A day at the bourse from Sunnet, having given us a CHIP right when we started going down. Compliments to Sunnet for having such a large complement of themed entries and clues (15). As far as I can make out, I have marked these clue numbers with an asterisk (I have not marked the indirect ones, for example, 13 and 21 Across could have been stretched to link to a stock market). Only grouse was large number of Demand Drafts were presented in the stock exchange (9).
ACROSS
*1 Brother, in Southern U.S., has approval to act as a go-between (6) BROKER (OK in BRER, remember Brer Rabbit and other similar creatures)
*4 Take some steps, after study of premium paid, to defer settlement (8) CONTANGO (CON+TANGO) This when 1 across takes a client on a merry dance after a confidence trick
10 As different from Snow White as possible? (9) UNFAIREST CD
11 Suppressed, dumb daughter (5) MUTED (MUTE+D)
12 The leaders of environmental organisation have offered cooperation over salmon (5) COHOE (E O H O C<)
13 Once meddlesome America lost position held by virtue of another one (2,7) EX OFFICIO (EX OFFICIOUS)
14 Raids fashionable streets (7) INROADS (IN+ROADS)
*16 Almost stop going unaccompanied to an event (4) STAGe See comments. I wondered whether a broker getting married would allow BULLS and BEARS to his STAG party
*19 A test for the second brightest one (4) BETA 2
21 Ranges of colour ruined carpets (7) SPECTRA (CARPETS*)
24 Gardner perhaps made a hole in the channel, precipitating a landslide (9) AVALANCHE (AVA+CHAnNEL)
*25 Russia’s // pessimists (5) BEARS 2
26 Role a journalist disliked (5) HATED (HAT+ED)
27 Could mine become jarring? (9) UNMELODIC (COULD MINE)*
*28 Pledge // protection (8) SECURITY 2
*29 Fool holding fixed advantages (6) ASSETS (ASS outside SET)
DOWN
*2 Kills, decapitating a woman of loose morals, at sea (8) OFFSHORE (OFFS -wHORE) See comments
3 The best // typewriter font (5) ELITE 2
*5 Choose charged particles’ alternatives (7) OPTIONS (OPT+IONS)
*6 It is a stretch if ammeter is adjusted (4,5) TIME FRAME (IF+AMMETER)*
7 Look! This isn’t methamphetamine (6) NOTICE (NOT ICE(amphetamine))
*8 Uneven set // that used to be difficult to dispose of on the 'change (3,3) ODD LOT 2
9 Part of bicycle versus simple machines (6) LEVERS (T)
15 Name a spacecraft having some explorers aboard (9) ALEXANDER (A LANDER around EX)
*17 Call and put together // a non-committal position (8) STRADDLE 2
18 Managed to fire some small rifles (8) RANSACKS (RAN+SACKS) (RAN+SACK+S) See comments
*20 Explain // a financial statement (7) ACCOUNT 2
21 Checks captured article’s fumes (6) STEAMS (STEMS around A)
22 Luxurious floaters for heartless girls? Yes for a start (6) YACHTS (YA+CHiTS) Corrected. See comments
23 A sea captain going after a spicy Indian dish (6) BALTIC (BALTI+C), Pakistan may dispute this. A demarche may be expected any time soon
19 A test for the second brightest one (4) BETA 2
ReplyDeleteThis also has connection to Stock Market. Beta stocks where volatility is high
Thanks, Sir
Delete18 Managed to fire some small rifles (8) RANSACKS (RAN+SACKS)
ReplyDeleteMy take: {RAN}{SACK}{S}
That's correct. Thanks
Delete2d is a charade with the breakup OFFS [w]HORE
ReplyDeleteMy error. Thanks
DeleteTypo in Anno of 26A HAD for HAT
ReplyDeleteCorrected. Thanks. Too many errors today ;-)
Delete*1 Valuable // cerulean piece (4-4) BLUE CHIP 2
ReplyDeleteI took this to be a charade:
{BLUE}-{CHIP}
Same here
DeletePerfectly fine. I took 'cerulean piece' as one of the definitions.
DeleteMy take on 16A STAG(-e)
ReplyDeleteI am sure Kishore, given some extra minutes, would have provided those annos properly. Working under time constraints, to complete a puzzle and then give minute details is in itself is a difficultt ask. That is where we members come in adding the nitty-gritty. and that is where a bond is created between the blogger and its members.
ReplyDeleteThanks for understanding. That bond is too priceless to trade on an exchange.
