Sunday, 31 May 2026

The Hindu Cryptic on Sunday No 58, Sunday 31 May 2026, Gussalufz

Three answers per commenter till 4 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)

2 X 16

Thanks for the response, here's the regular blog.

ACROSS
9   Herb tea with spies breaking double agent (9) CHAMOMILE {CHA}{MO{MI}LE}
10 In the morning, milk please (5) AMUSE {AM}{USE}
11 They chop legs, go berserk arresting—right? (7) LOGGERS {LEGS+GO}* over {R}
12 Nothing about finest American army character? (7) OCTOPUS {O}{C}{TOP}{US} 
13 Trunk calls finally going through to Romania (5) TORSO {callS} in {TO}{RO}
14 Batter's strategy: turn hand, deftly clipping one (3-3-3) HIT-AND-RUN {TURN+HAND}* over {1}
16 Artist going ahead sans wife (post-retirement party), boarding shortly, departing from Ivory Coast (8,2,5) LEONARDO DA VINCI {ONwARD}{DO<=} in {LEAVINg}{CI}
19 Spray fizzy blue sticky stuff around and around (9) NEBULISER {BLUE*} in {RESIN<=}
22 Giant beast regularly seen in tourist destinations (5) GATES {GiAnT+bEaSt}
24 Mug delivered comfort (7) SUCCOUR (~sucker)
26 Champion bandages strained back to get going (7) ACTUATE {AC{TAUT<=}E}
27 Almost without question, ultimately primitive (5) EARLY nEARLY
28 Talk fondly about politician—nationalist steeped in revolutionary X factor (9) COMPONENT {CO{MP}O}{T{N}EN<=}

DOWN
1   Model clad at the top in extra revolting shirt (6) SCULPT {PLU{Clad}S<=}{T}
2   Joey's mum cooked Goan okra (8) KANGAROO*
3   "Busy?" "Negative; routine overtime pain" (4,2,4) NOSE TO TAIL {NO}{SET}{OT}{AIL}
4   Some think it's cheap art (6) KITSCH [T]
5   Returning to chaps beaten in love (8) BESOTTED {BES{TO<=}TED}
6   Terminal transformation that converts a male into a mate? (4) LAST {L as T} 
7   Extremely bored by quiet meal (6) SUPPER {SU{P}PER}
8   A lot of brothels in Kiev city (8) HELSINKI [T]
15 Winning title, terrible tsar rejected guidance (10) NAVIGATION {NO 1}{TAG}{IVAN}<=}
16 After digestion, meaningless to avoid blasting gas: court judges (8) LINESMEN {MEaNINgLEsS}*
17 Underworld's grand rivalry creating scandal (8) DISGRACE {DIS}{G}{RACE}
18 Admitting shell shock over weirdos (8) NUTCASES {CASE} in {STUN<=}
20 Rhombic or noodle-shaped boxing headgear (6) BICORN [T]
21 Charity supporting religious education zones (6) REALMS {ALMS}<=>{RE}
23 Yes, women at dances like your gym body (6) SWEATY {YES+W+AT}*
25 After shedding pounds, just ten stone (4) ONYX {ONlY}{X}
 
Reference List
Spies = MI, Double agent = MOLE, Right = R, About = C, Wife = W, Nationalist = N, Shirt = T, Overtime = OT, Quiet = P, Underworld = DIS, Grand = G, Religious education = RE, Womwn = W, Pounds = L

56 comments:

  1. 10A. Amuse=please
    AM= morning
    Use= milk ( used as a verb)
    My first

    ReplyDelete
  2. 11A:loggers=they chop
    (legs go)* arresting right(r)
    logge(r)s

    ReplyDelete
  3. 13Ac TORSO - {TO}{R{(call)S}O}
    20Dn BICORN - (Telescopic)
    10Ac AMUSE - {AM}{USE}

    ReplyDelete
  4. 19A: NEBULISER (RESIN<--) around (BLUE*)
    18D: NUTCASES (STUN<--) around (CASE)
    20D: BICORN (T)

    ReplyDelete
  5. 14A:hit and run=batter's strategy
    {(turn)(hand)(i)}*

    ReplyDelete
  6. 16 dn linesmen - court judges. meaningless-gas*
    2'dn kangaroo-:goanokra* joey-baby kangaroo.
    27 a early-primitive. almost-nearly -n questio(n)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Replacement
    21D: REALMS (RE)(ALMS)

    ReplyDelete
  8. 1D. Sculpt= Model
    Plus= extra
    C= cladat the top ( first letter)
    T= Abbrv for shirt
    Revolting is reverse anagrind
    My second

    ReplyDelete
  9. 2D. Kangaroo= Joey.
    Goan okra. Cooked ( anagrind)

    Joey is a young marsupial like a baby Kangaroo
    My third

    ReplyDelete
  10. 16A: Leonardo Da Vinci=artist
    going ahead=onwards, sans wife(-w)
    party=do, post retirement=od
    boarding=containment ind
    shortly departing=(leaving-g)
    ivory coast=ci
    {le(onward-w)(do<=)avin(ci)}

    ReplyDelete
  11. 20D- Bicorn- Headgear- T- rhom(BIC OR N)oodle.
    Boxing- Contaiment indicator

    ReplyDelete
  12. 4D- Kitsch- Art- T- .....thinK ITS CH eap
    Some T indicator

    ReplyDelete
  13. 22A. Replacement for 2D
    Gates= destinations
    Giant beast regularly= G,A,T,E,S

    ReplyDelete
  14. My 3rd-
    2D- Kangaroo- Joey's mum- (Goan okra)*

    ReplyDelete
  15. 10A, chamomile=herb tea
    cha=tea, Mi=military, Mole=double agent
    so, Cha+mi+mole=(chamimole)*
    Chamomile

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There is no Military in the clue. How dos CHAMIMOLE become CHAMOMILE?

