Tuesday, 4 October 2011

No 10275, Tuesday 04 Oct 11, Gridman

Could this mean we have seen the last of NJ, as it was her turn today onwards?
On board the Suryanagiri express enroute back home after three days of nostalgic celebrations.
ACROSS
1   - Draw near a supporter in refurbished chapel, having excluded the Spanish (8) - APPROACH {A}{P{PRO}ACHel*}
5   - Mild expletive over debris in a toaster (6) - CRUMBS [DD]
9   - Salt to file charges ahead? (8) - PRESERVE {PRE-SERVE}
10 - Tom, for one, gives short time to an exploitative person (6) - MOUSER {MO}{USER}
12 - Helper launched an attack without extremes (4) - AIDE rAIDEd
13 - Musical with short and clear arrangement (10) - ORCHESTRAL*
15 - 'Jumble' appears in the Times supplement (4-2) - MESS-UP [T]
17 - Step on weighing machine (5) - SCALE [DD]
20 - Devotee discovered — not fine but hard (5) - HOUND (-f+h)HOUND
21 - Lethal dosage administered in Arab nation for Hemingway hero (3,3) - OLD MAN {O{LD} MAN}
24 - How one goes up the stairs gradually (4,2,4) - STEP BY STEP [DD]
27 - Backward NEC left out of criticism for certain (4) - SURE cenSURE
29 - Breakout of fire on street causes struggle (6) - STRIFE {ST}{RIFE*}
30 - Temper about to be lost by U.K. workers in faraway city (8) - TIMBUKTU {TIMBre}{UK}{TU}
31 - Add about American lawyer is current (2,4) - TO DATE {TO {DA}TE}
32 - Observers' head to check out ear doctor's device (8) - OTOSCOPE {O}{TO}{SCOPE}
DOWN
1   - Enter the picture with a f-fruit (6) - APPEAR {A}{P-PEAR}
2   - UP odes shown to be not genuine (6) - PSEUDO*
3   - Go-getter doesn't start being superior (4) - OVER mOVER
4  - Many get superfluous protection (5) - COVER {C}{OVER}
6   - Cheers jumper on back-street (5) - ROOTS {ROO}{TS<-}
7   - Use badly when matter is higgledy-piggledy (8) - MISTREAT*
8   - Paged down? (8) - SCROLLED [E]
11 - Quietly a short bike part is made (6) - SHAPED {SH}{A}{PEDal}
14 - It is said the man would mind (4) - HEED (~he'd)
16 - One half of a married couple (6) - SPOUSE [CD]
17 - Uncommon church put out lingering sign (4) - SCAR ?
18 - Pawns are undoubtedly part of this assembly (5,3) - CHESS SET [CD]
19 - Rupee brother and daughter laid out for a pricey horse (8) - PUREBRED {RUPEE+BR+D}*
22 - Eccentric bird? (6) - CUCKOO [DD]
23 - Think midshipman is ignored in summary (6) - RESUME pRESUME
25 - Agree two consecutive letters are in piece (5) - BEFIT {B{EF}IT}
26 - English winner men put out (5) - EVICT {E}{VICTors}
28 - Bird one short kinsman retrieved (4) - IBIS {I}{gnilBIS<-}



34 comments:

  1. 17 - Uncommon church put out lingering sign (4) - SCAR ?

    SCAR(-ce)

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  2. As noted by Deepak, we seem to be short a setter. BTW short seems to be used quite a lot today.

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  3. Oh (enter your own mild expletive)! What a pleasant surprise. Was all set for a battle if wills and got this instead.
    Liked crumbs and appear very much.

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  4. Kishore

    What a boon to have such perceptive solvers!

    Yes, the repetition of 'short' could have been avoided.

    When you write 34 clues (as in this grid) the indication for deletion (or any some such device) might be repeated. Usually G runs a check of doc. for repetitive words (such as 'short' here) and tries to change them to achieve what is called 'elegant variation'. But there are so many things to do that one or the other might be overlooked.

