The Hindu Crossword No. 9310 Saturday, August 23, 2008

Across

 1 Pet’s meal provided in a mess (4,9) DOG'S BREAKFAST

 9 Characters from Gath enshrined by ancient Olympics team (6) ATHENS

10 Pyramid built to house egg of a terrestrial animal (8) MYRIAPOD

11 It may be broken to get a conversation going (3) ICE

12 Plant where carbon is used to force out soft subatomic particle (6) CROTON

13 Close call for stingy girl (4,4) NEAR MISS

14 Sick person composed Hitchcock thriller track (10) PSYCHOPATH

17 Basileus providing partial backing for an ancient Olympics team (4) ERIE

18 Ancient Olympics team wasn’t built in a day (4) ROME

19 Rain in desert storm is limited (10) RESTRAINED

21 Return behind schedule clutching present that is extremely delicate (8) ETHEREAL

23 Ancient Olympics team on the highways, reportedly (6) RHODES

25 Refreshing cuppa with note for the auditor (3) TEA

26 Maroon doctor with a programming editor in African capital (8) MONROVIA

27 European loses weight with an Indian dish to get a kind of saree (6) BRIDAL

28 Relative being? (5,3,5) FLESH AND BLOOD

Down

 2 Route redrawn on the perimeter (5) OUTER

 3 A display of glasses lacking finish (9) SPECTACLE

 4 Check around Swedish capital for amber material (5) RESIN

 5 Ancient Olympics team’s weapon in Nebraska returned to lowa (7) ARMENIA

 6 Assemble to dissect frog with a poor heart (9) FORGATHER

 7 Battle in the outskirts of Salem with a buzzing bunch (5) SWARM

 8 Plot puts Greek character in censor trouble (8) CONSPIRE

15 American heavy weight to… (5,3) SCOUT FOR

16 …sue lovers in order to find out who we are (9) OURSELVES

17 A newspaper may provide its two cents worth here (9) EDITORIAL

20 Pen lost in unpleasant fracas by Middle Eastern royal (7) SULTANA

22 Register English letters from parolee (5) ENROL

23 Fanatical bishop gets rid of power fast (5) RABID

24 Weed sent back with love by lyre-holding lady (5) ERATO