Don't know why but found it tough going today.
ACROSS
9 Every other concert has to be at this time of the year (7) OCTOBER {
10 Till he joins a union (7) HUSBAND [DD]
11 I must exercise — forced or by force (7) IMPETUS {I}{M{PE}TUS*}
12 Avoid part of the composition (7) REFRAIN [DD]
13 Polls giving license to corrupt (9) ELECTIONS*
15 Going over a plot of land showing interest in plant (5) ERICA {ER{I}CA}<=
16 Get worse but gain about fiftytwo points (7) RELAPSE
19 With two constants, let’s modify letter (7) EPISTLE {E}{PI}{LETS*}
20 Negative review — in all fairness unimpressive (5) MINUS [T<=]
21 Stopping tax on land is pointless (9) CESSATION {CESS}{
25 Excited player will press on, it’s swell (7) UPSURGE
26 Both sides have a stake over northern light (7) LANTERN {L}{ANTE}{R}{N}
28 One had made mistake among scholars (7) ACADEME {AC{MADE*}E}
29 Agitated soldiers try to run away (7) RESTIVE {RE}{ST
DOWN
1 I eat after ten… (6) IODINE {10}{DINE}
2 … and the main ingredient is coreless apple, by the way (6) STAPLE {ST}{AP
3 Notice has no right to circulate (4) OBIT O
4 Outside, not a large painting (6) FRESCO
5 Period covering jail term, enough initially for the sanctimonious fellow (8) PHARISEE {PHA{RI}SE}{E}
6 Prepared a feast, do I include a flavouring? (10) ASAFOETIDA {AS{A}FOETIDA*}
8 Sir Anthony on gallery, lacking bite (8) EDENTATE {EDEN}{TATE}
14 Attempts to follow records of paintings (10) TAPESTRIES {TAPES}{TRIES}
16 Butter, doubtful with a fruit (8) RAMBUTAN {RAM}{BUT}{AN} A relative of the Lychee
18 She married outside college, after sweetheart shunned (8) ESCHEWED {
22 Wage hike after a year sadly (6) SALARY {SALA}{RY}<=
23 Ex Soviet secret police chief following one to Spain (6) IBERIA {1}{BERIA}
24 Article sent away to a place in France (6) NANTES {AN+SENT}*
27 Home is truly where the heart is (4) NEST
Having solved 13a and 26a in the first pass, I first thought it was an election special !
ReplyDeleteUse of Beria in 23d reminded me of an old joke about him. Having summoned a rather sharp prospective agent, he tasked him with a case. He said, “Somebody has been pasting posters in Moscow saying Beria is a fool, an idiot and things like that. Find out who is responsible”. The candidate came back immediately, “It is you, Sir”. On being asked the basis of his deduction, he replied, “In Russia, only you have the power to know and the guts to speak the truth, Sir”.
A few definitions have to be highlighted.
ReplyDeleteLiked the cartoon, although I do not exactly relish the hing thing AS A FOETID Additive in my food.
ReplyDeleteAnd combining 6D and 7D with a cartoon in between was superb creativity.
DeleteKishore, I don't want to compliment you too often. But just wanted to give the devil his due. ;-)
Playing with the devil's advocate with matches, are we?
DeleteI do not exactly relish the hing thing AS A FOETID Additive in my food.
DeleteYou have telescopic vision!
Sincerely hoping you are not being sarcastic! ;-)
Delete8:59 - Quite likely, because the devil appears to be 'tailing' your name in the cartoon.
DeleteBy Lucifer!
Delete'tailing' your name in the cartoon.
DeleteInstead of a forked tongue, I thought I'd give him a forked tail
That part also resembles a stethoscope...
DeleteThat reminds me of Harindranath Chattopadhyaya's lyrics from Julie: My heart is beating, keeps on repeating...
DeleteRichard@ 8.59-
DeleteIt is a matter of de-tail.
It should be Richard @ 9.15
DeleteHC was a member of the 1st Lok Sabha from Vijayawada. Everyone knows that he was Sarojini Naidu's brother, but few may know that Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay, who created the All-India Women’s Conference, the National School of Drama and the Sangeet Natak Akademi was his wife. It was his poem Rail Gaadi that Ashok Kumar sang in Aashirwad.
DeleteI best remember him for his great role in Bawarchi.
DeleteI am sure Richard has loads of info about his wife.
My COD 1D.
ReplyDeletePeriodically, we are getting references from the periodic table. We have Be In Buzzer's puzz.
