Monday, 4 June 2018

No 12334, Monday 04 Jun 2018, Dr. X


ACROSS
1   Creative freedom for Keats? (6,7) POETIC LICENCE [CD]
8   Equipment largely found in pub that’s used by smokers (5) BRIAR {B{RIg}AR}
9   They provide the support for lofty ventures? (4,5) BASE CAMPS [CD]
11 Lady in novel embraces husband in a passionate manner (10) ANIMATEDLY {LADY+IN}* over {MATE}
12 Honest genius left out (4) FAIR FlAIR
14 Poorly watered resinous plant (7) TARWEED*
16 Relaxation with drink reduces pressure (5,2) EASES UP {EASE}{SUP}
17 Demanding information during flight (7) EXIGENT {EXI{GEN}T}
19 Ignoring a report about marijuana scam (7) TWEEDLE {Ta{WEED}LE}
21 Raging controversy after getting stumped out (4) RIFE stRIFE
22 One providing solution for decreasing marks? (3,7) DRY CLEANER [CD]
25 Daughter replaces new skimpy outfit with something more modest (9) MIDISKIRT MI(-n+d)DISKIRT Semi&lit
26 Cry of frustration — Agra’s terribly hot (5) AARGH {AGRA}*{H}
27 Used the exhaust fan and resolved an unpleasant situation (7,3,3) CLEARED THE AIR [DD]

DOWN
2   Renowned English actor, one featuring in Academy award-winning movie (7) OLIVIER {OLIV{1}ER}
3   Bullied, harassed teen overwhelmed by strain (10) THREATENED {THREA{TEEN*}D}
4   Century by experienced guy (5) CABLE {C}{ABLE}
5   Hurt? Ultimately heartbroken in love! Time to have a bit of Scotch on the rocks (9) INSOLVENT {Sc...h} in {h...eN+IN+LOVE+T}*
6   No time to train every one (4) EACH tEACH
7   Needing five at the end! Advance and clear boundary (7) COMPASS {COMe}{PASS}
8   What a member of rock band might do to indulge in publicity (4,3,4) BEAT THE DRUM [DD]
10 Barely conduct an investigation? (5,6) STRIP SEARCH [CD]
13 Declare solemnly — Lost at sea! About to break off (10) ASSEVERATE {AT+SEA}* over {SEVER}
15 Wanting a little pint? Need permit! Silly rule (9) DETERMINE {NEED+pERMIT}*
18 One desecrating, defiling? Not religious essentially! (7) INFIDEL DEFILINg* Semi&lit
20 Ancient Roman coins in drain? That is strange (7) DENARII {DRAIN+IE}*
23 What film editor might do to be successful (3,2) CUT IT [C&DD]
24 Terrible nausea! Not new, universal on the ocean (4) ASEA nAuSEA

GRID

Posted by at
Labels: ,

53 comments:

  1. sree_sree4 June 2018 at 08:35

    18d semi&lit?

    Doc felt like incognito today. Has THC asked the setters to soften?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kolluru Koteswara Rao4 June 2018 at 08:42

      +1 for 18DN

      Delete
    2. Vasant4 June 2018 at 09:06

      +2 for 18D.
      Didnt seem as easy as Incognito.
      With puns, CDs and DDs I thought it was very entertaining.

      Delete
    3. Satyen Nabar4 June 2018 at 09:17

      18D as semi-&lit yes. No such instruction by TH! Perhaps you are now a super solver Prasad:) Thanks Vasant!

      Delete
    4. Padmanabhan4 June 2018 at 09:37

      Setter's (poetic?) license!

      Delete
  2. Kolluru Koteswara Rao4 June 2018 at 08:41

    3DN: Thread=strain?
    I thought strand and string as synonyms.
    Not found in Chambers. Can you clarify? Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. sree_sree4 June 2018 at 08:52

      theme or characteristic running throughout a situation or piece of writing.
      synonyms: train of thought, drift, direction, sense, theme, subject matter, motif, tenor, strain, thrust, subject, gist, burden, action

      Delete
    2. Satyen Nabar4 June 2018 at 09:14

      Yes thread/strain of a story. Thanks Prasad.

      Delete
    3. Kolluru Koteswara Rao4 June 2018 at 09:21

      Thanks Doc and Prasad.
      I always consider Chambers as final authority on synonyms.
      May I know the source of these synonyms?

      Delete
    4. Satyen Nabar4 June 2018 at 09:34

      Collins dictionary. Chambers and Collins are the two I use. But was quite aware of thread/strain of a story KKR.

      Delete
    5. Kolluru Koteswara Rao4 June 2018 at 09:43

      Thanks Doc.

      Delete
  3. Kolluru Koteswara Rao4 June 2018 at 08:44

    22AC Doc provided the solution in de-creasing marks!
    Can this also qualify for &lit?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Padmanabhan4 June 2018 at 09:39

    Enjoyable surfaces inviting guffaws. Thank you Doc.
    Compass is not quite clear to me. Where do we get 'come' from?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Padmanabhan4 June 2018 at 09:40

    We keep getting reminded about Laurence Olivier- the other day by Arden.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Padmanabhan4 June 2018 at 09:53

    Col.
    Typo in 20 D. 'In' is coloured pink in stead of 'That is' (ie)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Padmanabhan4 June 2018 at 12:37

    Patents can be borrowed, but not stolen!

