Thursday, 3 April 2014

No 11049, Thursday 03 Apr 2014, Vulcan


ACROSS
1   A depression consuming her follower (8) ADHERENT {A}{D{HER}ENT}
5   Importance of rest, say (6) WEIGHT (~wait)
9   Weakened brew needless (8) LESSENED*
10 It shows who you are! (6) MIRROR [CD]
12 Get rid of Times Editor (5) ERASE {ERA}{SE} Thanks to Google for SE
13 Irregular sleep schedule, to start with, has to change (9) SHAPELESS {SLEEP+S+HAS}*
14 Picture engravers told to carve out (2,11) DR STRANGELOVE*
18 Icy landmass, an exotic British territory (6,7) CAYMAN ISLANDS*
22 Put up in Sri Lanka’s capital — a heaven (7-2) SHANGRI-LA {S{HANG}RI-L}{A}
25 Good handle for cup (5) GRAIL {G}{RAIL}
26 Some kind of ploy to stop men going topless in public (6) OPENLY {OP{mEN}LY*}
27 British leader missing in Edinburgh, suspect is a hitman (5,3) HIRED GUN EDINbURGH*
28 Exploration of Japanese archipelago (6) SEARCH [T]
29 Caption’s abstruse — it’s boring (8) SUBTITLE {SUBT{IT}LE}

DOWN
1   A lowly leader gave false promises and joined (6) ALLIED {A}{L}{LIED}
2   Agriculture and Economy (9) HUSBANDRY [DD]
3   Smokes with sailors (7) REEFERS [DD]
4   Works, say, to get things necessary (5) NEEDS (~kneads)
6   If you’ve been given it, you’ve not had a good look (4,3) EVIL EYE [CD]
7   Ogre roaming around Grand Canyon (5) GORGE {GOR{G}E*}
8   Overwhelmed by an article about audacious democrat (8) THRASHED {TH{RASH}E}{D}
11 Start to drink and learn to smoke grass (6) DARNEL {D}{LEARN*}
15 Growing, for the most part, fruit (6) RAISIN RAISINg
16 During discussions laughter outpouring (9) ONSLAUGHT [T]
17 Pair to snap ties! (8) SCISSORS [CD] ? This why I hate CD's
19 Fancy a nice girl extremely beautiful (7) ANGELIC {A+NICE+GirL}*
20 Omit G in name chosen (7) NEGLECT {N}{E{G}LECT} Wouldn't 'Chosen' lead to 'elected' See comments.
21 Fair end to trial in union case ultimately (6) BLONDE {B{triaL}OND}{casE}
23 A new age revolutionary stadium (5) ARENA {A+N+ERA}*
24 Stop working in a university, giving the final word (5) ADIEU {A}{DIE}{U} Final word is normally AMEN !

Posted by at
Labels: ,

61 comments:

  1. Richard3 April 2014 at 08:30


    Have found Vulcan's puzzles quite daunting very often. But with much patience and effort, had a major breakthrough today.

    ADHERENT, WEIGHT, LESSENED, MIRROR, SHAPELESS, DR STRANGELOVE, CAYMAN ISLANDS, SHANGRI-LA, OPENLY, HIRED GUN, SEARCH, SUBTITLE, ALLIED, HUSBANDRY, NEEDS, EVIL EYE, GORGE, THRASHED, RAISIN, ONSLAUGHT, ANGELIC, NEGLECT, BLONDE, ARENA, ADIEU were all good. Found many of them challenging.

    Not very sure of the annos for a couple of the above.

    My COD: 17D - SCISSORS.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kishore3 April 2014 at 08:32

    12 Get rid of Times Editor (5) ERASE {ERA}{SE} Thanks to Google for SE

    I took this as Times=Eras, Editor=E

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Deepak Gopinath3 April 2014 at 08:33

      That's better. I thought SE came from Screen Editor

      Delete
    2. Richard3 April 2014 at 08:34

      Same here...

      Delete
    3. Richard3 April 2014 at 08:36

      My 8:34 endorsed K's 8:32.

