No 14046, Friday 15 Dec 2023, Afterdark

RULES FOR POSTING COMMENTS ON FRIDAYS ONLY

All those who are not regular commenters but who are rookie commenters or silent followers of the blog are requested to post answers with annotations in the comments section. In your own interest please avoid looking up the answers from the interactive version. Don't hesitate to post your annotations, in case you make a mistake in the annotation someone will correct it with the right annotation.

PLEASE NOTE, SOLUTIONS WITHOUT ATTEMPTING THE ANNOTATIONS WILL BE DELETED

Each commenter is requested to post only 5 answers thereby giving others also a chance to participate. Please provide all your answers in one comment.

Regular solvers/Veterans can post 1 answer each, but after 11 AM only.

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

ACROSS

1   Immoral woman arrested, beheaded (6) WICKED {W}{pICKED}

4   Most primitive, mischievous lady in a corner sits oddly (8) SIMPLEST {IMP}{L} in {SE} with {SiTs}

9   Crooked and heartless lackey in government... (5) LYING {La..eY}{IN}{G}

10 ...likely candidate, contesting in the front, looter, corrupt officer (9) COLLECTOR {Li...y+Ca...e+Co...g+LOOTER}

11 Arranged funding to back liberal (4) LAID {AID}<=>{L}

12 Advances in the absence of leader to borders (4) ENDS lENDS

13 Whipped, took some broth out and consumed (5) EATEN bEATEN

15 Say, match starting late, female ahead against rival (7) FIGHTER {lIGHTER}<=>{F}

16 Travel free winning agent's heart (4) RIDE {RID}{agEnt}

19 Dog's tail at the tip is short (4) CURT {CUR}{Tail}

20 Twisted plot in the climax directed (7) TANGLED {ploT}{ANGLED}

23 Party with nurse (5) TREAT [DD]

24 Beast found in Kigali only (4) LION [T]

25 You being old, should be out partying without husband (4) THOU {T{H}OU*}

27 Say program at America showcasing essence of karate framework (9) APPARATUS {APP}{US} over {kARATe}

28 Rehab itinerary can contain addiction (5) HABIT [T]

29 Distribution of shares covers small quantity; innocuous (8) HARMLESS {HAR{ML}ESS*}

30 One is not welcome? Rips the heart out (6) UNITED UNInviTED

DOWN

1   File on fauna (8) WILDLIFE {FILE}* [RA]

2   Gin, ice mixed with some lime's surely at the top of limits (8) CEILINGS {GIN+ICE+Li..s+Su...y}*

3   Urges two girls to participate in English class finally (4) EGGS {E}{GG}{c..sS}

5   Pictures are fantasies describing art forms over time (13) ILLUSTRATIONS {ILLUS{ART*}{T}IONS}

6   Claiming to interpret end in Godfather frames (10) PRETENDING [T]

7   Property in East and West Bengal perhaps (6) ESTATE {E}{STATE}

8   Leaders from the high ranks oppose Narendra enshrining the seat of power (6) THRONE Acrostic

10 Compliments Carol aunt, gets misconstrued (13) CONGRATULATES*

14 Ditch behind street gets filled by some cement, guard often takes a look in the front concerned with the building (10) STRUCTURAL {RU{Ce...t}T}<=>{ST} and {gUaRd}{A}{Look}

17 Letters from a leading physicist in the lab dispersed (8) ALPHABET {A}{THE+LAB}* over {Ph...t}

18 Changed advertisement on fair's starting & ending of Eid (8) ADJUSTED {AD}{JUST}{EiD}

21 Link for dirty chat after a payment finally (6) ATTACH {CHAT}*<=>{A}{p...nT}

22 After losing opener, perhaps MS Dhoni gets down in place? More mysterious (6) DEEPER (-k+d)DEEPER

26 Poor husband came into money (4) THIN {T{H}IN}

Reference List

Woman = W, Lady = L, Corner = SE, Government = G, Liberal = L, Female = F, Husband = H, Girl = G, Time = T, East = E, Street = ST, Down = D, Husband = H

No 14045, Thursday 14 Dec 2023, Vidwan

Solution to 17D has been deliberately left unsolved and is to be answered only by a non-regular / novice commenter, with proper annotation. Those who have answered earlier in the week, please give others a chance.

