Not a very enjoyable offering from Gridman today.
ACROSS
ACROSS
1 - In truth, settle in sacred surroundings (8) - {HO{NEST}LY}
5 - Monster would apparently continue slowly and tediously (6) - {DRAG}{ON}
9 - Furry animal sped past hundred cold ducks (7) - {RA{C}{C}{OO}N}
11 - Poor Noel, like some communities, given a stretch (9) - {ELON*}{GATED}
12 - With everything counted, main allowance is partial (2,3) - IN ALL [T]
13 - Girl has pieced chop (4) - {G}{ASH}
14 - Account follows inhabitant negotiating without difficulty town slope (9) - {AC}{C{LIVer}ITY} didn't enjoy this clue. New word for me
17 - One may be laden with them when one leaves the supermarket (9) - GROCERIES [CD]
19 - Eye complaint, small, yet treated (4) - {S}{TYE*}
23 - A shade in uniform use (5) - KHAKI [CD]
24 - Garment for retirement? (9) - NIGHTGOWN [E]
25 - Hate men dispersing gas (7) - METHANE*
26 - One of the same set of atoms having a mass of difference (7) - ISOTOPE [E]
27 - “1984” conspirator given nil ‘cheese' by national leader (6) - {O}{BRIE}{N} Had to Google this
28 - Reams may go through this machine before disposal (8) - SHREDDER [CD]
DOWN
1 - A style of painting he graded differently (4,4) - HARD EDGE*
2 - Hurtful cheat comes back to us going round Open University (7) - {NOC<-}{U{OU}S} New word for me.
3 - Cast off depression (6) - SLOUGH [DD]
4 - Eccentric members of a group not holding the centrestage (7,6) - LUNATIC FRINGE [CD]
6 - Go get SM out of timeserver's manipulation (8) - RETRIEVEsm*
7 - Gets around to alternate structure that is an integrated whole (7) - {GEST*}{ALT} Another new word.
8 - It has an eye but it is not the eye that is piercing (6) - NEEDLE [CD]
10 - Chaucer's tongue? (6,7) - MIDDLE ENGLISH [CD]
15 - Set in motion bill that is about tax (8) - {ACT}{I{VAT}E}
16 - Check rush-back for Santa's team (8) - {REIN}{DEER<-}
18 - Concerning Bollywood figure making a pile (7) - {RE}{ACTOR}
20 - Doubled-up (7) - TWOFOLD [CD]
21 - A bad smell about novel character bent in a curve (6) - {A}{KIM}{BO}
Good morning friends
ReplyDeleteYet another nice one from Gridman, HO(NEST)LY!
DRAG+ON, RA(C+C+OO)N, MATISSE, ELON*+GATED, IN ALL, G+ASH*, ACCLIVITY, GROCERIES, S+TYE*, KHAKI (dedicated to the Col), NIGHTGOWN, METHANE*, ISOTOPE, O'+BRIE+N (at first look, I thought of the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 in Delhi!), SHREDDER (nice one - 'reams' used in phrases like 'reams have been written' made me look at a different angle for a while), HARD EDGE*, NOC(<-)+U(OU)S, SLOUGH, LUNATIC FRINGE, RETRIEVE, GESTALT, NEEDLE (another good one), MIDDLE ENGLISH (tricky one, which only English literature students can perhaps get in a flash), ACT+I(VAT)E, REINDEER (cute! reed=rush, well played), RE+ACTOR (nuclear pile!), TWOFOLD (another nice one - on surface suggests a past participle, but the hyphen gives a hint it is otherwise), A+KIM+BO, OTIOSE*
Hi
ReplyDeleteLand-forms (SLOUGH, ACCLIVITY), animals (RACCOON, REINDEER, DRAGON), household stuff (NEEDLE, GROCERIES, NIGHT GOWN), 2 names (MATISSE, O’BRIEN), REACTOR with NOCCUOUS ISOTOPE caters to our LUNATIC FRINGE (HONESTLY, I think we are right in the middle of it, not at the fringes !). GESTALT was the last one to fall and completed the whole proving its connotation
Col. Sab, you are the centre (& lit !)of attraction (and that too in a double role!) in ‘caught SNAPPING’ on page 16 of today’s Bangalore Metro Plus.
