ACROSS
1 The kind of locker for East Side fop in distress (4-7) SAFE DEPOSIT (EAST SIDE FOP)*
9 Binding a country? (7) MOROCCO 2
10 By speech, Mulligan doesn’t start squirming (7) LINGUAL (mULLIGAN)*
Mulligan is quite popular with golfers! Especially when they are parted from their balls (golf ones, I mean)
11 Carry minute symbol (5) TOTEM (TOTE M)
12 Sailor, with dye worker, is a teetotalling type (9) ABSTAINER (AB STAINER)
13 Deeply involved with taking rook in opener (5) INTRO (INTO taking R)
15 Stop fighting in rough, fierce sea (9) CEASEFIRE (FIERCE SEA)*
18 Look after brilliant duck (6,3) GOLDEN EYE (EYE after GOLDEN)
21 French? Yes, cook quickly! (3-2) FRY UP (FR YUP)
22 One will be playing amidst art (9) DRAMATIST (AMIDST ART)* &lit too
Like the Beard of Avon ref to in 1d
24 Join by just accepting the last of gathering (5) MERGE (MERE accepting G)
'Tis election time, the time to merge or separate, change affections and engineer defections ...
26 Antispetic emergency room is in fashion, we hear (7) STERILE (ER in ~STYLE)
27 More than one giant company, see, takes ship with interest (7) COLOSSI (CO LO SS I)
28 Break sees me returning in a fluster (11) INTERREGNUM (ME RETURNING)*
DOWN
1 What Hamlet said was rotten in Denmark (9) SOMETHING GK from the quotation "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark"
Translated into Hindi as "Dal mein kuch kaala hain", a phrase commonly used during elections when parties trade charges. Now how you pronounce "Dal" is entirely up to you, lentil or party ...
2 Prime tree on street (5) FIRST (FIR on ST)
3 What you do with this puzzle? Rot! (9) DECOMPOSE (The Setter composes the puzzle, we decompose it)
We are the rotters who are rotten here! Reminded me of the joke about the music composer who was composing before death and decomposing after death
4 Dull as no poem can be (7) PROSAIC CD,DD
5 One lassie’s wandering in Central European region (7) SILESIA (1 LASSIE)*
6 Country vehicle? (5) TONGA 2
Reminded me of the 'tick-tock' music of a myriad songs like "Piya, piya, piya".
However, in this particular song, it looks like the horse took a rain check! It's probably a rock song - they must be rocking the tonga and the reins ...
However, in this particular song, it looks like the horse took a rain check! It's probably a rock song - they must be rocking the tonga and the reins ...
7 In sum, new bird in waterfront (8) QUANTITY (N TIT in QUAY)
8 Denigration from this lurker (4) SLUR (T)
When drunk, a person may deliver a slur with a slur
14 Up to long periods of cultivations (8) TILLAGES (TILL AGES)
16 By a measure, I will get into repute at home in France (2,7) EN FAMILLE (EN, I'LL get into FAME)
17 It’s a nice way to refer to something that is unmentionable (9) EUPHEMISM CD
19 Famous nine met in trouble (7) EMINENT (NINE MET)*
Reminded me of the Famous Five, the Secret Seven, and the like
20 Orient cretin has fallen to tempting person (7) ENTICER (E CRETIN*)
22 Record find not finished (4) DISC (DISCover)
23 An out-of-place defence (5) ALIBI CD
It ain't me that was not there!
25 Stop going round son for sticky substance (5) RESIN (REIN going round S)
No Monday blues. Enjoyable puzzle. Overall smooth, partly challenging, though. Posting this before checking answers in the blog.
ReplyDeleteGot over 50% at first look, including EUPHEMISM, SOMETHING, DRAMATIST, TERRACED and QUANTIY. Three territories - MOROCCO, TONGA and SILESIA ( a Czech province) appear here. No theme in particular, I presume.
Liked well-clued ones like FIRST, RESIN, ALIBI, PROSAIC, DISC.
Although familiar, EN FAMILLE took some time to fall. I have filled 8D with some doubt. Also, not absolutely sure of anno for 18A and 26A.
COLOSSI - a fresh example of Gridman's favourite trap of using irregular plurals.
My COD - 3D.
Oh, I goofed up at 18A and 14D. Two marks less, so to say.
DeleteBrilliant cartoon, Kishore!
ReplyDeleteFurther about the cartoon, what will happen if both of them have their own remotes?
