Troubled in the SE corner and some Annos.
ACROSS
1 Misuses power, pushing one into group involved in kinky sex (8) EXPLOITS {EX{P}{LO{1}T}S*}
5 Flower’s yellow coloured tip’s obscured (6) ORCHID {OR}{C}{HID}
9 Wind direction, forecast for female flyers (8) AIRWOMEN {AIR}{W}{OMEN}
10 Speaker’s elegant carriage (6) HANSOM (~handsome)
12 English film’s impressive (4) EPIC {E}{PIC}
13 Person with experience reportedly suggested for leadership (10) MANAGEMENT {MAN}{AGE}{MENT}(~meant)
15 Fellow caught in fraud directed to enclosure sans opening as punishment (4,8) LIFE SENTENCE {LI{F}E} {SENT}{fENCE}
18 Tamil Tiger, finally turned, left, that is revolted against the law (12) ILLEGITIMATE {TAMIL+TIGE(-r+l)L+IE}*
21 Rise in allowance for youngster? On the contrary (10) ADOLESCENT {A{DOLE}SCENT}
24 Crooked character, perhaps, edges away from hold-up foiled by boxer (6) ITALIC {hIT{ALI}Ch}
25 Saw redhead crossing road? (8) CHESTNUT ? Seems to be the only thing that will fit here. Anno pending.(Addendum - {CHE}{ST}{NUT} - See comments)
26 Discussed medical cases also in retrospect (6) MOOTED {M{OOT<=}ED}
27 Irate cop typifies dramatic behaviour (8) OPERATIC*
DOWN
1 Kin’s starting to leave in high spirits (6) ELATED rELATED
2 Sanction parking space, reserving right to revoke (6) PERMIT {P}{E{R}MIT<=}
3 Old violin’s accessory sounds like another instrument (4) OBOE {O}{BOE}(~bow)
4 Medical treatment for female baboon, often hurt, breaking into spasms (12) THERAPEUTICS {T{HER}{APE}{hUrT}ICS}
6 Settle area dispute regarding land (4,6) REAL ESTATE*
7 Seen bash arranged for former stars? (3-5) HAS-BEENS*
8 Upset with Parisian time after time, duke resigned (8) DEMITTED {D}{EMIT}{T}{ED}<=
11 Art of marketing beer in vessel at worker’s joint (12) SALESMANSHIP {S{ALE}S}{MAN'S}{HIP}
14 One following, forty-nine English in a line (6,4) SINGLE FILE {SINGLE} {F}{IL}{E}
16 Popular watch, first in India using magnesium metal (8) TITANIUM {TITAN}{I}{U}{M}
17 The Spanish Father’s gold buried in old place of riches (8) ELDORADO {EL}{D{OR}AD}{O}
19 Harry ran into Spooner’s bait (6) MAGNET {(-n+m)MAG}{(-m+n)NET}
20 Refer to work from the South in verse form (6) POETIC {PO}{ETIC}<=
23 Rats plagued old ruler (4) TSAR*
25 Saw redhead crossing road? (8) {CHE}{ST}{NUT}
ReplyDelete22 Nimbus is almost semi-circular (4) HALO
ReplyDeletealmost semi - HAL[f]
circular - O
22 Nimbus is almost semi-circular (4) {HAL(-f)}{O}
ReplyDeleteSaw redhead crossing road?
ReplyDeleteSaw in the sense of a proverb, saying, old, well-worn phrase, hackneyed expression
redhead - sc. red head
red - Che, the revolutionary
head - nut
crossing road - insert ST in CHE NUT
QM for unusual operation such as having to look at redhead as red head
I see. I saw it now :-)
DeleteYou're insulting the redhead by calling the person "it".
DeleteTHCC CC update
ReplyDeleteI have got 30 out of 36 clues.
I have given Apr 10 as the deadline for the last of w/p that I sent.So there is still time for me to receive these clues but may I remind participants yet to send entries to do so before the date given to them.
Other regulars experiencing monday morning blues ?
ReplyDeleteFor me it is Phantom blues!
ReplyDeleteStruggling even after seeing the blog. No chance I would have got the anno explained in detail by CV.
ReplyDeleteSome real new touches to hackneyed words like EPIC, OBOE, ITALIC and ELDORADO.
ReplyDeleteSurprised to see 18A. Would have never pegged Phantom to go for an indirect anagram.
In 19d, shouldn't 'Spooner's' be before the wordplay? Right now it looks like the answer is NAGMET and the spoonerism needs to be applied to MAGNET (bait) to me.
18a and indirect anag? Cannot understand how you say it is.
DeleteRe Spooner's position, suppose it should be as you say.
Delete@Raghu, isn't having to substitute 'i.e.' for 'that is' in the anagram fodder indirect?
DeleteTHCC CC update (as of 10-30 a.m.)
ReplyDeleteNow I have to get only four more clues.
The two participants to whom the relevant w/p were given have time till Apr 10.
In 21 A on the contrary for A outside B is after definition. Is it ok?
ReplyDeleteI also thought so. As it is 'rise' is outside allowance.
