1 - Turn your back on police officer with small number of soldiers (6) - {IG}{NO}{RE}
4 - Real-time processing of army supplies (8) -
10 - Device used for rewinding movies? (9) - FLASHBACK [CD]
11 - Bush Senior (5) - ELDER [DD] Nice one
12 - Catch a politician from India (4) - {NET}{A}
15 - Band's parting song for the people's champion (7) -
16 - Editor immersed in reports about this country (6) - SW{ED}EN <-
21 - Head boy runs ahead — that's how it should be (7) - P(+r)RE(-r)FECT
23 - Expect one with the heartless Captain to be in trouble (10) - {ANT{I}CIPA}{T
25 - Hospital's besieged with support for you (4) - {T{H}EE}
27 - Smell nothing forbidding (5) - {O}{DOUR}
28 - Frank finished without any deadlines (4-5) - {OPEN}-{ENDED}
29 - I relegated old fliers for their actions (8) - {EX}{P(-i)LO(+i)ITS}
30 - Rest returned some Chinese swords (6) - DROWSE <-
DOWN
1 - Eight lay down — symbolically forever (8) - INFINITY (Infinty symbol like figure 8 lying down)
2 - Almost new part of electrical circuit (4,5) - {N}{EAR THING}
3 - Asura hurriedly swallowed another asura (4) - RAHU [T]
5 - Workers have lifted deer with chains on legs (7) - {AN{KLE<-}TS}
6 - Road's level on both sides — absolutely level (4-6) - {EVEN}-{ST}{EVEN}
7 - Old PM not right for our country (5) - INDI
9 - Crisp cake? Nothing crisp about it (6) - WAFFLE [DD]
14 - Somehow procure gas for ship's officer (10) - SUPERCARGO* Never heard this before
17 - Funny way he does make-up (9) - EYESHADOW*
18 - I was there at the English PM's residence by the river (8) - {AT}{TEN}{DEE}
20 - Drink wine for encouragement (7) - {SUP}{PORT}
21 - To move with light steps in shower, take off shoes at first (6) -
22 - Soldiers capture half Goan poet (6) - {TA}{GO
24 - Miserable model hauled up at parade (5) - {T}{ROOP} <-
26 - Psychic's fine post heroin detox (4) - SEER
Nice puzzle
ReplyDelete26 - Psychic's fine post heroin detox (4) - SEER ? Anno pending
S(-h)EER
Thanks Bhavan
ReplyDeleteIt was nice to note that INFINITY was just 8 letters long, the number which was lying (not down) about its length.
ReplyDeleteSupercargo reminded of Danglars from The Count of Monte Cristo.
I think there is as an fodder mismatch in 4a. Should the clue have been real tame ?
Col
ReplyDeleteMaterial spelling is to be corrected to Materiel...
Kishore,
ReplyDeleteMy mistake the word should be MATERIEL
Bhavan has provided the anno and it should be clear to everyone. But permit me to expand a little so we appreciate the finer points in this excellent clue.
ReplyDeleteThe deletion fodder SHEER we get from 'fine' (as in 'fine fabric', 'sheer fabric')
'post' here means 'after'
'heroin detox' is 'detox of heroin' - cleansing it of H (heroin) we get SEER
The del ind is so apt!
Smooth, plausible surface reading
Subsidiary ind or wordplay too is good, grammatically correct
I have lavished high praise for this compiler in my Orkut community.
We must also appreciate crossword setters who do their job quietly without any fanfare on the Internet.
Nice puzzle!
ReplyDeleteDon't know what Spiffy's got against our old PM.
29A: I think there's no anagram. I is merely changing places.
18D: Not really okay with the definition phrase.
I don't agree with VJ. "I was there" is perfectly = attendee
ReplyDeleteIf the def phrase had been just 'Was there' I wouldn't say it matches. But what's given clearly leads to a noun.
VJ,
ReplyDeleteThanks I have removed the Anagram indicator.
Regarding 7D, I think you are taking the surface too literally. Relax.
I see nothing amiss in 18D.
There are several clues that standout as excellent.
ReplyDeleteExperienced pure pleasure of reading flawless clues framed with a dash of wit and impeccable grammar, all adding up to unambiguous answers.
What more can a solver ask for in a cryptic puzzle?
Really happy THC has taken on these two new setters.
Kishore @ 8.39
ReplyDeleteInfinty was there in the papers I gave you about 8 on 28th
Old PM not right for our country (5) - INDIrA
ReplyDeleteI would not say that this is demeaning to a particular prime minister.
"Old PM" merely yields INDIRA, the del fodder.
"Old (in the sense 'former') PM not right" in the surface reading does not name any PM. Won't you agree or won't someone else agree (depending upon their political predilections) that a certain old PM was not just right ? !
