Friday 12 January 2018

No 12213, Friday 12 Jan 2018, Phantom


Today being Friday only the blank clues will be posted. All those who are silent followers of the blog are requested to post answers with annotations in the comments section. There is no limit on how many answers you want to give. In your own interest please avoid looking up the answers from the interactive version. Don't hesitate to post your annotations, in case you make a mistake someone will correct it with the right annotation.


The regular blog will replace the clues at 4 PM after which anyone is free to comment. 

Thanks everyone for the great response. Here is the regular blog.

ACROSS
8   Harry's sibling not one who follows Queen? (6) BOTHER BrOTHER R follows Q
9   Contacting individually through phone call (8) REACHING {R{EACH}ING}
10 Girlfriend's diamonds pinched (8) SQUEEZED {SQUEEZE}{D}
11 Practising lessons to extinguish fires (6) INGLES [T]
12 Points out a part of engine (6) PISTON*
13 Calculating runs is normal when chasing (8) COUNTING COU(-r+n)NTING
15 Elation about getting digital protection perhaps (7) TOENAIL*
17 Maiden over earlier at cricket ground leads to dismissal (7) REMOVAL {RE}{M}{OVAL}
20 Sign of European ace running out of luck (8) EVIDENCE {E}VIDENCE Anno pending
22 Son wearing a posh pullover that's impressive (6) AUGUST {A}{U}{GU{S}T<=}
23 Bird enthusiast follows quietly (6) PLOVER {P}{LOVER}
25 Excitement heightened beyond limits when allowed to vote (8) EIGHTEEN hEIGHTENEd*  &lit
26 Legal document requiring witness drafted (8) DESIGNED {DE{SIGN}ED}
27 Unpleasant persons shot fifty ousels on lake (6) LOUSES {L}{OUSElS}

DOWN
1   Doctor left in very old British war plane (8) MOSQUITO {MO}{S{QUIT}O}
2   Warned unruly teen to stay in line (10) THREATENED {THREA{TEEN*}D}
3   Defiant supporter joins religious school (6) BRAZEN {BRA}{ZEN}
4   Relationship manager rides on tube for work (7) PRODUCT {PRO}{DUCT}
5   Guy at hospital room about to get treatment for hands (8) MANICURE {MAN}{ICU}{RE}
6   Hoodlum's boat circling harbour (4) THUG {T{H}UG}
7   Reduced rates to enter bar for probationer … (6) INTERN {IN{TERms?}N} Anno pending See comments
14 … still fellow's often duland pensive (10) THOUGHTFUL {THOUGH}T{F}{dUlL} T from? See comments
16 Blind girl on train mistreated (8) IGNORANT {G+ON+TRAIN}*
18 A news broadcast read loudly gets acknowledged (8) ANSWERED {A}{NEWS*}{RED}(~read)
19 Goal achieved by cricket side's superstars (7) LEGENDS {LEG{END}S}
21 Avalanche's roar over top of valley reverberated (6) VOLLEY {YELL}{O}{Va...y}<=
22 Pattern that's left out from gallery inadvertently (6) ARGYLE GALlERY*
24 Individual in armed forces stood up endlessly proud (4) VAIN {N{I}AVy}<=

GRID
Bhargav's Tale

What did the THUG upon REACHING the age of EIGHTEEN dare to do?
He THREATENED the "IGNORANT" father of the girl he was COURTING.
But he did not seem to BOTHER and the thug's threats were in VAIN.
The THOUGHTFUL father had informed the police and saw to the REMOVAL of the thug to the prison as an INTERN!!


61 comments:

  1. 9A REACHING {R{EACH}ING}, contacting
    6D THUG {T{Harbour}UG} hoodlum
    5D MANICURE {MAN}{ICU}{RE} treatment for hands

    ReplyDelete
  2. 4D PRODUCT = work ={PRO}(relatiosship manager) {DUCT} (tube)

    ReplyDelete
  3. 13A COURTING =chasing R replacing N in COUNTING ( calculating)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's COUNTING with N replacing R (Runs is Normal) in COURTING

      Delete
  4. 9a: REACHING [EACH(=individually) in RING (= phone call)].
    12a: PISTON [points*]
    23a: PLOVER [P (=quietly) LOVER (=enthusiast )
    26a: DESIGN [SIGN (=witness) in DEED (=legal document)]
    3d: BRA(=supporter)ZEN (=religious school).
    4d: PRO(=relationship manager)DUCT (=tube)
    6d: THUG [H(=h(-arbour)) inside
    TUG (=boat)]
    14d: THOUGHTFUL [THOUGHT (=still)F (=fellow)UL (=dUlL)]
    16d: IGNORANT [G(-IRL)ON TRAIN*]
    22D: ARGYLE [=gal(-l)ery*]
    24d: VAIN [I (=individual) in NAV (-Y)<=]

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thought is not Still. Though is STILL

      Delete
    2. My understanding:
      Still = photo / image
      Image = perception / thought.
      If we annotate with 'though', then how to get 't'?

