ACROSS
1 Marginal alteration yet causing distress (8) ALARMING*
5 Pair beginning to enter wonderful house, if factory-made (6) PREFAB {P
10 Engineer's gamble concealing one fault at the front of building (7) EDIFICE {E}{D{1}{F
11 Sample last of beer in bar (7) EXCERPT {
12 Time to steer around knotty problem (6) TESTER {STEER}* around T
13 Go near to steal back chisel, say (4,4) EDGE TOOL {EDGE} {TOOL<=}
16 Smoker's visions? (4,6) PIPE DREAMS [CD]
18 Unleashed, at large (2,3,5) ON THE LOOSE [C&DD]
20 Pronouncedly rotten fruit (4) UGLI (~ugly)
24 Sriharikota event finds ace in meal (6) LAUNCH {L{A}UNCH}
26 Regretting over fifty small pronouncements (7) RULINGS {RU{L}ING}{S}
27 A church official, I inferred (1,6) A PRIORI {A} {PRIOR}{I}
28 Most like Solomon with sister endlessly fighting (6) WISEST {W}{SISTE
29 Exemplar of patience to observe what Employment News does (3-5) JOB WATCH {JOB} {WATCH}
DOWN
1 Optimistic gamblers today presumably look for this (1,6,8) A BETTER TOMORROW [CD]
2 Alternative names a lassie forged (7) ALIASES {A}{LASSIE*}
3 Posted with a degree, I was at the front (6) MAILED {MA}{I}{LED}
4 Can't do without rub, say (4) NEED (~knead)
6 A scientific study of temperature in part of garden (8) ROCKETRY {ROCKE{T}RY}
7 Not against money order to South Africa or Taiwan once (7) FORMOSA {FOR}{MO}{SA}
8 Encounters an angler may have till he gets the catch (7,4,4) BATTLES WITH FISH [CD\
9 All needs supplied by the English in WW II aid programme (4-5) LEND-LEASE {ALL+NEEDS}*{E}
14 Almost omit making noise on maiden's hate of change (9) MISONEISM {MISs}{NOISE*}{M} New word for me
17 It's crucial to call on Sunday for double-loop devices (3,5) KEY RINGS {KEY} {RING}{S}
19 Bandage not right — almost reduced — causes scraps (7) TUSSLES {T
21 Vessel involved in a kind of diplomacy (7) GUNBOAT [C&DD]
22 Litter of pigs making much noise (6) FARROW {FAR}{ROW}
25 Go down, love, for pudding ingredient (4) SAGO {SAG}{O} I hate this in my payasam, I call them 'frogs eggs'
GRID
Nice one from Gridman. NE quadrant took quite some time.
ReplyDeleteI had 5A as
ReplyDeletePair= Pr, Beginning to enter = E, Wonderful=Fab, Housing, if factory-made=Defn
I think you are spot on. I was wondering where 'RE' came from. This explains it.But is 'Pr' for pair found in any standard abbreviations list?
ReplyDeleteI spent very engrossing hour, but could not complete- particularly the NE corner as observed by you.
9A was new to me. I was trying to fit in 'Land Lease', but obviously could not.
ReplyDeleteI was fooled by taking it as 'Scientific study of temp.'
Me too Paddy
DeleteNice puzzle. I was found wanting in SE corner!
ReplyDeleteFound wanting everywhere. Just scored 45% :((((
ReplyDeleteCol Sir, I too hate Javvarisi in payasam.
ReplyDeleteColonel, payasam reminds me...you had once posted a helpfully detailed recipe of upma on some other blog (LA Times?) and ended your comment with the declaration that you hate it :-D
ReplyDeleteI do remember posting something on the LA Times blog, I don't think it was was Upma, can't recall what it was
DeleteJust remembered it was Ragi porridge, my wife used to have it for breakfast
DeleteDeepak, I am in the process of listing your pet aversions, if you don't mind.
ReplyDelete1. Avocado 2. Sago 3. ....
You can add more. I remember toddy too.... ;-)
Upma, as quoth SU up above...
Delete...and here is a guy who loves his food alright but has a different complaint!
DeleteConstantly complaining about the temperature
A customer was bothering the waiter in a restaurant. First, he asked that the air conditioning be turned up because he was too hot, then he asked it be turned down cause he was too cold, and so on for about half an hour.
Surprisingly, the waiter was very patient, he walked back and forth and never once got angry. So finally, a second customer asked him why he didn't throw out the pest.
"Oh, I really don't care or mind," said the waiter with a smile. "We don't even have an air conditioner."
Three monks, who were under a austere oath of silence, were permitted one sentence per year, that too by rotation. Happy about his daily meal, the first, at the end of the first year, said. "I love porridge!". He was countered a year later by the second, "I hate porridge!". One year later the third admonished them, "Stop bickering over porridge and wasting your one precious sentence on it! "
ReplyDeleteNow that I have typed it I wonder why they did not use pen/pencil and paper, board and chalk, FB, text or WhatsApp...
That said, for the record, I too detest sago. And I too ran aground in the NE despite landing in Formosa. Formosa always reminds me of Teresa Teng ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bv_cEeDlop0
Now that we are snuggling up to China, I need to brush up my woMandarin ...
DeleteEnjoyed the melody sung by Teresa Teng. Thanks for the link, Kishore. :)
DeleteYou may settle for a common 'person'darin.
ReplyDeleteYour story of silent monks reminded me of story of a tortoise family in a bar/ restaurant.
How about Bobby Darin? (Not Bobby Darling!)
DeleteCome September?
DeleteBTW, we are snuggling up ti Israel as well- so on to Yiddish.
ReplyDeleteThe ShinBeth will kick me in the shin
DeleteK is back to form. I needed Google to crack his code of Israeli top secret....
ReplyDeleteFor those of you who like this song watch and hear it at this link HOTEL CALIFORNIA
ReplyDeleteNice one Sir! Liked the human guitarist the most!!
DeleteNice song. Long since I heard it.
DeleteOur family liked javvarisi payasam till a facebook share showed how unhygeinic, yucky manufacturing process of sago from the root! One relative told me she saw with her own eyes the 'horrid truth' in Kerala! I have stopped preparing javvarisi payasam.
ReplyDeleteFace book saves!
ReplyDeleteTalking of SAGO, reminds one of those vazha vazha kozha kozha characters-- as elusive to catch in the teeth but goddamn clever in getting stuck in between the said teeth ! same as Falooda with sabja seeds. Deepak: Do you like falooda with its toppings of subja seeds ? CV will have a story to tell? or can Kishore create an imagery?
Delete