Sunday, 13 April 2014

Special, Sunday 13 Apr 2014, Balderdash


Three answers per commenter (with annotations) till 6 PM.


ACROSS
1   Male Indian sage writes after friend gets ancient records (4,11)
9   Support between one learner and a rookie: That's not allowed (7)
10 Can be rational (7)
11 Stone found when dad was in Australia after start of tour (5)
12 Chum, money can get you stuff (8)
14 Camouflaged amongst high noise on radio (3,2)
15 Make rugged by treating hunger with only one egg (7)
17 Graduates consume Mex food? On the contrary, that's hot sauce (7)
19 Food from Caucasus highlands? (5)
21 Confrontational courses due to intelligence agency going back on established routes (8)
23 Cancel publication after loss of an article (5)
25 African sped carrying magic stick (7)
26 Shine first in valley (7)
27 Mad grad's sis listens to SOSs (8,7)

DOWN
1   Have a jolly good time, father! Then don't write gibberish! (5,3,4,3)
2   One may find a frog sitting on this fleur-de-lis notebook (4,3)
3   Journals about weapon stores (9)
4   River flowed back in Israel incessantly (4)
5   Passive resistance at software major's boss's Indian house (10)
6   Controlled General Electric stove (5)
7   Announce when I blush excitedly after first proposal (7)
8   And all tins should be recycled in outhouses in Scottish archipelago (8,7)
13 See communication devices fixed behind ten unknown instruments (10)
16 Drawing attention to oneself during play when male deer split gin behind headless pup (9)
18 Put fertiliser in vehicle storage spaces (7)
20 Frank singer of 'The Girl from Ipanema' (7)
22 Computer that may be black (5)
24 Grows old a second behind time (4)

Across Lite version of the crossword is available at the following link BALDERDASH 4

Enjoy.

93 comments:

  1. 6 Controlled General Electric stove (5) RAN G E

    ReplyDelete
  2. 27 Mad grad's sis listens to SOSs (8,7) DISTRESS SIGNALS*

    ReplyDelete
  3. 4Dn : River flowed back in IsraEL INcessantly (4) NILE (T<-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. 23 Cancel publication after loss of an article (5) ANNU (-A) L

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  5. 9A:(I){L(LEG)(A)L}
    11A:(T) O(PA)Z
    12A:(MATE)(RIAL)

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  6. 7Dn : Announce when I blush excitedly after first proposal (7) PUBLISH {P}{I BLUSH}*

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Could the Anno be shown this way pl ? {P}{UBLISH}* ?

      Delete
  7. 19 A Food from Caucasus highlands? (5) SUSHI (T)

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  8. 15A ROUGHEN Anag of Hunger+o

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  9. 1 D Have a jolly good time, father! Then don't write gibberish! (5,3,4,3) PAINT THE TOWN RED { PA (INT THE TOWN RED )*}

    ReplyDelete
  10. 4D- Nile
    River- Def.
    IsraEL INcessantly =<

    ReplyDelete
  11. 18 D Put fertiliser in vehicle storage spaces (7) BUREAUS { B ( UREA) US }

    ReplyDelete
  12. 1Ac : Male Indian sage writes after friend gets ancient records (4,11) PALM MANUSCRIPTS {PAL}{M} {MANUSCRIPTS}

    ReplyDelete
  13. I know one or two of the following answers might have been given already. No prob. I won't be taking any other:

    2 dn One may find a frog sitting on this fleur-de-lis notebook (4,3) LILY PAD :: Obvious word breakup - lily/pad for LILY PAD - is usually avoided in clue-writing
    3 dn Journals about weapon stores (9) MAGAZINES :: is 'about' a proper link word here?
    24 dn Grows old a second behind time (4) AGE S :: is 'behind' OK for this letter position in a Dn slot

    Questions are raised with the good intention of promoting the art of cluemanship and as a study of different aspects of clue-writing. This should not be regarded as futile nit-picking with scant disregard for the good work that setters do and the immense pleasure taht they afford to solvers of the weekly special. Kudos are given tacitly to these hardy individuals at the beginning and end of our solving session.May their tribe (setters, solvers) increase and indeed it is, thanks to the generosity and patience of the blog owner.

    ReplyDelete
  14. 28A- Glisten
    Shine- Def.
    First- IST
    in
    Valley- Glen

    ReplyDelete
  15. 25 African sped carrying magic stick (7) RWANDAN(Wand+Ran)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Prashanth, for correct Anno pl see Shrikanth's post 11:57

      Delete
  16. Hmmm... Re Id PAINT THE TOWN RED... Is there any subtle hint to the electorate?

