ACROSS
1 Support unknown politician in hasty scheme (8) SYMPATHY {Y}{MP} in {HASTY}*
5 Around the middle of day, alcoholic drink? Sign of middle age (6) PAUNCH {P{
10 Wild dog to scram after commotion (5) DINGO {DIN}{GO}
11 Last man in trouble, cutting early (9) TAILENDER {AIL} in {TENDER}
12 Rude not to play Holi perhaps (3-6) OFF-COLOUR [C&DD]
13 One entering job gets advance (5) POSIT {POS{1}T}
14 Terrible score! Time to defend (6) ESCORT {SCORE+T}*
15 With grit capture and coerce (7) SANDBAG {SAND}{BAG}
18 Head of faculty ignores alternative claim (7) PROFESS PROFESS
20 Fools having time and money (6) ASSETS {ASSE{T}S}
22 Despicable guy consuming ecstasy (5) CHEAP {CH{E}AP}
24 Journalists can’t meet them when phones aren’t working (9) DEADLINES [C&DD]
25 See red garment worn by woman, a fantastic top (4,1,4) BLOW A FUSE {W}{A}{F
26 Novel idea somewhat to omit a syllable (5) ELIDE [T]
27 Communist repressing cry of alarm, created a stink (6) REEKED {EEK} in {RED}
28 Passionate? Check out studs inside (8) VEHEMENT {HEMEN} in {VET}
DOWN
1 Pathetic people combine in call of distress (6) SADDOS {ADD} in {SOS}
2 Policy statement makes some faint (9) MANIFESTO*
3 What a busy person has that a dieter dislikes (1,3,2,4,5) A LOT ON ONES PLATE [DD]
4 Result of firewalking at top speed (7) HOTFOOT {HOT}{FOOT}
6 Secret advantage that a card sharp might have (3,2,4,6) ACE UP ONES SLEEVE [C&DD]
7 Signs of having elephantiasis initially -- Lumps (5) NODES {E
8 Tradition — What one may not ask a lady about sex appeal (8) HERITAGE {HER AGE} around {IT}
9 They can be woven to manufacture briefs (6) FIBRES* &lit
16 Anathema to risk single! Rejected with indignation (4,5) BETE NOIRE {BET}{ONE<=}{IRE}
17 Key strikes! Turns to trap expert opening batsman (5,3) SPACE BAR {ACE}{B
19 Harassed husbands renouncing extreme burden become ascetics (6) SADHUS HUS
20 Invention made in brilliant world of scholars (7) ACADEME {MADE}* in {ACE}
21 New space-time dimension (6) ASPECT {SPACE+T}*
23 Run away with some damsel openly (5) ELOPE [T] &lit
Few photographs of the 15th International Jawa/Yezdi day have been posted in the THCC Families blog at the following link
ReplyDeleteJAWA/YEZDI Day
Superb bikes and great pics Col.!
Delete27A Defn is Created a stink = Reeked
4D Defn is At top speed = Hotfoot
Thanks. Corrected both
DeleteCol, you should have worn a jacket like the Hell's Angels type and the pic would be complete with your moustache and old bike;-)
DeleteWhich model is your bike?
1977
DeleteBrilliant puzzle. Highly entertaining. Loved the long ones and some puny defininions like hotfoot, off colour to name just two. Thanks Dr.for a superb beginning to the week.
ReplyDeleteTx Vasant :) have a great week!
DeleteEnjoyed well, Dr.X
ReplyDeleteTx KKR! :)
DeleteThank you Doc. for an absolutely enjoyable start to the week.
ReplyDeleteAlmost fainted laughing on reading the manifesto!
Loved Heritage, making a sadhu out of husband, making briefs out of fibres to name a few.
Nice surfaces to be read just as they are, bringing out a smile- no need to solve the clue.
Tx Paddy! Extremely happy you enjoyed the surfaces :)
DeleteCould not solve the puzzle, but seeing the blog- very nice clues. Liked the embedded clue, as elope is to run away secretly, and in the clue it is openly
ReplyDeleteTx Raghunath! :)
DeleteVery entertaining grid. Loved Sadhus, heritage
ReplyDeleteElope is superb :)
Tx Mona! :)
ReplyDeleteEnjoyable grid Doc! Lots of clues to make one smile - especially liked "BLOW A FUSE" and "PAUNCH".
ReplyDeleteTx Ramki! Was initially contemplating defining Paunch as Gymnasts don't have it...but it doesn't quite have the same 'punch' as Sign of middle age! :)
DeleteI am out of town and habit (interpret it as you will )- I just read the clues that have received praise here and had fun. We can do that as well, can't we?Why exercise my braincells when there is a blog like this?
ReplyDeleteTx Chaturvasi Sir! :) Always encouraging to get your approval!
