Welcome to Sunnet. Great entry. By the way are the rains setting in again? It definitely is in Banaglore.
ACROSS
1 - Helps animal give birth breaking pieces of ice (6) - CALVES [DD]
4 - Boatman hurried back before it became more restricted (8) - NARROWER {NAR<=}{ROWER}
10 - Notes no turn around a railway stop (9) - NOTATIONS {NO}{STATION*}
11 - Chaste girl taken in for purification (5) - PURGE {PUR{G}E}
13 - A charm for foot protection (9) - HORSESHOE [DD]
14 - Will a youngster be able to eat here? (7) - CANTEEN {CAN}{TEEN} &lit
16 - Discard shack (4) - SHED [DD]
19 - Stumble on page three first (4) - TRIP {TRI}{P}
21 - Invade without manners after holy man lost it (7) - INTRUDE {saINT}{RUDE}
24 - Braggarts cunningly use blah words (9) - BLOWHARDS*
25 - Strong fine fibre is hard and unyielding (5) - FLINT {F}{LINT}
26 - Time to muse (5) - ERATO {ERA}{TO}
27 - Cognition possibly unknown (9) - INCOGNITO*
28 - Apartment people taken in by faith (8) - TENEMENT {TENE{MEN}T}
29 - Transformed my zen energy into a natural catalyst (6) - ENZYME {ENZYM*}{E}
DOWN
1 - An agreement to catch (8) - CONTRACT [DD]
2 - Much less rent without a friend (3,5) - LET ALONE {LET} {ALONE}
3 - High class people beginning to go in (5) - ENTRY gENTRY
5 - Bar boss somehow imbibes liquid (7) - ABSORBS*
6 - Does a salesman take offense to picture? (9) - REPRESENT {REP}{RESENT}
7 - Suitable for your old line back at the beginning (6) - WORTHY {WOR<=}{THY}
8 - Pulled and staggered (6) - REELED [DD]
15 - Tiny tiller is the world crawler (9) - EARTHWORM {EARTH}{WORM}
17 - Greed emerging from duplicity without learning (8) - CUPIDITY DUPlICITY*
18 - Sugar measure containing incomplete supplement (8) - DEXTROSE {D{EXTRa}OSE}
20 - Distribute brew right inside (7) - PORTION {PO{R}TION}
21 - Heartlessly examine a six footer (6) - INSECT INSpECT
22 - Without a crooked pole inside (6) - ABSENT {A}{B{S}ENT}
23 - Area for a party on sea (6) - DOMAIN {DO}{MAIN}
25 - Twist villain to be an errand runner at home (5) - FAGIN {FAG}{IN}
ReplyDeleteIs it a pangram?
1A - struggled with cubs and cubes. And also with entry and gentry at 3D.
NARROWED, PURGE (nice!), HORSESHOE, CANTEEN, SHED, TRIP, INTRUDE, BLOWHARDS, INCOGNITO (the name does ring a bell!), ENZYME, CONTRACT, ABSORBS, REPRESENT, WORTHY (good one!), COCHIN (new word!), EARTHWORM (classic!), CUPIDITY (did not know this meaning), DOMAIN (another good one!), INSECT (also good) PORTION are all worth a mention.
Could not get the annos for 2D, 8D,18D.
26A - EMATO was the only of the nine muses that fitted in.
28A - TENE(MEN)T - Liked the formation. But tenet is a doctrine or a belief, a wee bit different from trust. Over to experts.
The entire new crop of setters shows promise and a streak of expertise - an amazing aspect. Will it sound preposterous if I hazard a guess that a few experts could be setting in different names? (Resemblance in style gives an inkling.)
10A - NOTES and NOTATIONS were too close to each other. Could have been clued differently.
DeleteA typo. Please read NARROWED as NARROWER.
DeleteAnd EMATO to be read as ERATO.
DeleteRichard writes: Will it sound preposterous if I hazard a guess that a few experts could be setting in different names?
ReplyDeleteI can say with authority that all the setters from Oct. 12 to Oct. 20 are different persons. No single setter in this group uses various pseudonyms.
My apologies. I withdraw my guess.
DeleteHi All,
ReplyDeleteWas just going through the comments written on yesterday's blog. Thanks for all the response.
I'm kind of curious. Ideally, what do you think should be the maximum number of anagram clues (whole + partial) in a 15 x 15 puzzle? I'll definitely keep this in mind while setting my next puzzle.
I think I gave my feelings on this yesterday. I did not notice the so called large number of anagrams, although there is a feeling in the group that I do not like them.
