Saturday 4 February 2017

No 11922, Saturday 04 Feb 2017, xChequer


ACROSS
7   Rain poured in through duplex (6) BINARY {B{RAIN*}Y}
8   Bishops' details on page (8) PRELATES {P}{RELATES}
9   Roving polar bears — they endlessly reproduced in excess (8) PLETHORA {THEy}* in {POLAR}*
10 Kid hosting family gathering (6) RAKING {RA{KIN}G}
11 Enrich organs using divine blood (5) ICHOR [T]
12 Order concerning couple (6) REPAIR {RE}{PAIR}
14 Tour the hot, hip sights? (3,3,4,5) HIT THE HIGH SPOTS* &lit
17 A crowd without energy, a shape-shifting entity (6) AMOEBA {A}{MO{E}B}{A}
18 Wild West films hot for fans (5) WHETS {H} in {WEST}*
22 Absolute match in some religious texts (6) ?V?S?A (Addendum - AVESTA {A}{VESTA} - See comments)
23 Bill sent over with jam pudding (4,4) ETON MESS {NOTE<=} {MESS}

24 Cunning character hiding marks in furniture (8) ARMCHAIR {AR{M}CH}{AIR}
25 Father's state: about to turn bankrupt (6) PAUPER {PA}{UP}{RE<=}

DOWN
1   Sort of idle tactic, wasting time in debate (9) DIALECTIC {IDLE+tACTIC}*
2   Art of needle adjustment at tool rooms (6) TATTOO [T]
3   Ancient gateway, buckling only under pressure (5) PYLON {P}{ONLY}*

4   To blame is cheap, right or wrong (8) REPROACH {CHEAP+R+OR}*
5   Setting in decline, beyond reverse (8) BACKDROP {DROP}<=>{BACK}
6   Slowly withdraws from a breaking news broadcast (5) WEANS {A} in {NEWS}*
8   Improvised rapidly, any step able to be taken without set plans (6,2,2,3) PLAYED IT BY EAR {RApIDlY+anY+sTEP+ABLE}*
13 Senate most disorderly without old political leaders (9) STATESMEN {SENATE+MoST}*
15 Deal managed in revolutionary way by undertaking (8) TRANSACT {T{RAN}S<=}{ACT}
16 Promoting girl only? Yes, 'Little Boy' dropped from this (5,3) ENOLA GAY  {GAL+ONE+YA}* Indirect anagram? (Addendum - {G}{ALONE}<={AY} - See comments)

19 Fake sweet (6) HUMBUG [DD]
20 Head off acceleration, keeping runs in check (5) AVERT {A}{VE{R}T}
21 Gradually convert gold hoarded by politician at home (5) MORPH {M{OR}P}{H}

GRID

33 comments:

  1. Today being the 8th Anniversary of this blog there will be an anniversary special at 8 AM

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  2. 16DN: I too felt so.
    Otherwise, all are fine. Somehow, didn't get the feel of Xchequer

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  3. Came back to solving puzzles after a couple of days' break.A not so tough puzzle but an extremely enjoyable one. Elona Gay and Eton Mess were new to me. The long ones though went in easily.
    Thank you XChequer.

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  4. Greetings to the blog owners on the 8th birthday!!!

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  5. Congratulations , Col on our blog's 8th birthday. May we ,ove on to 80 and beyond. Are you cutting a cake? Call over other Bangaloreans and do it ! Have a piece for me . God bless you !

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  6. Many more happy returns of the day to THCC

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  7. Raju
    How old we will all be on the 80th anniversary of the blog? There must be some limit to our wishes, I say.

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    Replies
    1. Kal ho na Ho==Hum Rahe na Hum, Tum Rahe na TUM ! The Show will go on ! If wishes were donkeys, I am one !

      Raj Kapoor's famous : Ham na rahenge, Tum na rahenge, Phir bhi rahengi nishaaniya !

      Baton will get passed on. I am an optimist to the core !

      Delete
  8. 22 Absolute match in some religious texts (6) ?V?S?A
    AVESTA
    Absolute - A
    match - VESTA - remember those short thin white-coloured matches?
    in
    some religious texts - def

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  9. Avesta is the primary collection of religious texts of Zoroastrianism, composed in the otherwise unrecorded Avestan language. AVESTAN has been clued twice in Gridman puzzles.

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  10. Those tiny sticks were coated with wax ( and hence called wax vestas) and would never extinguish until done forcibly. Many a smoker's fingers had got burnt , because they were also small in size and length.

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  11. Congratulations 😀 i thought 16 d was parsed as (G+ALONE)<== + AY .. the reversal not being extended to the Yes part of the fodder..

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  12. Congrats Colonel and Best Wishes on the Blog's Anniversary!

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