No 10684, Thursday 31 Jan 13, Tester

Cakewalk with samosas today, too many giveaways and lengthy clues. Shades of our old enemy No 1 seen in some clues today?

ACROSS

7   Royal Engineers take fees with hesitation, but they ensure fair play (8) REFEREES {RE}{F{ER}EES}

9   A condition of general abundance at the French National Theatre on the outskirts of Pondicherry (6) PLENTY {Pondi{LE}{NT}cherrY}

10 German leader had food at the passageway (4) GATE {G}{ATE}

11 Everybody wants to die in this manner. Will it not be better if they live together in this manner? (10) PEACEFULLY [CD]

12 You and I go to Andhra Pradesh playing a type of instrument (6) WEAPON {WE}{AP}{ON}

14 Constituents of Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Space (8) ELEMENTS [GK]

15 Prepared food for commander with approval of journalist (6) COOKED {CO}{OK}{ED}

16 Rides a bicycle to the footstalls disheartenedly (6) PEDALS PEDestALS

19 One who is the first to think of fashionable outlet for gold (8) INVENTOR {IN}{VENT}{OR}

21 Satisfy the French, like in Peru (6) PLEASE {P{LE}{AS}E}

23 Great Barrier Reef for example, is a natural wonder (10) AUSTRALIAN* &lit as well

24 A layer of earth’s surface with sulphur and petroleum (4) SOIL {S}{OIL}

25 Editor turned up and allowed Edward to remove something (6) DELETE {DE<=}{LET}{E}

26 Sample of special ice sent back to soldiers (8) SPECIMEN {SP}{ECI<=}{MEN}

DOWN

1   Belgian leaders have to act properly (6) BEHAVE {BElgian}{HAVE}

2   Listen to the audience at this place (4) HERE (~hear)

3   Extraordinary person facing South-East gets an answer (8) RESPONSE {PERSON*}{SE}

4   Superintendent of police here has his area of influence (6) SPHERE {SP}{HERE}

5   Make payment to neuter mare surgically (10) REMUNERATE*

6   The least trained to compete in sports! (8) ATHLETES*

8   Scary creatures that emerge from darkness when healer goes out (6) SNAKES dArKNESS*

13 Attributes of correct social relationships (10) PROPERTIES {PROPER}{TIES}

15 Bewildered by trick that fellow employed (8) CONFUSED {CON}{F}{USED}

17 Former political leader and journalist grew vigorously (8) EXPANDED {EX}{P}{AND}{ED}

18 Paths of satellites or small fragments (6) ORBITS {OR}{BITS}

20 Of no use to treasured cocktail dealer (6) TRADER TReAsuRED*

22 Tremble convulsively like tennis player Pam (6) SHIVER She was 'Shriver' and not Shiver!!!

24 Flask insulated with an outer covering (4) SKIN [T]

LINK TO SOLUTION

No 10683, Wednesday 30 Jan 13, Textrous

ACROSS

8   Spot a toast stuffed with vegetable (6) POTATO [T]

9   Small speed limit is key (5,3) SPACE BAR {S}{PACE} {BAR}

10 Engineer pleased about tower’s primary foundation (8) PEDESTAL {PEDES{T}AL*}

11 Violent riots preceded England’s assault (6) SORTIE {RIOTS*}{E}

12 Catches a fellow returning tie (6) FASTEN {F}{A}{STEN} <=

13 Certain to conceal tangled case’s end (8) SURCEASE {SUR{CASE*}E}

14 Resin said to be in accordance with specifications (7) PERSPEX {PER}{SPEX}(~specs)

16 A perfume’s chief constituent (7) ESSENCE [DD]

20 Hear me play record at first, these things don’t last long (8) EPHEMERA {EP}{HEAR+ME}*

23 Seal a hiding place on time (6) CACHET {CACHE}{T}

25 Want to be fashionable in reputation (6) FAMINE {FAM{IN}E}

26 Emotional to see India’s top bishop in pain (8) STIRRING {ST{I}{RR}ING}

27 Signal live reel broadcast (8) REVEILLE*

28 Smart introduction to complex mechanical device (6) CLEVER {C}{LEVER}

DOWN

1   Put up with fantastic lore in a museum (8) TOLERATE {T{LORE*}ATE}

2   Warning about an animal specialist concealing blood group (6) CAVEAT {C}{A}{VE{A}T}

