Off to ancient Greece with Spinner.
ACROSS
1 Hate an eccentric goddess (6) ATHENA*
4 That woman’s clues confused the hero? (8) HERCULES {HER}{CLUES*}
10 Licences altered originally for recluses (7) HERMITS (-p+h)HERMITS
11 Gold swallowed by animal-woman who released evils (7) PANDORA {PAND{OR}A}
12 Stick around with limitless view of women’s undergarments (8) LINGERIE {LINGER}{
13 Hundred and fifty bees fly around stars (6) CELEBS {CL+BEES}*
15 God of love returning hurt (4) EROS<=
17 Seriously, I get paid in the shelter! (2,7) IN EARNEST {I}{N {EARN}EST}
20 Procedure gone awry ultimately releases germs (9) PATHOGENS {PATH}{GONE*}{S}
21 Like Spinner, originally arising from the Orient (4) ASIA {AS}{I}{A}
24 Flood the English bay (6) ENGULF {EN}{GULF}
25 Act Spinner put on for the sea deity (8) POSEIDON {POSE}{I}{DON}
28 Lavatory in broken oil tanker? Not OK! (7) LATRINE {
29 Honest in-charge involved in lathe design (7) ETHICAL {ETH{IC}AL*}
30 Ready to capture New York with extremely destructive satellite (8) GANYMEDE {GA{NY}ME}{D
31 Lively intelligence displayed in Christie’s prittle-prattle (6) ESPRIT [T]
DOWN
1 Greek hero is sick, overcome by pain and sadness, initially (8) ACHILLES {ACH{ILL}E}{S}
2 Warrior’s direction to the bird (5) HERON {HERO}{N}
5 Two-thirds of show is still a show (4) EXPO EXPO
6 Preserve the youngsters’ flasks (8) CANTEENS {CAN}{TEENS}
7 Queens of a pride? (9) LIONESSES [CD]
8 Fights with energy are scarce (6) SPARSE {SPARS}{E}
9 Political head caught in rising commotion? Period for acquiring secrets! (9) ESPIONAGE {ES{P}ION<=}{AGE}
14 Large grass bristle cut with hesitation, by a garden implement (4,5) LAWN MOWER {L}{AWN} {MOW}{ER}
16 Ape’s colour almost brown, with a touch of ultramarine (9) ORANGUTAN {ORANG
18 Metal hut I built around everyone with molybdenum, initially (8) THALLIUM {TH{ALL}IU*}{M}
19 Gary’s first cousin’s mom allowed a challenge (8) GAUNTLET {G
22 Black woman returns due to sleep disorder (3,3) JET LAG {JET} {LAG<=}
23 "Articulate thy salient features, Goddess of the Sea!’’ (6) TETHYS [T]
26 More unpredictable without Spinner’s cutter (5) DICER DIC
27 Very last trade (4) VEND {V}{END}
100% and in time!! On top of the world!
ReplyDeleteVery nicely and intricately spun like a spider's web (by the way that is one of the items I could connect in the cartoon) Doing the CW was comparatively easy, but solving the cartoon is tough.
Bingo, Paddy, that spider in the web was one Spinner.
Delete'Premier Intelligence Agency'- premier is also Chief!
ReplyDeleteVery last trade was one of the last to fall and 23D. I was misled into filling 'Poirot' for 31A with the mention of Christie and lively intelligence. When I looked up the meaning of 'espirit' it was exactly 'Lively Intelligence'.
ReplyDeleteLively intelligence in a murder mystery may make one think of Espirit de corpse!
Delete:-)
DeleteVery nice puzzle. Smooth and definitely not a web at all.
ReplyDeleteNo traps?
Delete8d: Could have clued SPARTA, adding one more to the Greek theme.
ReplyDeleteA nice & smooth puzzle.
No wrong 'uns or doosras today.
ReplyDeleteKishore,
ReplyDeleteTop is another spinner.
And continuing yesterday's motif led by CV, the top is at the bottom
DeleteAlas! You left out our TN's part of the quartet- Venkatragahavan.(though of course he was 'off' & on)
DeleteSV was, as you say, the fifth wheel, in the three band quartet
DeleteAnd as I said, there were only 3 Spinners in the clues, the rest were I or setter.
