Thursday 11 April 2019

No 12597, Thursday 11 Apr 2019, Avtaar


Long clues like Neyartha's crosswords. My personal opinion, some long ones like 11A and 8D were too convoluted for my liking

ACROSS
1   A drop of lime-infused wild honey (7) DARLING {DAR{Lime}ING}
5   Dr. Spooner propounded that the conjunction of a star and satellite leads to deluge for days on end (7) MONSOON (Spoonerism of SUN MOON)
9   Frank leaves home, chasing popular girl next door, maybe? (7) INGENUE {IN}{GENUinE}
10 Pull of light cart tackling turns (7) ATTRACT [T<=]
11 Explain why return on advance covering promotion ignores the last instalment of repayments (9) INTERPRET {INTER{PR}EsT}
12 After eliminating America, Austria thrashed Indian side (5) RAITA AusTRIA*
13 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone’s opening fights (5) SPATS {Po...r+And+The+So...r+St..e}*
15 Evangelist voiced love quote, say, ... that helps keep sickness at bay (9) LEUCOCYTE (~luke){LEUC}{O}{CYTE}(~cite)
17 Doctor in love gets direction (9) HOMEOPATH {HOME}{O}{PATH}
19 For mathematicians, it signifies a total disgrace when Fermat's last is forgotten (5) SIGMA StIGMA
22 Not a vessel to provide a meal (5) LUNCH LaUNCH
23 A piece intended to be heard flat (9) APARTMENT {A}{PART}{MENT}(~meant)
25 Symmetrical roof is better with sides interchanged (7) GAMBREL GAMB(-l+r)RE(-r+l)L
26 Punches holes in reform of Bible Society by Democrat (7) DIBBLES {D}{BIBLE*}{S}
27 Conspicuously new — yet old-fashioned (7) NOTEDLY {N}{YET+OLD}*
28 Extremely fretful jaguar's spring (7) FLOUNCE {Fr...uL}{OUNCE}

DOWN
1   Platform is shrouding the bottom of orange flowers (7) DAISIES {DAIS}{I{o...gE}S}
2   Race event, for instance, is enveloped by perfume wafting up (7) REGATTA {EG} in {ATTAR<=}
3   Secret want given up by freshman (5) INNER begINNER
4   Aggressive, mostly irregular rebel, ultimately (9) GUERRILLA {IRREGULA+r..eL}* &lit
5   Suggested adding root of onion in mutton, perhaps? (5) MEANT {MEA{o..oN}T}
6   Scandalous, revolting bilge left neurobiologist unsettled (9) NOTORIOUS NeURObiOlOgIST*
7   Cloudiness is beginning to overwhelm the outskirts of Patiala town (7) OPACITY {Ov...m}{Pa...lA}{CITY}
8   Compound interest is charged after including arrears from inception and deducting cess (excluding tips) (7) NITRATE {INTEResT}* over {Ar...s}
14 Small bear at the fag ends of the wood gets killed (9) SMOTHERED {S}{MOTHER}{thE}{wooD}
16 Judge found criminal's clothing? Never happened before! (7-2) UNHEARD-OF {HEAR} in {FOUND}*
17 Bird is eating a piece of wood, I say! (7) HALOGEN {H{A}{LOG}EN}
18 Free — yet I'm unambitious... controlling...retiring (7) MANUMIT [T<=]
20 Source of problems from global test on the basics of machine learning and integrated networks (7) GREMLIN {GRE}{Ma...e}{Le...g}{In...d}{Ne...s}
21 Musician playing sitar starts to transfix everyone (7) ARTISTE {SITAR*}{Tr...x}{Ev...e}
23 Solder toys after unpacking completely on top (5) ALLOY {tOYs}{<=>{ALL}
24 Bought a book filled with forbidden stuff (5) TABOO [T]

Reference List

Home, Popular = IN, Better = GAMBLER, Global test = GRE, Promotion = PR

GRID

23 comments:

  1. Thought the last four crossies by new setters were very difficult.

    Also don't see how SUN MOON spooners to MONSOON—neither spelling nor pronunciation-wise.

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  2. I agree with Col.'s byline. maybe, I will add a few more clues.
    Liked I for Iodine (Halogen)

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  3. 12A Is RAITA Indian side or Indian side dish?

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  4. Challenging one. Agree with Col's byline.

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  5. "side" is used in the sense of "side dish". Like we order 'sada' in a hotel when we mean 'sada dosai'. Often, an adj qualifying a noun is used as the noun itself.

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  6. http://ibendr.github.io/xwd/bendr/puzzle529.html
    An alphabetical jigsaw puzzle. Clues are very easy and the real fun is in placing the answers. Interested may have a go.

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  7. 5D Anotation needs correction.
    Thanks

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  8. I agree with your opening comment, sir.

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  9. 4Dn Aggressive, mostly irregular rebel, ultimately (9) GUERRILLA {IRREGULA+r..eL}* &lit
    What is the anind here?

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  10. Really . Why not team also ?

    Cryptic can be stretched as one pleases ! I am not complaining .

    Convoluted is my favorite word brought to play here !

    Avatar has his style but no one can beat I incognito for brevity in clueing ; crisp as chips !



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  11. Lovely grid SSV. 13A, 19A, 17D were my favourites.

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