC 'without' here is opposite to within
work = exert ,'outside' "P"ressure leads to EXPERT
Is that right Col?
I was familiar with the seven sisters referring to the seven states, but didn't think of substituting NE for them.
ReplyDeleteThanks Giri.
ReplyDeleteGiridhar @ 17:45,
ReplyDeleteThat's right.
Muthaiah @ 17:19
Revolutionary is new
Wonder what the last straw on the camel's back was that led to Spiffytrix coming on board..Considering it is Sankalak's turn to come on, I hope that he has only gotten pushed in order and will appear in sequence before Gridman..
ReplyDeleteSo can we safely assume that 14D is a typo?? misplacing a 'd' with an 's'?
ReplyDeleteHari.No we cannot call it a typo. What is the correct type?
ReplyDeleteHari, I think we can safely say that it's just a case of wrong foddering.
ReplyDelete