Monday 12 May 2014

No.11082, Monday 12 May 2014, Xchequer

A tad easier than usual perhaps, but still devious! Nice job of clueing in several Ss in diverse ways-small, solid, seen, smoke initially, son, saint, ...

ACROSS
1 Distressed when lady joins network (7) GRIEVED (EVE in GRID)
5 Exercise during heated dispute — without it, go faster? (5,2) SPEED UP (PE in DiSPUtE*)
9 One following duty or following something similar mostly (9) SUCCESSOR (CESS OR following SUCh)
10 Room for bad loans (5) SALON (LOANS*)
          Tell that to the RBI!  It is deep worried about non-performing assets, while we are about non-performing asses ... Is that correct? Or are non-performing asses far better than performing ones ...
11 Male descendant, tycoon, not married (6) AGNATE (mAGNATE)
12 Insult a native pinching a grape (7) SULTANA (T)
14 Vessel in small part of the body (4) SHIP (S HIP)
15 Carpeted floor in basic style, staid across entrance (10) CASTIGATED (C STAID* across GATE)
19 Expats are agitated with electronic bug (10) EXASPERATE ((EXPATS ARE)* E)
20 Give up drug after a month in withdrawal (4) CEDE (E after DEC<)
22 Graphic portrayal of story about black gold (7) TABLEAU (TALE about B AU)
25 A new chief, perhaps militant (6) ANARCH (A N ARCH)
27 Settlement for a charge (5) AWARD (A WARD)
28 Come across guards respecting support for troublemaker (9) FIREBRAND (FIND across RE BRA)
29 Climbed over top of duct getting burnt (7) SCALDED (SCALED over D)
30 Fine solid notes (7) MINUTES (MINUTE S)

DOWN
1 Puff of smoke initially seen in opening (4) GUST (S in GUT) GASP (S in GAP) See comments
2 Noticing a poor female in disguise (9) INCOGNITA (NOTICING A)*

3 Instruments playing even at empty arenas (6) VEENAS (EVEN* ArenaS)
4 Desperate couple protecting son from ruin (9) DISREPAIR (DIRE PAIR protecting S)
5 Types distress message over the wireless (5) SORTS (SOS over RT=Radio Telegraph)
6 Saline solution (gel, not liquid) in animal feed (8) ENSILAGE (SALINE+GEL-L)*
7 Volunteers directed to return earlier to get increment (5) DELTA (LED< TA)
          Luckily for me, I was explaining the basis of Differential Calculus yesterday!
8 Manage to fill dishes with appeals for charity (10) PANHANDLES (HANDLE filling PANS)
                                                                                       Cartoon by Rishi
13 These are required to be despatched by one in mobile sales (10) ESSENTIALS (SENT 1 in SALES*)
16 In unholy rage and tantrum, express a French four-letter word (9) TETRAGRAM (Anno not clear, RAGE* > A M=French... man, Monsieur? ) (RAGE TANTRUM-UN)* See comments
          #$@% is a four letter word in any language
17 Keen worker at bottom of ditch (9) TRENCHANT (ANT at bottom of TRENCH)
18 Topping loan during depressions on the rise (8) SPLENDID (LEND in DIPS<)
21 Trick involving writing perhaps, connecting A B C (6) CARBON (CON involving R connecting A and B) Graphically, C(A(R)B)ON
          Our setters seem to be browsing at the Periodic Table periodically
23 Graduate accepts white boss in Africa (5) BWANA (WAN in BA)
24 Malnourished peacekeepers ate later (5) UNFED (UN FED)
26 Chances of theologian meeting saint (4) ODDS (O DD S)

64 comments:

  1. Nice one xChequer.

    I had GA(S)P for 1d

    ReplyDelete
  2. 21 Trick involving writing perhaps, connecting A B C (6) CARBON (CON involving R connecting A and B)

    I think it works like this:

    C {A(R)B} ON

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is what I have described

      Delete
    2. Oops. Pardon for my comment

      Delete
    3. Not at all. Just added graphical annotation too.

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    4. I like the expression 'graphical anno' for the one-line anno with brackets, etc., as against the one that is in many words - for the latter I was using the word 'explanation'.

      Delete
    5. That should have read 'pardon me for my comment'

      Delete
  3. There are three postings of today's blog. Two to be deleted.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It seems to be replicating every time I edit. Now there are 5 I think and one of them shows 53 comments. Not sure which to delete. Help required, Deepak.

      Delete
    2. There were none with 53 comments. I have deleted the superfluous ones. See if all your edits are in

      Delete
    3. Managed to get rid of the imposters. Two were showing as drafts. BTW 53 was views, not comments.

      Delete
    4. Updated again. Every time I save, a new draft is being created.

      Delete
    5. No drafts created when I edit the post and update

      Delete
    6. I tried again. Inserted a line and updated (actually, the button was saying publish and not update) and a blank post appeared. When I went to list of posts without saving a blank post was there in draft mode.

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    7. Again, this time it said update not publish, but created one more draft.

      Delete
  4. Nice one xChequer.

    I had GA(S)P for 1d

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks. I think that is more suitable. Gut for opening can work only for a fish etc. Gap is more universal.

      Delete
    2. That was another duplicated comment. I had posted it only once.

