Friday 14 September 2012

No.10568, Friday 14 Sep 12, Vulcan

Welcome to Vulcan. Another day, another new setter. This has been quite an eventful week for THC. Pleasant and breezy solve this one, no doubt aided by the high number of anagrams.

ACROSS
1 Woke up with a girl and leaves (8) ROSEMARY (ROSE + MARY)
5 Run faster and attack (6) STRAFE (FASTER)*
9 A city in Bhutan is left struggling — without healthcare primarily (8) ISTANBUL (BhUTAN IS L)*
10 Insert one new list at random (6) INSTIL (I + N + LIST*)
12 Boy, after a bit of apprehension, Mr. Paes accepts an unknown partner (9) ALEXANDER (A + LEANDER outside X)
13 City’s parking sign has no English on it (5) PARIS (P + ARIeS)
14,16 Alternative, rare opening to a movie (4,6) REAR, WINDOW (RARE* + WINDOW)
18 Kind of trip made by a female clad in traditional outfit (6) SAFARI (A F inside SARI)
20 First off, proceed to make a pastry (4) TART (sTART)
23 Done! A new search engine short of nothing (5) BINGO (BING + O)
24 On trains moving close to terrific speed of sound, or near about (9) TRANSONIC (ON TRAINS* + C)
27 A citizen of a fine nation? Not quite (6) AFGHAN (A + F + GHANa)
28 Can Italy change and become reasonable? (8) ANALYTIC (CAN ITALY)*
29 Engine breaks down with half the fuel available (6) DIESEL (DIES + fuEL)
30 Respecting the French — stopping mild fire again (8) REKINDLE (RE + LE outside KIND)

DOWN
1 Girl devouring a yogurt dish (5) RAITA (RITA outside A)
2 A material found outside airport’s perimeter (6) SATEEN (SEEN outside AirporT)
3 Cruising northbound in a boat named Ray (5) MANTA (T<=)
4 Rot, without end, at the mercy of a dissolute person (7) ROUNDER (ROt + UNDER)
6 Point out the directions written on the top of restored kitchen item (3,6) TIN,OPENER (POINT* + ENE + R)
7 Riot near building front (8) ANTERIOR (RIOT NEAR)*
8 Silent fresh recruit (6) ENLIST (SILENT)*
11 Pull out  // a tie (4) DRAW (DD)
15 Explain to a rebel with a complex (9) ELABORATE (TO A REBEL A)*
17 Concert hall of a generic kind (8) CARNEGIE (A GENERIC)*
19 It’s outside the circle a little (4) IOTA (IT outside O + A)
20 Provisionally retain the entrant, to start with, as apprentice (7) TRAINEE (RETAIN* + E)
21 A panel in an aircraft (6) ABOARD (A + BOARD)
22 Joined the company on the second of December — the head of department (6) UNITED (UNIT + E + D)
25 Spicy dish brought to us by Islam (5) SALMI (ISLAM)*
26 Place to stash money, say (5) CACHE (~CASH)

62 comments:

  1. Welcome. I was Vulcanised today. As Sinbad the Sailor would say: Number Five.

    After the thunderous discussion yesterday, I was reminded of my favourite from Ray Bradbury: The Sound of Thunder.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Sound_of_Thunder

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have traced an online version (Kishore can say if it is the original or a slightly modified version):

      http://www.scaryforkids.com/a-sound-of-thunder/

      Delete
    2. It is the real McCoy. I like the way the author leaves the reader to jump to his own conclusion.

      Delete

  2. Hi all

    A volcano in lieu of expected thunder. Had to use a vulcanized eraser in a few places.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Richard, good you used an eraser. In our schooldays we used to use a rubber.

      Delete
    2. Kishore

      What, come again! You used rubbers in your schooldays?

      Delete
    3. Lubber was what we used to call it.

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    4. Light you are.

      CV, that rubber prevented a lost of miss-takes.

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    5. Rubbers were repeatedly used during periods, especially when multiplication errors were involved.

