Monday 21 September 2015

DESSERTS

I thank all members who submitted clues for the titled word.

Bombadil

They having a bit of sugar leave a taste of sweetness! (8)
They, having a bit of sugar, leave a taste of sweetness (8) (Revised) DES(S)ERT(S)

A brave exercise  in writing a CD.
I had difficulty in working out the WP in the first attempt. The punctuation in the
revised version leaves us with no doubt as to what is going on. We atart off with
the reqd word. My only comment is that the word has more than a bit of sugar - I
am joking, of course, for 'a bit of sugar' doesn't mean just one but some. The EM

I accept as one that might be considered legit.
The statement of the clue even any child might know. Even if the child has not atarted talking but only makes noises and utters a few words would know the truth. My son told me the other day that his toddler son would come to him when he taking tiffin and ask for a bit of puri or dosai if that is the tiffin of the day. If it is idli, the child would just turn away, not being interested in the bland stuff.
---
Sowmya

They often finish a meal (8)

CD. Clue works but it's rather vague and it can hardly be solved cold. Only
after we have got some crossingscan we guess the solution. Also, the meal must
be a formal dinner or at least a kalyana saappaadu where we finish with
desserts. At home it's likely to be thayir saadham.
---
Deepak Gopinath.

Final course rats drowned in a ship on the contrary (8)

Def is OK and is not a dead give-away.
'Rats' here are not the rodents but the v. DESERTS. Ship is SS or S. Statement is
RATS drowned in ship. DESERT ins'd in SS. 'On the contrary' means it's the
other way around - S (ship) is ins'd in DESERTS.
Some punctuation mark is required between 'ship' and 'on the contrary'.
Also, perhaps after 'course'. Otherwise, what are 'final course rats'?
Good word breakup. The wordplay idea isn't executed most properly.
---
Nadathur Rajan
Mere sweet dishes like these without sulphur are what is deserved (8)

DESSERTS
(mere=)JUST + DES[-s]ERTS = what are deserved (JUST DESERTS)

The clue-writer has saved me a lot of typing by going all out in his
explanation.The clue works and we dos ee where he comes from for his
wordplay but I am unable to classify it. Surface reading must be plausible: do
we ever 'add sulphur' during the process of making a sweet dish?
---
Ramki Krishnan
Quits eating basically sugary sweets (8)
Quits = DESERTS
eating = container ind
basically sugary = S
sweets = def

Neat wordplay. Works very well: the container, the ins ind, del fodder and del
ind - everything gels well.
---
Richard
Spoilt dress set for post-meal sweet stuff (8)

Wordplay works well in this anag clue. Surface reading is weak. We may spoil
our dress during a meal but I don't think we take out a spoilt dress set for a meal
or a course therein. The def is too elaborate making it possible to guess the
answer without any subsidiary ind.
---
C. G. Bhargav
Saints entering Sahara say not right to look for ice-cream and cake (8)
Saints=SS
Sahara say = DESERT
not right = anag. indicator
(SS+DESERT) = DESSERTS
Defn. Ice-cream and cake

The clue-writer has saved me a lot of typing by giving full explanation. WP
works but surface reading is strange. We can indeed look for ince-cream in a
desert if it is kept properly stored there. I like 'not right' as anag ind.
---
Vasant
Rested , had a s-sunday maybe (8)
DE(SS)ERTS*

Rather casually written. Some more work is needed to produce a clue with the
word breakup. The WP does not seem to come through quite properly in the
submitted version. Wonder if what was had was 'sundae'.
---
Padmanabhan
A drop of sugar in arid regions is sweet.

Though the given word is known, I would expect the enu to make it a complete
clue.
We can understand a 'drop of milk or honey or ghee' but not' a drop of sugar'. A
little sugar, some sugar, a bit of sugar,,, some such might be OK. 'Arid regions'
for 'deserts' is good. 'Sweet' as def is OK.

Finally,

I like the clues of Bombadil and Sowmya.
The most favourite of mine is  Ramki's.
Excuse sought for any omissions/errors made inadvertently.

12 comments:

  1. Thanks for the comments on clues submitted. I was thinking of "not right" as double duty. It would not be right for saints to expect ice-cream and cake in a desert! However having spent long years in the air-conditioning and refrigeration field there is no doubt for me that in this age ice-cream and cake cannot be served in a desert!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks CV for giving everyone their 'just desserts'!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I felt CVs sirs comments about my clue are completely justified. .I need to work on writing clues..abinitio..

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you for your comments, Chaturvasi sir. Just a small clarification; my attempt was intended to be an &lit clue, not a CD :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Of course. Thanks for pointing it out. It was an inadvertent error thanks to 'senior moments', broken tooth in pain with an appointment with the dentist to be fulfilled, editing work on hand, visiting granddaughter needing attention, too much salt in today's 'kuzhambu', uncut long strands of hair falling over my eyes, noise from the neighbour's split airconditioner unit on the sunshade above, crow cawing from a tree branch just outside my second-floor flat, honking by cars and vans picking up children on the road from the school next door... the list is endless.

      Delete
    2. Thanks for the interesting analysis CV sir. Wasn't a piece of cake but in the end, Ramki's lovely clue advocated quitting sweets and got its just desserts:)

      Delete
  5. Hi Everybody,

    I am a newcomer to this site and as a novice, find it very educative and helpful in understanding how to solve cryptic clues. Also, CV sir's analysis on DESSERTS was quite interesting. As a newcomer, may I submit a belated entry for DESSERTS :

    SWEET SERVINGS OF FRENCH BEFORE TROUBLED REST IN SHIP (8) {DE} {S (REST) * S}

    ( I know this is too simplistic and straight forward, but please do give your comments on whether this follows crossword conventions)

    Thanks.

    Subramaniam.G

    ReplyDelete
  6. GS
    Your word breakup and wordplay is fine.
    However, the clue's surface reading is not sparkling.
    'Troubled rest' appears to be oxymoronic.
    But 'troubled' is a good anag signal.
    With some more thought and effort, you should come out with better clues.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks for the comments. This festive season, we should be on the lookout for sweets, desserts and mithais that are unadulterated and made with pure and hygienic sulphur-free sugar. Sulphur is used in the process of refining sugar, and sulphur residues are usually present in conventionally refined sugar. Sulphur residues of such sugars are high (70 ppm). Sulphur added to foods carries the risk of precipitating allergies (asthma) in potentially susceptible individuals. .

    Interestingly, we obtain most of our sulphur from proteins in the diet. The essential amino acid methionine is one of several sulphur-containing components of protein.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks. I enjoy a sweet as a sweet.
      Of course, I might think about the ingredients that go into it.
      But the processes involved in making those ingredients and residuals in the finished product, I don't bother about.
      The other day I tried to read the 'nutrition facts' on the outside of a so-called 'health' drink but just couldn't. The list was long - from top to bottom of the bottle in very tiny print and following the rise and fall of the contours of the bottle (which distracted me and took my mind elsewhere). Just impossible to read even with a magnifying glass.
      In these days when companies have websites, I thought the Government should bring legislation that they should spread out the outside label, scan an enlarged image and upload them for customers to read comfortably online. So also medicine strips and labels of other products.

      Delete
  8. Sowmya
    Out of curiosity I checked my dB of crossword clues from early 900 crosswords that I have set so far.
    Four instance of DESSERTS were in 'search results'.
    Three of them were part of clues.
    Only one was a 'light'.
    The clue: These dishes come as a last course (8)
    Great minds, what?.... ? !!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thank you CV Sir for your insightful comments and feedback on all the clues.

    ReplyDelete

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