Friday 31 July 2020

No 13002, Friday 31 Jul 2020, KrisKross

RULES FOR POSTING COMMENTS ON FRIDAYS ONLY

All those who are not regular commenters but who are rookie commenters or silent followers of the blog are requested to post answers with annotations in the comments section. In your own interest please avoid looking up the answers from the interactive version. Don't hesitate to post your annotations, in case you make a mistake in the annotation someone will correct it with the right annotation.

PLEASE NOTE, SOLUTIONS WITHOUT ATTEMPTING THE ANNOTATIONS WILL BE DELETED

Each commenter is requested to post only 

Regular solvers/Veterans can post 1 answer each, but after 11 AM only

The regular blog will replace the clues at 4 PM.

Thanks for the response, here's the regular blog.

ACROSS
1   Policeman tears author’s printed material (4,4) HARD COPY {HARD{COP}Y}
5   A help sent back for laziness (6) ACEDIA {ACE}{AID<=}
9   It cools the car as one goes through melting tar road (8) RADIATOR {1} in {TAR+ROAD}*
10 Mature team drinking whiskey (4,2) GROW UP {GRO{W}UP}
12 About to cut rent in Tamil Nadu town’s terminal (9) ELECTRODE {LE{C}T} in {ERODE}
13 Lass exercising before a dip (5) SALSA {LASS*}{A}
14 Vomited a jam sandwich, turning green (4) JADE [T<=]
16 Harry oddly pets Asian snakes (7) TAIPANS {PeTs+ASIAN}*
19 Paternal grandmother’s injected with primarily life-giving body fluids (7) PLASMAS {Li...n} in {PA'S MA'S}
21 Has topless dresses (4) OWNS gOWNS
24 Finishes scoring century, but suffers defeat (5) LOSES cLOSES
25 Cycles replacing trains too (9) ROTATIONS*
27 Post I made about a local dialect (6) PATOIS {POST+I}* over {A}
28 Will bathe freshly when receiving that Parisian (8) BEQUEATH {BE{QUE}ATH*}
29 Asian country full of old farmers (6) YEOMEN {YE{O}MEN}
30 How to clue for “Arts and Elvis”, say (4,4) ROCK STAR {ARTS}* [RA]

DOWN
1   Infection of sick sheep fed with herbs essentially (6) HERPES {HE{heRbs}PES*}
2   More embarrassed either way (6) REDDER <=>
3   Money paid to hire a taxi (5) COAST {CO{A}ST}
4   Demonstrate how to hold fine needle (7) PROVOKE {PROV{OK}E}
6   Religious person travelling in this car (9) CHRISTIAN*
7   Old man hides private diary — not good to save on computer (8) DOWNLOAD {D{OWN}{LOg}AD}
8   Judge reviewed papers about a trial, essentially (8) APPRAISE {APPR{A}{trIal}SE*}
11 Unknown entity hacks the web later (4) NEXT {NE{X}T}
15 Crimea — its struggling to get peace (9) ARMISTICE*
17 Fit one will shortly break records regularly, say (8) EPILEPSY {EP}{I'Ll}{EP}{SaY}
18 Chap sounding higher than usual? (8) FALSETTO [CD]
20 Either of two neighbouring characters could be kind (4) SORT {S or T}
21 Heading off for 30 days, I could be very busy (2,3,2) ON THE GO {mONTH}{EGO}
22 Vehicle overturned, carrying Australian composer (6) MOZART {M{OZ}ART<=}
23 Artist cheers wildly (6) ESCHER*
26 Lorry traffic (5) TRUCK [DD]

Reference List
A = ACE, Whisky = W, About = C, Century = C, Old = O, Unknown = X, Record = EP(Extended Play), I = EGO


Thursday 30 July 2020

No 13001, Thursday 30 Jul 2020, Afterdark

Solution to 29A 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   Clearly defined like the squares here (5-3-5) BLACK-AND-WHITE Definition by example
10 Famous tennis player retires having pain, against Russian leader (9) GORBACHEV {BORG<=}{ACHE}{V} An error in the reversal
11 The pair buys egg from stall... (5) BOOTH {BO{O}TH}
12 ...or something egg shaped free on order (5) OVOID {VOID}<=>{O}
13 Assailant ripped apart by dogs (9) ALSATIANS*
14 Your old listener coming to the front is rude (6) EARTHY {THY}<=>{EAR}
16 Navy boarding American vessels... (4) URNS {U{RN}S}
19 ... in place of sublieutinant held in confinement (4) LIEU [T]
20 A maths problem? No it’s another problem (6) ASTHMA {A}{MATHS*}*
25 State has victory collecting small coins issued (9) WISCONSIN {WIN} over {S}{COINS*}
26 The 8th letter’s second page’s long (5) AITCH {pAge}{ITCH}
27 As per sources, Diana's uncle, Charles’ aunt Lizzie could be related to duke (5) DUCAL Acrostic
28 A film on how Titanic crashed; it’s shot with Navy’s involvement (9) CHINATOWN {HOW+TitANIC}*{N}
29 Bookings regarding supplies without significance (13) ?E?I?T?A?I?N? (Addendum - REGISTRATIONS {RE}{GIST}{RATIONS} - See comments)

