Tuesday, 8 March 2011

No 10096, Tuesday 08 Mar 11, Gridman

Poor offering, by Gridman's standards, in my opinion.
ACROSS
1   - Hearing aid? (7) - BAILIFF [CD]
5   - Very nearly distribute bounty around the centre of Adoni on time (6) - {ALM{O}S}{T}
9   - Being tipsy, worked hard, starting late (5) - tOILED
10 - A mountaineer does not have a challenge in it (4,5) - EASY CLIMB [CD]
11 - If one's not part of this, one is outside the circle (7) - INGROUP [CD]
12 - Gridman with a certain quantity (7) - {ME}{A}{SURE}
13 - It doesn't feel good to be green around them (5) - GILLS [CD]
14 - Without preparation, I'm with expert politician and workers (9) - {I'M}{PRO}{MP}{TU}
16 - Write back to hard pundit not starting on medicine for the kidneys (9) - {NEP}{H}{cRITIC}
19 - Forgetfulness gets member nothing (5) - {LIMB}{O}
21 - Not-so-common sentence analyser follows school head (7) - {S}{PARSER}
23 - Breakfast dishware (7) - EGGCUPS [CD]
24 - If one is still here, one is yet to reach the destination (2,3,4) - ON THE LOOP [CD] (Correction - ON THE ROAD [CD] - See comments)
25 - Heartily Atul and learners go to the ultimate store for meshy material (5) - {aTUl}{LL}{E}
26 - Use half of them for a trick (6) - {thEM}{PLOY}
27 - Conclusion of many: advocates have briefs (1-6) - {Y}-{FRONTS} My COD Seems to be one of Gridman's favourite briefs ;-)
DOWN
1   - Spot on! Elbowing out results in getting upset (7,4,3) - BLOWING ONE'S TOP*
2   - Criminal Bill has lost head over English girl (7) - {bILL}{E}{GAL}

SEE THIS CARTOON

3   - Indian city's announced where people might want to stay during a storm (7) - INDOORS(~indore's)
4   - Where the sole of a shoe is most easily bent (4,5) - FLEX POINT [E]
5   - State when Uncle gathered (5) - {AS}{SAM}
6   - Pilgrimage centre's working back to get building set (7) - {MECCA}{NO<-} Had a number of these sets as a kid.
7   - Omit entertaining Jack (hesitant) in Winter Olympics event (3,4) - {SKI {J}{UM}P}
8   - Being ingratiating, old boy and head accept short followup on debt notices (14) - {OB}{SEQUel}{IOUS}{NESS}
15 - When the salaried is not out of pocket (6,3) - {PICKET} {PAY} ? (Correction - PACKET DAY [CD] - See comments)
17 - The sort of withdrawal that may result in material loss at the bank (7) - PHANTOM [CD] Poor clue in my opinion
18 - Material, reddish-brown, a couple of learners brought in instead of summer shirt (7) - RUSSE(-t+ll)LL  Couldn't find any material like this, maybe it's there in Chambers.
19 - He ignites boat (7) - LIGHTER [DD]
20 - Master extraordinarily lauding exit of extremely reeling drunk (7) - {M}{AUDLINg}
22 - Commodious but reportedly cold and damp (5) - ROOMY(~rheumy)

GRID


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29 comments:

  1. Suresh8 March 2011 at 08:37

    I had 24 A as ON THE ROAD and 15D as PACKED DAY or PACKET DAY.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Bhavan8 March 2011 at 08:38

    Colonel, is it only the high number of CDs that has made you rate this as poor?

    My CoD is 1D

    For 24A I had it as ON THE ROAD and 15D became PACKET DAY

    ReplyDelete
  3. Bhavan8 March 2011 at 08:42

    "Plus some additional specials from budding setters who are visitors to the blog"

    Not sure when this byline was added to the banner, but it is very gracious of you Colonel.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Deepak Gopinath8 March 2011 at 08:44

    Bhavan @ 8:38,

    Yes. By the way what is PACKET DAY and how is it connected to the surface of the clue?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Deepak Gopinath8 March 2011 at 08:45

    Bhavan @ 8:40,

    That was added almost a month ago!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Bhavan8 March 2011 at 08:48

    I had put it down as PACKET DAY assuming that's the day when employees are paid salaries, but a quick check says PACKET DAY is the day mail is shipped, so I'm stumped too.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Bhavan8 March 2011 at 08:48

    Colonel @ 8.45 : I must have been the last to notice then !

    ReplyDelete
  8. veer8 March 2011 at 08:51

    Like I had mentioned in the Orkut forum, something was missing from Gridman's puzzle today - not sure what but I can point to a couple of unGM like clues.

    Btw, Russell is some type of corded material:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell_cord

    I think I recall seeing RUSSELL clued as a fabric for a recent Everyman clue, cannot recall the exact clue.

    ReplyDelete
  9. veer8 March 2011 at 08:53

    I thought it could be PICKET DAY - day when employees go on strike, so generally assumed that all employees are manning the picket lines and hence not out of pocket. Not certain of it, though.

