No 12410, Friday 31 Aug 2018, xChequer

RULES FOR POSTING COMMENTS ON FRIDAY ONLY

All those who are not regular commenters but who are rookie commenters or silent followers of the blog are requested to post answers with annotations in the comments section. In your own interest please avoid looking up the answers from the interactive version. Don't hesitate to post your annotations, in case you make a mistake in the annotation someone will correct it with the right annotation.

Each commenter is requested to post only 3 answers thereby giving others also a chance to participate. Please provide all your answers in one comment.


Regular solvers/Veterans can post 1 answer each, but after 11 AM only 


The regular blog will replace the clues at 2 PM.

Thanks for the response, here's the regular blog.

ACROSS
7   Disorderly lad out of an orderly set being hard to please (6) ORNERY {aN+ORdERlY}*
8   State companies that operate ships for an ocean voyage (6) CRUISE (~crews)
10 Lucknow heartlessly looted, criminal gets rich (4-2-2) WELL-TO-DO {Lu...oW+LOOTED}*
11 Note grade and speciality (6) METIER {ME}{TIER}
12 Clear or meaningless? (5) EMPTY [DD]
14 Overdue debts raise a risk, occasionally breaking banks (7) ARREARS {A}{Ri{REAR}Sk}
15 Weird odd occurrences of the non-ordinary, so staggering (7,6-2) STRANGE GOINGS ON {NON+SO+STAGGERING}* (Addendum {NoN+Or...y+SO+STAGGERING}* &lit - See comments)
18 Concession withdrawn in trade or profession (7) DEPOSAL {DE{SOP<=}AL}
19 Post it here to convey tribute (5) TITHE [T]
20 Literally meaning one born before, teacher meaning one coming after? (6) SENSEI {SENSE}{1}
21 Universal safeguard for temperature on Earth's surface (8) COSMETIC {COSM{E}{T}IC}
23 What's laid-back career internally can be an offering of Nirvana among others (6) GRUNGE {G{RUN}GE<=}
24 Clues frantically entered by setter in a race (6) SLUICE {SLU{I}CE*}

DOWN
1   Chapter in this book contains nothing logical (8) COHERENT {C}{O}{HERE}{NT}
2   A love for Indigo (4) ANIL {A}{NIL}
3   Monastery earlier unknown (6) PRIORY {PRIOR}{Y}
4   Father avoiding Tirupati on vacation, mother anxious to see a triad of Hindu gods (8) TRIMURTI {TIRUpaTI+Mo..eR}*
5   Current local time being an impediment in a state (10) DISTRAUGHT {D{IST}RAUGHT}
6   Catch in revolutionary group's doctrines (6) TENETS {TE{NET}S<=}
9   Coax leaving fans, stop having a wavering effect (3,8) VOX ANGELICA*
13 Appear insensible, having piano and chamberpots in lunatic asylum (4,6) PLAY POSSUM {P}{LAY{POS}SUM*}
16 Young birds leave fish in vessel (8) GOSLINGS {GO}{S{LING}S}
17 Gag in a ship (3-5) ONE-LINER {ONE}{LINER}
18 Clear channel, drive with ease (6) DREDGE {DR}{EDGE}
19 American warship displaying bottle in just the right part of fight (6) TUSSLE {botT{USS}LE}
22 Departure of Christ in connection with Resurrection (4) EXIT {TI{X}E}<=

GRID

No. 12409, Thursday 30 Aug 2018, Xchequer

Standing in for Colonel as he goes on an intercity drive early in the morning.

This is a puzzle very much in the mould of Xchequer with his imaginative wordplay and misdirection. Liked several clues, but to name a few : EUPHORIA, HAUGHTY, DEGREE,  REALTY, BAD HAIR DAYS, NOT LONG AGO and PRUDES. 

Thanks to the setter.

ACROSS
7 Crows set to fly with a measure of light from the east coming through (6) EXULTS [SET* outside LUX <=]
8 Short lad cut top of dress (6) BODICE [BOy + DICE]
10 Hope air-conditioned housing, typically posh, will give great delight (8) EUPHORIA [HOPE AIR* outside U]

 11 Led astray after dessert in the pool (6) PUDDLE [PUD + LED*]
12 Left whatever king wore, it's spare (5) LANKY [Left + ANY outside King]
14 Superior hotel, anything's the ultimate in luxury (7) HAUGHTY [Hotel + AUGHT + luxurY]
15 Spoilt dog had it good, yet cat has to fool around (3,3,5,4) ACT THE GIDDY GOAT [DOG HAD IT Good YET CAT]*
18 Partner tracking sign spotted animal (7) LEOPARD [LEO + PARD]
19 Musician's holy, being childless (5) PI PER [PI + PERson]
20 Chinese tea required to study and pass at University (6) CONGOU [CON + GO + University]
21 Many go crazy about a French boyfriend (5,3) YOUNG MAN [MANY GO* outside UN]
23 Secured parts in small bars (6) INGOTS [GOT inside IN + Small]
24 River banks for instance at right level (6) DEGREE [DEE outside EG + Right]

DOWN
1 Government form relating to local insurers (8) REPUBLIC [RE + PUB + LIC]
2 Boost provided by hot drink counter (4) PUSH [Hot + SUP] <=
3 Yard behind shop floor (6) STOREY [STORE + Yard]
4 Pen a senseless condition having shortage of a currency (8) COMPOUND [COMa + POUND]
5 Underground warning hitmen, a DGP's involved (4,3,3) MIND THE GAP [HITMEN A DGP]*