3   Resume study, excellent chapter’s coming up (8) CONTINUE {CON}TINUE (Addendum - {CON}({TINU}{E}<=) - See comments)

4   Futile to reduce consumption (7) USELESS {USE}{LESS}

5   Saw criminal captured by that woman’s rope (6) HAWSER {H{SAW*}ER}

6   Pardon rip-off admitted by an administrative officer (8) REPRIEVE {RE{RIP*}EVE}

7   Is concerned about one’s dental condition (6) CARIES {CAR{1}ES}

15 Small study about mutant mice type (8) SPECIMEN {S}{P{MICE*}EN}

17 Short cuts devised to capture top general (8) SUCCINCT {SUC{C-IN-C}T*}

18 One wanting to be purified is inclined to enter church, right? (8) CLEANSER {C{LEANS}E}{R} Is the definition correct?

19 Catch Amsterdam’s hidden creature (7) HAMSTER [T]

21 Reached the top sickly and pale (6) PEAKED [DD]

22 Girl left in American city with regularity (6) EVENLY {EVE}{N{L}Y}

24 Full speed pursuit (6) CAREER [DD]

LINK TO SOLUTION

No.10682, Tuesday 29 Jan 13, Incognito

When he can dish out good clues like ENDEAVOUR, TEENS, ASTRONAUT, TOOLS and amusing ones like MANICURED, I have no idea why does Incognito opt for very odd surfaces in others!

ACROSS
1 Detectives put footwear into broken mugs (8) GUMSHOES (SHOE inside MUGS*)
5 Friend goes back up carrying a broken pot to get a computer (6) LAPTOP (PAL<= + POT*)
10 Type of column ratio Nicholas concealed (5) IONIC (T)
11 These mathematical bits can sometimes be vulgar (9) FRACTIONS (E)
12 Cut // duty (6) EXCISE (DD)
13 Marsupial put zero money around point of sale (7) OPOSSUM (O + SUM outside POS)

15 Praiseworthy quality of restructured timer (5) MERIT (TIMER)*
17 Try a space shuttle (9) ENDEAVOUR (DD)
19 Send wireless message to Indian village to make an erstwhile piece of audio equipment (9) RADIOGRAM (RADIO + GRAM)
20 Adolescence means support in front of partners (5) TEENS (TEE + NS)
21 Hot apes ran amok at a place where hot scones are sold (7) TEASHOP (HOT APES)*
23 Greek letter obtained by American lawman following Mary’s follower (6) LAMBDA (DA after LAMB)

26 Cockney hamster goes before barrier? Capital! (9) AMSTERDAM ('AMSTER + HAM)
28 Sangh scrambled to grind teeth (5) GNASH (SANGH)*
29 Condition where something is not utilised when one sun disintegrates (3-3) NON-USE (ONE SUN)*
30 Develops (putting ten in place of five), mutates and bursts (8) EXPLODES (DEvXELOPS)*

DOWN
1 Dirt found when General Electric absorbed retrograde Russian space station (5) GRIME (GE outside MIR<=)
2 Doctor’s claim about male patient successfully treated with beautifully treated hands (9) MANICURED (MAN I CURED)
3 Cuts irregularly at mediocre writers (5) HACKS (DD)
4 Magical creature found at the end of a bookshelf (3) ELF (T)

6 Roast tuna mix usually sent on space trips (9) ASTRONAUT (ROAST TUNA)*
7 Gimlets, screwdrivers etc., from a teetotaller’s viewpoint (5) TOOLS (CD)
8 Stamps stamps found on postal covers (9) POSTMARKS (?)
9 Army officer gets over bad mood and finds the chief steward (9) MAJORDOMO (MAJOR + MOOD*)
14 Four-legged structures strewn near sea walls post trade reconstruction (9) TETRAPODS (POST TRADE)*
15 Tom Sawyer creator said to be two fathoms deep in water (4,5) MARK, TWAIN (C&DD)
16 Lets shoot around without biting power (9) TOOTHLESS (LETS SHOOT)*
18 When someone has fallen off the ship, shout this after you shout ‘Man’(9) OVERBOARD (E)
22 Fire-raising by headless clergyman (5) ARSON (pARSON)
24 Divine messenger once heard of at the world’s highest waterfall (5) ANGEL (DD)
25 Burnt remains to which to return to (5) ASHES (E)
27 A thousand and nine Romans blend in (3) MIX (M IX)

LINK TO SOLUTION

No 10681, Monday 28 Jan 13, Arden

Last of Arden for this round which was a reasonably tough round of four.

