xChequer calls for a lot of head scratching as far as I am concerned. Liked 21D immensely.
ACROSS
7 Kind of drone with an echo (6) HUMANE {HUM}{AN}{E}
8 After beginning of sunset, artist left for a break (8) SPLINTER {S
9 Unusual limit for money invested in working capital (8) ATYPICAL {AT{
10 Grasping edge of gutter piping (6) GREEDY {G}{REEDY}
11 States opposed cut (5) AVERS
12 Savage burst through in a loud manner to usurp power (6) FIERCE (-p+f)FIERCE
14 Lost hope that fasting can create history (1,5,2,3,4) A THING OF THE PAST*
17 Vessel returned to oven after draining liquid with this cloth (6) NAPKIN {NAP<=}{KI
18 Clever way to overcome ruin (5) SMART {S{MAR}T}
22 Zebra crossing obstructed by a thorny barricade (6) ZAREBA {ZEBRA*}{A} or is it {Z{A}REBA*}
23 Being slow to leave, wedding doesn't commence on time (8) TARRYING {T}{
24 Practical person yet dense leader (8) HARDHEAD {HARD}{HEAD}
25 This person can provide a balanced review (6) VIEWER* &lit
DOWN
1 Fetching across vital supply for farm (9) CULTIVATE {CU{VITAL*}TE}
2 Check if heart & courage is missing (6) HAMPER {H}{AMPER
3 Get pretty lost in golf (5) FETCH FETCH
4 Member of governing body, not quite old, seen with cigar shaking hands (8) OLIGARCH {OL
5 Highly involved in store, stocking what is necessary (4-4) KNEE-DEEP {K{NEE-D}EEP}
6 Sells against margins (5) VENDS {V}{ENDS}
8 Insurer checks loose ends left if caused by one's own actions (4-9) SELF-INFLICTED {SELF-INF{LIC}TED}
13 Drive following direction without a compass and get separated (9) ESTRANGED
15 Public voice finally broke free in implied criticism (8) INNUENDO {INN}{U{
16 Leave positions to be successful (2,6) GO PLACES {GO} {PLACES}
19 Month after month allowing man to create chaos (6) MAYHEM {MAY}{HE}{M}
20 Political group coming by a measure of heat over rating (5)
21 The sauce of it, deserting the force! (5) GRAVY GRAV
GRID
13 Drive following direction without a compass and get separated (9) ESTRANGED
ReplyDeleteI took this to be {E(-a)ST}{RANGE}{D}
RANGE: compass
D: drive
11 States opposed cut (5) AVERS [DD]
ReplyDeleteNot a DD: AVERS(-E)
22 Zebra crossing obstructed by a thorny barricade (6) ZAREBA {ZEBRA*}{A} or is it {Z{A}REBA*}
ReplyDeleteI feel it could be either. 'A' can come inside or at the end, as both mean obstruction or stop
20 Political group coming by a measure of heat over rating (5) HAMAS
ReplyDeleteCould this be -
{H}{AMAS}
AMAS: Abbreviated Math Anxiety Scale
20 Political group coming by a measure of heat over rating (5) HAMAS {H}{A}{M}{AS<=} Not sure of Anno
ReplyDeleteI feel it's CABAL. CAL: Calorific value, over AB = Sailor = Rating.
This seems more likely :)
Delete2 Check if heart & courage is missing (6) HAMPER {H}{AMPERsand}
ReplyDeleteNice clue, but is 'is' to be 'are'?
Thanks Sandhya and Raghu
ReplyDeleteSometimes two close ideas joined by & are treated as a singular.
ReplyDeleteIt is an accepted grammatical rule.
When I was in college, my heart and mind was not in physics. It was in English.
Blue and gold is a nice colour combination
DeleteMine was the other way round, hence my query ;-)
DeleteIn Kishore's sentence, the is comes in because combination is in singular. I wonder if in the clue 'and' was used in place of '&' whether 'is' is OK?
DeleteNot completing the crossword before 8.30 AM IST could soon be A THING OF THE PAST.
ReplyDeleteYou, the VIEWER have to be SMART and CULTIVATE a habit of an ATYPICAL approach without being GREEDY.
If you are regular in attempting the crosswords things that HAMPER your progress will soon vanish. You will never be in
KNEE-DEEP trouble.
The MAYHEM will go away and you could well FETCH your plate of samosas along with a NAPKIN.
Wow! CGB is back with what he does best!
ReplyDeleteGlad to have got a few tough ones like Innuendo, Self inflicted, Gravy, Estranged,..... but still in knee deep trouble in NW corner.
ReplyDeleteIs it a fetching CW or is it only for go getters?!
ReplyDeleteNo Samosas today! Going to bed on an empty stomach!! :(
ReplyDeleteTook 3 hours to complete. But at last cracked it .. Takes a lot of resolve. :)
ReplyDeleteBrainstorming session! I did not have the resolve and gave up after an hour. After all, what is the blog there for?
Delete+1.
Delete14A : Lost hope that fasting can create history (1,5,2,3,4) A THING OF THE PAST*
ReplyDeleteAnagrind please - Lost or Can Create?
I think the clue could have been OK w/o 'lost'.
DeleteThink so. Thanks, Raghu. :)
DeleteLost is the AnInd
DeleteThanks, Sir. Saw the definition part. Now it's clear.
Delete1 Fetching across vital supply for farm (9) CULTIVATE {CU{VITAL*}TE}
ReplyDeleteA doubt. 'Supply' is the anagind. Should it not precede 'vital'. If it was 'supplied' it would have been OK.
17 As per rules, report purchase, contract, then record the charge (2,3,4) BY THE BOOK (~BUY THEn BOOK)
Here though the clue is not an anagram, 'contract' conveys the right instruction to cut short 'then'.
8Dn : Anno needs * pl.
ReplyDeleteToday's date 4.10.2014 is a PALINDROME which means that the date reads exactly similar reading backwards .
ReplyDeleteWell spotted! :)
DeleteThe last two days of Exchequer's crossies is simby whorled class !! I enjoyed them immensely !! On first sight, they looked almost impossible but as one went along, the jig fitted into the saw perfectly, though the NW corner gave a bit of acute cerebral thrombosis ! !
ReplyDeleteMaybe, if i had concentrated well away from the TV and its shenanigans in Bangalore, I could have cracked it sooner !
Well done, Exchequer !!