The Hindu Crossword No. 9484 Thursday, March 19, 2009

Across

 1 Money for new business, speculative, half proven, oddly true money (7,7) VENTURE CAPITAL

 8 Dish that leads to 40 winks in church (6) CA NAP E

 9 Large space that is designed for a particular use (8) ESPECIAL

11 See, in a spot her wisecracks are different (9) OTHERWISE

12 Go for a holiday (5) LEAVE

13 Group support in a bit of trouble (7) SET BACK

15 Investigation using a query in another form (7) ENQUIRY*

17 American engineer, diminished, serving no purpose (7) US E(-R) LESS

19 Student beginning to laud breadwinner (7) L EARNER

21 Salad vegetable planted in many acres simultaneously (5) CRES S

23 A code word deployed for a conifer product (5,4) CEDAR WOOD*

25 A game soldier with a written defence for his behaviour (8) A POLO GI A

26 A union is something to add enjoyment, including the dawn of love (6) SP(L)ICE

27 Giant gendarme’s embroiled in increasing power and prestige (14) AGGRANDISEMENT*

Down

 1 There have to be losers to make them what they are (7) VICTORS

 2 What the Choral Symphony is in the works of Beethoven in the numerical order (5) NINTH

 3 Capital kind of characters from a superior situation (5,4) UPPERCASE

 4 Tea user turns unrelenting (7) AUSTERE

 5 Perfect concept followed by student (5) IDEA L

 6 Disturbance often resorted to in politics (9) AGITATION

 7 Somnolent old general gets caught by agent (6) S(LEE)PY

10 One of 40 in a nap (4) WINK

14 Recurrent melody that disturbs gent’s home (5,4) THEME SONG*

16 Make one into four (9) QUADRUPLE

17 With nothing on, pawnbroker drops the French boy (6) UNCL(-E)AD

18 Part of a class in school notices change (7) SECTION*

19 Swimming pool providing cover, love! (4) LID O

20 Socialist reportedly dispatched for something of little value (3,4) RED MEAT

22 Trail followed by a hunter is small, insufficient (5) S POOR

24 Growth with a ‘peaceful branch’? (5) OLIVE