Wednesday 10 March 2010

No 9786, Wednesday 10 Mar 10, Gridman

ACROSS
1 - One who abandons could start in confused state (7) - DIT{C}HER
5 - The French leader recalled sore spot (6) - {LES}{ION<-} )
9 - People are in agreement when they are in this (5) - UNITY [CD]
10 - A thin girl streaks in drizzle (5,4) - LIGHT RAIN*
11 - Aglow, that man takes turn for drug (7) - {LIT}{HI{U}M}
12 - Forgive prisoner and fellow-inmate finally (7) - {CON}{DON}{E}
13 - Mutt on the outskirts of Vellore is crook (5) - {CUR}{VE}
14 - One is obliged to answer these demands (4,5) - DUTY CALLS [CD]
16 - What under-estimators won't do (9) - OVERVALUE [CD]
19 - “Men have become the tools of __ tools” (Thoreau) (5) - THEIR [E]
21 - Uncommon for saint to give vent to anger (7) - {ST}{RANGE}
23 - Blimp designing hip sari (7) - AIRSHIP*

24 - Most rally with elan hither and thither (6,3) - NEARLY ALL*
25 - Fruit secreted by Dombivili children (5) - LICHI [T] Actually spelt as Litchi or Lychee. really yummy fruit.

26 - We, far from weakness, brandish old Scottish daggers (6) - SKEANS(-we)*

27 - Flared up at Government's warning signal (3,4) - RED FLA*{G}
DOWN
1 - XX (6-8) - DOUBLE CROSSING [CD]
2 - One who taunts with a bird sound (7) - TWITTER [DD]
3 - Henry's consent to cable in confusion (7) - {H}{AY}{WIRE}
4 - Extraordinary Erode moll is someone to emulate (4,5) - ROLE MODEL*
5 - Clear reasoning in record I collected initially (5) - {LOG}{I}{C}
6 - Like Rushdie's “Verses”? (7) - SATANIC [E]
7 - Doing very well are soldiers in South American plain put up (2,1,4) - ON A {RO}LL <- )
8 - Sunder's out catching subordinate (14) - UNDERS*{TRAPPING}
15 - Let hatter unfold old British publication (3,6) - THE TATLER*
17 - Appropriate feature added to Mangalore's foremost ship (7) - {EAR}{M}{ARK}
18 - Home has stock of an essence used in cooking (7) - V{AN}ILLA
19 - Overturned creature at road-end (7) - {TURTLE}{D}
20 - Seth I called within is full of integrity (7) - ETHICAL [T]
22 - Tests cutback on manuscripts (5) - {EXA<-}{MS} )

GRID

80 comments:

  1. Good morning folks

    Could complete the crossword pretty fast. Yet again, some good anagrams and play with words.

    19A - This quote from Thoreau is a telling comment on Man's overdependence on / subservience to gadgets and contrivances. I liked it.

    1D - Could this be the shortest clue ever in crossword history? In that case, it deserves a mention in record books.

    9D took a little longer to surface.


    Richard

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  2. Not to deflect the discussion away from the xwd.
    But from yesterday.
    Also I expect Richard's input.
    I don't know Sanskrit but from words heard long ago disparately...
    Sthithi is 'state'; a word that I have used while speaking Tamil.
    Pragnya is consciousness. In Tamil it has a different termination.
    Now 'sthithi pragnya' I would say is a state in which you are conscious of, aware of, the surroundings but without being affected by it.
    In sorrow and happiness you retain the same equanimity: you're like a rock.
    Would my interpretation be correct?

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  3. Richard - 1D is the shortest clue I came across. I kind of remember reading somewhere about a clue which kind of reads "(2,4)" and the answer is NO CLUE or something similar...

    The clue had me in knots for a while though... all I could think of was in the line of FEMALE-CHROMOSOMES, I was looking for an 8-letter synonym for CHROMOSOMES...

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  4. I remember a clue given as
    . (6)

    with the answer being "PERIOD".

    I admit this is not as short as what Sagar indicated.

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  5. @richlas:

    1D - Could this be the shortest clue ever in crossword history? In that case, it deserves a mention in record books.

    Gridman has used single-letter clues in the past, such as . (5) !

