Wednesday 8 January 2014

No 10977, Wednesday 08 Jan 2014, Arden

Arden has been unusually tough for me in this round. Stumped by 24A and 25D.

Across
1   Following a trend to some extent (5,1,7) AFTER A FASHION {AFTER} {A}{ FASHION}
10 Individual, underweight and getting depleted (5) OZONE {OZ}{ONE} Is this definition sufficient?
11 Group gets direction and space for a manufacturing facility (5,4) CLEAN ROOM {CL{E}AN} {ROOM}
12 Aunty’s car otherwise is safe (9) SANCTUARY*
13 Long time before autumn ends (5) YEARN {YEAR}{N}
14 One embarrassed after the girl got fleeced (7) SHEARED {SHE}{A}{RED}
16 There’s storm below central parts of Argentina. Get on board (7) ENTRAIN {argENTina}{RAIN}
18 Bird’s choice to land shortly (7) ORTOLAN {OR}{TO}{LANd}
20 Leave is doubtful, a note to jack (7) ELEVATE {LEAVE*}{TE}
22 Sing for the girl (5) CAROL [DD]
24 Huge turnover registered at a stone table on the rock (9) GUARANTOR ?? (Addendum - GIBRALTAR {GIB<=}{R}{ALTAR} - See comments)
26 In a camera originally there were things which belonged to U.S. (9) AMERICANA*
27 One encountered on the way back bearing things (5) ITEMS {1}{TEM<=}{S}
28 Containers not moving because of freight, reportedly (13) CONSTERNATION* (~fright)

DOWN
2   Furbelow an extremely fearful beast (7) FLOUNCE {FearfuL}{OUNCE}
3   Pick what is said about the polls (9) ELECTORAL {ELECT}{ORAL}
4   Capital work unfinished — raising the quadrant (5) ACCRA {ACt}{CRA<=}
5   One with envy let off, not 5 but something like 10 (9) ACETYLENE {ACE}{ENvY+LET}*
6   What wife calls husband one year later (5) HONEY {H}{ONE}{Y}Husband on double duty :-)
7   The data no doubt covers a rising insect population (7) ODONATA [T<=]
8   It is found on shores, beach or at sea? At sea (9,4) HORSESHOE CRAB* &lit Why 'At sea" again?
9   Highland legend on revolt by a kingmaker (8,5) EMINENCE GRISE {EMINENCE} {leG}{RISE}I would never have got this but for the cartoon sent by Kishore
15 After study, one will fret and put down (9) DENIGRATE {DEN}{1}{GRATE}
17 Health worker does time for robbery, accepting blame (9) THERAPIST {T}{HE{RAP}IST}
19 Fuss about starting regular exercise will do lot of damage (7) TORPEDO {TO{R}{PE}DO}
21 Trade interfered with business style and design (3,4) ART DECO {ART DE*}{CO}
23 Homes playing Latin music (5) LAIRS {L}{AIRS} Playing had me confused till all the crossings came in!
25 Strength partly recouped as Trojan War began (5) A?A?N (Addendum - BRAWN [T<=] - See comments)

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63 comments:

  1. Kishore8 January 2014 at 08:30

    24 Huge turnover registered at a stone table on the rock (9) GIB< R ALTAR Usually called “The Rock” but not capitalized here. OK, I think since it is a rock anyway.
    25 Strength partly recouped as Trojan War began (5) BRAWN T<

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kishore8 January 2014 at 08:31

    24a reminded me of Morse flash exchanges on a stormy night:
    Ship: Identify yourself
    Reply: Go away. You are too close.
    Ship: This is Admiral YYY on the flag ship HMS XXX. You go away
    Reply: This is Leading Seaman ZZZ on the rock of Gibraltar. You have to go away, Sir!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Kishore8 January 2014 at 08:31

    8 It is found on shores, beach or at sea? At sea (9,4) HORSESHOE CRAB* &lit Why 'At sea" again?

    Maybe it is the answer to the question, that they are primarily found at sea. This will eliminate the question raised and make the defn: It is found at sea

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nadathur Rajan8 January 2014 at 17:15

      The first 'at sea' is Anagram Indicator; the fodder being 'shores beach or'.

