Tuesday 27 October 2015

No 11535, Tuesday 27 Oct 2015, Afterdark


ACROSS
9   Primarily red is the separating colour given to a novice (7) RECRUIT {Red}{ECRU}{Is}{The}
10 Again opt for extract from free lecture (7) REELECT [T]
11 Dance with steno wildly on the disc (3-4) ONE-STEP {ONE-ST*}{EP}
12 In midst of penalty, goalies oddly are most composed (7) COOLEST {gOaLiEs}* in {COST}
13 Son's custody fight to retain child primarily looks frightening (9) SCARECROW {S}{CARE}{Child}{ROW}
15 Painful narrative somewhat related to a bone (5) ULNAR [T]
16 Senseless native ditches mother (7) IDIOTIC IDIOmaTIC
19 Excessive usurpation; angrily left PTA (7) RUINOUS USURpatION*
20 Ridiculous rents are demanding (5) STERN*
21 Negligent one in Paris; mild fun goes wrong (9) UNMINDFUL {UN}{MILD+FUN}*
25 Religious teachers construct music hall, to keep out corrupt intentions primarily (7) MULLAHS {MUSic+HALL}*
26 DNA extracted from Red Indians can be from one of us (7) INSIDER {REd+InDIaNS}*
28 Clinic issues saline essentially to get new hormone (7) INSULIN {clINic}{isSUes}{saLIne}{N}
29 Position of Noel's complicated with internal pain of no origin (7) ECHELON {aCHE} in {NOEL}*

DOWN
1   Army spot or ambush? (6) TROOPS*
2   Clumsy Mackenzie spills ink and gets inflammation on the skin (6) ECZEMA MACkEnZiE*
3   Please dress (4) SUIT [DD]
4   Mostly keep taking acceptable pills first for shock (6) STUPOR {ST{U}{Pi..s}ORe}
5   Injured social worker looks out, hides behind political leader in a competition between traders (5,3) PRICE WAR {Po...l}{soCIAl+WoRkER}*
6   Right growth is needed for change (10) REVOLUTION {R}{EVOLUTION}
7   Southerners leave ship in a shock; right away comes to this place (8) HEREUNTO sOUTHERNErs*
8   Reading into idols reaching heights (8) STATURES {STATU{R}ES}
14 Unnecessary to get tense for money, can stretch (10) EXTENDABLE EX(-p+t)TENDABLE
16 Sleeplessness in nights; some obsessively meander near illegal alcohol sources (8) INSOMNIA Acrostic
17 I develop details as a dreamer (8) IDEALIST {I}{DETAILS*}
18 Hurt missing Bravo, took cocaine in travelling (8) CRUISING (-b+c)CRUISING
22 Mathew Hayden out of the way, loses his head, takes a single but no runs scored (6) MAIDEN {MAthew+(-h+i)IayDEN}
23 Hug female instead of child, primarily in a state of confusion (6) FUDDLE (-c+f)FUDDLE
24 Lion's X-ray when developed missed one old organ (6) LARYNX {LioN+X-RAY}*
27 Leading small offices, home offices found in this London district (4) SOHO Acrostic

GRID

31 comments:

  1. Lovely puzzle! Thanks for the samosas, Afterdark. :-)))

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  2. Like yesterday's puzzle, simple & njoyable...lots of deletion +anagram type of clues...

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  3. Overuse of the same device in the crossword makes it tedious.

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  4. Enjoyed solving Afterdark. Thanks for the samosas! :)))

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  5. in 12A 'goalies oddly' would mean G A I S in COST?

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  6. I had the same trouble. Then I remembered oddly was also used to mean evenly once before (just meaning alt. letters) and then I headed for my samosas! I was struggling to fit in 'Calmest'.
    SE corner was the last to fall. Ditto for deletion clues.

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  7. Satisfying part is that I used no external devices to complete.

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    Replies
    1. You must have had enough internal devices at work, I presume.

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    2. Not good enough if it is just for a day.

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  8. I think the convention is oddly in a five-letter word would mean letters 1,3,5.
    'Evenly' letters 2 4.
    'Regularly' could be either.

    Having said that, I am not sure if I have followed this rule scrupulously. I ust have but I may have lapsed. Don't remember. Must check my clue database but that is not that easy!

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    Replies
    1. I do not remember your having slipped up on this rule CV.

      Delete
  9. Thanks, Suresh.
    Friends,
    After all, I managed to search for the terms 'regularly' and 'oddly'.
    Search results:
    Name woman playing regularly (6)
    Dance with strange beat regularly (5)
    Guerrilla inrush note mentioned regularly (9)
    Steal attention from Goel oddly after stupa falls (7)
    Proportion provided by real tailor, oddly (5)

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    Replies
    1. SHElyn
      RUMba
      ......... ?
      UPSTAGE (STUPA)*{ge}
      ratio From 'real tailor'

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    2. EVE pLaYiNg
      ...
      IN SURGE NoTe

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    3. That's lovely. Thank you Ramesh. I stopped with surge. Could not proceed further.

      Delete
  10. Lovely puzzle. Enjoyed solving fully.

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  11. Had a fairytale round thanks resourceful clues.We could raise the edifice brick by brick.9a we never thought of the hidden colour.19a - fall w/i the definition?5d - far-fetched.11 a - needed just one step. All told quite an enjoyable puzzle. Thanks AD.

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  12. Now we await AD's point of view on 'oddly'.

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    Replies
    1. I more came from the angle of irregularly which means oddly. Strictly speaking picking odd letters for oddly and even letters for evenly, though used predominantly in cluing and also acceptable, in plain English it doesn't sound correct.

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    2. Chambers gives irregular, periodic as synonyms for odd

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  13. In a seven letter word, can the first,fourth and seventh letters be clued as regularly?

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    Replies
    1. Yes, in my opinion. I have seen it in some Guardian crossword too

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    2. In other words, as long as the interval between picked letters is the same to the entire length of the given word.

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  14. Thank you Suresh. Exactly what I wanted.

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  15. As today everyone is discussing about usage of ODDLY-REGULARLY-EVENLY etc, etc, I thought of coming up with an ODD tale.

    There was once a man named Odd. People made fun of him because of his name. So he decided to keep his gravestone blank when he died.
    Now when people pass by the burial site, they point and say, "That's odd."

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  16. Good clues.. Tried first time..

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