Enjoy our new setter Phantoms offering in todays Sunday special. The grid is irregular though.
INSTRUCTIONS
1. 3 answers per commenter in the comments section.
2. Annotations to be provided. 3. Critique welcome.
ACROSS
1 Rum pirate
provided with for starters (8)
6 Arrange for camera
movement covering lake (4)
10 Walks heavily due to gradient in back street (6)
11 Crook doing time in prison to exercise limbs (7)
13 Rivals appeal considered during contest at end of series
(9)
14 Gruelling to pick out fish in making porridge (5)
15 Blowing lid off reality exposes girl (4)
16 Stupidity of alumnus to employ model earlier with cape
(10)
19 Struck and given the boot, preparing to retire? (3,3,4)
21 Requests time off from assignments (4)
24 ... says, and one does what's told, or he's out, in
children's game (5)
25 Initiator of formal charge throws a fit, if plan goes
awry (9)
26 Plague eradicated? It still carries malarial symptoms (4)
27 Remodel public transport system, internally for bridge
players first (10)
28 Precise in performing complex actions (5)
29 The Spanish on one foot returned round a street,
misdirected (3,5)
DOWN
2 Barrier protecting
soldier and his Doberman (7)
3 Concerning girl
who is at fault (6)
4 Lab equipment to
determine presence of Uranium and Boron in position, being upset (4,5)
5 Goes hungry when
the English are not invited to banquets (5)
7 Allow workers at
vacant cafe consume leafy fare (7)
8 Extremely
sceptical ideologues, believing in nothingness, convey ‘This is nil’ (9)
9 Dialect of
Bollywood baddie (6)
12 Press forward including half of us with energy and
attitude (6,6)
17 French prisoner revolts losing heart for handcuff set
free (9)
18 Friend according to some backstabbed us in the sixties
(5)
20 Hollow drum captivating out of step rumba and stringed
instrument (7)
22 Saint's anger about right to lead religion, fuelled by
inciter (7)
23 Chaotic situations at start of show, supporter turns up
on you and me (6)
25 Pearl loses hearing to raised anger and lands in jeopardy
(5)
1A: APERITIF (PIRATE+IF(provided)) anagram
ReplyDelete2D: PARAPET (PARA - soldier, inside PET)
3D: REMISS (RE=concerning, MISS=girl, def at fault)
25 PERIL ( Pearl - ear + ire<= )
ReplyDelete25D
Delete5d : F(-e)asts
ReplyDelete11A: Stretch ( Crook doing time in prison // to exercise limbs (DD))
6a : P{L}AN
ReplyDelete15 Blowing lid off reality exposes girl (4) tRUTH
ReplyDelete21 Requests time off from assignments (4) tASKS
mmm... similar
24 ... says, and one does what's told, or he's out, in children's game (5) SIMON
25A PLAINTIFF* {fit if plan}
ReplyDeleteWith Phantom around, others dont have a ghost of a chance ... to walk, Mr Walker?
ReplyDelete8D NIHILISTS* {this is nil}
ReplyDeleteSomething wrong with the definition here. It should lead to NIHILISMS, but the fodder gives it as NIHILISTS.
DeleteI think it is fine.
Delete"Extremely sceptical ideologues, believing in nothingness," (indicates that it is about people not the ideology)
convey ( Anag Ind)
‘This is nil’ (Fodder)
Can be NIHILISMS if we take as DD or MD
DeleteExtremely sceptical ideologues// believing in nothingness // this is nil
How is extremely sceptical ideologues nihilism ? Also Should it not have been "belief in nothingness" to indicate nihilism.
DeleteMy intention was to define people and this is conveyed by idealogues as explained by Ramesh
Delete10A Walks heavily due to gradient in back street (6)
ReplyDeleteTRAMPS RAMP(gradient)+ ST <= ( back street )
27A [TRA[NS][FOR]MS] Def is given in singular.
