Thursday, 8 May 2014

No 11079, Thursday 08 May 2014, Lightning


ACROSS
1   Embarrassed to go back into decline, Democrat drifted away (8) WANDERED {WAN{DER<=}E}{D}
5   Isolated students outside old northeastern highway finally (6) LONELY {L}{O}{NE}{L}{Y}
9   Request from hospital department about a therapy’s limits (8) ENTREATY {ENT}{RE}{A}{TherapY}
10 Compete with two poles at a capital (6) VIENNA {VIE}{NN}{A}
12 Obscure call, at first earsplitting (5) CLOUD {Call}{LOUD}
13 Doctor loots one rug in commotion (9) UROLOGIST {LOOTS+1+RUG}*
14 Empty jail in US state, close to Detroit (6) VACANT {VA}{CAN}{detroiT}
16 Desperate to stop working after entry (2-2-3) DO-OR-DIE {DO-OR}-{DIE}
19 The solo representation for a country (7) LESOTHO*
21 Reward left out of championship game (6) PAYOFF PlAYOFF
23 Warmth shown by fine fellow engineer indeed! (9) AFFECTION {A{F}{F}{E}CTION}
25 Vegetation consisting of flowers? Not quite (5) FLORA FLORAl Not sure if anno is correct See comments
26 Relieve peacekeepers’ burden (6) UNLOAD {UN}{LOAD}
27 Man selling sacred things destroyed icon’s aim (8) SIMONIAC*
28 Attempts short compositions (6) ESSAYS [DD]
29 Serious, extreme nervous disorder (8) NEUROSIS {SERIOUS+N}* &lit
Cartoon by Rishi

DOWN
1   Twist spanner (6) WRENCH [DD]
2   Citizens of India, perhaps have a legitimate shot to begin with (9) NATIONALS {NATION}{A}{L}{S}
3   Correct measure at last (5) EMEND {EM}{END}
4   Give custody of letters from ardent rustic (7) ENTRUST [T]
6   Try weird ploy to go after crude oil market where few players exist (9) OLIGOPOLY {OIL*}{GO}{PLOY*}
7   Discontent about losing borders, genuine (5) ENNUI gENUINe*
8   New eatery is more zestful (8) YEASTIER*
11 Frame of mind of doctor returning to work (4) MOOD {MO}{OD<=}
15 Government that runs on its own? (9) AUTOCRACY [CD]
17 Flowers that fell off a piece of decoration were sent back (9) DAFFODILS {noitaroceD}{A}{FFO}{DILS}<=
18 A repulse turned into delight? (8) PLEASURE*
20 Variety shown by Bartoli — outstanding! (4) OLIO [T]
21 Thoughtful of writer to separate out first edition (7) PENSIVE {PEN}{SIeVE}
22 Performances by people of Denmark outside the border of Copenhagen (6) DANCES {DAN{Copenhagen}ES}
24 Stuffs bells and whistles right away (5) FILLS FrILLS
25 Confound fellow regularly with alternative (5) FLOOR {FeLlOw}{OR}


Words connected to the poem Daffodils by William Wordsworth

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82 comments:

  1. Chaturvasi8 May 2014 at 08:34

    Re Kishore's cartoon...

    So the cow was not moved by the bull's demands?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Chaturvasi8 May 2014 at 08:36

    Did anyone [other than me] discover the theme in this crossword?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Deepak Gopinath8 May 2014 at 08:37

      I looked but didn't see anything

      Delete
    2. SandhyaP8 May 2014 at 08:41

      Got it, but only after you pointed out that there is a theme.

      Delete
    3. Deepak Gopinath8 May 2014 at 08:43

      Moods ?

      Delete
    4. Kishore8 May 2014 at 08:44

      I drew for it ...

      Delete
    5. Kishore8 May 2014 at 08:45

      The bull did not need "Moods".

      Delete
    6. Chaturvasi8 May 2014 at 08:45

      I think the term is "ghost theme".

      It doesn't herald. It doesn't stare at you. It is not pegged to a day. It grows on you as you solve the XWD and get some answers.

      Delete
    7. Kishore8 May 2014 at 08:47

      I spotted that the initial letters of 10a-16a spelled out CODED, and was looking for more...

      Delete
    8. Chaturvasi8 May 2014 at 08:47

      @Kishore 8:45

      ...whether dotted, ribbed, ultra-thin or whatever.

      Delete
    9. Kishore8 May 2014 at 08:48

      whether with the med ...

