Friday 4 February 2011

Anniversary Special, Friday 04 Feb 11, Interrobang



Reactions if any be sent to interrobangindia@gmail.com

60 comments:

  1. The grid is interesting. It breaks no rules. There are no consecutive unches. I also like the six four-square blanks.

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  2. Dn 1 ACE; 3 SEC; 5 TON[e]; 10 [cl)OAK.

    For my four answers, I have taken the first available three-letter Dn slots and the first available three-letter Ac slot.
    Dn 1 is CD; 3 is charade; 5 is tail-off. Ac 10 is heads-off.
    The compulsion of design as per the Chozha temple window has a large number of short slots.
    Until I complete the puz, I can't give overall comments.

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  3. Ac.10 - cede,12 - pea,13 - inca
    Dn. 7 - each

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  4. 32A - ZERO [DD]
    34A - NETS*
    36A - BEE [DD]
    38a - SEA [CD]

    Good & Easy CW

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  5. When r u going 2 let the cat out? I have a few more to solve.

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  6. May I come out with another set?

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  7. Yes, good ans easy!

    26ac-NOTE
    27ac- CHEF
    7dn- EACH
    18dn- ROLE

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  8. 2 DN REINCARNATION
    20 DN YETI
    30 DN TERN
    19 A DYER

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  9. Why many elite solvers are not appearing? Are they engaged otherwise or they feel this is very easy?

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  10. Hi All,

    Just checking out status. Thanks for the nice words till now.

    With predominance of four letter words in the grid, it was tough not to use some obvious ones. :-)

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  11. Requesting all those who have completed to mention the last wicket to fall. It will give me an idea of the gradient...

    A special meow for Muthiah's posts at 17:20 and 17:29.

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  12. hi Interrobang,
    Nice and easy CW.
    Last wicket in my case 28A

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  13. I require help for 28 AC to complete the grid.

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  14. Muthaiah,
    Think of a football referee

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  15. Col. Your hint led me into fire from frying pan.

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  16. Muthiah:

    I am having kittens.

    Your comment brought forth an idea for a clue

    It throws one from the flying plane into the anti-aircraft fire (8,4)

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  17. CV, I think there are 9 4-square blanks. Any 4-squares smokers here ?

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  18. Muthaiah,
    You can roast for some more time if you have not hit upon the answer as yet :-)

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  19. Bhavan, Veer, Satya, Gita - and others - are in a different time zone and early morning won't be suitable for them.

    So you must give time for them.

    Kishore and Suresh must be dealing with figures before concluding that two and two are four.

    Cannot a puzzle stay alive for 24 hours?

    So Max 4 PP must not be relaxed.

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  20. IB

    I saw 9 but by the time I came to write it stood on its head.

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  21. Of course, I had the fags in my mind but not on the lips!

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  22. OK, my earlier relaxation is revoked, this will stay as 4 PP till 8:30 tomorrow morning after which it's free for all

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  23. 11D AGRA
    28A WHISTLEBLOWERS
    29D HAZE
    39A NOEL (A hollow novel, in another way, is also NOEL)

    Is 14A what I really think it is [insert interrobang here]

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  24. Chaturvasi, Sir:

    What about Richard ? He's missing too...

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  25. Adding some annos
    26A - NOTE [DD]
    27A - CH(-i)EF
    7D - (-t)EACH
    18D - ROLE(-x)
    2D - REINCARNATIONS [CD]
    20D - {YET}{I}
    30D - ERNE [T]
    19A - DYER [T]
    11D - AGRA [T]
    28A - WHISTLEBLOWERS [DD]
    29D - HAZE(-l)
    39A - N(-ove+oe)OEL

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  26. So tantalising that I came back and see quite interesting posts. 14 ac is a nice clue! (skilfully hinted in one of the posts!).I also realise I've repeated an answer already posted. So, let me make up for it:
    4dn- SUBCONSCIOUSLY

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  27. 39a: Clue has the fodder NOVEL, yet the solution is derived in a roundabout manner, the solver having to delete OVE from NOVEL and insert OE.

    KISS, I say! (Don't take me seriously!)

    See not in novel for Christmas (4)

    v - vide - see deleted from novel.

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  28. That leaves us with
    Across - 8, 14, 15, 21, 23, 40 and
    Down - 9, 16, 17, 22, 24, 31, 33, 35, 37

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  29. Hi Interrobang aka Interro

    It feels nice being mentioned as one among the elite. Wonder if I am worthy of it. Your nom de plume suggests you are based in Bangalore. If that is the case, I am in the same time zone.

    In fact, I was on the move the whole day. I had seen the regular crossword in the morning. Spotted the bonus crossword only now.

    Managed to solve many quite easily. Thanks for the regard.

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  30. Looks like this does not work on MAC OS I cannot see the crossword at all

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  31. 15AA (EC)(HOC)(ARDIOGRAM*)
    9D C[-an]ARD
    31D {EL[-s](+B)E}
    37D EKE ~ 40D without L {-L]eek

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  32. 8 ECRU
    14a BANG
    24d AFAR
    35d ELK

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  33. It throws one from the flying plane into the anti-aircraft fire (8,4) ?EJECTION SEAT

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  34. 16D: COD{E}
    21A: SKI(-n)S
    8A: ECRU (DD)
    22D: KER{B}(-chief)

    Last to fall was ELBE (actually did not fall, just saw Venaktesh's anno. as I had missed filling it but was not apparent to me because I was not familiar with Elbe, though the word play was straightforward enough)..

