Wednesday 26 November 2014

No 11250, Wednesday 26 Nov 2014, Gridman


Can't get samosa's very easily today. Plenty of little things strewn around today.

ACROSS
1   Indicates place to shoot from commander's vessel (8) FLAGSHIP {FLAGS}{HIP}
5   Not much silver found in lake (6) MEAGRE {ME{AG}RE}
9   Female personnel attached to the princess (7) DISTAFF {DI}{STAFF}
10 At home, young reporter has you and me in old nightmare (7) INCUBUS {IN}{CUB}{US}
11 Bride, with these chemical experiment substances, becomes scatterbrained (9) REACTANTS SCATTERbrAiNed* Definition in the middle
12 Diminutive born back in the limits of Thalassery (5) TEENY {Thala{EEN<=}sserY}
13 Very small can pray finally (4) TINY {TIN}{Y}
14 Theatrical behaviour of buck in Egyptian vessel (9) STAGINESS {STAG}{IN}{E}{SS}
17 Accounts for lists city having a distinctive manner of its own (9) STYLISTIC*
19 I study the sacred picture (4) ICON {I}{CON}
23 Release a preview of art production made by one learner (5) TRAIL {ART*}{1}{L}
24 She and inmate together contrive what's used to control the boat (9) MAINSHEET*
25 Little mother gets half-a-century — barely adequate (7) MINIMAL {MINI}{MA}{L}
26 A grand ring on the shore (7) AGROUND {A}{G}{ROUND}
27 Date not subject to change (6) STEADY [DD]
28 Sculptures remain around north Indian clan (8) STATUARY {STA{TUAR<=}Y} North being the reversal indicator (Addendum - {STA{TUAR}Y} - See comments}

DOWN
1   To form a union, take dear around in gala event (8) FEDERATE {FE{DEAR*}TE}
2   Lay off sailor with stigma (7) ABSTAIN {AB}{STAIN}
3   Thin, lean in shadowy case (6) SCANTY {Shad{CANT}owY}
4   Briefly, about the thing mali's broken — it's negligible (13) INFINITESIMAL INFINITE{SIMAL*} Anno pending (Addendum - {IN)(FIN{IT}E}{SIMAL*} - See comments}
6   Stimulating, going out holding chick's top (8) EXCITING {EX{Chicks}ITING}
7   Bits from marsh retrieved to get best treatment (7) GOBBETS {GOB<=}{BEST*}
8   Tracts from eastern and southern states (6) ESSAYS {E}{S}{SAYS}
10 It's meaningless in character, provided one tilt (13) INSIGNIFICANT {IN}{SIGN}{IF}{1}{CANT}
15 Took a zigzag course in dirty old Salem (8) SLALOMED* Dr DS will object to this!
16 All together, world leaders have south Indian dish thrown around central step (8) UNITEDLY {UN}{I{sTEp}DLY}
18 Student's fall getting support all round (7) TRAINEE {T{RAIN}EE}
20 Pause, vehicle stops short, about to turn a trick (7) CAESURA {CAr}{ESUR<=}{A<=}
21 Totally baffles those behind the batsman (6) STUMPS [DD]
22 Implike person sends up English in quick wit (6) ESPRIT (+e)ESPRIT(-e)

GRID

37 comments:

  1. Briefly - in fine(?) covering 'it'- the thing and simal*

    ReplyDelete
  2. Please see the second meaning of 'in fine' here:

    http://www.thefreedictionary.com/fine

    More often and more popularly, it is perhaps used in the sense if 'in conclusion'.

    I am glad I had done necessary dictionary work.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes. Apologies to the setter for the unnecessary doubt

      Delete
  3. Question mark raises doubts?
    Free Dictionary gives "In summation" or "In brief" as meanings. So it should be fine.
    Came a cropper with a few words-Caesura,Gobbets.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Navneeth

    Please see my response to your query in yesterday's blog. That's my view, while I always grant my solvers to have theirs.

    Yesterday the meeting went off well and the sizable audience appreciated my review (in Tamil) of Sa. Kandasamy's novel 'Perum mazhai Naatkal'.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was fortunate to be one of the 'sizable'(?) audience and enjoy the review very ably and neatly given by CV in chaste Tamil, a very detailed and 'to the point' review appreciated by all. Thank you CV.

      Delete
  5. "Cant" appears in 3D & 10D with 2 different synonyms (Tilt & Lean)

    ReplyDelete
  6. 28 Sculptures remain around north Indian clan (8) STATUARY {STA{TUAR<=}Y} North being the reversal indicator

    Had a doubt about 'north' as a rev ind. Dic says that adj and adverb form of it is 'toward the north'. However, has Gridman broken convention of using this ind in an across clue?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. North is not a reversal indicator here ... Try again ;-)

      Delete
    2. He meant 'Raut' as a caste in North India. Check out : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raut_%28caste%29

      Delete
    3. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomara_clan

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    4. Tomara (also called , , and ) is a clan, some members of which ruled parts of North India at different times. People belonging to the Tomara clan are found among the Rajputs,[1] Jats[2] and Gurjars[3] of northern India.

      Wiki

      Delete
    5. I saw that link. But he has mentioned that Gridman has broken a convention. I assure you that he has not, and yes, I reiterate North is not a reversal Indicator here, it is just an adjective for a North Indian clan

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    6. Shouldn't N be capitalised in north?

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    7. Ajeesh has it. BTW, Raghu's discovery of RAUT<>TUAR might prompt some one to make a clue out of it

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    8. My dahl's cooked by Kishore:)

      and I don't want to take credit for plagiarism here. I merely looked at the anno assuming it was correct and commented. That 'north' alone could be used as a rev ind was a discovery.

      Delete
    9. You got the pulse of a backward caste in India

      Delete
  7. Apologies Gridman for the unnecessary confusion about reversal ind.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not just that. It's in fact quite a ruckus ;) 14 out of 22 comments thus far are on that particular clue.

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    2. Comedy of a couple of errors?

      Delete
  8. 11A definition in the middle kosher for Composite anagrams right ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. the following clue was written by another setter: Adrenaline keeps sap circulating (4)
      I'm okay with both these clues as the indication for the definition in the middle is logical...
      Not necessary they must be composite anagrams as such

      Delete
    2. No idea about def in the middle for other clue types. Have read in crosswordunclued (i think) that it is ok for CAs

      Delete
    3. If it was OK for other type of clues (all other types), then writing clues becomes much more simpler, even if it is logical.

      Delete
    4. I don't think it makes things simpler ...
      you have to deal with the trouble of separating the indicator from wordplay which would be unfair..

      Delete
  9. nice puzzle.smooth surfaces.leading clues.Once I could crack 14a, it became easy to get the long ones 4d&10d.1d -wonderful wordplay at anind stage.ie dear is in gala.wonderful.In southeast cornerI bungled 20d&28a.On the whole a thorough entertainer.Thank you

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 4D & 10D- Anything but insignificant & infinitesimal !

      Delete
  10. Strange to see a Gridman without any CDs

    ReplyDelete
  11. New post in Crossword Unclued : Sowmya Ramkumar's interview

    http://www.crosswordunclued.com/2014/11/interview-sowmya-ramkumar.html

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thank you for your reply, Chaturvasi.

    ReplyDelete

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