Afterdark, without using many obscure words, has done a great job giving us an entertaining pangram ...
("Ho Hum !", you say, "We've seen quite a few pangrams in the past". But wait, read further)
ACROSS
DOWN
("Ho Hum !", you say, "We've seen quite a few pangrams in the past". But wait, read further)
ACROSS
1 Amusing girl not disheartened by friend basically (13) FUNDAMENTALLY (FUN DAME NoT ALLY)
10 Variable income due is capable of producing happiness (9) EUDEMONIC (INCOME DUE)*
When you demonic, how I happy ?
When you demonic, how I happy ?
11, 16 ac. A subtly tailed British tribe (5) BANTU (B AUNT*)
The person entering this at TH seems to have added the comma after 11 and the 'ac.'after 16 making it look like
a clue that runs into two words, instead of '16A' reference which the setter probably intended to be a part of the
clue. Luckily, the enu has been correctly retained.
a clue that runs into two words, instead of '16A' reference which the setter probably intended to be a part of the
clue. Luckily, the enu has been correctly retained.
12 Rent the barn king housed in (5) SHRED (R housed in SHED)
13 Foreign office to come back on General who is carefree (9) FOOTLOOSE (FO TO< LOOSE)
14 Hunting cry made sick boy lose his head (6) YOICKS (SICK bOY)*
This along with the foxes in 24d reminded me of Aunt Dahlia and her cries of Yoicks and Tally Ho! which
are reportedly audible in the adjoining counties !
This along with the foxes in 24d reminded me of Aunt Dahlia and her cries of Yoicks and Tally Ho! which
are reportedly audible in the adjoining counties !
16 Adamant uncle not teaming initially with his wife (4) AUNT (A U N T)
19 Unknown environs of artist filled with radiation (1-3) X RAY (RA in the environs of X and Y)
20 Endure loss of a castrated sheep (6) WETHER (WEaTHER)
"Loss" of the shepherd, not of the sheep who has been subjected to the knife ...
"Loss" of the shepherd, not of the sheep who has been subjected to the knife ...
25 Playing instrument’s note is sacred (9) INVIOLATE (IN VIOLA TE)
Playing is 'on'. Is 'in' okay?
26 Returned currency after President spelt danger (5) PERIL (LIRE< after P)
27 Author organised orgy for king to participate (5) GORKY (K in ORGY*)
28 Can be counted even without direction? (9) NUMERABLE (eNUMERABLE)
29 Choice one’s mom makes of a branch of study (4,9) HOME ECONOMICS (CHOICE ONES MOM)* &LIT
DOWN
2 Quoted lower for idli half burned by mistake (8) UNDERBID (IDli BURNED)*
3 Hemispherical shape is condemned without a hole (5) DOMED (DOoMED)
4 Decrease thirty seconds provided to last boy (6) MINIFY (MINute (30 s =half a minute) IF boY)
5 Saint from Northern Ireland meets royal dynasty (8) NICHOLAS (N I CHOLAS)
Ho, Ho, Ho !
6 One of the vehicles people don’t want to travel in? (9) AMBULANCE (CD)
Hearse does not count as the person is blissfully unaware of the journey
7 Learning one song made of dialects (6) LINGOS (L 1 SONG*)
8 Sports uniform of American state not new (6) JERSEY (new JERSEY)
9 Strange that king joined his wife by killing the knight (5) QUEER (QUEEN-N+R)
15 Chromosome profile mutated a perky toy (9) KARYOTYPE (A PERKY TOY)*
New word for me
New word for me
17 Uprooting tree at tricentenary bash is high-handed (8) TYRANNIC (trICeNTeNARY)*
18 Adorable guerrilla gets massage? I see! (8) CHERUBIC (CHE RUB I C)
Che has become adorable to the masses who wear his face on their T-shirts ignorant of whose face it is
Che has become adorable to the masses who wear his face on their T-shirts ignorant of whose face it is
21 Willingly going behind engineer provides comfort (6) RELIEF (LIEF behind RE)
22 Gin cocktail consumed by the core of enzyme is stimulating (5) ZINGY (GIN* consumed by enZYme)
23 Stretch a point about road movie being aimless (6) OVERDO (ROAD MOVIE-AIM)*
Funny that folks hunt foxes, not for foxes per se, but to avoid them taking other game
26 Indian bread maiden makes for Jewish celebration (5) PURIM (PURI M)
... using all the letters of the alphabet at the beginning of the lights in this puzzle !