      Delete
    10. RameshJ8 May 2014 at 08:48

      Kishore@8:45
      Now we know what folks want when they say they want protection for bulls

      Delete
    11. Chaturvasi8 May 2014 at 08:49

      Re the theme

      Friends, I can tell you that there is a hint in the blog published above.

      Delete
    12. Raghunath8 May 2014 at 08:50

      I thought it was emotions or spirit (ghost). But I think there are some 7-8 answers answering the theme's description..

      Delete
    13. SandhyaP8 May 2014 at 08:52

      I first came across the word PENSIVE from this...

      Delete
    14. SandhyaP8 May 2014 at 08:53

      There are 10 words.

      Delete
    15. Kishore8 May 2014 at 08:55

      It gets on your nerves

      Delete
    16. Kishore8 May 2014 at 09:27

      I see a lot of "EN"s in the lights

      Delete
    17. Bhalchandra Pasupathy8 May 2014 at 09:55

      Nice puzzle. And the theme is my 'all time favourite'. Even visited the place which gave the inspiration for this!

      Delete
    18. Abhay8 May 2014 at 11:18

      I count 10 words in the puzzle that appear in the 'themed' work. The two top crosses first suggested the link - once I looked for it! Good catch, CV.

      Delete
    19. Abhay8 May 2014 at 11:20

      Sorry, Sandhya - I saw your 8:53 *after* responding to CV's original comment above which triggered the search for the theme.

      Delete
  3. Chaturvasi8 May 2014 at 08:39

    Reading test

    Ref the box in Col 1 of today's paper.

    Read the sentence beginning "In this digital age..."

    Tell me if you were able to keep track and get the sense of it all.

    How many times did you have to re-read it before you got the drift?

    Or did you give up mid-way?

    PGW can write a sentence as long as this but there would be no need to re-read it to make sense of it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kishore8 May 2014 at 09:04

      Did not read the paper yet. Yet to rescue it from my father's clutches ;-)

      Delete
    2. Padmanabhan8 May 2014 at 10:28

      Hope it is not drafted by the newcomer! If so we are in for a long haul. I am sure the the writer himself got lost midway, not to speak of the reader.

      Delete
  4. RameshJ8 May 2014 at 08:40

    Didn't Kishore"s toon capture the theme?

    ReplyDelete
  5. SandhyaP8 May 2014 at 09:04

    @Kishore &CV: Naughty boys! ; )

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kishore8 May 2014 at 09:06

      We are in the mood for 'it' !

      Delete
    2. SandhyaP8 May 2014 at 09:08

      : P

      Delete
    3. Richard8 May 2014 at 10:05

      Logging in for a while. Missed the fun.

      Sandy 9:04 on CV and Kishore - PP Version 2?

      Delete
    4. Padmanabhan8 May 2014 at 10:15

      The problem is that you get others in the 'mood' as well !!
      Richard @ 10.05- Does "SP" stand for Special P?

      Delete
    5. Mukundala Balasubramanyam8 May 2014 at 10:49

      Kishore @ : You are in the mood for"it" @ 9:06 AM ?!

      Delete
    6. Kishore8 May 2014 at 11:14

      IT? Always. After all, it is my bread and butter.

      Delete
    7. Mukundala Balasubramanyam8 May 2014 at 11:28

      So that's 'it' ! :)

      Delete
    8. Padmanabhan8 May 2014 at 12:24

      Now Kishore means another IT- Income tax, right Kishore?

      Delete
    9. pavalamani pragasam8 May 2014 at 13:19

      A whole bunch of naughty boys, Sandhya!

      Delete
    10. Padmanabhan8 May 2014 at 13:30

      PP has able support in SP!

      Delete
    11. Richard8 May 2014 at 14:14

      Relief! Thought we were being ignored!

      Delete
    12. Padmanabhan8 May 2014 at 15:23

      :-)

      Delete
  6. Abhay8 May 2014 at 09:06

    Nice morning workout. Some very good surfaces and accessible (often intriguing) wordplay.

    @DG: Re. FLORA annotation: I don't see a problem with the annotation, but the clue also has an &lit touch, doesn't it? After all, FLORA does mean all vegetation, not just flowers.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Abhay8 May 2014 at 09:14

    Great cartoon, Kishore. I think the cow could not have WANDERED over anway, because the LONELY bull making the ENTREATY with AFFECTION was in the neighbouring farm, separated by a fence or perhaps by a mass of FLORA including some DAFFODILS. Quite a WRENCH for both of them, and bound to put them in a PENSIVE MOOD, but I am sure celibacy has some PAYOFF!

