Puzzle No. 84: Russian Defence

Russian Defence

By teamcrazymatt

(Originally published as MyCrossword #571.)

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Squares filled: 0/136

Exolve Print Notes Jotter Webifi

Crossword ID: xet-17bxje

Exolve v1.61 February 22, 2025 Report-Bug Exolve-on-GitHub Community
Exolve-maker info:

Software: Exet
Version: v0.72 June 21, 2022
Lexicon: ukacd18-lufz-v0.05
Timestamp: Thu Jul 21 2022 15:47:37 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

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Explanations	Copyright	Questions

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Across

5.

7.

8.

10.

11.

12.

14.

16.

17.

19.

20.

21.

Down

1.

2.

3.

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Jotting pad: (click here to shuffle)

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Down & Up

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Across

5	Carlsen initially withdrawing from bout, confusing me and a principal of chapter; it's what's got a lot of problems (11) MATHEMATICS. MATCH - C + (ME + A Chapter IT'S)*
7	Spill the French spirit over a grand earl (7) LEAKAGE. ((LE + KA) cont. A) + G + E
8	Final words of daughter, formerly hot and tense in retrospect (3,3) THE END. (D + NEE + H + T) rev.
10	Acted long ago in Bewitched, I'd state (5) DIDST. HA in bewitcheD I'D STate
11	He could make Erik Estrada eerier? (9) FIBONACCI. cryptic def; letters in Fibonacci positions of (E)ERIk EstRada spell EERIER
12	Audibly charges (7) INVOICE. IN VOICE
14	Later tanned piece of hide vigorously (3,4) AND THEN. (TANNED + Hide)*
16	Don't start speech following bit of nervous rapid blinking (9) NICTATION. dICTATION after Nervous
17	Gang member fine to return holding butt of Luger (5) DROOG. GOOD rev. cont. lugeR
19	Soothing information let out (6) GENTLE. GEN + LET*
20	City dry after ocean and lake beginning to ebb (7) SEATTLE. (TT after SEA) + L + Ebb
21	Busting a grin with one amid writhing loins is wrong in the Bible (8,3) ORIGINAL SIN. (A GRIN + I)* in LOINS*

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Down

1	Steering plane to reach Asian country (5) NEPAL. PLANE*
2	Gradually introduced drugs, taking in a society with uproar (5,2) EASED IN. (E,E cont. (A + S)) + DIN
3	Officer entertained by raising tobacco on private site of hoax (8) PILTDOWN. (LT in (DIP rev.)) + OWN
4	Repeatedly manipulated elements of hoariest bone affliction (14) OSTEOARTHRITIS. HOARIEST letter bank
5	One has plenty from press institute live on energy (11) MILLIONAIRE. MILL + I + ON AIR + E
6	Rendering's left interpreted by a seaman? Way to go! (14) TRANSPORTATION. TRANSLATION, PORT <--> L
9	Unceasingly stole heart of darling with poem about theatre (11) NICKELODEON. NICKEd + darLing + ODE + ON
13	Sweet prune that is dessert (5,3) CUTIE PIE. CUT + I.E. + PIE
15	Revere Spooner's positive discipline (7) WORSHIP. SURE WHIP Sp.
18	Active dons noisily seize a round bean (5) CACAO. (A in C,C) + A + O

Puzzle No. 83: Crooked Shapes

Crooked Shapes

By teamcrazymatt

(Originally published as MyCrossword #1087.)

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Squares filled: 0/164

Exolve Print Notes Jotter Webifi

Crossword ID: xet-z8ubaf

Exolve v1.61 February 22, 2025 Report-Bug Exolve-on-GitHub Community
Exolve-maker info:

Software: Exet
Version: v0.78 January 16, 2023
Lexicon: ukacd18-lufz-v0.05
Timestamp: Sat Apr 01 2023 19:29:17 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)

Control keys:

• Tab/Shift-Tab: Jump to the next/previous clue.
• Enter, Click/Tap: Toggle current direction.
• Arrow keys: Move to the nearest light square in that direction.
• Ctrl-q: Clear this, Ctrl-Q: Clear All!, Ctrl-B: Print crossword, Ctrl-/: Jump to/back-from notes, Ctrl-*: Mark clue as fave in notes, adding a * prefix.
• Delete: Clear the contents of the current square.
• Spacebar: Place block in the current square if it's diagramless.
• Double-click or Shift+Letter: If the puzzle has rebus cells, this is the way to enter multiple letters into a single cell.

