Friday 23 May 2014

No.11092, Friday 23 May 2014, From the files of Sankalak

Another Superb one from Sankalak giving immense pleasure

ACROSS
1 Giving confidence with a call about American ship in retreat (8) ASSURING (A (USS<) RING)
5 School head deals effectively with visual display units (6) SCOPES (S COPES)
10 Team taken in by a mantra or self-evident truth (5) AXIOM (XI in A OM)
11 The key for one preparing data in columns (9) TABULATOR 2 &LIT
12 With the heart muscle relaxed, girl, a philosophic one suppresses onset of love (9) DIASTOLIC (DI A STO(L)IC
13 Do wrong, say, in return and burn (5) SINGE (SIN EG<)
14 Girl with article riding the elevated (5) ETHEL (THE in EL)
16 Loss of energy for a trainer, it becomes an annoyance (8) IRRITANT (TRAINER IT-E)*
18 A fine flute played with a bit of nostalgia — so rich (8) AFFLUENT (A F (FLUTE+N)*)
                                                                                                Cartoon by Rishi
20 Youth club leaders escorted by old general to French school (5) LYCEE (YC in LEE)
24 Observer, held by criminal, scratched off the paint (5) KEYED (EYE in KD)
              I understand in the British times, the Indian Police used KD as an abbreviation for a Known Defaulter or something like that. In Kannada, KD is used to refer to a 'rowdy sheeter'.  Once, in my Kannada answer paper (10th standard), I wrote KD Raya for Krishna Deva Raya ... It was the first time I was writing a Kannada exam
25 How a user, oriental, rebuilt a godown (9) WAREHOUSE (HOW A USER E)*
27 Plant, bile producer? The least acceptable without sulphur (9) LIVERWORT (LIVER WORsT)
28 Geometry is all about this (5) SHAPE CD
29 The way to travel, a big step (6) STRIDE (ST RIDE)
30 The most revealing undergarment is French (8) BRIEFEST (BRIEF EST)
           The briefest brief?

DOWN
1 A minor under protection with energy and ecstasy — he gets the prize! (7) AWARDEE (A WARD E E)
2 Green vegetable that can turn a child (7) SPINACH (SPIN A CH)
3 Area of work — part of a rare mite’s evolution (5) REMIT (T)
4 Clear of all charges, the French cause annoyance (6) NETTLE (NETT LE)
6 Right away, lilac trees turn heavenly (9) CELESTIAL (LILAC TrEES)*
7 Flower, dear girl carries one (7) PETUNIA (PET UNA carries 1)
8 Bond returning to confront surging water in overfulness (7) SURFEIT (SURF TIE<)
9 The old boy’s restoration to health is uncertain (7) OBSCURE (OB'S CURE)
15 Such money, however, is not clean (9) LAUNDERED CD
            Time money launderers were taken to the cleaners ...

17 Specialised skill is a negative, you say? In what way? (7)  KNOWHOW (~NO HOW)
18 Substances found in saki, all mixed up (7) ALKALIS (SAKI ALL)*
                                                                                          Cartoon by Bhargav    
19 Knowing about a road above another (7) FLYOVER (FLY OVER)
21 Endlessly woo over time, showing boldness (7) COURAGE (COURt AGE)
22 The French soldiers in Indian newspaper — the proper medium! (7) ELEMENT (LE MEN in ET)
          Sankalak in his element!
23 Server trades article for right as author (6) WRITER (Wa(R)ITER)
26 Detest accepting a bit of silver with undue speed (5) HASTE (S in HATE)

57 comments:

  1. I too thought KD stood for Known Defaulter (as you know the people who have not returned bank loans are not the middle-class appavi appas who got them for sons'/daughters' education/marriage but huge big companies.
    Actually it's Known Depredators - a term that is so apt for the class who still owe crores to the banks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I felt my memory was on a sticky wicket on this, hence added "or something like that". The companies you refer too are many a time promoted by ... guess who !

