Friday, 26 December 2025

No 14675, Friday 26 Dec 2025, Crescent

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PLEASE NOTE, SOLUTIONS WITHOUT ATTEMPTING THE ANNOTATIONS WILL BE DELETED

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ACROSS
1   Sacking friend, difficulty arises (6) BURLAP {PAL}{RUB}<=
5   Piece of sausage in rolled wraps, baloney? (4) TOSH {H{Sa...e}OT<=}
7   Duck is tipped by game bird (6) OSPREY {O'S}{PREY}
9   Receivers have one each on one end of receiver to rest on the phone (8) EARPIECE [CD]
11 Nobles taken in by spoof with dim, deceptively sage utterances (6,2,6) PEARLS OF WISDOM {EARLS} in {SPOOF+W+DIM}*
12 Let's focus on card played, the diamond nine (5,2,8) CURSE OF SCOTLAND*
14 About time to follow beach crowds with right article at home - bucket? (4,4,3,4) RAIN CATS AND DOGS {CA}{T}{SAND}{DOGS}<=>{R}{A}{IN}
17 Uncomplicated version of India limits panic abroad (14) SIMPLIFICATION {OF+I+LIMITS+PANIC}*
19 Irritating counter, say not available on call (8) ANGERING {EG}{NA}<={RING}
20 Weak insect folds in one millisecond (6) FLIMSY {FL{1}{MS}Y}
21 King inspired by silly questions (4) ASKS {AS{K}S}
22 One piping hot spilt by assistant following final in play (6) YELPER {hELPER}<=>{plaY}

DOWN
2   Rackets favouring a Republican in America (7) UPROARS {U{PRO}{A}{R}S}
3   Aluminium seen later in brass perhaps? True (5) LOYAL (-al)LOY(+al)AL
4   Busy, sly gossip preens attractively (15) PREPOSSESSINGLY*
5   Challenge hospital leads to fight onset of disease in urban area (9) THROWDOWN {H}{ROW}{Di...e} in {TOWN}
6   Scrap metal from disc is selectively sampled (7) SCISSEL [T]
8   Drink before turning up to share matter in gathering (11) SUPPURATION {SUP}{UP<=}{RATION}
10 Representatives for overseas commerce start war with Government consent (5,6) CROWN AGENTS {WAR+G+CONSENT}
13 Names one probes after operation are those not transparent? (9) OPACITIES {CIT{1}ES}<=>{OP}{A}
15 Retracted nail heads by means of special claws (7) NIPPERS {PIN<=}{PER}{S}
16 Divine execution independent boards judge (7) DEICIDE {DE{I}CIDE}
18 Just out of line, foul (5) AWFUL lAWFUL

Reference List
With = W, About = CA, Time = T, Right = R, At home = IN, India = I, King = K, Hot = H, Republican = R, Hospital = H, Drink = SUP, Government = G, Operation = OP, Are = A, Special = S, Line = L

78 comments:

  1. 4d prepossessingly = attractively; anagram of sly gossip preens

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  2. 17a simplification = uncomplicated, anagram of limits panic and ofi ( of india).

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  3. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  4. 9A earpiece, e and e( at the end), taken from EAch (EA) Receiver (R), Phone(P) , iece from Receiver

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  5. 11a pearls of wisdom = sage utterances; anagram of early ( nobles) + spoof + dim + w ( with).


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  6. 16A Deicide , Divine (D, E, I), execution (C,I) , independent ( DE)

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  7. 12A CURSE OF SCOTLAND = the diamond nine. (let's focus on card)*

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  8. 12 A curse of scotland( Diamond nine refers to it), anagram from lets focus on card + played( d),
    The phrase is connected to misfortune, badluck.

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  9. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  10. 20A: Weak = FLIMSY -- {FL (I) (MS) Y}.... insect = fly, one = i, millisecond = ms

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  11. 3D. ALLOY, Brass is an alloy, Al[aluminium) , True( loyal<loy)

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  12. 6D Scissel, this is scral metal of coins, anagram of scrap(sc), disc( isc), iss), selectively (el)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Please check your annotation

      Delete
    2. Pl. check your annotation, it is not anagram clue.
      Sathia

      Delete
  13. 5D T(H)(ROW)(D)OWN
    hospital leads - H
    fight - ROW
    onset of disease -D
    unban area -TOWN
    in - containment indicator

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  14. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  15. 14A Rain cats and dogs
    Bucket ( this is my prompt to get it)
    Annotation next

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    Replies
    1. Not really able to offer a full- fledged annotation. After lot of research, my submission would be:
      Rain echoes with reign. There is a cat group, breed like beach. Although I don't see any link between crowd and dogs, it may be taken as A reference like say Dogs are used for crowd control.
      Please offer any alternate, better annotation.

