Thursday 5 June 2014

No 11103, Thursday 05 Jun 2014, Arden


Vintage Arden.

ACROSS
1   Flora inactive variety? (7,6) AFRICAN VIOLET* Definition part of anagram fodder?
10 Admit the adult isn’t George (3,2) OWN UP grOWN UP
11 Corrupt cop has it, one tough nut to crack (9) PISTACHIO {COP+HAS+IT+1}*
12 Limited risk taking horse carriage (9) CHARABANC {CH{ARAB}ANCe}
13 Paperback is for — everyone (5) HINDU {HIND}{U}
14 Tread on layer — Hawking, perhaps (7) STEPHEN {STEP}{HEN}
16 Smother excited lover, say (7) OVERLIE {LOVER*}{IE}
18 Counsel for Bill the protector (7) ADVISOR {AD}{VISOR}
20 Ready to shift long back (4,3) YEAR DOT* New phrase for me
22 It’s given the first time (5) INTRO [CD]
24 Tailor helps out with side cover (9) UPHOLSTER {HELPS+OUT}*{R}
26 Single? Run away with baby (9) NURSELING*
27 Overt move to find the treasure (5) TROVE*
28 May be unmarried gents have lost interest — they can’t be mentioned (13) UNDERGARMENTS {UNMARRiED+GENTS}*

DOWN
2   Show spread of food (7) FANFARE {FAN}{FARE}
3   Throws out one million fruits (9) IMPEACHES {1}{M}{PEACHES}
4   First to be included in the initial phase (5) ALPHA [T]
5   Was said to be key to my operation (9) VASECTOMY (~was){VASE}{C}{TO}{MY} Iffy homophone
6   Plant indeed for a child (5) ORACH [T]
7   Arranging the loan to get fuel (7) ETHANOL*
8   Bus stops on occasions …. that may change (5,8) COACH STATIONS*
9   Sign below the contract for films (13) DOCUMENTARIES {DOCUMENT}{ARIES}
15 Tending to run up with Alan, say (9) NURTURING {NUR<=}{TURING} Not fair, I had a classmate in school who's first name was Alan, God bless his soul
17 English girl goes over a soldier’s shoulders (9) EPAULETTE {E}{PAULETTE}
19 Doctor’s on time before noon, he has done his duty (7) VETERAN {VET}{ERA}{N} That's me!
21 US city said to be in the red, may be riot will follow (7) DETROIT (~debt){DET}{RIOT*}
23 Old workers said to be fat (5) OBESE {O}{BESE}(~bees)
25 Biblical character passes through a garden (5) HAGAR [T] He was a she those days!

                                                           The 'He' Hagar with cross ref. to 19d and 18a

75 comments:

  1. Good puzzle.

    A thought for the World Environment Day being observed today.

    EARTH के लिए कुछ करो, वरना अनर्थ हो जाएगा...
    Earth ke liye kuchh karo, warna anarth ho jayega
    Do something about the Earth, otherwise there will be disaster.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You have unearthed a pearl, Richard

      Delete
    2. EARTH के लिए कुछ करो, वरना अनर्थ हो जाएगा...

      Otherwise it'll be UN EARTH?

      Delete
    3. If UN EARTH had happened in Trygve Lie's times, you could have seen the lie of the land

      Delete
    4. You'd never try to give a lie, we know...

      Delete
    5. U Kant ...

      Will result if a clone is made using DNA of U. Thant and I. Kant

      Delete
    6. My DNA & head are reeling. Think? I Kant!

      Delete
  2. Super drawing Kishore, as good as if not better than the original.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. + 1. Tribute to Mr Horrible from Mr Incorrigble. ;-)

      Delete
    2. Thanks. H the H usually has some stock scenes (drawn with slight variations), but with different texts. One popular one is the one where they are under attach at the edge of a precipice. I have used a similar device with the island cartoon which has come up 3 or 4 times with different wordings. The present cartoon sketch is inspired by the two musing on the edge of a cliff, when not under attack.

      Delete
    3. Richard, I am Mr Horrible, so you must be Mr Incorrigible

      Delete
    4. Please read 'attack' instead of 'attach' in my first 855. Other repetitive situations in Hagar the H are returning from battle, sailing in V boat, attacking English castle and imprisoned in dungeon. I have used imprisoned in dungeon in one cartoon. Other cartoons imitated include Mickey Mouse, Dwarfs from Snowwhite, Dagwood Bumstead from Blondie, and Ponnappa's thug. Real persons sketched include Ajay Maken, Ruskind Bond, Obama, Bin Laden, Peter Sellers, Donald Pleasance, and actor playing Poirot

      Delete
    5. I forgot to mention 'Visiting the doctor' is another common Hagar theme

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    6. To appreciate Kishore's toon is a bit risky.To say it's more horrible than the original could mean either it's a more accurate description of Hagar or the toon's bad.

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    7. I am happy either way ... The objective was to be horrible!

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    8. Eg (in elections? ) , if Mr X wanted to lose, and lost (not his seat, but the elections themselves) has he succeeded in his objective?

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    9. To appreciate Kishore's toon is a bit risky

      They are appreciated more when they are risque.

      Delete
  3. 11A Corrupt cop has it, one tough nut to crack (9) PISTACHIO {COP+HAS+IT+1}*

    Is pistachio a tough nut to crack? I found walnuts much tougher! ;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Some puzzles are even tougher nuts to crack. Even if you get your teeth into them ...