DOWN
2   Wild pig, fat all around seen at port side (8) LARBOARD {LAR{BOAR}D}
3   Leafy vegetable, cold and raw (5) CHARD {C}{HARD}
4   One used butter at retreat, perhaps (6) ASHRAM {A}{SH}{RAM}
5   Visa issued to enter District of Columbia; prepared for tennis tournament (5,3) DAVIS CUP {D{VISA*}C}{UP}
6   Worker in costumes of natives, say (9) HABITANTS {HABIT{ANT}S}
7   After the onset of throat infection, sign of multiplication between neck and abdomen (6) THORAX {tHROAT}*{X}
8   Take no notice of Italian gentleman, he is off his head (6) IGNORE sIGNORE
9   Part with remark right away (5) PHASE PHrASE
15 Head office’s initial public offering is to collect money to distribute oil to common people (3,6) HOI POLLOI {HO}{IPO}{L}{OIL*}
17 Easygoing person or aggressive? Hard to say initially. Maybe a lion (8) PUSSYCAT {PUS(-s+h)HY}{CAT}
18 Say, Pondicherry district in demonstration, to start non-cooperation against closure (8) SHUTDOWN {SH{UT}{D}OWN} (Correction - {SH{UT}{D}OW}{No...n} - See comments)
21 Bach in Germany? Somewhat painful... (6) ACHING [T]
22 ... maybe it is Ludwig, Goransson that is (5) SWEDE [CD]
23 South Korean rapper at church to find energy and soul (6) PSYCHE {PSY}{CH}{E}
24 Soldier seen in a university at Chennai has chest pain (6) ANGINA {AN{GI}NA}
26 Summers are bad, animals can infringe at sources (5) ABACI Acrostic

Reference List
Against = V, Egg = O, Order = O, Navy = RN(Royal Navy), Small = S, Cold = C, One = A, Used = SH(Second Hand), Right = R, Money = L, Hard = H, District = D, Church = CH, Energy = E


Wednesday 29 July 2020

No 13000, Wednesday 29 Jul 2020, Afterdark

Solution to 19D 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   Sailor being isolated becomes one in a shell (7) ABALONE {AB}{ALONE}
5   Vibration is high, grab the edge of mattress (7) TREMBLE {TRE{Ma...s}BLE}
9   Painter pretending to have sense (9) INTERPRET [T]
10 Dear, in Paris having sex essentially is welcome (5) CHEER {CH{sEx}ER}
11 Charge every rascal first (7) IMPEACH {EACH}<=>{IMP}
12 Many do both at the same time leading to gossip (7) HEARSAY {HEAR}{SAY}
13 Celebrity is savage, wants liquor first (5) GLORY {G{Li...r}ORY}
15 Bonfire lit up inside compound, perhaps (9) IBUPROFEN {BONFIRE}* over {UP}
17 Goes with intimate friends (5,4) ALTER EGOS {GOES}* [RA]
19 River in Berlin dusty... (5) INDUS [T]
21 ... sprucing drive in old dredger primarily carried too far (7) OVERDID {O}{DRIVE*}{Dr...r}
23 Heartless insult leads to unusual outburst (7) TANTRUM {TAuNT}{RUM}
25 Considering everything, one at north should take Latin primarily, beyond one's first language (2,3) IN ALL {1}{N}{A}{La...e}{La..n}
26 Say, we have to adjust with one at outskirts of Los Angeles (9) ORIENTALS {ORIENT}{A}{Lo...eS}
27 Element found on layer outside a piece (7) HALOGEN {H{A}{LOG}EN}
28 Burnt steak covered in good sauce basically is found in cookers (7) GASKETS {STEAK}* in {Good}{Sa..e}

