Friday, 5 September 2025

No 14581, Friday 05 Sep 2025, Hypatia

HAPPY ONAM

Pookolam by Gowri
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ACROSS
8   Expatriate returning in party clothes (6) BANISH {BA{IN<=}SH}
9   Leader's book concluding in bar made reforms (8) AMBEDKAR {booK} in {BAR+MADE}*
10 Recurring letters from old Naik touring hill station (10) KODAIKANAL* Letterbank
11 Hard disk caches regularly get loaded (4) RICH {haRd+dIsk+CacHes}
12 Spooner's watchman moved towards Solitaire, say (4,4) CARD GAME (guard came to card game)
14 Bits of South Asian made oily, stuffed and savoury snack (6) SAMOSA Acrostic 
15 Copies Arabic men in neighbourhoods (7) PARROTS {PAR{OR<=}TS} Arabic to indicate Right to Left
17 Somewhat bright sun amidst natural disaster (7) TSUNAMI [T]
20 Refuse to take a lift (6) REPEAL {REPE{A}L}
22 Someone else called the same guy on the counter close to expensive wine (8) NAMESAKE {MAN<=}{e...vE}{SAKE}
24 Fling vessel (4) BOWL [DD] 
25 Flaunting his gown (7,3) SHOWING OFF {HIS+GOWN}* [RA]
27 Dilemma in quiz session involving university online? (8) QUANDARY {Q AND A} over {U} with {RY
28 "Recruit" cast striking with Winslet (6) ENLIST wINSLET*

DOWN
1   Perhaps not available in ordinary artist's farewell (8) SAYONARA {SAY}{O}{NA}{RA}
2   Travel permit is taken to enter Venezuela, on vacation (4) VISA {Ve...{IS}...lA}
3   Meditation centre in Karachi, almost bombed (6) CHAKRA KARACHi*
4   Caretakers sheltering orphan in quarters (7) NANNIES {N}{ANNIE}{S}
5   Order exotic silks and needles (8) OBELISKS {OBE}{SILKS*}
6   Fuss by nurse and staff emptying tables for fancy accessories (10) ADORNMENTS {ADO}{RN}{MEN}{Ta..eS}
7   Europeans welcome start of camping trips (6) DANCES {DAN{Ca...g}ES}
13 Competitive exam in favourite city (10) DARJEELING {DAR{JEE}LING}
16 Tawiz, say mostly with soldier protecting lives (8) TALISMAN {TALk}{MAN} over {IS}
18 Hurry and prepare to observe Ramadan (4,4) MAKE FAST {MAKE}{FAST}
19 Opposite of manyNot wrong! (7) ANTONYM*
21 Revolutionary act in old American flight (6) EXODUS {DO<=} in {EX}{US}
23 Nominated criminal - not this lady (6) MAIDEN {noMINAtED}*
26 Quietly, bear picked up swallow (4) GULP {P}{LUG}<=

Reference List
Men = OR, University = U, Line = RY, With = W, Ordinary = O, Artist = RA, Quarters = N,S, Order = OBE, Nurse = RN(Registered Nurse), Old = EX, Quietly = P

58 comments:

  1. 14A - SAMOSA - savory snack from (S)outh (A)sian (M)are (O)ily (S)tuffed (A)nd. Anagrid - Bits
    17A - TSUNAMI - Natural disaster from brighT SUN AMIdst
    2D - VISA - Travel permit from IS to enter VenezulA (VA) on vacation

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 25A - SHOWING OFF - Flaunting from anagram (HIS GOWN) and OFF

      Delete
    2. 10A - KODAIKANAL - Hill station; anagram of OLD NAIK anagrid touring AND the recurring letters are K(2) A(3). My first time solving this type of clue!

      Delete
    3. 25A- it is,a Reverse Anagram -
      (his gown)* with off as Anagrind.

      Delete
    4. 10A- It is called a letter pick clue. The given letters are repeated in the solution, random no of times

      Delete
    5. Appreciate the response! Helps in deeper understanding of the clue.

      Delete
    6. Letter Bank and not Letter Pick

      Delete
  2. 3D CHAKRA Meditation Centre anagram of (Karach)I
    18A MAKE FAST - Hurry DD
    Prepare - Make
    Observe Ramadan - Fast
    28A ENLIST - Recruit
    Anag of W(inslet)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 19D ANTONYM - Opposite
      Anag of Many+not

      Delete
    2. KODAIKANAL - hill station
      Recurring letters from old nail - (kaa+old+naik) anag

      Delete
    3. No, it is not an anagram. How do you get 'Kaa'?
      See comments,above fr correct solution.

