Thursday, 2 August 2012

No 10531, Thursday 02 Aug 12, Buzzer

Buzzer's favaurite author Agatha Christie?

ACROSS
1   - Novel way a countdown is headed (7,4) - TOWARDS ZERO [DD]
9   - Direly injured sea turtle (6) - RIDLEY*
10  - It makes one!? (5,3) - SPILT NEO {SPLIT (ONE*)} (Addendum - SHIFT KEY [CD] - See comments)
11  - Gown a date took off in speech (5) - DRESS {adDRESS}
12  - Natural grain, ground and fed to only child (7) - ORGANIC {O}{GRAIN*}{C}
13  - Patent, a clear way to protect one feels (8) - TENTACLE [T]
15  - Seek advice to part with company for one affront (6) - INSULT {1}{coNSULT}
16  - High class fur is still functional (6) - USABLE {U}{SABLE}
18  - Animal planet, observe outsiders, is wild (8) - ANTELOPE {PLANET+ObservE}*
20  - Husband backing significant other woman gets praise (7) - HOSANNA {H}{OS<-}{ANNA}
21  - Oddly such info is perhaps cyberpunk (3-2) - SCI-FI {SuCh InFo Is}
22  - Characteristic of one with a beer gut (5,3) - BELLY OUT [CD] Like me and.......
23  - American state with an alternate form of gold? (6) - OREGON {OR}EGON Anno pending (Addendum - OREGON [TD] - See comments)
24  - Book dog that is a mute spectator (4,7) - DUMB WITNESS {DUMB} {WITNESS}
DOWN
2   - Anoint one English saint as most glib (7) - OILIEST {OIL}{I}{E}{ST}
3   - Sailor on ship went round edge of bay or gulf (5) - ABYSS {A}{BaY}{SS} (Addendum - {AB}{baY}{SS} - See comments)
4   - Do away with leaderless top sides in turmoil (7) - DISPOSE {tOP+SIDES}*
5   - Somehow I get one to pack enthusiasm and show the spirit (9) - ZEITGEIST {I+GET+1+ZEST}*
6   - Ultimate aim of a TV show (7) - RATINGS [CD]
7   - Violinists crowd seen after a play (8,5) - FIDDLERS THREE {FIDDLERS} {THREE}
8   - Christie’s man auctioned off our helicopter (7,6) - HERCULE POIROT*
14  - Many tend to crash and burn, yet it leaves no trace (5,4) - CLEAN BOMB {C}{LEAN} {BOMB}
17  - New baubles for a smart woman (3,4) - BAS BLEU*
18  - Plant found in vacant highlands (7) - ACANTHI [T]
19  - Hangs around to see rites administered (7) - LOITERS {LO}{RITES*}
21  - Look down on 20 changing direction finally (5) - SCORN SCOR(-e+n)N

LINK TO GRID



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31 comments:

  1. Dr.gayathri Sreekanth2 August 2012 at 08:35

    got stuck in belly out... i thought it was belly fat ( thats more apt, isnt it?)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Venkatesh2 August 2012 at 08:39

    10 - It makes one!? (5,3) - SPLIT NEO {SPLIT (ONE*)}
    It should be SPILT NEO
    NEO* = ONE (spilt is AnagrInd)
    This is a case of reverse anagram.

    We get I from Zeitgeist.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Venkatesh2 August 2012 at 08:41

    5 - Somehow I get one to pack enthusiasm and show the spirit (9) - ZEITGEIST {I+GET+1+ZEST}*

    ZE(ITGEI*)ST
    to pack - CC indicator

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous2 August 2012 at 08:53

    22 - Characteristic of one with a beer gut (5,3) - BELLY OUT [CD] Like me and.......

    Look, no beer, ....

    ReplyDelete
  5. Chaturvasi2 August 2012 at 09:23

    10 - It makes one!? (5,3) - SPILT NEO {SPLIT (ONE*)}

    I think the answer is SHIFT KEY.

    While using your computer, what makes - or types - 1 ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous2 August 2012 at 09:50

      Agree. To expand the annotation further,

      using It (the shift key) makes one (1) to appear as " ! "

      Delete
    2. Suresh2 August 2012 at 10:02

      Of course! This is the clue which had me stuck. Good one this.

      Delete
    3. Chaturvasi2 August 2012 at 10:03

      Kishore

      I am a simple man! For me everything is black or white, no shade in-between!

      I really didn't see the extensive significance of this short clue that you have mentioned. It requires a man with a for-ever-buzzing-mind to think of such things.