DOWN
1   Waking up to a revolt... (7) ARISING {A}{RISING}
2   ... become troublesome, set cat on top of pigeons involving union leader (3,2) ACT UP {CAT*}{Pi...s} over {Un..n}
3   Say, Madonna will start tour late collecting money by daybreak (3,4) OUR LADY {tOUR}{DAY*} over {L}
4   Perhaps you, with broken heart closed business early; gone at the end (9) EARTHLING {HEART*}{LINe}{Gone}
5   A small person like a bird, child (5) TITCH {TIT}{CH}
6   In simple language, pastry contains nuts primarily (2,5) EN CLAIR {E{Nuts}CLAIR}
7   Maybe mammals are reared to hold feast all around (6-3) BREAST-FED {BR{FEAST*}ED}
8   At the beginning, doctor nearly had nothing (5,2) EARLY ON {NEARLY}* over {0}
14 Competent to pick seam, from where it is (2,3,4) ON THE BALL [DD]
16 What I am doing now after getting high is worrying (9) UPSETTING {SETTING}<=>{UP}
17 Cab starting late, oil spilling on front seat, hard to wipe out (7) ABOLISH {cAB}{OIL*}{Seat}{H}
18 Kid fled in frenzy inside on danger signal (3,4) RED FLAG {R{FLED*}AG}
19 With wife being absent proceeds on rounds (7) I?N?N?S (Addendum - INNINGS wINNINGS - See comments)
20 Snacks in morning after some sleep, dosas after daybreak (7) SAMOSAS {AM}<=>{Sl..p} and {dOSAS}
22 Overpower doctor and hold (5) DROWN {DR}{OWN}
24 Heartless city official takes a plunder (5) REAVE {REe{A}VE}

Reference List
Sailor = AB, Old = O, Unusual = RUM, One = A, Money = L, Child = CH, Wife = W, High = UP, Hard = H, Morning = AM, Day = D


Tuesday 28 July 2020

No 12999, Tuesday 28 Jul 2020, Vulcan

Solution to 7D 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   It’s corrupt, with governor bringing downfall (12) OVERTHROWING*
10 Fought against work discrimination, primarily with sit-in (7) OPPOSED {OP}{POSE}{Di...n}
11 He delivers stories to read (7) NEWSBOY [CD]
12 Museum and university very involved in traditional knowledge (6) LOUVRE {LO{U}{V}RE}
13 Start hostilities around where it's flaming hot (4,4) OPEN FIRE [DD]
15 Criticise books defending party’s rebel (9) DISSIDENT {DIS}{SIDE}{NT}
16 Drink is sent through corridor (5) AISLE {A{IS}LE}
17 Launch of new outlet shortly coming about (5) MOUNT {MOU{N}Th}
19 Fruit of Argentine variety (9) TANGERINE*
22 Last month I have in Spain with kids (8) DECEIVES {DEC}{E{I'VE}S}
24 Poems on South American city (6) ODESSA {ODES}{S}{A}
26 One who keeps away from say, entertaining old minds regularly (7) AVOIDER {AV{O}{mInDs}ER}
27 Show is about Republican framework (7) TRELLIS {T{R}ELL}{IS}
28 It is pressmen turning into PR agents (12) SPINMEISTERS*

DOWN
2   Very beginning of autumn rains and mists (7) VAPOURS {V}{Au...n}{POURS}
3   Stop and shower, time to show self-discipline (9) RESTRAINT {REST}{RAIN}{T}
4   Foolish idea keeping leather (4) HIDE [T]
5   All-powerful top men? Not one that’s sorted (10) OMNIPOTENT {TOP+MEN+NOT+1}*
6   American, one working outside Washington (5) IOWAN {1}{O{WA}N}
7   A device, small needle tip to pierce all around (7) G?B?I?S (Addendum - GUBBINS - {S}{BUG} over{NIB}<=  See comments )
8   Dismissed as flashy/pronounced (6) BOWLED (~bold)
9   Variables associated with reportedly thin solvent (6) XYLENE {X}{Y}{LENE}(~lean)
14 Two containers for an instrument (10) KETTLEDRUM {KETTLE}{DRUM}
16 Addition of a couple of guys during day time (9) AMENDMENT {A}{MEN}{D}{MEN}{T}
17 Insane when relatives basically in town (6) MADRAS {MAD}{Re...s}{AS}
18 University to meet after the end of session — to change position (7) UNCROSS {U}{s...oN}{CROSS}
20 Dirty urinals with water all around (7) INSULAR*
21 Pass drinks during the middle of meet (6) ELAPSE {mE{LAPS}Et}
23 Creature seen in part of Asia, mostly around river (5) INDRI {IND{R}Ia}
25 A case of free tuition (4) ETUI [T]

Reference List
Work = OP, University = U, Very = V, Criticise = DIS, Books = NT, New = N, Spain = ES, South = S, American = A, Old = O, Republican = R, Time = T, Small = S, Variables = X,Y, Day = D, River = R