      Delete
    6. And to pre-empt some one:

      Tut! Tut! Boys will be boys! ;-)

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    7. HOWEVER, OUR TEACHERS, ALL OF THEM, DISLIKED USING 'LUBBERS' OR 'RUBBERS'.

      Delete
  3. Was reminded of Vulcan Laval (now known as Alfa Laval).

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  4. 14,16Ac.. Taking us back to JS days, the magazine and the author

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  5. Yesterday I asked, So how many composers do we have now?

    It seems I will have to answer it myself.

    Here is my list. E&OE.


    Arden
    Buzzer
    Gridman
    Incognito
    Klue klux klan
    Lightning
    Mover
    Neyartha
    Sankalak
    Scintillator
    Skulldugger
    Tester
    Textrous
    Vulcan

    Count: 14

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  6. If REAR WINDOW reminds our revered DS of JS, it puts wretched me in the warped mind of the large opening at the back of ladies' blouses - like some of those sported by Kushboo while anchoring a TV show.
    A fashion designer in T. Nagar charges more than Rs. 1,000 as stitching charges per jacket where stitching is not involved in large areas!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What a revelation!

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    2. Thereby burning a big hole in heh purse...

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    3. Probably you can rename it as 'cutting charges'!

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  7. One should have largesse to pay more for less.

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  8. Kicking myself for missing out the 'Rear Window'. What a movie ! Those were heady days of Hitchcock!
    Let us talk about the picture for a change!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Another neat debut crossword.

    Today's crossword wasn't one :

    Experiment near heat source was used to establish innocence.(5,2,4)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Kishore9:44 AM GMT+05:30
    Rubbers were repeatedly used during periods, especially when multiplication errors were involved.

    I thought that is the time you can be care-free or rather scare-free

    ReplyDelete
  11. It never rains but pours.We are on 15...going on 16/17/18...Thank you CV for encouraging and bringing in more setters and more variety!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. yes really enjoying the new setters, will it be Sankalak tomorrow ?

      Delete
  12. Re 15A, It was new type of clue; an anagram with a DD!
    Explain -- Elaborate
    Complex means Elaborate (also acts as anag ind)
    (TO A REBEL A)* Anagram

    Don't know if it was intended or a co-incidence

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi All,

    Thank you for your welcoming comments.

    Though it was exciting to see my work published on TH, I was kind of worried when I read my clues on the paper this morning. I was like, I could've done it a lot better and it made me go like What was I thinking. First off, like it's been pointed out, too many anagrams in this one crossword. And I ought to be more precise with my abbreviations and definitions. RE for `respecting' in 30A doesn't seem right if I think about it now and the surface is not good - kind of cringeworthy. And not sure if ANALYTIC and REASONABLE are exactly synonyms. I probably rely too much on online dictionaries. Looks like I'll have to buy myself a proper dictionary and try to make up better definitions etc. And the same indicator `outside' has been used twice (2D and 19D). I don't know, it kind of went unnoticed.

    You people seem like a nice lot, letting these go by without being critical or should I'have waited a bit longer!

    I'll address all the above shortcomings in my future puzzles - of course, to the best of my abilities.

    Once again thank you all for solving this puzzle and for being nice :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Welcome Vulcan. Enjoyed grappling with your clues.

      Delete
  14. Welcome, Vulcan. Seems to me that the Elements are in full force here? What next, a TSUNAMI? A Thunderous and Lightning storming of new setters, I should say !
    A very refreshing crossie today, thanks to Orkut's cooperation that I can participate in today's blog.

    As for yesterday's randy thunder and slender debate, CV-sir? Col? eh? et tu? Going down the memory valleys , eh? Maybe those monickers were earned by those ladies because of the thunderous applause that they used to get from the audience for their Explosure(spelling mine)? I'm sure that many ladies out there are roaring with rage over the slender chances of their assets being thunderous?