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  6. Got this from Orkut - Gridman's set of single-letter clues:

    . (5)
    0 (6)
    0 (4)
    & (9)
    + (4,4)
    x (4)
    ~ (5)

    @Sagar: I've read about a similar blank clue, for the word CLUELESS.

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  7. C-Vasi sir, your question reminds me of the word "sthita pragnya" I hear in Ghantasala's Telugu Bhagavad Gita recitals. I guess that might be the same word you are referring to. Though I kind of understood the word, I never knew the exact meaning. Coincidentally I was talking to a priest last weekend when that word came up and I was wondering about the translation. Thanks to you, you reminded me to research it.

    A little bit of googling landed me at http://www.advaita.org.uk/sanskrit/terms_rs.htm, scroll down to "sthitaprajna" for the description.

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  8. Shuchi - that was the clue I read about too.. CLUELESS

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  9. Sagar
    Thanks.
    Yes, that's the same word - spelt differently.
    I think that the meaning given there approximates to my suggestion.
    I lay no claim to any deep knowledge of our sacred texts.
    BTW, the website should be useful to look up Sanskrit words that we come across.
    Till now I used to look up Maneka Gandhi's Book of Hindu Names if I ever wanted to understand a Sanskrit word.

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  10. @ Shuchi

    Thanks for updating me with a list of single-character clues.

    @ Chaturvasi

    The link given by Sagar gives the authentic, basic meaning of the word 'sthitaprajna'. Your explanation goes still deeper and to the core. The moment I started reading your query I thought of using the word 'equanimity', but you have already suggested that equivalent.

    Richard

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  11. @ Shuchi

    This are my guesses for the single-character clues in the Gridman list given by you. Please let me know if they are correct. I am curious to have your response.

    PERIOD, CIPHER, ZERO, AMPERSAND, PLUS MARK, INTO and TILDE.


    Richard

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  12. While everyone here has of course moved on out of this material world and the day's interesting but easier puzzle, I am still over in the corner hunched over my desk mulling over what / who "NOI" is that makes up the solution to 5Ac (Lesion). Please enlighten.

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  13. @richlas,
    You've hammered the nail in good and proper

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  14. @veer,
    ION = NOI <- = No 1 = leader
    Does that make you feel like saying 'elementary Watson'?

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  15. Good morning. I was led astray by 1 D guessing female chromosome, double negative, etc.

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  16. Somewhere the Bard wrote:
    (from memory; excuse any mistakes)
    Oh, no. It’s an ever-fixed mark / That looks on tempests and is never shaken.
    Of course, it's in a different context but it's an example of 'sthitaprajna'.

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  17. @Colonel: Thanks. Fighting the good fight here! It is elementary as you say, but clearly, I am in no position to say the same..I can now breathe enough to curse myself under my breath.

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  18. @Richard: Nimble minded solving.. Could be PLUS MARK or PLUS SIGN depending on the puzzle's other clues probably..Or Nought for Cipher, maybe depending on other clues as well?

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  19. Yes, Deepak, the fruit has many spelling variants.
    In such a case, a careful clue-writer will make sure that the wordplay leads exactly to the spelling used in the grid.
    Here Gridman uses a hidden clue so there is no doubt.

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  20. 13A - If Kancheepuram can be considered as outskirts of Vellore, the clue becomes a dubious suggestion :) What with Sankara Mutt embroiled in controversies ! And what anglicizing Tamizh words can do ?

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  21. Afterdark -
    In broad daylight I see what you mean.
    I would only say that in that clue Mutt is a 'propah' English word.

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  22. XX (6-8)

    I thought Gridman was at it again and was going on a different direction.

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  23. Thanks Chatur...

    And on strithapragna, glad that you brought the word up. I think I get it better now.

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  24. @ Dan

    You seem to have typed 'stri...' in place of 'sti..' in the post above. Going by the discussion yesterday on, I am constrained to ask: was it a typo or a Freudian slip? :-)

    Richard

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  25. Hahahaha!!! That's funny, Richard

    I didn't get it initially ('cause I don't know a thing about sanskrit). After a lot of googling, I finally found the definition of "stri." Real LOL stuff considering the context... And well, to clarify, it was just a typo. :)

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  26. very stimulating discussion on bhagwat gita and visishtadhwaitha!

