The Hindu Crossword No. 9578 Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Note: Solutions to the starred clues (which carry no direct definition) share the commonality of straddling the biggest circle on earth.

* Countries on the Equator!

Across

1 Shy girl’s pig let loose on saint taking off in a Victorian manner (10) PRIGGISHLY*

6 Cycles made with silver and selenium from the east (4) AG ES<-

10 JBA? He is a Jack of all trades (3-3,3) ODD-JOB MAN

11 Go slowly? That is a risky move after losing the opener (5) (-G)AMBLE

12 Night sky pattern (13) CONSTELLATION

14 Mani suspects hidden strain (5) NISUS

15 Can ethylene catalysis remove hydrogen and nitrogen from welder’s gas? (9) ACETYLENE(-H)(-N)*

17 Capital city (old) shelters bishop framed by the French military alliance (4,5) U[(LA){N (B)ATO}]R

21 Organic compound in the clear upper air (5) ETHER

22 Camel in the desert (5,2,6) BEAST OF BURDEN

24 Court excuse (5) ALIBI

25 Ended Verdi composition in high gear (9) OVER(DRIVE*)

26 Proverbial necessity for you to find (4) SEEK (and you shall find!)

27 Cowboy films featuring hesitation of Americans, for example (10) WESTERN(ER)S

Down

1 Poem incurs trouble in this part of the stage (10) PROSCENIUM*

2 *Singles in our country (9) IND(ONES)IA

3 Engineer got slit in a part of the throat (7) GLOTTIS*

4 *Trouble brought about by Vedic intoxicant in the beginning (7) SOMA(LIA<-)

5 Take time out to sort gelatine stock (7) LINEAGE(-T)*

7 *Silver sent up to a German city for the auditor (5) GA<-BON

8 Appear to give 26 Ac a 1000 fold increase at the end (4) SEE M

9 Correspondence with one taken in by revolutionary Yankee’s trickery (6) MA(Z)IL Y?

13 Pistols found with the German impostors (10) DER RINGERS

16 Uncontrollably pined here for asthma medicine (9) EPHEDRINE*

18 *Sail rope ensnares Zulu chief (6) BRA(Z)IL

19 Got across note to replace Siemens vacuum tube (7) TETRODE

20 Mirror show (7) REFLECT

21 *Doctors, discouraged, quit digs (7) ECUADOR(-DIGS)*

22 Pool material made from Mediterranean trees reportedly (5) BAIZE

23 Lacking in letters of bipartisan support (4) SANS