Wednesday, 9 April 2014

No.11054, Wednesday 09 Apr 2014, Aspartame

Aspartame's breakfast was delicious, but eating a SIT DOWN dinner was not possible after that


ACROSS
9,14 One’s stag got breakfast food? (9,4,2,5) SCRAMBLED EGGS ON TOAST (ONE'S STAG GOT)* Rev.anag. Much better than mere GEGS
10 Chanted melody about drink (7) SANGRIA (SANG AIR<)
12 Mostly talent with bits of inquisition, focus and tenacity takes one to a higher place (3,4) SKI LIFT (SKILL IFT) Looks like 'mostly talent' was used to indicate SKILL, but the disappearing L is still required because the remaining part gives only IFT  See comments
13 Fruit is unripe, time needed to grow stem (9) GREENGAGE (GREEN G AGE)
15 Seize the condiment, say (5-2) CATCH UP (~KETCHUP) I felt seize is catch, not catch up ...
18 Recognised that leader of Scandinavia is focused on dismissing soldier (7) SCENTED (S CENTEreD
23 Colonial women bash mimes by mistake (9) MEMSAHIBS (BASH MIMES)*
          The one's you may expect to say "Hitherao, Panee lao"
25 He gets in earning little respect (7) INCOMER (INCOME R)
26 Dinner that’s consumed at the table? That’s a strike (3,4) SIT DOWN 2 I thought SIT IN and HANDS DOWN were strikes, but never thought of SIT DOWN.
29,21 A regiment if collected becomes a vital force (15,5) ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD (A REGIMENT IF COLLECTED)* Awesome long anagram

DOWN
1 Takes advantage of, even with a sailor (4) USES (=abUSES)
2 Once Henry leaves, catch royal bird (4) WREN (WHEN-H+R)
3 Plants Newton took down in a pilgrimage place (8) AMARANTH (AMARNATH with N moving down)
4 Mountain animal left Mel with a source of wool (6) ALPACA (ALP A CAmelNot exactly a charade, as the second A in the answer does not seem to have an insertion indicator)    See comments
          Richard, you've saved a packet on sweaters!
5 Leaderless group of people on boat (American) with Eastern Greek character (8) ODYSSEUS (bODY SS (E) US)
6 Bigot gets silver and gold, bags bronze in the end (6) AGEIST (AG E 1ST=gold)
7 Seeing wasp, I ran to hide a dark horse (8) ASPIRANT (T)
          A cartoon for the defn. today, instead of the solution word
...
Of all them blackfaced crew
 The finest man I knew
Was our regimental bhisti, Gunga Din,   
...
You’re a better man than I am, Gunga Din!
8 Established in Karnataka, say, near Dharwad’s border (8) INSTATED (IN STATE D)
11 Vessel for flour and tea is bartered for gold (5) AORTA (ATTA-T+OR)
          Was rather ready with this having faced "18. Vessel where 5 meets two females taking in a little cruise"in the Guardian Genius last month
15 Company head of finance penalised and buried (8) COFFINED (CO F FINED) But what if the coffin is kept without burying in the earth ...
16 Tenders ranch arranged for sand removal machine (8) TRENCHER (TENDERS RANCH-SAND)*
          This puzzle may satisfy trenchermen
17 Are spirits lifted here? (4,4) PUMP ROOM CD
19 Former substitute trying… (8) EXACTING (EX ACTING)
20 …crook below building (5) ELBOW (BELOW*)
          Crook of the elbow is where Gunga Din has tucked his goatskin water bag
22 I am tidy, fresh fabric (6) DIMITY (I'M TIDY)* Had to Google this one
24 Holding his broken navigation aid led to disaster (6) MISHAP (HIS* in MAP)
27 Expletive promise (4) OATH 2
28 Friendly, no lack of warmth in expression (4) NICE (N ICE)

45 comments:

  1. The second L in SKILL in 12A is not required {SKI L(-l)}{I}{F}{T}

    ReplyDelete
  2. 4 Mountain animal left Mel with a source of wool (6) ALPACA (ALP A CAmel) Not exactly a charade, as the second A in the answer does not seem to have an insertion indicator)

    'With' is the inserticator.

    ReplyDelete
  3. 12A - its SKI LIFT . I don't see any mistake here.

    ReplyDelete
  4. 13 Fruit is unripe, time needed to grow stem (9) GREENGAGE (GREEN G AGE)

    Don't get this?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Is 'stem' front part of Grow?

      Delete
    2. I didn't get it either. But in seeing the anno I assumed that stem could have been used as an acrostic indicator. That also doesn't work really.

