ACROSS
8 - Guesses players on the field? (8,7) - BALLPARK FIGURES [DD] Hearing this phrase for the first time
10 - Detectives in an excited tussle put in hospital (7) - {SLEUT{H}S*}
11 - Ghost's description given time and again (7) - {SPEC}{T}{RE}
12 - Tony gets student's aid (4) - {HE{L}P}
13 - Many model homes have eastern exit and entrance (9) - {T}{HOUS
15 - Retort right after one is taken in by the English (7) - {R}{I}{POST}{E}
17 - Fruit mousse with nothing brown on top (7) - {TAN}{GEL}{O}
21 - Clean without water (4) - NEAT [DD] Neat one
24 - Compound interest perhaps, return of money comes first (7) - {NIT<-}{RATE}
25 - Seaman I revive from memory loss (7) - AMNESIA*
DOWN
1 - Big honour to get second Emmy at the start (5) - {OBE}{S}{E}
2 - Shear sheep to pull the wool over one's eyes (6) - FLEECE [DD]
3 - Unusually happiest memories that are set in stone (8) - EPITAPHS*
4 - Go over to the other side, to religious symbol and article with St. (5,3,6) - {CROSS} {THE} {STREET} The St had me foxed for quite a while!
5 - Rues beheading birds (6) -
6 - Charade about time and money going around (8) - {P{RE}{T}ENCE}
7 - One who expresses surprise with number one's comeback on parting grand slam (9) -
9 - One who is uncomfortable, who fears outfit that is shady (4,3,2,5) - FISH OUT OF WATER*
14 - Doctor on round taking one out of malady with wit (9) -{DR}{O}{
16 - Input rot, ridiculous output (8) - PRINTOUT*
18 - Sister's bringing one in midday with fracture that won't heal (8) - {NO{NUN}{I}ON}
20 - Notice animal sound outside a hayfield (6) - {ME{AD}OW}
22 - A new promise to bring out a solution (6) - {A}{N}{SWE
23 - Place it within the common class (5) - {LA{IT}Y}
Awesome! I thoroughly enjoyed Cryptonyte's opening entry! :) I was able to get through most of it before 8:30! Yay! Some I got ... without figuring out the annos. Looking forward to the edification here. eg: I had "MALUNION" instead of NONUNION for 18d. All in all, a good mix of easy, clever and tough clues.
ReplyDelete@ Col: Could you please elaborate on the "obvious" identity, for us noobs? :)
Lovely to have another new setter. Last three days have been Manna :)
ReplyDelete7 - One who expresses surprise with number one's comeback on parting grand slam (9) - {A}{S}{CEN}{S'ION<-}
One who expresses surprise = GASPER
parting grand = (g-)ASPER
one's comeback = SION<-
Slam = (g-)ASPERSION
Hi everyone:
ReplyDeleteThe more the merrier. Is CRYPTONYTE an element (of surprise) or a compound (name)? ;-)
Couldn't get 8A and 7D. At the latter only two words - ASCENSION and ASPERSION - to fit in.
Compared to the standard of the other clues, I found CROSS THE STREET too bland. RIPOSTE, LETIMOTIF, NITRATE, SPUR OF THE MOMENT, EPITAPHS, EGRETS, DROLLNESS etc were really good. NONUNION was a tough one.
PRINTOUT itself is short for 'printer output'. Clue not so impressive.
As Suresh said earlier, clue-setting is not an easy job. Some great man said: Those who are not doers become critics. Maybe I belong to that category. ;-)
Thanks Bhavan,
ReplyDeleteThat one had me foxed
Also, my 2c on Spiffytrix...
ReplyDeleteThings got a bit heated yesterday, with some polarizing thots on Spiffytrix... I personally felt most of it was really clever, but was unable to crack a lot of the clues... which was disheartening. I think he/she tried really hard to set a very clever and tough CW, and succeeded for the most part. I suppose the veteran solvers enjoyed it much more than greenhorns like me. Personally, I would have liked a few easy type clues interspersed with the tough ones that seemed to abound. :)
@ Col.
ReplyDeleteIt is CRYPTONYTE. You may carry out the necessary correction.