6 Grounds for example to show female's right in fidelity (6) REALTY [FEALTY with Right for Female]
9 Messy braid say, had stretches of recurring rough patches (3,4,4) BAD HAIR DAYS [BRAID SAY HAD]*
13 Of late, idea for one-line joke getting almost naughty? (3,4,3) NOT LONG AGO [NOTION with Line for 1 + GAG + 0 = naughty]
16 English very keen to retain area, that's clear (8) EVACUATE [English + Very + ACUTE outside Area]
17 Carriage with white horses, possibly vehicle for relays? (8) AIRWAVES [AIR + WAVES]
18 Chance of inclusion appearing to have an early end (4-2) LOOK-IN [LOOKINg]
19 Special lifts to carry cheeky old maids (6) PRUDES [SPecial <= outside RUDE]
22 Blood shed in killing or execution (4) GORE [Hidden]

GRID

Bhargav's Talepiece

A lanky piper who was haughty

Came to Shangri-la and behaved naughty

He was pushed

And thrashed

Promptly evacuated to distant Djibouti!!

No 12408, Wednesday 29 Aug 2018, Vulcan

ACROSS
1   Version of the creator's plan (11) ORCHESTRATE*
8   Jelly right after it cooks (4) AGAR {R} after {AGA}
9   Harry argues with pros with disdain (4,6) SOUR GRAPES*
10 Introduce one new list after noon (6) INSTIL {1}{N}{LIST*}
11 Strange in a way, conspicuous (7)  SALIENT {S{ALIEN}T}
13 Abuse a guy with title (9) MANHANDLE {MAN}{HANDLE}
15 Commercial, clever, blocked unfortunately (5) SADLY {S{AD}LY}
16 Test pair (5) MATCH [DD]
18 Bill included a single liquid painkiller (9) ANALGESIC {A{A+SINGLE}*C}
22 Letter written back to Scot, one in boarding school (7) ETONIAN {NOTE<=}{IAN}
23 He makes the cheque, payment returned (6) DRAWER <=
26 Poor setter, say, starting to expect financial security (4,6) EASY STREET  {SAY+SETTER+Ex...t}*
27 24 seconds to get rid of a large bird (4) IBIS {alIBI}{S}
28 Trouble with Leander? Take a firm decision (4,3,4) DRAW THE LINE*
DOWN
1   Newspaper article about some unknown material (7) ORGANZA {ORGAN}{Z}{A}
2   Edit one slip in letter (5) CARET [CD]
3   Record on wandering lions in Greek letter (7) EPSILON {EP}{LIONS*}
4   Stretched as instructed, say (4) TAUT (~taught)
5   Hang out with a female, Asian (6) AFGHAN {A}{F}{HANG*}
6   Get rid of in time, say, not the first time (9) ERADICATE {ERA}{DICtATE}
7   Basically nothing new to know about this plant (6) FENNEL {FE{No...g}{N}EL}

12 Even in scale, an exact replica (5) CLONE {sCaLe}{ONE}
14 Unoriginal journalist's wish rejected by editor (9) HACKNEYED {HACK}{YEN<=}{ED}
17 For instance, a lawsuit without one of the stars (6) ASTRAL {AS}{TRiAL}
19 Detailed message about a date – young woman (7) LADETTE {L{A}{D}ETTEr}
20 Number of times I meticulously looked up (7) ITEMISE [T<=]
21 Repeated phrase in Roman translation (6) MANTRA [T]
24 Boxer's sexual orientation an excuse? (5) ALIBI {ALI}{BI}
25 Warmth in the atmosphere (4) HEAT [T]

GRID

No 12407, Tuesday 28 Aug 2018, Skulldugger

ACROSS
1   Summaries for graduates' dissertations (9) ABSTRACTS [DD] (Addendum - {ABS}{TRACTS} - See comments)
6   Polish tip of milky gemstone (4) RUBY {RUB}{m..kY}
8   Investigated two dozen papers in this country (8) INQUIRED {IN{QUIRE}D}
9   Cook put head of lettuce in toast (6) SALUTE {SA{Le...e}UTE}
10 Acting on petty inclination without reasoning first a dangerous thing, according to Pope (1,6,8) A LITTLE LEARNING {A} {LITTLE} {LEA{Re...g}NING}
11 Really like an opening broadcast (5) ADORE {A}{DORE}(~ a door)
13 Ecstasy pills, mixed drinks consumed in stag film (8) DEERSKIN {D{EE}RSKIN*}
15 Dietary essentials for master and kids reportedly (8) PROTEINS {PRO}{TEINS}(~teens)
18 Lost junk might be found here (2,3) AT SEA [DD]
20 Rev. Stan preached unorthodoxly, in thorough detail (7,3,5) CHAPTER AND VERSE*
23 Footloose, easy-going Glaswegian's painting on walls (6) FRESCO {FREe}{SCOt}
24 Aggressive promotional tactic not usually shared by liberals (4,4) HARD SELL {SHARED}*{LL}
25 Tom cries in stables (4) MEWS [DD]
26 Developed desire on lying in bed (9) BURGEONED {B{URGE}{ON}ED}

DOWN
1   Female lecturer's yearly report (5) ANNAL {ANNA}{L}
2   Centaurs beginning to go off for a stroll (7) SAUNTER cENTAURS*
3   Hamlet might be described thus! (5) RURAL [CD]
4   Prepared eggs in cold, eerie light (7) CODDLED {C}{ODD}{LED}

