Wednesday 25 May 2016

No 11709, Wednesday 25 May 2016, Buzzer


ACROSS
1   Different guises presumably (1,5) I GUESS*
5   Mean to run a seafood stall overlooking a lake (7) SELFISH {SELl FISH}
9   At one point or another sitting around at home suspended (3,2,9) NOT IN OPERATION {AT+ONE+POINT+OR}* around {IN}
11 First event in a series is key (6) OPENER [DD]
12 African people in Denmark content to take legal action (8) SUDANESE {SU{DANES}E}
13 Proper ritual by the sound of it (5) RIGHT (~rite)
14 Recordings to broadcast fun tips (9) PLAYLISTS {PLAY}{LISTS}
16 Wild animal, one in water, skating over Nile (9) WOLVERINE {Wa..r}{OVER+NILE}*
18 Live with old group of people in Kerala (2,3) ON AIR {O}{N AIR}
20 Ability to read in light that is blue (8) LITERACY  {LITE}{RACY}
22 Crazy about a silk casing fabric (6) DAMASK {DAM<=}{A}{SilK}
24 Gradually deem it at a pet's, enough cages around? (3,4,2,1,4) ONE STEP AT A TIME [T<=]
25 Church next to a German city centre (7) ESSENCE {ESSEN}{CE}
26 Behave unacceptably out of envy? No good at all (2,4) BE RUDE {BEgRUDgE}

DOWN
2   Thug briefly had urge to become a better person (4,3) GOOD EGG {GOOn}{'D} {EGG}
3   Erect pine rotten in the middle (9) EPICENTRE*
4   Openers for Sri Lanka open to opening (4) SLOT Acrostic
5   Form a baseless theory to invest in stocks (9) SPECULATE [DD]
6   Capital city of Louisiana, home to bears (5) LHASA {HAS} in {LA}
7   Lack of affection is thawing since, on the inside (7) ICINESS {I{SINCE*}S}
8   Way to protest German attack under Attila perhaps (6,6) HUNGER STRIKE {HUN}{GER} {STRIKE}
10 Solver regarding mostly favourably, fellow setter? It's a pleasure (5,7)  YOURE WELCOME {YOU}{RE} {WELl}{CO}{ME}
14 Rule Yuvraj out of a cricket tournament? (9) PRINCIPLE {PRINCE} over {IPL}
15 Foreign folk are to watch over (4,5) LOOK AFTER*
17 Those lending sort of characters (7) LETTERS [DD]
19 Afraid of a Liberal having guns (7) ALARMED {A}{L}{ARMED}
21 Inform one is beyond helping (3,2) RAT ON {RATiON}
23 Put an end to objections raised (4) STUB <=

GRID

44 comments:

  1. Superb puzzle!Exotic wordplay!
    One step at a time..a 14 letter reverse telescope..wow!
    Yuvraj was awesome & so was youre welcome...
    Great 11A..Buzzer..Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. Thought no good at all to remove all Gs was outstanding too

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  2. Lovely one from Buzzer. 24a must be one of the biggest telescopic clues. Has any one seen a 15 letter telescopic clue?

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    Replies
    1. I think a 17 letter telescpoe was quoted in crossword unclued..cant remember the clue though

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  3. Very nice crossword - thanks Buzzer. Liked SELFISH, YOU'RE WELCOME and PRINCIPLE the best!
    A couple of doubts:
    1) What is the role of "fun" in 14A? broadcast = PLAY, tips = LISTS
    2) Anno for LITE in LITERACY? I thought "in light" => LIT, but could not anno for the E
    Cheers,
    Ramki.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 14 Recordings to broadcast fun tips (9)
      Recordings to broadcast = Defn
      Fun=Play
      Tips=Lists

      Light=Lite ( Having less weight)

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  4. Buzzed with enjoyment, when I saw 24AC. First time, I came across such a big telescopic feast.

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  5. Strange that the on line version credits the CW to Neyartha!
    TH is capable of anything. To think that I was initially doing it on line wondering all the time!

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  6. I think that in 14A fun is for play. Is 'Broadcast' for interpreting fun & tips?

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  7. I would not have believed it possible if someone had told me about a 14 letter telescope- leave alone reverse! over to CW unclued.

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    Replies
    1. It was a 15 letter telescope from ( where else Times)
      As seen in jab, reach of pro miserably failing to meet expectations (6,2,7)

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    2. Thanks Vasant. I admire your memory!

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    3. 10D, Ramesh. I am flattered.

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  8. 'Overlooking a lake' for removal of L was great. I was trying to fit in 'AL' at the end until I got Hunger strike (that was another good and enjoyable long one)

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  9. 18A reminded of a joke received in whatsapp recently:
    Teacher: What is Gandhiji's Son's name?

    Malayali student: Dineshan

    Teacher: What Rubbish???

    😡Angry Malayali student: Whadd Rubbish? Phrom KG yonwayrds we have been dold daat Gandhiji is father of Dineshan.