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  27. really stimulating discussion on bhagwat gita and visishtadhwaita, in stark contrast with what we had yesterday!

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  28. Pragnya?
    No-one noticed the image in Clue 10ac!

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  29. anyone had a chance to look up thirukkural 1087?

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  30. Someone asked me over the phone how blimp, meaning airship, could be designing 'hip sari'.
    I told him that Blimp also means 'a sort of military officer'. A person who could design saris or whatever.

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  31. so chaturji, what did you think of it?! real blast from thiruvalluvar, wasn't it?

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  32. "No-one noticed the image in Clue 10ac!"

    LOL!!! This guy Gridman seems to have a naughty sense of humor.

    I think Col could have made it interesting with an appropriate pic and a link.

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  33. But dan, its only a thin girl!

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  34. A thin girl is any day better than a fat one - as long as she ain't anorexic.

    I must admit though that it's all subjective.

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  35. VCK, BTW what's 1087 about? What's the message?

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  36. s. (anyway, i prefer the well endowed ones). in any case, this may not be the appropriate forum to discuss our 'spiritual' tastes.

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  37. dan man! find it! not so difficult in this internet age!

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  38. danny boy, did you find out what 1087 is?

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  39. More on stithapragnya...
    I do volunteer work at a temple in my neighbourhood and there I meet a wise old gentleman who has attained spirituality.
    I asked him this evening about this term and first he smiled. "Oh, you've got into this..." I first gave him my idea, stated above, and he said I was not wrong.
    He then went on to explain. This is what I gather. A stitha pragnya (I may not be rendering the S. termination properly) is one who may be very much like you and me, married, working, having a family and in the midst of everyday activities but his mind is ALWAYS centred on God/Guru and like I said he is unmindful of the surroundings.
    The my friend went on to narrate a story. He said once he was talking with such a person on road. Suddenly SP said, "You're wearing flimsy chappals. It is so hot here and soon you will feel the ehat. Come on, let's move to the shade." They talked for some time and parted. Later my friend recalled that SP wasn't wearing any footwear at all. He was concerned about my friend but himself was oblivious to heat for his mind was centred on God.
    It seems that SP had a Guru. And when SP passed away, moments after death Guru was visited by the SP's soul. This the Guru told my friend.
    Another friend then mentioned the term 'dwanda bhavam'. 'Dwanda' is 'dual', 'bhavam' is 'emotion'. An equable attitude of mind which takes the opposites heat/cold, happiness/sorrow etc with the same calmness.

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  40. s. reminds me of an incident in the life of one of the Acharyas of the Vainava Guru Parambarai, EMBAR.

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  41. Well, well, well...
    I think it's time we introduce each other here or somewhere.
    First, where do we live?
    Is Dan a foreign national?
    Is vck Dr V C Kulandaiswamy, former Vice-Chancellor of Madras University?

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  42. chaturji! are u trying to flatter me?! why would i be v c kulandaisamy?

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  43. i may be a chancellor of all the vices, but definitely not a vice-chancellor.

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  44. A good one. Anyway the said personage is a former VC of Anna University, not Madras as stated above. Apologies.

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  45. Embaar, as you may be knowing, was the half-brother of the great Ramanuja. His birth name was Govindan. And the great Emperumaanaar was so moved by the deeds of Govindan that he re-christened or praised Govindan as his own Emperumanaar, which Govindan politely refused as the name Emperumaanaar was already given to Ramanuja (by Thirukoshtiyur Nambi). Hence Ramanuja shortened the title emperumanaar to EMBAAR. Such was the greatness of Embaar!

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  46. Embaar, in my opinion, is the unsung of all the Acharyas. I feel he is not spoken with the same reverance as that of Emperumaanaar, Bhattar or Pillai Lokacharya.

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  47. Am i giving an overdose of Vainava Guru Parambarai?! Anyway since some of todays posts had a fragrance of visishtadhvaita i took the liberty. Maybe, i was thinking aloud.

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  48. kindly bear with me chaturji, if i had transgressed my prerogatives here.

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  49. I have no problem.
    It is Col. Deepak Gopinath who is the owner of this blog and I am a mere visitor.