Overwritten letters will briefly be coloured like this (before fading back to this) just to draw your attention so that you can fix any accidental typing errors.

Your entries are auto-saved in the browser's local storage. You can share the state using this link: URL

Print or create a PDF: Grid and clues Only grid Only clues Inksaver

Font size: Normal Large Extra Large Small Other

Page size: Letter: 8.5in x 11in A4: 210mm x 297mm A3: 297mm x 420mm A5: 148mm x 210mm B4: 250mm x 353mm B5: 176mm x 250mm Book: 6in x 9in Legal: 8.5in x 14in Ledger: 11in x 17in

Margin (inches, up to 4 numbers):

Include if visible:

Title	Setter	Preamble
Explanations	Copyright	Questions

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Show clue-solving sequence:

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Show clue-solving times:

• Ctrl-/ takes you to the current clue's notes (or overall notes) and back (if already there).
• Ctrl-* adds a * prefix to the current clue's notes.
• Hovering over a clue's notes shows the clue as a tooltip.

Across

1.

6.

9.

10.

12.

13.

15.

18.

20.

21.

25.

26.

27.

Down

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

7.

8.

11.

14.

16.

17.

19.

22.

23.

Jotting pad: (click here to shuffle)

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Down & Up

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Across

1	Opposed to backing a wealthy businessman, instead spurning those following Tesla (3,7) SET AGAINST. (A + GATES) rev. + INSTead
6	One with pride seen by Long Island, running... (4) LION. LI + ON
9	...at right angles to a long and limitless shore on the rocks (10) ORTHOGONAL. (TO A LONG + sHORe)*
10, 24	10, 24Abundant source of modeling in fashion (4,4) GOLD MINE. MODELING*
12	Playful companion's dying, turning to blue (6) FRISKY. FRIEND, SKY <--> END
13	Wannabe king's mother close to collapse (8) DAMOCLES. DAM + CLOSE*
15	Arrived on time after policemen come to district (14) ARRONDISSEMENT. ARR. + ON + (T after (DIS + SEMEN))
18	In correspondence, pressure insiders to drop trial on suspect involved in having multiple partners (14) PROPORTIONALLY. P + dROp + ((TRIAL ON)* in POLY)
20	Until this point is struck, champion inspiring principle of truth (8) HITHERTO. HIT + (HERO cont. Truth)
21	Con crowds on Yelp (6) SCREAM. SCAM cont. RE
24	See 10a
25	Strike one fellow with rod; it's done over enthralling bold look (5,5) FIRST BLOOD. F + ((ROD IT'S)* cont. (B + LO))
26	Clean walls of nice apartment (4) NEAT. NicE ApartmenT
27	Can AI get art somehow round partial person making designs? (10) STRATEGIAN. HA rev. in caN AI GET ART Somehow

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Down

1	Rogue glimpses of sloppiness characteristic of mistake (8) SCOFFLAW. Sloppiness Characteristic + OF + FLAW
2	For all to play it up after I disapprove... (5) TUTTI. IT rev. after TUT
3	...I must enter into long sleep, with bits of cotton keeping out what makes clear sounds (12) GLOCKENSPIEL. I in (LONG SLEEP + Cotton Keeping)*
4	One charged over beginning to counterfeit portrait (4) ICON.
5	Join American with some amount of sway, primarily in talent across the ocean (10) SEAMANSHIP. SEAM + A + N + Ship + HIP
7	Ski resorts, so photogenic, fall ultimately in a line with the same slope (9) ISOCLINAL. skI resortS sO photogeniC falL + IN + A + L
8	Pundits blowing top, mad with one who's barely there? (6) NUDIST. pUNDITS*
11	Company stands by multimillion division sending tense wire that can be transmitted (12) COMMUNICABLE. CO + M,M + UNIT - T + CABLE
14	Book's writer left bitter surprisingly is content at heart (10) LIBRETTIST. L + BITTER* + IS + conTent
16	Moralist losing head amidst state uprising in country of literature (9) RURITANIA. pURITAN in (AIR rev.)
17	Unbelievable corruption of minor crushes dictator's chief underling (8) MYRMIDON.
19	Strength having been exhausted, a male aarakocra paladin's all but finally going to see healer (6) SHAMAN. StrengtH + A + M + aarakocrA paladiN
22	Usually face sweetheart during naked times, all uplifting (5) EMOJI. (JO in tIMEs) rev.
23	Discovered boss cut foot of sawbones? (4) OSSA. bOSs + SAw