Saturday 25 December 2010

No 10034, Saturday 25 Dec 10, Gridman

MERRY CHRISTMAS to everyone with this Christmas themed CW from Gridman.
ACROSS
1   - Time of year for a give and take? (8) - DECEMBER [CD]
5   - Notice gap in pre-Christmas period (6) - {AD}{VENT}
9   - You and I to be included in a number by chance (8) - {FORT{U}{I}{T}Y} One T appears to be extra or am I missing something
10 - Wise one doesn't launch boat (6) - cORACLE
12 - Flower for nothing at the beginning of Easter (4) - {NIL}{E}
13 - You may find him fulfilling during the present time (5,5) - SANTA CLAUS [CD]
15 - Unending dexterity in seasonal vehicle (6) - SLEIGHt
17 - Cane might produce this — a sweet thing! (5) - SUGAR [CD]
20 - Seasonal helpers in steel vehicle (5) - {ELVE}{S} [T]
21 - Father a member of alumni association? (3,3) - OLD BOY [DD]
24 - Somehow gets past enamel attachments on doors (10) - NAMEPLATES*
27 - A song that's recalled: it might hit the high notes (4) - {A}{RIA<-}
29 - A paler variety of a winter warmer (6) - EARLAP*
30 - Is swayed by new arrangement that is oblique (8) - SIDEWAYS*
31 - Engineer, getting in the way, thundered (6) - {ROA{RE}D}
32 - Punjabi returns to big Indian lake for memorial (3,5) - {TAJ<-} {MAHA}{L}
DOWN
1   - Government agent's up at last to answer charges (6) - {DEF<-}{END}
2   - So Carl belted out wassailer's tunes to arouse Carlos (6) - CAROLS*
3   - Mother, full on a regular basis, in bash (4) - {MA}{U}{L}
4   - More to one of Bollywood's crowd (5) - EXTRA [DD]
6   - Carry out nearly energetic order of antiquity (5) - {DO}{RICh}
7   - Give and get old coins (8) - {EX}{CHANGE}
8   - New rate certain for what's valuable (8) - {TREA*}{SURE}
11 - Carved and brought without the head (6) - fETCHED
14 - Likes one moving out sick animals (4) - ELKSi*
16 - Is nothing except a meteorological line (6) - {IS}{O}{BAR}
17 - It falls on son this time (4) - {S}{NOW}
18 - They haul present transport system (8) - REINDEER [CD]
19 - A volume by Gridman put up: “Song and Prayer” (3,5) - {A}{V}{E M<-{ARIA}
22 - Workers' leader with heart-shaped Yule garland (6) - {W}{REATH*}
23 - Woman conducts a sled around the edge of stadium (6) - {DA{M}SEL*}
25 - Bit said to be kept by the police? (5) - PEACE(~piece)
26 - She with hesitation takes one account back (5) - {ER}{I}{CA<-}
28 - Ray in the bar? (4) - BEAM [DD]

43 comments:

  1. Thanks, Gridman, for a lot or presents of different varieties in this Christmas themed one. SANTA CLAUS, ELVES, SLEIGH(-t), REINDEER (not sure if they have EARLAPs), W-REATH*, S-NOW, DECEMBER, CAROLS*, ELKS(-i)*,
    Amazed at how you managed to get so many in SIDEWAYS and down and even managed to hove in an Indian clue in terms of the backward Haryanvi in 32a. Not sure whether the ‘tu’ in FOR(TU)(I)TY was actually a super-numery T, or the word for ‘you’ in Hindi, Latin, French ...(or all of the above).
    I ROARED at every one I got. A Greek subtheme too: DORIC, (-c)ORACLE,

    Some headless stuff here: (-c)ORACLE, (-f)ETCHED,

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  2. Deepak, I saw the T too. I thought it was an extra present from Gridman. Alternative conspiracy theory given in my first post.

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  3. Missed listing a few like ADVENT, AVE MARIA , the list goes on...

