No.11116, Friday 20 Jun 2014, The Phantom

Apart from Di, Phantom's got Monica Seles and Simi Garewal in the skull cave ...  But why do I feel I am missing something ... on the tip of my tongue ... but I am not able to pinpoint it


ACROSS
 1 Nut finally shut and bolted church door (8) ENTRANCE (EN T RAN CE)
5 Sad physician’s distressed? On the contrary (6) SOMBRE (MB SORE)* (SO(MB)RE) See comments
9 Problem horse starting off without right master (8) SURMOUNT (SUM mOUNT outside R)
10 Girl’s oath heard in competition (6) DISCUS (DI'S CUS ~cuss)
12 Fair lady meeting knight (4) EVEN (EVE N)
13 Without doubt one can be repelled by the Spanish in challenge (10) DEFINITELY (1 TIN< EL in DEFY)
15 Sweat according to Greek character exists in small measure (12) PERSPIRATION (PER, PI in S RATION)
18 Focusses on criminal cases about import of English books (12) CONCENTRATES (CON, CRATES around E NT)
21 Election involving councillor, broadcast over this media? (10) ELECTRONIC (ELECTION involving CR)*
22 Strong beer without trace of bitterness (4) ABLE (ALE without B)
24 Jail as punishment revoked for American’s honesty (6) CANDOR (CAN ROD<)
25 Fuel ignited shelters without oxygen? (8) FIREWOOD (FIRED shelters W/O O)
26 Scatter remains after small pail's emptied (6) SPLASH (S PaiL ASH)

Cartoon by Rishi

27 Rally efficiently to control return of disorder (8) ASSEMBLY (ABLY around MESS<)

DOWN
1 Made certain run out resulted (6) ENSUED (ENSUrED)
2 Jailor leaves Norway for another country (6) TURKEY (TURnKEY)

3 Small unit of weight in India comes up with plenty! (1,3) A LOT (TOLA<)
4 Averts dispute in conservation discussion (12) CONVERSATION (CON(AVERTS)*ION) or CONSERVATION* ??  See comments
6 Free drink taken inside after beano finally began (10) ORIGINATED (O RID outside GIN ATE)
7 Viruses from environment, alien vehicle brought back (8) BACTERIA (AIR ET CAB)< Aren't viruses and bacteria different?
8 Testing contents of boxes, say in godown (8) ESSAYING (T)

                                                                                                            Cartoon by Bhargav

11 Resemblances Ms. Garewal and late Iris shared (12) SIMILARITIES (SIMI (LATE IRIS)*)
14 Court No. 1’s restored, included in Monica’s preferences (10) SELECTIONS (CT NO1< in SELES)
16 Disciplines son and playful niece involved in vacuous capers (8) SCIENCES (S, NIECE* in CaperS)
17 Modern terminal’s nucleus moved out inside (8) INTERNAL (TERMINAL-M+N)* IN TERmiNAL
See comments
19 Stomach muscles brother built up to digest! (6) ABSORB (ABS BRO<)
20 Poisonous dye, lad mixed (6) DEADLY (DYE LAD)*
23 Dancing feet to entertain (4) FETE (FEET)*

No 11115, Thursday 19 Jun 2014, xChequer

xChequer increasing his quota? I've been KAYOED today.

ACROSS
1   Issues surrounding radical hot spots (7) TROPICS {T{R}OPICS}
5   Slabs or boards over top of tombs (7) TABLETS {TABLE{T}S}
9   Set of various modules to cook, hence range (9) KITCHENER {KIT}{HENCE*}{R} &lit
10 Romantic evening spent in desert (5) NEGEV EVENinG* Romantic as AInd?

Illustration by Rishi

11 All parts joined with a hammer (6) MALLET {M{ALL}ET}
12 Sweep leg-cutter? (7) SURGEON {SURGE}{ON} (See comments)
14 and 22. Mind-blowing fake of recent origin’s withdrawn (4,7) TAKE OFFENCE {FAKE+OF+rECENT}* Withdrawn?
15 Pasta formed in little rings, stuffing in pork (10) TORTELLINI {T{pORk}TELLINI*} &lit (See comments)
19 Perhaps one always looking at the mirror in cars sits properly (10) NARCISSIST*
20 and 21dn. By this you say you accept it but not if this clue is wrong (4,2,4) SUCH IS LIFE* Seems to be an error in the fodder (Addendum - {iF+tHIS+CLUE+IS}*)

25 Known to a select few, being part of team? (6) INSIDE {IN}{SIDE}
27 Feet in poetry one may associate with a metre by the way it sounds (5) IAMBI {1}{A}{M}{BI}(~by)
28 Perverted cases of being aggressive (3-6) TWO-FISTED {TW{O-F}ISTED} (See comments)
29 Aquatic creature rushed back home through barrier taking short cut (7) NARWHAL {NAR<=}{W{H}ALl}
30 This gives you right to employ idle vagrant (7) YIELDER {Y{IDLE*}E}{R} (See comments)

DOWN
1   Dog chain in empty kennel (4) TYKE [T]
2   Person living in remote area dismissed a sponsor (9) OUTBACKER {OUT}{BACKER}
3   Whiff of some rain reportedly holding up batting (6) INHALE {IN}{HALE}(~hail)
4   Society's measures introducing nuclear restrictions (9) SANCTIONS {S}{A{N}CTIONS} (See comments)
5   Spells words (5) TERMS [DD] (See comments)
6   Fund flow anticipated by financial institution (8) BANKROLL {BANK}{ROLL}
7   Bird in pet cage flew but always within limits (5) EAGLE {pEt}{cAGe}{fLEw}
8   Given these, you're asked to lay them straight (5,5) SEVEN EIGHT [GK] (Addendum - {GIVEN+THESE}* &lit ) Back to KG and housie ...

                                              Cartoon by Bhargav

13 Booming trade in stone art (10) STENTORIAN*
16 Witness, simple chap, scratching head during cross (9) TESTIMONY {TEST{sIMON}Y} (See comments)
17 Sister's days are numbered maybe after I get buried (9) INUNDATED {I}{NUN}{DATED}
18 An expression of disgust is hard to conceal, essentially candid but cruel (8) FIENDISH {FIE}{caNDid}{IS}{H}
23 Object favourite for dogs primarily, a bone? (5) FEMUR Anno pending {(-d+f)FEMUR} - See comments)
24 Energy and time taken by salmon running upstream fetches praise (5) EXTOL {E}{X{T}OL<=}
26 River in central Europe flowing north, bordering Germany (4) ODER {peO{DE}Rue<=} &lit (See comments)

GRID HERE