Wednesday 28 February 2018

No 12252, Wednesday 28 Feb 2018, Arden


Answer and anno for 16D left for a rookie commenter till 10 AM.

ACROSS
1   Spooner wagers, he manages somehow (4,2) GETS BY (~bets guy)
4   A group of politicians swallow a crook — like this does! (8) ANACONDA {A}{N{A}{CON}DA} Semi&lit
9   Peace finally — turns out to be otherwise (6) UNREST {p..cE+TURNS}* Semi&lit
10 People in the UK take supplement — it goes to show (8) BRANDISH BR(-it+and)ANDISH
12 He doesn't strike as a poet, carries a weapon (8) SCABBARD {SCAB}{BARD}
13 Encourage operator to take Sunday off (4,2) URGE ON sURGEON
15 Terrible night, in gloom holding two jobs (12) MOONLIGHTING*
18 A long time goes into making things impure (12) ADULTERATION {ADULT}{ERA}{INTO*}
21 Friendly, not changing locations (6) SOCIAL LOCAtIonS*
22 Hamlet's castle relies on trade (8) ELSINORE*
24 Port is left, no way it can be right (8) LARBOARD (-st+l}LARBOARD
25 Oil transformed nation (6) ANOINT*
26 He is no good, always carrying broken idol (8) EVILDOER {EV{IDOL*}ER}
27 Agent gets shelter, wants to lie low (6) SLEEPY {S{LEE}PY}

DOWN
1   Terrible resume, go away (8) GRUESOME*
2   Bull fighter to put one in correct order (8) TOREADOR {TO}{RE{A}DOR*}
3   It's round, it's very hard, understand it's a sporting venue (8,7) BASEBALL DIAMOND {BALL} {DIAMOND} under {BASE}
5   "Managed to raise a thousand", he informs (4) NARK {RAN<=}{K}
6   Business cover taken by citizen face to face (15) CONFRONTATIONAL {CO}{N{FRONT}ATIONAL}
7   Caught as one went to sea, reversed direction initially (6) NAILED (-s+n)NAILED
8   Partners carry two articles, Capital! (6) ATHENS {A}{THE}{NS}
11 Daily breaks record, easy to break (7) FRAGILE {F{RAG}ILE}
14 Tower — metal casing pressurized up to a point (7) STEEPLE {STEE{P}L}{E}
16 Nothing can stop fine extraction from tobacco (8) ?I?O?I?E (Addendum - NICOTINE {NIC{O}{TIN}E} - See comments)
17 Descent — maybe can try to get two points (8) ANCESTRY {E}{S} in {CAN+TRY}*
19 I peddled drug, she drank a potion (6) ISOLDE {I}{SOLD}{E}
20 Tax on Peru upsets Puerto Rico (6) OCTROI {puerTO+RICO}*
23 Not against poetry or language (4) ERSE vERSE

GRID

48 comments:

  1. 23d verses minus vs, my understanding.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Why verses? Verse is poetry and V is the abvn for versus

      From Chambers
      v or v. abbreviation 1 velocity. 2 verb. 3 versus. 4 very. 5 vide (Latin), see, refer to. 6 volume.

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    2. You could be right. Poem maybe verse/s but poetry is verse.

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    3. technically verse is a succession of metrical feet written, printed, or orally composed as one line; one of the lines of a poem. multiple lines grouped as stanza is a poem/poetry.

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    4. From chambers online:
      poetry
      n
      verse, lyrics, rhyme, rhyming, versing, poems,

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    5. VERSUS=AGAINST BOTH V AND VS ARE ACCEPTABLE

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  2. 16D) nothing = O; can = TIN; fine = NICE; {OTINNICE}*; NICOTINE is the solution

    ReplyDelete
  3. 18AC Does it not lead to ADULTERATING?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The whole clue reads as if it is a process(noun). A long time ago ( something-adulteration) goes into making things impure

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  4. Several good enjoyable surfaces. Nice play of words- (e.g.) Peru upsets Puerto Rico.
    NDA is a favorite of Arden.

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  5. Replies
    1. Not farfetched. Rag is colloquial for Newspaper/Daily

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    2. in the 1800 may be upto 1870s, newspapers were printed on rag papers. wood pulp came in late.

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  6. 16d: nicotine - {(o - nothing)+tin(can)+nice(fine)}*

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  7. 14DN We all know P=Pressure.
    Can we use P for pressurised too?

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  8. Replies
    1. An & Lit Clue is one where the whole clue is the definition and all the words are part of wordplay but in a Semi & Lit clue the whole clue is the definition but not all words are part of wordplay

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  9. 12A. Scabbard is a sheath for sword or the like. This being so, can "carries a weapon" be the definition?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. A sheath or cover carries the sword in addition to protecting the sword carrier from getting cut!

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    2. Today's clue seems to be hard. Except 1A and 15d

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  10. Col. has carefully marked 'Carries a weapon' as def., meaning a sheath. He seems to have anticipated your doubt!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do not mean to quibble but if "carries a weapon" is the definition, the answer has to be a verb, not a noun. Perhaps the clue itself should have been worded differently?

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    2. Seems to be alright to me- scabbard carries a weapon- something like FITB.

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  11. Whats a Bets Guy? Wages= bets and he=guy ; Spooner will turn in his grave ! Spoonerism taken too far ! Slip of tongue to tongue of lisp ?

    ANACONDA - group of politicians= NDA? Again , like yesterday _ A Di, today A NDA ? crook= con swallowed and anaconda swallows an article a ? !

    A Arden to clarify !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Metoo feel bets, guy taking spoonerism too far. But Anaconda did not swallow anything.

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    2. Yes, all A's are taken care of.

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    3. I'm curious to know what according to you is the criteria which puts this spoonerism over some line which makes it crossing an imaginary boundary?

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