ACROSS
1 - The macho mantra, spelt out, is not just as good but is even better (4,4,1,5) - MORE THAN A MATCH*
8 - Weak smile that seems impersonal to an extent (6) - SIMPER [T]
9 - Testimony to show that editor is back in (8) - EVIDENCE {EVI{DE<-}NCE}
11 - Crushed into dates, they counteract poisons (9) - ANTIDOTES*
12 - One article within another found somewhere around Mumbai (5) - THANE {TH{AN}E}
13 - Work of art, eastern object caught within (7) - ETCHING {E}{T{C}HING}
15 - Give a name to promises to repay, arousing suspicion (7) - DUBIOUS {DUB}{IOUS}
17 - Wrapped up, Greek character r'ran off (7) - MUFFLED {MU}{F'FLED}
19 - Scene of battles for water in Delhi, tap being defective (7) - PANIPAT {PANI}{PAT*}
21 - Two boys from an African province (5) - NATAL {NAT}{AL}
23 - Job seeker, a very quiet worker, passes over insurance company (9) - APPLICANT {A}{PP}{LIC}{ANT}
25 - Cruel action taken to quell rot in a big town (8) - ATROCITY {A}{TRO*}{CITY}
26 - Son of Scotland carries note for a cosmetic application (6) - LOTION {LO{TI}ON}
27 - Acid intake may cause them (14) - HALLUCINATIONS [CD]
DOWN
1 - The underlying theme of disorder over time (7) - MESSAGE {MESS}{AGE}
2 - Send for the terms of reference (5) - REMIT [DD]
3 - Time to study 19th century British economist, a monotonous routine! (9) - TREADMILL {T}{READ}{MILL}
4 - Exhorted sad diver to reform right away (7) - ADVISED ADVISEDr*
5 - Inspection of German car with starting trouble (5) - AUDIT {AUDI}{T}
7 - Festivities signifying victory in sections of film (6) - REVELS {RE{V}ELS}
10 - Kind of party for some robust aggressors (4) - STAG [T]
14 - Restaurant where one may get ice after a struggle (9) - CAFETERIA*
16 - Creature one can obtain c.o.d.? Strange (9) - BANDICOOT*
17 - Book of instructions for a machine operated by hand (6) - MANUAL [DD]
18 - Master leaves Chennai of old — an involuntary movement that is severe (7) - DRASTIC {maDRAS}{TIC}
19 - Little dog, a future insect! (4) - PUPA {PUP}{A}
20 - Mixing tea with nuts — potentially fatal thing (7) - TETANUS*
22 - Watering hole round the corner (5) - LOCAL [DD]
24 - Friend, a fighter over nothing (5) - AMIGO {A}{MIG}{O}
Col,
ReplyDelete14D CAFETERIA
New format looks nice, Deepak.
ReplyDeleteSankalak is as impeccable as ever.
THANE reminded of Macbeth.
BTW today's Metro Plus CW has 2 clues with the same clue:
Yellow sauce(7)
Surprisingly, the answers differ by only one letter, all other letters remaining in the same position.
Another nice clue from
ReplyDeleteTHC 6761 1 June 2000, courtesy SR
8 Disregarding gold in mixed double gin (8)
Sankalak with a great opener for this run. Several really good clues. This is the first time I'm seeing a stuttering clue in THC. Are there any known clues like that before?
ReplyDeleteThe acid reference in 27A, does that mean some slang for a dope like LSD ?
And I answer my own question with a quick search on Shuchi's blog.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.crosswordunclued.com/2011/01/stuttering-clues.html
Thanks Venkatesh,
ReplyDeleteI've corrected the main post
Bhavan @ 8:49
ReplyDeleteYes Acid refers to LSD, see LSD
Thank you, Sankalak,for a divine solving experience and Col, for the mouth watering pic of a cantaloup.
ReplyDeleteBhavan
ReplyDeleteI was just searching my dB of Gridman's clues. But I needn't have, if I had scrolled down and read other Comments. I think Gridman has a few other similar clues but search is not possible unless I remember the solutions in 600 plus crosswords of his.
In 1996 when I visited Canada and went to supermarkets I set my eyes on several fruits, vegetables and flowers that I may not have noticed in Chennai. One was cantaloupe (I prefer this spelling).
ReplyDelete16 - Creature one can obtain c.o.d.? Strange (9)
ReplyDeleteSankalak's glance at the dowry menace in India?
What can a crossword setter do if they set their mind on it?
ReplyDeleteRead
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/phone-hacking/8628690/News-of-the-World-final-crossword-has-a-message-for-catastrophe-Rebekah-Brooks.html
Apropos above comments, in Beatlespeak:
ReplyDelete"Lucy in the sky with diamonds"
"She's the kind of a girl that makes the News of the World, yes you could say she was attractively built."
As of 12:28 PM today I have been elevated to the position of Grandfather! My son and d-i-l have become proud parents of a girl.
ReplyDeleteCongrats Deepak. Great news
ReplyDeleteCongrats, Deepak. Not that you were a mean father till now!
ReplyDeleteThanks Suresh & CV
ReplyDeleteCongrats to the entire Gopinath family!
