Clue Challenge: Annotate These Answers XI

A batch of eight clues with tricky parsing. The answers are given with the clues. Can you annotate them?

Post the annotations in the comments section.

Update (2nd March 2015): Annotations added

1. Guardian 26600 (Qaos): Watch over hearts, this unwelcomed game? (8) DRAUGHTS
Annotation: GUARD (watch) over i.e. reversed, H (hearts) T[hi]S (this unwelcomed => THIS without a greeting/HI); definition: game.

2. Times 26159: Pay attention — this statement is out by a factor of five (6) LISTEN
Annotation: The statement 'L IS TEN' i.e. '50 = 10' is out by a factor of 5; definition: pay attention.

3. Times 26227: With first item taken, second doubtful (4) IFFY
Annotation: JIFFY (second) with first item 'J' taken; definition: doubtful.

4. Times 26252: Teams catch a couple of them in an impossible situation! (7) ELEVENS
Annotation: A couple of elevens is 22. Catch-22 is an impossible situation; definition: teams.

5. Guardian 26714 (Screw): What open doors and often don't close, shock horror! (5,4) SPLIT ENDS
Annotation: 'opEN Doors' and 'oftEN Dont' close i.e. contain 'EN D's i.e. split ENDs; definition: shock horror.

6. FT 15106 (Mudd): Best ever, as is ace in lap? (6-8) RECORD-BREAKING
Annotation: A (ace) in LAP is breaking LP (record); definition: best ever.

7. Independent 9144 (Donk): Appropriate, what finishes off John Does? (10) COMMANDEER
Annotation: COMMA (,) [joh]N DEER (does); definition: appropriate.

8. Guardian 26690 (Puck): Some Mother’s Pride? Worried about one slice having no crusts (4,3) LION CUB
Annotation: ([a]BOU[t] [o]N[e] [s]LIC[e])*; definition: some mother's pride.

Visit our past clue annotation challenges: I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X.

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Clue Challenge: Annotate These Answers X

The parsing of these clues stumped me even after I knew their answers. Sharing with you the clues along with their answers. Can you see how their wordplay works?

Post the annotations in the comments section.

Update (25th Feb 2015): Annotations added

1. FT 14700 (Wanderer): Number given in exchange (6) NINETY
Annotation:XC (given in 'eXChange') is 90 in Roman numerals; definition: number.

2. FT 14705 (Alberich): Unscrupulous sort will be back shortly after retiring (7) SHYSTER
Annotation:STER[n] (back, 'shortly' i.e. before its end) after SHY (retiring); definition: unscrupulous sort.

3. Indy 7848 (Nimrod): Love apple core to be spewed out by robots? (6) TOMATO
Annotation:core of auTOMATOns (robots) ; definition: love apple.

4. Guardian 26396 (Tramp): Main virtually left in Pizza Hut served with cold sauce (7) KETCHUP
Annotation:KE[y] (main, virtually i.e. almost) {P (left in 'Pizza') + HUT with C (cold)}*, 'served' as anagrind; definition: sauce.

5. Guardian 26482 (Pasquale): Troubled and more like an invalid, it seems (8) BOTHERED
Annotation:OTHER (more) in BED (like an invalid, it seems); definition: troubled. See Tricky Indicators II for more examples of implied indicators.

6. Sunday Times 4614 (Dean Mayer): Double yellow lines throw ordinary F1 team (4,5) TORO ROSSO
Annotation:double yellow => 2*OR (yellow, from heraldry) 'lines' i.e. fills TOSS (throw) O (ordinary); definition: F1 team.

7. Guardian 26469 (Paul): Far from bloody outstanding article – deservedly so? (6) UNREAD
Annotation:UN-RED (far from bloody i.e. not red) 'outstanding' i.e. outside of A (article); semi-&lit: an article that's 'far from bloody outstanding' would be deservedly UNREAD.

8. Guardian 26492 (Arachne): About to receive a broadcast (see below) (5) INFRA
Annotation:sounds like 'IN FOR A'; definition: see below.

Visit our past clue annotation challenges: I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX.

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• My Top Ten Clues 2014
• Fill In The Blanks
• Really Well Hidden Long Answers

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Clue Challenge: Annotate These Answers IX

Eight deviously constructed clues, with answers. How do you get the answers from the clues?

Have fun figuring them out. Post the annotations in the comments section.

Update (14th Apr 2014): Annotations added.

1. Guardian 26101 (Enigmatist): Cook's been able to do this once on time (common gender question posed by society!) (6,3,5) RETAIN THE ASHES
Annotation:RE (on) T (time) AIN'T HE A SHE (common gender question) S (society); definition: (Alistair) Cook's been able to do this once.

2. FT 14373 (Cinephile): Rhyme for rhyme for carriage makes stalemate (8) DEADLOCK
Annotation:rhyme for carriage: marriage = wedlock: rhyme for DEADLOCK; definition: stalemate.