ReplyDelete10A T[RAMP]S
17D [UN(-ten)+CHAIN)ED<] Heart of Detenu in reverse replaced by chain for handcuff
14A Gruelling to pick out fish in making porridge (5)
ReplyDeleteGRUEL Gruel (ling -pick out fish )
Phantom is out on a mission so he will respond to your comments only after he returns tomorrow
ReplyDeleteSo who has kidnapped Diana this time ? Not the dreaded Tarakimo again, I hope :)
DeleteAsk ole man Moz
Delete23D: S(NAF<-)(US)
ReplyDelete4D (TEST) (T (U+B)ES<-)
ReplyDelete22 D Saint's anger about right to lead religion, fuelled by inciter (7)
ReplyDeleteSTIRRER ST(Saint) +IRE (anger)+R (right)+R{(lead religion)
22D: (ST)(IR (R)E)(R)
ReplyDeletefor 22D duplicated
ReplyDelete7D: LETTUCE, Allow=LET, vacant c(af)e must be CE. Workers is TU? (trade union, I don't know). Pl help.
Yes. Workers can be TU ( from Trade union as you have rightly pointed out )
Delete2d: sorry, para+pet (read protecting in a bit of a hurry)
ReplyDelete9D - {B}{ROGUE}
ReplyDelete16A - {OB}{T}{USE}{NESS}
19A - {HIT} {THE} {SACK}
12 Press forward including half of us with energy and attitude (6,6) FO(U)RTH, E + STATE
ReplyDelete18 Friend // according to some backstabbed us in the sixties (5) CHINA (DD)
20 Hollow drum captivating out of step rumba and stringed instrument (7) T(-abl)A + MBURA*
Bhavan, a technical question on 18: Seems that this is coming from cockney rhyming slang (first def). While 'China' could equate 'Mate', does it work backwards also with a completely different word that means 'Mate'
Deletehttp://www.thefreedictionary.com/china: gives the following meanings for this: noun (Brit. & S. African informal) friend, pal, mate (informal), buddy (informal), companion, best friend, intimate...
DeleteThat's cool. Actually my question was more generic (just used your clue as an example) as to acceptable logic in framing the clue. For example, if 'China' did not have a direct meaning as 'friend', would it be acceptable?
DeleteAnd by way of clarification let me add that the question arose because I associated it with the rhyming slang (which is the origin), not being aware of a straightforward definition
DeleteLeft Overs
ReplyDeleteAcross - 13, 26, 28, 29
28 A Exact -hidden clue
ReplyDeleteGanesan
26A-Ague (Plague-pl)
ReplyDeletemalarial symptoms-def-Ague
13A-Opposites
ReplyDeleteRivals- def
Appeal considered- Oppos (Oppose-E)
contest- Tie*
End of series-S
29A- It should be (3,6) and not (3,5)-Led Astray
ReplyDeleteSpanish-EL (but I dont find a reversal indicator)Is it round?
One foot- Yard?
A street-Ast
Misdirected- Def.
Is round a reversal indicator for both 'The Spanish' & yard?
ReplyDeleteSomeone pl. clarify how 'one foot'becomes yard?
ReplyDeleteReturned is the reversal indicator, though how one foot is a yard beats me as well
DeleteCol,
ReplyDeleteBack to the skull cave as mission's accomplished earlier than I thought and to receive B & B. Diana is safe and sound.
Thanks, Col for hosting this puzzle of mine and to the participating members who spared their time to work out the answers.
My apologies for an irregular grid and having missed the plural in 27 AC.
13 Rivals appeal considered during contest at end of series (9)
ReplyDeleteDef: Rivals,
Appeal: IT
Contest: Oppose. Verb form.
IT in OPPOSE and end of series : S OPPOS(IT)E + S
As regards 29 The Spanish on one foot returned round a street, misdirected
I again apologise to all as I had intended something else and totally landed up with a big Goof up! I do not have any plausible explanation for this clue. I had 'carriage' in mind but did not correct the clue while sending to the Col.
I sincerely hope apart from this, the other clues are acceptable to all and hope to come up with an improved puzzle with no loose ends the next time Col decides to host me.
Does Phantom like Melody (chocolate)?
DeleteHow did you know, Kishore?
DeleteMelody khao, khud jaan jao!
DeleteKaheen pe nigahen, kaheen pe nishaana...
DeleteCrypticism has reached a level where I am not able to figure out anything.
DeleteTo add to confusion. Nishaana is way off the mark.
I had not realised until I read the comments that china could mean friend. I was thinking of 'hindu chini Bhai bhai.'
ReplyDeleteSame here!
DeleteWith so many bloggers becoming sloggers, maybe there will come a time when there are only sloggers and one blogger (myself).
ReplyDeleteme too
DeleteDont forget me!
ReplyDeleteAnd me
ReplyDelete