Lot of very good clues with superb surface readings, but the long ones in PERMANENT MAGNET, NEUROSURGEON, OLD AGE PENSIONER, AUTHENTICATE were terrific. What else is there to say for a Sankalak puzzle other than a big thank you and count our continued blessings?
ACROSS
1 Sign of island resort business beginning to ruffle North (9) CAPRICORN [CAPRI + CO + Ruffle + North]
5 Scrub a hollow craft with gold filling (5) ABORT [A + OR inside BoaT]
8 Try air treatment — something seldom met with (6) RARITY [TRY AIR]*
9 How one might fall sleep with legs drawn (6,2) CURLED UP [E]
11 Removal, in part, of a shape (4) OVAL [T]
12 Where to be when wanting to evade attention? (3,2,5) OUT OF SIGHT [CD]
14 Time in history when there was a setback to work in English church (5) EPOCH [OP<= inside E + CH]
15 City, old place accommodating Ida up for treatment (7) UDAIPUR [UR outside IDA UP*]
16 Disappointment for daughter in the French city (3-4) LET DOWN [Daughter inside LE + TOWN]
17 Good precipitation gives staple food (5) GRAIN [Good + RAIN]
19 With her husband away, for her the wag’s word is cruel (5,5) GRASS WIDOW [WAGS WORD IS]*
20 A measure of drink — it helps some breathe (4) GILL [DD]
22 Living to a ripe old age? A vegan? LOL, hilarious (8) LONGEVAL [VEGAN LOL]*
23 Oriental plane, transport carrying a bird (6) CHENAR [CAR outside HEN]
24 Ways to remove love from deep sadness (5) PATHS [PATHoS]
25 Given the ability, setter backs war detune; with hesitation, editor follows (9) EMPOWERED [ME<= + POW + ER + ED] Perhaps 'detune;' is a typo for 'détenu'?
DOWN
1 Rope operating as a barrier (6) CORDON [CORD + ON]
2 New game, ‘’Entrapment’’ — somehow it has a lasting attraction! (9,6) PERMANENT MAGNET [New GAME ENTRAPMENT]*
3 A very small amount put up by a paper (4) IOTA [A + TOI]<=
4 Specialist doctor with new money, on a wave, in action (12) NEUROSURGEON [New + EURO + SURGE + ON]
5 Fit sailor, above the ordinary (4,6) ABLE SEAMAN [CD]
6 Reopening doles a new way for one on the dole? (3,3,9) OLD AGE PENSIONER [REOPENING DOLES A]*
7 Barman, one who tries out contained drop of Perrier (7) TAPSTER [TASTER outside Perrier]
10 Certify a university, thereafter reduce credit, adding a note (12) AUTHENTICATE [A + U + THEN + TICk + A + TE]
13 In the US, Joey’s son develops a state of bliss (10) JOYOUSNESS [US JOEYS SON]*
16 Support lapse by fielder (3,4) LEG SLIP [LEG + SLIP]
18 The pest travelled endlessly for a fishing aid (3,3) FLY ROD [FLY + RODe]
21 Food, hot, swallowed by bovine (4) CHOW [Hot inside COW]
ACROSS
1 Sign of island resort business beginning to ruffle North (9) CAPRICORN [CAPRI + CO + Ruffle + North]
5 Scrub a hollow craft with gold filling (5) ABORT [A + OR inside BoaT]
8 Try air treatment — something seldom met with (6) RARITY [TRY AIR]*
9 How one might fall sleep with legs drawn (6,2) CURLED UP [E]
Illustration by Rishi
11 Removal, in part, of a shape (4) OVAL [T]
12 Where to be when wanting to evade attention? (3,2,5) OUT OF SIGHT [CD]
14 Time in history when there was a setback to work in English church (5) EPOCH [OP<= inside E + CH]
15 City, old place accommodating Ida up for treatment (7) UDAIPUR [UR outside IDA UP*]
17 Good precipitation gives staple food (5) GRAIN [Good + RAIN]
19 With her husband away, for her the wag’s word is cruel (5,5) GRASS WIDOW [WAGS WORD IS]*
20 A measure of drink — it helps some breathe (4) GILL [DD]
22 Living to a ripe old age? A vegan? LOL, hilarious (8) LONGEVAL [VEGAN LOL]*
23 Oriental plane, transport carrying a bird (6) CHENAR [CAR outside HEN]
25 Given the ability, setter backs war detune; with hesitation, editor follows (9) EMPOWERED [ME<= + POW + ER + ED] Perhaps 'detune;' is a typo for 'détenu'?