DeleteAjeesh,
DeleteI think there's no problem, though I initially had the same doubt as you had abt the position.
Padmanabham, as the clue say rise in allowance, on the contrary means it's rise outside allowance.
3D OBOE was there recently with the same (almost) Clue? Hazy memory.
ReplyDeleteRefresh memory by looking for OBOE in the search field on this page's top LH corner.
DeleteLiked Phantom's offering today. I did split readhead, but went searching for what do with 'r' instead of sticking the dead revolutionary into the answer .
ReplyDeleteHad a question on
24 Crooked character, perhaps, edges away from hold-up foiled by boxer (6)
Folied by seems to indicate that 'boxer' should go around 'hold up without edges' rather that the other way around.
Please read readhead as redhead
DeleteEdges away from -h ITC -h. Foil: stop: check. Check and Stop have been used in THC as a contained indicator. I also had the doubt while writing the clue. Stop has been also as a containment Ind.
DeleteTough going today ! Could reach only halfway mark !!
ReplyDeleteThis is the kind of crossie that makes you feel daunted at first glance, but once one got the first opening, the other words start fitting into the jigSAW beautifully and magically !! Enjoyed it immensely though I'd put CHESTNUT as another chestnut !! SALESMANSHIP & LIFE SENTENCE & ILLEGITIMATE helped the other clues getting through easily ! I too did find the SE corner a bit off beat which couldn't be bitten easily !!
ReplyDeletePHANTASTIC !
Nice crossword..
ReplyDeleteBut facing confusion with some of the clues:
21A & 24A containers seem to be the other way round?
16D Isn't 'firsts' needed?
19D thought the answer was NAGMET at first..
I think your doubts are quite valid
Delete21A: "On the contrary" appears after the definition. So if anything, it'd act on the definition part and not necessarily on the wordplay.
24A: Looks like the indicator used conveys a different idea. If ITC is "foiled" or stopped by ALI, the latter would have to go outside the former and not the other way around. I thought that's how the indicator is generally used and makes better sense that way.
16D: With just "first" it's a little ambiguous. A pluralistic indicator would've been better iMO
19A: Going by the solution, it should've been "Spooner's Harry ran into," but clue seems to place the indicator differently.
25a ok but anno. for19d is far-fetched.18a- anagfodder too scattered.Of course with difficulty I could make it.9a & 8d thought provoking clues. On the whole an enjoyable puzzle.
ReplyDelete5 Across Flower’s yellow coloured tip’s obscured (6) ORCHID {OR}{C}{HID} I couldnt understand this annotation.
ReplyDeleteObscured = hid
Coloured tip C
What is the connection between {OR} and yellow.
'Or' is French for gold.
DeleteThank you Ramesh and Richard I did not connect Yellow = yellow metal = gold = OR
DeleteSudha, AU and OR are commonly used for gold in crosswords.
DeleteAu is its symbol in Chemistry, derived from AURUM in Latin.
Logging in late.
ReplyDeleteShouldn't EL DORADO be two words? El=The and Dorado = Golden in Spanish.
What do others feel about it? I have always known the word as EL DORADO, including the name of the movie.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/el%20dorado
http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/el-dorado
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/el+dorado
BRB has Eldorado as well.
DeleteThat is, as a single word.
Gridman's clue was
Old Cadillac model in place of riches (8)
Thefreedictionary gives both variants.
DeleteI still feel that it should be enumerated as two words, with full justice to the etymology.
DeleteUsage as a single word could be a recent development, just on the lines of SMSese like dropping of apostrophes. 'Convenience' is the most convenient excuse for practitioners of such usage.
Most dictionaries show the two-word form as the first preference. Opinions can differ. No issues about that.
I rest my case.
In Portuguese, we use El Dourado to mean the Golden Man, not a place. Curiously Dourado seems to hark back to D'our-ado, the man of gold=our
DeleteLong time no see?
DeleteSometimes I too leave the Dark Woods ...
DeleteWow.... Tough grid today... Managed to get a little more than half thats it. HALO, SALESMANSHIP, ITALIC, were good. But I must admit a number of clues seem to be borderline - valid probably but... (e.g. group ~ plot), ILLEGITIMATE, ADOLESCENT (without hp), baboon (monkey not ape), etc. Overall, enjoyed it, but ego took a kicking... ;-)
DeleteELDORADO is commonly used as a single word in the American West, so is probably OK...
DeleteRaghu, I was away from the net, and did the crossie on paper somewhere in the afternoon. Like many others, I came a cropper in the SE. Overall, a nice puzzle.
DeleteWhy do you have to leave when "the woods are lovely dark and deep?"
DeleteThe doctor does not make house calls, even if the patient Burns
DeleteHope all's well.
DeleteMum's not keeping too well
Deletehttp://www.chambers.co.uk/search.php?query=eldorado&title=21st:
ReplyDeleteEl Dorado noun (plural in sense 2 eldorados) 1 the golden land or city, imagined by the Spanish explorers of America.
2 (also eldorado) any place where wealth is easy to accumulate.