Nice puzzle from Aspartame. Liked quite a few clues especially WARD, ASTUTELY, GREMLIN, PALM OIL. I didn't spot a theme, but if you see something I didn't, add a comment.
ACROSS
1 A priest gets back into empty cistern to tunnel (6) CAVERN [A + priest=REV<- inside CisterN]
2 Pest hiding in headgear wiggles (6) EARWIG [T]
9 Minor // department (4) WARD [DD]
10 14’s produce is brought to hotel guests on it (3,6) TEA TROLLEY [CD]
11 Animal in New Guinea, excluding eastern border of Jayapura (6) IGUANA [GUINeA* + jayapurA]
12 Brilliantly sculpted statue near empty library (8) ASTUTELY [STATUE* + LibrarY]
13 Flier advertising style fest (6,3) TSETSE FLY [STYLE FEST]
15 Sign scribbled on me (4) OMEN [ON ME]
16 Said to look closely for food (4) PEAR? [~look closely=PEER] I don't think the homophone is right
17 Developed P-Al dye? (6,3) PLAYED OUT [P-AL DYE]
21 Renting out second apartment, moving west to Nice (8) PLEASING [aPartment + renting out=LEASING]
22 Permits criminal’s owl to flutter (6) ALLOWS [criminal=AL + 'S OWL]
24 Imaginary place of thought (10) WONDERLAND [CD]
25 Basically, it’s the preposition used to indicate comparison (4) THAN
26 All clouds positively have it made of a precious metal (6) LINING [CD]
27 Leaders of Oman to introduce orange squash embargo. It’s fruitless! (6) OTIOSE [Acrostic]
DOWN
1 Algae companies extract drug, then engineer fuel (4,3) COAL GAS [ALGAe + COS]
2 Drink // water in Moscow (5) VODKA [DD] I think water is voda in Russian?
3 Artist to depict a pointless pursuit (3,4) RAT RACE [artist=RA + depict=TRACE]
5 Had to consume time to freshen (6) AERATE [had=ATE outside time=ERA]
6 Effectively resign and retire at the right moment (4,5) WELL TIMED [effectively=WELL + resign=DEMIT<-] 'and' is misleading
7 Girl becomes the leader at Russian headquarters? That’s totally imaginary (7) GREMLIN [Russian headquarters=KREMLIN with Girl for first letter]
8 Shape bearing resemblance to round, grand animal (13) PARALLELOGRAM [bearing resemblance to=PARALLEL + round=O + Grand + animal=RAM]
14 Note: refurbish Agra house where plants are being cultivated (3,6) TEA GARDEN [note=TE + AGRA* + house=DEN]
16 Handy cooking ingredient (4,3) PALM OIL [CD]
18 Since a long time ago, maybe, 2001, period… (7) YEARDOT [may be 2001=YEAR + period=DOT]
19 …to undo vague, new building that’s not good (7) UNWEAVE [VAgUE NEW]*
20 Manor tickets, upon recollection, yielded fruit (6) CITRON [T<=]
23 Where loot is distributed upon securing top tier (5) LOTTO [LOOT outside Tier]
Lovely clues!
ReplyDelete+1
Delete21, (to ape Kishore).
ReplyDeleteIs 23 an &lit?
ReplyDeleteA semi &lit prolly, and you might think, "there we go again." :)
DeleteYes!
DeleteI understand it is a hard thing to compose an &lit, but when the guidelines are very clear as to what constitutes an &lit, I don't get why there is so much confusion if a clue is one or not.
DeleteDoes 'where' contribute to wordplay in this clue? If yes, the whole clue is both definition and wordplay hence an &lit. If there is an extra word or even a letter in the clue that has no role in either the definition or wordplay and is stuck in the clue only for the surface, then the clue is not an &lit.
I don't even know what a semi &lit is. To me that sounds like half a hole. A clue is either an &lit or it is def + wordplay. I didn't know there was middle ground.
I too always say I don't know what a semi &lit is.
DeleteAm I being stupid or stubborn?
Never mind the articles on that clue-type.
25 We generally use 'than' for conjunction.
ReplyDeleteWhen used as a preposition, 'than' is usually followed by a pronoun in the objective case, as in:
He is a person than whom I can imagine no one more courteous.
[Ref: Dictionary.com]
+1 for nice clues. Initially, it seemed to be tough and out of reach. But later after some squeezing of the brain, it started rolling out making it all the more enjoyable. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteContinuing from yesterday on Jigarthanda-
ReplyDeleteThere was an article in Metroplus (Chennai edition) yesterday that a newly opened restaurant on Sterling road near Loyola college serves JT right here in Chennai. So those of you who are really curious about it can have a go at it!
16A- homophone- closer to 'pair'?
ReplyDeleteFor listening to pronunciations thefreedictionary.com has an icon with British & US flag on the LHS top corner. If you have a speaker attached then you can listen to both accents.
DeleteThank you Raghu.
DeleteIn any case I do not think the two words are homophones even accounting for different accents.
Delete21A- struggling for a while due to false capitalization.
ReplyDeleteNice one from Aspartame. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks. :)
ReplyDelete18Dn : Since a long time ago, maybe, 2001, period… (7) YEARDOT [may be 2001=YEAR + period=DOT]
ReplyDeleteI feel the enu should have been (4,3)
+ 1
DeleteI read 25 A as - Basically, it’s the preposition used to indicate comparison - [T][H][AN] with used to indicate comparison as the def.
ReplyDeleteThat parsing sounds better than mine.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHudhud is knocking at the door and it as started raining
ReplyDeleteHope you are staying indoors, Suresh garu. Take care.
DeleteAs we hear Chigoe flea, with the endless semi-andantes, makes Madurai beverage (11)
ReplyDelete~jigger JIGAR TH[-e] ANDA[-ntes]
Take care Suresh.
ReplyDeleteLast cyclone to hit vizag directly was in 1999, when I was staying on the Beach Road. During the peak wind period I could see people on the beach road opening their 'jigar' to enjoy the "breeze".
ReplyDeleteThanks to the topography of this place protected by two hills the impact in the city is always less severe than the surrounding regions.
Suresh: Ptaying that you and the family are safely ensconced inside the house ! Take care.
ReplyDeleteWe pray that Hud Hud passes off without creating any havoc
Police officer with craft flanking Indian flag - no, the other way for this Madurai energiser (11)
ReplyDelete(IG + ART) inside JHANDA
Liver in Lucknow, perhaps, with hand in Tunga banks for South Indian drink
JIGAR + T(HAND)A
Rajani had telemarketing case advertising the new Lakshmi Menon starrer (11)
(RAJANI HAD T..G)*, advertising - AnagrInd