      This is a typical Indian way of asking questions - first making a statement 'It is...' and then putting an interrogation mark at the end. This is common in conversations also. Normally, it should be worded 'Is it...?'
      Alternately, the clue could be worded as
      This arthropod is found on shores, beach or at sea.

      Horseshoe crabs are among the world's oldest creatures (300 million years old)!

      Delete
  4. Kishore8 January 2014 at 08:32


    6 What wife calls husband one year later (5) HONEY {H}{ONE}{Y}Husband on double duty :-)
    Wives call husbands many other things endearingly and otherwise … An invitation to friends to share their thoughts on this. For ex: In North India, “Kehte ho!?” (not “Khote ho!” in Punjabi). Also, what men call their wives, like “Kamala ki ma”

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Deepak Gopinath8 January 2014 at 08:35

      I thought it was 'Sunthe ho' not 'Kehte ho'

      Delete
    2. Kishore8 January 2014 at 08:36

      Adding some I recall:
      Kannada: Yen reee
      Tamil: Yenango
      Konkani: Kasala manTa
      Hindi: Sunte ho

      Delete
    3. Kishore8 January 2014 at 08:37

      DG, you are right. Belated realisation made me post again!

      Delete
    4. Kishore8 January 2014 at 08:39

      As compared to the other languages quoted above, where the meaning is "What, say?", in Hindi, it is "Do you hear?" as if she is telling (him off)

      Delete
    5. Deepak Gopinath8 January 2014 at 08:42

      In Malayalam also there is a word for husband which would loosely translate to "listen" I think Ajeesh will be able to spell out the word.

      Otherwise almost all malayalee wives add the worn 'Ettan' (which means elder brother!!) to their husbands name while addressing him.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous8 January 2014 at 08:46

      An overbearing wife may say "Kuttettan" -like the Mamooty movie I saw ages back. I still remember it had a cute red jeep.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous8 January 2014 at 08:56

      The Konkani one may get morphed to Kasa manTa, Kasane manTa and Kit ManTa.

      Delete
    8. Richard8 January 2014 at 09:08

      DG 8:42 I always have been wanting to get this clarified from Malalali friends. 'Etta' or 'CheTa' is obviously a corruption of 'jyeshTha', Sanskrit for senior. I have observed that people senior in age or rank are addressed as 'Chandra-eTa' or 'Raju-eTa'. But among certain sects of Malayalis, the wives address husbands as 'CheTa'. Can someone explain this? Just curious to know.

      Delete
    9. Richard8 January 2014 at 09:10

      8:56 Kishore

      What about 'Kassal Vo' and 'Aikal Vo'?

      Delete
    10. Deepak Gopinath8 January 2014 at 09:14

      Richard @ 9:08

      I am a Non-resident Malayali, awaiting for response from Ajeesh

      Delete
    11. Richard8 January 2014 at 09:20

      Ok, over to Ajeesh-eTa... Ningal evviDe inDengilyoo, ippo...

      Delete
    12. Anonymous8 January 2014 at 09:21

      Right, Richard. For a comparatively small languages, our wives call us so many things

      Delete
    13. Richard8 January 2014 at 09:24

      You are telling me...

      Delete
    14. Richard8 January 2014 at 09:31

      K 8:36, I think, in Kannada, in upcountry Karnatakain particular, Ree and 'Enoondre' are more prevalent.

      Delete
    15. Richard8 January 2014 at 09:39

      Could the word DG referred to in para 1 @ 8:42 be keTTo?

      Delete
    16. Suresh8 January 2014 at 09:42

      Like this gent on his 60th wedding anniversary calling his wife 'Honey'. When asked about his enduring love after so many years he replied in a murmur "Actually, I forgot her name about 10 years age and am afraid to ask her"

      Delete
    17. Richard8 January 2014 at 09:44

      When wives say, 'Do you hear?', obviously the implied meaning is You'd better listen (or else....)

      Delete
    18. Richard8 January 2014 at 09:48

      Suresh 9:42 - That's my favourite anecdote.

      I am reminded of another. A small boy arrives at a shop run by a couple. He cannot recollect what his mom had asked him to bring.

      The shopkeeper asks the missus, 'Honey, can you help him in recalling what he wants?' Immediately the boy screams, 'That's it. Give me a kilo of her!'

