Stats -Only 16 people managed to submit the completed grid for this puzzle. Of those who submitted, 9 managed to get the full score of 31. The following is the list of people who had full scores, in alphabetical order..
1. Aashwina Mouli
2. Ashit Hegde
3. Col. Deepak Gopinath
4. Mona Sogal
5. Ramani
6. SSv Avtaar
7. Vasant Srinivasan
8. Venkatraghavan S.
9. Vinayak Ekbote
Congrats to all of you.
Here’s the Solution grid
Questions asked at the end of the puzzle included Annotations for Clues 10A, 3D and 4D.
Here are the Annotations..
Across:
7. Celebration to some degree lacking a bit of levity (5) PART(-L)Y
8. Many princes deposing king in effort for freedom (9) EXE(-R)(+MP)TION
10. Perhaps felt football club has an edge without Frenchman (6) F A BRI(-m) C
11. Belief that higher power exists within Area 51? (8) Li >> REGION
12. Do I stare stupidly at object in the sky? (8) DO I STARE*
13. Job of model to pose (4) T+ASK
15. Grand coat’s not very trim (7) G(-v)ARNISH
17. Biblical seductress causing hero to be distressed? (7) CD
20. Enthusiastic about celebrated singer (4) AVID <<
22. Roughly before rent, declared close to bankruptcy? (8) c RIP PLED
25. Dense yokel incurring back tax (8) HICK in TEST <<
26. Southwest country’s missed broadcast about organs? (6) -S W E N << Glands
27. Boy on the eve of becoming someone great (9) B ON THE EVE*
28. Street music band (5) ST RAP
Down:
1. Oriental from Manila, say (9) MANILASAY*
2. Large swimmer to push on carrying weight (8) St URGE ON
3. Force out former PM (gold went missing!) (7) Ex TRUDE(-au)
4. Dish some felt better served without shells? (8) (-s)OM(-e) (-f)EL(-t) (-b)ETTE(-r)
5. Organizes transport between towns (6) DD
6. Treatment boyfriend divulges in conversation (5) BEAU TALKS (homophone)
9. Beech ordinarily provides cover for parrot (4) T
14. Style icon made jeans rebellious (5,4) MADE JEANS*;
16. Reaches over boiling still (8) SPANS << HOT
18. Lodges complaints about leaking gas (8) COMPLAINTS-CO*
19. Drive off in different directions, failing car test (7) CAR TEST*
21. Popular name for fuel (6) IN CITE
23. Villain’s role written for one in the past (4) I AGO
24. Proverbially a crowd in that place turning about (5) TH(ER<<)E; definition: proverbially a crowd.