Day 53 of 54 Stay safe at home
ACROSS
1 Keep the French actors in front (6) CASTLE {CAST}{LE}
4 Perhaps Jack’s mother inhaled a spice (8) CARDAMOM {CARD}{A}{MOM}
10 Cleaner city strip (9) LAUNDRESS {LA}{UNDRESS}
11 Say sick and tired of panel (5) BOARD (~bored)
12 Uproar in the first quarter (5) NOISE {NO 1}{SE}
13 Heavy toll obtained from Bronte’s new measure (5,4) TENOR BELL {BRONTE*}{ELL}
14 A little excited queen can become steady (7) EQUABLE {Ex...d}{QU}{ABLE}
16 Autocrat’s automobile took the bend (4) CZAR {C{Z}AR}
19 Covered cold youth (4) CLAD {C}{LAD}
21 Woman enters bar having English spirit (7) BANSHEE {BAN}{SHE}{E}
24 Drawing out priest before naming (9) ELICITING {ELI}{CITING}
26 Choose to raise one hand instead of the other (5) ELECT E(-r+l)LECT
25 Drink half the beer? Great! (5) SUPER {SUP}{beER} See comments
27 Rewrite it to toast artiste (9) TATTOOIST*
28 Cross had to be fixed to provide means to open and close an old window (4,4) SASH CORD*
29 Requested plot had a bird originally (6) BEGGED{B}{EGGED} (Addendum - {B{EGG}ED} - See comments)
DOWN
1 Solid figure can be obtained by placing yule alternatively in ash (8) CYLINDER {C{YuLe}INDER}
2 Artificial incentive to credit notes (8) SPURIOUS {SPUR}{IOUS}
3 Spoon of salad leaf (5) LADLE [T]
5 As back’s mostly cut (7) ARSENIC {ARSE}{NICk}
6 Wrongly ban modern breed (9) DOBERMANN*
7 More cruel than the average king (6) MEANER {MEAN}{ER}
8 Centre’s measure to accept financial instrument (6) MIDDLE {MI{DD}LE}
9 Brewer’s constant compromise to eliminate some spending (6) KETTLE {K}{sETTLE}
15 Projectile like orb is twitching (9) BALLISTIC {BALL}{IS}{TIC}
17 Lowering cold by jumping up and down (8) CHOPPING {C}{HOPPING}
18 Red taser mauled with teeth (8) SERRATED*
20 Quarrel between dead queen and tramp (7) DRIFTER {D}{RIFT}{ER}
21 Scarf obtained inside capital city (6) BOGOTA {BO{GOT}A}
22 Middle-Eastern people confiscated the Spanish gems (6) JEWELS {JEW{EL}S}
23 Corona related viral illness spread across nine social events (6) MIXERS {M{IX}ERS}
25 Tried hard to hide some rifle’s range (5) STOVE STrOVE
1 Keep the French actors in front (6) CASTLE {CAST}{LE}
4 Perhaps Jack’s mother inhaled a spice (8) CARDAMOM {CARD}{A}{MOM}
11 Say sick and tired of panel (5) BOARD (~bored)
12 Uproar in the first quarter (5) NOISE {NO 1}{SE}
13 Heavy toll obtained from Bronte’s new measure (5,4) TENOR BELL {BRONTE*}{ELL}
14 A little excited queen can become steady (7) EQUABLE {E
16 Autocrat’s automobile took the bend (4) CZAR {C{Z}AR}
19 Covered cold youth (4) CLAD {C}{LAD}
21 Woman enters bar having English spirit (7) BANSHEE {BAN}{SHE}{E}
24 Drawing out priest before naming (9) ELICITING {ELI}{CITING}
26 Choose to raise one hand instead of the other (5) ELECT E(-r+l)LECT
25 Drink half the beer? Great! (5) SUPER {SUP}{
27 Rewrite it to toast artiste (9) TATTOOIST*
28 Cross had to be fixed to provide means to open and close an old window (4,4) SASH CORD*
29 Requested plot had a bird originally (6) BEGGED
DOWN
1 Solid figure can be obtained by placing yule alternatively in ash (8) CYLINDER {C{Y
2 Artificial incentive to credit notes (8) SPURIOUS {SPUR}{IOUS}
3 Spoon of salad leaf (5) LADLE [T]
5 As back’s mostly cut (7) ARSENIC {ARSE}{NIC
6 Wrongly ban modern breed (9) DOBERMANN*
8 Centre’s measure to accept financial instrument (6) MIDDLE {MI{DD}LE}
9 Brewer’s constant compromise to eliminate some spending (6) KETTLE {K}{
15 Projectile like orb is twitching (9) BALLISTIC {BALL}{IS}{TIC}
17 Lowering cold by jumping up and down (8) CHOPPING {C}{HOPPING}
18 Red taser mauled with teeth (8) SERRATED*
20 Quarrel between dead queen and tramp (7) DRIFTER {D}{RIFT}{ER}
21 Scarf obtained inside capital city (6) BOGOTA {BO{GOT}A}
22 Middle-Eastern people confiscated the Spanish gems (6) JEWELS {JEW{EL}S}
23 Corona related viral illness spread across nine social events (6) MIXERS {M{IX}ERS}
25 Tried hard to hide some rifle’s range (5) STOVE ST
Reference List
The in French = LE, Jack = CARD, Quarter = SE, Measure = ELL, Queen = QU, Bend = Z, Priest = ELI, King = ER, Financial instrument = DD, Constant = K(Kelvin), Cold = C, Hand = L or R, Dead = D, Queen = ER, The in Spanish = EL,
Colour/Font Scheme
Definition, Solution, Component letters, Embedded links, Theme word, Anagram Indicator, C/C indicator, Reversal Indicator, Hidden word Indicator, Letter Pick indicator, Deletion Indicator, Homophone Indicator, Movement Indicator, Positional Indicator, Substitution, Indicator, Opposite indicator, Link/Connector, Extraneous
Grid same as yesterday
I think the anno for 29A is
ReplyDeleteB(EGG)ED, plot = BED, bird originally = EGG
+1
DeleteThe Spice BOARD of Kerala had appointed John Malaikal (JM) as a Research Officer in the CARDAMOM research station at the picturesque village of Pampadumpara, close to Munnar. His living quarters were set in the MIDDLE of an estate, converted from a CASTLE like bungalow left by the estate's previous Irish owner, Patrick Fitzgerald. Staying alone in the wilderness, JM had only a DOBERMANN only for company.
