No 12909, Tuesday 14 Apr 2020, Dr. X

Day 21 of 21 Stay safe at home

HAPPY VISHU TO EVERYONE

ACROSS

1  Perverts rushed back to host orgy (8) DEPRAVES {DEP{RAVE}S<=}
5  Protest at USA carries importance (6) STATUS [T]
10 Decisive part of proof in a lawsuit (5) FINAL [T]
11 Fine naval officer penning book on latest in warfare (9) ADMIRABLE {ADMIRA{B}L}{w...rE}
12 A bug concealed in parties reveals flings (9) CATAPULTS {C{A}{TAP}ULTS}
13 Women patch up wound (5) WHEAL {W}{HEAL}
14 Intends to smuggle ecstasy in jets (6) PLANES {PLAN{E}S}
15 Mafia boss holds gun angrily against head of enemy in cell (7) DUNGEON {D{GUN*}ON}{En..y}
18 Contacted doctor about tackling ultimately bothersome itch (7) REACHED {DR<=} over {b...mE}{ACHE}
20 Had terrible trouble around plant (6) DAHLIA {HAD*}{AIL<=}

22 Defraud small company (5) SCREW {S}{CREW}
24 Tricky to grip the item used by acrobat (9) TIGHTROPE*
25 Lassitude in Indian state over new introduction of identities (9) INANITION {I}{NA{N}{Id...s}TION}
26 Wife irritates and complains (5) WAILS {W}{AILS}
27 Hate execution of soldiers in atrocity (6) ENMITY ENorMITY
28 Violent act of trainee overwhelmed by low wages (4,4) FOUL PLAY {FOUL}{P{L}AY}

DOWN
1   Mistake to turn traitor (6) DEFECT [DD]
2   Censure couple of amateurs consuming grass in cigar (9) PANATELLA {PAN}{A}{TELL}{A}
3  A mild punishment that might break bangles? (1,4,2,3,5) A SLAP ON THE WRIST [C&DD]
4   Prepares to catch eels swimming around (7) ENABLES {E{NAB}LES*}
6   Argument in fine bar — drag scoundrel outside to admit defeat (5,2,3,5) THROW IN THE TOWEL {TH{ROW}IN}{T}{HE{TOW}EL} Anno reverse engineered
7   Time for conservative guy to propose (5) TABLE (+t-c)TABLE
8   Excellent toss to win! Score many in session (8) STERLING {S{TERm}LING}
9   Entertained by creative influence in advertisement (6) AMUSED {A{MUSE}D}
16 Ideal perhaps to restrain one putting up rubbish in newspaper article (9) EDITORIAL {ED{1}{ROT<=}IAL*}
17 Primitive desire to inhale a joint, wants a bit of weed (8) PRISTINE {P{wRIST}INE}
19 Worried about brouhaha over arrest (6) DETAIN {D{ATE<=}IN}
20 Eat eagerly in party after consuming one drink at bar (3,4) DIG INTO {D{1}{GIN}{T}O}
21 Vivacious one in gala beginning to yodel (6) FEISTY {FE{1}ST}{Yo..l}
23 Raise money to equip with new weapons (5) REARM {REAR}{M}

Reference List
Book = B, Women = W, Ecstasy = E, Small = S, Indian = I, New = N, Wife = W, Soldier = OR, Trainee = L, Amateur = A, Grass = TELL, Bar = T, Time = T, Conservative = C, Many = M, Money = M

Grid same as yesterday

Dr RKE's TalePiece

Thomas Newsman, was at his TABLE at midnight puffing a PANATELLA. He was just finishing the FINAL draft of the EDITORIAL to be carried by 'Sunrise', a daily which had the reputation of being non-partisan. This called for some skilful TIGHTROPE walking and an ADMIRABLE sense of balance on the part of the editor. No wonder, the paper had REACHED its highest circulation under Newsman's editorship.

A FEISTY cub reporter named DAHLIA Andrews, rushed in to his office, with a story of a manufacturing DEFECT in the PLANES of a French military aircraft manufacturer, causing them to be accident-prone. Her own brother, a Flight Lieutenant had been killed in one such accident.  She suspected some FOUL PLAY in the ordering of such faulty planes by the U S Department of Defense. The editor was not AMUSED at first.  He told her that such a story could not be carried without evidence and asked her to DIG INTO the matter further. 

She did a background check on the Deputy Secretary of Defense who had signed the contract and traced the registration of a luxury yacht in his name close on the heels of finalizing the deal. Newsman was now convinced of the complicity of the official and so ran the story.  The official, who had built a STERLING reputation, now stood exposed - his PRISTINE record sullied. 

It was now up to the FBI to DETAIN the errant official for questioning and to turn the SCREW tighter. The heat turned on by 'Sunrise' was not just A SLAP IN THE WRIST for the official, it actually caused him to THROW IN THE TOWEL. As if that was not enough, the more extreme newspapers wanted him to be confined in a DUNGEON for his misdeeds. His WAILS that Ms. Dahlia Andrews had developed an ENMITY towards him because of the death of her brother, were not heeded by the media. The incident CATAPULTed the cub reporter to a celebrity STATUS.