Wednesday, 14 December 2022

No 13736, Wednesday 14 Dec 2022, Crescent

Welcome to our new setter Crescent. Bouquets and Brickbats welcome.

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.

Some definitions appear to be vague and far-fetched to me.

ACROSS
7   Expressed thoughts long after love died (6) OPINED {PINE}<=>{0} and [D}
8   Stony pit runs around cutting access (4-4)  DIRT POOR {PIT+R}* in {DOOR} Definition seems off? See comments
9   Maybe love handles initially fierce dog (4) FLAB {Fi...e}{LAB}
10 Just about right interrupting childish fit (6,4) PRETTY WELL {P{R}ETTY}{WELL}
11 Plane behind boat with a bombing strike (5-3) WATER SKI {W}{A}{STRIKE*}
12 'Part of foot' concisely fits to return this? (6) INSTEP [DD?] (Addendum - (INch}{PETS<=} Semi&lit - See comments)
14 Straight section in plane, a tangent (4) NEAT [T]
15 Catch with thumb (5) HITCH [C&DD]
16 Cunning crook (4) ARCH [DD]
18 Get into a black rage (6) OBTAIN {INTO+A+B}*
20 Food chart in each section (8) EATABLES {EA}{TABLES} Section/Tables? (addendum - {TABLE} in {EA}{S} - See comments)
22 Dirty task for the Reverend to provide selling point for the group (5,5) CHAIN STORE (~stain chore to chain store)
24 West at best powerless, in part adding fuel to the fire? (4) WICK {W}{pICK}
25 Action-packed time still ahead holding back English fan (8) EVENTFUL {T}<=>{EVEN} and {FUeL}
26 Whitener essentially alters stimulant in tea (6) THEINE wHITENEr*

DOWN
1   Special sack for slop (8) SPILLAGE {S}{PILLAGE}
2   A saint being endlessly blessed when away (2,8) IN ABSENTIA {A+SAINT+BEINg}*
3   Like housing department experts (6) ADEPTS {A{DEPT}S}
4   Little brother that is spoilt so? (8) BRATTISH {BR}{THAT+IS}* Semi&lit
5   Cat in Hermione's pet project (4) SPEW Anno pending (Addendum - S.P.E.W - See comments)
6   Pitman's short writing, say for dog (6) COLLIE Anno pending (Addendum - COLLIEr - See comments)
8   Diehard's deed to win holy ground (4-2-3-4) DYED IN THE WOOL*
13 Slow beamer abnormal for this paceman (4,6) SEAM BOWLER*
15 Gang members kill without intervention (5-3) HANDS OFF {HANDS}{OFF}
17 Bristle at edges caught after cold waxing (8) CRESCENT {RES{C}ENT}<=>{C} Definition is vague See comments
19 Work before prayer upset Hebrews (6) B?H?V? (Addendum - BEHAVE {AVE}<=>{HEB<=} - See comments)
21 Shrinks, x-ray doctors? (6) TREATS Anno pending (Addendum - reTREATS - See comments)
23 Boozers frequently dropping winnings (4) INNS wInNiNgS 

Reference List
Died = D, Runs = R, Right = R, With = W, Section = S, Black = B, Each = EA, West = W, Power = P, Time = T, English = E, Special = S 

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55 comments:

  1. Vasant14 December 2022 at 08:33

    6D COLLIE(-r)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ramki Krishnan14 December 2022 at 08:53

      Good anno Vasant!

      Delete
    2. Padmanabhan14 December 2022 at 09:23

      +1.
      Collier for Pitman is a good part of the clue. the clue conveniently starts with Pitman- avoiding false capitalisation!

      Delete
    3. CrossFish19 December 2022 at 23:22

      Hi, this isn't specific to this puzzle, does anyone have tips on how to generally improve at solving cryptics? I have a competition coming up in a few weeks :D greatly appreciate the annotations here, very nice.

      Delete
    4. CrossFish20 December 2022 at 01:08

      Oof

      Delete
  2. Vasant14 December 2022 at 08:34

    20A I took chart as Tables and definition as Food. Section is extraneous.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Padmanabhan14 December 2022 at 09:24

      Only table from chart and S from section- IMO

      Delete
  3. Sree Sree14 December 2022 at 08:34

    20 def is just food. Chart, table

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ravi14 December 2022 at 08:36

    Can anyone elucidate how to solve 8a.properly.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Padmanabhan14 December 2022 at 08:53

      Access is door. ( Pit +R) cuts door. D(Pit+R)* OOR

      Delete
    2. Padmanabhan14 December 2022 at 08:55

      But the doubt is if it fits the def.-Stony- as indicated by Col.

      Delete
    3. Ramki Krishnan14 December 2022 at 09:04

      Stony is short for stony-broke (as listed in Collins)

      Delete
    4. Sree Sree14 December 2022 at 09:13

      Shouldn't the def indicate as such?

      Delete
    5. Satyen Nabar14 December 2022 at 09:30

      From BRB, Stony = adj. of or like stone, abounding with stones, hard, pitiless, obdurate, rigid, petrifying, stony-broke.
      Defn is fine.

      Delete
  5. Ramki Krishnan14 December 2022 at 08:55

    17D: Waxing is given as a def for CRESENT in Collins
    crescent (adj) 2. Waxing, as the moon approaching its first quarter phase; increasing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Padmanabhan14 December 2022 at 08:59

      Setter signs his name in this clue!

      Delete
    2. Sree Sree14 December 2022 at 09:12

      Crescent is the sickle shape (visible both in waxing and wanning). Very specific noun.