    In extenuation G might say that one 'short' (in 13ac) is part of anag fodder and does not count as del ind.

    Anyone might take any clue where it is a del ind and try to suggest an edit.

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  5. Slightly harder than usual from Gridman, but who's complaining.

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  6. I usually do the Hindu crossword first and then move on to other crosswords. Assuming it would be NJ today, I did the reverse and what a surprise it was to see Gridman :)

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  7. Honestly, G has never been able to pitch the difficulty level of a crossword. This I mention in the light of Bhavan saying he found this slightly harder than usual.

    He sees a possible wordplay and writes a clue, without bothering about whether the clue that is produced would be hard or easy or middling.

    Ultimately, it is the solver who gauges the accessibility.

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  8. CV, no complaints about short selling. Has NJ really been short circuited? Would have liked an improved NJ instead, if that was possible.

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  9. 21 - Lethal dosage administered in Arab nation for Hemingway hero (3,3)
    22 - Eccentric bird? (6)

    These two consecutive clues (number wise) brought memories of The Parrot who knew Papa by Ray Bradbury.

    Papa himself reminded of his association with many restaurants linked to him, including The Thorn Tree at The Stanley in Nairobi, as Raju would recall. I spent quite a lot of time at that hotel courtesy of Sandeep (Sandy) Vohra, who sadly is no more.

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  10. cv, 851. Agree, too many deletions can lead to short-age of words to indicate it. In hindsight, it is easy to notice things, but more difficult a priori. An attempt:

    10 - Tom, for one, gives little time to an exploitative person (6) - MOUSER {MO}{USER}

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  11. Hi everyone

    Nice puzzle. Took time off to solve THC after long.

    1A - If it were to be the other setter, the 'supporter' would have appeared in any case, but in another form.

    9A - Remembered a conundrum 'What is the difference between murdering a man and slaughtering an animal?'

    One is assaulting with intent to kill. The other is killing with intent to salt.

    I could hit upon a few at the very first look like 15A,24A,29A

    15A - cleverly contrived. Nice one. Got it at once. Maybe the inverted commas did the trick.

    21A - brought back nostalgic memories of the Sultanate of Oman where I lived for many years. A lovely country. Picked up a bit of Arabic and more of Swahili, which has helped me grasp some of Kishore's occasional shots here. BTW any solvers from Muscat and surroundings here or any solvers who lived in Oman anytime? I would like to keep in touch and exchange notes with them.

    1D too clever one. Remember coming across a similar one a year ago or so and there was a discussion.

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  12. Last sentence above - 1D too clever one = 1D also clever one.

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  13. Richard, short stays at al Rusayl, at the Knowledge Park, towards right as you come out of Seeb instead of left to go downtown and the corniche. Also recollect the Indian High School at al Ghubra which was regular on Bournvita Quiz.

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  14. Nice one today. Coasting along merrily and then suddenly had to stop short and think long.
    I just couldn't parse 23D though the solution was evident with the crossings!

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  15. Really enjoyed today's puzzle. Got up bracing for NJ and was in for a pleasant surprise.

    21A reminded me of the time when my roommate would get all these old time movies one after the other since he was in to watching classics ... Needless to say we had a massive difference of opinion :)

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  16. End of Golden era! Consistency is hallmark of SANKALAK. Hope, we find same consistency.

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  17. Richard
    I was based at the embassy in Dubai for several years. But I used to love it when I got sent to Muscat. I would always opt to drive (via Hatta, always stopping at the hotel) and I loved the approach into Muscat, with everything set amidst the cliff tops. It was a long time ago though, but I remember being really impressed by the Bustan Palace Hotel which had just been built for the GCC. I always thought that the Oman was the prettiest and friendliest gulf state.

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  18. DD (reminds me of you know what, but let that be)

    Instead of 'O plus an expletive of your choice', you can now confidently and cheerfully exclaim 'O man'!

