Tuesday 5 July 2011

No 10198, 05 Jul 11, Buzzer

Welcome to 1A without shedding hesitation and it's a Pangram as well. A good first CW of moderate difficulty.
I'm all 1A wanting to know whose quota is going to be cut, I hope it is you know who!!
ACROSS
1   - Excited like a new setter shedding hesitation (5) - {A}{BUZZer}
4   - Press Association secretary, calm about second-rate announcement (5,4) - {PA}{PA}{L {B}ULL}
9   - Some plaque ousting mouthwash contains water (7) - AQUEOUS [T]
10 - Irresponsible driver on the phone drove on. The swine! (4,3) - (~rode){ROAD} {HOG}
11 - What pugilists do routinely in the dark ? (9) - SHADOWBOX [CD]
12 - Comedian plays expressionless Pharaoh (5) - HARPOah*
13 - Simpleton not too bright before 12 perhaps (6) - {DIM}{WIT}
15 - Star flower is grand (8) - {ASTER}{IS}{K}
18 - Point where jeep knocks out pram in tyre mishap (8) - (-p+j)JUNCTURE
19 - State judge, not one to pass a law (6) - {J}{ORDAiN}
22 - Man drowned in drink produces natural liquid (5) - {R{HE}UM}
24 - Rashly barter Eve and get back parts (9) - VERTEBRAE*
26 - Corrupt forger (7) - MOULDER [DD]
27 - Official cricket piece provided to fielders at first (7) - {BAIL}{IF}{F}
28 - Baseball team thinks they are inspirational (4,5) - {NINE} {MUSES}
29 - Pivotal characters in climax I altered (5) - AXIAL [T]
DOWN
1   - A turtle for one sleeps without help? On the contrary … (7) - {A{NAPS}ID}
2   - … it is seen hanging from a roof (5) - UVULA [CD]
3   - Animal man, last one moving to igloos (9) - {Z}{OOLOGIST*}
4   - Overtake in ring road by moving to the end (4,2) - (-by)PASS (+by)BY 
5   - Somehow army expos lacking energy evoke a strong reaction (8) - PAROXYSMe*
6   - Reluctant but hate to say so (5) - LOATH(~loathe)
7   - Not rushed, easygoing (9) - UNHURRIED [DD]
8   - Record Spooner's restroom appearance (7) - LOGBOOK from Bog Look ?
14 - Dummy chap on new tailless horse (9) - {MAN}{N}{EQUINe}
16 - Girl's drunk with oriental secrets (9) - {E{SOT}{E}RICA}
17 - No amateur by-words? (8) - {PRO}{VERBS}
18 - They are found by the dozen in some courts (7) - JURYMEN [CD]
20 - Heard massage totally is required (7) - (~knead~full){NEED}{FUL}
21 - Be sure messing around the Dark Lord (6) - EREBUS*
23 - Praise comes in thousands for this device (5) - {M{ODE}M}
25 - Healing begins to remedy erstwhile Indian king's illness (5) - {R}{E}{I}{K}{I}

41 comments:

  1. Congrats to the new setter for a great crossword!


    8 - Record Spooner's restroom appearance (7) - LOGBOOK from Bog Look ?
    Correct. Bog is a restroom.

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  2. Welcome, Buzzer. Great offering. Kept us busy as a B.

    23 - Praise comes in thousands for this device (5) - {M{ODE}M}

    Same device used in todays NIE:
    17a Part of a jacket to copy in a fifty-fifty arrangement (5)

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  3. I think there is some murphy's law at work - whenever I'm not on time, something new happens.

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  4. For me, the top 2 Ac clues were 4Ac (PAPALBULL) and 28 Ac (Nine Muses) and the top 2 Dn clues 4Dn (Pass By) and 17Dn ( PROVERBS, a nice &-lit).

    The only somewhat of a nit not totally style related for me to pick was the Harpo clue. Expressionless can be "oh" or "ah" deletion indicator. In an anagram that this clue is, more precision is likely demanded. If it were only a deletion charade type then I would think the variation is completely fine.

