As Shuchi's poll indicates, there is no magic/perfect combination of clue types in a puzzle. But does that mean a setter can overuse a single clue type?
ACROSS
1,5 Bond, as an official liquidator, perhaps has this … (1,7,2,4) A, LICENCE, TO, KILL (E)
5 See 1 Across
10 … pertaining to a wrestling match (5) ABOUT (A+BOUT)
11 Rugby move got by circulating pickle and cake endlessly (5-4) PLACE-KICK (PICKLE +CAKe)*
12 Herpes spread around the globe (6) SPHERE (HERPES)*
13 USS Enterprise that went on an astral trek (8) STARSHIP (CD)
15 Masked hero parked small costly car in zoo (5) ZORRO (RR in ZOO)
17 Maddeningly spur hotel to put cloth on furniture (9) UPHOLSTER (SPUR HOTEL)*
19 Totems Lee rearranged to get fried eggs (9) OMELETTES (TOTEMS LEE)*
20 Pink Panther actor, without hesitation, exchanges goods for money (5) SELLS (SELLerS)
21 Where according to Mulder and Scully, the truth is supposed to be (3,5) OUT,THERE (GK)
23 Depots mismanaged by tyrant (6) DESPOT (DEPOTS)*
27 Protected from infection by deism Indian ascetic spread (9) IMMUNISED (DEISM* outside MUNI)
28 Auntie did not start to unfasten (5) UNTIE (aUNTIE)
29 Lather the cloth Rashtrapathi hid (6) THRASH (T)
30 Crooked? Pay extra, Internal Revenue tells him (8) TAXPAYER (PAY EXTRA)*
DOWN
1 Bring together rebuilt Assam (5) AMASS (ASSAM)*
2 Press steed for Stephenson’s Rocket (4,5) IRON,HORSE (IRON + HORSE)
3 Come in and take part in the race (5) ENTER (DD)
4 Headland garment (4) CAPE (DD)
6 Supersedes reign in sets of balls (9) OVERRULES (RULE inside OVERS)
7 Hi! IRS befuddled by Goidelic language (5) IRISH (HI IRS)*
8 Ships dock here (not on the seaboard) to steal pork at random (4-5) LAKE-PORTS (STEAL PORK)* Not sure if this is a word in the dictionary or reference to a particular place
