Field day for robbers with no cops around ;-)
ACROSS
1 A meal around a large boat (6) LAUNCH {L{A}UNCH}
4 A trapper damaged printing material (3,5) ART PAPER*
10 Light-headed, rambling fool with virus (9) FRIVOLOUS*
11 Bitter resistance seen in a police department (5) ACRID {A}{C{R}ID}
12 Tesla’s feeble twist (5) TWEAK {T}{WEAK}
13 Courage of bold worker with some rye (9) GALLANTRY {GALL}{ANT}{RYe}
14 Damage a chemist’s workplace within India’s coast (7) MALABAR {M{A}{LAB}AR}
16 Genuine currency of Brazil (4) REAL [DD]
19 A crust’s nearly back again (4) SCAB {S}{kCAB<=} 'S' from 's ?
21 An army officer and an outlaw (7) BRIGAND {BRIG}{AND}
25 Danger for many following Persian fairy (5) PERIL {PERI}{L}
26 Protection for a dealer of stolen goods (5) FENCE [DD]
27 Reportedly see extremity in Capone’s gangsters (9) CRIMINALS (~see){C}{RIM}{IN}{AL'S}
28 Urged the former host Edward to take some students out for a
little rave (8) EXHORTED {EX}{HOst}{Rave}{TED}
29 Decapitate Belgium’s chief (6) BEHEAD {BE}{HEAD}
DOWN
1 Forever finding a little insect rising up in spirit (8) LIFETIME {LIF{ETIM<=}E}
2 Together one’s led haywire by Yankee (8) UNITEDLY {UNIT}{LED*}{Y}
3 Caught castle’s dishonest man (5) CROOK {C}{ROOK}
5 He is responsible for neat take-aways (7) RUSTLER [CD]
6 Father takes jar back with a note for Hindu god (9) PRAJAPATI {P{RAJ<=}APA}{TI}
7 Sufi master took in a robber… (6) PIRATE {PIR}{ATE}
8 Communist, I heard, in a late night flight (3,3) RED EYE {RED} {EYE}(~i)
9 Smith’s a counterfeiter (6) FORGER [DD]
15 Reckless businessman’s puppy is sent back by staff positioned
near the emergency room (9) BUCCANEER {BUC<=}{CANE}{ER}
17 Possibly a result of taking steps around the fire? (8) MARRIAGE [CD]
18 Admired unfinished puppet held by one northbound overseas Indian
(8) IDOLISED {1}{DOLl}{ISED<=} I thought a 'Desi' would be an Indian indian?
21 Proscribed the thing say for a thief (6) BANDIT {BAND}{IT}(~banned it)
22 Soften the noise of beast of burden that’s doubly loud inside
(6) MUFFLE {MU{FF}LE}
25 Award displayed by Capri zealots (5) PRIZE [T]
A pangrammatical den of criminals !
ReplyDeleteOr should it be
DeleteA pangrammatic den of criminals?
Good Lord! Prajapati in the company of ....
DeleteLiked the video (or rather the audio part of it) for ululation. Isn't something like this also done in TN? I remember something similar in a song from Virasat (remake of Thevan Magan) 'Dhol Bajne laga':
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGFQks-tEJk
right at the beginning and later too ...
The 'neat' defn. of a rustler reminded of the cowboy stories where 'brand' distortion was a favourite ruse of the rustlers. Like 13 being made into Bar-B ...
ReplyDeleteIsn't ulululating in that famous joyous song:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfNaT4v0Psc
I had some problem opening that link. Here's another:
Deletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnBeeG-Gv-k
At 0:49, you can see (to the extreme left, next to Arvind Swamy), my wife's cousin's cousin Satyajit. His parents VP Dhananjayan and Shanta are accomplished dancers running a school in Adyar, Chennai.
He also appears for a longer period from 4:05 to 4:30 dancing at the left in a white dress with waistcoat, next to Prabhudeva (to his right).
DeleteKishore, will connect with you offline on this, thanks to the blog I discovered a connection!
DeleteNice, neat puzzle. Thought 28 A could have been worded in a better way, not involving 'some'.