Monday 27 July 2020

No 12998, Monday 27 Jul 2020, Anon

Solution to 12A 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   Rejections of damaged slim sidecar (11) DISCLAIMERS*
9   Tell doctor at surgery about delivery from plane (7) AIRDROP {AIR}{DR}{OP}
10 Torment the overweight, remove primary eatery on ship (6) OBSESS {OBeSE}{SS}
11 Dock to charge a fee, we hear (5) LEVEE (~levy)
12 Conservative escapes from those who jettison, panics (7) ?I?H?R? (Addendum - DITHERS DITcHERS - See comments)
15 Hero, it is said, is not working (4) IDLE (~idol)
16 United Nations weirdly declines those lacking official approval (10) UNLICENSED {UN}{DECLINES*}
18 Dean learnt about human ancestor (10) NEANDERTAL*
20 Initially bitter beer in bucket (4) BALE {Bi...r}{ALE} I don't  think this definition is correct
23 Officer’s firm isolated from leading lawyer (7) COLONEL {CO}{LONE}{La...r}
24 Pitchers right amongst sheep? (5) EWERS {EWE{R}S}
26 Fable about bird almost deviates at beginning (6) CANARD {CANARy}{De...s}
27 Oaf, charming Labour leader left (7) PEASANT PlEASANT
28 Easy for Tzar to juggle shaving equipment (6,5) SAFETY RAZOR*

DOWN
2   Beheads jailers violently in Zion (6) ISRAEL jAILERS*
3   Deal with police officer at home finally (4) COPE {COP}{homE}
4   Native sailor’s novel (10) ABORIGINAL {AB}{ORIGINAL}
5   Almost overlook master’s impishness (8) MISCHIEF {MISs}{CHIEF}
6   Frequents spas, say (7) RESORTS [DD]
7   Send for posters of Romeo and Charlie to name two (4,5) CALL SIGNS {CALL}{SIGNS}
8   Crawl in orchard lightly at first (6) GROVEL {GROVE}{Li...y}
13 Funny idler turned hostile (10) UNFRIENDLY*
14 Vets diary recollected hardship (9) ADVERSITY*
17 Barrister to notice accountant in referendum (8) ADVOCATE {AD}{VO{CA}TE}
19 Beetles’ short deviation at first (7) ANOMALA {ANOMALy}{At}
21 Endless arsenal built on fields (6) ARENAS ARSENAl*
22 Ogle at melting ice cream (6) GELATO*
25 Starts appeasing political interns at Samoan capital (4) APIA Acrostic

Reference List
Surgery = OP, Ship = SS, Conservative = C, Firm = CO, Right = R, Sailor = AB,  Notice = AD, Accountant = CA


Sunday 26 July 2020

Special, Sunday 26 Jul 2020, Veeyares

Three answers per commenter till 6 PM (Annotations compulsory)
Please submit all your answers in one comment. 

(COMMENTS ENTERED WITH LESS THAN THREE ANSWERS/ANNOTATIONS WILL BE DELTED WITHOUT NOTICE, UNLESS THE COMMENTER SPECIFIES THAT IT IS A COMPENSATION FOR A REPEAT)


ACROSS
1   Enterprise without sex appeal results in depression (6)
4   Advance for media to cross thousand sans pressure (8)
10 Head of small town folks removed by quietly entering thieves (9)
11 Rule becomes more out of date when side changes (5)
12 I, setter, not fully acting, confused (5)
13 A branded ale drunk in the absence of editor is stellar (9)
14 Account a media presented of rogue (7)
16 Agreed as reported and noted (4)
19 Quick like a disturbed snake (4)
21 Surprisingly weak, disgusting, lacking love but is on the alert (7)
24 Scheme with gold to produce optical device (9)
25 Old man’s bar finally made to be used as stick (5)
26 Ease, as they say, with gin cocktail for spirit (5)
27 Everything including stirred tea, right at the oasis (5, 4)
28 Properly treat, say and they can carry drinks (3, 5)
29 Deliveries, we hear, are on beds (6)

DOWN
1   Pepper to put a limit on distorted notes (8)
2   Vital anyway to include ID by end of May to maintain legality (8)
3   Coach?  He is not in the shower (5)
5   Stay outside, but in the middle, rest (7)
6   Goal to escape? (4, 5)
7   Nurse, awfully rude makes one suffer (6)
8   Right attitude about string (6)
9   Concern about bore coming back (6)
15 Moschus died to make way for alien soldier (9)
17 Result of branch not working earlier (8)
18 Ignorant son out of 150 serves no purposes (8)
20 Two tracks make a passage (7)
21 Kindness is to start worrying about raising money to help (6)
22 Flow Control made using pieces of iron and graphite in small vessel (6)
23 Mountains obviously part of the backward country (6)
25 Follow unless in the beginning rejected for reward (5)

Across Lite version can be accessed at VEEYARES 4

'Puzzle Me version' is embedded below.  


The Sunday Crossword No 3110, Sunday 26 Jul 2020

On the tougher side today.

