1 - Sweet milk pudding (10) - BLANCMANGE [E]
10 - A diplomat of the highest rank (10) - AMBASSADOR [E]
11 - Tick in a party (6) - {IN}{SECT}
12 - Try to finally get into the team for physical training (7) - {AT{T}EM*}{PT}
16 - Cracked wood refuse (5) - TRASH [DD]
17 - Irritate the angry killer out of the borders of Kurnool (4) - RILE
18 - Softly encourage the witch hunt (5) - {P}{URGE}
19 - Extra words to say to a stunner very much in the Russian city (5) - {PS}{KO}{V}
20 - First take out fully uncooked food (4) - {T}{O}{F}{U}
22 - Double-crosser will touch gold (7) - {TRAIT}{OR}
27 - It may be felt at the time of an earthquake (6) - TREMOR [CD]
29 - Oh! Aunt is too occupied not being in town (10) - OUTSTATION* An extra T appears?
30 - Nab the local kind of rogue initially (6) - {COLLA*}{R}
31 - Release an oriental worker in Channel Islands exactly at eight (10) - {E}{MAN}{CI}{PAT}{E}
DOWN
2 - Hold out the cold fog light (4) -
3 - Suggestion for a new University can anyhow be executed initially (6) - {N}{U}{ANC*}{E}
4 - An unlucky accident (6) - MISHAP [CD]
5 - Indicate the layer first set on the lumps (5) - {NOD}{E}{S}
6 - Bird's nest in an apartment (5) - EYRIE [DD]
7 - Lawyer you first employ in case for the sailor (4,6) - {BL}{U}{E} {JACKET}
8 - Change around the thrice vows exchanged (10) - SWITCHOVER*
12 - Let son pack out the new staff (10) - ALPENSTOCK*
14 - Division of soldiers (5) - TROOP [E]
15 - Regularly call for an old-fashioned garment (5) - {C}{L}{OUT}
23 - Simple country woman (6) - RUSTIC [E]
24 - At home, pets are raised in conformity with the environment (6) - {IN}{STEP<-}
25 - Very cold for an immature tree toad again (5) - {FRO
26 - Father has tea with one going back to an Indian city (5) - {PA}{T}{NA<-}
28 - A victim of ridicule (4) - LOUT [CD] ?
28d: I think GOAT may be more apt.
ReplyDeleteWith a lot of fretting, brain-racking, guessing etc. I managed to complete the puzzle today. Clueless about a few annos. Mr Guesswork zindabad!
ReplyDeleteSome like BLANCMANGE, YELLOW, AMBASSADOR, OUTSTATION, EMANCIPATE and some others were easy, though.
29A - an extra T
19A - The first words for a stunner that came to mind were OOH LA LA but didn't fit in. Googled for PSKOV. Absolutely no idea about the anno.
Btw, Ooh la la reminded me of the song from the Tamil movie Minsara Kanavu (1997), sung by Unni Menon, KS Chitra and others, under the baton of the one and only AR Rahman. (Hindi version: Sapnay)
13D - I took it as TARANTELLA depending on crossings. Is it also spelt as TARANTELLE?
28D - My guess too was GOAT, as in SCAPEGOAT also.
ReplyDeleteLNS: Col. may also not like this becoming a Biggles blog (what say, Sir?). Hence, my last comment on Biggles: As per Biggles goes to School and some other early life books, he is supposed to have been born in India and well versed in Hindi.
ReplyDeleteRichard: 28d More so in the nature of getting somebody's goat. Translation in Hindi: Bakra !
ReplyDelete29a: What is the significance of Oh!. Is it superficial?
ReplyDeleteCV - 27A - Read about the minor tremors in Chennai and other places on Sunday morning. Gopalapuram is mentioned. Hope everything is OK.
ReplyDeleteBakra indeed ! :-)
ReplyDelete17 A "..killer out of the borders of Kurnool".
more like one has to take out the borders of Kurnool out of the killer. Is this a normal way of clue construction?
16A could be BRASH also, I think
ReplyDeleteAs usual NJ has got my Goat!!
