Friday 20 December 2013

No.10961, Friday 20 Dec 2013, Sankalak


Sankalak as good as ever !


ACROSS
1 Miss India, say (6,5) BEAUTY QUEEN CD
9 Unknown trash, a new aid for smokers (7) ASHTRAY (Y TRASH)*
          If you smoke in our washrooms, guess what we'll do in your ashtrays
10 In the midst of a snag Tom got diverted (7) AMONGST (SNAG TOM)*
11 Giants, very big, take back work unit (5) OGRES (OS take ERG<)
12 The work book to test the profession of eye care (9) OPTOMETRY (OP TOME TRY)
13 Food for a legendary friar? (4) TUCK (DD)  
Ref the the gluttonous Friar Tuck from Robin Hood tales
15 True air contaminated in a part of old Italy (7) ETRURIA (TRUE AIR)*
19 Against the rules? With one pound, legitimate (7) ILLICIT (1 L LICIT)
20 Heredity factor in old dancing actor Kelly (4) GENE (CD,DD)  
Ref to Gene Kelly
24 To knock the nitpicker is to start exposing (9) CRITICISE (CRITIC IS E)
25 Shadow cast by some dumb radicals (5) UMBRA (T)
27 Strange name, unity for a perennial herb (7) ANEMONE (NAME* ONE)
28 Little frog seen in notice carried by troop leader North, say (7) TADPOLE (T POLE carries AD)
29 Place for valuables steadies fop in confusion (4,7) SAFE DEPOSIT (STEADIES FOP)*

DOWN
1 The state of a famous prison with a change of head (5) BIHAR (TIHAR with change of first letter)
2 A time to relax when not working (2,4) AT REST (CD,DD, &LIT)
3 Preservative compound with some healthy molecules (6) THYMOL (T)
4 The number one lost in antiquity somehow (8) QUANTITY (ANTIQUITY)*
5 Huge? Right, one up with a tailless rodent in tow (8) ENORMOUS (R ONE MOUSe)
6 Entertainment for the insomniac perhaps (9) NIGHTLIFE (CD)

7 Robbery through business: it got contained in 24 hours (7) DACOITY (CO IT in DAY)
8 Curbs for vessel crossing Scottish river (5) STAYS (SS crossing TAY, a Scottish river)
14 Measuring device to treat ill pacers (9) CALLIPERS (ILL PACERS)*
16 Not really the game of a junior Woods! (8) MINIGOLF (CD)
        A junior cannot really play the field !
17 Welcome announcement for a shareholder (8) DIVIDEND (CD)
18 Leader of business very happy though behind time (7) BELATED (B ELATED)
21 A lot of water, once a novelty (5) OCEAN (ONCE A)*
          Water water everywhere, nor a drop to drink
22 Worn out, a sign of tachycardia? (4,2) BEAT UP (DD)
23 Money, American, for something in the eye (6)  FUNDUS (FUND US)
26 Swell up, as might a trainee in craft (5) BLOAT (L in BOAT)
 

58 comments:

  1. Many are likely to react this way:

    OKAY? SO SO AS A DAMNED FIASCO* (1,3,2,7,3,7)

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    Replies
    1. A DAY OF SAMOSAS AND COOKIES?

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    2. Including the cockroaches!

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    3. Kishore is well set to win IXL!

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    4. Best wishes from all of us here at IXE!

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    5. @R: I thought I will retain the ? as part of anagram. The doubt was whether the samosas or the cookies come first, being both 7 letters long.
      @DG: High hopes!

      BTW, 843, was an aside to the 841 and not to your comments.

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    6. Nice clueing, Richard ! Why not start with a Sunday Special ? :)

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    7. Thanks, MB. Someday sometime, I might make an effort.

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  2. 6D I am sure that a lot of members might appreciate it if a link to the instrumental number La Cucaracha is added. It has been my long-time favourite, at least...

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    Replies
    1. Since the lyrics were difficult to understand, I always enjoyed listening to the instrumental rendition - guess it was by The Ventures or by Jumping Jewels. I cannot recollect exactly.

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  3. Resemblance of the cucaracha's moustache to any person is purely coincidental

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    Replies
    1. But the mischievous motive of the disclaimer sounds intentional! ;-)

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    2. Would you jab a pun at me?

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    3. RJ? By Peccavi he meant, 'I am a kavi good at pecking...'

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    4. Richard@ 9;16 May also be a Kavi from the famous engineering college from Punjab ?

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  4. No hair tearing exercise today ! It was smooth and easy going !! Thanks, Sankalak.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Ramesh ! For highlighting my beaming face and shining top ! :)

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    2. 'It' seems you are good at reading btn the lines of my post :)

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  5. I did not know the meaning of 'tuck' as a friar. Anyway, for the benefit of others who may be in a similar position, here is what free dictionary says-
    "(Myth & Legend / European Myth & Legend) English legend a jolly friar who joined Robin Hood's band and aided their exploits"

    Sankalak has started with a beauty (queen?)

    Put in 'night show' for 6D and struggled for a while. Does not this fit 'entertainment' part better?

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  6. A stroll in the park. Slightly misled by'miss India'for bharat. but put into the right track by the crossing 't'hymol.Nice cw as usual of sankalak.

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  7. I got stuck at 19A as I had put in {1}{L}{LEGAL}

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    Replies
    1. Forgot the tuck shop at school?

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    2. Not all schools have them. In fact the one in the school where I studied has been shut down

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    3. We too did not have one. However, our constant friends at Mallory Towers, St. Clair's and Greyfriars always had them.

      The shop at Greyfiars could have been called Friar Tuck ;-) The appropriateness of the name would be terrific as HJR Singh would say

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    4. I studied in a school far away from main city , a school with its own canteen,with no shops around . (and my grandmother strictly ordered me not to buy anything from the canteen :) )

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  8. Good luck to all the finalists of IXL !

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  9. I always thought Thymol was the name of a Malayali girl ...

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    Replies
    1. Wonder if the owner of the TV production company 'ENDEMOL' is a Malayali

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  10. Replies
    1. Xmas music reminds me of Jim Reeves and his ever popular "But you love me Daddy"

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qswvu5gvG-U

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    2. Yes, it's Gentleman Jim's ever popular song. I like it very much. One of his songs, if I'm not wrong, runs like this : Papa, he loves Mama; Mama, she loves Papa. I don't know the title of the song, hence unable to download it. Can you please help me ?

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    3. I remember that one. Let me try to locate it.

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    4. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8MmSB8MAbI

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    5. It 'inspired' 'Pappa ko mummy se pyar hai" in "Haina? Bolo bolo"

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODIKTl_fwSI

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    6. Seeing Master Alankar in that video reminded me of his sister Pallavi Joshi who did that wonderful role in the Hindi version of The Open Window

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    7. Watch that episode of Katha Sagar here:

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eB2NkmIO7JA

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    8. Cannot forget the last line of the short story: Romance at short notice was her speciality.

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    9. Kishore @ 1:01

      Thanks, Kishore. It was really "such a wonderful bundle of joy" listening to that song !

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  11. Belated +1 for illegal. Thin edge of difference between the two.

    No tuck shop in our school, though it was a christian mission school. probably the Tamil medium killed it! Oh, what trouble I had to change over to English medium for my 1 tear Pre university course!

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  12. Sankalak - loved the smooth CW! Thank you!
    And fellow bloggers - enjoyed all the banter!

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  13. Great opener from Sankalak, pleasure to solve as always.

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