The Hindu Cryptic on Sunday No 9, Sunday 22 Jun 2025, Arden

ACROSS

9   Aunty in trouble withe investment contract (7) ANNUITY* 

10 Tough to hold out - nothing inside? Sounding uncertain (7) HOODLUM {HO{O}DL*}{UM}

11 Obstructs containers (7) HAMPERS [DD]

12 Polish figure crossing the line of no return (7) RUBICON {RUB}{ICON}

13 Country came out - no stopping aid going west (9) MACEDONIA {CAME}*{AI{NO}D<=}

15 High rent all around - it's a source of irritation (5) THORN {T{H}ORN}

16 Some lad abandoned the maiden (7) DAMOSEL*

19 Zany, zany get a flower (7) YANGTZE*

20 Warriors name in German admission (5) NINJA {N}{IN}{JA}

21 Makes fun of outputs - not out, but that's OK (2,2,5) UP TO SNUFF {FUN+OF+outPUTS}*

25 Showing interest in special race, so refuse (7) SCORIAE {I} in {RACE+SO}*

26 Call within a month to capital (7) ABIDJAN {A}{BID}{JAN} Former capital

28 Vulgarian - trust a crook to keep quiet (7) UPSTART {TRUST+A}* over {P}

29 Some come back and get selected - it's heavenly (7) CELESTE [T<=]

DOWN

1   Growing tuber on the border creates disturbance (6) MAYHEM {YAM<=}{HEM}

2   Coming around is incomprehensible (6) GNOMIC* Is this definition correct?

3   Award for play (4) GIVE [DD]

4   Compound featuring setter's very big home (6) MYOSIN {MY}{OS}{IN}

5   Drug dealer's fast to contain damage (8) PHARMACY {P{HARM}ACY}

6   Groom workers to get hold of a top team of fighters (10) COMBATANTS {COMB}{ANTS} over {A}{Team}

7   Need to stop fight for a state of oblivion (8) BLACKOUT {B{LACK}OUT}

8   Nice men appointed by English Cardinal (8) EMINENCE {NICE+MEN}*{E}

14 Book on Indian political party's rise - talk about accepting a constant input (3,7) DAS KAPITAL {SAD<=}{KA{PI}TAL*}

16 Victim of a natural disaster is around, moving (8) DINOSAUR* 

17 Big animal entertains volunteer group, becomes much smaller (8) MONGOOSE {MO{NGO}OSE}

18 Award winner delayed importing fertiliser (8) LAUREATE {LA{UREA}TE}

22 Leadership change - country in a daze (6) TRANCE (-f+t)TRANCE

23 Only under central fund - that's not fair (6) UNJUST {JUST}<=>{fUNd}

24 Plant experience - news trickling in (6) FENNEL {FE{N}{N}EL}

27 Invested legitimately, banks doing nothing (4) IDLY {In...eD}{Le...lY}

Reference List

High = H, Name = N, Yes in German = JA, Interest = I, Quiet = P, Very big = OS, Home = IN, English = E, Constant = PI, Volunteer group = NGO, New = N

No 14517, Saturday 21 June 2025, Karaoke

Because of one rotten egg in the blog I have taken the following step.

I have changed the settings to custom readers.

Those of you are unable to comment now onwards please send me an email and I will add you to the custom readers list. That way I can delete someone who doesn't follow the rules.

Please bear with me for a few days I will add all the regulars by sending you an invitation to join after you send me your email.

In case you do not get the email after I send it, please check your Spam folder.

Col Gopinath

Artwork by Prasanna

ACROSS
1 Often drunken man crashed into India Gate by accident (4,3,5) TIME AND AGAIN {MAN}* inside {INDIA GATE}*
9 Fluid injected into body of the other side mostly with key adrenaline (5) ENEMA {ENEMy}{Adrenaline}
10 Opt to pocket daughter's offer? May it not happen! (3,6) GOD FORBID {GO{D} FOR}{BID}
11 Trouble from the borders of Pahalgam intruded by butchers mainly in the job (7) PROBLEM {PahalgaM} over {RO{Butchers}LE}
12 The Spanish glue lacking essential viscous ingredient (7) ELEMENT {EL}{cEMENT}
13 Maybe penchant for a writer's last work? (4,4) SWAN SONG {SWAN}{SONG} penchant to be split and read as pen chant
14 Original Inuit can keep gun in house (5) IGLOO {Inuit}{G}{LOO}

18 Primarily bribe on duty becomes extra income (5) BONUS {Bribe}{ONUS}
20 Central forces involved in action set out for illegal substance (8) NARCOTIC {foRCes} in{ACTION}*
24 Keep record of return gift on promotion (7) DIARISE {AID<}{RISE}
26 Odd man out having interest for ice (7) DIAMOND {ODD MAN}* over I
27 Finally olive oil with inapt treatment causing loss of hair (9) EPILATION {olivE OIL INAPT}*
28 Easier to solve after key tip-off and put out of your mind (5) ERASE {EASiER}*
29 How do forums, take time, to spread rumours? (5-2-5) WORDS-OF-MOUTH {HOW DO FORUMS}* over {T}
 

DOWN
1 It is socially acceptable thing// for this //vegetable (3,6) THE POTATO [DD] The Potato or The Clean Potato is given in Chamber's Thesaurus and the Wikitionary.
2 Disease, maybe nameless, but not new (7) MEASLES {nAMELESS}*
3 Case of facility recruiting unnamed professional killers (8) ARGUMENT {ART} over {GUnMEN}
4 He avoids setter perhaps having date with editor on vacation (7) DODGER {DO{D}G}{EditoR}
5 Attempt a poem on horse, get an exclamation of approval (4,3) GOOD EGG {GO}{ODE}{GG}
6 Setter's depressed, doesn't take long to saturate (5) IMBUE {I'M}{BlUE}
7 Make-shift estate facing violent wind (7) TEMPEST {TEMP}{EST}
8 Checks issues, withdraws money for daughter (5) EDITS {E(-m+D)ITS}
15 Doctor hopes to examine a bone. He manipulates skeletons (9) OSTEOPATH {HOPES TO}* over {A}{T}
16 Some applaud a numbing narcotic painkiller (8) LAUDANUM [T]
17 Mixture of small cider and water essentially for beverage (4,3) ICED TEA {CIDEr wATEr}*
19 Tight-fitting garment, one put on by a rural dean (7) UNITARD {UNIT}{A}{RD}

21 Couple of beverages drunk heartily in country house (7) CHATEAU {CHA}{TEA}{drUnk}

22 Ride away after stealing large gold brick (5) IDLER {RIDE* over L}
23 Sheep hurriedly gone out of burning engine room (6) MERINO {engINE RoOM}

25 Friend is radical, good-for-nothing primarily (5) AMIGO {AMI(-n+G)O}

REFERENCE LIST

Daughter=D, The Spanish=EL, Gun=G, Time=T, New=N, Horse=GG(gee-gee), Setter's=I'M, Long=L, Make Shift=Temp(orary), Estate=EST, Money=M, Daughter=D, Bone=T (the T bone), One=Unit, Rural Dean=RD, Good=G.