Wednesday, 3 January 2018

No 12205, Wednesday 03 Jan 2018, Dr. X


Answer and annotation of 1A left for any first time commenter till 10 AM.

ACROSS
1   Opener gone! Track turning with extreme of bounce (8) O?E?T?R? (Addendum - OVERTURE - {OVER}{RUT<=}{b...cE} - See comments)
5   Shoots hounds (6) STALKS [DD]
10 Calm guard protects many (5) SALVE {SA{L}VE}
11 Spanish explorer about to inspect small warships (9) CORVETTES {COR{VET}TES}
12 Reason for not playing? Lack any reasons (2,7) NO GROUNDS [DD]
13 Husband’s forgotten slap he suffered for mistake (5) LAPSE {SLAP+hE}*
14 Periods of inactivity ruin assets (6) STASES*
15 Spruces up? About to meet seductresses (7) REVAMPS {RE}{VAMPS}
18 President’s action condemned at American city (7) PONTIAC {P}{ACTION*}
20 Elbow joint fracture? Lost a bit of equilibrium (6) JOSTLE {J}{LOST*}{Eq...m}
22 Savoury jelly with first class flavouring, not veg essentially (5) ASPIC {A}{SPICe}
24 A girl — Assumed by many to be unpredictable (9) VAGARIOUS {V{A}{G}ARIOUS}
25 Bat defensively! Play for time conserving solitary wicket (9) STONEWALL {ST{ONE}{W}ALL}
26 Love section on works with visual effects (2,3) OP ART {O}{PART}
27 Serious dispute at the end of game (6) DEMURE {DEMUR}{gamE}
28 Issue about taking in a large amount of conscripts (8) DRAFTEES {RAFT} in {SEED<=}

 DOWN
1   Performing well musically? (2,4) ON SONG [CD]
2   Advise lenient girl struggling to tackle husband (9) ENLIGHTEN {LENIENT+G}* over {H}
3   No litter on the beach? It’s safe to proceed (3,5,2,5) THE COAST IS CLEAR [DD]
4   Denies raves feature ecstasy and cocaine (7) RECANTS {R{E}{C}ANTS}
6   No protection for superior members? Now things will be done in a ruthless way (3,6,3,3) THE GLOVES ARE OFF [DD]
7   Drunk began to smoke (3,2) LIT UP [DD]
8   Impression about American President — State of excited uncertainty (8) SUSPENSE {S{US}{P}ENSE}
9   Stationer — A service provider of classroom item (6) ERASER [T]
16 Better payment after couple of setters bag many followers essentially (9) MELIORATE {ME}{L}{I}{f..lOw..s}{RATE}
17 Elevated by universal acclaim ending in award (8) UPRAISED {U}{PRAISE}{a..rD}
19 Warning alarm! Vacate (6) CAVEAT*
20 Vessel Dracula violated, primarily killing damsel at castle? (7) JUGULAR Anno pending (Addendum - {JUG}{dRacULA}* &lit - See comments)
21 Essentially bigoted, heartless criminal killed dynamic socialist! The way things are now (2,2,2) AS IT IS  SocIAlIST*
23 Introduction to latest of style in concert (5) PROEM {PRO{s..lE}M}

GRID
Bhargav's Tale

CORVETTES?
12 Midnight. The newbie setter was half awake/half asleep. He is uneasy. Tossing in his bed. Is seen humming a song: "Karveten Badalte Rahe Saari Raat Hum".
Soon he gets up and is seen taking out his PONTIAC. As he drives down to the beach to get some fresh air he sees that
THE COAST IS CLEAR.
" What REVAMPS can I do to the VAGARIOUS clues?"
Suddenly the car JOSTLES to a stop as a STONEWALL is seen.
Will the fresh air ENLIGHTEN him? Can he see the LAPSE in his clue?
Inspiration as his brain LIT UP.
THE GLOVES ARE OFF. The ERASER is used and the clue rewritten with an UPRAISED chin and an OVERTURE to boot!!


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38 comments:

  1. Raghunath3 January 2018 at 08:32

    20 Vessel Dracula violated, primarily killing damsel at castle? (7) JUGULAR Anno pending

    JUG DRACULA* - D A C

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Col_Gopinath3 January 2018 at 08:40

      Definition?

      Delete
    2. Col_Gopinath3 January 2018 at 08:43

      primarily is also wrongly p[laced in that case

      Delete
    3. Raghunath3 January 2018 at 08:45

      Yes where's the def. I didn't think of that.

