ACROSS
7 Personal appeal to assemble armchairs right away (8) CHARISMA A
9 Bachelor packing glue at sea for a marine mammal (6) BELUGA {B}GLUE*}A}
11 Letters from the astronaut (a hooligan) to the state (4) UTAH [T]
12 Shed's got the ring, reportedly (4) PEEL (~peal)
13 Review entertaining account by the Yankee with courage (8) AUDACITY {AUD{AC}IT}{Y}
16 Crowd in retreat embraces departure with a flower (7) BLOSSOM {LOSS} in {MOB<=}
20 Protrusion at the rear end of a marine mammal (8) HUMPBACK {HUMP}{BACK}
23 Leading statesmen hop off, objecting to an exclamative order to disperse (4) SHOO Acrostic
24 These might involve getting into the water tummy-first (5-5) BELLY-FLOPS [E]
25 Horizontal door piece with one trading places with Edward for a protein-rich seed (6) LENTIL L(-i+e)ENTIL
26 An authority on the intricate mural in Yukon's capital (8) LUMINARY {MURAL+IN}}*{Y
DOWN
1 Rhode Island banned some ceremonial carriages after model's departure in a state of confusion (5) CHAOS CHA
2 Vegetable from a capital with a river in the midst of geysers (8,7) BRUSSELS SPROUTS {BRUSSELS} {SP{R}OUTS}
5 Dilapidated condo? Could caulk make it Aristophanes's paradise? (5-6-4) CLOUD-CUCKOO-LAND*
6 A rose from the clumsy alien gent (9) EGLANTINE*
14 Animal obtained using the auditor's cash, informally (3) DOE (~dough)
15 Cooks rest and joke inside before killing animals for food (9) SLAUGHTER {LAUGH} in {REST}*
17 Eggs that aren't quite egg-shaped? (3) OVA OVA
19 It could be picked for entertainment (7) UKULELE [CD]
22 Part of the harpoon's permanently in a member of the whale family (5) SPERM [T]
GRID
21AC Chess piece - ROOK
ReplyDeleteRomanian = RO which is out
This is what I deciphered.
Good one. Thanks
DeleteHow does it work? Where is the deletion indicator for RO? 'Out' is part of the definition
DeleteAnother way is to take K(night) as chess piece. That leaves O for Romanian- how?
DeleteYes, it is whale time. But there are some flowers & vegetables too (Blossom, sepal,lentil, brussels sprouts,eglantine,ova)
ReplyDeleteNeyartha is in killer whale mood today!
Delete19D- picked or plucked?
ReplyDelete'Plucked' would have been a give away, to some extent, I felt. :)
DeleteCorrection...Pl read 'giveaway'
Delete26A- intricate as anind. New?
ReplyDeleteIt means complex as well as fancy. So, it should work fine as anind.
DeleteI agree with it. I was just saying I am seeing it for the first time.
ReplyDeleteSorry Paddy. I missed this point. Yes, I think it is the first time.
Deletefine. My point is answered.
ReplyDeleteNice puzzle!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Me!Had a whale of a time
ReplyDeleteDid not get "abysm". Very nice crossword! Thanks Neyartha. Whales all over the place!!!!
ReplyDeleteBTW, I ran amok with 21dn, for I had it filled in as ABYSS. Later 26 ac helped me in correcting it.
ReplyDeleteOverall an interesting puzzle. Enjoyed solving it. Thanks Neyartha.
Luckily I had filled in luminary earlier and so started wondering why 'abyss' is not fitting in.
DeleteNo need to fish in troubled waters today. Does SPERM by itself constitute a Whale? I laways felt that SPERM WHALE did !
ReplyDeleteIn passing, does it also imply our origins from SPERM as a reptilian descent? one can deny sourly that our roots are from dinosaur !
Today in mobile version..underlined links are visible.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteVery very interesting
ReplyDeleteGreat that here is a solution blog like this. In Calcutta, we would get the Daily Telegraph Cryptic Crossword in the Calcutta Telegraph. Outside Calcutta I am starved of good Crosswords... as the TOI publishes rubbish, and the Americans know as much about the joy of Crosswords as they know about the beauty of proper cricket.
ReplyDeleteThought I had no fall back, as and when I would leave clues unsolved. But then, these is this excellent blog. Comparable to Big Dave's for the UK Crosswords.
Thanks!
* ...!there is this excellent blog...
DeleteThank you Ankur. This blog has been around since 2009
Delete