ACROSS

1   It is a sin when there is too much weight by day’s end (8) GLUTTONY {GLUT}{TON}{Y}

5   River discharge into institutional property (6) CAMPUS {CAM}{PUS}

10 One angry over worker remaining stubborn (7) ADAMANT {A}{DAM<=}{ANT}

11 Play reverted to a greeting (7) OTHELLO {OT<=}{HELLO}

12 A trainee comes up with some belated action (5) CADET [T<=]

13 Loved moving on a capital race track (9) VELODROME {LOVED*}{ROME}

14 Just starting off, having gone through quietly with a dessert (5,7) BREAD PUDDING {B{READ} {P}UDDING}

18 A feature of Ajanta — a tease or a warning? (6,6) CAVEAT EMPTOR {CAVE}{A}{T EMPT}{OR}

21 She dances and after a dance gets home in time (9) BALLERINA {BALL}{ER{IN}A}

23 The goo is miles away (5) SLIME*

24 Fictional hero sees Niobia regularly in Scotland (3,4) ALI BABA {AL{nI oBiA}BA}

25 Ed Mcbain’s city gets a note to keep away (7) ISOLATE {ISOLA}{TE}

26 A weapon he pulls right away (6) DAGGER DrAGGER

27 Heavenly body gets a dope (8) ASTEROID {A}{STEROID}

DOWN

1   Look for the key weapon (6) GLANCE {G}{LANCE}

2   A state between a hug and a cuddle (6) UGANDA [T]

3   After art review, time to dry up in an Italian restaurant (9) TRATTORIA {TRA<=}{T}{TO}{RIA<=}

4   A creative man in trouble was brave (6,8) NATIVE AMERICAN*

6   Longed for a child, a little boy (5) ACHED {A}{CH}{ED}

7   Column about intellectual property could be about lungs (8) PULMONIC {COLUMN+IP}*

8   In ancient times one was part of the drama (5,3) STONE AGE {ST{ONE} AGE}

9   Sweet women helping children on the way (8,6) LOLLIPOP LADIES &lit

15 Shuns chocolate initially, one makes a pancake (4,5) DROP SCONE {DROP S}{C}{ONE}

16 “Sign of healing” by poet Pilcher (8) SCABBARD {SCAB}{BARD}

17 Returning love, giving the soldier away…It is all unfolding (8) EVOLVING {EVOL<=}{giVING}

19 The sign about a domineering woman (6) VIRAGO {VIR{A}GO}

20 Story of a toe perhaps (6) LEGEND {LEG}{END}

22 Remove time and direction (5) ERASE {ERA}{SE}

LINK TO SOLUTION

Special, Sunday 27 Jan 13, xChequer

INSTRUCTIONS

1.   Three answers per commenter.
2.   Annotations to be compulsorily provided with the answer.

Across                                                                                      

1       (and 8d)  Magical couple inanely portrays tragedy when bewitched (5,6,3,5,7)

