ACROSS
1 Swear and argue heatedly about stake (9) GUARANTEE {GUAR{ANTE}E*}
6 Cats and dogs step out of line (4) PETS*
8 Wide roof taken apart for fuel (8) FIREWOOD*
9 Stuck up peons attend regularly (6) POSTED PeOnS aTtEnD
10 Iron Man’s a woman (6) FEMALE {FE}{MALE}
12 Nails prison guards (6) SCREWS [DD]
16 Impressive tower in our country (8) INSPIRED {IN{SPIRE}D}
19 Disorganized, messy model breaks rule (6) SYSTEM {MESSY+T}*
21 Princess, nuts, leaving lover primarily for scintillating stones (8) DIAMONDS {DI}{AlMONDS}
22 Google directions to monument (6) SEARCH {S}{E}{ARCH}
24 Thick clump of hair that is square, soft and often silky (6) HANKIE {HANK}{IE}
25 Violently race into retaliation (8) REACTION*
26 Unsuccessful despite being almost innocent (4) LEAN cLEAN
27 Protected the elders in disguise (9) SHELTERED*
DOWN
2 Ordinary state: degenerate (7) AVERAGE {AVER}{AGE}
3 Roused wonder, overwhelming approval (5) AWOKE {AW{OK}E}
4 Edward passes away leaving toys (7) TEDDIES {TED}{DIES}
5 Mistresses deviously elope with my significant other heartlessly (9) EMPLOYERS {ELOPE+MY+S+R}*
6 Father’s prudent transition (7) PASSAGE {PA'S}{SAGE}
7 Consequently dismissed tax officer from prior to that time (9) THEREFORE THEREtoFORE
13 Is princess capable of going out with a suitable person? (9) CANDIDATE {CAN}{DI}{DATE} My COD
14 Park officials on street are newcomers (9) STRANGERS {ST}{RANGERS}
17 Squash and put the screws on relatives (7) PUMPKIN {PUMP}{KIN}
18 Be worthy of French Minister (7) DESERVE {DE}{SERVE}
20 Get out of here, Lawrence. Run. Disperse. (7) SCATTER {SCAT}{TE}{R}
22 Elegant electric cars return (5) SMART<=
23 Vocally string a number of notes together (5) CHORD (~cord)
Nice puzzle.
ReplyDeleteGURANTEE, INSPIRED, DIAMONDS, {AW{OK}E}, PUMPKIN, CANDIDATE and other well clued.
MISTRESSES was a trap for employers.
Although completed, two and three annos are awaited.
corr. GUARANTEE
DeleteYes, CANDIDATE was superb. TEDDIES too was well constructed.
DeleteGurantee may be the place where the Phantom's friend stars playing golf
Delete20D - SCATTER was also well made.
DeleteSkeletor looks like Skulldugger in a hoody
ReplyDeleteThe princess stars in both of my fav clues
ReplyDelete10A reminded me of the newest setter IRONMAN*.
ReplyDeleteThe cartoon reminded me of a humorous poem I had read ages ago: It described someone's driving. The words may not be very authentic. But the gist is unaffected.
He drove his car
Went to the bar
Hit the bottle
Pulled the throttle
Feeling nifty
Going fifty
Hospital, nurse
Ambulance, Hearse.
The full stop is significant ...
DeleteMaybe like the end of a sentence called life for some.
DeleteLong back I had heard a joke about a male snakecharmer marrying a lady undertaker. Their towels were marked 'Hiss' and 'Hearse'
DeleteRichard, you will find this in the file I sent you today:
DeleteFalleank mortolo mhunn aizuch fonddat poddche re?
Kishore:
ReplyDeleteA clue for you and you alone to solve:
The man hits bottom in vehicle (7)
Ref. toon for answer, but enu 6?
DeleteThat's below the belt...
Delete9:02 in response to 8:48
DeleteApologies for the mistake in enu - I go to great lengths to avoid them in published work but was careless in this instant clueing.
DeleteI spent some time looking for a 7 letter word and suddenly realised something in my above mentioned stuff must have prompted you to address the clue to just one person.
DeleteCV, sorry for showing you the door in my 859 ;-)
DeleteA very interesting offering though I could not complete a few and got the correct anno for a few more from the blog. Liked the 'messy' system and misleading mistresses! Agree with the comments about candid person.
ReplyDeleteA nice compact poem and to the point (or is it the stop?)
ReplyDeletesquash for a gourd is new to me.
ReplyDeletePoirot grows them after retirement, as I faintly remember
DeleteI grow colocasia, Malabar spinach, a couple of variety of beans, chillies and regular spinach at present
Delete12 Nails prison guards (6) SCREWS I first thought to substitute SS for guards
ReplyDeleteNice smooth crossword. Include me too for the C O D comment.
ReplyDeleteGet out of here, Lawrence. Run. Disperse. (7) SCATTER Why Lawrence is te?
ReplyDeleteTE are the initials of the famous Lawrence of Arabia and commonly used in cwds
DeleteMy second cartoon was based on the question whether nails can be a synonym for screws. Both as nouns are fasteners and as verb are fastening together. In math a=b and b=c may mean a=c, but can this equation be stretched in language. It reminded me of God is love and love is blind being equated as god is blind ...
ReplyDeleteYes they are not the same as verbs.
