Solution to 19A 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 Liberate at no cost (4) FREE [DD]
9 Many after girl’s spirit (5) GHOST {HOST}<=>{G}
10 Strangely, prosecutor loses corpse... results in total defeat (4) ROUT prosecUTOR*
11 Hot spice is cold, I hear (6) CHILLI (~chilly)
12 Use belly dancing in area in centre of Target (5,3) BULLS EYE*
13 Alumni’s only note's not in use (8) OBSOLETE {OB}{SOLE}{TE}
15 Poor going back in empty tanks for soldiers (6) TROOPS {Tan{POOR<=}kS}
17 Silly princess sent back ten thousand iconic coins initially (7) IDIOTIC {DI<=}{10}{Th...d}{Ic...c}{Co..s}
19 Fights company with flying creatures (7) ?O?B?T? (Addendum - COMBATS {COM}{BATS} - See comments)
22 Finally stood behind damaged pines and shot from cover (6) SNIPED {s..oD}<=>{PINES}*
24 Extraordinary Dane king’s working moist flour to make dough (8) KNEADING*
26 Funnily, daily sex may lead to this condition (8) DYSLEXIA* Really!!!
30 Roman onion is peeled thrice in a short time (4) ANON {romAN+ONion}
31 To some extent, perhaps, an assassin in Japan (5) NINJA [T] &lit
32 Wets rejected food (4) STEW<=
DOWN
1 At first, Anglican renaissance church has curved supporting structure (4) ARCH Acrostic
2 Rich dwell too differently (4-2-2) WELL-TO-DO*
3 Fire crazy foreign minister releasing informers (6) IGNITE {foreiGn+mINIsTEr}*
14 Offer nurse for POTUS saying, “First Lady’s husband...” (5) BIDEN {BID}{EN}
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20 American friend with animal on street in capital (8) BUDAPEST {BUD}{APE}{ST}
27 Pull American jerk’s wrench? (4) YANK [MD]
Reference List
Girl = G, Alumni = OB(Old boy), Note = TE, Princess = DI, Company = COM, Romeo = R, School = S, University = U, Nurse = EN(Enrolled nurse), Old flame = EX, The in French = LA
19 A
ReplyDeleteAnswer is : COMBATS, Fights
COMPANY = COM
Flying creatures = BATS
So the answer is : COMBATS
The common abbreviation for company that we come across is Co. probably this is the first time I see 'com'. I had my doubts though I filled in. Clarifications?
DeleteHint: dotcom!
DeleteFROM BLACK & WHITE TO DIGITAL COLOUR...
ReplyDeleteToday, I would like to write about my son & his journey with photography. Suriya took his first photographs when he was AGED just 8.
Those days my husband had an old box camera with manual controls & he had loaded a black & white film roll to click some photographs of his site. Unknown to us, Suriya had clicked 7-8 snaps. We didn't even know how & when he ACQUIRED the skills to operate the manual controls.
We had our first inkling only when the thumbnails came. In reply to our questioning look, he SWEETly & sheepishly owned up to the deed. Intrigued, we decided to get them printed. I still remember how he RACED out & snatched the envelope from my hand, to see the results.
Imagine our surprise - when we saw these stunning photos. They were all taken from our terrace - trees, leaves, birds, squirrels, ants. Sharp, good lighting, great compositions & most important, the eye for detail & the patience to catch the perfect moment. Not a single shot was wasted.
I began to look at my son with new eyes. The first glimpses of creativity, determination & passion for his craft could be seen through the still playful & naughty child. His experiments with film photography continued, without denting our WALLET too much.
Then I got the brainwave of scanning his photos & sending them to The Hindu NXG. The rewards came FAST. His first photograph appeared the next Thursday & he was regularly featured there, till Hindu decided to stop NXG. Initially, for some reason, he was so shy, he wanted his photographs to go INCOGNITO. But soon the joy of seeing his name in print DROVE OUT his inhibitions.
