Wednesday 16 September 2015

No 11501, Wednesday 16 Sep 2015, Lightning


ACROSS
8   Chapter fifty included in test? Not in the score awarded! (11,4) EXCLAMATION MARK {EX{C}{L}AMinATION} {MARK}
9   Irritable engineer with thug regularly breaking into manufacturing facility (8) PETULANT {P{E}{ThUg}LANT}
10 Flawless in diplomacy (6) INTACT {IN}{TACT}
11 Criticism of one ousting university building (9)  STRICTURE STR(-u+i)ICTURE
12 Show topless chest (5) OFFER cOFFER
15 Afflicted with scary illness in the heart becomes underweight (7) SCRAWNY {W+SCARY+illNess}*
17 Eternal goal? Not so much (7) ENDLESS {END}{LESS}
19 Range of strategic chess move cut short at the beginning (5) AMBIT gAMBIT
20 Designed for comfort, therefore no mount in chair for starters (9) ERGONOMIC {ERGO}{NO}{Mo..t}{In}{Ch..r}
23 For qualified gain (6) PROFIT {PRO}{FIT}
25 Ends of snake spanning greyish-brown ridge in a desert (4,4) SAND DUNE {Sna{AND} {DUN}kE}
26 Now freebie might not be distributed (3,3,4,5) FOR THE TIME BEING*

DOWN
1   Omit passage right away (6) EXCEPT EXCErPT
2   Enlightened group’s aim until one left devastated (10) ILLUMINATI {AIM+UNTIL+1+L}*
3   Bestowing one with special skill to entice Member of Parliament in German (9) IMPARTING {1}{MP}{ART}{IN}{G}
4   Importance of the frame of mind I hear you are in (7) STATURE {STAT{UR}E}
5   These gates admit the truth (5) LOGIC [CD]
6   Release monthly payment by end of August (4) EMIT {EMI}{a...sT}
7   Return journeys (8) PROCEEDS [DD]
13 Animal freed by mistake, let inside (6,4) FALLOW DEER {F{ALLOW} DEER*}
14 Bump into noble one almost breaking into register (9) ENCOUNTER {EN{COUNt}TER}
16 Rekindling old romance in this country (8) CAMEROON {O+ROMANCE}*
18 Old kingdom of northern Poland and its neighbour (7) PRUSSIA {Po..d}{RUSSIA}
21 Losing opener, unbeaten for 50 overs, say (6) INNING wINNING
22 Animal seen in hot territories (5) OTTER [T]
24 Chance fellow had (4) FATE {F}{ATE}

GRID

19 comments:

  1. Lovely xword..long ones nicely done..others equally njoyable
    Doing an MB today: L needs to be addef in the anno of 9 A

    ReplyDelete
  2. Didn't do this crossword but as I casually and incompletely look at the clues and answers above, down 7 13 22 24 are all so good!
    I am sure solvers must have had good time.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Delightful one. Enjoyed thoroughly. Could annotate all except 25Ac "SAND DUNE. Not getting 'AND' part. Any one to throw some light on this please!? Thanks Lightning. :-)))

    ReplyDelete
  4. What are the ends of Mukundala?
    Well, they are M and A, not MA.

    ReplyDelete
  5. MB
    Ref your smiley above. How many mouths do you have?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Only one Sir! But when I complete a CW my smile becomes quite enlarged just like that of a Cheshire cat! :-)))

      Delete
  6. Ok rather decent xword after yest.. messed up on fallow deer tho... put it down as fellow doer for sm reason :) took help for proceeds

    ReplyDelete
  7. Today, while reading a film review on the Internet,I came across a word that I have never met before.
    mentee
    Do you know what it is?
    If not, guess here and then visit
    http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mentee

    The word was in a review of the film Kaviya Thalaivan by a writer who was my colleague in a newspaper organisation.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Had come across the word during one of the training programmes:mentor & mentee..my webster in my cell phone confirms that

    ReplyDelete
  9. Yes, we have protector, protectee; assignor, assignee....
    But mentee is repulsive to me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was an instinctive revulsion.
      I wonder why. Then iI got the answer.
      Assign is verb. Assignor is noun. Assignee, we can understand.
      So also protect, protector, protectee.
      Mentor is in itself a noun and a verb. We cannot derive mentee from that.
      Mentee is faceitous in my opinion.

      Delete
    2. I have encountered a Manatee but never a manator ...

      Delete
  10. Excellent puzzle.
    7 and 24d are beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Assignee, protege, pupil were some of the synonyms thrown up by the net. Interestingly, chambers does not have an entry.
    K,
    You may not have encountered a manator, but certainly a 'man eater'- I mean only on paper.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Lovely crossword! Too many nice clues to list (12, 21, 24...)
    Thanks Lightning!

    - Ramki.

    ReplyDelete

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