As Suresh said earlier, clue-setting is not an easy job.
ReplyDeleteThat was Deepak's comment in the opening line
Whoever is the next poor regular setter (Sankalak/NJ ?) is going to suffer the wrath and aftermath of the headiness these two new setters' have offered so far. Unless there is a drastic departure from his/her usual style ...
ReplyDelete@Bhavan: Great deciphering of 7down.
ReplyDeleteThis name though is a give away to most of us!
ReplyDeleteI think I am part of the minority. It will perhaps dawn on me after a while
Bhavan,
ReplyDeleteLovely to have another new setter. Last three days have been Manna :)
Your unintended pun needs clarification that this Manna is from heaven ;-) and not from the THC stable
Thanks, Suresh.
ReplyDeleteThanks Bhargav,
ReplyDeleteSince corrected
I had no problem with 7D. I took a long time on NONUNION and on the NEAT clue even though I think a similar clue was there in some other crossword earlier
ReplyDelete@ Bhavan *:32 - Thx for the clar. Totally clueless on that one.
ReplyDelete@ Col 8:43 - I thot Bhavan's pun was intentional! :) @Bhavan - Please clarify! :)
Colonel @8.43, it was indeed intended. Like I said, after this veritable feast, its going to be hard to return to the bland fare (I'm probably being unfair to Sankalak) or pure tripe (no such remorse here for ...)
ReplyDeletePS: All puns are again intended !
Hari @ 8:32,
ReplyDeleteI am not one to disclose identities, you will have to work it out yourself, hints may be dropped here and there. You could think of a synonym for the last letter of your post and dig around in the Orkut group, for THC, if you are a member there
Bhavan,
ReplyDeleteIf the pun was intended you are equating Cryptonyte's offering with that of Manna's. No comparision there in my view.
21A: NEAT was a really neat clue.
ReplyDelete23D: Is "place" replaced with lay as in "lay of the place"??
12A: How is Tony = HEP?
13A: What is the purpose of "entrance" at the end of the clue?
For those in the know, can I assume that Superman's nemesis is a solver who shows up regularly on this forum?
Colonel, now I see what you mean. My primary reference was strictly to the miracle. And I concur with your other inference.
ReplyDeleteDeepak, 08:48 - The plot thickens!
ReplyDeleteThe last letter of Hari's past was 'y'. Can you confirm?
@ Richard 8:53 - :) that's what I thot too... so i started looking for all synonyms of why... trying to find anything remotely familiar! no luck so far! :)
ReplyDelete@ Col 8:48 - I'm not on Orkut. If u cud provide a link, I'll hunt around there. :) thx
ReplyDeleteAltho'... the thot did occur to me that the style reminds me of the one CW I saw of VJ... and he's conspicuous in his absence today. hmm....
ReplyDeleteHari : You can read on this link how Tony become hep. The alternate spelling toney might explain further.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.whatdoesthatmean.com/node/3111
And of course the orkut explanation.
Thanks to all for the enlightenment!
ReplyDeleteRichard @ 8:53 and Hari @ 8:55,
ReplyDeleteSorry about that, I meant last word of Hari's post and not last letter!!
The last word being 'noobs'
ReplyDeletewow! Thanks Bhavan. I wud never have guessed how Tony became hep! :)
ReplyDeleteAny answers for my other 2 Qs?
Har @ 8:51,
ReplyDeleteIn 23D Place = Lay 'Place on the table' 'Lay on the table'
In 13A 'Entrace' is the indicator to include 'and'
Bhavan has given you the 'Tony' 'Hep' connection.
Tony and Cryptonyte hmmmm.....
ah.. thx for clarifying Col (9:09)
ReplyDeleteNeophyte is the closest rhyming word to Cryptnyte... arrrgh! why does it have to be so tricky if everyone knows anyway! :)
come to think of it... even the omnipresent CVsir is missing today! That's 2 regulars...maybe more.
Hmm... as Richard said: The plot thickens! :)
Hari Place means lay. Look at the verb form of place
ReplyDelete13A Entrance is the indicator for inserting AND
Hint to the Setter's Identity:
ReplyDeleteHe himself has just about revealed his identity in the crossword :)
I would like to say where but I would rather that you found out on your own :)
Liked today's puzzle.
