Wednesday 23 December 2009

No 9721, Wednesday 23 Dec 09, Gridman

Back in Bangalore. Gridman almost had another Pangram today, only J,W and Z are missing. Nice combination of 16A, 19A and 25A !!!, don't know if Gridman intended it
ACROSS
1 - Attempt to wear a banian in disguise (8) - TR{A}{VEST}Y
6 - Once more without a profit (4) - (-a)GAIN
9 - Early stage reached more by accident (6) - EMBRYO*
10 - Unwelcome greeting? (4,3) - KEEP OUT [E]
13 - Groups that make appearances in theatres (9) - AUDIENCES [CD]
14 - Artist with one word of thanks for Indian side-dish (5) - {RA}{I}{TA}
15 - Stop a story: “King bugged” (4) - {K}{ILL}
16 - Involve in fighting and be ready for marriage? (3,7) - GET ENGAGED [DD]
19 - Become entangled in a Hindu union? (3,3,4) - TIE THE KNOT [DD]
21 - Repeat Election Commission on hold-over (4) - {EC}{H}{O}
24 - Question union leader on measure to put down (5) - {Q}{U}{ELL}
25 - Be unexpressive? (4,5) - KEEP QUIET [E]
26 - A fellow I hang cruelly for money (7) - {A}{F}{GHAN*}{I}

27 - In the hub of a shadowy back-street (6) - {A}{MID<-}{ST}
28 - Direction to serve a portion of savouries during tea-break (4) - EA{S}T*
29 - That’s all! (8) - EVERYONE [CD]
DOWN
2 - Give a face-lift to mere, old circus (7) - REMODEL*
3 - Educated in poetry? (6) - VERSED [CD]
4 - Test to see if there’s a stain? Not exactly! (4-5) - SPOT CHECK [CD] Nice clue
5 - Wow! Word of agreement to infuse one thousand! (5) - Y{I}{K}ES
7 - Appreciating a party band (7) - {A}{DO}{RING}
8 - The nitty-gritty of what may be in the tool-box (4,3,5) - NUTS AND BOLTS [DD] (Reminds me of the story of the short headline for the Rapist who escaped 'NUT SCREWS AND BOLTS'
11 - Anger gran touring within the borders of Erode (6) - E{NRAG*}E
12 - Where the dealings are unprejudiced? (6,6) - MARKET SQUARE [CD]
17 - Let go without any charge (9) - EXONERATE [E]
18 - Indian dinner-plate to a Greek goddess (6) - {THALI}{A}

20 - Combines after one at last crops up (7) - {E}{MERGES}
22 - Embarrassing colour? (7) - CRIMSON [E]
23 - Balance money? (6) - EQUITY [DD]
25 - It goes with fork (5) - KNIFE [E]

GRID

4 comments:

  1. 8 down - The nitty-gritty of what may be in the tool-box (4,3,5) - NUTS AND BOLTS [DD]

    I too remember reading that story. It was the dim-witted son of a laundry owner in a small-time English town who vanished after 'abusing' the washerwomen in the employ there. It was a tabloid which flashed the story with a screaming headline: NUT SCREWS WASHERS AND BOLTS.

    Richard

    ReplyDelete
  2. Col

    Liked your tongue-in-cheek comment: "Nice combination of 16A, 19A and 25A !!!, don't know if Gridman intended it."

    Many intelligent clues in today's c/w. E.g., 9 across, 13 across, 16 across, 26 across, 29 across and 12 down. Gridman appears to have taken great pains to set this. It is this kind of a crossword which makes the solving process jolly enjoyable.


    Richard

    ReplyDelete
  3. Richard,
    Enjoyed your joke.
    You're like a friend of mine, a reputed Tamil humour writer with over 500 unbroken weekly columns in a local paper (but who started as and also continues as an English middle writer), who never ends a telephone conversation that I have with him without narrating offhand a joke in English appropriate to what I may have called him about.

    ReplyDelete
  4. That's the one Richard, I forgot about the washers part though.

    ReplyDelete

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