      Delete
  6. Sree Sree14 December 2022 at 09:07

    5d hermiones pet project is s. P. E. W society for promotion of elfish welfare.
    Still trying to fit cat

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sree Sree14 December 2022 at 09:19

      Best I could get is the gossip spewer/cat

      Delete
    2. Satyen Nabar14 December 2022 at 09:22

      Hi. Cat as verb means to vomit/spew. Hermione's pet project is S.P.E.W.

      Delete
    3. Padmanabhan14 December 2022 at 09:26

      Really?! New for me.

      Delete
    4. Sree Sree14 December 2022 at 10:19

      Don't you watch "gossip Girl"

      Delete
  7. Ramki Krishnan14 December 2022 at 09:21

    Looks like the anno could be:
    Cat = SPEW (vomit) one of the slang definitions given in Collins
    Hermione's pet project is S.P.E.W as Sree sree has spotted.
    Very Harry-Potter specific clue :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Murali14 December 2022 at 09:21

    5D: The Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare (S.P.E.W.) was an organisation founded in 1994 by Hermione Granger in response to what she saw as gross injustice in the treatment of house-elves at the 1994 Quidditch World Cup (Harry Potter).

    ReplyDelete
  9. Satyen Nabar14 December 2022 at 09:25

    21D (-re)TREATS

    Shrinks= retreats
    ex (abbrev)= x (without) as in ex-dividend
    re= ray (musical note anglicized in spelling as ray)
    defn= doctors

    ReplyDelete
  10. Padmanabhan14 December 2022 at 09:29

    re=ray as in do,ray,me?
    Complicated,but fits once you explain.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sree Sree14 December 2022 at 10:17

      Doe: a deer, a female deer, alludes to the first solfĆØge syllable, do.
      Ray: a drop of golden sun, alludes to the second solfĆØge syllable, re.
      Me: a name I call myself, alludes to the third solfĆØge syllable, mi.
      Far: a long, long way to run, alludes to the fourth solfĆØge syllable, fa.
      Sew: a needle pulling thread, alludes to the fifth solfĆØge syllable, so[l].
      La: a note to follow so[l] and represents the sixth solfĆØge syllable, la.
      Tea: a drink with jam and bread, alludes to the seventh solfĆØge syllable, ti


      Form the song
      Do re mi, the sound of music

      Delete
    2. Padmanabhan14 December 2022 at 11:46

      Exactly what I had in mind.

      Delete
  11. Murali14 December 2022 at 09:39

    +1 to Colonel's comments "Some definitions appear to be vague and far-fetched"šŸ‘

    ReplyDelete
  12. Padmanabhan14 December 2022 at 09:48

    Yes. Def.'s have to be precise, leaving no doubt. wordplays may be subject to interpretations- read as stretch.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Deepak Gopinath14 December 2022 at 09:50

      However after reading comments from Ramki and Satyen, I may be wrong in my comment.

      Delete
    2. Sree Sree14 December 2022 at 10:21

      Col, as a solver imo, the very fact that Doc and Champ had to clarify implies you are correct.

      Delete
  13. Sree Sree14 December 2022 at 10:18

    Nope.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Satyen Nabar14 December 2022 at 10:44

    12A IN(-ch) + PETS <--, semi @lit

    Part of foot concisely= in(-ch)
    fits= pets (as in tantrums)
    to return= rev ind= step
    semi-&lit

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sree Sree14 December 2022 at 12:07

      Thnks. Reworked the clue from fits to pets.

      Delete
  15. Ramki Krishnan14 December 2022 at 10:51

    BRATTISH, SEAM BOWLER, WATER-SKI, DYED IN THE WOOL, OBTAIN were favourites. Could not anno INSTEP, TREATS and SPEW till I saw the blog. Thanks Crescent, Col and Satyen!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Sreelakshmi14 December 2022 at 11:42

    I think this is right - Well done! Seems to be one of the more straightforward wordplays

    ReplyDelete
  17. Sree Sree14 December 2022 at 12:10

    For my GK: Has anyone come across example of S used for section!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Satyen Nabar14 December 2022 at 12:51

      Hi! Most likely related to 'section' in the legal context.

      Delete
    2. Sree Sree14 December 2022 at 13:24

      Isn't legal silcrow? The double S.

      Delete
    3. Kolluru Koteswara Rao14 December 2022 at 13:29

      Prasad,
      I searched our blog and found one clue:
      1DOWN: Section in the cradle of Polynesia for a snack from India (6) SAMOSA {SAMO{S}A} - No 12663, Thursday 27 Jun 2019, Gridman

      Delete
    4. Sreeni15 December 2022 at 07:24

      S for section is in the BRB. In law references Sections are referred to as S in short eg S.127 of Xxxx Act

      Delete
  18. Padmanabhan14 December 2022 at 13:36

    Coming from Gridman, we have to take it as correct.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sree Sree14 December 2022 at 14:06

      Gridman himself would contradict it.
      S for section, in place of silcrow was used in old days. (Probably due to inability to produce it in the type writers. Don't know)

      But have shifted to sec long time back too, even on legal side.

      Delete
  19. Padmanabhan14 December 2022 at 13:41

    Col. has given Section=s there.
    And Vasant had mentioned Dr,Gayatri/ samosa!
    What happened to her? Not in India?

    ReplyDelete
  20. maradnusro14 December 2022 at 17:29

    Awful day personally speaking. Crescent you are not so welcome if you persist with the type of cruciverbal contortions you presented this morning.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Kolluru Koteswara Rao14 December 2022 at 18:17

    Welcome Crescent!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Gowri14 December 2022 at 20:50

    I found it quite tough. Could not parse quite a few. After incognito & lightning - need to pull up ones socks. Thanx to the blog - somewhat clear now.

    ReplyDelete

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