Wednesday, 22 January 2014

N0 10988, Wednesday 22 Jan 2014, xChequer


Another Pangram today.

ACROSS
1   Remains because foundation recalled retiring teacher (6) DEBRIS {DEB<=}{RIS<=}
4   Tension from borders primarily seen around India (8) EDGINESS {EDG{IN}ES}{S}
10 Financial unit to check any price that’s rigged (9) PECUNIARY {PEC{U}NIARY*} 'U' for unit?
11 Records withdrawal of attack (5) NOTES {NO}{TES}<=
12 Eggs broken into a big hand (7) OVATION {OVA}{INTO*}
13 Crazy in the head, matter needing investigation (7) NUTCASE {NUT}{CASE}
14 Then how can you lose weight in this area in London? (4) SOHO {SO}{HOw}
15 Those damaging reputations left with a bill sent for reparation (10) LIBELLANTS {L}{A+BILL+SENT}*
19 Uneasy peace after son stopped living outside (10) DISQUIETED {DI{S}{QUIET}ED}
20 Low variable returns rise sharply (4) ZOOM {Z}{OOM}<=
23 Delights wife with grants (7) WALLOWS {W}{ALLOWS}
26 Literal operating environment for hot tropical storm (7) TYPHOON {TYP(-e+h)H-O}{ON} (Addendum - {TYP{H}O}{ON} - See comments)
27 Backing, backing, backing latest country (5) INDIA {IN}{DIA<=}
28 After act of kindness regularly hit the pet (9) FAVOURITE {FAVOUR}{hIt}{ThE}
29 Very thin, sleek in a way, tall to an extent (8) SKELETAL {SLEEK*}{TALl}
30 Mercury and Earth, say two females in orbit? (6) HERMES {E+HER+MS}* (Addendum - {HER}{M{E}S} - See comments)

DOWN
1   Initially daring gambits securing ultimately favourable positions (7) DEPLOYS {D}{E}{PLOYS}
2   Support clear winners overcoming heart and spinal problems (9) BACKACHES {BACK}{AC{H}ES}
3   Isn’t it necessary to include title of respect for people in some Arctic regions? (6)  INNUIT Anno pending (Addendum - {INN{U}IT} - See comments)
5   Most prominent member out of twelve having a change of heart (5) DOYEN {DO(-z+y)YEN}
6   Naturally any inlet flows (8) INNATELY*
7   Complex trauma nursing not required (5) EXTRA [T]
8   Resists being a front for sorority members (7) SISTERS*
9   No date appears in canned juice, a recipe for disease (8) JAUNDICE {J{A}U{ND}ICE} (Addendum - {JAU{N}{D}ICE*} - See comments)
16 English court preventing engineering to be made optional subject (8) ELECTIVE {E}LE{CT}IVE Anno pending (Addendum - {E}{L{E}{CT}IVE} - See comments)
17 Old record is received by people coming back for new term (9) NEOLOGISM {NE{O}{LOG}{IS}M<=}
18  Use a machine, perhaps one of a pair to tail a car (8) AUTOMATE {AUTO}{MATE}
19 Diamonds and gold that’s included with primarily silver wedding gifts (7) DOWRIES {D}{O{W}R}{IE}{S}
21 Good behaviour: a point required in anyone’s wife (7) MANNERS {M{A}{NNE}RS}
22 Tidy tree (6) SPRUCE [DD]
24 Rim beyond end of continental shelf (5) LEDGE {L}{EDGE}
25 Furniture sent across Italy’s capital (5) SOFIA {SOF{I}A}

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39 comments:

  1. Kishore22 January 2014 at 08:37

    I peeked into the Col.’s draft ;-) He has done a wonderful job in solving this toughie, given the time constraint.

    26a Literal operating environment for hot tropical storm (7) TYP(H)O ON is how I took it

    3d Isn't it necessary to include title of respect for people in some Arctic regions? (6) U in INNIT
    Though I have forgotten how I got the U. Innit silly of me?

