1 - A very long time for a sad one going round the earth (4,4) - {BLUE} {MOON}
5 - Business mogul's domain (6) - EMPIRE [CD]
10 - Governor wearing rigid piece of bed linen (5) - {S{HE}ET}
11 - Such a victory from an avalanche? (9) - LANDSLIDE [CD]
12 - Complimentary weapon for one on his own (9) - {FREE}{LANCE}
13 - Tax on business causes tears to flow (5) - RATES*
14 - Vigorous, like some powerful US tycoons (5) - LUSTY [T]
16 - Tower for defence built by Babar in Chithor initially (8) - BARBI(C)AN*
24 - Freight that makes a vehicle move (5) - {CAR}{GO}
25 - Plain, starved of affection, consumed a drop of nicomorphine (9) - {UNADOR{N}ED}
27 - One-time tax I have found to be too much (9) - {EX}{CESS}{I'VE}
28 - Holy one, depressed human abandoning man (5) - {SAD}{HU
30 - Look for gold from a potential team member (8) - PROSPECT [DD]
DOWN
1 - Timid and self-conscious at a boisterous party, develops flu (7) - {BASH}{FUL*}
2 - Do not consume so much if it serves no purpose (7) - {USE}{LESS}
3 - Element, Tritium, found in food (5) - {ME{T}AL}
4 - Where to be for a Net-conference (2,4) - ON LINE [CD]
6 - Scrooge, fit but very unhappy (9) - {MISER}{ABLE} My No 1 clue for the day
8 - Philosopher who had sore men treated (7) - EMERSON*
9 - Cover for a bender at church (7) - KNEEPAD [CD]
15 - Part of the Pacific that allows the old English to transform (6,3) - {YE}{LLOW S(E)A*}
17 - Hormone essential for glucose metabolism (7) - INSULIN [E]
18 - The competitor's objective upsets coppers on duty (7) - {SUC<-}{CESS} Not a very good definition in my view.
19 - Fruit, a tropic variety (7) - APRICOT*
22 - Admittedly, there is an absence of uncertainty (2,5) - {NO} {DOUBT}
23 - Move headlong in one's chosen occupation (6) - CAREER [DD]
26 - A refuge where one may find dates? (5) - OASIS [CD]
18 - The competitor's objective upsets coppers on duty (7) - {SUC<-}{CESS} Not a very good definition in my view.
ReplyDelete---
I don't think 'coppers' for CUS works.
No doubt I like 22D.
ReplyDeleteQuestion to solvers at large, how important is the surface reading and meaning of a clue to you personally?
The reason I ask this is, in today's puzzle there were clues which were perfectly described and defined that makes solving them unambiguous and easy. But on the surface they made no sense.
A very long time for a sad one going round the earth (4,4)
ReplyDelete---
Gita raised a query in the Orkut community but I did not respond there.
The clue would work well w/o 'a', though there might be some loss in the surface reading.
If we remove the 'a',
sad, adj., will give BLUE.
one going round the earth - MOON.
With 'a' in the text, 'sad' becomes a noun and that does not yield BLUE.
It is important to me. If a clue has a good surface and is also clued well, I get double the pleasure in solving it. It is of course more difficult for the setter, but affords him the ability to 'mislead' the solver.
ReplyDeleteSurface reading and meaning of the clue are definitely important, otherwide it would be just gibberish aka NJ style.
ReplyDeleteMy 8:45 was in response to Bhavan 8:38
ReplyDeleteI haven't solved this puz but after I read Bhavan's post I scrolled up and the following clue hit my eye:
ReplyDeleteRed dye used in noise control (5) EOSIN*
The surface reading leaves much to be desired.
Years ago there was an anonymous composer in whose work most of the clues were like this: put A and B together (or A in B or whatever) and get C with the overall clue making little sense.
We will get plenty of nonsensical stuff from tomorrow for the next 6 days, excluding Sunday of course.
