Monday, 8 April 2013

No 10740, Monday 08 Apr 13, Skulldugger

Some superb ones from Skulldugger: 13a, 8d

ACROSS
5 Shrink back in horror from hazardous nucleus of recombinant E.coli (6) RECOIL (R+E.COLI*)
6 Defer to formally dressed doctor? (6) SUBMIT (SUIT around BM, Bachelor of Medicine)
9 She might particularly insist it’s 7, not 10, following pretentiously erudite and dogmatic forerunners (6) PEDANT (P E D tenANT, tenant from 7) Why she?
10 Rising Internet fraud squashed chance for Fieldwork, perhaps! (8) NOCTURNE (E CON< around TURN ie chance) Field work is ref. to work of John Field, who composed nocturnes
11 Initially you encountered a strange creature, then I, another (4) YETI (Y ET I) definition impliedly refers to another strange creature
12 Person acting instead of 7 or better (10) LIEUTENANT (LIEU + TENANT from 7) Did not get the 'better' part of it
13 Top worker designed shirt-tails with corduroy border (11) HAIRSTYLIST (SHIRT TAILS* around Y) The definition definitely brought a grin ;-)
18 How best to stop using // Thanksgiving dinner leftovers? (4,6) COLD TURKEY DD,CD
21 Anti-imperialist submariner from the East delivers a warning (4) OMEN (Captain NEMO <)
22 Of one’s own volition or having been ordered by one Parisian (8) UNBIDDEN (UN+ BIDDEN)
23 Killer whale almost camouflaged bloomer (6) ORCHID (ORCa HID)

24 Send back captured terrorist leader (6) DEPORT (ROPED< + T)
25 Cell bars restrain setter (6) GAMETE (GATE around ME)

DOWN
1 Nerve condition developed after onset of pulmonary emphysema left capacities impaired (8) SCIATICA (CAPACITIES*)
2 A strapping young lad might pack this (6) PISTOL CD Before arms freedom, it would have been biceps (though clashing with the singular definition given) and that is what I initially put in and got into knots
3 Came frenziedly, overcome by wild lust and sweet wine (8) MUSCATEL (CAME* in LUST*)
4 Why I’m pug-nosed? Boxing challenge (6) IMPUGN (T) Nice use of boxing
5 Recommend casing Oriental joint (6) REEFER (REFER around E)
7 To rent, she might have an intent (6) TENANT, (AN in TENT) why she again?
8 Business of making the bodies disappear? (11) UNDERTAKING CD,DD,
14 UN orders a whole new ball game (8) ROUNDERS (UN ORDERS)*
15 Something sensational that is yellow with a tinge of red (8) SCORCHER (OCHRE=yellow+Red+SC??) Anno not clear    See comments
16 Cuckolded, wife given the boot, having slept around to acquire money essentially (6)  HORNED CONNED Anno not clear  See comments
17 Sequel idea features rising Italian functionary of yore (6) AEDILE (T<)
19 In extreme dismay, shed a tear, then weep, finally sentimental (6) DRIPPY (D(RIP P)Y)
20 The old staff at Buckingham Palace (6) YEOMAN CD

35 comments:

  1. 15 Something sensational that is yellow with a tinge of red (8)

    {SC}{O{R}CHER}

    SC: scilicet = that is

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 'Ocher' is US spelling, I think. Doesn't THC avoid US sp.? Or, if US sp. is used, shouldn't there be an indication to that effect?

      Delete
    2. Ouch! er.. I agree that 'ochre' is the spelling in higher circulation.

      Delete
  2. Wasn't it Tester's turn today?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I was looking to get Tested today, but got Skulldugged!

      Delete
  3. 8d reminded me of a sign I had seen at an eatery:

    Home delivery is undertaking

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There was a time when deliveries took place routinely at home.

      Haven't we heard of older relatives say (pointing to a section of the house) "So-and-so was born in this room".

      Delete
    2. They also used to take place in railway carriages, cricket grounds etc.

      I clearly remember a commentator saying:

      Prasanna is running down for his second delivery.

      Delete
  4. 16 Cuckolded, wife given the boot, having slept around to acquire money essentially (6) CONNED Anno not clear

    Cuckolded = HORNED = be unfaithful to (one's husband or wife).

    (w-)HORED around (mo-)N(-ey)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great!

      Bhavan, I suspected that Kishore's answer might be wrong, but I couldn't get the right one!

      This, in spite of mybeing familiar with the horny situation from my reading of Shake. plays.

      Delete
    2. In India, most motorists are horny.

      Delete
    3. Remember Hornblower novels of C.S. Forester?

      One of my favourite authors when I used to gobble up fiction.

      Delete
  5. 20 The old staff at Buckingham Palace (6) YEOMAN CD

    I took this as

    The = Ye
    Old = O
    Staff = man (v)

    but your CD works too

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I initially put it in like this, but changed it later, as the balance part does ot work like a proper definition

      Delete
    2. With Bhavan's anno, you re-read the whole clue for the def. part!

      Delete
  6. A lieutenant-commander is one who acts in the place of a commander.
    Commander is a higher rank. The Lt. is acting on his behalf.

    Lieu-tenant is in the place of his better - superior - whether it is Commander or General or whatever.

    This is perhaps what the clue-writer is trying to convey.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Though you are correct with regards to the setters intention, the same was not required as a Lieutenant by itself means 'One who acts in place of or represents a superior'. The etymyologogy of the word is the same as shown in the annotation of the answer.

      Delete
  7. In 19D how is 'shed a tear' equated with RIP unless the setter is alluding to 'Rest in peace' in which case I think it should have read as 'shead a tear for'

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 19 In extreme dismay, shed a tear, then weep, finally sentimental (6) DRIPPY (D(RIP P)Y)

      You can read it as

      in extreme dismay - DY
      shed - drop, put down, place, insert
      a tear - rip (not the abbr. RIP)
      then weep finally - then [drop, place, insert] P

      Delete
    2. Tear as in cut means rip, but shed would refer to deletion, not addition...

      Delete
    3. Read it fully, Deepak and to Question marks will disappear.

      In DY (extreme Dismay) shed, meaning drop a RIP (tear).

      Delete
  8. Kishores query about her in 9A and 7D is outstanding.

    ReplyDelete
  9. This was really a nice, challenging puzzle and I must confess the SE corner was beyond me!

    Reg the query about her in 9A and 7D. I scratched my head on that one for a while too. Later I reasoned that the words by themselves (pedant/tenant) do not have any indication of gender - they can be male or female! Then the cryptic crossword setter is well within his rights to use "she/her" instead of "he/his" - and probabl;y did so to deliberately to make me scratch my head!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I got screwed up in the SE corner too.Partly because I filled in DEPORT in 25 and 24 aby mistake.

      Delete
  10. With ref. to a front page news item in TH today, do any of you know who Miss Gita ?

    ReplyDelete
  11. As the front page may differ in part from centre to centre, specify headline or give a link to the item in the online edition. Please go to today's paper and see under Karnataka, if needed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Here's the link:

      http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/fernandes-sought-cia-funding-during-emergency/article4593003.ece

      Delete
    2. Thanks. This is a major story and it is in the front page of Chennai edition as well. But I had not read it beyond the headline.

      Delete

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