      Delete
    19. VMA Nair8 January 2014 at 10:44

      Bachelor here:-D
      Dhe, (ketto)
      Dhe (ingottonnu nokkiye)
      Dhe for his attention

      Delete
    20. Anonymous8 January 2014 at 11:23

      Bachelor-mon, you are yet to learn of other things!

      Delete
    21. VMA Nair8 January 2014 at 21:01

      Watto Mon ? (ENTHA MONE)

      Delete
  5. Anonymous8 January 2014 at 08:41

    Slightly touched up cartoon forwarded, Deepak.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous8 January 2014 at 08:51

      Thanks, Deepak. But I have to repeat the previous message of 841

      Delete
    2. Deepak Gopinath8 January 2014 at 08:51

      Done now

      Delete
    3. Anonymous8 January 2014 at 08:52

      I had missed to colour the sideburns! If only one side, would I be correct in calling it a sideburn?

      Delete
    4. Anonymous8 January 2014 at 08:53

      Thanks, again.

      Delete
  6. Unknown8 January 2014 at 08:47

    5D One with envy let off, not 5 but something like 10 (9) ACETYLENE?plz explain

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Deepak Gopinath8 January 2014 at 08:49

      10 is Ozone which is a gas. So something like 10 would be another gas, which is Acetylene

      Delete
    2. Richard8 January 2014 at 09:22

      OZ-ONE reminded me of the one from Oz whose buzz is being sorely missed here...;-)

      Delete
    3. Anonymous8 January 2014 at 09:35

      The buzzy bee is busy, i understand. Reminded me of Behram Contractor

      Delete
  7. raju umamaheswar8 January 2014 at 10:30

    Logging in from Ganga Hospital where wifey dear has been admitted for a knee replacement surgery. One knee done ; the other one for next Wednesday. She's out in the post-surgery ward now.We stay blessed.

    Have been busy running around., these ;last few days.

    . On wives calling out for their husbands, I can only recall comedian Agha calling out "" Bhagyawaan ! and eijee Sunte ho? in the good old Hindi comedies. His ""Jab jab jo jo hona hai, tab tab so so hota hai '' in Padosan was an all-time philosophical appeal to all of us to remember "" Que sera Sera !!

    Each dialect has its own terms of endearment and some are strictly personal. I only remember my mom calling out :: Pinnaeye ! to my dad for him to peep out of his ubiquitous Times broadsheet. Three more reminders with the same "'Pinnaeye in ascending crescendo :: would evoke a response of huh huhuh without shifting the sheets. Whyever the Times was never a cause of divorce in those days?

    Wifey dear of course draws my attention with an endearing but stern ;;Jaanu::

    Nice banter on this.

    Today's crossword kept me out of my anxiety from the ongoing surgery and I had to break it when the surgeon, good soul, summoned me in to announce of his successful modern art . God bless him and his team.

    Arden caught me unawares on ACETYLENE and SEASHORE CRAB

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Col_Gopinath8 January 2014 at 10:43

      Raju,

      Please convey our 'Walk well soon' wishes, to Sapna

      Delete
    2. raju umamaheswar8 January 2014 at 10:50

      Thanks Col. Will do; need everyone's blessings all the way.

      Delete
    3. Richard8 January 2014 at 10:50

      + 1

      Delete
    4. Anonymous8 January 2014 at 11:25

      All the best for the new addition to the family: the first of the two niece(s)

      Delete
    5. ranger8 January 2014 at 12:40

      Reminds me of the famous clue by Rufus:
      Two girls, one on each knee

      Delete
    6. Nadathur Rajan8 January 2014 at 13:39

      (PAT)(ELLA)

      Delete
  8. Nadathur Rajan8 January 2014 at 10:33

    12A. Defn: is safe (not just 'safe')
    Sanctuary is a Safe Place.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Richard8 January 2014 at 10:36

      Right. It could have been 'is a safe place'.

      Delete
  9. Unknown8 January 2014 at 11:10

    Hey Arden - why not set a CW that many more people can enjoy solving?? :-((

    ReplyDelete
  10. raju umamaheswar8 January 2014 at 11:10

    On wives and husbands, one peculiar habit I happen to notice is: Why some wives always address their spouses in the feminine gender?


