Satyen Nabar's Sun Spl analysed

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Monday, 11 September 2017

No 12109, Monday 11 Sep 2017, Dr. X


Dr. X on a DD spree

ACROSS
1   Encouragement that may hurt a bit? (1,4,2,3,3) A SHOT IN THE ARM [DD]
10 Divorced associate knocks back gin (5) APART {A}{TRAP<=}
11 One who takes breath away with device controlling speed and resistance (9) THROTTLER {THROTTLE}{R}
12 Slims down and gets rid of wrinkles perhaps (9) DECREASES [DD]
13 Perjures to grab new rights to another’s property (5) LIENS {LIE{N}S}
14 Games’ policy — Perform to secure medals primarily (7) OLYMPIC {Me..l} in {POLICY}* Should have been OLYMPICS See comments
16 Where a mineworker might be having money problems (2,1,4) IN A HOLE [DD]
18 One listening to wife’s outrage at light slap (7) WIRETAP {W}{IRE}{TAP}
20 GST et al confusing! It’s more than the sum of its parts? (7) GESTALT*
22 Despicable person from Seoul (5) LOUSE*
24 One involved in oil sketch! It makes heads turn? (9) ROUGHNECK [DD] 'It'? (Addendum - {ROUGH}{NECK} - See comments)
26 Completed with a sense of responsibility (9) OVERSIGHT {OVER}{SIGHT}
27 Search thoroughly for lump around top of larynx (5) TRAWL {WART<=}{La...x}
28 What a carpenter often does — Exerts strong pressure on someone (5,3,5) TURNS THE SCREW [DD]

DOWN
2   Very stiff diet of marathoners (7) STARCHY [DD]
3   Immediately at the scene of action (2,3,4) ON THE SPOT [DD]
4   Fixed grimace not right! Shows a seizure (5) ICTUS rICTUS
5   Overwhelming skin eruption in body (9) THRASHING {TH{RASH}ING}
6   Bit of sex to lustily celebrate (5) EXTOL [T]
7   Curiously lovelier topless work of art (7) RELIEVO lOVLIER*
8   Scarcely credible complaint of oesophagitis sufferer (4,2,7) HARD TO SWALLOW [DD]
9   Wearing glamorous clothes that can be lethal? (7,2,4) DRESSED TO KILL [C&DD]
15 Protection that’s used to prevent reproduction? (9) COPYRIGHT [CD]
17 Tasteful narcotic without extremes of addiction (9) AESTHETIC AnaESTHETIC
19 Authority retains old gold pile of coins (7) ROULEAU {R{O}ULE}{AU}
21 What a batsman tries to improve to assert seniority (7) AVERAGE {AVER}{AGE}
23 Sense trouble at German city (5) ESSEN*
25 Loosen tight nut with pliers essentially (5) UNTIE {NUT}*{plIErs}

GRID

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47 comments:

  1. Raghunath11 September 2017 at 08:38

    24 One involved in oil sketch! It makes heads turn? (9) ROUGHNECK [DD] 'It'?

    One involved in oil = ROUGHNECK & Sketch it = ROUGH and makes heads turn: NECK

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Raghunath11 September 2017 at 08:39

      Sketch = ROUGH and it makes heads turn = NECK

      Delete
    2. Raghunath11 September 2017 at 08:40

      But I think Sketchy is ROUGH

      Delete
    3. sree_sree11 September 2017 at 08:41

      Sketch=rough, neck (it) makes head turn
      ?..

      Delete
    4. Satyen Nabar11 September 2017 at 08:44

      Hi :)! Yes Defn is One involved in oil. Sketch = Rough (noun), It makes heads turn = Neck.

      From Chambers.. Rough

      n
      1 sketch, mock-up, outline, draft, model

      Delete
    5. Raghunath11 September 2017 at 08:50

      Chambers is funny. The synonym for Sketch is shown as rough out and the other way round equates rough & sketch

      Delete
  2. Chaturvasi11 September 2017 at 08:44

    In whose arm did he give the shot?

