Pangramatic wordplay cooked up from the skull cave.
ACROSS
8 Riches for wife with condition to shun first husband (6) WEALTH {W}{hEALTH}
9 Union’s strike backing individual in agitation (8) MARRIAGE {MAR<=}{R{I}AGE}
10 Initially, Bajaj introduced revolution with small two-wheelers (8) BICYCLES {B}{I}{CYCLE}{S} Remembered the good old Vespa with years of waiting lists.
11 TV host rushed right back to receive actor-politician (6) ANCHOR {(-r)AN{CHO}(+r)R}
12 Shop announced bargain with fixed rate? (6) BETRAY (~buy){B(RATE*}Y}
15 A small amount radical, without right appropriated (7) ASSUMED {A}{S}{SUM}{rED}
17 Cancelled contract without permit (7) DELETED {DE{LET}ED}
20 File regarding fauna (8) WILDLIFE {FILE}*
22 Hold walking stick perhaps, switching hands (6) CLUTCH C(-r+l)LUTCH
23 Announced escalation agreement (6) ASSENT (~ascent)
25 Probe John’s stock book withdrawal (4,4) LOOK INTO {LOO}{K IN}{TO<=}
26 Contest in Delhi, dropping girl, coming next after tenth (8) ELEVENTH {dEL{EVENT}Hi}
27 Lyric in use with inaugural song for theatres (6) ODEONS {ODE}{ON}{S}
DOWN
1 The Spanish frogman boxes small bears (8) DELIVERS {D{EL}IVER}{S}
2 Quietly leave good ball in cricket field, for example (10) PLAYGROUND {P}{LAY}{G}{ROUND}
3 Freezing cold at bottom of valley below mountain (6) CHILLY {C}{HILL}{valleY}
4 Surface-to-air missile rose, dropped — bridges destroyed (7) SMASHED {S{MAS<=}HED}
5 Treatment involving right drug — a trial initially on animal (8) CREATURE {C{R}{E}{A}{T}URE}
6 Molten Zircon yields yellow metal (4) ZINC ZIrCoN (Correction - {ZIrCoN}* - See comments)
7 Disregard evidence, initially deficient, about alternative source of energy (6) IGNORE {sIGN}{OR}{E}
14 Astute judge rescued private eye from preconceived convictions (10) PREJUDICED Anno pending (Addendum - PREJUDICES {J+RESCUED+P+I}* - See comments}
16 Retired, sit idly at home. Beginning of good living! (8) EXISTING {EX}{SIT*}{IN}{G}
18 Electrifying going with speed of light! (8) EXCITING {EX{C}ITING}
19 Strong man, a military officer, high-flyer at heart (7) HEALTHY {HE}{A}{LT}{H}{flYer}
21 Slight stylish model possessing small build — nothing odd (6) INSULT {IN}{S}{bUiLd}{T}
22 Study about decay of plant (6) CROTON {C{ROT}ON}
24 Crave article from English fleet (4) ENVY {E}{NaVY}
14 Astute judge rescued private eye from preconceived convictions (10) PREJUDICED Anno pending
ReplyDeletePREJUDICES (J+RESCUED+PI for private investigator)*
Thanks
DeleteOn second thoughts I think it is {J+RESCUED+P+I} with P from Private and I for EYE
DeleteBoth seem plausible.
DeleteA private eye is called a P.I. and a p for private and i for eye does also seem ok, though there is no phonetic indicator.
6 Molten Zircon yields yellow metal (4) ZINC ZIrCoN-ro ?? Plz explain
ReplyDeleteIn heraldry, Or (from the French word for gold) is the tincture of gold. OR and AU are both used to represent Gold in Crosswords
DeleteMolten is the anagrint.
Deletethe anno needs a *
Sorry, anagrind
DeleteIn Portuguese, ourem is gold. In Panaji, there is a road called Rue de Ourem
Thanks, corrected the anno
DeleteThanks Col and Kishore
DeleteYes Kishore. Like Midas who really had to rue de ourem
Delete;-) !
DeleteSorry, my typo. It is Rua not rue ... I rue the mistake
'Rue' is the French road! So you are only wrong by 1 alphabet. Probably you were thinking French & writing Portugese!
ReplyDeleteInteresting how unusual words like ZIRCON figure in two crosswords on the same day. It is there as an answer in the Guardian cryptic today.
ReplyDeletePHANTOM's crossie today is phantasmagorical !! As commented here, doing a theme crossword should not be at the cost of fun and logical deductions !
ReplyDeleteToo many deletions and additions clue, knotting one around one's knees !!
New to it.... Enjoying everybit!!!!
ReplyDeleteIt's nearly six, but the comments are 16 and going on 17! Dull day?
ReplyDeleteEffect of yesterday's attack and counter-attack on hardness of a puzzle !? Seems, nobody wants to get entangled in the cross-fire !!!
ReplyDeleteIncluding me :)
DeleteA couple of conflicting views. Someone who's done crossies all his life apparently ties himself up in knots and a newbie enjoyed himself. Not sure what Raju meant by today's themed CW being set at the expense of fun and logical deductions. Not a single answer today is beyond a high school student's vocabulary level and was deliberately kept that way. There are times when a themed CW does have a few words for which one'd have to google. The wordplay too was not complicated. A couple of clues did employ uncommon devices, but then what's the point of doing 2 + 2 = 4 type of crossies without some lateral thinking. These devices have been used earlier too. So as usual it's difficult to know what's his problem. Honestly was not aware of this being a pangram.
ReplyDeleteI did not get the pangram nor the theme, Phantom ...
DeleteBut I enjoyed the puzzle.
Thanks, KIshore.
DeleteOh my !! Was I whining? may be, I was wining a bit earlier ! I'm not complaining ! Eacd for its own-- so long as it is different ! The more variety, the greater the pressure and pleasure ! Khayaal apna apna, pasand apni apni ! That's what this blog is all about. Freedom and democracy !
DeleteI'd never blast a compiler as much as I would never ban or burn a book !
14 D: Re P.I. From Chambers: Private Investigator. (Private detective and private investigator noun someone who is not a member of the police force, engaged to do detective work. Also called private eye.)
ReplyDelete