Good stuff from Gridman. Just the right amount of head-scratching for a pleasant half hour tussle.
ACROSS
1 Bent on dismissing the head, Sikh leader charms (8) ENCHANTS [bent=pENCHANT + Sikh]
5 Engineer carried saw (6) BEHELD [engineer=BE + carried=HELD]
9 Ali ain't reforming foreign national (7) ITALIAN [ALI AINT]*
10 Hymn uttered in revolutionary setting (7) CHORALE[~CORRAL] (Correction - {CH{ORAL}E )
11 Bad vapour makes Oriental females with sweetie and I hesitate (9) EFFLUVIUM [oriental=E + females=FF + sweetie=LUV + I + hesitate=UM]
12 Relaxed journalist is quite satisfied (5) SATED [relaxed=SAT + journalist=ED]
13 Vain dynasty holding race-car type (4) INDY [T]
14 Setter's confession of being in hospital and annoyed (9) IMPATIENT [I'M PATIENT]
17 If you do, it's not on (4,2,3) CALL IT OFF [CD]
19 A hairy fellow reportedly spotted at the end of line (4) ESAU [linE + ~spotted=SAW]
23 Same hearty fellow in capital (5) AMMAN [sAMe + fellow=MAN]
24 The central longing to travel— travel in an inexpensive way (9) HITCHHIKE [tHe + longing=ITCH + travel=HIKE]
25 Mad persons of interest give up opening of account for nothing (7) BONKERS [person of interest=BANKERS with nothing=O for Account]
26 The woman's relatives go after good pickle (7) GHERKIN [Good + woman's=HER + relatives=KIN]
27 Solid truth: one is leaving lots (6) REALTY [solid truth=REALiTY]
28 Direction to specialist: boy follows umpire's mistake (8) REFERRAL [umpire=REF + mistake=ERR + boy=AL]
DOWN
1 Record I claimed wrongly omitting the French causes widespread complaint (8) EPIDEMIC [record=EP + I + ClaIMED*]
2 Ridiculed female's irritated all round (7) CHAFFED [Female inside irritated=CHAFED]
3 Hatred of the Indian woman returning to the States (6) ANIMUS [Indian woman=MINA<- + the States=US]
4 A number to back wrong correspondences in court games (6-7) TENNIS-MATCHES [number=TEN + wrong=SIN<- + correspondences=MATCHES]
6 For example, duck I nearly fix is self-assertive (8) EGOISTIC [for example=EG + duck=O + I + fix=STICk]
7 One finally has almost enduring protein (7) ELASTIN [onE + enduring=LASTINg]
8 Fears dreadful adders (6) DREADS [ADDERS]*
10 A soldier who is wearied but determined might ... ...(6,7) COMBAT FATIGUE [C]
15 Fellow follows idea that is repetitious (8) PLANGENT [idea=PLAN + fellow=GENT]
16 Excellent network back.Heavenly! (8) SUPERNAL [excellent=SUPER + network=LAN<-]
18 Indian mother taking on one pungent cleanser (7) AMMONIA [Indian mother=AMMA outside ON + 1]
20 More glossy // rainwear (7) SLICKER [DD]
21 Bray wildly about engineer's gossip (6) YABBER [BRAY* outside engineer=BE]
22 Exclamation about essentially freezing scheme (6) WHEEZE [exclamation=WHEE outside freEZing]
ACROSS
1 Bent on dismissing the head, Sikh leader charms (8) ENCHANTS [bent=pENCHANT + Sikh]
5 Engineer carried saw (6) BEHELD [engineer=BE + carried=HELD]
9 Ali ain't reforming foreign national (7) ITALIAN [ALI AINT]*
10 Hymn uttered in revolutionary setting (7) CHORALE
11 Bad vapour makes Oriental females with sweetie and I hesitate (9) EFFLUVIUM [oriental=E + females=FF + sweetie=LUV + I + hesitate=UM]
12 Relaxed journalist is quite satisfied (5) SATED [relaxed=SAT + journalist=ED]
13 Vain dynasty holding race-car type (4) INDY [T]
14 Setter's confession of being in hospital and annoyed (9) IMPATIENT [I'M PATIENT]
Cartoon by Rishi
19 A hairy fellow reportedly spotted at the end of line (4) ESAU [linE + ~spotted=SAW]
23 Same hearty fellow in capital (5) AMMAN [sAMe + fellow=MAN]
24 The central longing to travel— travel in an inexpensive way (9) HITCHHIKE [tHe + longing=ITCH + travel=HIKE]
25 Mad persons of interest give up opening of account for nothing (7) BONKERS [person of interest=BANKERS with nothing=O for Account]
26 The woman's relatives go after good pickle (7) GHERKIN [Good + woman's=HER + relatives=KIN]
28 Direction to specialist: boy follows umpire's mistake (8) REFERRAL [umpire=REF + mistake=ERR + boy=AL]
DOWN
1 Record I claimed wrongly omitting the French causes widespread complaint (8) EPIDEMIC [record=EP + I + ClaIMED*]
2 Ridiculed female's irritated all round (7) CHAFFED [Female inside irritated=CHAFED]
3 Hatred of the Indian woman returning to the States (6) ANIMUS [Indian woman=MINA<- + the States=US]
4 A number to back wrong correspondences in court games (6-7) TENNIS-MATCHES [number=TEN + wrong=SIN<- + correspondences=MATCHES]
Cartoon by Rishi
7 One finally has almost enduring protein (7) ELASTIN [onE + enduring=LASTINg]
8 Fears dreadful adders (6) DREADS [ADDERS]*
10 A soldier who is wearied but determined might ... ...(6,7) COMBAT FATIGUE [C]
15 Fellow follows idea that is repetitious (8) PLANGENT [idea=PLAN + fellow=GENT]
16 Excellent network back.Heavenly! (8) SUPERNAL [excellent=SUPER + network=LAN<-]
18 Indian mother taking on one pungent cleanser (7) AMMONIA [Indian mother=AMMA outside ON + 1]
20 More glossy // rainwear (7) SLICKER [DD]
21 Bray wildly about engineer's gossip (6) YABBER [BRAY* outside engineer=BE]
22 Exclamation about essentially freezing scheme (6) WHEEZE [exclamation=WHEE outside freEZing]
10 Hymn uttered in revolutionary setting (7) CHORALE [~CORRAL]
ReplyDeleteCH(ORAL)E
Why is ESAU 'a hairy fellow'?
