Saturday 24 July 2010

No 9903, Saturday 24 Jul 10, Nita Jaggi

ACROSS
8   - Spend extravagantly to put house bath in order (4,3,4,3) -  PUSH THE BOAT OUT*
9   - Do rush over to the side of the church (6) - {FLEE}{CE}
10 - Requested the director to admit the man from the French domain in front (8) - DE{MAN}{DE}{D} Anno pending (Addendum - {DE{M}AN}{DE}{D} - Thanks to VJ, see comments)
11 - Copy of the real signature (8) - SPECIMEN [CD]
13 - Small piece of information (6) -  NUGGET [CD]
14 - Spendthrift, yes is in confusion (6) - {YUP}{PIE} Are they really spendthrifts?
16 - Spies following the doctor's pattern (6) - {MO'S}{AIC<-}
19 - Finally an architect cuts out the structure to develop the tower (6) - {T}{URRETcuts*}
21 - Jumbo on the plane is in danger (8) - ELEPHANT*
23 - Dog will jump with hesitation (8) - {SPRING}{ER}
24 - Shop on the way out (6) - OUTLET [DD]
26 - One gets rid of a Dubai bartender outside the last restaurant for one's basic needs (5,3,6) - {BREAD AND BUT{T}ERi*}
DOWN
1   - Reptile and spy together are affected outright with this kind of disorder (8) - {EPILErt*}{PSY*}
2   - Best exams held in an ancient city (4) - ESTE [T] Why is it ancient ?
3   - Forcibly rest before the morning crowd (6) - {STRE*}{AM}
4   - A honeymoon is the outcome of this ceremony (7) - WEDDING [CD]
5   - Get the blood group of the soldier (8) - {COMMAND}{O}


6   - Jotting notes on the table machine (10) - {STENO*}{GRAPH}
7   - Thing to see in the boat (6) - {BUG}{EYE} A better definiton could be used for BUG
12 - Match, Iran can play is of major importance (10) - {COPE}{RNICAN*} Where is Iran's A ?
15 - Entire unit has no electricity leading to a large city set-up (8) - {INTu*}{EGRAL*} ?
17 - Is able to live with a couple of Republicans initially alone in the city (8) - {CAN}{BE}{RR}{A}
18 - Put down the journalist upset on stage (7) - {DE<-}{GRADE}
20 - Odd-man is at the stump out on the street in anger (6) - {UMPst*}{IRE} Never knew that odd-man was the origin for umpire.
22 - Leaving late, do turn up in America (6) - {EX}{OD<-}{US}
25 - Poet in States (4) - TATE [T]


38 comments:

  1. Hi folks

    As usual, a few clues got me on the wrong foot. A few guesses. Yet to check the published annos.

    Got through FLEECE (do = cheat), DEMANDED, SPECIMEN, NUGGET, MOSAIC, ELEPHANT (liked this), SPRINGER, OUTLET, BREAD AND BUTTER, EPILEPSY, ESTEM STREAM, COMMANDO (doubtful; anno not clear), STENOGRAPH, CANBERRA, DEGRADE, EXODUS, TATE etc.

    22D - EXODUS means leaving en masse. Why 'late'?

    Yesterday's 2D was SNICKET.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi
    Solving crosswords and puzzles is supposed to ward off or slow down Alzheimer’s, etc., but today I got EPILEPSY doing it. BREAD AND BUTTER and cloak and dagger (spy in 1d and spies in 16a), though there seems to be no return/anagram indicator in 16a. CANBERRA, though city referred to here, reminded me of the aircraft of the same name, the first model I got.
    Canberra
    The IAF too had these and one specimen with an off the centre cockpit may be seen at the Air Museum near HAL in Bangalore

    ReplyDelete
  3. 22d Leaving=Exodus, late=ex (as in dead), od= do turn up, us=america

    ReplyDelete
  4. Apropos illustrations:

    11a the architect who designed this must be a specimen himself

    5d Who dares wins

    ReplyDelete
  5. Kishore
    Thanks. This is a nod from me to your 'wink, wink' late in the evening yesterday.
    NB: He was alluding to a letter of mine that was published under my real name in the paper yesterday (the last one).
    ***I met Suresh the day before yesterday when he was in Madras on a brief visit.
    ***I have marvelled at Jug's use of English right from his JS days.

