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 Danseuse — extremely boring, extremely reserved (6) MODEST {MO{Da...sE}ST}
4 A ballerina achieving victory — she moves ahead (8) ADVANCER {A}{D{V}ANCER}
11 Dark fish (5) BLEAK [DD]
12 Carriages returning from Nagasaki or Tokyo (7) TROIKAS [T<=]
13 One of eight vehicles failing to start in sultanate (7) OARSMAN {O{cARS}MAN}
14 Rabbi's short farewell message (5) RADIO {R}{ADIOs}
15 Nerds sue stupid consumers (3,5) END USERS*
23 No good going through false, faked projections (7) FLANGES {FLA{N}{G}ES*}
25 Country with showers after half of winter (7) TERRAIN {winTER}{RAIN}
27 Frees one's soul, troubled, accepting meditation finally (9) UNLOOSENS {ONES+SOUL}* over {m...oN}
28 Still in rebellion, holding value and courage (8) TEMERITY {TE{MERIT}Y<=}
29 Sickness from primarily navigating across uprising ocean (6) NAUSEA {Na...g}{Ac...s}{Up...g}{SEA}
DOWN
1 Man near lake leaving crabs, say, for family members (8) MOBSTERS {M}{lOBSTERS}
2 Conflict in team mostly on the rise before tie (7) DISCORD {SIDe<=}{CORD}
3 Cattle in, say, European city (9) STOCKHOLM {~ stock call stock home)
5 How to clue old title for movie? (6,8) DOCTOR DOLITTLE {OLD+TITLE}* [RA]
6 A doctor about to turn yellowish (5) AMBER {A}{MB}{RE<=}
7 Somewhat mediocre American substitute for milk (7) CREAMER [T]
8 Nationalist abandons position in gathering (6) RAKING RAnKING
9 What the smartly dressed man did before marriage (7,3,4) PRESSED HIS SUIT [C&DD]
19 Spiritual leader, upset, not quite willing for merger (7) A?A?G?M (Addendum - AMALGAM {LAMA<=}{GAMe} See comments)
21 Stimulates exhausted athletes, having become tired, lacking energy (7) AWAKENS {At...eS} over {WeAKEN}
22 Surviving with nothing inside an apartment (6) AFLOAT {A}{FL{0}AT}
24 One escaping from region at war — he is doomed (5) GONER REGiON*
Reference List
Victory = V, Boy = B, Rabbi = R, Soft = P, No = N, Good = G, New = N, Man = M, Lake = L, About = RE, Nationalist = N, Energy = E
3d typo?
ReplyDeleteAnno for 3d should be STOCK (cattle) + hp HOME (in). Request Col to kindly edit it.
DeleteHave corrected it Ramki.
DeleteHowever pronunciations as shown in Wikipedia is as under, which was new to me as well.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/Sv-Stockholm.ogg
Col, the Swedish local pronounciation still sticks to kehL. English is Holm with l almost silent. (Courtesy Stockholm syndrome)
DeleteWow Col - I didn't know of this pronunciation too! Was going by the English version.
DeleteYet another delight from Ramki. Enjoyed it fully. Happy to see Borg- one of my favourites.
ReplyDelete+1 many aha moments have prompted me to pen a modest tail piece. Please read.
DeleteThanks Paddy and Ramesh - glad you liked it.
DeleteIt's that time of the year when all cruciverbalists are geared up for an event as attractive to them as TAJ MAHAL is to tourists. The defendant surely is all set in his familiar TERRAIN. He is the SUPERNOVA amongst many MODEST contestants (like me) AFLOAT.
ReplyDeleteBut don't lose heart lofty and skilled challengers, no one is a GONER and it isn't the END. USERS may feel prospects are BLEAK but the sign is AMBER not red. Do step up the challenge in TROIKAS.
But must walk the PLANK. Indeed, challengers have to do much more than just DOCTOR DOLITTLE to beat the champion OARSMAN in the race. Perhaps discover what CREAMER he uses in his coffee? Or pray and seek a BISHOPRIC blessing? Stay healthy free from sickness or NAUSEA? Maybe simply UNLOOSEN the mind keeping it cool and free of DISCORD. Or find an AMALGAM of the above that AWAKENS the animal spirit. Whatever be spirited like MOBSTERS and mount a challenge worthy of a RADIO and media broadcast from ASIA to as far as STOCKHOLM and further.
Hope to see some new ADVANCERS accompanying the champ to the final. All smiling and smartly appearing on stage at the final having PRESSED HIS (or her) SUIT RAKING in the honours.
Good luck to all IXL contestants! Thanks to cryptic Singh for the ORGANisation of the contest year after year.
Nice one to bolster our spirits on the eve of the biggest event of the year. It is fitting that it comes today- day of the champion setter!
DeleteGood one Ramesh!
DeleteStockholm, Dr.Doolittle, Pressed his suit were some of the good ones.
ReplyDeleteI liked all of them. Doctor Dolittle is my favourite. Thanks Ramki
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome KKR! Glad you liked the grid.
DeleteCorrect! Well solved !
ReplyDeleteDidn't understand TEY in 28a (still in rebellion) and MOST (holding the DE) in 1a. Where did they come from? Please help
ReplyDeleteStill = YET, in rebellion is the reversal indicator to make it TEY
DeleteDanseuse extremely indicates to take extreme letters so that's DE. The second extremely is MOST
Thank you, sir
DeleteIn 10ac - what is the definition? See??
ReplyDeleteKindly clarify.
noun: see; plural noun: sees
Deletethe place in which a cathedral church stands, identified as the seat of authority of a bishop or archbishop.
Thank u. Didn't know this till now.
DeleteGreat grid! I am relatively new to solving cryptics. Loved the surface on a bunch of clues - modest, Doctor Doolittle. Didn't quite parss pressed his suit, can somebody please explain?
ReplyDeleteThanks Mitali. Explanation for PRESSED HIS SUIT is as Sree_sree has given above.
DeleteThanks for responding, @Sree and @Ramki! It is delightful to have discovered this blog. I had not come across this expression before this puzzle - you learn something new everyday!
Delete