Saturday 31 October 2009

No 9676, Saturday, 31 Oct 09, Sankalak

ACROSS
1 - Dire prospects improved by loyalty to the group (6,2,5) - ESPRIT DE CORPS* The army runs on this
10 - Sausage that gives vigour through ion change (9) - {PEP}{PER}ONI*
11 - Work unit captured by an Anjou lensman (5) - JOULE [T]
12 - The endless spirit needed to pluck idly at the guitar strings (5) - {TH(-e)}{RUM}
13 - A companion, though a fool to an extent (9) - ASSOCIATE Anno pending
14 - Stupid chap returns money with funny remark (6) - {NIT<-}{WIT}
16 - The way to cook British fat (5) - {BR}{OIL}
19 - Place for a grown cygnet (5) - {A}{SWAN}
20 - Topless cloak, right at the end for a deer’s feature (6) - (-m)ANTLE{R}
25 - Outward appearance of a doctor, 50, in a ‘spirited’ meeting (9) - SE{MB}{L}ANCE
26 - Tie up returned pieces (5) - STRAP <- )
27 - Trendy, small flat but not suitable (5) - {IN}{APT}
28 - Assume children disagree (with others) (4,5) - {TAKE} {ISSUE}
29 - Examination in a Tamil court disrupted (13) - MATRICULATION*
DOWN
2 - Distinctly different eastern trooper included in an odd set (8) - S{E}{PARA}TE*
3 - Discharge of a male in strange garb (5) - R{HE}UM
4 - Norse god with a cross on the chest (6) - {THOR}{A}{X}
5 - Man (or woman) with a message (8) - EMISSARY [E]
6 - Disapproval of a thing, one in action (9) - {OBJECT}{I}{ON} Nice clue
7 - One cannot be this (6) - PLURAL [CD]
8 - Behave amorously around dawn of Tuesday? Exactly what is needed (4-2) - SPO{T}-ON
9 - Even this kind of field ensures playing on equal terms (5) - LEVEL [DD]
15 - Poor conductor! (9) - INSULATOR [E]
17 - Captivating cinema, great production (8) - MA{G}NE{T}IC* How does T come about?
18 - A student, nearly new, with business in the open air (8) - {A}{L}{FRES(-h)}{CO}
21 - Charge that is right for a sword (6) - {RAP}{IE}{R}
22 - Jelly got from some sapotas picked in season (5) - ASPIC [T]
23 - Graceful creature of Africa (6) - IMPALA [E]
24 - Germany’s first woman Chancellor (6) - MERKEL [E]
26 - Change of costume (5) - SHIFT [DD]

GRID

5 comments:

  1. 17dn: gt. is abbr. for 'great'
    13ac: I think the clue-writer just glances at ASS, ignoring the rest of the letters, hence 'to an extent'.
    Pl see my comment on 'et al' under yesterday's post.

    ReplyDelete
  2. 13 across - A companion, though a fool to an extent (9) - ASSOCIATE

    Instead of leaving solvers fumbling, good use of O-CIA-T-E could have been made. But, then, perhaps, the compiler wanted to be brief.


    Richard

    ReplyDelete
  3. You must look at it this way:
    To add variety to clue types.
    If every charade clue is broken into every component possible and each indicated, it might be boring.
    Occasionally, the clue-writer may indicate a clue partially.
    Arriving at a word meaning 'companion' with a mere indication to the fool component is not a great leap. Esp. given the crossings fromother clues.
    Well, this is an opinion. Anyone may differ from this.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Actually there was no fumbling in getting ASSOCIATE, what was lacking was the reasoning as to how Sankalak expected us to arrive at the answer, which Chaturvasi has since explained.

    ReplyDelete

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