Wednesday 10 September 2014

No 11186, Wednesday 10 Sep 2014, Gridman


It's always nice to be back with Gridman.

ACROSS
1   A person of many tongues (8) POLYGLOT [CD tending to E]
5   Does one have such an interest in wearing a banian? (6) VESTED [C&DD]
9   Equipped for a frontal attack at lender turning uncontrolled (8) ANTLERED*
10 No longer in bed, a siren is exercising (6) ARISEN*
12 Attack a shopping centre, reportedly (4) MAUL (~mall)
13 Hindu divinity said to be ruined (10) DEVASTATED {DEVA}{STATED}
15 Manual worker who would help you out of strains (6) PHYSIO [CD]
17 Macho guys, if surrounded by animal doctor, will become impassioned (2-3) HE-MEN veH-EMENt
20 Policemen begin examining thicket (5) COPSE {COPS}{Ex...g}
21 For all the women, atrociously hard introductions to religious ruling (6) FATWAH Acrostic
24 Where the farmer works — where a cricketer may stand (2,3,5) IN THE FIELD [DD]
27 Steadfast organisation (4) FIRM [DD]
29 I can almost pass over summer in France with a cool, refreshing drink (3,3) ICE TEA {I}{C{E TE}An}
30 Sticky substance he's found in a low joint (8) ADHESIVE {A}{D{HE'S}IVE} Kept scratching around ankle initially
31 Good, large drink produces idle talk (6) GOSSIP {G}{OS}{SIP}
32 Burdened learner enumerated without introduction (8) LUMBERED {L}{nUMBERED}

DOWN
1   Section included in appropriate Sunday hymns (6) PSALMS {P{S}ALM}{S}
2   Kind of test learner and I take time to recap (6) LITMUS {L}{I}{T}{SUM up}
3   Spells “proceeds” (4) GOES [DD]
4   Fat honour almost fixed (5) OBESE {OBE}{SEt}
6   Bird, mostly green, fluttering on treetop (5) EGRET {GREEn}*{Treetop}
7   Period by which a job must be doneThailand's mistake corrected (4,4) TASK TIME {T}{ASK TIME*}
8   Sameness of a bell sound (4-4) DING-DONG [E]
11 Plan display (3,3) LAY OUT [DD]
14 Exclamation about a drop of hot butter (4) GHEE {G{H}EE} 'a drop of' could be dropped off
16 Wimp's sally with no right force (6) SOFTIE SO(-r+f)FTIE Indicator for inclusion of 'F' missing
17 Get word of funeral vehicle leaving a corner (4) HEAR  HEARse
18 Recording Supreme Court's heartless banter (8) SCRIBING {SC}{RIBbING}
19 Turns the sprinkler on as head of society talks glibly (8) SPATTERS {S}{PATTERS}
22 More dangerous at the start of December and more unfriendly (6) DICIER {De...r}{ICIER}
23 Threaten with the death of the mischievous boy? (6) IMPEND {IMP}{END}
25 Mile Egyptian leader travelled to get resin (5) ELEMI {MILE+E}*
26 Heads of local units surround extra for sweet dish (5) LADDU {Local}{ADD}{Units} I'm addicted to them
28 That woman's brother gets seasoning plant (4) HERB {HER}{B}

GRID

40 comments:

  1. Everyone eating Samosa and Laddu at breakfast time?

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  2. Nice enjoyable vigorous start for this run of Gridman, though I was found wanting in a few.

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  3. A classic received through facebook

    1st LADY: Do you know LIONS have sex 4 to 6 times with different partners in a single night?

    2nd LADY: Shit yaar... I just joined ROTARY club!!!

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    Replies
    1. I like this joke. If the ugly word had not been used by the second speaker, I would have liked it much more.
      In my book, even a dirty joke can be narrated in a clean manner.

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    2. CV Sir,
      The ‘ugly’ word appears to have an interesting origin! Although I am not sure how far it is true, the story goes that during the 18th/early 19th century, everything had to be transported by ship including manure. Guano (bird droppings) was effectively used as fertilizer due to its rich phosphate content and large shipments of it were quite common. It was shipped dry, stored in lower decks in bundles. But it was soon realized that when it came in contact with saline water, it produced methane with devastating effect and many ships were lost. Hence, it was mandated that such cargo are to be stamped with the instruction to “Stow High in Transit” (S.H.I.T) to avoid this ‘volatile stuff’ coming in contact with sea water. Thus evolved the dirty term which has come to stay this day. :-)

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    3. Interesting! Thanks for sharing this info.

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  4. Gridman is always good.
    Samosas and laddus, though not good for health, are extremely enjoyable!
    Good morning all.

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  5. Thank you Gridman, for providing samosas today! Nice and happy

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  6. Yesterday I don't know how Bhavan said that Sankalak's puzzles have come to an end. Because any new setter (though it is a comeback by Anitya) appears only at the end of the cycle and after Mac , I presumed so. But Bhavan guessed it right .. RIP Sankalak Sir. THC will never be the same without you :(

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  7. If a puzzle is good and easily accessible, we can say we have had laddu or laddus.
    Unlike a samosa, this is sweet.
    I know of people relishing laddus. Even for whom the laddu or any such sweet is a contra-indication, they might take a bit of it.
    But I don't think anyone takes a bit of samosa - either they take it as a whole or not at all. No one would say: I suspect it's too oily - or too spicy - let me take a bit of it.

