Good one from Neyartha. Liked MOCCASIN, STOCKING FILLER, T-JUNCTION, EXTENDED FAMILY, MINE and LEVER. It felt like the clues were easier/tighter than yesterday. Spotted a few video game references - BATTLESHIP, HALO, MINE-CRAFT, TOMB RAIDER. Pitch in if you see more that I missed.
ACROSS
1 Alien, one chased away by irate cosmetician with a soft leather shoe (8) MOCCASIN [COSMetiCIAN]*
5 Quick movement to get the note back in place was arranged ahead of time (6) PRESET [PRESTO with TE<= for TO]
9 Region inside shelter in, say, Turkey for the English (4,4) NEAR EAST [AREA inside NEST]
10 Metal making microbe and the rest back out (6) BARIUM [BActeRIUM]
11 Mad clerk gifts lion as a Christmas present (8,6) STOCKING FILLER [CLERK GIFTS LION]*
14 Forces that protect (5) ARMED [E] Like CV said yesterday with the sociolinguistic clue, this might do well with a 'Kind of' or 'Sort of' at the beginning.
16 With stronger reason, capital barricades fort on island in Oregon (1,8) A FORTIORI [A1 outside FORT + I + OR] Is the last 'in' intrusive/misleading?
17 Where one could go left or right, but not straight! (1-8) T JUNCTION [CD]
19 Counsel’s icon-based computer display goes missing at the ball (5) DANCE [guiDANCE]
20 Deftly examined formation of a social unit (8,6) EXTENDED FAMILY [DEFTLY EXAMINED]*
23 Famished antelope from the east found between the gas lines (6) HUNGRY [GNU<= inside H + RY]
24 Boomerang Ravi designed after leaving barge in capital port (8) MONROVIA [bOOMeraNg RAVI]*
25 Tempest lets out the concealed grinding tool (6) PESTLE [T]
26 Musical work by a lecturer on a Galilean moon (8) ORATORIO [ORATOR + IO]
DOWN
1 Bomb in the pit (4) MINE [DD]
2 Vessel with brown wrapping paper for the auditor (5) CRAFT [~KRAFT]
3 Sailed through protected French sea and got fined (7) AMERCED [ACED outside MER]
4 Seditious fact-finding evacuates Vellore’s outskirts (11) INSTIGATIVE [INveSTIGATIVE]
6 Montreal is terrorised to some extent by a practical person (7) REALIST [T]
7 Unsuccessful extra besieged by troubled nostril (9) STILLBORN [LB inside NOSTRIL*]
8 Twist following French word brought up with hesitation by a video game franchise (4,6) TOMB RAIDER [MOT<= + BRAID + ER]
12 Staircase climbing may be unnecessary if you want to reach this (6,5) GROUND FLOOR [E]
13 Hips damaged after struggle with armour-bearing gun-toting seafarer (10) BATTLESHIP [BATTLE + HIPS*]
15 Smart son goes down after the doctor and peacekeepers to get the support frameworks (9) MOUNTINGS [MO + UN + (s-)TING(+S)]
18 Principal’s abdominal vaccine initially replaced by a vitamin (7) CENTRAL [VENTRAL with C for V]
19 Revolutionary, drained after assimilating the letter, finds fault (7) DEMERIT [TIRED<= outside EM]
21 Lift the handle (5) LEVER [DD]
22 Cut and dried grass, insufficient, it is said, for the crown (4) HALO [~HAY LOW]
ACROSS
1 Alien, one chased away by irate cosmetician with a soft leather shoe (8) MOCCASIN [COSMetiCIAN]*
9 Region inside shelter in, say, Turkey for the English (4,4) NEAR EAST [AREA inside NEST]
10 Metal making microbe and the rest back out (6) BARIUM [BActeRIUM]
11 Mad clerk gifts lion as a Christmas present (8,6) STOCKING FILLER [CLERK GIFTS LION]*
14 Forces that protect (5) ARMED [E] Like CV said yesterday with the sociolinguistic clue, this might do well with a 'Kind of' or 'Sort of' at the beginning.
16 With stronger reason, capital barricades fort on island in Oregon (1,8) A FORTIORI [A1 outside FORT + I + OR] Is the last 'in' intrusive/misleading?
