ACROSS
1/8/11 Solicitor General, tense, attacks column in newspaper on disco and reportedly outlawed album (3,7,6,6,4,4) SGT PEPPERS LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND {SG}{T} {PEPPERS} {LONELY HEARTS} {CLUB} {BAND}(~banned)
8 See 1
11 See 1
12 Person, for example, visiting a shop selling wine (6) BODEGA {BOD}{EG}{A}
14 He brings in soft wood (5) MAPLE {MA{P}LE}
17 Hypocritical, some "virgins" in ceremonies (9) INSINCERE [T]
18 Not included in special edition (5) EXTRA [DD]
20 Set of steps left by counter? (6) LADDER {L}{ADDER}
22 Young side cut short a drink (5,3) GREEN TEA {GREEN} {TEA
24 Be unable to move further at night, a lord, ill at ease (5,2,1,4) GRIND TO A HALT*
25 Editorials about Scottish town preachers (3,7) LAY READERS {L{AY R}EADERS}
DOWN
2 Commando not prepared to risk protecting monarch (5,5) GREEN BERET {GREEN} {BE{RE}T} Remember these comics?
4 Emperor - he felt uneasy about a duke, perhaps (4,2,3,5) PEER OF THE REALM {PEER OF THE RE{A}LM*}
5 Spooky eastern lake (5) EERIE {E}{ERIE}
6 Spot inhabited by American bear (7) SUSTAIN {S{US}TAIN}
7 Ambiguous comment, blue? Ended tenor, unfortunately (6,8) DOUBLE ENTENDRE*
9 Racket coming from small tributary of the Great Ouse (4) SCAM {S}{CAM}
10 Disturbance behind us (6) RUMPUS {RUMP}{US}
13 Her career's varied, as analyst (10) RESEARCHER*
16 Shrewd, like Egyptian king, last of line (6) ASTUTE {AS}{TUT}{
17 Bad carrying on with a criminal (7) ILLEGAL {IL{LEG}{A}L} 'Onside' - 'Leg'
19 Pseudonym I omitted, unfortunately (4) ALAS AL
21 Cleaner in Irish house close to Killarney (5) DAILY {DAIL}{
23 Prominent bishop, advanced in years (4) BOLD {B}{OLD}
Hearty Congrats to MOHSIN AHMED for topping the third round of IXL 2014. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks:)
DeleteNo special?
ReplyDeleteSpecials to appear only after this IXL 2014 show is over! Think we can expect them by last week of Nov.
Delete1A: City auditor detects an end-of-ledger interpolation (4) AGRA. Solution of 3rd round IXL 2014.
ReplyDeleteAnswer not clear. Hope somebody would clear my doubt.
I had put down as ACRE an answer I was unsure of.
DeleteMy take was an ambiguous AGDE.
DeleteAuditor = Auditor General = AG
ReplyDeleteEnd of ledger = R
an = A
R interpolates between AG and A to give AG(R)A which is a city
Thank you, Renga. :)
DeleteHow soon Vinod Rai was forgotten !
Deleteahh !! AT LAST !! I had a frustrating experience sending in my entry , which I completed in good time, as each time I pressed either save or send , I got bounced back with THIS WEBSITE IS NOT AVAILABLE ! I had to refill at least six times ; by then it was past noon and finally , it went through. The fill-in process itself is irksome, as one has to go block by block. Do the organizers see this blog which gives then the best entries and would they care to change the software to Acrosslife ?
ReplyDeleteI don't know how others feel about this as time and speed matter in this competition.
I didn't have any difficulty.
ReplyDeleteMovement from one cell to another is possible by merely using the arrow button of correct direction.
I saved once and was able to return to the Saved status.
My submission was in just one try.
Went through easily today. Delayed because I spent some time figuring out the anno for a three letter answer.
DeleteWonder why the organizers do not use Acrosslite. Much simpler than using the arrow keys.
DeleteThe competition managers have created an in-house software capable of doing many things that AcrossLite just cannot do.
ReplyDeleteIt may have some minus points but it is futile to insist that one must have AcrossLite and nothing else.
One must swim with the tide though at times the tide may stun one.
I could not find a single reason why this software is better.
DeleteI am sure these points will be taken into consideration for IXL-15. Change midway is not recommended for obvious reasons
DeleteThe above Comments ignore the fact that if the arrow movement in AcrossLite is not set properly, entering letters in cells there too can be very bothersome. It tends to pass over any cell that has a letter and so while you are thinking that you are changing a letter it may be entering it in a blank cell far away after passing over other cells.
DeleteAlso, while the in-house software must have some automation to check any given entry against an all-correct setter's grid, entries in AcrossLite will have to be checked by a human one by one manually.
Also, use of AcrossLite for commercial purposes such as this competition will involve payment of a fee. Why would an organsier do that when he has his own custom-made software?
That the present software has weaknesses, failings, incapabilities is one thing. But to ask for AcrossLite is another.
Suresh,
DeleteThe software must be better at the organisers end
Actually the checking feature is available in Acrosslite as well. And if you change the settings to your convenience, it will not pass over cells. All the options are available in the software.
DeleteI am not specifically recommending Acrosslite, but just comparing which is more comfortable. And if this is a commercial venture (I am not sure it is since no entrance fee is being charged) the product could be improved by making the sftware more user friendly.
