ACROSS
1 - In a dark winter, gin cocktail — it is essential for life (8,5) - DRINKING WATER*
9 - Such good weather for an Attlee (7) - CLEMENT [DD]
10 - Listener's protection against noise (7) - EARPLUG [E]
11 - It goes under a patient in the wards built around the east (4-5) - {DRAW SHE{E}T*}
12 - A rare monkey in Bahrain driven away, is (5) - INDRI [T]
14 - Lack of vitality is a hindrance to Henry, angry about losing name (8) - {LET}{H}{ARGY(
17 - A possible cause of deflation (8) - PUNCTURE [CD]
19 - New clues solved by relatives (6) - U{N}CLES*
23 - Come round once more for a new cure? Right (5) - {RECU*}{R}
25 - A Parisian perhaps (9) - FRENCHMAN [E]
26 - A species more hostile, more pungent (7) - {SP}{ICIER}
27 - Live around university with what is left (7) - RESID{U}E
28 - Illness of a Berliner, say, seems a large hoax (6,7) - {GERMAN} {ME{A}S{L}ES*}
DOWN
1 - Unmistakeable action traps detectives (7) - DE{CID}ED
2 - Repetition that everyone avoided in “sing a song of sixpence'', for example (9) - (
3 - Where bills may be passed in Israel (7) - KNESSET [E]
4 - Intensive chat involving singer King Cole and Terence cut short (6) - {NAT}{TER(
5 - Dara Singh was one (8) - WRESTLER [CD]
6 - A lake is hard to spoil (7) - {TARN}{IS}{H}
8 - Something to stand on if one would like to demand respect (7) - DIGNITY [CD]
15 - Part played by one on catwalk, one worthy of imitating (4,5) - {ROLE} {MODEL}
16 - Kind of invoice sent by Royal Mail, a proof spelt out (3,5) - {PRO FO*}{RM}{A}
17 - Umbrella for a special trooper, big star (7) - {PARA}{SOL}
21 - Poems portraying boy with reversed gun (7) - {SON}{NETS<-} )
22 - Migraine that makes setter gloomy (6) - {ME}{GRIM}
24 - Clutch a cold fish (5) - {C}{LING}
Hi
ReplyDeleteThe KNESSET DECIDED with DIGNITY and RULED, afterRECUR(ring) NATTER and ITERATION), that the ROLE MODEL WRESTLER from NICOSIA will not TARNISH the DIGNITY of the FRENCHMAN with GERMAN MEASLES, for singing PROFORMA SONNETS, while wearing EARPLUG(s), regarding the PUNCTURE in the DRAWSHEET or the PARASOL, while serving, with LETHARGY, SPICIER DAINTY RESIDUE and DRIKING WATER to the CLEMENT TERRIER CLING(ing) to the INDRI with MEGRIM.
22D with self reference was nice. ME (setter)+GRIM(gloomy)
Please see Mr Bhargav’s post of 343am in response to Richard’s 243pm post.
Good morning everyone:
ReplyDeleteSmooth and easy one. Some intelligent and amusing clues - Sankalak in essence.
Liked 1A, 17A, 28A, 7D, 8D, 16D and 20D in particular.
2D - ALLITERTION minus ALL = ITERATION - Good one, this.
22D - Setter = self, ME + GRIM - nice one.
But, 13A - anno not clear and 26A - species and SPICIER seem to clash.
Anno for 13a: Benin was earlier called DAHOMEY. IS NOT=AINT, D(AINT)Y ?
ReplyDelete@ Kishore, good cracking.
ReplyDelete@ Richard: Alliteration reminds of the first line of the Kalimah: La Ilaha Il Al-lah
ReplyDelete26a, as given by Col: Sp(ecies)+ icier (more hostile)=spicier (more pungent)
ReplyDelete13 AC …small and pretty// but is not// found in Benin (6) DAINTY (Fat Mouse)
ReplyDeleteThe Dainty Fat Mouse (Steatomys cuppedius) is a species of rodent in the Nesomyidae family. It is found in Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, and Senegal.
@ Kishore 8.40 - Thanks, abhi pata chala.