DOWN
1 Rope operating as a barrier (6) CORDON [CORD + ON]
2 New game, ‘’Entrapment’’ — somehow it has a lasting attraction! (9,6) PERMANENT MAGNET [New GAME ENTRAPMENT]*
3 A very small amount put up by a paper (4) IOTA [A + TOI]<=
4 Specialist doctor with new money, on a wave, in action (12) NEUROSURGEON [New + EURO + SURGE + ON]
5 Fit sailor, above the ordinary (4,6) ABLE SEAMAN [CD]
6 Reopening doles a new way for one on the dole? (3,3,9) OLD AGE PENSIONER [REOPENING DOLES A]*
Cartoon by Rishi
10 Certify a university, thereafter reduce credit, adding a note (12) AUTHENTICATE [A + U + THEN + TICk + A + TE]
13 In the US, Joey’s son develops a state of bliss (10) JOYOUSNESS [US JOEYS SON]*
16 Support lapse by fielder (3,4) LEG SLIP [LEG + SLIP]
18 The pest travelled endlessly for a fishing aid (3,3) FLY ROD [FLY + RODe]
Rishi's cartoon: Banker says: No problem about your kicking. Thanks for life certificate for 2014.
ReplyDeleteBut your life certificate for year 2010 is not there...."
Not just that, we don't have your birth certificate tooo ...
DeleteLife certificate not due till Nov ;-)
DeleteOld man (to banker): From 2010 to 2014 I was alive, yes, but I was in coma in hospital after a brain injury.
DeleteBanker: Hearbeat as per our manual is only one of the norms for a person to be considered as alive.
DeleteOld man: What can I do if the heart machine in the Government hospital was not functioning?
DeleteBanker: But were you kicking?
DeleteOld Man: Yes I was, but the bucket refused to topple over!
By the way I liked the patch on the pensioners shirt
DeleteI have to show cV sir's cartoon & the comments to my husband :) (he is a banker :D )
DeleteLV above is not a joke by the way. The incident of asking for Life Certificates of previous years has actually happened.
DeleteBanker: But were you kicking?
DeleteOld Man: Yes I was, but the bucket refused to topple over!...
Old man (in continuation): Because my wife had placed a heavy stone in it so that I won't pop out.
@Col sir, I have heard about this from my cousin :) ( he is also a banker ) ( He and my husband shares a lot of these kind of incidents happening in their banks :) )
DeleteDon't know about the old man in the cartoon CV sir, but Sankalak is certainly alive and kicking, with his crossies..
DeleteIt is very a routine procedure with the government departments. My hubby does!
DeleteVijay (VJ) (if you're visiting us today)
ReplyDeleteAren't you in Chennai?
If so, have you considered attending the July 6 S and B?
You're an informed Commenter and we would love to meet you.
Details in a separate post of the Colonel's on this blog.
VJ had mailed me asking when was the latest by which he could confirm. I had replied that he could inform us upto a couple of days before the meet. One odd plus or minus will not make a difference however it will be good if one confirms attendance so that nothing is left to ambiguity
DeleteCV, thank you for your kind words.
DeleteWould love to meet you people too. Will definitely make it if I'm not traveling. Col, will reconfirm in the coming week.
Nice breakfast on the computer- I mean our blog & Sankalak special !! Excellence of his CW is taken for granted with such long anagrams, but unintentionally (?) he has sparked an interesting exchange on pension and 'Life' certificate. One of my elderly pensioner relatives told me recently that it has been much simplified and they no longer require your presence.