    Nice defs. for the long ones - 2&4D, 28A

    SKIS was nice as well, as had to think of alt. def. for hides..

    Helping out on what's left:

    A: 14, 23, 25, 40
    D: 17, 24, 33, 35

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  35. Ajeesh snuck in. So what's left:

    A: 23, 25, 40
    D: 17, 33

    Nice and easy crossword, interro. Thank you.

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  36. Suresh@21:15,

    To view the crossword within the browser requires the Java plugin (depending on your browser, you should be automatically prompted to install it, if it has not been already done so) -- so it is independent of the OS you use. I'm in a similar situation (not interested in installing the plugin), so I installed Across Lite in Windows (also available for MACs), and opened the puz file using it.

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  37. Hey, where did my reply to Suresh(21:15) about installing Across Lite in Windows go?

    ???

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  38. Awesome!!! Just seeing it now! This is a great format! Can't comment on the clues yet... just started solving. I'm sure they'll be great! :)

    Thanks Interro!!!

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  39. Martin K. Speckter introduced the concept of the INTERROBANG in 1962.

    The INTERROBANG fills a gap in our punctuation system where earlier writers had to use typographically cumbersome and unattractive combinations of the question mark and exclamation mark to punctuate rhetorical statements where neither the question nor an exclamation alone exactly served the writer. e.g.,HOW ABOUT THAT?!

    INTERROBANG got its name from the Latin for query and the proofreader's term for exclamation.

    Interrobang is available in MSWord's Fonts. Go to Format, choose Fonts, then Wingdings 2. You will get 4 different versions of the interrobang. Hit the ` ~ key, the ] } key, the 6 ^ key, or the - _ key.

    For more interesting information, please look up
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interrobang

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  40. cool! Thanks again! Just finished the grid! Some really clever clues. A few had me messed up for a while, but eventually figured them out. :)

    Great relaxation. Lovely puzzle. Would love to have this as a regular feature!!! :)

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  41. hmm. thanks for the trivia on interrobang Venkatesh! :)

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  42. Coming late today as I had a busy day... Congrats Col for the anniversary. Really proud of your dedication and perseverance even on drab days. Keep it up!

    Great Kishore. One of your debut puzzles, I believe. Good place to start imho. Keep them coming.

    As I am on a train to Chennai, I have not solved the puzzle. Yet posting some answers as a dutiful regular should ;)

    25 - TEE ~TEA
    17 - RUST (-T)
    40 - LEEK (-S)
    33 - EAT (got to be so. Is there any double duty lurking around. Seems so at first glance.)

    Thanks also to Veer. I wouldn't have posted this hadn't presented the remaining clues :)

    Shyam

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  43. Love Venkatesh's / SR's breadth of knowledge on all things esoteric and exotic - think it makes the blog a better place.

    Thanks, V / SR

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  44. Enjoyed CrypTONYte's CW today in HT Mint. An easy one but engaging nonetheless.

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  45. 33 [-N]EAT
    without soda NEAT
    without direction [-]N
    Defn: consume EAT

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  46. At times you miss out on the fun because of the travails of living in a different time zone : )

    Just finished it. Liked quite a few clues - especially the long ones spanning the length and breadth.

    My favourite is rolex.

    Congrats interrobang and hope to see more from you.

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  47. My brother CGB has threatened that he will be one of 28a and release a list of all the girls at whom I in early days was one of 28a.

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  48. Colonel (17:50),

    Thanks for the correction.

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  49. What, me Interrobang ?! (a la Alfred Neumann) I don't even know how to get it on the keyboard.

    Had hell on the road yesterday with the traffic jams of the Kannada sammelana. As a late entrant, seems to be just two left for me to wind up this crossword:

    23a LAD(-die)
    37d EKE ~[(40=LEEK)-L=eek]

    I missed getting even a third go :-(

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  50. Incidentally doing todays THC, looks like Manna had the same idea (reverse engineered) as Interrobang had in 10a.

    6a Yield we hear to a ranked tournament player (4)

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  51. CV, 502 reminds me of Agatha Christie remark (about husband archeologist Max Mallowan):

    An archaeologist is the best husband a woman can have. The older she gets the more interested he is in her.

    Those girls CV ventilated at through pursed lips must now be vintage :-)

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  52. PS vintage=vin-t-age, old model wine, reading backwards !

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  53. TomHANKS to all of you for giving it a go. Special thanks also go out to Deepak, CV and of course Navneeth. 28a was the last wicket when I ran a dry run with it on a first time solver (a college goer, duly nudged and railroaded by me). And guess what I did when that person finished. Blew a whistle, of course! Of course, without putting my upper digital extremities in my maw. Also highlighted pathetic state of college education these days: they have no experience whatsoever of blowing whistles !

    Well, if you save a person from death, you are bound to look after the person in the future. Having given the thumbs-up on this one, you will have to suffer me again.

    Next one, based again on the same temple window, but this time with its outer frame, leading to a 16x16 is almost done. Quite an easy one. Will be released at next opportunity. The next one after that is slightly tougher...

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  54. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  55. Hi Kishore

    I just logged in for 10 minutes yesterday night and someone had said something appreciating Kishore. So I presumed you had revealed yourself, somewhere in the earlier posts!

    So in my 2257 post, please replace 'Kishore' by 'Interrobang'. Whoever goes by that synonym, kindly pardon my gaffe :)

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  56. Hello! I'm a little late with the wishes as I was away...a very happy anniversary to THCC! On to solving the special grid now.

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