ReplyDeletePSKOV - Post script Knock Out V
ReplyDeleteGiridhar @ 08:50
ReplyDeleteIt took me also a long time to take KL from KILLER and then jumble.
4D - An unlucky accident (6) - MISHAP [CD]
'An unfortunate accident' would have been more appropriate. I guess 'unlucky' if referred to persons.
Sorry the previous post was a question. I wasn't sure whether I understood it correctly.
ReplyDeleteGiridhar @ 09:00 - thanks for PSKOV anno.
ReplyDeleteCorrection to my 09:01 post:
ReplyDelete'....I guess 'unlucky' is referred to persons.'
6 D What is the link to apartment, unless it was probably 50+ stories?
ReplyDeleteOf this crossword, ace solver Bhavan mentioned elsewhere: "Sloppy construction at its worst."
ReplyDeleteHow nice it would be if we were doing a UK crossword and discussing its intricacy and beauty rather than raising questions of this kind.
Take 19a. There 'much' cannot be regarded as a connector at all. It does not have any role to play and the compiler is not up to writing a publishable clue for that word. Similarly, in 17a the deletion of KL from KILLER is not indicated properly. 29a: what is the anagram fodder? Is a letter deficient or is a letter redundant? We can go on like this.
If a clue cannot lead to an intended answer, it does not lead to the answer. We can't say 'this the compiler intended, let me put it in'. That is not crossword solving.
If there is any mistake here, the compiler owes us a word of apology.
For RUSTIC, the clue is "Simple country woman".
ReplyDeleteLeave alone the compiler's deficiency in coming out with a cryptic clue (thank god, it is not called THE HINDU CRYPTIC CROSSWORD), is this acceptable even as a straightforward/quick/easy clue?
Is the def as given acceptable? Will the usagists around here give their opinions?
8 Change around the thrice vows exchanged (10)
ReplyDeleteIs this English?
As I mentioned in the Orkut blog, I was delighted to see Kurnool in the clues, for I was born and raised there. As a result, today, at least today, I won't be angry at any blunders Nita committed, even the egregious kind. Boy! Am I easy to please or what!!!
ReplyDelete10 A diplomat of the highest rank (10) AMBASSADOR
ReplyDeleteIs this factually correct? Mind you, I am not saying it is incorrect. I am only asking if it is right. Is there no one above an Ambassador in diplomacy?
CV: as you note:
ReplyDelete23D: The gender is superfluous
8a: Words strung up in a meaningless way
Has someone worked out the percentages of cryptic clues and straightforward clues in this crossword?
ReplyDeleteCV: 10a; I too wondered the same. Would have prefered ' A diplomatic Indian car' instead
ReplyDelete9a: Jaundice colour
ReplyDelete- Is the use of English here correct?
12a : ATTEMPT
ReplyDeleteCan someone carefully work out the intended anno?
CV,
ReplyDeleteWhat about Cracked wood refuse?
Kishore - your clue is far better :-)
16a Cracked wood refuse (5) TRASH
ReplyDeleteIs this a DD as the Col has said? If so, can someone show me the distinct defs?
Giridhar
ReplyDeleteI had not seen your post when I was typing the above. Other questions follow in logical order.
12 A Should probably have had some rearrange indicator for TEAM?
ReplyDelete12 D What is 'new' doing in the clue?
18a: Does a witch hunt necessarily involve PURGE? Can there be a PURGE without any witch hunt?
ReplyDelete21 NANNY
ReplyDeleteWhat is the role of 'like' in the clue? Connector? If so, what is a connector in a clue and what is flab? Explain.
CV 18a: Purge caused by purgatives is without a witchhunt !
ReplyDeleteIn 2d, we remove C from CLAMP. OK, but what is def for LAMP? Fog light? Is 'fog' really necessary?
ReplyDelete21 I got to NANNY as N ANN Y (NAN rearranged as ANN). NAAN is also a common spelling, but I know this composer goes with NAN. Shoudln't Indian bread be used instead of just bread ,for Roti, Naan, etc?
ReplyDeleteCV
Once I had NAN and NY, I didn't pay attention to 'likes'. Is 'woman' a good enough definition for Nanny?
