ACROSS
1 - A queen's fit and fertile (6) - {A}{R}{ABLE}
5 - Drink outside good hotel with novice (8) - {BE{G}{INN}ER}
9 - Copper fixed cocaine deals here? (3-2-3) - {CU}{L-DE-SA(C)*} &lit
10 - Observe soldiers going in to write using special symbols (6) - {NO{TA}TE}
11 - Pass by polar bear (4-8) - {COLD}-{SHOULDER}
13 - Setter ‘n' solver discussed available options (4) - {ME}{N}{U}
14 - Word play for beginners — any crossword rookie oughta solve this inept clue (8) - {A}{C}{R}{O}{S}{T}{I}{C} My COD
17 - Nourishment for Lent or Ramadan? (4,4) - FAST FOOD &lit
18 - Partner ditched Democrat for Republican judge (4) - (-d+r)RATE
20 - King eats at Spain's troubled old province (4,8) - EAST PA(K)ISTAN*
23 - Fruit ignited oriental life force (6) - {LIT}{CHI}
24 - Intellectuals' empty on the top? (8) - {EGG}{HEADS}
25 - Signs like 14? (8) - INITIALS [DD]
26 - Consider fools' point (6) - {ASSES}{S}
DOWN
2 - Crush fish after removing its head (4) -tROUT
3 - Casualties in census? (4,5) - BODY COUNT [DD]
4 - Loans left to go down with supports (6) - (-l)EASE(+l)LS
5 - Perhaps disc brakes avert these causes of accidents? (8,7) - BACKSEAT DRIVERS* Unfortunately my car doesn't have Disc Brakes!
6 - Crowd incited riot at glacier (8) - {GANG}{OTRI*}
7 - No one in this north Indian hill station is a native (5) - NAiniTAL
8 - Sexist term created for fanatics (10) - EXTREMISTS*
12 - Return mimic's share and break-up (10) - {SEPA<-}{RATION}
15 - They dash for special computer accessories (9) - {S}{PRINTERS}
16 - Male about a woman — the one with a priceless smile (4,4) - {M}{ON}{A} {LISA}
19 - Part of flower for Mark (6) - STIGMA [DD]
21 - Kolkata city's silent (5) - TACIT [T]
22 - Stirs up fizzy drink (4) - ADOS <-
1 - A queen's fit and fertile (6) - {A}{R}{ABLE}
5 - Drink outside good hotel with novice (8) - {BE{G}{INN}ER}
9 - Copper fixed cocaine deals here? (3-2-3) - {CU}{L-DE-SA(C)*} &lit
10 - Observe soldiers going in to write using special symbols (6) - {NO{TA}TE}
11 - Pass by polar bear (4-8) - {COLD}-{SHOULDER}
13 - Setter ‘n' solver discussed available options (4) - {ME}{N}{U}
14 - Word play for beginners — any crossword rookie oughta solve this inept clue (8) - {A}{C}{R}{O}{S}{T}{I}{C} My COD
17 - Nourishment for Lent or Ramadan? (4,4) - FAST FOOD &lit
18 - Partner ditched Democrat for Republican judge (4) - (-d+r)RATE
20 - King eats at Spain's troubled old province (4,8) - EAST PA(K)ISTAN*
23 - Fruit ignited oriental life force (6) - {LIT}{CHI}
25 - Signs like 14? (8) - INITIALS [DD]
26 - Consider fools' point (6) - {ASSES}{S}
DOWN
2 - Crush fish after removing its head (4) -
3 - Casualties in census? (4,5) - BODY COUNT [DD]
4 - Loans left to go down with supports (6) - (-l)EASE(+l)LS
5 - Perhaps disc brakes avert these causes of accidents? (8,7) - BACKSEAT DRIVERS* Unfortunately my car doesn't have Disc Brakes!
8 - Sexist term created for fanatics (10) - EXTREMISTS*
12 - Return mimic's share and break-up (10) - {SEPA<-}{RATION}
15 - They dash for special computer accessories (9) - {S}{PRINTERS}
16 - Male about a woman — the one with a priceless smile (4,4) - {M}{ON}{A} {LISA}
21 - Kolkata city's silent (5) - TACIT [T]
22 - Stirs up fizzy drink (4) - ADOS <-
14a ACROSTIC is an &lit
ReplyDeleteMy COD 5D Backseat drivers - very nicely phrased
Bhavan
ReplyDeleteYou wrote under yesterday's blog: "I think I'm beginning to see what you mean. In today's puzzle (10108) there are at least a couple of clues that were OK on the surface, but jarring in cryptic reading."
Criticism is most welcome. But it will be useful if it's specific. I would appreciate if you can cite at least one such clue so we might agree or disagree with you.
@Venkatesh. 14a is only an acrostic. It is not an &lit.