      Delete
    4. Col_Gopinath3 January 2018 at 08:46

      I think it is intended to be an &lit

      Delete
    5. Satyen Nabar3 January 2018 at 08:46

      Hi Sir it's &lit.

      Delete
    6. Col_Gopinath3 January 2018 at 08:51

      I feel the indicator for taking the first letters from 'damsel at castle' is wrongly placed, maybe 'killing damsel at castle primarily' would have been better

      Delete
    7. Satyen Nabar3 January 2018 at 08:53

      Ok Sir noted.

      Delete
    8. sree_sree3 January 2018 at 09:13

      Killing primarily could also work. Between jugular vein and jugular castle, i took castle as def and got stuck searching link between cad/dac and damsel.

      Delete
    9. Suresh3 January 2018 at 10:24

      Ido not think it is an &lit. The definition is just Vessel standing for blood vessel or jugular vein

      Delete
    10. Deepak Gopinath3 January 2018 at 16:10

      Suresh, in that case where does the Jug come from?

      Delete
  2. Vanchinathan3 January 2018 at 08:40

    @Raghunath: Your annotation consumes all words leaving none giving the straight meaning for Jugular. I am unable to see any way out.

    ReplyDelete
  3. C.G. BHARGAV3 January 2018 at 08:42

    It is to be taken as (JUG+DRACULA-DAC)*

    ReplyDelete
  4. Unknown3 January 2018 at 08:43

    1A Overture
    Opener = overture
    Gone = over + rut<= + e (extreme bounce)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Kolluru Koteswara Rao3 January 2018 at 09:42

    Thanks Doctor. It required few sutures to resolve 20AC as well as 20DN.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Vasant3 January 2018 at 11:17

    Lovely puzzle!Struggled to get the three new words for me: Corvettes, Vagarious and Meliorate. Though Pontiac as a city was new to me but had heard of Pontiac cars of Ford. Loved the long ones and the puny DDs.
    Thanks Dr. X.

    ReplyDelete
  7. raju umamaheswar3 January 2018 at 11:36

    Vasant: haven't you heard the model Toyota Corvette ?

    Just the feather of tease to tickle ! Doc. THE COAST IS CLEAR . Reminded me of the recent movement of Swatch Bharat clearing the Versova beach.

    Now that RajaniKant has thrown in his lot, can we say the THE GLOVES ARE OFF for a fight to finish in Tamil Nadu? Kabali da !

    MELIORATE without an A also lessens the pain of solving this .

    VAGARIOUS fits the bill for Donald Trump-- as vagaries of weather changes every day !

    DRAFTEES -- some indication of this for the looming US_ N Korea confrontation?

    Enjoyable puzzle, Doc. Keep 'em comin'

    ReplyDelete
  8. C.G. BHARGAV3 January 2018 at 11:43

    Ha ha.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Padmanabhan3 January 2018 at 13:23

    Coming in late.
    16 D is not clear to me even after going thro' Col.'s parsing. Couple of setters? I can only see 'Me'. Apart from that I can only get O. Rate?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Satyen Nabar3 January 2018 at 13:44

      Hi Paddy! Couple of setters = Me and I, bag many(L), ME{L}I + O (follOwers essentially) + RATE (payment)

      Delete
    2. Padmanabhan3 January 2018 at 13:47

      Thank you Doc. I was looking for 2 different setters. You had me there!
      Main bruise has been amelioRATEd.

      Delete
  10. Padmanabhan3 January 2018 at 13:24

    Ameliorate is probably better known.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Padmanabhan3 January 2018 at 13:26

    No sutures needed- a lot of bruises though. Self help only- Doc.'s services no required (except for 16D)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Padmanabhan3 January 2018 at 13:37

    Raju,
    I knew Toyota Corvette, but did not know it meant a warship. Have to be careful in future when I see one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. raju umamaheswar3 January 2018 at 16:59

      Don't worry, it was just a brand name and is now off all streets !

      Delete
  13. Padmanabhan3 January 2018 at 13:45

    IIT, Chennai followed a peculiar style (things may have changed now) of naming their hostels after rivers (moving things) and their college buses after hills & peaks (stationary)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Deepak Gopinath3 January 2018 at 16:08

    Bhargav's tale just added. I was out of home till now

    ReplyDelete
  15. Padmanabhan3 January 2018 at 16:43

    CGB,
    Is it the new party symbol? Corvette or Pontiac?

    ReplyDelete
  16. C.G. BHARGAV3 January 2018 at 17:13

    Pontiac modified FIREBIRD we can say.

    ReplyDelete

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