Today's starred clues has brought back memories of my good old cycle which I used in school and college. Especially the licence and dynamo which if absent from the bicycle invited the wrath of the traffic police and heavy fines. The present generation will not believe that bicycles and radios needed licences in the good old days.
Note: Solutions to starred clues (which carry no direct definition) are all parts of the same vehicle
ACROSS
1 - *Bare land ploughed by Henry initially (9) - HANDLEBAR*
6 - A Vaastu concern? (5) - DECOR [CD]
9 - Emotional letters from Billy Richardson (5) - LYRIC [T]
10 - *Set enclosure for unstable stack (9) - KI{CKSTA*}ND
11 - Short skirt in open box for old Lucy from Ethiopia, say (7) - HO{MINI}D
12 - Indian Airlines flight sign decorated with bakery supplies (6) - {IC}INGS*
14 - This is about the agitated tenant who lost his head (5) - (-t)ANENT* New word for me
15 - Device to make you see the light? (3,6) - EYE OPENER [CD]
17 - Thirteen engineers grasp gravity as a tensor (9) - TI{G}HTENER*
19 - Call off rugby tackle after Mike is substituted by Bishop (5) - SCRU(-m+b)B
20 - *Dry hollow in Asian country retreat (6) - D(-r)Y{NAMO<-} )
22 - Proud to become a non-conformist (7) - DROPOUT*
24 - Suites are damaged near the coastal waters (9) - ESTUARIES*
25 - Exceptionally good part of a piano duet (5) - PRIMO [DD]
26 - *Declared incomplete (5) - SPOKE(-n)
27 - Mount on cape shows verticality (9) - ERECT{NESS}
DOWN
1 - Strangely handles feathers with a lack of passion (4-11) - HALF-HEARTEDNESS*
2 - Captured by a revolutionary hitman? Remember to take ’em out in this city (9) - NU{REM(-em)BER}G <- )
3 - *Secure kernel (7) - {LOCK}{NUT}
4 - Kebabs dean cooked with popular tinned food (5,5) - BAKED BEANS Yummy!!
5 - *Dried seaweed for the auditor (4) - RACK (~wrack)
6 - *Written agreements in retreat from the French at first (7) - {DU}{STCAP<-} ) Invariably stolen by someone at school!!
7 - *Seat of the Russian chief ousted by the Navy (5) - CHAI(-r+n)N
8 - Fresh allocations (15) - REDISTRIBUTIONS [E]
13 - Happen to break out (10) - RECRUDESCE [DD] Another new word for me
16 - Cast-iron wrought with energy drug (9) - NARCOTIS*{E}
18 - Season stuffing in the lab brought up for meat dish (7) - TIM{BAL<-}E
19 - Try to fix this field event (4,3) - {SHOT} {PUT}
21 - Mani troubled somewhat by dynamite ingredient (5) - NITRO [T]
23 - Drop the rim attachment audibly (4) - TIRE (~tyre)
GRID
The bicycle note brought back a sense of nostalgia.
ReplyDeleteRemembered a couple of 'recycled' jokes:
1. A cop takes a rider to task for double-riding his bicycle and speeding late in the evening without a headlight, and orders him to stop. He threatens the latter with a triple offence case.
The cyclist shouts back,"Stay away, sir, its brakes are not working, either!"
2. A little boy, a novice at cycling skills, stretches his hands, leaves the handlebar free and cries out to everone around: "See, no hands !".
The soon after, he stretches his feet, waves them along and says: "See, no feet !", but immediately crashes to the ground, straight on his face.
Then he mutters, "See, no teeth!"
Richard
Good ones, Richard
ReplyDeleteI am seriously contemplating switching back to the bicycle to negate the effects of the terrible traffic situation in Bangalore
ReplyDeleteCol, do you think it would be safe with the road-hogs all around?
ReplyDeleteRichard
Well Colonel, if we had separate cycle lanes a lot of us would do so.
ReplyDeleteThere used to be a cylle lane in Chennai Mount Road at one time. In fact Buharis junction also had separate separate cycle signals. Good things dont last
Your point is valid, but there does seem to be a resurgence of the bicycle, I do see quite a few guys on geared cycles with helmet and all
ReplyDeleteOf late I have been seeing ads for new models of bicycles costing upto 15,000!!!
ReplyDeleteIn the early 70s we used to go to night shows on our bicycles which had a wick lamp in which we used a mixture of kerosene and oil. The lamp was locked up with a chain!
I have seen bikes costing 25,000!!
ReplyDeleteI keep telling my kids that my father bought his first new car a FIAT for Rs 6,000 in 1956 (I still use it), I bought my first new motorcycle a YEZDI in 1977 for Rs 6,000 (I still use it) and that if they want to buy something new for the same amount they will get only a new bicycle and God only knows how long it will last!!!!
To add on further I suppose my grandchild in his time will only be able to get a new tricycle for Rs 6,000!!!
ReplyDeleteIt is quite a style statement these days to cycle to work. The few people who do it to my workplace get a lot of attention/admiration.
ReplyDeleteColonel, ANENT and RECRUDESCE are new words for me too.
Inviting you all to read this post about Neyartha: Neyartha Trivia.
@SHUCHI
ReplyDeleteI read your analysis. Very interesting.
This must be a full time job for you
You know that I often mention where and when I first came across a word.
ReplyDeleteAnent - this was sometime in 1957 or 1958 when I as a young boy was rusticating in Durgapur, near Calcutta.
I used to read The Statesman in which letters to the editor often used to begin: Sir, - Anent the letter of Mr Abhijit Biswas, I wish to state that etc. etc.
BTW, my first letter to the editor was published in that newspaper during that period!
Hi all
ReplyDeleteNot much of crossing swords over crosswordly matters today.
Feeling guilty about having set the ball rolling over the 'cycling' affairs.
It was fun, nevertheless.
Richard