      Delete
    2. (r)(a)(in) (ca)(t)(sand(dog)s);
      About=ca; Time=t;Follow=dog; beach=sands; Right=R; article=a; at home=in;

      Delete
  16. 3D LOYAL,--- AL = Aluminium, LOY = later in brass (alloy)

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  21. 16D DEICIDE = divine execution (meaning killing of God)
    independent = I
    judge = DECIDE
    boards - containment indicator

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    Replies
    1. Yes, seems good. Deicide ( cide is kill) It means destroying civilizations too.

      Delete
  22. 1A:burlap=sacking
    friend=pal, difficulty=rub, arises=reversal indicator
    (pal)(rub)<=

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  23. 1A: sacking = burlap
    Arises indicator for reverse
    Difficulty is rub<
    Friend is pal<
    Hence, (bur)(lap)
    Sathia

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  24. In lieu of 1A
    21A: questions = asks
    (As(k)s)
    Sathia

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  25. 21A ASKS questions (def,) K king in ASS silly

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  26. 18 d foul-awful. Just -lawful -line L Awful

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  27. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  28. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  29. 28A AWFUL FOUL (DEF) lawful just line out

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  30. 5a,7a,14a are to be solved.
    Sathia

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    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

      Delete
    2. Baloney is tge def.meaning Tosh.
      Piece of sausage is S

      Delete
    3. wraps= hot?
      Rolled wraps is "TOH"

      Delete
    4. In:hot rolled is reversal wraps is container

      Delete
  31. 2D.uproars=rackets
    In is a containment indicator
    US= america
    Pro=favouring
    A= a
    R=republican
    U(pro)(a)(r)S

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  32. 8D also and some answers already given needs better tuning for proper annotations.
    Sathia

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mine was Supperation,
      Not able to offer a convincing annotation.

      Delete
  33. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  34. 7a OSPREY. - Bird
    O - Duck
    S. - iS tipped
    PREY - Game

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  35. 8D : SUPPURATION
    Drink : SUP, turning up : PU, share : RATION
    Defn : Matter in gathering

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  36. 11a PEARLS OF WISDOM: sage utterances
    Earls: nobles
    ( spoof w( ith) dim)*P OF WISDOM taking in EARLS

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  37. 19 A ANGERING irritating (def) AN not available NA counter GE say EG counter in RING call

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  38. 22A- Yelper- Helper- H + Y
    Def.- One piping ( meaning One yelling)
    Assistant- Helper
    Hot split is - H
    Final in play is Y

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  39. 15d, special claws = definition
    Nippers = solution
    By = per
    Nails = pins
    retracted means pulled back
    [NIP(PER)S]

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  40. Is Mandagondi Naresh the new avatar of Kishan of yore? 🙂
    Not following blog rules and posting answers without proper parsing, take away the joy of following the blog.
    Kindly stick to blog discipline.

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  41. 11.ac. Pearls of wisdom. Earls( nobles)+spoof+dim+ w(ith)
    12.ac. Curse of Scotland. Rearranging letters from 'Let's focus on card'.
    4.dn. Prepossessingly. Rearranging letters from ' sly gossip preens'.

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  42. 15D retracted nail is PIN special is S but how does PER stand for HEADS BY MEANS of. Can anyone please clarify. And in 5A how does wraps stand for HOT?

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  43. 15D, yes nail = pin. 'Retracted nail heads' to be read as Nip at the top. Following, ' 'by means of' = per and special = s.

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    Replies
    1. You mean retracted nail heads is NIP. I am still doubtful

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    2. Maybe, heads is not required, but it improves surface. And, since the clue is an additive clue, there are no indicators, in my humble opinion.

      Delete
  44. Good example of an Additive clue - solution = Nip + per +s = Nippers

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    Replies
    1. Yes. While per may be by means of, what about heads?

      Delete
  45. Heads, may not be required, but imo it just improves surface and tells the solver to place 'nip' at the top.
    Another example of an additive clue as given by Tim Moorey in his book is as follows -
    "Note yours truly in magazine"
    Note = Ti
    Yours truly = me
    Solution = Time for definition magazine.
    In the above, it is straightfimorward, but in 15D, there is reversal of PIN. Perhaps the setter wanted solvers to be clear that Nip heads the solution to be followed by 'per' and s. My 2 cents.

    ReplyDelete

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