DeleteThe surfaces in the clues were good and it was not obvious whether a particular was an anagram or not. I think that it is nice if a clue reads well and does not instantly tell the solver what kind it is.
Could you kindly define "surface" for me? Sorry for this intrusion by an amateur among professional debaters of rules of grammar of setting crosswords.
DeleteSurface reading refers to the clue as it is without looking at the cryptic element. Meaning that the clue when read without it being part of a crossword should make some sense.
DeleteRead Shuchi's page on this at http://www.crosswordunclued.com/2009/06/surface-reading-cryptic-reading.html
Suresh himself has answered it in his 2nd sentence-"reads well". Any clue may have 2 meanings. One a hidden meaning and another as can be seen in the wording of the clue (surface reading)I hope I have made it clear. I learned this when I joined this blog.
DeleteJust because there are A B C and X Y and Z in a grid, one cannot say it might be a pangram.
ReplyDeleteThis grid is not!
The letters missing are J, K and Q.
Letters used:
A - 12 times
B - 3
C - 6
D - 7
E - 20
F - 1
G - 2
H - 4
I - 9
J - 0
K - 0
L - 6
M - 3
N - 16
O - 15
P - 3
Q - 0
R - 14
S - 9
T - 17
U - 2
V - 1
W - 3
X - 1
Y - 1
Z - 1
Was too lazy to count. Now got the answer. Thanks.
DeleteIs there a software to count or you did in manually?!
DeleteDon't know about the regulars, but I'm a newbee. Throw in as many as you like! I love anagrams :)
ReplyDelete+ 1
DeleteAdd one more!
DeleteNone of the responses answers Vulcan's query.
DeleteLove of anagrams cannot be a reason to let a crossword have a preponderance of them. Yet, a setter with a liking for anagrams may include many anagram clues in his puzzle; but can such a person produce a crossword with all the clues anagram clues? I doubt it! Try SYZYGY!
A crossword is expected to have a variety of clue-types. No crossword can have each of the clues of a different type, either.
Repetition of a clue-type is inevitable. One setter may have too many CDs/DDs; one, a lot of anagrams; in any crossword charades may dominate, yet no-one seems to complain that there are too many of them. But more than five or six anagrams in a crossword may pall! In a crossword let an anagram have another next to it, and solvers will jump to the conclusion that there are too many anagrams though that may not be the case.
I cannot give an acceptable number of anagrams (whole and partial). But I will say the standard practice in a crossword with 30 clues is not to have more than five (or six) whole anagrams.
This is only a guide; I am not imposing any limit on any composer; nor do I want to spoil the fun anagram lovers derive in their engagement with crosswords.
Hi Chaturvasi, thanks for your detailed response. I get an idea now, but am still not sure as to how many partial anagrams is too much. Anyway, looks like it's safe to err on the lower side.
DeleteInsect & Earthworm are my COD's. Enjoyed solving although I could not complete.
ReplyDeleteCV,
You may know an old Tamil poem which goes like..."Poonaikku aaru kaal..." Made to look like an error that cat has 6 legs, explanation being "Poovai nakki" (beetle that licks the flowers) and goes on to add a few more. Learning this from my father helped me to do the six footer (21D) today. Otherwise I may have been misled into thinking of a tall man.
Thank you Col. for including the filled grid. It is a great help.
9D-
ReplyDeleteAir India could have served some to the irate passengers at Cochin & avoided a "Hijack"!!
Welcome to Sunnet. A really good crossword.
ReplyDeleteShould 3D be beginning or not beginning?
Had the same Q on 3D after filling ENTRY
DeleteI see no problem!
DeleteHigh class people beginning to go in (5)
High class people - gentry
beginning - beginning of 'gentry'
to go - to disappear
in - def
In 'high class people', 'high-class' is an adj. qualifying the noun 'people'; so it should take a hyphen.
DeleteThus: 'High-class people'
Thanks CV sir for making us to see differently "to go"
DeleteOf course! CV How could I not get that?
DeleteWelcome Sunnet! Though I did not get notations and canteen. Probably just being impatient!
ReplyDeleteWho will it be on Monday??
It should be a week of bliss with Sankalak unless we get another new setter on Monday
DeletePretty good stuff. Way to go Sunnet and THC.
ReplyDeleteThough solved, had a doubt about 21A. How does the lost 'it' work?
"IT" could to be (S)ex (A)ppeal.
ReplyDeleteThanks, that could be IT. The fact that there is another IT in Saint threw me.