3. Times 25649: Evil doctor in Emergency Room — victim of farmer's wife's thumping (8) ENORMOUS
Annotation:NO (evil doctor) in ER (Emergency Room), MOUS (victim of farmer's wife - MOUSE with its tail cut off, as in Three Blind Mice); definition: thumping.

4. Times 25695: Boy, there's some warbling around about the place close to memorial! (5,6,4) ROYAL ALBERT HALL
Annotation:ROY (boy i.e. a boy's name) + LA-LA-LA (some warbling) reversed, about BERTH (place) + L (close to 'memoriaL'); &lit for a concert hall in London, which is close to the Albert Memorial.

5. Guardian 26206 (Philistine): Therapist of the nose? Pay attention to include wise report about that (13) PSYCHOANALYST
Annotation:CHOANAL (of the nose) in YY ("wise" report i.e. a homophone) in PSST (pay attention); definition: therapist.

6. Times 25733: Lake that's divided as expanse has contracted (4,3) ARAL SEA
Annotation:L (lake) "that's divided" i.e. in AS, contracted by i.e. contained in AREA (expanse); &lit for the shrinking and division of the Aral Sea.

7. Guardian 26183 (Orlando): Grow up with short story collection (6) SPROUT
Annotation:"collection" i.e. anagram of UP and STOR[y]; definition: grow up.

8. FT 14581 (Gozo): Rough on the seabed, holding nothing, containers missing (7) UNKEMPT
Annotation:SUNK (on the seabed) + EMPTY (holding nothing), with containers missing i.e. [s]UNK EMPT[y]. definition: rough.

Visit our past clue annotation challenges: I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII.

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• Abbreviations Every Solver Must Know
• How to Interpret Punctuation in Clues
• 5 Ordinary Words with Obscure Meanings in Cryptic Crosswords

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Clue Challenge: Annotate These Answers VIII

Battle with this batch of clues today that tease you with mind-bending wordplay. The clues are given with their answers. How many of them can you correctly annotate?

Post the annotated answers in the comments section.

Update (19th September 2013): Annotations added.

1. Guardian 25837 (Araucaria): Married criminal's misplaced article: take leader off for disastrous decision (1,3,7) A BIG MISTAKE
Annotation:BIGAMIST (married criminal) with A (article) misplaced i.e. moved to the front, [t]AKE; definition: disastrous decision.

2. Times 25364: Each beer chap had during escapade was a new adventure (4,2,3,4) LEAP IN THE DARK
Annotation:EA (each), {PINT (beer) + HE'D (chap had)} during i.e. in LARK (escapade); definition: a new adventure.

3. Indy 8193 (Rorschach): Model covered by bikini top in trailers for Home and Away? (8) ADVERBS
Annotation:T (model) covered by i.e. substituted with B (bikini top = B), in ADVERTS (trailers); definition: Home and Away, D-by-E for adverbs. 

4. FT14219 (Redshank): Riot's abandoned, rained off (6) UNREST
Annotation:UNRESTRAINED (abandoned) with RAINED off i.e. deleted; definition: riot.

5. Times 25385: Characters behind bars perhaps appear quite grown-up  (3,4,3) ACT ONES AGE
Annotation:TONES (characters) in A CAGE (behind bars); definition: appear quite grown-up. See Tricky Indicators for more examples of such wordplay.

6. Times 25478: Contribution that, on reflection, sounds of little value? (5) INPUT
Annotation:TUPNI i.e. INPUT on reflection, sounds like 'tupenny' (of little value) ; definition: contribution.

7. Times 25555: Baggy article of Dior's in copies with belt up on top (9) SHAPELESS
Annotation:LES (article of Dior's i.e article in French) in APES (copies), with SH (belt up – slang for 'be quiet') ; definition: baggy.

8. Guardian 26033 (Puck): Form of transport initially discovered in Pharaoh’s time (4-5,5) HIGH-SPEED TRAIN
Annotation:High-Speed Train is "initially" i.e. in abbreviated form HST, which can be discovered in the letters of 'PharaoHSTime'; definition: form of transport.

Visit our past clue annotation challenges: I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII.

Related Posts:

• Demystifying Clue Annotation Shortcodes
• Unusual Positions for Clue Definition
• Tricky Indicators

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Clue challenge: Annotate these answers VII

A useful addition to our glossary of cruciverbal jargon: the acronym IGIBIDGI (pronounced "idgy-bidgy") coined by the National Puzzlers' League. IGIBIDGI expands to "I Got It But I Don't Get It", used for clues where you arrive at the answer from the definition/crossings but cannot work out the wordplay. More about this on the Word Salad blog.

With that let me present our last clue annotation challenge for 2012. Eight idgy-bidgy cryptic clues are given below along with their answers. Can you see how these clues lead to their answers? Post your parsing in the comments section.

Update (21th December 2012): Annotations added.