      Delete
  5. Yesterday's paper tells me no water worries in Bangalore this summer. I am now seriously worried. They had said no power problems this summer, and days later load shedding was imposed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Any 'no worries' comment by the Government is a definite cause for worry. It happens every year.

      Delete
  6. How do we read the foll clues:

    10 Room for bad loans (5) SALON (LOANS*)

    Definition FOR wordplay

    4 Desperate couple protecting son from ruin (9) DISREPAIR (DIRE PAIR protecting S)

    Wordplay (derived) from (working back) ruin? Understand that 'from' is reqd for the surface.

    Usually it's the other way around.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Raghunath
      Reg your comment on 4
      This order - WP [from] def - is legit, I think. I seem to have read somewhere.
      As for 10, it's said it must be
      WP [for] def
      Have I used def [for] WP? Don't remember one way or the other.

      Delete
    2. WP from Def doesn't seem okay in my opinion. It'd be logical if these formats are avoided. If we read clues as cryptic instructions, Def. of WP and Def from WP seem more sensible. With these, at least the solver, on reading the clue, can systematically deduce where the wordplay lies.

      Delete
  7. 16A- Def. to be highlighted. Reg. Kishore's comment about 4 letter word, I was reminded about the old joke on password (****)

    ReplyDelete
  8. 'Sanders of the River' (by Edgar Wallace') and Tarzan stories by Edgar Rice Burroughs were among the early books that introduced us to words like 'bwana', 'effendi' and 'pasha'.

    Anagrams of BWANA include NAWAB & BAWAN.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Very enjoyable crossword. Smooth.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Returned to Chennai after 6 week's exile at Bhatinda Refinery. Opened The Hindu paper to locate the Crossword. Never seen TH Crossword sinking to such a low level!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. These setters are not doing their work properly.

      Delete
  11. Nice one from Xchequer. Found it difficult to complete.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Exchequer SCALDED my brains today ! What with FIREBRAND and ANARCH ( a la, self-confessed AK?) making me to GASP !

    Is Veenas in the English dict?

    Let some one not take my TRENCHANT comments amiss, as i did enjoy.

    As I had said yesterday, ,my comments are mere comments as our as our horizons gget fasrther than zenith , by doing these toughies !

    ReplyDelete
  13. Raju

    WRT your post late evening yesterday.

    You've rested so many cases here that the Col might think of levying some storage fee. Please take care.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Raju

    Veena is very much in Chambers.

    Neenga aen indha maadhiri veena sandeha-p padareenga?
    நீங்க ஏன் இந்த மாதிரி வீணா சந்தேகப் படறீங்க?

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hi Raju, Hearty Congratulations on winning Edex Casual Manger puzzle.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Congrats, Raju. But I suspect Renga is talking of a Manager and not a Manger ...

      Delete
    2. Kishore & Renga:
      Thanks. Renga is right, it is not a Manager. This CASUAL MANGER is for the dogs. My wife also teases me , asking me whether I'm in the Manger on Monday mornings ! ! Dunno why it is called a Manger and why casual ! I do it fo for a lark- time pass and for my collections.. It is so silly as all you have to do is to go to the Anagram Solver and play on. However, The final Theme compilation is a pain , you know where ! Only one spin-off doing this is that one gets to learn a bit more on GK and it keeps one in anagram mode for a long time

      Delete
  16. Watching the progress in last phase of polling on TV. Exit polls will be telecast after 6.30 PM.

    Who said "Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of the party"?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This phrase was first proposed as a typing drill by instructor Charles E. Weller, who recounted its use in his book 'The Early History of the Typewriter'.

      Delete
    2. Who said "Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of the party"?

      Bagpiper! _ Hum, tum aur Bagpiper. No doubt hum and tum are good men ...

      Delete
    3. Whichever Party comes to power, needs the aid of all the good men and women of this country . As for you me and Kishore, lets play on the Bagpiper singing "" God save the Country"" !! Cheers and Prosit ! Gesundheit !

      Delete
  17. Inviting interested parties to take a look at 10across in today's Guardian Cryptic by Rufus. The wordplay is fine, but can anyone identify the definition? There is some discussion about this on 225.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Replies
    1. 10 In French is it spelt without the S? Yes (4)

      Delete
    2. Brilliant. Only got the explanation from fifteensquared. Si being the same as yes. without the s becomes I.

      Delete
    3. I thought oui was yes in Fr and struggled with it.

      Delete
    4. Haven't seen 15x15. But seems a bit far fetched. Where does the Si come from anyway? And it's not French.

      My take was Is = island (or isle). In French, that is ile (without the s).

      But that raises some questions about the syntax in the clue

      Delete
  19. Like CV says 'shameless plug'!
    See Page 24 of the March issue of Harmony magazine at this link HARMONY MAGAZINE

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Congats, it was greater glory than being on Page 3!

      Delete
  20. Kudos! May the force be with you!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Congrats, Col, for having been featured in the Harmony magazine. That wall paper of crosswords appears to be gigantic ? Is it one single sheet or only a part?
    I ran through the mag very late and hence this belated felicitations !

    May your tribe and blog flourish along with you for many more years to come !! God bless !!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Those were just four sheets of the six sheets of the worlds largest cw which was presented to me by Arden, Shuchi and Kishore on my 60th b'day. You too have one of those don't you?

      Delete

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