ACROSS
1 Catch reptile with hollowed reed (5) BOARD {BOA}{ReeD}
4 Lacking openings after restructuring, reduce engaging new potential interns for starters (9) UNPIERCED {REDUCE}* over {New}{Po...l}{In...s}
9 Smooth surfaces, since I'm setting (7) MENISCI*
10 Once again, let's deliver (7) RELEASE {RE-LEASE}
11 Genuine query, say, about cancelling unknowns (6) SQUARE {QUERy+SAy}*
12 One beginning action sequence in The Matrix getting discussed? (8) NEOPHYTE (~ neo fight)
14 Cut diamonds with diamonds (4) DICE {D}{ICE}
15 Moving creative work—for the most part, critic taken into tears (7,3) KINETIC ART {CRITIc+TAKEN}*
19 Select tie (4) DRAW [DD}
22 Old content in document, save again in a different format (2-6) RE-EXPORT {RE{EX}PORT}
24 Warm pita sandwiches junction (6) ARMPIT [T]
26 Periodically check if rates go back, or one can't fly (7) OSTRICH {cHeCk+If+RaTeS+gO}<=
28 Stories from weed-laden inspiration? Flops, according to Spooner (4,5) FOLK TALES (~t??? fails to folk tales) (Addendum (~toke fails to folk tales) - See comments)
29 Put up with jack instead of king or bail out? (5) EJECT E(-r+j)JECT
DOWN
1 Starts to buy ersatz merchandise, second-hand, at a loss (7) BEMUSED {Buy}{Er...z}{Me...e}{USED}
2 Blue ocean, sun ... captivating ... ultimately halcyon states (9) ANNOUNCES {OCEAN+SUN}* over {h...oN}*
3 Drop weapons, mister, as I'd ordered! (6) DISARM {MR+AS+ID}*
4 One's heartlessly dark (4) UNIT UNlIT
5 Endured a cut (10) PERSEVERED {PER}{SEVERED}
6 Suckers taken in by artful lies ... (8) ELLIPSIS {EL{LIPS}IS*}
7 Ridiculous whine covering the whole range (5) CRAZY {CR{A to Z}Y}
8 Went up east and south, finally got extremely rich (7) DEEPEST {PEED<=}{E}{S}{goT}
13 Officer's chair mars hallway to some extent (3,7) AIR MARSHAL [T]
16 Opera-playing channel that can move you (9) AEROPLANE {OPERA*}{LANE}
17 Tip from hospital department about nutrition: avoid shrimp, potato, fungi, basically (3,5) END POINT {ENT} over {n...oN}{a..iD}{s...mP}{p...tO}{f..gI}
18 Draw a boundary, a fork somehow separating the two genders (4,3) MARK OFF {A+FORK}* in {M}{F}
20 Be careful with cat in heat (5,2) WATCH IT*
21 Dead donkey's tail in food freezer (3,3) DRY ICE {D}{R{d...eY}ICE}
23 Sex toy, unwrapped and left to admire (5) EXTOL {sEX+TOy}{L}
25 Is H. G. Wells frequently recalled for ability to last? (4) LEGS {iS+hG+wElLs}
Reference List
Unknown = Y, Diamonds = D, ICE, Old = EX, Jack = J, King = R, Went = PEED, Dead = D, Left = L
28a
ReplyDeleteWeed laden inspiration: fools talk
Flops: talk fools
Spooner makes it folk tales
Too much.
With spooner flop want necessary.
Spoonerism of 'Toke Fails'
DeleteSomeone knows his substance-abuse words! :-)
DeleteIt's much simpler than that (perhaps the word used is not as well-known as I thought though).. will wait a bit to see if someone chimes in. Also, 12A's anno can use a slight tweak.
ReplyDeleteTalk fails? But I am missing the O sound.
DeleteIt could be Toke fails
DeleteThat's it! "weed-laden inspiration" = TOKE (https://chambers.co.uk/search/?query=toke&title=21st)
DeleteNeo is the name of a caracter in The Matrix, Action sequence is fight homonym phyte
DeleteCharacter
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteArgh, auto-correct (or I?) mangled it. Re-typing: Yes, ~(Neo fight).
