1 - Mutter about the cat circling the small area set back on both sides (7) - {WHI{S}P}{
5 - Building material on the bridge is covering half of the deck (6) - {BR}{I{
10 - Sticker accepted in front of the garment (8) - {PIN}{AFORE}
13 - Stays flat on the flower over a point (4) - {LIE}{S}
14 - Examination is an alternative for one in doubt in the concert hall (10) - {AUDIT}{OR}{I}{UM}
16 - Sushi fish pie is ordered in the Taiwan capital (6) - {TAI}{PEI*}
18 - Dropped the kid with the French duke (8) - {TRICK}{LE}{D}
21 - Below the ground floor of a building (8) - BASEMENT [E]
22 - German poet is ready to finally recite an everyday article (6) - {GO}{E}{THE}
25 - Matron of honour (10) - BRIDESMAID [E]
27 - Phobia after a disaster in no time (4) - FEAR
30 - Loss of will power of a sailor at a ritual conducted outright (6) - {AB}{ULIA
31 - These levels may increase at the time of puberty! (8) - ANDROGEN [CD]
32 - Looked lecherously at the danger signal following this kind of tide (6) - {LEE}{RED}
33 - Arrange their odd window item (7) - {PLAN}{T}{E}{R}
2 - Swinger he holds in front of the gate (5) - {H{IN}{G}E}
4 - Left out the action of a durable cleaner (6) - EARBUD
6 - Used cars around the bull-riding event (5) - {RODE}{O}
7 - Nothing in to clear bit of rubbish out of the horse drawn carriage (9) - {CABRI{O}LET*}
9 - Pet pal has a different computer program (6) - APPLET*
12 - Personal book of the princess is fairly in even parts (5) - {DI}{A}{R}{Y}
15 - Join the coal bed (4) - SEAM [DD]
17 - Popular saint has the first information about the regular trustee in this place of learning (9) - {IN}{ST}{I}{T}{U}{T}{E}
19 - Karate motion in church operas (4) - CHOP [T]
20 - Hostile men retreat in an emergency with determination (5) - {E{NEM<-}Y}
21 - Dog feature cut short in detail nearly by a journalist in retrospect (7) - {BOB}{
24 - It may be put up to regulate traffic (6) - SIGNAL [E]
26 - Force out once the Italian has gone behind (5) - {EX}{IL}{E}
28 - Bird of prey, maybe (5) - EAGLE [CD]
29 - Songbird on the water edge is seen regularly (4) - {W}{R}{E}{N}
Hi all
ReplyDeletePINAFORE, EDIBLE, AUDITORIUM, BASEMENT, GOETHE, BRIDESMAID, FEAR, ANDROGEN, HINGE, SAFE, RODEO, APPLET, CABRIOLET, DIARY, INSTITUTE, CHOP, ENEMY, ERRAND (liked this), SIGNAL, EAGLE, WREN etc. were passable.
25A - Matron? Girls who volunteer to be bridesmaids at weddings will find this uncharitable.
wow! more than a 100 posts yesterday! cool! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid I'll need some time to go back to "regular" crosswords now! :-) What's w/ NJ today? It was easier... yet, even more obfuscated than usual!
1a: whisp{er<-} : How?!
5a: mmm... iffy, ... I wud've preferred material(s)... for bricks.
13a: What's the indication of "lies" being an anagram of lei over S? Is it 'over' ?
18a: Dropped = Trickled. hmm... That's a stretch! :)
30a: Abused? Sailor (AB) Ritual (R) Conducted (Used) out (R)ight ...?!? Help! This can't be right!? ... but it's the only thing that fits!
Hi
ReplyDeleteGenerally happy today.
Liked LI(E)S, BOB-(-de<-)TAIL, AUDIT-OR-I-UM, DI-ARY, TRICK-LE-D, ERR-AND, PLAN-TER, EX-IL-E, H(-IN-G)E, WHI(S)P-ER(-aa), EARBUD(-l), APPLET* , SEAM, CHOP
A doubt was raised in Orkut about BRI-CK-S, whether plural was indicated/meant ? Building material can be a description of plural too, I think, as in tiles, stones, etc. whereas building materials could mean more than one of these.
