Saturday, 3 March 2012

No 10401, Saturday 03 Mar 12, Scintillator

ACROSS
1   - Dance wear fitted global players… (8) - BALL GOWN {BALL GO*}{W}{N}
5   - … peers or rivals (6) - EQUALS [DD]
10 - Sailors' call for firing (5-2) - HEAVE-HO [DD]
11 - You throw no dice to unravel a standard (7) - UNICODE {U+NO+DICE}*
12 - Hungarian composer's record played aloud (5) - LISZT(~list)
13 - Sociable extorter, very drunk (9) - EXTROVERT {EXTRO{V}ERT*}
14 - Sweet and simple thing to do (1,5,2,4) - A PIECE OF CAKE [DD]
18 - Prize pursuit involved in a game (8,4) - TREASURE HUNT {TREASURE}{HUNT}
21 - Crush, however affected, clung to soulmate's heart (9) - OVERWHELM {HOWEVER*}{souLMate}
23 - Show of gratitude or show of contempt that's unacceptable (5) - TABOO {TA}{BOO}
24 - Fasten drill-bit to support coiler (7) - TENDRIL [T]
25 - Jerk, look back at Americans (7) - YANKEES {YANK}{EES<-}
26 - Coalition of Frenchman and German welcoming British head (6) - MERGER {MER}{G}{ER} (Correction - {M}{ER}{GER} - See comments)
27 - Uncut, somewhat nude clothes back trend (8) - UNEDITED {UN{EDIT<-}ED*}
DOWN
1   - Look at live bear (6) - BEHOLD {BE}{HOLD}
2   - Elisa and I contrived to work together (6) - LIAISE*
3   - Famous mimics (5,4) - GREAT APES [CD]
4   - Enthusiastically in the presence of a total rhythmist? (14) - WHOLEHEARTEDLY [CD]
6   - Depart from old capital (5) - QUITO {QUIT}{O}
7   - At a premium greater than normal (5,3) - ABOVE PAR {ABOVE} {PAR}
8   - Garden plant's aromatic seed (5,3) - SWEET PEA {SWEET} {PEA}
9   - Who met Humptyan artifice to bring bad luck (3,3,6,2) - PUT THE WHAMMY ON*
15 - Calibrated, to the exact MHz? (4-5) - FINE-TUNED [CD]
16 - Basically in the deep? (2,6) - AT BOTTOM [CD]
17 - Lunch prepared badly? Endure the extremes of justice (8) - DEJEUNER {DE{JusticE}UNER*}
19 - A thing not old or worthless (6) - ABJECT {A}{oBJECT}
20 - All set for soapy episode that has not started (6) - POISED ePISODE*
22 - Swore badly? That's poorer (5) - WORSE*




28 comments:

  1. Would Raju like to live in such an apartment building?

    Visit

    http://www.impactlab.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/architectural-14.jpg

    If need be, scroll down to see a building with crossword grid pattern.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We do not seem to have a clue !

      Delete
    2. With apologies to Archimedes,

      Give me a place to stand and a good clue and I will try to solve it

      Delete
    3. Goes well with Shuchi's purse...

      Delete
    4. For clues (I understand) you have to tour the city in which the building is located and they will hand over clues at places of tourist interest. Don't ask me how the answers are entered!

      Delete
    5. Very interesting! Must share this on Crossword Unclued Facebook page. It does go well with my purse, Kishore :)

      Delete
  2. 9 - Who met Humpty — an artifice to bring bad luck (3,3,6,2) - PUT THE WHAMMY ON*

    Even to a lay reader, the use of 'bring' is dubious. It gives an impression of to fetch for /take upon oneself.
    A hex is always put on someone else (to give badluck to the other person).
    Use of 'cause', in this context, might have been a better choice.
    Wonder what other solvers think on this?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rajan, I only need a sentence where the phrase and the definition could substitute one another. See if this passes muster:

      The monkey's paw has put a whammy on our family.
      The monkey's paw has brought bad luck to our family.

      Delete
    2. Hi Scintillator,

      For exact match the definition needs "to" in the end:

      PUT THE WHAMMY ON = bring bad luck to

      Delete
    3. Hi Shuchi

      How about this then? Avoiding an object should do, I think.

      I avoided the old lady lest she may put the whammy on.
      I avoided the old lady lest she may bring bad luck.

      Delete
    4. Is that valid use? Didn't know that...I thought "put the whammy on" must have an object.

      Delete
  3. 26A-Merger
    Where does 'British head' fit in?

    ReplyDelete
  4. I had taken it as:
    M ER GER

    frenchman M (for Monsieur)
    german GER
    English head ER (Elizabeth Regina, the Queen)

    'welcoming' is an Insertion Indicator

    ReplyDelete
  5. There is a (somewhat) usual crossword feature in this grid, and my first attempt at that :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks, Scintillator.

    The usage appears OK. It is also possible to bring bad luck upon oneself by saying or doing something.

    ReplyDelete
  7. It was apparent when we came across X, Y and Z.
    This is a PANGRAM.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Padmanabhan,

    Sorry, two corrections:

    The correct term is Container Indicator (outer word around inner word), e.g, circling, welcoming, containing, harbouring

    'British' instead of 'English'

    ReplyDelete
  9. What is the containment indicator in 17D. I took "the extremes of" to get the J and E from Justice and prepared badly as the AIND. Not sure if Endure is used as both anag. fodder and containment indicator.

    ReplyDelete
  10. 17 - Lunch prepared badly? Endure the extremes of justice (8) - DEJEUNER {DE{JusticE}UNER*}

    prepared badly - Anagram Indicator
    ENDURE + J[-ustic]E is the fodder.

    Anno should be {(ENDURE)(JE)}* = DEJENEUR

    ReplyDelete
  11. 17 - Lunch prepared badly? Endure the extremes of justice (8) - DEJEUNER {DE{JusticE}UNER*}

    prepared badly - Anagram Indicator
    ENDURE + J[-ustic]E is the fodder.

    Anno should be {(ENDURE)(JE)}* = DEJENUER

    ReplyDelete
  12. Couldn't download the puzzle until late today, but it was worth the wait.
    Enjoyed today's grid and nice to catch up with scintillator again

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  13. Dave

    Nice to have you back amongst us!

    Some new setters have joined the panel; we have not had Manna when his turn came last month.

    ReplyDelete
  14. 24a - Fasten drill-bit to support coiler (7) - TENDRIL [T]

    I would prefer "curler" to "coiler".
    Coiler was misleading (which of course would have been the intention!)

    ReplyDelete
  15. 26a

    If FRENCHMAN = M.(for Monsieur)
    then GERMAN should be HERR

    What's GER?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Short for German, of course. Who says the cryptic reading should consistently refer to the same type of object or person? :)

      Delete

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