DeleteOnce can use a screwdriver (or Allenkey or even a hammer) with a screw, but only a hammer with a nail. So they are not the same as nouns too. The grip that a screw exterts is much more than a similar sized nail.
DeleteIn other words you can nail a screw but you can't screw a nail :-)
DeleteThey are same when used as a verb, but that meaning would upset the prudes...
DeleteI came across an auto which carried a line "Everything is nothing.But God is everything"
ReplyDeleteI came across one which said "Love is pisson"
DeleteKishore,
ReplyDeleteThis Phantom has no friend called GURAN. The only Tee he knows is a shirt (being far removed from golf).
I am brown, and have a formidable tummy. I can act that role if I get a grass hat and skirt
DeleteAre you short?
DeleteWhen I stand next to my 6'5" son, yes!
DeleteKishore, you are fine as you are. There's no need of the straw hat and skirt. Hope we meet some day.
DeleteOh that is quite simple. You just have to come to the edge of the Deep Woods and ask for Mr. Balker. Don't balk.
DeleteYou're Bengali from Bangalla?
DeleteNo. I am Svengali from Svengalla. But wait, there is still the matter of identification. So that I don't mistake you for Superman or one of those Marvels, you should carry a gift for me. My favourite childhood cigarette.
DeleteA nice puzzle from Skulldugger.
ReplyDeleteIs it that the current crop of compilers are having a compilers' block? How come the bar is lowered and the crossies are getting easier and easier ? I'm of course, not complaining. Good one from Skulldugger--- SKELETOR and CANDIDATE and PUMPKIN and EMPLOYERS -- the last two good decoy clues -- are the clues of my day.
ReplyDeleteKishore: HISS & HEARSE = symbols have always confused me ! Like Face Book, any moves towards making them'' more'' gender-friendly? I was reminded of that guy disguised in a Burka and entering a HEARSE in a Mall in CBE here a few months ago !!
19-A - I thought both 'Disorganized' and 'breaks' are anagram indicators. Please clarify.
ReplyDeleteI took it like this:
DeleteDisorganised - anagrind
messy - fodder
model - t
breaks - intrudes ie. t breaks into messy*
rule - defn = system
hence the anno is
t in messy*
Regarding Sujatha's comment today in yesterday's post, I have always thought Occam's razor works fine in such cases.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry, Scotland !
ReplyDeletehttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/feb/19/scottish-independence-76-things-apologise?CMP=EMCNEWEML6619I2
Really abrainteaser.13d- relished the pun & piece of mischief.22a- google synonymised with search. Nice.5d-employers likened to mistresses- new line of thought. In fine, a creative & formative puzzle to enjoy.
ReplyDeleteWRT today's COD, not sure how the anno really works. The order seems jumbled. Could somebody explain?
ReplyDeleteIs princess capable of going out?
DeleteAs a phrase is equal to
Can Di date?
This morning when I read the answers I too wondered how the anno worked but I gave it no thought.
DeleteNow that you ask, I began thinking and within seconds resolved it.
Now, for anno, don't look for subsidiary indications, don't look for which word in the clue gives what component.
Read the clue: Is princess capable of going out with a suitable person?
Now look for a phrase that can express thes ame idea in differently.
Can Di date?
These words telescoped provide than answer!
I took more time typing!
DeleteMeanwhile Raghunath has provided his anno.
But I think mine works better.
Kishore's suggestion had not appeared when I set out to write my Reply.
DeleteWe are of one mind - great or small!
I bag small. As the poem, greatly publicised by James Herriot, goes:
DeleteAll things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.
(CF Alexander - I had to Google this!)
13 Is princess capable of going out with a suitable person? (9) CANDIDATE {CAN}{DI}{DATE} My COD
ReplyDeleteIs princess capable of: CAN DI?
going out with: DATE. "to go out socially on dates". from Thefreedic.. "5 tr & intr, colloq to go out with someone, especially to do so regularly" from Chambers.
In a sense it might be a semi & lit.
Oh my, thanks all. Interesting!! Feeling kind of dumb for not having figured this out
ReplyDeleteIs there any free software to draw the blank grids? How the solution grid is drawn by you, DG Sir, before filling in the answers, in this blog? Any quick and short cut ways?
ReplyDeleteI remember once CV Sir wrote that he would get the grid in a jiffy. He can also throw some light.
Delete"The council say decanting Muirfield pupils to the huts will speed up construction."
ReplyDeleteGraeme Bletcher; Arbroath Primary School Move Branded 'Insane'; The Courier (Dundee, Scotland); Nov 8, 2013.
In this sentence the 'council' is used as a plural and hence the verb used is 'say'. Curiously the spell check okays both 'say' & 'says'. U.S.version accepts both whereas in the English version it is 'say'. What do we say?
Scat = to go hastily, leave at once (freedic)
ReplyDeleteLawrence = TE Refer to earlier comments
R stands for run which the authou himself highlighted
Disperse is the defn
Logging in again only late in the evening.
ReplyDeleteFurther to my 8:41, I had missed out two lines, without which the sense wouldn't be complete. . The full version of the poem is something like this.
He drove his car
Went to the bar
Hit the bottle
Pulled the throttle
Feeling nifty
Going fifty
Hit a pole
Poor old soul
Hospital, nurse
Ambulance, Hearse.