Tuesday 1 July 2014

No.11125, Tuesday 01 Jul 2014, Gridman


A beaut of an opener from Gridman.  He has even provided 21 for 5.

ACROSS
1 Lowers ruddy, twisted cues (7) REDUCES (RED CUES*)
5 One who remains uncovered (6) NUDIST (CD)

                                                         Cartoon by Bhargav
10 Cherish Easter trip around old city (8) TREASURE (EASTER* around UR)
11 “I” strain? (6) EGOISM (CD)
13 Good, free network (4) GRID (G RID)  from Gridman!
14 Used to one getting around every minute? (10) SECOND HAND (DD)
16 So back to one teacher backing Egyptian deity (6) OSIRIS (SO< 1 SIR<)
18 All in southern apartment cage sent out (5)  SPENT (S PENThouse)
21 Garment used in far-flung islands (5) LUNGI (T)

Cartoon by Rishi
22 They are used by Indian policemen in striking circumstances (6) LATHIS (CD)
25 One who might give you many a carp? (10) FISHMONGER (CD)

Cartoon by Rishi
28 Leave no female's slip (4) GOOF (GO OFf)
30 One doctor with due settlement is filled with feelings (6) IMBUED (1 MB DUE*)
31 Hint that you should tackle the left-top corner? (8) OVERTONE (OVER TO NorthEast, the top left corner of 13)
32 Unctuous evildoer has nothing to say clumsily (6) GREASY (oGRE SAY*)
33 Twister leaves city empty. Beginning to check for any isolated (7) CYCLONE (CitY C LONE)
          Look at this video taken just around 2 weeks back : 
          http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/10904840/Deadly-twin-tornadoes-rip-through-Nebraska-town.html

DOWN
2 It gives protection to the viewer (6) EYELID (CD)
3 Stars our sailors harboured (4) URSA (T)
4 Always, as a poet would put it, that is strange (5) EERIE (E'ER I.E.)
6 Did some pressing and cleaned out, with the Prince gone (5) URGED (pURGED)
7 One has influence, after driving out 51 apes (8) IMITATES (1 MI(li)TATES)
8 You in India with one timeless ditty put out for swelling (8) TUMIDITY (TUM 1 DItTY)
9 Coach of old in place to make a scene (5) STAGE (DD)
12 My fixed undergarment (6) CORSET (COR SET)
15 Almost out of bed? Here's Italian wine! (4) ASTI (ASTIr)
17 Annoying barrier ace cleared (6) RILING (RaILING)
18 Satisfy businessperson (4) SUIT (DD)
19 Bungling, upstart females involved in throw (8) FLUFFING (U FF in FLING)
20 Top Myanmarese leader's fur in hopeless shape (8) UNUSABLE (U NU SABLE)
23 Descend to the shed? (6) GODOWN (GO DOWN)
24 Seeking the last word in many a fairy tale (5) AFTER (DD)
         And they lived happily ever after ...
26 Conforms to borderlines, we hear (5) MEETS (~METES)
27 The green-eyed monster devours old diplomat (5) ENVOY (ENVY devours O)
29 Sensational: News Editor falls in river (4) URAL (UnReAL)
25a,14a,20d

60 comments:

  1. 31A not clear. What does it have to do 13? Moreoevr I thought top-left corner would be NW?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Apologies for the mistake in orientation. Escaped checks and recehcks.

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    2. 13 is GRID ...

      Left or right is always a orientation issue. From the perspective of the grid, the top left corner is NE. From our perspective it is NW. However, as there is no ref. to the grid in the clue, it is open to multiple interpretations.

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  2. Byline on the Orkut page that it is being shut down on 30 Sep 14

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So where do we go from here?

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    2. Orkut is being shut down so there's nowhere to go unless all from there migrate to Mrs PP's Hub at Mayyam.com the only regulars there nowadays are Vijay and Koteswara Rao

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    3. Once I was owning and moderating Orkut communities. Was doing well. But later some problems cropped up and I and others lost interest in persisting with them.

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    4. i have not checked the site You have mentioned. I suggest, if we can migrate to similar site - will it be feasible? Or, if this site could be used, as You do it on Sundays?

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    5. Vijay,

      Check out this link. Register there and you can participate. You can enter 5 answers there as the participation is low nowadays.

      http://www.mayyam.com/talk/showthread.php?10502-THC-crossword-thread-6-ans-PP-till-10am-IST

      Delete
  3. 22 a - S to be added?
    About 90% - Very satisfying grid today. Thanks Gridman.

    ReplyDelete
  4. All four cartoons are classic, esp., the two fishy ones. Is Kishore's placed at a wrong spot?

    A doubt about Bhargav's contribution. Is the rain hitting 5A or is the man trying to 10A his umbrella? ;-)

    Guessed 11A at first look. In my friends' group during my career days, a certain guy who always spoke about himself and his achievements was fondly called 'I specialist'. (Our blogger doctor may please excuse me. :-))

    13A The setter has got rid of the man out of him.

    22A Good clue, yet got at first look.

    3D It was only yesterday, Paddy wrote about the major and the minor.

    8D A new word for me. Only knew humid and timid so far. This sounds like a cross.

    18D Was thinking of SAIT or SETH, Indian for businessperson. Can someone explain suit for businessperson? If it has something to do with bridge, I confess that I do not play cards.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Richard
      Kishore has placed his cartoon at the end as it embraces three solutions.

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    2. Suit is slang for 'One who wears a business suit, especially an executive'

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    3. Richard,
      Not heard of Tumescent?

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    4. Poor me! Destitute of so much knowledge...

