A couple of awesome alternate letter clues in 14a and 5d in the real entertainer from Buzzer
ACROSS
6 A poorly made cinema’s one to forget (8) AMNESIAC (A CINEMAS*)
9 Match pressure to begin with is a difficult situation (6) PLIGHT (P LIGHT)
A difficult situation indeed! Especially plighting one's troth can lead to plight
A difficult situation indeed! Especially plighting one's troth can lead to plight
10 Drill to make one weary (4) BORE 2
11 Some people left hike so worn out (3,5,2) THE LIKES OF (LEFT HIKE SO)*
14 That ache, it split heads like an axe (7) HATCHET (tHAT aCHE iT)*
15 Committee throws out deal successfully (4,2,5,4) COME TO TERMS WITH (COMMITTEE THROWS)*
18 Social climber’s standard way - cutting corners (7) PARVENU (PAR aVENUe)
20 Lack of harmony if rest is disturbed (6) STRIFE (IF REST)*
Well, plighting one's troth does lead to trouble and strife, as any Londoner would agree!
Well, plighting one's troth does lead to trouble and strife, as any Londoner would agree!
22 Footwear, especially a training shoe’s ultimate (10) ESPADRILLE (ESP A DRILL E)
23 Parliament has the last word (4) AMEN (T)
24 Cricket for one is popular with a group of people (6) INSECT (IN SECT)
25 Cut in actors’ fee (8) CASTRATE (CAST RATE)
The relevance of the first part of the text of the cartoon to this word is purely co-incidental.
The relevance of the first part of the text of the cartoon to this word is purely co-incidental.
There once lived a rather little Hobbit,
Who went on a junket with a crumpet,
But after a ghastly fight,
In the middle of the night,
He discovered his wife was just like Mrs Bobbitt.
DOWN
1 Yield from seed say (4) CEDE (~SEED)
2 Master virus to corrupt disc (8) VIRTUOSO ((VIRUS TO)* O)
3 Dash is small mark (6) SPRINT (S PRINT)
4 You and I, taken by exotic heroines in general (10) EISENHOWER (HEROINES* around WE)
Two days back there was a reference to "Inky" in the blog, and today we have "Ike"
Two days back there was a reference to "Inky" in the blog, and today we have "Ike"
5 Not oddly, Archie doesn’t want to be dimmer (8) RHEOSTAT (aRcHiE dOeSnT wAnT)
Archie doesn't want? Well, he is dying shortly, anyway
Archie doesn't want? Well, he is dying shortly, anyway
7 Run away from bad-tempered animal (5) MOOSE (MOrOSE)
Yesterday, Vamoose, today, Moose! Archie's classmate? Will he also touch the finishing line with Archie?
Yesterday, Vamoose, today, Moose! Archie's classmate? Will he also touch the finishing line with Archie?
8 Auditor’s check on bar essentially illicit in a country (5,8) CZECH REPUBLIC (~CHECK RE PUB ilLICit)
I read somewhere that in this country, when the ladies have an abortion, they call it a cancelled cheque
I read somewhere that in this country, when the ladies have an abortion, they call it a cancelled cheque
13 Drunk and rambling diatribe after consuming quarter (10) INEBRIATED (DIATRIBE* consuming NE)
16 Work on job heartlessly? On the contrary (8) OPPOSING (OP POStING)
17 One kneading a lump with energy and practise (8) MASSEUSE (MASS E USE)
19 Time to limit tell-tale printing mistakes (6) ERRATA (ERA around RAT)
Is the clue a hint to this paper's puzzle department?
Is the clue a hint to this paper's puzzle department?
21 Number of ships moving fast (5) FLEET 2
23 Arrogance shown by hairstylist (4) AIRS T
Before a Venkatesh or Nadathur asks:
ReplyDeleteIn the preamble, should it be 'alternative' or 'alternate'?
This type of clue I call 'letter pick-up clue' - whether the letters you string together occur oddly or regularly in the fodder.
Corrected, thanks, CV
DeleteIn the beginning, a Venkatesh or Nadathur spells out Shakespleare's town (4)
DeleteThe bard?
DeleteAvon
DeleteA-1 response, Ajeesh!
DeleteKishore
ReplyDeleteRe your comment against 9a.
What Gita (of CA) meant by saying 'plight' also means 'match' - I understood only after reading yours.
Dono taraf baraabar ki aag lagi hai!
DeleteKishore declared y/day that he is not an insect.
ReplyDeleteGood and easy one again from Buzzer.
ReplyDeleteAnother interesting engaging one from Buzzer. I was found wanting in a few- could not match wits with him! Got some but had to look in the blog for anno.
ReplyDeleteDtruggled for a while for the feminine gender of masseur (without getting 'practice')
Very happy to come to terms with 15A.
I think he has put in 'in' for surface reading- our look out not to get misled. Am I right?
Kishore,
ReplyDeleteI thought only you cryptic words needed explaining.But today I need help for the cartoon too.