ReplyDeleteOf the many criminals around (9 if my count is correct), some end up with getting EXHORTED, some IDOLISED, some get some PRIZE, some get MARRIED (shotgun wedding!), some get LIFE-TIME, and some end up with sentence with the final 'light': No.29 BEHEAD !
ReplyDeleteExcept for the 'K' none of the thugs are involved in the Pangram
ReplyDeleteA good observation!
DeleteAs a setter I am happy that the puzzles come under such instense scrutiny.
Years ago we did not have any such feedback from our solvers. Make a mistake and the paper might get protest letters and calls.
Now, thanks to the efforts of some dedicated bloggers we have positive feedback as well - that too so promptly after the publication of the puz.
It all goes back to a (now-defunct) Yahoogroup of which I was a member. Then came the (still surviving) Orkut group. And this popular blog.
Nice to be noticed at the intersection of sets!
DeleteThe theme is indicated by the category title CRIMINALS as one of the lights. And Kishore notes graphically that it is a pangram. A notable puzzle.
ReplyDeleteOK, can you think of a synonym for 'criminal' that is not used in this puz and write a clue for it?
Indian criminal two American lawyers pinned (4)
D*D* - a cakewalk..
DeleteWould Saurav Ganguly be happy with the negative connotation? (4)
DeleteYes, in Russia, embracing the present-time Indian thug (4)
DeleteDA DA
ReplyDeleteAt first, tightly embrace an Indian criminal (4)
{T}{HUG}
DeleteDesperado fell short stealing the heart of a blonde (5)
FELON
DeleteA very enjoyable puzzle. Sunnet never disappoints.
ReplyDeleteSun never sets after dark...;-)
DeleteKishore @ 9:10
ReplyDeleteIsn't your wife's cousin's cousin her cousin as well;-) ?
Yes, but I wanted to convey what they say in Hindi as 'dooooor ka rishtedar'.
DeleteA relative thaaaat distant?
DeleteFigure it out for yourself: my f-i-l's first cousin's wife's sister's son
DeleteDG's clue
ReplyDeleteDesperado fell short stealing the heart of a blonde (5)
The def, the indications for the two components of the word breakup, one component derived by deletion and another by the centraility in the following word - all these are excellent.
Yet - if I may critique this clue - the problem is that the surface reading of the clue is not plausible. If I steal the heart of a woman (even if she isn't a blonde), I won't be falling short, I may be elated, dancing and ulululating. Of course, I might fall short in my efforts at stealing the heart of a woman.
But he fell short, so he didn't get her heart!
DeleteIndian thug with American thug in Russia? Yes!
ReplyDeleteEnu for above: (6)
DeleteGoon da
DeleteDa!
DeleteRaghu, was it in Russian or Tamil?
DeleteTamil, da!
DeleteADA, DA !
DeleteDada!!
ReplyDeleteSmooth and interesting one from Sunnet.
Could anyone make clues for 'mugger' and 'pickpocket'?
Criminal crocodile
DeleteFagan's trainee put broken lock-opening device in pouch
You mean Fagin, of course!
DeleteRobbers victim was half German (6)
ReplyDeleteThief with pustule mark in demonstration (10)
ReplyDeleteBoth of DG's clues are good.
DeleteThe first one, as usual, misses the apostrophe!
He must be in Great Britain with his discomfort with this greengrocers' punctuation mark.
If you have time, read the first and all the following posts here:
http://www.boards2go.com/boards/board.cgi?action=read&id=1377505991.67072&user=dharrison
DG @ 10:34
DeleteThief with pustule mark in demonstration (10) (PICKPOCKET) {PICK{POCK}ET}
Sorry, didn't notice, Col Sir had made clues for words MUGGER and PICKPOCKET that have been prompted by Rita Madam @ 10:13 !
DeleteCriminal player follows two fellows (10)
ReplyDeleteMALEFACTOR (MALE F ACTOR)
DeleteAjeesh, that's a good one!
DeleteIt seems that most of the members here can come up with their attempts in any clue-writing exercise.
A great place this that the Colonel is nurturing...
Glimpses of Sankalak and Gridman. Missed out 19A, 17D and 20D. Quite an enjoyable puzzle. Thanks a lot Sunnet.