7       Snake fur (3)

9       Constant finish lacking (9)

10    The Spanish and African bounder (5)

11     Gulls lead air formation (7)

12     Spear animal, say a sloth (7)

13     Prohibition beginning to end source of misery (4)

14     Respect even unbalanced budget (10)

18    Note choice for another term (2-8)

19     Catcall for many with distress revisited? (4)

21     Happy to return, without new family is wrenching (7)

22    State articles containing retractions of post-graduate, graduate and fresher (7)

25    Cross revolutionaries repatriate alien (5)

26    Change nothing, money or opinion (9)

27    Rises in the morning and goes back for college (1,1,1)

28    Church to have faith in crime at first? Honestly not! (11)

Down

1       Tom's best friend describing his adventures and Mark's character (11,4)

2      Way to deal with rare anger to get this (9)

3      Profits from last of booty that is sold shadily, nothing wasted (6)

4      Unduly tax former partner hesitating to come in public (9)

5      Some artistes lack this measure (5)

6      Current regulator dislodged state hero losing primary election (8)

7      Noisy strike outside hospital for soft drug (5)

8      See 1a

15    A voice not suited for calling up (9)

16    Appeal unjust rate, I have repeatedly done so (9)

17    To exist on essential drip, recurring disease (8)

20    Girl, Eastern, storing gold in plenty (6)

22    Approaches listener within quarters (5)

23    Not sure who's coming to dinner after the movie? (5)

To access the CW on a separate page follow the link xChequer1

No 2723, Sunday 27 Jan 13

ACROSS
1   Make a further judgement about foolish female? (8) REASSESS {RE}{ASSESS} Anno not clear
5   You're reportedly an American with a heavenly body (6) URANUS (~you're){UR}{AN}{US}
9   City in Brazil surrounded by delightful lake (8) SUPERIOR {SUPE{RIO}R}
10 Peninsula in part of Russia (not South) (6) SIBERIA sIBERIA
12 A profit, not for the first time (5) AGAIN {A}{GAIN}
13 Swivels round and dog runs away (5,4) TURNS TAIL {TURNS}{TAIL}
14 I must leave info on dead consumed by ordnance fired, expendable men (6,6) CANNON FODDER {iNFO+D+ORDNANCE}*
18 In which every second one is a starter (12) TARAMASALATA Every second is the letter 'A'

21 Professor's soft seat? (4,5) EASY CHAIR {EASY} {CHAIR}
23 Delicate, fellow at bar (5) FRAIL {F}{RAIL}
24 Reckless plan involving aide-de-camp (6) MADCAP {M{ADC}AP}
25 Legislators upset stores across North America (8) SENATORS {SE{NA}TORS*}
26 Beam spanning river, it may be an uncommon object (6) RARITY {RA{R}{IT}Y}
27 Model players playing similar roles (8) TYPECAST {TYPE}{CAST}

DOWN
1   Rogue in Dartmoor, a 'scally' (6) RASCAL [T]
2   Charm may be a quiet ringing of bells (6) APPEAL {A}{P}{PEAL}
3   Show violence towards robust member (6-3) STRONG-ARM {STRONG}-{ARM}
4   Annie Oakley, for example, a fireball (8,4) SHOOTING STAR [DD]
6   A puzzle for Rankin's inspector (5)  REBUS [DD]

7   Name US conductor appearing in French region (8) NORMANDY {N}{ORMANDY}
8   Second shaded avenue cook shows young children (5,3) SMALL FRY {S}{MALL} {FRY}
11 In England, carry out a type of theft (5,7) GRAND LARCENY*
15 Motivated by girlfriend, no longer current? (3,2,4) OUT OF DATE {OUT OF} {DATE}
16 Flag master unfurled round about (8) STREAMER {ST{RE}AMER*}
17 Campaigner more offensive about Salvation Army (8) CRUSADER {CRU{SA}DER}
19 Greek island area producing a savoury pastry (6) SAMOSA {SAMOS}{A} I wonder if Dr Gayatri will get them today?

20 Private room near top of tower (6) CLOSET {CLOSE}{T}
22 Skill with boats (5) CRAFT [DD]

LINK TO SOLUTION GRID

No.10680, Saturday 26 Jan 13, Arden

Republic day greetings to you all. Arden continues to dish out easy on the eye and mind puzzles.