Great job Shrikanth
ReplyDelete+1 :)
DeleteThank you very much Colonel & Sandhya
DeleteEntries invited for the Sunday Special series. Anymore aspiring setters floating around?
ReplyDeleteIt's certainly a different pangram as Kishore said. Good show AD.
ReplyDeleteIs the Queen here two-timing? [-:)]
9 Strange that king joined his wife by killing the knight (5) QUEER (QUEEN-N+R)
Maybe the Aunt is the Queen :P
Delete9AA & 16 A, showing signs of marital discord?
ReplyDeleteThe online edition of TH which has been skipping the numbering of crosswords for quite some time now has also missed out the setter's name today
ReplyDeleteMy observation is that when they put up the CWD at one time in the night, they use XXXX in the title. Sometime the next morning, the XXXX is altered to the exact number.
DeleteHowever, the improper placement of the grid in the text box is sometimes corrected, sometimes not.
The number has been put in as of now, but not the setter's name.
DeleteI am quite familiar with pangrams in crosswords (I myself have some to my credit) but, frankly, till now I have not become aware of any such device where each letter is at the beginning of an ac/dn clue.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if this unprecedented in crosswords generally but it must be so at least in THC.
Let's give credit to the setter as well as the blogger who discovered it.
Very nicely done Afterdark.
DeleteWhat the setter created here is essentially an alphabet jigsaw where he pre-empted the need for solvers to do the fitting part. It is not uncommon to have multiple clues for the same alphabet in an AJ puzzle.
If I have to nitpick, the see! in 18D might need a homophone indicator.
XWD has
Deletesee - C
C - see
I don't use it myself (if I have, it must be a rare exception) but I have seen it used in UK advanced cryptics. How this becomes applicable, I don't know. I have to find out.
CV ji has left enough head room to wriggle out, but my CW published on Feb 5th had all the letters of the alphabet as first letters too. Not sure if that was the first for THC either.
DeleteI too did not want to point that out in a well compiled puzzle. Having done so, I have a query on L for learning in 7D. Is it in Chambers XWD dic.?
DeleteCV has answered the C part.
DeleteChambers has the following entry
DeleteSee n the third letter of the alphabet (C,c)
That should settle it.
Ramesh, I don't know how all of us missed it. I checked the archives and you have mentioned about this specialty and Colonel has replied to it too.
DeleteIt is good to know that I am in nice company :)
After Sun(net) comes dark !
DeleteHope The (After)Dark Knight Returns again !!
DeleteThanks CV Sir & Bhavan
DeleteNice one AD. Keep them coming
ReplyDeleteThanks Ramesh
Delete25A : Anno : (IN VIOLA TE)* Is "TE" a musical note ? WIKI mentions Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-La-Ti(or Si).
ReplyDeleteBoth Te & Ti are allowed.
Deletehttp://www.thefreedictionary.com/Te
Thanks, Ramesh.
DeleteL for learning is not in XWD.
ReplyDeleteNor can I think immediately of an abbr. where L would expand to Learning. Can you?
CV Sir, it is the same pitfall you have warned against. L for learning is in Beresford's list.
DeleteOne minute. Beresford is a UK crossword setter and also the developer of Sympathy crossword construction software. The list that he originally made and probably included in his sw might be reliable. Even here, some of the abbrs. are marked 'UK advanced'. So be it - but one would like to know how those abbrs. became acceptable.
DeleteAs I said before, the Internet list becomes unreliable because it was augmented by we don't know who.It is called Mark's list, if I remember. Who this Mark is, I don't know.
Beresford's list clearly mentions an asterisk or a cross mark on certain abbreviations suggesting that they are either unsound or used only in advanced cryptics. His list can be accessed in this link ...
Deletehttps://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/rec.puzzles.crosswords/Jw7Gfr4V43g/iuG7SujC3QkJ
Mark's list is accessible at https://github.com/mhl/cryptic-crossword-indicators-and-abbreviations/ .. But this has modifications from the original as you suggested.
