Solution to 2D has been deliberately left unsolved and is to be answered only by a non-regular/novice commenter, with proper annotation. Those who have answered earlier in the week, please give others a chance.
ACROSS
1 Geek of a little boy, pursuing daughter! (5) DWEEB {WEE}{B} after {D}
4 When a person has to go with more insensitive loonies regularly? (6,3) NUMBER ONE {NUMBER}{lOoNiEs}
9 My depression consumes quietly, doctor (7) CORRUPT {COR}{RU{P}T}
10 Hooks purse after exchanging two sizes (7) LATCHES (-s+l)LATCHE(-l+s)S
11 Same old stuff from leading raconteur emulating Hon. Aabid Surti, huh? (6) REHASH Acrostic
12 Here are rerouted passengers, finally aboard train! (8) REHEARSE {HERE+ARE}* over {p...rS}*
14 A neighbour (married!) running after love (4) MOON {M}{O}ON}
15 Glamour wearing down when about a hundred and one is crossed? (10) ATTRACTION {ATTRiTION} over {A}{C}
18 A grass joint — rolled with some expertise — for old students? (6,4) COMMON REED {COMMON}{R(-oll+e)EED}
19 Dashing Bela — no novice! — finds time to help (4) ABET {BElA}* {T}
22 Hairy creatures many insects circle in the morning? (8) MAMMOTHS {M}{AM}{MOTHS}
24 Found oneself exposed, ruined (6) UNDONE [T]
26 An animal seen in clinic — a rib outshooting (7) CARIBOU [T]
27 A bit of dripping petrol, perhaps (7) DROPLET {Dr...g}{PETROL*}
28 This character saves Vetal’s men in sea storms (9) LINEAMENT {VETALS+MEN+IN+SEA}*-{SAVES} [CA]
29 Mr. Gandhi, having evicted an English presence, gets suspended (5) FROZE FeROZE
DOWN
1 Strange code, strange protocol (7) DECORUM {CODE*}{RUM}
2 An undergound movement participant’s truth, heartlessly wrapped in a catchy tune (9)E?R?H?O?M (Addendum - EARTHWORM {EAR{TrutH}WORM} - See comments)
3 Mark makes beer, we’re told (6) BRUISE (~brews)1 Geek of a little boy, pursuing daughter! (5) DWEEB {WEE}{B} after {D}
4 When a person has to go with more insensitive loonies regularly? (6,3) NUMBER ONE {NUMBER}{
10 Hooks purse after exchanging two sizes (7) LATCHES (-s+l)LATCHE(-l+s)S
11 Same old stuff from leading raconteur emulating Hon. Aabid Surti, huh? (6) REHASH Acrostic
12 Here are rerouted passengers, finally aboard train! (8) REHEARSE {HERE+ARE}* over {
14 A neighbour (married!) running after love (4) MOON {M}{O}ON}
15 Glamour wearing down when about a hundred and one is crossed? (10) ATTRACTION {ATTR
18 A grass joint — rolled with some expertise — for old students? (6,4) COMMON REED {COMMON}{R(-oll+e)EED}
22 Hairy creatures many insects circle in the morning? (8) MAMMOTHS {M}{AM}{MOTHS}
26 An animal seen in clinic — a rib outshooting (7) CARIBOU [T]
28 This character saves Vetal’s men in sea storms (9) LINEAMENT {VETALS+MEN+IN+SEA}*-{SAVES} [CA]
29 Mr. Gandhi, having evicted an English presence, gets suspended (5) FROZE F
DOWN
1 Strange code, strange protocol (7) DECORUM {CODE*}{RUM}
2 An undergound movement participant’s truth, heartlessly wrapped in a catchy tune (9)
4 Bear in mind, the fifth option is incorrect (4) NOTE {NOT}{E}
5 These fruit are spoiled, reimburse about a pound (10) MULBERRIES {REIMBURSE}* over {L}
7 Hero galloped while carrying Kit at last? That’s new! (5) OTHER {HERO}* over {
8 A strict professor, essentially — originally from Asia, perhaps? (7) EASTERN {A}{STERN} after {
13 She might keep a lot of things here to raise her up in steep environs (10) STOREHOUSE {S{TO}{HER<=}OUSE}
16 Gussalufz is a boy, or contrariwise, a girl? (Crude, rising misunderstanding) (9) IMBROGLIO {I'M}{B}{OR<=}{G}{OIL<=}
17 Upheaval in Bali, Cameroon, but not near this country (8) COLOMBIA {BALI+C
20 Forged letters providing support (7) TRESTLE*
21 Something that cannot be repeated over connections between her too iffy endpoints (3-3) ONE-OFF {ON}{
23 Romeo residing in 14 Ac. is a jackass (5) MORON {MO{R}ON}
25 Have a meal with Diana for a change (4) EDIT E(-a+di)DIT
Reference List
Boy = B, Daughter = D, My = COR, Quietly = P, Married = M, Hundred = C, Old = O, Student = Novice = L, Time = T, Many = M, English = E, Pound = L, New = N, Hospital = H, Girl = G, Romeo = R
Dr RKE's TalePiece
Ji-woo MOON
(JM) is a biologist working on conservation of wildlife, such as the CARIBOU.
She hails from South Korea but is now well ENTRENCHed as the NUMBER ONE figure
in Canada in her chosen field. Her EASTERN upbringing makes her capable of long
hours of intense work, to the exclusion of all OTHER interests. JM’s research
work is not merely academic- it has enabled the MULBERRY farmers of COLOMBIA,
to double their yield, by using EARTHWORM to enrich the soil and to prevent the
contamination of the crop with the COMMON REED.