1. FT 14161 (Io): The legend of the nursery? (7) TOOTSIE
Annotation:Cryptic definition. TOOTSIE is baby-talk for 'toe' i.e. leg-end.

2. Guardian 25790 (Enigmatist): It's applied in hilarious fashion, so singly formed? (9,5) VANISHING CREAM
Annotation:SCREAMINGLY (in hilarious fashion), with vanishing i.e. deleted CREAM, becomes SINGLY; definition: it's applied.

3. Telegraph Toughie 886 (Elkamere): R 60 (10) THREESCORE
Annotation:The letter R = thRee'S CORE; definition: 60.

4. FT14180 (Redshank): Top item in sale: popular craft boxes (10) GUILLOTINE
Annotation:GUILE (craft) boxes i.e. contains LOT (item in sale) IN (popular); definition: top (verb).

5. Guardian 25806 (Picaroon): What’s on TV? Nothing showing is to prove very compelling (7) DRAGOON<
Annotation:DRAG (what's on TV - short for transvestite) O (nothing) ON (showing); definition: prove very compelling.

6. Times 25329: Something snappy, like the start of Caesar’s campaign report, abridged? (7) DIGICAM
Annotation:DIG (like) I CAM[e] (start of Caesar’s campaign report, abridged - from 'I came, I saw, I conquered'); definition: something snappy.

7. Times 25340: Out of it arrive guards busy with ciphers (8) COMATOSE
Annotation:COME (arrive) guards i.e. contains AT (busy with, as in 'at work') + Os (ciphers i.e. zeros); definition: out of it.

8. Independent 8155 (Rorschach): Subway rent a new restaurant without hesitation? (5-2) STAND-IN
Annotation:ST (way) A N (new) DINER (restaurant) – ER (hesitation); definition: sub. Subway rent => split 'subway' into 'sub' and 'way'. For more about omitting spaces between cryptic components of a clue, read: elision.

Visit our past clue annotation challenges: I, II, III, IV, V, VI.

For those who have not seen it yet: Q&A with me on the Guardian crossword blog about cryptics in India.

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• 3-Segment Container Clues: {A in (B+C)}
• Partial non-word homophones
• The notorious A on B device

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Clue challenge: Annotate these answers VI

New edition of clue challenge: a set of eight cryptic clues with tricky parsing is given below. The answers are provided. Can you work out how the clue leads to the answer? Post the annotated answers in the comments section.

Update (1st November 2012): Annotations added.

1. FT 14029 (Loroso): Self-interest soon overcome by effect of growing up (8) EGOMANIA
Annotation:IN A MO (soon) in AGE (effect of growing), all reversed i.e. up; definition: self-interest.

2. Times 25243: I felt that leaving guy was deflating (4) FELL
Annotation:OW (I felt that – exclamation of pain!) deleted from i.e. leaving FELLOW (guy); definition: was deflating. See Invisible Interjections for more examples of wordplay with disguised exclamation.'Fell' = 'was deflating' in the sense of subsiding/dropping in height e.g. a soufflé falls/deflates after being taken out of the oven.

3. Sunday Times 4506 (Dean Mayer): Small amount of liquid I spit (5) CLONE
Annotation:CL (small amount of liquid – centilitre) ONE (I); definition: spit. 'Spit' = 'spitting image' or 'clone', as in the phrase 'the very spit of'.

4. Independent 8113 (Quixote): It’s a popular one with cruciverbalists! (5) DRINK
Annotation:Cryptic definition – 'it' is Italian Vermouth, a cryptic abbreviation popularly used in crosswords. 

5. FT 14142 (Alberich): Without coat, appear to be cold in store (4) HIVE
Annotation:SHIVER (appear to be cold) without coat i.e. without the letters on its edges; definition: store.

6. Guardian 25770 (Paul): Animal ending in both two corners? (8) HEDGEHOG
Annotation:[bot]H + EDGE (corner 1: the meeting of two lines) HOG (corner 2: to gain control of) ; definition: animal.

7. Times 25263: Upset, much the worse for wear, one’s out for the count (4) GRAF
Annotation:Reversal of FAR GONE (much the worse for wear) - ONE; definition: count (in Germany).

8. Times 25299: A note put out describing perhaps his scheme as crazy (2,7,6) ON ANOTHER PLANET
Annotation:(A NOTE)* around NOT HER PLAN (perhaps his scheme); definition: crazy.

Visit our past clue annotation challenges: I, II, III, IV and V.

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Clue challenge: Annotate these answers V

In dealing with a cryptic clue, getting the right answer is not enough. You haven't truly solved the clue till you have figured out why that is the answer.

Presenting for you a new edition of Clue Challenge. Eight clues are given below - with their answers. Your challenge is fill in the 'why' by annotating the answers.

Update (18th June 2012): Annotations added.

1. Indy 7952 (Anax): With no use for banks, user has not changed password (6) SESAME
Annotation: SE (uSEr without its banks i.e. extreme letters) SAME (not changed); definition: password. 'Sesame' is probably the most famous password in fiction.

