Gridman on a thematic spree? Today's was a nostalgic trip to Malgudi. Liked the puzzle as a whole. If you see more related words that I missed, add a comment.
ACROSS
1 Section of a railway station — it won't accommodate your emotional issues (7,4) BAGGAGE ROOM [CD]
9 That medicine man should be in a dry spell (7) DROUGHT [medicine man=DR + should=OUGHT]
10 Aan — yarn spun by famous writer (7) NARAYAN [AAN YARN]*
11 Rather sore about catching one girl (5) ROSIE [SORE* outside one=1]
12 Apply lotion to 'em — half-brother and the girl (9) EMBROCATE ['EM + BROther + girl=CATE] half-brother=BRO?
13 Show new evil spirit (5) DEMON [show=DEMO + New]
15 Check out equivalent in sporting event (4,5) TEST MATCH [check out=TEST + equivalent=MATCH]
18 Theologian to train fellow (9) SCHOOLMAN [to train=SCHOOL + fellow=MAN]
21 Two sides embracing expert football factory worker (5) LACER [two sides L & R outside expert=ACE]
22 Determine again to work out one more puzzle, perhaps (2-7) RE-RESOLVE [CD]
24 Handbook // to show the way (5) GUIDE [DD]
26 Martial art — it's overwhelmed by West Indian charm (7) JUJITSU [IT'S inside West Indian charm=JUJU]
27 Stressful types? (7) ITALICS [CD]
28 Accorded urgency to former edits I made out (11) PRIORITISED [former=PRIOR + EDITS I*]
DOWN
1 These marks won't bring a student any good (3,6) BAD GRADES [CD]
2 Twelve dozen are // disgusting! (5) GROSS [DD]
3 Cajole to express outrage in a different way (5,4) ARGUE INTO [OUTRAGE IN]* IN on double duty?
4 Ask for doctor after people lose head (7) ENTREAT [people=mEN + doctor=TREAT]
5 Large volume in public transport (7) OMNIBUS [public=OMNI + transport=BUS]
6 Polo, for one (5) MARCO [CD]
7 Spy actin' from a sort of neural transmission (8) SYNAPTIC [SPY ACTIN]*
8 Chip in to back mount (4) ANTE [mount=ETNA<=]
14 Just a little open, a radio enthusiast backed old Indian ruler (8) MAHARAJA [just a little open=AJAR + A + radio enthusiast=HAM]<= HAM is a radio operator?
16 Seeking to harm others, Indian gardener gets an insect around the nuthead (9) MALIGNANT [Indian gardener=MALI + insect=GNAT outside Nuthead]
17 Controllable as he's snared vigorously (9) HARNESSED [HE'S SNARED]*
19 Master dismisses learner from a town in Tamil Nadu to a novel village (7) MALGUDI [Master for Learner in town in TN=LALGUDI]
20 More in want, fade away in Indian water (7) NEEDIER [fade away=DIE inside Indian water=NEER]
22 He is from old Indian rule, for all to see (4) RAJU [old Indian rule=RAJ + for all to see=U] Raj=old British rule?
23 Put in type resulting in TES (3,2) SET UP [TES<=]
25 Climbing plants compete in leading Indian show's first section (5) IVIES [compete=VIE inside Indian + Section]
Heavy rains in Chennai. No paper yet. Would someone be able to post the blank grid with clues?
ReplyDeletePaddy go to Mrs PP's site at The HUB. Link is available in the panel on the left. In fact you can do so on a daily basis as I post the blank clues and link to the grid there daily, sometime between 6:30 and 7 AM generally.
DeleteJust checked and found that today's CW is also available on the home page of The Hindu. See THC 11218
DeleteOMNIBUS may also be added to the list.
ReplyDeleteMAHARAJA - RK studied at Maharaja's College in Mysore.
DeleteTEST MATCH - Swami and Friends - cricket club
DeleteThanks Sandhya, I've updated the solution grid.
DeleteMaybe: Gods, Demons and Others?
ReplyDeleteWell, I may not have gone that far, but if we do look at this puzzle that way, we also have
ReplyDeleteThe Dark Room
I noticed that on googling for his works.
Delete22 He is from old Indian rule, for all to see (4) RAJU [old Indian rule=RAJ + for all to see=U] Raj=old British rule?
ReplyDeleteRAJ = Rule in Hindi
Once at the British Council there was a lecture on a topic relating to the Raj.
DeleteThe title has the phrase the British Raj.
Before the start of the lecture, the lecturer - a member of the Association of British Scholars - was sitting next to me. I turned to him and asked wasn't the word British redundant. He agreed with me.
The term the Raj generally means the British rule.
I am saying this very innocently without deprecating any other raj or rule.
@Raghu, the clue says 'old Indian', not 'Hindi'. Otherwise I wouldn't have raised the doubt.
DeleteI just meant that there is no Raj now in the sense of Kingdom as was in that period (Old).
Delete19 Master dismisses learner from a town in Tamil Nadu to a novel village (7) (+M) (-L) ALGUDI [Master for Learner]
ReplyDeleteDoes substitution here need a position ind?
I don't think so.
DeleteIf I remember right, the convention even in standard UK cryptics is not to bother to give accurate position when sub/del letter occurs more than once in the fodder.
But I am ready to listen to any contrary opinion.
