The Hindu Crossword No. 9815 Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Gridman at his best - at least the best that I have tackled from him!

Across

1 Approval for Tom's arisen (6-2) THUMBS-UP

6 Yesterday Parisian youth was excluded from ranking. Roguish! (4) (-hier)ARCH(-y) [really devilish!]

9 Agreed to a snap request? (6) SMILED (cute :)

10 Aha! Pisa produces speechlessness (7) APHASIA*

13 Proverbial worm-catcher (5,4) EARLY BIRD

14 Boy backs alien piece of music (5) MOT<-ET

15 It may be pitched (4) TENT

16 A jail-breaker's way to freedom (6,4) ESCAPE ROAD

19 Engineers come to hug writers in measure for measure (10) RE COM(PENS)E

21 Attractions church discarded are guns (4) (-CH)ARMS

24 Ban on cricketer returning with pair (5) TAB<-O O

25 Heard Australian royal has one latter part of circular (9) AU R I CULAR

26 Scramble plaint described by revamped PEN before time (7) EN(CRY)P T (crazy!!)

27 Pinch each pickpocket (6) NIP PER

28 Rank achieved by palace attendant finally (4) TIER

29 Group of men on board (5,3) CHESS SET

Down

2 Batting feat of vandal going around Rome sections (4,3) H(OME R)UN

3 Where, to begin with, my ardent liveries await your arrival (6) M A L A Y A

4 It is subordinate to the main business (4,5) SIDE ISSUE

5 Party leader put down Highland cover (5) P LAID

7 Teacher goes north for German dish (7) RIS OTTO <- (mad!!)

8 Ticker's longing (6,6) HEART'S DESIRE

11 Village tragedy (6) HAMLET

12 Withdraw, exhausted, to a sanctuary (4,1,7) BEAT A RETREAT

17 Guarantee SA ruse can be fixed (9) ASSURANCE*

18 Incorporate half of them with son, taking in daughter (6) EM BO(D)Y (nice!)

20 Bedroom in which young boy finds lice crawling (7) CUB (ICLE*)

22 Take a job over to break the sameness (7) RELIEVE

23 Looks carefully at policeman in session without leader's backing (6) S(COP)ES

25 Frolic with worker in charge (5) ANT IC