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    Replies
    1. Took me a while to sort it out. Nice one Vasant. Talk of homonyms.

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  10. Don Manley in 'Chambers Crossword Manual' quotes this clue by Brian Greer in 'The Times':

    Some job at hand? We'll soon see (4,3,5)

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  11. Bath and wells? 12 letter T?
    I think this must refer to the Bath city in England, where Romans had built a public bath.

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  12. 20A : I think the definition could be just 'African' only. People in Denmark being Danes.

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  13. An excellent crossoword from Buzzer. I miss the Times pf London crossies, where I have come across longish reverse teleclues. I must revive my practice of solving them out of my collections, including the giant ones. Thank you Buzzer.

    Is there any way to save the THC online crossies? If by mistake you hit a wor ng key, the entire grid goes on the blink ! I observe that the process of solving online is a big pain as there is a timelag in thr movement.

    Packing the bags to return to grimy CBE from a clinically clean Nagoya. Won't miss the shopping part since coundn't have a free run due to the language. In the subway trains, folks look at me askance with my Rnglish crossword book, solving away. Wonder, whether they have any in Japanese. I find the characters in Japanese as several soldiers standing on guard -- or as insects on the move !!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Re: Times London. Previously(until July 2015), The Hindustan Times used to publish the Times CWs albeit older ones. Since then, they have started publishing the Gemini Crosswords. Is the Times crossword available anywhere free?

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    2. The Times Crossword used to appear in The Statesman of Calcutta while its Sunday edition had The Guardian crossword.
      Now they have switched over to The Independent crossword. ASFIK, the Times cwd is not reproduced by any newspaper in India. Anyone know? Maybe its price is too high for these papers. Now most of them use Gemini crosswords - most if not all of these crosswords are Rufus's recycled judiciously.

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    3. I have hundreds of The Statesman Crosswords xeroxed and bound in books, yet to be solved. I started collecting them, knowing that they are sydicted with the Times of London. These are of the 80s run. Canwe use them as Sunday Specials with acknowledgement to the source? Our bloggers will find them very interesting. Not that our own SSs are any inferior what with innovative compiling by a Growl of Setters(pun unintended!)

      My THC Online query remains unanswered !

      Delete
  14. oh lord.. was 14 a Reverse telescopic.. totally missed that.. got it spontaneously and moved on :) particularly since the phrase is something uhmm too familiar and perhaps not striking a chord :) happens doesnt it .. smtms we miss the beauty at hand. And oh dear again with iciness :) Principle, good egg nice clues :) In Literacy..why is Blue racy?? ! Dont really care for Youre welcome and Wolverine clues - bit too cut up for my taste... but really adored selfish and Sudanese.. :) Great show Neyartha

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    Replies
    1. It's Buzzer! The Hindu interactive on line version wrongly credits it to Neyartha!

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    2. Blue=Racy comes from "educational" movies

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  15. 2D : Thug briefly had urge to become a better person (4,3) GOOD EGG {GOOn}{'D} {EGG}

    Is 'briefly' on double duty for 'thug' and 'had' in the clue pl?

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    Replies
    1. I don't think so; it is customary to shorten had (and would) by 'd.

      Delete
  16. I have hundreds of The Statesman Crosswords xeroxed and bound in books, yet to be solved. I started collecting them, knowing that they are sydicted with the Times of London. These are of the 80s run. Canwe use them as Sunday Specials with acknowledgement to the source? Our bloggers will find them very interesting. Not that our own SSs are any inferior what with innovative compiling by a Growl of Setters(pun unintended!)

    My THC Online query remains unanswered !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not a bad idea Raju. But if the blog starts carrying the Statesman crosswords, I am afraid the young setters'crosswords will be published posthumously, considering the period involved in your collections! Ha ha!!

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    2. Raju if your THC Online query is about the Sunday CW, I have answered it on the day you asked first time

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    3. Regarding the Statesman CW we cannot make it a regular feature without obtaining permission from the original publisher

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  17. 18A - 'group of people' is Nairs, no? For 'Nair' should it not be, "Live with old one in Kerala" or some such?

    6D - How do we get HAS?

    Thanks

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  18. Thanks, Deepak. I understand there are copyright isues but our blog is non-profitmaking and I felt as a way of promoting cryptic crosswords, will anyone raise issues if we acknowledge the source ?

    My query on THC Online was :

    Is there any way of saving the croswords done?
    If by mistake you hit a wrong key, the entire grid goes on the blink ! I observe that the process of solving online is a big pain as there is a timelag in thr movement.

    We have to be content with what is served and thank for small mercies like getting them on line !

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  19. I know that Sunday Crosswords of Hindu are NOT on Online. I wish they include them also. Our specials on Sundays are indeed SPECIAL and I hope they will continue to be featured as usual, depending upon the supply to you.

    ReplyDelete

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