ReplyDeleteFrom yesterday’s post….
LNS (2303), thanks for the clarification
Venkatesh, LOL at your 2206 comment
Shuchi, I think you need to take a chill pill. You haven’t said anything annoying. For me, it was your 925 comment. Just thought I’d go tit for tat. There's nothing more to it. Never knew you'd take it so personally. Well to remind ya, this is what what you said.
"I don't consider those clues iffy either. The annos might not strike one immediately, but they are well worth the effort of working them out and don't leave one scratching the head after the answer is known, as [edited so as not to offend a certain commenter in these parts :P]'s do."
BTW, so where's Shuchi today? OK I know, it's not "spiffytrix" today.
thx again Col (9:13)!
ReplyDeleteAnd u don't have to confuzzle (my daughter's fav word when confused!) me any more than I already am, re: the identity of Cryptonyte! :)
Hmm.... Noob... Greenhorn... kryptonite is green... any connections here or am I really reaching!?! :)
Ah.. and here's VJ. Does that mean he's not Crypto? :)
ReplyDeleteHobbes, 12A?
ReplyDeleteLook at Indian meanings Hari
ReplyDelete@VJ well .... *sheepish smile at giving away the identity* :)
ReplyDelete@ Suresh 9:18 - Thx!
ReplyDelete@ Hobbes 9:18 - thx for the clue... but I'm relatively new here (abt a month). Is this person a regular at posting out here? eg: I haven't noticed yourself or Bhavan before, but u seem like u've been around the block. :)
I don't know this guy either
ReplyDeleteI think we've guessed enough, let Cryptonyte be Cryptonyte and keep up the good work he has started today. How does it matter who he is as long as we get some excellent fare to start the day.
ReplyDelete@hari I'm no great solver. Merely an amateur who is deeply interested in crosswords and happen to frequent this blog ( mostly to get answers rather than make any meaningful contribution :) ).
ReplyDeleteCRYPTONYTE, as fas as I know, is not a regular on this blog in the recent past but is a regular setter for the mint crossword. You can find some good info about that on this post from Shuchi's blog.
http://www.crosswordunclued.com/2010/06/mint-crossword-wordview.html.
Cheers
Phew! Thx for that link Hobbes. Now I don't feel so bad thinking it's a name I shud've been able to guess! Just another name of someone I haven't encountered.
ReplyDelete@Col 9:40 - I agree w/ u Col. Curiosity was gnawing at me 'cos I thought I should be able to recognize the person based on the familiarity of others here. Now I don't feel bad 'cos it isn't anyone I know! :-) Nothing at all to do w/ the CW itself.. More along the lines of "why couldn't I figure out the clue?" hehe
@Hari, I moved states/houses recently and haven't had internet connectivity till yesterday. I should now be seen more often here.But I have been visiting this blog for quite some time now.
ReplyDeleteColonel, not to nitpick, but you might want to correct the setter name in the byline too.
Sandhya @8.42: Thanks, its one of those days when your brain is ticking right.
Bhavan,
ReplyDeleteWhich byline are you talking about? I had corrected both in the main post if you are talking about those.
Venkatesh,
ReplyDeleteI have deleted your posts. Please refrain from naming people on my blog.
Colonel, I meant this line:
ReplyDeleteLovely entry for Cryptonite. This name though is a give away to most of us!
@ Col: I think he meant where u said "Lovely entry for Cryptonite" as ur intro line. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Bhavan & Hari,
ReplyDeleteI have since amended the line.
Richard@8.33
ReplyDeleteI think it is Bernard Shaw who said:
He who can does, he who cannot teaches.
Good Morning
ReplyDeleteAnother day, another setter, another set of discussions. Going by this trend we soon start missing NJ, Neyartha, and Sankalak.
I have a small doubt whether the discussions happening in this forum triggered the change of setters or altering the frequency of the old ones.
I liked some. I am totally clueless on some. Especially aspersion. I thought long as it is/as a "person"al indicator.
