Thursday, 19 November 2015

No 11553, Thursday 19 Nov 2015, Incognito


ACROSS
8   Look! That is seen between two consecutive letters (4) MIEN {IE} in {MN}
9   Laughs and ditches (2-3) HA-HAS [DD]
10 A detective's drug (4) ACID {A}{CID}
11 Six huns reincarnated! By god! (6) VISHNU {VI}{HUNS*}
12 Boss, cop told untruth, but obeyed (8) COMPLIED {CO}{MP}{LIED}
13 That lady goes after male with enthusiasm at first — no money is involved (8) BUCKSHEE {BUCK}{SHE}{En...m}
15 Country discusses honestly, but without talks (6) TURKEY {talk TURKEY}
17 Peacekeepers learn new numbers like x, y or z (7) UNKNOWN {UN}{KNOW}{N}
19 Attractive girl's lure has stranger after it (7) NYMPHET {NYMPH}{ET}
22 Cleaner has Romeo's tool (6) TROWEL {T{R}OWEL}
24 Philanderer's object is clever — to encircle country (8) WOMANISE {W{OMAN}ISE}
26 City located in Pakistan, Bulgaria or Turkey? (8) ISTANBUL [T]
28 Look! George's with the Queen! (6) GANDER {G}{AND}{ER}
30 Officer's wife's drink (4) MATE [MD]
31 Superb oil blended to make sauce (5) AIOLI {A1}{OIL*}
32 Citadel for the leader (4) FORT {FOR}{The}

DOWN
1   New Zealander's Chinese gooseberry (4) KIWI [DD]
2   Cold, unlike Bond's martini (8) UNSHAKEN [DD]
3   Using misshapen toothbrush (not faulty boot) leads to disease (6) THRUSH tooTHbRUSH*
4   Yellow layer (7) CHICKEN [DD]
5   I try some construction resulting in a kind of transformation (8) ISOMETRY*
6   Dressmaker's tail is in the front, or behind? (6) TAILOR {TAIL}{OR}
7   Young Phantom has energy for a toy for flying (4) KITE {KIT}{E}
14 This type of claw (incorrectly called Pope's blessing) may be a result of lunar movements (5) ULNAR*
16 Standardizes gin cocktail poured out at times from 6 pm to 9 pm, perhaps (5) EVENS EVENingS
18 Rob, a feral pig (4,4) WILD BOAR  {A+ROB}*
20 Confine, stab and get a multi-function gadget (8) PENKNIFE {PEN}{KNIFE}
21 Gulp down some wine initially and give approval (7) SWALLOW {Some}{Wine}{ALLOW}
23 Spinner's first web over eaves, not spiralling initially, but starting to radiate (6) WEAVER {Web}{EAVE(-s+r)R}
25 Convoluted game involves the devout in penultimate round (6) MAGPIE {MAG{PI}E*} Definition needs a relook See comments
27 For starters, splendid water-bird has primarily aesthetic neck (4) SWAN {Sp...d}{Wa..d}{Ae..c}{Neck} Semi &lit
29 Peer's real composition (4) EARL*

GRID

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40 comments:

  1. RameshJ19 November 2015 at 08:31

    Birds are fluttering around the grid today

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kishore19 November 2015 at 08:53

      Tell it to the birds ....https://books.google.co.in/books/about/Tell_It_To_The_Birds.html?id=CBH9Te5P0UkC&hl=en

      Delete
  2. RameshJ19 November 2015 at 08:32

    Turkey, gander, kiwi, thrush, chicken, kite, swallow, Weaver, magpie ,swan

    ReplyDelete
  3. RameshJ19 November 2015 at 08:36

    Penultimate round for magpie seems fine. I thought it was a beautifully done CD.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Raghunath19 November 2015 at 08:46

      CD?

      Def's fine. From thefreedic: MAGPIE: 7. (Archery) the outmost ring but one on a target

      Delete
    2. Col_Gopinath19 November 2015 at 09:01

      My mistake, I went towards the Bull and not away from it

      Delete
    3. RameshJ19 November 2015 at 09:18

      A CD, as I do not think "penultimate round" directly means the second last ring in an archery target.

      Delete
    4. Col_Gopinath19 November 2015 at 09:54

      It is the second last round

      Delete
  4. Ramani19 November 2015 at 09:00

    GANDER & WEAVER have stolen by samosas:((

    ReplyDelete
  5. Padmanabhan19 November 2015 at 10:00

    It was gander.nymphet & magpie for me. But enjoyed every word I filled in with a chuckle. Thank you K.
    I was about to eat the kiwi thinking it was a fruit! My vegetarianism is saved.
    Had 'View' in stead of 'Mien' for a long time and struggled. Strange that both fit the def. & wordplay.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Padmanabhan19 November 2015 at 10:01

    Double from my desktop?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Padmanabhan19 November 2015 at 10:02

    Col. has also shown kiwi as a fruit only!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Kishore19 November 2015 at 10:57

    Great discovery, Paddy. Both words fit perfectly. Mien was my intended answer, and I had no inkling that view would work. Serendipitous occurrence for me. I first came across mien when I encountered Tennyson 's The Beggar Maid during my schooldays. http://www.poetryloverspage.com/poets/tennyson/beggar_maid.html

    ReplyDelete
  9. Kishore19 November 2015 at 11:00

    The ha-has are from Tom Sharpe ...

