Wednesday, 28 January 2015

No 11303, Wednesday 28 Jan 2015, Afterdark


ACROSS
1   Emphasis on a cricket club to pick specialist (6) ACCENT {A}{CC}{ENT}
4   Opt out of autopsies doctor did on a dog breed (6) AUSSIE AUtopSIES*
9   Feeling weak and sick (4) WILL {W}{ILL}
10 Pardons sloppy animals lacking brain (10) REMISSIONS Anno pending (Addendum - {REMISS}{lIONS} - See comments)
11 City to return cooking implement of India (6) OTTAWA {OT<=}{TAWA}
12 Wrong call left listener with a signal that danger is over (3,5) ALL CLEAR {ALL C}*{L}{EAR}
13 Comes again with cut fruits... (9) REAPPEARS {REAP}{PEARS}
15 ... and Russian drink cocktail on Virginia ship (5) KVASS {cocK}{VA}{SS}
16 Devastated outcasts, left USA with a famous slave (5) SCOTT OuTCasTS*
18 A serious discord at bender about burial places (9) OSSUARIES {OSSUARIE}*{S}
22 Nude dad danced with maiden as attachment (8) ADDENDUM {ADDENDU*}{M}
23 Public relations is sadly empty and formal (6) PRISSY {PR}{IS}{SadlY}
25 Marriage, for instance restrained by loyalty (10) ALLEGIANCE {ALL{EG}IANCE}
26 A bird stranger released at waterfall (4) LINN LINNet
27 As guards surround alien property... (6) ASSETS {AS}{S{ET}S}
28 ...main course, Bush hides behind corner (6) ENTREE {EN}{TREE}

DOWN
1   Let tail wag a bit (1,6) A LITTLE*
2   Name a plant (5) CALLA {CALL}{A}
3   Report on fraternal fight, without head or tail (7) NARRATE fRATERNAl*
5   Union leader to spell out about offering more to same customers (6) UPSELL {Union}{SPELL*}
6   Side effect of pills, son took earlier is done with (9) SPILLOVER {(+s)SPILL(-s)}{OVER}
7   Groups of nine seen and destroyed (7) ENNEADS*
8   Oriental doctor, by mistake arrests man in guilt (13) EMBARRASSMENT {E}{MB}{ARRASSMENT*}
14 Laggards on drug, sick, rest around emergency room (9) PUTTERERS {PUT}{T{ER}ERS*} PUT/on drug ? (Correction - POTTERERS {POT}{{T{ER}ERS*} - See comments)
17 Conservative editor run down, for adding a mark to change pronunciation (7) CEDILLA {C}{ED}{ILL}{A}
19 Many an equipment designed to find IQ out (7) UMPTEEN EqUiPMENT*
20 Character spoiled scene following partner's direction (7) ESSENCE {E}{S}{SCENE*}
21 Dad angry on cocaine being taken by IT fiend (6) ADDICT {DAD*}{I{C}T}
24 More sick? Pill, erythromycin will contain (5) ILLER [T]

GRID

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61 comments:

  1. SandhyaP28 January 2015 at 08:31

    10 Pardons sloppy animals lacking brain (10) REMISSIONS

    {REMISS}{(-L)IONS}

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Padmanabhan28 January 2015 at 08:59

      How does 'lacking brain' lead to deletion of L?

      Delete
    2. Padmanabhan28 January 2015 at 09:13

      Just saw CV has answered my question (in anticipation?)

      Delete
  2. Raghunath28 January 2015 at 08:44

    14 Laggards on drug, sick, rest around emergency room (9) POTTERERS {POT}{T{ER}ERS*} POT drug

    ReplyDelete
  3. Chaturvasi28 January 2015 at 08:46

    A question of usage
    When we think that some persons are stupid, I think we would say "They lack brains."
    The singular form is just the organ, I think.
    Am I right?
    ===
    I think this is another time a setter is using 'brain' to indicate the first/top letter of a word. What do you think of the device?
    Can we use 'toe' of boy' to indicate y?
    Why not? Don't we use 'footloose' for deleting the last letter?
    Just provoking discussion.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Padmanabhan28 January 2015 at 09:15

      If 'toe' is right, then it should be 'head' and not 'brain/s'. Am I right?

      Delete
  4. SandhyaP28 January 2015 at 08:53

    15 ... and Russian drink cocktail on Virginia ship (5) KVASS {cocK}{VA}{SS}

    I have a doubt - is it OK to have A on B in an Across clue?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Raghunath28 January 2015 at 08:56

      Though crosswordunclued has a defence for using this I try to avoid it all costs>

      In y/days CW I had thought of the following:

      Men on French sea were in control once: F(OR)(MER)LY. I changed it because of this A on B issue.

      Delete
    2. Padmanabhan28 January 2015 at 09:04

      What does 'a few dots (...) before a clue indicate? It always confuses me. Like this 15A. And of course at the end of 13A.

      Delete
    3. SandhyaP28 January 2015 at 09:05

      Thanks Raghunath! I've been trying my hand at setting clues in 1 ACross and Cryptic Crossword Society, so I was wondering about it.

      Delete
    4. Raghunath28 January 2015 at 09:08

      @Sandhya,
      If it's 1 Across then you'll never be able to use it :-)

      Delete
    5. SandhyaP28 January 2015 at 09:37

      :P

      Delete
    6. Bhavan28 January 2015 at 09:57

      'On' has several meanings one of which is 'against'. So I don't see what is the objection to A on B being AB in across clues. As long as you are consistent i.e., not using A on B to mean AB in one across clue and BA in another, I wouldn't have a problem.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous28 January 2015 at 10:40

      Raghu @8.56, but the one that appeared yesterday for 'Formerly' turned out to be even better :)

      Delete
  5. Raghunath28 January 2015 at 09:07

    Are W for weak (Chambers has week) & C for cocaine standard abbreviations?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous28 January 2015 at 09:38

      My Chambers XWD dictionary gives them both.