      Our people's representatives !

      After CR they want CDR

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    2. Known Depredators should actually have been Known Predators

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    3. I was thinking that it stood for Known Delinquent.

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    4. CV's version was the one I was unable to recall.

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    5. Avan oru bayankara K.D. (He is a dangerous K.D.)
      I was told that K.D. stood for Known Devil.

      Delete
    6. Reference to KD reached a new dimension in TN politics in recent years

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    7. CGB @ 9:21 : Avan oru bayankara K.D. (He is a dangerous K.D.)

      Simply in other words, it means "K.D.No.1"

      Delete
    8. I didn't know about K.D. Always thought that it was a Kannada word Kedi, related to the Kannada word Kedu (evil).
      One lives - visits this blog - and learns.

      Delete
  2. Immensely enjoyed solving this. About 50% fell at first look.

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  3. Richard - Re your second sentence. That's what I wrote in the Orkut community THC.

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    Replies
    1. I am still grateful to you for drafting me into the Orkut circuit. But I have to shamefully confess that I have not visited that blog for ages - mainly because of time constraints.

      Delete
  4. Quite an enjoyable puzzle!

    28Ac :My take was SPACE for "Mathematics: A set of elements or points satisfying specified geometric postulates"-- from Free Dictioary.

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    Replies
    1. Works. I had initially put in EARTH, going by the literary meaning of geo-metry. It could also be LINES. But Earth and Lines are belied by the crossings.

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    2. Sorry, that should have been literal not literary

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  5. DG, thanks for forwarding a copy of the letter you wrote to the TH readers' editor.

    You have echoed the feelings harboured by most of us. The shabby and callous treatment meted out to the crossword section is pitiable.

    You couldn't have hit the nail at a better place or better way. You have our support. I sincerely hope that the people in charge there will appreciate that your blog has certainly boosted their print circulation and page-views online.

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  6. Both brothers chose 18, though one went across and the other down

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  7. Re 30ac

    Wasn't there the brand/label VIP Frenchie in the category of briefs?

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    Replies
    1. It is still there (and off the record, quite comfortable and well fitting). The ads used to show a chappie in a Frenchie with a girl in a red (?) dress, luckily a full and flowing one.

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    2. Even till date, I haven't been able to fathom the other person's role in or contribution to an ad of that kind and the product promoted...

      Am I seeing red?

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    3. http://www.maxwell.in/brand/brand.php?pageid=2&brandid=2

      Delete
    4. "...I haven't been able to fathom the other person's role..."

      You mean the guy in the ad, right? Even I wondered what he was doing there.

      On a serious note: I think the ad world lost its creative edge many, many years ago, one indication of which is this lazy assumption that shoving in a woman as eye-candy is enough to sell anything from men's underwear to motorcycles, taking in biscuits and mobile phones along the way.

      Delete
  8. 18 Down = The answer has an extra "e"

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    Replies
    1. Kishore did not realize the potential of ALKA LIES.

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    2. Is there any other word with such a plural- I mean words ending in 'i' but with no 'es' plural?

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    3. Richard, you have left me guessing: is she telling untruths or is she reclining?

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    4. There are many words ending in 'I' which are not plurals. We had a couple of them recently in THC: ADZUKI & AFGHANI (for that matter many nationals/communities - Pakistani, Iraqi, Irani, etc.). Other words include chapati, basmati, broccoli, haji, corgi, kundalini, fettucini, origami, wapiti, khadi and tsunami.

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  9. Simple. Otherwise those who use it may not see it!

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  10. Kishore,
    With ref. to your first Kannada exam., I suppose it was not your last- thanks to KD!

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    Replies
    1. It was also my last. I got 35. .... Out of 50.. For when we moved to B'lore, I joined in the X std and Kannada was compulsory and I neither knew a word or alphabet. In PU, other options were available.