When the box camera gave way, we invested in a point & shoot digital camera. My husband warned him that the results might not be the same & to his CHAGRIN, his dad was proved right. But soon he discovered the advantages of digital shooting - especially the absence of LEAD TIME between clicking & seeing the results. His compositions, unique eye for framing & the sheer love for his subjects created a very good body of work. He started taking part in many digital competitions, blogs & physical exhibitions too.
By now he was 13 & decided to enrol for a summer course in an ACADEMY of Photography. Thus he acquired his first DSLR. His photographs reached another level. The overall praise for his work from professionals EGGED him on to fresh attempts. The youngest student in his class, he was thrilled when the Academy chose his photograph as part of their web site home page.
ReplyDeleteOf course, through this phase, there were many hilarious episodes involving his work. He often seemed to forget, what was the subject to be photographed as he indulged his art. At his friend's SISTER's wedding the bridesmaids were photographed much more than the BRIDE. In Guruvayoor, the mahout couldn't believe Suriyas fascination with only the TUSKERS of the elephant. There was no full size photograph of the magnificent creature. However his biology teacher was thrilled with his enlarged photos of the stamen, anther, filament & OVULE. While he was willing to give the GLAD EYE to the girls in his class, he seemed to prefer older subjects.
There were many magical photos taken by him, where he created special effects from a dripping faucet, cold air from a FREEZER, smoke billowing from an aarthi ETAL. He received several awards & got the opportunity to be associated with a few causes & movements.
The first hints of trouble started in his senior school. While he was REAPING the rewards, his teachers were of the collective opinion that his school work & academics were suffering owing to his preoccupation. By now, he was clear in his mind that he wanted to go to a design school & Physics, Chemistry & Maths had begun to bore him. But typically, surrounded by alpha students scoring nothing less than 100% marks, he started feeling a misfit. His teachers, wanting to INSURE a secure future for him, saw good marks (95%+) as his only salvation.
Under immense pressure from the school, his camera was taken away from him. An ACCORD to last for just 3 months. I will never forget his face AGLITTER with unshed tears as he CARESSED his camera before putting it away in its bag. I felt ENMESHED with unspoken doubts, if this might prove to be a DESTROYER of his free spirit.
But life can change in the throw of a DICE. He actually cleared his boards, making his school proud of him, at the same time declaring, he was done with science & maths. Through rigorous tests & interviews, he earned himself a seat in almost all premium design schools of India. Today, as a graduate designer, he is gainfully employed & still uses the same camera, he bought 12 years ago. Now he clicks for personal joy & happiness & takes part less & less in competitions. He says it is no longer the awards, or the social media (including WhatsApp & Telegram) that give him happiness. He wants to work on full fledged meaningful projects where his craft plays a key role.
Before concluding, I want to mention 2 of his favourite quotes
"The camera, not only made me look at the world with new eyes; it made the world look at me."
"The greatest equipments that a photographer owns are his eyes, mind & brain. The gadgets are incidental."
Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder!
DeleteGreat story!
Deletewell written Gowri. though the Theme is B&W , we have to transform with digital age.
DeleteLovely story!
DeleteI have been holding back posting this till now. Firmly believing Crossword Puzzles develop lateral thinking, I planned to take sessions for students. Towards this, I started collecting THC puzzles (without looking at the setter) that would be easy to explain (and which I could almost complete in the first instance). After having done this for a few years, I was surprised to note that it was the same setter on all those clippings - INCOGNITO!
ReplyDelete🙏
I am not surprised,though I can think of a few more setters to fit the def.
DeleteThat wqs a fitting tribute to Kishores renderings!
Delete30A cluing was novel
ReplyDeleteYes. Solved 100% cold today. Thanx. 😊
ReplyDeleteAnother interesting,exciting thematic from Incognito.Sad it had to be about Putin and his roubles & exploits. But then anything can be a subject if you can make it interesting.
ReplyDeleteAnd today, Mr. Kishore Rao has played the role of a Europe's History & Geography teacher...
DeleteA coincidence that both Biden and Putin are 5 letter words made me put them in symetrically opposite slots at equal distance from Ukraine.