    16d English court preventing engineering to be made optional subject (8) ECT= English Court; inside E(Engineering)+LIVE(to be)


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Deepak Gopinath22 January 2014 at 08:51

      This is how I saw it

      Literal = TYPE-O
      operating = ON
      environment =E
      for = Replacement indicator
      hot = H
      tropical storm = {TYP(-e+h)H-O}{ON}

      Delete
    2. Deepak Gopinath22 January 2014 at 08:53

      3D - U = Upper class = title of respect ?

      Delete
    3. Kishore22 January 2014 at 08:56

      Wasn't too sure on the re-direct examination, as Perry Mason calls it.

      Delete
    4. Kishore22 January 2014 at 08:58

      I took it as
      Literal=typo
      operating=on
      environment for= container for
      hot=h

      so TYP(H)O ON

      Delete
    5. Deepak Gopinath22 January 2014 at 09:04

      I see it now

      Delete
  2. Kishore22 January 2014 at 09:12

    27 Backing, backing, backing latest country (5) INDIA {IN}{DIA<=}

    Loved this one. Backing used thrice. first as AID, second as rev. indicator and third as position indicator (after latest=IN)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Kishore22 January 2014 at 09:13

    Quite a few pangrams, even double and triple, turning up. If THC achieves a 100 pangrams, would it be a pan-hecta-gram? And later at 1000 a pankilogram

    ReplyDelete
  4. Padmanabhan22 January 2014 at 09:22

    It looks to be a dialogue between Col.& Kishore with the rest of us out in the cold (inuits?). Trying to understand - difficult even after seeing the blog!
    Anyway, the 'typo' is not only in 26A but also in 29A- it is (sleek)*

    ReplyDelete
  5. Venkatesh22 January 2014 at 09:24

    3D Is U the title of respect in Burmese names,e,g., U Thant, U Ko Ko?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Venkatesh22 January 2014 at 09:31

    "U" is an honorific in Burmese, roughly equal to "Mr".

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kishore22 January 2014 at 09:50

      U said it, U Venkatesh!

      Delete
    2. Col_Gopinath22 January 2014 at 10:30

      A burmese indicator would have helped, U xChequer

      Delete
    3. Kishore22 January 2014 at 10:41

      Yangon, Deepak. Should we now say Myanmarese?

      Delete
    4. Bhalchandra Pasupathy22 January 2014 at 11:34

      Perhaps you're right Col, though the surface would have suffered considerably. Anyway, didn't think too much about it, having been so used to seeing U Thant's name in the press when he was Sec Gen of the UN. Grim reminder of ageing

      Delete
  7. Padmanabhan22 January 2014 at 09:39

    From Burma to pacific (typhoon) to North Pole (inuit)- quite a world tour!
    NNE for a point? From 4 to 8 to 16? Subdivision of a division- we seem to be getting deeper into it.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Mukundala Balasubramanyam22 January 2014 at 10:00

    After a couple of days smooth ride, I bumped into a roadblock today ! Realized, "Everyday is not Sunday" and Bhala is a hard nut to crack :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Padmanabhan22 January 2014 at 10:03

    Next only to Neyartha (IMO)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Raghunath22 January 2014 at 10:50

    Some crosswords are tough, because of poor construction or defs, but this one from Ex has clues beautifully written with hardly a word out of place, as is his wont. I too am backing Kishore's comment on 27 A.

    Hesitating to write this, but could this one have been clued differently:
    14 Then how can you lose weight in this area in London? (4) SOHO {SO}{HOw}, as:

    14 Then, how to lose weight in this area in London? (4) SOHO {SO}{HOw}, or is removal of w from 'how' understood, despite 'you' not having 'w' in it?

