ACROSS
1 Shocked when century came by a drop (10) ASTONISHED {AS}{TON}{1}{SHED}
6 Staff at college reached pub after dropping Pastor and picking up student (4) CLUB {C}{(-p+l)LUB}
10 State's press release on school/university becoming international (9) PREDICATE {PR}{ED(-u+i)ICATE)
11 Interrogated Basker's middle daughter (5) ASKED {
12 USA and USSR perhaps are opposed to lasting fashions, to tell in a single word (13) ABBREVIATIONS [CD]
14 With this test quality is decided conclusively (4) ACID [CD]
15 British university office changes sides to gain control (10) LEADERSHIP (-r+l)LEADERSHIP
17 Great city almost destroyed by drug, surely top killers, perhaps (10) CIGARETTES {GREAT+CITy}*{E}{S
21 Old, short artist controlled but vocal (4) ORAL {O{RA}L
23 Arrangement is for lower duration (13) UNDERSTANDING {UNDER}{STANDING}
25 Be sorry in class as opposed to being mean (5) CRUEL {C{RUE}L}
26 Auditor to participate in seminar organised by Alaskans, say (9) AMERICANS {CA} in {SEMINAR}*
27 Toy is approximately 67 cents in USA (4) DOLL DOLL
28 Perhaps 26 fingers used to collect deposit (10) FOREIGNERS {ORE} in {FINGERS}*
DOWN
1 One, by proxy receives notice; can somehow be first expected as attendance (10) APPEARANCE {A}{PP}{EAR}{CAN*}{E
2 Shuddering displayed by king during meditation's deliberately showy (9) TREMBLING {T{RE}M}{BLING}
3 Arrested knight's troubled (6) NAILED {N}{AILED}
4 Son and partner away at beach (7) SEASIDE {S}{E}{ASIDE}
5 Set up electronic record to eliminate duplicates initially (7) ERECTED {E}{REC}{T
7 Enjoys twowheelers when boys are replaced with ladies (5) LIKES (-b+l)LIKES
8 Shoots friends (4) BUDS [DD]
9 Victoria and Albert face issue in fog (6) VAPOUR {V}{A}{POUR}
13 Regrets spoilage, so breaks down (10) APOLOGISES*
16 Cyclone is reportedly a speed-killer (9) HURRICANE (~ hurry
18 Taking Driving Licence in drive is a problem (6) RIDDLE {RID{DL}E}
19 Monsoon is to-and-fro, unpredictable, lacks force (7) TORNADO {TO+AND+fRO}* Monsoon?
20 Great to meet Rex accidentally (7) EXTREME*
22 Climax is drab almost, after starting off with passion (6) ENDING
23 Its normal in American law to import rejected gold (5) USUAL {US}{AU<=}{L} L/Law?
24 Ran, crossed the leader and defeated (4) ACED
GRID
19DN Monsoon=weather=tornado
ReplyDeleteCan't agree. Monsoon is a seasonal wind (weather). Tornado is a sudden LOCALIZED event that can has no direct relation to monsoon.
DeleteI don't agree either somehow, but Monsoon is included in the list of synonyms for Tornado in Chambers Dictionary.
DeleteMy Comment is we cannot look up a word in a list of words and simply substitute. I am not suggesting the setter did it. All that I am saying is we must use our judgement in picking out the sub. Words under a head have different shades of meaning and context too is important. Advanced thesaurus gives notes on usage.
DeleteCan someone clarify if thesaurus is list of synonyms or list of similar words? Thesaurus lists monsoon under tornado. Likewise Dr X used head of faculty for professor sometime back... 'twas also in the thesaurus only.
DeleteKindly recheck your references. Professor = Head of faculty is listed not only in Oxford English Dictionary, but also in Chambers Crossword Dictionary. Perhaps I might help you access the online link to OED.
Deletehttps://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/professor
Ya, that is my point. The so-called list of synonyms is suspicious... HoD or chair cant be synonyms fr prof na... as not all profs have chair posts and only one prof in the dept can be Hod... Maybe setters shd not refer to such lists??