17 Where one could go left or right, but not straight! (1-8) T JUNCTION [CD]
19 Counsel’s icon-based computer display goes missing at the ball (5) DANCE [guiDANCE]
20 Deftly examined formation of a social unit (8,6) EXTENDED FAMILY [DEFTLY EXAMINED]*
23 Famished antelope from the east found between the gas lines (6) HUNGRY [GNU<= inside H + RY]
24 Boomerang Ravi designed after leaving barge in capital port (8) MONROVIA [bOOMeraNg RAVI]*
25 Tempest lets out the concealed grinding tool (6) PESTLE [T]
26 Musical work by a lecturer on a Galilean moon (8) ORATORIO [ORATOR + IO]
DOWN
1 Bomb in the pit (4) MINE [DD]
2 Vessel with brown wrapping paper for the auditor (5) CRAFT [~KRAFT]
3 Sailed through protected French sea and got fined (7) AMERCED [ACED outside MER]
4 Seditious fact-finding evacuates Vellore’s outskirts (11) INSTIGATIVE [INveSTIGATIVE]
6 Montreal is terrorised to some extent by a practical person (7) REALIST [T]
7 Unsuccessful extra besieged by troubled nostril (9) STILLBORN [LB inside NOSTRIL*]
8 Twist following French word brought up with hesitation by a video game franchise (4,6) TOMB RAIDER [MOT<= + BRAID + ER]
12 Staircase climbing may be unnecessary if you want to reach this (6,5) GROUND FLOOR [E]
13 Hips damaged after struggle with armour-bearing gun-toting seafarer (10) BATTLESHIP [BATTLE + HIPS*]
18 Principal’s abdominal vaccine initially replaced by a vitamin (7) CENTRAL [VENTRAL with C for V]
19 Revolutionary, drained after assimilating the letter, finds fault (7) DEMERIT [TIRED<= outside EM]
21 Lift the handle (5) LEVER [DD]
22 Cut and dried grass, insufficient, it is said, for the crown (4) HALO [~HAY LOW]
@VR Parameswaran,
ReplyDeleteWe wish you Many Happy Returns on your birthday today.
I had posted this in an earlier blog in response to Venkatesh's message, but I see it is equally applicable here, so repeating it:
DeleteI'm curious. Do you previously know the people whose personal details you divulge here - birthdays/anniversaries/original names/native places etc? If not, don't you think you need to first check with them if it is all right to make such information public or repeat information that is available elsewhere?
ReplyDeleteMany happy returns of the day! (still in the dark about identity)
Partly tough. Happy to get quite a few.
ReplyDeleteA doubt about 19D-
EM?
EM = M (letter)
DeleteThank you Bhavan.
DeleteUnfamiliarity with video games did not help matters.
ReplyDeleteCan we avoid/Should we avoid...
ReplyDeleteDredging someone's personal details from somewhere else and wishing him/her on any eventful day here especially when that person is a non-regular here and few people are able to remember or recall -
And others following the original post in Comments instinctively and mechanically -
Should we probably be greeting persons concerned in personal emails rather than publicly and merely marking a red letter day on the calendar?
I heartily second all the points in your comment. Be it birthdays, other anniversaries, or any other significant events in people's personal lives, it is - IMO - best to wish the concerned person(s) in private, one-to-one interactions.
DeleteAnd others following the original post in Comments instinctively and mechanically -
ReplyDeleteI felt bad not knowing him- if he is a regular. Just wanted it cleared.
I agree with CV that we should refrain from wishing any one on this blog, unless 100n % sure and the person is a regular blogger. Not many have given their personal details in the THCC Family. I can suggest that if at all, let DG, the owner bell the cat, if he pleases himself to do so and others can choose to follow or otherwise. This is not to whittle down the camaraderie prevailing here, but all are equal here and none more equal than others . This is my humble opinion.
ReplyDeleteIn 7D, what leads lb to extra? Sorry, I am unable to make the connection - unless it refers to the "extra" pounds one needs to shed. :-) Could some one please clarify?
ReplyDeleteLeg bye in cricket?
DeleteYes
DeleteI am a Cricket buff alright but I missed it too! I was thinking somthing along the lines of bonus etc!! Pity those (Crossword Solvers) who don't follow Cricket!!!
DeleteOh! Feeling pretty duh now! Thanks for the clarification!
DeleteThis is specifically for Nadathur Rajan and Venkatesh
ReplyDeletePlease note that if you are making a comment here you are also obliged to respond to reply to any queries raised specifically with reference to that first comment.
May I therefore request Nadathur Rajan to respond to Bhavans comment at 9:45. I have further noticed that invariably you do not respond to comments directed to you which is not good etiquette in my view
As regards Parameswaran heis details are there in the THCC members link on top of this page.
DeleteThis however does not invalidate my pointer to Nadathur Rajan to respond to answer any direct queries
Thanks to Neyartha for a great time, and to Bhavan for the blog!
ReplyDeleteI thought there was a typo in 19d - I didn't see how 'letter' worked and thought it should have been 'setter', with the latter giving us DE{ME}RIT - but Bhavan's explanation made it clear, and 'letter' clearly makes for a much more elegant surface.
Bhavan: I share your doubts about the "in" before "Oregon" in 16a - "island in Oregon" suggests I inside OR rather than coming before it. I think phrasing it as "Oregon island" might have worked: "capital barricades fort on Oregon island" could give us A1 around FORT, with ORI following, so the result stays the same. (Monday-morning quarterbacking *is* tempting, isn't it? :) Sorry, Neyartha!)
Sorry for the delay in uploading the toon. My net was nonfunctional.
ReplyDeleteBelated toon of mine! I mean yours! Good one.
DeleteThat was my mistake. I didn't look where I was supposed to for picking up the cartoon.
DeleteNR has as usual decided not to respond !
ReplyDelete