5   Moved curiously as around an unknown quantity in outhouse (8) SASHAYED {AS<+}{SH{A}{Y}ED}
6   Regrets abandoning Portugal for Luxembourg and changes mind (7) RELENTS RE(-p+l)LENTS
7   Nobody likes this black beast (4,5) BETE NOIRE [C&DD]
12 Not much is known about this black beast (4,5) DARK HORSE {DARK} {HORSE}
14 Insurrectionist British gang let out, disaster waiting to happen (4,4) TIME BOMB {B}{MOB}{EMIT}<=
16 Awful pity Seth's regularly dismissing key employees (7) TYPISTS {PITY}*{SeThS}
17 Spread special foam (7) SLATHER {S}{LATHER}
19 Senator involved in treachery (7) TREASON*
21 Fridge on the fritz, not starting, making low sound (5) DIRGE fRIDGE*
22 Every so often, snarls and leaves after mix-up (5) SALAD {SnArLs}{AnD}

GRID

Bhargav's Talepiece

The bouncer and the dancer - Part 104

Never in the ANNALS of the Army had a case been left unsolved for such a long time.  Most of them were AT SEA regarding the envelope, its contents and whereabouts.

Its CHAPTER AND VERSE was known only to a handful. Gombu and Uncle Sam were not in their SALAD days. Yet...

Once the issue is solved many might be INQUIRED and charged for TREASON. A LITTLE LEARNING would not suffice to get into the bottom of the matter.

It was not a time to SAUNTER. They hurried into the Army HQ where they were received with a SALUTE as they passed a FRESCO of General Dwight Eisenhower.

What happened next?

No 12406, Monday 27 Aug 2018, Anon

ACROSS
1   Team up with officer at workplace to sermonise (11) COLLABORATE {COL}{LAB}{ORATE}
9   Wide, say, caught in passage (7) EXTRACT {EXTRA}{CT}
10 Passed recess in empty land (6) LAPSED {Lan{APSE}D}
11 Curt tribal leader starts off poem (5) TERSE {Tr...l}{vERSE}
12 Tyrannise, partly stop journalists (7) OPPRESS {stOP}{PRESS}
15 Alien receives regular bans in the Orient (4) EAST {E{bAnS}T}
16 Premium pen entangled in vine (10) EPIPREMNUM*

18 Reduced agreement with journalist (10) CONTRACTED {CONTRACT}{ED}
20 Leaders smash convict’s arm, raze mark (4) SCAR Acrostic
23 Get together for prayer (7) COLLECT [DD]
24 Group of Hindus in Bulgarian city (5) VARNA [DD]
26 Returning European, journalist ran away (6) ELOPED {POLE<=}{ED}
27 King confused Roman at church (7) MONARCH {ROMAN}*{CH}
28 Find out about sectarian journalist (11) ASCERTAINED {SECTARIAN}*{ED} Should have been 'Found out'

DOWN
2   Trebuchet for ass (6) ONAGER [DD]
3   Removes source of toxin from coffee at last minute (4) LATE LAtTE
4   Girl reported attack on capsicum? (4,6) BELL PEPPER (~belle){BELL} {PEPPER}
5   Newsman to empty rye beer (8) REPORTER {RyE}{PORTER}
6   Betrayal without final cause (7) TREASON {w...uT}{REASON}
7   Awareness of one in punishment (9) SENTIENCE {SENT{1}ENCE}
8   Gazes at steps, we hear (6) STARES (~stairs)
13 Simpleton to order trainee (5,5) SPACE CADET {SPACE} {CADET}
14 Hindu god returns, hasn’t mashed grains (9) AMARNATHS {RAMA<=}{HASNT}*
17 Fall out of place by professional’s mistake (8) PROLAPSE {PRO}{LAPSE}
19 Pastas for dimwits (7) NOODLES [DD]
21 Medicine contains odd Afro muscle relaxant (6) CURARE {CUR{AfRo}E}
22 A locale with boulevard (6) AVENUE {A}{VENUE}
25 Zulu regiment traps politician within Israeli limits (4) IMPI {Israel{MP}I}

GRID

Special, 26 Aug 2018, Dr Satyen Nabar

Three answers per commenter as usual till 6 PM (Annotations compulsory)
Please provide all your answers in one comment.

ACROSS
1   Corrupt set free (6)
4   Charge tease in appalling case (7)
8   Foul content of carbuncle analysed (7)
9   Search for strange wise man (7)
11 Confounded by riotous bedlam having consumed liquor endlessly (10)
12 Yearn for marathon (4)
13 Was victorious and endlessly happy to get money (5)
14 Peacekeepers backing communist to secure support (8)
16 A bit of honest and ardent quality (8)
18 Sprawling fish around far side of quay (5)
20 Man's grabbing many skirts (4)
21 Curates provide shelter for tribe with a disease (10)
23 Strive to protect kid in quake (7)
24 See 13 Down
25 Determined guy intercepts astonishing data (7)
26 Mythological daughters of Atlas at the end of story enter the underworld (6)

DOWN
1   Animal home retains new associate (5)
2   Endless discussion with leader of Iran on restriction of fundamentalist movement (7)
3   Angry maharani to kill husband’s lover (9)
5   Secure channel (5)
6   One who wanders with Republican following Twitter (7)
7   Start to request a turn at batting (9)
10 Builders concealing many blunders (9)
13 & 24A Very immature result of taking a head bath? (3, 6, 3, 4)
15 Stupidly hits out, intercepted by an easy catch (9)
17 Don't play guitar? It's questionable remedy (7)
19 Detains rogue preferably (7)
21 Clothe oneself with deception (3-2)
22 Annoys partners hiding chest (5)

Across Lite version can be accessed at Dr SN 22

Enjoy.