2. Guardian 25608 (Brendan): French author negating conclusions of stupid fool (5) DUMAS
Annotation: DUM[b] AS[s]; definition: French author.

3. Times 25147: Fuel drops fell away from casing  (6) DIESEL
Annotation: DIES (drops) EL (fELl without its casing i.e. extreme letters); definition: fuel.

4. Guardian 25637 (Paul): The price for police security while you sleep, might you say, in compound? (6,7) COPPER NITRATE
Annotation: homophone of COPPER (i.e. police) NIGHT RATE; definition: compound.

5. Times 25155: Clue less hard with jumbo flipping complete!  (8) INTEGRAL
Annotation: HINT (clue) – H (hard) + LARGE (jumbo) reversed; definition: complete.

6. FT 13999 (Loroso): Apple one leaves in place (6) PIPPIN
Annotation: I (one) + PP (leaves i.e. pages, noun), in PIN (place, verb); definition: apple.

7. Times 25169: Bank deposits say, key currency (5,6) LEGAL TENDER
Annotation: LENDER (bank) deposits i.e. contains E.G. (say) ALT (key, the one on the computer keyboard); definition: currency.

8. Times 25169: Brainwashed outcast regressing fast flies away with this? (6,9) INSECT REPELLENT
Annotation: IN SECT (brainwashed), LEPER (outcast) reversed, LENT (fast); definition: flies away with this? 'Sect' is used as a derogatory word for a group with extreme views - to be part of a sect one would have to be brainwashed.

Visit our past clue annotation challenges: I, II, III and IV.

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• Top ten clues of 2011
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Clue Challenge: Annotate These Answers IV

Latest edition of clues that I found hard to parse despite being given the answer. You're invited to wrap your grey cells around them. How many of these clues can you annotate?

Visit our past clue annotation challenges: I, II and III.

Update (16th March 2012): Annotations added.

1. Times 25026: Men organised to run in short jacket  (5) TUNIC
Annotation: TU (men organised i.e. trade union) NIC[k] (run in i.e. arrest, short); definition: jacket.

2. Sunday Times 4467 (Dean Mayer): Committee representing everything in London? (7,5) WORKING PARTY
Annotation:  everything in lONDOn = ON (working) DO (party); definition: committee.

3. Guardian 25466 (Araucaria): Study in group for preference with absolutely endless entry (Collins) (5,3,6,6) BREAD AND BUTTER LETTER
Annotation:  READ (study) in BAND (group), BETTER (for preference) around UTTERL[y] (absolutely, endless); definition: Collins. See this link for the origin of the synonym. A bit obscure perhaps but an interesting bit of trivia to pick up, especially for Austen fans.

4. Times 25048:  In second wrongful act, stole powered vessel  (9) MOTORBOAT
Annotation:  BOA (stole) in MO (second) TORT (wrongful act); definition: powered vessel.

5. Guardian 25559 (Paul): "Numbers" originally called "number" in error, raised (9) NINETEENS
Annotation:  NEE (originally called) TEN (number), in SIN (error), all reversed; definition: numbers.

6. FT 13918 (Redshank): With eg Imran, he could be the leading runmaker (9) TENDULKAR
Annotation: (TENDULKAR + eg Imran he)* = the leading runmaker [composite anagram]; definition: the entire clue. Great to explain a clue about 'the leading runmaker' on the day he scored his 100th century.

7. FT 13942 (Alberich): End of semester? (8) TERMINUS
Annotation: End = terminus, and semester = "term" in US; cryptic double-definition.

8. Independent 7892 (Anax): Is article carried by mum on tea cloth? (7,7) CHAMOIS LEATHER
Annotation: ISLE (is) A (article) in MOTHER (mum), on i.e. after CHA (tea); definition: cloth.

Related Posts:

• Ten Brilliant Clues by Rufus
• Best Cryptic Clues of 2011
• Clue Challenge: Annotate These Answers III

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Clue Challenge: Annotate These Answers III

With this batch of clues, I sweated over making sense of the wordplay even after the answer was plain. The clues with their solutions are presented below. Can you work out how to get the answer from the clue?

Update (08th December 2011): Annotations added.

1. Guardian 25481 (Paul): Regarding the eyes, doubly hard to claim pension, initially, after surgery (10) OPHTHALMIC
Annotation: (HH+TO+CLAIM+P[ension]) 'after surgery' i.e. anagrammed; definition: regarding the eyes.

2. Times 24962: Protective garments formerly, covering legs? Quite the opposite (9) PINAFORES
Annotation: PIN(AFORE)S i.e. the opposite of AFORE (formerly) around PINS (legs); definition: protective garments.

3. FT 13859 (Alberich): Letter concerning endless gossip after doctor left last practice (5,9) DRESS REHEARSAL
Annotation: ESS (letter 'S') RE (concerning) HEARSA[y] (endless gossip), after DR (doctor), L (left); definition: last practice.

