Thursday, 23 November 2023

No 14027, Thursday 23 Nov 2023, Dr. X

Solution to 5A 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   Case of demonstrative bequest for committee (8) DELEGACY {De...vE}{LEGACY}
5   Stops rebellious fool stealing object (6) ?A?S?S (Addendum - PAUSES {SAP<=} over {USE} - See comments)
10 Run back to save guys in trouble (7) TORMENT {TOR{MEN}T<=}
11 Almost caught cuddling miss with love (5,2) CLOSE TO {C{LOSE}T}{O}
12 Postmodern style inspiring German artist (5) ERNST [T]
13 Pioneer flying to Nigeria (9) ORIGINATE*
14 Craft gone with life raft not attached (4-8) FREE-FLOATING {GONE+LIFE+RAFT}*
18 Immaculate beach outside best resort close to lagoon (5,3,4) SPICK AND SPAN {S{PICK}AND}{SPA}{l...oN}
21 Container with game bird caught for prince (9) CARTRIDGE (-p+c)CARTRIDGE
23 Want cocaine to party (5) CRAVE {C}{RAVE}
24 Membranes covering spores of bush essentially found in Asian country (7) INDUSIA {IND{bUSh}IA}
25 Lawyer makes up a story about leading industrialist in newspapers (7) DAILIES {DA}{In...t}{LIES}
26 Bristly drunkard's back in court (6) SETOSE {SE{SOT<=}E}
27 Order starter of chicken in trendy bar (8) INSTRUCT {IN}{STRU{Ch...n}T}

DOWN
1   Desires to hire posh model for assignments (6) DUTIES {D{U}{T}IES}
2   Seducing lady in a little dingy shed (6) LURING {L}{dURING}
3   Talk with regret about fifty killed in Northward migration of Boers (5,4) GREAT TREK {TAlK+REGRET}*
4   What forensic pathologist will do to completely ignore a person (3,7,4) CUT SOMEONE DEAD [DD]
6   Excellent oil used to make sauce (5) AIOLI {A1}{OIL*}
7   Censor a shot featuring nudists essentially in programme (8) SCENARIO {CENSOR+A}* over {nudIsts}
8   Scene describing individual in prehistoric period (5,3) STONE AGE {ST{ONE}AGE}
9   Part of leg hurt, overwhelmed by pain - lad gets hold of nurse (8,6) ACHILLES TENDON {ACH{ILL}E}{S{TEND}ON}
15 A revolting crime! Time to catch sly revolutionary (9) ANARCHIST {A}{SIN<=}{T} over {ARCH}
16 Chapter in physics about mediums (8) PSYCHICS {PSY{C}HICS*}
17 Doctor, I'm desperate for tablet of LSD (8) MICRODOT*
19 South American stork shot by one on brief outing (6) JABIRU {JAB}{1}{RUn}
20 Discovers gun outside abandoned set (4,2) GETS AT {G{SET*}AT}
22 Mounts difficulties, scoring century (5) RISES cRISES

Reference List
Caught = CT, Beach = SAND, Resort = SPA, Caught = C, Prince = P, Cocaine = C, Lawyer = DA, Court = SEE< Trendy = IN, Posh = U, Model = T, Lady = L, Fifty = L, Excellent = A1, Time = T, Sly = ARCH, Chapter = C, Gun = GAT, Century = C 

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62 comments:

  1. Rao Pilla23 November 2023 at 11:16

    Nice exercise today with excellently clued grid. I liked 14A, 24A & 9D the most among all the very good clues. Thanks Doctor.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Padmanabhan23 November 2023 at 11:35

    +1

    ReplyDelete
  3. Padmanabhan23 November 2023 at 11:39

    Dr.X CW is a waft of fresh air in gloomy Chennai. Had a great time.
    Doc. seems to be introducing us to a few new words daily- is it just me or others also feel so?
    Indusia, setose, great trek, microdot(!), Jabiru are a few for me today.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rao Pilla23 November 2023 at 11:47

      Yes. Not only new words, new substitutions as well. The wordplay and surfaces are of high standards.

      Delete
    2. C.G. BHARGAV23 November 2023 at 12:38

      +1

      Delete
    3. Satyen Nabar23 November 2023 at 13:25

      Thanks! I am honoured by Col Gopinath Sir adding me to the list of contributors to the blog.

      Regarding new words, an obvious observation I wish to make. In a straight crossword, the clue for Indusia might well read ‘membranes covering spores’ or some such. As a solver who does not know the word, with just the connecting letters to aid, one is basically reduced to guesswork or forlornly accessing search engines.

      But in a cryptic crossword, with the connecting letters, you have the rest of the clue to help you decode. So, one knows the word has ‘us’ from ‘bush essentially’ in a 5-letter Asian country. Even without knowing the word, combined with the connecting letters, one can make a perfect diagnosis (and then confirm it, if need be online). Same for the other new words like setose, jabiru, etc.

      That for me, is the magic of cryptic crosswords!

      Delete
    4. D.Chandrasekhar23 November 2023 at 13:56

      Exactly what happened with me Doctor

      Delete
    5. Padmanabhan23 November 2023 at 14:18

      Absolutely true. We do enjoy such wordplay and delightful surfaces (with or without husbands/ wives/ opiates et al)
      For example, in 27A we have bar for strut. But bar coming as it does in a Dr.X CW,our thinking first goes to a pub rather than a rod or a strut. Beholder to blame,of course!
      Miss= Lose is one more.
      Squeezing out the intricacies of English.