I just played on some of the words in the puzzle and how an amnesiac may have to cope with the results of his unfortunate use of the hatchet on his favourite instrument - a violin, to wit (before you think in terms of 25a) leading to a situation where he has to end up with 15a. The pic shows a hatchet buried in a Strad.
DeleteI got all wordings and connection to clues. My trouble was not identifying the violin in its horizontal form. Thank you for clearing my doubt.
DeleteI think some of us setters here must do a study of link words in clues - notwithstanding any existing article on the Internet.
ReplyDeleteThe other day I had a doubt whether
def [in] wordplay
is OK.
Normally we have
WP [in] def
BTW,
WP [of] def
has been okayed in a discussion elsewhere though some setters including Buzzer don't like it (if I recall correctly).
@CV. Sorry. I deleted the clue to which you have replied and reworded it at 9.27. I had same feeling y/day art to the NARMADA clue.
DeleteShould read as 'wrt to NARMADA clue'
DeleteRaghu, what is the problem with [def] in [wordplay] ?
DeleteI see words like 'in', 'is', 'or', 'and' as bidirectional link words so [def] in [wordplay] and [wordplay] in [def] are both valid for me.
'from', 'of', 'by' as unidirectional ... [def] from [wordplay] , [def] of [wordplay] , [def] by [wordplay]
'for' again as unidirectional ... [wordplay] for [def]
If someone convinces me why those guidelines are wrong or if some of those link words cannot be used like I mentioned, I'll be happy to convert.
The reason I don't like clues where [def] for [wordplay] or [wordplay] from [def] is that it is a setter's discovery how a particular def yields the wordplay.
But as a solver I expect a clue to tell me - here is the wordplay, work it out for the def.
The following article is quite useful:
Deletehttp://www.alberichcrosswords.com/pages/linkwds.html
I appreciate Bhavan's statement that one thing works for him and another doesn't.
DeleteWhatever we may have read, while writing a clue we may - thanks to our reading, our grip over the language, our sensibilities, our anxiety to be fair and scrupulous to the solvers - feel something is just not right and change the order.
The order that we rejected may meet with approval elsewhere but that doesn't necessarily validate it.
It is such personal rules that distinguish one setter from another. And it is those rules that may lift him from above the crowd.
25a: Was at first mislead by 'in'. Feel it's not reqd.
ReplyDeleteI agree it can work without the "in", but it works as is too: "Cut [is found in] actors' fee" would be the explanatory reading. A good surface, like many others today.
DeleteMany clues (I'm not referring to this puzzle specifically) can work with or without a connector. So can this one. But the use of 'in' leads to 'cut' being considered as a noun on the surface. Without it, the verbal form will apply, which is the same as the solution. So it's just an added element of misdirection that setter has used imo.
DeleteBhala
DeleteA simple question:
If a clue works well without a link word, why add it?
By avoiding the link word, you achieve brevity, conciseness, absence of flab...
I am not for adding a link word merely as a means of misdirection.
In a crossword containing 30 clues opportunities for misdirection may lie elsewhere.
CV, can't know the setter's intention, so my comment was guesswork and opinion. But reasons may be for better surface, misdirection, whatever. As you said elsewhere, what may be considered good for some may not appeal to others. In this case, however, on further scrutiny, with or without the connector, the clue may have a small flaw. With the surface showing " actors' " in the possessive plural, for the surface to work, it should end with 'fees' perhaps and not 'fee'. Will leave this to others for more
DeletePardon me for being naive but I read the clue as: Cut in actors’ fee (8)
DeleteCUT inside ACTORS' on first reading, being used to having 'in' as a containment ind. Why have it when it doesn't add meaning to the surface. About the plural part suppose Bhala is correct. And does 'Cut' alone mean Castrate?
does 'Cut' alone mean Castrate?
DeleteDepends on quantity!
So do you think that 'quantity' in plural was missing?
DeleteToday's Chennai edition of TH has sports page cut in half making it extremely difficult to hold the paper. I was reminded of a joke in a Tamil film about a dwarf- "Where is the other half?" This vertical split has dwarfed our complaints about CW positioning.I am sure this could have been avoided with some thought and planning or is this part of innovation?
ReplyDelete"Innovation", I am afraid - a way of making sure that we can't just discard the irritating advertisement on the front half. I don't know which is worse, though - this, or the way the whole front page is sometimes given over to an ad, with the back page still containing regular stuff so that you are forced to fold back the front page to read...well, the front page!
DeletePaddy 9:30 - Your post on ' dwarf' reminded me of the way Parthiv Patel made up for Chris Gayle's absence in the RCB-KKR fixture of IPL yesterday. Again and again he was being addressed as 'Chhota Gayle'...
Deletechota in appearance or chota in action too? Anyway, so far he has been making the right moves and being at the top of the orger helps.
DeleteLiked the latest interview on Shuchi's blog. I am in good company with regards to CD's.