      Delete
    3. I was a bit unsure about this and that's why I did not hightlight the g in grow

      Delete
    4. 'to' in the clue seems to be out of place.

      Delete
    5. In a ship stem is the front part of a ship (courtesy Alistair Maclean novels), but the issue is how it gets inside GREEN AGE.

      Delete
    6. Why, PGW often has the expression 'from stem to stern'.
      That might be when a man surveys a woman.
      But I am not sure which in this case is the stem and which the stern. 'Coiffured top to manicured toe' I can understand. Or 'head to foot'.

      Delete
    7. The stern, as you would clearly agree, is halfway up the rear-sdie. The stem, should therefore, be the antipode of that.

      Delete
    8. CV: Aren't you gender-biased? Sterm to stern once-ver can be also by a woman on a man ? Look at all those floozies drooling over those man- models in those suggestive body-deo ads !! Attraction of opposites are mutual but for which this world ofliving beings would have been not there !!

      Orkut has gone to commiserate with Didiji with a black hole !! Kishore, please send me a printable version and be oblige nobly !

      Delete
    9. Yesterday I saw a TV ad wherein beach babies donning a certain perfume were looking for Indian men!
      It was all over too soon.
      The models lolling and lazing on the sands were a distraction.

      Delete
  5. 16A To be fair to the solver , since deletion fodder is not in the same order, an anagrind is required, right?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Also does 'removal' signify removing?

      Delete
    2. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I feel this should work without an anagrind (since the whole fodder is being anagrammed anyway)
      Parse it as (anagram of tenders ranch) - (sand) [=trenchersand - sand = trencher],
      as opposed to anagram of (tenders ranch - sand)

      The latter would need an indicator to denote sand*, but the former parsing works. For non-anagram clues, an anagrind for removal fodder certainly needs to be indicated

      Delete
  6. 2 Once Henry leaves, catch royal bird (4) WREN (WHEN-H+R)

    I initially put it down as T(-h)E (+R)N. But crossings didn't match

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sorry, Col for the mopping up operations of comments.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Despite all of the above an enjoyable puzzle with nice constructions esp. the long anagram and the reverse anag.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Happy to have got both the long anagrams. Started with the breakfast! Enjoyable, though I could not complete. Learnt a few new words.

    ReplyDelete
  10. 26A- I put it as 'set down' thinking about a dinner that is set. I don't think even this fits the 'strike'.

    ReplyDelete
  11. On second thoughts, we have read about 'sit down strikes' like a tools down strike- workers refusing to leave the factory premises.

    ReplyDelete
  12. 20 …crook below building (5) ELBOW (BELOW*)

    The definition part needs to be highlighted pl.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I had my Monday Blues today ! A tough puzzle. Liked those long anagrams.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Grid in Madras print edition - is it ok?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nothing could be more dark as Orkut with its black square !!

      Delete
  15. @CVSir 8.56 Pathathi kesam varnippu?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In English we say 'top to bottom'.
      In old Indian culture - mark my words - it is 'from foot to head'.
      Is it because in ancient times men lowered their heads in the presence of women out of sheer respect to them and the concept of 'piran manai nokkaan' (not looking at womenfolk from other households).
      This puts me in mind of a relative of mine - my father's sister's husband. I remember - even as a boy I noted this gentleman never looked directly at any lady in the large joint family.

      Delete
  16. 18a-lovely clue.we cld smell the fragrance.9&29a- wonderful (de)con/coction with natural sweetener.15d- nailed out-of-box. 6d-miserably failed me.1st is gold news to me.Quite an enjoyable puzzle.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Logging in late.

    By usual rotation, it would have been Sankalak tomorrow.

    A big guess: Are we going to have From the files of Sankalak, from whatever has remained of the stock submitted by him before he departed, for another three days?

    Keeping the fingers crossed...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As per normal cycle, Aspartame comes after Afterdark, followed by Spinner tomorrow, if I am not mistaken.

      Delete
    2. You are not mistaken, MB. It should be Spinner, unless there is some other problem.

      Delete
    3. Yes, it should be spinner.

      Delete
  18. It's raining in Bangalore. Be prepared for a lot of steam when the sun comes out tomorrow!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, in our area too. I had a watered down version of my evening walk

      Delete
    2. It rained here suddenly yesterday (April 8) between 5.30 and 6.30 pm. We were going through a hot spell of around 38 deg Celsius for some days. It is slightly cooler today.

      Met officials say it might rain heavily in most parts of Karnataka in the coming two days.

      Delete

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