Saturday 17 January 2015

No 11294, Saturday 17 Jan 2015, Incognito


Welcome Incognito.

ACROSS
7   Peter's vault is secure and undamaged (4) SAFE [DD] ? Anno not clear [MD] See comments
8,16,15 down Crucial decision concerning capital punishment (1,6,2,4,3,5) A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH [CD]
10 Move fast in a popular mode of transport over the Niagara Falls (6) BARREL [DD]
11 Crumpets strewn across the range (8) SPECTRUM*
12 Fake teetotaller takes alcohol heartily producing unusually high pitched voice (8) FALSETTO {FALSE}{TT}{alcOhol}
14 Managed with some home-made dosa (4,2) MADE DO [T]
16 See 8
18 Eat herb mixture and respire (7) BREATHE*
21 Take a string and change a binary bit to become powerful (6) STRONG STR(-1+0)ONG
23 Train person to become a driver (8) COACHMAN {COACH}{MAN}
25 Convoluted cad clues "Dead end" (3,2,3) CUL DE SAC*
27 Confused and rowed slowly without power (6) ADDLED pADDLED
29 It's a crime to post after dark (9) BLACKMAIL {BLACK}{MAIL}
30 African who follows Yankee (4) ZULU [DD]

DOWN
1   I chased car carrying Tibetan guru and got Italian squids (8) CALAMARI {CA{LAMA}R}{I}
2   Look at an Earl or someone equal (4) PEER [MD]
3   Thing designed to ensure that the pickpocket gets all your stuff in one go (6) WALLET [CD]
4   Graduates, without losing much time, got a woodwind instrument (7) BASSOON {BAS}{SOON}
5   Flag old ship sailing around river (8) STREAMER {ST{R}EAMER}
6   Worry about guitar component (4) FRET [DD]
9   Railway termini were moved away from metal casting plant and re-located (5) FOUND FOUNDry
13 Short short-hand writer arranges notes (5) STENO*
15 See 8 Across
17 Munro followed Indian tribal to Japanese town (8) NAGASAKI {NAGA}{SAKI}
19 The type of body Venus has or is (8) HEAVENLY [C&DD]
20 Accountants return before administrators to thorn trees (7) ACACIAS {ACAC<=}{IAS}
22 This is used to hitch-hike by fairytale general (after releasing cat) (5) THUMB tom_THUMB But this General was not a fairytale one
24 Middle Easterner appears before the French to get land that is useful (6) ARABLE {ARAB}{LE}
26 Sketch doctor at work, initially (4) DRAW {DR}{At}{Work}
28 12 lose nothing at first and nod off (4) DOZE DOZEn

82 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. A Very Happy Birthday to Mr Rishikesh, CV and Gridman

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  2. Simple and nice puzzle. Zulu was a guess thanks to Klusner. Please explain second part

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  3. Many, Many Happy Returns of the day, CV Sir.

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  4. Thank you Deepak, Kishore, Ajeesh, Mukund for the greetings.

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  5. Dark in 29A reminded me of one of my all time favourite movies 'Wait until Dark' starring Audrey Hepburn and Alan Arkin

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  6. Nice one from Incognito. Stumped by 10Ac. Never thought that a BARREL could be a popular mode of transport to visit or ride on Niagara Falls!

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    Replies
    1. It's not used for a visit or pleasure ride. It's used by daredevils to ride the falls. See the link

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    2. Thanks Sir. Saw the link. Wonder if those daredevils use barrels even today!?

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    3. Wonder if those daredevils use barrels even today!?

      MB, they probably wouldn't mind if the barrel was full of whiskey ...

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  7. CV sir,
    Many Happy Returns of the Day.

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  8. 17Dn : {NAGA}{SAKI} What's the link btn Munro and Saki pl?

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  9. Deepak,

    Did you solve THC 10810, Thu, June 27, 2013?
    Clue 4d was
    Look closely around treasurer’s top safe (5)

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    Replies
    1. In THC 10093 March 4, 2011),Clue 21a was

      Favourite Queen in prison (5)

      It's just that setters do their dictionary work!

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    2. I blogged 10810 and against 4D I had written 'Never knew this meaning'!

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    3. Also, by CV in 10471 24.5.2012
      Peter's out of danger (4) - SAFE [DD]
      Posted by Deepak Gopinath

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    4. Thus spake Gridman

      1. Setters are in business only because solvers have short memory.

      (Thinking hard for other statements)

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  10. CV Ji, You have to really be something special! Today, 3,476,829 people have birthday, but I was only thinking of you!

    Many happy returns of the day.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Renga!
      Glad to be one in 3,476,829 as far as youa re concerned!
      MGR fans are thinking of him!

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    2. And CGR fans are thinking of him ...

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  11. Thanks to Venkatesh also for b'day greetings.

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  12. Many happy returns of the day CV!

