Wednesday 6 November 2013

No 10923, Wednesday 06 Nov 2013, Vulcan


ACROSS
1   Assured of success, millions invested in new TV show (3,3) MAD MEN {MAD {M}E}{N}
4   Kill; kill for work (6) OFFICE {OFF}{ICE}
10 Average also included in X (2-3-2) SO-AND-SO {SO-{AND-}SO}
11 Avid one with knowledge team’s taken in (7) ANXIOUS {A}{N{XI}OUS}
12 Not that they are a bunch of losers (7-2) RUNNERS-UP [CD]
13 Starting to observe change in part of a flower (5) OVARY {O}{VARY}
14 Company saw potential in NYC (2,6) AD AGENCY {AD AGE}{NYC*}
17 Calls for massages, say (5) NEEDS (~kneads)
19 Cover head of department’s shameful act (5) DRAPE {D}{RAPE}
21 Name of corrupt minister — 3rd richest (8) CHRISTEN {miNister+RICHEST}*
24 Acquire large gain (5) LEARN {L}{EARN}
25 Official: Four drown in English river — dodgy (9) EXECUTIVE {EX{E}{CUT}{IV}E} Anno not clear
28 Look over an Indian electronics company, as told (7) EYEBALL (~iball)
29 Creature is alone at sea (3,4) SEA LION*
30 Returns and surrenders (6) YIELDS [DD]
31 In the middle of a poorly lit back street (6) AMIDST {A}{MID<=}{ST}

DOWN
1   Rome, say, not a bad city (6) MYSORE {ROME+SaY}*
2   Being exhausted, daughter showered (7) DRAINED {D}{RAINED}
3   Invest in a university in dire need (5) ENDUE {END{U}E*}
5   A Native American torments animals (9) FOXHOUNDS {FOX}{HOUNDS}
6   Exclude one awfully behind time (7) ISOLATE {1}{SO LATE}
7   Show is hosted by established writer (8) ESSAYIST {ES{SAY}{IS}T}
8   Growth of the Israeli institute gets no notice (4) MOSS MOSSad
9   Ideal worker’s income through extra work (8) TAXPAYER {TAX{PAY}ER}
15 Island’s eco-friendly region (9) GREENLAND {GREEN}{LAND}
16 Oil uncle used for proteins (8) NUCLEOLI*
18 Affair is true; lady is involved (8) ADULTERY*
20 A church renovated — made into a school (7) ACADEME {A}{C{MADE*}E}
22 As instructed, she eventually opposed — got him essentially locked in for abuse finally — for once! (7) EDIFIED {shE}{D(-e+i)IFIED}
23 Insignificant plant (6) PEANUT [DD]
26 First off, stop and relax (4) EASE cEASE
27 They want peace — might get rid of weapons (5) UNARM {UN}{ARM}

28 comments:

  1. 25 Official: Four drown in English river — dodgy (9) EXECUTIVE {EX{E}{CUT}{IV}E} Anno not clear
    {EXE}{CUT(IV)E}
    IV (four) in EXE (English river) CUTE (dodgy)
    Defn: Official - EXECUTIVE

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. But four has not gone into the English river!!

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    2. Actually four drowned in English river - dodgy. So maybe it looks fine after all

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  2. Shrikanth -

    I read the write-up in the NIE supplement this morning on you and your new book on MGR. Congrats. Gald to know that you have some more in the pipeline. Best wishes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you very much CV Sir :) All your blessings ... Let me post the link here for the rest to have a look too.

      http://newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/Revisiting-a-phenomenon/2013/11/06/article1874116.ece

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    2. Congrats, Shri. Went through the write-up. The THCC bloggers should be proud of you. More power to your pen. (Or mouse or keyboard?)

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    3. Congrats, Shrikanth Veeravalli ! Went through the link you gave. Yes, we are really proud of you. Keep up the good work and wishing you all the success in your future works.

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    4. Congrats, Shriknath! All the best for the book.

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  3. A little tough today. Some good ones mixed with some devious ones. Needed help from the blog.
    Maybe I am wrong, but I feel that there should be some indication when a slang is intended- for e.g. ice for kill in 4A.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Depends on the difficulty level you want. It is fair without the indicator. Could get the answer only from the crossings followed by dictionary confirmation.

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  4. Very tough for me
    Col,
    * missing in 9 D

    ReplyDelete
  5. Missing Kishore's cartoon today.
    As he had covered Eyeball recently (Oct 25; clue: One may face the other in confrontation), I had thought that he may pick on EXECUTIVE or TAXPAYER.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I left home at 645 am and am yet to sove this puzzle, leave alone draw.

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  6. Today's from VULCAN had me flummoxed and had to use the computerized version of the vulcanized rubber many times as the clues were obscure and convoluted.

    EG: OFF-ICE, ESSAYIST, EDIFIED and CHRISTEN (where I put in CHRISTIE !!

    Clue of my day: AD AGENCY.

    However, ADULTERY is indeed tricky as it involves necessarily a LADY !! Unadulterated joy in
    ADULTERY ?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Not an easy puzzle.

    23 Insignificant plant (6) PEANUT [DD]. I think insignificant is 'peanuts' and not just peanut. Would the clue work if one takes it as a CD?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Congrats Shrikanth. Keep up the good work.

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  9. Peanut, when used as adjective (in slang), has the meaning of 'having little or no importance; insignificant' as in peanut politicians. So, DD is OK.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Going by that line of thinking it should be a CD as you are describing a small plant. Don't see how it's a DD.

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  10. Whether all the recent upheavals at the Hindu are good or bad remains open to debate, but the reversion to its earlier design today has resulted in a CW that is easier on the eye. Not that today's CW was easy, far from it!

    ReplyDelete
  11. We are proud to count among our bloggers authors who have written popular biographies of Rajanikanth and MGR. We are very happy to hear from Shrikanth of his plan to pen a book on Madurai, the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world.

    It is mentioned that it was an independent Sultanate for 80 years. However, history records that Ma'bar Sultanate, also called Madurai Sultanate, had a very short span of around 43 years only. Proclaimed in 1335, the sultanate went into a decline from 1344 to 1357, had a brief revival during 1357-78; and ended in 1378 when the last sultan, Ala-ud-Din Sikandar Shah fell in battle. This victorious invasion by Kumara Kampanna Udaiyar has been chronicled by his wife Gangadevi in the Sanskrit epic 'Madhura Vijayam'. The rulers of Madurai Sultanate proved to be tyrants and persecutors of Hindus.

    The most authentic reporting has been done by NA Nilakanta Sastry in his book 'A history of South India' which has been profusely quoted by Sandilyan in his historical novels.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rajan , you are right. It is from 1335 to 1378 . Krishnasami Ayyangar's 'South India & her Mohammaden Invaders' is another good source. Also Sri Venugopalan's (better known as Pushpa Thangadurai) Thiruvarangan Ula part 2 is based on Madura Vijayam.

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    2. I am looking forward to your book on Madurai. I was born in 1937 in Madurai in Goods Shed Street within the area enclosed by four Veli Veethis. I did my early schooling till 1949 there. Please let me know as soon as you publish your book. I would like to buy a copy. My email ID is maradnusro@yahoo.com.

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    3. @Shrikanth One more person from Madurai ! :)

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