Buzzer had me on my toes today with this enjoyable one.
ACROSS
1 Aim of reviewing clues regularly (5) FOCUS {FO<=}{C
4 Fabulous being in romance, it rocks (9) MANTICORE*
10 Work on a bill? (4,3) NOSE JOB [CD]
11 Story is mostly far off reality (5,4) FAIRY TALE {FA
12 Auditor's tax fixes (5) TACKS (~tax)
13 Network broadcast in Australia is erratic (6) LIAISE [T]
15 It is Christmas. Pessimism for instance has no place (8) NATIVITY N
18 Imagine going round pub for a beer (8) GUINNESS {GU{INN}ESS}
22 Bird, say rook, oddly lacking in nest (5) EGRET {EG}{R}{
24 Cafes all over the place declare it helps keep reputation intact (4,5) FACE SAVER {FACE S*}{AVER}
26 Circular to abolish a rule (7) ANNULAR {ANNUL}{A}{R}
27 Futile to cut costs (3,4) USE LESS {USELESS}
28 Repugnant and revolting earthborn (9) ABHORRENT*
29 Path or line for new public transport (5) TRAIL TRAI(-n+l)L
DOWN
1 Frightened fellow crying head off (7) FEARFUL {F}{
2 Bones in fish avoided essentially (5) CARPI {CARP}{
3 To see or not see, yes questionable (3,4,2) SET EYES ON*
4 Mobile milk shop returns in millions (6) MYRIAD {M}{YRIAD}<=
5 He is one navy male not at sea (8) NONMETAL {N}{MALE+NOT}*
6 It includes different directions as a map feature (5) INSET {I{N}{S}{E}T}
7 Being fair is my thing? (9) OBJECTIVE
8 Going around Middle East on a somewhat deep mission (7) EMBASSY {EM<=}{BASSY}
14 Nowadays I agree with Sikh's ultimate sacred text (3,6) ADI GRANTH {AD}{I} {GRANT}{
16 Playing tennis? It's demanding (9) INSISTENT*
17 Pressurize is American English for this in French (3,5) USE FORCE {US}{E} {FOR}{CE} My COD
18 Half of Greece, nothing but an island (7) GRENADA {GRE
21 Conduct of a queen, one sitting in court (6) ACQUIT {A}{C{QU}{1}T}
23 Floor covers left for a construction worker (5) TILER {TI{L}ER}
25 Instrument held up during aeroplane evacuation (5) VEENA [T<=]
GRID
Lovely set of clues again today - thank you Buzzer!
ReplyDeleteReally liked 11A, 5D, 16A. 10A made me laugh :) My COD would be 15A.
The crossword game can be refreshing even after repeated cropping up of solution words. Nice to see REGRET being clued by Buzzer in a non-hackneyed manner.
ReplyDeleteTough one today.
ReplyDeleteRe CV's comment. For ASLEEP I had written nearly a similar clue: Dormant snake taking shelter, but changed it to an anagram
20 On average, a very large umbrella (7) PARASOL {PAR}{A}{SOL}
ReplyDeleteI think this is: PAR A SO L
Thanks. Yes it is
DeleteMy COD is 22A for the reason cited by CV Sir @ 8:37. I got it but couldn't parse. It being one of many clues with beautiful surface readings. Failed to solve 15A and 5D. Satisfied to repeat yesterday's performance today as well ! Thanks, Buzzer. :)
ReplyDeleteA great collection of delightful clues in a single puzzle
ReplyDelete7d: don't think it is DD, believe it should be CD. I parsed it as 'Object I have' ie my thing
ReplyDeleteI too parsed it the same way ..
DeleteOT
ReplyDeleteLeased tiny van, rickety on occasion (10,3)
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What a delight :) was stuck in the NE Corner for a long time. Thought of manticore, but wasn't convinced of the definition. so lingered around a bit more. Too many good clues for a single puzzle :)
ReplyDeleteHappy Valentines day
ReplyDeleteWife to santa....
You will give me a ring on valentine's day na...?
Santa.. 1 or 2?
Wife . your wish..
Santa- in mobile or landline?
:-) What a ring! Will it be a missed call too?!
DeleteA delight ful classic had me on my toes, as in the preamble. Still I could not get a few, esp. in NE & SW corners. No regrets since they were way above me and glad to learn a few new things like 'Nativity' for birth of Christ,Manticore etc.
ReplyDeleteBuzzer made me realise that TT's also should know a few things about beer & other ales!
Superb puzzle, Buzzer!
ReplyDeleteLovely puzzle again Buzzzer! Thank you..
ReplyDeleteAre these brilliant clues written first and the words/phrases put in the grid? Or are they written only after the lights are placed in the grid?
ReplyDeleteA bit of both, I suspect, but it is for Buzzer to answer.
DeleteHad a chance to pick Buzzer's brain when we met. He doesn't do it anymore I am told. Coz he can hardly fit a few of what he has written already in a grid. But how does it matter ! Invariably only good clues gets churned out.
DeleteAbsolutely brilliant - hats off to Buzzer! Made my day. Thanks a ton to him, and to DG.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant indeed! Buzzer's in a different league, seems to be in the zone here, to coin a sports metaphor or two...
ReplyDeleteBuzzer's had a fantastic run with some delightful clues. Bravo!
ReplyDeleteGood Job, Buzzer !! NOSE JOB : You know your job !! did you have Shilpa Shetty and Sridevi in mind? Fantastic and very pithy !! Clue of my day !!
ReplyDeleteHappy Valentines day to one and all all ye-bloggers !! It is still saturday here in NY !!
Again, HE as a NONMETAL is a brilliant red herring !! The LED blinked a bit but then it shone HEE HEE !!
ReplyDelete