    ReplyDelete
  10. Kishore19 November 2015 at 11:02

    Eliminated yout double, Paddy, before the Doppelgänger arrived

    ReplyDelete
  11. Padmanabhan19 November 2015 at 11:43

    Is it a ? If so yes. My discovery is serendipitous too.

    ReplyDelete
  12. gxdxr19 November 2015 at 11:57

    Wrote VIEW for 8A—it fits perfectly!—and racked my head in vain about Bond's martini.

    ReplyDelete
  13. muthaiah19 November 2015 at 12:01

    12 Ac - Boss M(James Bond) + cop+ lied

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. RameshJ19 November 2015 at 12:40

      No anagram indicator or a container/content indicator to justify this parsing of the clue

      The setter seems to indicate what the Col. has given

      12 Boss, cop told untruth, but obeyed (8)
      Boss = CO ( Commanding officer)
      Cop = MP ( Military police officer)
      Told untruth = Lied
      But = Link word
      Obeyed = Definition

      Delete
  14. Kishore19 November 2015 at 12:53

    The Colonel is correct in annotating 12a. There is no insertion indicator too to place the M between co and p, as required to explain Muthaiah's parsing. Ram sh has already ruled out the anagram too

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. RameshJ19 November 2015 at 13:15

      Puzzled about the lack of energy in my name.

      Delete
    2. Padmanabhan19 November 2015 at 13:53

      If typos can drain off energy.....I will be nowhere.

      Delete
    3. Kishore19 November 2015 at 14:06

      You don't have energy in the first place, Paddy. Sorry, Ram sh

      Delete
    4. Padmanabhan19 November 2015 at 15:16

      Yes, I do not have energy (E) in my name- either in the first place or anywhere!

      Delete
  15. Suresh19 November 2015 at 13:30

    What is misshapen in 3D?

    ReplyDelete
  16. Padmanabhan19 November 2015 at 13:52

    Anind

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Suresh19 November 2015 at 15:36

      What anagram? There is no anagram. After deletion they are in the right order

      Delete
    2. Padmanabhan19 November 2015 at 16:44

      You are right. Only deletion is not in the same order which is covered by 'faulty'. The rest are in correct order. Abundant precaution? K should know better.So, the toothbrush is in good shape after all.

      Delete
  17. Richard19 November 2015 at 15:54

    So it is a bird-watching day.

    Off-track: How many of our guys here remember that today, Nov 19, is World Men's Day? No wishes, no cards, no dinners, no whimper, no noise, no mention, no nothing!

    To add to the insult and apathy, today is also observed as World Toilet Day! Time for someone to explain.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Padmanabhan19 November 2015 at 16:41

    Our toilets are flooded here in Chennai.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Padmanabhan19 November 2015 at 16:46

      I heard a joke - Someone from TN offering plenty of water to Karnatak, Kerala or whoever requires including Mars planet!

      Delete
    2. Vasant19 November 2015 at 19:22

      9A!

      Delete
  19. Kishore19 November 2015 at 18:48

    Please hear this
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-dJkdqDE-8

    It will remind you of the lambada song inserted by the Colonel in yesterday's blog ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  20. Vasant19 November 2015 at 19:16

    Missed out on all the fun on an Incognito day as I was caught up in work whole day long & could solve the puzzle only in late evening. Found it tougher than the usual Inc fare....made the same mistake View for mien...also struggled to get NYMPHET, PENKNIFE & MAGPIE...Loved the xword on the whole...

    ReplyDelete
  21. Kishore19 November 2015 at 20:27

    Thanks and good night, folks. Happy Men's Toilets Day, Richard. Now I understand why the ladies are missing. You won't find them in a men's toilet. Of course, there may be exceptions ...

    ReplyDelete
  22. raju umamaheswar19 November 2015 at 21:47

    Kishore: Today you have really had a ball playing mind games withe the words !!

    Bhakshee : We have all heard of only Bhakshees during the diwali days and eclipse days in Bombay. Bhaksh na in Urdu is to spare and excuse !

    One would look for philanderer ina womanise(R) whereas you have clever(LY) constructed OMAN as a country in WISE- if evr there was a red herring, this red herring is that red herring !!

    Again, for a multi-function gadget, one would be lured into PENDRIVE whereis it is a stab in the back--with a PENKNIFE !!



    Yesterday, I was made to eat the humble samosa for looking for a city in South Africa -- and ended up in my favourite town in Kenya MOMBASA !

    You have indeed raised the bar in your current series !! It was great solving !!

    Posting late and hope that you'll (and others too !) see my comments

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Padmanabhan19 November 2015 at 22:09

      Too late for others probably. I did. Nice write up.

      Delete
  23. Mukundala Balasubramanyam20 November 2015 at 06:40

    Saw Raju's write up this morning. An apt one on Incognito raising the bar in this round.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Srividya21 November 2015 at 15:01

    Very happening flighty xword.. struggled with Mate triple def unexpected.. got help from hubby who doesnt do xowrds at all :) so much for experience :) ha ha... but thanks incognito .. good xword

    ReplyDelete

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