    ReplyDelete
  3. sree_sree11 September 2017 at 08:47

    12a slims ->decreases. Down just for surface?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Padmanabhan11 September 2017 at 08:49

      Slim down is okay. This is what Free dic. says
      http://www.thefreedictionary.com/slim+down

      Delete
  4. Padmanabhan11 September 2017 at 08:47

    Enjoyable surfaces. a few of them bringing on a smile- listening to wife's ire for example.
    Had to check up a few things in Anatomy & Medicine. Good for us that we have a doctor to educate us. Thank you doc.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ramki Krishnan11 September 2017 at 08:48

    Enjoyable grid Doc! 15D and 25D were my favourites :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Padmanabhan11 September 2017 at 08:52

    Yes, copyright was well written and enjoyable.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Vasant11 September 2017 at 08:53

    Lovely puzzle..A shot in the arm..dressed to kill..et al were very nicely done..a new grid too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Satyen Nabar11 September 2017 at 08:58

      Thanks Vasant, yes used this grid for the first time :)

      Delete
    2. Kolluru Koteswara Rao11 September 2017 at 09:00

      Yes, the long ones are fast to click. That helped in breaking the rest.
      New ones are 20AC, 7 DN and 19DN
      Thanks Dr!

      Delete
    3. Satyen Nabar11 September 2017 at 09:05

      Thanks KKR :)

      Delete
  8. Satyen Nabar11 September 2017 at 09:01

    14A Hi Col. It is Olympic Games, is it not?. Not Olympic game, I think. How else to define Olympic?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Col_Gopinath11 September 2017 at 09:12

      Didn't think of it that way. Normally Olympic Games is referred to as Olympics and not Olympic that's the way I was looking at it

      Delete
    2. Esha_iitm11 September 2017 at 09:19

      Olympic is adjective and Olympics is noun???

      Delete
  9. Vasant11 September 2017 at 09:01

    Problem in my laptop..couldnt open the ia version..did the puzzle in my mobile..very difficult to navigate..

    ReplyDelete
  10. Esha_iitm11 September 2017 at 09:18

    2d diet of marathoners=starch... how to get starchy?
    14a Chambers - Olympic is Of the Olympic games... Is 'perform' correct use?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Satyen Nabar11 September 2017 at 09:49

      Hi Esha

      2d Starchy refers to a diet/food that contains a lot of starch. Marathoners have a starchy diet.

      14a Perform = play, work, make, dance, operate, act. Anagram indicator (still since you ask, listed in Chambers)

      Delete
    2. Esha_iitm11 September 2017 at 10:49

      In the blog of last wed Chaturvasi wrote:

      Doctor, verb imperative, as anag signal must precede fodder. It coming after fodder is plain careless clue writing.

      Same goes for perform na??

      Diet is noun but starchy is adjective... I think that is a problem?

      Delete
    3. Chaturvasi11 September 2017 at 11:20

      I didn't solve this puzzle, I am only reading the blog. Esha, you have raised a valid point. I am glad that my notes are read and appreciated. This increases my responsibility.

      Delete
    4. Satyen Nabar11 September 2017 at 11:34

      Hi CV Sir, to be honest I was not aware of any such rule. Whilst I did read your comment last week, this puzzle was sent in on 1st of August. Can only keep in mind for future.

      Delete
    5. Raghunath11 September 2017 at 12:11

      Re the anagram ind. I think very few follow this rule.

      Diet is noun but starchy is adjective... I think that is a problem?

      That's not a problem I feel as long as LHS = RHS.