Had a tough time trying to figure out the anno for ACCLIVITY. Could only solve the clue with the help of crossings.
ReplyDeleteLots of new words for me too - AKIMBO, NOCUOUS, SLOUGH and OTIOSE. My word editor underlines NOCUOUS with a squiggly red line. Looks like it's a new word for the software too.
MATISSE appears on today's NIE crossword too.
1984 was a most depressing book. Difficult to continuously read it for more than 30 minutes. If it wasn't a text book in college I would never have got through this.
ReplyDeleteO'Brien was supposedly representing Big Brother who is always watching you
Wonder why you did not enjoy today's CW, Deepak
ReplyDeleteI thought the puzzle was pretty nice. 5a, 19a are fine clues with well-constructed surfaces. 25a is notable for its topicality. I like how 'cheese' is used to mean a smile in 27a.
ReplyDeleteI'm the first one to protest about obscure words, here I luckily happened to know the words. I've recently re-read 1984 so O'Brien was fresh in the mind. Matisse used to be my favourite font once upon a time, learnt later that it was named after a French artist. Nocuous is not as well-known as its antonym innocuous but I've seen it before. In novels, people stand with "arms akimbo" all the time.
Congratulations, Shuchi for completing 1984 without any compulsions like I had.
ReplyDeletearms akimbo: This was Napoleon's famous posture and there's even a story poem which describes him standing thus.
ReplyDeleteI was once mocked and ridiculed for not knowing who George Orwell was. It happened on a message board not too long ago. It was kinda funny 'cause it was as if I had committed an unpardonable crime.
ReplyDeleteThanks Suresh :) Sure it's depressing, but it's interesting to read of a future imagined in the past. I wonder how far off the mark Minority Report and Brave New World and stories of their kind are going to be.
ReplyDeleteAccount follows inhabitant negotiating without difficulty town slope (9) ACCLIVITY
ReplyDeleteAgree with Colonel, I thought this was over-complicated. Also had these doubts, perhaps some of it can be explained. Is "without difficulty" the same as "without hesitation"? Is it OK to omit the comma? To me, 'A follows B' does not convey the same as 'A, follows B'.
Shuchi I read it when it was still in the future.
ReplyDeleteAnd kudos to our teacher Mrs Kapadia who taught this to overflowing classrooms
is 26 across ISOTOPE?
ReplyDeleteAccount follows inhabitant negotiating without difficulty town slope (9) ACCLIVITY
ReplyDeleteShuchi
I agree that the wordplay is rather complicated.
Also, only a little while ago - before you posted your comment - did I notice that 'follows' is perhaps misplaced. But then you can say "A, follows B" (with what is called 'inversion' - which would mean that B comes after B. But without the comma it is ambiguous. However, in crossword clues we ignore punctuation marks in wordplay. Shall we say that sometimes you have to supply them? !!!
I invite anyone to attempt a less complicated clue.
Writing individual clues is one thing; having to write 30 clues for a typical 15x puzzle is another and sometimes the words may not be amenable to simple treatment.
And you have heard of declivity, haven't you?
Proper English would require
ReplyDelete...negotiating town slope without difficulty
But the wordplay will suffer.
Richard
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your solving the puzzle and the efforts that you take in writing your detailed notes when, after all, the blog will give the annotations.
But anatomising the clues individually - for some extended period like a year - helps a great deal in improving one's skill and quickness in solving crosswords in general.
The above advice is directed at any novice crossword solver.
Your comments will sure be appreciated by compilers concerned, if they drop in - whether in disguise or not!
Suresh @ 9:06,
ReplyDeleteGenerally it just didn't appeal to me, no AHA feeling like someone said sometime ago. Just one of those days I suppose.