ReplyDeletePriest beheaded first by criminal (8)
ReplyDeletep ARSON IST
DeleteDifficult to combine a theme and also a pangram, while observing all the rules of construction. Great effort
ReplyDeleteFirst I thought of
ReplyDeleteCriminal agent follows a gent(10)
Good selection of common words and a nice puzzle. I did not like the clue for MARRIAGE, as it appears to have a narrow outlook. The clue for BANDIT needs commas around say for readability. It was weird and implausible to read about cheese stuffed with mocha in the clue for BRIOCHE.
ReplyDeleteIf you can have chocolate stuffed with liquor, why not cheese stuffed with Mocha. This is like saying that 'Fried Ice cream' is implausible, but it is available in icecream shops.
DeleteGerman filled with apprehension meeting Al Capone (8)
ReplyDeleteTV show spoiler! (6,6)
ReplyDelete28A : My interpretation of Anno : (EXHORTED) {EX}{HO+R{-S}T}{ED} Does it look OK please ?
ReplyDeleteRaghu @ 12:14
ReplyDelete(g(angst)er)
Right
DeleteDangerous male basically protected by Indian state governments, in essence (6)
ReplyDeleteMany thanks to CV and DG Sirs for their very entertaining clues!
ReplyDeleteThanks folks for all the feedback
ReplyDeleteMy intended anno for 28A was the one given by MB@12:22.
Regds Desi :
Here is what I get from the Google stock answer (OED ?)
Desi: A person of Indian, Pakistani, or Bangladeshi birth or descent who lives abroad.
madhu-gopaal@12:07
Regds the marriage clue
Why do you feel that it reflects a narrow outlook?
Point noted wrt to Bandit clue.
MG probably feels that the clue for 'marriage' glances at the ceremony/institution from the point of view of a particular religion. There can be 'self-respect' marriages, you know! Sometimes even that may not be needed.
DeletePS: I trust I have made the above statement with due circumspection.
Thanks, Ramesh, for okaying the 28A anno.
DeleteThank you for discussing my comment. One thing is that wedding is the actual ceremony that takes place and marriage is the legal bonding of a couple. These words are used interchangeably by some. Moving around Agni is only present in a few castes within Hinduism. Even in those castes, you have hazaar other rituals running for two or three days. Is MARRIAGE or WEDDING the result of walking around fire or the result of tying the mangalsutra or the result of consummation in Suhag rath? Who is to decide that? So much of ambiguity in the clue. The current generation will feel marriage is only a convenience and there is no flash moment when it happens. I am unable to totally oppose their viewpoint.
DeleteMG
DeleteThe distinction between 'wedding' and 'marriage' is one that I keep scrupulously. While it was a custom in the 1970s to use the term 'Marriage Invitation' mine in 1971 was a 'Wedding invitation'. The marriage I am still trying to undestand but I am working on it, without giving it up!
However -
Chambers has
marriage - the ceremony, act or contract by which a man and woman become husband and wife;
So you and I are rather persnickety.
Ramesh, I too think the clue is a bit vague. Marriage is more a mental thing than a ritualistic one and it'd not be fair to link the two.
DeleteAnd if you ask me, it's more like jumping into the fire :)
...into the sacred fire ! :)
DeleteAs far as marriage is concerned as per the 'Hindu Marriage Act' (1956 ?) if I remember right, the marriage is legal only after the 7th step round the fire. So possibly taking steps around the fire can result in a marriage.
DeleteRegarding 'narrowness' of the view, I have seen 'I do' appear as marriage vow, in crosswords, without being considered narrow. As a born again pastfarian should I object to having this Christian ritual thrust into my daily crossword? Surely we would be better off if crossword fundamentalists stuck to being nitpicky about grammar, meaning & syntax rather than reading religious/caste/ meanings into clues.
That was supposed to have been "religious/caste/'pick any other way to divide the world' meaning into the clues". Blogger ate part of the sentence as it possibly felt very hungry today.
DeleteRamesh,
ReplyDeleteThe 's' in scab, 19 ac?
19 A crust’s nearly back again (4)
ReplyDelete's is is in surface reading.
In wordplay, A crust is def. Ignoring the apo, the word play is S+ [k]CAB But where is the rev ind? And what is the role of 'again'?
- Puzzled.