The Sunday Crossword No 3010, Sunday 26 Aug 2018,

ACROSS
1   Clip showing enclosure in court (4) DOCK [DD]
3   Unite in the morning before gala arranged by friend (10) AMALGAMATE {AM}{GALA*}{MATE}
10 Tense, run away, disgraced (7) STAINED STrAINED
11 Beaming, getting help back in storm (7) RADIANT {RA{AID<=}NT}
12 Settled purpose consuming odd members of sect formerly (9) ENSCONCED {EN{SeCt}{ONCE}D}
13 Texture of wood, small quantity (5) GRAIN [DD]
14 Concise news hardest to broadcast (5,3,5) SHORT AND SWEET*
18 Part of garment, hot in essence, displayed with revolutionary pieces with colour (8,5) SHOULDER STRAP {S{H}OUL} and {PARTS}{RED}<=
20 Month's resistance in westward border area (5) APRIL {R} in {LIP}{A}<=
21 City clubs developed big dream (9) CAMBRIDGE {C}{BIG+DREAM}*
23 Medium possessed by high voice? Be fearful (7) TREMBLE {TRE{M}BLE}
24 Engineers, hurt, turned back (7) REWOUND {RE}{WOUND}
25 Small stations endlessly restricted by crazy plan (10) MASTERMIND {MA{S}{TERMINi}D}
26 Speaker's paid attention to crowd (4) HERD (~heard)

DOWN
1   Inspector meaning to secure quiet deal (8) DISPENSE {DI}{S{P}ENSE}
2   Tea, very large order? On the contrary (5) CHAOS {CHA}{OS}
4   Restorative lunch perhaps disrupted by gambling? Not good (9) MEDICINAL {ME{DICINg}AL}
5   Sensational line, universal and clear (5) LURID {L}{U}{RID}
6   Ready to fight in war, grandad gets agitated (2,7,5) AT DAGGERS DRAWN*
7   A place equipped for experiments on flower and stone (9) ALABASTER {A}{LAB}{ASTER}
8   Area covered by text entirely (6) EXTENT [T]
9   Wild about online troublemaker, a bully initially protected by relative (14) UNCONTROLLABLE {UNC{ON}{TROLL}{A}{Bully}LE}
15 Terrible bores with poetry lacking energy as commentators (9) OBSERVERS {BORES*}{VERSe}
16 Smoother southern group in front of club (5,4) STEAM IRON {S}{TEAM} {IRON}
17 Declines, upset, to accept advance? Brilliant (8) SPLENDID {DIPS<=} over {LEND}
19 Outlaw thanks farm finally for fowl (6) BANTAM {BAN}{TA}{farM}
21 Stuff including English dairy product (5) CREAM {CR{E}AM}
22 Put out party treat (5) DOUSE {DO}{USE}

GRID

No 12405, Saturday 25 Aug 2018, Lightning

ONAM GREETINGS TO ALL VISITORS

Across

1. For the most part intimidate with one century – splendid! (8) TERRIFIC {TERRIFy}{I}{C}
5. Acts dishonestly, gets caught at preliminary races (6) CHEATS  {C}{HEATS}
9. Bill checking new national stock exchange is absurd (8) NONSENSE {NO{N}SE}{NSE}
10. Ice house I vacated on the outskirts of Montgomery is dull (6) GLOOMY {iGLOO}{MontgomerY}
12. Remove hope victor held (5) EVICT (T)
13. Reality a fellow misconstrued to be a fantastic story (9) FAIRYTALE {REALITY+A+F*}
14. Fix electronic resistance with adhesive (6) BINDER {BIND}{E}{R}
16. I may be in favour of religious woman embracing love (7) PRONOUN {PRO}{N{O}UN}
19. Successful without second turn at batting (7) INNINGS {wINNING}{S}
21. Humble manner of saint (6) MODEST {MODE}{ST}
23. Cartel had worried church (9) CATHEDRAL {CARTEL+HAD*}
25. Satisfaction from parking vehicle (5) PRIDE {P}{RIDE}
26. Friend sent back leading computer? (6) LAPTOP {PAL<=}{TOP}
27. Correspondence about royal agreement (8) CONTRACT {CONT{R}ACT}
28. Vegetable for starters, really appealing with food served (6) RADISH {Really}{Appealing}{DISH}
29. Food shop absolutely for distribution (8) DELIVERY {DELI}{VERY}

Down

1. Soft bid (6) TENDER (DD)
2. Translation’s right, identical copies of book carry note (9) RENDITION {R}{E{N}DITION}
3. Still seconds away to add (5) INERT {INsERT}
4. At home, couch primarily relaxing to an extent (2,2,3) IN SO FAR {IN}{SO FA}{Relaxing}
6. Evergreen tree beside club in Los Angeles neighbourhood (9) HOLLYWOOD {HOLLY}{WOOD}

7. Hawaiian greeting returned with a hello in Spanish (5) ALOHA {{A}{HOLA}}<=
8. Sane boys processed legumes (8) SOYBEANS {SANE+BOYS*}
11. Fifty first parliamentarian lacking energy (4) LIMP {LI}{MP}
15. Risky move guards one (9) DANGEROUS {GUARDS+ONE}
17. Stubborn old boy say, hanging around batting (9) OBSTINATE {OB}{ST{IN}ATE}
18. Illogical notice (8) CIRCULAR (DD)
20. Upset with runs after getting caught out (4) SORE {ScORE}
21. Meals to disintegrate into sugar (7) MALTOSE {MEALS+TO*}
22. Senator’s attempt to guard (6) SENTRY {SEN}{TRY}
24. Lukewarm nourishment returned contains power (5) TEPID {DIET<=} around {P}
25. Dish, say feature of Europe trip (5) PETRI (T)