STE-AM-ED as put out was a revelation, as was AB-ULIA(-rt). BRIDESMAID, SIGNAL, ANDROGEN etc. Were not really cryptic. E-NEM<-Y had no indication of terminal letters to be used.
GOETHE reminded of Faust and a popular sculpture at The Salar Jung Museum in Hyderabad is a double-figure sycamore wood carving done by G.H Benzoni, an Italian sculptor. The front view of the figure shows the facade of Mephistopheles and the back view of the figure showing Margaretta is seen reflected in the mirror placed behind.
EAGLE is not only a bird of prey; In India it is also a bird of pray aka Garuda.
dang it! I was so sure of 31a being Estrogen... i didn't even think of anything else! Was stuck wondering why "signal" didn't fit! hehe
ReplyDeleteApropos the EXILE cartoon, the palindrome:
ReplyDeleteAble was I ere I saw Elba.
PINAFORE always reminds me of HMS
21A - below (adv) basement (noun)
ReplyDelete20D - Hostile (adj) Enemy (noun) - of course, there are exceptions like 'enemy forces'
Do we run the risk of ruining our grammar by working on such clues?
I am reminded of an anecdote: A small boy, opening the door for an unexpected visitor, is asked: 'Where are your pop and mom?'. He answers, 'Pop and mom is upstairs'. The visitor, slightly shocked, asks, 'Where's your grammar?'. The boy coolly replies, 'She also is upstairs.'
Kishore,
ReplyDeleteNJ's 'emergency with determination' gives you E R
Deepak, the penny drops, but I would say de-termination is removal of terminals and we should be left with 'mergenc'. But I agree with you
ReplyDeleteYou know, I didn't do this crossword.
ReplyDeleteBut reading the clues and Deepak's answers, so many clues crop up. I wanted to refrain from commenting but could not withhold a couple.
Deepak has already wondered if MUTTER is the same thing as WHISPER. I leave it to other commenters here to answer it.
31 - These levels may increase at the time of puberty! (8) - ANDROGEN :: Is 'these' correct? Isn't androgen singular? Of course, it is any one of the male sex hormones. Could just 'this level' would have been all right? Why the exclamation mark at the end?
28 - Bird of prey, maybe (5) - EAGLE :: Is there any doubt about EAGLE being a bird of prey? I think the compiler by using 'maybe' wants the solver to think of this particular bird while there are so many others birds of prey. In which case, is 'maybe' correct?
I will not go on. I will keep my mouth shut.
You read 'clues' as 'questions', didn't you?
ReplyDeleteCV 28a 'say' instead of 'maybe' would have been better. Otherwise, I share your apprehensions.
ReplyDelete13a is LI(E)S, lis being flower as in fleur de lis and e being direction
ReplyDeleteDo we run the risk of ruining our grammar by working on such clues?
ReplyDeleteNo. Our grammar will be what it is; the grammar of someone else will be what it is.
It's simple as that!
Is this a megalomaniac statement? Not really! Someone else's grammar can be far better than mine. So please don't mistake me.
Viva la difference !
ReplyDeleteBien dit, Monsieur !
ReplyDeleteMerci beaucoup.
ReplyDelete20 - Hostile men retreat in an emergency with determination (5) - {E{NEM<-}Y}
ReplyDeleteI think Kishore has pointed out the prob. in the above clue.
I grant that 'determination' is used in a very novel way (a la 'detail').
But 'determination of emergency' will give only 'emergenc' or 'mergenc' (though the latter may not be acceptable by purists).
Certainly not E Y.
Perhaps 'discontent of emergency' will give E Y. LOL.
Richard
ReplyDeleteI laughed over the anecdote.
Of course, I have heard it before.
I admire your (and Kishore's) talent for recalling apt jokes/quotes on the slightest cue.
I can never tell a joke! I may joke on 'tell'.
Kishore @ 08:51
ReplyDelete13A Lie being a river in China I think is more apt since it is over a point and not around it
@CV Once we get used to NJ, in the sense that 'determination' is used in the reverse manner always by NJ, there is no problem solving the clue.
ReplyDelete@Chaturvasi - >I admire your (and Kishore's) talent for recalling apt jokes/quotes on the slightest cue.
ReplyDeleteI second (and third) that.
And forth?
ReplyDeleteOn the usage of "determination," I agree with Suresh. Once you get used to it, you know what to expect.
