Happiness day I presume for all those who wanted it that way ;-)
ACROSS
1 T uber in a vessel at examination (6) POTATO {POT}{AT}{O}
4 H unts the wayward actress who lost direction (6) TRACES ACTRESs* Mistake needs to be TRACED !
9 E xcitable calibre man has? No, just the opposite (4) CALM {CAL}{M}
10 T he braless served up in suspense (10) BREATHLESS*
12 E nforces exodus at El Salvador to capture the darling (8) EXECUTES {EX}{E{CUTE}S}
13 N o end for sloppy chances to get fungi (9) MUSHROOMS {MUSHy}{ROOMS}
15 T rousers police sergeant wore had insect inside (5) PANTS {P{ANT}S} Imagine a policeman with ants in his pants!!
16 Y ou enter pub from back entrance with nothing outside and take over (3,2) BUY UP {B{UoY} UP}<=
18 F ree peacekeepers by bay accosting communists (9) UNCOVERED {UN}{COVE}{RED}
22 I mmoral fellows at the bar found in the cellar (8) BASEMENT {BASE}{MEN}{T}
23 F ullness seen in outside practice specialist has (6) PLENTY {PL{ENT}Y}
25 T rains via Ohio derail on departures (10) VARIATIONS {TRAINS+VIA+O}* O for Ohio?
26 H ummed a saying unknown setter left outside (4) SANG SAyiNG
27 G ives Evelyn a facelift symmetrically (6) EVENLY*
28 R eformed slut follows condition of grown-ups (6) ADULTS {AD}{SLUT*} What condition is AD? See comments
DOWN
1 I llustration on gold table (7) PLATEAU {PLATE}{AU}
2 D ischarged upset pilot officer on time (5) TEMPO {TEM<=}{PO}
3 T o nearly withdraw Commanding Officer with cigarette? (7) TOBACCO {TO}{BACk}{CO} Is injurious to health
5 H arassed marathoner left riotous Oman by preference (6) RATHER maRATHonER*
6 A cute call made to plan (9) CALCULATE*
7 N ew timidness I’m taking out from protest (7) DISSENT TimIDNESS*
8 K iller instinct seen from French end (13) DETERMINATION {DE}{TERMINATION}
14 S pouse to store sewing items perhaps? (9) HOUSEWIFE [DD]
17 F lummoxed warehouseman misses dilapidated homes in the dark (7) UNAWARE WAREhoUsemAN*
19 O bstructed work submitted (7) OPPOSED {OP}{POSED}
20 L engthens former spouse’s care on Sunday (7) EXTENDS {EX}{TEND}{S}
21 K inky lad hugs specialist of teeth (6) DENTAL {D{ENT}AL*}
24 S ee Los Angeles differently through a frame (5) EASEL {SEE+LA}*
Enjoyed solving the puzzle from Afterdark quite early in the morning.
ReplyDelete1A - O for examination, referring to O-leval perhaps. By the way, if one gets zero marks in an examination, do you grade it as O level? Just kidding. ;-)
10A - The clue left me BREATHLESS. Expecting commens from experts.
HEROIC, EXECUTES, MUSHROOMS, UNCOVERED, BASEMENT, PLENTY, VARIATIONS, SANG, EVENLY, ADULTS, PLATEAU, TOBACCO, RATHER, DISSENT, CALCULATE, DETERMINATION, UNAWARE, OPPOSED, EXTENDS, DENTAL, EASEL were all good.
5D - Sadly recalled some unpleasant events like riots that took place during the last two years in that beautiful country where I had lived for many years.
Two interesting points:
15A - PANTS and TROUSERS are two different things. Men wear trousers. In colloquial terms, in India, they are distinctly referred to as 'long pants' and 'short pants'. The correct word for those worn up to knees or slightly above - are they called 'chaDDis'? - are 'shorts'. Pants are normally the short, tight ones worn by women, like hot pants. This is what our professor had dinned into our heads in college. Opinions can differ.
14D - I also came to know in college that 'housewife' when used in the sense of 'a small container for needles, thread, and other sewing equipment' is pronounced hŭz′ĭf or 'hazeef'.
Although I got the housewife, I didn't get the second meaning.
DeleteOften have that trouble with the housewife.
Then she will needle you
DeleteNeedless to say.
DeleteYou have a point !
DeleteNormal pinpricks in life, you know.
