Tuesday 17 May 2016

No 11702, Tuesday 17 May 2016, Exa


ACROSS
7   Chest smell - so masculine (5) BOSOM {BO}{SO}{M}
8   Manoeuvre made by small-time rogue to get a jewel (9) STRATAGEM {S}{T}{RAT}{A}{GEM}
10 Award finest woman with Oscar (6) BESTOW {BEST}{O}{W}
11 Waffle cake - flipping good to eat it (6,2) RABBIT ON {RAB<=}{B{IT} ON}
12 Realised I'm entitled to keep the deposit (8) SEDIMENT [T]
13 Pay back trader only 50% in time (6) AVENGE {A{VENdor}GE}
14 Run straight - make an impression (7) STRETCH {STR}{ETCH} STR for straight? Anno not clear See comments
16 Around November, intended to get back (7) FINANCE {FI{N}ANCE}
20 One'll shoot soldiers after swinging mace (6) CAMERA {MACE*}{RA}
23 I note surface is worthy of being copied (8) IMITABLE {I}{MI}{TABLE}
25 Operation - a marshal didn't carry one out (8) ADDITION {A}{DIDNT}* over {1}{O}
26 Pot? Say 'no' (3,3) OPT OUT {POT}*
27 A flower I put on rug is bound to give a pleasant smell (9) AROMATISE {A}{RO{MAT}{I}SE} How does I come after MAT? See comments
28 Upright piano fit inside for musician (5) PIPER {PI{P}ER}

DOWN
1   Sound that's let out after mysterious echo (8) COHERENT {ECHO*}{RENT}
2   In court, running ritual with regret (8) CONTRITE {C{ON}T}{RITE}
3   Repeat it time after time, echo (7) ITERATE {IT}{ERA}{T}{E}
4   City in India and Bahrain perhaps put under pressure (8) PARBHANI {P}{BAHRAIN}*
5   Want a maiden that's beautiful on the outside (6) FAMINE {F{A}{M}INE}
6   Take plenty of time to be considered a member (6) BELONG {BE LONG}
9   What we eat that's sweet (4) TWEE [T]
15 Toast made is to two-wheelers (8) CHARIOTS {CHAR}{IS+TO}*
17 Butcher boar, with it, at slaughterhouse (8) ABATTOIR {BOAR+IT+AT}*
18 Biased column our journalist's written ... (8) COLOURED {COL}{OUR}{ED}
19 ... its news had to be redrafted for The Observer (7) WITNESS*
21 They help those attacking without leader (6) AIDERS rAIDERS
22 Imagined flying without wings to be a problem (6) ENIGMA iMAGINEd*
24 Figure obtained through business in banks (4) ICON {I{CO}N}

GRID

28 comments:

  1. 14 Run straight - make an impression (7) STRETCH {STR}{ETCH} STR for straight? Anno not clear

    My bible
    http://www.chambers.co.uk/search.php?query=str&title=21st

    str. abbreviation 1 strong. 2 straight.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Enjoyed very much.
    Online grid shows 11A as (8) instead of (6,2). It took long time to solve

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The interactive version does not show the setter's name either

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    2. IV uses Crossword compiler software, which lacks the intelligence to give the right enumerations. Has to be fed manually for split words

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    3. Setter's name is shown in the interactiveversion

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    4. Raghunath
      From what I have observed, CC in Edt Clue mode does not show up the enu. It gets inserted when we copy to clipboard the clues or when we print.
      If the sw recognises the phrase, it inserts teh correct enu sucha s 3,4 or 4,3 or whatever.
      If the phrase is not in the dict or in some other circumstances, it will provide 7 instead of the phrasal enu.
      However, when we review clues, if we see a phrase in the sol list alongside, we can double click on the clue. In the pop-up, split the word in black above the edit field. Now the enu in the relevant box below will change automatically to how you split the word, 3,4 or 4,3.
      Once saved, the correct enu will appear in the copied clues or print.
      If for a 7-letter word you carelessly type 5,3 or 3,5 it will alert you that you are wrong!
      If for a 3,4 you carelessly write 2,5 it will accept it.
      SWs are intelligent to a certain extent. Sometimes they re more intelligent than us.We can be guided by their intelligence; sometimes with our intelligence we can fool them and ride roughshod over them and make them accept what we want them to accept

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    5. I generally don't rely on cc for the enu. I don't use the clipboard to paste the clues in Word. I use it to only edit the clue. I somehow overlooked that in the last THC by me. Talking of intelligence of software the spellcheck in our phones is sometimes a nuisance.

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    6. Yes, Col. Probably the IV is modified now to reveal the setter's name.

      Delete
  3. 7 A flower I put on rug is bound to give a pleasant smell (9) AROMATISE {A}{RO{MAT}{I}SE}

    It says RUG is bound: around MAT

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I gave the anno which sounds a bit iffy. Can't think of any other.

      Delete
    2. A on B in an across clue can be used to mean AB or BA. So I'm OK with I on RUG giving MATI.

      And MATI is bound (would have personally preferred is bound 'by', but on the whole the clue works for me)

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  4. ah.. it is 6, 2 for rabbit on 11a.. in my online version it came up as 8 which put me off for a long while.. several nice surfaces today.. imitable, chariots, witness, enigma from Exa :) Some doubt on Bestow..doesnt there have to be an indicator to put O before w? with doesnt seem sufficient On 28a - not clear is upright = pier?? IMO.. 13a avenge.ha ha ha.. whoa there Exa.. wont make you a very good creditor :)

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    Replies
    1. PIER:

      check: http://www.chambers.co.uk/search.php?query=pier&title=thes

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    2. thanks.. Google lists upright as a direct synonym
      https://www.google.com.sg/search?newwindow=1&site=&source=hp&q=pier+synonym&oq=pier+synonym&gs_l=hp.3...11665.14787.0.15326.14.14.0.0.0.0.782.1578.1j5j6-1.7.0....0...1c.1.64.hp..7.6.1534.0..0j35i39j0i131j0i155i3j0i20j0i22i30j0i22i10i30.fe3sPtaJPBo

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  5. 14 across: STRETCH: sounds fine for RUN- I took ST from straight but where does the 'make an impression ' fit in ? RETCH is to make an impression?

    The clues are built cleverly where one puts in the obvious only to realise later that the annotation doesn't fit in right !

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  6. 26 across: OPT OUT is the clue of my day ! very clever word play with just three words ! Under what classification does this parsing fit in ? POT to opt. Say no-- for drugs? NO POT? wonderful world to live in without POT !

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    Replies
    1. The other day we had this clue by AD which I found difficult to classify
      Was managed(7):Oversaw
      Would you classify it as RA or Reverse Reversal?

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    2. As there is no anid word found in the solution OVERSAW I think it could be a Reverse Reversal.

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  7. A classy puzzle..Loved Coherent..contrite..aromatise
    Parbhani I got by hit & trial in the IA version(all crossings were available & the letters too)

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    Replies
    1. I use the IA version only for checking & in this case getting the answer instead of goggling or any other aid..still working the old fashioned way..copying clues from The Hub & solving in Excel..

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  8. A good puzzle as ever from Exa and very enjoyable too!

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