ACROSS
1 Service backed by unions - there are too many hitches, perhaps (4,9) MASS MARRIAGES {MASS}{MARRIAGES}
10 Say it's absolute (5) UTTER [DD]
11 Dispatched a pack inside for a religious ceremony (9) SACRAMENT {S{A}{CRAM}ENT}
12 A newsroom broadcast "Ladies in a row" (9) OARSWOMEN*
13 Hard soil, not right, land not cultivated (5) HEATH {H}{EArTH}
14 A way to fall in line is more palatable (7) TASTIER {T{A}{ST}IER}
16 Paints the school colours, all of them in the end accept title (7) ENAMELS {thE}{NAME}{s...oL}{c...rS}
18 Four emptied, double that consignment (7) FREIGHT {FouR}{EIGHT}
20 Clear order, one million to recover (7) RECLAIM {CLEAR*}{1}{M}
22 Work and exercise initially did put one to sleep (5) DOPED {DO}{PE}{Did}
24 Ten photos developed then and there (2-3-4) ON-THE-SPOT*
26 Loyal caller exposed the big man (9) ALLEGIANT {cALLEr}{GIANT}
27 Speech - PM gets India backing (5) IDIOM {MO{I}DI}<=
28 Follow what the photographer wants to do (3,3,7) GET THE PICTURE [DD]
DOWN
2 Star workers can cover 100 square metres (7) ANTARES {ANT{ARE}S}
3 Jump over, breaking law-that's huge (9) SPRAWLING {SPR{LAW*}ING}
4 Tea - collect from bottom to top (5) ASSAM (+ass)ASSAM(-ASS)
6 Change of heart - a desire to be under water (5) AWASH {A}{W(-i+a)ASH}
7 Upgrade? Leave out the banks (7) ELEVATE {LEAVE*}{ThE}
8 Auto foundries struggling, clueless (3,3,2,5) RUN OUT OF IDEAS*
9 Simultaneously after a damage, estimate them (2,3,4,4) AT THE SAME TIME {A}{ESTIMATE+THEM}*
15 Reason to limit booze (9) RATIONALE {RATION}{ALE}
17 St.Michael blessed old man of science (9) ALCHEMIST*
19 Get rid of old dal in Indian kitchen (7) EXPULSE {EX}{PULSE}
21 "He wants a job as a salesman", they say... (7) APPLIER (~a plier)
23 ...till it follows one, for example (5) DIGIT {DIG}{IT}
Reference List
Hard = H, Right = R, WWay = ST, Million = M, Exercise = PE, India = I
1a looked very zapzazzard!!!!
ReplyDeleteUnion/hitch/marriage are synonyms.
Hitch also means service as in stint.
Whats "backed" doing in the clue.
And as Ajeesh would say, clueing mass marriages as mass marriages isnt elegant, for Arden anyway imho.
I took backed as followed.
Delete4d Col, i think "from" contra's the anno.
ReplyDeleteCollect bottom to top would work.
19d shouldnt obsolete words have indicator (
ReplyDelete19D. What is the Indian Kitchen cooking in the clue? Can't fathom out . Can not the clue end" get rid of old dal"?
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteBut then it looks abrupt. And need an elegant closure to the statement.
Pulse is Dal in Hindi(Indian kitchen)
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteOed has dal as split pulse. So indian.kitchen isnt necessary!
DeletePulse is Dal in Hindi is ok. But it is dal not only in Indian kitchen
DeleteIf Arden could share what is in his/ her mind, I wd be obliged -)
For 1A, what about "weight spoils headless illusion"? Weight=mass; spoils=mars, and headless illusion=irage (which is spoiled as 'riage'!). (mass) (mar) (riage) (s).
ReplyDeleteAs a beginner, I found it hard to decipher the clues for 16 A and 21 D, and shall be thankful for help.
ReplyDelete16a
DeleteAll of them in the end
Indicates to take last letters of
thE schooL colourS.
Title synonym is name.
Name goes into ELS.
Thanks, Sree Sree.
Delete21d a:a
ReplyDeleteSalesman:plier
'as they say" is something called homophone indicator.
Applier pronounciation is like "aplier"
Agreed about applier, a homophone rhyming with a plier (one who plies his/her trade, a salesman here), but it is a less frequent word as against applicant, isn't it!
DeleteIn the grand old days of grand mastets......
DeleteTHC has British OED as standard reference.
As long as the word is a valid word present in the dictionary, it is acceptable. Choice left to setter.
2d How is 100 sq mweters ARE?
ReplyDeleteIn metric system, 100 sq. m.= 1 are, and 100 ares= 1 hectare. I guess most of us migrated from the British system to the metric in our school days, 60 years ago!
Delete100 ares is one hectare
ReplyDeleteAssam may be a type of tea, but can it be a synonym?
ReplyDeleteI think so too. Maybe, "A type of tea, put the donkey in front before morning," would be a better clue.
DeleteYep. OED has def of assam as tea. So.....
DeleteBut how does amass from bottom to top become assam.
Bottom to top is one time indicator. Not like cycling.
From bottm to top*.
DeleteWothout "from", just
Bottom to top can justify Col's anno.
I go with Col. Bottom also means "ass"
DeleteFroM bottoM?
DeleteFrom bottom can be read in 2 ways-
ReplyDeleteLike you say bottom of from- M or
from bottom to top- 1/2/3 letters
My fav today
ReplyDeleteFREIGHT, DIGIT, RATIONALE.
Thanx Arden!