Saturday 4 October 2014

No 11206, Saturday 04 Oct 2014, Sunnet


Quite a few words that I hadn't encountered before, but wordplays were clear enough to get the answers. Mostly good stories and clues, especially liked METRE, BRED, TEMPORARY, PRESSURE, SELDOM, ARTIST, NARROW, PAROXYSM, TOPPLE. As one comes to expect it is a pangram too. Thanks Sunnet.

ACROSS
1 Therefore lock up for a tenure (6) SOCAGE [therefore=SO + lock up=CAGE]
4 Tilting post of almost a hundred kilos at home (8) QUINTAIN [hundred kilos=QUINTAl + at home=IN]
10 Covered insolence displayed by English editor (9) ENCRUSTED [insolence=CRUST inside ENglish EDitor]
11 Wet attendant spilled a bit of it (5) WATER [attendant=WAITER - It]
12 Measure the setter's unfinished growth (5) METRE [setter=ME + growth=TREe]
13 Against precedence given to starter (9) ANTIPASTO [against=ANTI + precedence=PAS + TO]
14 Pound street after street to acquire an ancient language (7) AVESTAN [street = AVE + ST + AN] Pound only for surface?
16 Created ripples to show leak (4) DRIP [T]
19 Raised money on radio (4) BRED [~money=BREAD]
21 Hire technical school's associate for a girl (7) LETITIA [hire=LET + technical school=ITI + Associate]
24 American scenting door treated with iodine spirit (9) ODORIZING [DOOR* + Iodine + spirit=ZING]
25 Seize back sweetheart's instrument (5) BANJO [seize=NAB<- + sweetheart=JO]
26 Wisdom of department's premier historian (5) DEPTH [DEPT + Historian]
27 Irregular pace seen by soldiers near the line (9) TEMPORARY [pace=TEMPO + soldiers = Royal Artillery + lines=RY] 
28 Media to exercise influence (8) PRESSURE [media=PRESS + exercise=URE]
29 Rarely doles out some money (6) SELDOM [DOLES* + Money]

DOWN
1 Wet steam is circulated for tough but edible flesh (4,4) STEW MEAT [WET STEAM]*
2 Small casseroles set up at the end of commander's bed (8) COCOTTES [COmmander + bed=COT + SET<-]

3 Extent of girl's dreadful ague (5) GAUGE [Girl + AGUE*]
5 One's old-fashioned or evergreen (7) UNDATED [one=UN + old-fashioned=DATED]
6 Fresh run of low-grade paper (9) NEWSPRINT [fresh=NEW + run=SPRINT]
7 Painter's skill is initially tested (6) ARTIST [skill=ART + IS + Tested]
8 Precise direction pointer (6) NARROW [direction=N + pointer=ARROW]
9 Stumped by shower screen (6) STRAIN [STumped + shower=RAIN]
15 Damages running train on woman's direction (9) TARNISHES [TRAIN* + woman=SHE + direction=S]
17 Customary position on a road (8) STANDARD [position=STAND + A + RoaD]
18 Violent outburst is normal and acute on the edges of social media (8) PAROXYSM [normal=PAR + acute=OXY + Social Media]
20 Socialist brought up boxing fight of tramp (7) DRIFTER [socialist=RED<- outside fight=RIFT]
21 Perhaps bean member, you heard before me (6) LEGUME [member=LEG + ~you=U + ME]
22 Collapse of agitated Liberal Democrat's state (4,2) FOLD UP [OF* + Liberal Democrat + state=UP]
23 Overturn drink one's left for love (6) TOPPLE [drink=TIPPLE with O for I]
25 Insolvent is shattered (5) BROKE [DD]



42 comments:

  1. 14 Pound street after street to acquire an ancient language (7) AVESTAN [street = AVE + ST + AN] Pound only for surface?

    "Pound" (in the sense of "to walk or run with heavy and regular steps" I must have come across first in a Sherlock Holmes story or some other detective story such as 'The hands of Mr Ottermole').
    It also means "to strike one against another".
    Here 'st' is slapped upon 'st'.
    So it has an added role in wordplay apart from contributing to the beautiful surface reading of the clue.
    I don't think it's out of place.

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  2. Another nice pangramatic offer from Sunnet. I had quite a few "So near yet so far" and had to look up here- my fault of course. Shall I say I did not measure up to it. As Bhavan correctly mentioned there are quite a few new words and one has to be sure to pick up the components and build them. If one has doubts there- well, I had.

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  3. I saw quite a few words to do with water (11a), like depth, pressure, drip, broke etc. but Sunnet tells me I am barking up the wrong tree wrt the theme

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    Replies
    1. Does that mean there is something to bark at? ;-)

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    2. Yes, but I know not what

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    3. Bow wow Sunnet. Awaiting your input...