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  5. @Veer, the expression to be deleted as I saw it was "HA" which appears together in the fodder. But you are right, its still an indirection.

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  6. Welcome to Buzzer. Enjoyable offering

    I'm all 1A wanting to know who's quota is going to be cut, I hope it is you know who!!

    No quotas need to be cut. Maybe the cycle is just extended.

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  7. Nice offering from the new setter.

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  8. It is a double Pangram, each letter is used at least twice.

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  9. Buzzer, the new setter,
    Has used every letter,
    Not once, but twice,
    And that's very nice,
    We hope to know him better.

    Him used due to lack of knowledge of gender. May be substituted by her, if Buzzer so wishes.

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  10. Kishore : Good catch and a zany poem :)

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  11. Bhavan, in my study of criminology, I have come across the concept that when choosing aliases, criminals usually retain their initials. That observation may well apply to setters. Coupled with the r h of m's law, well, it makes me think...

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  12. Judged by the comments above, I am glad that solvers know where credit lies!
    Let's hope that Buzzer will keep ringing!
    Kishore, that's a nice limerick (but metric rules not followed?)

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  13. If the cycle is extended, present setters will appear less frequently with fewer trips to the bank to deposit cheques. Maybe they should be given fatter cheques!

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  14. Kishore are you saying what I think you are saying ? I know you said it once before when you thought I was Neyartha : )

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  15. which one is more intriguing?-crossword or comments?

    Excellent start by the Buzzer!Enjoyed it wholly though could not complete a few.Maybe we should know him/her better,as Kishore put it.

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  16. Kishore, Enjoyed the impromptu limerick.Thank you.

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  17. 6 letters both notwithstanding, deductions are no proof.

    CV, this limerick was probably composed in the US, where they do not follow the metric system !!!

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  18. CV 942, isn't it time they moved to NEFT or RTGS?

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  19. For some payments they do use NEFT.

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  20. Bhavan 946: That was not a denial, I think, just obfuscation.

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  21. And interpolate with CV @09:40 and the plot really thickens, shall we say.

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  22. Dark Lord - My first thought went to Harry Potter!

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  23. Yes Vijay, I thought of Voldemort too

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  24. @Kishore: Good limerick!

    I also had the same feeling as you did about the setter's identity :P

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  25. Great crossword!

    Bhavan, I also think what you think as to what Kishore thinks! The setter has to be Mr.Infallible!! :P

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  26. Nice start by buzzer. Feels just like when cryptonyte began. Papalbull was nice crack. And I'm rolling on the floor laughing at the comments in this blog. All grown ups. Damn. I'm only in 2nd year!

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  27. And I am in my second childhood ;-)

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  28. I did not realise that we were that funny

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  29. And I am just born;-) See my photo in Orkut.
    Sandhya @8.44 Thanks for the Anno. I could appreciate the clue after seeing your Anno.

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  30. 13 - Simpleton not too bright before 12 perhaps (6) - {DIM}{WIT}

    How WIT is related to before 12? Will someone explain me pl.?

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  31. Rengaswamy,
    Before indicates placement of 'DIM' whereas 12 is pointing to 'HARPO' of 12 Across

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  32. Thanks Col. I am really 13a.

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  33. Thank God for poetic licence...

    All appear to like what Kishore does
    By keeping this blog ablaze and abuzz
    But his mathematics
    Gives twitches and tics
    Yet no one would dare call it razzmatazz


    Metric or sym-metric?

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  34. "tic"-as in tickles or as in ok or as in twitch?

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  35. Can we please put the setter debate to rest now :)

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  36. How can I say know to the Wizard of Oz?

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  37. Might as well give it up, Bhavan.. You know its impossible to win a war of last words on any topic with Kishore!! :-) (and that is true whether Kishore is right or wrong, from what I know of him based on his writings)

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  38. I give up ! ;-)

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  39. @Veer, I agree. Even in saying "I give up! ;-)" Kishore is trying to have the last word, but I'm stealing that now.

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  40. Bhavan, I always have the last word in an argument with my wife. I always end up saying "Yes, Dear".

    This trend has been referred to in 'Dracula, Dead and Loving it".

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