      Delete
    2. SandhyaP28 January 2015 at 09:43

      C for cocaine - Freedict
      W for weak: medical dicts

      Delete
    3. Raghunath28 January 2015 at 09:45

      Sandhya,

      If one goes as per Thefreedic then there's a bewildering number of abbrv for almost every letter. Thanks Shrikanth. I don't have that dic.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous28 January 2015 at 09:54

      Actually, in this dict (though it is Chambers) there are so many abbr that we are not familiar with. We have had a discussion on this subject earlier. Abbr are necessary evils in clue construction, but sometimes totally one-sided as only the setter seems to have that source :(

      Delete
    5. Raghunath28 January 2015 at 09:57

      I have recourse to crosswordunclued & Chambers dictionary

      Delete
  6. Padmanabhan28 January 2015 at 09:11

    11A- tawa? Very Indian, but English word?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous28 January 2015 at 09:40

      I think I have made a mistake here. Mercifully, it is a known word. So clue escaped.

      Delete
    2. Suresh28 January 2015 at 10:14

      I do not see a problem with Tawa, Shrikanth. You have used the word Indian, so it indicates. It may be there in the 23 volume OED, I am not sure. If it is there in a standard dictionary then the word Indian would be unnecessary.

      Delete
  7. Padmanabhan28 January 2015 at 09:16

    Interesting and enjoyable CW. Learned a lot. Thank you AD.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Raghunath28 January 2015 at 09:48

      Re yr 9.04 Refer: http://www.crosswordunclued.com/2010/05/ellipsis-linked-clues.html

      Delete
    2. Padmanabhan28 January 2015 at 10:02

      Thank you Raghu, for taking the trouble in unearthing the relevant ref. Here, though, there seems to be no particular connection.(except some fruits are mixed in the drink)

      Delete
    3. Anonymous28 January 2015 at 10:42

      Thanks Paddy

      Delete
  8. Mukundala Balasubramanyam28 January 2015 at 09:50

    Finally could complete the puzzle! A bit on the tougher side, nonetheless enjoyable. Thank you, Afterdark. :-)))

    ReplyDelete
  9. Aakash Sridhar28 January 2015 at 10:13

    Good one from AfterDark ..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous28 January 2015 at 10:41

      Thanks Aakash. Spotted anything in the grid? Nothing much, but there is something common

      Delete
    2. Deepak Gopinath28 January 2015 at 10:47

      AA, BB, CC ..... ZZ

      Delete
    3. Mukundala Balasubramanyam28 January 2015 at 10:47

      Now that you say, I will take a second look at the grid!

      Delete
    4. Lakshmi Vaidyanathan28 January 2015 at 10:50

      Pair of alphabets in solutions :)
      Nice one AD :)

      Delete
    5. Mukundala Balasubramanyam28 January 2015 at 10:57

      Think Col Sir has spotted it right. In each answer the same letter appears in succession. Like aCCent, AuSSie, wiLL etc.

      Delete
    6. Raghunath28 January 2015 at 11:00

      Always up to something! Good work AD.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous28 January 2015 at 11:02

      Thanks LV. Thanks Raghu :)

      Delete
    8. Aakash Sridhar28 January 2015 at 11:03

      Yes I had .. Thus my comment .. Nice one :)

      Delete
    9. Mukundala Balasubramanyam28 January 2015 at 11:10

      Innovative entertainer, that is AD!

      Delete
  10. Mukundala Balasubramanyam28 January 2015 at 10:46

    Looks like our setters have a bias towards ENT specialist! I found one yesterday in 6Dn clue and today right at the top in 1Ac. Will he be there tomorrow too?! If he is there, it will be that much easier for me to solve!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Padmanabhan28 January 2015 at 10:58

    ENTertaining?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Ramani28 January 2015 at 11:05

    Once again this head or tail problem - it has to be head and tail?

    ReplyDelete
  13. Ramani28 January 2015 at 11:06

    The above is related to 3 D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Deepak Gopinath28 January 2015 at 11:14

      Nothing wrong with that. "It did not have a head or tail"

      Delete
    2. Ramani28 January 2015 at 11:19

      Thanks; half hearted OK

      Delete
  14. VMA Nair28 January 2015 at 11:46

    Lot of super clues .Thanks AD

    on, about etc are valid connectors ?
    EN is a corner ?
    position of doctor is right in 4A?
    We should use common abbreviations or from daily sms use etc IMO ;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VMA Nair28 January 2015 at 11:50

      Also deletion fodder needs an anagram ind if the letters to be deleted not in order ?

      Delete
  15. Aakash Sridhar28 January 2015 at 11:51

    Lol...
    GM ajeesh .. TC.. TTYL..

    ReplyDelete
  16. Padmanabhan28 January 2015 at 12:04

    sms abbreviations?!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Mukundala Balasubramanyam28 January 2015 at 12:40

    Paddy, pl see my (delayed) reply against your comment posted yesterday @ 6:04 pm.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Padmanabhan28 January 2015 at 13:22

    Thank you. Just saw. Let us hope half the battle is not like 'padhi kinaru'! Jumping half or three fourths across the well is all the same. One has to make it full or not at all. We are capable, but....

    ReplyDelete
  19. Deepak Gopinath28 January 2015 at 13:46

    Shrikanth @ 9:40

    No mistake Shrikanth, Tawa/Tava/Tavah is there in the Chambers Dict "A griddle used in Indian cookery"

    ReplyDelete
  20. Padmanabhan28 January 2015 at 14:04

    I burnt my fingers on the tawa! 'Indian'ising is up on all fronts.

    ReplyDelete

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