Wednesday 28 January 2015

No 11303, Wednesday 28 Jan 2015, Afterdark


ACROSS
1   Emphasis on a cricket club to pick specialist (6) ACCENT {A}{CC}{ENT}
4   Opt out of autopsies doctor did on a dog breed (6) AUSSIE AUtopSIES*
9   Feeling weak and sick (4) WILL {W}{ILL}
10 Pardons sloppy animals lacking brain (10) REMISSIONS Anno pending (Addendum - {REMISS}{lIONS} - See comments)
11 City to return cooking implement of India (6) OTTAWA {OT<=}{TAWA}
12 Wrong call left listener with a signal that danger is over (3,5) ALL CLEAR {ALL C}*{L}{EAR}
13 Comes again with cut fruits... (9) REAPPEARS {REAP}{PEARS}
15 ... and Russian drink cocktail on Virginia ship (5) KVASS {cocK}{VA}{SS}
16 Devastated outcasts, left USA with a famous slave (5) SCOTT OuTCasTS*
18 A serious discord at bender about burial places (9) OSSUARIES {OSSUARIE}*{S}
22 Nude dad danced with maiden as attachment (8) ADDENDUM {ADDENDU*}{M}
23 Public relations is sadly empty and formal (6) PRISSY {PR}{IS}{SadlY}
25 Marriage, for instance restrained by loyalty (10) ALLEGIANCE {ALL{EG}IANCE}
26 A bird stranger released at waterfall (4) LINN LINNet
27 As guards surround alien property... (6) ASSETS {AS}{S{ET}S}
28 ...main course, Bush hides behind corner (6) ENTREE {EN}{TREE}

DOWN
1   Let tail wag a bit (1,6) A LITTLE*
2   Name a plant (5) CALLA {CALL}{A}
3   Report on fraternal fight, without head or tail (7) NARRATE fRATERNAl*
5   Union leader to spell out about offering more to same customers (6) UPSELL {Union}{SPELL*}
6   Side effect of pills, son took earlier is done with (9) SPILLOVER {(+s)SPILL(-s)}{OVER}
7   Groups of nine seen and destroyed (7) ENNEADS*
8   Oriental doctor, by mistake arrests man in guilt (13) EMBARRASSMENT {E}{MB}{ARRASSMENT*}
14 Laggards on drug, sick, rest around emergency room (9) PUTTERERS {PUT}{T{ER}ERS*} PUT/on drug ? (Correction - POTTERERS {POT}{{T{ER}ERS*} - See comments)
17 Conservative editor run down, for adding a mark to change pronunciation (7) CEDILLA {C}{ED}{ILL}{A}
19 Many an equipment designed to find IQ out (7) UMPTEEN EqUiPMENT*
20 Character spoiled scene following partner's direction (7) ESSENCE {E}{S}{SCENE*}
21 Dad angry on cocaine being taken by IT fiend (6) ADDICT {DAD*}{I{C}T}
24 More sick? Pill, erythromycin will contain (5) ILLER [T]

GRID

61 comments:

  1. 10 Pardons sloppy animals lacking brain (10) REMISSIONS

    {REMISS}{(-L)IONS}

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How does 'lacking brain' lead to deletion of L?

      Delete
    2. Just saw CV has answered my question (in anticipation?)

      Delete
  2. 14 Laggards on drug, sick, rest around emergency room (9) POTTERERS {POT}{T{ER}ERS*} POT drug

    ReplyDelete
  3. A question of usage
    When we think that some persons are stupid, I think we would say "They lack brains."
    The singular form is just the organ, I think.
    Am I right?
    ===
    I think this is another time a setter is using 'brain' to indicate the first/top letter of a word. What do you think of the device?
    Can we use 'toe' of boy' to indicate y?
    Why not? Don't we use 'footloose' for deleting the last letter?
    Just provoking discussion.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If 'toe' is right, then it should be 'head' and not 'brain/s'. Am I right?

      Delete
  4. 15 ... and Russian drink cocktail on Virginia ship (5) KVASS {cocK}{VA}{SS}

    I have a doubt - is it OK to have A on B in an Across clue?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Though crosswordunclued has a defence for using this I try to avoid it all costs>

      In y/days CW I had thought of the following:

      Men on French sea were in control once: F(OR)(MER)LY. I changed it because of this A on B issue.