@hari 8.33 my comments on this reflected by you aptly. Hope we two gel each other so well i believe.
Trust by the end we might even meet a new setter cryptotrix or spiffycrypt.
Good day
Mathu
Thanks Colonel. Your clues combined with simple googling helped. :) Cryptonyte is no more a stranger....
ReplyDeleteAnkur (954) from yesterday's post.
ReplyDeleteOh my, the cliques and the drama queens.... Anyway, I thought your comment was funny. Thanks for the laugh.
Very nice to see this setter on The Hindu. 12a: What a stylish way to announce oneself.
ReplyDeleteA special talent one can see is in creating compelling joints between the definition and wordplay: "student's aid", "compound interest", "big honour", "grand slam". Liked 4D too for the taking two of the biggest crossword cliches: ST = Saint and ST = Street, and putting a fresh spin on them.
VJ,
ReplyDeleteI suggest you watch your language and uncalled for innuendos.
The same holds good for the other posters on my blog. Let us restrict ourselves to some meaningful comments and discussion, light banter is acceptable but direct or indirect insinuations on someone is unacceptable. Let's not step on our fellow commenter's toes
Col, I'm sorry if I've gone a bit overboard. It was a spontaneous response to Ankur's comment.
ReplyDeleteI feel his message was uncalled for. To me it seemed like a personal attack and an unwarranted allegation. If you think I should just take those such kind of remarks without saying a word, I'll do so henceforth. Again, my apologies.
VJ,
ReplyDeleteI didn't read Ankur's post, having read it now I would advise him also to maintain decorum and avoid personal attacks.
Henceforth I as owner of this blog will delete without notice comments which in my opinion are offensive and which hurt the sentiments of others.
VJ,
ReplyDeleteApologies accepted, let's get back to the business of dissecting Crosswords
Deepak, Thanks for settling this. I really appreciate your views.
ReplyDeleteIt's not my intention to offend anybody or hurt anybody's sentiments. I'm not here for that. Well if I wanted to make somebody feel bad, I'd rather do that in reality where I can watch/ be a witness to their reactions and take pleasure out of it. lol. just kidding.
@ Mathu 10:47 - I too believe that we are both at similar levels of expertise (or lack thereof!). I have noticed that I have also found the going tough on the same days that you have voiced my thoughts. :)
ReplyDeleteHere's hoping to 'Kaizen' (remembering OPs Theory from my MBA... almost a decade ago!) :)
@ VJ: When's the next edition of ur CW?! :)
ReplyDeleteHari, I've done 2 so far and have posted them both. Planning to do one puzzle every weekend.
ReplyDeleteVJ
ReplyDeleteCould not see #2 in "hadescrooswords.blogspot" yet.Have you posted anywhere else?
Dr DS, it's the same URL. You'll find the link to it in my profile.
ReplyDeleteHi, my first post here. I have been following the blog for the last few months but haven't participated in any discussions yet. I come here mainly to read the comments which are always enjoyable. I had stopped solving THC after seeing the likes of NJ and would instead spend time trying to solve The Guardian. But Spiffytrix and Cryptonyte have brought a breath of much-needed fresh air to THC in the last 3 days that I think I would want to get back to THC whenever they are on. So, thanks to them for bringing people like me back to THC. And, thanks Colonel for your excellent blog.
ReplyDeleteWhere are you, Chathurvasi Sir? We miss you like Kishore
ReplyDeleteIt's official, folks!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/13/AR2010091304476.html
Gita: Thanks for highlighting it. Nice write-up - wish the NYT columnist Susan Collins had written on that subject though. She would have had a field day with this subject as well with her witty yet incisive writing style.
ReplyDeleteMy word - that's a lot of comments! How come we don't get this many on our UK blogs? I think we should be told.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a cracking debut puzzle; well done that man. Some of the clues have non-Ximenean moments which threw me until I got into the overall style, but I highlighted 21a and 6d (in particular, among many) that were extremely well done. 21a is so simple but I needed the cross-checkers first, and 6d is both beautifully concise and reads extremely well, which isn't easy to do.
I'm certainly looking forward to the next one.