DeleteThere is an old Tamil film song that, after an initial query, asks "adhu edhu?" and gives the answer as 'kadhal'.
DeleteSo 'adhu' - or 'it' - is a very powerful force, indeed!
Considering that 'kadhal' is proverbially blind, IT is not required, but 'let the force be with you'
DeleteBecause it is blind, the Braille is popular!
DeleteCV sir @11.23
Deleteamazed at your correlation. enjoyed
Talking of new setters. There will be another new setter in the special at 10:30 tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteWelcome Sunnet. Enjoyed today's puzzle. Keep them coming.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to that, Col! With Navratras on, hope I get the time to sit down with the new CW!
ReplyDeleteThank you all for all the above clarifications. Always good to get the basics cleared for quicker solving.
Good morning all.
Welcome , Sunnet,Let there be no sunset in your days !! Let's give the setters their freedom and liberty to formulate their grids as they please. As many permutations and combinations they can juggle out, the better for our brains. That should be the ultimate challenge for the solver from the setter !!
ReplyDeleteThat does not prevent the comments from flowing in, as that's what make this blog so interesting. Unbeknownst to them many newbies will become experts and may even surpass the other wizards in the days to come. Great idea, isn't it?
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ReplyDeleteThanks every one for the warm welcome.
ReplyDeleteFor 10a :
Notes no turn around a railway stop (9)
My aim was to clue {NO}{(-S)TATION(+S)}
For Richard@8:30
Faith is also listed as a synonym of tenet. ( http://thesaurus.com/browse/tenet ).
For CV@10:52
Yes. It should have been High-class.
Away from my home base & half blind today (dilated eyes). Apologies if I have missed out answering any other query.
Thanks Ramesh. So it was you. Somehow the nom de plume or pseudonym reminds one of a TV network. ;)
DeleteCochin.. hungh... been living in Cochin past 28 years.... new one on me....
ReplyDeleteAt least 3 cruciverbalist's names in this crossword. BOATMAN, SHED and our own INCOGNITO. Don't know if there are more.
ReplyDeleteRamesh , Was that youuuuu? excellent crossword. Thank you
ReplyDeleteOverall, it was an enjoyable crossword -- a good start.
ReplyDelete21A: Like Bhala, I too was initially confused by the literal presence of I and T in Saint. Wouldn't the clue sound better if it had been "loses it" rather than "lost it"?
I do not see much difference between the two in either the surface reading or the cryptic reading. Can you please elaborate ?
DeleteTalking about just the surface, "invade after he lost it", to put it in its barest form, sounds a bit jarring. Either "invade after he loses it" (tense seems all right here; and it also doesn't affect the cryptic reading) or "invaded after he lost it" seem to work better, IMHO.
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DeleteYou have assumed that invade is the only verb in the sentence. Consider "They did not invade when he lost it" etc
DeleteRight. I'd something even pithier in mind: To invade after he lost it. It wouldn't have bothered me as much if the 'to' had been included. Also, it won't be considered as padding since intrude = "to invade" is perfectly valid.
DeleteHello All
ReplyDeleteI have been following this blog for an year now. Many of you here are truly inspiring!
Very enjoyable crossword today. I have managed to solve more than half of it.
Am back after long lay-off. The new setter's name reminds me of a Muslim practice!
ReplyDeleteThat's incisive! See my post above @ 6-42 pm...
DeleteYes heavy ? rain in chennai as well
ReplyDeleteWell done Ramesh for a good debut (53 n.o.). It was expected though that you will make the debut sooner or later.So,you are looking at all the rave reviews with wide eyes !! Get well soon.
ReplyDeleteI could not figure out what 53 stood for.
DeleteThanks for the wishes. It was more of attempting to squint to read the reviews.
No. of comments in the blog!
DeleteThanks. With this it should become 58.
DeleteShould have realised it was Ramesh as his bonus clue was absent today.
ReplyDeleteGood to have my eyesight back to its usual level.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you folks enjoyed today's effort. I had fun setting it. My thanks to all the folks on this blog who encouraged me to give it a shot. Also thanks to those who attempt to solve the daily clues ( & those that provided feedback when clues did not make sense or were wrong ). Those clues and feedback helped me get some understanding of clues that worked & clues that did not. Special thanks to CV ji for his detailed critique of my efforts.
As for the moniker
Sunnet - Sun is an oblique reference to the sun god Ra & Net = Mesh
Bonus clues have been missing for the last few of days as I have been not been at my home base. Insha'Allah, I expect to have a bonus clue ready the next time my effort appears in black & white.