Reference List

One=I, Century=C, Caught=C, New=N, National stock exchange=NSE, Fellow=F, Electronic=E, Resitance=R, Love=O, With=W, Second=S, Parking=P, Royal=R
Right=R, Note=N, Seconds=S, Fifty first=LI, Parliamentarian=MP, Old=O, Boy=B, Senator=Sen, Power=P

Colour/Font Scheme

Definition, Solution, Component letters, Embedded links, Anagram Indicator, C/C indicator, Reversal Indicator, Hidden word Indicator, Letter Pick indicator, Deletion Indicator, Homophone Indicator, Movement Indicator, Positional Indicator, Substitution, Indicator, Link/Connector, Extraneous

GRID

No 12404, Friday 24 Aug 2018, Buzzer

RULES FOR POSTING ON FRIDAY ONLY

All those who are not regular commenters but who are rookie commenters or silent followers of the blog are requested to post answers with annotations in the comments section. In your own interest please avoid looking up the answers from the interactive version. Don't hesitate to post your annotations, in case you make a mistake in the annotation someone will correct it with the right annotation.

Each commenter is requested to post only 3 answers thereby giving others also a chance to participate. Please provide all your answers in one comment.

Regular solvers/Veterans can post 1 answer each, but after 11 AM only 

The regular blog will replace the clues at 2 PM.

Thanks for the response, here's the regular blog.

ACROSS
8   Steely city doing fine during prohibition round (6) BOKARO {B{OK}AR}{O}
9   All of a sudden variations in play, but about right (8) ABRUPTLY {PLAY+BUT}* over {R}
10 Variety in speech laid-back sect used (8) DIALECTS {LAID<=}{SECT*}
11 West bound horse made to run (6) MANAGE {NAG} in {MAE}
12 I choose rice eating mostly curry, not oddly (8,7) ELECTRIC CURRENT {ELECT}{RIC{CURRy}E}{NoT}
14 Managed to import a charming item native to Africa (7) RWANDAN {R{WAND}AN}
16 Miss in court on the ball more or less (5,2) CLOSE TO {C{LOSE}T}{O}
19 Make do with blue jeans midi for 60's parties (7,8) DIAMOND JUBILEES {DO+BLUE+JEANS+MIDI}*
22 Avoiding what's common to have? Hate hare and tortoise for one (6) AVATAR hAVe+hATe+hARe No HE in all three
24 Vulgar tasteless quality of volume (8) LOUDNESS [MD]
25 Those well-versed in digital IT era timelines (8) LITERATI [T]
26 Left in high spirits having passed college (6) EXITED EXcITED

DOWN
1   Like hidden message boxes left with a family member (3-2-3) SON-IN-LAW {SO}{NIN{L}A}{W}
2   French Open's start-off logical to work out (6) GALLIC LoGICAL*
3   Might town be flooded by downpour? Definitely (3,7) FOR CERTAIN {FORCE}{R{T}AIN}
4   Wears protective covering on foot for cushion (7) HASSOCK {HAS}{SOCK}
5   One gets pushed by positive force (4) PRAM {P}{RAM}
6   Cross perhaps Manipur state's capital (2,2,4) UP IN ARMS {MANIPUR}*{St...e}
7   Tricolour atop a container (6) FLAGON {FLAG}{ON}
13 Easy and fun lab our educators provided (10) UNLABOURED [T]
15 Mantra to crack social talk? It's unimportant (2,6) NO MATTER {N{OM}ATTER}
17 A series of tests he has set up (3,5) THE ASHES*
18 Hammer terrible journalism out of USA (7) MJOLNIR JOuRNaLIsM* Had to Google this
20 Encroachment rejected so without success (2,4) IN VAIN INVAsIoN
21 Pulse is fast will be crossing limits (6) LENTIL {LENT}{wILl}
23 Sound of raw laugh (4) ROAR (~raw)

GRID

No 12403, Thursday 23 Aug 2018, Neyartha

ACROSS
1   Put a circle around the date to get a promising container for a meat dish (5,7) BLOOD PUDDING {LOO{D}P} in {BUDDING}

8   Check serving as a painful reminder? (7) REALITY [CD]
9   Speaker's rising to provide permission (6) ASSENT (~ascent)
11 Dog breed from a Mexican state (9) CHIHUAHUA [DD]

12 Cover with liquid in a search for underground water (5) DOWSE [DD]
14 Buoyed up with strange delight after ingesting an inert gas (9) LIGHTENED {LIGHTE{NE}D*}
16 Gave one's word after commencement and became frayed (4) WORE sWORE
18 Money offered as a bribe for a cleansing agent (4) SOAP [DD]
19 Green site newly formed in an African national park (9) SERENGETI*
21 Reliable alloy with aluminium in the wrong place (5) LOYAL (-al)LOY(+al)AL
22 Great sage sends back an unskilled actor with a revolutionary male aristocrat to Hawaii (9) MAHARISHI  {HAM<=}{A}{SIR<=}{HI}
23 Humorous programme featuring some transit companies (6) SITCOM [T]
25 Neglected son sent out by the king in the evening time (3-4) RUN-DOWN (-s+r)RUNDOWN
26 Gaining height after a blow from the right in a sport involving a glider (12) PARASCENDING {RAP<=}{ASCENDING}