DeleteThere is remote chance of that. Anyone here who has two remotes for the same TV, set top box. People who have 2 TVs/STBs need not apply.
DeleteAnd their own TV's? Ceasefire!
DeleteBut yes, if there are indeed 2, more astute might corner both, or else if they are shared one apiece, there will be a push button war till cells run out on any one remote.
DeleteAt 2.15 in the song linked to 6d, Kishore Kumar claps his hand on Chand Usmani's mouth. There is an interesting anecdote behind this. It seems Asha Bhonsle, when recording the song, started a stanza a little earlier than she was supposed to and wanted to rerecord the song. But, KK ,who was the actor in the song too, said he would improvise to cover it up, and he did. (I got this tidbit from Madhulika Liddle’s blog “Dusted Off” at http://dustedoff.wordpress.com/2011/04/29/ten-of-my-favourite-ghoda-gaadi-songs/)
ReplyDeleteI have the song in a cassette with Asha Bhonsle recollecting this incident.
DeleteThe movie has some really funny dialogues. When a Colonel saab arrives with his daughter (wearing a beret and sporting a baton), KK says: Ham to samjhe ke Bandbox company ka bandmaster aya hai"
DeleteAnd recall that "Romeo and Juliet balcony scene" with role reversal
DeleteK 9:28 - Those were the days when you could use the initials KK to refer only to Kishore Kumar.
DeleteBut in the present era of music, there is another singer KK - Krishnakumar Kunnath, with Kerala roots, but born and brought up in Delhi.
I had the privilege of interviewing him a few years ago. Read the second part of the post here.
His best known song is 'Pal'. You might have heard the song Hum, rahe ya na rahe which was much later popularized by the Indian Idol troupe led by Abhijeet Sawant.
You are absolutely correct. I had first used KK right from the beginning of that comment, but later changed the first ref to the full forming on realisation that that KK was not the only pistachio in the icecream
DeleteStill in the hangover of Pabbas ice-cream parlour?
DeleteWhile in Mangalore, on the way back from Udipi, I had sampled all 4 parlours of Ideal Ice Creams - 3 which go by the name Ideal and one as Pabba's. The Ideal on Market Road is the most popular and stakes claim to be the largest in India. The parlours also display the list of movies currently showing in town.
DeleteIt was a pleasure to talk to Dr Arunachalam Kumar, a staunch rationalist and consumer activist. Surprising that a medical educationist (he retired as Dean of KMC) was at one time selected as Director of Bombay Natural History Society (though he did not join there); this goes to show his wide ranging interests. Richard may know him.
Wow! You seem to know a lot about Mangalore, NR.
DeletePabbas on the Market Road was once touted as the largest in Asia. I am not sure.
Of course, I have met Dr Kumar several times. Indeed a genius and a man of multifarious talents and knowledge.
He was among the first to write about the Tennis Elbow Syndrome, which Sachin Tendulkar suffered from, reportedly much before it was medicaly diagnosed.
The outlet on Market Road goes by the name of Ideal's.
DeleteKishore
ReplyDeleteYou're a naughty boy and it takes another naughty boy to see your knottiness.
I am alluding to your deliberate spelling mistake in the Comment under 22ac.
Have you knot seen his pictures. The pate is bald, but the chin is forested ...
DeleteSo, does the issue come to a nought or a naught?
DeleteThat brings us to a full revolution of the circle
DeleteRegarding the comment at 10A, unfortunately a Mulligan is available only at the first hole (of the Golf course) ... and it is not necessary that one has to be parted from one's ball ... it can be taken to improve one's position after a bad start ...
ReplyDeleteThe technical terms will invite comments from Kishore.
Deletewithout commenting on other 'technical terms', elucidated by the Col.'s cleverly introduced parentheses,
Delete"it can be taken to improve one's position after a bad start ..."
Even when one is not parted from ...., it allows replacement ...
Remember Richard, I too used parenthesis and also qualified the comment with "Especially" denoting that that may not be the only possibility.
DeleteI think Col. was rather wary of Kishore when he included the parenthses,as Kishore calls them.
DeleteIf you open the parenthesis and forget to close after the clause, it is parenthesis.
DeleteIf you use both without fail, they are 'parentheses' in plural form. ;-)
But if you only close them, like Richard has done, after a semicolon and en-dash, it becomes a smiley
DeleteThat's a happy sign!