      Delete
  11. Padmanabhan11 September 2017 at 09:37

    They have a starchy diet- that's how I looked at it.
    Olympics when stated alone. But Olympic games.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Mona Sogal11 September 2017 at 10:05

    Good one, Satyen! Enjoyed the DD's especially:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Satyen Nabar11 September 2017 at 10:18

      Started with the 4 long DD's and Copyright. Thanks Mona :)

      Delete
  13. Chaturvasi11 September 2017 at 16:41

    Caution
    I would like to add that what I say here on cluing technique is my opinion and may not be considered prescriptive. It should not inhibit any composer's work. Of course, the opinion comes from experience and study. I may be old-fashioned.I may have shades of the Ximenean school.
    In today's Guardian quiptic there is this clue
    Immunity from the next poem I compose (9)
    This flouts the rule I mentioned yet it appears in a crossword in a paper which has a crossword editor.
    Anyway, I have placed a Comment under Matilda's quiptic.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Satyen Nabar11 September 2017 at 17:21

      Dear CV Sir, thanks for taking time out to instruct and help setters improve.

      I could very easily have changed the clue to something like "Reform policy to secure top medals at these games" As I mentioned, I became aware of verb imperative rule only when you mentioned it last week here and by then this puzzle was already in the pipeline. Also I simply did not remember I had used Perform after policy.

      Of course, I will keep your guideline in mind while constructing anagram clues in future.

      And yes answer to Matilda's clue is Exemption (Nextpoemi)*:)

      Delete
    2. Esha_iitm11 September 2017 at 18:12

      So your intensive research into every aspect of clue making should continue!!! :)

      Delete
    3. Satyen Nabar11 September 2017 at 18:52

      Dear Esha, of course learning is a continuous process. Only a fool believes he/she knows it all.

      Having said that, as CV Sir mentions by example and as Raghu points out, this rule is not quite followed by most setters around the world. And you should be aware of that as well. Otherwise you will be posting the same point over and over to other setters in the puzzles to come!:)

      Delete
    4. sree_sree11 September 2017 at 19:20

      Dr, following this blog from past one year with somewhat regularity has led to familiarity of THC Crossword so much that I just picked up policy and m and knew I had to anagram.
      Most of these days if I don't get a solution, it's because of my lack of GK or missing to recall a synonym. Not the actual solving of a cryptic problem.

      So I have realised a deviation here and there may be necessary for the crossovers solving still to be in the human realm and of interest.

      But as CV sir said, i hope the deviation is not because of careless clueing but a considered one.

      Rest, imperative or indicative is beyond me inspite of CAT and superlative jargoans we use in daily life.

      Delete
    5. Vasant11 September 2017 at 19:26

      I did solve the Guardian quiptic and could get the clue without noticing anything amiss as also the point CV Sir made for imperative verb the other day. You learn rules everyday!

      Delete
    6. Vasant11 September 2017 at 19:40

      In today's Guardian Cryptic by Rufus we have this clue:
      Thanks to natural evolution, it has a serious bite (9)
      TA +NATURAL*=TARANTULA
      But the anagrind is evolution, a noun. Ok? I thought nounal anagrind was a strict no no.

      Delete
    7. Raghunath11 September 2017 at 19:57

      Nounal anagrams which can also be taken as verbs are no problem. Evolution could mean:

      ripening, unrolling, unfolding, unravelling, working-out, opening-out from: http://chambers.co.uk/search/?query=evolution&title=thes.

      Delete
    8. Vasant11 September 2017 at 20:39

      Thanks Raghu..great to have such discussions here

      Delete
  14. raju umamaheswar11 September 2017 at 18:46

    Dr Nabar: 15down: A brilliant DD ! In French: Double Entendre? Nice red herring to divert from the obvious rush to the actual meaning . I had a good chuckle/ So were many other DDs. YOur clues were actually 9 down today !

    I got caught up in catching up with yesterday's papers and could appear here only after 5 PM. Hope you and others see my comments.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Satyen Nabar11 September 2017 at 18:55

      Dear Raju.. the blog seemed quite incomplete without your comments!! Was actually waiting to hear your opinions :) Thanks a lot!

      Delete
    2. sree_sree11 September 2017 at 19:07

      But sir does it prevent reproduction? It only limits the right of reproduction.

      Delete
  15. RameshJ11 September 2017 at 21:28

    IXL registration is now open. http://serorg.cloudapp.net/ixl16/register.aspx

    ReplyDelete

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