    ReplyDelete
  8. C.G. BHARGAV8 May 2014 at 09:28

    You guys seem to be bent on changing the mode of the mood in solving.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Abhay8 May 2014 at 09:28

    Incidentally, the Hindu has some great wordplay on the Sports page, worthy of a crossword clue: reporting that Federer and his wife now have another pair of twins, the headline reads "Two sets to love!"

    Kudos to the sub-ed who came up with that headline.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kishore8 May 2014 at 09:36

      TOI too has the same headline, so probably a syndicated one:

      http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/off-the-field/Two-sets-to-love-for-Roger-Federer/articleshow/34773546.cms

      The new additions being girls, if they are identical, leading to initial identification issues, if the mother asks the husbandr whether
      "A" has been fed, he could doubtfully reply. "I fed 'er, er, just five minutes back"

      Delete
    2. Padmanabhan8 May 2014 at 10:19

      Kishore,
      The new additions are boys (will be boys?)- the older twins are girls. So ..er.... mo(o)dify.

      Delete
    3. Kishore8 May 2014 at 11:15

      Suresh, no time for sex-changes, right?

      Delete
    4. Kishore8 May 2014 at 11:20

      Abhay, both the pieces are credited to Reuters.

      Delete
    5. Mukundala Balasubramanyam8 May 2014 at 11:40

      This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    6. Mukundala Balasubramanyam8 May 2014 at 13:51

      Kishore @ 11:15 Your comment reminds me of an exchange I had with I S Johar in his 'Question Box' column of Filmfare, long long ago!

      Mine : Hi, handsome! Happy news! I changed my sex!!

      His reply : Just when I lost it!

      Delete
    7. Chaturvasi8 May 2014 at 14:06

      As a former sub-editor I can say that agency reports don't carry headlines. Their reports will have only the barest of bare 'headers'.
      In olden days when news came via teleprinters, it would come in bits called 'takes' - each consisting of some 15 or 20 lines.
      The stream of paper spewing out of the teleprinter would have different takes of different stories. We would cut a long stream and then cut the different takes. Before the takes of a particular story were pinned, they were sorted out and assembled.
      When the story was to continue, each take will have 'mtf' at the end - meaning more to follow. When there was no more take to come, the last take will have (ends).
      The sub, after editing the takes, will pin them together and append a torn bit of white paper with his/her heading written on it.
      As for the heading of the twins story, it is possible two subs happened to give the same headline in different newsrooms.
      It is a good headline but it is none-too-original one for a seasoned sub to give.

      Delete
  10. C.G. BHARGAV8 May 2014 at 09:31

    The Amul guys may say that you are in boysterous mood!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kishore8 May 2014 at 09:37

      What bull! We are always in a boys-will-be-boysterous mood!

      Delete
  11. Raghunath8 May 2014 at 09:35

    Maybe if the bull had performed DANCES, in a DO OR DIE effort to gain the LONELY cow's AFFECTION and FLOOR her - that would have been some PAYOFF ending in PLEASURE on CLOUD nine

    ReplyDelete
  12. Raghunath8 May 2014 at 09:36

    And finally the puzzle by Lightning - as always smooth reading.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Richard8 May 2014 at 10:07

    K's cartoon reminded me of someone who advanced men's pulses but repulsed their advances...

    ReplyDelete
  14. Padmanabhan8 May 2014 at 10:24

    Excellent intriguing CW- A good exercise for the brain and a nice start for the day. IMO,lot of moody diversions have drifted the focus away.
    I was red faced - no, I do not mean the discussion. But for missing 1A,taking 'embarrassed' as the def. and wandered away.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Mukundala Balasubramanyam8 May 2014 at 10:34

    Simple and elegant puzzle.

    ReplyDelete
  16. PKPSwami8 May 2014 at 10:46

    Enjoyed today's puzzle.Esp.13a-doctor is def.& not anagrind.Likewise disorderly defined vide 29a.17d-the catch is in'fell' back to slip. Wonderful.also thunderous one marked by lightning.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Chaturvasi8 May 2014 at 10:54

    I had just set a puzzle with a theme.

    Then I got a chance to see the grid entries in today's XWD. I was taken aback to see that the ghost theme in this was the same as the one that I had thought of and done the gridfills. I was yet to write the clues.