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  4. Bhavan, that FT one is truly amazing. Just like Gridman has managed to stuff today's CW with Christmas clues, that one too has such a large number of the themed ones and very well clued in too.

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  5. 9A - You and I to be included in a number by chance (8) -{FORT{U}{I}{T}Y} One T appears to be extra or am I missing something

    Just a guess.

    Tu is 'you' in Latin. Even in India, we have Tu tu main main. I know there is no indicator for Latin.

    Et tu, Gridman?

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  6. Re FORTUITY: Gridman has a comment in the Orkut community.

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  7. The double anagram device in 2d was used once before by Gridman, though I am unable to cite it now.
    The earlier one drew inspiration from a clue in a UK puz - which too I don't remember.

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  8. Re 08:48

    Sorry, I hadn't visited Orkut community today. So my guess was right.

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  9. Re EARLAP
    I must confess that I did not know this term until it found a way in the grid!
    I have seen it worn by people during winter but without knowing the exact term.
    You know wearing this became a fashion in Chennai last year - several people including ordinary folks like flower-seller or even a ragtag man were seen sporting an earlap - the outer fabric for which was invariably in the battle fatigues design.
    Some producer/importer introduces the thing in the Chennai market and everyone keeps up with the outdoor Joneses.

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  10. Brrrr. Must be cold in Chennai :-) Does it finally have a season other than hot, hotter, hottest ?

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  11. Kishore
    Actually, this month the min has not gone below 19 deg C; yet some people sport winterwear.

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  12. Sell earlaps when the sun does not shine..?

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  13. Dear Kishore, yes Chennai seems nowadays to have its own version of winter.

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  14. Bhavan, Just 3 left in FT. Any guesses which 3?

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  15. Looks like some army surplus/reject has hit the market and hence a fad has been started.

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  16. During our college days, the FS cap (as it was called), an olive green peak cap, was a fad. Many went to the Army Stores on Commercial Street just to buy it.

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  17. Christmas special from G-man. Liked quite a few of the clues today.

    @Kishore : glad you could nearly finish the FT one. They fell in places as quadrants for me in order : Q2,Q3,Q1 and Q4. If I were to guess, the 3 would be non *ed clues.

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  18. Merry X-Mas to all members of the forum :) A nice puzzle from Gridman, liked all clues but for 1A. Have a small doubt at 20A. How does one account for the extra 'S'?

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  19. Q3,Q4,Q1,Q2 for me. Yes, they are the non*. Really liked the alluring look...

    Have you read Roald Dahl's poems on some of 4d stuff ? His versions are awesome.

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  20. Hi Kishore and Bhavan

    I just spent around an hour yesterday and just had a smattering of answers. Would be getting back today. Are you both following the same convention for quadrants? Is it the usual math one, with NE = 1st quad? Asking so that I will focus on the easiest :P

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  21. @Kishore, no I haven't but will now. Hope you are done with the remaining 3.

    @Shyam : Yeah the same math Qs. Have fun.

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  22. 12
    34

    Bhavan, still spooked by Spooner. Moved to other things. Will try a comeback later. Liked the seraglio one too.

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  23. Bhavan,
    Recommended order for reading:
    LRRH before 3LP

    It is more fun that way as the punchlines are more meaningful then.

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  24. http://www.poetryarchive.org/poetryarchive/singlePoem.do?poemId=7428

    http://oldpoetry.com/opoem/61676-Roald-Dahl-The-Three-Little-Pigs

    Deepak, if your wife hears these, she will probably skin me.

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  25. MERRY CHRISTMAS to all the friends. It seems 'Gridman' has chosen Christmas, as theme. In my opinion, in 26 Down, it could be nice, instead of 'She', he had used 'Plant' for meaning.

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  26. Merry Christmas to all members of this forum

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  27. @Kishore thanks for the links. Bookmarked it. Right now in the middle of a movie marathon but will get to them.

    Ah the moon hasn't dawned yet on you? I spent a lot of time on that having messed up 33A but got there.

    Yeah Spooner as always gives you the aha after you get it.