ACROSS
1 Faint on the wagon bearing a board (7) PALETTE (PALE + TT + E)
5 Shorten a game (7) ABRIDGE (A + BRIDGE)
9 Part of the church in Goa is left open (5) AISLE (T)
10 Nine travel abroad without Romeo, sweetheart (9) VALENTINE (NINE TrAVEL)*
11 He was brave to treat a girl like a woman (9) CHICKASAW (CHICK + AS + A + W)
12 Atop a mountain note overlying area mostly (5) ARETE (AREa + TE)
13 A material // to consider (4) MULL (DD)
15 Fire soldier over a foxhole (8) RETRENCH (RE + TRENCH)
18 With mineral on the ground have no interest to fight (8) FELDSPAR (FiELD + SPAR)
19 Spike will keep papa away (4) LACE (paLACE)
22 Covers up with pictures (5) SNAPS (SPANS<=)
24 Fictional character gets a dish ripped out (4,5) PIED, PIPER (PIE + RIPPED*)

26 The muse follows her sixth sense introducing new language (9) ESPERANTO (ESP + ERATO outside N)
27 People // move in large numbers (5) TROOP (DD)
28 Syrian city will round up ragged army (7) PALMYRA (LAP<= + ARMY*)
29 Rest-day went haywire (7) STRAYED (REST-DAY)*

DOWN
1 Told to spot the fish (6) PLAICE (~PLACE)

2 Girl with oomph — topless nude shows no inclination (9) LASSITUDE (LASS + IT + nUDE)
3 Finetune model lacking strength (5) TWEAK (T + WEAK)
4 From the edge of the roof remove bug (9) EAVESDROP (EAVES + DROP)
5 Let the trainee off for a girl who looks bright (5) AGLOW (ALLOW with G for L)
6 Seem familiar enough to call on one (4,1,4) RING, A, BELL (C&DD)
7 With motivation will travel (5) DRIVE (DD)
8 The Spanish have a balanced team (6) ELEVEN (EL + EVEN)
14 Was in front like lazy Susan, got corrupted (3,6) LED, ASTRAY (LED + AS + TRAY)
16 Over the hill exercise does have lots of destructive power (9) TORPEDOES (TOR + PE + DOES)
17 Endlessly you can chop and change amid all that noise (9) CACOPHONY (YOu CAN CHOP)*
20 Like the recalled ex-British prime minister one has retired (6) ASLEEP (AS + PEEL<=)
21 Stand and fall … do return later (6) TRIPOD (TRIP + DO<=)
23 Initially all people’s protests arouse little outrage (5) APPAL (Acrostic)
24 Bear with a priest in Benares (5) PANDA (DD)
25 Become less of a man? (5) PETER (DD)

LINK TO SOLUTION

No 10679, Friday 25 Jan 13, Arden

 On the tougher side from Arden today. Learnt some new words and meanings in 12A and 15A. Stumped in the NE again today.

ACROSS

1   Grab some chicken…. (6) CLUTCH [DD]

4   …and put a bird on eggplant (8) LARKSPUR Anno pending (Addendum - {LARK}{SPUR} - See comments}