    ReplyDelete
  17. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  18. On Acrosslite I find that when typing one can make out whether what one is typing is right or wrong. It takes the fun away from solving. Can that e prevented?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Are you asking this question in general terms or wrt today's?

      If it is this particular puz, it means that the creator of the file did not restrict the answer - if that is done, then the solver won't be able to see the answers.

      Will now try to open the said file and check. Naan varaen....

      Delete
    2. Vandhuvittaen...

      Yes, as I guessed the creator of the puz file has allowed reveal/check buttons.
      This can be disabled if one wishes to.
      If disabled, you can't have the answer revealed. Nor can you check the tentative answer that you put in.
      It is up to the creator of the file whether to en/disable the function.

      Delete
    3. :) Ok I did find this in some puzzles like today but not in all. So your answer explains it. I was wondering if there was something I could do to prevent this Thanks

      Delete
    4. Go into Acrossite preferences and you can change the options as you like

      Delete
  19. W.r. to CV's comment about 24D-
    I had a different doubt though I filled in 'Ages". Does "a second' lead one to think of 'as' in stead of just 's'? The obvious anno is age-s, time giving 'age'.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Leftovers Across 10, 21, 25
    Down 8, 13,16,20,22,24

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  21. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  22. Sudarshan@11:07: 1 Across has already been solved; please provide ANNOs of the other two

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  23. Sorry 25 A also already solved

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  24. 22D ADDER (DD) Computer & Black Adder

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  25. 24 dn Grows old a second behind time (4)

    Pad -

    To answer your question...

    The use of 'a second' for just S is done by certain clue-writers.
    It is widely seen in puzzles created for syndicates/agencies by contributors whose puzzles may not appear in mainstream newspapers.
    However, the clue in this instance has vastly improved surface reading because of 'a'.
    So ultimately it's the proclivity of the clue writer.
    If 'a' shouldn't be there, the clue may need to be written as a mere erasure makes it poorer in surface reading.

    ReplyDelete
  26. (Post for those who know/appreciate Tamil - non-Tamils may skip)

    @Ram

    Yesterday I asked what 'pattya kelapparathu' means. Interested in your input.
    Kalavaani - an interesting word that means 'thief'. Can you think of other words ending in ni or Ni (rendu suzhi Na or moonu suzhi Na which are nouns.
    Baemaani, e.g.
    thanmaani

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 'Thirugaani' for screw comes to mind immediately & of course 'aani'. (both Ni) Continuing on that we get Eni,Keni (used for well in some parts) mani (bell & time)
      On 2 suzhi, I can only get 'Theni" (bee)

      Delete
    2. Pattaya kelapparathu is painting the town red, going with today's CW. 'Pattai' is local brew (Saaraayam) and they of course do exactly that after a couple of rounds!

      Delete
  27. Thank you CV, for the explanation. I got the surface reading part and justified my filling in.

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  28. 'Baani' is used in music to describe specific methods, both Ni.

    ReplyDelete
  29. 13D - XYLOPHONES - X Y LO PHONES

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  30. Sudarshan,

    Your answers at 11:07 and 11:11 have been deleted as no Annotations were provided. You may resubmit with annotations if not those will remain available to other commenters who have yet to take their quota

    ReplyDelete
  31. Replies
    1. Shri -
      There is a trick in it. If one thinks a little, it comes across one.

      Delete
  32. My 3

    10A - TENABLE [DD]
    14A - HID IN (~hidden)
    21A - {WAR<=}{PATHS}

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Deepak -

      I am afraid it cannot be classified as DD.

      Delete
    2. Can be = TENABLE
      Rational = TENABLE

      Delete
    3. You're missing something, my friend!

      Delete
    4. 10 Can be rational (7)

      10 = ten
      can be = able
      rational = tenablel

      Delete
    5. MB
      You can wow me too (though I was speaking in riddles).

      Delete
    6. Anno pretty Straight forward, I thought. Once we had the answer that is. This was the last clue to fall.

      Delete
    7. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    8. CV Sir @ 1:39

      Yes Sir. I could guess you had the answer and that's why you gave enough hints to many of us to get the correct anno. Only Bhavan could latch on to it. You both deserve Kudos !!

      Delete
  33. Re 5
    I appreciate the Indianness of the clue but at the same time it has the inherent difficulty setters face when they try to impart a desi quality to clues. More about it when the answer is entered here.

