Saturday, 3 November 2012

No.10610, Saturday 3 Nov 12, Gridman

Nice puzzle again from Gridman to end this run with. Liked IMPAIR, EGGHEAD, OVATION, ABSOLVER, SEA CHESTS, OBTAINING, CLIMATE, LEGATO and BARB. I especially loved 17D for its surface.

ACROSS
1 Tom comes back with one chance in reserve (8)  TACITURN (TAC<= + I + TURN)
5 Harm mischievous fellow-broadcasters (6)  IMPAIR (IMP + AIR)
10 54, between two measures, spice up (7)  ENLIVEN (LIV inside EN & EN)
11 Humpty Dumpty as an intellectual? (7) EGGHEAD (CD)


12 A politician before a current measure (6)  AMPERE (A + MP + ERE)
13 Some people may play a part, others may ... (3,1,4)  ACT, A, ROLE (CD)
15 Wealthy person said to have radio control (4) KNOB (~NOB)
16 Not deaf -// having means to try? (4,2,4)  ABLE, TO, HEAR (DD)
18 Doesn't run away from reality (5,5)  FACES, FACTS (E)
20 Pain each dispersed in a different way (4)  ACHE (EACH)*
23 Not one where actors stand in a queue before leaving the stage (4,4) EXIT, LINE (CD)
24 Cut a key? (6) DELETE (DD)
26 Speech not right in opposing applause (7) OVATION (ORATION with V for R)
27 Ace attacked harshly - feeling remorseful (7) ABASHED (A + BASHED)
28 Deputy goes over papers given to reverie (6) DREAMY (DY outside REAM)
29 One who forgives sailor having different lovers (8) ABSOLVER (AB + LOVERS*)

DOWN
1 A very remote place - Australia’s never-never? (3,4,2,6) THE, BACK, OF, BEYOND (CD) Not for me, it is local :)
2 West Indian music promotes palsy let-go in company (7) CALYPSO (PALSY* inside CO)
3 Make an assertion in Tamil Nadu inn (6) TAVERN (AVER inside TN)
4 Called from firing place without a bit of emotion (4) RANG (RANGe)
6 A feathered visitor at Vedanthangal perhaps (8) MIGRATOR (CD)
7 Dreadfully impressive? (7)  AWESOME (E)
8 Radical said to have hidden tree fruit (3-7,5)  RED-BERRIED, ELDER (RED + ~BURIED + ELDER)
9 Rummaging these from a buried ship, one might get a chess set (3,6) SEA,CHESTS (A CHESS SET)*
14 Getting old boy exercise - no rupee involved! (9)  OBTAINING (OB + TrAINING)
17 Being half-psycho, I mull uprooting flowering plant (8) PSYLLIUM (PSYcho + I MULL*)
19 About capital having extremely temperate environment (7) CLIMATE (C + LIMA + TemperatE)
21 Revolutionary start of an old Russian writer (7) CHEKHOV (CHE + ....)
22 Let go a variation of soft music (6) LEGATO (LET GO A)*
25 Stop bachelor's offensive remark (4) BARB (BAR + B)


SOLUTION GRID


16 comments:


  1. Hi all

    Missed quite a few. Liked TACITURN, ENLIVEN, EGGHEAD, AMPERE, ACHE, OVATION (nice one!), ABASHED, DREAMY, ABSOLVER, CALYPSO, TAVERN, RANG, AWESOME, PSYLLIUM (had to Google), CHEKHOV (anno not clear) and LEGATO.

    Made the following guesses and got stuck.

    1A - THE LAND OF BEYOND
    6D - AIGRETTE (I could be wrong, yet learnt a new word from Google, while knew of only egrets and eaglets until now).

    20A - ACHE - The word 'dispersed' could have been dispensed with. Or was it inserted to trap the solvers? ;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Just as I thought, was wrong at 1A and 6D.

      Delete
    2. Answers for 13A, 16A and 18A are such simple phrases. Just wondering how they could go to the BACK OF BEYOND of my brain?

      Delete
  2. 7D clue reminded me of the usage of the word "bayangaram" in colloquial Tamil.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Many years ago, I paid a compliment to a charming young lady saying, 'You look deadly!' and got into trouble. She had not understood the spirit of my remark, but, instead, concentrated on the dead part of the sentence.

      Delete
    2. She expected to be considered 'lively', I was told later.

      Delete
  3. 13A- filled in 'act a part and was found wanting for the red berries.

    ReplyDelete
  4. The 2 columns-1D & 8D-were iffy and created a few problems. But then, that makes things interesting.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I did not find either of these clues as iffy.

      1D Never-never is a term referring to the Australian outback as also 'The back of beyond'

      9D is a kind of reverse anagram. If you rummage a sunken ship you get sea chests which is an anagram of 'a chess set'

      Delete
  5. Neat one today. Psyllium was a new word but got it from crossings & clue.
    ABCDE: It feels like a _ here today.

    Pile up place for cool upper settlement (4,7)

    ReplyDelete
  6. I found this entire run of Gridman very difficult. A lot of new words, and some very complex surfaces. The blog helped educate. Lots of 'aah!' moments interspersed with some 'aha' ones. Someday, maybe, I'll solve puzzles like these without breaking a sweat, but for now...

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sorry to say, but legato (22D) does not refer to "soft music". It is an indication to play the notes in a 'connected' way, which could sound either softly or loudly depending on what's written on the score.

    And I think 8D should have had a 'desi' or 'Indian' indicator somewhere. ;-) I don't think a native English speaker would consider the words bury and berry as synonyms.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Navneeth9:06 PM GMT+05:30
    I think 8D should have had a 'desi' or 'Indian' indicator somewhere. ;-) I don't think a native English speaker would consider the words bury and berry as synonyms.

    Reply

    Bury should be pronounced as 'beri' which I think is synonymous with berry. Many pronounce bury incorrectly (rhyming with 'curry')

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I stand corrected (big time!). Thank you, Vasu. And my apologies to Gridman.

      Delete
  9. I only listen to music and I am not an expert. Not in Western music anyway.

    For 'legato', Chambers's definition is

    smooth or smoothly, the notes running into each other without a break.

    ReplyDelete

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