9   Iron maiden caught playing at short distance (6) MICRON {IRON+M+C}*

10 Arrived with joey at north country (8) CAMEROON {CAME}{ROO}{N}

12 A guide to take one forcibly over a country (8) DRAGOMAN {DRAG}{OMAN}

13 Extra police to guide the members in an organisation (6) BYELAW ? (Addendum - {BYE}{LAW} - See comments)

15 Characters love state with too many abbreviations (8,4) ALPHABET SOUP {ALPHABET S}{O}{UP}

18 Count bars — it would make you conform to norms (4,8) PEER PRESSURE {PEER} {PRESSURE}

21 Package on vehicle not coming back (6) CARTON {CAR}{TON<=}

22 Old trader put maid in an accommodation (8) INDIAMAN*

24 Put down in the book (8) REGISTER [DD]

25 Look…without victory you will have nothing to eat (6) STARVE {STAR{V}E}

26 Dumdum in the news (8) BULLETIN {BULLET}{IN}

27 Please finish and give attention (6) ENDEAR {END}{EAR}

DOWN

1   Invitation as back up help for new actor (8) COMEDIAN {COME}{DIA<=}{N}

2   As he is related mostly to snakes, one lets go (8) UNCLASPS {UNCLe}{ASPS}

3   Dessert is cold — some use hot cola as substitute (9,6) CHOCOLATE MOUSSE {C}{SOME+USE+HOT+COLA}*

5   Open just a tad for an ex-minister to be elevated (4) AJAR {A}{JAR <=} Raj and ex-minister?

6   Yorkshire put one off…. calm down (4,4,5,2) KEEP YOUR SHIRT ON*

7   The dog died in the channel port (6) POODLE {POO{D}LE}

8   Bird said to have fame (6) RENOWN (~wren}{REN}{OWN}

11 Wine produced by outfit (7) MADEIRA {MADE}{IRA}

14 As an aristocrat she had reserves holding chemical weapon (7) TSARINA {T{SARIN}A}

16 Oddly bomber came in a wave for dive (8) SUBMERGE {SU{BoMbEr}RGE}

17 Rudolph perhaps will keep control over growing grass (8) REINDEER {REIN}{DEER<=}

19 Second vehicle, a black beetle (6) SCARAB {S}{CAR}{A}{B}

20 Frequently it is acceptable for a girl to be spartan (6) FRUGAL {FR}{U}{GAL}

23 Part of a religious school (4)(Addendum - LEVI [GK] - See comments)

LINK TO SOLUTION

No 10678, Thursday 24 Jan 13, Arden

 A good opener from Arden, had me scratching around for a while in the NW corner today.

ACROSS

1   With sales force managed to cover shortest distance (2,3,4,5) AS THE CROW FLIES*

10 Farm machinery put in the bomb alert (5) BALER [T]

11 Wicked characters unsafe around Rio (9) NEFARIOUS {NEFA{RIO}US*}

12 Material arrived shortly on block, we are told (7) CAMBRIC {CAMe}{BRICk}(~brick)

13 The Yankee and the French follow others to arrange it all over again (7) RESTYLE {REST}{Y}{LE}

14 Shoots up a short line (5) SERIF <=

16 Epics tend to be rewritten and checked (9) INSPECTED*

19 Turn setter around, he makes her show you your place (9) USHERETTE {U}{S{HE}RETTE*}

20 Party hire will put out the fire (5) DOUSE {DO}{USE}

22 Rested when asked again (7) REPOSED RE-POSED

25 It is sweet to find Malcolm regularly involved in growth (7) TREACLE {TRE{mAlCoLm}E}

27 Homeliver I see is lifeless (9) INORGANIC {IN}{ORGAN}{I}{C}

28 British woman makes a mark (5) BREVE {BR}{EVE}

29 Campaigning on line, Greece got it all wrong (14) ELECTIONEERING {ON+LINE+GREECE+IT}*

DOWN

2   Sailor landed a month before in an effort to secure our freedom (9) SALTMARCH {SALT}{MARCH} Enumeration seems incorrect

3   Employer gets angry within an hour (5) HIRER {H{IRE}R}

4   Study what is written and sign up (9) CONSCRIPT {CON}{SCRIPT} Not voluntarily though!

5   Present man has authority but not in charge (5) OFFER OFFicER

6   Last staff member who is mostly regular in the estate (9) FARMSTEAD {F}{ARM}{STEADy}

7   Ridicule Pierrot regularly over Gotham (5) IRONY {pIeRrOt}{NY}

8   Hang the expense with American participation (7) SUSPEND {S{US}PEND}

9   A god of merriment bans child doing some basic maths…… (6) ABACUS {A}{BACchUS}

15 …… Because the crew has second vision (9) FORESIGHT {FOR}{E{S}IGHT}

17 Perhaps space and time oddly called as show (9) SPECTACLE {SPACE+T}*{CaLlEd}

18 Billy had time to escape with the guerrilla operating from behind (9) TRUNCHEON {T}{RUN}{CHE}{ON}

19 One country gets another country’s precipitation reportedly (7) UKRAINE {UK}{RAINE}(~rain)

21 Small island said to allow a rope through (6) EYELET (~islet)

23 Search for a soft dress (5) PROBE {P}{ROBE}

24 Wild one in a trading office (5) DINGO [T]

26 Some months end with some warmth (5) EMBER [CD]

LINK TO SOLUTION

No 10677, Wednesday 23 Jan 13, Buzzer

Another 24k offering from Buzzer, 24As anno being  the last to fall.