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  19. Couldn't get 10A and 6D. kangaROO for a jumper, how weird!
    Anno for 23D was difficult. Why 'in' summary?

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  20. It's resume (with an acute accent on the final e)
    This being s summary of things (as in work experience)

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  21. Resume means summary! Why 'in summary'?

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  22. The way I read it is:
    Think, midshipman can be ignored (clue)
    In ( can be found)
    Summary (definition)

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  23. Don't think I explained myself very well!
    In = the indicator that the next word is the definition.

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  24. "Think, midshipman can be ignored 'for' summary"
    would have been better, I think. Otherwise, it is
    difficult to see which one is the definition,
    'summary' or 'think'. Anyway, the answer was
    obvious from crossings.

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  25. Ah, but the beauty of the clue lies in the fact that you automatically expsct "in summary" to be a set phrase. To get the cryptic meaning you have to go against the default reading and deconstruct the phrase, giving each word its distinct meaning.

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  26. Agree. Since cryptic=obscure, we should be
    prepared for such vagueness!

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  27. As Dave has said, in many clues "in" precedes the def for the word reqd.

    Also, as he has again said, some interpretation is needed. Take a word that means "think" and ignore P therein, and you get a word that means 'summary'.

    At least that is G's way of thinking.

    Take "Think midshipman is ignored" as a unit and you get resumé. "in" is the usual connector. "summary" is the def for word reqd.

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  28. Here, there are only two choices, so it is not a big problem. "midshiPman
    ignored 'in' summary" also means remove P from a synomym for summary!
    There is also a comma after "think," that makes it look like the definition.
    This is where I like setters like Sankalak or Arden who give clear-cut clues
    without ambiguity. You can even guess the answer just from the clue, even
    if you are not familiar with that word.

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  29. Today's DNA after hours ed, pg 4 contains a cw with solution having a word RCCOUNR as the answer. While no dictionary online or otherwise seems to have this unpronounceable word and at first glance appears to be ACCOUNT, but then the crossings have to be ignored. What a 15a!

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  30. Is the gramophone sleeve on a vacation or is it goodbye?

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  31. Griddled by Gridman with too many less than six letter words and not any phrases or idioms. I hate these niggling nit-pickers in my crosswords. OVER,COVER and such silly roos. Incidentally, ROO, as some one wondered here is a short form for Kangaroo. Roobah roo Kangaroo.

    I liked SCROLLED the best of the lot.

    Have compilers elided the hyphen in PURE BRED?

    I remember, in the nAIROBI cLUB, WHEN THE WORD under way was used in the minutes, my worthy Secretary callerd Robbie Armstrong raised an issue with me that it is one single word UNDERWAY. In need not clarify what the difference is. The context in the minutes was in the process and it was conveniently made into an UNDERWAY- or an UNDER PASS. However, I realize that even the OED pardons the dropping of the hyphen.

    Kishore: You got a lump in my throat recalling Sandy Vohra, a very promising and ambitious young man who got killed in a road accident in Ethiopia whilst prospecting for game lodges locations. The funeral was one of the largest attended by everyone in Nairobi. What a loss of precious life, snuffed out so early.

    NJ? NO Jokes? surely, someone here is missing this love-hate relationship?

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  32. OOPS, I forget to edit and pardon all the slips of caps and typos.

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  33. Yes, Raju, Sandy was really dynamic and it was nice working with him. I covered Sarova's Stanley, Panafric, White Sands (Mombasa) and Nakuru game park hotel in that visit. P was headed by Kennedy and WS by Ashley Myers. I dont recall who headed TS. I did not cover Ambassador.

    On other visits, I had covered the Aga Khan Hospital and other units of AKDN in Kenya and Uganda. Nizar and Amin Juma were heading the AKF in those days.

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  34. Raju

    Compilers have not abandoned the hyphen in 'purebred'.

    See

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purebred

    See

    http://www.onelook.com/?w=purebred&ls=a


    Of course, you are at liberty to hyphenate the word in your writings.

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