ACROSS

1   Balance my rest and my shifts (8) SYMMETRY {MY+REST+MY}*

5   District top cop called Rose (6) SPRANG {SP}{RANG}

10 Unconventional grid leading to extreme lament (5) DIRGE {GRID*}{Ex...e}

11 Fellow for scene recreated in real life (3-6) OFF-SCREEN {F+FOR+SCENE}*

12 At sea, it's mostly clear on edge of the land (9) COASTLINE {ITS+CLEAr+ON}*

13 Language spoken in Hungary regularly by leaders of interslavic communities (5) UGRIC {hUnGaRy}{In...c}{Co...s}

14 Heavy Metal's so strangely silent about one! (6) OSMIUM {SO*}{M{1}UM}

15 Fanatic's difficult to kill (3-4) DIE-HARD {DIE}{HARD}

18 Magnify number for a permit (7) ENNOBLE EN(-a+no)NOBLE

20 Not a day without poor, poor limp! (6) DROOPY {Da{POOR*}Y}

22 Crown's somewhat anti-Arab (5) TIARA [T]

24 Record and watch tree transforming over time (9) GAZETTEER {GAZE}{TREE*} over {T} 

25 Hard part of face of revolutionary English King, bold and single! (9) CHEEKBONE {CHE}{E}{K}{B}{ONE}

26 I bail out with this! (5) ALIBI* &lit

27 Supported structure let on a condition (4-2) LEAN-TO*

28 He-man's abrupt last learning (8) STUDYING {STUd}{DYING}

DOWN

1   Second reason, not the first, to trap (6) SEDUCE {S}{dEDUCE}

2   It's normal kind of wrong (6,3) MORTAL SIN*

3   Pick most opulent, most boring, mostly protein based diet and something to keep body warm (15) ELECTRICBLANKET {ELECT}{RICh}{BLANd}{KET o} Enu should be (8,7)

4   Kind of mid-hour Heavy Metal (7) RHODIUM*

6   Playing cupid, Potter's engaging coach? Beautiful! (15) PICTUREPOSTCARD {CUPID+POTTERS}* over {CAR}

7   A mere mortal and a Muslim noble (5) AMEER {A}{MERE*} Mortal as Anind?

8   Gone crazy, dice rolled...mass murder (8) GENOCIDE {GONE*}{DICE*}

9   Off the subject, failing, failed! (6) AFIELD*

16 Small software program, popular one for making a cocktail (9) APPLETINI {APPLET}{IN}{1}

17 So cut it back with calm, almost straight (8) ?E?T?C?L (Addendum - VERTICAL {VERy}{IT<=}{CALm} - See comments)

19 Mixed drink for example going around without iota of ice (6) EGGNOG {EG}{GOiNG}*

20 Most sleepy party, one without enjoyment (7) DOZIEST {DO}{Z{1}EST}

21 Making effort is difficult (6) TRYING [DD]

23 Part of Aadhaar enabled sector (5) ARENA [T]

Reference List

Fellow = F, Number = NO, English = E, King = K, Bold = B, Second = S, Party = DO

No 14044, Wednesday 13 Dec 2023, Lightning

Solution to 17D has been deliberately left unsolved and is to be answered only by a non-regular / novice commenter, with proper annotation. Those who have answered earlier in the week, please give others a chance.