    Gridman opted for a slightly clunky surface - When the salaried is..., one would normally use When the salaried are...I would think. I cannot figure out why.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Deepak Gopinath8 March 2011 at 08:56

    Our resident CCE is out of town till this evening so we won't get any answers till he logs back in

    ReplyDelete
  11. Deepak Gopinath8 March 2011 at 08:57

    Veer @ 8:51

    Yes Russell did appear a few days ago. Just RUSSELL doesn't throw up any material on the internet, whereas Russel cord does, so does that make Russell a material?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Deepak Gopinath8 March 2011 at 09:06

    Kishore,
    If you are reading this, hope your better half get's well soon. Our best wishes for her speedy recovery.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Sumit8 March 2011 at 09:11

    Gridman has used Nita Jaggi's abbreviations in two of the clues. UM for hesitant and GAL for girl.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Suresh8 March 2011 at 09:13

    SUMIT, UM and GAL are fairly standard and not NJ specialities

    ReplyDelete
  15. Chaturvasi8 March 2011 at 09:14

    I have just come back home.

    Will try to answer queries in due course.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Chaturvasi8 March 2011 at 11:07

    First of all, it is granted that while Gridman will do his best, any solver is free to have whatever opinion of the crossword.
    24a: I believe 24a leads to ON THE ROAD. I remember the lines from the poem 'John Gilpin' in which the horse rider arrives at his destination but sans his hat and wig (which had flown off his head as he sped past) and says:

    My hat and wig will soon be here;
    They are upon the road.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Chaturvasi8 March 2011 at 11:09

    As for the Col's comment against 27a delving into the inner life of Gridman, certain things are unmentionables !

    ReplyDelete
  18. Chaturvasi8 March 2011 at 11:12

    15d: We used to talk of buying this or that on our salary day when we received out pay 'packet'. One day when we would be cash-rich. Conceivably, it could be 'packet day'.
    Nowadays the vogue word is 'compensation'.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Chaturvasi8 March 2011 at 11:14

    Russel or 'russel cord' is material. No prob about that!
    However, Russell is only a proper name such as that of the philosopher.
    The relevant clue seems to have escaped checks at all stages.
    Apologies.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Chaturvasi8 March 2011 at 11:28

    I am sure solvers of a certain age would recall an old shoe brand Flex - no longer on the racks.

    ReplyDelete
  21. D.Srinivasan8 March 2011 at 11:39

    Yesterday I had RETRO and it appeared to be correct.
    Today, I had ON THE ROAD and ........

    ReplyDelete
  22. Anonymous8 March 2011 at 11:44

    Thanks, everyone for the good wishes. Am home for a short rest. Will do the CW when I go back to hosp.

    Meantime, a nice aside from my friend Ajit, as a prelude to a geometry problem:

    Here's a news item that may interest you:
    NEW YORK -- A public school teacher was arrested today at John F. Kennedy International Airport as he attempted to board a flight. He was in possession of a ruler, a protractor, a set square, a slide rule and a calculator. At a morning press conference, the U.S. Attorney General said he believes the man is a member of the notorious Al-Gebra movement. He did not identify the man, who has been charged by the FBI with carrying weapons of math instruction.
    Al-gebra is a problem for us, the Attorney General said. 'They desire solutions by means and extremes, and sometimes go off on tangents in search of absolute values. They use secret code names like 'X' and 'Y' and refer to themselves as 'unknowns', but we have determined they belong to a common denominator, namely the axis of the medieval, with coordinates in every country.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Anonymous8 March 2011 at 12:26

    24 - If one is still here, one is yet to reach the destination (2,3,4) - ON THE LOOP [CD]

    I had also put in ON THE ROAD, and ended up with Packet Day, may be the day you are slipped your weekly or monthly packet, so are 'in pocket' (so to say, as against 'out of pocket)??

    ReplyDelete
  24. Bhalchandra Pasupathy8 March 2011 at 12:27

    RUSSELL (double L) is a well known clothing label, but to consider it a material is a bit of a stretch. But deriving it from the clue was straightforward

    24A I also feel (as some others) 'ON THE ROAD' (ilo LOOP) fits better, thereby yielding 'PACKET DAY' for 19D

    ReplyDelete
  25. Chaturvasi8 March 2011 at 13:55

    Here's wishing Mrs Kishore gets well soon. I have visited the Kishores in Bangalore when I went there to attend S&B meet. They were gracious to me.
    Just before my out-of-town trip for the past two days, back ache hit me suddenly and I hobbled ungroaningly and managed to fulfil my engagement.

    ReplyDelete
  26. SandhyaP8 March 2011 at 14:11

    @Kishore: I hope your better half gets well soon.

    ReplyDelete
  27. SandhyaP8 March 2011 at 14:15

    @Chaturvasi: Hope you are soon rid of your backache :)

    ReplyDelete
  28. Richard8 March 2011 at 17:12

    Hi all

    Deepak, thanks for the email.

    I have been following the blog almost every day and have a good chuckle at times. It is just that I get free time only late in the evenings, by when things tend to or seem to settle down and there is not much left to write about.

    Kishore, wish your wife a speedy recovery.

    By the way, no one seems to have remembered the International Women's Day ! Here's wishing evereone...


    Richard

    ReplyDelete
  29. Anonymous8 March 2011 at 19:40

    Thanks, Sandhya, CV and Richard.

    All the best to you too, CV, for your vertical column.

    ReplyDelete

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