Sunnet is after constellations, having
worked an impressive 9 entries into the grid. Liked most of the clues with
meaningful surfaces and unambiguous wordplay, but I have a few questions.
Trying my hand at the latest tabulated
posting format. It is definitely more time consuming!
1
|
Burning a lover (6)
|
AFLAME
|
A + FLAME
|
4
|
Once
in a while
cuts back housing aid in error (8)
|
SPORADIC
|
CROPS <= outside AID*
|
10
|
Bear arms in our assembly (4,5)
|
(ARMS IN OUR)*
|
|
11
|
Giant
hunter
running around a port (5)
|
ON outside RIO
|
|
12
|
Race to bet once more?
(5)
|
RELAY
|
RE – LAY
|
13
|
BEE, BEETLE
|
BEEB + (LET EE)*
|
|
14
|
Northern
countryside
of Indian territory? (7)
|
UPSTATE
|
UP STATE
|
16
|
Topples
over a skewer (4)
|
SPIT
|
TIPS <=
|
19
|
Gather
back a noose (4)
|
LOOP
|
POOL <=
|
21
|
Flying
transport in the sky? (7)
|
CD
|
|
24
|
Treat
acute runs of some stars (9)
|
(ACUTE RUNS)*
|
|
25
|
Will has a house inside a city (5)
|
Hidden. What is the role of ‘house’ and is ‘inside’
sufficient as the indicator?
|
|
26
|
A
politician’s number one excuse (5)
|
ALIBI
|
A + LIB + I
|
27
|
Fall
into the water
with great enthusiasm (9)
|
OVERBOARD
|
DD. Isn't it 'go overboard' and shouldn't it be ‘show great enthusiasm’?
|
28
|
License
perhaps
for fifty breadwinners (8)
|
LEARNERS
|
L + EARNERS
|
29
|
Professional
rush
(6)
|
CAREER
|
Can’t
really classify this since I don’t understand the role of ‘professional’
|
DOWN
1
|
May be an electric car having water for starter seen moving high above the
ground (8)
|
PRIUS with AQUA in place of P. Is the
definition adequate/accurate?
|
|
2
|
Lackdaisical without schedule? (8)
|
LISTLESS
|
LIST LESS. I hope the typo in spelling 'lackadaisical' is courtesy of the publishers
|
3
|
Mother // is well preserved (5)
|
MUMMY
|
DD
|
5
|
Greek hero scrutinises and takes Ulysses’ crown two
steps down (7)
|
PERUSES with U moving down two places
|
|
6
|
Resuming a round without doddering English peon (9)
|
REOPENING
|
RING outside (E PEON)*
|
7
|
Fine time to be outside the Macintosh Centre (6)
|
DAINTY
|
DAY outside
|
8
|
Harmful growth // visible in the northern horizon
(6)
|
DD. Again, is the second definition
enough?
|
|
9
|
UNABLE
|
UN + ELBA<=
|
|
15
|
Love a party allowance (9)
|
ADORATION
|
A + DO + RATION
|
17
|
Become more serious with false case foisted on
former (8)
|
ESCALATE
|
CASE* + LATE
|
18
|
ISLANDER
|
IS + LANDER
|
|
20
|
PARLOUR
|
PAR + LOUR
|
|
21
|
Sign of spices in a stew (6)
|
(SPICES)*
|
|
22
|
Scratch one’s tail and move forward slowly (6)
|
SCRAWL
|
S + CRAWL. Is one’s tail E or S?
|
23
|
INDIRA
|
IND + IRA. Does some = half seem fair?
|
|
25
|
Used to graduate’s basic balance (5)
|
Bhavan,
ReplyDeleteDid you import the table into the blog from from Word or from Excel?
Post looks OK on a large screen and reasonably OK on my mobile (while held vertical) however if the mobile is kept horizontal the post looks perfect. I feel this template of blogger is not suitable for the tabular form of posting maybe that's why it doesn't fit in properly on small screens.
I had created the whole post in Word and then did a copy + paste into a new post in blogger.
DeleteWhile creating the table, I chose the option 'AutoFit to window' instead of creating a fixed width table. That made the column widths a % of the available space, so it should look reasonably good on both computer screens and handsets.