ACROSS

1   Quote in a broadcast - it is balanced (8) EQUATION*

5   Fellow movie star - one that contributes to a result (6) FACTOR {F}{ACTOR}

9   Tapes hid clumsily at openings of mine (8) PITHEADS*

10 Importance of short plait of hair (6) STRESS {S}{TRESS}

12 Extent of wrath from last to first (5) RANGE (+r)RANGE(-r)

13 Dare miner to destroy leftover portion (9) REMAINDER*

14 A snake leaders recently discovered on a ship (6) ABOARD {A}{BOA}{Re...y}{Di...d}

16 It could damage suit man ordered (7) TSUNAMI*

19 Leader cuts short first showing of film (7) PREMIER PREMIERe

21 Skilful catch - it may be a pivot (6) CLEVER {C}{LEVER}

23 Ethical engineer is tougher (9) RIGHTEOUS*

25 Primarily bold saying essentially lacking any distinguishing feature (5) BADGE {Bold}{ADaGE}

26 Attempt to have inside agreement (6) TREATY {TR{EAT}Y}

27 German extremely angry missing first and last payment (8) DIVIDEND {D}{lIVID}{END}

28 On the contrary, traitor joins heraldry (6) RATHER {RAT}{HER}

29 One waiting to plunder before short meeting at Oregon (8) PREDATOR {PRE}{DATe}{OR}

DOWN

1   Ruler without power at oriental kingdom (6) EMPIRE {EM{P}IR}{E}

2   Incapable of containing soccer side with one less person - it can't be justified (9) UNTENABLE {UN{TEN}ABLE}

3   Topic of letters from blithe men (5) THEME [T]

4   Sorted deposit containing diamonds with communist (7) ORDERED {OR{D}E}{RED}

6   Feature of a primarily touching accolade (9) ATTRIBUTE {A}{To...g}{TRIBUTE}

7   Pace first reader exhibited (5) TREAD [T]

8   Control excess precipitation (8) RESTRAIN {REST}{RAIN}

11 Release from East American university (4) EMIT {E}{MIT}

15 Philosopher is irate, lost at sea (9) ARISTOTLE*

17 Meaningful progress housing thousand - so be it upfront for change (9) A?E?D?E?T (Addendum - AMENDMENT {D{M}ENT}<=>{AMEN} - See comments)

18 Conductor of musical on raised platform (8) OPERATOR {OPERA}{TOR}

20 Decay around old part of plant (4) ROOT {RO{O}T}

21 Dismiss bank employee (7) CASHIER [DD]

22 Film roll spun around these days for one in charge (6) LEADER {LE{AD}ER<=}

24 Splendid person who has achieved lasting fame (5) GREAT [DD]

25 Unable to see screen (5) BLIND [DD]

Reference List

Fellow = F, Short = S, Catch = C, German = D, Power = P, Oriental = E, Diamonds = D, East = E, Thousand = M, Old = O, These days = AD

No 14040, Friday 08 Dec 2023, Incognito

RULES FOR POSTING COMMENTS ON FRIDAYS ONLY

All those who are not regular commenters but who are rookie commenters or silent followers of the blog are requested to post answers with annotations in the comments section. In your own interest please avoid looking up the answers from the interactive version. Don't hesitate to post your annotations, in case you make a mistake in the annotation someone will correct it with the right annotation.

PLEASE NOTE, SOLUTIONS WITHOUT ATTEMPTING THE ANNOTATIONS WILL BE DELETED

Each commenter is requested to post only 5 answers thereby giving others also a chance to participate. Please provide all your answers in one comment.

Regular solvers/Veterans can post 1 answer each, but after 11 AM only.