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  50. I hope colonelji condones me for my occasional digression.

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  51. vck, my google search got me nowhere...

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  52. Chatur, I live in Chennai, TN.

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  53. Kural 1087 -
    Kadaa_akkalittrin mel katpadaam maadhar
    padaa_a mulai mel thugil.

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  54. @vck,
    I have no problem as long as it remains within some limits of decency as we are in the public domain.
    I however dislike being given false or misleading information, for example you have indicated your age as 13 in your blogger profile and shown yourself as a resident of Tuvalu on Galapagos Island which may be true, but I do not believe your age is 13.

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  55. @dan, for the english translation pl go to
    kural.muthu.org

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  56. S. colonelji. i admit it is a mistake. i shall take steps to rectify it.

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  57. probably, the child inside me took over when i was typing my profile.

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  58. Col Deepak Gopinath
    I believe that I have not in any writings of mine crossed the limits of decency; if I have, I may be excused.

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  59. On stithapragna...

    Nice anecdote, Chatur... I see that the core idea is basically on how we focus our thoughts. If it's consistently one dimensional, we become less concerned about other aspects of our experiences, which become subconscious as result. The way I see it, focusing on God is merely an example. It could be replaced with any object of our choice.

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  60. oh, come on, chaturji; lets shed this pedagoguism and be a little more informal.
    chaturji, you live in chennai?

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  61. Yes, I live in Chennai.
    And I would be most willing to be part of any meeting in Chennai that we may arrange at a common venue on an appointed day.
    A couple of years ago some half-a-dozen posters at the Orkut community: The Hindu Crossword Solutions met. Except for me, all were youngsters.

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  62. ...ilamai meendum varumaa, sugam peruma, mudhumayae sugamaa....? - an old tamil film song.

    S. it will be a good idea for us to meet if there is an opportunity.

    Why dont you senior people think of having a crossword quiz on one of the tv channels?

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  63. Thanks vck... This is a bit embarrassing... I don't understand the translation - or rather what's being implied.

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  64. or maybe in the lines of BSNL sports quiz which has become immensely popular. in the sameway, some of you can conduct a crossword quiz show.

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  65. no dan; i cant be using this forum to discuss that kural. will be immediately deleted.

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  66. It's all right. Forget it...

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  67. Long ago I was part of a solver team on a Doordarshan crossword show. The quiz master was V Ramamurthy, IAS.
    I have conducted crossword quizzes in some city colleges including IIT.

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  68. @dan, as long as you can understand and read tamil, you can find the meaning in any thirukkural book.

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  69. chaturji, maybe you and colonelji should join hands and revive it. yes, i remember watching crossword quiz on doordarshan looong back.

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  70. Back to crosswords:
    The clues in today's Guardian crossword are very mechanical.
    The use of an abbreviation T for Tuesday ws criticised by many but defended by a few.
    That abbreviation is not found in any standard dictionary but it is indeed in the long list on which one of our compilers seems to rely.
    Also the preponderance of charades is criticised. And the fact that some of the clues have too many components.

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  71. vck, I get the meaning but am not able to make the connection. Anywayz, will try to figure it out sometime... Thanks for the effort, pal.

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  72. >And I would be most willing to be part of any meeting in Chennai that we may arrange at a common venue on an appointed day.
    A couple of years ago some half-a-dozen posters at the Orkut community: The Hindu Crossword Solutions met. Except for me, all were youngsters.

    I want to meet everyone too. Please swing by if you are in Northern California. I plan on being in India sometime this summer - Chnnai for sure, and maybe Pondy & Bangalore too. I'll start up some meeting plans once my travel is firm

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  73. welcome dan. try to read all the kurals in kamathupaal. will be a revelation for you.

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  74. Chatur, what's your opinion on the kind of grids you find on American newspapers? IMO, they don't look as neat as these ones. Technically, how do you rate them? Since you seem like an expert on Crosswords, I'd like to hear from you.

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  75. @dan - crossword is a british thing; brits as you know are stiff upperlipped and are purists as opposed to americans who are a bit promiscuous. the same may be extrapolated to crosswords also.

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  76. I love their accents and their crosswords. Can't think of anything else. And oh yea, Keira Knightley!!!

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