OK let me also try tomorrow
DeleteHi
DeleteThe format is not good on my iPhone. The right side is chopped off when viewing on THC app. Cannot read the anno. Swiping left also does not work as swiping left right is used to move between previous and next blog entry. Like the original format
Yep, on iphone the format is a little messy.
DeleteLooks good on my iPhone when held horizontally
DeleteSunnet on a sky-gazing mission. Lucky not to be star-crossed.
ReplyDelete2D - Guess it was a typo. 'Lackadaisical' is the correct spelling.
21D - Liked spices in a stew
The version I sent across has 'Lackadaisical' spelled correctly.
Delete23 Leader from some of India’s violent fighters (6) INDIRA IND + IRA. Does some = half seem fair? Have seen this used previously too, and I think it is not fair.
ReplyDelete25 Used to graduate’s basic balance (5) LIBRA caLIBRAte?
Couldn't get the anno?
'some of India's' was not required as IND by itself is a recognised abvn for IND
Delete25 Used to graduate’s basic balance (5) LIBRA caLIBRAte?
DeleteOr should it have been: 25 Used graduate’s basic balance (5) LIBRA caLIBRAte.
Calibrant was what I had in mind
DeleteSo it is: Used to calibrate: caLIBRant.
DeletecaLIBRAnt
DeleteCalibrant is any substance used to calibrate, so not sure 'used to graduate' alone is sufficient to derive calibrant.
DeleteI feel this clue is acceptable. Haven't we seen such kind of defs in The Hindustan Times CWs?
DeleteIn 25D, I don't think 'basic' is part of the definition. I think 'basic' is indicating the essential part of CALIBRATE if that is the intended anno
ReplyDeleteThat is correct. What is role of Used to? For surface reading?
DeleteI wasn't sure of my annotation and hence the QM.
DeleteIf basic = essential is the indicator to select the central part of calibrate, what is the role of 'used to' ?
Seems to be a slip. I feel 'Used to graduate' should lead to 'calibration'
Delete29 Professional rush (6) CAREER
ReplyDeleteCan’t really classify this since I don’t understand the role of ‘professional’
CAREER: Profession, so professional seems incorrect.
Professional as in a career diplomat / career woman ( an adjective rather than a noun )
DeleteDid you intend the clue to be a CD or DD?
DeleteProfessional doesn't mean career whether taken as noun or adjective right?
It does
Deletehttps://www.google.com/search?q=career&tbs=dfn:1&tbo=u&sa=X&ei=DPG_UfTJHYSzrAeW9IGYDQ&ved=0CCsQkQ4
Thanks for the link. That usage is new to me.
Delete1 AQUARIUS PRIUS with AQUA in place of P. Is the definition adequate/accurate? Electric car : PRIUS was a bit of a stretch.
ReplyDelete3 is well preserved (5) MUMMY
Felt this def was ambiguous. If we did not mother then to get this meaning was difficult..
Maybe Mother's body well preserved?
Should both definitions be complete independently ? If that is the requirement, I believe a lot of DDs will not qualify
DeleteFor example , Picking from Guardian 25976/Rufus
10 Emphasise the consequence of overwork (6) Stress ( Surely 'the consequence of overwork' does not automatically lead to stress from definition ) but is good enough when taken with Emphasise )
I think you are right.
DeleteShould both definitions be complete independently ? I believe yes.
Delete_____________________________________________________
If that is the requirement, I believe a lot of DDs will not qualify. If you are referring to this puzzle, yes I agree.
_____________________________________________________
The only one that works for me is MUMMY, because of this exception to the rule about using a verb phrase for a nounal definition.
_____________________________________________________
10 Emphasise the consequence of overwork (6) Stress
Emphasise = stress (v)
consequence of overwork = stress (n)
I don't see any dependency between the two definitions.
How is "the consequence of overwork" a "definition" for stress ? For example in a quick crossword , If you find "The consequence of overwork" would you fill in "Stress" ? Or Am i missing something ?
