Sunday 19 July 2020

Special, Sunday 19 Jul 2020, Raju Umamaheswar

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   Noble's song performed in church, for some bishops. (5,9)
9   Sort of sketch it hurts to put under the hammer (9)
10 Disturbance stopped early by copper, an unusual type. (5)
11 It could be hard to trim (5)
12 Marsupial's is surprised expression when caught by robber. (9)
13 Steps taken to honour our star. (3,5)
15  Lose courage on the carpet. (6)
17 Tool to get rid of what's frozen round front of vehicle. (6)
19 Crustacean raw,without salt. (8)
22 Do Russian reforms show organisations unable to adapt? (9)
23 Wipe the floor with flash young boxer, perhaps. (3,2)
24 Agreed, pronouncement on the radio. (5)
25 Original type of popular star reaching high point. (9)
26 Her lover was booked and taken to court. (4,10)

DOWN
1   Open a mobile cafe and embarrass one's friends. (3,3,4,4)
2   Suddenly attack with bullet to leg  (5,2)
3   Poor bears rattled by intimidating person. (5)
4   Contributed to defence that's thrown out again by recorder (8)
5   Drawing a line with this decision. (6)
6   Direction artist follows, we hear, in general. (9)
7   When number left on aeroplanes (7)
8   Port and non-alcoholic drink politicians linked in tax protest. (6,3,5)
14 Inessential equipment for criminal's sidekick (9)
16 Composer adding note to sacred music- clear ? (8)
18 House containing a new orchid (7)
20Topical changes in American political situation (7)
21 Home erected in great European city. (6)
23 Western manoeuvre to capture island. (5)

Across Lite version can be accessed at RAJU U 19

I have also added below a 'Puzzle Me version' which is embedded here so it can be solved interactively here itself.  

Please do mention in the comments section whether this option is better or Across Lite is better for future Specials.

Enjoy.

73 comments:

  1. 19a {BAR(NACL)E}
    2d {ROUND}{ON}
    21d {MU(NI<--)CH}

    ReplyDelete
  2. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  3. 22A: DINOSAURS {DO+RUSSIANS}*
    6D: 23D: MOVIE {MOV{I}E}
    20D: CAPITOL {TOPICAL}*

    ReplyDelete
  4. 26A LADY CHATTERLEY CD
    8D BOSTON TEA PARTY
    25A IN NOVA TOR

    ReplyDelete
  5. 20d CAPITOL*
    18D V AN ILLA
    5D RULING - DD

    ReplyDelete
  6. 10A CU RIO(-T) (FOR SUBSTITUTING A DUPLICATE)

    ReplyDelete
  7. 12ac bandicoot bandi(coo)t
    22ac dinosaurs (do Russian) *
    20dn capitol (topical) *

    ReplyDelete
  8. 19A BAR (NACL) E bar = raw salt = NaCl
    26A LADY CHATTERLEY only definition
    14D ACCESSORY DD

    ReplyDelete
  9. 8D {BOSTON} {TEA}{PARTY}; tax protest
    13A SUN DACNCE (CD)
    25A {IN}{NOVA}{TOR}; oroginal type

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. subtitute for 8d, 25a
      17A tool; DEVICE; {DE}{Vehicle}{ICE}
      1A; {LORDS} {SPIRITUAL}

      Delete
  10. Could i post only two?( Thats what i could )

    ReplyDelete
  11. I think you can and you may. Except that you may not complete your quota later in a second Comment.

    ReplyDelete
  12. The puzzle me Version is absolutely delightful. I can do the puzzle in my cell phone!

    ReplyDelete
  13. 9A- Thumbnail-DD
    11A- Hedge- H(EDGE)
    Doing only these two

    ReplyDelete
  14. My phone does not accept Across Lite version. So +2 from me for the interactive one

    ReplyDelete
  15. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  16. PuzzleMe is OK on THCC site on my PC as well as on my Android mobile where too ii is readable and comfortable. I tried setting too and posted a 5x5 quickie on fb Chaturvasi as a test to see if I have got a grip over the software.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Replies
    1. Which too is a repeat. Taken by Gemini above.

      Delete
  18. 24 across WILCO (agreed in radio communications) DD

    ReplyDelete
  19. 7dn AIRPORT AIR PORT
    15ac WILTON WILT ON
    17ac DEVICE DE(V)ICE

    ReplyDelete
  20. 16D MASSENET Mass + e + net

    17A DEVICE de-ice around v

    6D TACTICIAN hp of tack+titian


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Compensating for 17A

      1A LORD+S +SPIRITUAL

      Delete
  21. 23A MOP UP (Wipe the floor) (flash)
    4D PLAYBACK (DD) (Contributed to defence ) (thrown out again by recorder )

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 23A MOP UP= wipe the floor: flash = MO(ment), boxer = PUP.
      Thanks CA.
      The browser mopped up the trailing words

      Delete
  22. 23ac mop up mo(ment) pup(young boxer)

    ReplyDelete
  23. 22a - Do+Russian - DINOSAURS*
    18D - House - VILLA; containing a (A) new (N)orchid ...V(A)(N)ILLA = VANILLA
    24A - Pronouncement - DICTUM

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 24A is already solved differently by CGB

      Delete
    2. I have not seen. vigorously tried and post the answer. Thanks to CGB sir for the perfect anno. I thought it was MD..

