Friday 13 October 2017

No 12136, Friday 13 Oct 2017, Skulldugger


ACROSS
1   Look by model stifling cheeky smile is most fetching (9) SEEMLIEST {SEE}{SMILE*}{T}
6   First off, lift cloth for cleaning (4) WIPE sWIPE
8   Fastener patched up natural opening (8) FENESTRA*
9   British change linguine, anelloni ingredients (6) GUINEA [T]
10 Unexceptional stew ingredients (4,3,8) MEAT AND POTATOES [DD]
11 Disreputable, 'tis pity! (5) SEEDY From Seed/Pit
13 Canines still in pursuit of thee dissipated initial energy (8) EYETEETH {E}{YET}{THEE*}
15 Spooner's merchandise was knocked down, so mind how you go (8) FAREWELL {(-w+f)FARE}{(-f+w)WELL}
18 Differently-abled dashing youth (5) BLADE*
20 Skeptic very torn, suspicious of the penniless (7-8) POVERTY-STRICKEN*
23 Passing through in train bogie, got choice food (6) CAVIAR {CA{VIA}R}
24 But why fancy small income? (8) EARNINGS {EARNING}{S}
25 Allocate what's suitable to the audience (4) METE (~meet)
26 Shiva's vessel (9) DESTROYER [DD]

DOWN
1   Offensive doctor fired for an episode (5) SCENE obSCENE
2   Put effort into exercise, lifted, lost gut (7) EXERTED {EXERcise+lifTED}
3   Pretend to be upset in hotel after cancelling starters (3,2) LET ON {iN}{hOTEL}<=
4   Erstwhile lover plus-size model (7) EXAMPLE {EX}{AMPLE}
5   United's got three unstable characters (8) TOGETHER*
6   Catcall or birdsong (7) WHISTLE [DD]
7   Thwarted mole defecting from Redevelopment Organisation (9) PREVENTED REDEVeloPmENT*
12 Develop complex (9) ELABORATE [DD]
14 Got rid of member playing tune on damaged reed (8) NEUTERED {TUNE*}{REED*}
16 Brought up the time Reza boxed a loner (7) EREMITE [T<=]
17 What an auditor does (7) LISTENS [CD]
19 Pull flower heads off by chance (7) LUCKILY {pLUCK}{lILY}
21 More bloody, less dense (5) RARER [DD?]
22 Keen to tell tales about striking lecturer (5) EAGER REGAlE<= L for lecturer?

GRID

24 comments:

  1. Nice puzzle. Challenging.
    21D Rare 1st def: cooked so as to retain redness

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  2. 22D: couldnt find L=lecturer. My Chambers(it is not the BRB) doesnt list it

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    Replies
    1. Its there in my Chambers XWD Dictionary. Kindred & Knight

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  3. Tough CW.
    2D- How does 'Gut' indicate the removal of letters?

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    Replies
    1. 'Lost gut' indicates removal of the middle portion

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    2. Oh! Both words combined together lost their middle? Quite confusing.
      Thank you Col.

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    3. its not the middle, they lost.

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    4. I took exercise->exert, lifted->eased lost gut ED.

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    5. Prasad: I thought the Anno given by Col was perfect. I parsed it the same way

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    6. Prasad 'Lifted lost gut' would mean losing something from the middle of LIFTED and not losing 'lift'

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    7. It is a different matter though to decide how much of the middle will constitute the gut :-)

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    8. One has to go by his gut feeling?!

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    9. Lifted->Eased possible. In that case it can also be Lifted->ElevateD lost gut

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    10. Gut by itself can mean empty. Clean out. Gutted is used normally. But as meaning empty, without lost also it can work

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  4. But 'eased' itself is a synonym of lifted and is it not a stretch?

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  5. Didn't get the anno for EARNINGS - how does "But why fancy" parse?

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    Replies
    1. Is it
      Fancy = YEARNING
      but why -> remove Y?

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    2. Looks like that only, probably meaning of but as without.

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    3. Why = Y, You = U and Ease = EE, seem to be accepted in crosswords

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  6. But no indication for taking Y from why.

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  7. Skulldugger gave me spondulitis today with this cranium
    -cracker !! Took me all of 45+minutes. Why is he not featured oftener ? DESTROYER as Shiva is very imaginative ! Thanks, Col.

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  8. I thought "But" (meaning "except") was used as the deletion ind.

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  9. CAVIAR, NEUTERED, LET ON were my favourites! Thanks, Skulldugger

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