Wednesday 25 December 2013

No 10965, Wednesday 25 Dec 2013, Gridman


MERRY CHRISTMAS

ACROSS
1   Get on with a gentleman on Greek island frittering away afternoon (3,2,3) HIT IT OFF HIT I{T OFF} Anno pending
5   Second long-distance runner is a happy sort (6) SMILER {S}{MILER}
9   The reference is to a learner, ‘soul in torment’ (8) ALLUSION {A}{L}{SOUL+IN}*
10 Expert gets suitable gain (6) PROFIT {PRO}{FIT}
12 Rank achieved by palace attendant finally (4) TIER courTIER
13 Between boy and girl there’s no reasoning (10) PHILOSOPHY {PHIL}{O}{SOPHY}
15 City hangout is sweet (6) ECLAIR {EC}{LAIR}
17 Uncle back working as construction worker (5) MASON {MAS<=}{ON}
20 Speech has no tips on proportion (5) RATIO oRATIOn
21 Noted invader mentioned a guiding tool (6) ATTILA (~a tiller)
24 Stop! Trouble at the end of a couple of streets (5,5) STAND STILL {ST}{AND} {ST}{ILL}
27 Boyfriend breaks tip off nice-looking object (4) BEAU BEAUt
29 Dullards Amin and the drunken sot meet (6) IDIOTS {IDI}{SOT*}
30 Boy spins around in Greek island group (8) CYCLADES {CYC{LAD}ES}
31 Look on bore reflectively (6) REGARD {RE}{GARD<=}
32 No quarters given twice to balderdash (8) NONSENSE {NO}{N}{S}{E}{N}{S}{E}

DOWN
1   Hot soil in home (6) HEARTH {H}{EARTH}
2   He counts as a bank employee (6) TELLER [CD]
3   Examine international cricket match? (4) TEST [DD]
4   Insubstantial stuff from female writer (5) FROTH {F}{ROTH}
6   Societal norms code developer twisted at last (5) MORES MOR(-s+e)E(-e+s)S
7   Hoist father aboard with skier’s permit (4,4) LIFT PASS {LIFT} {PA}{SS}
8   Attempting once more for a second hearing (8) RETRYING [DD]
11 College head and learner tear around to make wine (6) CLARET {C}{L}{TEAR*}
14 Repeat from stable chorister (4) ECHO [T]
16 Looks forward to a week with a SIT round (6) AWAITS {A}{W}{A}{SIT*}
17 Bigot’s slipper? (4) MULE [DD]
18 More shaggy British Russian’s more bashful (8) BRUSHIER {B}{RU}{SHIER}
19 Inform about bird taking away secretly (8) STEALING {S{TEAL}ING}
22 Show me the way to deceive (4,2) LEAD ON [DD]
23 Chase union leader coming into money (6) PURSUE {PURS{U}E}
25 Active person has time to be mollycoddler (5) DOTER {DO{T}ER}
26 Taylor endlessly working to apply with vigour (3,2) LAY TO TAYLOr*
28 The sign of the summer? (4) PLUS [CD]

45 comments:

  1. May I be allowed to make a digression? Here is my entry for short story contest:https://notionpress.com/story/view/539274. Your comments are welcome! And your vote is valuable!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. PP ma'am, as I don't have Face-book account, I asked my daughter Gauthami Mukundala to read your short story "War and peace" and vote for you. She liked it and voted for it.

      Best of luck !

      Delete
    2. Voted. Best wishes!

      Delete
  2. Merry Christmas!

    Get on with a gentleman on Greek island frittering away afternoon (3,2,3) HIT IT OFF
    HAITI + TOFF - A?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Merry Christmas!

      I also took it to be Haiti, but then realised Haiti is not a Greek island.

      Delete
    2. Merry Xmas & Xword to all:

      Geography is all Greek to me. Is Haiti Greek?

      Delete
    3. I think the Greek island has probably jumped in from 30a

      Delete
  3. Merry Christmas!
    PS: PP, I voted for you.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Merry Christmas everybody.

    I love the expression on Santa's face in the latest Coke ad.

    ReplyDelete
  5. A Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year to everyone. And a gig Thank You to all wishers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pl. read it as 'big' & not 'gig'. bad handwriting is ok, but typing?

      Delete
  6. Haiti is part of the Caribbean islands and nowhere near Greece. As Kishore says it has most likely made a jump from 30A to 1A.
    PP,
    Is there anyway for persons without a face(!) to vote? If so you have mine. I will make an attempt.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Paddy, you have company here as I too am Faceless in the Book. If someone proxy-votes on my behalf, I will not mind.

      Delete
  7. Kishore,

    Nice cartoon. I am as much a fan of Perry Mason as I am of PGW. So a big thank you and the trouble you have taken to show Jackson's law library too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nice to note that you noticed it. I was just punning on Mason and brick by brick and thought I would add some more ref. to it.
      As ESG usually said in the dedication to his books: This cartoon is dedicated to my dear friend Paddy

      Delete
    2. Thank you so much! Your cartoons are all embracing. It always has something in it for everyone. Only problem is we are all like 5 blind men who SAW the elephant- to each his own!

      Delete
    3. HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL.

      Regarding Perry Mason, i am also a fan. I am not sure if You guys watch ADAALAT in Sony, on week-ends. Actually this serial is based on PERRY MASON with Della Street & Paul Drake.

      Delete
  8. PP,

    Very nicely written. When did you learn their language to be able to follow so much of their talk? I knew it will end something on these lines, but still could not make a correct guess (mention of rooms was the first hint). Nice, timely (esp. at Chennai) & and enjoyable. What to do with the charged bat we have at home?!

    ReplyDelete
  9. A deceptive funny story starting with WAR and ending in PEACE ! Great piece of work, PP Ma'am !! Liked very much spicy punch dialogues in the story :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Off the track(CW). A conversation overheard btn Santa Claus and Bantu Singh last night :

    Santa : What do you want to become in your next life ?

    Bantu : A cockroach.

    Santa : Why ?

    Bantu : Kyun ki meri wife sirf cockroach se hi darthi hai !

    ReplyDelete
  11. What if she too is born as a cockroach and as his wife again?!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Replies
    1. EC (Eastern Central) post code or London EC covers most of the city of London. It's quite common in CW's

      Delete
  13. 6 Societal norms code developer twisted at last (5) MORES MOR(-s+e)E(-e+s)S

    Can we show the Anno as MOR(SE <==) please ?

    ReplyDelete
  14. 30A - CYCES = Spins, or is CYCLES missing an L?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No one spotted that. Gridman also has not put in an appearance today.

      Delete
    2. We might still be able to make it work, although in a rather 'unfair' fashion.

      Ad seems to be common Dutch (male) first name. :)

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_%28given_name%29

      Delete
  15. Blogging in late this evening. Merry Christmas and a happy new year to ye-all out there.

    ReplyDelete

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