ACROSS
1   Party that might be in a garage (6) FIESTA [DD]
4   Making toast, perhaps for a poet (8) BROWNING [DD]
9   In part, male ego panicked about height (6) APOGEE [T<=]
10 Lingerie on hips (partially) in S American city (8) BRASILIA {BRAS}{ILIA}
12 ‘I’ve offended you’; ‘I’ve been offended by you’ (6,2) PARDON ME [DD]
13 Bigamy heartless: good to get married one time (6) BYGONE {Bi..mY}{G}{ONE}
15 Regrettably so, I clean huge fixture in sitting room (6-6) CHAISE-LONGUE*
18 Titled peer leaders of High Tories condemned? (4,3,5) PITT THE ELDER {TITLED+PEER+High+To...s}* &lit
21 Phwoar! Fancied on-and-off Latin lover (6) HORACE {pHwOaR+fAnCiEd}
22 Inaccurate description of crossword in 1995 film (8) CLUELESS [DD]
24 She pummels Everyman with wear and tear around bottom (8) MASSEUSE {M{ASS}E}{USE}
25 Very agreeable to take in European tourist destination (6) VENICE {V}{E}{NICE}
26 Sensible, at first, to peel off clothing when it’s hot (8) SUNDRESS {Se...e}{UNDRESS}
27 Sign that insect’s invaded shed (4-2) LEAN-TO{LE{ANT}O}

DOWN
1   Military commander hoisted during anti-aircraft fire needing piecing together (4-4) FLAT-PACK {FLA{CAPT<=}K}
2   Poker face: not starting to turn green (8) ECOFREAK {pOKER+FACE}*
3   Catholics: ‘Easter – with transfiguration, now we are safe’ (3,5,2,5)  THE COAST IS CLEAR*
5   Mostly red, a little raw in the middle? (4) RARE {R{A}{Raw}Ed}&lit
6   Yen posted from abroad? (4,3,4,4) WISH YOU WERE HERE [CD]
7   Pieces of Inuit Greenland with little rooms? (6) IGLOOS {In..t}{Gr...d}{LOOS} &lit
8   Something worn by men in Indian state: short-sleeved shirt (6) GOATEE {GOA}{TEE}
11 Ape and flightless bird extinct (7) EMULATE {EMU}{LATE}
14 Home with little ones restless all night – not good (3-4) ANT-HILL {ALL+NIgHT}*
16 Bond had criminal picked up – sound (8) ADHESION {HAD*}{NOISE<=}
17 Shakespeare’s one spelling ‘fare well’ at end of Othello (8) PROSPERO {PROSPER}{o...lO}
19 Gland and herb reduction unpleasantly served for starters (6) THYMUS {THYMe}{Un...y}{Se...d}
20 Begun preparing sarnie (6) ARISEN*
23 Primarily alarming, serpentine poisonous slitherers? (4) ASPS Acrostic &lit

Reference List
Good = G, Very = V, European = E

Saturday 25 July 2020

No 12997, Saturday 25 Jul 2020, Lightning


ACROSS
8   Cheat inspection preparing aids to stop smoking (8,7) NICOTINE PATCHES {CHEAT+INSPECTION*}
9   Tamper with a licentiate, relating to a prestigious degree (8) DOCTORAL {DOCTOR}{A}{L}
10 Fearful of a crime, one ousts unionist (6) AFRAID {A}{FRA(+I-u)D}
11 Breaking away from norm to replace new false tooth (9) DEPARTURE {DE(-n+PAR)TURE}
12 Golf club missing head say (5) UTTER {pUTTER}
15 Farm vehicle missing the last line by small hill (7) TRACTOR {TRACk}{TOR}
17 Proportionally divide gold in between idle chatter (7) PRORATE {PR{OR}ATE}
19 A notch by engineer is sharp (5) ACUTE {A}{CUT}{E}
20 Tap vendor damaged writing desk (9) DAVENPORT {TAP+VENDOR*}

23 Code zero (6) CIPHER (DD)
25 Sluggish batting performance by four Englishmen at first (8) INACTIVE {IN}{ACT}{IV}{Englishmen}
26 Extra fees paid with plan for training to improve one’s skill (9.6) REFRESHER COURSE {REFRESHER}{COURSE}

