Saturday 7 December 2013

No 10950, Saturday 07 Dec 2013, Incognito

Incognito dedicates this CW to all Indian Naval personnel. In India Navy Day is celebrated on 04 Dec every year as a commemorative of Operation TRIDENT.

ACROSS
6   Bruce Banner’s unseaworthy ship (4) HULK [DD]
8   Ship Shiva, for example (9) DESTROYER [DD]
10 Span across control deck (6) BRIDGE [DD]
11 Nervous person’s antic after loss of first letter containing money (8) NEUROTIC {aN{EURO}TIC}
12 Cable-winder’s catnaps at sea (7) CAPSTAN*
14 Members of the clergy were seen after heavy artillery pieces fired initial nitrogen… (6) CANONS CANnONS
16 …shells that can make you laugh or cry (4,3) TEAR GAS [CD]
18 Katari, perhaps, composed madrigal after girl went away (7) ADMIRAL MADRIgAL*
21 A returning knight captured the French king in a three-horse carriage (6) TROIKA {T{ROI}K<=}{A<=}
23 Top Gun’s sorties in groups of aircrafts (7) FLIGHTS [DD]
25 Naval bottling operation, like the one in Goa or Chittagong? (8) BLOCKADE [CD]
27 Harbour airman after relocation (6) MARINA*
29 Order, hesitantly, James Bond, for example (9) COMMANDER {COMMAND}{ER}
30 Efficiently, sailor loads yacht initially (4) ABLY {AB}{L}{Y}

DOWN
1   Kids run around and slide (4) SKID*
2   Arrival of five in a German hospital ward (6) ADVENT {A}{D}{V}{ENT}
3   Idiotic, but Archaeological Survey of India has just one less than ten under it (7) ASININE {ASI}{NINE}
4   Initially terrified, communist held a tailless cat and was defeated heavily (8) TROUNCED {T}{R{OUNCe}ED}
5 Sandwich made by machine without scope (4) GYRO GYROscope
7 Reticule, endlessly re-stiched into another sac (7) UTRICLE RETICULe*
9 Grin with some enthusiasm about rule (5) REIGN {GRIN+E}*
13 Rebuilt Paris for a Zoroastrian (5) PARSI*
15 Make horse-like sound by moving hinge (5) NEIGH*
17 Gelatinous substance got by Ottoman leader and king, not once but twice (4,4) AGAR AGAR {AGA}{R} {AGA}{R}
19 Magazine of Indian army occupying a primarily rebel land (7) ARSENAL {A}{R}{SENA}{L}
20 Cricket side finishes and causes resentment (7) OFFENDS {OFF}{ENDS}
22 Derelicts contain a part of a holy person’s body (5) RELIC [T]
24 Intern two men with you, reportedly, in anger (6) IMMURE {I{M}{M}{U}RE}
26 Military policeman is after accountant’s tent (4) CAMP {CA}{MP}
28 Raise the stern (4) REAR [DD]


47 comments:


  1. Incognito has heavily loaded the muzzle of the puzzle with military and sea power.

    6A - First thought of 'unworthy' junk but later changed to HULK.

    Got most of the answers at first look. Liked Shiva the DESTROYER, ADMIRAL, TROIKA, COMMANDER, ASININE, TROUNCED, NEIGH, PARSI, AGAR AGAR, ARSENA, and others. BLOCKADE brought to mind the memories of liberation of Goa and Bangladesh.

    Even in shorter answers - CAMP and ABLY - military and sailor have been fitted in.

    16A - Since there is mention of both laughter and cry, did the setter have Nitrous Oxide - the laughing gas - in mind? ;-)



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    Replies
    1. Thank heavens, you did not drop some more letters, Richard.

      Yes, of course, Nitrous Oxide, which I thought was used as tear gas too, is also laughing gas and is also used to put one under. In fact, it has an ocean of opportunities, if I may borrow the IN's catchphrase in the present recruitment ads.

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    2. We would have been all at sea, if the ocean of opportunities in setting the cluse were to be used...

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    3. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    4. K 8:43 - We would never know when your sense of humour could 28D its head...

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  2. Nice of you Incognito to launch into the Navy after last month's Air Force special. We have to remember & honour them at least once a year on their rightful day.
    Yes, I was also able to get quite a few on first glance which is unusual for me. Delayed delivery of the paper pushed me into it and no regrets.