DeleteIn your OED link, tempest is listed as synonym for monsoon. One is windstorm, other is rainy season, how can they be synonyms? So wrong na?
DeleteI think I would go by OED rather than your opinion thanks.
DeleteIn Chambers Dictionary, the Big Red Book, this is the heading under Monsoon...
(Apart from the usual meaning as is understood commonly), this is what follows..
;an extremely heavy fall of rain; a violent storm (inf). [Port moncao, from Malay musim, from Ar mausim, a time, a season]
Lol, you started this thread disagreeing with Chambers, now you want no debate on OED. In your OED link no mention of windstorm is present. Afterdark could also say he will go with Chambers than your opinion..
DeleteGot a good answer from a forum - https://english.stackexchange.com/a/445221/297532 Seems that link is not OED itself!!!
DeleteAs a matter of fact, I am very much agreeing with what is written in Chambers. I was out at work in the morning and from my limited understanding of the word Monsoon, I did not gather why Chambers online was showing Monsoon under the heading Tornado.
DeleteHence the minute I got back home, I opened the big red book Chambers Dictionary to find out why it was so.
What was written in Chambers, I have already posted above. Which fully justifies why Monsoon is listed under Tornado. And now that increases my knowledge.
You see, most of us are curious as to different meanings of words, we try to find out why that is so.
That is part of the fun of loving words and crosswords. Learning new meanings.
Rather than dispensing unsolicited, uninformed advice to setters, perhaps you should invest in Chambers dictionary (not the online version) and learn new meanings.
And once in a whole, though I know it might be almost physically painful, try to say or find something positive about at least one clue someday.
Tx fr reminding. Afterdark's puzzle was nice and simple... thnx to him.
DeleteYou should also invest in buying OED, ... and please see the difference between Oxford Living Dictionary and OED.... as diff as tibia and fibula in ur lingo :)
I already have the Concise Oxford English Dictionary. No, I do not have the second edition OED that was published first in 1988 and consists of 20 volumes. However the online version has been available since 2000 and is very much the real deal. Matter of fact, the 3rd edition OED might only be released electronically.
DeleteAll that is correct as per Wikipedia, but https://en.oxforddictionaries.com is not OED that much you should acknowledge.
DeleteJust read through the online link you posted where you have raised a query about synonyms of Professor as Head of faculty which has been answered by some online 'expert' on English stack exchange... To quote his words in response to your query...
DeleteThose examples surely are synonyms of professor. They sound like a more European version of professor to me though. In the US, there are many professors in an academic department, but usually only one head of the department (who is a professor). There might be other synonyms that are left out, like 'teacher' or 'lecturer', things that capture more saliently the essence of a professor to you or me. Yes, I agree that that is not the best selection of synonyms, but the ones that are there are not wrong.
Since you seem to place a great deal of confidence in this online expert, I guess your query about whether Professor as Head of faculty is correct or not, has been answered.
Finally to end this debate from my end because frankly I see no further point in it.
As a setter, I have to keep some standard point of reference that is known to the solver. The gold standard for Crosswords is Chambers, both the physical copies of Chambers Dictionary and Chambers Crossword Dictionary; Mirriam Webster for American terms and very, very rarely do I really use any online resources, or Oxford Living Dictionaries or OED as he points out.
I also am forced to use these online resources when someone queries and I know they dont have Chambers so how do I explain to them...
So to wrap it up...for me, anything that is in Chambers is kosher. And fair to the solver since he knows the source.
And since the Oxford Dictionary online whether Living or not, is also freely accessible to the solver... it is kosher...Period.
People following this blog since long would notice a striking resemblance between Meghna & Esha..her cups of woe were always full..she would always pique clues..no appreciation for the setter's craft..she would jump in to pick a fight...
DeleteIf anything I am the only one to appreciate today's puzzle!! Dr saab has raised qs yest and today but not appreciated Afterdark. Dr Saab is also notorious for not admitting his mistake. OED and OLD are diff dictionaries, with diff publishers and diff qualities, and OLD is not a recognized brand... thats y i pointed out. up to u to take it or leave it... nothn fr me.