Today JM is on
a ONE-OFF field trip in the FROZEn wastes of Newfoundland, Canada, to explore
the cause for the mysterious and precipitous fall in the number of caribou there.
She for one does not believe in the much REHASHed theory of climate change
affecting the wildlife. JM has taken NOTE of the rapidity in the decline of the
numbers and she is sure that unless quick action is taken, these gentle
antlered beasts will go the way of the woolly MAMMOTHs of the past.
She hears a
strange sound like whirring motor, and opens the LATCHES of her tent, braving
the intense cold. She sees a drone hovering overhead. She follows the drone
with her binoculars and finds that it is seeding some pellets over the caribou
grazing fields in a well REHEARSEd sequence. The pellets have the same green
colour of the lichen on which the caribou feed. On eating the pellets along
with the lichen, the caribou develop weakness of their muscles, rendering them
unable to run and so they are hunted down with ease by the poachers. It is
obvious that such a bold venture cannot succeed without the ABETment of some
CORRUPT officials or politicians.
Knowing that as
a biologist she is powerless to fight these forces, JM turns the entire
STOREHOUSE of data over to her ex-boyfriend John Writer, who EDITs the National
Herald, an esteemed paper. Although the ATTRACTION between JM and Writer has
ebbed away, they still hold each other in professional respect. The breaking
news in the paper and its TV channel, makes the powers that be sit up and it will
hopefully get the damage UNDONE soon. Writer, though a DWEEB, has a modicum of DECORUM
to send a thank you note to JM. That note brings a cheer to her LINEAMENT, and makes
her forget the BRUISEs of the past. I would be a MORON to not guess that their
relation will soon be rekindled.
2 dn EARTHWORM. {EAR { T(-rut) H} WORM}
ReplyDeleteGreat solving.
ReplyDeleteThe CA- Lineament- in 28A is tough to solve. I didn't.
ReplyDeleteSpent an engrossing hour but could not complete,but no regrets. Learned a lot.
Dr.RKE scores again!
ReplyDelete+1
Delete+2
Delete+3
DeleteI know a man who is NUMBER ONE
ReplyDeleteThere's no contest he hasn't won
He goes here and there
Always comes out better
Will not someone bring him down?
The above limerick must have had the title 'I'. Don't worry, Sir, there is none to bring you down!🤣
ReplyDeleteI had good education not so much from colleges but from the atmosphere of learning in my grandfather's joint family home with uncles asking questions. Also from my father's collection of books. I remember Pan Book of Limericks in which a woman from Madras too figured and there were comic illustrations.
ReplyDeleteThat limerick later appeared in Debonair magazine.
DeleteI know only the naughty one about 'The man from Madras' :-)
DeleteUmmer was able to easily CORRUPT the NUMBER ONE politician to ABET him in his diabolic plan.
ReplyDeleteThe plan was to use the EASTERN part of the island (to be developed as a nudist colony so that very few would dare enter) as a STORE HOUSE forthe bags of seeds of phragnites australis (the COMMON REED). Then these would be poisoned and thrown surreptitiously in select farms.
Later a NOTE would be made viral in social media gaining rapid ATTRACTION that unless a certain amount is deposited in a particular account by the owner, his fields would be infested.
But little did the know that their plans would be UNDONE by one J.MOON.
What happened next?
Nice one. Learnt the botanical name of common Reed as well.
DeleteKeep it up CG
DeleteCracking puzzle! Loved the varied Wordplay. 4A was naughtily clever. One-off was challenging to parse. I always thought he was spelt Firoze Gandhi with an i and not with an e.
ReplyDeleteThank you Gussalufz.
In 4A how 'When a person has to go'= Number one? I mean,I find it difficult to connect the def. with the solution word.
ReplyDeleteTo go=to urinate
Delete:-)
DeleteNever thought of that. Now I understand why it is 'naughtily clever'!
CV had written the limerick for this 3 days in advance.
DeleteNumb= insensitive
ReplyDeleteNumber= more insensitive
The first Gussalufz puzzle I enjoyed solving. Witty, Cheeky and sometimes Pesky. Thank you Sir.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, I still haven't understood 28A: LINEAMENT, though I guessed it from the cross letters. Someone please explain.
ReplyDeleteI see that the letters of SAVES have to be subtracted from Vetal's men in sea, but where is the indication for that?
DeleteIt is a composite(or compound) anagram. It is quite complicated and used to appear only in advanced cryptics(like the barred puzzles of Azed and Mephisto). But now we see it being used quite regularly in THC as well.
DeleteIt works like this:you have to subtract from fodder A, fodder B and anagram to get the solution or alternately (solution +fodderB)*=fodder A.
Usually the indication is This or its appearing as part of definition.
DeleteThanks, Vasant.
DeleteVasant,
ReplyDelete'saves' being in pink confuses the issue,isn't it?
Gist of it is - (Vetal's men in sea - saves)* with storms being the anagrind. Am I right?
In other words, (Lineament+ saves)* gives (Vetals.....)
Right.
DeleteVery well put Paddy. That should clear CA for all.
DeleteOnly request to setters:please do not use CA. It is for advanced Cryptic solvers. Folks in THC, at least many of them, are not advanced Cryptic solvers.
I think there are only 3 setters who use them so request their kind indulgence.
Thanks, Mr Padmanabhan.
Delete