ReplyDeleteCongrats Colonel
ReplyDeleteThanks Navneeth & VP
ReplyDelete@Colonel: Congrats on becoming a grandpa!
ReplyDeleteThanks Sandhya
ReplyDeleteCongrats, Deepak, and all the best with you grand-parenting.
ReplyDeleteAnd all the best to the new lady in your life: I am sure no one will begrudge the attention and love you shower on her.
Thanks Kishore,
ReplyDeleteThe only person who is going to feel jealous is Cocoa!
Please also convey my best regards to the great-grand-parents.
ReplyDeleteWilco
ReplyDeleteFescue to the rescue!
ReplyDeleteOut
ReplyDeleteAs someone who's only recently been regularly doing the Hindu Crossword (and cryptics in general), I completely enjoyed doing this one by Sankalak.
ReplyDeleteBurst out laughing in the auto on my way to work as I cracked the Panipat clue!
Wonder what kishore's last two comments meant?!!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAlok
ReplyDeleteThough not the setter concerned, I appreciate your compliment.
I didn't solve this crossword and so I am doubly happy that you drew my attention to the clue.
Yes, it's a fine one, with absolutely flawless wordplay and great entertainment value.
And so perfectly plausible in Indian situation, not merely Delhi.
'Scene of battles' is a great def. That the clue-writer uses an Indian component 'pani' in the charade is not a matter for criticism because anyone in the South who doesn't speak the language can still recognise it. "in Delhi" is a good indicator that what we want is an Indian word, a device that is often used by US straightforward clue-writers for whom 'Mumbai garment' might be 'sari' - we can't argue that the apparel is not confined only to that metro.
It will be great if at least occasionally someone writes an appreciation of a clue like this so that the clue-writer would feel rewarded.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteFriends
ReplyDeleteBelieve me when I said I didn't solve this crossword.
Decades ago, for several decades I was a rabid solver, completing - yes completing - THC every morning (my work was such that I needn't have to take the 8:15 train or bus). It was not only THC that I solved but others from different newspapers and book collections.
At a time when forums like these were not available I was a solitary commenter writing letters to the editor of TH and often I have received responses from the Editor, after my letter was forwarded to the compiler and he sent in his response - without revealing the id of the setter.
Now all that toing and froing is a thing of the past, though I still comment extensively including on international forums (I prefer this form to the ugly 'fora').
Should I have hypenated a phrase above and written 'to-ing and fro-ing.' SR will say. Should I have written 'hyphened' instead of 'hyphenated'? Again SR will have the answer.
Lovely bit of news, Colonel Grandpa! A grand welcome to the new-born. I am sure you will have the greatest pleasure watching the little one grow on your lap. Best wishes as always.
ReplyDeleteCongrats Colonel. Best wishes.
ReplyDeleteSanta / Banta will congratulate you on your becoming grandpa or is it grandma?
ReplyDeleteColonel,
ReplyDeleteCongratulationson the new addition in your family!
I'm an avid follower of this blog... long time follower, second time commenter (posted a comment just once before).
I've always loved Sankalak... he/she is the only setter I can even attempt to complete. The other setters are also good, but, I do not have the expertise nor the experience to comment on their skills.
Col, CV, Bhavan, Kishore, others as well... I have learnt a lot from all of you. Thank you very much.
Regards,
Manju Mysore
Manju Mysore,
ReplyDeleteSankalak is a he. (http://www.crosswordunclued.com/2011/02/interview-sankalak.html) A few of the commenters* here including myself had the pleasure of meeting him earlier this year. (http://dailydozen.blogspot.com/2011/02/blog-post.html)
*Apparently not a valid word -- the plural form, specifically -- or so the Firefox en-GB dictionary says. I suppose we are all commentators, then?
Col
ReplyDeleteHearty congrats on the promotion on the family front.
An innovative way of blessing the newborn would be for our mentor CV to compose a clue on the name that the proud parents select.
An enoyable day what with the new additions and the gentle ribbing from CV sir. It goes no small way to show his flair for narration and the skills he has honed as a subbing for IE and later TH & Frontline.
It should have been
ReplyDelete- enjoyable but for the missing 'j'.
- 'subbing' or 'as a sub-editor'.
Frontline used to publish a CW (with Indian setter/s) for a short time. Any idea why it was discontinued?
Just to solve Suresh's queries:
ReplyDeleteAt S&BII, Deepak demonstrated how his laser pointer could make Cocoa go bananas.
Well, since Deepak responded by the radio communication style 'Wilco', I acknowledged and closed that conversation with an 'Out' (which is the correct usage in contradistinction to the more well known and wrong usage of 'Over and Out'). Over is used to signify handover after completion of one bit of the conversation, while out is used to signify a full signout from that conversation.
Signing off for the night with a tata to the Tata ;-)
ReplyDeleteDeepak, congrats to you, missis and the new parents. You shouldn't feel even a bit older.
ReplyDeleteVeer, Krishnan, Ram, Manju Mysore, Venkatesh & Richard thanks a lot for the greetings
ReplyDelete@Colonel : hearty congratulations to all of you.
ReplyDeleteThanks Bhavan
ReplyDelete