Monday 27 November 2023

No 14030, Monday 27 Nov 2023, Avtaar

Artwork by Prasanna
Solution to 29A 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   Unrests starting off in Russian capital (7) ROUBLES tROUBLES
5   Persuades leader of students to bunk class for a date (5,2) LEADS ON {LE(-s+a+d)ADSON
10 Superior blouses, evenly cut (4) BOSS BlOuSeS
11 Abnormal temperature draining energy in sound receiver (3,7) EAR TRUMPET TEMPERATURe*
12 Substitution of Democrat with Republican in team meeting leads to difficulty (6) HURDLE HU(-d+r)RDLE
13 Stop before director probes this (8) PRECLUDE {PRE}{CLU{D}E}
14 Engineer readies TV broadcast (9) ADVERTISE*
16 Former revolutionary near British Columbia smuggling drug in pirate ship (5) XEBEC {EX<=}{B{E}C}
17 Street actor regularly returns for musical ensemble (5) OCTET {sTrEeT+aCtOr<=}
19 Model is seen holding meet to raise awareness (9) SENSITISE {IS+SEEN}* over {SIT}
23 Rudeness upset consumers (3,5) END USERS*
24 Neglected wildebeest revived by one in Toulouse (6) UNSUNG {GNUS<=}<=>{UN}
26 Flower from the back of Saddleworth Moor captivates well-known poet (10) HELIOTROPE {s...tH}{ROPE} over {ELIOT}
27 Legendary captain of ship rejected portent (4) OMEN<=
28 Green complex with extremely classy style of architecture (7) REGENCY {GREEN*}{Cl..sY}
29 One thrown into Underground is no more (7) ?E?T?E? (Addendum - NEITHER {NE{1}THER} - See comments)

DOWN
2   Stout old pole drilled with raised hexagonal metal block (7) OROTUND {O}{RO{NUT<=}D}
3   Installed floor across wings of arcades (5) BASED {B{Ar...eS}ED}
4   I, for one, vote for guys replacing Conservative (7) ELEMENT ELE(-c+men)MENT
6   Where heads of eagles' young, remaining incubated, emerge slowly (6) EYRIES Acrostic Semi&lit
7   Soothing cryptic clue by Avtaar turned up in degree books (9) DEMULCENT {CLUE*}{ME<=} in {D}{NT}
8   Almost certainly in debt with unpaid EMIs, to start with (7) OVERDUE {OVER}{DUE} (Correction - {O{VERy}D}{Un...d}{Emi} &lit - See comments)
9   Bent group of coppers probing journalists, charged one (13) PREPOSSESSION {PRE{POSSE}SS}{ION}
15 Team stealing nice-looking cycles detained by lady official (9) EXECUTIVE {XI} over ((+e)ECUT(-e)} in {EVE}
18 Come together where mother and sisters stay taking time off before start of Easter (7) CONVENE {CONVENt}{Ea...r}
20 Sleep thus, changing positions, I say! (4-3) SHUT-EYE {THUS}*{(~i)EYE}
21 Charlie gets involved in crime before Frank (7) SINCERE {C} in {SIN}{ERE}
22 Chaotic new format of the ICC (6) HECTIC*
25 Spy is regularly sick and absent (5) SCOUT {SiCk}{OUT}

Reference List
Date = D, Energy = E, Democrat = D, Republican = R, Director = D, Drug = E, One in French = UN, Conservative = C, Degree = D, Books = NT(New Testament), Time = T, Charlie = C

32 comments:

  1. Some new words (for me) today: Xebec. Demulcent. Stumped me.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Interesting grid by Avtaar. my aha moment was 29A.......have a gr8 day

    ReplyDelete
  3. BASED on the advice of his 'BOSS' Ganesh, Vladimir was travelling with SHUT-EYE in
    the EXECUTIVE chair car of Brindavan Express. To Hotel REGENCY.

    Some well known personalities were to CONVENE there for some HECTIC taxing of their brains.Their coming together was long OVERDUE.

    Little did Vladimir know that there was an ELEMENT os surprise waiting for him within the compartment.

    What happened next?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Col.sir.....15d - first lady we denoted as EVE. for lady can we substitute EVE???

    ReplyDelete
  5. Eve is both lady and first lady.
    Great picture of Guru Nank!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. interstingly I couldn't spot the lady = eve. DI being substituted for lady. rest all first lady.

      Delete
  6. Recently, especially in the past few days, we are seeing replacement of one letter with multiple letters. Like 5A(-s +ad), 4D(-c +men) today. I am sure it happened before. The frequency has increased.
    Just an observation.

    ReplyDelete
  7. 8d almost certainly is ver(y) in od - over draft (od) with ue - Unpaid emis to begin with. O(ver)due

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This solution looks better than the one Col. provided.
      I could not get this one. Others may weigh in.

      Delete
    2. +1.
      What is the definition?

      Delete
  8. This is correct VU. &lit definition. Well done

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wordplay looks fine but the def. looks to be "No more". Can neither be called no more? I have my reservations. Neither is not either and can be extended to mean no, but no more?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes , one of the synonyms for neither is " No more"

      Delete
    2. One of the meanings of "no more" is neither. For example, I don't go to the movies any more. No more (neither) does my wife

      Delete
  10. 29A – (NE(I)THER)
    Def. – no more
    Underground – nether
    One – I , Thrown in underground = ne(i)ther

    ReplyDelete
  11. in today's grid, 24ac UN+SUNG< - one in toulouse[french]=UN is fine. but wildebeest(singular ) for gnus is incorrect I felt. it should be wildebeests.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Another interesting brainteaser of a grid compiled by Avtaar and kudos to him. Well, I could solve just 60% & learnt about the rest after accessing this slot around 4.00 p.m.
    The sketch of Guru Nanak Dev by Prasanna is a fantastic piece of art, one must admit.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Tough going today, but was able to complete except the last one 29Ac. Thanks Avtaar.

    ReplyDelete

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