Thursday, 3 October 2019

No 12746, Thursday 03 October 2019, xChequer


ACROSS
7 Illiterate under a strain (6) UNREAD [UNDER A]*
8 Leaves covers? Left covers (6) QUILTS [QUITS outside Left]
10 Die performing exploit (4,2,2) CASH IN ON [CASH IN + ON]
11 NO PERSON possibly coming by, on being victim of rape? (6) CREOLE [RE inside COLE] Never thought I'd see this turn of phrase (for containment by cole) in a crossword
12 Need to say anything poetically? (5) OUGHT [DD]?
14 Ordinary pulse and beat (7) HUMDRUM [HUM + DRUM]
15 Halt vehicle, run back to place rocks in ditch (5,2,3,5) LEAVE IN THE LURCH [HALT VEHICLE RUN placE]*
18 Somewhat rich, extremely pricy this victory (7) PYRRHIC [RicH PRICY]*
19 Notice in Brazilian port: 'In need of ham' (5) RADIO [AD inside RIO]
20 Wobble with vessel for teetotaller, a pitcher? (6) TOSSER [TOTTER with SteamShip for TeeTotaller]
21 Bullet missing the mark, but close (5,3) ROUND OFF [ROUND + OFF]
23 Powerful threat breaking resistance (6) POTENT [POrTENT]
24 American people short-changed in this city? (6) ALEPPO [American + PEOPLe*]

DOWN
1 Dirty flue or a chimney, essentially a smoky vent (8) FUMAROLE [FLUE OR A chiMney]*
2 This month's no month to be playful (4) ARCH [mARCH]
3 Attraction of Twitter on the Web (6) MAGNET [MAG + NET]
4 Elaborate on cub getting Queen's honour and toffee (8) BUNCOMBE [ON CUB* + MBE]
5 Diamond bearing rock, coarse, getting crushed (4,6) BLUE GROUND [BLUE + GROUND]
6 When chimney stacks start to yaw, find refuge (6) ASYLUM [AS + LUM outside Yaw]
9 Forward theocrats confused regarding the subject under discussion (2,4,5) ON THAT SCORE [ON + THEOCRATS*]
13 Revisit ego trips for cause (4,4,2) GIVE RISE TO [REVISIT EGO]*
16 Detain her entourage to arrest native (8) INHERENT [T]
17 Start to clear section of yard filled with scrap, and plant (8) CROWFOOT [Clear + FOOT outside ROW]
18 This side of stage feeding play in part? (6) PROMPT [ROMP inside ParT]
19 Inconvenience when short of time and money (6) ROUBLE [tROUBLE]
22 Idiot with intelligence? (4) DOPE [DD]

29 comments:

  1. Is Ram happy?
    Pl. read yesterday's comments.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am disappointed though. You take a leave on festival (mostly Hindu?) But not a National Holiday!

      Delete
    2. Press has been up(!)graded. There are hardly a few non paper days.
      Read- ONLY Hindu.

      Delete
  2. Fumarole is really fuming nicely. Thank you Bhavan.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I still cant understand anno for 11A. Also where is the indication for vacation of PART in 18D?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Replies
    1. You once said to me, on the same subject
      "Fund of knowledge!"

      Delete
  5. Old King Cole was a merry old soul,
    And a merry old soul was he;

    In the days of yore, many old souls were UNREAD and not wanting TO BE LEFT IN THE LURCH they would PROMPTLY arrive in the parks to listen to the RADIO news.

    News and messages in the social media these days are mostly BUNKUM and GIVE RISE TO discussions with no INHERENT Value.

    So what should we say?

    Something like a boy from ALEPPO who often said PO-RA-PO !!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Today, how many people know that news used to be aired from loudspeakers in parks- when walking was not much thought/ talked about?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. +1
      I remember those days when we used to go to Gandhi Park in my place, just to hear the news in the evenings. Those were the days of 1977 when Janata Party won the elections and everyday there used to be some breaking news!

      Delete
  7. Thanks to Bhavan for the blog clearing a few annos and XChequer for a high quality puzzle as usual.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I am still at a loss. Can someone throw more light on 11Ac.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 11AC NO:new orleans
      cole/rape are plants belonging to mustard family!
      victim :(held) hostage
      on:re
      re being held hostage by cole
      c(re)ole

      Delete
    2. Thank you Sri Sree Sree. I took NO to No.

      Delete
    3. Cole/Rape- cabbage?
      Coleslaw is shredded cabbage- Bhavan's comment says it all.

      Delete
    4. Thanks sree_sree, much appreciate your lucid explanation.

      Delete
  9. Hey, Ram! Look at Paddy's comment yesterday

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maybe Ram is still under the impression that there is no TH today!

      Delete
  10. The answer to 11a still baffles me.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Prasad's comment at 11.47 is fairly clear.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Very clear. Creoles - natives of Louisiana (New Orleans)

      Delete

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