Thursday 22 August 2013

No 10858, Thursday 22 Aug 2013, Mover

Moved quickly today.

ACROSS
1   Good fortune enjoyed by a setter, perhaps? (4,2,3,5) LUCK OF THE IRISH [C&DD] With Irish coming from RISHI* (See comments for more on this)
10 Decapitated coiffure set as a kind of wave (5) RADIO hAIRDO*
11 Adapted clone data based on unscientific observations (9) ANECDOTAL*
12 Sartre’s misguided apprehensions (7) ARRESTS*
13 Charges air-conditioning expenses (7) ACCOSTS {AC}{COSTS}
14 It can clear the nose when fun is turned into science fiction (5) SNUFF {S{NUF<=}F} I never knew that snuff is made from tobacco leaves!
16 Some black-market art I bravely turned over to judge (9) ARBITRATE [T<=]
19 Fennec or Field Marshal Rommel (6,3) DESERT FOX [DD]
20 Shaky movie boxer? (5) ROCKY [DD]
22 Broke stones as king slept (7) KNAPPED {K}{NAPPED}
25 Central, though it could be unclear (7) NUCLEAR*
27 Unstuck though taken in by the underworld (9) DISLODGED {DIS}{LODGED}
28 Quietly, Frost becomes first (5) PRIME {P}{RIME}
29 Disjointed all-rounder? (3,2,4,5) MAN OF MANY PARTS [CD]

DOWN
2   Offers meats at a lower price? (9) UNDERCUTS [C&DD]
3   We hear the sniffer is acquainted with the facts (5) KNOWS (~nose)
4   It enables one to raise the standard in Arizona (9) FLAGSTAFF [DD]
5   Animal desire in this year (5) HYENA {H{YEN}A} 'in' on double duty
6   Limits of Indonesian dictator lacking true signal (9) INDICATOR {IndonesiaN}{DICtATOR}
7   Radicchio tastes good in little bits (5) IOTAS [T]
8   Roman leader’s domain where you’d hear only the blessed Adriatic (4,3) HOLY SEE {HOLY} {SEE(~sea)}
9   Humorously sarcastic publicity for nymphs (6) DRYADS {DRY}{ADS}
15 Admonition follows if returning with asbestos? (9) FIREPROOF {FI<=}{REPROOF}
17 Occasion for a pugilist after Christmas (6,3) BOXING DAY [CD]
18 In vain he sought to get gold from St. Michael (9) ALCHEMIST*
19 Head of Daimler, U.K. brought back style to noble estate (7) DUKEDOM {D}{UK}{EDOM<=}
21 Inhabitant of English city likely to bowl out a batsman? (6) YORKER [DD]
23 The crime committed by the firing party? (5) ARSON [CD]
24 Belief created when retreating deity meets mother (5) DOGMA {DOG<=}{MA}
26 A crop deviously handled will yield oil (5) COPRA*

66 comments:

  1. 1 Good fortune enjoyed by a setter, perhaps? (4,2,3,5) LUCK OF THE IRISH [C&DD] With Irish coming from RISHI*

    I took it as an Irish Setter

    ReplyDelete
  2. 14 It can clear the nose when fun is turned into science fiction (5) SNUFF {S{NUF<=}F} I never knew that snuff is made from tobacco leaves!

    We used to call it 'gunpowder'.
    Snuff is the stuff that you stuff in your nose and then the whole world explodes

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Don't see many people using the 'stuff' nowadays

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    2. I think they have an 'nuff of it

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    3. My grandfather used it. Called 'mooku podi'

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    4. 'Snuff' puts me in mind of a story poem that my Dad read to me when I was a boy of some eleven years:

      THE SNUFF BOX

      A village pedagogue announced one day
      Unto his pupils, that Inspector A
      Was coming to examine them. Quoth he:
      'If he should try you in Geography
      Most likely he will ask - "What's the earth's shape?"
      Then if you feel as stupid as an ape
      Just look at me: my snuff-box I will show,
      Which will remind you it is round, you know.'
      Now the sagacious master, I declare,
      Had two snuff-boxes - one round, t'other square;
      The square he carried through the week, the round
      On Sundays only.
      Hark! a footstep's sound:
      'Tis the Inspector. 'What's the earth's shape, lad?'
      Addressing one by name. The latter, glad
      To have his memory helped, looked at the master;
      When, piteous to relate, O, sad disaster!
      The pupil without hesitation says:
      'Round, sir, on Sundays, square on other days.'

