Friday 17 October 2014

No.11217, Friday 17 Oct 2014, Gridman


A large number of compact disks in this opener from Gridman

Across
1 Bankrupt fish is very active (8) BUSTLING (BUST LING)
5 Such a customer is settled (4-2) PAID UP (CD)
9 It's a blow that must be faced (8) HEADWIND (CD)
10 That's a lot to listen to (6) EARFUL (CD)
12 Plant that is creepy (4) VINE (E/CD)
13 Thus one inches forward to some extent (4,2,4) FOOT BY FOOT (CD,DD)  I loved the use of inches wrt to foot
15 It's always on hand to identify (6) FINGER (2)
17 Novel teacher's snacks? (5) CHIPS (CD,DD) Ref to Goodbye, Mr Chips.
           Personally, I prefer Hilton's Lost Horizon to this book
20 It can break up a break-in (5) ALARM (CD)
21 Plough furrow on the reverse — it's not exciting (6) TURGID (DIG RUT)<
24 Box from Darjeeling perhaps that will give many a cup that cheers (5,2,3) CHEST OF TEA (E,CD/DD)
27 Levy a charge on one city vehicle (4) TAXI (TAX 1)
29 Therefore old actress and journalist cried (6) SOBBED (SO BB ED) Ms Bardot stars in this tear jerker
30 Give mother one primarily doughty female servant (8) HANDMAID (HAND MA I D)
31 It's believing, proverbially (6) SEEING (CD)
32 Such a reaction is immediate and spontaneous (4-4) KNEE JERK (CD)

Down
1 Seem appropriate to live at a coastal resort in England (6) BEHOVE (BE HOVE)
          reminded me of Austin Powers' "Behave !"
2 Country lads from wagon aboard (6) SWAINS (WAIN in SS)
3 Turf material (4) LAWN (2)
4 Very small commune in Italy (5) NANNO (2)
6 Wing-shaped clock with ultimate modification (5) ALARY (ALARM with final letter modified)
7 Bulb in lift put up in Irish Assembly (8) DAFFODIL (DOFF< in DAIL)
8 The most diplomatic pilot set out (8)  POLITEST (PILOT SET)*
11 Celebrity queen is a rude observer (6) STARER (STAR ER)
14 Solid wood with melamine top (4) FIRM (FIR M)
16 Company gentleman to beat the rap (3,3) GET OFF (General Electric TOFF)
17 Muse... 100 + 50 + 10 (4) CLIO (C L 10)
18 Cusecs dumped around Australian assemblies (8) CAUCUSES (CUSECS* around AU)
19 Such a product is expected to move out of the shelf (8) SALEABLE (E,CD)
22 Head gets a new party snack (6) CANAPE (CAPE gets A N)
23 Fool turns up repeatedly to see African antelope (3-3) DIK-DIK (KID< x 2)
25 That time for catching good old Scottish landholder (5) THEGN (THEN catching G)
26 Exuberance about one Welsh girl's name (5) ELAIN (ELAN about 1)
28 Slight advantage in border (4) EDGE (2)

GRID

38 comments:

  1. 29 Therefore old actress and journalist cried (6) SOBBED (SO BB ED) Ms Bardot stars in this tear jerker

    :P

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. For the benefit younger generation : BB = Brigitte Bardot. :)

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    2. Among the regular visitors/Comment writers here, how many are from that generation?

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    3. Most here would have sighed over BB (please don't do any geometric interpretation).

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    4. Never saw any of her movies. We'd sighed over Helen in Hindi movies.

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    5. Comparatively Helen is very recent!

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    6. Helen and BB are contemporaries - both chronologically (born just 4 years apart) and career-wise (both started their careers in the early 1950s). It's just that Helen's career went on for so long that she appears "recent" compared to Bardot!

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  2. Our current CWE closes tomorrow.
    If you wish to try your hand at clue-writing, head for it by clicking on the link in the leftside bar.
    Or, simply scroll down when the Comments section of the initial post is collapsed.
    There have been many entries and they are being reviewed from time to time.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Some unusual usage:

    Bankrupt fish & cusecs

    ReplyDelete
  4. 19 Down: Got into minor issues by first putting in OBSOLETE, then changed to UNUSABLE.... !!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Chennai edition carries only 5 whites, but enu says 3,3. Trust it with TH!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Same problem here too (Hyderabad) affecting the last letter of 23Dn and 32Ac. But could fill it successfully.

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  6. I did not know 25D- Thegn- but the cluing was so nice and clear that I was able to fill in without a doubt. I feel it is the way to learn a new word. Probably I might have come across that in some earlier CW?

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  7. Thank you Kishore. I could not connect to the good book/ movie Goodbye Mr.Chips, though I knew about it.

    ReplyDelete
  8. 13 Across: The setter might have been listening to this song! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPlQgPjN7ws

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am yet to click on that but is it the one from kaakum karangal?
      Allith thandu,..

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  9. Scored only 65%. After SEEING the solutions, felt that I should have scored more.
    Today crossie appeared in single cut sheet. Happy. In HYD edition, it usually appears in single sheet. In Chennai edition rarely it comes like this.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Today's theme even escaped the eagle eyes of blogger Kishore !!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, amigo, yhose eagle eyes and attached apparatus are losing it nowadays.

      Btw, did anyone notice the common ground between CV's CWE word this week and 1a today?

      That's a pair for you !

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    2. In CWE the BUST 'BUND' (h)O gaya, whereas here it's BUSTling!

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  11. Enjoyed the crossword. Some very nice surfaces indeed. Thank you for the workout, CV!

    And thanks to Kishore for the blog!

    ReplyDelete
  12. 4D : Very small commune in Italy (5) NANNO (2)

    Looks like there's a printing error in the clue. It should be COMUNE and not COMMUNE. I filled in MICRO instead of NANNO and was beating around the bush for a while!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. One more doubt pl. Is it Nano or Nanno for 'very small'?

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    2. Both words seen to be spelt in both ways. Pl see link for 'very small' given above and http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_city-states

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    3. Agreed. Just now typed 'Nanno' and found that it also means 'very small'. Thanks, Kishore. :)

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    4. But remember, though both are very small, nano is smaller than nanno ...

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    5. ...literally or in size? (By number of letters)!?

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    6. 'n' stands for no. It could be high or low!

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    7. What's an M more or an N less between friends?!

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  13. I got confused as 23 D & 32 A last letters are blocked, in print edition.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I contacted Vijaylakshmi today. They have moved to the Waltair Club till the power is restored in their house and seems to be making the best of it. Anand's phone is not answering. But then a number of phones are down still.

    ReplyDelete
  15. For some reason, found it tough today... maybe because I was trying to sneak it between work meetings. some nice surfaces (HEADWIND is my COD). some new words as well BEHOVE, ALARY (what a nice word!), SWAINS, CLIO, THEGN, NANNO... Good workout... Thank you.

    ReplyDelete

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