DeleteEsha..every setter would admit his mistake..Dr...notorious?I am sorry that is a very loose & totally unacceptable comment. The Dr. goes to great depth to write clues as also other setters. Writing clues is an art..a difficult art and we should appreciate the art rather than denigrate it.
Deletesorry... not abt clues... i meant he was saying some random online dictionary was oed.. thats why... cheers no hard feelings, good night....
DeleteSetters go to great lengths to have the clues just right. They check..recheck..even have their puzzles test solved so that any mistake is detected and corrected before publication. But even after these checks some mistakes creep in, they would acknowledge first.
DeleteCrossword community is the most humble & helpful community. You are an interloper.
Vasant, that's too extreme for us to say. Col is the only one to decide that. Having said that let me see if I can think in her language. Synonyms are similar not equal. One does some operations to make similar equal. HOD/Chair is similar to Professor, not equal. Like CV said cccf is very important in identifying the similarity. If we are talking abt a person who is academic, then hod and professor are similar. If we are talking of a person who is administrator then obviously they are not similar. Legum and law are equal, hence if legum is L, law has to be L. A good surface gives that cccf. If it had been fickle instead of unpredictable then the similarity would have been acceptable (to me). (19dn that started this discussion in point) Tornado, fickle and forcless is like a monsoon (rain). Monsoon is pretty much predictable. The quantum and time of rain is not. External force is required to convert a monsoon to storm. There is no indication of that in the clue. Hence my objection. But I go with Dr in as much as he says, there are few agreed upon sources by the people who belonged to this club before I joined. I probably need to accept that if I want to be in this club. So the setters are legally right if something is listed in dictionary. The dictionary may be at fault but we cannot hold the setters for that. We can only make a point and discuss. The process tothe change is by debate not Targeting persons. These discussions then form the dictionary of this forum, even if THC does not care. (I do not agree that doc does not accept his mistakes though he reasons much harder than others. )
DeleteNo random online dictionary. It is the dictionary published by Oxford University Press, the same firm that publishes OED.
Deleteen.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/OxfordDictionaries.com
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxford_University_Press
Discussion on anything is fine. But no personal attacks please.
Delete23DN Free Dict. supports L for law
ReplyDeleteL in llb is legum(of law). LL is plural or laws.
Delete22d. (Y)en ding(y)
ReplyDelete+1
Delete27a first time a clue in Toto repeated. (By the same setter). It was 27d then.
ReplyDeleteAD's first CDs. That too two of them consecutively.
ReplyDeleteUnable to reply under the comment. So posting a new one
ReplyDelete@sree_sree 9.08 am - I was aware that I had written this clue, but it didn't appear in my database as having been used, Looks like I have :( Apologies
@vasant 9.25 am , 12A is not exactly a CD as per me. My thought was 'as opposed to lasting' is short and fashions is forms, thus it becomes short forms which is abbreviations. Maybe it appears too much of a stretch.
Oh!In that case it would be an indirect charade?
Delete16d isnt the killer cain?
ReplyDeleteSpeed= Hurr(+i-Y) cain (cane) = killer== two phonetics similar== eportedly as indictor .
DeletePrasad @12:35. Yes it is Cain, I don't know why I typed it as Kane 🤔
DeleteYou borrowed it from Kane & Abel of Geoffrey Archer ?
Delete...or watching Kane Williamson playing cricket?!
DeletePaddy watching too much IPL😁😁
DeleteYes, I do. You are wielding a cane!
DeleteI can but I don't😀😀
DeleteAFTERDARK in his elements what with deletions + additions - vapour, seaside, hurricane, tornado ! As usual, very cruel to me !!
ReplyDeleteThe bouncer and the dancer - Part 29
ReplyDeleteOnce inside the speedboat the LEADERSHIP qualities of SS came to the fore. He quickly came to an ORAL UNDERSTANDING with the boatman.
He said: We AMERICANS are FOREIGNERS on your country. Please drop us in the EXTREME end of this lake near the airport to save time. We are already late.
He then gave him some euros and a pack of Marlboro CIGARETTES which he had brought all the way from Richmond (the USUAL sop!).
What happened next?
Welcome back CGB!
Delete