4. Times 24907: With cold, bracing air outside, maidens keep cozy here (7,4) COMFORT ZONE
Annotation: C (cold) OZONE (bracing air), around M (maidens) FORT (keep); definition: cozy here.

5. Independent 7746 (Anax): Produced nothing before the signal to stop (8) FATHERED
Annotation: FA (nothing, as in sweet FA) THE RED (signal to stop); definition: produced. 

6. FT 13657 (Alberich): Not clever to pick on American legendary hero (7) PERSEUS
Annotation: FPERSECUTE (pick on) – CUTE (clever) + US (American); definition: legendary hero. 

7. Guardian 25439 (Orlando): Animals with peculiar prehensile tails, certainly not quite right (8) REINDEER
Annotation: 'tails' i.e. last letters of 'peculiaR prehensilE' INDEE[d] (certainly, not quite) R (right); definition: animals. 

8. Independent 7840 (Monk): Language suggested by Escher right away? (7) CHINESE
Annotation: ESCHE[r] = CH in ESE; definition: language. 

Visit our past clue challenges: Annotate These Answers I and Annotate These Answers II.

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Clue Challenge: Annotate These Answers II

On popular demand, here is another edition of Clue Challenge: Annotate These Answers with eight clues I found tricky to parse when I solved them. As before, the clues are given with their solutions. Your challenge is to figure out how the answer is derived from the clue. Have fun!

Update (17th March 2011): Annotations added.

1. Times 24658: Fit in nurses with opening of sanatorium (8) HANDSOME
Annotation: HOME (in) nurses i.e. contains AND (with) + S[anatorium]; definition: fit.

2. Guardian 25165 (Brendan): Annoyance concealed by German repeatedly (5) ANGER
Annotation: ANGER is hidden in "GermAN GERman"; definition: annoyance.

3. Times 24520: Particular person, on reflection briefly, short and plump for a queen  (9) NITPICKER
Annotation: TIN[y] (briefly, short) reversed, PICK (plump for i.e. choose) ER (a queen); definition: particular person.

4. Guardian 25228: Miniature person getting from A to B in the end (9) THUMBNAIL
Annotation: HUMAN (person) – A + B, inside TAIL (the end); definition: miniature.

5. Times 24776: Troops, new to work (8) COMMANDO
Annotation: COMMA (,) N (new) DO (work); definition: troops. Look up how to interpret punctuation in clues for more examples of punctuation as wordplay.

6. FT 13637 (Cinephile): Art spy with orders (6) PRIEST
Annotation: [thou] art spy = [thou] priest, based on "pry"; definition: …with orders. An adjectival phrase to define a noun is not Ximenean but FT does allow the liberty on occasion.

7. Guardian 25242 (Paul): A hospital with a few recovered, feeding three times, no more (2,3,4) AT THE MOST
Annotation: A, H (hospital) + SOME (a few) reversed, in TTT (three times); definition: no more.

8. Times 24777: Henry, out of practice, comes in second: unfair! (1,3,5) A BIT THICK
Annotation: H (Henry) taken out of HABIT (practice) and moved into TICK (second); definition: unfair.

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Good News For Mint Crossword Solvers

XWordClub, which has so far been home to The Hindustan Times crossword solutions, will now also host collaborative solving for the Mint crossword.

Today's Mint clue-sheet is up - please head over to XWordClub and post your answers to Mint Wordview#26, set by Tony Sebastian.

How to post answers: Click on a clue. A textbox will appear. Put your answer in with annotation and any other comments, and save. There is no max limit - you can answer as many clues as you wish.

Everyone's answers remain hidden during the day. After 8PM India time, all answers get displayed. When many solvers participate, this gives a good measure of the difficulty of individual clues. Detailed posting help is here.

For futher questions about using the forum, please contact @XWordClub on twitter or drop a mail to admin [at] xwordclub [dot] com. Enjoy solving!

Related Posts:

• Introducing The Mint Crossword
• Hindustan Times Solving Groups
• Interviews with Mint Crossword Setters: Vinod Raman and Tony Sebastian

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Clue Challenge: Annotate These Answers!

The clues below are from my weekly blog at fifteensquared, in which my parsing was off the mark and had to be set right by the commenters (the brilliant Gaufrid, most often).

The clues are reproduced here with their answers. Your challenge is to work out how to get the answer from the clue. Enjoy!

[Update (17 Sep 2010): Annotations added.]

1. FT 13203 (Falcon): What may appeal to a diner with love for eastern cooking? (8) TANDOORI
Annotation: Anagram of (TO A DINER) with O (love) substituted for E (eastern), an almost &lit.
…and I had too quickly assumed this was a weak cryptic definition.

2. FT 13119 (Bradman): Whisky island ditching litres? Gosh! (1,3) I SAY
Annotation: ISLAY (a Scottish island, famous for producing malt whisky) – L (litres)
…and I had thought: Is this really “Whisk YISLA ‘nd ditching L?”