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    5. Bhargav's 5a seems more interested in preventing his brolly and mac from getting wet, rather than self. ;-) Wonder why he carries those articles. Maybe because there are no fig leaves ...

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    6. Richard, Deepak is correct. He usually places the multi-answer toon at the top. I thought I will keep it at the bottom. As you will notice there is a caption mentioning the clues involved.

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    7. तुम ऐसे न थे

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  5. Tough going today. Only 70% success. Could get 3Dn URSA easily because just yesterday only Paddy mentioned it in one of his comments, directed at me!

    8Dn definition needs to be highlighted pl.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tum kahan ja rahe ho? (Where are you going?)

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    2. ...aap mere khyal se 'Tumidity' ke bhare men baat kar rahe hain ! :)

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  6. 'Tumidity' is not an uncommon word.
    There is also the noun form 'tumescence'.
    The adj form is tumescent. One can talk of someone's prose being tumescent!
    But I don't know where these forms come from!
    BTW, if I were the Private Eye crossword composer, I might be expected to give a different treatment to the word.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I understand the gravida of your comment, CV

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    2. Though tumidity can also ascribed to the cause of such a situation

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    3. Is 'Tumour' the origin of the word?

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    4. Humidity does not bring any humour...

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    5. Humour apart, Paddy has a point. Both tumid and tumour have the Latin root, tumere 'to swell' according to my Collins Dict.

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  7. In Tamil, any person who is rich, influential and dress-conscious, is likely to be called 'avan oru suittu, coattu, bootu aasaami' - meaning he's a man who sports suit, coat and shoes - whether he actually wears them or not!

    Some of the successful businessmen from the mofussil areas in Tamil Nadu rose from scratch by always seen in this dress in public - though the suit may not be well-pressed and the shoe not so well-polished (I didn't get a chance to look at the socks).

    They thought they would command respect from the people back home only if they are dressed thus - when most - if nit all - others are clad in dhoti or less. And they did!

    Among these people there might be a real estate developer or the owner of a chain hotel.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2nLaNuaYI4

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    2. 'Saala main toh saahab ban gaya' was from the 1974 Dilip Kumar-Saira Banu starrer 'Sagina' (re-made from original Bengali 'Sagina Mahato'), sung so well by the late Kishore Kumar, under the baton of the late maestro, Sachin Dev Burman.

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  8. That Tamil expression ignores that 'coat' is actually a component of 'suit'. Or maybe I should have written 'pantu, coattu, bootu'.

    Ram?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Suit- coat- boot order for big boss has changed to veshti with red-black border with appropriate thundu or none at all.

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    2. The song that popped up in my mind is from very old movie, kuladheyvam, "kOttu pOtta chinna machaanE" sung by Mynavathi. When I watched it as a kid I liked it for its sarcastic humour, hence got etched in my memory!

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  9. Hey ! Stay aloof!
    It was indeed a GOOF,
    I left my CORSET
    Back in my closet,
    Give me your LUNGI,
    Before you go to the bungee.

    You SPENT half of our TREASURE,
    To get some pleasure,
    But this tourist place is EERIE,
    The fun and frolic only in theory
    The swimming pool is UNUSABLE,
    It’s condition inexcusable;
    Where are the haathis?
    Beat the organizers with LATHIS,

    What a blunder you did,
    Signed the contract with closed EYELID,
    To my TASTE this tour doesn’t suit,
    We should have taken a different route.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nice. A question: Was the other eye open when signing the contract?

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  10. There was a greedy young ENVOY
    His palm forever was kept GREASY
    Quite much he SPENT
    He did not at all repent
    For his purse always had TUMIDITY.

    ReplyDelete
  11. 3D URSA..... Padmanabhan had a premonition yesterday, I think. When I saw the contained word, I could think of Padmanabhan only for both Major & minor.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am no longer a minor! (Neither I have become a major)

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    2. Child from OMR? (5) ;-)

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    3. ...child from Old Mahabalipuram Road ?! :)

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    4. Yes or Old Madras Road:-D
      . Answer ?

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    5. Yes minor .. OMR = M in OR

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    6. Yes, an excellent clue! Couldn't comment earlier, though the thought occurred to me as soon as I saw it.e

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  12. Premonition is not from my side. We will have to again thank and think of Sankalak who gave us the opportunity yesterday with his 'Subursine'.

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  13. Hey limerick writers -

    In my attempt above, lines 1, 2 and 5 don't rhyme as they would normally.

    I think they call it 'eye rhyme'.

    Is it legit? Does it pass muster, given that we are writing this under constraints, having to use words from the answers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. One of my favourite "limericks":

      There once was a lady from Slough
      Who developed a terrible cough
      She drank half a pint
      Of warm honey and mint
      But sadly she didn't pull through

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    2. This is not even a limerick, but I like it for its brevity:

      Mary Rose sat on a pin, Mary Rose

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  14. Leaving tumidity aside, the hand of B has not done full justice to the residents of the colony that he has in his mind.

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  15. I am reminded of one of the newspaper headlines I had listed here about three years ago.

    Miscreants Drill Hole into Enclosure of N.....'s Colony - Police Looking into it

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  16. If ye-all have discerning power, you will not fail to notice invariably an underlying psyche in the answers or clues. I dunno, whether it is his involuntary instinct towards such terms. I dunno whether it is his Id or subconscious mind at work. Lets see who amongst you is a Freud or a Jung ! Go guess !

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  17. In eating habits he wasn’t rigid,
    And in certain others rather frigid,
    He ate and ate,
    And his fate?
    His tummy became very tumid!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Enjoyed the run of CDs.
    Thanks Gridman. :)

    ReplyDelete

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