      Delete
    2. What does 'a few dots (...) before a clue indicate? It always confuses me. Like this 15A. And of course at the end of 13A.

      Delete
    3. Thanks Raghunath! I've been trying my hand at setting clues in 1 ACross and Cryptic Crossword Society, so I was wondering about it.

      Delete
    4. @Sandhya,
      If it's 1 Across then you'll never be able to use it :-)

      Delete
    5. 'On' has several meanings one of which is 'against'. So I don't see what is the objection to A on B being AB in across clues. As long as you are consistent i.e., not using A on B to mean AB in one across clue and BA in another, I wouldn't have a problem.

      Delete
    6. Raghu @8.56, but the one that appeared yesterday for 'Formerly' turned out to be even better :)

      Delete
  5. Are W for weak (Chambers has week) & C for cocaine standard abbreviations?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My Chambers XWD dictionary gives them both.

      Delete
    2. C for cocaine - Freedict
      W for weak: medical dicts

      Delete
    3. Sandhya,

      If one goes as per Thefreedic then there's a bewildering number of abbrv for almost every letter. Thanks Shrikanth. I don't have that dic.

      Delete
    4. Actually, in this dict (though it is Chambers) there are so many abbr that we are not familiar with. We have had a discussion on this subject earlier. Abbr are necessary evils in clue construction, but sometimes totally one-sided as only the setter seems to have that source :(

      Delete
    5. I have recourse to crosswordunclued & Chambers dictionary

      Delete
  6. 11A- tawa? Very Indian, but English word?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think I have made a mistake here. Mercifully, it is a known word. So clue escaped.

      Delete
    2. I do not see a problem with Tawa, Shrikanth. You have used the word Indian, so it indicates. It may be there in the 23 volume OED, I am not sure. If it is there in a standard dictionary then the word Indian would be unnecessary.

      Delete
  7. Interesting and enjoyable CW. Learned a lot. Thank you AD.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Re yr 9.04 Refer: http://www.crosswordunclued.com/2010/05/ellipsis-linked-clues.html

      Delete
    2. Thank you Raghu, for taking the trouble in unearthing the relevant ref. Here, though, there seems to be no particular connection.(except some fruits are mixed in the drink)

      Delete
    3. Thanks Paddy

      Delete
  8. Finally could complete the puzzle! A bit on the tougher side, nonetheless enjoyable. Thank you, Afterdark. :-)))

    ReplyDelete
  9. Replies
    1. Thanks Aakash. Spotted anything in the grid? Nothing much, but there is something common

      Delete
    2. Now that you say, I will take a second look at the grid!

      Delete
    3. Pair of alphabets in solutions :)
      Nice one AD :)

      Delete
    4. Think Col Sir has spotted it right. In each answer the same letter appears in succession. Like aCCent, AuSSie, wiLL etc.

      Delete
    5. Always up to something! Good work AD.

      Delete
    6. Thanks LV. Thanks Raghu :)

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    7. Yes I had .. Thus my comment .. Nice one :)

      Delete
  10. Looks like our setters have a bias towards ENT specialist! I found one yesterday in 6Dn clue and today right at the top in 1Ac. Will he be there tomorrow too?! If he is there, it will be that much easier for me to solve!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Once again this head or tail problem - it has to be head and tail?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Replies
    1. Nothing wrong with that. "It did not have a head or tail"

      Delete
  13. Lot of super clues .Thanks AD

    on, about etc are valid connectors ?
    EN is a corner ?
    position of doctor is right in 4A?
    We should use common abbreviations or from daily sms use etc IMO ;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Also deletion fodder needs an anagram ind if the letters to be deleted not in order ?

      Delete
  14. Paddy, pl see my (delayed) reply against your comment posted yesterday @ 6:04 pm.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Thank you. Just saw. Let us hope half the battle is not like 'padhi kinaru'! Jumping half or three fourths across the well is all the same. One has to make it full or not at all. We are capable, but....

    ReplyDelete
  16. Shrikanth @ 9:40

    No mistake Shrikanth, Tawa/Tava/Tavah is there in the Chambers Dict "A griddle used in Indian cookery"

    ReplyDelete
  17. I burnt my fingers on the tawa! 'Indian'ising is up on all fronts.

    ReplyDelete

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