Sunday, 6 February 2011

No 2620, Sunday 06 Feb 11

ACROSS
1   - Diane's pet gets a viral disease (9) - {DI'S}{TEMPER}
6   - Fibre's extracted from wood, Greek character recollected (5) - {OAK}{UM<-}
9   - Room in the Parisian grill (7) - {L{ATTIC}E}
10 - Cavalryman in force (7) - DRAGOON [DD]
11 - Satisfy two opposing groups, as Scritti Politti do? (4,2,4,4) - HAVE IT BOTH WAYS Anno pending (Addendum - see comments)
13 - Told about tardy duke (7) - {RE}{LATE}{D}
14 - Poker puzzle (7) - TICKLER [DD]
16 - Gathers in information about savings (4,3) - {NE{ST EG<-}G<-}
18 - Car that's durable, something made for many a spin (7) - {HARD}{TOP}
20 - Cured haddock in a fiery broth - "more?", I ask (8,6) - {A}{RBROATH SMOKIE*}
23 - 'Beer' in concise dictionary in 'local' language? (7) - {DI{ALE}CT}
24 - Difficult old emperor visiting America (7) - {O}{NERO}{US}
25 - In circulation, a humorous book (5) - NAHUM [T]
26 - Regroups across main road in battle (9) - {RA{MI}LLIES}Had to cheat on this.
DOWN
1   - A herb may make daughter unwell (4) - {D}{ILL}
2   - Feel unwell after group's left port (3,4) - {SET S}{AIL}
3   - Record in Crete, possibly a focal point (9) - {EP}{ICENTRE*}
4   - Entertainer's got it taped, Iris cracked - that's about right (15) - {P{R}ESTIDIGITATOR*} Never heard this word before
5   - What jockeys do, with nasty sort amongst them, is manage to survive (4,3,3,5) - {RIDE OUT} {THE {STOR*}M}
6   - Oscar leading wise men, mostly the first in historic NI town (5) - {O}{MAGi}{H}
7   - At present everyone supports king, wise guy (4-3) - {K}{NOW}-{ALL}

SEE THIS CARTOON

8   - Master's opening racist pun spoiled handwritten document (10) - {M}{ANUSCRIPT*}
12 - Group's instrument of torture (4,6) - IRON MAIDEN [DD]
15 - NCO holding end of stethoscope in physical (9) - {CORPOR{E}AL}
17 - Rest day? Graduates turned up near city on the Avon (7) - {SAB<-}{BATH}
19 - Capital excursion round the Italian retreats (7) - {TRIP}{O}{LI<-}
21 - Poem starts to upset me in a concert hall (5) - {ODE}{U}{M}
22 - Goddess losing credit in moment of truth (4) - crISIS

GRID


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31 comments:

  1. Anonymous6 February 2011 at 08:31

    Hi
    The way the print version had the word ‘Down’ at the bottom of the first column was a TICKLER in a third sense of the word, in that it tickled me no end. The first sense as in a ‘poker’ probably alludes to any ‘stick’ or ‘rod’ for stirring up the fire or whacking a person as referred to in the Great Expectation in the context of the redoubtable Philip Pirrip. (Eighth para of the following)
    http://www.literature.org/authors/dickens-charles/great-expectations/chapter-02.html

    ReplyDelete
  2. Bhavan6 February 2011 at 08:32

    11 - Satisfy two opposing groups, as Scritti Politti do? (4,2,4,4) - HAVE IT BOTH WAYS Annno pending

    This is my COD for the sheer brilliance of the clue.

    The answer has nothing to do with the band Scritti Politti or one of their songs.

    It is to be read as ScrIT<-> TI Pol IT<->TI i.e, have IT both ways.

    ReplyDelete
  3. SandhyaP6 February 2011 at 08:33

    11 - Satisfy two opposing groups, as Scritti Politti do? (4,2,4,4) - HAVE IT BOTH WAYS Annno pending

    Scritti and Politti have IT both ways

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous6 February 2011 at 08:34

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous6 February 2011 at 08:35

    Wow, Bhavan and Sandhya !

    ReplyDelete
  6. Chaturvasi6 February 2011 at 08:41

    Talking of prestidigitators...

    I forget the title of Paul Gallico book that I read (he is one of my favourite writers and I collected all his works though these have since been given away to my nieces and nephews and others) - which concerned magicians and magic. Sure it had the P word.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous6 February 2011 at 08:44

    12 - Group's instrument of torture (4,6) - IRON MAIDEN [DD]

    Reminded of Bram Stoker's short story:

    http://www.shortstoryarchive.com/s/squaw.html

    It has, in addition to the Iron Maiden, a bit of humorous advise to honeymooners in the very first paragraph.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous6 February 2011 at 08:46

    Talking of magicians and the P word, I strongly recommend "The Prestige", a wonderful movie on the subject of magic.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous6 February 2011 at 08:46

    Please read advice instead of advise in my 844

    ReplyDelete
  10. Chaturvasi6 February 2011 at 08:47

    Before Venkatesh comes...
    The P word is from 'preste', nimble and 'digitus', L., finger

    Magicians say 'Hey presto!'
    Wonder whether 'presto' too comes from the same word 'preste' above.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Deepak Gopinath6 February 2011 at 08:48

    Bhavan & Sandhya,

    Briliiant. Thanks.

