Tuesday 6 February 2018

No 12233, Tuesday 06 Feb 2018, Dr. X


Answer and Anno for 1D left for a rookie commenter.

ACROSS
1   Split with a girl in college and take off (8) CLEAVAGE {C}{LEAV{A}{G}E}
5   Ace with a bit of proficiency in constructing rebus (6) SUPERB {SU{Pr...y}ERB*}
10 Many quarrelled having primarily drunk full to bursting (7) CROWDED {C}{ROW{Dr..k}ED}
11 Flying in the air? Not hard! It’s a physics topic (7) INERTIA {IN+ThE+AIR}*
12 Accepted the drink one habitually prefers (5) USUAL [DD]
13 Removed for being shy (9) WITHDRAWN [DD]
14 Another chance to see performance of top players during broadcast (6,6) ACTION REPLAY {ACTION} {RE{Pl...s}LAY} &lit
18 One sought for misbehaving with VIP in America (5,2,5) GUEST OF HONOR*
21 Harmful challenges disheartened nervous rugby player (5,4) SCRUM HALF {HARMFUL+Ch...eS}*
23 Bottled spirits for brilliant people (5) GENII [DD]
24 Inflammatory intention behind extreme of intolerance (7) EMOTIVE {i...cE}{MOTIVE}
25 Foolish person’s decision to raise unnecessary objections (7) NITPICK {NIT}{PICK}
26 Nightwear that is not available at stall (6) LINGER LINGERie
27 Gone to thrash loafer (8) DEADBEAT {DEAD}{BEAT}

DOWN
1   Reason to expect morning alarm? Something done badly (6) C?C?U? (Addendum - COCKUP [C&DD] - See comments)
2   Desperate duo engaged in reckless sex on flight (6) EXODUS {EX{DUO*}S*}
3   That is immoral conduct! Trump primarily lied atrociously to get in (9) VIDELICET {VI{LIED*}CE}{Tr..p}
4   Fail spectacularly when warehouse is on fire (2,4,2,6) GO DOWN IN FLAMES {GODOWN} {IN FLAMES}
6   Higher destruction to affect greatly (5) UPEND {UP}{END}
7   Needs to protect essentially important vital organs (8) ENTRAILS {ENT{i..oRt..t}AILS}
8   Cajoles many to get involved in noisy quarrels (8) BLARNEYS {B{L}ARNEYS}
9   Delaying decision-making? That may perhaps be uncomfortable for backside (7,2,5) SITTING ON FENCE [C&DD]
15 Stretched out to exercise a toned leg (9) ELONGATED*
16 Encourages torture on one likely to crack (8) EGGSHELL {EGGS}{HELL}
17 Converge on watering hole to consume energy drink (4,4) BEAR DOWN {B{E}AR} {DOWN}
19 Frolicking in nude with water nymph (6) UNDINE*
20 Deliberately ignore flirt subtly (4,2) WINK AT [DD]
22 One wearing better fabric with wavy pattern (5) MOIRE {MO{1}RE}

GRID

36 comments:

  1. Have received only 9 votes for the best clue in the Jumbo Community grid. Those who have not voted please do so as I will declare the result only on 11 Feb

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  2. Another intriguing challenge from Doc. Shall we say 'The usual'-stirred & shaken.
    Loved the delicacy of the eggshell and the godown going down in flames was really spectacular.
    Thank you Doc.

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  3. I did not know 'videlict'- had to struggle. Simple that is.

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  4. Smooth one doc except the s (person's)to nitpick.

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  5. 9d I have always come across, sitting on THE fence.

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    Replies
    1. I agree and am aware. Took some liberty there.

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    2. Setter's privilege? (since it is needed for the surface)

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    3. It doesn't come under setter's licence, I am afraid. Who grants these licences anyway? An idiom is an idiom, it can't be altered by curtailment or interpolation..
      The setter has accepted that he nodded and we can forget it.

      Delete
  6. Superb puzzle!Dr.X works out the nuances of language in the most imaginative manner. Loved the burning warehouse(4D), American VIP, the Irish Blarney, Delaying tactics with a painful back(chuckle) and the unavailable nightwear! Thanks Dr.X

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  7. Fun puzzle, Doc! Liked 18A the best. 5D was a new word for me.

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  8. 13dn COCKUP
    Cock (rise)
    Rise up - =reason to expect morning alarm

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    Replies
    1. Cockup is correct but you need to think a little laterally!

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    2. When the cock is up(woken), it is sure to cock a doodle and wake you up-hence, reason to expect morning alarm!Cockup is also something fone badly.
      Can be classified as C &DD

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  9. 13d: cock (=rooster)-up (=rise)
    Cock is crowing at the break of dawn. When the clock was not there, people relied on cock's crowing to wake up in the morning. It was just like a morning alarm.

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  10. videlicet- all of us will easily recognise its short form- viz.

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  11. Many persons may be aware of viz. and may have used it too.
    Only keen students of Eng Lit would know it is an abbr, and it expands to 3d.

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  12. Excuse me. Could someone clearly anno 1a for me.
    As of now the Col's notes don't convince me.

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    Replies
    1. The blank cells automatically gave the answer! So, didn't bother to read the clue properly.
      On second reading, the parsing may lead to AG in between C and LEAVE

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    2. Hi Sir, it's A+G in C+LEAVE.

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    3. With all due respect, I disagree KKR. That perhaps would be the case if it's "in between". Similar to 3D, parsing is VICE+T around LIED*. Does not imply that the anagram of lied will be between Vice and T. Similarly for 1A, it does not imply that AG lies between C and Leave.

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    4. Thanks. Now I got it. There is no prob there.

      Delete
  13. The 12 across , as is expected from the Doc. One Genius , two geniuses, no cock up from the Genius. Elusively deceptive clue wrapped in a ingenious way ! SITTING ON the FENCE is a deliberate cook up, as the Doc confesses. May be wink(ed) at ! The Grammar Guru has pointed out and pardoned as a compiler's licence in the interest of exigency !

    Has 19 down got anything to do with Linger-ie , Doc ?

    ACTION REPLAY, Doc !

    From yesterday's tangled leg-around -my-neck, today's is a cobweb dusting !

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