Awesome anagrams in 12a BERMUDA TRIANGLE and 19a GET ALL STEAMED UP with the IT GIRL leading to MARRIAGE, which of course ruins independence as verily quoth in 10a. Thanks, B for taking us down under to TASMANIA and giving us a good time. By the way, B, it was nice to have met your wife and 17d at Chennai
Across
8 Place known as Saudi's captivating (6) NASSAU (T)
9 List of items in a deceased carrying vehicle (1,2,5) A LA CARTE (A LATE carrying CAR) Strictly speaking in French it means 'from the chart', not the list itself, but I think this usage might be acceptable
10 Ruin independence through madness of wedding (8) MARRIAGE (MAR, I in RAGE) ;-)
11 Top money for book in offer (6) SUMMIT (SUBMIT-B+M)
12 A large number it mysteriously takes down (7,8) BERMUDA TRIANGLE (A LARGE NUMBER IT* around Down) &lit
14 Took no notice of eroding ground (7) IGNORED (ERODING*)
16 Space station by the way to a natural satellite (7) MIRANDA (MIR AND A)
19 A steel-plated mug bubbling with foam at the mouth (3,3,7,2) GET ALL STEAMED UP (A STEEL PLATED MUG)*
22 Say read internet addresses returned by a computer program (6) SPIDER (RED ~read IPS)<
24 Dusk will shortly close around (8) TWILIGHT (WILL in TIGHT)
25 Concerned with female during birthing? It is harmless (3-5) NON-FATAL (ON F in NATAL)
He broke his skull and all limbs in an accident, but did not die. It was non-fatal and harmless.
26 Digit lacking sensation to a degree (6) NUMBER (2)
Down
1 Without leads play can be doubly good or flop badly (3,2,3) LAY AN EGG (pLAY cAN bE GX2)
2 While hour before noon in a retreat (6) ASHRAM (AS HR AM)
3 Merchandise bundles lay sorted out (3,3,4) BUY AND SELL (BUNDLES LAY)*
4 Look at Times' electronic newspaper (7) GAZETTE (GAZE TT E)
5 Large-scale religious service (4) MASS (2)
6 Sat around an isle one by Australian state down under (8) TASMANIA (SAT< MAN I A)
7 Young socialite, she is fashionably sightlier (2,4) IT GIRL ((ITGIRL+SHE)*=SIGHTLIER)
13 Copies lecturer gave out in blocks (10) IMITATIONS (LIMITATIONS-L)
15 Couple of cricket sides seen together sometimes (2,3,3) ON AND OFF (ON side AND OFF side)
17 Hilarity tenfold over the top for a child (8) DAUGHTER (LAUGHTER-L+D=10xL)
18 Say case of lady becoming noble (7) STATELY (STATE LadY)
20 Setter's recurring trick is to use... (6) EMPLOY (ME< PLOY)
21 ...essentially hidden meaning in cryptic puzzle (6) ENIGMA (MEANING-N)* Thanks to Deepak. Not absolutely sure how it works
23 Practice taking cap off pen (4) RITE (wRITE)
GRID
Across
8 Place known as Saudi's captivating (6) NASSAU (T)
9 List of items in a deceased carrying vehicle (1,2,5) A LA CARTE (A LATE carrying CAR) Strictly speaking in French it means 'from the chart', not the list itself, but I think this usage might be acceptable
10 Ruin independence through madness of wedding (8) MARRIAGE (MAR, I in RAGE) ;-)
11 Top money for book in offer (6) SUMMIT (SUBMIT-B+M)
12 A large number it mysteriously takes down (7,8) BERMUDA TRIANGLE (A LARGE NUMBER IT* around D
14 Took no notice of eroding ground (7) IGNORED (ERODING*)
16 Space station by the way to a natural satellite (7) MIRANDA (MIR AND A)
19 A steel-plated mug bubbling with foam at the mouth (3,3,7,2) GET ALL STEAMED UP (A STEEL PLATED MUG)*
22 Say read internet addresses returned by a computer program (6) SPIDER (RED ~read IPS)<
24 Dusk will shortly close around (8) TWILIGHT (WIL
25 Concerned with female during birthing? It is harmless (3-5) NON-FATAL (ON F in NATAL)
He broke his skull and all limbs in an accident, but did not die. It was non-fatal and harmless.
26 Digit lacking sensation to a degree (6) NUMBER (2)
Down
1 Without leads play can be doubly good or flop badly (3,2,3) LAY AN EGG (pLAY cAN bE GX2)
2 While hour before noon in a retreat (6) ASHRAM (AS HR AM)
3 Merchandise bundles lay sorted out (3,3,4) BUY AND SELL (BUNDLES LAY)*
4 Look at Times' electronic newspaper (7) GAZETTE (GAZE TT E)
5 Large-scale religious service (4) MASS (2)
6 Sat around an isle one by Australian state down under (8) TASMANIA (SAT< MAN I A)
7 Young socialite, she is fashionably sightlier (2,4) IT GIRL ((ITGIRL+SHE)*=SIGHTLIER)
13 Copies lecturer gave out in blocks (10) IMITATIONS (LIMITATIONS-L)
15 Couple of cricket sides seen together sometimes (2,3,3) ON AND OFF (ON side AND OFF side)
17 Hilarity tenfold over the top for a child (8) DAUGHTER (LAUGHTER-L+D=10xL)
18 Say case of lady becoming noble (7) STATELY (STATE LadY)
20 Setter's recurring trick is to use... (6) EMPLOY (ME< PLOY)
21 ...essentially hidden meaning in cryptic puzzle (6) ENIGMA (MEANING-N)* Thanks to Deepak. Not absolutely sure how it works
23 Practice taking cap off pen (4) RITE (
GRID
21 D: I interpreted it as anagram of ("cryptic" as anagrind) MEANING without the middle N (essentially hidden) i.e. MEAING* = ENIGMA (def = puzzle)
ReplyDeleteThat's how I interpreted it too, but the intervening "in" between the fodder and the anind is (IMO) a slight defect in an otherwise wonderful clue. It is necessary for the surface, I guess, but the anind - strictly speaking - appears to apply to "meaning in" rather than to meaning alone.