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  3. Hurrah !!! First time I could solve the CW before 8:30 A.M. Quite an enjoyable puzzle. Thank you very much, Incognito :)

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  4. I don't use MS Paint as I am yet to come to grips with its use. Perhaps I need to take some lessons from the cartoonist.
    I use a doodle app on my iPad and there are some conversions of files that I have to do before I can frame and caption the pic and upload it - all of which I do on my PC.
    I am more comfortable with a keyboard and mousepad rather than touching and fingering, the latter operations being quite dangerous these days and I might have to face some allegations.

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    1. I use MS Paint along with the keyboard and the mouse. It has its limitations.

      Regarding your other comments of the present days, I always obtain consent from the lady involved, that too in writing !

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    2. You write to the lady (by email) and ask her for consent. She replies back positively. ;-)

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    3. One never discloses that ...

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    4. ...keeping your cards close to your chest !?

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    5. 15 men on a dead man's chest ...

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    6. “ "Fifteen men on the dead man's chest--
      ...Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!
      Drink and the devil had done for the rest--
      ...Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!"

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    7. In Treasure Island Stevenson only wrote the chorus, leaving the remainder of the song unwritten, and to the reader's imagination:

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    8. All said and done, the query raised by Paddy, Richard and myself remains unanswered.
      Kishore stays tight-lipped and the lady stays Incognito !

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    9. Rukh se zara naqaab uTha do, mere huzoor,
      jalwa fir ek baar dikha do, mere huzoor

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    10. Tera jalwa jisne dekha, woh TheDha ho gaya...

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    11. ...so beware of Kishore's JALWA, aur raho hamesha SEEDHA !!

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    12. I was referring to the jalwa of the hitherto-anonymous one, not Kishore's...

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    13. Theek hai ! Maine TheDha socha tha !!

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    14. I have requested my correspondent to see the above exchange of posts !

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  5. You may say "Don't disturb me"!

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  6. Special thanks to Deepak for the image of SFX, revered as Goemcho Saib. Incidentally, it reminded me of Naresh Fernandes's "Tomb Raider: Looking for St. Francis Xavier" which can be found at item no.11 at

    http://books.google.com.au/books?id=2fUS0OHs9R0C&pg=PR7&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=3#v=onepage&q&f=false

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  7. Samosa and coffee day, today, thanks Incognito!
    My salaams to the Indian Navy.

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  8. I have just returned from an errand today and would like to record an experience that I had in a public transport bus.
    I am used to hear snatches of conversation from people using their mobiles.
    In fact, I would like to write a story with bits of conversation from one side that you hear and filling in the other bits that you don't hear.
    Today I heard loud talk and turned back from my seat in a bus that was to become crowded in a stop or two and saw a very old man with his hand on his ear. He was obviously one from the working class such as carpenter, mason or some such and the conversation was about some money/payment/loan due.
    The conversation ceased and quiet fell inside the bus - only for it to resume soon.
    Curious and actually a bit annoyed by lack of decorum in bus, I turned and found the man who was seated several rows behind. He ended his talk and lowered his hand - when I noticed something that I had not until then.
    The man held no mobile in his hand. Obviously he was one who had some problem with his mental balance.
    I felt sorry for the man. At the same time I wondered how the behaviour of such people changed with the times - even in that state their ways are attuned to the times and the general scenario. .

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  9. I am not aware, how many, of You, remember. When i was a kid there used to be a cigarette brand called CAPSTAN.

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    Replies
    1. Although no one smoked at home, the brands including CAPSTAN were familiar during our childhood. Perhaps a year ago there was a discussion here about old brands of cigarettes.

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  10. Capstan & navy were known brands.

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  11. A salute to the Indian Navy!

    21A - Is 'returning' on double duty?

    Chaturvasi@12:27,
    As a regular user of public transport I have often come across such people in buses. Always men (so far) and almost always in their dotage.

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    Replies
    1. How about parsing it like this:
      A returning knight = KT<=TK
      Captured the French king in= ROI taken in TK= T(ROI)K
      a= A
      Def=three-horse carriage

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    2. There's that 'in' to contend with, but on the whole it's preferable to 'returning' somehow doing double duty.

      ("...captured [standing] on a three-horse carriage", perhaps? With 'captured' to mean take a photo of. :D)

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    3. That exactly was a choice I considered. The devil and the deep sea, in line with the nautical theme

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  12. @Kishore
    Thanks for an enjoyable xword ! :)

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  13. Replies
    1. Army Day beckons on 15th Jan

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  14. Late again, but really enjoyed today's crossword and theme. All really ship shape and Bristol fashion

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, DD. I was first introduced to hulks by PP (Philip Pirrip) in the Great Expectations. BTW, Bristol was another of those old cigarette brands, probably named for the home of Wills.

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