      Delete
    2. spies is taken as military agent. It is abbreviated as MI

      Delete
    3. Your explanation is flawed. Check Google

      Delete

    4. 9A, Chamomile= Herb
      cha=tea , with spies (MI= Military Intelligence referring to spies)+MI+mole+
      (double agent )
      so, (chamimole)*= chamomile
      According to Merrium Webster MI is military intelligence.
      Even, we have MI5, MI6 in Britain, the Military spiing Agencies.

      Delete
    5. There is no Anagram in the clue

      Delete
    6. [(cha)+mo(mi)le]
      breaking is insertion indicator,
      ok sir

      Delete
  16. 3D, Nose to tail= busy(def.)
    No+ set+ot+ail
    so, nose to tail
    Here, no is negative, set means routine, ot is overtime. Ail is pain

    ReplyDelete
  17. 28A, component
    talk fondly, Mp=politician, X a roman numeral is ten (>net),.nationalist is N
    Here, ten <net because revolutionary is a reversal indicator, Ok
    Stepped in is an indicator for insertion
    so, now coo+Mp= (c[mp]oo) comp
    Then, [N (en)t]
    Combining both compo+ nent =component
    [c(mp)+oo+N(en)t]

    ReplyDelete
  18. 4d.kitchs= cheap art
    Telescopic

    ReplyDelete
  19. 10A.Amuse= please
    Morning - AM
    Milk- use

    ReplyDelete
  20. Replacement for Kangaroo-
    28A- Component- Factor.
    Talk fondly= Coo, Politician= MP
    Talk fondly about politician= CO(MP)O
    Nationalist-N, X=Ten. Revolutionary X= ENT

    ReplyDelete
  21. I see 'Mona Lisa' in the 13th row.
    Of course, Leonardo Da Vinci is there right in the middle!

    ReplyDelete
  22. 17D: scandal = disgrace
    ((Dis)(g)(race))
    Sathia

    ReplyDelete
  23. 25D: stone = onyx
    Just = only
    Shedding pound is (-l)
    Ten is x
    Hence, Onyx
    24A: comfort = succour ~ homophonic as sucker
    Sathia

    ReplyDelete
  24. 7D; SUPPER
    Extremely - SUPER
    bored by - insert
    quiet - P

    ReplyDelete
  25. 5d BESOTTED; in love; TO<= in BESTED
    12a OCTOPUS; O C TOP US; Not sure what army character? is octopus. But the anno is unmistakable.
    26a ACTUATE; get going; TAUT<= in ACE

    ReplyDelete
  26. 2 by 16; 16a is Leonardo Da Vinci; MONA LISA and LAST SUPPER are the 2 by him. Seen easily in the filled grid.

    ReplyDelete
  27. 15D: NAVIGATION
    Winning: No1
    Title: TAG
    Terrible tsar: IVAN
    Rejected - reversal of NOI TAG-IVAN => NAVIGATION

    ReplyDelete
  28. 6D: LAST
    L as T converts male to mate

    ReplyDelete
  29. 23D : SWEATY
    (YES W AT)*
    Woman : W
    at : AT
    Anagram ind : Dances
    Defn : Like your gym body

    ReplyDelete
  30. 5D : BESOTTED = In love
    (BES(TO<)TED)
    Beaten : BESTED
    Returning to : TO < is OT
    Insertion ind : Chaps

    ReplyDelete
  31. 4.dn. Kitsch.( thin)k +its+ch(eap).
    14.ac. Hit and run. Turn band + i (one). And rearranging the letters.
    20.ac. Bicorn. (Rhom)bic +or+n(oodle)
    Bicorn= headgear.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Thanks again for the blog, Col., and thanks to all of you who took a stab at solving.

    Here are my notes for this crossword:

    Notes

    Leonardo da Vinci (16a), the famous Italian artist, scientist, sculptor, engineer—the original polymath—forms the theme of this puzzle.

    Two of his works can be found in the grid (hence the title, that can be read as "two by sixteen"): LAST SUPPER is formed by 6d and 7d, and MONA LISA is a nina running along the third row from the bottom.

    Personal notes

    The cherry tree in my front yard, now in its third spring, blossomed beautifully, sprouted a nice foliage, but (just like last year), there are very few cherries. By the time they ripen, I expect the birds and the squirrels to polish them off. Quite fitting, to go with the "take that!" theme the year has decided to inflict upon the world.

    I also have an orange tree (it's around ten years old), that is actually doing reasonably well now, with lots of somewhat sweet (but decidedly delicious) oranges. Have now also planted (er, more like "have had someone plant") the following around my backyard: Thai chilli, habanero, jalapeno, mint, cilantro, basil, ginger. We shall see...

    ReplyDelete
  33. Interesting to read about Cherry Blossom (must be a grand sight in Spring!) & Orange trees

    ReplyDelete

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