Thursday, 28 August 2025

Special, Thursday 28 Aug 2025, Keynes

Welcome to our new setter Keynes. Bouquets and Brickbats welcome

Three answers per commenter till 1 PM (Annotations compulsory) 
Please submit all your answers in one comment.  

(COMMENTS ENTERED WITH LESS THAN THREE ANSWERS/ANNOTATIONS WILL BE DELETED WITHOUT NOTICE, UNLESS THE COMMENTER SPECIFIES THAT IT IS A COMPENSATION FOR A REPEAT)


Enjoy.

59 comments:

  1. 25D. Agile= nimble.
    Salsa is a dance suggesting an anagrind here
    My first

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  2. Very weak grid.
    Only only one real connector from Western half to eastern half!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for the feedback, Sree. Can you elaborate on how I can make grids stronger?

      Delete
    2. Do you mean connectors a la "connectors in the surface of clues" are unfair/superfluous ... or absence of clues that cross reference each other across the grid?

      Delete
    3. I am talking physical grid. (I didn't even read clues, so no comment)
      Let us assume for a moment that the cells in 3rd row (and 13th row) and eitgth column are blacks.

      Then we can separate the grid into two distinct grids. That's an unstable Grid!!!

      In cryptics crossword terms let us say I start with clue no 1a and fill the north west corner of the grid (across clues 1,10,12,15)
      Do they help me in any of the clues in north-east!
      Just one clue 9d. But one middle of the word letter isn't a much of help.

      So it's as good as starting a fresh mini grid in north-east.

      Same with SW-SE.

      Alt, think of it as traffic routes. A good traffic grid will have atleast two alternate routes in addition to any direct path.

      In this grid if someone doesn't get 28a, there is no good alternate path!

      Delete
  3. 20A. Boulevard= open street
    Bed valour. Antics is anagrind
    My second

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    Replies
    1. It is 10A
      Replacement-
      19D- Immodesty- Indecency- IM Modesty
      IM- Chess master, Humility= Modesty

      Delete
  4. 10A- Boulevard- open street- (Bed valour)*
    12A- Nascar- Cars- (Na cars)* Na is sodium
    But a doubt- Nascar is a car race, but cars?
    22D- Kofta- Asian meatballs- FTA<=>KO
    KO- Knockout, FTA- Free Trade Agreement

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    Replies
    1. Regarding Nascar: You are right. I sacrificed definitional clarity for the sound of the surface... will watch out!

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    2. 12a there is no anagram!
      Nascar also refers to the sport (of racing cars) itself!

      Delete
  5. 28Ac ECONOMICS - {ONES COMIC}*

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  6. 22A: cooking oil = kerosene
    (Reek ones)*
    27A: mushroom = fungi
    (Fun)(gi)
    Sathia

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  7. 1A: February=relatively short month
    (time period)-iron=(Fe) (bruary)
    sounds like brewery, a place to make
    beer.

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  8. 3A. Ulema= Religious body
    U= university
    Lemma spelt as lema. Recites is the HP indicator
    My third

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  9. My 3rd
    17Dn ARMISTICE - {MIC SATIRE}*

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  10. 5AC:spawns=reproduces
    (s)(pawn)(s)

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  11. 1D: Italian patterns = Fibonacci
    Lie is fib ( -b deletion indicator is missing)
    Bon is good in French
    Acci ( homophone of acchi in Hindi)
    (Fi-b)(non)(acci)
    Sathia

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  12. 21AC:Vietnam=60s war.
    soVIET NAMes.

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  13. 14d: TORMENTED (TERM+NOTED)*
    6D: PRIME TIME (PRIME(number two))(TIME (magazine))
    7D: WATER DOWN (CD)

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  14. 9D-adjective CD
    20A-infimum-lowest
    28A-economics-dismal science

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  15. 29A A-Level
    A Flat and Cricket at Lord's

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  18. Good debut Keynes. Keep them coming.

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  19. 6D PRIME TIME highest turn out of the day (def) number 2 is PRIME magazine is TIME

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  20. 26D LOVE tender passion def. Zero in tennis (centre court)

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  21. Yet to be solved
    Across - 11, 15, 18, 30
    Down - 8, 24

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  22. 11A- Intro/ Introduction.
    Intro is the beginning of the beginning (Introduction)
    It is to be classified as &Lit or Def.by example?

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  23. 24D OZONE gas def. 0 is 26D - love in tennis. ZONE from territory

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  24. 15a CHICAGO.- American city
    CHIC. Elegant French
    AGO Back stuff

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  25. 18a TRIPOLI - Middle Eastern city
    TRI - 3 Greek
    POLI - City (Root of metropolis)
    (Don’t understand why plural of cities and twice)

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    Replies
    1. Twice around the middle East.
      Tripoli is there in Lebanon and
      Libya.

      Delete
    2. Thank you for the info, wasn’t aware of it

      Delete
  26. 8d SLOTH - Vice (Sloth is one of seven deadly sins in Christianity)
    Sloth also refers to the animal that lies upside down frequently and is almost the slowest. CD?

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    Replies
    1. Vice= sloth, lies upside down=sloth; frequently iS aLmOsT, slowest=sloth MD? &lit?

      Delete
    2. Excellent clue and a very good solve.
      I filled in sloth with the help of crossings, but could not parse. It IS MD.

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    3. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    4. Wp couldn't be part of MD!

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  27. 30A: deadly place to rest= cemetery (CD)
    Sathia

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  28. Done and dusted.
    Good work for the enforced holiday!!

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  29. Suggested amendment to 12A-
    Sodium scar, racing cars race here.

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    Replies
    1. Definition gives away 4 letters of solution!

      Delete

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