Thursday 25 December 2014

No 11275, Thursday 25 Dec 2014, Incognito


MERRY CHRISTMAS

Enjoyed Incognito's Christmas offering. Besides the themed entries there is something more in the grid which I will leave for the other solvers else to detect.


ACROSS
8   Alpha leaves Beta with hot queen (4) BETH {BETa}{H}
9   Telecommunications without minutest components can be cost-effective (10) ECONOMICAL teLECOMmuniCAtIONs*
10 Bore my developed foetus (6) EMBRYO*
11 Curdled foodstuffs for pains after endless exercise (8) YOGHURTS {YOGa}{HURTS}
12 Bovine amphibian creature (8) BULLFROG {BULL}{FROG}
14 Six rings, though endless and recast, are uncontaminated (6) VIRGIN {VI}{RINGs*}
16 Second-hand American edition (4) USED {US}{ED}
17 Angry because this type of clue does not have the first letter (5) CROSS aCROSS
18 A sort of vote (4) VETO* &lit
19 Harbour a mad, sly, upper-class male (6) ASYLUM {A}{SLY*}{U}{M}
21 Pants and pockets (8) TROUSERS [DD]
23 Animals control animals (8) REINDEER {REIN}{DEER}
26 Pop's stout is placed in front of that lady (6) FATHER {FAT}{HER}
27 Alas, Tuscan turns into a presenter (5,5) SANTA CLAUS*
28 Coward, maybe, but no base learner (4) NOEL {NO}{E}{L}

DOWN
1   Sir, Burmese organisation replenishes money spent (10) REIMBURSES*
2   Laughed comically, "Under-clothed, not nude" (8) CHORTLED undeR-CLOTHED*
3   American city has one red painter (6) RENOIR {RENO}{1}{R}
4   Sacred part of Soho lyceum (4) HOLY [T]
5   Pardons counterfeits around four (8) FORGIVES {FORG{IV}ES}
6   Drink a type of confectionery without ice (6) LIQUOR LIQUORice
7   Lure graduate with sex-appeal (4) BAIT {BA}{IT}
13 Great MC's spirit (5) GHOST {G}{HOST}
15 Meddled in fire tender reconstruction (10) INTERFERED*
17 Start company with some soldiers and an engineer (8) COMMENCE {COM}{MEN}{CE}
18 Calling on six posing after departure of model (8) VISITING {VI}{SITtING} 
20 This will sometimes be more than the width of rood in the middle of this grid (6) LENGTH [CD]
22 Ring a marine creature? That's stupid (6) OAFISH {O}{A}{FISH}
24 Test once before morning (4) EXAM {EX}{AM}
25 Way regularly found in Rio ward (4) ROAD RiO wArD

29 comments:

  1. Merry solving on a Merry Christmas Day! Thank you, Incognito. :-)))

    ReplyDelete
  2. Special feature - cross in the centre of the grid?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good spotting Sandy. That was referenced in 20d. There is something a bit more elusive ...

      Delete
    2. Is it "Holy Ghost Forgives.."?

      Delete
    3. Nope...
      Pl. see 1254 below.

      Delete
  3. BETH....short for Bethleham should have been highlighted as part of the theme

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are, no doubt, correct, KSK. However, it was not in my theme words list when filling the grid ...

      Delete
  4. Happy Christmas with samosas to relish! Thanks Incognito!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Just saw a job ad where they want the candidate to develop clients and execute them.
    Wonder what is the business of the company.

    Back to the crossword 'feature', I am still waiting for the aha moment both here and elsewhere.

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  6. And Happy Christmas to everyone.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Merry Christmas Richard and others

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  8. Belated Best wishes for a Merry Christmas.

    Had to suffer a lot of interruptions, but when I finally settled for solving, I found that there was nothing much to SOLVE, really. Everything fell in place by themselves. Thank you Incognito for an enjoyable day.

    In the name of the Father and the Son and Holy Spirit (Ghost)...is what the saying goes. Son is missing in today's CW.

    Loved the deletion of NUDE, but it took me a long time to uncover it (after filling in the word!)

    ReplyDelete
  9. A hint ..
    The text is 'regularly' seen near Christian crosses ...

    ReplyDelete
  10. Re extra words in clues, there does not seem to be any consensus.
    See
    http://www.boards2go.com/boards/board.cgi?action=read&id=1419351002.33446&user=dharrison

    ReplyDelete
  11. Merry Christmas to all.

    Re the hint by Kishore: I N R I in the third row.

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  12. Suresh, about 'elsewhere ', I am still at 2 out of 4

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  13. Ajeesh,
    I guessed you have the same problem as me reg. the cryptic INRI-
    INRI stems from the Latin phrase 'Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum' meaning 'Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews'. This was the notice Pontius Pilate nailed over Jesus as he lay dying on the cross
    The CW was easier to sole than this cryptic!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Paddy, for the explanation. I too was at sea after seeing INRI.

      Delete
  14. Thanks Ajeesh 12:26 for remembering lesser mortals like me. :-)

    May all good things happen to you in 2015 and beyond.

    While on the subject of 'beyond', I remember having watched a Malayalam movie in the mid-1980s.

    It had Nadia Moidu, aka Zareena Moidu in the lead. I think Mohanlal was the hero. The title meant something like 'Gazing beyond Yonder'. By chance, was it Nokkethadhoorattu Kannum Nattu'?

    ReplyDelete

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