Thursday 22 July 2010

No 9901, Thursday 22 Jul 10, Nita Jaggi

I am having 8D today, NJ have some 13A for me or I will go 15D!!!
ACROSS
1   - Game in the small harbour (5) - {S}{PORT}
4   - Boy will regularly book the French lottery (7) -{TOM}{B}{O}{LA}
10 - Usual advertisement for an eastern show (6) - {PAR}{AD}{E}
11 - More tender and spicier kind of top rice (8) -{CRISPIE*}{R}
13 - Feeling my retreat on the way inside the borders of the sanctuary (8) - {S{YM<-}{PATH}Y}
14 - Rescuer of damsels in distress (6) - KNIGHT [CD]
16 - A connected group of pages on the World Wide Web (4) - SITE [CD]
17 - A smaller earthquake (10) - AFTERSHOCK [CD]
20 - Superb elementary lesson (5,5) - FIRST CLASS [DD]
21 - Out of harmony (4) - AJAR [CD]
24 - Democratic leader in the tunnel is on the right side (6) - {BOR{D}E}{R}
26 - An expert has to be firm about the student’s code of behaviour (8) - {PRO}{TO}{CO}{L}


28 - Signs the first letters (8) - INITIALS [DD]
29 - Limitless excitement in an activity (6) - eMOTION
30 - I had to be back to sing with determination for an American tango first with displeasure (7) -{DI<-}{SinG}{US}{T} How does 'sing with determination' mean removal of in ?
31 - Character is eager to decide (5) - AGREE*
DOWN
2   - Indication by an artist in a fit of temper (9) - {P{A}{RA}METER*}
3   - Porter is in a communist tent with no money (6) - {RED}{CAmP}
5   - Vegetable is all right for the research associate (4) - {OK}{RA
Why did they get the name Lady's finger
6   - Question about the franchise (8) - BUSINESS [DD]
7   - False invention (5) - LYING [CD] ?!?!?!?
8   - Access to health farms on both sides of Madras (6) - {SPAS}{MS}
9   - Supporter, an adult loses job in city (6) - {BRA}{TaSK}
12 - What a rummy player would usually do (7) - SHUFFLE [CD]
15 - Norse warrior has gone mad (7) - BERSERK [DD]


18 - Yes No questionnaire (9) - OBJECTIVE [E]
19 - Discriminatory practice by a real estate agent (8) - STEEPING ?
20 - Cloth for a Britisher residing in Calicut initially (6) - {F}{A}{B}{R}{I}{C}
22 - Give in a fee for the French accommodation (6) - {RE{LE}NT}
23 - Positive way of a boy in Germany (6) - {ST}{RON}{G}
25 - Palm to palm kind of healing (5) - REIKI [CD]
27 - Extra tips on private lessons for you and me (4) - {P}{L}{US} ?

26 comments:

  1. Hi everyone

    The bottom right corner was a bit tough for me today. SPORT, TOMBOLA, PARADE, CRISPIER, SYMPATHY, KNIGHT, SITE, FIRST CLASS, INITIALS, DISGUST, AGREE, PARAMETER, REDCAP, OKRA, SPASMS, BUSINESS, LYING, FABRIC etc. fell easily.

    Thank Goodness, TOMBOLA has been spelt correctly. It is often misspelt as TAMBOLA.

    OKRA is the international name for Lady's Finger. Wonder how ladies feel about the name when they have to cut the vegetable into pieces before cooking. ;-)

    English is indeed a phunny language. SPASMS = ACCESS !

    ReplyDelete
  2. LYING seems OK. Lie is something invented, fictitious. PLUS too appears correct.

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  3. 'Hi
    Liked PROTOCOL, PARAMETER, REDCAP. FIRST CLASS was superb (finally a positive superlative used for NJ). However, 8d SPASMS seems to be badly clued. I was disgusted with DISGUST. Agree with Plus, P+L+US=extra.

    Srinivasaraghava reports in Orkut:
    “Today's Hindu carries the Obit of Air Marshal PV Iyer (Venky)'s wife Smt Kalyani, "who passed away while doing her daily crossword, with her beloved husband at her side". She had celebrated her 80th birthday last month.

    Imagine leaving the mortal coil while engaged in one's favourite pastime!