ReplyDeleteThis Saturday morning JM, normally an EQUABLE person, woke up in a disturbed frame of mind. He had heard a strange NOISE, like the wail of a BANSHEE at night. He was spooked by the fact that his dog had not heard the noise. "Why did the dog not bark?" he wondered like Sherlock Holmes in Silver Blaze. CLAD in his lungi, he dragged himself out of bed and set the KETTLE on the STOVE for his morning chaya, but the gas CYLINDER was empty. He pulled the SASHCORD of the bay window and found his LAUNDRESS at a distance, CHOPPING firewood. He called out to her and BEGGED her to fetch hot water. She made a makeshift stove from the firewood and when the kettle was boiling, she told him "saare, the people in the estate lines say this bungalow has a ghost, who comes here on Friday nights when it is the new moon. For that is the time when that dorai's wife was murdered and her JEWELS went missing. Everytime she appears, there is a death in the village. You better take care". JM, who had heard this before used to think this was only a SPURIOUS tale spun by the villagers, but he could not dismiss it now.
The TENOR BELL rang out from the small village church at that moment, unusual for a Saturday morning as there was no service. The woman's face turned ashen. "That bell rings to announce a death" she said and hurried off. JM later found that the dead man was working as a gardner for Fitzgerald. He went about ELICITING stories from the village elders about the similar mysterious deaths in the past and found that they all had been Fitgerald's domestic helps. Were they accomplices to the murder of Mrs.Fitzgerald? He presented his theory to the village headman, who surprisingly went BALLISTIC and said "how can you, a man of science, believe such nonsense?". Something bothered JM and only on returning to the bungalow, he knew what it was. The headman had a striking resemblance to Fitzgerald whose portrait hung in the hall, only the skin was dark. I leave the rest to your imagination.
CGB would have said,'What happened next?
DeleteGreat story. Looks like almost all the words have been used or is it all the words? Will check.
+2
ReplyDeleteIf it is Sunnet,it has to be a Pangram.How come Col. missed it?
ReplyDeleteThere is a 25A clue in the print edition.
ReplyDeleteDrink half the beer? Great! (5) S?A?R
I did not get it.
Sorry. S?P?R.
ReplyDeleteHas to be Super. (Sup)er
Got deleted by mistake while editing
DeleteSuper Paddy!
Delete:-)
DeleteI think Col. did not find Z. If it is Czar,it becomes full.
ReplyDeleteI had that doubt- Is Bend=Z?
I have corrected it
DeleteBend=Z is used normally?
DeleteZˈ-bend a series of sharp bends in a road
DeleteThank you KKR.
DeleteYes,That is the only Z.
ReplyDeleteI have distanced myself from social events in 23DN
ReplyDeleteAA reached his hotel room with the JEWELS. He was unaware that some were SPURIOUS and that the count was sevent two and not eighty.
ReplyDeleteCapt. Stag back on BOARD was in the MIDDLE of a chess game and had just completed his CASTLE move when there was a big NOISE.
Bibek CLAD in torn clothes was brought before the Captain. He BEGGED to be released.
Razack loudly complaining was like the pot calling the KETTLE black.
The Captain asked everyone to stay quiet. He was keen in ELICITING the details of the incident.
What happened next?
Anyone identified the theme?
ReplyDeleteI see some musical instruments. Is that the theme?
DeleteKitchen or cooking items.
DeleteCylinder, Ladle, Kettle, Chopping Board, Stove, Mixers.
Good guess Vasant!
DeleteI added serrated and Cardamom to that
Delete👍
DeleteDear Sir 26 Ac is missed in the blog. Choose to raise one hand instead of the other (5) I think it is ELECT. I am not able the get the annotation. Please help.
ReplyDeleteElect is right.
DeleteRaise=erect.
One hand instead of another means change R(right hand) to L(Left hand)
In the above 'elect'is 'choose'.
ReplyDeleteL, left, one hand, becomes another, Rright, that is R.
So eLect becomes eRect = to raise