Monday, 21 September 2015

No 11505, Monday 21 Sep 2015, xChequer


ACROSS
7   Duct not empty but free-flowing (6) FLUENT {FLUE}{NoT}
8   Arrived without energy, voicing distress in drive (8) CAMPAIGN {CAMe}{PAIGN}(~pain)
9   Rocket leaves earth at separating sequence (8) ESCALATE {E}{SCAL{AT}E}
10 Everyone else got her seat reserved (6) OTHERS [T]
11 Slips in small jokes (5) SKIDS {S}{KIDS}
12 Alternative thesis holds up (6) HEISTS*
14 Prepare to shift onus, losing pride (4,2,4,5) GIRD UP ONES LOINS*
17 Dog spacing out blackbird (6) BEAGLE {B}{EAGLE}
18 Limited firm (5) PITHY [DD] (Addendum - TIGHT [DD] - See comments)
22 Release book without jacket, butler intervenes (6) OUTLET {O{bUTLEr}T}
23 Mention glitches after one in two shakes (2,2,4) IN NO TIME {1}{NO TIME}*
24 My ideal spot in coastal road (8) CORNICHE {COR}{NICHE}
25 Withdraw in simulated trance (6) RECANT*

DOWN
1   Intimate secret about kin abroad (5-4) CLOSE-KNIT {CLOSE-{KIN*}T}
2   Tip one sketching picture, say, a complimentary payment (6) REWARD <=
3   Small-time music band (5) STRAP {S}{T}{RAP}
4   Stamps with impression of 'Yours truly' rejected by managers (8) EMBOSSES {EM<=}{BOSSES}
5   A physicality essentially seen in male and his manner of doing something (8) MACHISMO {MAC}{HIS}{MO} &lit (Addendum - {M}{{A}{p...iCa...y}{HIS}{MO} - See comments)
6   Originally ancient area to gather, over in Greece (5) AGORA {An...t}{G{O}R}{A} &lit
8   Excited seeing caramel custard (5,8) CREME ANGLAISE*
13 Picking up beefcakes that don't upset stomachs? (2,3,4) ON THE MEND {HE-MEN} in {DON'T}*
15 Spot fish, including bass, gently moving in water (8) DABBLING {DAB}{B}{LING}
16 Policy fee to cover undertaking (8) PRACTICE {PR{ACT}ICE}
19 Flawless in diplomacy (6) INTACT {IN}{TACT}
20 Folding mattress, put up merino tufted cushions (5) FUTON [T<=]
21 Still to introduce missing son (5) INERT INsERT

GRID

Posted by at
Labels: ,

20 comments:

  1. Vasant21 September 2015 at 08:37

    Got 2 wrong..9A & 2D: which shows that rechecking & annotation are very important...loved the clues & was able to fill the grid before 6:00 am.....along with the long ones beagle & outlet were my favorites...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Abhay21 September 2015 at 08:49

    I put down 18d as TIGHT - I think that's a better fit for the DD.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Vasant21 September 2015 at 08:56

      You mean 18A: i put it down as RIGID

      Delete
    2. Abhay21 September 2015 at 08:59

      Sorry - I did mean 18A. I guess RIGID fits too, which would make it an iffy clue then - what a pity!

      Delete
    3. Mukundala Balasubramanyam21 September 2015 at 09:06

      I had 18ac as FIXED and was in a fix to get 13dn !

      Delete
    4. Padmanabhan21 September 2015 at 09:21

      I had put it down as 'Tight' and was sure it would be right.

      Delete
  3. Vasant21 September 2015 at 08:50

    Not able to get the anno of MACHISMO as given in the post...i put it as DD

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Abhay21 September 2015 at 09:02

      (A + physiCality) seen in M and HIS Modus Operandi.

      Delete
  4. Bhavan21 September 2015 at 08:54

    Lovely crossword.

    I had TIGHT for 18a too

    I think 5d is A + (physi-)C(-ality) inside M(-ale) + HIS + MO

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Vasant21 September 2015 at 09:03

      I must b slow today: MO?

      Delete
    2. Vasant21 September 2015 at 09:09

      Got MOas modus operandi from CV sirs comment above..thanks

      Delete
    3. Chaturvasi21 September 2015 at 09:14

      (Yes, but I must tell members that I deleted that Comment of mine as it was not quite correct in the wordplay mentioned.)

      Delete
  5. Abhay21 September 2015 at 08:54

    What a puzzle, xChequer! The &lit at 5d is alone seems worth the price of admission, but that would be doing injustice to several other gems scattered around the puzzle - 14a, 17a, 1d, 2d, 13d - the last one, especially, is a masterclass in clue construction. Thank you for an exciting morning!

    I am not fully clear about the parsing of 9a. Is "leaves" in there only for the surface?

    Thank you for the blog, DG!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Chaturvasi21 September 2015 at 09:00

    Abhay
    Why don't you see 'leave' as a link word?
    A (rocket) leaves/sees/wherein we can observe the rest of the clue

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Abhay21 September 2015 at 09:03

      Bingo! Thank you - I missed that.

      Delete
    2. Chaturvasi21 September 2015 at 12:37

      Thank God, this didn't show up when my granddaughter was beside me.
      To understand this Comment of mine, first please read my 11:19 below. Thanks.

      Delete
  7. ranger21 September 2015 at 09:23

    Bravo! 8D takes the cake and the custard!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Srividya21 September 2015 at 10:40

    Yippee first time an xchequer puzzle done and dusted .... of corz the pithy tight rigid is a q. Had all three options and chose pithy ... as most apt. Felt like a cowboy blowin off smoke from a fresh hot gun

    ReplyDelete
  9. Chaturvasi21 September 2015 at 11:19

    My granddaughter is visiting us after writing her exam and will be here till her father picks her up later. Just now she looked over my shoulder. To her grandma's question as to what she wants to eat, she has demanded noodles.
    See how we are influenced not only by ads but even by what people write!
    Srividya, you deserve a packet of money from ITC.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Bombadil21 September 2015 at 13:32

    Extraordinary piece of work. Creative indicators, smooth and polished reading. Setter's wisdom shows in the surfaces. A bit on the tough side, but I like that; it was a delight to solve with several PDMs. Beautiful work. Thoroughly enjoyed it! Thank you very much xChequer...

    ReplyDelete

deepakgita@gmail.com

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)