DOWN
1   Thick solution essentially cold, with electron and couple of charges (6) DIPOLE {DIP}{cOLd}{E}
2   Replaced torch, ran to old district (5,5) NORTH ARCOT {TORCH+RAN+TO}
3   Very independent bishop to restrict back and forth movement (9) VIBRATION {V}{I}{B}{RATION}
4   Travel partly with knowledge on city with fort (7) VELLORE {traVEL}{LORE}
5   Friend joins a king by river (5) PALAR {PAL}{A}{R}
6   Mark second vehicle (4) SCAR {S}{CAR}
7   Feel bitter about procuring identification for house physician (8) RESIDENT {RES{ID}ENT}
13 First off provoke a teetotaller missing last chance at small town (10) TIRUPATTUR {sTIR UP}{A}{T}{TURn} Teetotaller=T?
14 Fish smuggled into country by independent worker (9) FREELANCE {FR{EEL}ANCE}
16 Recreation on ship with a type of chair (8) RECLINER {REC}{LINER}
18 Queen favourite in industrial town (7) RANIPET {RANI}{PET}
21 Alter electric vehicle amidst growth (6) REVISE {R{EV}ISE}
22 Hundred cars could be damaged by this (5) CRASH {H+CARS*} &lit
24 Damage harbour agency (4) HARM {H}{ARM}

Reference List

Licentiate=L, One=I, Unionist=U, New=N, Gold=Or, Engineer=E, Batiing=In, Four=IV
Electron=E, Very=V, Independent=I, Bishop=B, King=R, Second=S, Identification=Id, Recreation=Rec, Electric Vehicle=EV, Hundred=H, Harbour=H

Colour/Font Scheme

DefinitionSolutionComponent lettersEmbedded linksTheme word Anagram IndicatorC/C indicatorReversal IndicatorHidden word IndicatorLetter Pick indicatorDeletion IndicatorHomophone IndicatorMovement IndicatorPositional IndicatorSubstitution, IndicatorOpposite indicatorLink/Connector, Extraneous


Friday 24 July 2020

No 12996, Friday 24 Jul 2020, Incognito

RULES FOR POSTING COMMENTS ON FRIDAYS ONLY

All those who are not regular commenters but who are rookie commenters or silent followers of the blog are requested to post answers with annotations in the comments section. In your own interest please avoid looking up the answers from the interactive version. Don't hesitate to post your annotations, in case you make a mistake in the annotation someone will correct it with the right annotation.

PLEASE NOTE, SOLUTIONS WITHOUT ATTEMPTING THE ANNOTATIONS WILL BE DELETED

Each commenter is requested to post only 5 answers thereby giving others also a chance to participate. Please provide all your answers in one comment.

Regular solvers/Veterans can post 1 answer each, but after 11 AM only

The regular blog will replace the clues at 4 PM.

Thanks for the response, here's the regular blog.

ACROSS
8   Toil rigorously at first in Eastern vessel (4) WORK {WO{Ri...y}K}
9   Mistakenly raid office for getting communication device (5) RADIO {RAID*}{O}
10 Having a couple of eggs before prawn soup, for starters, and producing an exclamation of regret (4) OOPS {OO}{Pr..n}{Soup}
11 Insects go around a couple of students — pretty girls (6) BELLES {BE{LL}ES}
12 Lived through mutating virus by rejecting ice-less device (8) SURVIVED {VIRUS*}{DEVice<=}
13 Dissociate from Princess taking position (8) DISTANCE {DI}{STANCE}
15 Loan I'm arranging for crude trader? (6) OILMAN*
17 Dispute a saying... put it differently (7) GAINSAY*
19 Throw grenade and unbalance (7) DERANGE*
22 Improve electric vehicle parked in ascending part of road (6) REVAMP {R{EV}AMP}
24 Itinerant Siamese twins leave mews and clean up (8) SANITISE {SIAmesE+TwINS}*
26 Contain a bit of hair and feather (8) LOCKDOWN {LOCK}{DOWN}
28 Engineers won back name and fame (6) RENOWN {RE}{WON<=}{N}
30 Deliver, for example, Chinese dumpling at first (4) HAND {HAN}{Du...g}
31 Count motorcades moving after leaving winding roads (5) COMTE MOTorCadEs*
32 Initially, men request for visor (4) MASK {Men}{ASK}

DOWN
1   Altinho merchant’s place of residence (4) HOME [T]
2   Made of bones, it’s not sleek in motion (8) SKELETON*
3   Jail stir (6) PRISON [DD]
4   Dyes soy prepared for long journey (7) ODYSSEY*
5   Tetrad flies more UFOs (8) FOURSOME*
6   Therefore, spies starting to love can be civil (6) SOCIAL {SO}{CIA}{Love}
7   Mad dolt leaves tadpoles squirming in one part of church (4) APSE tAdPolES*
14 Silly Anne is following setter! Silly! (5) INANE {ANNE*}<=>{I}
16 Sugar scattered for Odysseus’ dog (5) ARGUS*
18 Near a doubly soft fish (8) APPROACH {A}{PP}{ROACH}
20 My nation produces this element (8) ANTIMONYThere is an error in this. See comments by Kishore
21 Tunas scattered around Michigan in destructive water flooding (7) TSUNAMI {TUNAS*}{MI}
23 Top class child gets ring for martial art (6) AIKIDO {A1}{KID}{O}
25 Medically treats sisters, for example (6) NURSES [DD]
27 Egg-shaped ember may be removable (4) OVAL remOVAbLe [CA]
29 Swashbuckler has bath (4) WASH [T]