      Delete
  4. C.G. BHARGAV23 November 2023 at 12:44

    Ganesh's advice to Vladimir:

    Although CLOSE TO your heart,
    Don't you CRAVE for MICRODOT,
    Maybe ALLURING
    Awe inspiring
    But will lead you to Dot-Dash-Dot.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sree Sree23 November 2023 at 12:48

    Happy Birthday Doc. Have a gr8 day.

    For anyone still new here.
    https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xrzg72

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Satyen Nabar23 November 2023 at 13:27

      Thanks Sree!

      Delete
    2. Padmanabhan23 November 2023 at 14:19

      Let me join Prasad in wishing Doc. a very Happy Birthday and many many more returnsof the day!!

      Delete
    3. Satyen Nabar23 November 2023 at 16:44

      Thanks Paddy

      Delete
  6. Sathia23 November 2023 at 13:17

    Many Many Happy Returns of Day Dr. X
    Sathia

    ReplyDelete
  7. Rao Pilla23 November 2023 at 13:31

    Wish you a Very Happy Birthday Doctor.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Sarathi23 November 2023 at 13:36

    Many happy returns of the day Dr.
    Sarathi

    ReplyDelete
  9. D.Chandrasekhar23 November 2023 at 13:57

    Many Happy returns Doctor

    ReplyDelete
  10. Col_Gopinath23 November 2023 at 14:14

    No one trying 5A?

    ReplyDelete
  11. Sarathi23 November 2023 at 14:20

    5A
    Answer is simple but anno tricky, not very sure so i don't attempt

    ReplyDelete
  12. Srikant Sri23 November 2023 at 14:25

    5A Fool - SAP - Rebellious. PAS -> covering object - Purpose - Use ---> PAUSES.- Stops

    ReplyDelete
  13. Rao Pilla23 November 2023 at 14:27

    Since I answered yesterday, I left it to others.
    Here's my solution.
    Stops(defn) - PAUSES
    rebellious(reversal) fool(SAP) stealing(cont ind) object(USE)
    PA(USE)S<=

    ReplyDelete
  14. Padmanabhan23 November 2023 at 14:28

    Great solve!
    I was struggling with ass for fool.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Sarathi23 November 2023 at 14:33

    I was also trying with ASS &PURPOSE

    ReplyDelete
  16. C.G. BHARGAV23 November 2023 at 14:57

    ?A?S?S The revealed letters made an ! of many among us!

    ReplyDelete
  17. H Ramachandran23 November 2023 at 15:19

    Many happy returns Doctor!💐💐
    Regards

    ReplyDelete
  18. Sriku23 November 2023 at 16:20

    One of those puzzles that you feel delighted when the last answer falls into place though it took a couple of hours. Wonderful puzzle.. and happy birthday doc

    ReplyDelete
  19. R Nagendra Prasad23 November 2023 at 16:47

    Best of the four from Dr X today. Had lovely time solving. New words Setose and Jabiru were easily the pick.

    ReplyDelete
  20. N Sridhar23 November 2023 at 17:03

    Happy birthday Doctor X-Dr Satyen Nabar!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Lakshmi Vaidyanathan23 November 2023 at 17:15

    Happy happy birthday Doc !

    ReplyDelete
  22. Prasanna Rao23 November 2023 at 17:20

    Doc.X Many more happy returns of the day. excellent grid really experienced. BTW, 5A one of the challenging clue. have a gr8 day

    ReplyDelete
  23. Ramesh Kosaraju 23 November 2023 at 17:31

    Happy returns Doctor! 💐

    Today's crossie is a lesson on Sandwich Indicators for me - save, cuddling, in, about, hire, featuring, describing, overwhelmed, gets hold of, catch, outside

    ReplyDelete
  24. RR23 November 2023 at 18:11

    Happy birthday doc and wishing you many many more.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Rao Pilla23 November 2023 at 18:11

    Comento think of it X(into) can be used as a containment indicator. 🙂

    ReplyDelete
  26. Rao Pilla23 November 2023 at 18:12

    Come to*

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sree Sree23 November 2023 at 19:01

      For your eyes only!
      Setter here in or out there say XX! (6)

      Delete
    2. Rao Pilla23 November 2023 at 19:26

      Not sure if I have got it right.
      For your eyes only - James bond novel/movie
      Setter here in - Dr X
      Out there - Doctor No( from James bond movies)
      X(deletion)X - no/X
      Leaving DOCTOR as the solution.

      Delete
    3. Rao Pilla23 November 2023 at 19:30

      'say' applies to 'out there' as it applies to James bond movies in general.

      Delete
    4. Sree Sree23 November 2023 at 20:14

      For your eyes only is not part of the clue.

      Delete
    5. Sree Sree23 November 2023 at 20:17

      And it's not a typical clue. But written in the context.

      Delete
    6. Rao Pilla23 November 2023 at 20:38

      Setter here in or out there(defn) - DOCTOR
      say XX - No X in Dr. X
      ?

      Delete
    7. Sree Sree23 November 2023 at 23:04

      Say ten cross!

      Delete
    8. Rao Pilla23 November 2023 at 23:30

      Hmm... Doesn't give me the answer.
      I like 'say no(X) X' better. 😎
      Enjoyed the clue. Nice way to show appreciation to Dr.X, who gave us one of his best(for all I know) on his birthday. 👏👌👏

      Delete
  27. Rao Pilla23 November 2023 at 18:44

    Just for fun.
    Capital Dr. X built, I heard(6)

    ReplyDelete
  28. Amita Baviskar23 November 2023 at 20:11

    Happy birthday, Dr X!

    ReplyDelete

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