9 Spot hyena around legwear (9) PANTYHOSE (SPOT HYENA)*
14 A string player, who under guilt, left out a remodelled sitar (9) GUITARIST (GUIlT + SITAR*)
15 Animal student got menagerie record first (9) ZOOLOGIST (ZOO + LOG + IST)
16 What an icicle does is muddle headaches the morning after (9) OVERHANGS (HANGOVERS*)
18 Gadget-less long distance communication achieved when they leapt around (9) TELEPATHY (THEY LEAPT)*
22 Lion ______ wants ______ lion (same word in both blanks) (5) TAMER Seems to be an ad/a joke on the internet?
24 Rig oriental joke (5) EQUIP (E + QUIP)
25 The irascible hid what they owned (5) THEIR (T)
26 Brainwave got initially by Indian drug export agent (4) IDEA (Acrostic)
ACROSS
1,5 Bond, as an official liquidator, perhaps has this … (1,7,2,4) A, LICENCE, TO, KILL (E)
5 See 1 Across
10 … pertaining to a wrestling match (5) ABOUT (A+BOUT)
11 Rugby move got by circulating pickle and cake endlessly (5-4) PLACE-KICK (PICKLE +CAK
12 Herpes spread around the globe (6) SPHERE (HERPES)*
13 USS Enterprise that went on an astral trek (8) STARSHIP (CD)
15 Masked hero parked small costly car in zoo (5) ZORRO (RR in ZOO)
17 Maddeningly spur hotel to put cloth on furniture (9) UPHOLSTER (SPUR HOTEL)*
19 Totems Lee rearranged to get fried eggs (9) OMELETTES (TOTEMS LEE)*
21 Where according to Mulder and Scully, the truth is supposed to be (3,5) OUT,THERE (GK)
23 Depots mismanaged by tyrant (6) DESPOT (DEPOTS)*
27 Protected from infection by deism Indian ascetic spread (9) IMMUNISED (DEISM* outside MUNI)
28 Auntie did not start to unfasten (5) UNTIE (
29 Lather the cloth Rashtrapathi hid (6) THRASH (T)
30 Crooked? Pay extra, Internal Revenue tells him (8) TAXPAYER (PAY EXTRA)*
DOWN
1 Bring together rebuilt Assam (5) AMASS (ASSAM)*
2 Press steed for Stephenson’s Rocket (4,5) IRON,HORSE (IRON + HORSE)
3 Come in and take part in the race (5) ENTER (DD)
4 Headland garment (4) CAPE (DD)
6 Supersedes reign in sets of balls (9) OVERRULES (RULE inside OVERS)
7 Hi! IRS befuddled by Goidelic language (5) IRISH (HI IRS)*
8 Ships dock here (not on the seaboard) to steal pork at random (4-5) LAKE-PORTS (STEAL PORK)* Not sure if this is a word in the dictionary or reference to a particular place
9 Spot hyena around legwear (9) PANTYHOSE (SPOT HYENA)*
14 A string player, who under guilt, left out a remodelled sitar (9) GUITARIST (GUI
15 Animal student got menagerie record first (9) ZOOLOGIST (ZOO + LOG + IST)
16 What an icicle does is muddle headaches the morning after (9) OVERHANGS (HANGOVERS*)
18 Gadget-less long distance communication achieved when they leapt around (9) TELEPATHY (THEY LEAPT)*
24 Rig oriental joke (5) EQUIP (E + QUIP)
25 The irascible hid what they owned (5) THEIR (T)
26 Brainwave got initially by Indian drug export agent (4) IDEA (Acrostic)
other then 10 a/c. i got it all today.. yay!!
ReplyDeleteToo many anagrams?
ReplyDeleteLoved the death row, B. Looks like they are being made to walk the plank.
Far too many anagrams. Some very unimaginative clues like 28A
ReplyDeleteLicense to jumble?!
ReplyDeleteTelepathy cartoon was good and enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteNice cartoons Bhavan. Agree on the Anagram glut.
ReplyDeleteA bit too simplistic today? am sure would be easy to crack but where's the challenge?
ReplyDeleteIt took hardly 10 minutes to solve. Quite a contrast from the previous two grids that we had.
ReplyDeleteWe need to have the simple as well as the tough. See how happy Unknown is in his 8:33
ReplyDeleteWhile I admit the anagram overdose, I would like to clarify some issues:
ReplyDeleteYes, I prefer simple words (words which are within my, an average person's, vocabulary rather than have you trawling Google and Wiki for obscure plant names, places etc. If some customers find this too easy, I shall include not more than two uncommon words. I am happy the unknown Unknown is happy.
As for TAMER, I had felt the same way as Bhavan, after submitting the crossword and had changed the word and clue a fortnight back to:
22 Ashanti mercenaries hid a clock (5)
However, the change does not seem to got to print.
Incognito,
DeleteI have a lot of respect for people who can come up with even a couple of good clues, let alone 25-30 every time, but as a solver I expect the setter to challenge me with his or her wordplay. But that does not necessarily entail using complex words or obscure references, a lot of simple words will do; it's the way we end up at those words which makes cryptic crosswords so special. I'm hardly an expert solver myself, having become a regular only about two years ago, but hey, this isn't a tax form to be simplified -- it's a puzzle!
frankly, there are people like me who are happy to see this type of anagram-predominant clues as well.
Deletethanks, incognito
ah! unknown is a she... not a he. :)
ReplyDeleteOh! It was unknown till now!
Delete