Is ADO a countable noun? Yes! (I first thought it was not!)
ReplyDelete21d: Is 's a sufficient hidden indicator? Opinions sought.
ReplyDelete@CV sure, here are the two that made me comment thus :
ReplyDelete5 Drink outside good hotel with novice (8) - {BE{G}{INN}ER}
What is with doing here ? In cryptic reading I didn't get what Wordplay (with) solution was trying to imply.
21 - Kolkata city's silent (5) - TACIT [T]
In cryptic reading this is : Kolkata city has silent (5)
Isn't that an unfinished sentence?
My CoD is 11. Really liked the succinct description.
ReplyDelete@Bhavan: Thank you.
ReplyDeleteCV @ 8.42 : I'm happy with 's expanding to has as a hidden indicator.
ReplyDeleteBhavan
ReplyDeleteI think 5A should be the other way round.
Novice with drink outside good hotel (8)
We then interpret the answer is with that wordplay.
21 - Kolkata city's silent (5) - TACIT [T]
This has no problem at all. "Kolkata city" (the letters present in these words) has TACIT.)
No one in this north Indian hill station is a native (5) - NAiniTAL
ReplyDeleteI see only a deletion for 'I' (No I). I don't see a deletion indication for 'IN'.
With 15D, the for is seen the other way round.
@Shyam, in cryptic reading of the clue, we should substitute the answer for the sentence to be meaningful ? If so, never knew that !
ReplyDeleteAlso in 9A which Col has marked as an &-lit, I am not sure what the intended definition is. What is the connection between dead ends and fixing drug deals?
ReplyDelete7 - No one in this north Indian hill station is a native (5) - NAiniTAL
ReplyDeleteShyam, you are right, solvers cannot implicitly assume that "in" is on double duty here. Even if we do, "one in" is "IIN" and not in the same order in the final answer for deletion.
As far as I know, yes, Bhavan :)
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, this is certainly not Spiffy's best. Waiting for Meghna to come out with her cup of woes!
ReplyDeleteCV might know for sure
ReplyDeleteShyam,
ReplyDeleteIn my view, Cul-de-sacs or Dead ends are 'shady' areas where such deals are done, more so if a Copper is doing it
Shyam @ 9:05,
ReplyDeleteJust goes to show CW setting is no easy job, that's why Sankalak's CW stand out with hardly any disputable clues
Colonel : I wouldn't say I'm disputing clues, but discussing the finer points.
ReplyDeleteI don't find anything wrong in 9a. The pic evoked is plausible as DG explains above.
ReplyDelete21 - Kolkata city's silent (5) - TACIT [T]
ReplyDeleteShyam
The point that Bhavan makes on the above clue is:
The surface reading is OK.
's (expanding to has) is OK as a hidden ind.
But the wordplay (what Shuchi calls cryptic grammar) is "Kolkata city has silent" - which as you can see is not grammatical.
Anyway this is splitting hairs - when basically silly clues see the light of day in the feature as a whole.
The objection about 7 as enunciated above is sustained.
ReplyDelete(Commotion in the court)
Judge retires to his chamber after having announced the verdict.
Col 9:06
ReplyDeleteYa Col. I got it. I knew there was something to it I didn't understand.
CV 9:24
I will hold "Kolkata city has silent" to be grammatical, by considering "kolkata city" as not two words, but the set of letters, "kay-oh-el-... why". I assume "A set" is implicit at the start, else we may need a "have" :)
I agree with you these are trifing points, but since we have a setter who lends his ear to these, so I think it's definitely worth telling :)
This crossword is in the public domain.
ReplyDeleteSo it must bear scrutiny.
And we are dissecting it because we respect the setter's work.
And the criticism that we are making is informed criticism.
In such an exercise whether the setter listens or not is immaterial.
Shyam 09:31
ReplyDeleteI do not agree.
CV Sir, Yes, it's immaterial that way, but from a personal point of view, I am motivated to note the finer points only because Spiffy will make his defence later in the day with high probability!
ReplyDeleteI tend to come in late and by that time mostly everything is done and dusted.
ReplyDeleteBut can't help commenting on 21D: everyone has considered it to be 'city has' but I read it as 'city is' and then the clue seems quite OK.
Enjoyed today's crossword.
ReplyDelete21D - i think 'is' does not give a telescopic answer here.
Cold shoulder my COD
Chaturvasi @8.40:
ReplyDeleteSeriously is ADO a countable noun? Shakespeare didn't think so, else it would have been titled 'Many Ados about .....'!!
Forget Shakespeare. Yes, he had "Much ado" but he might also make "A Comedy of Errors"! Joking!
ReplyDeleteI had a doubt myself and looked up Chambers before learning and recording here that i'ado' is also a countable noun.
One lives and learns.
Shakespeare adds: "What You Will".
ReplyDeleteSorry. Pl read 'ado' for i'ado'.