The speed at which the comments go, implies that it may break the recent record of 70
ReplyDeleteCV
ReplyDeleteOnce I had NAN and NY, I didn't pay attention to 'likes'. Is 'woman' a good enough definition for Nanny?
Since the query is addressed to CV...
A nanny is a she-goat. Also a children's nurse or just 'nurse'. It is also a pet-name for a grandmother.
'Woman', I think, is rather a vague def for NANNY.
Thanks, CV.
ReplyDeleteI think today's puzzle was all right. Yep, sorry I mean it.
ReplyDeleteWell, this is supposed to be a cryptic crossword, and some of the common definitions of the word "cryptic" happen to be vague, obscure etc. Instead of being pedantic about the vagueness of clues, I think we oughta feel happy that we've still been able to figure out the intended answers (hopefully) and solve the puzzle.
So, let's see the brighter side.
CV@9:58,
ReplyDeleteIn 2D, agreed fog is not really necessary but it is doing so harm by being there as we do have fog lights on all cars. In a way it is good NJ didn't write fog lamp and expect us to work out the answer as LAMP ;-0
CV@9:49,
ReplyDeletePURGE = PERSECUTE = WITCH-HUNT I see no harm there
CV@9:44
ReplyDeleteTRASH = Something broken off or removed to be discarded, especially plant trimmings. = So CRACKED WOOD
Excuse me for thinking like NJ, she doesn't need distinct defs.
CV@9:37
ReplyDeleteJaundice, (also known as icterus, attributive adjective: icteric) is a yellowish discoloration of the skin.
So Jaundice colour seems ok.
To an extent I agree with VJ@10:40, though only for today's CW by NJ.
ReplyDeleteDeepak, is this for real??? Are you really defending NJ? OMG, purple haze comes to my mind.
ReplyDeleteCol,
ReplyDeleteI can't believe it! :-)
Yes, I know.
ReplyDeleteYet I don't accept the collocation "jaundice colour".
"jaundiced colour" is OK. Not "jaundice colour". For me, this is not English.
You think I am against the compiler? I am for English!
ReplyDeleteRichard
ReplyDeleteThanks for your query above.
No, I didn't feel any tremor, though Gopalpuram is adjacent to Royapettah mentioned in a newspaper report.
During the tsunami of the past, I was in CA.
Prior to that, on an occasion, I have felt the effects of a violent earthquake with its epicentre far off - the cot on which I lay shaking, something falling off the table, etc., but not during the latest episode.
VJ@10:55 and Giridhar@11:02
ReplyDeleteI shall clarify,I only said 'to an extent' and further clarified it with 'only for today's CW', I suppose I felt so as I was able to figure out the answers without too much of a hitch today.
As far as english, surface reading, grammar etc goes, when it comes to NJ's CW's I turn a blind eye to those aspects and 'bash on regardless'
Today's contributions to innovations in English:
ReplyDelete'Fully uncooked food' - remember a friend telling me once: 'My stomach is fully empty'.
'Unlucky accident'
Re: 'ambassador', I think there is a higher rank called 'Ambassador Plenipotentiary'. While I was in the Middle East, a close Arab acquaintance of mine was concurretly the host country's Ambassador Plenipotentiary to Algeria, while being envoy to Egypt. I am not sure if India has any such posts abroad.
51 posts between 08:30 and 13:00 - none since.
ReplyDeleteLull before the storm?
Deepak, I was referring to your clarifications on the points Chaturvasi raised. I was surprised that you defended NJ's clues not once, not twice but thrice. lol
ReplyDeleteRichard, things are generally quiet around here this time of the day (11 AM to 6 PM like). I think posters here are following a strict "no crosswords during work" policy.
ReplyDeleteJaggi-ji has inspired 54 comments. Brvo, Jaggi-ji!
ReplyDeleteRichard @ 12:52
ReplyDeleteAs per the sources below, 'Ambassador' is a short form of 'AP' and is the highest ranked diplomat.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ambassador
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diplomatic_rank
Richard (12:52) Googled "fully uncooked" and "unlucky accident." The first one got about 220 results and the second one, about 44000 results. So there's company.