ReplyDeleteSame here.
DeleteGood one, Buzzer. Though I did not get 5D!
ReplyDeleteVery few comments, I wonder why?
I am going to be away for 2 weeks. Hope I don't miss out on Gridman!
Not to worry Gridman is at least three weeks away
DeleteRita 9:34, Going abroad, by chance? You can always access the crossword online.
DeleteNice puzzle again. 23:-)
ReplyDeleteA or D ? ;-)
DeleteOoh yeah A. D will play with our head only but with A ....
DeleteI found many clues to be really good today, with a few great surfaces: 20 (almost &lit), 23a, 25, 2, 7, 23d...
ReplyDelete5 wrote itself in on the wordplay alone - the word was completely new to me.
RHEOSTAT has featured at least twice before in THC - once in a Textrous crossword and at another time in a Gridman.
ReplyDeleteThe latter was in a series of special in which I used words suggested by readers - whether RHEOSTAT was thrown at him by a follower, I don't remember.
Gridman would have been in some pain if the thrown Rheostat made contact!!
DeleteThat reminds me of a patient coming to see a doctor with a severe head injury. He explains that a bunch of flowers thrown at him caused it.......
DeleteAs the doctor blinks, he adds "along with the pots"
The limerick form is rather complex
ReplyDeleteOften it has elements of raunchy sex
Our good friend Kishore
Brings more and more
Of it into his work - does it vex?
The more one reflects,
DeleteOr inwardly inspects,
My dear friend Cee Vee,
You got to believe me,
It just jumps out as reflex.
We have a friend called Kishore
DeleteWho always makes us think more
Whether to infer hither
Or some way or other
Can't say his mind goes किस ओर?
Looks like we'll soon be opening a limericks corner :)
DeleteWhat friend and what mind?
DeleteLook deeply and you'll find,
Behind the front,
Of this savant,
That there is nothing of the kind !
Sure, sure, Kishore
Deletealways scores
and causes such a
shor and an uproar !!
We have already painted ourselves into a corner(THCC), Sandya. And now a corner in a corner?
DeleteSorry, Sandy for misspelling your name. Have I got a letter short or one too many?
DeleteCould be either way!
DeleteHa, ha, literally.
DeleteEnjoyable CW.clues are comprehensive across the board. Yet, 9,15,18a & 4,13d outstanding. Thorough entertainer.
ReplyDeleteKishore hasn't yet read my 8.55?
ReplyDeleteRaghu, I just thought that was a replay of yesterday's lines.
DeleteDid you mean today's 24 a?
DeleteYeah, i got mixed up
DeleteBuzzer's crossie today was a classy one ! I liked the clue with an anagram that spelt out EISENHOWER for a general. Superb is the only word that comes to my mind !! COME TO TERMS WITH and CZECH REPUBLIC were deftly devised. Again, VIRTUOSO is a masterpiece
ReplyDeleteKishore's cartoon has adopted my idea of spelling out the clues in a sentence and today's was very clever. Bravo ! Again, VIRTUOSO is a masterpiece !!
Raju, I have been using that device from quite a long time and I am sure there have been others afore me.
DeleteDid anyone notice why there is no comment from any one AT ALL about the ongoing election for the MPs all over the country? ? Turn out was the largest ion Pondi whereas the minimum in the Maximum city !! What a shame and waste of one's precious vote !! Even the so-called literati had abstained and thus allowed the undesirables to get back again into the august house .I have always called this as democraZY !!
ReplyDeleteOr is it that all bloggers have marked NOTA?
CV: The obnoxious anchor you're alluding to is indeed not worth bothering about, nor are his ''chosen'' panellists ! His decibel levels are ever increasing such that one is tempted to file a PIL against him for noise pollution !!Try Headlines today and NDTV and you'll be taken on a tour of the country, free of cost and get the opinion of the aam aadmi ! Very enjoyable>
My wife and I, having been staying at the same location for over 17 years and having voted in several elections found our names missing. How would it be if the same thing happened with Driving Licences? That you have to check the RTO website regularly to find out if your name is still there? Weeding out of names of people who have voted in the past and not submitted any change of address is patently unfair. Do I have to check some citizens list to be sure if I remain a citizen? Today the TV is talking about large scale missing names in Mumbai, but individuals get brushed off.
DeleteHi, How is NE a quarter?
ReplyDeleteNE for North East others being NW, SE and SW
Delete
ReplyDeleteContinuing with the IPL comments from yesterday: Although I loathe the whole thing, I managed to watch that spectacular catch by Chris Lynn at the boundary, thanks to my 7-year-old nephew who is visiting us!
As for the grid, it's probably Buzzer's easiest offering yet, but it wasn't without his usual stamp of smooth cluing.
Solved both puzzles from Buzzer back to back this evening. The clueing was so good/impeccable that I did not have to look up any dict or other source (with the exception of the anno for Morse from y'day). Today's was certainly easier.
ReplyDelete