Richard @ 8:30
ReplyDeleteThe army switched over to OG's (Olive Greens) a long time ago. Khaki was retained for the deserts for some time but that too has changed now. Pak Army still wears Khaki.
About obscure words:
ReplyDeleteIt is not a question whether the solver knows them or not.
For what may be considered obscure words, the wordplay must lead the solver to the word and he will then look up for confirmation and add it to his verbal armoury.
Which "obscure" word in this puzzle fails the test?
Kishori @ 8:31
ReplyDeleteI prefer GOBI MANJOORI though !!!
CV @ 9:53
ReplyDelete14A in my case
To see how Matisse font looks like, visit
ReplyDeletehttp://www.searchfreefonts.com/font/itc-matisse.htm
Col: 953 In NCC we used to have something called MAZRI, a shade of grey I think, for the shirts.
ReplyDeleteAnd talking of proper names, I missed KIM in the list, the character referred to in the clue, KIMBALL O'HARA from Rudyard Kipling's KIM with a mention of the Zamzama in Lahore. Kim dreams of a "Red bull in a green field" which he recognises when he sees a military formation sign of a bull on a green background. The formation sign is still said to be used by a military formation in Ambala Cantonment in India. Even in the book the formation sign belonged to an establishment in Ambala.
While we understand the logic in calling the 'eye' of the needle, anybody can clarify why it is called 'ear' in tamil (kaatharunda oosiyum vaaraathu kadai vazhikey)
ReplyDeleteAdmittedly 14a is not a worthy clue!
ReplyDeleteSubbu reminds me of two siblings, one with a head but no eye, another with an eye but no head.
ReplyDeletesubramaniam
ReplyDeleteA very difficult question! And I have not thought about it before you raised it!
Well, my take is one can't insert anything in one's eye but one can put a pencil or at best the special instrument for the purpose into one's ear (just as one inserts the thread through the hole in the needle). So it's called "kaadhu" (ear) in Tamil.
Howzzat?
About obscure words: It is not a question whether the solver knows them or not.
ReplyDeleteFor what may be considered obscure words, the wordplay must lead the solver to the word and he will then look up for confirmation and add it to his verbal armoury.
Agreed, but there is also a matter of preference. Some solvers may not like to have too many unfamiliar words in the same puzzle. For the daily puzzles that I solve while travelling with no dictionary, I get put off if every other word in the puzzle is one I don't know.
The puzzle may be top-class but I may not enjoy it if my engagement with it was less than satisfying.
Shuchi
ReplyDeleteFrom that angle, do you think taht there are too many obscure words in this puzzle?
Personally,I think that except for O'BRIEN, HARD EDGE and GESTALT, others must be within reach of an educated person.
From that angle, do you think taht there are too many obscure words in this puzzle?
ReplyDeleteNot at all. I generally find Gridman's choice of words in the grid very thoughtful. This was no exception.
Polite change indeed with end of hilly upward slope (9)
ReplyDeleteCIVIL* in ACT with Y
Kishore/Col
ReplyDeleteRe: http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2010/07/31/bangindx.htm
To which article is Kishore referring above?
Venkatesh
ReplyDeleteThat's very good!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe gradient was about 54 degrees within a city!!
ReplyDelete{A}{C{C}{LIV}ITY}
CV @ 10:34
ReplyDeleteIf you are referring to Kishore's 8:31 post, he was referring to the picture under CAUGHT SNAPPING see it at the link given
C'vasi 10:38
ReplyDeleteI am sure it is a minor slip. The monolith in Shravanabelagola is of Bahubali, and not Buddha. It is of Jain faith.
Temporary legal about-turn on an ascent (9)
ReplyDelete(TY LICIT CA)*
Alternative:
ReplyDeleteTemporary legal about-turns on the rise(9)
(TY LICIT CA)*
Defn: the rise - ACCLIVITY
Deepak 09:53
ReplyDeleteThanks for that piece of info.