    ReplyDelete
  8. raju umamaheswar4 June 2018 at 13:41

    Nice CDs and DDs added to the fun of solving as these are my favourites . STRP SEARCH is a new age clue -- are midiskirts exempted ? A gold-digger will take her INFIDEL husband when she diccovers that he oesn't love her any more to the DRYCLEANER and make him insolvent! He can then suck into his empty BRIAR pipe . AARGH !!

    Nice stuff for a novelette , Doc !

    ReplyDelete
  9. raju umamaheswar4 June 2018 at 13:43

    I'm sure no one will STRIP SEARCH my script for typos !

    ReplyDelete
  10. C.G. BHARGAV4 June 2018 at 18:04

    The bouncer and the dancer - Part 53

    DCC:

    AARGH. The Czech oldie was disappointed with the information given by the cryptologist.
    He felt sorry for not having arranged a STRIP-SEARCH which was the procedure. Now there would be no EASE UP for him. He would be THREATENED for not having taken care to DETERMINE the genuinity of the envelope and then letting the two to leave.

    Also the CCTV footage would expose him further as he would be seen ogling at Kayal wearing a purple MIDI SKIRT.

    Shangri-la:

    SS: He was blissfully unaware about the situation in DCC and was secretly holding ANIMATED discussions with the three dancers about an influential visitor to the school.

    Uncle Sam: Like TWEEDLEDUM and Tweedledee Kayal had a twin sister Payal. Was it Kayal or Payal that he had seen?

    ReplyDelete
  11. Vasant4 June 2018 at 19:23

    Re: Discussion on dictionaries.
    I remember having the BRB when I was in school and my love for words increased manifold as I used to thumb through it discovering a treasure and a world of its own. Alas after many shifting, I lost that. In college I had a dictionary gifted by my class mates which I still have:Webseter's collegiate , an equally impressive one(and it is in Red colour too!).My cousin's grandfather, who was an avid crossword buff had Collins. Many a days were spent alongside him as he used to solve puzzles and constantly refer the dict. Alas he has passed away but the Collins is still there and when I visit my cousin at Indore, I nostalgically thumb through the moth eaten pages. Now I have my Chambers alongwith the Websters. The Chambers I got at Flora Fountain Mumbai a few years back at a princely sum of Rs. 400 from one of the many street shops.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Vasant4 June 2018 at 19:39

      PS: My present Chambers is not the BRB; it is a pruned up version of BRB.

      Delete
    2. Satyen Nabar4 June 2018 at 23:32

      Admire your love for words Vasant and identify with it!

      Delete
  12. Vasant4 June 2018 at 21:23

    So which dictionaries do you have?
    Any memories associated with them?
    I am sure Col. and CV Sir will have lots of stories about dictionaries.

    ReplyDelete
  13. C.G. BHARGAV4 June 2018 at 21:34

    In our house we had quite a few including Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable and Daniel Jones' English Pronouncing Dictionary. I presume these might still be found in CV's book shelf. He gave me an older edition of Chambers a few years back...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Vasant4 June 2018 at 21:56

      Never heard of either Brewer or Daniel Jones. They sure must be collector's delight in addition to their verbal values.

      Delete
    2. C.G. BHARGAV4 June 2018 at 22:13

      And I think we had Webster to check American spellings.

      Delete
    3. Vasant4 June 2018 at 22:56

      The Webster collegiate international is pretty comprehensive. It's etymology & usages make it as close to the BRB. Of course BRB scores over in termsbof many CW references including abbreviations.

      Delete
  14. C.G. BHARGAV4 June 2018 at 21:48

    Once I bought a COD in Chennai Book Fair. Later I found a page missing. I took it back and began " In this copy..". Even before I could complete the sentence a fresh copy was handed over to me. What customer service! Those were the days!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Vasant4 June 2018 at 21:57

      They sure were!The halcyon days.
      COD must be C....Oxford Dict?

      Delete
  15. C.G. BHARGAV4 June 2018 at 22:04

    Yes Concise Oxford Dictionary.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Vasant4 June 2018 at 22:12

      Oh yes!Just forgot concise!We have that in our house in Indore alongwith three other volumes: one a reverse Ox Dict, oxford book of proverb & quotations and one other vol. which I cannot recollect

      Delete
    2. Vasant4 June 2018 at 22:16

      But the Concise parodixically is pretty comprehensive, isnt it?
      I think it is called so because of the voluminous OED(24 volumes?)

      Delete
  16. raju umamaheswar4 June 2018 at 22:25

    Vasant: Is there any possibility of a visit by you to Coimbatore? If yes, you can be my guest at home and feast your eyes with a whole lot of dictionaries anf reference books that I have collected from my Bombay & Nairobi days. One includes the Readers Digest Word finder amongst an array pf other RD publications. They are all stacked in my carousel shelf.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Vasant4 June 2018 at 22:45

      There is a possibilty of my visiting Coimbatore. My uncle, father's younger brother,a cousin(his daughter) live there.
      My visit to South is long overdue.
      I will certainly feast on your collections of dict. and CWs.

      Delete
    2. Vasant4 June 2018 at 22:50

      And there is a direct train from Nagda to Coimb..as also, grapevines tell me, a direct flight from Indore to Coimb..Raju we will meet sooner rather than late😀

      Delete
    3. Satyen Nabar4 June 2018 at 23:36

      Yes meeting Raju is on my bucket list...! was fortunate to meet his bro... an absolutely delightful gentleman.

      Delete

deepakgita@gmail.com

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)