      Delete
  24. Replies
    1. wrong entry... 24 A - WILCO .....which is procedure words for radio

      Delete
    2. Paddy ,....let me take 11a....for compensating 24A

      Hard - H ; Trim - remove the edge - H(EDGE) - HEDGE

      Delete
  25. across lite version is working fine and interesting too. Thanks for the special offer.
    24a and 11a ....was my CW of the Day.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Can MB or others tell me how 7d- Airport- is parsed?
    I could get only port from left. Of course it got filled with the help of crossings.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for the prompt clarification MB. My thinking never went along those lines.

      Delete
    2. Song : noun
      1. ballad, air, tune, lay, strain, carol, lyric, chant, chorus, melody, anthem, number, hymn, psalm, shanty, pop song, ditty, canticle, canzonet.

      From Free dictionary.

      Delete
    3. Pope wrote: I lisp'd in numbers for the numbers came. Even as a child he was reciting poems/songs.

      Delete
  27. Still the clue has no proper def.
    Where in stead of when would have been better.

    ReplyDelete
  28. 1d LET THE SIDE DOWN. Got it from crossings. Not able to parse it.
    Puzzle me is very comfortable to use.
    @CV sir tried your 5*5 grid. It is smooth :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. +1 got it quickly but couldn't parse.

      Delete
    2. It was an experiment, a test. to be able to use the sw and put it up. I am sorry I deleted before some more people saw it. My brother did and you. Thanks. You see I did not want to labour on 15x and finally find a hitch. Now I can handle the real big ones.

      Delete
  29. Raju can we have the anno for 1D?

    ReplyDelete
  30. 1.Down.Open a MOBILE cafe and embarrass one's friends.(3,3,4,4)

    Anagram of cafe gives one FACE.
    Lose one's face is to be embarrassed
    before friends, who depended on you for success.I found this phrase LET THE SIDE DOWN and wanted to use it.I checked the dictionaries .Mobile is the anagram indicator for CAFE. Red herring.
    Hope, ye-all enjoyed . If any brickbats thrown, I have to duck!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry Rajugaru,
      I am still not able to understand. Mobile cafe to FACE and face=side? What is the role of OPEN?

      Delete
    2. There you go, KKR garu.Open is is merely to beguile. Mobile is the operative word.FACE is used to connect with loss; embarrassment. The worm is killed; put the sledge away !

      Delete
    3. Raju we can't put the sledge away unless we get a proper justification

      Delete
    4. The clue is as difficult to understand as Raju himself!!

      Delete
  31. I still don't understand how 1d resolves itself. Except that the part "embarrass one's friends" is the def. The wp is still unintelligible to me despite the explanation given above. The puzzle seems to be uneven, some clues very good and some clues not so good. Some clues are "lambs" and some are 'tigers" as in Blake's poem. The clue 26a (where the use of 'booked' is brilliant) dates it back to the Sixties , good times as they were.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your analysis reaches to a conclusion :"Mercurial genius"!!

      Delete
  32. Thanks, CV, for your comments.As long as the lambs do not get gobbled up by the tigers!

    I formulated the clue for 1 down, in one of my frivolous moments. I wanted the use of cafe as face, and thought of mobile as a gimmick.

    Sixties and beyond were indeed good times under whose knees I learned my chops, though i cut my cryptic teeth only in the 80's and beyond.Evwn today, i love the Times and other English puzzles.More of CONcentration and less over VOLution.

    ReplyDelete
  33. That was my explanation. How many of you got the answer right, albeit, with connected clues?

    ReplyDelete
  34. When so many solvers were unable to anno a clue (at least some of them can usually parse difficult clue) then the clue must be written off as a failure.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Peace! Peace!
    Raju has thrown up his hands and said that he formulated the clue in one of his frivolous moments...and that is that.
    After all,the new software is PUZZLE ME!!!

    ReplyDelete
  36. In our cities we used to have mobile post office. Late in the evening the van would come and stop at a designated spot. The staff would LET THE SIDEs DOWN and the public would do business. Then came mobile cafes which too to open would LET THE SIDEs DOWN.'Mobile cafe' is a nice phrase but no anag fodder, no anag ind, Just part of one def. Then there is a second def. The rest of the clue. So it is a DD. I reclaim my old title

    ReplyDelete
  37. The title referred to above in my unfinished post above is CCE - crosswwrd clue explicator.

    ReplyDelete

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