ReplyDeleteKolkata city's silent (5) TACIT [T]
ReplyDeleteThe surface reading is:
Kolkata city is silent.
The cryptic reading is:
[the block of letters] "KolkaTA CITy" has TACIT (silent).
No problem here. The cryptic reading is only required to be a grammatical equation between definition and wordplay. The surface needs to have a real-world meaning, which it does in this clue. Some may call the indicator weak - 's can be many things and the solver can have trouble seeing if it is a connector or a c/c ind or whatever, but that's a matter of taste rather than rule. I think the clue is just fine.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThanks Shuchi for the clarification. I just had an afterthought on this. In case one finds the implicit assumption of "A set" or "A block" as unacceptable, we could just consider this:
ReplyDelete"fodder" has "answer", which is exactly how the cryptic reading is. "fodder" remains singular in spite of being composed of 2 words.
Sorry for the long absence folks. As I may have mentioned in passing a while ago, my mom had been battling cancer for over 2 yrs, and the terrible disease finally got the better of her last week. She was in terrible pain for most of the past 2 months, and actually dissociated from her body for the last 2 weeks of her life. I'm thankful to have had the opportunity to serve her over the last month and a half, and for all that she gave to us.
ReplyDeleteI put in an ad in the obit today, to appear in tomorrow's Chennai edition... My mother's name is Radha Raghavan. Please pray for the peace of her soul and it's journey into the heavens. Thank you.
Even if we do, "one in" is "IIN" and not in the same order in the final answer for deletion.
ReplyDeleteDoes it matter if the words are not in order? The letters in the words are still in the correct order, aren't they (the fact that one word is just a character long notwithstanding)?
Judge retires to his chamber after having announced the verdict.
And he usually refers to the Chambers before announcing the verdict. ;-)
No problem here. The cryptic reading is only required to be a grammatical equation between definition and wordplay. The surface needs to have a real-world meaning
Seconded. If the solver sticks to just one interpretation of a word, a phrase or whatever in solving a clue, the person would be whining about every puzzle. (Assuming this person is an erudite "elitist" whose comments appear in speciality blogs. :P)
I'm sorry to hear of your loss, Hari.
ReplyDelete@Hari - Really saddened to hear about your bereavement. My wife joins me in expressing our sincere condolences to you and everyone else who has been a part of your mother's life.
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone for your feedback. I do agree with the fact that this has not been among my better efforts.Apologies for that. In fact I had sent a revised version to The Hindu a few days back in which some clues were completely changed ( 21, 24, 26 included). But I guess it was too late by then for these changes to be incorporated.
ReplyDeleteMy heartfelt condolences, Hari. I pray to the Lord of the Seven Hills to give you and other family members the strength to bear the bereavement.
ReplyDeleteHari
ReplyDeletePlease accept my condolences in your bereavement. May God give you strength to bear the loss which is irreparable. RIP.
Very sorry to hear of your mother's death, Hari. May God be with you
ReplyDeleteHari,
ReplyDeleteOn behalf of all the visitors to my blog and myself please accept our heartfelt condolences.
May God give you and your family the strength to bear this loss.
Yours in grief,
Col Deepak Gopinath
@Hari, good to have you back but sad to hear about your loss. Please accept my condolences.
ReplyDelete@ CV 20 55: Some use 'irrepairable' and others 'irreparable' - which is right?
ReplyDeleteram
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question:
Both the words 'irreparable' and 'irrepairable' are correct.
My use of the either word would depend upon the context.
I would say: "I am afraid I can't use this motorcycle anymore. It is irrepairable." It means 'beyond repair'.
When I want to say that the loss of a loved one or even an antique such as the Kohinoor diamond is a loss that cannot be made good, the word is 'irreparable'.
...Does it matter if the words are not in order? The letters in the words are still in the correct order, aren't they (the fact that one word is just a character long notwithstanding)?
ReplyDelete...
@Navneeth, it does. In this example it was three letters and easier to spot. The custom if it can be called that is to indicate that the letters to be deleted are not in order. This is usually done through an anagram indicator for those letters.
My intention in highlighting it was not to poke holes in Spiffytrix's clueing.This issue like the others, is just me nitpicking.
My intention in highlighting it was not to poke holes in Spiffytrix's clueing.
ReplyDeleteI did not take it that way.
[It] is just...nitpicking.
It's something I pride myself on doing very regularly, though not always in a cruciverbal context. Therefore I can understand your point. :D
Hari,
ReplyDeleteI missed yesterday's late post.Hence the delay in my response.Pl. accept my heartfelt condolences and no doubt I will be praying both for her soul and strength for you and others in the family to bear the loss.Cancer particularly can be crippling both to the patient and more so to the close ones who have to look on helplessly.I have a few personal experiences which make me dread even today.