Reference List
Office = O, Student = L, Princess = DI, Electric vehicle = EV, Engineers = RE(Royal Engineers), Name = N, Soft = P, Top class = A1


Thursday 23 July 2020

No 12995, Thursday 23 Jul 2020, Incognito

Solution to 11A 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
7   Detest headgear having ear-flaps at first (4) HATE {HAT}{Ea...s}
8   Ammo vehicle is on mountain's continuous and elevated crest (9) CARTRIDGE {CART}{RIDGE}
10 Lounge around idly in British jacket (6) BLAZER {B{LAZE}R}
11 Non-vegetarian food given up by Adam? (5,3) S?A?E? ?I? (Addendum - SPARE RIB [DD] - See comments)
12 Essential existential support that one can find in one’s hand (8) LIFELINE [DD]
14 Brew fine US brew (6) INFUSE*
16 Many leaves fly around middle of March (7) SEVERAL {SEVE{maRch}AL}
18 Choke when mothers put son first (7) SMOTHER (+s)SMOTHER(-s)
21 Flying RAF ace’s canteen (6) CARAFE*
23 Revolutionary Yale brat's treachery (8) BETRAYAL*
25 Hangs awkwardly, I hear, high in Paris of the East (8) SHANGHAI {HANGS*}{HAI}(~high)
27 Friend in Indian Military Academy shows animal (6) IMPALA {IM{PAL}A}
29 Charlie mixes up signals, including fifty pseudonyms of pilots (4-5) CALL-SIGNS {C}{SIGNALS*} over {L}
30 God of War’s arms redesigned (4) MARS*

DOWN
1   Final lie about manicurist’s tool (4-4) NAIL-FILE*
2   In the beginning, George expressed excitedly with Zulu in an ancient language (4) GEEZ {Ge...e}{Ex...d}{Ex...y}{Z}
3   After tenth month, French king gets tax on movement of goods (6) OCTROI {OCT}{ROI}
4   Goes over religious symbols (7) CROSSES [DD]
5   Mao grins funnily at creature (8) ORGANISM*
6   In Eastern Europe, Director General gets advantage (4) EDGE {E{DG}E}
9   Gives out wrong time on Sunday (5) EMITS {TIME*}{S}
13 Endlessly enemy gets American injection (5) ENEMA {ENEMy}{A}
15 Arafat warns — includes a ruling on Islamic law (5) FATWA [T]
17 Gem produced by thy mates, perhaps? (8) AMETHYST*
19 On-line sellers’ transport earliest (1-7) E-TAILERS*
20 Reduce length of a spanner (7) ABRIDGE {A}{BRIDGE}
22 CO had organised for the specific purpose (2,3) AD HOC*
24 Desire fancy T-shirt (6) THIRST*
26 White or Blue African flower? (4) NILE [CD]
28 Coypu mandible holds big cat (4) PUMA [T]

Reference List
British = BR, Son = S, Charlie = C, Fifty = L, Zulu = Z, King in French = ROI, Eastern = E, Europe = E, Sunday = S, American = A


Wednesday 22 July 2020

No 12994, Wednesday 22 Jul 2020, Incognito

Solution to 4D 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
8   Dancer Kelly’s inherited unit (4) GENE [DD]
9   Ju-jitsu dans’ country (5) SUDAN [T]
10 Graduate on ship gets fish (4) BASS {BA}{SS}
11 Process lecithin endlessly without using European fruit (6) LITCHI LeCITHIn*
12 Laughed when girl left for North Carolina and threw up (8) LAUNCHED LAU(-g+nc)NCHED
13 Setter follows electric vehicle during romantic encounters and strays (8) DEVIATES {I} after {EV} in {DATES}
15 Reshuffle or rest and reshuffle (6) RESORT*
17 Setter’s in Serbia — travelling to North-Eastern part of Asia (7) SIBERIA {S{I}BERIA*}
19 I am nuts about a violent wave (7) TSUNAMI*
22 Diana’s later hugged by a couple of adults (6) ATHENA {A}THEN}{A}
24 Destruction of Leos tuba is total (8) ABSOLUTE*
26 Tramp’s march (8) FOOTSLOG [DD] This is not a DD as both mean the same
28 Genghis Khan, for example, spread gloom around centre of Gansu (6) MONGOL {MO{gaNsu}GOL*}
30 Lead actor’s shiner (4) STAR [DD]
31 Overcharges and hides (5) SKINS [DD]
32 Old American test (4) EXAM {EX}{AM}