DeleteKishore@9.18- knotty,naughty as ever. Always looking for a second possibility in everything including....
ReplyDeleteOne of my fav songs Kishore.
ReplyDeleteFor a while I was confusing mulligan with Mulliner of PGW fame.
ReplyDeleteWhat about Spike Milligan?
DeleteJust looked him up.
DeleteThe potent weapon's extremely useful, when doing crosswords.
ReplyDeleteBut if we regularly take 'time pass', they will think we are treating them as 'time pass'
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteYes. Did they just play the metronome at a higher volume?
DeleteMy response was to Raghu's comment (blink and you would have missed it) that OP Nayyar had that ticktock music in many songs
DeleteSorry, I deleted that comment, not knowing who was at the other end. QGM.
DeleteThe comment which preceeded mine is now succeeding it
DeleteOP Nayyar had this tick-tock music in the background, in a number of songs
ReplyDeleteMaang ke saath tumhara, maine maang liya sansar and Yoon toh hum-ne laakh haseen dekhe hain, oh tum-sa nahin dekha and others are my favourites.
DeleteYes, there was a tough competition to select the song.
DeleteRaghu & Kishore have successfully succeeded & preceded each other successfully confusing all of us!
ReplyDeleteSuccess at last ! (or is it first?)
DeleteAll the very Best, Richard for your blog! Numero uno has just enrolled
ReplyDeleteI launched it with so much of enthusiasm in 2010. But now I don't have the patience and time to sustain it, given the stress of work.
DeleteI take a break in between and follow this blog for a bit of diversion.
A nice puzzle to start the week. No Monday Blues at all ! :) Thanks, CV Sir. Missed out on 28 Across and 17 Down. I filled 28A as INTERVEINAL. Hence failed to get 17 Down.
ReplyDelete"Piya, piya, piya". One of my favourite songs. Kishore Kumar at his best yodelling ! Thanks, Kishore, for sharing the video with us.
ReplyDeleteKishore's comment for 10 Across clue : Mulligan is quite popular with golfers! Especially when they are parted from their balls (golf ones, I mean)
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me of a joke and here it goes ...
A man goes to Spain and attends a bullfight. Afterwards he goes to a nearby restaurant and orders the specialty of the day. The waiter brings him two very big balls on a huge plate, which the tourist eats with relish. The next day he goes to the same restaurant again, once again orders the specialty of the day, and he is brought two very big balls on a huge plate. It tastes even more scrumptious.
The third day he does the same and the fourth, but on the fifth day he goes to the restaurant and orders the specialty of the day, and they bring him two very small balls on a big plate. The man asks, "What gives?"
And the waiter says, "Senor, the bullfighter doesn't always win!"
Just now completed yesterday's Special by MAC. Welcome aboard MAC! An excellently conceived crossie !! SAN JUAN and SURINAM (is it spelt with an E?)were nice wordplay.
ReplyDeleteInstead of NYALA I had put in ELAND-- AVERAGeland animal ELAND is also an african antelope !
Keep em' coming ! We need more of your talent .
Nice joke, MB. Reminded me of a WWII joke.
ReplyDeleteDuring the London air raids, children living at a school hostel were temporarily shifted a country manor out of danger's way. A little girl, spying a couple of balls in a bowl asked the resident peer what they were. "Golf balls" was the reply.
They went back to London after the raids ceased. But resumption of raids forced them back to the same manor. This time the girl saw four balls in the bowl and knowingly complimented the peer: "I see you have shot one more golf".
LOL !
DeleteThe song "Piya, piya, piya" is from Baap Re Baap. This movie also has, as a side track, the trials and tribulations of a Colonel who is parted from his moustache after a court martial by his wife!
ReplyDeleteCol. & moustache go together, it seems! Hope our Col. faces no martial on this a/c.
DeleteReminded me of a saying which I saw on a T- shirt-
" I am the boss in this house... & I have my wife's permission to say so!"
Wonderful wordplay esp.22a - 'playing' played both as anagrind & part of def.very nice. Another wordplay to enjoy: 4d -prosaic.27a gives nice fodder for thought Nice cw to start the week
ReplyDeleteAnother Tonga song
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UupkARzRe6A
Yes, this one has the tonga as many know it. The horse carriage in the one I linked is more elaborate and may be a Victoria, which reminds me of the movie Victoria No.203 and the song "Do bechare bina sahaare ..."
Delete