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  13. Many happy returns CV sir !! Have a gala one !

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    Replies
    1. Thank God, there is no space between gal and a AND the 'a' is not in caps AND the 'one' is not numeral AND there is no hyphen in between.

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    2. It might have been better if it was ' Have a gala day'. Of course CVjis wife would then have an Axe out for Axa

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  14. One liners about India that are completely true!


    1. If you want to know how divided we are, just look at matrimonial page of our newspaper!
    2. India is running the software of tomorrow on the hardware of yesterday!
    3. Sarcasm is like electricity, half of India doesn't get it!
    4. If the mobile gets spoiled blame the child, if child gets spoiled blame the mobile!
    5. If someone asks for dirty cloth to clean something you are in India!
    6. The only country where people fight to be termed 'backward'!
    7. In India, you don't cast your vote, you vote your caste!
    8. An incredible country where actors are playing cricket, cricketers are playing politics, politicians are watching porn and porn stars are becoming actors!- vicious circle indeed!
    9. And the ultimate one:

    Where liking a Facebook post and sending messages on WhatsApp gets you arrested, while raping does not!

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  15. Did the wallet makers have the pickpocket in mind while designing? ;-)

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    Replies
    1. They were probably hand (in glove or in pocket?) with Fagin

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  16. Re 22d, it should have been 'character', not 'General'. Tom Thumb is a folklore character, while, as rightly mentioned by Deepak, General Tom Thumb was a real person and the stage name of an extremely short person, who was no army general. I mixed up the two. Sorry for that.

    BTW, in India, the term dead end is used even for the arm of the T junction which terminates. "Turn right at the dead end". Strictly speaking there is no exit from a dead end, i.e. a cul-de-sac, except the way one came...

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    Replies
    1. Last week in my neighbourhood, which I know very well, I took a turn, a deliberate turn, knowing very well it would take me nowhere. I just wanted to take a peek, having walked by many times. The moment I turned, a boy, playing on the lane, said: 'Uncle, where do you want to go? This is dead end" (all in Tamil except for the first word and the end phrase),
      Mind you, it is rather a poor area. I noted his polite way of addressing a stranger and also the sue of the English phrase.
      Certainly education makes man better. - Is this true or am I uncharitable to the unlettered?

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  17. Thanks for a fun crossword, Incognito! Especially liked the CD for wallet.

    The LAMA clued in 1d here, following close on the heels of the LLAMA in Arden's crossword three days ago, reminded me of Ogden Nash:

    The one L lama, he's a priest
    The two L llama, he's a beast
    And I will bet my silk pyjama
    There isn't any three L lllama !

    Thanks to DG for the blog.

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  18. Re 7 AC:

    http://www.crosswordunclued.com/2012/10/peter-is-safe.html

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  19. The two CDs in today's crossword reminded me of a point made by a blogger on fifteensquared a few days ago. John, blogging that day's Independent puzzle, had this to say:

    "Many [...] have tried to convince me that a CD is a valid form of clue, but they have failed. I know CDs are widespread[.] Why is the usual protocol for clues — two parts, one of them a definition, one of them the wordplay, giving you two ways in to the answer — dropped for the CD and why can’t you have the CD part as a very good definition but also have some wordplay? I prefer to follow Azed, who says “I disapprove of clues which omit any definition of the answer, relying on the ‘Ho-ho’ factor to gloss over this omission …”, and he goes on to say “Clues which consist solely of a punning definition … are equally culpable in this regard, however witty they may be”"

    I find myself in two minds about this. I am keen to hear what the setters and solvers here have to say.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Of course there are good CDs and bad CDs.
      Having said that, CDs must be an arrow in the crossword setter's quiver.
      For CDs the answer must come out of the solver's head. They add variety and also saves the setter from the dreary job of word breakups for 30 plus or minus clues.

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    2. My view is that a CD is OK provided there are the two components: ie the wordplay and the definition. Either element or both can be cryptic. But the solver then has two routes to the answer as usual.

      Many happy returns of the day CV

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    3. Bhala, no doubt, refers to what we usually call the CD,DD and has two components. On the other hand several setters here and elsewhere have used CD which do not have two components. This is what Crossword Unclued says:

      "Cryptic definition [CD] clues expect you to think laterally to arrive at the solution. Unlike most other clue types, pure CD clues do not have separate definition and wordplay. The entire clue is one single definition, worded in a misleading way and you need to use some "out-of-the-box" reasoning to solve it."

      http://www.crosswordunclued.com/2008/12/cryptic-definitions.html

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    4. In fact, once the solver has cracked the lateral thinking logic of it, the answer, for all practical purposes, is like an 'easy' one. Eg:

      Gridman (THC 11284/5.1.15)
      7a High-flown correspondence? (7) AIRMAIL

      Neyartha (THC 11286/7.1.15)
      23a Firing them may be harmless (6) BLANKS

      Arden THC 11290/12.1.15)
      8d Mendicant’s going round and round (7) DERVISH

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  20. Many happy returns of the day CV

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  21. Happy birthday CV sir...