No offense, but I feel setters should be very selective when it comes to employing abbreviations. Just 'cause something is shown in a list, it doesn't mean he/ she has the license to use it freely. Setters got to study the validity of any abbreviation carefully before using it in their puzzle. Uncommon abbreviations that are used only in cryptic crosswords should be avoided IMO.
DeleteAbove being said, some abbreviations commonly used by THC setters give me a headache. Like M, C, D or whatever for "many," T for "model," AB for "sailor," R for
"King," ER for "queen," RE for "Royal Engineers" etc. There are many more, but these are the ones I could think of at this moment.
VJ,
DeleteIf you get a headache take an E -:) But why should you get one? Every abbr (I'd use only those found in crosswordunclued.com & Chambers) used should fit in with the context of the clue and seem plausible- that goes w/o saying. Some of the ones which you have written have been used in crosswords in India and abroad for ages, so what's the grouse?
Haha, that's another one I'm not a big fan of, i.e. E for "drug." Tooooooo vague IMO.
DeleteWell as I see it, some of these abbreviations are used only in the crossword world. Outside it, these word associations would be considered pretty obscure. A solver should be able to relate to an abbreviated form of a word from his daily experiences and not from some long crossword-specific list. This being said, I got no problems with the ones like N,S,W,E for directions, Kg, lbs for measures, eg for example, 108 elements of the periodic table etc.
And some of the abbreviations that I'd listed in my previous comment may be common in the UK - prolly derived from their local usage. But that's no reason to use 'em in an Indian daily.
My least favorite ones are T (for model) and some random roman numerals for "many." Too far-fetched in my opinion.
So VJ you don't want setters to use trite ones and also not new ones that are from the list. I wonder what wiggle room that leaves in terms of selecting an abbreviation that not only accurately matches the letter(s) while both being easy to guess and fitting into the surface. May be some examples of abbreviations and how you would like them used in a clue might help us.
DeleteVJ,
Delete108 elements of the Periodic Table may be acceptable to you but not to an Arts student.
Bhavan, common abbreviations aren't hard to find. I've shown examples of what I feel is fair and what is not. Well, personally, I would prefer universally accepted objective abbreviations that are not too obscure with limited usage. While N for North or H for Hydrogen is straightforward, T for model is not. And RE for soldiers is something I'm not able to appreciate. Prolly British soldiers for RE or English Artists for RA is somewhat more acceptable than just "Soldiers" or "Artists." This is considering that the clues are appearing in an Indian daily.
DeleteDeepak, a setter may not be a able to write clues using all 108 elements in the periodic table. To come up with a meaningful surface, chances are that, only a few commonly used elements are likely to be used - like O for Oxygen, Cl for Chlorine, H for Hydrogen or I for Iodine etc. These are fine IMO.
25 Playing instrument’s note is sacred (9) INVIOLATE (IN VIOLA TE)Playing is 'on'. Is 'in' okay?
ReplyDeleteIs AD (being a cricket buff) referring to the cricket term of ‘in’. That’s usually used for batting.
In for playing has been used before
DeleteRaghu, you are right in your guess. I had the same thought when I used it. And also , as Colonel has pointed out , I have seen it being used.
DeleteAnd in general, despite CV Sir's warning about the Internet list which has some indiscriminate additions later, I continue to use Ross Beresford's list (which was downloaded and saved earlier)primarily because I am unable to lay my hands on the Chambers XWD dictionary. As late as 2 weeks back, both Infibeam & Bookstock accepted my order, debited by account to ship the book and later sent a mail saying it is out of print. And I am still awaiting the refund.
"In" for "Playing", accepted locally or internationally ? :)
DeleteOT (but about words, literature, learning, memories, etc) With due apologies to non-Tamil knowing readers.
ReplyDeleteYesterday VJ wondered how the Tamil word 'sandraanmai' (சான்றாண்மை), the title of a chapter in Tirukkural, could be translated in English.
Well, I thought about it. I don't think there is any one-word substitute.
'Sandru' is a Tamil word that has the meanings of proof, evidence; testimony; example. 'Saandror' are those who are noble and excel in noble acts.
'Aanmai' I don't take in the sense of manliness but rather another word 'aalumai' (dominance).
So I interpret 'saandaanmai' as 'dominance of nobility'. Virtuous living.
Thanks CV, for your nice explanation.
