Sunday 21 October 2012

No 2709, Sunday 21 Oct 12

ACROSS
1   - Awful smell coming from small freshwater fish (6)  - STENCH {S}{TENCH}
4   - Charm, a cross, last in market (6)  - AMULET {A}{MULE}{T}
8   - Prepared to study unknown quantity (5)  - READY {READ}{Y}
9   - Material wealth (9)  - SUBSTANCE [DD]
11 - Scout, first to salute English dramatist (7)  - SPOTTER {S}{POTTER}
12 - Daughter coming in to mend broken piece (7)  - ODDMENT {OD{D}MENT*}
13 - Notice what's given to departing soldiers? (8,6)  - MARCHING ORDERS [CD]
16 - Come onto the stage in theatre in revised Osborne play (3,11)  - THE ENTERTAINER {THE {ENTER}TAINER*}
20 - Soldier, in consequence, left umbrella (7)  - PARASOL {PARA}{SO}{L}
22 - Figure old scam must take in mark (7)  - OCTAGON {O}{C{TAG}ON}
23 - Frozen, enter resort to make a political address (6,3)  - NUMBER TEN {NUMB}{ER TEN*}
24 - Rouse oneself and dress (3,2)  - GET UP [DD]
25 - Hard to acquire right container for animals to drink out of (6)  - TROUGH {T{R}OUGH}
26 - Little boy, after short time, becomes difficult (6)  - TRICKY {T}{RICKY}
DOWN
1   - Head of state rests uneasily showing strain (6)  - STRESS {S}{RESTS*}
2   - Develop complex (9)  - ELABORATE [DD]
3   - Mysterious tomb, one discovered by leader of Crusades (7)  - CRYPTIC {CRYPT}{1}{C}
5   - Bullfighter in form at a do recently (7)  - MATADOR [T]
6   - Knight having no chance to find weapon (5)  - LANCE LANCElot
7   - Paper in stand is English (8)  - TREATISE {TREAT}{IS}{E}
9   - Make fit for use low sort of accommodation (7,4)  - SERVICE FLAT {SERVICE} {FLAT}
10 - Preferred feathers delivered from London? (7,4)  - BROUGHT DOWN {BROUGHT} {DOWN}
14 - Forceful eastern regent implicated in charge (9)  - ENERGETIC {E}{REGENT*}{IC}
15 - Be quick, or set point's lost (4,2,2)  - STEP ON IT*
17 - Gathers in information over savings (4,3)  - NEST EGG {NE{ST EG}G}<=
18 - A whole number teeing off close to marker (7)  - INTEGER {TEEING*}{R}
19 - Smart spook snatching short sleep (6)  - SNAPPY {S{NAP}PY}
21 - Ladies' man finding note in changing room (5) - ROMEO {ROM{E}O*}

21 comments:


  1. Hi all

    Could not get a limited few in the southwestern corner for want of time.

    CRYPTIC shows up in cryptic crossword today. SUBSTANCE and ELABORATE had crisp clues.

    Liked STENCH, AMULET (clever use of 'cross' for mule), READY, ODDMENT, MARCHING ORDERS (nice one), OCTAGON, TROUGH, TRICKY, STRESS, MATADOR, TREATISE, ENERGETIC, INTEGER, SNAPPY, ROMEO and others.

    Sad that I may have to miss Mission 1030 today because of a function. All the best, friends. Will join in the afternoon.


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. NUMBER TEN (a cigarette brand of olden times!) was nice. Wondering how I missed it. I was looking for something similar to the Gettysburg Address.

      Delete
  2. Nice Sunday fare as usual. Liked Amulet the best

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  3. Don't forget the Special at 10:30 AM

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Is there any particular format for submitting a crossword for Sunday special?

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    2. Just sent me the grid as an image jpg or png and the clues in word format

      Delete
  4. It appeared a bit too easy for a Sunday CW

    ReplyDelete
  5. Col.
    Can you explain anno for 10D? I am not able to make out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Preferred = Brought ( As in Police preferred charges against the entire top management )
      Feathers = Down

      Defn = delivered from London

      Delete
  6. As a lad I have seen my father smoke Number Ten cigarettes. Other brands that he smoked were: Player's and Scissors. Maybe Star, not too sure.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Is the full name of the brand-Virginia ten?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If I am not mistaken, it was known as Number Ten by itself.

      I am a fierce anti-smoking campaigner. But could not help remembering some common brands of those days like Berkeley, Bears and others. In the 1960s (I think) COOL, a cigarette with menthol arrived in the market. It was very popular with youngsters.

      Delete
    2. Now that you mention, yes, I have seen packets of Berkeley too at home.

      I am not a smoker nor do I advocate smoking. I am only recalling memories.

      The fact that my father smoked at home did not make me a smoker; will's strong.

      But -

      If I had been a smoker I would have smoked unabashedly. What I don't like is householders after a meal taking a stroll outside to smoke. Is it a sign of respect to the elders at home? Or not to spoil children? Don't they know why this man is going out?

      Chicanery, I hate.

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    3. I agree, many people do it. They do not want to leave a stink on their own furniture and upholstery but they do not mind ruining other people's health by smoking in public.

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    4. More of childhood memories: We used to collect the aluminium foils from cigarette packets. Our favourite hobby was to put lime ( in a bottle and shove these foils inside. Helium gas, I guess, would be generated, which we blew balloons with. Then flew them, tied to long strands, in the sky and have fun.

      Oh, those were the days.

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    5. By lime I meant chuNNam - calcium oxide.

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    6. Good that you clarified. I was getting confused thinking of lemon.

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  8. Col,

    Would 13A qualify as a DD with "Notice" (as in pink slip) being a definition ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I quite agree!

      I had not read your message beyond 13A but when I scrolled up and read the clue, I too had the very phrase 'the pink slip' in my mind.

      Delete
  9. A lot of smoke today, where's the fire?

    Sunday CW getting to be easier than the weekday daily!

    ReplyDelete

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