DeleteI too saw it like that but whether 'essentially hidden' adequately conveys the operation of deletion of the middle letter in 'meaning' I am not sure.
ReplyDeleteConsidering 'hidden' as a past participle of 'hide' (verb) then it's right.
ReplyDeleteSo close, yet so far! It was all due to the mistake I made at 17Dn. Filled in LAUGHTER and subsequently missed out on 16Ac MIRANDA. Yet happy to have scored 98%. Thanks, Buzzer, for an entertaining puzzle. :)
ReplyDeleteLovely puzzle. IT Girl was a tricky one to handle. Of course she being fashionable and all. Is there a def like that? I didn't know. Also I faced the construct of such nature for the first time
ReplyDeleteIt has been used earlier in THC and by the same setter.
Delete16 Space station by the way to a natural satellite (7) MIRANDA (MIR AND A)
ReplyDeleteAm not getting "AND A" part pl. :(
By the way = AND. (http://www.chambers.co.uk/search.php?query=and&title=thes)
DeleteIs 'to' needed? I felt it wasn't.
Thanks, Raghu. :)
DeleteLovely puzzle Buzzer :-) managed to complete it! Loved many clues especially Bermuda Triangle, Daughter, Gazette... :-)
ReplyDeleteLovely puzzle. IT Girl was a tricky one to handle. Of course she being fashionable and all. Is there a def like that? I didn't know. Also I faced the construct of such nature for the first time
ReplyDeleteJust lovely! Enjoyed solving it. Loved the marriage- very well done. Many lovely surfaces- imagine practicing taking a cap off pen!
ReplyDeleteBermuda Triangle would still have been a mystery to me if I had not seen the blog.
4D- TT for times?
ReplyDeleteYes - T = time, TT = times!
DeleteThank you Buzzer for a lovely puzzle!
ReplyDeleteThank you. I was wondering about a newspaper.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant puzzle! Lovely surfaces in 14, 19, 1, 15, 20, 21...I could go on! A whole bunch of devices that kept the mind buzzing. The reverse anagram at 7d and the &lit at 12 are remarkable.
ReplyDeleteThat 'merchandise' is also a verb was my learning for the day.
A million thanks to Buzzer - and to Kishore for the blog.
7D is a composite anagram and not reverse anagram, isn't it?
DeleteCorrect. Reverse anagram generally would have the anagrind also as part of the answer.
DeleteThanks, Ramki and Raghunath - it is indeed a composite anagram.
DeleteThoroughly enjoyable. Thanks Buzzer
ReplyDeleteMy COD 12 A.. Very nice Crossie.
ReplyDeleteSome wonderful surfaces. Loved it.
ReplyDeleteMy favourites: Nassau, Bermuda Triangle (my CoD), Miranda, Get All Steamed Up, Lay An Egg, Buy And Sell, It Girl (couldn't solve it, though)
What ??? You could not solve something ??? That's strange
DeleteProves he isn't a robot! :)
DeleteHaha. To further burst your bubble, on average, I solve just about 80% of a TH crossword and then give up.
DeleteAverage comes down because you don't solve Mac's puzzles :-D
DeleteUnless it's a competition?
DeleteNo carrot dangling here!? ;-)
DeleteYeah, with no carrot, there's only so much time I'm willing to spend on a crossword :)
DeleteAlso, it is an off beat clue.Nicely framed.
ReplyDeleteBeauty of a cw as usual
ReplyDeleteNice one from Buzzer. Here is another take on the IT Girl.
ReplyDeleteIT girl wins panchayat poll in Bhind badlands
It seems she has 'it' in her to fight. A rare case indeed in such a backward region.
ReplyDelete7 Young socialite, she is fashionably sightlier (2,4) IT GIRL ((ITGIRL+SHE)*=SIGHTLIER)
ReplyDeleteAs there is always a deletion is involved in Composite Anagram clues, I think the Anno can be shown this way too : (SIGHTLIER - SHE)*
Sure, it can
DeleteNothing like a THC to warm up the cockles of the heart and heat up the brain, on a windy chill sub-zero weather here in Manhattan. BERMUDA TRIANGLE gobbled up my thinking !! Gives on the scare to cross the Atlantic !!
ReplyDeleteIT GIRL, can mean a girl with IT or IT knowledge?
Couldn't get to do the ONLINE for the last four days. Is there is a reason? . Contented with reading the blog and the Annos.
The Hindu crosswords compilers are unique ! How much of a spread they get abroad? Are there any solvers from the UK? If so, what could be their opinion on our compliers? I'm sure, the Col and Shuchi must have helped in spreading the gospel in this regard? Any analysis done?
ReplyDelete