DeleteLet us not bring those miniature appendages into this ...
DeleteAbove pun is only for those who can understand Konkani ...
Delete28 R eformed slut follows condition of grown-ups (6) ADULTS {AD}{SLUT*} What condition is AD?
ReplyDeleteAttention Disorder? or After Dark ? ;-)
Congos on 25th. If you see carefully, you might see something like a 25 in the toon
I took AD to be Alzheimer's Disease.
DeleteYou are correct. I was just fishing in troubled waters ...
DeleteI forgot the abbreviation.
DeleteDoing xwds may keep you out of it ...
DeleteKishore
DeleteDoes AD stand for attention disorder or attention deficit? I haven't paid enough attention,so I don't remember.
A senior moment comes to my rescue ...
DeleteCongrats, Afterdark, on your silver submission. I did not notice the acrostic pattern. Great job!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I have just drawn the word GASP. If you see anything else, do not blame me
ReplyDeleteReformed slut may still be braless due to AD, or ADD, possibly revealing DD.
DeleteAfterdark, you are being held responsible ...
Delete@Afterdark: Congrats on your 25th!
ReplyDeleteA certain medical specialist seems to be on double duty ;-)
ReplyDeleteRight commENT. I too had noticed it.
DeleteGood to hear about that
DeleteMaybe one is a right-ear specialist and the other is a left-ear specialist.
DeleteENTirely correct commENT, Richard
DeleteTGIE! E for Easy.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Afterdark.
Repeating
DeleteThank God It's Friday
Sorry, Honey It's Thursday !
Today the cartoonist has had a fit of AD, I think. For, the drawing does not seem to depict what he came to depict. If he had indeed given us a pic of the anagram fodder, I would have been left breathless.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your support !
DeleteI had to keep it that way, this being a family forum ... Maybe, I will send you a curvier sketch privately ...
I am sure all other eager expectant people know where to apply for a copy
DeleteDistribution strictly on application only?
DeleteYes ...
DeleteCV is right that I might have missed a couple of spots ...
Yes, it certainly is a happiness day, today ! Congrats AD, on your 25th offering. A nice puzzle to start the day. Thank you :))
ReplyDeleteSo did I. Normally I miss such things.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your Silver Jubilee. May you get many more silvers- no,golds.
1D- I took 'Illustration' as definition and filled in 'Tableau'. Surprising that fits in aptly. Then started digging around for the tuber!
I too had put in Tableau and messed around for some time.
DeleteSo did I.
DeleteThank you. Glad I am in good company or in other words, I am not the only one to go astray.
DeleteGoing astray? At this age? Tut-tut!
DeleteMy 8.56 was put in immediately after Richard's 8.43 about ENT.
ReplyDeleteWhat's the theme today?
ReplyDeletefree, braless, see, HOUSEWIFE, immoral, slut, kinky, Excitable, trousers, PANTS, lengthens, fullness, discharged, withdraw. There's another phrase in #16 that I hesitate from typing here.
Anyone?
We have started looking for themes where there isn't one
DeleteA twenty five year old is celebrating, in style.
DeleteYou can add UNCOVERED to the list. But remember there is DISSENT too. Consent is man-date-ory
DeleteI personally feel that the mixed up D and the extra ENT do not put a DENT into this nice xwd from AD.
ReplyDelete:-)
DeleteExtra power in your glasses, I think! Or more probably, extra power above the glasses.
Now, how do drinks come into the picture?
DeleteLike Col said, a samosa day for many, what with plenty of anagrams thrown in. 11 and a half I think.
ReplyDeleteCongrats to AD for his 25th crossie (THC and THCC together I think).
Likely to be THC alone.
DeleteNope Raghu is right
DeleteThank You Very enjoyable indeed
ReplyDeleteAD Congrats ! & Thanks for an enjoyable xword ! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks all of you. :) I really feel grateful for all the comments and encouragement over the last year. There had been many mistakes in the puzzles but you all had been very patient and forgiving of those. Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteLooks like, the elite club of PUNSTERS is increasing by the day, with the addition of the latest and brand new blogger PRABHANJAN !!! Enjoyed the lively Pun and CW. :)
ReplyDeleteCongrats to AD on completing his 25th setting.
ReplyDeleteThat he has been contributing many cryptics gratis for the THCC is very commendable.
Chances = Opportunities = ROOMS (13Ac) would have required some stretch.