      Remembered the Vicco Vajradanti ad where walnut cracking was used to symbolise dental health

      Delete
  4. 25D: [definition] passes [fodder]

    "passes" as a (T) indicator? Does this work?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. looks like through is on double duty, passes through = Tindi (if we can have Anagrind, why not Tindi?), and also part of fodder

      Delete
    2. Kishore,
      You inadvertently coined a word that is half of my place of birth- Tindivanam (near Pondy & Villupuram) Vanam as you know is forest. They used to tell me that 'tindi' is a variant of 'Tinthirini' a herb.

      Delete
    3. Thanks, for that bit on info. In Kannada, Tindi is tiffin and I always thought Tindivanam was a forest where you got breakfast.

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    4. Tindi is food in Telugu.

      Delete
    5. Tindipothu means a 'glutton' in Telugu.

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    6. Refer to the comment at the end.

      Delete
  5. Enjoyable Puzzle. Kishore's Hagar as good as the original.

    ReplyDelete
  6. 13 Paperback is for — everyone (5) HINDU {HIND}{U}

    Def part of fodder?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No. Def=paper, back is part of fodder=hind

      Space between paper and back omitted as a device.

      I suupose omission of the word The in the paper's name is setter's licence

      Delete
    2. I meant Def and fodder are part of one word? Cannot think of any previous instance this was used. Somehow not convinced about this usage. Can accept if paper + back was used as a fodder with their synonyms or HINDU/ TIMES <=.

      Delete
    3. Elision in itself is a bit iffy, I suppose ...
      http://www.crosswordunclued.com/2011/11/elision.html

      Delete
    4. I do not see a problem at all on this Raghu. I have got used to looking at words like paperback as one word or two, while solving cws. Meaning it is not unusual, just like this response of mine.

      Delete
    5. Suresh,

      Have you come across Def and Fodder in one word? Where is the def?

      Delete
    6. Do not know if I have. Only I did not think that it was unfair at all. Eminently solveable and not jarring.

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    7. Solvable, yes. Just a question of acceptability.

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    8. Acceptable certainly for people like me

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    9. Should have known better than to have continued the exchange ;-)

      Delete
  7. 6 Plant indeed for a child (5) ORACH [T]

    Where is the hidden Ind?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I too thought about 'in', but that's indeed. Does not plant look better, as double duty? Plant: to place inside?

      Delete
    2. Again on lines of my 926, the fodder can start with deed ...

      Delete
    3. You mean like:

      Sad bearer of news indeed (9) DE(PRESS)ED

      Delete
  8. Enjoyable puzzle. Found North-West corner tough. Homophone Indicator "Said to be " is used in three Down clues 5,21 and 23.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Very nice one from Arden. Interesting words, great surfaces overall. Especially liked YEAR DOT - both the entry and the clue. Thank you, Arden!

    And thank you for the blog, DG. I agree that the homophone in 5d is iffy - very! In my parsing, I has treated it as (~was)=VAS (still, but marginally less, iffy), but was then stuck with two 'keys' (E and C) where there should have been only one. I liked my mistaken parsing because that also made the clue seem &lit-ish.

    I got but couldn't parse OWN UP and CHARABANC - and can't believe now that I couldn't!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry for the typos - am keying in on my phone while travelling on the Shatabdi express.

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    2. Yet, the train of thoughts seems to be intact... ;-)

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    3. Well expressed, Richard!

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    4. That's because Abhay is travelling on The Shatabdi Express.

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    5. Richard@12.06-
      Your words are also on track!

      Delete
    6. So he has been properly trained and coached.

      Delete
  10. Splendid 'x'ie. To be frank I drew a blank initially. Thdn slowly piv
    ckved up & could make it before 2pm.Nice experien ce.15d &26a appears to have simlar parsing.13&16a interesting clue.Overall an entertaining & engrossing puzzle.Thank u Arden.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Sorry for the typo.pl.read the second line as then slowly picked up.

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  12. Missed mentioning that Kishore's Hagar looked like he had picked up the image direct from an original and not drawn on his own.

    Are you in the right profession, Kishore?

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thanks, all for liking my Hagar. Since I was not blogging today, I had plenty of time to trim the barbate chum's beard, though not his (or my) tummy

    ReplyDelete
  14. Paperback is for — everyone (5) BACK__ HIND__ for everyone--- u for universal? This is my parsing. Hindu for everyone? Highly far-fetched and pretentious ! Though Arden didn't mean it to be so? As a clue , this is clever.
    28a: May be unmarried gents have lost interest — they can’t be mentioned (13) Very knottily, naughtily contrived clue ! How can they have any interest in such unmentionables?

    Initally this puzzle seemed to me from the stable of Clever- CV-- as I go to Orkut , solve and then visit the blog.unless CV and Arden share the same gene)ius) pool !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Raju,
      What is your problem with 13A. Parsing given in the solution is very clear.
      Paper- Def.
      Back- Hind
      For everyone- U
      Where did "Universal' come in to the picture?

      Delete
    2. Paddy : U for Universal means applicable to every one ! Otherwise, where is the purpose for u in the clue?

      Delete
    3. Paddy, U probably see only A movies, but everyone can see U movies

      Delete
  15. 24 Tailor helps out with side cover (9) UPHOLSTER {HELPS+OUT}*{R}

    Ha, 'Tailor' as anagram indicator!! I liked it. Had to refer Dic. Tailor(V) : Make or adapt for a particular purpose or person.

    ReplyDelete
  16. @Kishore Nice cartoon !
    Hagar is not horrible :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. MB-
    Reg. your comment for 'Tindi'-
    There is a funny saying in tamil-"Tini pothu Rama, Gundu pottu vaada'. Come for meals on the bell.
    But I am not guilty of it- anyway not so far!

    ReplyDelete

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