DeleteIs the one on the right top a bobbin for storing yarn?
ReplyDeleteThat's a hat-trick, Paddy.
DeleteJust like the three Spinners appearing in the clues. Reminded me of the famous trio of spinners: EAS Prasanna, BS Chandrashekar and BS Bedi.
Simple questions:
ReplyDelete1. Who is guilty of the activity at 12a?
You must excuse my frankness. My mind goes back to the time when I was a college student. Those were the times when our road had palatial houses in large compounds. Our house and the neighbour's had no compound wall but only a fence. There were no washing machines at home - clothes were hung out to dry in the sun. So the items in the clothesline were in full view.
The arrival of a new person in the next house and new items fluttering in the breeze were all clear to the observant viewer. I have put it quite diplomatically but I am sure you will understand!
* * *
In 1996 during a visit to Kingston, CA, I was walking on a broad road after I asked my friend to drop me somewhere so I can explore on my own.
I happened to see a young woman step out of the front door and throw over the front grille a bra for drying in the sun. No pail, no bundle of clothes, no clothespegs. I know that gated communities in advanced countries have strict rules about where clothes are put to dry but this was an independent house - yet it was on a main road.
You've opened a 11a's box.
DeleteVictoria's Secret is out in the open, CV.
DeleteThe laundry chappie at the girl's hostel has a limitless view ...
Watching that ensemble for clues regarding the inmates of those pieces of unmentionables, I almost read your 'college student' as 'collage student'
DeleteIn that little story of mine there is a whole lot of cultural proclivities. The neighbours were an orthodox family with customs and practices derived from a village such as Manachanalloor. The new arrival was from the cosmopolitan city of Bombay where people might not hide smaller things under other garments such as blouses and petticoats.
DeleteClarification
ReplyDeleteActually I had two questions.
But after I wrote the second para I forgot all about the other question.
Things just slip out of my mind. Sorry!
So, now the second question can be:
DeleteCan you guess what my second question was?
No cold feet today ! Could tackle Spinner easily and helped myself to a century at last !! May be it was a Bat(s)man's pitch !!! Quite an enjoyable puzzle. Thank you very much, Spinner. :-)
ReplyDeleteSolved completely today, and absolutely no help.
ReplyDeleteEXPO was the last to drop its curtains and reveal its secrets.
Nice cartoon, Kishore.
Thanks. You now stand EXPOsed
DeleteThank you Spinner! Jet lag and vend foxed me. Did all others!
ReplyDeleteThank you for all the kind words :) The experienced solvers, with the three Spinners in the line up, would have run through this and bowled out the opposition in no time!
ReplyDeleteGossamer thin and clear from Spinner . Enjoyed thoroughly. CELEBS as an abbreviated version for CELEBRITIES was a good one but why no indicator for the shorter version? or is it a permitted word in the dicts?
ReplyDeleteCV: did you have SLIP in mind as part of the clothesline or did it slip from your mind?
In yesterday's crossie by ASPARTEME, which I could complete only today, thanks to Kishore,
The word INCOMER brought ot my mind a hilarious situation in my office , my boss whose English was not that coming, when told that there was a visitor , a VIP, was standing outside to be called in, got exasperated and yelled at the peon: CALL THAT OUTSTANDING MAN inside !!
He meant well, though, and another one by the same ILL-uminary, exclaimed :'' arre baba, son has come'' when his son entered his office but the peon went on to draw the curtains to shut off the easterly sun blasting through the window !
It was amusing to note that Pandora's box had the thunder box in its symmetrical slot in the grid
ReplyDeleteHow do you pick up these words, which are not in common use?
DeleteNot common?! Why, I use it every day!
DeleteYou must be travelling every day.
DeleteI go
DeleteWe all go.
DeleteFirst time I hear about a thunder box! Had to look up after reading it here. This comes after today's canteen!
DeleteNice puzzle.could easily complete.surprisedto know of the canteen being a flask.22d well laid out clue.20a nicely brought out.
ReplyDelete