End of a fine and reasonably tough round from Arden.
ACROSS
1 Waste away like hollow steel, it’s said (6) RUSTLE {RUST}{L
4 Caught on institute floor (8) CONFOUND {C}{ON}{FOUND}
9 French novelist’s novel ‘Stupor’ (6) PROUST*
10 Go down and see coaster often employed in a foreign country (8) DIPLOMAT {DIP}{LO}{MAT}
12 Seat provided by stock exchange (8) BUTTOCKS {BUT}{STOCK*} My COD
Cartoon by Rishi
13 Child follows final test paper (6) TISSUE {
15 Go over and speak to the examining authority (12) INSPECTORATE {INSPECT}{ORATE}
18 Current lease covers article at gallery (12) AMPHITHEATRE {AMP}{HI{THE}{AT}RE}
21 Express surprise finding elusive capital (6) HARARE {HA}{RARE}
22 Go over Indo-Pak border by mistake and perish (8) COLLAPSE {COL<=}{LAPSE}
24 Around April see some support (8) ESPALIER*
26 Capital is managed partly using charm (8) TALISMAN [T]
27 Army unit's close up (6) ASCEND {ASC}{END}
DOWN
1 Thing from the past- protects local government (8) REPUBLIC {RE{PUB}LIC}
2 Extremely brief contract makes Bridge players tense (8) SHORTEST {SHORT}{ES}{T}
3 Go bananas as Rome blesses Noel (4,4,7) LOSE ONES MARBLES*
5 Heartless figure of a poet (4) OVID OV
6 Do solve this crossword? (4,2,3,6) FILL IN THE BLANKS [CD]
7 What every other surname will beg to reveal? (6) UNMASK {
8 A girl model — she will hesitate (6) DITHER {DI}{T}{HER}
11 Small boat, years later, is still incomplete (7) SKETCHY {S}{KETCH}{Y}
14 Talk of love and Bill leaves (7) ORATION
16 Strike work quietly inside theatre (8) STOPPAGE {ST{OP}{P}AGE}
17 Much hated trial indeed (8) DETESTED {DE{TEST}ED}
19 Danger for soldier in the middle of that (6) THREAT {TH{RE}AT}
20 By changing sides fit to move (6) PROPEL PROPE(-r+l)L
23 Some bring up a plateful of cheese (4) FETA [<=]
GRID
Our cartoonists seem to be getting naughtier and naughtier with the passing of each day...
ReplyDeleteKeep it up, nevertheless. We need humour.
Sorry! But you know how advertisers have been invading our spaces... The cartoon is a commentary on their absolutely thoughtless manner in which they try to grab our attention.
ReplyDeleteIt is sickening. And so is the cartoonist's depiction.
A doubt about 2D-
ReplyDeleteHow does 'contract' lead to short? Noun, verb...?
Extremely brief contract makes Bridge players tense (8)
DeleteTo address PBP's qn:
'contract' as a verb means 'to shorten' or 'to shrink'. I don't know if it can give 'short' - which is not a verb.
Maybe 'contract' as a noun means paper, document - which, in turn, might give 'brief', assuming the latter is on paper.
What do others think?
Provided= But, Exchange as 'anind'- I was bowled. Butt.. sorry, but it leads to some funny exchanges!
ReplyDelete3 Go bananas as Rome blesses Noel (4,4,7) LOSE ONES MARBLES*
ReplyDeleteHow has 'A' crept into the answer pl? If 'rome blesses noel' is taken as anagram fodder.
Seems to be an oversight by Arden
Delete... or is it a typo for 'Roma blesses Noel'
DeleteThanks Sir. Looks like a Typo for 'Roma'.
DeleteSorry MB. It was an oversight on my part. The original clue was: Go bananas as building resembles saloon. Messed it up trying to tweak the clue at the last minute.
DeleteOne more brain teasing puzzle from Arden. Found North-East corner tough to tackle. Otherwise an enjoyable crossy. Thank you Arden. :-)))
ReplyDeleteI too had trouble with the NE corner - but that made it more enjoyable! ;)
DeleteAnother enjoyable ride from Arden - thanks to him, and to the blogger and cartoonists.
ReplyDeleteA couple of quibbles:
- In 27a, up as definition for ASCEND doesn't work for me: up as a verb doesn't mean to climb or ascend - it means to raise or increase.
- As pointed out by others, contract for short doesn't really work in 2d; again, short as a verb doesn't mean contract.
For the e-instead-of-a problem in the anagram fodder for 3d, I assumed it was a typo, perhaps thanks to the ubiquitous and iniquitous 'autocorrect' feature!