DeleteThirukkural is really fascinating and truly ageless. The most interesting feature is that it covers almost every facet of metaphysical subjects and how one person could gather his thoughts on so many different moral aspects and put 'em in words so succinctly, is something unbelievable.
Nice one, Shrikanth! :) Looking forward to more such from you.
ReplyDeleteThanks 'The Battosai'
DeleteOne more feedback I want is on the uncertainty I had on 13A. General is used for 'loose'. Was capitalizing G correct?
ReplyDeleteFalse capitalisation is acceptable. 'general' meaning 'loose' does not required to be capitalised. But it is in your clue, because you want us to think of an army officer. That's ok by conventions..
DeleteIf a word legitimately requires to be capitalised and if it is not in the text of a clue, that is not acceptable.
Thanks CV Sir :)
DeleteGreat crossword
ReplyDeleteThanks Suresh
DeleteReg 11A , I received a mail asking clarification on the clue on Saturday. Whether it starts with 16A which I confirmed and explained why. Still a mistake has crept in.
ReplyDelete:-)
ReplyDeleteThank you Afterdark ...
I have Yogi Suddhananda Bharathi's translation of Thirukkural.
ReplyDeleteHe has translated Sandraanmai as
sublimity.
Before I can express any opinion about this, I must read all the kurals in the relevant chapter.
DeleteBhargav,
DeleteI have since read the ten kurals. In my opinion, 'sublimity' doesn't correctly or exactly convey the import of that chapter.
I quite agree with Mr.VJ @3.44. Even I find obscure and unknown abbreviations not generally used really irksome. I feel as if the setters are creating a separate 'language' for crossword and unless you know that language you will not be able to solve the crossword. I feel learning the list of abbreviations used in crosswords and then trying to solve it somewhat takes away the joy of doing it on one's own. I mean, its no big deal. It kinda feels mechanical, clinical.
ReplyDeleteYou have really 'Hit the Nail on the Head' !!!
DeleteWhile broadly agreeing with the statement above, I would ask: how do we determine which abbrs. are acceptable and which not?
DeleteTake RE, RA mentioned above.
They are in Chambers.
Why then should they be not accepted?
BARC (a random choice of mine) may not be in Chambers, but is well-known to any reader of Indian newspapers. Why then such abbrs. should not be accepted?
In clue-writing words are broken up into components and in dealing with them the resort to abbrs. becomes necesary.
That said, I agree way-out abbrs. may be avoided. But there might be differences of opinion in labelling abbrs.
LEARNER is commonly used in clues to denote L (?L board that learners use in driving). But, LEARNING for L may be stretching it a bit.
ReplyDeleteA tricky and challenging puzzle. Could somehow managed to get pass marks. Liked 1Ac. A clue with four Charade Components ! Superb !!
ReplyDeleteKishore,
ReplyDeleteFirst, it was the Tigers
Then, Winged Arrows, Cobras and Oorials
Recently, it was Veiled Vipers
And, today, the biggest - the Skylords.
Wonder what they will think of next!
I have been inside one of those at Dover AFB, DE, AMC !
DeleteI shall try to upload pictures, of the USAF data sheet from my collection, in today's blog for your reading pleasure. I shall, however, delete it after 2 days as I am using the blog space for extra-curricular activities
DeleteDeepak, please excuse me for using this easy way ;-)
Delete... for you are an aircraft enthusiast too and will gladly turn a glad eye !
Delete@NR, regarding your question: Airavat is already taken by the army and the navy ...
DeleteSorry, one of the pics could not be turned round. Do not be distracted by my bedsheet in the background (a keepsake from Kenya) !
DeleteReally nice one AD. Enjoyed solving it.
ReplyDeleteThanks VP
DeleteThe Hindu Crossword compilers are a unique lot and their talent is extra ordinary !! They should not fall into a rut or get typecast or templated. As of now, it is quite difficult from each day's crossie to identify who's who ! If they introduce new abbreviations, words or phrases, so be it and one can take note of the same after parsing. No need to wail and whimper !! Each compiler must use the mystique of his talent to beguile the solver in a new way each day !!
ReplyDeleteCouldn't solve today's crossie because Orkut failed to load ! All the same, after seeing the clues and the answers , looks like Afterdark has done what exactly I have desired above ! Good work, AfterDark-- blindfold us and take us into the Dark and let's grope !!
Thanks Raju
Delete