DOWN
1   Dice is thrown for money (4) CEDI*
2   Depict cribs destroyed in river (8) DESCRIBE {DE{CRIBS*}E}
3   Help! Secret police going after a saint captures ideologue at first (6) ASSIST {A}{SS}{Id...e}{ST}
4   Love South Indian breakfast items having zero energy (7) ?D?L?S? (Addendum - IDOLISE {ID{0}LIS}{E} - See comments)
5   Asks English squire, “Confused?” (8) ENQUIRES {EN}{SQUIRE*}
6   A taxi returns with American computer (6) ABACUS {A}{CAB<=}{US}
7   Tennis legend’s key (4) ISLE [T]
14 Dice! Dice tomatoes initially! That's an order! (5) EDICT {DICE*}{To...s}
16 Send right loan instalment by end of August (5) REMIT {R}{EMI}{a...sT}
18 Quick learner in Isfahan dances (2,1,5) IN A FLASH {L} in {ISFAHAN}*
20 Still having the same length, perhaps? (2,6) NO LONGER [DD]
21 Steal pub profit (7) BARGAIN {BAR}{GAIN}
23 Previous mate’s crime to extract money (6) EXTORT {EX}{TORT}
25 Snack prepared by biblical prophet in South Africa (6) SAMOSA {S{AMOS}A} Dr Gayathri, I wonder if she is still following the blog, her favourite snack is here today?
27 Boat helmsman’s promise (4) OATH [T]
29 Lady without country (4) OMAN wOMAN

Reference List
Ship = SS, European = E, Girl = G, Electric Vehicle = EV, Adult = A, American = AM, Secret Police = SS, Saint = ST, Energy = E, English = EN, Right = R, Learner = L, With = W


Tuesday 21 July 2020

No 12993, Tuesday 21 Jul 2020, Incognito

Solution to 12A 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
7   Church recess collapsed to some extent (4) APSE [T]
8   Went back and administered therapy again (9) RETREATED {RE-TREATED}
10 At first Persian monarch consumes some eatables in Beijing (6) PEKING {Pe...n}{Ea...s}{KING}
11 Hostage-taker’s bad error before court review (8) ABDUCTOR {BAD*}{COURT*}
12 Their devil may turn a lad into a lady! (8) ?R?N?E?S (Addendum - PRINTERS [CD] - See comments)
14 Clutches hundred and fifty snakes (6) CLASPS {CL}{ASPS}
16 First male-soldier’s unwavering (7) ADAMANT {ADAM}{ANT}
18 Make up one’s mind to decode again (7) RESOLVE [DD]
21 Look! That’s a male goose! (6) GANDER [DD]
23 Brits are excited about rabbits from Wales? (8) RAREBITS*
25 Senior nurse initially gets some coffee for unkempt woman (8) SLATTERN {S}{RN} over {LATTE}
27 Spanish town post office has blue building (6) PUEBLO {P{BLUE*}O}
29 Mess party organised by M, for example (9) SPYMASTER*
30 Checks animal doctors and experienced soldiers briefly (4) VETS [MD]

DOWN
1   A paper circulated by editor came out (8) APPEARED {A+PAPER}*{ED}
2   Yosemite’s type of trailer in America (4) SEMI [T]
3   British rascal’s Irish accent (6) BROGUE {B}{ROGUE}
4   US stars danced for composer (7) STRAUSS*
5   Chief! A revolutionary can be a pain! (8) HEADACHE {HEAD}{A}{CHE}
6   Circular letter on spasm of the ear (4) OTIC {O}{TIC}
9   Doctor’s operation covers hole and sag (5) DROOP {DR}{O}{OP}
13 Mando composed for Rover (5) NOMAD*
15 Destructive device in Bandra, Bombay (1-4) A-BOMB [T]
17 Ron names wandering Scandinavian (8) NORSEMAN*
19 Victor, it’s in Italy’s exuberance (8) VITALITY {V}{ITAL{IT}Y}
20 Hard-rock rating is manipulated by European (7) GRANITE {RATING*}{E}
22 African mountain range in map-book (5) ATLAS [DD]
24 Statement about alcoholic beverage (6) REPORT {RE}{PORT}
26 Drunkard returned carrying Yankee playthings (4) TOYS {S{Y}OT<=}
28 Begrudge agent losing ring (4) ENVY ENVoY

Reference List
Hundred = C, Fifty = L, Nurse = RN(Registered Nurse), Editor = ED, British = B, Operation = OP, Victor = V, European = E, Yankee = Y