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

ACROSS

8 / 10 Trudeau's suit, if required (4,2,4) JUST IN CASE {JUSTIN}{CASE}

9   Boost Nepal's production of a utensil that can be used as a measuring device (10) TABLESPOON*

10 See 8

11 Student breaks side clip (8) DISCIPLE*

12 Says, "Including American positions" (8) STATUSES {STAT{US}ES}

14 Musical instruments having no defect endlessly (6) BUGLES BUGLESs

16 State: "Abbreviation of state is deleted, sadly" (4) ALAS  ALASka

17 What a pilot may do while landing or release when attacked... (5) FLARE [DD]

18 After removing ants, carelessly repaints jetty (4) PIER REPaInts*

19 Saw having 1 speed setting (6) ESPIED*

21 I club pan violently for local man (8) PUBLICAN*

23 In Spain, he is in low quality European city (8) BELGRADE {EL} in {B GRADE}

26 Greek birds make threatening sounds (6) GROWLS {GR}{OWLS}

27 Soccer player's running barefoot carrying a couple of students (10) FOOTBALLER {FOOTBA{LL}ERS*}

28 Bird staying in another nest (4) ERNE [T]

DOWN

1   Islets' restrictive access devices (10) TURNSTILES {ISLETS}* [RA]

2   A legendary land's in atlas revision (8) ATLANTIS* One T short in fodder

3   Afterwards, dumped in arsenic? Capital! (6) ATHENS {A{THEN}S}

4   Setter gets tender in the same place (4) IBID {I}{BID}

5   Judicious engineer irresponsible after prior leaves (8) SENSIBLE irrESpoNSIBLE*

6 / 7 Moving water, bread and appetiser in Chinese restaurant (6,4) SPRING ROLL {SPRING}{ROLL}

7 See 6

13 Marsh paddled with top of paddle (5) SWAMP {SWAM}{Pa...d}

15 Be in galley, going around and checking thoroughly (10) EYEBALLING*

17 Deaf? Disappear! (4,4) FADE AWAY {DEAF}* [RA]

18 Captive or sniper is wrong (8) PRISONER*

20 Leave surrounded by damaged tins and metal blocks (6) INGOTS {IN{GO}TS*}

22 Wildly brag to star from Casablanca (6) BOGART*

24 Greek god hiding amongst tuberoses (4) EROS [T]

25 Slippery creatures found in steel saucepans (4) EELS [T]

Reference List

He in Spain = EL, Greek = GR, Student = L

No 14039, Thursday 07 Dec 2023, Incognito

Solution to 19A has been deliberately left unsolved and is to be answered only by a non-regular / novice commenter, with proper annotation. Those who have answered earlier in the week, please give others a chance.

ACROSS

8   Nastily hoarding wine (4) ASTI [T]

9   Look at some Saraswat children (5) WATCH [T]

10 Processing raisin is banned in Middle Eastern country (4) IRAN RAisIN*

11 Drive miles around university for food (6) MUESLI {M{U}ESLI*}

12 Texts about youth centre's direct debit for desserts (8) PUDDINGS {P{yoUth}{DD}INGS}

13 Adjourn in favour of scoundrel (8) PROROGUE {PRO}{ROGUE}

15 Address obtained from Superintendent of Police starting to examine European church (6) SPEECH {SP}{Ex...e}{E}{CH}

17 Badly upset by princess' argument (7) DISPUTE {UPSET}(<=>{DI}

19 Agrees: "Towering and is having energy" (7) ?A?L?E? (Addendum - TALLIES {TALL}{I{E}S} - Zee comments)

22 Rose took the elevator to top floor (4,2) WENT UP [DD]

24 Latest style? Pout on romantic outing! (2-2-4) UP-TO-DATE {POUT*}{DATE}

26 You and I arrange flowers endlessly for legendary creature (8) WEREWOLF {WE}{FLOWERs*}

28 Full-bodied bust or operated upon? (6) ROBUST*

30 Café table has some type of cheese (4) FETA [T]

31 A young lady can be wrong (5) AMISS {A}{MISS}

32 Agitated traitor throwing tar in civil disturbance (4) RIOT traITOR*

DOWN

1   Isaac's son's directions to get gold (4) ESAU {E}{S}{AU}

2   A spirit travels across road and runway (8) AIRSTRIP {A}{ITST{R}IP*}

3   Having title but due around beginning of November (6) OWNING {OW{No...r}ING}

4   Main items sold by stationers (7) STAPLES [DD]

5   He radios wrongly, "This is what Zimbabwe was called earlier" (8) RHODESIA*

6   Share, "Four or six Romans entered and died horribly" (6) DIVIDE {IV or VI} in {DIED}*

7   Suspend Chinese girl (4) HANG {HAN}{G}

14 & 23 Increase height of liquor service counter and improve standards (5,3,3) RAISE THE BAR {RAISE}{THE BAR}

16 Talk about Middlesex conman (5) CHEAT {CH{sEx}AT}

18 Prepared pasta stuffed with Indian origin chilli initially and starches (8) TAPIOCAS {PASTA}* over {In...n}{Or...n}{Ch...s}