ACROSS

8   Medicine man seen in a theatre? Au contraire (6) CINEMA [T]

9   Archer has a contracted right to make up a story (4,1,3) TELL A LIE {TELL} {A} {LIEn}

10 Oxygen in area is cleaned finally and converted to fresh air (8) OZONISED {O+ZONE+IS+D}}

11 It is hopeless without alternative fuel (6) WOEFUL {WO}{FUEL*}

12 Software describing surgical procedures? (9,6) OPERATING SYSTEM [DD]

14 Retiring setter might delegate authority (7) EMPOWER {EM<=}{POWER}

16 Purposeful police force in action (7) DECIDED {DE{CID}ED}

19 Deftly catch a llama with this thingy (15) WHATCHAMACALLIT*

22 Relatively affected from regular airstrikes on resistance (6) ARTIER {AiRsTrIkEs}{R}

24 Something precious or merely diamonds for Juliet? (4,4) GOLD DUST {GOLD} {(-j+d)DUST}

25 Mercenary in Edinburgh lacking heart for execution (5,3) HIRED GUN EDINbURGH*

26 Unexpected deflection in tennis shot gaining a point (6) SWERVE {S{W}ERVE}

DOWN

1   Zap a dim ache in the end administering a tranquilliser (8) DIAZEPAM {ZAP+A+DIM+thE}*

2   One mourning a death is more devoted? (6) KEENER [DD]

3   Implants that feel weird when outside the mouths of some eaters? (5,5) FALSE TEETH {THAT+FEEL+Some+Eaters}

4   Performance is outstanding from French pupil (7) STUDENT {STU{DE}NT}

5   Killed a good deal (4) SLEW [DD]

6   Wears kit fit to ride the waves (5,3) WATER SKI*

7   Understand body image (6) FIGURE [DD]

13 Look at adopting quiet child without mum (10) SPEECHLESS {S{P}EE}{CH}{LESS}

15 Frequently ring newspapers (8) OFTTIMES {O}{FT}{TIMES}

17 Sending out electronic message (8) EMISSIVE {E}{MISSIVE}

18 Picture puzzle with ultimate twist I put up (7) IMAGINE {ENIG(-m)A(+m)M}{I}<=

20 Solitary success after overcoming hesitation (6) HERMIT {H{ER}{M}IT} 'M' from? (Addendum - {H{ERM}IT} - See comments)

21 Large snake and its game partner (6) LADDER {L}{ADDER}

23 Land of brigands (4) RIGA [T]

LINK TO SOLUTION

No 10676, Tuesday 22 Jan 13, Buzzer

A good opener from Buzzer, the NE corner had me buzzing around for a while.