DOWN
2   Dad genially made up with the heroine (7,4) LEADING LADY*
3   Pointless videos cut after morphing parts of a reproductive system (8) OVIDUCTS {VIDeO+CUTS}*
4   One's happy tearing down some coin-operated communication devices (3-6) PAY-PHONES*
5   Queen prone to emotional displays? (5) DRAMA [CD]
6   Finish off the business executive with privileged information behind bars (6) INSIDE INSIDEr
7   Arabian spirit with supernatural powers caught with a strong alcoholic drink (3) GIN [DD] (Addendum - (~jinn) - See comments)
8   Sly clerks at sea trap Edward in a foolhardy manner (10) RECKLESSLY {SLY+CLERKS}* over {E}
10 One counters brief disturbance after a pet doctor goes up to collect the Spanish box with moving pictures (10) TELEVISION {1}{NOISe}<= after {T{EL}EV<=}
13 Obtained an envelope for the op-ed (soon to be rewritten) on a prize for being the last in a race (6,5) WOODEN SPOON {OP-ED+SOON}* in {WON}
15 Sad and barely able to speak without a candidate who might turn out to be a surprise winner (4,5) DARK HORSE {DARK} {HOaRSE}
17 Wrinkled Greek character turns up to press a journalist (8) UNIRONED {NU<=}{IRON}{ED}
20 Cheap lace rolled up to conceal a mineral deposit (6) PLACER [T]
22 Frenchman replacing the soft slip-on shoes gets a viral disease (5) MUMPS (-p+m)MUMPS
24 Mischievous fairy revealed in multiple endings of the Bengali film clip (3) IMP Tail Acrostic

GRID

No 12402, Wednesday 22 Aug 2018, Incognito

ACROSS
8   Goa's broth — it's made from tapioca (4) SAGO*
9   Spicy rice consumed by 22 laureates (5) PILAU {scamPI+LAUreates}
10 State: Bhutan is in turmoil after loss of borders (4) UTAH bHUTAn*
11 Bounder wearing jacket (6) JERKIN {JERK}{IN}
12 Unmarried sister initially consumes a pinch of hashish for herpes zoster (8) SHINGLES {S{Ha...h}INGLE}{S}
13 Tries a model temporary employee starting to take stock (8) ATTEMPTS {A}{T}{TEMP}{Take}{St..k}
15 60 minutes on island for heavenly women (6) HOURIS {HOUR}{IS}
17 Pets return after a dance (3-4) ONE-STEP {ONE}-{PETS<=}
19 Suggestion: Replace one with another one, and go ahead (7) ADVANCE ADV(-i+an)ANCE
22 Seafood racket's good? (6) SCAMPI {SCAM}{PI}
24 Church-yard's got some measure of length in the U.S., where one may rest in peace (8) CEMETERY {CE}{METER}{Y}
26 Reduce iron, perhaps (8) DECREASE [DD]
28 Smile crookedly consuming some Ugandan breakfast cereal (6) MUESLI {M{Ug..n}ESLI*}
30 Bad habit of six engineers (4) VICE {VI}{CE}
31 Pollen nuisance, to some extent, results in feeling of weariness (5) ENNUI [T]
32 Force Yankee following a Republican male (4) ARMY {A}{R}{M}{Y}

DOWN
1   Tailless animal's arrived (4) CAME CAMEl
2   Male bird's knees, I hear, for some Londoners? (8) COCKNEYS {COCK}{NEYS}(~knees)
3   Say, "Nope, wrong state" (4,2) OPEN UP {NOPE}* {UP}
4   Most proximate dead-end road on street (7) CLOSEST {CLOSE}{ST}
5   Penalized and shunted around Northern Ireland (8) PUNISHED {PU{NI}SHED}
6   Martial art king's gun is kaput — has endless fun (4,2) KUNG FU {K}{GUN}* {FUn}
7   Jane leaves Javanese container (4) VASE jaVAneSE
14 Pick me up and take on nice international cruise, for starters (5) TONIC Acrostic
16 Touring Agincourt, remove torn toga and suffer (5) INCUR agINCoURt*
18 States Equated Monthly Instalment and taxes (8) EMIRATES {EMI}{RATES}
20 Where an alcoholic lawyer may end up? (2,3,3) AT THE BAR [CD]
21 Shows hides (7) SCREENS [DD]
23 Killing a group of crows (6) MURDER [DD]
25 Autobiography of setter — also in French and Russian, initially (6) MEMOIR {ME}{MOI}{Ru...n}
27 Leave alien abducting team (4) EXIT {E{XI}T}
29 Thrashes monk endlessly in front of sheriff at first (4) LAMS {LAMa}{Sh...f}

GRID

Bhargav's Talepiece

The bouncer and the dancer - Part 103

The Envelope

Uncle Sam was AT THE BAR sipping his gin and TONIC.

Gombu soon CAME and joined him.

Gombu: "The HOUR IS ripe for us to go and meet the concerned in the ARMY HQ and inform the progress lest we INCUR their wrath. I have booked seats in ADVANCE. We will be leaving by the EMIRATES flight next Sunday from the CLOSEST airport, UTAH."

"The MURDER of Smith was inevitable as he had double-crossed. We need to OPEN UP and explain that we are one STEP AHEAD and getting closer to the reality. Let us see if they can provide further clues."