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    5. Women too use snuff.

      Maybe it is women of a particular community who use snuff but I can't say more.

      A few days ago a crawling child died in Chennai after it ate all of the snuff from a small packet left carelessly by the grandmother of a family living on the platform.

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    6. A nagging doubt about that poem:

      Was it a Sunday school?

      Otherwise, the children would not have seen his round box on weekdays.

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    7. That was Gurukulam! At Gurukulam no holidays. (then, no inspectors also!). We knew the joke, with square on one of the weekdays (say Wednesday) and round on all other days.

      Cvji, I enjoyed the poem.

      In poetry form, the joke looks even better.

      Delete
  3. 1 Good fortune enjoyed by a setter, perhaps? (4,2,3,5) LUCK OF THE IRISH [C&DD] With Irish coming from RISHI*

    My take: SETTER = IRISH SETTER

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mine too.

      7 Radicchio tastes good in little bits (5) IOTAS [T]
      Indicator for hidden word? Cannot be 'in'.

      Delete
  4. Irish setter may have been the intention but I feel RISHI* also works (and quite diligently that too!!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How many people solving this CW across the country know that RISHI is a setter?
      I tried googling Rishi setter & setter Rishi, without luck.

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    2. 'Perhaps', perhaps is the anagrind for RISHI*?

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    3. In this age of avatars, Gridman is the setter. Rishi is a friend some of us know. CV is the patriarch of TH crosswords. Rishikesh is a participant in several forums and occasionally pens clues for contests and crosswords.

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    4. But that's a no-no being an indirect anagram.

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    5. The above is not to take away from the fact that Deepak has noticed something which was probably not intended by the setter (Mover in this reference), and missed by quite a few of us.

      By the way, Rishi is not a Delhi gent (he is a Chennaite!)

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    6. Yes, appreciate the Col thinking laterally. What's the Delhi conn?

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    7. I cracked Kishore's quip this time Delhi gent = ~dilli gent ;-)

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    8. Wonderful to have crept into Kishore's crooked mind and come out clean!

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    9. Man of many parts, Rishi is.

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    10. Raghunath

      While I am somewhat flattered by the Col's anno for Clue 1a, I might inform you that an Internet surfer might know that Rishi is a setter if they have searched with the right terms.

      See first and subsequent message here:

      https://groups.google.com/forum/?hl=en&fromgroups#!topic/rec.puzzles.crosswords/PdLgiL1gjtg

      See also under C. G. Rishikesh here:

      http://bestforpuzzles.com/people/r.html

      See also the intro box here:

      http://www.crosswordunclued.com/2009/10/make-your-own-crossword-grid.html

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    11. I entered rishi setter & setter rishi. What were the words needed?

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    12. Google 'Rishi Crossword setter' and the first result you will get is 'Crossword Who's Who - G - Best for Puzzles'

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    13. Rishi is omnipresent in many avatars !!!

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    14. He advice is nourishing to new solvers and setters.
      He is flourishing as an established setter.
      All of us are cherishing our association with him.

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  5. Isn't one indirect anagram (10a) bad enough for this puzzle to invent another in RISHI* ?

    ReplyDelete
  6. 7 Radicchio tastes good in little bits (5) IOTAS [T].

    What is [T] indicator?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. T is for 'telescopic' - another term by which this type oc clue is known as. Also known as hidden or en clair.