    Nice and enjoyable grid Incognito :-) Especially loved Heavenly, Zulu, Wallet, Blackmail.... Calamari though I guessed from wordplay, had to google...

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  22. Many happy returns of the day CVji

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  23. Many happy snruter of the day CV. May The Good Lord keep you in good health and spirits and may we have many more puzzles from your memory Bank !! God bless you!!!

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  24. Is it already 2 years since we cut a Birthday cake for Gridman? Time really flies with the next edition of S&B fat approaching. Wish you a very happy Birthday and many happy returns of the day CV. Looking forward to many many CW's from your pen (or should I say computer?)

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  25. Thank you Incognito for loading our already overloaded bellies with free samosas. Enjoyable CW. Though I have read about barreling across Niagara, I had to google it today.Strange I started the day's filling with cul de sac and I am glad it did not end in one!

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    Replies
    1. In these samosas, Paddy,

      Fats=0
      Transfats = 0

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    2. You are right at that and if any, we also spend a few calories of thinking time.

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    3. So that the solver can get off a seat and take up walking, running or other activities that consume calories ...

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    4. But even with S&B, Paddy is thinking about fat (approaching) :-D

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  26. Many happy returns of the day , Rishiji

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  27. Thank you Venkatesh, Sandhya, Raghunath, Bhala, ARD, Arvind, Ramesh, Raju, Padmanabhan and Suresh for the greetings.

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  28. For years I have understood cryptic definition (CD) to be a clue for which the answer comes not from any WP (charade, anag, c/c, etc) but off the top of the head.
    The term that D St. P. Barnard uses for this sort of clue is the parabolic clue.
    For each clue-variety the author in his book Anatomy of the Crossword (1962) bestows a fancy name.
    He writes: "The Parabolic Clue derives its poignancy from the element of surprise; it may require very little thought or long consideration, but whatever it may be, when the solution comes, it comes in a flash; rarely can it be discovered by a process of laborious reasoning - reflection may be necessary, but inspiration is the final touchstone that makes all the pieces fall suddenly into place."

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  29. WALLET swallowed the samosas for me.:(
    I seek your blessings CV Sir on your birthday

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    Replies
    1. Ellam nallabadi nadakkum. Sowkkiyama irunga, ram avargalae. Ungalukkum ungal kudumbaththukkum en nal vaazhthukkal uriththaaguga.
      ===
      Whether a person is older than me or younger, I say "namaskaaram" (apart from bringing the palms together in front of my chest). I take it to be equivalent to 'Namaste'.

      Can DS or someone else say whether there is any fine distinction about the use of 'namaskaaram'.

      This reminds me of an incident in MDU during my trip there.

      We were standing outside the gate of the house of an old man. I said: "Namskaaram". There was not any reciprocal greeting. I repeated it. Again it seemed as if he had not heard me. He wanted me to speak. For the third time, I said 'namaskaaram'. The old man now said loudly "Aaseervaadham". In those moments he must have gauged me and realised that though I was old myself, I must be younger to him and 'namskaaram' wasn't the right word.
      In old wedding invitations there used to be a series of dots where the name of the invitee was to be inserted (but it never was).
      It was followed by namaskaaram/aaseervaadham.
      ( This was 'dear reader, take it as applicable'!

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    2. Sir,
      NAMASKARAM & Many Happy Returns of the Day. Great to share the DoB with a legend like MGR!

      I agree with you in greeting anyone, irespective of his/her age, with Namaskaram in person or over phone.
      Responding with Aseervaadham or Namaskaram is their choice.

      Only when you have to do Namaskaram by prostrating before another person, the younger one does it to the elder.

      When someone meets a Sage/Seer, even elder one should prostrate to the Sage irrespective of the Sage's age.

      In the wedding invitation of the yeteryears, the name of the Invitee is written "on the series of dots" and either Namaskaram or Aseervaadham is struck off depending on the Invitee's age. This custom no longer exisists although the format remains the same in some places.

      We, in this blog, are always happy and feel blessed to receive your ASEERVAADHAM without age consideration.

      Thanks for your mail. Otherwise I would have missed this discussion today

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    3. Thank you both for some elucidation- of the general rule. We cannot do anything about personalities who go beyond this general etiquette, like the Madurai gentleman.

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    4. Dr DS, Did I tell you that I was a seer once? I even saw a mutt ...

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  30. Thanks, All. See you on Monday.

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  31. Happy Birthday , the maestro. May u continue to regale us with ur puzzles, guide us to the nuances of cryptic xwords, mentor generations of setters.

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  32. Happy Birthday CV Sir. Wish you good health and happiness for years to come.

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