ACROSS
4 - The worker follows the witches by agreement (8) - COVENANT {COVEN}{ANT}
10 - Torus gets money, VAT is returned (8) - DOUGHNUT {DOUGH}{NUT<-}
13 - A tiny amount of time left in ownership (6) - TITTLE {TIT{T}LE}
15 - Play time – Flew back before most of the thing was modified (7,5) - TWELFTH NIGHT {T}{WELF<}{THe} {NIGHT*}
21 - Way tax is added to bill (6) - ACCESS {AC}{CESS}
22 - How Nathaniel got in play will remain still (8) - STAGNATE {STAG{NAT}E}
24 - Old Greek finds rising vegetable prices (8) - SOCRATES {SOC<-}{RATES}
25 - Old man can have a coat (6) - PATINA {PA}{TIN}{A}
26 - Escort got to have a drink with the ex-Argentine leader (8) - CHAPERON {CHA}{PERON}
27 - Connery's got a church meeting (6) - SEANCE {SEAN}{CE}
1 - Meet a loafer on a horse (4,4) - BUMP INTO {BUM}{P INTO}
2 - Number? The engine has no number, needs repair (8) - EIGHTEEN {THE+ENGInE}*
3 - A colourless part of South Africa (6,4,5) - ORANGE FREE STATE {ORANGE FREE} {STATE}
5 - The instrument used in the Anglo-Boer war (4) - OBOE [T]
6 - “Hang! legalise gun reform”, is what the Brits speak (7,8) - ENGLISH LANGUAGE*
8 - You can tie-in at the gate there (6) - TETHER [T]
11 - Fight back and hole-up? It could be tough (7) - RAWHIDE {RAW<-}{HIDE}
14 - What is left to burn the fuel? (7) - LIGNITE {L}{IGNITE}
16 - Farming when Indian city gets abnormal rain (8) - AGRARIAN {AGRA}{RIAN*}
17 - Cheap travel depends on how old the animal is (8) - STEERAGE {STEER}{AGE}
19 - Casper could be very very far indeed (6) - PARSEC*
20 - Article about spies — It is throny and it is growing (6) - ACACIA {A}{CA}{CIA}
23 - There is some exclamation after screen ban (4) - VETO {VET}{O}
Another really nice puzzle. I seem to get through these much quicker than some of the others. Liked 3D and 18A very much
ReplyDelete20 - Article about spies — It is throny and it is growing (6) - ACACIA {A}{CA}{CIA}
ReplyDeleteA small typesetting error in the clue: thorny not throny.
Liked the cartoon for 27a. Gives a whole new meaning to 'cloud' a la current usage.
ReplyDeleteThe answers to yesterday's posers:
ReplyDelete1.A brick structure holding cash-wallet
2. The projectile part of a round hits central circle-bullet (bull being the central circle in a target)
3.Half north African people wearing a soft round woolen cap-beret (berber being the people in question)
4.Harmless cartridge keeps you warm-blanket
5.Soldiers’ quarter in the US gives you the American check in UK-billet
6.Scheme goes round the sun-planet
7.Old European capital is a headgear-bonnet
8.Poem written by a male descendant-sonnet
9.Principles of the basis of decimal system-tenet
10.An opening pendant secures things-locket
11.Tutu dances to soccer round-ballet
12.An ungentlemanly military trainee-cadet
13.A young hare uses a jemmy tool-leveret
Two googlies was there for persons suffering from triskaidekaphobia. In no.8, there is an extra n. In no.4, as noted by DD, the t is usually not pronounced.
Fully correct answers from:
In the order of completion:
CV, Raju Umamaheswar, David Dobson, Sumitra S, Col.Deepak Gopinath, Lakshmi Iyer (not one of the usual suspects, huh! Welcome L)
Raju added:
The CADET(12),in his BILLET(5),swathed in a BLANKET(4) saved his WALLET(1), wearing a BULLET(2)-proof vest ,his head shielded by a HELMET(7) over a BERET(3). His wife on this PLANET(6) is worse than that of LEVERET(13). The LOCKET(10) hung around the dancer's neck in the BALLET(11).
What's life without a basic TENET(9)? A SONNET(8) for you? for clinging to the Blog like a LIMPET?
I have replaced just one letter in his jottings by another (in addition to correcting a minor error). Guess which letter has changed.?
DD 833:
ReplyDeleteR,den you think it is Deep calling to Deep?
12 - Complete altering? (8) - INTEGRAL*
ReplyDeletealtering is both anagram indicator and fodder.
Yes Kishore, I really liked the double usage Of altering. Very elegant in it's brevity.
ReplyDeleteIntegral & Orange free state were excellent and most enjoyable. Colour & SA could be quite misleading!
ReplyDeleteKishore-
ReplyDelete'et's were very nice and enjoyable. Thank you for the bonus.
Paddy, you are welcome. And sorry about Anna Karenina.
ReplyDeleteVery elegant in it's brevity.
ReplyDeleteBrevity is the soul of a twit. :-)
You dont have to feel sorry about any 'nina's. Googlies are always most enjoyable-whether in cricket or otherwise. It is upto the receiver to be on his toes.
ReplyDeleteWhere's Arden been all these days? Please give me more.
ReplyDeletePut 'MINUTE' in first pass for 13A -- took a long time to unscramble!
So, I am not alone!
ReplyDeleteKishore: Kya wife se maar khaana hai kya? Wife and life are concomitant to each other. My wife is not a leveret; I'm very lucky, She's always been tolerant to her Sauten. my crosswords, my second love.
ReplyDeleteHere's a poem that I penned several years ago:
SECOND LOVE
You're easy, you're tough,
You make me queasy, you come rough.
You toss me into such furrows and frowns.
Your blanks and blacks,
Make many a mind rack and crack.
I engross myself scrabbling, your anagrams and cryptograms.
My wife, she comes ready for a squabbling,
Says she: you wreck my leisure times and programs.
My crosswords are the charmer of my idle hours, unto her I say,
I'm your wife for a life, she says.
So choose between me and your crosswords, fulminates she.
Her words cross, fly fast and furious across,
Let me culminate, I tell her
After all, they're only my second love.
The compiler has let loose lots of clues
He's such a clever cove
That I'm made a social recluse
I shall be right with you, my first love.
There, there, do you know where's Xanadu?
or what's a Zebu or kudu?
Ajuru? gnu? or is it an emu?
Here, here, she says, Sajou! know don't you?
Ever since this, she has made peace with me.
S.I.P.
ReplyDeleteNothing personal, I had thought the 'his' referred to the cadet in the previous line, not you.
ReplyDeleteI attended The Hindu Lit for Life today and was pleasantly greeted at the concourse by a young man who introduced himself to me as Ajeeth. He recognised me from the photos on this blog or elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteAjeeth or Ajeesh?
ReplyDeleteMust be Ajeesh. I just thought I might have made a mistake and came here to check when I saw your note. Thanks, Deepak.
ReplyDeleteCV,
ReplyDeleteAjeesh's details are available at the THCC members link above
Thank you, Deepak. At the time of my writing my last message here and after, I didn't remember that his details were available here. I have since seen them.
ReplyDeleteHi all
ReplyDeleteMissed logging in yesterday. Looks like I missed one hell of a lot of discussion. Quite UPLIFTing, BRAvo!