Uncle Sam eating his Kishmish PILAU nodded in the affirmative.

What happened next?

No 12401, Tuesday 21 Aug 2018, Incognito

ACROSS
1  "Commander's fit to capture stronghold — At ease!" (11) COMFORTABLE {COM}{FORT}{ABLE}
9   Rule Niger badly (5) REIGN*
10 I am on time, you hear! Without any preparation! (9) IMPROMPTU {I'M}{PROMPT}{U(~you)}
11 Abreast, like LR? (4,2,4) SIDE BY SIDE Definition by example
12 It's chokey for one just over 18 shortly (4) BRIG [DD] (Abvn of Brigadier)
13 Spoilt, stale unit (5) TESLA*
15 Indy team danced for Wodehouse's uncle? (8) DYNAMITE*
17 Ban bird's tap (8) STOPCOCK {STOP}{COCK}
19 Dramatist: "First, nothing less than 10 to the power of 100" (5) GOGOL GoOGOL
22 Din, in India, may follow this type of pain? (4) ACHE [DD]
23 Foreign country expels national leader resulting in estrangement (10) ALIENATION {ALIEN}{nATION}
26 Perhaps, trunk-callers erroneously telephone, substituting a nine, at first, for one six in the beginning (9) ELEPHANTS {TELEPH(-o+a+nine}ANE}*{Six} (Addendum - {TELEPH(-one+an)AN}*{Six} - See comments)
27 Goodbye, heads of all departments in English university (5) ADIEU Acrostic
28 Gardner lies about chief troublemakers (11) RINGLEADERS*

DOWN
1   Behind church, daughter consumes one large tot (5) CHILD {CH}{1}{L}{D}
2   Con man on the run consumes BLT preparation in the peak of European tourism (4,5) MONT BLANC {CON+MAN}* over {BLT}*

3   It's built with two rings and ellipse to start with serving no practical purpose (6) OTIOSE {O+O+ITS}*{El...e}
4   Unenthusiastically dresses pet lazily (7) TEPIDLY {PET*}{IDLY}
5   Bishop loves king? Novel, perhaps (4) BOOK {B}{OO}{K}
6   Sending out old wine and gin cocktail (9) EXPORTING {EX}{PORT}{GIN*}
7   Test paper, set without presence of PTA, is determined in advance (6) PRESET {TESt+paPER}*
8   Swiss psychiatrist is at the French forest (6) JUNGLE {JUNG}{LE}
14 Track deer footprints with some hesitation, followed by swallow, an insectivorous creature (5,4) SLOTH BEAR S{LOTH} {BEAR} Anno pending (Addendum - {SLOT}{He...n} BEAR} - See comments)

16 Increase, in Agra, government value added tax on energy (9) AGGRAVATE {AG{G}RA}{VAT}{E}
17 Reptiles slither? Ask Sen (6) SNAKES*
18 Foreign currency is with the Spanish officer (7) COLONEL {COLON}{EL}
20 Indian monkey found in Jalan Gurdwara (6) LANGUR [T]

21 Somehow aspire for Iran of yore (6) PERSIA*
24 Plants four Romans, that is, senators initially (5) IVIES {IV}{IE}{Se...s}
25 Mongolian ruler takes thousand ethnic Chinese (4) KHAN {K}{HAN}

GRID

No 12400, Monday 20 Aug 2018, Arden

ACROSS
1   The enlightened one came in half-heartedly — a bit constrained in the city (3,5) ABU DHABI {A}{BUDdHA}{BIt} Anno not clear See comments
5   It's pain to separate split ends — get a bag (6) SACHET {Spli{ACHE}T}
10 Perhaps Simpson assumed one's noble (7) BARONET {BAR{ONE}T}
11 Turn one into passive stuff (7) NEUTRON*
12 Countryman regularly misread quip (5) IRAQI {mIsReAd+QuIp}
13 Choose on the way, say a terminal (9) ELECTRODE {ELECT}{ROAD}(~road}
14 Finance it with old dirty secret (12) CONFIDENTIAL {FINANCE+IT+OLD}*
18 Carol's drinking wine, it's rose colour (8,4) SHOCKING PINK {S{HOCK}ING} {PINK}
21 Musical group with one playing a concertina (9) BANDONEON {BAND}{ONE}{ON}

23 A dolt returns the brush (5) LOOFA {A}{FOOL}<=
24 Plates for a meal in mess (7) LAMINAE*
25 Duck soup keeps Catholic saint in delirium (7) ECSTASY {E{C}{ST}ASY}
26 Refuse to stop copy — a complaint (6) APNOEA {AP{NO}E}{A}
27 Perhaps MGM America is meticulous... (8) STUDIOUS {STUDIO}{US}

DOWN
1   ... although part of the habit is collaboration (6) ALBEIT {ALB}{TIE<=} Collaboration = Tie up
2   Artificial neural network? (6) UNREAL*
3   Result is I toil with my arm (9) HANDIWORK {HAND}{I}{WORK}
4   However, fret over green — I'd be ham-handed (14) BUTTER FINGERED {BUT}{FRET<=}{GREEN+ID}*
6   A man, perhaps? (5) ADULT Def by example
7   Instrument doesn't have a tone (8) HARMONIC HARMONICa
8   Flashy and small, outside market (8) TINSELLY {TIN{SELL}Y}
9   Free Internet — has to rely on being mutually supportive (14) INTERDEPENDENT {INTER{DEPEND}ENT*}
15 Puzzled by new addition in done deal (9) NONPLUSED {N}{ON{PLUS}ED*}
16 She is sailable at sea (8) ISABELLA*

Then came shapely Isabella

From distant Jhumri Telaiya

As she danced

Men advanced

And had their arms twisted a la pasta filata!