ReplyDelete20A "'First' take out.."
ReplyDelete5D " ..layer 'first' set.."
7D "...you 'first' employ
'First' in 5D and 7D is used to indicate taking the first letter in the word following 'first'.
However for 20 A, it indicates taking first letter in 'all' the following words (excluding the definition)to get TOFU.
I think the word 'initially' (like 'regularly') is used for cases like 20 A if I am not mistaken?
Giridhar, not really. I think she uses "first" and "initially" interchangeably depending on the sentence/ surface. They could either mean taking out the first letter of just the next word or all successive words, though I've seen the word "first" used more often to indicate the latter.
ReplyDeleteIt has been categorically stated that "today's puzzle was all right (sic)". So we can't be arguing any further.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that a certain expression gets so many hits in a Google search is not a fair indication that its uage is correct.
Let me not be misunderstood. I am not talking about the crossword at all but about expressions that were brought up by Richard, a person who is punctilious when it comes to matters of usage.
Food is 'cooked', 'partially cooked' or 'fully cooked'. I am not sure we can say food is 'fully uncooked'. Rice becomes food when it is cooked. When it is uncooked, it's just uncooked.
There can be lucky, fortuitous accidents, but not 'unlucky accidents'.
This is what I think.
Please ignore inadvertent typos.
ReplyDeleteVJ,
ReplyDeleteI was thinking about an accepted usage in general across the setters universe. Are you saying that NJ alone uses 'first' to mean different things?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteGiridhar, my post was in reference to this particular setter's crosswords. Don't know about the universal standards.
ReplyDeleteThank you, VJ.
ReplyDeleteI am sorry I misunderstood you.
So long as we are agreed that Google results cannot be considered authoritative, it's fine.
Chaturvasi, I think you got me wrong. I merely said "there's company." I never implied that those expressions were right. It amazes me that google throws up at least a couple of results even for the most randomly constructed erroneous sentences. I think it's kinda cool...
ReplyDeleteBTW, about the puzzle being "all right," well, it was just my opinion. It's got nothing to do with the inherent quality of today's crossword. As it'd have been clear by now, the way I judge crosswords greatly differs from the way experts and formalists do.
My reply at 18:57 was to VJ's previous version of the post and so it's above VJ's post at 19:03.
ReplyDeleteDon't know what revisions VJ made but my reply can stand as it is.
Chaturvasi, sorry, I didn't notice your reply.
ReplyDeleteThe message is pretty much the same. I saw a few errors/ typos and thought I'd correct the same...
Crossword setting is not a set of setters following rules/conventions in a set of books.
ReplyDeleteA compiler can make their own rules/conventions but must follow them consistently.
In the UK, the crossword in say The Herald or The Irish Times (when the late lamented Crosaire was the setter) is/was quite different from other more famous mainstream newspapers.
I would only expect the definitions to be accurate and the usage of the language above reproach. Trickery can be different but clue sentences must be acceptable.
CV,
ReplyDeleteSo if I understand you correctly,
1)Whenever a solver starts on a particular setter's puzzles, he can expect to come across rules/conventions which he may not be familiar with.
2) Assuming consistency is maintained, he/she would become more adept at solving that particular setter's puzzles as time goes by due to his increasing familiarity with the conventions followed.
3) There are no 'right' or 'wrong' rules/conventions.
Giridhar
ReplyDelete1)Whenever a solver starts on a particular setter's puzzles, he can expect to come across rules/conventions which he may not be familiar with. A: YES.
2) Assuming consistency is maintained, he/she would become more adept at solving that particular setter's puzzles as time goes by due to his increasing familiarity with the conventions followed. A: YES.
3) There are no 'right' or 'wrong' rules/conventions. A: Well, the particular setter's crossword cannot be totally unruly. They too must follow the basic rules (there can only be right rules; there cannot be wrong rules) but they can bend these rules ever so slightly (in use of anagram indicators, for example) and solvers will soon get used to them and would know what to expect and how this setter differs from others.
