HAPPY NEW YEAR
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Solution to 2D 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.
Open for anyone to solve, if not solved by 1 PM.
ACROSS
1 Without talent? Fudge it creatively, embracing a bit of nepotism (8) UNGIFTED {FUDGE+IT}* over {Ne...m}
5 Hamper efforts, ultimately disrupting fire platoon, essentially (6) BASKET {BA{e...tS}KE}{plaToon}
9 Church messengers short of fifty conversions (7) CHANGES {CH}{ANGElS}
10 Win trick with two queens (7) CONQUER {CON}{QU}{ER}
11 Even more mature file discovered (5) OLDER fOLDER
12 King's chasing speculation largely implicating wife for everything (3,5) THE WORKS {K'S}<=>{THEORy} over {W}
13 According to Gussalufz, love died. (6) PERIOD {PER}{I}{O}{D}
14 Performer returns with cape in a desire to advance (8) AVIDNESS {DIVA<=}{NESS}
18 Commercial-free additional broadcast expansion (8) DILATION adDITIONAL*
20 Afraid to leave following reprimand (6) EARFUL fEARFUL
23 Regularly find details, issues to think of (8) IDEALISE {fInD+dEtAiLs+IsSuEs}
25 Wow, Shakespearean tragedy after overtime! (5) HELLO otHELLO
27 Spread a falsehood about page's daughter (7) APPLIED {A}{P}{P}{LIE}{D}
28 Forest ranger has rum (7) STRANGE [T]
29 Old puzzle lying around? Save the last third for flight (6) EXODUS {EX}{SUDOku<=}
30 Peasants polished poetic pieces (8) ANAPESTS*
DOWN
1 Lacking cultivation? Produce dramatically after adding nitrogen and phosphorus (9) UNCROPPED {PRODUCE+N+P}*
2 More splendid runs after score crosses a large number (7) G?A?D?R (Addendum - GRANDER {R}<=>{GRA{N}DE} - See comments)
3 Discover fruit and nut bar wrapper on abandoned route (6,3) FIGURE OUT {FIG}{nUt}{ROUTE*}
4 Substitute teacher's at Zoom gathering (6) ERSATZ [T]
7 After scrubbing soy meal, corroded key unlocks joint (7) KNUCKLE {KEy+UNLoCKs}*
8 Revolution of planet overlooking southern area (4) TURN saTURN
10 Divorce of uncle averted (6) CLEAVE [T]
15 Dilapidated pad carrying dire threat? (9) DEATHTRAP {D{THREAT*}AP*} Semi&lit
16 Rotten man stole small young fish (9) SALMONETS {MAN+STOLE}*{S}
17 Impersonated policeman, covering makeshift bomb (6) COPIED {COP}{IED}
19 Happened before Pluto crashed over the middle of Sweden? (3,2,2) LED UP TO {PLUTO}* over {swEDen}
21 Cats loudly turning gaga (7) FELINES {F}{SENILE<=}
22 Compose a sonnet describing spring, perhaps (6) SEASON [T]
24 One gets to finish university later (5) ADIEU {A}{DIE}{U}
26 Meet in coffee house, exchanging bits from classified files (4) FACE (-c+F)FA(-f+c)CE
Reference List
Church = CH, Fifty = L, Queens = QU,ER, King = K, Wife = W, Died = D, Commercial = AD, Following = F, Overtime = OT, Page = P, Daughter = D, Southern = S, Area = A, Small = S, Loudly = F, University = U
Beautiful Artwork and Rangoli. Wish you all.a Happy New Year.
ReplyDelete+1
Delete+2
Delete+3
DeleteThank you MB sir,KKR garu & Paddy sir....... have a gr8 start
DeleteThanks Devi Prasad
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year.
ReplyDeleteWish you all Happy New Year 2025. Great to see PG pair gracing the occasion with artwork and rangoli. Happy to see Gussalufz CW in the first day of New Year.
ReplyDeleteSathia
Thanks a lot sathia.........Have a gr8 day
DeleteMy favourite today is 13AC.
ReplyDeletePeriod. No second opinion!!
ReplyDelete24 letters continue. I was looking for the 25th. Obviously did not expect it ho into the New Year 2025.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, Best Wishes fir a Happy New Year to the setter, Col. and all bloggers.
Col. has not nentioned a theme nor could I find one so far. Still I will keep looking.
ReplyDeleteLovely rangoli by Gowri and great artwork by Prasanna. Happy 2025 to all.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteThanks Mr RR & Ramachandran........Happy New yer to all
DeleteHappy new year to you all!
ReplyDelete2D-Grander-more splendour; (Gra(n)de)r; score-grade; large number-n(as in n number)
ReplyDeleteGrander-more splendid
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year to all !
ReplyDeleteThanks for the blog and comments folks, happy new year!
ReplyDeleteA sub-theme of this puzzle is from two specific entries in two specific locations. There is another, (connected) theme with slightly more elements.