DeleteThat's a good one :-)
Delete26a. One of The conditions of dyslexia is where one mixes up words. A degree higher than our beloved crossword reverend.
ReplyDeleteSo dyslexia is jokingly referred as daily sex.
"My doctor wrote me a prescription for "dailysex"...
But the wife had to break it to me that it was actually for "dyslexia"."
Three continuous days of "paruppu payasam". Feel great spirits lifted up.Thank you ever so much for such a good run.
ReplyDelete+1
ReplyDelete26a Really!
ReplyDeleteBut don't try it. Both the wife and daily might bristle...
14d
ReplyDeleteFor those who are not aware, the words in the quotation marks are from a gaffe by Biden last week when announcing that Kamala Harris's husband had contracted Covid.
I did not notice it. But then that is himself!!
DeleteYes. He went on to later clarify that he was referring to the Second Gentleman and not himself
DeleteOh, sorry, hadn't noticed that this has already been clarified here!
DeleteQuestion of time- probably one can't have time for both!
ReplyDeleteTwo timing...
DeleteI thought 11a was such a nice clue. Never thought of it like that till today. 😊
ReplyDeleteThanks, everyone, for solving. That the end of this run...
ReplyDeleteIncognito for 3 days in a row, what a bonanza, Aur dhil mange MORE!
ReplyDeleteThat was 4 actually. The Sunday one slips past solvers like a ghost ship
DeleteThe Sunday one solving is so cumbersome - U rightly termed it a ghost ship!
DeleteSome more theme words remain to be identified...
ReplyDeleteI am sure you meant POLAND
DeleteCertainly. Some more...
DeleteCombat- Of course,Col. could not have marked it earlier.
ReplyDeletePoland
Bull's eye
Stiletto- no longer connected with warfare.
Ignite?
Only Poland out of above. Some of you might remember Nick Carter, N3, a spy story character who used to have a stiletto.
DeleteI have read a book titled Stiletto long ago,but I don't remember it to be Nick Carter.
DeleteIt was by Harold Robins.
DeleteNope. Nick Carter was 'written' by Nick Carter or Nicholas Carter, under which name over a dozen authors, including some ladies, wrote the spy story books
DeleteBUDAPEST is also part of theme. It is the place where Ukraine refugees are taking shelter.
DeleteYes sir
Delete19A clue is COMBATS
ReplyDeleteNeither your name nor an anno. Likely to be deleted by Col.
DeleteHe/she is incognito...
DeleteAir Force fans might have heard of the so called (fictitious?) Ghost of Kiev...
ReplyDeleteWell, this term 'Ghost of Kiev' was also popular among those who had been to the then Soviet Union to take over the 'sailing inventory' of Indian Navy from the shipyards in Kiev.
Delete14D: The clue could simply have been "Offer nurse for POTUS". The rest is redundant. (Thank you, Incognito, for another puzzle I could solve entirely in my head without having to put pen to paper or even think of the crosses!)
ReplyDeleteAs I mentioned earlier above, the rest is a nod to Biden's gaffe, and works as an additional definition
DeleteThink of the ink or depreciation on pencil that you saved ;)
DeleteI think there is a difference between redundance and superfluousness. If something is redundant, it means that it exists without serving a justifiable purpose in the cryptic reading. In this case, though, Incognito is making a funny allusive reference to Joe Biden’s recent slip during a presser when he accidentally referred to himself while meaning to talk about Kamala Harris’ husband. A setter’s greatest pleasure is in trying to insert such thrills in their clues for solvers who can notice it and enjoy it. Feel Incognito did that beautifully here!
DeleteThat was the intention, indeed.
DeleteBeautiful clue.
DeleteWrdplougher: a long sermon on superfluous coming from you seems ironic.
A small clarification in anno. of 19a -- usually we substitute CO for the word Company. Flying creatures - BATS. CO (?)BAT. Thouh I filled with riht word combat, searchin for the middle letter 'M'
ReplyDeletePls Look up in the address bar! Above
Delete