    Yet to get 12 too?!? Surprised because its tied to 38 and I didn't even need to read the full clue once I saw Swan and the * theme.

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  28. Chaturvasi and all other Chennai-vasis, maybe most of you are aware of this.

    Read in the papers about the court settlement regarding the sale of Das Prakash Hotel property near the Egmore railway station to Prince Foundation at a whopping Rs 165 crore! (I guess it is on Poonamallee High Road).

    It had the credit of having hosted presidents, prime ministers and many other VIPs.

    A new high-rise residential condominium on 300,000sq ft area, comprising of 150 high-end apartments is to come up there at a cost of Rs 300 crore.

    Incidentally, the man who founded the Das Prakash chain in 1930 was the late Seetaram Rao, who hailed from a tiny village called Kuttettur near Mangalore. This village now houses the ONGC-MRPL (Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd).

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  29. By the way, reciprocating Christmas wishes.

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  30. Kishore, thanks for calling and for your Christmas wishes.

    You have been the in-house Eistein here and pundit par excellence at the same time.

    Since you are very fond of dates and figures - fun intended - I would like you to read this recent write-up of mine.

    1.1.11

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  31. Bhavan
    Ha! Finally finished the crossword after a 2.5-hr marathon struggle. Just 1 left, 41a, is it bullhoi? I got b?l?h?i and from plebs I got hoi. Are there any Ninas lurking? Yet to look for them...

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  32. Richard, Nice write up, and yes, you are right, I have the roving eye for figures. You have referred to deliveries, which is actually the topic of day. The deliverer is believed to have been delivered on this day in order to deliver humanity. I use the word believed only due to the uncertainity of the date.

    However, deliveries brings a point to ponder: Why is Children's Day (at least in India) exactly 9 months of St. Valentines...

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  33. Aaah Bhavan, was surprised after reading your 1224. Those were amongst the first I got. I finally found out where there was a disconnect. I had, in my 1133 given the quarter numbering I had used and you got the impression these were pending. My pending ones are 24a,33a,and 22d. Mebbe I got some crossing wrong ...

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  34. Shyam:
    Bols<-hoi.

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  35. BTW, Shyam & Bhavan, apropos Goldilocks: We used to call our son by this name when he was about 2 and after his tonsure, he became Baldilocks !

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  36. Kishore @14:43,

    Has this anything to do with Motilal Nehru being rewarded by Mrs. Motilal Nehru for the valentine gift she received?

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  37. Satya:

    Jesus' words in Luke 23:34, aptly applies to that event. Perhaps, they did not know they were fuelling the seeds of a dynasty :-)

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  38. Thanks for the answer Kishore. Regd the ones you have undone, there is a Tennyson funda and Spooner's clues are always difficult unless the answer dawns upon you :) 33A is easy, I suppose you have erred in some crossings there...

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  39. All done. But not very sure of anno for 10. Does it ref to the 100 years war ?

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  40. Kishore 10 is a DD

    First reference is to what you mentioned.

    The second is a custom in England where the Queen sends a telegram congratulating a person who turns 100. Archer in his book Cat O Nine tales even had a short story around it.

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  41. Alphabetically speaking 27a ARIA is a subset of 19d AVE MARIA. The sung form of the prayer AVE MARIA is an ARIA.

    Hence, we have a situation where aCb and bCa, where C stands for subset, but a#b, since they are subsets of each other in different respects.

    Thanks, Bhavan, now I can RIP.

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  42. While I drive off before the first crack of dawn to study history (what happened ‘a long time ago in a galaxy far far away’), I sign off with these familiar lines from a beautiful song (I have not revealed the lines which give away the song):
    ...
    Revvin' up your engine
    Listen to her howlin' roar
    Metal under tension
    Beggin' you to touch and go ...
    ...
    Out along the edges
    Always where I burn to be
    The further on the edge
    The hotter the intensity
    ...
    Both the song and movie (and its spoof with Charlie Sheen) are amongst my fav.s

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