ACROSS

1   Dog on moon? That’s a rarity (5) CURIO {CUR}{IO}

4   Need judge during end game (9) BLACKJACK {B{LACK}{J}ACK}

9   Kitchen appliance given by generous donator (7) TANDOOR*

10 Value of a pick-up truck (7) UTILITY [DD]

11 Showing respect for icon I set out to follow his lead (9) HONORIFIC {His}{FOR+ICON+I}*

12 Branch office primarily in the middle of nowhere (5) LIMBO {LIMB}{O}

13 Small money bag (6) POCKET [DD]

15 Forecast carried by newspaper edition stirred public opinion (8) FOMENTED {F{OMEN}T}{ED}

18 Dispose of sarong very cheaply (3,1,4) FOR A SONG*

19 Beef tongue say (6) MUSCLE [DD]

22 Scales that are uncalibrated to some extent (5) LIBRA [T]

24 Second hand, dilapidated divan taken in without due consideration (9) UNADVISED {U{DIVAN*}SED}

26 Riding bike to get articles for flower show (7) IKEBANA {BIKE*}{AN}{A}

27 A first-class pulsating climax mostly gets praise (7) ACCLAIM {A}{C}{CLIMAx*}

28 One function church trust put together in earnest (9) SINCERELY {SIN}{CE}{RELY}

29 Reason soldier is restricted by line of control (5) LOGIC {LO{GI}C}

DOWN

1   Mug goes round attending church to bring oneself up to date (5,2) CATCH UP {C{AT}{CH} UP}

2   Trimming/cutting corners leads to an argument (3-2) RUN-IN pRUN-INg

3   Going round Lourdes so unappealing in a sense (9) ODOURLESS*

4   Wanting to live on the outskirts of Frankfurt (6) BEREFT {BE}{RE}{FrankfurT}

5   When caught in marriage it is capital (8) ASUNCION {AS}{UN{C}ION}

6   Kipper — extremely bad seafood (5) KRILL {KippeR}{ILL}

7   A cricket team’s mantra over a third of the game is self-evident (9) AXIOMATIC {A}{XI}{OM}{A}{TIC-tac-toe}

8   It is needed to decipher vital part of a sentence (3,4) KEY WORD [CD]

14 Sea crab I hit on the head (9) CARIBBEAN {CRAB+I}*{BEAN}

16 English queen, one said to be questionable (9) EQUIVOCAL {E}{QU}{1}{VOCAL}

17 Brood over united cabinet reshuffle (8) INCUBATE {U+CABINET}*

18 Duke of Edinburgh announced special incentives (7) FILLIPS (~philip){FILLIP}{S}

20 Rare medicine, not one that is prevalent (7) ENDEMIC MEDiCINE*

21 Happy to accept casual host (6) GALAXY {GA{LAX}Y}

23 Answer to puzzle comes as surprise (5) AMAZE {A}{MAZE}

25 Jargon intoned without learning initially (5) SLANG {S{L}ANG}

LINK TO SOLUTION

No.10675, Monday 21 Jan 13, Neyartha

Neyartha has one cross word many to say

ACROSS
1 Posh pleasure boat (5,7) CABIN, CRUISER (E)

8 Cynic gets Pole’s misplaced funds (7) SCOFFER (COFFERS with S going to the front)
9 Part of a lathe found in a castle tower (6) TURRET (DD)
11 Fancy biscuit obtained using the speaker’s small bow (5,4) PETIT, FOUR (~PETITE FORE)

12 Flight or train path? (5) AISLE (E)
14 Unenthusiastic Poles abandoned translucent mixture (9) RELUCTANT (TRAnsLUCENT)*
16 Mention time to make way for the Yankee with a hoot (4) YELL (TELL with Y for T)
18 Sound from Leo was partly uproarious (4) ROAR (T)
19 Assess light for a cricket game (4,5) TEST, MATCH (TEST + MATCH)
21 Failure to ignore Washington’s call (5) SHOUT (waSHOUT)
22 Suffering hoarder goes around Iowa, showing a food poisoning symptom (9) DIARRHOEA (HOARDER* outside IA)
23 Dirty student moves in for Idaho storm (6) SQUALL (SQUALid/L)
25 Go over to scratch the head like an educated person (7) ITERATE (lITERATE)
26 Sister spies note hidden by Anonymous in a formal public statement (12) ANNUNCIATION (NUN + CIA + TI inside ANON)

DOWN
2 Maid on atoll brewed a Spanish wine (11) AMONTILLADO (MAID ON ATOLL)*
3 IT finds ethnic design covering back of … (8) INFOTECH (ETHNIC* outside OF<=)
4 … motor car built to carry new bird (9) CORMORANT (MOTOR CAR* outside N)

5 Speak in complete … (5) UTTER (DD)
6 … sentences at first with the elite comedian informally (6) SCREAM (S + CREAM)
7 Street in Pondicherry, prior to independence? (3) RUE (CD)
8 Magnificent lawn of the police informer (10) SUPERGRASS (SUPER + GRASS)
10 A kind of insurance for the student engulfed by heartache at sea (10) HEALTHCARE (L inside HEARTACHE*)
13 Attendants caught with an Irish staple vegetable (5,6) SWEET, POTATO (~SUITE + POTATO)
15 Drunkard goes up with a niacin compound for the Italian conductor (9) TOSCANINI (SOT<= + NIACIN*)
17 Independent regent gets upset after following me from the south (8) EMERGENT (REGENT* after ME<=)
20 Realise Tina is at fault for sheltering Austrian revolutionary (6) ATTAIN (TINA* outside AT<=)
22 Bob (American singer), Charlie and Ed leave right away to launder without water (5) DYLAN (DrYcLeAN)
24 Functioning as something adequate (3) QUA (T)

LINK TO SOLUTION