Friday 13 September 2013

No 10877, Friday 13 Sep 13, Gridman

Standing in for Kishore who has electrifying broadband problems! Inspite of the many CD/DD/E which I don't like personally, I managed to get through this one in double quick time.

ACROSS
1   Phraseology, using not 1000 but 500 (7) WORDING WOR(-k+d)DING
5   Steadies old West Indies cricketer? (6) SOBERS [DD]
9   Language oddity from fool having no time to get married (5) IDIOM IDIO(-t+m)M
10 Worker at 11 getting back for some “before the meal” eats (9) ANTIPASTI {ANT}{1{PAST}1}
11 Given strength electrifyingly (7) POWERED [CD]
12 Specialist leaves enthusiast to work up massage technique (7) SHIATSU entSHIATSU*


13 Two men meet throne occupant (5) ROYAL {ROY}{AL}
14 At home with crooked office-holder (9) INCUMBENT {IN}{CUM}{BENT}
16 They used to precede films in theatres to update us on events (9) NEWSREELS [GK]
Courtesy Kishore
19 When the moths are done at the table? (5) EATEN [DD]
21 Indicated it’s sharp (7) POINTED [DD]
23 Overawe New York city? (7) BUFFALO [DD]
24 She works with a will (9) EXECUTRIX [CD] Sounds like she's out for someones throat.
Courtesy Kishore
25 Bare posers (5) NUDES [E]
26 Woman is French woman (6) ESTHER {EST}{HER}
27 Gossamer — like a spinner’s work (7) SPIDERY [DD]

DOWN
1   Impudent person with more-in-the-know photographer (14) WHIPPERSNAPPER {W}{HIPPER}{SNAPPER}
2   Carp over method of funicular (7) RAILWAY {RAIL}{WAY}
3   One small measure, by word of mouth, is bad (7) IMMORAL {1}{MM}{ORAL}
4   Relative, changed, is grander (9) GRANDSIRE*
5   Reportedly glimpses building locations (5) SITES (~sights)
6   Graduate’s exercise is beginning to materialise in initiation (7) BAPTISM {BA}{PT}{IS}{M}
7   Railway official got up first with ribbon ornament (7) ROSETTE {ROSE}{TTE}
8   At the same time usual solemnity is sacrificed (14) SIMULTANEOUSLY*
15 One hundred containers under the boilers are money holders (9) CASHBOXES {C}{ASHBOXES}
17 Vacillates over Indian legal abandonments (7) WAIVERS {WA{I}VERS}
18 Make fresh contact to improve old negative? (7) RETOUCH [DD]
19 English female to get by with one Turkish honorific (7) EFFENDI {E}{F}{FED}{1}
20 Walk with a sway to the end of street for idle talk (7) TWADDLE {T}{WADDLE}
22 Venturesome one to read about top risk (5) DARER {DA{R}ER*}

30 comments:

  1. Honesty is the best policy. Honestly, had to be dishonest and net-search for a few. Otherwise, who can think of SHIATSU, ANTIPASTI, EXECUTRIX and the like? (Athough familiar words, not the kind to flash immediately.)

    NEWSREELS brought back old memories. The grid well protected by two 14-letter words on either side - WHIPPERSNAPPER and SIMULTANEOUSLY.

    Considered IDIOM, INCUMBENT, ESTHER, IMMORAL, ROSETTE, BAPTISM, WAIVERS and some others as well-clued.

    Could not get a few answers in the south-eastern corner. Left at that for want of time. Will have a peak into the blog at 8-30 am.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Missed just three - SPIDERY, EFFENDI and TWADDLE.

      Delete
    2. SHIATSU, EXECUTRIX and ANTIPASTO have appeared here earlier if I am not wrong

      Delete
    3. Quite likely. That is why I put in the parentheses above - Although familiar words, not the kind to flash immediately"

      Delete
  2. Just recovered !

    "get through this one in double quick time."

    Since there are many DDs in this puzzle.

    Liked the usage New York City.


