Monday, 30 June 2014

No.11124, Monday 30 June 2014, From the files of Sankalak

Sankalak continues to amaze with his long anagrams and superb surfaces

ACROSS
1 In which one may be in a state of anxiety, shivering and perspiring! (4,5) COLD SWEAT (CD)
5 Notes taken in transport for a conifer (5) CEDAR (E,D in CAR)
8 Loss of power when feathers drop (8) DOWNFALL (2)  I put in 'shedding' at first thinking of TN power situation, not political loss of power
9 First of sons in marriage leads to harmony (6) UNISON (S in UNION)
11 Wedge driven into an article attractively (5) CLEAT (T)
12 I snub user misbehaving somewhat like a bear (9) SUBURSINE (I SNUB USER)*
13 Girl who could fib about a Nazi guard (6) LASSIE (LIE about A SS)
14 Lag’s bone, treated, shows inert element (5,3) NOBLE GAS (LAG'S BONE)*
Cartoon by Bhargav
 16 Playing a part with university prefects initially behaving badly (6,2) ACTING UP (ACTING U P)
18 A lemur? Yes, indeed (3-3) AYE AYE (2)
22 Very energetic lady, manic, however (9) DYNAMICAL (LADY MANIC)*
23 Escape the attention of Alamelu deliberately to an extent (5) ELUDE (T)
24 Device that gives a signal to a busy one, period! (6) BEEPER (BEE PER.)
25 Plan to evict Ron somehow (8) CONTRIVE (EVICT RON)*
26 Features of negative votes about introduction of statute (5) NOSES (NOES about S)
27 The way things are moving — that is, by the way, the most fashionable (9) TRENDIEST (TREND I.E. ST)

DOWN
1 Addition made by one with a will (7) CODICIL (CD)


 Cartoon by Rishi
2 Perfect but, losing head, anarchic (7) LAWLESS (fLAWLESS)
3 Tiny fuses barmen set off for security when in a group (6,2,7) SAFETY IN NUMBERS (TINY FUSES BARMEN)*

4 Measure of inclination to sign up (6) ENLIST (EN LIST)
5 Provided with comfort in cold weather, should a theatre deny call for adjustment? (9,6) CENTRALLY HEATED (THEATRE DENY CALL)*
6 Spirited rush in government (7) DASHING (DASH IN G)
7 Messengers who assist some batsmen (7) RUNNERS (2)
10 A French actor returning to be a superior monk (5) ABBOT (A BB(TO)<) BB for Brigitte Bardot
15 Mixed drink with a telling force (5) PUNCH (2)
           Remembered the magazine
16 A famous naturalist to the French, of the French? Good (7) AUDUBON (AU DU BON) Had to Google to confirm
17 Sailors go around North-north-east to find people working with hides and skins (7) TANNERS (TARS around NNE)
19 A deep thought about drip-feed — interesting (7) AMUSIVE (A MUSE about IV, for intravenous drip feed)
20 First lady and the others on a mount (7) EVEREST (EVE REST)
21 Parties steeped in drink, sugar! (6) ALDOSE (DOS in ALE)

45 comments:

  1. My COD - SAFETY IN NUMBERS. Nice cartoon, Kishore.

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  2. Cartoon by Rishi: Was that a cooked up will?

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  3. Ref my cartoon.
    Please add to the list of things which we once used in big, independent bungalows but we no longer have in flats.

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    Replies
    1. Easychair, I don't know what it's called but it used to be a cot suspended from four hooks in the ceiling which would sway

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    2. What you are referring to is a variation of swing. But a typical easy chair is a reclining chair with a cotton/ plastic sheet suspended between 2 holes in the ends through which 2 wooden sticks are inserted.

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    3. Paddy I meant two different things. There should have been a fullstop after easy chair. Yes that suspended cot was like a swing, I was wondering if it had a traditional name.

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    4. We can't forget grandfather's easy chair. Commodious, wooden, reclining one with cane seater. The arms could be extended so one can stretch one's legs on it.

      We had two of them! Can't recall how they were disposed of!

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    5. Deepak

      In Tamil one might call it oonjal kattil.

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    6. Oh yes, the easy chair that Paddy mentions is different from the one that I have above.
      I remember
      These chairs often had the angavasthram of the old man thrown over it.

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    7. I still have two wooden easy chairs with caning. One belonged to my father-in-law and the other to his mother. Waiting to shift into a larger apartment where I can start using them. I also plan to put in a 'oonjal kattil' if possible. I also remember in my father-in-laws place in Chittur Kerala, he had a miniature easy chair with the canvas seat as mentioned by Paddy, my boys used to enjoy sitting in it next to their grandfather on his easy chair. Shall upload a snap if I can find one when a suitable word comes up.

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    8. Talking of easy chairs, I have one of those old ones, which are reclining and have ultra long armrests on which you are supposed to rest your legs

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  4. Coconut splitter (single bar grouted in a stone),,,
    Big coat hanger (to hang your clothes...)
    (Probably you were referring to a Cook's will? )

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  5. Glossary for Tamil terms
    Aattukkal: shaped granite stone with hollow in it; into which wet lentils were placed and ground with another rounded granite stone. Used for making idli/dosa batter.
    Ammikkal: a similar device but it had flattened surface on which another wide stone rounded at the edges was run to mash fried lentils, etc. Used for making chutney.
    ural: a two-foot tall granite stone with hollow on top. A longer wooden staff was used to ground stuff put in the hollow.
    maddhu: a wooden stick used to whisk and churn stuff
    uri: string of rope hung from ceiling to hold pots

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  6. 18 A : Sankalak did his PG in Zoology...