ReplyDeleteI recently learned that there are two groups of setters i.e. Ximenean and Libertarian. I think we gotta make a third category to include radical Libertarians like NJ. They make their own abbreviations, conventions and experiment with grammar. Not that there's anything wrong there. Once we get used to their stuff, they becomes a part of our routine.
The way I see it, grammar/ use of language should be flexible. Personally, I wouldn't wanna emphasize too much on logic, conventions etc. If you've put your point across, purpose is served. If you wanna say "a aunt" or "a elephant," just go ahead and say it, we get your point. And no harm in saying stuff like "more clearer," "most stupidest," "ain't never" or "nobody never."
Or firth....
ReplyDeleteAny problems with blogger.com today? I posted a comment and it went off. Tried the second time, again it has gone off. This happens sometimes. But not everyone is affected.
ReplyDeleteThe above post has come up all right. As of now, there are 26 comments. If anyone has a variant display, please let me know.
ReplyDeleteRichard, the count is 27 + 1 (incl this one)
ReplyDeleteThanks VJ. Ditto here. I will post the missed message a while later.
ReplyDeleteSuresh, 949: I agree with your Lie (pun unintended)
ReplyDeleteCV, VJ: After a de-tailed study of the use of de-termination, I am de-lighted to de-clare that I have got to the bottom ('de-rriere' in French, homophonic 'the rear' in English) of the issue. There are, hold your breath, not two but three types of setters (crossword ones, I mean, not counting the Irish one). Apart from Ximenians and Libertarians, there is another category which has a population of at least one. I propose to call this category 'Libertine' or 'Bohemian' as may be be selected by the cognoscenti.
Friends, as I have always been saying, I am too happy to share useful information with you all here.
ReplyDeleteHere's a page where you have the best of search engines, e-mail, downloads, all in one place. CLICK HERE and add it to your favourites.
Kishore 13:18
ReplyDeleteYour de-section (dissection) of words brings to mind a famous quote I had read years ago:
Defeat (The feet) of deduct (the duck) went over defence (the fence) before detail (the tail).
Suresh @ 9:49
ReplyDeleteThe river in China is Li and not Lie.
See River Li
You are right Deepak. Then the anno for LIES is a mess
ReplyDeleteIf we take it as LI(E)S...
ReplyDeleteFleur-de-lis is a stylized lily or iris that is used as a symbol. I remembered the phrase from my reading of literature.
Now, from my little knowledge of French, I know that 'fleur' means 'flower'. 'Lis' must mean 'lily'.
So from 'flower' in the clue we are supposed to get LIS. Whether you think it's fair or devious, I leave it to you.
Or maybe it was LEI misspelt as LIE or anagram indicator absent
ReplyDeleteVJ, On determination, I am not saying it is a good way to write a clue. Just that it a quirk among the many quirks of NJ; so we can solve it, whether we enjoy it or not.
ReplyDeleteThe word quirk is probably too mild a word or an incorrect usage of the word in the above comment. It may be an NJism
ReplyDeleteKishore, nice choice of words there. Let the Libertines gather in full force and start a revolution to silence the Ximenean nazis and to keep the Bohemian Rhapsody goin'.
ReplyDeleteNJ can keep the Bohemians going round and round in circles with her crossword revolution
ReplyDeleteSuresh, I got it the first time.
ReplyDeleteAnywayz, "good" and "bad" are fuzzy ideas IMO. We just gotta change our perspective to make 'em seem the other way.
CV 1518: Swatisaid at 851 and then the Chinese dragon put its head into the works
ReplyDeleteRich 1416: Now don't you give ideas to NJ. Blogs have ears. NJ might just de-cide to use it and then I will have to de-pend on you to translate before I jump off into the de-epend
This Afro-American was in court for hitting a man and the judge asked him 'Did you hit him in defence' The man answered' No Sah. I hit him on de-nose and knocked him over de-fence'
ReplyDeleteDe 'de' jokes here, are de-lightful! :)
ReplyDeleteWhat's happening really? Is today the De-day? Somebody getting the sack?
ReplyDelete10 gone and no more to come? All out for good?
The Army is called de-fence because they guard de fence.
ReplyDeleteCV and others who might be interested: It is the first of the month and Lloyd's puzzles are back again. Last month I had got all correct and have managed to get all this month too. Try you luck:
ReplyDeleteAha
Oh the CARS and BUSES... Any hints there?