DeleteReminds me of a phrase used in contracts 'Time is of the essence'
DeleteThe bond referred to is Fevibond, not to be traded...
Delete16 Almost stop going unaccompanied to an event (4) STAG
ReplyDeleteSTAG(-e)
If Dr Gayatri the eye surgeon were to come in today, she would give a different meaning to the word 'floaters' (in 22d).
ReplyDeleteMeanings are in the eye of the beholder
Delete22 Luxurious floaters for heartless girls? Yes for a start (6) YACHTS (Y+A+CHiTS)
ReplyDeleteCould this be {YA}{CH(-i)TS}?
I mulled this, but then went in for Yes=Y, and decided to go in the visible a and treat start as an instruction to put Y and A before those heartless girls.
DeleteSandhya
DeleteYou're spot on! I don't think you're heartless but you deserve a luxury floater.
:))
Delete*16 Almost stop going unaccompanied to an event (4) STAG
ReplyDelete---
I have a problem with this clue.
What is the def? "going unaccompanied to an event"? How can the -ing ending produce an answer w/o the same termination?
Actually, stag is a male who goes to a dance unaccompanied by a woman.
'Stag' may be used as verb in the sense 'go to a dance w/o a woman' but that indication is not given here.
In fine, the part of speech of the word reqd is not correct.
Could the def be only 'unaccompanied to an event'?
DeleteThen we must supply something in parantheses:
Delete[one who is going] unaccompanied to an event = STAG
Reminded of a man who entered a pub as a single and began seeing double while walking out...
DeleteLike the guy who walked into bar optimistically and walked out misty optically...
Going stag = Going inaccompanied
DeleteStags are rather horny critters
DeleteFinding the theme settles many issues. I was found wanting (!)and hence could not complete a few. starred clues unstarred?
ReplyDeleteUnlike Neyartha's starred clues which, as he says, have no definition, here the clues were complete in themselves. I just added the stars to identify the themed words.
Delete2D, I take strong objection to the word WHORE being used in the sense intended.
ReplyDeleteSetter could have avoided this. Probably a subtler word could've been used.
Instead would a word like tart or trollop be acceptable?
DeleteI don't know, but I think it'd be a better idea to avoid this usage all together.
Delete'Whore' is not marked as offensive in any dictionary. It is used by Shakespeare in his works and the Jesuit father who taught the Bard to us always dismissed the word as 'bad woman'.
DeleteI may not call a whore a bad woman.
Gridman has used this and other words such as hen, strumpet, etc, prompting Dave to comment once that Gridman's view of women is not flattering.
I would like to ask VJ what 'subtler' word he would like to use. Other commenters too may want to jump on...
I think references like TEASE, FLIRT etc. are okay - they got nothing to do with loose morals per se, but I wouldn't want to see anything stronger in a crossword 'cause they don't read all that well IMO.
DeleteAs far as I know, WHORE is a derogatory term.
Words like bitch, once considered offensive, are now commonplace, esp in the US, and used not necessarily wrt a female
DeleteWe are in the 21st century, not in some Victorian era. I see no problem with words like Whore in the crossword.
DeleteYep, but the clue in question has asked us to find an alternative word for a woman of loose morals. So in this context, the word is disrespectful and has a strong negative connotation. Anywayz, probably each one sees it differently.
DeleteVJ: Prudes and prurients take their own different positions?
DeleteDifficult puz for one not conversant with the stock market. 9 DDs as Kishore pointed is high - a bit of 10 AC.
ReplyDeleteWhore and it's synonyms are OK. Have no problem about using these in CWs as long as generally used four letter words are avoided.
ReplyDelete24 Given no sex, prude runs away, sadly fully clothed? (9)
ReplyDeletefrom The Hindustan Times CW of today.
Any comments on this?
Nice one. Enjoyed the comments just as much! Am not too fussed about the clueing of 2D, though I agree the term is considered derog.
ReplyDeleteThere is a minor grammar issue with 27A which could have been overcome
Bhala, Can you please point out the issue.
DeleteHi Ramesh, great job.
DeleteRe 27A, in the cryptic reading it should be 'becomes', which will then give the reverse problem in the surface.
Enjoyed cw today....surprisingly could solve around40%.quarter chai and half a samosa,may be???
ReplyDeleteGS,
DeleteDid you see my comment at 8:45? You were remembered!