Sorry, Will repost after correction to include a V and exclude a T
ReplyDeleteRise and turn about five in legal confusion with happy ending(9)
ReplyDelete(CA<-) V in LICIT* with Y
Defn: rise - (AC<-){CLI(V)IT*}(Y)
May be Gridman saw last night Hindi movie, in SET MAX. The movie was 'Khakee', of AB.
ReplyDeleteOn needle's ear (kaadhu).... Chaturvasi's explanation was funny.
ReplyDeleteTo me, "kaadu" seems like a more pertinent description (rather than "eye.")
Civility goes awry without a setter, following revolting accountant's ascent (9)
ReplyDelete{AC<-} {CLIVITY {-I}}*
HBO showed Angels & Demons last night. There are some deviations from the novel.
ReplyDeleteExtract from CV's 9:40 post
ReplyDeleteWriting individual clues is one thing; having to write 30 clues for a typical 15x puzzle is another and sometimes the words may not be amenable to simple treatment.
Agreed 100 percent
Chaturvasi@9.53
ReplyDeleteYou are right! I learnt many obscure words only from solving crosswords.Such words you don't forget for long time even though you may not use them frequently. But learning by logical derivation as in crosswords remains imbibed in one's memory.
This will be applicable to Gridman and Shankalak
settings here and definitely not to the "obscure" words set by NJ.
Richard
ReplyDeleteThanks for pointing out my misnaming the Bahubali statue. I should have been more careful. My sincere apologies to my readers and those concerned. I shall edit and re-submit the relevant post as I don't want it (containing as it does a factual error) to be permanent here. At the moment the delete button doesn't show up.
The surface reading [of Venkatesh's clue at 1033] makes sense! I can imagine an old man huffing and puffing on the upward climb and all the while swearing when it changes to declivity and he becoming polite once again!
ReplyDeletePS: I once climbed all the 600-odd steps to the monolithic Bahubali statue in Shravanabelagola.
@Richard, Thanks for the link.I've been a fan of Jim Reeves since schooldays.Oh! for Ceylon, later SriLanka Broadcasting Corporation's Jim Reeves' Quarter and a whole hour dedicated to him on July 31st every year!You tube has many of his hits, even the rare ones, and even a few I'd never heard in my crazy teens.Any more fans? Wishful thinking??
ReplyDelete@CV, CGB & Dr DS
ReplyDeleteOn Thurday (29th), there were some late posts (after 9 PM) on 'famous' murder cases in the backdrop of the Nanavati case in which Blitz had mobilised public opinion for the Commander, which led to the then Governor Dr Vijayalakshmi Pandit granting him a pardon. Leela Naidu, who died last year, had starred in 'yeh raaste hain pyaar ke' which was based on this case.
A mention was made of murder cases in Madras around that time – of Alavandar, Lakshmikanthan and Suryanarayana. Randor Guy has written up case files on these and other murders.
LNS mentioned about NS Krishnan and MK Thyagaraja Bhagavathar being implicated in the Lakshmikanthan case.
Can you recall these cases?
Of course, I do recall all the cases.
ReplyDeleteAs you mentioned, there have been regular recalls of these cases by historians like Randor Guy.
In that list of murder cases you must mention the karunguzhi murder case, I think.
CGB has returned to Madras but having moved house and is awaiting another shift is unwired, I think.
I remember the Gem Pens shop in Parrys Corner from a time several years after the time of the case, I think.
People of a certain age will definitely have heard and liked Jim Reeves.
ReplyDeleteI re-heard some from you-tube. Should one be a subscriber to be able to d/l and store the video/audio on our machine? Is there a URL from where we can d/l the titles (audio only) for free? Should we opt for a pay-for service to d/l Carnatic music? Will appreciate any info.
Re the cause celebre Ahuja-Nanavati case of 1959, here are more details in the form of my write-up which appeared along with the review of a play based on this episode in September 2006. AHUJA MURDER CASE.
ReplyDeleteAfter his release on pardon from the Governor of Maharashtra, Nanavati and his wife Sylvia emigrated to Canada. He passed away in Toronto in 2003.
