Tuesday, 22 December 2015

No 11581, Tuesday 22 Dec 2015, Skulldugger


Trouble in the SW corner.

ACROSS
5   Undergo detailed transformation to make verb form (6) GERUND UNDERGo*
6   Leader of elves follows Santa with article (6) CLAUSE {CLAUS}{Elves}
9   Regain consciousness in bed holding setter with love (4,2) COME TO {CO{ME} T}{O}
10 Discerns inaccurately and countermands (8) RESCINDS*
11 Make out during break-up song (4) SNOG*
12 Braid had ya going mad during disastrous spell (3,4,3) BAD HAIR DAY*
13 Where criminals hang out as part of sentence? (11) CONJUNCTION {CON}{JUNCTION}
18 Mark of possession that's perhaps too obscure (10) APOSTROPHE* My COD
21 Vexed, upset by desire (4) EROS <=
22 Sound elements doctor downloaded into cells (8) (Addendum - PHONEMES {ME} in {PHONES} - See comments)
23 Systematic orderly structure reportedly leads to duty on alcohol, for instance (3,3) SIN TAX (~ syntax)
24 Road surface could be “car mat”? (6) TARMAC*
25 Many a freshwater carnivore flounders around after decapitation (6) OTTERS tOTTERS

DOWN
1   Properly organised opera gig might feature one (8) ARPEGGIO* &lit
2   Lay to rest nurse and doctor who embraced void after end of shift (6) ENTOMB {EN}{shifT}{O}{MB}
3   A thing of superior quality — affirmative action perhaps! (5,3) CLASS ACT {DD?] Anno pending See comments
4   Younger panel member heartlessly besieges Northern Ireland (6) JUNIOR {NI} in {JUrOR}
5   Justification for yesterday's grind (6) GROUND How do we classify this clue? [DD] - See comments
7   Make appealing, even extremely expensive (6) ENDEAR {EveN}{DEAR}
8   Rotting pads decomposing in remote commercial establishment (7,4) TRADING POST*
14 I, being French, admire sad lamentation (8) JEREMIAD {JE}{ADMIRE*}
15 Hero's sweetheart pursuing love's bloom (8) OLEANDER {O}{LEANDER}
16 Happy hunter's final result (6) UPBEAT / UPSHOT ? {UP}{SHOT} - See comments
17 Slippery creatures' conventions in speech (6) MORAYS (~mores)
19 More than one way to preserve a tomato? (6) (Addendum - SUNDRY [DD] )
20 Substitute trapezist leaving pit acrobatically (6) ERSATZ TRApEZiSt


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27 comments:

  1. Nadathur Rajan22 December 2015 at 08:32

    22 PHONE(ME)S

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nadathur Rajan22 December 2015 at 08:33

    19d SUN/DRY

    ReplyDelete
  3. SandhyaP22 December 2015 at 08:34

    3 A thing of superior quality — affirmative action perhaps! (5,3) CLASS ACT {DD?]
    yes, it is a DD. Second meaning:
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affirmative_action

    ReplyDelete
  4. Nadathur Rajan22 December 2015 at 08:36

    5 Justification for yesterday's grind (6) GROUND
    D&CD
    Justification - GROUND
    yesterday's grind = past tense of grind = GROUND

    ReplyDelete
  5. SandhyaP22 December 2015 at 08:38

    16 Happy hunter's final result (6) UPSHOT
    DD: second meaning - the final shot(in archery)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Deepak Gopinath22 December 2015 at 08:41

      How is it a DD. Upshot is not Happy. I can accept it as a CD

      Delete
    2. Vasant22 December 2015 at 08:50

      I took it as a charade...UP= happy + Shot= hunter(as in he is a good shot)

      Delete
    3. Raghunath22 December 2015 at 08:51

      I think Vasant is right

      Delete
    4. SandhyaP22 December 2015 at 08:56

      Sorry got confused with UPBEAT!

      Delete
  6. Mukundala Balasubramanyam22 December 2015 at 09:14

    My contribution for the day!

    Could you please highlight the definitions for 21 & 22 Across?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Srividya22 December 2015 at 09:21

      22a - def is sound elements , 21a should be Desire ? ..

      Delete
    2. Mukundala Balasubramanyam22 December 2015 at 09:33

      Agreed :) Mine was a reminder for Col Sir to highlight them.

      Delete
  7. Srividya22 December 2015 at 09:24

    Oops.. couldnt finish this one.. top half was okay but south west ouch..skirted a lot of them like phonemes, otters, morays and oleander but couldnt parse them properly :( had oleander as orlandos which put me off too .. totally 12a hee hee .. tuff one Skulldugger..

    ReplyDelete
  8. Chaturvasi22 December 2015 at 09:39

    Theme is grammatical terms: gerund, clause, apostrophe, conjunction, phonemes

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. RameshJ22 December 2015 at 10:56

      23A ~syntax also? Surprised that "Sin Tax" was not grid filled as "Syntax", as it would have added to the theme word set, without any change in crossings

      Delete
    2. Deepak Gopinath22 December 2015 at 11:03

      Duty on alcohol, for instance, reportedly is a systematic orderly structure (6)

      Delete
    3. SKULLDUGGER22 December 2015 at 11:26

      Well spotted Ramesh. I initially did have "syntax" in the grid, but found myself with a version of the Colonel's clue. I abandoned it as I thought the (homonym of (category that must be guessed from example)) structure slightly too clunky and unfair, and settled for "sin tax" instead. Though I suppose there are ways to do it more elegantly. Also, I find the best theme crosswords employ the theme in some of the clues as well, and though it is not totally apparent in this clue, you could have the theme in the clue rather than in the answer.

      Delete
  9. Unknown22 December 2015 at 11:24

    Wonderful puzzle from Skulldugger. Many Matured clues. 13 and 18 A get special mentions

    ReplyDelete
  10. Suresh22 December 2015 at 11:53

    Today is a crossword anniversary. The first crossword puzzle was published this date in 1913.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. raju umamaheswar22 December 2015 at 14:32

      Thanks to the creator of first crosswords ! Or else, we wouldn't be in this blog !!

      Many Happy returns on this day of crossword anniversary ! CV can comment about the journey and where we are heading to ?

      and Shuchi too in her blog?

      Delete
  11. Ramani22 December 2015 at 11:55

    Slippery creatures got my samosas:(

    ReplyDelete
  12. Padmanabhan22 December 2015 at 14:10

    I never knew they ate samosas:-)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Unknown22 December 2015 at 17:37

    If they don't eat samosas, we'll eat their share!! Thoroughly enjoyed the crossword, Skullugger, took me back to school grammar classes! Phonemes and otters had me in a spin for quite a while.

    ReplyDelete

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