By Bhargav

17 Monicker about to rise, Menon’s off (8) COGNOMEN {C}OG{MENON*} Anno for 'OG' pending (Addendum - {C}{GO<=}{MENON*} - See comments)
19 John's ascent in low state (6) MONACO {MO{CAN<=}O}
20 Old lechers stay, disrupt Rajya Sabha (6) SATYRS {STAY*}{RS}
22 Cat has power to jump (5) OUNCE pOUNCE* [CA]

GRID

Special, Sunday 19 Aug 2018, Karthikeyan

Three answers per commenter as usual till 6 PM (Annotations compulsory)
Please provide all your answers in one comment.

ACROSS
1   Peak influence involving husband and letters (8)
5   Seducement traps New Delhi fugitive (6)
10 Restrained office assistant capturing intelligence agency's a sycophant (7)
11 Alumnus dined after six to disappoint (7)
12 Fifty-one kilo energy not supplied initially shows some resemblance (6)
13 Across hundred initially with backward ratio to move cargo (8)
15 Metallic concerning unknown journalist aboard (5)
17 Flag leads to violent exchanges at the end of every year  (4)
18 Gawk at belvedere without unpleasant smell (4)
19 Carry kit straight into tennis court (4)
20 Leave as there is no love in South American capital (4)
21 Massive leap lacks finish, though by order initially (5)
23 Conversion theorem about mass shows resistance (8)
24 Being worthwhile, buys self-built in regular instalments (6)
27 Spherule permitted by medico before operation (7)
28 Endless egress with fish and renegading (7)
29 Unwanted ones not right? Expels (6)
30 Etymologist not on a closed plane figure but with fortune (8)

DOWN
1&9D  9.80665 m/s2  (12,3)
2   Frolic with sides changed leading to timber (5)
3   Penalty shot is more than enough (7)
4   The colour shown up by half-cut French cheese (4)
6   Onset amidst calamity (6)
7   Servant in lift carrying complex graph, an acoustic transducer (9)
8   Half theory troubles the fops glide at the fastest rate (3,5,2,5)
9   See 1 dn (2,7)
14 Desparate plea tutee makes clothing ornament (9)
16 Spontaneous helper invested in old mineral (9)
21 Fair if play ends in merit (7)
22 Fanatic craze a lot of people have (6)
25 Father sick of unnecessary feature (5)
26 Show from retro comedy (4)

Across Lite version can be downloaded from the link at KARTHIK 2

Enjoy.

The Sunday Crossword No 3009, Sunday 19 Aug 2018

ACROSS
1 Conservative in frivolous manoeuvre (6) JOCKEY {JO{C}KEY}
4 Revolutionary objections, given life, becoming persistent (8) STUBBORN {BUTS<=}{BORN}
9 Great cricketer getting on a bit, wildly theatrical player (3,6) IAN BOTHAM {ON+A+BIT}*{HAM}
11 Note odd parts of creeds intertwined (5) LACED {LA}{CrEeDs}
12 Avoiding noise in electronic projection (7) ELUDING {E}{LU{DIN}G}
13 Officer repeated phrase after woman (7) SHERIFF {SHE}{RIFF}
14 Usual rule newly broken by good, popular science fiction writer (6,2,4) URSULA LE GUIN {G} in {USUAL+RULE}* and {IN}
18 Survey held as designed by alien for sensational publication (7,5) SCANDAL SHEET {SCAN}{HELD+AS}*{ET}
21 Rush revision of a file without one blank page (7) FLYLEAF {FLY}{A+FiLE}*

22 Element in place of education probed by artist with doubtful expression (7) URANIUM {U{RA}NI}{UM}
24 Better time secured by old pair in retirement (5) OUTDO {T} in {O}{DUO}<=
25 Exactly the same dialect in broadcast (9) IDENTICAL*
26 Daughter with resolution wise to get equestrian training (8) DRESSAGE {D}{RES}{SAGE}

27 Limits abandoned by bishop giving commands (6) ORDERS bORDERS

DOWN
1 Enlisted, being coherent (6-2) JOINED-UP [DD]
2 Prisoner with search for occupation (8) CONQUEST {CON}{QUEST}
3 Icon? Judge one after protest without depth (5) EMOJI {dEMO}{J}{1}
5 Arrangement of minuet is great, giving indication of rhythm (4,9) TIME SIGNATURE*
6 Reports, learner admitted, restricted by coach? (9) BULLETINS {BU{L}{LET IN}S}
7 Flower kept by porch ideally (6) ORCHID [T]
8 Fall asleep? Certainly not with party very loud (3,3) NOD OFF {NO}{DO}{FF}
10 Elated, settle project and dance (8,5) HIGHLAND FLING {HIGH}{LAND} {FLING}

15 Clues all over the place about main character being lustful (9) LECHEROUS {LEC{HERO}US*}
16 Simple holding company I had set up, undistinguished (8) MEDIOCRE {CO}{I'D}<= in {MERE}
17 Raised cases involving obstinate type lacking energy and incentive (8) STIMULUS {MULe} in {SUITS<=}
19 Bear cost of offer (6) AFFORD [DD]
20 Expression of surprise over gardener's latest story after loss of a shrub (6) MYRTLE {MY}{g...eR}{TaLE}

23 Stumble, not following convert (5) ALTER fALTER

GRID