    ReplyDelete
  34. 8D: SHETLAND ISLANDS ; { AND ALL TINS {SHEDS}*, outhouses = sheds

    ReplyDelete
  35. 5 Passive resistance at software major's boss's Indian house (10) SATYAGRAHA

    Passive resistance = def
    software major = SATYAM
    boss's Indian house = M (Bond's boss) is GRAHA

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I had it as {SATYA}{GRAHA} Satya coming from Satya Nadella = Software major's boss

      Delete
    2. That anno sounds better

      Delete
    3. The point I want to make about imparting Indianness is this:
      How do we indicate the correct termination of the desi word?
      Here wordplay requires 'graha'. Now Indian house can be garh, grah, graha ...
      And when we say 'Indian' do we pick up word from Hindi or Sanskrit?
      When we do that, do we imply that Hindi is a national language? Every time someone refers to Hindi as a national language, there is an immediate protest by a reader in the Letters column that Hindi is not a national language but an official language and the reader's editor concedes it in his Column.

      Delete
    4. I think there will always be some clues in a grid where you have to first guess/get the answer and then work back to see how the wordplay fits. That is how I got the 'graha' part here.

      Delete
    5. Interesting questions about imparting Indianness, CV Sir. Does the setter consciously go about "imparting Indianness", or is the Indianness a natural result of wordplay ideas that come to the setter's mind?

      My guess is, a Hindi-speaking setter is likely to have Hindi associations with the word to clue, just as a Tamil-speaking setter will have with Tamil. This process isn't restricted to language alone - references to literature, science, music, geography, etc. are driven to an extent by the setter's areas of interest/knowledge. At least, this is the way I have found myself setting - will be interested to hear from others.

      How do we indicate the correct termination of the desi word? My take is, in an English crossword, desi words and variant spellings should be limited to what can be found in a standard English dictionary. This holds for Hindi, Sanskrit, or any other language. Personally I would stick to natural native language spellings only - e.g. I wouldn't spell PULAO as PILAF even though standard English dictionaries allow the second version. With proper names (cities, famous Indians, etc.), "what is fair" is not as easy to define, desi or not - there it has to be a judgement call. In a special crossword on a personal blog, I think one can take liberties!

      Regarding the clue (5d) that started this thread:

      Here wordplay requires 'graha'. Now Indian house can be garh, grah, graha ...
      In Hindi, Indian house can only be 'griha' (गृह).
      'grah' or 'graha' (ग्रह) is planet/eclipse.
      'garh' (गढ़) is castle/fort.

      Delete
  36. I think the Anno should be {SHE(TLAND ISLAN)*DS}

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The above post relates to 8Dn Anno wrt Vinayak's post @ 12:45 pm.

      Delete
  37. Could appreciate TENABLE only after Bhavan's anno.An entertaining puzzle.

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  38. So 10 Across is THE CLUE OF THE DAY ! What a rational clue !! Nice puzzle, Balderdash. Enjoyed it throughly. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  39. Coming in late. Re Satyagraha, there is a subtle difference between 'griha /gruha' गृह and 'graha' ग्रह.

    The former is a house and the latter is most commonly a planet.

    In astrology, planets are referred to as 'graha' and planetary movement impacting one's fortune is called 'grahachara'. 'Graha' has other meanings and forms also, like aagraha, grahan and others. Others may clarify.

    ReplyDelete
  40. A I see it, 'grih' is the Hindi version & 'graha' is the Sanskrit version. As many might have observed the 'a' is sound is mostly common in Snaskrit whereas in Hindi they coclude without it. 'vrata' & 'vrit' for example. They would even pronounce my name as Padmanabh. That brings us right back to CV's poser- Indian, Hindi, Hinduthani or Sanskrit? Let us leave it to the solver (as Bhavan said) to use their imagination according to the situation.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Right you are, Richard. Griha and Gruha are two different words. Though I have many maharashtrian friends who use gruha for griha as also saunskriti for sanskriti !! This word harks me back to the deepest corners of my memory bank when I used to hear my father exclaiming"" Enna Grihacharam !!"" I never got to know the meaning of this expletive, but he used it when in extreme frustration. Does it mean an evil configuration of astral positions in one's kundli? CV can throw some meaning if it is in Tamil or DG can if oin Malayalam, as the phrase has its base in Sanskrit?

    An excellent and easily solvable compilation by Balderdash, except for the word SATYA -GRAHA-- a desire for truth and hence no relevance to the clue and answer? May be too far-fetched as a an Indianised clue?
    I always log ion late before every one else has filled in the answers., All the same, I enjoy the annotations and comments of ye-all.