DeleteToke the pronounciation is US? or UK!
DeleteThanks!
DeleteCorrected
Delete2D- Colouring of the solution word to be changed to blue.
ReplyDeleteLoved Air Marshall, Went up! (8D), the whole range A to Z.
ReplyDelete1A- Board= Catch as in catch a flight/train?
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteYet another absorbing hour from Gussalufz CW.. Thank you. We enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteIs it Neo fight, because Neo is the hero in The Matrix?
ReplyDeleteYes!
Delete:)
ReplyDeleteThere are "two grid-related transport mechanisms" to be found.
ReplyDeleteI can spot SNAKES and LADDERS
DeleteYay, those are the two! Well spotted.
Delete18Ac He's - helium's
ReplyDeleteDelightful crossover from Gussalufz!
ReplyDelete17dn : Is 'about' in the clue on double duty? As containment ind and anind?
Pl read crossie for crossover!
DeleteIt's only a containment indicator, there is no anagramming. Perhaps you're thinking of the wrong N as being a part of the "ENT" (the second N is).
DeleteThanks Viresh ! Got it. E(N D P O I)NT
DeleteYes, E(NDPOI) BY. Am I right?
DeleteMy first interpretation was EN(DPOIN)T . So the doubt raised at 11:20
DeleteSorry MB. Did no see your post earlier.
DeleteCan someone kindly clarify what is the definition in 6Down.
ReplyDelete'...'
DeleteThe 3 dots you see at the end of the are called ellipsis.
DeleteOk sir, got it.
DeleteEnd of the clue
DeleteI got it very late. Typically clever!
Deletebeyond the imagination......gr8 Vasanth
DeleteThe two "two grid-related transport mechanisms" are yet to be identified. Hint: they *are* lined up in unchecked cells.
ReplyDeleteVeena has identified them (see above)
DeleteSo Sqaure Board is incidental!
DeleteAnd draw dice
DeleteThanks as always to Col. Gopinath for blogging, and to all the solvers and commenters. Here are my notes for this crossword:
ReplyDeleteNotes
This crossword's theme is an old board game from India, Snakes and Ladders. SNAKES can be seen as a nina snaking down diagonally towards the left, starting just under the cell numbered 10. LADDERS can be seen climbing up diagonally towards the right, starting at the cell numbered 25.
The following entries are also connected to the theme:
1a: BOARD.
11a: SQUARE.
14a: DICE.
19a. DRAW.
This puzzle is a pangram.
Personal notes
This one was composed close on the heels of my last THC crossword. The only noteworthy event in this short interlude has been that I have acquired and played with a Rubik's cube variant called the ["mirror cube,"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_blocks) which does not have different colours on its sides, but instead has three layers with different thicknesses. When scrambled, it's no longer a cube.
I struggled with it for a while, until I realized that the pieces belonging to the thinnest layer were easy to identify, and hence using that as the first layer is a good idea. My muscle memories of solution steps also failed to carry over from the normal cube to this weirdly shaped thing, and I had to write down some of the steps first.
Interesting!
DeletePANGRAM!
ReplyDeleteCol. has marked it under labels.
ReplyDeleteNice grid. esp. 26A, amazing word play. that too in reverse.
ReplyDeleteNice grid.
ReplyDelete@ Viresh 17dn - what is the clue for taking last letters - basically? I got the solution & then parsed.
My cod - ELLIPSIS, DEEPEST, AEROPLANE.
Thanx
Thanks, Gowri!
DeleteIt's indeed more common to use "basically" for taking the first letters. But I've been trying to use it in indicate last letters in down clues too (and I've seen a few other setters do it as well). In down clues, we can use "top" and bottom" for the first and last letters respectively. And "basically" has a clear sense of "at base/bottom" (https://chambers.co.uk/search/?query=basically&title=thes lists "at bottom," for example).
Thank u! 😊
Delete