No 12942, Friday 22 May 2020, Dr. X

Day 59 of 68 Stay safe at home

(I am maintaining lockdown till 31 May)

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

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

ACROSS
1   Deny arresting American dissenter (8) RECUSANT {REC{US}ANT}
5   Start to admire Dravid say, one with special defence (6) ABATIS {Ad...e}{BAT}{1}{S}

10 Found strength to give up cocaine for good (5) FORGE FOR(-c+g)GE
11 Unstated reversal in plan to go to live in the country (9) RUSTICATE {RUS{TACIT<=}E}
12 Keep cuddling wife after wine for a sensational reaction (5, 4) SHOCK WAVE {S{HOCK}{W}AVE}
13 Clothes stand (3-2) GET-UP [DD]
14 Ridicules many getting sick aboard steamer (6) SCOFFS {S{C}{OFF}S}
15 Times of terrible unrest over citizenship essentially (7) TENURES {UNREST}* over {c...zEn...p}
18 Suckers for old-time therapy? (7) LEECHES [C&DD]

20 Outlaw at townhouse arrested around capital city (6) OTTAWA [T<=]
22 Small compact chip (5) SHARD {S}{HARD}
24 Sponge cake prepared by chefs heartily in department (9) MADELEINE {MADE}{L{chEfs}INE}

25 Charge of care given incorrectly (9) GRIEVANCE*
26 Select good bank (5) GLEAN {G}{LEAN}
27 Graceful maiden starting to bathe in river (6) NIMBLE {NI{M}{Ba..e}LE}
28 Consequences of America infiltrating territories (8) STATUSES {STAT{US}ES}

DOWN
1   Most widespread fires raging at southern border of rainforest (6) RIFEST {FIRES*}{r...sT}
2   Skill in bed essentially increases! Get tablet (9) CARTOUCHE {C{ART}OUCH}{incrEases}

3   What a preacher might do to guess who’s here? (5, 2, 3, 5) SPEAK OF THE DEVIL [DD]
4   They invaded England from heart of France, breaking usual rules (7) NORMANS {NORM{frANce}S}
6   Group perhaps got in trouble about exposing (8, 2, 5)  BRINGING TO LIGHT {B{RING}{GOT+IN}*LIGHT}
7   Characteristic flair backed by sex appeal (5) TRAIT {ART<=}{IT}
8   Model in court facing trial is most unreasonable (8) STEEPEST {S{T}EE}{PEST}
9   Climb a trail (6) ASCENT {A}{SCENT}
16 Unruly behaviour in bank with outcry over money lost in cock-up (9) ROWDINESS {ROW}{DIN}{mESS}
17 Batter close to amazing in game! It shows brilliance (8) FLASHGUN {F{LASH}{a...nG}UN}
19 Ecclesiastical offence is about getting cash after selling benefit essentially (6) SIMONY {IS<=}{MONeY}
20 Scrap in party over chaps interrupting date every so often (7) ODDMENT {OD<=}{Da{MEN}Te}
21 Parties very upset after a little exchange in bar (6) BEANOS {SO<=} after {B{Ex...e}AN}
23 Scumbag is maliciously adopting a type of discrimination (5) AGISM [T]

Reference List
Special = S, Cocaine = C, Good = G, Wife = W, Wine = HOCK, Many = C, Steamer = SS, Small = S, Good = G, Maiden = M, Sex appeal = IT, Model = T, Trial = PEST,  Money = M, Party = DO

Dr RKE's TalePiece

Frank NORMANS, an officer of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, stood outside the OTTAWA office of the commissioner Justine Slade. There was a brass CARTOUCHE on the door displaying the escutcheon of the force, the same one on his badge he had proudly worn for 20 years. Normans had GLEANed that he was to be RUSTICATEd to a remote village in Ontario as he was getting on in age and was considered to be not NIMBLE enough for active service in the city. He felt it was a case of AGISM and he was here to present his GRIEVANCE to the commissioner. During his long TENURE in the force, he had played a major role in BRINGING TO LIGHT and then busting a crime syndicate noted for its ROWDINESS. Regular work-out kept him fit and he could make the ASCENT up the STEEPEST of staircases and arrive faster than many a younger colleague taking the elevator. The only thing that could be held against him was a RECUSANT TRAIT but that would surface only when he felt he was absolutely right.

Ms. MADELEINE Scott, secretary of Slade, ushered Normans in to the office.  When Normans was presenting his plaint, to the reluctant chief,  Slade's phone rang all on a sudden. The commissioner heard the person at the other end for some time and exclaimed "SPEAK OF THE DEVIL, Normans is right here before me...uh... sure...OK". He turned to Normans with a beaming smile and said "Normans, you are not going to the country. This metropolis needs you". Normans clicked his boots, gave a crisp salute and left, not knowing what had brought on a sudden change in the commissioner's demeanor.

The person who had called was the commissioner of RCMP from Toronto. They had just arrested the "FLASH GUN bomber", who had sent SHOCK WAVES across Canada. The bomber would pose as a photographer and would trigger explosions with his flash gun. Normans, as the investigating officer had FORGEd together the evidence, quite literally from the SHARDs and had alerted Toronto in time for them to arrest the perpetrator before he was to carry out his dastardly act in a mall. The Toronto commissioner had called Ottawa to thank Normans for his thorough field work and had recommended an elevation of Normans' STATUS in the force. When they met next at a BEANO, Normans thanked Slade and the commissioner said  "Thank Toronto's chief, old boy, he called at the right moment".