      Delete
    2. There is more than a hint of suspense after 35! 70 % after starting from alphabets is an excellent effort. Well, it still shows in all aspects. And now you know enough to compile a Kannada CW!

      Delete
  11. @ Richard: Your question 9:32 has its answer in my post of 9:39

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    Replies
    1. CGB 9:41 I could not find the other person there...

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    2. You may have to change your brief and go looking after D's in distress!!

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    3. I had another answer @ 9.39.

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  12. In the 'space' of Maths & Geometry-
    I feel Geometry has more to do with shapes, I will vote for it. Well, we will wait till tomorrow for the result- no EC needed! (No exit poll either)

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    Replies
    1. I guess the clue could also have been:

      28 Anatomy is all about this (5)

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  13. Very nice surfaces (including some brilliant ones like 30) with well-worked but accessible wordplay - an enjoyable puzzle indeed. Fly = knowing was my learning for the day.

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  14. 4 Clear of all charges, the French cause annoyance (6) NETTLE (NETT LE)

    I think the definition part needs 'cause' also to be highlighted along with 'annoyance'

    I am not getting NETT part pl.

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  15. Clear of all charges- Nett (as against gross)

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    Replies
    1. I think Nett is the original spelling and 'net' may have been adapted later for convenience. Gross X Nett. We may still find them on some product as 'Nett wt.'

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  16. Paddy 9.40 - Termini plural for terminus - I think this is 'arivina' for you - i.e. knowing the answer you have asked the question. Another one is 'ariyaavinaa'

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  17. foci and loci also come to my memory

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Ram. I must cofess it IS 'Ariya vinaa' and I was expecting new ideas. BTW, it is not 'locus- loci'. I was looking for, but the likes of 'alkali- alkalis' ( and not alkalies) Probably NR may have a lot to say on this.

      Delete
    2. Padmanabhan
      I did not respond earlier because I did not exactly understand the 'vina' [question]. In any case, you can ask it, 'arindhum ariyaamalum' -knowingly or unknowingly].
      If I have now understood the question -
      The rule is simple.
      If the nounal word already ends in -i, it doesn't become -ie in pluralisation.
      E.g., sari, saris:; mini minis :: semi, semis.
      If the nounal word ends in -y, then, in plural form, y vanishes and becomes -ie.
      E.g., lorry, lorries :: gaudy, gaudies :: flimsy, flimsies.
      I have said this in simplification before NR comes with his amplifications and exemplifications.

      Delete
    3. Thank you CV. You have hit the nail on its head. Exactly what I was looking for. By oversight, when alkalis became alkalies (interestingly, spell check corrects it to alkalies!) I got curious and wanted some guidelines and examples and you have cleared my doubt. Of late, NR has been talking a lot about these and so I thought he may come to my rescue again.

      Delete
  18. )8 d - Overindulgence in a salad of Oriental fruits (7) - Today N I E crossword clue

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  19. Vintage Sankalak ! Enoyed the wordplay in 12 and 27 and 30 across as well as 19 down. FLY is a 21st century word coined by teenagers who find their counterparts of either sex very attractive or dashing . FLYOVER is the clue of my day !

    As for KDs, this has been elevated to a mega level, leaving behind petty pickpockets and thieves. eg: Sahara SR and the King of Fishermen ! While the former is trying every kodi to bail himself out, the other is dating and revelling in calendars, waiting for the D-day when he will be keeping company to SR. Achche din aa gaye hai ! We are living in interesting times !

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  20. Another really enjoyable one, as always. Flyover was too good. I had pretty much taken KD to be a Tamil word :-)

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  21. H H M in the cartoon refers to H H Munro the writer, who is also known as SAKI.
    Any solution with a pH of more than 7 is an alkali.

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  22. Time to watch and celebrate THCC. The page counter is nearing 2 million mark and may cross the number in a day or two.

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  23. This comment has been removed by the author.

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