DeleteWith you on-
ReplyDelete"Why exercise my brain cells when there is a blog like this"
Absolutely.
Nice puzzle. But I think a few things could have been done better. Anagram indicator in 2D, makes, would have worked better if it appeared after the fodder.
ReplyDeleteIn 9D, there's a technical issue. Briefs are generally knitted and not woven per se.
Tx Sumit!
Delete2D Cannot understand how anagram indicator 'makes' can appear after fodder 'some faint'. Sentence wont make any sense unless I am making a mistake understanding your point.
9D Sorry I was under the impression you get both types... knitted and woven briefs. Did not know they are only knitted. Thanks in brief :)
2D, It was a general thing. Makes, as an anagram indicator does the job right when it appears in the form, Fodder makes Definition or Definition Fodder makes.
DeleteYes, if I'm not mistaken, briefs are short and tight-fitting ones, made from soft knitted material.
ReplyDeleteYes, they are generally known as knitwear. But for the clue it is a minor deviation since both knit & weave work well as anind.
DeleteSorry, Summit I deleted a message to which you replied moment before my action.
ReplyDelete18A All faculty are professors na, why just head? Head is the dean I think...
ReplyDelete7D 'of' is redundant?
20D invention for anagram OK?
Even lecturers and tutors are faculty, not just professors.
DeleteDR.Nabar: 19 down: Lovely double entendre !! All harassed asses of husbands do renounce the burden of wives to become sadhus !! I had a good laugh reading out this clue to my wife whose aim with a ladle nearly missed my head !!
ReplyDeleteSimilarly, HER it AGE is a cheeky clue good for a chuckle.
Bete noire was well constructed.
A thoroughly enjoyable crossie , tinged with pungent humour !
Tx Raju! Reading that clue out to wives is a venture fraught with risk:)
Delete😀😀Rajuism at its best
DeleteHi Esha!
ReplyDelete18A Definition of professor from Oxford English dictionary
1. a university academic of the highest rank; the holder of a university chair.
synonyms: holder of a chair, chair, head of faculty, head of department; Regius professor, emeritus professor; don, academic; full professor, academician; informalprof
"a former professor of French at Oxford University"
7D Yes you are right. I did not realize it
20D Unquestionably "invention" is anagram indicator listed in Chambers Crossword Dictionary.
Thanks a lot, esp fr the reference.
DeleteI dnt get the synonym list.. how is emeritus or regius synonyms of professor? They are only types of professor na? And even a lecturer is academician?
I meant there could be profs who are not the head of faculty... many faculty of the highest rank (prof) but only one head (dean)....
Lot of nice clues like many have mentioned.
DeleteSo it is inevitable that nitpicking is what one has left to do :)
The problem for me with nounal anagram indicators like 'invention' is that without a qualifier, it sounds ungrammatical as an anagram instruction. So I can understand 'invention of < fodder >' or 'invention in < fodder >' but 'invention < fodder >' doesn't work. That is part of the reason adjectives make better anagram indicators that nouns. 'inventive < fodder >' for example.
I have the same issue with 17D. 'Opening batsman' doesn't in any grammatical sense convey B to me.
This is how I see it. As an example, in the Orthopaedic faculty, we have the Professor who is the head of faculty/department. Then we have associate professors who are head of units. In each unit we have lecturers, senior and junior registrar, senior and junior housemen, and finally interns. Now there are many such faculties such as surgery, medicine, psychiatry etc. The Head of all these faculties would be the Dean!:)
DeletePoint noted Bhavan Sir thanks!
DeleteThanks again for the detailed response :) I agree except that there could be many profs in the dept and no 'The Professor' :)
DeleteSimply 'academic' or 'top-ranked academic' would have been enough in the clue na?
To clarify: the title prof refers to academic standing. Titles like HOD, dean, head of faculty refer to administrative standing imo....
DeleteDear Esha, as a setter, one has to keep some standard reference books to stay true to the solver. For me, that's Chambers, OED, TFD and Mirriam-Webster(if American term). As long as the synonym is listed in these, I don't see an issue. Yes academic would have also served the purpose but head of faculty isn't incorrect either!
DeleteDef of synonym from doc: 1.1 A person or thing so closely associated with a particular quality or idea that the mention of their name calls it to mind.
Delete‘the Victorian age is a synonym for sexual puritanism’
But we have seen so many HODs not being professors, we may not associate professor so closely to HOD.
Academician is a general term which includes students, scholars & faculty.
ReplyDeleteThere may be professors who are not head of the dept.
Learnt a lot of new things from the interesting discussions above, especially nounal anagrinds, opening batsman(although in one of the clues Dr. has used middle of day instead of the oft used mid-day).
ReplyDeleteLovely puzzle 🙂 My COD is ELOPE 🙂
ReplyDeleteThanks LV! :)
ReplyDelete