As mentioned in this forum already, the case inspired R K Nayyar to make a movie Yeh Raaste Hain Pyar Ke, with Sunil Dutt and Leela Naidu in the leading roles and Rahman playing Prem Ahuja.
Another movie based on the same story was Gulzar's Achanak with Vinod Khanna, Lily Chakravarti and Om Shivpuri forming the love triangle. In this movie, however, Khanna played an army officer, who is sentenced to life term.
Chaturvasi, you'd be able to download music for free. You could try either of the two.
ReplyDelete* Download a software called bittorrent and then do google search for torrent files. For instance, you could do a google search like "carnatic music torrent," "jesudas torrent," "jim reeves torrent" etc.... www.piratebay.com are www.isohunt.com are some of the good sources for downloading free music.
* Alternately, you could download p2p client software like bearshare, limewire etc. There, you could search for music files and download them for free.
What's with all this murder talk? Creepy!!!
ReplyDeleteSumitra, I did read your post late yesterday and wanted to respond later today. But your repeat 15:22 post prompted me to respond at once.
ReplyDeleteYou are right, it was mainly because of Radio Ceylon (later, Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation) that Jim Reeves and other western singers got popular in this part of the world.
I have a good collection of Jim's numbers on CDs. I am interested in viewing YouTube collections. Will it be too much if I ask you to send me, in good faith, some links? My email: (all in lower case) RLASRADO(AT)GMAIL(DOT(COM)
VJ
ReplyDeleteThanks. Will try. I am adventurous computer user.
Chaturvasi, I think I oughta warn you, it's not exactly ethical.
ReplyDeleteThough nobody's gonna stop you from downloading stuff for free, music companies would rather like you to buy CD's from stores that sell original copies.
There are also sites that allow you to download music legally. You could do a search for more details.
Chaturvasi
ReplyDeleteFor Carnatic music download, there is an excellent site:
http:/www.sangeethapriya.org
You can register for free using your gmail id
The contents are amazing and we need weeks to just read through the number of songs available.
All very neatly itemised.
Commercial and copyrighted broadcasts are not uploaded here but most of the concerts/devotional music from Tv channels are uploaded the same day itself.
I enjoy this site a lot and hope you will.
VJ
ReplyDeleteI am well aware of the issues involved and will of course be judicious.
I have d/ld bittorrent and am exploring the sites where some music is available.
@ CV
ReplyDeleteFor carnatic music, devotional music, upanyasams, patti manrams, recipes, etc., the following site is very useful:
http://www.geetham.net/
@Richard, I will try to, as I'm not sure if I've done it before. Will mail u when I do
ReplyDeleteRichard
ReplyDeleteYou would know, of course, but...
Googling "Jim Reeves youtube" gets several results.
However, not sure which allows us to download any files for free and which expects us to pay.
Venkatesh
ReplyDeleteThanks for the useful link. Am exploring it.
Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood claim to have learnt Hindi. Their trademark phrases are:
ReplyDeleteCM: Mogambo khush hua
BS: Bhains ke aankh (which he translates as Bull's eye, not buffalo eye.)
STOP PRINT NEWS for those who missed 31st July deadline:
ReplyDeleteThe last date for one of the inevitables has been extended to 4th August. We dont have a date with death, so obviously it is taxes.
Kishore,
ReplyDeleteI filed my return long time ago anticipating this log jam on the IT Dept server. I wonder why people wait till the last day to file their returns.
Sumitra, thanks for the link you sent. It is simply great, and it further gave leads to other songs.
ReplyDelete@Richard, glad, enjoy and share with other fans !
ReplyDeleteCol Sab, I think it is a part of our ethos ! It is also a part of ethos of the GOI to extend for no reason, thus putting the slackers to benefit. And this fact also being well known, the slackers wait in anticipation of extensions. A very vicious circle.
ReplyDeletecan anyone help me to start solving these cw .........!?? how to get started ....i m new 2 it???
ReplyDeleteAnurag,
ReplyDeleteI suggest you visit Crossword Unclued and go through all the posts over there. The link to Crossword Unclued is available on the left hand side panel of this page