3. FT 13415 (Viking): Italy provided backing to most of financial centre making loss (7) DEFICIT
Annotation: I (Italy) provided (FED) reversed, CIT[y] (most of 'financial centre')
…and I had been bent upon equating 'provided' with IF and said to myself - if only the clue had Germany (country code DE) instead of Italy, I wouldn’t still be scratching my head.

4. FT 13361 (Viking): It's irritating when letter H is ignored at start (4) ITCH
Annotation: AITCH (the letter H) – the start removed.
Many of you fell into the same trap as I did! I had read this as HITCH (start) – H, and added that the clue is ambiguous since it doesn't clarify which H to remove from the two in HITCH. Turned out the clue was perfect, the parsing was wrong.

5. FT 13355 (Falcon): Key article about prisoner finally appearing in dock (6) MARINA
Annotation: [prisone]R in MAIN (key) A (article)
I was in a hurry when I had solved this puzzle. MAIN = key didn't strike me at all, I kept thinking of musical keys.

6. FT 13308 (Viking): Retaliation turning fray into a bit of a laugh? (3,3,3) TIT FOR TAT
Annotation: TATTER (fray) becomes TITTER (bit of a laugh) when you have TIT FOR TAT
I had been close! I took this as TIT[ter] (bit of a laugh) FOR TAT (fray).

7. FT 13233 (Bradman): GP dealt with kindred but not 4 (6,6) FAMILY DOCTOR
   (The answer to clue#4 was LIMITED EDITION)
Annotation: Remove ED (limited 'edition') from KINDRED and you are left with KIN DR, or FAMILY DOCTOR.
…one of those clues that make you want to kick yourself for not being able to understand!

8. FT 13143 (Bradman): This centre of government may be noxious at the outset (6,3) NUMBER TEN
Annotation: 'noxious' at the outset = NO X or NUMBER TEN, the centre of British government (10 Downing Street).
…and here I'd been unsuccessfully trying to fit in the old agent noun trick: noxious = something that numbs, so NUMBER!

Related Posts:

• Do The Math To Solve These Clues
• Some Really Good Cryptic Definitions
• What’s wrong with this clue?

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Hints to solve Mint Wordview 15

If you are a Mint crossword solver and held up for solutions, a few hints to help you complete it. Taking inspiration from Tim Moorey's guide, the definitions are italicized and indicators coloured.

If you are not a Mint crossword solver, try it – it's a good one. The latest crossword grid is here.

ACROSS

1 British leader buckling under pressure (6)
Charade with an anagram.

4 Still, one could be prowling the Himalayas (4)
Charade. A pretty obvious answer after you have identified the definition.

8 An advertisement lacking power and pull (3)
Deletion.

9 Skill mostly brings up what's outstanding (7)
Charade, with a small deletion from the first word.

10 One selling off assets left the pound with a riot brewing outside (10)
Charade and anagram and container. Easier to solve this from the definition and then fit the wordplay.

13 That which can be debated late, one big mess (10)
Anagram.

15 Cultured ova - live cells (7)
Anagram.

17 Some delayed a vote of consent in parliament (3)
Hidden word.

18 A legal document, one way or the other (4) 
Palindromic answer.

19 Home - home that's top notch (6)
Charade with three parts, the first two are synonyms for 'home' and the last is a single initial letter.

DOWN

1 Cheque or draft for an act (4)
Double definition.

2 Students may have to endure this headless boast (7)
Deletion of a single letter.

3 Checking out a girl around the university, Latino perhaps (10)
Charade + anagram + container. Note that 'around' applies to 'Latino perhaps'.

5 Period musical with no opening piano (3)
Deletion. Two letters get deleted from a word for 'musical'.

6 Severely criticize one filling in for church guard (6)
Word for 'severely criticize' with a substitution.

7 What a dropout may never have (10)
A straight-ish CD.

11 Farming before a good term of produce (7)
Charade with four parts, the last three are single letters.

12 You and I would have to absorb bad debts without remuneration (6)
Container, including the contraction for 'would'.

14 Trap to snare a cow (4)
Container. Easy provided you know this.

16 Very nice, evenly composed contest (3)
Pick even letters.

Related Posts:

• Introducing the Mint Crossword
• Times Crossword syndicated in the Hindustan Times
• Hindustan Times Crossword Solving Groups

If you wish to keep track of further articles on Crossword Unclued, you can subscribe to it in a reader via RSS Feed. You can also subscribe by email and have articles delivered to your inbox, or follow me on twitter to get notified of new links.

Hindustan Times Crossword Solving Groups

Good news for HT solvers. Since the time of writing Blog for Hindustan Times Crossword, Anyone? three months ago, two solving communities have come up that are tackling the HT crossword daily.

The HT crossword is the syndicated Times UK crossword (originally published a few years back). It is, in my opinion, the best cryptic crossword being published in Indian paper at present.