ReplyDeleteGot the other 2.
VJ: Will give you the bus:
ReplyDeleteTypical right to left as NJ may put it. Also, if 5 out of 7 are removed, 2 should remain giving you the sketch of the right to left bus. The word part works just like NJ's CW clues and the pic will then be easy to guess.
VJ, CV: You will find a lot of Indian names in the list of people who successfully solved last month's. Incidentally, most of them are my friends from our Mindsport days and we keep in touch at a Yahoo group called Puzzleteasers.
ReplyDeleteKishore, that's nice.. I could solve last month's puzzle quite easily. This time stuck with two.
ReplyDeleteCV 1518: What a pass this devious world of crosswords has come to ! We tend to read flower as flow-er when subterfuge was probably not intended.
ReplyDeleteA little late on the Ximenean-Libertarian discussion, but my take on it in case you haven't seen this before:
ReplyDeleteOf Ximeneans and Libertarians
If NJ reads the comments here, she must be delighted to have a solid ally in VJ :)
Some of her errors are inexplicable as they can be so easily fixed. For example:
Pet pal has a different computer program (6) has an incorrect anagram indicator.
It only needs to be written as
Pet pal's different computer program (6)
to make it correct. This error is so glaring, I find it incredible that a professional setter can miss it.
Deepak, CV, Kishore, Suresh et al
ReplyDeleteToday is September 1. How come I could remember the Robert Mulligan-directed 1961 movie COME SEPTEMBER which starred Rock Hudson, Gina Lolobrigida, Sandra Dee and others, only towards the end of the day?
The theme song (or rather music) was a crazy hit, along with Tequila, Oh to be in London, and of course, Multiplication (from Bobby Darin (not Bobby Darling !)):
ReplyDeleteWhen you see a gentleman bee
Round a lady bee buzzin'
Just count to ten then count again
There's sure to be an even dozen.
Now, there was two butterflies castin' their eyes
Both in the same direction
You'd never guess that one little yes
Could start a butterfly collection.
Multiplication
That's the name of the game
And each generation
They play the same.
Let me tell ya now ...
I say one and one is five
You can call me a silly goat
But, ya take two minks add two winks
Ahhh ... ya got one mink coat.
When a girl gets coy in front of a boy
After three or four dances
Ah ... you can just bet she'll play hard to get
To multiply her chances.
Multiplication
That's the name of the game
And each generation
You know they play the same.
Hear me talkin' to ya ...
Mother Nature's a clever girl
She relies on habit
Ya take two hares with no cares
Pretty soon you got a room full of rabbits.
Parakeets in-between tweets
Sometimes get too quiet
Uh-oh ... but, have no fear 'cause soon you'll hear
A parakeet's riot just try it.
Multiplication
That's the name of the game
And every generation
You know they play the same.
Yes ... it's multiplication
That's the name of the game
And each generation
They play the same.
VJ: Lloyd has confirmed correctness and updated now to 2 all correct entries.
ReplyDeleteRichard, your comment reminded me of W H Auden's poem -
ReplyDeleteSeptember 1, 1939
Shuchi, welcome to Memory Lane, I often drive there...
ReplyDeleteWell done, Kishore. I had given up a long time back... Now I'm just curious to know the answer... You on gtalk?
ReplyDeleteNope, yahoo?
ReplyDeleteMSN?
ReplyDeleteI remember the time when every marriage (baraat) music band in Delhi in the sixties used to cacophonically play Come September.
ReplyDeleteFB?
ReplyDeleteShuchi, lol... I always got sympathy for the devil. Also, I like villains more. Trust me, not that I'm a psycho or something.
ReplyDeleteBTW, on applet, your version is nice. I was okay with NJ's too. Well, while your emphasis is on the computer program, NJ's is on her pet pal. Well being "pet" pal, NJ perhaps feels he/ she deserves nicer treatment. At the cost of misplaced AInd? yep, so be it.
Yep, on FB... Can you IM using FB?? I hardly use it...
ReplyDeleteYou can chat on FB, but I need to activate you as a friend. I can send you a request if I have your email id.
ReplyDeleteOr locate Kishore M.Rao and send a request.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kishore....
ReplyDelete