Abhay is right wrt 27 a.
DeleteWhile it may look like it does not stand up to close scrutiny, there is technically nothing wrong with the way it is used in 27a.
DeleteFrom Chambers: up /up/
transitive verb (uppˈing; upped /upt/)
1. To drive upstream (as swans for owner marking)
2. To lift or haul up
3. To raise, increase
intransitive verb (informal)
1. To set up
2. To move up
3. To intervene boldly, start into activity or speech
Thank you for the reference, Bhavan. Just curious: have you come across any instances of up being used by itself to mean ascend/'move up'?
DeleteThe 'UP' button near lift doors is an example
DeleteNot really: it is not a verb in that case, intransitive or otherwise; it is an adverb indicating the direction of movement (as is the DOWN label on the other button).
DeleteI'm happy to go with Bhavan's reference but was only curious to know if there were any instances of that usage.
17 d - Hated itself should be sufficient. Much hated leads to comparative degree answer, in my opinion. Experts advise me.
ReplyDelete"More hated" would be comparative. "Much hated" simply means hated a lot.
Delete[I'm no expert, but that's my two bits!]
Thanks Abhay
DeleteI am not an expert at drawing a cartoon for 12 Across clue. But hope, you'll enjoy, this contribution of mine :
ReplyDelete"An African man is in the desert dying of thirst when he happens to come across a bottle. He opens it and out pops a genie. The grateful genie tells him that he will grant the man three wishes.
The man immediately replies, “For my first wish, I want water. For my second wish, I want to be white. For my last wish, since I have not seen a woman for quite some time, I wish to see buttocks every day for the rest of my life.”
The genie gives him a funny look and asks him if he is really sure about these wishes. The man nods in affirmation.
So the genie transforms the man into a toilet."
Balu, you've gone to the bottom of the matter...
Delete;-)
Delete12 Seat provided by stock exchange (8) BUTTOCKS {BUT}{STOCK*} My COD
ReplyDeleteIs but' = provided?
Exactly what I raised at 9.11.
ReplyDelete1A : Waste away like hollow steel, it’s said (6) RUSTLE {RUST}{LikE}
ReplyDeleteWhat is the definition here pl? Steel or Steal? Any changes reqd in the Anno? As per Dict : Rustle = Steal
Since "it's said" is a homonym, steel must be the def.
ReplyDeleteRustle is the def. (To steal). Col has forgotten to add the symbol for homophone (steel ~ steal = RUSTLE)
DeleteI think the there's something wrong here, in the clue. It lacks a def I think.
DeleteThe clue has double wordplay but no direct definition. I don't know if it's considered wrong, but it is unusual to omit the definition without any indication like special instructions.
Delete"Steel it is said is highlighted.
ReplyDelete"steel, it's said" = ~steal = Rustle
DeleteIn that case, addition of Homophone symbol, as mentioned by Raghu @ 11:56, I think, would clear our doubt reg definition.
DeleteThe def cannot be "steel its' said" and I think the fodder cannot be the def (RUST + L...E).
DeleteActually it should be something like:
Lift steel, it's said, where Lift (steal) is the def. Or Rustle steel, it's said (if one could rustle steel like cattle).
From crosswordunclued.com"
A goddess reportedly intended as a diversion (9) A MUSE MENT{~meant}
Figure that reportedly ruined a point of view (9) RECT{~wrecked} ANGLE
Festival the solver will broadcast on the radio (4) YULE{~you'll}
Pagan God with Hebrew bread, one might say (7) JUPITER{~jew pitta}
I take this as 'definition as a homophone' vs the more traditional 'definition as a synonym' or 'definition as an example'
DeleteAbhay, how about Superman's "Up, up and away"? I don't know for certain whether he meant 'up' as a verb, but it seems like that to me.
ReplyDelete"Up, up and away" was the slogan of TWA, remember?
DeleteI'm sorry but I don't even remember TWA (assuming Trans World Airlines, for which I had to google). :-( As an aside, it could apply equally well to the members of the Tibetan Women's Association returning to their homeland from the Indian plains.
DeleteI would read "up, up, and away" as a set of adverbs qualifying the implicit verb "flying" (in both the cases - Superman and TWA!).
DeleteI get confused. Should one use AC OR AD, for Bill?
ReplyDeleteIt could be either, depending upon the context. When, for example, it's a bill of items and corresponding prices, it's AC (account). When the bill is a flyer ("bit notice"), it's AD (advertisement).
DeleteWonderful cw.nicely clued.12,22a &16d.I relished Indo-Pak border very much.16d theatre eqaated to stage apt clue.Thanks Arden.
ReplyDelete