I think it is anagram with again(anew) as indicator
ReplyDeleteI do not consider 'again' as a valid anag ind.
DeleteA crust’s nearly back again (4)
ReplyDeletes =s
nearly back = bac
bac*= cab
I think 'again' read with back plays the role of reversal indicator.
DeleteBack again to read as back back.
I am still confused about the s from is. But I see the anno as : BACK again = BACK BACK. The second Back is the <- indicator.
ReplyDeleteThat is great! If so my interpretation is what Sunnet must have had in his mind.
DeleteS is not from is. It is from S as it is.
DeleteOr are you 'hit by the lake again'
Now you have me more confused!
DeleteA crust’s nearly back again.
DeleteIgnore the apostrophe and you have the source of the's'
That's what I meant that S is from is = 's, which is A crust is nearly back again.
DeleteWhat's this:
Delete'Or are you 'hit by the lake again''
I do not remember the exact phrase. But it is from PGW where this guy goes to the police station about being either robbed by or hit by the lake and there is a full two pages of amusement arising out of this.
DeleteKishore and other experts will be able to come up with the proper reference.
CV, S from 's, how fair is this? Somehow I don't think it's really convincing. Is this device used in British crosswords as well?
DeleteI have not come across this usage. But I do not see anything wrong even if it used for the first time. I think it is fair.
DeleteWell the problem I got is that the cryptic reading does not work.
DeleteIt could be read as "crusts" or "crust is." And in case it does not lead to "S."
'S', I think Ramesh has left the field for us to fight it over this 'S' ! He's nowhere to be seen :)
DeleteVJ
DeleteI have only explained it or explained it away.
The device, if my interpretation is correct, may not be considered fair.
It might be an unfinished clue.
At the same time, I might add that even in UK crosswords clues do sometimes fly in the face of conventions.
A crust’s nearly back again (4)
DeleteHere is how I visualized the parsing of this clue
A Crust = Defn
' = Word separator = the one that separates the defn from the wordplay
S = S
back again = back back
nearly back again = bac<-
19A's "Apostrophe" has turned into a real "Catastrophe" !!!
ReplyDeleteVJ @12:21 Serial Killer?
ReplyDeleteYes Ajeesh
DeleteGood guess Ajeesh !
Delete@Rita mam, did you miss my clues at 1023?
ReplyDeleteKishore
DeleteYour clue 'Criminal crocodile' was neat and concise.
Were you thinking of the croc that pulled the leg of some epical elephant?
;-)
DeleteI had another lnger version in mind:
DeleteCriminals living in Romulus Whitaker's bank near Mahabalipuram
RE CV 7:39 There is a hilarious looking cartoon of the croc pulling the elephant's trunk a al Kipling on the cover of this week's Economist. You can see it on the website of the Economist.
DeleteGreat that Sunnet could net in a lot of criminals in the gaol of today's crossword !! It is indeed very difficult to Lego-block the pangrams into a grid, which is very painstaking ! I'd not even imagine to do it ! Thanks , Sunnet and hats off to you for a smoothie crossie that flowed like a stream of clear water !
DeleteCV & Kishore: That Tamil song that was posted from the u-tube link do not conform strictly to ululation. It is more like an expression of surprise by the French "Ooh la la !! Strict ululation entails a rolling of the tongue over the upper teeth or palate continuously-- as is seen when Bengali women ululate during the aarti on Durga pooja day or by the Kenyan females who ululate doing their hip-jigs to regale the tourists in Kenya. Remember, Kishore ? In the Whitesands Hotel in Mombasa?
Marriage and Wedding: Isn't marriage more of a generic term used to imply unison of mind or combining one to another? Like a marriage of minds or marrying one para to another , while editing?
As for wedding. I was amused to see that poster for a Bengali Bedding posted by Richard very recently here. May be this word was an invention of Bengalis, to mean strictly what it is? Ahem , just a thought !
Yes, Raju, nice memories courtesy Sandy V and Igor, the sea-man.
DeleteBack to solving THC after nearly 2 weeks and cld not have picked a better day. Really nice, simple & elegant one from Sunnet.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteCorrection:
Strict ululation entails a rolling of the tongue over the upper teeth or palate continuously in STACCATO MODE !