      Delete
    3. Apologies. The clue has been framed wrongly. There's no accounting for T. Escaped scrutiny despite checking.

      Delete
  5. 1ac bother - not one (both) queen er
    18dn answered - Anews + red (read)
    3dn brazen - support (bra) religious school (zen)
    15ac toenail - elation anagram

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Annotation for 18D to be indicated as {A}{NEWS*}{RED}(~read)

      Delete
    2. I parsed 1A as Brother minus R. Else sibling is not in play. Any thoughts?

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    3. +1 Shrikanth.
      I also parsed it as BROTHER (sibling) - R (one following Queen, R follows Q)

      Delete
  6. 7D INTERN probationer {IN{RaTEs}*N}

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How will 'reduced' lead to removal of A nd E?

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    2. TER beats me. On googling found TER is an abbreviation for TOTAL EXPENSE RATIO. The net rates will be reduced by this. Bit too far fetched to be correct.

      Delete
    3. Yes. Stretching it for. In any case TER is the rate. So role of reduced? Answer is simple in my understanding.

      Delete
    4. I took rates = TERM to get TER after reduction.
      TFD gives rates as the synonym for term

      Delete
    5. What is the role of 'Bar' in the clue?

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    6. That's what I had in mind. Thinking back, could have used something else to get TER, as it's difficult to derive Ter from reduction in rates.

      Delete
    7. Refer http://www.chambersharrap.co.uk/NMWdZ/PpdMZ/LmPbK/NeoaZ/MhMaZ/KfjpZ/OlfTK/search

      Delete
    8. Thank you Col. Then it's only for the surface- just wondering if it would be part of wordplay.

      Delete
    9. Paddy, the anno is TER inside INN so it is part of wp.

      Delete
    10. Oh! How did I miss that. Thank you Raghu.

      Delete
  7. 10a SQUEEZED {SQUEEZE}{D} =pinched; squeeze=slang for girlfriend

    ReplyDelete
  8. 2D THREATENED= warned = {THREA{TEEN)*D}; thread,synonym of line

    ReplyDelete
  9. 5d manicure guy-man icu hospital room re -about

    ReplyDelete
  10. 1d MOSQUITO = british war plane {MO}{S{QUIT}O} ; MO= doctor left=QUIT OS = OS, old style? not sure

    ReplyDelete
  11. 25aeighteen heightened minus h and d

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  12. 25D EIGHTEEN = allowed to vote - it is {hEIGHTENEd} with (E)xcitement promoted in order

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  13. 27A LOUSES unpleasant persons {L}{lOUSES}

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  14. 20A EVIDENCE = sign; {E--} {proVIDENCE} (luck)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Replies
    1. 25A AUGUST = impressive {A}{U} {GU{S)T}. son=S posh=U TUG = pull over(indicator for reversal ?)

      Delete
    2. Over is the reversal indicator; Pull=tug

      Delete
  16. 19D LEGENDS =superstars {LEG{END}S} LEGS, plural of leg?

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  17. 17A. REMOVAL = dismissal, Maiden M earlier re cricket ground oval

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  18. 27A LOUSES - Unpleasant persons [OUSELS-L]* on {L}ake

    ReplyDelete
  19. 21d: VOLLEY (Avalanche)
    Top of valley = V
    Over = o
    Roar reverberated = (YELL <=) =LLEY

    ReplyDelete
  20. Yell o v ≤- is final representation

    ReplyDelete
  21. Very engaging puzzle today, lots of good clues, with western half being a class act. SQUEEZED, PLOVER and TOENAIL in particular were favourites. Wish some other word was chosen instead of Valley for 21d, rather close to the solution. Unfortunately we don't have a crossword editor, else the small lapse in 14d would easily have been picked up and corrected, this does happen occasionally despite proof reading

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  22. Thanks, Bhala. On reading the annos for volley realised that it is a letter different from valley. However, one did not have to simply substitute O for A, to get volley, so from that view point I think it's alright. About the boob in THOUGHTFUL, cannot point the finger at anybody but myself.

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  23. Raghu : OOPS !! Boob in plural is boobs meaning you know what ! Booboo is a mistake ! Boohoo is what you will tell me !!
    Though , never mind being not thoughtful, as otherwise ,
    an excellent grid that thrilled me ! You can grin ear to ear !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fortunately there was only one lapse and not more ;-)

      Delete
  24. Now I understand why I found it a little tougher than normal Phantom puzzles!

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  25. I meant for Bhala's appreciation, but equally applies to Raju's comments as well.

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  26. 24d navy stood up is yvan, endlessly is yvan?

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  27. Sorry for the delayed update of the blog

    ReplyDelete
  28. Nice tale once again by CGB. Anno of Evidence given by Jacob@9:08

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