    The newsreel despicted in the cartoon is the one most theatre-goers in the '70s will remember seeing many times. A sabre being shot down in the Battle of Boyra.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks to Deepak for stepping in.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you Gridman. I too completed in double quick time with absolutely no help.Feeling great!

    ReplyDelete
  5. 19 English female to get by with one Turkish honorific (7) EFFENDI {E}{F}{FED}{1}

    Typo in the anno.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Buffalo reminded me of the time I spent on USS Croaker, an SSK class submarine

    ReplyDelete
  7. Richard - I'm sure you mean 'peek' and not 'peak'! Spell check or typo?
    All of you above sure took the wind out of my sails!! Just when I was giving myself a pat on the back for completing this one so fast!
    Enjoyable, nonetheless, Gridman Sir.
    Good morning all.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry, Seno-Rita. It was a peak of a blunder in spelling.

      Delete
  8. 15D : One hundred containers under the boilers are money holders (9) CASHBOXES {C}{ASHBOXES}
    Pardon this sixty plus novice ! Am not getting the Anno. 'one hundred' = C, 'containers' = BOXES, 'boilers' = ASH ?
    I don't find 'ashbox' in OED, WIKI, The Merian Dic. etc. Hope somebody would come to my rescue !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. One hundred = C
      containers under the boilers = ASHBOXES (Used to collect ash from coal fired boilers)
      are money holders = Definition = {C}{ASHBOXES}

      Delete
  9. 22 Venturesome one to read about top risk (5) DARER {DA{R}ER*}

    While 'about' has been taken as an indicator for Anagram, there is no separate Container Indicator as presumed in the annotation.

    The intended anno may be
    read about = READ* = DARE
    top risk = R
    Defn: venturesome one - {READ*}+{R}= {DARE*}{R}

    ReplyDelete
  10. For attention of all Sadhana-lovers: There is a well written piece in TH's Friday Review today, though one sentence may prompt you to take a second look ...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Her's the link:

      http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/her-own-corner/article5121250.ece

      Delete
    2. Sentence about her b'day passing?

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    3. What a tribute! A magical weaving of words. A word to the author: Deepak, you are Mahaan!

      Kishore, thanks for sharing a great piece.

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    4. Sadhana, ever since her retirement, always refused to be photographed, it appears. Because she wanted to be remembered the way she looked in the 1960s. Perhaps there is only one photograph available, clicked in 2010, as part of the
      Nanda-Waheeda-Helen-Sadhana quartet.

      Delete
    5. Deepak 6:22 - I cannot guess which sentence Kishore referred to. But I found it strange that a reference was made in the writeup to her birthday passing. She turned 72 on Sep 2, 2013. A milestone in real sense is still three years away. What that reference signified is beyond my ken.

      Delete
    6. " Not just women but men too were absolutely bonkers about Sadhana’s looks and dresses, sighing and adoring when the actress strode in different costumes across the silver screen. "

      Delete
    7. Shouldn't it have been the other way round?

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    8. Exactly my point !

      Delete
  11. The meaning of overawe for 'buffalo' was new to me, though I was able to do it thanks to crossings.
    Was struggling with 'testatrix' for 24A for a while until I got 'waiver'.
    26A- We are back again with 'her' for woman!

    ReplyDelete
  12. No teeth-grinding with this Gridman. Done in triple quick time !! Shiatsu reminded me of that ad that used to come in the CNN in Kenya for this gadget-- Pro shiatsu ! an earworm (somethiing or song that keeps repeatedly and persistently keep ringing in your ears ). ANTIPASTI (female version of Antipasta?), EXECUTRIX - though not unfamiliar, were neatly phrased. Yes, Richard: I always like those 15 lettered Dwarpalaks of long words or phrases guarding the word-izens inside the grid.
    Didn't like DARER .
    Again, NUDES is a bit too bare and naked for a POSER !!

    Newsreels still continue in the theatres? ? Recently, a lady-bigshot film person's wife allegedly slapped an NRI (Australian-India-born) for, not standing but nestling and canoodling with his girlfriend when the national anthem was being played . They could do better from fluttering those tattered screen-speckled-outworn flags-- not in this computerised era !! No laws against it?

    ReplyDelete

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