The Hindu Crossword No. 9403 Saturday, December 13, 2008

Across

 1 People talk rapidly as more bath bulbs collapse (13) BLABBERMOUTHS

 8 Opponent to search a shirt for a worker (9) COMBATANT

 9 What it takes to cast a spell? (5) CHARM

10 Point at a religious book summary (7) EPITOME

12 Request our man who is within the finest (6) BEHEST

14 Cover to bail one out (5) ALIBI

16 The woman’s ring for a protagonist (4) HERO

19 Frequent spread of fire (4) RIFE

20 Copy the date put up for fifty one feline at the end of the pile (9) DUPLICATE

21 Initially, zebra engulfs round objects at the bottom (4) ZERO

22 Number one at the Los Angeles fair (4) MELA

25 The French head man in the ancient city of the primate (5) LEMUR

27 Rare mark left on a boat (6) SCARCE

29 Most of the sequel love one article of a large tree (7) SEQUOIA

32 Notwithstanding the whisper on stage (5) ASIDE

33 Journey of a fighter plane for food allowance (9) MIGRATION

34 Doting western to develop at Number 10 (7,6) DOWNING STREET

Down

 2 Cumbersome to wrongly lure one politician within (7) LUMPIER

 3 Cry of approval for the British bible in Ohio (5) BRAVO

 4 Paint the headless men in the morning with the Spanish (6) ENAMEL

 5 Mother with an alien turns back to a friend (4) MATE

 6 Peacekeepers with the French relative (5) UNCLE

 7 By the way reference to a ship almost full is causing worry (9) STRESSFUL

 8 Language of the final letter in the city surrounded by the church (5) CZECH

11 Article in to employ a different kind of folk dance (7) MAYPOLE

12 Unusual line of work on the arrival at eight (7) BIZARRE

13 Group of women have a large rabbit at the end of the palm (5) HAREM

15 Talk of a dictator having a sacred syllable (5) IDIOM

17 Former partner with the monarch caught on the wrong side of a task performed (9) EXERCISED

18 Even good voguer has a strong smell (5) ODOUR

23 Develop a bone after the first bite of rubber (7) EBONITE

24 A rise at another time (5) AGAIN

26 Methods to turn the learned men (6) USAGES

28 Good many in a different lane (5) CLEAN

30 Book for the head of the queen on view to all in the sky (5) QUAIR

31 Don’t start to pen afterwards the morning word (4) AMEN