Deletions (26Ac) or deletions with anagramming (4Ac, 5Dn, 7Dn & 17Dn) were probably two too many. A little more variety in clue types would have been welcome.
5 Harassed marathoner left riotous Oman by preference (6) RATHER maRATHonER*
OMAN* leaves maRATHonER = RATHER
Harassed is unnecessary, but probably brought in for the acrostic (remember yesterday's comment).
Also, instead of A left B, it should be B left A.
Both these concerns would have have been addressed, were it reworded as
Harassed Mona leaves marathoner by preference (6)
I think 'riotous' is included as Oman is not present in the same order in Marathoner.
DeleteHarassed could be justified if it was parsed as: mARaTHonER* [rather = arther*]
DeleteThank you, AD, for an enjoyable cw. Hope to see you much more!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your 25th.
The animated discussion btn Prabhanjan and Kishore from 8:51 to 9:03 about a "Housewife" reminds me of a joke, that I would like to share with you folks ! (lifted of course)
ReplyDeleteMrs. Cohen, the buxom, sexy housewife was built so well the TV repairman couldn't keep his eyes off of her. Every time she came in the room, he'd near about jerk his neck right out of joint looking at her.
When he'd finished she paid him and said, "I'm going to make a... well... unusual request. But you have to first promise me you'll keep it a secret."
The repairman quickly agreed and she went on. "Well, it's kind of embarrassing to talk about, but while my husband is a kind, decent man - sigh - he has a certain physical weakness. A certain disability. Now, I'm a woman and you're a man... "
The repairman could hardly speak, "Yes yes!"
"And since I've been wanting to ever since you came in the door..."
"Yes yes!"
"Would you help me move the refrigerator?"
And the man froze...
DeleteND,
ReplyDeleteChances = Opportunities = ROOMS (13Ac) would have required some stretch
I don't think there is any ROOM for stretch there.
Paddy,
DeleteI would submit there is a difference between room (for chance) and rooms (for the same purpose).
While room for opportunity/chance is OK, I have yet to see it used in the plural for this purpose, as suggested by AD.
Take these two cases of INTANGIBLE nouns:
A. There is room for (an) improvement [OR] There is room for improvements.
B. There are rooms for improvements.
In B, "room" has shifted meaning on you, from the singular "room" meaning an opportunity for improvement to the plural "rooms" meaning inhabitable spaces. Hence, 'ROOMS' may not be equatable with chances.
@Kishore (8:44 & 8:45): Totally agree, that is why I do crosswords and Sudoku :P
ReplyDeleteDitto Sandhya at 1:48!
ReplyDeleteIncorrigibly naughty boys!!!
ReplyDeleteWe earned it ! Thanks, PP.
DeleteYou had it coming. Was just wondering why the compliment had not come earlier during the day. ;-)
DeleteBetter late than never?
DeleteIs it a 'Royal' we?
ReplyDeletePP used boys in her comment. So she is referring to at least one more person. I was not using the royal or 'figurative' we
DeleteMy 3.37 in reply to Kishore's 3.16.
ReplyDeleteND @12.46-
ReplyDeleteI agree. Extrapolation may be setter's privilege. After all, he has earned on his Silver Jubilee!
Wrt the sense of 'room' in such sentences as 'there is room for improvement', or 'there is plenty of room for disagreement in the contents of this book; room is uncountable.
ReplyDeleteSo I don't think we can derive 'rooms' from 'chances'.
The 's' should have been handled separately.
AD also returned with comments on 4 A, though he's briefly peeped in with his acknowledgement of wishes for his 25th offering.
ReplyDeleteThat should read AD has not returned with comments n 4 A.
DeleteWhat about 4A ? I am unable to spot the error. Can someone help!
DeleteThe wordplay leads to TRACES, while the crossing of the last letter S clashes with the first letter D of 7d DISSENT
DeleteCONGRATS TO AFTERDARK FOR A WONDERFUL 25TH PRESENTATION in this blog.
ReplyDeleteIf any one hadn't noticed, his inimitable and unmissable signature is the deletion of words and not just letters. A dramatic Anagramatist , I should say ! Once I detect it in any clue, my braain promptly goes on to jumble mode, deleting mentally the unwanted letters or words. A chuckle, chuckle to him for this prowess ! Enjoyed today's immensely.
Pun is fun when double-entrendres are enjoyed even by nuns !!