... the second theme is connected to the title too.
DeleteCH-CH: Acetylene
Delete2d - Def. - MoreSplendid
ReplyDeletescore - GRADE
runs after score - GRADE (R)
number - N
Hence, {GRA{N*}DE}{R}
Thank you Col.sir for posting our artwork. Blog looks colorful.
ReplyDeletePosting my notes now, getting late for me :-). If you want to avoid spoilers and look for the theme, read no further!
ReplyDeleteNotes
The theme of this crossword is the David Bowie song, Changes. The title (written misleadingly to look like a chemistry formula) alludes to the "Ch-Ch-Changes" refrain from the song. The word CHANGES is the solution to 9a. DAVID can be seen as a nina starting at the end of 13a and continuing into 14a. BOWIE can be seen as a nina running down the tenth column.
The following solution words are thematic too, as they can be seen in the song's lyrics (https://genius.com/David-bowie-changes-lyrics): TURN (8d) and FACE (26d) the STRANGE (28a).
The theme also commemorates the passing of '24 (24d is ADIEU) and arrival of '25 (25a is HELLO).
The following entries can also be construed to be thematic: OLDER (11a), PERIOD (13a), and SEASON (22d).
This, my final THC crossword drafted in '24, is also a salgram: it uses exactly 24 letters in the grid. It managed to spill over and was published on the first day of 2025.
Personal notes
Looks like some of the lifestyle tweaks that I made (plus statins!) have had good impact. I feel fitter, and my health metrics are all back in good shape.
I'm looking forward to late December and all of January. First, my daughter will be home for her holidays, bringing the whole family together. Then, once again I will be in India, literally running around and living the good life.
Any chance you will be in Chennai?
DeleteNot this time, but I hope/plan to visit yearly, so at some point, surely!
DeleteLooking forward to meeting you.
DeleteHappy New Year
ReplyDeleteA very happy and prosperous new year wishes to all the blog members
ReplyDeleteTough luck fir me on the New Year's day. I will not give Giussalafz whatever that may mean.a second look, nay even first look in 2025
ReplyDelete+1+2.....-)
DeleteNot the cluing part but i have stopped doing this grid for weak structural integrity. If i remove just two lights, the grid neatly seperates into two vertical grids.
DeleteSo what?
DeleteI think the grid flaw reported by Sree Sree is a fair nitpick. I'll try to replace this particular grid. I wasn't aware of this technicality when I had made the grid. Now, for quite a while actually, I have added a feature to Exet to report grid connectivity (how many light cells need to be removed minimally to split the grid vertically or horizontally -- it's an interesting algorithms problem too) and Exet also now avoids low connectivity when auto-creating grids.
DeleteThe other two complaints are content-free, so not actionable for me. Sometimes it's just a subjective thing, some solvers do not care for some setters' styles.
Thanks viresh for listening. Hope the other three grid creators take notice.
DeleteFor completeness: the reason low connectivity can hamper a solver's experience is that it can make it harder to gain a foothold into some part of the grid. Say you're struggling with all the clues in a particular part; with high connectivity, you are likely to get some helpful crossers coming in from other lights.
DeleteWe had an in depth discussion on this blog with CV leading the discussion, on an article from Shuchis blog.
DeleteI have been trying to locate it but havent succeeded yet.
So I am posting the gist i remember, others may agree/disagree.
The fundamental existence of grid as opposed to treasure hunt/single/independent clue system or cold solving is the help from crossings to gently nudge the memory for a solution word. Considering crosswords is all about jogging the memory and not a real world trophy test like JEE or GMAT, crossings needs to reflect that.
In a two-clue only connectivity, one of them has to pass through middle letters of other clues, doesnt really qualifies as a crossing. Esp if that one itself is originating independently.
The other touching an odd starting or ending of other clues wouldnt be much help.
If i rem correctly, it was added that two independent set of connectors between any adjacent corners is minimum to be fair to solvers.
Wishing everyone here a very Happy New Year
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year to All
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year to all blog members. Lovely artwork by Gowri and Prasanna, and a fun grid from Gussalufz (though I could not get the theme!)
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year to all of u & your families!
ReplyDeleteThanx Colonel!
Thrilled to solve Gussalufz in under 15 minutes. Ofcourse didn't guess the theme.
My fav -
CONQUER, BASKET, HELLO, FIGURE OUT.
Thanx Viresh!
Thanks, and that was a quick solve! I probably can't solve my own grids that fast, if I haven't seen them for a while :-)
Delete2 doubts.
ReplyDelete1. What's the role of meal in 7dn?
2. 17dn - policeman covering (?) makeshift bomb. What's the role of covering? Is IED a makeshift bomb?
Can someone clarify?
Meal is anind for soy to indicate the removal is non-linear.
DeleteCovering also.means on top of (like book cover!).
Makeshift is in the def itself, no? It is "improvised" ED, meaning done with whatever material available (and not only standard material used.)
Thank u Prasad!
Delete