ACROSS
9 - Prospect could be long if one has the pizzazz (7) - PANACHE {PAN}{ACHE}
10 - Bluster gains support against a party (7) - BRAVADO {BRA}{V}{A}{DO}
11 - Setter caught in a downpour, time to get some clothing (7) - RAIMENT {RAI{ME}N}{T}
12 - When the ruler gets the answer, it will trigger some reaction (7) - REAGENT {RE{A}GENT}
13 - Mother has a fight over the inlaid decoration (9) - DAMASCENE {DAM}{A}{SCENE}
15 - Frantically trying to hide some silly behaviour (5) - ANTIC [T]
16 - Language for people to stay in touch (7) - BRAILLE [CD]
21 - He doesn't know much about Omani rugs anyway (9) - IGNORAMUS*
25 - Salt said to avoid day journey (7) - NITRIDE (~night}{NIT}{RIDE}
26 - Look old under the dress? Refuse (7) - GARBAGE {GARB}{AGE}
28 - Looks to play such shots (7) - GLANCES [DD]
DOWN
1 - Well, the Maoist was let off (6) - SPARED {SPA}{RED}
2 - Handicapped working for the company (6) - INFIRM {IN}{FIRM}
3 - It is a pain to be posted in Siachen (4) - ACHE [T]
4 - These crooked middlemen make one hopping mad (6) - SEETHE {THESE*}{mEn}
5 - Having a drink is pointless — need to get back to the city (8) - ABERDEEN {A}{BEeR}{DEEN<-}
6 - Crazy Turk's left a mark on the country (10) - MADAGASCAR {MAD}{AGA}{SCAR}
8 - Gets in touch with friends and acquaintances (8) - CONTACTS [DD]
14 - The USP for the plastic she recycled (5,5) - SALES PITCH*
17 - The sheep dog sat between the two boys (8) - ALSATIAN {AL}{SAT}{IAN}
18 - Fit the Greek character, going in sleepy and confused (8) - EPILEPSY {E{PI}LEPSY*}
22 - Deny two point access (6) - NEGATE {N}{E}{GATE}
23 - Funny name or a fellow with a complaint? (6) - MOANER*
24 - Vacillate before the church was raised (6) - SEESAW {SEE}{SAW<-}
27 - The boat has lost many, can still float (4) - RAFT cRAFT
Look, Richard, Braille pops up again.;-)
ReplyDeleteKishore,
ReplyDeleteThe clue was deftly done with a touch!
I liked 25 A NITRIDE.
ReplyDeleteNice one today. Put in 'Nucleus' instead of 'Nickels' without thinking too much -- it had some connection to Niels Bohr and did not apparently interfere with anything else!!
ReplyDeleteIn yesterday's Scintillator's puzzle,the theme was flowery and seasonal, in keeping with the Season. Just finished it.
ReplyDeleteHowever, there are too many imponderables, viz, 1 across: NATIVE= local OK, what else? How does it figure?
Secondly, will some Muslim or other friends explain: ID AL ADHA? Shouldn't it be ID UL ADHA?
Got SHANKED with KHAN and HANKS!!Must we be tortured on the New Year's days like this? Which KHAN? Salman? Amir? Sharukh ? Irfan? Yusuf? ( Dilip Saab) there are many more.
Aw, C'mn now !!
PONGAL is yet to rise. Unfair on non-tamilians to herald it so soon.
All in all, very GAUCHE, May I say TOUCHE? Kishore?
Please do do explain25 across.
Re Braille, the old joke goes like this -
ReplyDeleteLove is blind, so the lovers use the you-know-what method.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI am neither an Islamic expert nor an Arabic linguist.
ReplyDeleteGrammatically speaking, it should be Eid. In Arabic, this word is made of three alphabets - A - I - D.
While most Arabs spell the second word Al, in Egypt, Morocco, Jordan and some other countries it is spelt 'El'. It India, they spell it 'ul', maybe because of Urdu influence, I am not sure.
In the third word, the alphabet 'DH' does not have an English equivalent of alphabet or syllable to define. It is somewhere between dh and z. e.g. Many Arabs pronounce Abu Dhabi as Abu Zabi.
Someone more well-versed in Arabic can perhaps comment further.