    As for SALMI, my instinctive mind went to the Indian flavours here and I put in MISAL, a very spicy dish that I used to go all the way to Shivaji Park in Bombay those days for that special Maharashtrian dish, beckoning you with the heady aroma of ginger, garlic and onions with tomato and coriander. It had a cousin called Pao-Usal an equally spicy fire-raising affair, the next day on the thunder box !! Hm, Pavlovian responses beckoned me back to Bombay.

    Again, today's clues also STRAFED me at TRANSONIC speed to my SAFARIs in Nairobi. Thanks , VULCAN , for REKINDLING my memories.

    I also wondered , how crosswords help us in living through our pasts all over again.
    A great experience.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Ah, yes, REAR WINDOW reminded me of that handsome, affable, and urbane James Stewart, not to speak of the delectable articles in REAR WINDOW that Jug Suraiya used to feature in the folded JS Magazine of the 70s.Remember? Dr Srinivasan?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Exactly, that was what I meant as "the author". I have a bound volume of Jug Suraiya's REAR WINDOW, if you want get back to those days.

      Delete
  16. DIESEL selling to die for? very bad kindling of a topical tinder fire !

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  17. Girls also used 'lubbers' in school! Aha! rear window is grist to mill today!

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  18. Good debut. Anagrams notwithstanding, the surfaces were very neat, all very plausible

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  19. Thanks Vulcan fora very refreshing CW! Did you know about the price hike when you composed 29A??

    ReplyDelete
  20. Raju

    Dr D S has a collection of articles from JS or old issues themselves like someone else here said he has Debonair.

    I had THC clippings from No. 1 in thousands but at some point of time I discarded them as they were yellowing. So also bundles of NIE crossword clippings.

    Back in my boyhood I had years of children's magazines Kalkandu and Kannan that I lugged from place to place (Sec'bad - Durgapur).

    Now I don't have attachment to anything.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I also have a number of "middles" from TOI, bombay of the 70's

      Delete
  21. Wrt to Kishore's mention of a short story, I had a blog in which I wrote synopses of several short stories with brief comments. The blog is not maintained now but it seems that searches still yield results where the posts show up. I still receive readers' comments.

    To those interested:

    http://cgrishikesh.wordpress.com/category/short-stories/

    (Please click on the tag 'short stories' on the rightside bar for other posts)

    ReplyDelete
  22. Poor Mr Spock of the Startrek series. No one remembered him today.

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  23. Enjoyed the crossword today. Welcome Vulcan, looking forward to your next one.

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  24. I wonder what's in store for us tomorrow, maybe we'll have another new setter then this week becomes freshers week.

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  25. CV sir:

    Please remember that I had requested you to give me the cuttings of the unsolved crosswords that you had collected. I too have a whole lot of The Statesman of Calcuuta crosswords bound as books and preserved. Ah, one day i intend solving all of them. They were very tough-

    It's my compulsive obsessive disorder !!

    Have you ever wondered the reasons for this COD?

    ReplyDelete
  26. Kishore, I doff my hat to you, sir. On a roll! :D


    And to today's grid: how does 'short of nothing' imply adding adding an O?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I had filled in Bingo without a second thought. On looking back, short of nothing should imply taking off an O not adding one.

      Delete
    2. I took it as "short form of nothing" which can be O. But Vulcan can 15D

      Delete
    3. Done = Definition = BINGO
      A new search engine = BING
      short of = before
      nothing = O

      BING before O = {BING}{O}

      Delete
    4. Thanks for explaining that.

      Delete
  27. 23 Done! A new search engine short of nothing (5) BINGO (BING + O)

    I don't think there is any prob here.

    Take BINGO (done).

    Short of nothing, that is, if this word does not have O (nothing), it is BING (a new search engine).

    ---

    Raju: In the early years that you are talking about The Statesman reproduced The Times (of London) crossword puzzle. Of course they were tough to me in my formative years of solving; yet I had some friends, including a woman friend, who used to get most of the answers. Interested solvers in Delhi would do the puzzle together in combined solving.

    We now get to solve The Times puzzle via the HT and certainly it's a more pleasurable and rewarding experience.


    ReplyDelete

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