    I took a relook. I was relieved to see that all - except one - of the thematic words in my grid were unique. I quickly altered the repeat and thus my grid was saved.

    "Men work together, ... / Whether they work together or apart.'' - Frost.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Kishore8 May 2014 at 11:24

    Looking at Bhala's and CV's comments, I suspect the theme might be something else. Van Gogh? I have no domain knowledge.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous8 May 2014 at 11:32

      This above comment is after and despite my having icluded the highlighted grid in above post at DG's instruction

      Delete
    2. RameshJ8 May 2014 at 11:38

      http://www.bartleby.com/145/ww260.html ?

      Delete
    3. Vinayak8 May 2014 at 11:43

      Many words seem to be from the poem " I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" ( aka Daffodils) by William Wordsworth.

      Delete
    4. Vinayak8 May 2014 at 11:46

      Oops! Did not notice @Ramesh 11;38 earlier before posting my comment.

      Delete
  19. Deepak Gopinath8 May 2014 at 12:00

    I WANDERED lonely as a cloud
    That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
    When all at once I saw a crowd,
    A host, of golden daffodils;
    Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
    Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

    Continuous as the stars that shine
    And twinkle on the milky way,
    They stretched in never-ending line
    Along the margin of a bay:
    Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
    Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

    The waves beside them danced; but they
    Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
    A poet could not but be gay,
    In such a jocund company:
    I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
    What wealth the show to me had brought:

    For oft, when on my couch I lie
    In vacant or in pensive mood,
    They flash upon that inward eye
    Which is the bliss of solitude;
    And then my heart with pleasure fills,
    And dances with the daffodils.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Kishore8 May 2014 at 12:02

    Finally, updated solution grid. Frankly, I had no idea ...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Deepak Gopinath8 May 2014 at 12:06

      Ditto. However I remember slogging at school trying to remember the words. I for one could never remember poetry verbatim.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous8 May 2014 at 12:18

      Your ditto seems to ref. to updating the solution grid, which both of us seem to have done. So we have one at the top and one at the bottom!

      Delete
    3. Mukundala Balasubramanyam8 May 2014 at 12:24

      I think ENNUI is not a themed word from the poem.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous8 May 2014 at 12:26

      Yes, my mistake. Looks like I am also the culprit for uploading it twice. ;-)

      Delete
  21. Padmanabhan8 May 2014 at 12:39

    Col.
    Thank you for reproducing the lovely poem by Wordsworth. Enjoyed reading it again.
    And, of course, thanks once again to Lightning for the most enjoyable CW.

    ReplyDelete
  22. C.G. BHARGAV8 May 2014 at 12:41

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ6r5I6BGQA

    ReplyDelete
  23. Bhavan8 May 2014 at 13:23

    Lightning strikes leaving us dazed with his brilliance. Well done.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous8 May 2014 at 14:31

      No doubt, one of the best. Kudos, Lightning!

      Delete
  24. Ramani8 May 2014 at 14:24

    Centum today! Somewhat easier to my standard - you people would have completed in a jiffy Lightning speed. Thanks Lightning!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Unknown8 May 2014 at 14:33

    i am still in confusion regarding (?) question mark. Can anyone explain? What is the function of question mark in 18 D?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mukundala Balasubramanyam8 May 2014 at 16:40

      http://www.crosswordunclued.com/2010/08/how-to-interpret-punctuation-in-clues.html

      Please go through that link - of Crossword Unclued by Suchi.

      Delete
    2. Mukundala Balasubramanyam8 May 2014 at 16:55

      As for 18 Dn it may be a case of -- "Sometimes '?' and '!' too, like other punctuation marks, only help the surface and imply nothing unusual " - Courtesy Suchi's Crossword Unclued.

      Delete
  26. Navneeth8 May 2014 at 21:02

    Very well crafted clues and surfaces.

    I too thought that the Federer headline was nicely done. Although for some reason, I immediately looked for the syndicate's name.

    Chaturvasiat@02:06, make that at least three people in as many newsrooms who came up with the same headline. :-)

    http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/05/06/uk-tennis-men-madrid-federer-idUKKBN0DM1CL20140506

    ReplyDelete
  27. VP8 May 2014 at 21:41

    I first saw "Two sets to Love" on tennis.com's slider - right after Federer broke the news on twitter two days ago. Not saying that any journalist plagiarized here. I guess its more like a good, but easy to construct, "& lit" clue that no one wants to pass up on :)

    ReplyDelete

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