    Kishore,

    I have since added the I !!

    ReplyDelete
  12. SandhyaP6 February 2011 at 08:52

    Nice cartoon :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Chaturvasi6 February 2011 at 08:52

    Now, try:

    Bengali chat getting publicity both ways (4)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Chaturvasi6 February 2011 at 08:55

    Someone has ticked the Easy box.

    By intent or accident?

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous6 February 2011 at 09:05

    ADDA

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous6 February 2011 at 09:08

    In Kannada, location of similar activity (many times building all kinds of intellectual and trivial castles/dungeons in the air) is called 'Somaari kaTTe', (den of wastrels)

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anonymous6 February 2011 at 09:09

    CV 855:

    As a FP ad used to say ?
    By choice, not by chance

    I ticked tough

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hari6 February 2011 at 09:27

    Holy Crap!!!
    Now this takes it to a whole new level that I haven't seen for a long time! :)
    Got a few, no hope of getting many (especially due to the Brit tilt) in many.. and finally decided to just see the answers and learn from it.

    Bhavan and Sandhya : Brilliant deduction! :)

    I actually learnt the word prestidigitator in a Tintin comic! Can't remember which one though... :)

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hari6 February 2011 at 09:28

    @ CV sir : I can't imagine anyone ticking this one as Easy by intent! :)

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hari6 February 2011 at 09:32

    Love the toons as always! :)

    ReplyDelete
  21. Deepak Gopinath6 February 2011 at 09:40

    It appears that the Sunday CW is getting tougher by the week

    ReplyDelete
  22. Padmanabhan6 February 2011 at 10:20

    Agree with Col.on the increasing toughness part.All of us were praising Col. yesterday for the brilliance of the blog.Proof of it today- IT is obvious!! Col. for providing us a forum and participants for lighting IT up.Just brilliant.Would never have dreamt of IT.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Venkatesh6 February 2011 at 10:25

    CV,

    Paul Gallico's novel on magic is 'Love of Seven Dolls'. The writer is best remembered for his book 'The Poseidon Adventure' (which was made into a movie) and for the series on the charlady, Mrs 'Arris.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Suresh6 February 2011 at 10:26

    Congrats to Sandhya and Bhavan on anno for 11A.

    Too many new words today. Arbroath smokie for one. Then there is RAMILLIES and PRESTIDIGITATOR and and and....

    ReplyDelete
  25. Chaturvasi6 February 2011 at 10:33

    V
    I have another PG novel in mind. Full of magicians and their work.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Chaturvasi6 February 2011 at 10:38

    I looked at the list of titles but still I am unable to recall the book.
    Never mind.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Venkatesh6 February 2011 at 13:45

    CV,

    In PG's novel 'The Man who was Magic', the central character is a young man who makes his way with his talking dog to the city of magicians, where he hopes to learn the tricks of the trade and join the magicians guild. While he indeed turns out to have the magic touch, the magicians are found to be merely prestidigitators, tricksters, and illusionists.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Chaturvasi6 February 2011 at 20:15

    Thank you Venkatesh. This must be the book.

    ---

    The central character in 'Matilda' is a kangaroo. Very rollicking read it was.

    One of Jeffrey Archer's stories about antique thieves has exactly the same plot as Paul Gallico's. I had read PG's first; so Archer's fell flat in a few paras.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Anonymous6 February 2011 at 22:22

    4 - Entertainer's got it taped, Iris cracked - that's about right (15) - {P{R}ESTIDIGITATOR*}
    7 - At present everyone supports king, wise guy (4-3) - {K}{NOW}-{ALL}

    A hilarious combo of both can be found in Stephen Leacock's 'The Conjuror's Revenge' :

    http://www.zine5.com/archive/css04.htm

    ReplyDelete
  30. Anonymous6 February 2011 at 22:24

    CV 2015 ref to Matilda reminded of Hilair Belloc's poem:

    http://www.poetry-archive.com/b/matilda.html

    ReplyDelete
  31. Navneeth6 February 2011 at 22:54

    Magicians say 'Hey presto!'
    Wonder whether 'presto' too comes from the same word 'preste' above.

    Very likely. 'Presto', from Italian, is used as a musical tempo indicator, to mean very fast.



    I can't imagine anyone ticking this one as Easy by intent! :)

    Not even by someone adept at solving tough grids from The Guardian? :)

    ReplyDelete

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