Welcome back. Hope you are fine.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments folks. My 2 cents
ReplyDelete25A was a charade : Russia = Bear , Russia's = Bears = Pessimists
1D was a charade Cerulean = Blue, Piece = Chip
8D Another charade Uneven = Odd Set = Lot
16A : ( Stag) was clued as an adverb ( as the Col. has pointed out) . I believe the clue is fine as an adverb.
Levers & Baltic ( The freight index) could also be treated as finance terms.
There were two clues Contango & Straddle where the knowledge of market terms was perhaps needed. Also these were not starred clues so both these clues provided one with a chance to solve the clue using word play. So to state that this crossword needed deep knowledge of stock markets is a tad over the top.
I only saw the remarks regarding the unsolved ones by Doppelganger and hence I filled them in. Normally, I scrupulously avoid looking at the answers and others' comments and just put in mine.
ReplyDeleteI personally have a few bones to pick with the compiler. especially 29 down and 22 down and of course, 3 down. These are answers that may have two or more alternatives. If one looked at ZAP against my SAP, I can easily justify SLAP for a strike and then remove L from lost and SAP also means energy sap of trees as also Sap one's energy as an opposite.
Again, TOILETTE was an obscure answer that can be only justified after it fits in there. Too convoluteed cluing for my comfort.
I didn't get 4 down and I think nobody had answered this in the blog. I hate tree letter words with no connections to justify any answer!
Lastly, why only three entries with justified annotations? Why not the whole puzzle? and why not publish the whole solution in its completed form? for those who could not have completed?
What say ye-all fellow bloggers?
Raju,
DeleteDoppelganger has mentioned that there was an error in the 'TOILETTE' clue
I tried to comment on the Sunday Special, in response to DG and DG but I met with road blocks while publishing . Hence the remarks are c &p in today's columns.
ReplyDeleteGoing back to yesterday's special by DG: UNAPT? I have seen mostly INAPT in crosswords with an occasional INEPT with a different meaning? Are my comments here INEPT or INAPT?
ReplyDeleteI won't say the comment is INEPT but certainly I would assert that it is INAPT as UNAPT is a perfectly legitimate word that is found in the English language dictionary.
DeleteIf you are looking for laughs, go to yesterday's special and have a gander at a spam post right at the bottom and try to interpret the message.
ReplyDeleteThat must be machine translated in English from some obscure language.
DeleteAnd also Deepak said that all the answers were in me.
DeleteI forgot the comma thats why all the answers were in you:-)
DeleteToday I kept on trying to solve the puzzle w/o giving the least thought that most of the clues relate to stock market.Yet surprisingly I could solve all except 25 a&d (bears&bulls).Paradoxically these are the only termsIm familiar with in the stock parlance. For 25a I'd fitted tsars ( Russian pessimists) & resultantly I'd fitted tolls instead of bulls.Anyhow I enjoyed todays CW bringing grist to MY (wild) guessmill.
ReplyDeleteRefer Kishore's comment at 1:12,
ReplyDeleteThe minute any of you notice a comment with spam content, please send me an SMS immediately and I will take necessary action to block the poster besides deleting the comment. Ajeesh is one person who has regularly been sending me an SMS on this aspect whenever he sees such comments.
Please do not click on the links provided in those spam messages
CV: I know that I was not INEPT. I emphasized that UNAPT is as unusual as UNINVITITNG or DISINVITING now being bandied about relating to NARMODI and Wharton University. He is OK what with his warts and all.
ReplyDeleteKishore: I too wondered abpout that Spam entry. Een our crossword mind cannot fathom that spam !! DG : no way to censor them ?
ReplyDeleteNo way to censor them. i Have to block them one by one as and when they post
DeleteWhile announcing the sacking of four Aussie players today, the coach is reported to have said: "“This is a line in the sand.”
ReplyDeleteFrankly,I have not heard this idiom before.
Much like our Lakshman rekha, this is a line, crossing of which is not acceptable.
Many a parent in Tamil Nadu may say proudly, "Naan kizhichcha kottai enn penn thaandamaattaa" (though it's not known where this line is drawn).
This 'kizhichcha" is probably 'keenchnaa" in Hindi though I don't the equivalent idiom in that language.
I think it also points Lakshman Rekha. Rekha of Hindi & Sanskrit is Tamil Kodu. Everybody becomes Lakshmanan.
Deletepullai ivan kizhichcha kottai thaandiyathu neeyamma ......... ;-)
DeleteThanks for bringing back the memories of Very Very Special Laxman and the evergreen Rekha Ganesan...
DeleteVVS has always been my favourite cricketer.
Delete