Wednesday 11 May 2022

No 13553, Wednesday 11 May 2022, Vidwan

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
9   It’s about woman you kiss, love and nest around (7) UXORIAL {U}{X}{0}{LAIR<=}
10 Part of speech, elongated formation (7) ECHELON [T]
11 Some having no work at irregularly run plant (4) F?R
12 He fights so-so but mumbles badly (10) STUMBLEBUM*
14 Spirit accompanying, embodying god (6) WRAITH {W{RA}ITH}
15 Part of say play and plug device (8) PROTERON [CD]
18 A banished American trading antique around local region in Russia (7,8) CRIMEAN REPUBLIC {aMERICAN}*{RE{PUB}LIC}
20 Ability to see 8 Across? Positively! (8) EYESIGHT {E{YES}IGHT}
22 Day’s about scoring, look smart! (6) DAPPER {D}{cAPPER}
25 Exercising? A bit insane if physically not there (2,8) IN ABSENTIA*
27 Success is certain after spending millions for original Jerusalem stone (4) JADE (-m+j)JADE
29 Feeling but not understanding ultimate purpose in action somehow (7) ANOETIC {p...sE} in {ACTION}*
30 Sailors’ cry! Get extra English tart! (5-2) HEAVE-HO {H{E}AVE}{HO}

DOWN
1   You, very loudly, shake up on the outside giving out a burst of laughter (6) GUFFAW {G{U}{FF}AW<=}
2   Set in amulet over right stone (10) TOURMALINE {IN+AMULET+O+R}*
3   Slightly wounded (3) BIT [DD]
4   Best Judge on “Essence of Contempt” (5) ELITE {ELI}{conTEmpt}
5   Wuhan exemplified the most appropriate region kickstarting epidemic transmission initially (3,6) WET MARKET Acrostic &lit
6   Talk about the French lodge (6) CHALET {CHA{LE}T}
7   Large externally, very British drone (4) SLOB {S{L}O}{B}
8   Memorising numerous expressions, many orders, names, information? Could basically use this kind of tool (8) MNEMONIC Acrostic Semi&lit
13 Infection, not large type (4) STYE STYlE
16 Royal old ‘set’ adopted by each actor (4,6) ROLE PLAYER {R}{OLE}{P{LAY}ER}
17 Not flexible, Chinese lost space initially, became vulnerable (2,4,3)  ON THIN ICE {NOT}*{CHINEsE}* There's an error in the Anagram fodder
18 Michael Caine basically is about substance (8) CHEMICAL {MICHAEL+Caine}*
19 Home of Jazz yet no black has expressed South grotesque (4) UTAH {bUT}{HAs}*
21 It is un-moved! (2,4) IN-SITU* &lit
23 Famous brand of ale from the east? Absolute Zero! (6) REEBOK {BEER<=}{0K}
24 Article about sex was part of Church collection (5) TITHE {T{IT}HE}
26 Spot where you get money without love (4) ATOM {AT{0}M}
28 Blast in pizza parlour (3) ZAP [T]

Reference List
Kiss = X, Day = D, About = C, Millions = M, English = E, Very loudly = FF, Over = O, Right = R, The in French = LE, Large = L, British = B, Royal = R, Old = OLE, Black = B, South = S, Absolute Zero = 0 K, Sex = IT 

27 comments:

  1. I took the definition as vulnerable and became as connector

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Became is actually anind for the Chinese -s

      Delete
    2. Sorry for the fodder error. Extra 'e'.
      Not flexible, Chinese lost direction, became vulnerable (2,4,3) would have done perhaps.

      Delete
  2. 23D Technically it should be 'from the south' isn't it ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Technically it should be. But I remember the argument, normal people normally solve crosswords horizontally with pen and paper!

      Delete
    2. Down clue it has to befrom the south- even for people like me who fill with pen on paper. We are filling the blank squares not writing frm left to right on plain paper.

      Delete
    3. I agree that it has to be "from the south" for a down clue.

      Delete
    4. Yes. Technically from the south is a better choice. However when we clue a word, one recollects the word how it is written normally. Hence we submit single clue outside of grids in say a competition, we specify that it is a down clue. From that perspective, from the east can manage to meet the specs. Yet, from the south would have been better choice. Thanks a lot, Srikant for the observation.

      Delete
  3. 20A Eyesight best clue of all!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Nice and tough one from Vidwan. Took time to solve. Enjoyed all the same.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Quite a tough one today. I think PROTERON is not a CD. It is a GK / Def by example.
    "say, play and plug device" is an example of HYSTERON PROTERON (thanks to the link provided by Col) and PROTERON is part of that phrase. That's how I read it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Part (physical part) of play and plug device (intended as typo of 'plug and play device') was the Cryptic Tool intended.

      Delete
    2. Tougher/unknown words should be clued simply..basic Ximenean rule.
      Not a CF

      Delete
  6. In 30A what is the wp for HAVE going around E (English)? Is "extra" the container ind?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes Ramki. It is not standard.as per.the Azed CC reference but subjectively acceptable or otherwise.

      Delete
    2. Too many it's today, Vidhwan?

      Delete
  7. I think the anno for DAPPER is:
    Day = D
    look = APPEAR
    about scoring = remove A (the second A in this case). CCD gives A as abbreviation for about.
    D + APPEAR -A = DAPPER (smart)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Ramki. That was the intended word play.

      Delete
  8. GUFFAW,REEBOK,HAVE-HO & PROTERON could not et anno. but across letters helped me to got the letters. but anno. part quite tough. today's challenging puzzle 11a was ultimate.
    FE(-W)R(-U)N

    ReplyDelete

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