DeleteRemembering Sankalak?
DeleteRe 27 D, I had a different anno.
ReplyDeleteTruly leads to honestly and its heart is nest
Re 27 D, I had a different anno.
ReplyDeleteTruly leads to honestly and its heart is nest
Good thinking, Sridhar.
DeleteHonestly, yes!
DeleteYes!
DeleteSeconded - that's how I parsed it too.
Delete16 Get worse but gain about fifty two points (7) RELAPSE {RE}{LAP}{SE}
ReplyDeleteI had a different anno:
gain REAP about fifty L + two points S&E
Defn: get worse RE(L)AP S/E
Sounds reasonable. I did not understand how (lap) was obtained in the original anno.
DeleteGreat point! I was foxed about the wordplay - your take on it makes perfect sense.
Delete25 Excited player will press on, it’s swell (7) UPSURGE {UP}{SURGE}
ReplyDeleteThis annotation doesn't account for player.
excited UP player S(outh) press URGE
Yes, it fits. S for a player as in Bridge.
Delete13 Polls giving license to corrupt (9) ELECTIONS*
ReplyDeleteThis appears to be US spelling for the noun form.
In British English, licence is noun and license is verb.
I suppose THC, by convention, uses British spelling, unless setter indicates otherwise in his clue.
I could not understand the point being made. Prof. Rajan could you please elaborate
DeleteI think what he means is -in 'giving license', the spelling should have been 'licence' since it is s noun. 'license' is generally used as a verb in British & hence Indian versions as against U.S. I don't think it is any query about the clue.
DeletePolling day to day in Hyderabad.
ReplyDeleteCast my vote. Took 90 minutes!
DeleteHalf an hour for me.
DeleteLesson learnt. Cast your vote early in the morning or late in the evening! Preferably late in the evening!!
DeleteEnjoyed todays puzzle.esp.16,19a,1,4,14,17,18dAthorogh entertainer.
ReplyDeleteA couple of doubts
ReplyDelete15A- Is it ok to get 'acre' from a plot of land? Should it not have a ref. to area?
16D- A gives 'an'?
15A - I think it is accepted since there are expressions like 'green acres'.
DeleteAlso refer to http://www.thefreedictionary.com/acre
Paddy's query reg 16Dn remains unanswered! I too have the same doubt.
DeleteI am not sure if A=An is allowed standalone. I have seen 'A "noun" ' being used for 'An "synonym of noun" '. Arden could have used edible fruit as defn perhaps then the 'an' would have fitted in smoothly
DeleteSounds logical.
DeleteRamesh is right. Just plain substitution of A by AN don't think is right.
DeleteI used to like a pinch of asaf... in my food too, but after reading your def. I have my doubts about its use in future!
ReplyDeleteSame here. Some issue with the voting machine, so it took some time before the queue started moving. But once it started it moved quickly.
ReplyDeleteAbove was in response to MB@11:42
DeleteChiranjeevi bhava!
DeleteAnd now...
ReplyDeletePun in names too?!
Perhaps he found it difficult to play a pun on Konidala Siva Sankara Vara Prasad...
DeletePaddy, was that new? I thought you knew about a gent can be said to kiss her.
DeleteRichie, I am sure somebody from that region must be having a pangrammatic name. In school, even writing the name once must be a severe punishment
New to me. still I don't get it. Kiss who?
DeleteKiss her!
Delete:-) Kishore!!!
DeleteAnother good teaser from Arden. Am I suffering from '' DOWN" syndrome? Invariably, I always do not get a single word from the Across clues but once I get down to it for the Down clues , I move on and hurtle down rapidly !!? Is it a ploy by the setters to make it that way?
ReplyDeleteWhich clue is best today? As of me, it is Asafoetida , such a complicated medicinal to spell out but helps in controlling all gas bags !
Lots of things to chew, dine, but not a staple for the dentally challenged edentates !!
DELECTABLE & DELICIOUS !!
I have a problem with the definition in 14: tapestries are produced through weaving or embroidery - they are NOT paintings. "Hangings" or "decorations" would have worked as the definition - indeed, "Attempts to follow records of hangings" would have created a nicely mischievous surface!
ReplyDeleteOther than this blip, a great puzzle from Arden - thank you!
12A, is the definition right? I thought Avoid = Refrain from and not just Refrain
ReplyDeleteRefrain is also a musical term., as in She rendered a sweet refrain
DeleteThat's okay but my question was with reference to the first part of the clue I.e. refrain for avoid
Delete