Crossword enthusiasts in India: If you aren't doing the latest Times UK crosswords, HT is a very good, free alternative. Do solve, and participate in these solving groups.

XWordClub (link): A community for collaborative solving, owned by Badri (Lakshmi Narasimhan). No login is required to view the community. To post, you can use the OpenID of your choice. Topics can be given "tags" for easy search. There are other fancy features like the ability to vote on responses and badges for active contributors. [This forum is based on the Stack Overflow architecture, and as a huge fan of Joel Spolsky (co-founder of Stack Overflow), the architecture is of special interest for me.] How it works: One person uploads the clue list each morning, after which anyone posts any number of solutions. [More details here]. XWordClub has a small membership at present. The club is re-thinking its current mode of working in order to support a larger membership.

The Times Crossword of old (Orkut) (link): This is a very organized, dedicated community owned by Chaturvasi.  An Orkut account is required to view the community, and admin-approved membership to post in it. Each member contributes a fixed quota of answers to complete the crossword. The best part of this community is the camaraderie among its members. They not just solve the crossword but evaluate, discuss why they liked or did not like a clue, share anecdotes.

Related Posts:

• How to Access the Hindustan Times Crossword Online
• Crossword Recommendations for Beginners
• Hindu Crossword Solving Groups

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The Hindu Crossword 9608: Neyartha

Presenting awards to noteworthy clues in the grid today (THC 9608 Link).

	Winning Clue Awards: This award goes to the top two clues in the puzzle. 12A Cost in U.S. fixed to protect BSE divisions (11) SU{BSE}CTIONS* This has all the elements that a great clue can boast of – a meaningful surface, well-chosen indicators, a definition that merges seamlessly with the wordplay, no padding and a fair challenge for the solver. 1D Critical device is malfunctioning (8) DECISIVE* An excellent anagram, and I love how it even makes use of the "is".
	Giveaway Clue Awards: This being a Neyartha crossword, there are hardly any "starter" clues. The award is to acknowledge two clues that did allow us to break into the puzzle. 18A Dangerous mania surrounds Bismuth in this country (7) NAMI{BI}A* Easy wordplay, with Bismuth = BI but obvious. The first thing that came to mind on seeing BI was NAMIBIA. 8D Attractive Romeo's departure is inconsequential (5) P{-r}ETTY Not exactly a "giveaway" but accessible enough. I was puzzled at first with the surface - it's opening led me to expect a different end. Later I told myself that the statement must be made by a lady sore at the Romeo's departure, trying to convince herself it doesn't matter.
	"Not Done" Clue Awards: This award is for the top two clues that left me feeling that they're not fair enough. 10A Cooks cheer once in harmony (9) COHERENCE* For the cryptic grammar to be fine, an anagrind like "cook" can either be an instruction to the solver [Cook XXX], or a property of the fodder [XXX cooked]. "Cooks" as used here doesn't is not a grammatically correct anagram indicator. Similar objection to 21D *Absence of GSM worries agronomist (7) ONTARIO* "agronomist worried" will be fine, "worries agronomist" - no.
	"Never Knew This" Awards: New words that this puzzle has introduced to my vocabulary get this award. Errr…when geographically-challenged solvers attempt a puzzle with names of lakes scattered all over, what else will happen except multiple "never knew this" moments and frantic Google searches? VOSTOK, ATHABASCA, BONITO…to name a few!
	Missed Glory Awards: This is for clues that were brilliant in one aspect, but didn't quite make it in another. 28A Some men decided to conceal the fix (5) EMEND [T] The answer spans neatly across not 2 but 3 words, without making the surface awkward – a commendable feat. The issue arises when we reach the definition – EMEND is a verb, but "the fix" can only give a noun. I don't buy the argument that the article has to be ignored. 19D The two knights involved in the disastrous raids had guts (7) I{NN}ARDS* This has a great surface, conjuring the image of brave knights rioting. What doesn't work is the "had" – needed for the surface, but interferes with the cryptic reading.

For complete solutions to THC 9608, visit Col. Gopinath's blog.

Related Posts:

• The Hindu Crossword 9639 (Neyartha)
• The Hindu Crossword 9460 (Neyartha)
• Keep Them Coming, Neyartha!
• The Hindu Crossword 9564 (Gridman)
• Surface Reading, Cryptic Reading

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The Hindu Crossword 9460: Neyartha

Over at Col. Gopinath's blog, there was a comment yesterday that we'd probably see starred clues in the next crossword. Sure enough, the puzzle today has them.

Thematic cryptic crosswords have this snag: you get one starred solution, and you get all the rest without effort. THC9439 of last month had rare gases as theme. 23D was the first clue I'd solved in that puzzle, and bang came all the other starred answers. The same happened in this puzzle - EARTH was enough to reveal all.

I enjoy thematic crosswords in general, but the theme should have a sufficiently broad solution set – so that even after one has caught on to the theme, the rest of the starred clues pose a challenge to the solver. The fruits theme from THC9361 worked better that way.