ReplyDeleteBecause shaving was not yet in practice! In fact all old testament prophets sported beards ...
DeleteMore seriously,
the name Esau means "hairy"
as per wiki
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esau
Like Keshav
DeleteI knew 'Hirsute', but not Esau.
DeleteK at 9.23-
ReplyDeleteRemembered the list of names connected with profession given here a few days back.
On today's cartoons-
ReplyDeleteCV's is topical
Me!- Somehow I landed on 'Call it off'- probably because I stumbled on it first.
I had it as 'turn it off' at first
Delete11A- LUV for sweetie- abbreviation or text language?
ReplyDeleteI see a "Hairy Fellow" over a "Hearty Fellow" at 19 and 23 Across followed by one more "Fellow" with an idea (for what, I don't know!) at 15 Down, ! :)
ReplyDeleteYes, I also noticed a few fellows moving around.
ReplyDeleteAnother good ride from Gridman, but with a few minor bumps for me (more on that below). As usual, very nice surfaces! Learnt two new words, but both fell into place from the excellent wordplay before I needed to confirm the meaning: SUPERNAL and PLANGENT.
ReplyDeleteThe few bumps I encountered:
- "Dreadful" as anind where the answer is DREADS
- The word "on" in the first clue - while "bent" is right for penchant, "bent on" would give quite another meaning, and I can't see any other role being played by "on"
- Not sure what the hyphen is doing in TENNIS MATCHES
- "Self-assertive" as definition for EGOISTIC didn't seem a perfect fit
None of them major, of course, and the problem could well be with my shock absorbers rather than with the ride itself!
Thanks to Gridman, Bhavan, and the cartoonists.
'Bent on'- I think ON is there for surface reading. It is 'Bent on doing something' or 'Penchant for doing something.
DeleteAbhay
DeleteI appreciate your thoughtful comments and take them in the right spirit.
E.g., the anagrind 'dreadful' could have been avoided easily. At first I had a different one but minutes later changed it to the present one without realizing the repetitive nature.
Re: TENNIS-MATCHES. Don't know how the hyphen came in - maybe due to auto enu facility in the software that was not altered by me subsequently.
I would never consider the crossword a finished work - always there might be something that could still be done.
Thank you for your gracious response, CV!
DeleteKishore @913 am: `Does being hirsute or otherwise, suit every one? Nowadays, the Gillette's industry has been pulling their hairs down to their gullets because of the four day old stubble being sported by all hirsute-loving heroes . How can anyone remain unshaven any day? A man's diurnal curse ! and why haven't scientists come up with any solution (pun intended !) to cure this all-men's alopecia? Why is Nature taking revenge on men by allowing it grow where it is not wanted places Ato Z) and and deny it where it is needed place B ? Is there no way of diverting the hormones from A to B? Why can't the baldies of the world unite?
ReplyDeleteI can claim that I have a lot of face to wash from chin to scalp, cheek to cheek ear to ear ; I don't need a comb as I do not have any hair on my dome !! But I don't consider it as my doom !!
What say you? Col Deepak, the envy of all eggheads?
I remember reading somewhere about the curse of the Anglophile: Starting the day with a razor at one's throat and then putting one's neck through the veritable noose of the necktie.
DeleteHaving been bracketed amongst the hirsute (what was that word she used, starts with a B) by none other than the redoubtable Shuchi, I confess I do shave everyday ...
Not barbarian, Barbarossa, barbiturate, ... it is at the fingertips ... Barbate. That's what she called me, among a couple of our friends all sprouting fibre at various spots on the dial.
Col. has his in the right place- the handle bar.
ReplyDeletePun on eggheads too?
Smashing
ReplyDeleteSmashing what? My skull?
DeleteThe fair sex on a competitive mode in this matter?
ReplyDelete..the matter of hair removal...
ReplyDeleteCV sir,
ReplyDeleteAlthough I found the going tough during this run of Gridman, did learn quite a few new words. Thanks to you and the contributors for devoting their time and energy for making us more literate.
I always wonder what is the value sales of the hair removal products in India.
ReplyDeleteSame as fair and lovely.consumers are the suckers. Hair today gone tomorrow. Very fair and lovely.no?
DeleteRazors? waxing? Threading? It is a roaring business supported by 'beauty'-conscious women!
ReplyDeleteAnd 'beauty'-admiring men?
ReplyDelete