Bye Bye 2015
Some smashing surfaces today to end the year.
ACROSS
1 Spot around dock is wet (6) SLOPPY {S{LOP}PY}
4 Excellent squash Carol’s sipping (8) SMASHING {S{MASH}ING}
10 Old husband sterile, wife unhappy? (9) ERSTWHILE {H+STERILE+W}*
11 One caught in stampede about to suffer (5) INCUR {1}{N{C}UR<=}
12 Teacher expressing annoyance at four regular absentees (5) TUTOR {TUT}{
13 Abbess having love, first for church say (9) PRONOUNCE {PRO}{N{O}UN}{CE}
14 Sunday's fight is tough (5) STIFF {S}{TIFF}
16 Birds often returned to exact locality (8) DISTRICT {
19 Son takes regular care to clean yacht’s grating (8) SCRATCHY {S}{C
20 Outgoing men always find excitement (5) FEVER F
23 … undressed, or nude and promiscuous (9) UNADORNED*
24 Difficult chore to obtain this pigment (5) OCHRE*
26 Lawless region’s out of control (5) REIGN REGI
27 Guy to run campaign against King is a radical (5,4) YOUNG TURK {GUY+TO+RUN*{K}
28 Ask girl in brown to get painter’s equipment (5,3) SPRAY GUN {PRAY}{G} in {SUN}
29 Execute and bury Englishman in grave (6) BEHEAD {E}{HE} in {BAD}
DOWN
1 Man wearing small hat used for covering (6) SHEATH {S+HAT}* around {HE}
2 Start working with group (5) ONSET {ON}{SET}
3 We got involved in arranging notary for poet as a proxy legal authority (5,2,8) POWER OF ATTORNEY {WE} in {NOTARY+FOR+POET}*
5 Memory aid for irresponsible men forgetting Monica’s article (8) MNEMONIC {MEN*}{MONIC
6 Son feels uptight resulting in a verbal bloomer (4,2,3,6) SLIP OF THE TONGUE* Mix up in the intended fodder, there's an extra S and an O missing ('Soon feel uptight' would have worked)
7 Reward money I have after getting elected (9) INCENTIVE {IN}{CENT}{I'VE}
8 Member wearing men's clothing (8) GARMENTS {G{ARM}ENTS}
9 Joint operation mounted to get animal (5) HIPPO {HIP}{PO<=}
17 Without question, nonconformist art uses drawing tools (1, 7) T SQUARES {ART+USES}* around {Q}
18 Wave hanky out expressing gratitude (5,3) THANK YOU*
21 Quietly leaving stage in shame (5) ODIUM
22 Became weak having climaxed? (6) PEAKED [DD]
25 Gardening tool found outside American’s home (5) HOUSE {HO{US}E}
Wishing all a very happy New Year..hope we can all look forward to a 2016 that is exciting fulfilling and prosperous.. Thank you Phantom for a lovely year end puzzle.. absolutely smashing indeed :)
ReplyDelete6d: My apologies. Was over confident (not uptight) that the fodder was correct, and didn't bother to recheck, resulting in the bloomer.
ReplyDeleteLovely clues Phantom!
ReplyDeleteDoubt about the deletion indicator in this clue:
26A Lawless region’s out of control (5) REIGN REGIoN*
Unless, O is the abbreviation for OF
yes
DeleteCould someone give me a detailed explanation of this clue
Delete26A Lawless region’s out of control (5) REIGN REGIoN* one word after another as we do sometimes.
Lawless - Anind
DeleteRegion - Anagram fodder
Is
Out - Deletion indicator
Of - O (Haven't checked this abbrev)
Control - REIGN
Thank you, Col. It just didn't strike me when I tried.
DeleteO' as in Will o' the wisp or cat o' nine tails.
DeleteThanks Raghunath, Col & Suresh!
DeleteExcellent cw, Raghu.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year everybody.
ReplyDeleteThank you to all the Ss.
ReplyDeleteHappy new year to one and all at THCC.
Excellent CW to end the year- waving a hanky to say 'Thank you' Phantom.
ReplyDeleteStarted late with the effect that I had to have the samosas for lunch!
Best Wishes for a very happy & prosperous interesting and lively New Year to everyone at THCC with a 'Thank you' to all those who wished.
A big 18D to Phantom for making a 4A last day of 2015.
ReplyDeleteSuperb Crossword...once the long ones went in...others quickly followed suit
Excellent. Really smashing thanks to well-knit clues.Initially I thought I may not be able to make it. As the timeadvanced things started falling in places. All stated an year end bonanza in true sense.Thanks T.P.
ReplyDeleteLogging in late!
ReplyDeleteA smashing year end puzzle from Phantom! Could manage only 80%...yet am happy!
By the way an important announcement from NASA, USA and ISRO
Please don't go to toilet @ 11:59 p.m. today
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You will come out only next year!!!
Addvace New Year wishes to all. :-)
Here's wishing ye-all a very happy New year . May this blog log in many more big blogs ! This blog has turned out to be a learning Institution for all those who want to grasp cryptic crosswords' intricacies. I doubt whether any where else any one can do it better ! Thanks to Rameshji, the colouring of letters truly facilitates parsing
ReplyDeleteand dancing of the anagrams, deletions and additions etc .
Onward we blog to a happier 2016 and beyond, singing the Colonel's Boogey !! woo wooo wooo !
A very Happy New Year to all!
ReplyDeletehad a hearty laugh over the important announcement from NASA, USA and ISRO!!!
ReplyDeleteFantastic puzzle! Happy new year to all!
ReplyDeleteThroater (15DN)? I am afraid I don't follow the derivation. Can someone explain? Please?
ReplyDelete15 Row about bowler getting run out got hoarser (9) THROATIER {T{H{RO}AT}IER}
DeleteROW: TIER
about Bowler: Surrounding bowler (hat) = around HAT.
Getting: again surrounding R(un), O(ut). i.e HAT surrounds R O and this inside TIER= T[H{R O}AT]IER
Thank you. Very cleverly conceived!
DeleteThank you. Very cleverly conceived!
Delete