20 Female flier or insect? (8) LADYBIRD {LADY}{BIRD}

21 Discriminatory female is first in exciting event (7) FUNFAIR {UNFAIR}<=>{F}

23 See 14

25 Force husband into faith (6) THRUST {T{H}RUST}

27 Still evening and no gin cocktail? (4) EVEN EVENing

29 Presently circles between two Poles (4) SOON {S}{OO}{N}

Reference List

University = U, Direct debit = DD, European = E, Church = CH, Princess = DI, Energy = E, Road = R, Chinese = HAN, Girl = G, Female = F, Husband = H, Poles = S,N

No 13865, Monday 15 May 2023, Crescent

Solution to 18D has been deliberately left unsolved and is to be answered only by a non-regular / novice commenter, with proper annotation. Those who have answered earlier in the week, please give others a chance.

ACROSS

8   Drink some wine from counter (4) FENI [T<=]

9   Ring returning gold, sound of digging into mountains? (10) OROLOGICAL {O}{OR<=}{LOGICAL

10 Herb to the West, or coriander primarily, that Latin cooking shares (8) CILANTRO {OR}{Co...r}<= over {LATIN}*

11 'A' quality shelled nuts served with milk (2,4) AU LAIT {A}{qUALITy}*

12 People close to chief can cheat to some extent (4,2) KIND OF {KIND}{tO}{c..eF} (Addendum - {KIN}{DO}{c..eF} - See comments)

13 Boater, say going round Italian island, an islander? (8) TAHITIAN {HAT<=}{IT}{I}{AN}

15 Fancy silver bringing out pet passion to have the perfect set (3,4,1,5) FIT LIKE A GLOVE {LIKE}{AG}{LOVE}<=>{FIT} (Addendum - {LIKE}{AG} in  {FIT}{LOVE} - See comments)

17 Poor souls, by inhaling Ecstasy, wish to sneeze? (5,3) BLESS YOU {SOULS+BY}* over {E}

19 Army told to switch position resulting in defeat (3,3) SEE OFF {(~ sea)SEE}{OFF}

21 Head over before time for soup (6) POTAGE {TOP<=}{AGE}

23 State is dividing group in revolt (8) UPRISING {UP}{R{IS}ING}

24 Instant reprimand of sorts (6-4) SECOND-RATE {SECOND}{RATE}

25 Join a bar (4) ABUT {A}{BUT}

DOWN

1   Old house of Florence Nightingale, essentially about the same in retrospect (6) MEDICI {n...tIn...e}{C}{IDEM}<=

2   Cocktail sort of rummy, rum all but dainty (3,3,2) GIN AND IT {GIN}{DAINTy}*

3   Fabulous creature's horn just sticking outside from hay (5,5) TOOTH FAIRY {TOOT}{H{FAIR}aY}

4   Target most vulnerable area of huge gaur, jolt and run off (2,3,3,7) GO FOR THE JUGULAR {OF+HUGE+GAUR+JOLT+R}*

5   Hip American supporting those that crow aloud (4) COXA {A}<=>{(~cocks)COX}

6   Olive tree's first new flower (6) VIOLET {OLIVE+Tree}*

7   Suicidal king out of bounds, like in a jungle (8) KAMIKAZE {K}{A}{M{lIKe}AZE}

14 Main way to deal with setter - perhaps answering this for clue? (4,6) HIGH STREET {SETTER}* [RA]

15 Succeeded in doubling base amidst collapse (8) FOLLOWED {FOL{LOW}{E}D} 

16 Excited voters missing leader may remain longer than expected (8) OVERSTAY {VOTERS*}{mAY}

18 Spread pounds scammed in cloud (6) S?A?O? 

20 Day spent by pool to conduct non-competitive event (3,3) FUN RUN {FUNd}{RUN}

22 Stops boundaries (4) ENDS [DD]

Reference list

Gold = OR, Italian = IT, Island = I, Ecstasy = E, About = C, The same = IDEM, Run = R, American = A, King = K, Base = LOW, Base = E, Day = D