      Delete
    4. Chaturvasi3 April 2014 at 08:43

      Do you accept E for editor?
      Do you find it in any abbr dict? I haven't checked.
      In journalistic circles we do have the abbr. NE, RE, for 'News Edtor', 'Resident Editor' but whetehr E can be torn from there I don't now.
      It is a good clue with smooth surface reading.
      Only AG of TN shouldn't take offence!

      Delete
    5. Kishore3 April 2014 at 08:48

      It was the best of Times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness ...

      Delete
    6. Kishore3 April 2014 at 08:50

      Counter: Could Times=era?

      Delete
    7. Richard3 April 2014 at 08:54

      We could have referred the matter to the badshah of good times, now in bad shape.

      Delete
    8. Kishore3 April 2014 at 08:59

      The 'ullailale ullailo' chappie ? :-)

      Delete
    9. Richard3 April 2014 at 09:00

      :))

      Delete
    10. Chaturvasi3 April 2014 at 09:15

      Times/era

      Many good deeds were done during the Gupta (or substitute any of your choice) times.
      Many good deeds were done during the Gupta (or substitute any of your choice) era.
      I would accept times/era.

      Delete
    11. Kishore3 April 2014 at 09:18

      That's fine, then

      Delete
  3. Kishore3 April 2014 at 08:35

    I was torn between choosing to draw for Dr Strangelove, Shangri La (especially Lo-Tsen, the Little Manchu) and the Grail. The last won mainly because of paucity of time as I had to leave home by 745 today.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Kishore3 April 2014 at 08:36


    24 Stop working in a university, giving the final word (5) ADIEU {A}{DIE}{U} Final word is normally AMEN !

    Curiously, this is the final word in the puzzle!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Richard3 April 2014 at 08:37

      Amenable!

      Delete
    2. Chaturvasi3 April 2014 at 08:38

      Kishore
      How much did you have to shell out to be stitched up?

      Delete
    3. Kishore3 April 2014 at 08:41

      Eh, What?

      Delete
    4. Kishore3 April 2014 at 08:41

      In re: the scissors cutting both ways?

      Delete
    5. Deepak Gopinath3 April 2014 at 08:42

      For once the stumper is stumped. So am I, by the way :-)

      Delete
    6. Kishore3 April 2014 at 08:45

      I can't think of any stitches I require presently except for my lobotomy

      Delete
    7. Kishore3 April 2014 at 08:46

      I remembered a Groucho Marx one, where a friend says, "I've got to wire my father" and GM comes back, "Why? Can't he stand up by himself?"

      Delete
    8. Kishore3 April 2014 at 08:49

      Truly stumped, castled or dismissed is any other way possible

      Delete
    9. Padmanabhan3 April 2014 at 09:32

      Mystery still not cleared. Anything to do with the cellphone incident?

      Delete
    10. Richard3 April 2014 at 09:48

      Paddy 9:32 - See Kishore's 8:32 about being 'torn' and CV's quip @ 8:38 about 'stitched up'..

      The latter was not grasped immediately. And the penny finally dropped. The matter was complicated by the entry of scissors. ;-)

      Delete
    11. Padmanabhan3 April 2014 at 10:06

      Got it. :-) Thank you.

      Delete
    12. Kishore3 April 2014 at 10:23

      Also, further complicated by appearing under a different thread!

      Delete
  5. Chaturvasi3 April 2014 at 08:38

    'Chosen' can lead to 'elect' as well
    If we say Mr X is the president-elect (before he has assumed office), we mean he is president-chosen or chosen-president.
    This is my take. .
    If you refer to the dict, 'elect' as an adj, may have the meaning 'chosen'.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Deepak Gopinath3 April 2014 at 08:41

      You're right. The dict does show Chosen as an adj for Elect

      Delete
  6. Padmanabhan3 April 2014 at 09:31

    Darnel was new to me. Could not get Strangelove.But happy on the whole.
    Last word before parting with a friend can be 'bye'/ adieu. That is how I took it. Of course 'Amen' is THE last word.
    Remembered an old joke about the last word-
    A: I always have the last word in any argument with my wife.
    B: ??!!
    A: Anything she says after that is the start of a new one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kishore3 April 2014 at 09:37

      That reminds me: I too have the last words in the arguments with my wife. "Yes, dear"

      Delete
    2. Padmanabhan3 April 2014 at 09:40

      That does not technically qualify as an argument!