      Delete
  3. Thank you for the nice flower show Gowri!!
    Happy Onam to all.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. +1. Wish you Happy Teachers day also.
      Sathia

      Delete
    2. Yes, Teachers' Day today- passed through Dr Radhakrishnan's house yesterdsy.

      Delete
  4. 9A AMBEDKAR-leader; boo{K} {BAR MADE}*reforms
    11A RICH-loaded; haRd dIsk CacHes
    12A CARD GAME-solitaire; watchman {GUARD} moved {CAME}
    5D OBELISKS-needles
    order {OBE},exotic {SILKS}*
    6D ADORNMENTS-fancy accessories; fuss {ADO}, nurse {RN},staff{MEN},{T}able{S}

    ReplyDelete
  5. Happy Onam and Happy Teacher’s Day! Thanks to all the bloggers here who have taught me to solve crosswords!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I know 1A is PARIAH but cannot make sense for it

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Also 18A - MAKEFAST but it means something else?

      Delete
    2. Just think what Muslims do in Ramadan period, then the answer makes sense.
      Sathia

      Delete
  7. 1DN:sayonara=farewell
    perhaps=say, not available=na
    ordinary=o, artist=ra
    (say)(o)(na)(ra).

    ReplyDelete
  8. 20a: lift= repeal
    (Repe(a)l)
    Sathia

    ReplyDelete
  9. 13 D Darjeeling
    Darling-- favourite
    JEE -- competitive exam

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is not complete until you put it as Dar(JEE)ling, with 'In' as insertion indicator.
      The individual parts must be connected in parsing and getting the final solution word.


      Delete
    2. It is not complete until you put it as Dar(JEE)ling, with 'In' as insertion indicator.
      The individual parts must be connected in parsing and getting the final solution word.


      Delete
  10. 21:dn exodus - flight. old-ex act-do< us.
    exodus

    ReplyDelete
  11. 21 D - flight-- Exodus
    Old,-- ex
    american - US
    Revolutionary Act-- do becomes - od

    ReplyDelete
  12. 24 A -- Bowl
    Fling, as in bowling
    Vessel - bowl

    ReplyDelete
  13. 27 -- dilemma --quandary
    University - U
    quiz session - q and a
    Online - railway -- ry

    ReplyDelete
  14. 27a QUANDARY. - Dilemmas
    Q AND A - Quiz session
    RY - Line (railway)
    U - University
    Q+U+AND+A+RY
    INVOLVING - Contain Ind

    ReplyDelete
  15. 16 A -- Tawiz=protecting --talisman
    Soldier -- Territorial army man - TA -MAN
    Mostly lives-- LIS

    ReplyDelete
  16. Replacement for 27a

    16 d TALISMAN. - Tawaiz
    TAL - Say (tal-k) mostly
    IS - Lives
    MAN - Soldier
    Protecting - Contain Ind

    ReplyDelete
  17. Happy to note Hypatia is back to normal and is back to making what she does well!!!

    ReplyDelete
  18. 15 A -- copies -- parrots
    Neighbourhoods -- parts
    Arab men-- RO??

    ReplyDelete
  19. OR - Men, read right to left as in Arabic RO

    ReplyDelete
  20. 7d, trips = dances
    Europeans = Danes
    Start of camping = C
    Welcome = insertion indicator
    [DAN(C)ES]

    ReplyDelete
  21. 23D : MAIDEN = Lady
    (NOT MAIDEN)* = Nominated
    Clue type : CA (Composite Anagram)
    Anagrind : Criminal

    ReplyDelete
  22. Caretakers-Nannies; N(Annie)S; Annie from little orphan Annie-a comic strip; NS-normal saline or quarter strength; Had to google-a lot!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. NS is just North/ South, the 2 directions. The 4 directions NEWS are called quarters.

      Delete
  23. 22A- Namesake- Someone else called the same.
    Guy reversed- Nam (MAN=<)
    E- Close to expensivE
    Wine- Sake

    ReplyDelete
  24. 26D GULP swallow (def,) GUL homophone for Gull- ,bear. Quietly -P

    ReplyDelete
  25. 26d Swallow = Gulp
    Quietly = P
    bear = lug
    picked up, reversal ind = PLUG to GULP

    ReplyDelete
  26. Happy Teacher's day to all my teacher's here & Happy Onam 😊

    ReplyDelete
  27. Mention of two hill stations (Kodaikanal & Darjeeling) - A suggestion for Onam weekend outing, by the Setter ?
    Btb, the hint, "Darling" + "JEE" is killing - for me, it's two diametrically opposite things,
    That is, if I am attached to my "Darling", then definitely I wl fail in "JEE".
    😊😆😁

    ReplyDelete

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