Thursday 9 January 2020

No 12828, Thursday 09 Jan 2020, Arden


ACROSS
 Caught on bait, it’s slight (8) CONTEMPT {C}{ON}{TEMPT}
5   Almost identical vessel like a skiff (6) SAMPAN {SAMe}{PAN}
10 One legged, odd support for a subject (7) ALGEBRA {A}{LeGgEd}{BRA}
11 A couple of farm animals like 9 for example (7) ANAGRAM {A}{NAG}{RAM}
12 Broadcaster in the town once (5) CRIER [CD]
13 Doctor must inject drug, Penny's all swollen up (9) TUMESCENT {TUM{E}S*}{CENT}
14 Instrument brings harmony with gulf money (7,5) CONCERT GRAND {CONCERT}{G}{RAND}
18 Bragging about Democrats with money — it comes from people (12) CROWDFUNDING {CROW{D}{FUND}ING}
21 Pain as a real gun shot goes over his heart (9) NEURALGIA {A+REAL+GUN}* over {hIs}
23 Get set — are his men essentially strange? (5) EERIE {gEt}{sEt}{aRe}{hIs}{mEn}
24 Animal said to have come here on horseback (3,4) ROE DEER (~rode here)
25 Statesman takes minutes to refuse dehumanisation (7) IDAHOAN DeHumAnisAtION*
26 Only lift the skeleton (6) OSTEAL {O}{STEAL}
27 Number in perhaps great detail at last (8) INTEGRAL {IN}{GREAT*}{d...iL}

DOWN
1   Drink’s good, one’s lost opportunity... (6) CHANCE {CHA}{NiCE}
2   ...head refuses drink after midnight (6) NOGGIN {NO}{niGht}{GIN}
3   Set out — old boat banned (9) EMBARGOED {EMB{ARGO}ED}
4   Scripts are ugly, remake in the theatre (7,7) PLASTIC SURGERY* Remake on double duty
6   Assemble for a service (5) AMASS {A}{MASS}
7   Under average, means spoilt cheese (8) PARMESAN {PAR}{MEANS*}
8   Treated one, made to remove ringworm (8) NEMATODE (Addendum - {ONE+MADE+To}* - See comments)
9   Miami to Granada, at sea it’s very dangerous (5,9) GAMMA RADIATION*
15 Private pours General a drink (6,3) GINGER ALE {GI}{GENERAL*}
16 Coins are tossed in such a situation (8) SCENARIO*
17 Edifice — the importance of retaining Greek character (8) MONUMENT {MO{NU}MENT}
19 Protection on our hand (6) ARMOUR {ARM}{OUR}
20 Every one calm in the middle of spring (6) VERNAL {eVERy}{oNe}{cALm}
22 Colosseum partly put up — end of an era (5) ARENA [T<=]

Reference List
Caught = C, Support = BRA, Drug = E, Gulf = G, Democrat = D, Only = O, Drink = CHA, Average = PAR, Private = GI


21 comments:

  1. Loved the puzzle. FOI Chance. LOI IDAHOAN. Favourite Clues were Anagram, crowdfunding and Gamma Radiation. Thanks Arden.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unusual. Gamma radiation,crowd funding.tumescent.concert grand.
      I always read PARMESAN as Parameshwaran ! ARMOUR couldn't have been simpler .

      Delete
    2. Ha ha! I like parameshwaran.
      Similarly, I used to read a hoarding of a company "PANALPINA" as Palaniappan!!!

      Delete
  2. Gamma radiation, nematode, plastic surgery, osteal, tumescent, neuralgia...Easy for a doctor, the rest of you better buy Stedman's medical dictionary!😊

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. :-)
      Beauty of Cryptic crosswords is that we can prise out difficult and technical words through wordplay. But certainly easier for those who know the words

      Delete
  3. Tougher than the previous days! Medical intervention is the probable cause.
    But all the more liked it for the beauty of clues like 11AC, 9DN, 25AC

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Strangely I found yesterday's puzzle a lot tougher. Perhaps I attempted late evening.
      I did today's puzzle early morning. And I find when I solve early morning afer a good night's sleep, puzzles are easier to solve.
      What is the experience of others?

      Delete
    2. Depends on the setter who woke me up!

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    3. Any day,morning solve is always the best and easiest. If I miss it, I hardly get going.- like today. That said, KKR has a point too.

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    4. Vasanth, due to exigencies of my assignments I could not review the grid. But earlier, without cross word i never go to site. Nowadays I used to see the threads \ grids during lunch hour.

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  4. In my early days of solving Everyman in The Hindu on Sundays, one or two might be unyielding. I will put it away. Go to sleep and on waking up the next morning the answer will come to my mind. What mysterious processes happen in our brain overnight, we don't know! Today, at my present age, I forget, do some things unmindfully before realising the silly error. , No great damage as yet but I need to be extra careful. The old practice of younger companions being at homeand helping elders is gone.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We all will have to pass through this stage in life. Thanks for forewarning.
      Sometimes, I miss the solution in the first pass but in the second reading, I get some more and then depend solely on the crossings for flashes. The rest takes ages (they are generally names of authors, singers, song titles, which I don't remember/know)

      Delete
  5. Chemistry of mind and memory is hard to fathom,more so as one gets older.

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  6. Excellent puzzle! Pleased to have solved it all, something I struggled to do with Arden's crosswords before.

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  7. Crosswords are ideal to keep one's mind alert and sharp. There are short term and long term memory banks in our brains. A little nudge by the clues or crossings will re-activate the memory bank. I have always wondered how many compilers and crosswords are keeping our minds active especially with their permutations and combinations.many a time I have feelings that this pastime is a sheer waste of time but habits die hard and I console myself that it is a harmless pursuit but productive to keep minds active. Hence we should continue and not mind memory lapses, which are natural .

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  8. Yes,we do continue - unmindful of lapses. Makes it more challenging.

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