Some very entertaining clues here!
Across
1 Close shortly before time is in order (4) NEAT (NEA
3 Manage to pull off part in comical medley with some humorous leads (10) ACCOMPLISH (P
10 One can trash order (9) ANARCHIST (I CAN TRASH)* &LIT
11 Dislike stage having power cut (5) ODIUM (
12 Time to cut open stag for something meaty (7) BUTTOCK (T
13 A newborn empire lost by exposing capital (7) PREEMIE (EMPIRE* E
14 Editor after drinking a quarter is relaxed (5) EASED (ED around A SE)
15 Old distressing term finally came to an end (7) EXTREME (EX TERM*
18 About to fill a tile with a touch of red feature (7) ARTICLE (C in A TILE with a touch of R
21 A setter consumes bar dish (5) PETRI
24 Rent old tape for tiny one (7) TADPOLE (OLD TAPE)*
26 Showing mercy let nine off (7) LENIENT (LET NINE)*
27 Watch royal one inside lofty nest (5) EYRIE (EYE with R I inside)
28 Small parts come into play for specialist (9) ECONOMIST (S COME INTO)*
29 Keen to get aboard ship and win lottery (10) SWEEPSTAKE (keen=WEEP in SS+ TAKE)
30 Lives with the French in detached land (4) ISLE (IS LE)
Down
1 Not far from New York, houses are made black (6) NEARBY (NY houses ARE* B)
2 Frenchman occupies an average home/flat (9) APARTMENT (M in A PAR TENT)
4 Shot tasted cold at first (7) CLICKED (C LICKED)
5 Cue plot twist having many parts (7) OCTUPLE (CUE PLOT)*
6 Nuisance holding rubbish object (7) PROTEST (PEST holding ROT)
7 I would love to include one masculine phrase (5) IDIOM (I'D O to include I, M)
8 Spoiled an electric unit lying within household borders (8) HAMPERED (AMPERE in H....D)
9 Facing northbound ship taking gold to California (6) ACROSS (SS OR CA)<
16 Outbreaks possibly impede rise of science (9) EPIDEMICS (IMPEDE* SCI<)
17 Initials of web address I type return explicit site — some server! (8) WAITRESS (Acrostic)
19 Photograph miss tucked into a part of bra (5-2) CLOSE UP (LOSE in CUP)
20 Small part of extremely economical event attracts men (7) ELEMENT (E..L E..T has MEN)
21 Ultimately compel intellectual to pick dresses for idiot (7) PILLOCK (
22 Get up and work on new tissue (6) TENDON (NET< DO N)
23 Carving, say, with uncertainty initially (6) STATUE (STATE with U
25 A sad number die having drugs regularly (5) DIRGE (DIE has
Entertaining is le mot juste! Thanks to Exa for a great start to the week, and to Kishore for the blog.
ReplyDeleteI too am stuck over the parsing for PETRI. I have a quibble with one of the definitions: a PREEMIE is not just any newborn, it specifically refers to a premature birth.
A setter consumes bar dish (5) PETRI (PERI around T?) not sure of anno
DeleteA = PER
Setter = I
Bar = T
I don't see a problem with PREEMIE. The definition did say 'a newborn', not 'newborn' or 'any newborn'. A preemie might be early, but is still a newborn right?
...which is why I didn't say it was a mistake, I said I had a 'quibble' - a slight objection!
DeleteGetting the definition right mattered more to me, perhaps, because my first ever job was managing an Ob/Gyn hospital! :)
An article on IXL appears on Page 2 of the Bang Ed of The HINDU. Unable to get the online link for the same. I have been misspelt in the article.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/solving-crossword-no-longer-just-a-hobby/article6734055.ece
DeleteThe spelling of Deepak there reminds me of the infamous ex-resident of Dipalpur
Very nice with some tricky construction. NEARBY was good.
ReplyDeleteIs P an abbreviation for part in 3d?
+ 1 to Kishore's opening comment
ReplyDelete+2!
DeleteA cursory glance makes it look like +21 :)
DeleteNEARBY was a NEAT clue! But my COD was CLOSE UP for its mischievous word play!! Keep it going Exa. :)
ReplyDeleteSome absolutely brilliant ones. Too many to mention
ReplyDeleteThe tricky container clues were very well constructed [NEARBY, PILLOCK, ECONOMIST ...]
Nice one from Exa. Took eons to figure out Petri.
ReplyDeleteCVji's grammar quirk comment made it to the Readers' Editor column today. http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/Readers-Editor/readers-editor-column/article6732962.ece
Col Sir, The link GRID has taken me to entirely different crossie, which is also by Exa. Kindly check up.
ReplyDeleteThe link is only for showing the grid and not the clues.
DeleteJust now checked. Both the grid and clues for crossword No. 11283 are available.
DeleteWhat I meant is that the link will point to an earlier CW of the same setter which uses the same grid. This is being done because at 8:30 AM when this blog comes on line, the current days CW is still not available on most days at the online Hindu paper
DeleteSorry it is 11183
DeleteTo be exact to the Hindu Crossword 11283
ReplyDeleteWhere? how? Could you please give the link. 11278 is today's crossie. Do you have access to crossie scheduled for Saturday 3.1.15?
DeleteAn enjoyable teaser. Could not complete, but still enjoyed. Though I knew about petri dish, I kept on thinking about an edible dish! 'A' setter also did not help.
ReplyDeleteI even went to the extent of thinking there may be a THC setter with the nom de plume of ' Bardi'!
DeleteI am new to THC. Could anyone pl educate me as to how A= Per?
18 A - I have long been accustomed to use 're' for ' about'. How is it that the letter C answers for about? Because it is the first letter of ' Circa'? It looks as if, to be able to solve these clues, you must first master all the usages, some of which are not found elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteSS,
DeleteC for Circa is listed in Chambers dictionary so also A (look under per) which shows 'per' as 'prep for each or a'
c. or ca. for circa is very common, Circa means 'about'.
ReplyDeleteAny student of history must have come across it while dates of emperors and empires were mentioned when these dates could not be determined with any certainty.
If at a sweet stall the price of mysuru paak is Rs 30 per piece, it can also be taken as Rs 30 a piece.
If you say that you can take circa to yield c but add that about = circa = c is a stretch, one might agree.
This word always reminds me of the Circars (northern and southern)
DeleteThere is a Circar Expresss train running between Chenai central and Kakinada in AP.
DeleteActually from Chennai Egmore stn
DeleteBut where is P for part found?
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone ! :) ..
ReplyDeleteWhere is P for part found ?
http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/p
About = circa = C .. Yes, there's another level of indirection involved.. Certain abbreviations of this kind like duck = O seem ohkay while others do not... I think it all goes down to how frequent the solver has seen the usage in order that it becomes a cliche... Or perhaps I'm wrong .. The Listener ( possibly the most strict in terms of fairness) allows the convention about = C/ Ca as well ..
Delightful cwd with lots of matured clues.
ReplyDeleteA thorough entertainer