ReplyDeletePresence is very much required. If one cannot go then the signature has to be attested by a doctor and ICICI Bank tells me that it has to be doctor approved by RBI. Other banks I think accept any registered doctor.
DeleteMy relative is an RBI retiree. Does that make a difference?
DeleteDo you have to prove that the doctor is still alive? i.e. that the certificate is not 'issued' on the letter pad of a deceased doctor.
DeleteDon't give ideas- lest they be implemented with more vigour than intended.
DeleteWhat I learned today is "Oriental plane'. I never knew that a tree is named like that. I was thinking about various Eastern Airlines like Garuda etc.
ReplyDeleteThere is an island in Dal Lake in Srinagar with 4 chinar trees and the island is called Char Chinar
Deletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Char_Chinar
DeleteThank you Kishore.
DeleteI missed out including cartoons in my list. Enjoyed them all. Children sometimes can manage to sleep in that posture too. as one grows older, you have trouble sleeping in normal position itself!
ReplyDeleteSankalak always provides a breath of cool fresh air! His Crosswords are always so enjoyable and so 'do-able'. God bless his Soul. Thank you, Sankalak, we miss you and remember you with fond respect.
ReplyDeleteReally a pleasure to solve Sankalak and enjoyed immensely! Thank whom? The Hindu for keeping the 'files'...
ReplyDeleteAs usual nice one from Sankalak. Missed out on UDAIPUR and GRASS WIDOW but enjoyed solving all those long anagrams. Thanking Sankalak and The Hindu too for preserving Sankalak's masterpieces.
ReplyDeletePosted late at night, nearer midnight, yesternight. Comments welcome:
ReplyDeleteAt this point in time reminds me : I'd like to be clarified: 1. whenever we read about the past, referring to some incidence that took place, 'at the time' is used and not' at that time'. Any one noticed this nuance? Which is correct?
Again, another query: 2.. Why is it that nowadays , we find the word 'that' omitted when one writes "" I can come for the S & B meet so I can meet other bloggers? "
3.. First of all-- Second of all? I find Americans using Second of all !
Comments welcome from laymen, ladies and experts alike . .
“First of all” makes sense when we want to emphasize the primacy of the first item in a series.
DeleteHowever, we should not follow it up with “second of all,” where the expression serves no such function.
And “secondly” is an adverbial form that makes no sense at all in enumeration (neither does “firstly”).
As we go through our list, it is better to say simply “second,” “third,” “fourth,” etc.
Source: Paul Brians' Common Errors in English Usage
This is a very useful guide to improve our English usage.
The text is available HERE.
I came across this blog few months back, started following for past two months lot of learning from the CW and comments. Thanks to one and all. With the clues and explanation I am able to pickup and solve some of the CW's off late. Really enjoying the ones provided by SankaIak, I wish one day I could score 100%...day is not far away...
ReplyDeleteWelcome, Sudhakar, I see you have something in common with Col. Gopinath! ;-)
DeleteKishore I admire your word play an any language and wit, let me know what is that.
DeleteWelcome to the blog Sudhakar. Glad you enjoy solving and following the blog. The day you can complete is really not far off.
ReplyDeleteThanks Padmanabhan sir.
DeleteHello crossword bloggers...this is Sankalak's son. Caravan published an article about him in their June edition. Thought I'd post it here..not able to. If one of you can give me your mall id, will send it across, if you're interested. My id is jjayaraman@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteThanks and regards,
Yes Please. My email id is bsudhakarrao@yahoo.com
DeleteHi Jay
ReplyDeleteNice of you for having popped in here. It is quite likely that you do not visit this blog often. Bhavan, our star blogger, had posted the write-up here some time ago. It is here: Caravan on Sankalak.
Inspired by it, I am sure, many members from here may have bought hard copies of the magazine from the stands.
On that sad day when I spoke to you on the phone, you were so kind and receptive in spite of your bereavement and grief. Thank you once again.
rlasrado@gmail.com +91 94802 00000