    Our condolences to the bereaved family. May her soul rest in peace. “

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  4. Deepak, your opening salutation (!) was classic.

    5A - Perhaps the name Lady's Finger came into vogue because of its dainty look and shape.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Last Friday, Col Saab said:

    2 - Standard opening line in a formal letter (10) - SALUTATION [CD] Why standard? Do we have non-standard and sub-standard opening lines also?

    If the current standards (??) are maintained, the Col.'s opening salutation may well become the standard one. Only words might change, but we would be going round the bend, amok, berserk, ga-ga, whatever.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thinking on NJ lines for 30a: Determination = endure from beginning till end, first to last, s to g. ????

    ReplyDelete
  7. Earlier poser: (PJ)
    Then, which word in English refers to a cat getting tea in the past tense in Hinglish.

    LIABILITY: Laya Billi Tea.

    Earlier poser: (Serious)
    Men have one, women have two....??
    Take you pick from the following answers (all are correct)
    a. Vowels
    b. Syllables
    c. Surnames (if the lady takes her husband's name after marriage)
    d.Chromosome X
    e.Cervix

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  8. 5A - Perhaps the name Lady's Finger came into vogue because of its dainty look and shape.

    Which lady's fingers?

    ReplyDelete
  9. I too noticed that in Mrs P V Iyer's Obit.

    My first reaction was which crossword was the lady doing. No way of knowing it.

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  10. Yes No questionnaire - Checklist would have been appropriate.

    Objective tests can have more than two answers.

    New meaning SPASMS = Access

    Not sure whether it is an accepted practice to mix up adjectives, nouns
    FIRM = CO

    Hats off to Colonel though for working through the clues of (NJ) day after day.

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  11. Wholly agree with the sentiment expressed in the last line of 922. Really admire his patience to locate apt cartoons/links and bundle them in. All kinds of headgear off.

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  12. C'vasi - 09:04 You certainly have an uncanny ability to shoot good (read difficult-to-answer), leading (loaded?) questions. ;-)

    Answering such questions (e.g., which Lady's Finger?) can sometimes lead to needless, avoidable controversies. Am I right? Just kidding.

    ReplyDelete
  13. @Deepak 10:52

    Does that mean you are content with 30A, 8D?

    NJ did not attend the Wren & Martin grammar school, and her dictionary was especially compiled by her for herself.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Kishore's post yesterday was the best humerous take on the situation

    "Grammar book authors Wren & Martin have been thrown out of the window. Luckily for them, both of them are birds and can fly."

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  15. On OKRA:

    There is a popular Kannada jingle

    “Bendekayi Thondekayi thotadallide
    Unde unde bella ella dabba dallide…”


    The meaning: Lady’s finger (Bendekayi) and Ivy Gourd (Thondekayi) vegetables are in the garden and balls of Jaggery (Bella) are inside the boxes.

    Children love Jaggery and they know that if they run into the kitchen anytime they are sure to be [...]

    The scientific name of the lady's finger (OKRA) plant is hibiscus esculentus. It originated in Ethiopia, and spread to the Mediterranean, Asia and the rest of Africa, eventually arriving in the Americas (probably during the days of slave trafficking).

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  16. The correct scientific name of Okra is Abelmoschus esculentus, and not the earlier name, Hibiscus esculentus, which has now been found incorrect.

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  17. Venkatesh @ 15:14 It is a pleasant surprise that you know / understand Kannada. Could be your mother-tongue.

    ReplyDelete
  18. May be 27 D works like this

    Extra 'tips' on 'P'rivate 'L'essons for you and me (US). 'P' and 'L' being at the 'tip' (in NJ's usuage) of their respective words.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Giridhar,

    That question mark in the main post is a mistake, initially when I was doing the CW I put down {P}{L}{U}{M} with the ? but before publishing I saw the error and changed it to {P}{L}{US} but forgot to remove the question mark.

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  20. Deepak Gopinath @ 10:52

    Regarding 19D: STEERING would be a better fit. It refers to the discriminatory practice of real estate agents steering "less desirable" clients away from certain properties or towards certain others.

    ReplyDelete
  21. NJ = NJVaasi ?

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  22. Just kidding !

    ReplyDelete

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