ReplyDelete@CV, you have summed up the feeling perfectly.
ReplyDeleteThe A, B, C parts were fine (mostly), but the overall effect of each clue didn't paint any good picture on the surface.
@Colonel : Week of drudgery begins tomorrow ? Was blissfully unaware.
ReplyDeleteWhoever is in charge of xwords at The Hindu can think of randomising the setters to keep solvers on the edge.
Thought this was another ok crossword - but must admit to getting kneecap rather than kneepad for 9D. Bracing myself for a week of NJ, she really is the one setter I cannot get to grips with.
ReplyDelete10a - I am not getting - Is it Governor = he? Can anybody explain?
ReplyDeleteHi
ReplyDeleteHad to cheat on BARBICAN. Favourite clue BLUE MOON.
12a FREELANCE reminded of the absentee Sir Richard Lancelot. Right ? Or Left ? Or Right and Left ? Or write and left ? Or R L, the Daiji World man ?
Surface reading should be meaningful that is what gives flavor to otherwise insipid string of letters.
Governor= His Excellency=HE
Good morning
ReplyDeletemy clue of the day is 15 d. though i got it how "Ye" fit in i cant decipher...similarly i am not too sure about 2e d also.
mathu
Mathu,
ReplyDeleteYe is 'the' in Old English.
Do not consume so much = USE LESS
if it serves no purpose = USELESS
Wasn't as clean as his previous offerings. But I'll still take this any day compared to what's probably in store for the next week! :)
ReplyDeleteMy CoD : SADHU . :):):)
A decent offering, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteDebate can go on unabated on the demerits of certain cluing but at the end of solving Sankalak's puzzle one does derive a satisfaction
in this pastime rather than hair-splitting experience (due to start).
Another aside from my treasure chest to keep the ball rolling:
ReplyDeleteHow is Manmohan Singh connected to Miss India ?
Both are down to the fig leaf.
ReplyDeleteMetaphorically, yes, CV. But to make things simpler (if at all), may I mention that the MS is not our PM and MI is not a lady !
ReplyDeleteAnd neither Bob nor Google is our uncle (at least in this sort of thing)
Thro MMS?
ReplyDeleteBhavan, I second others' sentiments regarding surface reading. An ideal clue, for me, should be a "proper," maybe even a witty statement in and of itself. It should not be misleading, of course. And if it relates to the solution in some way, though not necessarily in an &lit way, then that would be perfect!
ReplyDeleteSpiffytrix has the knack for doing this, IMO, and I'd rather see his(?) grids featured often, in place of the algorithms that we sometimes are made to follow.
Both are down to the fig leaf.
ReplyDeleteDo you mean 'One has nothing to share and the other has nothing to wear.'
this Manmohan (not PM) 'miss'ed India? I am somewhere there but not there!
ReplyDeleteRegarding 1213:
ReplyDeleteIt is connected to 1930.
Paddy almost said it. Manmohan was also somewhere but not there ! He missed India, as Paddy has deduced, but Manmohan's Miss India is a noun and he was inside it, though the 'miss' was used by some others to refer to it as a verb.
ReplyDeleteSaw a nice clue in today's DNA newspaper Cryptic CW, liked the surface reading :-)
ReplyDeleteWomen have many odd ideas (6)
L-ADIES*
ReplyDelete&lit too :-)
The clue that Col Deepak cites from DNA is from the cryptic crossword in the main section.
ReplyDeleteThe crossword itself is the same as that carried in the NIE, except that the syndicate supplies different series to different papers.
The crossword in the afterhours is set by you-know-who.
BTW, the serial number of the xwd in the main section differs from edn to edn, I think.
Both are down to the fig leaf.
ReplyDeleteDo you mean 'One has nothing to share and the other has nothing to wear.'
I was reminded of: What's the difference between a vest and a langota?
One is wear and tear and the other one is tear and wear.