Solution to 18A has been deliberately left unsolved and is to be answered 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 answer, if not solved by 1 PM.
HIJKLMNO Pronounced
ACROSS
1 Development environment that boss nearly destroyed to grasp a bit of programming (4,4) STOP BATH {THAT+BOSs}* over {Pr...g}
6 Surprise for woman expecting escort? (6) SHOWER [DD]
9 Setter going for a social media interaction with Victoria, perhaps (4) LAKE L(-i+a)AKE
10 Some elaborate trap to teach obscure grammatical term? (10) TETRAPTOTE [T]
11 Oh, let's go back for a campus gathering (6) HOSTEL {OH<=}{LETS<=}
12 Gang, in memoir, was regularly retreating for sport (8) SWIMMING {GaNg+In+MeMoIr+WaS}<=
13 Writer got sharply panned (10) STYLOGRAPH*
17 Collect fingerprint pattern after returning (4) POOL<=
18 Old bird circling cloud or a kind of delivery service? (4-2-4) D?O?-T?-D?O? (Addendum DOOR-TO-DOOR {D{OORT}ODO}{OR} - See comments)
20 Set out quinoa around five following chef's first dish (3,2,3) COQ AU VIN {QUINOA}* over {V} after{Chef}
24 Made dry Indian crispy chicken starters, gobbled up with daughter (10) DESICCATED {DESI}{Cr...y}{Ch...n}{ATE}{D}
26 Welcome husband's distress (4) HAIL {H}{AIL}
27 Disentangle gunk and snot after blowing noses (6) UNKNOT {gUNK+sNOT
28 Spooner's young boy, batter with poor judgement (3,5) BAD TASTE (tad baste to bad taste)
DOWN
2 Quite a fort! Wonderfully hosts a small party (3,3,3) TEA FOR TWO [T]
3 Fold coat, bottom to middle (5) PLEAT PL(+e)EAT(-e)
4 Essentially, can't I logically use this operation to convert, say, 1 to 10? (7) ANTILOG [T]
5 How to prune butts, becoming attractive (3) HOT {HOw}{To}
6 Unoriginal southern liberal (7) SLAVISH {S}{LAVISH}
7 Made improvements in newspaper column about model I.I.M.s, with editing (9) OPTIMISED {OP ED} over {T+IIMS}*
8 Scoffed at faceless men on ecstasy (5) EATEN {AT}{mEN}<=>{E}
12 Squabble over private resort area (3,4) SPA TOWN {SPAT}{OWN}
14 All muddled, old language includes old pronunciation of R as L (9) LALLATION {ALL}* {LATIN} over {O}
18 Voted crankily to accommodate company housing for pigeons (7) DOVECOT {DOVE{CO}T*}
19 Lacking advanced auxiliary supports, ramshackle hut collapsed noisily (7) THUDDED {aADDED}<=>{HUT*}
21 Main article chases CEO's replacement (5) OCEAN {AN}<=>{CEO}*
25 Save up for boat (3) TUB<=
Reference List
Son = S, Old bird = DODO, Cloud = OORT, Quiet = SH, Daughter = D, Husband = H, Southern = S, Model = T, Ecstasy = E, Old = O, Ordinary = O, University = U, Advanced = A
28a young:tad!
ReplyDeleteboy?
Delete14d typo! muddled anind lal* lati(o)n.
ReplyDeleteObscure terms-
ReplyDeleteTetraptote
Coq au vin
Schwa
Nowhere near getting them.
Still learning, but can we recall later? Hardly!
Yes
DeleteYes, a few more obscures terms got in than I would have wished, mainly in the quest to squeeze in more thematic entries elsewhere. I do try to set simpler clues for obscure entries, but occasionally that doesn't quite work out.
DeleteHIJKLMNO- I missing.
ReplyDeleteH to O- H2O- Water?
Yes. Given as Nina in the middle row.
DeleteBath, Shower, Swimming, Pool, Ocean, Tub
ReplyDeleteLake, Snow, Hail?
Delete"Desiccated"(removing water) also fits the theme ??
DeleteSpa? Water, water everywhere
ReplyDeleteSignificance of missing I?
ReplyDeleteTypo
DeleteElementary!!!
DeleteProblem is that it is not there in the print edition. Why?
The print edition never gives the Title of the crosswords
DeleteBut why?
Delete18A. DOOR TO DOOR, Dodo is old bird +or+oort which is cloud
ReplyDeleteThanks. I got answer long but for right annotation.
ReplyDeleteHere is my way of solving:
Old(o) bird(d=dove), circling is container indicator. It is a reveral indicator too.
O+d<do+do( dodo, a bird)+or+cloud(oort)
Door-to-door= kind of delivery service (def)
Oort cloud is above kuiper belt. A theoretical giant shell.
My doubts:
Question mark- it could be a pun.
Incorrect
DeleteAddendum 18A:
ReplyDeleteDodo= extinct bird, and this word often used to say that a person is outdated, old -fashioned.
Door_to_door is also considered as an old- fashioned sales technique, method.
So, is the word 'circling' as an indicator telling that the clue is a DD? Or,
Is circling similar to cycling ( another indicator)?
Anyone may kindly explain-
Your answer is highly appreciated.
old bird = dodo
Deletecloud = oort
old bird circling cloud means put the "dodo" word around the "oort" word, which is
{d(oort)odo} and then add the "or" word already given in the clue, then it becomes
{d(oort)odo}{or}. Now remove the brackets and read it as:
"door-to-door" which is a kind of delivery service.
Circling is container indicator.
DeleteIt means
Bird (dodo) is over cloud (oort) d(oort)odo
So full anno is
D(oort)odo or
Nice .
ReplyDeleteHIJKLMNO Is Pronounced EAU in France !!! (5)
ReplyDelete......and H2O in chemistry as well as in English!!!!
ReplyDeleteGoogle does not have/show (the meaning for) the word 'Tetraptote' !
ReplyDeleteIt does for me.
DeleteAnyways
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/tetraptote
Thanks for the blog, Col., and thanks as always to all solvers for giving this a go!
ReplyDeleteHere are my notes for this crossword:
Notes
This crossword has a simple theme: WATER, seen as a nina running across the middle row. The title cryptically points to a homophone of the chemical symbol for water: H2O.
The following entries are thematic:
6a. SHOWER.
9a. LAKE.
12a. SWIMMING
15a. SNOW
17a. POOL
24a. DESICCATED
26a. HAIL
6d, 25d. HOT TUB
12d. SPA TOWN
21d. OCEAN
In addition, BATH forms a part of 1a, and LAV is a part of 6d. BAD TASTE in 28a can also be a term applicable to water.
Personal notes
Wars, Tariffs, Files!
Chaos reigns supreme around the world, and every precious Good Thing In Life seems all that much more necessary for making it through it all: crosswords, food, running, wine, family, friends, babies, dogs, cats, and the spring that has just begun to peek through a few trees and bushes.
My computer science class of 1990 from IIT-Bombay had a lovely weekend sleepover recently, where 12 of the original 33 got together (for the first time since 1990!) for some excellent food (cooked by one of us), wine, hiking, and lots of "cacking"!