The Hindu Crossword No. 9413 Thursday, December 25, 2008

"Made Haste" with "Free Gifts" in the season of giving - Merry Christmas!

Across

 1 Write quickly: “Punctuation mark is removed” (4,3) DASH OFF

 5 Harangue one in business (6) TIRADE

 9 Meal substance Rex put in (5) GROUT

10 Elucidate a couple of measures about traffic controller (9) ENLIGHTEN

11 Heaps thrown back on asafoetida for naught (7) NOTHING

12 Essence traded off at a fair (7) RATAFIA

13 Delay property divider? (5) HEDGE

14 Knock down father holding learner’s new building schematic (5,4) FLOOR PLAN

16 Act speedily to solve this clue! (4,5) MAKE HASTE

19 Almost reach mother in pause (5) COMMA

21 Brooder in creche? (7) NURSERY

23 Drop a prohibitory order on wear (7) ABANDON

24 By virtue of position of the unknown in disorganised office at ten (2,7) EX OFFICIO

25 Improvise with a German paper fetched back (2-3) AD-LIB

26 Enthusiast to laze around with books (6) ZEALOT

27 Substitute nest egg? (7) RESERVE

Down

 1 Such a policy doesn’t help one or the other (3,2,3,6) DOG IN THE MANGER

 2 Bombastic — yet not finished by Edward (7) SPOUTED

 3 Remote alien loses last of gear (7) OUTSIDE

 4 Presents without any strings attached (4,5) FREE GIFTS

 5 Again illuminated upwardly mobile doorkeeper (5) TILER

 6 Her grit to pick one who redresses (7) RIGHTER

 7 Obedient enough for fluid movement around Union Territory (7) DUTIFUL

 8 You can’t have a say with it (14) UNMAINTAINABLE

15 One who frequents the Bolshoi, perhaps (5-4) OPERA-GOER

17 Area OK — King fixes it for a form of entertainment (7) KARAOKE

18 Giving attention, he’d fuel horses around (7) HEEDFUL

19 They may hang by the necks of well-dressed people (7) CRAVATS

20 Such kitchens are getting popular in India (7) MODULAR

22 Youth beginning to chat about a boat (5) YACHT