    ReplyDelete
  6. "10 - Requested the director to admit the man from the French domain in front (8) - DE{MAN}{DE}{D} Anno pending"

    I think the anno is

    {DE{M}AN}{DE}D

    director = DEAN
    man = male = M
    French = DE
    domain = D

    ReplyDelete
  7. 6D Reminds when most students used to join typing and shorthand courses immediately after 10th Std. With PCs and self composition, need for dictation (except in the medical profession and like) and stenography has become redundant as rightly pointed out by Future Shock author Alvin Toffler in a chapter called 'Death of the Secretary' in his book The Third Wave(1980), mentioning that this job was going to be at stake.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi Gita 09:03

    Your occasional one-liners brighten up the scenario here. Perhaps you can suggest to the Col to attach a countdown meter here during the ten days of head-scratching and nerve-racking.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Everyman gives us a breather tomorrow.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Personally, I'm having fun (at her expense though) solving NJ's crosswords - strange sentences, vague definitions, odd words and usages (like tip-off, regularly, oddly, initially, out...), surprising answers, unique logic, shocking annos and so on. NJisms are funny IMO.

    ReplyDelete
  11. CV sir@8.46
    What a pleasant surprise that you are also a fan of Jug Suraiya of JS. I still have the collection of his REAR WINDOW (or is it Postern Embrasure as some reader called it then) neatly bound. I have followed JS till its last publication and really felt sad when it closed.
    We have a lot more to talk of JS on 8th Aug then!

    ReplyDelete
  12. @ Col
    On 2D: Why is Este called an ancient town?

    Este is a town and commune of the Province of Padua, in the Veneto region of northern Italy. During the Iron Age, Este was a major centre of the Veneti and became a Roman colony during the 2nd Century BC. In the Late Antiquity, Este was wrecked by barbarian invasions. It was only after the 10th Centuryand that ut arose again, when Azzo II d'Este built a castle there and named himself and his family after it.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Venkatesh@09 24

    You remind me of Sunil Sethi in JS (CV sir's ref)

    who would give so many facts and details in every issue of JS.

    You amaze me with your details everyday,
    Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  14. @Richard : >Your occasional one-liners brighten up the scenario here.

    But, I was in distress when I asked. My sense of humour has slowly depleted over the past 8 days.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Jug Suraiya is a funny sounding name... I didn't even know such a person existed. Bad!!!

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  16. A humour writer from our own South who has not got much recognition is J. S. Raghavan, whose writings I know from the Seventies. He started out as a writer of 'middles' (or similar articles) which have appeared - and continue to appear - in The Hindu, (New) Indian Express, ToI and Deccan Herald. A couple of his pieces were picked by the Reader's Digest before it took on the Indian avatar and when all material has to be approved by US Hq. JSR later switched to Tamil and his weekly column has been published continuously for the past 500 weeks and more in Annanagar Times, a regional newspaper from Madras. His stories have appeared in almost all leading Tamil publications such as Vikatan and Kalki. He has won an award from Devan Memorial Trust.
    Raghavan has been a close friend of mine for several decades. We became friends when I as a subeditor on Indian Express had to contact him over a 'middle' of his that was due for publication the next day.

    ReplyDelete
  17. VJ @ 09.28

    I am sure you are a very young man dear.

    We, the so called Senior Citizens oh THCC blog
    who were bitten by the Engligh bug, definitely have enjoyed his pieces in the 70's.If interested , I can bring all my JS collections.

    ReplyDelete
  18. CV sir,

    Today you are really taking me back to my college days in Mumbai.

    Apart from JS, the "middles" in TOI were my next favourite-- again holding a collection.

    So also the 3rd Editorial in TOI which will have a unique flavour.

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  19. @VJ

    You might be able to place Jug Suraiya as the creator of the popular cartoon series Dubyaman
    (named after George W. Bush, whose middle initial is W - which he pronounces dubya, hence the name dubyaman). This he does in collaboration with artist Neelabh Bannerjee. The strip started post 9/11 when it centred around George W. Bush's enthusiastic war against terrorism; later, the focus moved to making a mockery of politicians in India.