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    1. When we were kids and playing gully cricket, if a batsman tendered an easy catch, it was called a laddu catch

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    2. When the fielder drops the "laddu" catch, it is called "something" else (following CV sir's comment at 11:37)

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  8. Nice one from Gridman. Lots of Samosas today as well. Got Laddu alright sans Ghee! Thank you Gridman. :)

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  9. Deepak
    I agree that in 14d, just 'hot' would have served the purposes of wordplay.
    Didn't occur to me.
    Liked your funny comment against 30a.
    Re 16d: I see your point. But I am not sure if the ind for inclusion of F is strictly needed there. I think I have seen this kind of clue in UK puzzles. I welcome opinions from others.

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    Replies
    1. I think you're referring to substitution clues, CV Sir, in which a separate ind for inclusion of F is not needed. But then, a substitution ind is needed to convey that R is exchanged with F. In 16d, it isn't clearly indicated that F has to be contained (something like, '...no right boxing force') or that F has to replace R (something like, '...with force taken for right'). As it stands, the clue leads to SOTIEF.

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  10. 1Dn : Section included in appropriate Sunday hymns (6) PSALMS {P{S}ALM}{S}

    What does PALM stand for in the Anno pl? Is it 'appropriate'?

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    Replies
    1. I think 'appropriate' reads with different meanings for the surface & cryptic reading,am I right?

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    2. Thanks Paddy. My initial search did not yield any result! After seeing Col Sir's reply, my second look into Free-Dict helped me to understand that 'to appropriate' and 'palm off' mean 'an act
      of deception' is involved.

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  11. Deepak
    Which laddu do you like more?
    The north Indian one which is saffronish in colour and a little loose or shall I say soggy, though the bhoondis still hold together.
    Or
    The south Indian laddu which is rather yellowish, more firm, with some white powder coating of I don't know what (sugar?)?
    Here I am talking of bhoondi laddus. I don't know what term they use for this up north.
    Laddus can be of rava or flours of different grains. These have qualifying adjective. When you say just 'laddu', it's bhoondi laddu, I think.
    Deepak, I liked the choice of your illustrative picture. What a growing relish you have for laddus!
    I will settle only for the smallest! I have restricted mouth opening and can't open my mouth wide enough to take in large whole-size laddus;
    What is the secret of the unique taste of Tirupati laddu? You can tell it if someone asks you to close your eyes and puts a little bit of it into your mouth.

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    Replies
    1. I love the South Indian variety with the large boodis and not the North Indian one which is called 'Moti choor ki laddu'

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    2. The moment I started reading the description of various laddus by CV, only Tirupathi laddu with its unique taste and flavour came to my mind. It is perhaps THE defn. for laddu. I had the privelege of going into the Thirumala kitchen where it is being made (years ago) - such a hot burning place with a slippery (oily) floor to boot that you cannot even think about running away from. I think these days they are being made on machines, though the ingredients and taste remain the same.

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  12. Could someone please explain the connection between 'Spells' and GOES?

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  13. Pl. check Col.'s link that leads to this meaning (2nd meaning)

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    Replies
    1. I already did, hence the request.

      Perhaps you meant the 3rd meaning at FreeDict? Not finding FD helpful I went to the free online Chambers to find "noun (plural goes) 1 a turn or spell" under the entry for 'go' and understood the meaning. I think I couldn't immediately relate the two words because I rarely, if ever, come across GOES (i.e. in the plural) in this context. Thanks for the reply.

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  14. spell - a time for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else); "it's my go"; "a spell of work"
    go, tour, turn
    duty period, work shift, shift - the time period during which you are at work

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  15. Wasn't there a TV ad for some tutorial college/website/app in which a young student (duly bespectacled and with hair sprouting on his upper lip) being fed with laddus so he may fare well in some competitive exam?

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    Replies
    1. And the famous scene in Backiaraj movie of a Hindi master teaching a lad who is pampered by a laddu-feeding grandma!

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  16. was dolly catch derived from laddu?? Tirupati laadus,isnt that the correct spelling. has thatspecial taste due to addition of cloves and camphor?

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  17. Visit
    http://the-hindu-crossword.appspot.com/
    I posted a Comment in Venkat's app.
    Don't know when it was introduced but I saw it today and tried it.

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  18. All of a sudden (maybe after I saw Raju's use of the term 'laadu') the term 'kunjalaadu' came to my mind.
    What does 'kunja' mean? Padmanabhan? D Srinivasan? Or any other member?
    Is there a Brahminical tinge to that term?

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    Replies
    1. My mum says that it was the original name for the boondi laadu. It was first made by Kunjamma and was one of the types of laddoo along with rava laddu etc. Later the word was shortened to just laddu.

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  19. CV,
    Kunjaladu is the same as laddu in appearance, taste etc. As you say it is used by a certain section of Brahmins (Iyers to be precise) There is no special meaning for 'kunja' as far as I know. As Col. indicated it is known as 'Moti choor' in the north. names vary from place to place. Ghee content (leading to obesity) and sugar content, with its own complications, remain the same!

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    Replies
    1. Moti choor in many places is the name for the boondi laddoo when the boondi is crisp, not soft, and hence resembles moti=pearl in shape and size.

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