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    4. Surprised that folks found it difficult to gauge the theme.

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    5. Across 11,12,26,28 & Down 8,9,17 are all part of the theme along with another Down clue solution which links all of them together

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    6. 3d seems to be the missing link ...

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    7. As mentioned in your 4:56

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    8. Ramesh, the broad is missing!

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  4. Labels: Coimbatore, Oct 14, Pangram, Sunnet

    Correction date please!?

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  5. Oct and the year I suppose M B - No correction needed

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  6. In military communications the date is written as 01 Oct 14.
    If 14 is written as '14, we might take it as 2014.
    In the absence of that and as it is Oct 14 (as against 14 Oct), I too have been confused and often taken it as Oct 14 before realising that 14 is the year and not date. (This when I search for some posts in the left side panel under the months.)
    If 14 can be altered to 2014 in the tag in one go and the year is given in full, it would be very helpful.

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    Replies
    1. I too was under your impression earlier and was about to write as MB has written. Upon checking, Col follows this method I understood.

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    2. CV,

      The tags do not have the 'Date' but only 'Month and Year' so that should not be confusing, as regards the date in the header I have always been showing it as "Day, dd mmm yyyy". Today being a mathematical delight, I let it go for the day, I will alter it to 14 Oct 2014 tomorrow

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  7. 28 Media to exercise influence (8) PRESSURE [media=PRESS + exercise=URE]

    "URE" is in which language?

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    Replies
    1. OK, found it in thefreedictionary.com and not in Chambers.com

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    2. Can it be also URES to say exercises?

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    3. If you watched a lot of television, especially TOI or any other news channel for that matter, you'd be pushed to believe that the clue was defective. You'd wonder why it's PRESSURE and not PRESSURISE.

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  8. The date today is a numerical palindrome. 04 - 10 - 2014.
    Good day all!

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  9. Sorry that should read 4.10.2014.
    Not 04. Pardon the ageing grey cells!

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    Replies
    1. Indeed, it is in a 7 digit format. I have received some messages that it occurs once in a lifetime. Which, of course is incorrect. In fact, 21.02.2012 occurred just a couple of years back and that too in an 8 digit format. In 7 digits we had 2.10.2012 in the same year, 3.10.2013 just one year back and 5.10.2015 in the next year and so on..

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  10. The 1 minute difference between your 2 mails made me wonder for what seemed like an hour! And when I got it there comes in your correction. If only I had waited for a minute!

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  11. Datelining. We in India, use Date,month and year. . Trust the Americans to go walk on the oppo!site footpath or is it sidewalk? So, lets be Indian whilst in India !

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  12. 911 and 2611 have always confused me . Tragic days , Hence, saddened me too !

    Happy Dussehera to all here and lets all pray for those who died in the stampede in Patna on a day like it ! Decimation on dasami day !!

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  13. On the other hand- Moksha on an auspicious date!

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  14. Thanks, Sunnet - that was a really good workout. Like Bhavan, I found that the unfamiliar words had well-defined wordplay and one only needed to confirm that the resultant words fit the meaning!

    I couldn't parse the URE part of PRESSURE and the PASTO part of ANTIPASTO to my satisfaction - thanks for clearing that up, Bhavan, and for the blog in toto.

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  15. Bhavan,

    Types are very good, neat and easy on the eye. A very nice presentation. Thank you.

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  16. Easy puzzle, but too many obsolete words (SOCAGE, PAS, URE) and a Scot English word too (JO). I was also not very comfortable with the usage of the prefix OXY as a wordplay component.

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  17. A question of ethics

    Please read the second Q and A here:

    http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/21/magazine/a-quick-change-artist.html?_r=0

    It is titled 'Puzzle Taker'.

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  18. Decades ago I as a student used to visit the British Council library. At that time we used to get not only The Times but other papers as well.
    I used to turn to the back page of The Times to take a look at the crossword. But alas it would have been filled by some British official at the office.
    I used to wonder if that man could not have taken a photocopy of the puzzle and tried it.

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  19. Thanks folks for the feedback. I would have wished to have fewer unfamilair words, but pangram,theme and the attempt to minimise reuse of words imposed some constraints that I could not get over this time.

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  20. Ramesh,
    I don't see any comments after your hints on the clue. is it something to do with a gauge for measuring water- rain gauge? But that does not account for the pressure. Gauge for measuring the water flow in cusecs?

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    Replies
    1. Padmanabhan see the solution grid added. They can all be used with Gauge

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