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    2. See under 'Annotations' at left side bar.

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    3. I did not meant that!

      Where is [T] indicator in the clue?

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    4. I think 'in' was the intended [T] indicator, but it does not work

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    5. I'm with Ramesh and Raghunath on this one. "in" doesn't work in this particular case. It's misplaced badly.

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  7. I did not get the anno of 27A
    Unstuck though taken in by the underworld (9) DISLODGED {DIS}{LODGED}
    Can someone please explain ? Is Lodged = Underworld ? Where does Dis come from ?

    ReplyDelete
  8. 1A: I think it's in reference to Irish setter, the dog, like some of the other solvers have hinted.

    And "perhaps" is perhaps to indicate that the answer refers to a setter of a different kind - and not the kind of setter that compiles crosswords.

    The above seems more fair IMO

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VJ

      There is no doubt that that was the setter's intention (he is a good friend of mine, by the way, and I know him from the Seventies). I am sure he did not have me in his mind when he wrote the clue.

      The Col, with tongue planted in his cheek, gave the anno that he did - knowing well that that will elicit a whole lot of Comments.

      Anyway, every dog has his day!

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    2. ... and the cat is out of the bag !

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    3. And there must be still one or two, keeping their cards close to their chests and waiting for an opportune moment(like Kishore did the other day) to let the cats...!!

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  9. 1A : I thought of filling it as "Luck of the idiot" but didn't as 8D was objecting to it. :) Anyway Thanks Mover. You kept things moving for me today. I was floored by Scintillator yesterday. From a low of 30% I could rise upto 75% today.

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  10. Neat puzzle on the whole, except for the indirect anagram & [T] issue. The ALCHEMIST clue was a good anagram.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No doubt. I was googling for St.Michael with no result !

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  11. 20 Shaky movie boxer? (5) ROCKY [DD]

    Were it intended as a DD, 'shaky boxer?' would have sufficed.

    This looks like a Triple Definition:
    Shaky, Movie, Boxer.

    Apart from Rocky Balboa, that Mover refers to, on whom the movie series starring Stallone is based, there was also another famous boxer, Rocky Marciano. The only person to hold the heavyweight title and go untied and undefeated throughout his career, he passed away in the 1950s.

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  12. 18D: Is "from" an adequate anagram indicator?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. Agree with you. It is not.

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    3. I feel the clue is a semi &lit and not a pure Anagram.

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    4. According to Shuchi's post regarding list of anagrinds, FROM is listed! So maybe it is valid.:)

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  13. Irish setter is what worked for me! However, I shall Google Rishi crossword setter - should be interesting.
    Where has Doc - Gayathri, gone? She would have enjoyed this Xword - surely a samosa and tea day!!

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  14. My Salaams to Mr C G Rishikesh, Chaturvasi, Gridman - one and all !!
    Regards to my favourite setter, Irish or otherwise!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Rita, for your greetings.

      "... my favourite setter, Irish or otherwise!"

      This in itself is a clue, with 'Irish' as anag fodder and 'or otherwise' as anag ind.

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  15. Suresh wrote: Man of many parts, Rishi is.

    Yes, all parts intact, though some are much the worse because of age. So I am taking medicines.

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  16. Interesting views on the origin and meaning of the expression 'luck of the Iriah' here http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_origin_of_the_term_%27Luck_of_the_Irish%27

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  17. The link has already been given by Col in the blog.

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  18. All said and done, to me, Rishi is a JET-SETTER, PACESETTER and TRENDSETTER !!!

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  19. Good crossie, Bhavan. Was there any vein of hint to animals in the crossword ?

    Body parts clues was a good one.

    Irish Setter, Boxing Day(Boxer), Fox, Hyena ---

    I'd like to see the Irish turn to Rishidom instead of Dukedom !


    I'm in a house set in a neck of woods Maryland and could do the crosswords in peace.

    ReplyDelete

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