    In Tamilnadu also, many girls in the shops address their mates in the masculine? Apdi Elleda !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Richard8 January 2014 at 11:19

      Unisex theory, maybe!

      Delete
    2. Anonymous8 January 2014 at 11:27

      That reminds me of my college days, when a large number of boys used to call each other 'yenamma' and the girls uded 'what man' in a similar fashion.

      Delete
  11. Unknown8 January 2014 at 11:28

    Raju - wish your wife a good and speedy recovery. Stay safe and stay blessed.
    Many wives start calling their husbands - Dad- like their children do! And of course, the ever popular - Listen!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous8 January 2014 at 11:30

    Pardon the apparent innuendo, but a friend who saw the blog today called me up and gave this version.

    (in Hindi)

    Aap itnee choTee cheez ko baDa banakar mere oopar jhapakte ho

    (You make a mountain out of a molehill and then jump on me)

    ReplyDelete
  13. raju umamaheswar8 January 2014 at 11:36

    Thanks Ritaji. Fingers crossed for the let knee , due next Wednesday

    hahaah ! when was this culture of not taking one's husband's name by wives started ? discontinued? Nowadays, it is tu and tera with each other. Equality of power and love and status personified. More p[ower to them

    ARDEN: Had used the word THERAPIST for a medical officer. Did any one of you cruciverbalists notice THE RAPIST, as parsed?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Richard8 January 2014 at 11:45

      THE RAPIST: I remember it had appeared in one of the episodes of Benny Hill comedy about 25 years ago.

      Was this charade also mentioned by one of the bloggers here about a year ago? I faintly remember so.

      Delete
    2. Richard8 January 2014 at 12:03

      Yes, it was Rengaswamy who commented about it on April 5, 2013 @ 12:17.

      http://thehinducrosswordcorner.blogspot.in/2013/04/no-10739-friday-05-apr-13-incognito.html

      Arden had used it with a different clue in THC 10794 on June 8, 2013.

      15 The criminal can heal (9)

      Incognito seems to have set this clue also:

      Curer, will get slandered if one leaves a gap after the first three letters (9)

      Delete
  14. Laxman8 January 2014 at 12:37

    On wife's calling their husbands, i am reminded of an incident that happened with one of my relatives who lives on the northern side of the Vindhyas.
    The husband had stored his wife's number as "JAAN' in his mobile phone. Once, when they had a very bad fight-which used to happen quite often after a couple of years of their marriage or as they say after the 'Honeymoon period' was over, the husband, in a huff, changed his wife's name to JAAN-E-DUSHMAN on his mobile.
    This happened some six or seven years ago, but JAAN-E-DUSHMAN still flashes on the mobile screen of my relative, whenever his wife calls.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous8 January 2014 at 17:40

      What about the chap who stored his girl-friend's number under the name Missed Call. Whenever his wife saw it, she told him there was a missed call.

      Delete
    2. Padmanabhan8 January 2014 at 18:17

      :-)

      Delete
    3. Laxman8 January 2014 at 18:24

      The wife must be too naive, or the husband in this case is damn lucky.
      Otherwise, women in such cases prove the saying in URDU: Khat ka majmu bhanp leta hoon lifafa dekhkar.

      Delete
  15. Padmanabhan8 January 2014 at 16:08

    Did it have to end that way?! Probably 'yes' after so many failed attempts!
    English translation not provided, making it a localised Tamil joke?(or reality)
    I was wondering about everyone 'honey'ing except probably 2 dissents. Changes after 'honeymoon period' rather drastic? (and mutual?) CV gave just one example.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Padmanabhan8 January 2014 at 16:09

    Raju,

    Good wishes to your wife to walk normally again soon.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Padmanabhan8 January 2014 at 16:10

    I think Patella has been clued by CV more than once.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous8 January 2014 at 17:39

      Allan Connor wrote a book called

      "Two girls, one on each knee"

      based on Roger Squires' clue

      Delete
  18. PKPSwami8 January 2014 at 18:40

    Nice puzzle. Thanks to well chiselled ues & wondefful wordplays we could ease past the seemingly difficuly ones.(10,12,13,20a)&6d.Reg.8d though an anagram the orchestration is nice.A wholesome brainteaser.

    ReplyDelete

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