Thursday 28 March 2024

No 14134, Thursday 28 Mar 2024, Hypatia

Solution to 20A 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.

Open for anyone to answer, if not solved by 1 PM.

ACROSS
Skilful American surgeon starts to operate in theatre (6) ADROIT {A}{DR}{Op...e}{In}{Th...e}
9   Shift and say nothing to intimate friend (5,3) ALTER EGO {ALTER}{EG}{O}
10 Harry - old, loyal and crazy (8) DOOLALLY*
11 Burning daughter's saved by hero struggling with time (3-3) RED-HOT {D} in {HERO}*{T}
12 Sanctions loud speeches after conflict (8) WARRANTS {RANTS}<=>{WAR}
13 Can exercise beginning from dumbbells be repeated (6) LOOPED {LOO}{PE}{Du...s}
14 Small animal's a sweet runner, per Spooner (7) MEERKAT (~ kheer mat to meerkat)
17 Building used if Iceland's quarantined (7) EDIFICE [T]
20 Drink helping king out (6) ?O?I?N (Addendum - POTION POrTION - See comments)
22 Say, front runners in party helped the US from time to time (8) ATHLETES {pArTy+HeLpEd+ThE+uS}
25 Walks after small breaks (6) SPACES {PACES}<=>{S}
26 Dispose of fish food (8) DUMPLING {DUMP}{LING}
27 King Khan essentially in Jamnagar, after dancing leaves grand function finally (8) MAHARAJA {kHAn} in {JAMnAgAR}*
28 Request going through to obtain seal (6) GASKET {G{ASK}ET}

DOWN
1   After developing Covid, Australia had deported one champion (8) ADVOCATE {COViD+A}*{ATE}
2   Parliamentarian's hugged by that woman - a big mistake! (6) HOWLER {H{OWL}ER}
3   Last to work with current leader (6) STALIN {LAST*}{IN}
4   Initially cinema adapted plays with no music (7) CALYPSO {Ci...a}{PLAYS*}{O}
5   Surprised that pioneer went ahead (8) STARTLED {START}{LED}
6   Rated in exchange (5-3) TRADE-OFF {RATED}* [RA]
7   Discount offer on gigantic reflecting screens (6) IGNORE [T<=]
15 Actor in a blue mackintosh (8) RAINCOAT*
16 One can't remember when a man is carelessly swallowing ecstasy and cocaine (8) AMNESIAC {A+MAN+IS}* over {E} and {C}
18 Detergent or a bit of soap in clothes basically getting thinner (8) CLEANSER{Cl...s}{LEAN{Soap}ER}
19 Accessory seen in Zurich and Baghdad (7) HANDBAG [T]
21 Frequently poor, possibly has almost nothing, basically! (6) ORPHAN {pOoR}{P}{HAs}{No...g} &lit P/Possibly? (Addendum - {pOoR}{Po...y}{Has}{Al...t}{No...g} - See comments)
23 Recognition in controlling Dadagiri, essentially (6) HOMAGE {HOM{dadAGiri}E}
24 Lines disconnected by Telco's first volunteer (6) ENLIST {LINES*}{Te..o}

Reference List
American = A, Daughter = D, Time = T, Can = LOO, King = R, Exercise = PE, Small = S, Grand = G, Australia = A, Parliamentarian = OWL, Current = IN, Ecstasy = E, Cocaine = C

Wednesday 27 March 2024

No 14133, Wednesday 27 Mar 2024, Hypatia

Solution to 5D 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.

Open for anyone to answer, if not solved by 1 PM.

ACROSS
1   Medium hard soap beats ordinary cleanser (7) SHAMPOO {M+H+SOAP}*{O}
5   Relish a drop of honey in prune bringing back appetite (7) CHUTNEY {C{Ho..y}UT}{YEN<=}
9   Extended support? (7) ALIMONY [CD]
10 Runs after guy grows older (7) MANAGES {MAN}{AGES}
11 Tenant's smaller room initially taken by sweetheart (6) LESSEE LESSE(-r+e}E
12 Strangle target or choke (8) GARROTTE*
14 Secret language in unfinished Tagore novel (5) ARGOT TAGORe*
16 Made fun of free style clue in 1-Down (9) RIDICULED {RID}{1{CLUE*}D}
18 Testing an elector's patience (9) TOLERANCE*
19 Passage budding from love for boy in '70s Bollywood movie (5) LOBBY {(+l-b)LOBBY}
20 Regularly filtering info, basic data compiled has repetitive errors (8) FACTOIDS {inFo+bAsiC+daTa+cOmpIleD+haS}
22 Shopping deal ends during month in Amazon, say (6) JUNGLE {JUN{s...nG}{deaL}E}
26 Ready tea cakes and bread (7) CHAPATI {CHA{PAT}I}
27 Multiple images from East of USSR at a variance (7) AVATARS [T<=]
28 Second book released by gambling site (7) SETTING {S}{bETTING}
29 Woman grabbing warm blanket (7) SHEATHE {S{HEAT}HE}

DOWN
1   Trick disheartened model, taking everything (5) STALL {SiT}{ALL}
2   Lost American girl (5) AMISS {A}{MISS}
3   Assignment work? Essentially, it goes overhead often (9) PROJECTOR {PROJECT}{wORk}
4   Line in-between bull and African antelope (4) ORYX {O{RY}X}
5   Seize authoritatively, before Knight does? (10) C?M?A?D?E?  (Addendum - COMMANDEER {COMMA}{N}{DEER} - See comments)
6   Extremely useful article about radius (relating to a bone) (5) ULNAR {Us...uL}{AN<=}{R}
7   Place entertaining late comers? (9) NIGHTCLUB [CD]
8   The old criminal strayed in the past (9) YESTERDAY {YE}{STRAYED*}
13 Dingo's evil action (10) WRONGDOING {DINGO}* [RA]
14 Camera feature for a narcissist? (9) AUTOFOCUS [DD]
15 Australian city’s unfriendly spirit, per Spooner (4,5) GOLD COAST (~cold ghost to gold coast)
17 Reckon copper kidnapped by cold mobster's dead (9) CALCULATE {C}{AL}{CU}{LATE}
21 Animal chiselled in Ashoka pillar (5) OKAPI [T]
23 Reportedly plotted to shoot (5) GRAFT (~graphed)
24 Follow tennis? Sure - from time to time (5) ENSUE {tEnNiS+sUrE}
25 Major sporting event put up without access to podium (4) DAIS aSIAD<=

Reference List
Medium = M, Hard = H, Ordinary = O, Boy = B, Second = S, Book = B, American = A, Line = RY, Knight = N, Doe = DEER,  Radius = R, The old = YE, Cold = C, Mobster = AL