Thanks, CV
ReplyDeleteContinuing the dialogue I think NJ has no fixed rules except for some pointers like 'regular' and recently 'out the' for deletion!
ReplyDeleteCol,
ReplyDeleteThat's what lead me to raise the questions I did.
"You need not mean what you say, but you must say what you mean". Afrit's golden rule for crossword setting
ReplyDeleteI am unable what gold has to do in 22ac and Can anyone help me to solve clues as in 31 ac?
ReplyDeleteWho'll have the last word today? Not me, certainly!
ReplyDeleteMangala @ 21:40
ReplyDelete22A - AU and OR are accepted abbreviations for gold in crosswords.
31A - Release an oriental worker in Channel Islands exactly at eight (10) - {E}{MAN}{CI}{PAT}{E}
Col's anno is clear enough.
Oriental = E
Worker = MAN
Channel Islands = CI
exactly = PAT (e.g., 'Pat came the reply')
Eight = E
Will someone else have the last word, pls?
ReplyDeleteObliging Richard's wish.. Just had a thought - NJ does not use much by way of literary references or use definitions that increase our knowledge in areas such as arts or music. Typically in a cryptic crossword, we see at least one reference to for example, works of literature (A Farewell to Arms recently), or general knowledge (plenty of Neyartha clues) or arts and music (I am certain Gridman can provide plenty of examples).. I am sure NJ does clue such answers, but not as a matter of course, I think. That is another minor bone I have to pick on her puzzles - that it does not significantly increase my knowledge of allied topics of general interest, which almost every good cryptic setter that I know strives to provide to his / her solvers.
ReplyDelete80 Not Out - Jaggi-ji's having a great innings today. I wish tomorrow the score will get to a 100.
ReplyDelete@LNS: at least one interview that NJ has given to the print media refers to the setter in the feminine...At least, that's what turned up in a suggested Google search of the setter's name a few days ago.
ReplyDelete@Veer: Thanks for the info. I've always refered to this personage as 'Jaggi-ji'. The '-ji' suffix, per rules of Hindi grammar known to me is, more or less gender-neutral.
ReplyDeleteThe Nita's I've known so far are all female. I hope I have not said (or otherwise implied) anywhere that 'Jaggi-ji' is a man. I've always assumed for some reason that 'Jaggi-ji' is a woman. As usual, I'm willing to be corrected on this point.
Notwithstanding anything I've said above, 'Jaggi-ji' deserves our compliments for facilitating the launching of 82 comments on one day.
@Veer: I was thinking over your comment some more.
ReplyDelete1. I'm going to assume 'Sankalak' is a man on the grounds that this person would have chosen 'Sankalika' as the nickname if indeed the setter was a female.
2. Like wise, I'm going to assume 'Gridman' is a man on the grounds that this person would have chosen 'Gridwoman' or 'Gridmaanini' as the nickname if indeed the setter was a female.
3. I do not know what 'Neyartha' means. So I'll park the question of the gender of this setter under 'Open Issues'.
I'm willing to be corrected on all of the above
@LNS: I did not know the -ji suffix was gender neutral - not having ever spent more than a few days north of Madras in India will sometimes obscure obvious facts like that to culturally challenged folks like myself. I should correct myself, in the few Hindi movies that I have seen, the heroes do deferentially address their mom's as Ma-ji or other ladies by their name-ji. For some reason, Jaggi-ji just sounded masculine. When reading your comment and posting a response the femnine usage did not strike me and I sort of had a foot in mouth attack.. My apologies if I have offended you.
ReplyDeletePondering further on the gender question: Is it possible that in Hindi movies or maybe even in common usage, the name-ji addressing is predominantly used like this:
ReplyDelete1) when addressing women, is it usually first name-ji (Hema-ji or Nita-ji for example)?
2) when addressing men, is it used both ways: first name-ji (Amitabh-ji) or last name-ji (Sen-ji, Thackeray-ji or Jaggi-ji..)?
Thanks..
So if your name is Chatterji, you are addressed Chatterjiji ;-). And, if your name is Gigi?
ReplyDelete@Gita 05 41 No doubt Gigiji
ReplyDelete