Friday 6 November 2015

No 11544, Friday 06 Nov 2015, Neyartha


I had to do some monkey business to get 4 and 12D.

ACROSS
1   Custom work-out (8) PRACTICE [DD]
5   Arrogance of Bill finding a part of the lungs (3,3) AIR SAC {AIR S}{AC}
9   A mineral spring outlet has been turned around for the European (8) SPANIARD {SPA}{NIARD<=}
10 Oriental getting rid of the old tailless marine mammal in the old Greek city (6) DELPHI D(-o+e)ELPHIn
11 Make fun of a reptile in an unfortunate situation with an imitation appetiser (4,6,4) MOCK TURTLE SOUP {MOCK} {TURTLE} {SOUP}
14 Take pleasure in the chiefs of the European navies joining our youngsters (5) ENJOY Acrostic
16 Granulation is abnormal after lithium is taken out by an animal (9) ORANGUTAN GRANUlATiON*
17 Celebrate with rites as the playful lioness holds me back (9) SOLEMNISE {ME<=} in {LIONESS}*
19 A shrub for the Pole participating in the carnage (5) GORSE {GOR{S}E}
20 Gliding mammal that's wingless? (6,8) FLYING SQUIRREL [GK]
23 Power firm (6) AGENCY [DD]
24 Uma discarded palladium compound left with the youth leader in a manner lacking interest (8) PALLIDLY {PALLaDIum}*{L}{Y}
25 Animal hidden by the Gabon oboists (6) BONOBO [T]
26 Critical warning from the French caught by a westbound merchant (3,5) RED ALERT {LE} in {TRADER<=}

DOWN
1   In boots, he might be part of a tall story (4) PUSS [GK]
2   Black honeycreeper with the first maiden replaced by a criminal in a massacre in 1836 (5) ALAMO (-m+al)ALAMO
3   Doctor, itchy, had gone around Kuala Lumpur and spoken with poor articulation (7) THICKLY {ITCHY}* around {KL}
4   Abundant sources of supply (11) CORNUCOPIAS [E] Though I've marked this as an 'E' I had to google for it
6   Its tip might hide a much bigger problem (7) ICEBERG [GK]
7   Advocate preposterous arrangement to avoid SEO (9) SUPPORTER PREPOsTeRoUS*
8   Rest in retreat inside ring grasping the final letter with an Oriental animal (10) CHIMPANZEE {CHIM{PAN<=}{Z}{E}E}
12 Having a band to provide internal support for drafting ace rebuttal (11) TRABECULATE* Thanks to google again
13 Blames golf problem on the gigots (4,2,4) LEGS OF LAMB*
15 Sweet vitamin gets misplaced in trial after Yankee gets set in the beginning (5,4) JELLY BEAN {JELL}{Y} {B(+e)EAN(-e)}
18 Michigan cabin remodelled to get a type of taxi (7) MINICAB {MI}{CABIN*}
19 Terrorist, part of an irregular armed force, heard the animal (7) GORILLA (~guerilla)
21 Gift concealed by a dozen duellists (5) ENDUE [T]
22 Abnormal growth on the auditor's primitive grave (4) CYST (~cist)

GRID

23 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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    1. 4dn is CORNUCPIAS, pl of CORNUCOPIA, the horn of plenty

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    2. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  2. 24 Uma discarded palladium compound left with the youth leader in a manner lacking interest (8) PALLIDLY {PALLaDIum}*{L}{Y}

    Doubt about the deletion: Shouldn't it be Palladium discarded Uma and not the other way around?

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    1. This was discussed in Crossword Unclued recently. 'A wanting B' is as 'A lacking B' (A – B). But, if you one gives the setter some licence, it can also be read it as 'A-wanting B' (B – A).
      Here, it would be - Uma discarded, palladium*

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    2. Another way of looking at it- (Uma discarded) palladium with the words in bracket taken as an adjective. Of course, wise after the event.

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  3. Nice puzzle. Seems to be a themed one with so many monkeys around!

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  4. PUSS swallowed my samosas :(( Rest are enjoyable.

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  5. Ditto here. Looking to fit heel going by 'tall' and tied myself up in knots in the NW corner. Complicated, as usual, by Neyartha.

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  6. Blog is colourful today- with pictures ( I counted 9 of them)

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    1. 4 Apes, 5 Tree dwellers & 6 Mammals in the grid today. I think tree dwellers is the intended theme

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  7. The posters showing cornucopia are very popular. A horn teeming with a variety of fruits. I remember having seen them in many houses and offices since my childhood. But came to know the word only in college.

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  8. This was a struggle..esp 4d & 1 d....challenging as usual with Neyartha..monkeys & flying squirrels & turtles..neverthless did 14 A..enjoy

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  9. Mammalian theme. Monkeys, squirrels, Puss. Lamb, Turtle (not exactly mammal), lioness

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    1. Mock Turtle Soup is from meat of mammals

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  10. PP must be loving this crossword with all the monkeys around. Haven't seen her around here for some time.

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    1. Thanks, Ramesh, for remembering my favourites! Still reeling under jet lag.

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  11. When a blog administrator removes a comment, does he do blue-pencilling? Without knowing what the subject that was deleted, does he not hide the pooshanikka in the rice( as my mother used to say?)

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  12. It is not just pooshanikkai but muzhu po.. (full) which is impossible.

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  13. Very interesting x'ie with well laid-out clues meandering through various subjects. 5,11,20 a &8d stand out.12 d- very tough but thanks to crossing letter wd could crack it. Cornucopias was easy to come by because I had a passi ve knowledge of it. But I thought that cornucopia itself is pluralusage. All told a very good entertaing puzzle. Thanks Neyartha.

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