Saturday 13 December 2014

No.11265, Saturday 13 Dec 14, Skulldugger


This puzzle is typical of the setter with its intricate wordplays. Especially liked COPY, BEGAT, TIARA, NEOTERIC and ENTRY. Thanks to Skulldugger for the workout. 

ACROSS
1 Doctor open-heartedly doing away with dray? It's got a ring to it (9) TELEPHONE [OPEN-HEARTEDLY - DRAY]*
6 Imitation's grist to the editor's mill (4) COPY [DD]
8 Law officer's relative Will apprehends ringleader (8) MARSHALL [relative=MA + will=SHALL outside Ring] will=shall?
9 It might be given away for a song (6) GRAMMY [CD]
10 Apprehended in the act of playing Holi? (6,3-6) CAUGHT RED-HANDED [CD]
11 Bore tattoo featuring girlfriend's face (5) BEGAT [tattoo=BEAT outside Girlfriend]
13 Entailed crossing it to go back in time (8) DATELINE [ENTAILED]*
15 Doctor in truck gets shot in the arm (4-2-2) PICK-ME-UP [doctor=Medical Examiner inside truck=PICK UP]
18 Madam Bletchley's content to stroll (5) AMBLE [T]
20 Revolutionary bug getting in the urban communist party (5,3,4,3) PAINT THE TOWN RED [bug=TAP<= outside IN + THE + urban=TOWN + communist=RED]
23 Currency to trap socialist from the East (6) TENDER [to trap=NET<= + socialist=RED<=] the wordplay leads to DERTEN
24 Sailor mistakes America for tip of Europe; has to depart from course (8) ABERRATE [sailor=AB + mistakes=ERRATA with Europe for America]
25 Well, the thing is a border (4) AHEM [A + border=HEM]
26 Subject essential for attraction (9) CHEMISTRY [DD]

DOWN
1 This is a regal accessory primarily (5) TIARA [Acrostic]
2 Italian fare Ranga's always smuggling in from the South (7) LASAGNA [T<=]
3 Lively boxer, for instance, overwhelming a wrestler in the end (5) PEART [boxer dog=PET outside A + wrestleR]
4 Abscesses require scratching the heads with part of oleaginous plant (7) OILSEED [abscesses=bOILS + require=nEED]
5 Urge chess player to get the outer part of a bull's eye (3,5) EGG WHITE [urge=EGG  + chess player=WHITE]
6 Cleaning girl, half-fallen, rises in House of Bones (7) CHARNEL [cleaning lady=CHAR + falLEN<-]
7 Solicitor to Queen: “Short, little woman” — What a bloomer. (9) PIMPERNEL [solicitor=PIMP + queen=ER + woman=NELlie?]
12 My fair lady making wager with Henry to become pillar of British society (9) ELIZABETH [My fair lady=ELIZA + wager=BET + Henry]
14 Modern reception's hollow and deceitful (8) NEOTERIC [RECEpTION]*
16 Mockingbird abandoned crib and set out for the country (7) KINGDOM [MOCKINGBIRD - CRIB]*
17 ...to come before God finally, disheartened churchman admitted (7) PREDATE [goD inside churchman=PRElATE]
19 Unfinished, tumble-down terminal tower (7) MINARET [TERMINAl]*
21 Signs of the cross menhir sculptor left unfinished (5) OBELI [menhir sculptor=OBELIx]
22 Jean's sturdy, even appearance (5) ENTRY [jEaNs sTuRdY]

22 comments:

  1. 8A - I thought the spelling was just MARSHAL

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, the oddity of English spelling !!! like: appal,embarrass,but harass, sari and saree (CV to note !) -- economy in using the alphabets? then what about QUEUE , when merely the alphabet Q will suffice? How about similar words from others on a day when there are only 10 hits in this blog today?

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  2. 13A-"....go back in time"- DATELINE
    17D- "To come before"- PREDATE

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  3. It WAS a workout- though unfinished for me.
    3D- I think Boxer= Dog= Pet is a stretch.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This device has been used previously

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    2. Boxer for instance= Pet is fine. It could be questioned if it was just Boxer.

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    3. Noted for future ref. Thank you Col. & Ramesh.

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  4. Can you please explain how 1 A is telephone . I know dray is an open cart

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  5. 1A-
    Doctor- Anind
    (open heartedly)* minus (dray) as indicated in colour

    ReplyDelete
  6. A very good puzzle. Many good clues; my COD 10 A

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  7. Nice crossword. I think 7 D reference is Little Nell.

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  8. Seemed a tough one. So spent time watching the test match earlier though India lost.

    19 Unfinished, tumble-down terminal tower (7) MINARET [TERMINAl]*

    Is the wordplay in the correct order to get the anagram for MINARET? The deletion ind has no connection with the fodder. If it was following the fodder (assuming it made sense in this case) it would have been OK.

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  9. What a match! I thought i was probably one of the very few who may be watching. Nice to have learned company. Enjoyed the nail biting finish, though India ended up losing. But I was happy (for a change) the intention to chase was on from the beginning.Barring a few if's we might have made it.
    Cannot "tumbled-down terminal" be taken as (Terminal)*? What you are saying is that it should be (Termina)*

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    Replies
    1. Agree with Raghu . After anagramming, unfinished leads to removal of any of those 8 letters

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    2. Yes Paddy,

      Kohli is the man ;-)

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  10. I am reminded of a figure of speech called 'Transferred epithet' often used in old poems- eg. "Drowsy tinklings" to indicate tinklings created by drowsy sheep (tinklings of bells around its neck) Maybe, we can apply it here.

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  11. 3A- ' Will' is NOT ' Shall' ; any good English Grammar text will ( not shall) tell us that. Again this is the first time that I am seeing ' ma' being called only a relative.

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  12. 3D- I do agree with Mr Padmanabhan that boxer = dog =pet is a stretch.

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  13. Hearty Congratulations to Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan Senior Secondary School of Chennai represented by Ramya Naraynan and Jayashree V who came third in CBSE Cryptic Crossword Contest National Final Round today at New Delhi.

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