No 12941, Thursday 21 May 2020, Dr. X

Day 58 of 68 Stay safe at home

(I am maintaining lockdown till 31 May)

Solution to 10A 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   Intricate patterns in part of church (8) TRANSEPT*
5   Injury during exercise around steep slope (6) ESCARP {E{SCAR}P<=}
10 Person easily exploited in swindle by old rogue collecting money (7) D?O?M?T (Addendum - DOORMAT {DO}{O}{R{M}AT} - See comments)

11 Come up to ride the waves with expert (7) SURFACE {SURF}{ACE}
12 Footprints of killer finally found in rear (5) TRAIL {T{k...eR}AIL}
13 Amendment issue can lead to nationwide problems (9) NUISANCES {ISSUES+CAN+Na...e}*
14 Rebellious groups on ecstasy party in daze (12) STUPEFACTION {PUTS<=}{E}{FACTION}
18 One who can barely swim? (6-6) SKINNY-DIPPER [CD]
21 Disastrous including one device largely giving state control of economy (9) DIRIGISME {DIR{1}{GISMo}E}
23 Reckless model in Iranian city (5) RASHT {RASH}{T}
24 A marine shot in Eurasian country (7) ARMENIA*

25 Lover hugging popular American footballer (7) LINEMAN {L{IN}EMAN}
26 Reviewing outfits featuring extremely youthful designs (6) STYLES {ST{Yo...uL}ES<=}
27 Upset with partner concealing brief fling after union (8) UPHEAVAL {P{HEAVe}AL} after {U}

DOWN
1   Work put up in art gallery until now (2,4) TO DATE {T{DO<=}ATE}
2   Unprincipled man cracking a test (6) AMORAL {A}{M}{ORAL}
3   Fool a little silly rascal to spill the beans (9) SIMPLETON {Si..y}{IMP}{LET ON}
4   What one might do with a statue? Regard with great admiration (3,2,1,8) PUT ON A PEDESTAL [DD]
6   Country close to Turkey, besieged by rebellious characters (5) SYRIA {S{t...eY}RIA<=} Semi&lit

7   Essence of operation supervised on reflection by smart revolutionary (8) ANARCHIC {operAtion}{RAN<=}{CHIC}
8   Rustic houses, large and charming (8) PLEASANT {P{L}EASANT}
9   A sign of stoicism or a blunder to conceal disagreement with superior (1,5,5,3) A STIFF UPPER LIP {A}{SLIP} over {TIFF}{UPPER}

15 Green light in space (9) CLEARANCE [DD]
16 Curse sad, dilapidated second-hand vehicles (4,4) USED CARS*
17 Member starting to yell after couple of drinks in card game (3,5) GIN RUMMY {M}{Yell} after {GIN}{RUM}
19 Sci-fi writer enthralled by Madrasi movie (6) ASIMOV [T]
20 Sample of beat on album not written in any key (6) ATONAL [T]
22 Information about brand (5) GENRE {GEN}{RE}
Reference List
Old = O, Money = M, Exercise = PE, Ecstasy = E, Model = T, Popular = IN, Union = U, Work = DO, Man = M, Large = L, Member = M, Information = GEN, About = RE

Dr RKE's TalePiece

On a PLEASANT Sunday morning in December, we were on a heritage TRAIL on the ARMENIAn street in Chennai. The Armenian church there was originally built in the 18th century but the structure that stands TO DATE was built in a contemporary STYLE in 1905. The fading warning on the outer compound wall read "Persons creating NUISANCE will be prosecuted", which was an euphemism for telling men not to urinate there. There was a plush DOORMAT, which bore the name of the manufacturer from RASHT, Iran, though frayed on the SURFACE. The nave was laid with a carpet from SYRIA. From the TRANSEPT, you can see the beautiful marble statue of Virgin Mary PUT ON A PEDESTAL. The organ of the choir was still in a usable condition and one enthusiast from our group even played a few snatches of an ATONAL GENRE on it.

The amateur historian guiding our group brought us out to the shade of a punnai tree in the CLEARANCE between the church, the famed belfry and the ESCARP around the co-cathedral. He narrated a tale about the ANARCHIC time around 1857, when the UPHEAVAL of the sepoy mutiny (First War of Indian Independence) was raging in north and east India. Madras was a safe haven for the British but there was fear that the tide might turn against them anytime. The British thought that the wealthy Armenian merchants, not being natives, would be a good ally. An AMORAL officer, George Harrison from the East India Company could easily lure the chaplain of the Armenian church, who was a SIMPLETON, and got to use the church premises as temporary lodgement. While there, Harrison had a fling with Maria, the daughter of the chaplain and the affair had started with a seemingly inocuous session of GIN RUMMY. One thing lead to another, and to her STUPEFACTION, she soon discovered she was pregnant. The enraged chaplain would not allow an abortion and sent her off to Cochin, another Armenian centre. The seniors of Harrison chose to maintain the traditional British STIFF UPPER LIP on this unpleasant development. The bastard child grew up in Cochin and by the time he grew up in to a young man, Harrison was posted to Cochin by the Crown as collector. Maria who had fed her son with hate than her milk, motivated her son to kill Harrison. The mother-son duo accomplished the murder and managed to escape scot-free. A chill went through the spine of everyone in our group, when the historian said, "you now stand over the ground where Maria and her son were buried".