CV 842: Decidedly, today's puzzle had high entertainment value. A tongue in cheek ref to IG's suitability or otherwise, being the only man in her cabinet as she was refered to. As Sam said: I am always ready, Sweetie.
ReplyDeleteEGRESS also brought a FLASHBACK about Barnum's usage of this word.
DDS: Yessir. Liked the papers. 8 also reminds me of Herbie Goes Bananas. Remember Ocho.
ReplyDeleteDeepak, LOL, I know it was not to be taken literally. It was just a thought that crossed my mind on finding the answer. Nothing else! And I agree with Chaturvasi. It's not demeaning or anything.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the OCTON in Mandrake comics and of course the late lamented Paul.
ReplyDeleteNo promises of empanelment, as I am an outsider.
ReplyDeleteBut if anyone has any distant aspiration to be a professional crossword setter, they may Email a 15x15 sample crossword to
chaturvasi@yahoo.com
If you need specifications (as a regular solver you may be aware of these already) Email me and I will try to send them to you.
Again, absolutely nothing may come out of this. Or something may, after all! If nothing comes out of it, don't blame me. No reasons will be given. If reasons were as plentiful as blackberries, ...
Chaturvasi, on "I was there" = ATTENDEE. Well I didn't say it was incorrect. It's just that I was wondering why it should be in a certain tense. Anywho, after playing it over in my mind a couple of times, I'd say it's in fact good. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteOh, I see !
ReplyDelete"I am there" too will work, I think.
But we are more likely to say, post event, "I was there".
Of course, we could say "I am there..." to a person inviting us to an event as a sort of a certainty that will happen in the future.
I am really glad that the Comments section under the Col's post provides a forum where we can discuss all these things. Years of my maintenance of the Orkut community have not stimulated such lively observations (mark my words) on a regular, sustained basis.
To the credit of the regulars of THCS I must say there have been excellent responses and occasional observations on the art of the crossword.
Col:
ReplyDelete12A Cartoon is a standout( as always) in the present day scenario.Thanks for posting it.
Can some one explain the solution for Attendee, ignore and aftershave?
ReplyDelete@ Benkiman ATTENDEE = AT 10 D(owning Street) - British PM's official residence
ReplyDelete@Benkiman, IGNORE, IG for police officer, NO for small number and RE for soliders (Royal Engineers)
ReplyDeleteSorry, read as soldiers.
ReplyDelete13 - Behind the queen, husband hugs hot male item (10) - {AFT}{ER}{S{H}AVE}
ReplyDeleteColonel has the solution annotated sufficiently, but here is the split:
Behind = AFT
Queen = ER
Husband as a verb = conserve or SAVE
Hot = H
Benkiman,
ReplyDeleteBehind = AFT
the queen, = ER
husband = SAVE
hugs = Indicator for encircling
hot = H
male item = {AFT}{ER}{S{H}AVE}
Regarding ATTENDEE, besides what Krishnan has indicated DEE is the name of a river
Brilliant crossword as usual. Got stuck on AFTERSHAVE and kicked myself when I saw the answer
ReplyDeleteCVasi
ReplyDeleteWithout sounding pedantic, I would like to pose the following question before you. Consider the clue
Real-time processing of army supplies (8)
and its variant
Processing real-time army supplies (8).
Which do you think is better? The problem with the first case, I reckon, is that rela-time processing means
processing 'in' real-time and not 'of' real-time.
I wonder how the word Attendee came about in English. Employer, Inviter etc are fine, because there is one who employs/invites and one who is employed/invited. But attendee???
ReplyDeleteCV 901 goes hand in hand with Shuchi's article on setting which has also appeared today ! A Happy coincidence for any hopefuls.
ReplyDeleteSudalamani 1104
ReplyDeleteThe second version appears to be better.
But I won't say there is any prob with the first version.
Actually "Real-time processing" is a better collocation than "real-time army supplies".
This is my opinion.
Didn't fare all that well today, but the clues were enjoyable. THC should feature more from Spiffytrix.
ReplyDeletenice puzzle over all. however i got only 60% right.
ReplyDeletebut flashback is it a device?
good day
mathu
Yes, Mathu. Not 'device' as in gadget, but 'device' as in method followed, subterfuge.
ReplyDeleteThe last K to 300000
ReplyDeleteHow they are calculating Visitor number?
ReplyDelete15 - Band's parting song for the people's champion (7) - TRIBUTE [CD] I hate CD's
ReplyDeletecorrn T{RIB}UNE
@Col This was not a CD...at least that's not what I had in mind.The intended anno was...
Band - RIB
Parting -inserticator
song - TUNE
The peoples champion - Defn
T{RIB}UNE
Hope you like it better now...
Thanks Spiffytrix for the anno of 15A.Nice..:)
ReplyDelete