    My Acrosslite is the best from Java as it erases and facilitates refilling easily and makes it convenient to solve, step by step. I wish all our daily crossies can be done this way !

    ReplyDelete
  42. SATYA AND AGRAHA combine to form SATYAGRAHA? a desire for truth?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are on spot, Raju. That is the root of SATYAGRAHA. Agraha (pronounced AAgraha) means pursuit or insistence also, I think.

      Delete
  43. CV Sir, 11 52 - Soni (appearing sick), Meni (Body), Thoni (Boat), Koni (Sack), Kadayani (kattaivandi, Ther
    ACHANI), Ani (Dress, jewellary as well as yappu - udan varum Ani), Kani (Fruit as well as calculate with 3 suzhi ni), Kanni

    Logged late and I saw your post now only.
    The above are the words that I could get immediately.
    With regard to pattaya kilaparathu, we say it in good connotations also as in parichayila pattaya kilapittanya


    ReplyDelete
  44. Avadhani (Kavanipavar) Aani, Erunni, Ottunni, Ooruni (common well) Kaani (Nilam alavu) Kinni (sappidum pathiram), Kooni (Phy.handicapped) Keni (well)
    Kazhani, Sani, Saani, Thani (Thani vazi - may be adj) Thini Theeni Pani (Velai) Pini (kattu)

    On second thoughts

    ReplyDelete
  45. As some of you might have suspected, I am the villain behind this piece.

    Richard is perfectly correct on the Sanskrit/Hindi words for house or planet. However, in English the words gruha, griha, graha seem to be used interchangeably, as amply demonstrated by Raju. English spellings for Indian words have that drawback. Not only do many place names have alternate spellings because of their pronunciation which was odd to the English ear, even when we write our own name we end up with variants like Iyengar, Ayyangar, Iengar, Aiyengar et al.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You forgot to mention how many srinivasan, seenivasan Sreenivasan etc Subramaniam, subramaniam, subramoniam, subrahmanian, maniyan/m etc.

      Delete
    2. Oh, there are examples aplenty. The only trigger was that I met an Iyengar a little while back. No offence, Works well with Aiyer, Iyer etc. too.

      Delete
  46. On pattai - pattai is the outer band on the cart drawn by the bullock. (From this only we would have got the vanndi paattai - pattai poduvathu paattai) The driver runs the vehicle soooo fast that the pattai comes out of its hold in the wheel and hence the saying, imo

    ReplyDelete
  47. insert wheel after the cart in first line

    ReplyDelete
  48. I thank Paddy, Raju and Ram and others for follow-up comments.

    1. Re 'grahachara'. 'Grahacharam' finds a place in a modern Tamil dict that I have, but one cannot come across it in modern Tamil writing.

    I like reading Kalki and other old-time writers because their prose is full of terms borrowed from Sanskrit but after the Dravidian movement Tamilising Tamil we hear them only in conversation of elders.

    As a young boy I have heard my maternal grandfather (we used to call him Thathappa prob. to differentiate him from Thatha, the paternal grandfather) in CBE use the term 'Grahachara' (as used in Kannada). Used in the sense of 'bad luck' it might have been over some mundane hitch.

    2. Re words ending in -ni. After mentioning kalavani (one who steals), I wanted Tamil words ending in -ni and meaning 'one who does something or one who is what he is (e.g., thanmani, baemani). I don't think many such words have come up. Never mind.

    ReplyDelete
  49. Paddy, Ram

    Thanks for your explanation of 'pattaya kelapparathu'. Quite interesting!

    ReplyDelete
  50. Ram
    Where do you live? In Chennai? If so, you should attend an S and B meeting - which I will organise specially for us to be able to meet you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Respected Sir,

      Really What a Honour, Sir!

      Residing in Kanchipuram

      The knowledge level I see from you people.... I am nowhere near.

      I will be tongue-tied in the presence of people like ever-enthusiastic K, Richard, Suresh, Bala, Srikanth Ajeesh, PP, Suchi Sandy MB Paddu (we usually call Padmanabhan as Paddu - whereas he is known here as Paddy) and the author Col Sir and the Pithamaa, yourselves.

      Whatever I am doing in the crossword now is because of Col's blog and XDunclued only.

      When you met at Chennai, I was there only. But I was hesitant. Still it (hesitancy) remains.

      When I get 'confidence' of facing you all, I myself will let you know.

      Once again, I express my happiness for such a nice gesture from your end Sir.

      With high regards,
      Ram

      Delete

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