ACROSS
1 Turned on, one's about to get book that's steamy (6) EROTIC {RE<=}{OT}{1}{C}
5 Six footer with stride full of energy overtakes African animal (8) ANTELOPE {ANT}{E}{LOPE}
9 Embarrassed over hugging weird male member of rock band (7) DRUMMER {RED<=} over {RUM}{M}
10 Crew in Delhi offers to take film back to the start (6) REWIND [T]
11 Hectic Monday for live wire (6) DYNAMO*
12 At the theatre's old counter handout describes musical drama (8) OPERETTA {AT}{T
13 Hairy problem for fifty aboard vessel having hollow bottom (5,4) SPLIT ENDS
15 Like model to sport company's tie (5) ASCOT {AS}{CO}{T}
17 Vegetables from boat sent over through sailor (5) OKRAS {ARK<=} in {OS}
19 One in train unhappy about Eastern Railway schedule (9) ITINERARY {IT{1}N{E}RA*}{RY}
22 Ten alight train perhaps to have second round of coffee (8) ESPRESSO {E(-x+s)SPRESS}{O}
23 Letters oddly missing in Berlin — signs of a current phenomenon? (2,4) EL NINO {
25 Arrive by a posh cab perhaps (6) LANDAU {LAND}{A}{U}
26 Rogue party involved in the Spanish revolution's collapse (7) IMPLODE {IMP} and {E{DO}L} <=
27 Pound’s good to hold one criminal till death (8) LIFELONG {L}{1}{FELON}{G}
28 Lock and key pulled hard (6) YANKED*
DOWN
2 Take companion's hat off to get sunburnt? (5) RUDDY {R}{
3 Upcoming soccer team during its trips gets big wave (7) TSUNAMI {MANU<=} in {ITS}*
4 What music director A. R. Rehman did to be calm? (8) COMPOSED [DD]
5 Excellent crew maintains train's temperature control system (3-12) AIR-CONDITIONING {A1}{RIN{CONDITION}G}
6 Others' suffering causing distress (6) THROES*
7 Wild girl's out; left in company of partners (7) LAWLESS {LASS} over {W}{L}{E}
8 Climbing ladder to pick, not the best variety of grapes (5,4) PINOT NOIR {RIP<=} over {NOT}{NO1}
14 Neighbour at ski resort in extreme pain (9) PAKISTANI {AT+SKI}* in {PAIN}*
16 Compensate unfairly when lad in abject penury needs pounds (8) UNDERPAY {
18 Contract featuring in a game of cards (7) ABRIDGE {A}{BRIDGE}
20 Criticise a review (7) RUNDOWN [DD]
21 Sixth sense about shifty duo being phoney (6) PSEUDO {ESP<=}{DUO*}
24 One replacing son in scene turned out to be his cousin (5) NIECE {(-s+i)ICENE}* Semi&lit
GRID
13 Hairy problem for fifty aboard vessel having hollow bottom (5,4)
ReplyDeletedef = hairy problem
S P(L)IT END S (ss = vessel, hollow = pit, bottom = end, fifty = L)
Enjoyable grid, thanks Phantom!
ReplyDelete8D: to pick is the container ind?
ReplyDeleteThis was the LOI for me - could not anno till I saw the blog.
+1 and one of those days I could complete before 0830
ReplyDeleteYesterday it was 'Zinfandel' & today it becomes 'Pinot Noir'. Season for red wines?
ReplyDeleteNeeding quite a few annos and I found the here.
Happy birthday, Paddy!
DeleteThank you Raghu.
DeletePhantom returns(after missing two runs?) with a bang!Super puzzle!Thanks Mr. Walker.
ReplyDeleteHad a hard disk crash and could not recover any files. So I excused myself (conveniently ;-)) from submitting puzzles for two cycles.
DeleteOur loss :(
DeleteI had read somewhere that CV Sir also keeps back up in Google Drive. So if system crashes the db can be recovered.
DeleteWelcome back Phantom! :)
DeleteThanks. Feel writing clues is a chore nowadays.
DeleteRecovery of lost files might be possible under certain circumstances and conditions, I guess. But it will cost you.
DeleteThere is some inconsistency in Hindu's policies. At least thrice in the last 3 cycles I was called to replace clues that had names of living celebrities and in one case, even dead ones. For e.g this clue was rejected . Jimmy Carter collects loose cash from certain persons (10) . But there was Jonty and today ARR. Was the editor absent?
ReplyDeleteUse of "did" on a living person and continuing to do, to indicate past tense. Grammatically allowed?
DeleteCharacters (carter)* in (cash)*
DeleteAnd he spells his name A. R. Rahman, not 'e'.
DeleteIn today's clue
DeleteWhat music director A. R. Rehman did to be calm? (8)
the name of a living person is used but its reference is to an occupation that the music director follows. Compose is what he does.
Perhaps this was the subeditor's thinking.
Names of living (or dead) persons are liberally used in UK crosswords though one paper or the other might disallow all or any of these.
If a brand name (or a person's name) is used in such a way that the surface of the clue shows the company (or person) in bad light, the subeditor may have some reservation.
Maybe it is better to avoid personal/brand names.
After all, the specs sheet that we have received mentions that these are no-ns
Once I had used hsbc in the breakup/wordplay while writing a clue for CASHBOX but luckily it went through the gate as the clue did not put the name in bad light, I think.
I just checked the clue in which Jonty is used. Here, it is without first name. Don't we use names like this in our clues where the operation the name undergoes contributes to wordplay?
DeleteI agree. I don't see this as a problem. But I didn't think even dead person's name can't be used.
DeleteTough one The Phantom!
ReplyDeleteHad difficulties in the first go. Only eight clues in Across could be cracked. Thanks for the easy ones in Down which helped solving many.
Clue of the Day: 8DN. Could parse up to Not No.1. I did search Chambers Thesaurus for synonyms of ladder. Rip is not there. But for RIP, synonym ladder is given.
Ladder is the verticle hole in tights (caused by the parallel stitches coming off, probably). The laddered jeans!!!
Deletesree_sree
DeleteDo you have the knowhow to recover files from a crashed hard disc?
If you are willing to spend in thousands, it is possible.
DeleteThe BIOS did not recognise the HDD, so using software was out of question.
Deletesree_sree didn't read what he wrote, if you know what I mean ;-)
DeleteOh, sorry for the goof-up. Have to stop typing from my phone.
DeleteGoing down memory lane...
ReplyDeleteWhile in college Puru the DRUMMER was my college mate. What a DYNAMO he was!
Soon after leaving college I, with my friends, entered business in the AIR CONDITIONING industry. Another job we undertook was to REWIND burnt electric motors.
Business was a LIFELONG struggle.
But it was peaceful and exciting.
Times are difficult now. Most workers are PSEUDO technicians who will leave one with SPLIT ENDS.
Also it is tough to remain COMPOSED when we seem to be in the THROES of a LAWLESS society...
Well composed!
DeleteHappy Birthday Paddy
ReplyDeleteWishing you a very Happy Birthday Paddy
ReplyDeleteThank you CGB.
DeleteThank you Col. & MB.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Paddy!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you KKR.
ReplyDeleteMany happy returns of the day, Paddy!
ReplyDeleteMany happy returns of the day Paddy! Have a wonderful year :)
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday to you Paddy!
ReplyDeleteMany Happy Returns Of The Day, Paddy.
ReplyDeleteThank you all- Doc, Ram,Vasant.MB
ReplyDeleteLooking for a wonderful year with contributions from all of you.
Many happy returns of the day Paddy
ReplyDeleteThank you Ranger/ Arden/ Devanathan.
ReplyDelete