      You call the punctuation ?! interrobang. What do you call this punctuation !? Bangointer?

      Delete
    4. Anonymous2 August 2012 at 16:52

      Sir, we know that you see beyond what many others miss.

      BTW, I would not call this an interrobang...

      First, it is not a compound glyph as used for interrobang, though it is sometimes put as both ?! or !? (the cart or the horse first...)

      Secondly, the clincher: B intends us to read ! as a part of the statement "It makes one!" and not as "It makes one ". Further, using the ? before the ! would not work for B.

      Delete
    5. Chaturvasi2 August 2012 at 19:51

      Agreed and accepted.

      Delete
  6. Chaturvasi2 August 2012 at 09:30

    Talking of the thriller writer, a clue in a very recent FT crossword:

    Christie possibly organised shareouts (9)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Chaturvasi2 August 2012 at 09:42

    hotmail.com has now become outlook.com

    The change that I appreciate most is we now get a warning when we attempt to send a mail without a subject line.

    This basic facility was absent in hotmail, unless it required a change in setting that I did not know.

    BTW, has hotmail lost the Indian connection? !

    ReplyDelete
  8. Sridhar2 August 2012 at 10:58

    23A - American state with an alternate form of gold? (6) - OREGON {OR}EGON Anno pending

    A (dissatisfactory) Annotation would be
    an -- one
    Alternate - or
    Gold - G
    Form of -- anagram indicator

    Obvious question - is G a valid abbreviation for Gold? And why is anagram indicator in the middle?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. VMA Nair2 August 2012 at 12:05

      alternate = OR
      gold = OR
      Oregon=OR

      Delete
    2. Suresh2 August 2012 at 12:08

      Good one Ajeesh. Makes it a TD

      Delete
    3. VP2 August 2012 at 14:13

      Question on MD's: Shouldn't all 3 parts of the clue point to the answer directly ?

      In this case with Oregon being the answer (and not OR), one definition points directly to the answer while the other two are indirect pointers. Hence my question.

      Thoroughly enjoyed the last two puzzles from Buzzer.

      Delete
    4. Bhavan2 August 2012 at 14:26

      Let me see if I can talk my way out of this : )

      American state with an alternate form of gold? (6)

      alternate form of gold = another way to look at OR (or=gold as Ajeesh rightly noted)
      American state = defn

      Feels like too much indirection now!

      Delete
    5. Padmanabhan2 August 2012 at 17:41

      I feel Ajeesh's explanation sounds better (whether Bhavan intended it or not!- I used the shift key)

      Delete
  9. Venkatesh2 August 2012 at 11:02

    It makes one!?

    I agree with Kishore. Novel clue, but then shouldn't there be a space between one and !?

    Also, a statement like this - "it makes... "followed by interrogation mark - seems off the accepted practice. It is like the usual Indian habit of asking questions!

    ReplyDelete
  10. RameshJ2 August 2012 at 12:52

    Didn't have a clue about the shift key. Others were not as mysterious.

    My View on today's cross word.

    Undiluted beverage spilled in Norway.

    ReplyDelete
  11. RameshJ2 August 2012 at 16:00

    By this site's notation, I think it should be {N+TEA}* = NEAT

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. RameshJ2 August 2012 at 16:16

      And if it had been that, my response ( the one I deleted ) would have been

      Ideal head boy swapped silver for bronze.(6)

      Delete
  12. maradnusro2 August 2012 at 16:26

    Buzzer is going over the top of ordinary amateur Puzzle Solvers like me. He should show off less of his knowledge of forgettable British Comedies, old fashioned crime stories from Agatha Christie. Give me any day Sankalak and Gridman.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Deepak Gopinath2 August 2012 at 18:56

      The paper has to cater for all types and not just Amateur puzzle solvers. We all started as amateurs and have graduated to different levels, so have patience you too will graduate one day from you amateur status.

      Delete
  13. Raghav2 August 2012 at 17:33

    Sailor on ship went round edge of bay or gulf (5) - ABYSS {A}{BaY}{SS}

    should not the anno be {AB}Y{SS}

    sailor = AB
    ship = SS
    edge of bay = y

    the singular 'edge' is used and not 'edges'

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bhalchandra Pasupathy2 August 2012 at 18:06

      Agree with this Anno.

      Interesting challenge these last couple of days, like the style

      Delete
    2. Deepak Gopinath2 August 2012 at 18:57

      You are right Raghav

      Delete
  14. Padmanabhan2 August 2012 at 18:16

    I did it the same way.

    ReplyDelete

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