DeleteStress (noun)
Delete• A state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances
• [count noun] something that causes a state of strain or tension:
As I see it for the clue
Delete8D Harmful growth // visible in the northern horizon
There are 2 objections
1) The definition "visible in the northern horizon" is weak & does not clearly lead to the answer "Cancer"
2) Can "Visible in the norther horizon" be used to clue a noun ?
Have I captured the objections correctly ?
1. Yes, that was my objection.
Delete2. No it cannot be clued that way. Might work as an exception if the definition was 'is visible in the northern horizon'
For #2 : Will take in the future.
DeleteFor #1, I believe that the indirect definition does not really make it unfair for the solver. I like it when I am solving crossword as it get you to think a little beyond. I plan to use them in my future ones unless there are serious objections to it.
I like the clue number being in alignment with the first line of any clue that spills over. E.g., 23, 22, 17dn.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if our table-creator deliberately chose a setting to get this effect.
In some tables I find the clue number being centred to the length of the clue alongside. Perhaps they have a different setting.
Col, Bhavan, Kishore sir,
ReplyDeleteI came across this that I thought I might share with you (in case you do not know of it already). Pl. give it a try. Might be of some help. Just create a table in word/excel and then copy paste it onto this.
tableizer.journalistopia.com
You can then make the adjustments accordingly.
Cheers!
Thanks KKK, will try it on my next foray on Fri.
DeleteBy the Way, Prius is not an Electric Car but a Hybrid
DeleteAfter copy-pasting the matter in Blogger text box in HTML node, we need to colorise, bold, etc in Compose mode.
DeleteIf we make it plain, it's a doddle.
Even here long clues in the 'clue cell' need to be entered somewhere to spill into a second line; so that the table shows properly on the blog.
Yes a hybrid would have been a better defn for Prius
DeleteHad a hard time solving, initially and came here to read today's blog poster's comment at the top -- just to see if I was worth spending time on the grid. Once I had the clue that the theme was Constellations, it became easier. Depsite that, I think some of the clues (some of which are already mentioned in the post) were a little too ambiguous or abstract.
ReplyDelete8D - Should the clue perhaps have ended with 'hemisphere', rather than 'horizon'?
Awful Clueing.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your detailed and analytical take on the puzzle.
DeleteYou have dazzled us with similar thought-provoking posts in the past too.
+1
DeleteLOL Bhavan
Deletemaradnusro, even when members were critical about NJ and Manna's clues, they used to raise valid objections and discuss the demerits in detail.
It'd be polite if you were more specific and refrained from knocking the entire puzzle with a single blanket statement. Since this particular setter is humble and also an active participant in this blog, he'd definitely appreciate your point of view and if found reasonable, he'd be pleased to incorporate the necessary corrections in his future works.
I agree. This is an interactive blog and any compiler is entitled to his style and approach, of course within the parameters of the acceptable standards. Or else, one tends to get monotonous and unexciting. It is up to the solver to pick up the intellectual gauntlet thrown by the compiler and match his wits. Patience is the key word with cryptics otherwise, how do we get to see the variety that we enjoy in the THCC ?
DeleteSolving cryptic crosswords can never be a chore to be completed as a daily routine but an enjoyable exhilaration.
We have seen the best and the worst and both are yet to be bested and worsted !!!
25 A-Will has a house inside a city (5)
ReplyDeleteLHASA
Hidden. What is the role of ‘house’ and is ‘inside’ sufficient as the indicator?
Although surface reading makes it seem that house is a noun, I think house could be taken as a verb where it means contain; harbour. Can't 'contain inside' qualify as a telescopic indicator? :-o
It can be taken that way, but for it to work, it should be 'houses inside' in the plural to indicate containment - which of course wrecks the surface.
DeleteLHASA-- Could be a hidden clue OR LA a city and HAS ' housed' inside?
ReplyDelete25 A-Will has a house inside a city (5)
ReplyDeleteThe house was an extraneous word could have been substituted by an other meaningful one
For example 25 A-Will has a shop inside a city (5)
Inside was the hidden word indicator.
1. [wordplay] inside [definition]
Delete2. [definition] inside [wordplay]
3. Inside [wordplay] [definition]
My question was, does 'inside' work grammatically in the cryptic reading for option 1?
Got your objection. I do not think it works.
Delete