      Delete
    3. Kishore3 April 2014 at 09:44

      Those are the only words which can end an argument which precedes the use of those words.

      Delete
  7. Kishore3 April 2014 at 09:39

    How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kishore3 April 2014 at 09:40

      The penultimate letter is 'm'. Please do not substitute with other letters ...

      Delete
    2. Kishore3 April 2014 at 09:40

      939 is with ref to 14a

      Delete
  8. Unknown3 April 2014 at 10:16

    18 Icy landmass, an exotic British territory (6,7) CAYMAN ISLANDS* Where is the anagrind in this clue?Plz anyone

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kishore3 April 2014 at 10:24

      Exotic is the anagrind. The def. should be restricted to Br. territory

      Delete
    2. Kishore3 April 2014 at 10:26

      Further, 'an' is also a part of the fodder. I have made both corrections, DG.

      Delete
    3. Unknown3 April 2014 at 10:28

      Thank u K

      Delete
  9. Mukundala Balasubramanyam3 April 2014 at 16:12

    Breaking the long silence ! No comments for almost 6 hours !!

    11 Start to drink and learn to smoke grass (6) DARNEL {D}{LEARN*}

    Learnt a new anagrind today : SMOKE

    ReplyDelete
  10. mohsin3 April 2014 at 16:29

    Is an ordering verb as an anagrind AFTER the fodder fair?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mukundala Balasubramanyam3 April 2014 at 16:50

      I have no fair idea ! Over to veterans !! :)

      Delete
    2. VJ3 April 2014 at 17:00

      Which clue?

      Delete
    3. Mukundala Balasubramanyam3 April 2014 at 17:52

      I think, he means SMOKE in 11 Dn.

      Delete
    4. Padmanabhan3 April 2014 at 22:39

      I think he meant (D learn) * goes into smoke or disperses. maybe a bit iffy but cannot call it wrong. But then, I join MB in inviting expert comments.

      Delete
  11. Chaturvasi3 April 2014 at 17:25

    THCC CC update

    Out of 36 clues, 12 - from eight clueists - are in place.

    Participants have time till the last date for submission of clues mentioned in respective emails.

    As I said earlier, I will be finalising the crossword only on Apr 11 - after the announced deadline passes.

    ReplyDelete
  12. PKPSwami3 April 2014 at 19:01

    Enjoyed todays puzzle.It looked like vu(o)lcanic eruption.Lava(molten materials) got solidified now.(crystallised) now by pushing and prodding(our memory)thanks to vulcans clues serving as firedog.

    ReplyDelete
  13. raju umamaheswar3 April 2014 at 19:50

    Well, well, Vul can convolute and strangle Dr. STRANELOVE!!

    OO lla laa !! Shangri la ! That's where I got to , thanks to VULCAN.

    ReplyDelete
  14. raju umamaheswar3 April 2014 at 19:51

    DR STRANGELOVE-- Veryb srrange lind of love which can strangle !!

    ReplyDelete
  15. raju umamaheswar3 April 2014 at 19:52

    spelling corrected: DR STRANGELOVE- very, kind

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous3 April 2014 at 21:16

    "I wonder whether those of our political masters who have been put in charge of the defence of the country can distinguish a mortar from a motor; a gun from a howitzer; a guerrilla from a gorilla, although a great many resemble the latter."

    ReplyDelete
  17. Balaji4 April 2014 at 02:36

    Ah, lovely grid today by Vulcan. Got most except for 2-3. Blonde didnt get it even after 3 crossing letters!! SCISSORS was brilliant! And so was SUBTITLE and OPENLY

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Balaji4 April 2014 at 02:38

      Though a couple of questions. Should it be Sri Lanka's capitalS?

      Delete
    2. Deepak Gopinath4 April 2014 at 08:11

      Put up = HANG
      in = Insertion indicator
      Sri = SRI
      Lanka’s capital = L
      a = A
      heaven = Definition {S{HANG}RI}{L}{A}

      Delete
  18. Balaji4 April 2014 at 13:24

    Ah, right. That also explains where the RI comes from... Thanks.

    ReplyDelete

deepakgita@gmail.com

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)