But then, we are not paying to do these crosswords so we do not have any right to make demands.
So far, in each round, I have been getting stuck to solve clues involving names of places, like Darjeeling(1st round), Srinagar(2nd rd), City Agra(3rd rd) and now Baltimore(4th rd)!
DeleteThis time too, took a chance and submitted with a wild guess! Fingers crossed!! (as usual). :)
Your wild guess may be right this time.
DeleteThanks, Suresh garu. Hoping for the best. :) I am yet to score a centum. First two rounds, one mistake each and two errors in the last round.
DeleteI did not want to take a wild guess this time. Wasted 2 hours to get the anno to my satisfaction before posting and it happens to be my COD. Otherwise I was ready to submit it in 20 minutes.
DeleteI agree with Deepak that the organizers may have constraints in the soft ware being changed midstream. Hopefully for the next year, things might be better. If Deepak can sound them out , nothing like it. Fastest finger breasts the tape always; hence time and speed are of the essence.One can be quick in solving but the submission can create hurdles , which perhaps may also be necessary to zero in on the winners?
ReplyDeleteDeepak: I totally agree that the system devised suits the organizers for its variety
ReplyDeleteGoing on to the crossie per se, I simply detest delusive three letter words.especially as acronyms or abbreviations. I too had to scratch for them today. Hope I'm correct.et th
As Suresh puts it, we can't be choosers, grin and grunt what we may.
Raju, You cannot be wrong on your acronyms or abbreviations
DeleteHaven't had any issues with the software (except that it sometimes skips a square while typing and navigating using arrow keys). This time, had a submission issue, though. Had to enter the answers thrice before the submission was validated.
ReplyDeleteAs per general consensus, this round seems to have been the toughest so far. As for the 3 letter word, could anyone come up with even a fairly satisfactory anno? Everyone's made a guess there, it would seem
I have annotated all the 3 letter words properly and they gave me a lot of satisfaction. In fact only one clue took me 90 minutes to get my perfect satisfaction and I loved it. Submitted after 2 hours but no regrets as I am sure of all correct entry.
DeleteWell Mohsin I found it on abbreviations.com and then realised we had seen it several times on various forms
DeleteYeah, finally got it.
DeleteLiked your pun, Suresh. Various forms, indeed ...
DeleteEnu now changed to 1,1,1 from 3
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI have a separate anno for that which fits definition and wordplay but not grid fill
ReplyDeleteMaybe we are talking of a different 3 letter word.
DeleteOr maybe it is the same clue.
DeleteI got the correct anno now. But wasted 2 hrs in searching and submitted with same answer:(
DeleteRather sinister !
DeleteAfter raking my brains for more than 40 minutes over this clue I submitted with the only three letter word I knew that fit the word crossings thinking that the clue is wrong. Now I see that the enu for the clue has been changed from (3) to (1,1,1) so effectively, its not a word but an acronym. if I knew that before, I would have been thinking along those lines. So IMHO, it is unfair to those who have already submitted the puzzle. Anyways its the organisers' call. we can only voice our opinion.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the grid fill and software issue, like Mohsin, I also have not faced any major problem till now, and even if there are minor issues, it is applicable to all. We must laud the organisers for putting in the time and effort for developing in house software specially for the competition.
Maddy, are you Anish Madhavan ?
DeleteI should think so.
DeleteWork had taken him away for a couple of years but now he's back, it seems.
I have seen, as probably Suresh too has, changes being made in the online Guardian Genius puzzles in the last one year
DeleteAjeesh @ 4:45 PM
DeleteMaddy is Anish Madhavan. Source : http://thehinducrosswordcorner.blogspot.in/2013/12/no10963-monday-23-dec-2013-sankalak.html
A question to ponder:
ReplyDeleteShould we or should we not discuss current puzzle/clues therein in this/any other forum, when the submission is still open?
Agree
DeleteI feel, we shouldn't.
DeleteCurrent competition puzzle should not be discussed.
ReplyDeleteNo answer has been revealed and only what was in the public domain - the observation wrt the enu of a clue - has been mentioned.
Maybe I have hinted too much
DeleteKishore. Just like u to find a pun where none was intended.
ReplyDeleteRe change of enu in Guardian the prize there does not go to the first correct solution but is picked out of all the correct answers. (The editor does refer to the names of the first submissions in his editorial). In fact, everytime that happened I was able to complete only after the enu had been corrected.
Deepak, re your comment under 2d, I have around 20 of them
ReplyDeleteNo clues or hints to be given with reference to IXL solutions till the solutions are published on the following saturday
ReplyDeleteAjeesh, to confirm what has already been stated - Yes I am Anish Madhavan, an erstwhile regular of this wonderful blog. Now just an occasional lurker since I hardly, if ever, solve THC nowadays. Was just finding my second wind for crosswords with IXL, which has been deflated prematurely with puzzle No. 4 :) I agree with Suresh, the logic of Guardian Genius cannot apply here, but I guess its just the rub of the green ....
ReplyDeleteI agree Col Sir, we should not be discussing prize puzzles before due date. Mea Culpa.
Deflated ? Come on Maddy ... I have to count something else as well. That's why asked :-D
DeleteSo how many as per your count Ajeesh?
Delete