Wednesday 28 May 2014

No 11096, Wednesday 28 May 2014, Gridman


With 1A as REAL LIFE and 8D as UNIVERSALISM I was foxed for a long time. That's my problem with CD's. 

ACROSS
1   Such a story in literature may not lie (4-4) TRUE LIFE [CD]
6   Lover’s tie talked about (4) BEAU (~bow) Another pronunciation that i was not aware of till today
9   Lion, by no means a pussy (3,3) BIG CAT [CD]
10 National might be a female I hang about (7) AFGHANI {A}{F}{GHANI*}
13 Leader of Congress gets a quiet tip to source of funds (4,5) CASH POINT {C}{A}{SH} {POINT}
14 Run away with East European revolutionary (5) ELOPE {E}{POLE*} (Addendum - {E}{POLE}<= - See comments)
15 Finished deliveries? (4) OVER [DD]
16 Moody from some spreadsheet functions (3,2,5) OUT OF SORTS {OUT OF} {SORTS}
19 Karl caught messing up with feature of funny TV show (5,5) LAUGH TRACK*
21 Dark shadow from friend fell finally (4) PALL {PAL}{felL}
24 A second layer of pale colour (5) ASHEN {A}{S}{HEN}
25 Release a fellow who is not under any contractual obligation (4,5) FREE AGENT {FREE} {A}{GENT}
26 Part ZEE telecast is a circus act (7) TRAPEZE*
27 Pounds after short run around Bihar's capital (6) THROBS {THRO{B}S*}
28 Newlywed woman doesn't start journey (4) RIDE bRIDE
29 Takes a short sleep in rubbish bag (8) KNAPSACK {K{NAPS}ACK}

DOWN
2   Old foreign money given to a girl to send out again (7) REISSUE {REIS}{SUE}
3   Save right out of passage (6) EXCEPT EXCErPT
4   Tiger Run I toured to find plotter (9) INTRIGUER*
5   Accurate demand (5) EXACT [DD]
Cartoon by Bhargav
7   Strange roue catches upcoming fellow’s charm (7) ENAMOUR {E{NAM<=}OUR*}
8   Global commonness (12) UNIVERSALITY [E]
11 European country said to import lard (6) GREASE (~greece)
12 Instructor, too charmless, under reorientation (12) SCHOOLMASTER*
17 So charter reassembled band (9) ORCHESTRA*
18 Swap coins? (6) CHANGE [DD]
20 “…. but those __ are sweeter still” (Keats) (7) UNHEARD [FITB]
22 Good tennis player and writer are bitter (7) ACERBIC {ACER}{BIC}
23 Mammal doesn't complete slow movement - crowd loses heart (6) WALRUS {WALk}{RUSh}
25 Faker undergoes hesitant turn and shift - that’s unusual (5) FREAK {F(+er<=)REAK(-er)}

29 comments:

  1. A walk in the park! Quite an enjoyable and enthralling puzzle. Thank you Gridman. :-))

    ReplyDelete
  2. 14 Run away with East European revolutionary (5) ELOPE {E}{POLE*}

    I thought it was: East : E, European: POLE, revolutionary E POLE<=

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Me too. Else it becomes an indirect anagram. But then the reversal works only in the first part which makes East's position in the wrong place.

      Delete
    2. That's right!
      Yesterday when I was rechecking it, I was a little worried that I had perhaps used an indirect anagram - so uncharacteristic of me. It took quite some time and a little prodding from an external source before I realsied that that the anno is as given by Raghunath here now.
      Crossword setters often forget their own original thinking when they come to parse clues after a lapse of time.

      Delete
    3. East European
      E POLE
      reversing the above
      ELOPE
      Now, does that make sense?

      Delete
  3. Col.,
    Is yours classified under 'Walrus'?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How many times does he have to confirm this classification?

      The whole world knows.

      Delete
  4. 11 European country said to import lard (6) GREASE (~greece)

    'Import' probably is misleading.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Can't it be seen as a link word? WP imports/brings sol word.
      European country said lard - or any similar clue - wouldn't make sense, would it?

      Delete
  5. Curiously, I got both the answers given on top right, but faltered on walrus.
    Did Gridman have enough time to make some overnight changes to make it easier today? MB put it precisely- a walk in the park.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I never set out to create a hard or easy crossword.
    Gridfills done, I proceed to write clues.
    Sometimes the puzzle turns out to be easy, sometimes hard.
    Only my solvers can decide!

    ReplyDelete
  7. After yesterday's workout, today was a gentle warmup - thanks, Gridman. Lovely surfaces and wordplay. I don't see a problem with 'import' lard - I parsed it as the setter has indicated above.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Phew! Solved today's CW with no Googling, etc. - thank you Gridman/CV!
    Was beginning to think I had lost the knack or the grey cells were losing out!!
    Good morning all - heading for coffee and samosas, now.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Nice one today from Gridman. I had 1A as REAL LIFE as well on first glance.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. When "not lie" appears in the clue, it automatically leads to "True" in the first glance itself. So I did not have a problem with the clue at all.

      Delete
  10. Bhargav, why is the background of all your cartoons shaded grey?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think he is photographing a hand drawn sketch indoors. Hene, it is looking gray. I don't think he has actually shaded it.

      Delete
  11. Yes, I do photograph a hand drawn sketch. I am trying to get used to the doodle apps. Hope to change over soon!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have used photography for some hand drawn sketches (not toons). By laying it on my bed with sunlight filtering through the current, the white paper looks like a sepia print in the photo

      Delete
  12. Paradise Lost yesterday Regained today! Thanks Grindman!

    ReplyDelete
  13. 6 Lover’s tie talked about (4) BEAU (~bow) Another pronunciation that i was not aware of till today

    I remember seeing a movie called The Last Remake of Beau Geste in Ernakulam in the early '80s

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Beau Geste is the title of a novel that P. C. Wren wrote - the Wren of Wren and Martin grammar book.

      Delete
  14. 12d Schoolmaster looks like a spillover from yesterday's school theme.

    Today I see a circus theme: Big cat, laugh track, trapeze, ride, orchestra, freak

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Possible!

      While filling the grid, one word might lead to another and by association I might add related words. But I don't claim that I have created a thematic - for which I would want it to be full-bodied.

      Delete

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