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  7. This month's Crossword Centre puzzle is beautiful! Some people here may not like it ...

    http://www.crossword.org.uk/solitaire.html

    It is by ~Euler

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  8. I was a little confused with 'maddhu' since we ysed to pronounce it as 'mathu'. Now clarified after your explanation.
    My father used to tell a funny story about ural and a shy son in law-
    A newly married man went to his in law's place for the first visit after marriage. During the feast one of the items served was 'ellu podi'- something similar to chilly powder but made with till. He found it so very tasty but felt shy to ask for more. Those days as CV put it, it used to be ground in ural. He saw that the ural had lots of it still stuck in it. Late at night when everyone was asleep he went to the ural and put his head in to have more of it. Lo & behold! He could not pull out of it. And the cat was out of the bag!

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  9. Beautiful smooth surfaces today.
    Sankalak was a master setter.
    Wish I was in Chennai or Bangalore, would have loved to attend the S and B meet in Chennai, on July 6.

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  10. In Kannada they call it 'beesakkallu". I am unable to recall the Tamil term for it. Padmanabhan, please help!

    It is actually made of two circular granites stones. The lower one has a firm stick at the centre. The upper one has a hole in the centre.

    Lentils are placed on the surface of the lower stone. Then the upper stone is lowered onto it.
    Now the stick of the lower stone has gone through the hole on the top one.

    The upper stone also has a stick in one side. By which the upper stone is held by hand and rotated round, the stuff crunching between the two stones.

    I have seen ladies winding rags round those sticks so the latter are in place.

    Lentils used to be fed from time to time through gaps around the central stick.

    Paddy, please correct any mistakes in description.

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    Replies
    1. At my place, we used to call it as 'Enthiram' . (on hindsight I realize that it is just a translation of Mill / Machine)

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    2. In hindi it's called a 'Chakki'. Remember Dahrmendra's 'Chakki peesoing'?

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    3. In Konkani it is called Dantey. It is used for a particular rite for grinding urad during wedding and other ceremonies

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  11. It is called 'kal iyanthiram'

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  12. It is 'Yendaram'- the best way I could write it in English (I do not know how to use a Tamil font)
    CV,
    The description is bang on!

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  13. One more contraption was the one you would find place on the verandah at the rear which had a cord wrapped around a whisk and used for making butter and buttermilk

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    Replies
    1. We have made that in our kitchen by embedding two hooks in the wall to tie the ropes of the churn to

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    2. It is the traditional method.

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  14. Another item is the coconut grater the swan neck portion of which was sharpened and used for cutting vegetables. Still in use I think.

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    Replies
    1. Very much in use and we have one at home.

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    2. People here are still keen of using that thing but it's not as efficient as a knife for cutting vegetables. With proper technique and a chef's knife, chopping, dicing, mincing or whatever could be done in less than half the time.

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  15. It is called arivaa(l)manai

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    Replies
    1. Manai is the wooden base on which one puts his leg/ knee to fix it in position. Manai separately is a wooden plank (mostly polished/ decorated) on which one sits. Arival is of course the cutting part.

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  16. No issues at all when it comes to a Sankalak puzzle, it appears. Today, the entire discussion is all about heritage items in the kitchen. :-)

    By the way, Jayashankar Jayaraman, the eldest son of the late Sankalak, had posted a message under No.11123, Saturday 28 Jun 14 at 8-31 pm. Looks like many have not read it.

    Those who have missed reading it, can click here for immediate reference.

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  17. Today's blog has a date makr of 2oth June, 2014 both at its caption and margin. Someone's Time machine has taken us backwards from 230th June. Needs correction., Col. for posterity !

    Talking about easy chairs, took me back to my child hood when I used to lean over my dad's reclining chair, learning my Tamil, informally. To me an easy chair with its stretch-arms and legs is a symbol of La dolce Vita ! perfect symbol of rest and serenity, to tell oneself that all is well in this best of all possible worlds.

    On those culinary clutter amenities, one can not overlook the Churn, a device that is used to whip up cream and butter that my dad used to take on as a chore, daily morning, apart from the cutting vegetables on that squat machine, swan shaped, as assigned to him by his help meet my mom. It is a very common sight in those days, ladies squatting on these , spread-eagled cutting vegetables. An oxymoron ? I have one archaic item of this bought from the streets of Mombasa

    Not to forget the Imam Dasta, a mortar and pestle duo. A friend of mine in Nairobi has this curious curio collection of these varieties from all over the world ! A very odd collection indeed.
















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  18. 12 I snub user misbehaving somewhat like a bear (9) SUBURSINE (I SNUB USER)*

    Couldn't find this word in OED, Chambers and Free Dic(WIKI). Finally could locate it in Collins. I've only OED and as for others, through NET.

    Typical Sankalak masterpiece! Enjoyed it a lot. :-)

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  19. Ursine is there. We have to develop 'sub-ursine',I guess.

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  20. I am sure you would have come across Ursa major & Ursa Minor- constellations.( bear like)

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Paddy, for the info. Trying to increase my vocabulary, thanks to this wonderful blog and fellow commenters. Looks like age is no bar for learning. :)

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  21. Nice puzzle.The veteran virtually walks us thro' well laid-out clues along the garden path. A real entertainer to start the week thanks to the genius.

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  22. How does one classify 24A & 27A? CD with a cryptic element?

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  23. I would classify each of them as 'charade' or 'word after word' or 'combination'.
    I.e., as two or more components strung together to form the answer word.
    You're probably asking this question because there is some embroidery in the definition of a couple of components in these two clues.

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  24. I will say in one sentence this is the great hinducrosswordcorner and the question are awesome of which the answer is given nicely means its anything but its cool. Nice one dude.

    translation in ahmedabad | translation service

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