Here are the answers to this puzzle.

ACROSS

 1 Taking advantage of Inuit cops in order to smuggle wine inside (13) OP{PORT}UNISTIC*

9 Swallow sound on spotting carnivorous mammal (6) MARTIN for SWALLOW MARTEN
Update: Wikipedia tells me that MARTEN is a carnivorous mammal. So, that is more likely the answer and MARTIN its homophone as indicated by 'sound'. 'on spotting', just a filler then?

10 Guide for the European informers’ return (4,4) POLE STAR<-

11 Knocked cold by umpire’s decision (3) OUT [2] 

12 * Reject the Austrian usurpation of power (6) SATURN (SPURN - P + AT)

13 Supported the German’s firing, despite being detached (8) UNPINNED
That's "detached", but can't see the rest. Update: Ganesh clarifies that the annotation is UN{-der}PINNED.

14 Stable insects not to be disturbed (10) CONSISTENT*

17 Go over this when happy (4) MOON [CD]
The expression is "go over the moon", this clue doesn't take care of the "THE"!

18 Closing word for the auditor with infectious disease (4) YAWS {~yours}
YAWS=infectious disease. Don't know about the auditor's closing word. Is it a homophone for "yours"? Update: Yes it is! Closing word as in, the end of a letter.

19 Lady involved in trade-in is confused and put off (10) DI{SHE}ARTEN*

21 Amateurish bases for wordplay (8)HOMES PUN
My favourite clue of the puzzle. Clean, succinct and witty.!

23 Order to empty sherbet by mistake (6) BEHEST*
I don't like "empty" much for removing a single letter only. "cored" or "disheartened" are more apt, but of course the surface would suffer with them.

25 Port in Puri, Orissa (3) RIO [T]

26 Affront for old king from the east by one ex-PM (8) DIS {RAEL}<- I

27 * Beginners unearth radioactivity around Italian tourist village (6) U R A NUS
The connector "around" is jarring here. It leads one to think that URA will contain NUS, which is not the case. Update: Ganesh points out that "around" is part of the acrostic and not an indicator.

28 General coming back with frisky deer aboard fishing vessel is a smooth operator (7,6) WHEELER DEALER (LEE<- and ERDE* in WHALER)
The cryptic reading is fine but the surface too convoluted.

DOWN

2 Town square of a mountain retreat in Arizona (5) PL{AZ}A<-

3 Fits and removes boxed model cutting tool (9) OU{T BUR}STS Update: Thanks Anonymous for the tip!
Is there an extra S in here? I read this as: removes=OUTS, boxed=> c/c indicator, model=T, cutting tool = BUR. Which gives OUT{T BUR}S, not OUT{BURS T}S. There must be a better explanation.

4 Monarch overwhelmed by the Pole’s voice projection (5) TENON
TENON is projection, how does the rest work?
Update: Thanks Arav and Ganesh for contributing the anno: TENO{-r}{+N}
Monarch – R, overwhelmed by - substitution indicator, the – connector, Pole – N, voice - TENOR

5 * Revolutionary writer’s song (7) NEP<- TUNE
I'm getting used to Neyartha's pet reversal indicator :) Revolutionary is CHE no more!

6 Splattered incompletely by accident with a fertilizer (9) SALTPETRE*

7 Letters from a glib senator to the Norwegian playwright (5) IBSEN [T]

8 Pay attention to the game in the British gallery (4,4) TA{KE NO}TE

15 Musical work by an eloquent speaker on a Greek nymph (8) ORATOR IO
Crossword compilers must thank the Greeks for giving such a clueable name to the nymph.

16 Door jamb (broken) espied by one in church (9)SIDEP{I}E* CE
Is "by" valid as a container indicator? The clue made me expect a charade between SIDEPE and I. A quibble again about the "in", it interferes with the wordplay in this clue. Connectors are more a problem in complex clues such as this - anagram+container+charade here. It is misleading when one word is an indicator, and another similar word in the same clue only a filler.
Update: See Ganesh's comment for an alternate explanation of this clue.

17 Drug used in tin mining as a humanitarian alternative (9) MARIHUANA*
Excellent clue. "tin mining" is a smart way to signal removal, and "humatiranian alternative" great as anagram.

20 The nurse is in trouble following the morning event (7) SUNRISE*

22 * Circuit connection (5) EARTH

23 Hide this description of a traditionalist (5) BOUND [2]
"Hide" in the sense of skin, in the cryptic reading. Neat double-definition.
Update: See Ganesh's comment for an alternate explanation of this clue.

24 Coastal spray in south Maine found to contain plutonium (5) S{PU}ME

Related Posts:

• The Hindu Crossword 9456 (Gridman)
• Thoughts On Crossword Complexity
• Should Neyartha Use Fewer "GK Words"?
• The Hindu Crossword 9639 (Neyartha)

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