    Chambers gives H as abbreviation for hearts (cards), used in BACKAC(H)ES, [not Iodex;)]. Is this OK? 'H' and 'U' for unit might be found in Chambers CW abbreviation list. It's not in the Dic.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Col_Gopinath22 January 2014 at 10:59

      H for hearts is available in Chambers whereas U for Unit is not. The other U in today's crossword is shown in Chambers as 'A Burmese title of respect'

      Delete
    2. Richard22 January 2014 at 10:59

      I have read somewhere that Soho was very well known for certain trade in the past. The idea of losing weight there brought a chuckle.

      Delete
    3. Nadathur Rajan22 January 2014 at 11:22

      Soho is now predominantly a fashionable district of upmarket restaurants and media offices, with only a few sex shops. The famous Radha-Krishna Temple of ISKCON is also located here.

      Delete
    4. Mukundala Balasubramanyam22 January 2014 at 11:31

      Richard, your comment forced me to visit WIKI and I learnt that it has very little "it" in it, now-a-days ! I mean 'it' in CW parlance ! :)

      Delete
    5. Bhalchandra Pasupathy22 January 2014 at 11:36

      Thanks Raghunath. Was not entirely happy with clueing for SOHO myself, had intended tweaking it, but it sort of got lost. 'Can you' was intended as instruction to solver, not part of the wordplay, but, but...I wish I had given this four letter word some more respect

      Delete
    6. Bhalchandra Pasupathy22 January 2014 at 11:38

      H for heart(s) is surprisingly not there in Chambers online, though we all know it is 'out there'

      U for unit I thought was pretty standard, I can find it in Collins and the Free Dictionary.

      Delete
    7. Shrikanth22 January 2014 at 13:02

      I always think that both Buzzer and Xchequer are tough to solve, some toil would get one there. Extremely fair wordplay hence can work out at the end.

      Delete
  11. Mukundala Balasubramanyam22 January 2014 at 11:37

    ...Back to normal business now !

    21D : Good behaviour: a point required in anyone’s wife (7) MANNERS {M{A}{NNE}RS}

    In the Anno : NNE for pl ?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Bhalchandra Pasupathy22 January 2014 at 11:41

    A couple of comments on the annos Col.

    30A: not an anagram (which would make it indirect as well). Meant to be HER+MS around E

    9D: on the other hand is an anagram partially, anno being ND inside (JUICEA)*

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Col_Gopinath22 January 2014 at 11:54

      I did think of that for 30A but since only one female was in orbit around Earth I showed it as an anagram

      For 9D I showed it the way I did as JUICE was appearing in the same sequence in the answer. Secondly what is the roll of 'recipe' in the clue?

      Delete
    2. Bhalchandra Pasupathy22 January 2014 at 12:08

      For 30A you have to take both the females together as one entity

      9D: yes, that's a bit unfortunate, however it doesn't parse if you don't take it as an anagram. 'Recipe' used as connector, meaning 'a set of instructions to get something'



      Delete
  13. VJ22 January 2014 at 12:34

    Thought "being a front" is a nice indicator. Unique

    ReplyDelete
  14. VJ22 January 2014 at 16:10

    21D: Wordplay and everything fine, but did anybody else think the clue's a little sexist?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Richard22 January 2014 at 16:18

      I too was about to say it. Will not be surprised if a few have quietly felt annoyed over it.

      Delete
    2. VJ22 January 2014 at 17:00

      Yep and another issue I had was with DOWRIES. I feel "wedding gifts" is too mild a definition for the word considering how badly the tradition is carried out in our country. And by definition and practice, it's a one-sided tradition of gifting which doesn't really deserve any positive or even neutral connotation.

      Delete
    3. Suresh22 January 2014 at 17:54

      Well Bombay was given as a dowry by the King of Portugal to Charles II of England. By those standards where do we stand? ))

      Delete
    4. Richard22 January 2014 at 22:03

      My post at 4:18 pm in resp to VJ's - No offence intended to the setter there. I only wished that the clue could have been worded differently.

      Maybe my post could also have been differently put. ;-)

      Delete

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