    Jug was named Jagdish (pronounced Jugdeesh) because he was born in the temple town of Puri, which is famous for its annual Jagannath chariot festival (the word Juggernaut derives from this as the chariot used to run amok killing many persons). Jagdish is the modern version of Jagannath, and its shortened form is Jug, though Jug is the only one who spells it that way. In South, we are used to calling Jagdish or Jagannathan as 'Jaggu'!

    Jug has settled in Gurgaon (adjacent to Delhi) with his wife Bunny.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Venkatesh @ 9:24,

    Your explanation for ESTE is just a copy-paste from the Wikipedia page link to which I have already provided with the main post.

    My question is that since it is an existing city why call it ancient? Almost all cities in the world are ancient in that aspect. Take Jerusalem for example it has been in existence since the 19th century BC?

    ReplyDelete
  21. DS @ 09:19 onwards

    It is nice to hear that you too have been an admirer of Jug Suraiya and his write-ups. The discussion on JS began with my post late evening yesterday (@20:47).

    Just in case you have missed it last night, here it is: THCC-comments.July.23.

    ReplyDelete
  22. @ Col
    My question is that since it is an existing city why call it ancient? Almost all cities in the world are ancient in that aspect. Take Jerusalem for example it has been in existence since the 19th century BC?

    You feel that 'existing' cities should not be referred to as 'ancient', even if they happen to have a historic past.

    I would draw your attention to the Wikipedia page
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Ancient_cities which lists Rome also as an ancient city.

    Ancient refers to the age (old, of time long past). The city itself may have become historical (belonging to the past) or it may continue to be functional while being historic (noted in history).

    CV may enlighten us on this.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Richard@10.45
    Thanks for the Link. I did not realise that the discussion here continue that late. Will check on this blog in the evening also.

    Jug Suraiya was the MOST favourite columnist in our family in the seventies. Everyone will eagerly wait for JS to hit the stand and there will be a scramble at home to get the first look
    a la Kungumam/Dinakaran ad these days

    ReplyDelete
  24. @ Dr DS

    Thanks for the pat. So, you are a Mumbaikar whose karmabhoomi is now Coimbatore.

    @ CV
    2 - Best exams held in an ancient city (4) - ESTE [T] Why is it ancient ?

    Clarity is necessary. When I responded to Col's question above as to why Este is considered ancient, he said the info is already available in the Wikipedia link. Now, it appears his objection is to NJ terming existing cities as ancient. Probably he feels that the appellation should be used only for 'extinct' cities like UR.

    I hope you can help provide the clarification sought by Col.

    ReplyDelete
  25. I am no authority but since the question is specifically addressed to me for the second time I venture to answer the question.
    Without reference to the clue in question and without any comment on that -
    I would use the term 'ancient city' to one that is discovered during digs and which existed once upon a time.

    ReplyDelete
  26. @Venkatesh,
    first 19 years Erode,next 19 years in Mumbai,then
    in Salem, now shunting between Salem & Tirupur

    ReplyDelete
  27. In other words, I take 'ancient' to mean 'of former times'.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Like Harappa or Mohanjadharo?

    Let me quote:" strange sentences, vague definitions, odd words and usages (like tip-off, regularly, oddly, initially, out...), surprising answers, unique logic, shocking annos and so on. NJisms are funny IMO."

    Absolutely correct!!!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Thanks CV for the prompt response.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Dr D Srinivasan,

    Re your message @9:43. Do you have any issues of the JS pertaining to the period 1975-76? There's a picture of mine in an issue then as a teenager. Please do reply,

    LNS

    ReplyDelete
  31. LNS @16.39 0f 24 07

    I have mostly bound volumes of different articles grouped as Rear Window, Herstory,Upfront,something on Mysteries,CY Gopinath & Desmond Doig's articles etc.
    I did preserve the last issue for a long time but lost it somewhere.

    JS once asked : "Well what do you collect..."
    I did write a piece " I collect JS' but it didn't get published.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Any of you having the first issue of magazines? I have 2 or 3. I have the first issue of COMEDY (Vol I No.1)published in 1945.

    ReplyDelete

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