Tuesday 21 February 2017

No 11936, Tuesday 21 Feb 2017, Gridman


ACROSS
7   Blind Henry left jailhouse in a riot (8) JALOUSIE JAILhOUSE*
9   Soldiers holding sailor back for nothing (6) GRATIS {G{TAR<=}IS}
10 Clairvoyance shows there's ghost around heart of Sicily (10) PRESCIENCE {PRES{siCIly}ENCE}
11 Mentioned citation of farm shelter (4) COTE (~quote)
12 Believed to be kept in custody (4) HELD [DD]
14 You can't get any purchase from such a store (6,4) CLOSED SHOP [CD]
16 Mother's stiff (5) MUMMY [DD]
17 Using some utterly repugnant policy, leaders get to overthrow (5) USURP Acrostic
21 Ill, you, always? Certainly not! How dare you? (4,1,5) WELL I NEVER {WELL I} {NEVER}
22 Some Japanese philatelist's purchase (4) PANE [T]
23 Drink noisily, throw off a bit of payasam and talk indistinctly (4) SLUR SLURp
24 Fatness of heart of pucca royal surrounded by wealth (10) CORPULENCE {puCca}{O{R}PULENCE}
26 Quietly run out and bring every other quid to hide from view (6) SHROUD {SH}{RO}{qUiD}
27 Final showdowns in mega dens broken up (8) ENDGAMES*

DOWN
1   One might spread disease in vessel (7) CARRIER [DD]
2   Pulls little piggies, say (4) TOWS (~toes)
3   Wasn't upright about large sheds (4-3) LEAN-TOS {LEANT}{OS}
4   Stare at what may be on computer screen as old girl backs out (4) OGLE goOGLE
5   Notice disparate parts that may be on one's hand (10) WATCHSTRAP {WATCH}{PARTS}*
6   I substituted for ace in group? Not true (7) FICTION F(-a+i)ICTION
8   Transfer fellow as a railway transport worker (9) SWITCHMAN {SWITCH}{MAN}
13 Couple's choice in hotel booking, obviously (6,4) DOUBLE ROOM [CD]
15 Relax! No good reason for one to lose this part of a game (4,5) EASY ROUND {EASY} {gROUND} &lit
18 Rich rationale to describe dirty tale (7) WEALTHY {W{TALE*}HY}
19 Where the bishop's concern is — what the manager is expected to do (7) OVERSEE [DD]
20 Fault-finder's means to gain entry into house (7) KNOCKER [DD]
24 Oddly crowd set rules (4) CODE {CrOwD}{sEt}
25 Upper limit raised for engineering test (4) EXAM {MAX}{E}<=

GRID

30 comments:

  1. Another easy but interesting round round from Gridman.
    Jalousie was new, but wordplay easiled led to the answer.
    Some annos were cleared by the blog- google (!) for example.

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  2. Remember reading this:Bobby Fischer, the maverick chess champion, in all serious tournaments, always opened with the king pawn (e4) when playing white.In the 1972 world championship match with the reigning world championship..in the 6th game he played c4 & the game transformed to queen's gambit..it not only took Spasky by surprise but resulted in a big psychological win for the champion
    The reference now..a question that I had been wanting to ask..after 16 years working with 6 grids that we all solvers have been used to..Gridman surprises us with four brand new grids..
    What's the secret Sir?

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  3. I loved my grids very carefully created.
    When six of my puzzles were carried per cycle, the grid were 1 to 6 in that order.
    After the number was reduced to 4, they were 1,2,3,4 in one and 5,6,1,2 which means 1 and 2 were getting outings in successive cycles.
    I thought a change was needed.
    This is just an explanation.
    The new grids were created and puzzles set and used at once.
    I will go back to the stock of puzzles set in old grids. I might use these new grids now and then.
    The strict cyclic order may or may not be lost.
    TH allows for grids for a quota of one. With a quota of four, I could use 16 grids. With the recent induction, I am using only 10.
    A secret: Grid 7 and 8 have 26 slots, Grid 9, 27 and Grid 10, 28.
    Qn to setters, esp. The Oracle: can a grid with 25 slots be created. I am yet to try determinedly.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Sir..quite interesting

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    2. Mathematically speaking, yes. In a two way symmetry the un reflected slot will necessarily have to be on the axis of reflection. Will try creating and sending. It is another matter whether other rules like unches etc. Can be complied with, but I think that should not be a problem

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  4. I just made one and will mail it to you. It should be possible to make more

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    Replies
    1. Made one more by changing one pair of blocks. Can make several more by changing blocks which are not at intersection of law gets as long as new blocks are not at intersection of lights since breaking a light would change number of lights

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    2. I too have made one, it doesn't appear to be a problem to make many more

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  5. Thanks. Will first try to create one myself (earlier I didn't try seriously as I did not set out with that proposition) and then look at yours.
    The idea is just as those six grids have a marker to say whether it is 1 or whatever, I want these to have an ID to say if it is 7 or whatever.
    Thanks for your quick response. There is this Thirukkural saying give a man a task knowing who can best do what. Paddy, which Kudal?

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  6. I am now in Selaiyur away from computer and installed software. Will try on sw on my iPad.

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  7. The commercial (read: purchased) sw on my iPad may not allow 'no symmetry' in disposition of blocks. Professional (read good commercial) software do.

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  8. After all, when I had made one with 27 slots (odd) I should have been able to make one with 25.

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  9. Kishore/Deepak
    Will a 15x grid necessarily have a 15-letter slot in row or col. if we must have 25 slots?

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    Replies
    1. No. Please refer one of the grids sent to you with 13 letter slot in 8th row

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    2. If you're using CC, you can pick a 27 word grid offered by them and delete a block in a nonintersecting slot to get 25 word grid. Or you can take a 29 word grid and drop a block and n an intersection.

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  10. Will do later. I can't open CC proprietorial files on my iPad.

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  11. Thanks Kishore for all these stimulating posts.

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  12. Yesterday's grid had last clue number as 25, though it could have had more lights due to same number having both Across and Down clues. This is how I have interpreted your query. Total number of lights is slightly different but can be done

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  13. CMFC - crossword maker for cruciverbalists
    Rs 300, it was I think.
    OK, we can set a cw and export it in diff exits but the sw is not recommended for professionals

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  14. Hey, I am talking of total number of slots/lights/fill-in words.

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  15. Just checked. Both the grids I sent you have 25 words as well, I.e. No clue number is repeated in the cluesheet

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  16. CV,
    Thirukkural:

    Ithanai ithanal ivan mudikkum endrainthu
    athanai avan kann vidal.

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  17. Without having large swathes of black or long sequence of unches, it is possible to have the minimum of 14 lights, 7 across and 7 down, all of 15 letters. Grid filling could be a difficult proposition

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  18. Paddy -
    Thanks. If DS were active here, he would have pitched in too.

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    Replies
    1. He keeps sending me mails fairly regularly. Maybe he is reading the blog too, but contributes rarely.

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  19. Ye-guys, all these acrosses and downs on grid-building flying past sent me in sixes and sevens !

    I believe in concrete building blocks , mosaic style. No abstract thinking that will distract me from my regular grid-filling ready-made style ! I'm already brain- fagged !

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