For someone who does not belong to India, yes. For that matter someone who is not from Tamilnadu would not even have heard of Lalgudi unless he is a Carnatic music faN
DeleteJust wondered. If I didn't know about Malgudi (or cold solved), I would have ended up with LAMGUDI. I think it's OK in an anagram type of clue
DeleteIf you didn't know Malgudi, I'm sure you would not have known Lalgudi as well!!
DeleteThat's right.
DeleteI latched on to Malgudi having detected the theme
DeleteCol you're right. One needs to know either Lalgudi or Malgudi to solve.
DeleteThat is why I always say that a clue belongs in a grid with the blanks and blacks, blocked and unblocked cells and the crossings got from other solutions.
DeleteIs a setter responsible for a solver taking a wrong path and going astray?
If he does, let him retrace his steps and beat a new track before finding his way.
What do you say, my friends?
The person who has not heard of Malgudi or Lalgudi would certainly know Kaccheguda, I bet.
DeleteI my opinion, whether one knows abt Malgudi or Lalgudi or not, it requires a position ind., to be fair. Having soled SCHOOL MAN and RE RESOLVE at least he gets a hint for the answer.
DeletePlease read Solved for soled.
Delete>>> Is a setter responsible for a solver taking a wrong path and going astray?
DeleteI thought that was the name of the game? Setters push solvers into a completely different direction to the actual answer?
>>> If he does, let him retrace his steps and beat a new track before finding his way.
Absolutely. Even if there was any doubt as to whether the answer was MALGUDI or LAMGUDI, the crossing letter from SCHOOLMAN will clear it.
While crossings help in solving the clue, it shouldn't be the first one leading to the answer - the clue should be doing this job for him/ her. After this happens, crossings could be used to verify if the answer is right. This being said, the clue should be able to stand on its own when scrutinized.
DeleteI feel Raghunath has raised a very valid point. There are 2 Ls in the fodder and the instruction is to replace L with M. If looked at logically, it would make one feel that there's something amiss (i.e. insufficient data).
If there's a way by which the cryptic instruction is made more precise, I feel it'd be better to take that one.
And BTW, in what context is M, master?
Guide must have been one of the few hardback books that I bought when I was a student without a pay packet of my own.
ReplyDeleteMali is a character in 'The Vendor of Sweets' which I think was first serialised in The Illustrated Weekly before it came in book form.
ReplyDeleteNice puzzle..
ReplyDelete.. Didn't understand the role of 'rather' in 11A and 'that' in 9A
Rather = anag. indicator
DeleteI too had the same doubt. But if you considered "about catching" as the container, it'd seem all right - like the letters of SORE* go around and then catch I
DeleteSore about catching one girl (5) seems to be enough really..
DeleteHow does 'about catching' work as a container indicator? it's either 'about' or 'catching' .. : )
About is an anagrind, leading to ROSE*. Catching works as a container indicator.
DeleteExactly.. so what is the purpose of 'rather'? : )
DeleteI would think it's for surface.
DeleteI failed to get 9Across DROUGHT because I filled in 1A as LUGGAGE ROOM and 1D as LOW GRADES. :-( Nevertheless I enjoyed solving it. Thank you, Gridman.
ReplyDeleteOne of RKN's novels was The Bachelor of Arts. If he (the latter) had studied MA, he would have been a Master of Arts.
ReplyDeleteI was going the MB way, before I found the 'doctor' and changed luggage to baggage.After all,Dr.ought to know the medicine!
ReplyDeleteThank you Coll for the link and guidelines- very useful and I am able to claim my samosa!
BTW, I assume I am eligible though I missed a letter- not a word. I missed what was there for all to see and filled in raju for raja- wondering how raju came into this.
A small niggle about 26A- it is West African charm as indicated in the link (not West Indian)
ReplyDeleteI recently read 'Swami and Friends' wherin Swami was not able to play the 'Test Match'. Perhaps since the match is even, more matches end in draws (at least they used to earlier when India played) Those days it was considered equivalent to a victory (meaning you don't lose)
ReplyDeleteLiked 'Marco Polo'. I was toying with mount initially.
ReplyDeleteImmensely enjoyable & nostalgic trip today.
ReplyDeleteImmensely enjoyable & nostalgic trip today.
ReplyDeleteI'm in agreement with VJ, in his preference for the 'cold-solvable-ness' of clues. Deception and redirection can be performed in other ways within the clue, but the clue itself must be 'complete', with the crossings playing only a secondary role (despite the puzzle being called a 'crossword', and all that).
ReplyDelete17D - The synonym for harnessed (adj.) that shows up in The Free Dictionary is controlled.
Although overall, the grid was nice to solve. Narayan's birth anniversary was just over a week ago. Here's an article from yesterday's TH on the first school he attended: http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/history-and-culture/stories-of-a-reluctant-schoolboy/article6510831.ece.
I too had misgivings about Harnessed = controllable.
DeleteSame pinch Paddy! Raja for Raju :-( Missed samosas by a whisker!Enjoyed solving
ReplyDeleteFor once a Telugu King makes an appearance at 22Dn to be seen by all !
DeleteCan one solve 16 D - MALI G for girl & ANT for insect?
ReplyDeleteI think you are dreaming of girls. There is no 'girl' in the clue ;-)
DeleteGNAT is the insect
DeleteFantastic crossie.22d miserably failed me.Originally I had some reservation but wrote as raja.Otherwise I quite enjoyed the puzzle.Thank youGM.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a lot of people tripped in round 5 of IXL. The top 6 marks that is 100 to 95 have gone to those who were not in the top 10 in fact the person who top scored is entering the leaderboard for the first time.
ReplyDelete