Thursday 30 March 2017

No 11968, Thursday 30 Mar 2017, Arden


Tough going in the East!

ACROSS
1   Woman is sharp at sea attacking fleet (8) WARSHIPS {W}{IS+SHARP}*
5   Boy in my shoe (6) GALOSH {AL} in {GOSH}
10 Figure how to contain spillover with ease (7) ELLIPSE {SPILL<=} in {EE}
11 OK with British leaving seaside resort (5,2) RIGHT ON bRIGHTON
12 Suffer attack leaving Mumbai neighbourhood (5) INCUR INCURsion
13 Only time poor stifle a cry, " how the rich live!" (9) OPULENTLY {PULE} in {ONLY+T}*
14 A story about Eddy & Henry making organic stuff (12) ACETALDEHYDE {ACE}{TAL{EDDY+H}*E}
18 Make it small — truly relieved (12) DECOMPRESSED {DE{COMPRESS}ED} Truly = inDEED
21 Top team will rub it out during a game (9) POLITBURO {RUB+IT}* in {POLO}
23 Insight — essentially dry accommodation for a high flyer (5) EYRIE {EY{dRy}{I}E} Anno for I pending (Addendum - {aRId} in {EYE} - See comments)
24 "First to take interest in language" — Indian reviews (7) INITIAL {LA{I}TIN}{I}<=
25 Either way, is No.1 dipsomaniac (7) TOSSPOT {TOPS}{SOT}<=> No 1 = TOP or TOPS?
26 Complaint as girls drown in a river (6) NIGGLE {NI{GG}LE}
27 Seawater all over subway — regular occurrence in this city (8) BRISBANE {BRI{SuBwAy}NE}

DOWN
1   Beetle is small with short base (6) WEEVIL {WEE}{VILe}
2   Left in a trice, turned out to be very old (6) RELICT {L} in {TRICE}* Is this definition correct?
3   Plant may cure, my hip broken (9) HYPERICUM* Thanks to Google
4   Once bill was introduced, six of them quit in a ridiculous fashion (14) PREPOSTEROUSLY {POSTER} in {PREviOUSLY}
6   Fit, having resistance to fight (5) ARGUE {A{R}GUE}
7   An oxymoron is no more welcome (8) OUTSTATION [CD] (Correction - OUTSTAYS [CD] - See comments)
8   Army splits soldiers — they fix things (8) HANDYMEN {HAND}Y{MEN} Anno pending (Addendum - {HAND}{Y}{MEN} - See comments)
9   Expert holes out, Robert bats (14) TROUBLESHOOTER*
15. Well, it's even, not odd — seems odd for a meal (9) ELEVENSES {wElL}{EVEN}{SeEmS}
16 After a party point out assumption (8) ADOPTION {A}{DO}{POINT}*
17 Climbing over Germany, it's very hot... (8) SCALDING {SCAL{D}ING}
19 ...booze and music fill the gap, in a way (6) GRAPPA {RAP} in {GAP}*
20 Nerve condition depends on gender, primarily (6) METTLE (-f+m)METTLE
22 Adventure - it's not hard to sing (5) TRILL ThRILL

GRID

32 comments:

  1. 8 Army splits soldiers — they fix things (8) HANDYMEN {HAND}Y{MEN} Anno pending

    Arm- part of hand :: like an arm = army
    So 'handy'

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think it is ARMY {ARM=HAND}{Y=Y} so ARMY=HANDY

      Delete
  2. 23 Insight — essentially dry accommodation for a high flyer (5) EYRIE {EY{dRy}{I}E} Anno for I pending

    dry = (a-)RI(-d) in sight (EYE)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If essentially is applied for insight also, you get I

      Delete
  3. 2 Left in a trice, turned out to be very old (6) RELICT {L} in {TRICE}* Is this definition correct?

    You seem to be asking if 'relict' can be used as an adj. AFAIK, it's used only as a noun, a thing that is very antiquated. But I am open for correction (as always).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As per Chambers

      relict noun, biol a species or organ occurring in circumstances different from those in which it originated.

      Delete
    2. Yes...the definition should have been 'a very old thing' or some such.

      Delete
  4. 25 Either way, is No.1 dipsomaniac (7) TOSSPOT {TOPS}{SOT}<=> No 1 = TOP or TOPS?

    Unable to figure out the anno. No.1 = TOP SPOT. So it works both ways But is it = dipsomaniac?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TOPS= No.1 SOT= drunkard The whole thing is reversed

      Delete
    2. Then Dipsomaniac is part of the word play as well as the definition?

      Delete
    3. I too thought on lines Ranger's written, but was left with no def.

      Delete
  5. 7D:typo needs to be corrected
    OUTSTAYS is the answer I think

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, my mistake. I left that for the last and then typed it in without looking at what was in the grid

      Delete
  6. 15D- Can 'Elevenses' be called a meal? It is normally a coffee break taken at 11 am- a mid morning break.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outline_of_meals#Types_of_meals.2C_in_the_order_served_throughout_the_day

      Delete
    2. Thank you. I generally went by what I had read and checked with Free dic. which said a mid morning break.

      Delete
  7. 5A- Does 'My' stand for gosh (MY!)
    A few iffy definitions today, I felt.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "A few iffy definitions today, I felt."

      Could you be a bit more specific Paddy

      Delete
    2. I should have probably said stretchy & not iffy, going by the points above and my doubts given below. Did not mean to take away the credit for the other nice clues.

      Delete
    3. where does al come from in the answer

      Delete
    4. Al is the name for a Boy, short form of Alfred

      Delete
  8. I thought this was an outstanding puzzle..challenging, instructive & fun.As was the blog.Thanks Col & Arden

    ReplyDelete
  9. 18 Make it small — truly relieved (12) DECOMPRESSED {DE{COMPRESS}ED} Truly = inDEED
    Truly an invisible containment ind 'in'deed! I liked it.

    ReplyDelete
  10. 8D- If Army= handy & soldiers= men, why split?

    ReplyDelete
  11. 25A- 'Either way' for
    (Toss)(Pot) or (Tops)(Sot)<=
    Am I right?

    ReplyDelete
  12. 7D- 'out' & 'stay' are opposites and hence oxymoron,right?
    But how does 'stays' fit in?

    ReplyDelete
  13. A toughie from Arden. May be I am getting brain fogged with too much of antibiotics? I am crawling back to normalcy as the wretched bronchial infection is off . I have lost 6kgs ever since I returned from NY and maybe, I should be back to my usual self in a fortnight. I put it down to those two chilled beer in Bombay Bar Stock Exchange, where there is this quaint system of ordering one's beer through an app with the waiter on an auction basis.I nosed out 600 Rupees fro some Stella Artois !

    ReplyDelete
  14. 10A - ease to EE needs homophone indicator?
    24A - Why I for Indian?
    20D - 'depends' indicates change F to M?

    ReplyDelete
  15. Nerve/ condition= Mettle/ Fettle
    The whole clue is the def.-
    10A- Generally not needed.

    ReplyDelete

deepakgita@gmail.com