ReplyDelete@ jaggu: When it is very easy, you can spice it up by doing all or any of the following:
ReplyDeletea. Do only across or down first and then the remaining.
b. Do it with your left hand
c. Do it standing upside down
d. Do it with the newspaper upside down.
Try these, I have tried all of them at some point of time or other.;-)
Unless you are a left hander, in that case do it with the right. If you are ambidextrous, try using your toes.
ReplyDeleteWhy go to such absurd lengths?
ReplyDeleteWhat I do is sit comfortably in my upholstered chair with a cup of coffee at hand but no pen and solve the crossword without putting a single solution in the grid and thus getting no help from crossings.
Learn to take it easy and enjoy life...
I think it was in the Fifties when the wrestlers King Kong and Dara Singh came to Madras and I obstreperously insisted that I wanted to witness their bout and a relative escorted me to the ringside.
ReplyDelete13A Benin was formerly Dahomey. If DY was short for Dahomey then it annotates as {D{AINT}Y}
ReplyDeleteInternational car registration for Benin is DY
ReplyDelete@Chaturvasi: Good morning Sir. Read you review of Vettupuli in today's The Hindu. Hoping to buy it soon and read it.
ReplyDeleteSaw the review as well. The plot lines reminded me of this book, The House of Blue Mangoes by David Davidar. Though it appears that the feline episode is a central plot line in Vettupuli, the Blue Mangoes kind of deals with the same subject as one of many goings on in a Nilgiris tea estate during the Raj..Also, the novel was a period piece spanning generations - thought the novel was a bit too ambitious and bit off more than the author could chew but enjoyed reading through some of the cultural nuances just as CGR has commented on Vettupuli. Should read Vettupuli to see - have not read a tamil novel in ages.
ReplyDeleteI remember when DD's book was released but I didn't get it. However, I bought and read Anita Desai's daughter Kiran Desai's first book Hullaballo in the Guava Orchard several years ago.
ReplyDeleteThere used to be match box with the brand name 'vettupuli' - Available even now?
ReplyDeleteToday's crossword was easier than yesterday. Thanks for all the advice regarding spicing up the effort. Unfortunately I find time only in the evening, by which time most of the discussion is over.
ReplyDeleteClement Attlee was the [Labour] Prime Minister of Britain at the time of India's Independence.He was known for his modesty. So much so Churchill remarked about him "He was a modest man who had a lot to be modest about".
ReplyDeletesubramaniam
ReplyDeleteActually I had Cheeta Fight in my mind. Don't know whether there was any match label with the Tamil name vettupuli but then there were so many of these in remote village and perhaps some labels without any product to back it perhaps for the collectors.
As for Cheeta Fight, I have fond memories when the sticks were wooden. Later, the box became smaller, the sticks made of some other material also became smaller and nothing was the same.
@ CV
ReplyDeleteI vividly remember Cheetah Fight. Matchbox label art is an interesting topic. Humble the art form may be, it is none the less vibrant and visually beguiling. Curious and visually stunning, matchbox labels come in a staggering variety of designs. A well-established brand quickly spawns imitations and variations as small producers compete with the large in an anarchic marketplace.
Outlook in its 2007 issue carried an article "Of Maachismo" by the Chennai-based historian V. Geetha. The link is http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?235764
There are several books on this subject, the most popular being Shahid Datawalah's
"Matchbook". This first-ever collection of Indian matchbox labels is itself designed as a large matchbox, complete with slipcase and striking edge. It showcases almost one thousand colorful members of this extended family, including such brands as Cheetah Fight, Judo Deluxe, Tip Top and Chaavi. It provides an insight into India's complex match industry, where an unjust economy throws a shadow over the vibrant graphics it produces.
Some interesting facts about matches:
ReplyDeleteCurrent consumers spend estimated at Rs. 1250 crores p.a. for 24 billion match boxes. There is a policy of reservation for small scale industry which has contributed to a fragmented supply base.
‘AIM’ is India’s largest selling Safety Matches brand. WIMCO Ltd. (which has in its stable key brands such as Homelites, Ship, and Cheetah Fight) has now been acquired by Russell Credit.
My younger brother's match box label collection is still in the possession of my father, a few hundred of them of all sizes and shapes.
ReplyDelete