Monday 2 July 2018

No 12358, Monday 02 Jul 2018, Dr. X,


ACROSS
1   “We haven’t met for ages,” perhaps _enturies, say? (4,4,2,3) LONG TIME NO SEE {CENTURIES without C(~see)} Defintion by example?
8   Promotional feature on obscure book (5) BLURB {BLUR}{B}
9   Noticing a crafty female in disguise (9) INCOGNITA*
11 Reasonable judgement shown by one keeping lodger and lover apart (10) GUESTIMATE {GUEST}{1}{MATE}
12 Leave wife for glimpse of bombshell in advertisement (4) WILL (-b+w)WILL
14 Resolve stiffens to lose a bit of flab to achieve this? (7) FITNESS STIFfENS* Semi&lit
16 Bloomer! A big one, sadly (7) BEGONIA*
17 Proceeds to feel remorse for keeping cool (7) REVENUE {R{EVEN}UE} Even/Cool?
19 Ineffectual people on ecstasy and speed losing head with such frenzy (7) EUNUCHS {E}{rUN}{SUCH*}
21 Rude contemptible man in front of bar (4) CURT {CUR}{T}
22 Brusquely dismiss graduate bored by career with bank (5,5) BRUSH ASIDE {B{RUSH}A}{SIDE}
25 Pantry not yet filled up? (5,4) STILL ROOM [DD]
26 Subtle hint to embrace girl when it gets dark (5) NIGHT {NI{G}HT*}
27 Take a very bad risk! That will be devastating for litigant? (5,8) COURT DISASTER [DD]

DOWN
2   Well-to-do university student enthralled by well-known model (7) OPULENT {OP{U}{L}EN}{T}
 Obese gent disturbed about wife’s liaisons (2-8) GO-BETWEENS {OBESE+GENT}* over {W}
4   Fool married for short time crying over spilt milk, say (5) IDIOM IDIO(-t+m)M
5   Passionate kiss involved in transformation of celibate (9) EXCITABLE {E{X}CITABLE*}
6   Sailor gyrating continuously at wild party (4) ORGY [T]
7   Dismissal of Republican turning into dire issue (7) EDITION {INTO+DIrE}*
8   Set of ingenious resources that a magician has (3,2,6) BAG OF TRICKS [C&DD]
10 What you get from laundry when nothing’s conceded by your team (1,5,5) A CLEAN SHEET [DD]
13 They advise some about life and relations! (5,5) AGONY AUNTS {A{GO}NY} {AUNTS} Semi&lit
15 Degeneration involved in endlessly wanting to sleep around! It’s considered offensive (9) SWEARWORD {WEAR} in {DROWSy}<=
18 Drinking a bit of rum, Ive got weird light-headedness (7) VERTIGO {VE{Rum}TIGO*}
20 Start to secure far end of sail with grommet of rope (7) CRINGLE {CRING{saiL}E} That should have been Grommet 'for' rope not 'in,
23 Sportsmen who’ve problems going outside circle! (5) SUMOS {SUM{O}S} Semi&lit
24 Insult to drink noisily, not softly (4) SLUR SLURp

GRID
Bhargav's Talepiece

The bouncer and the dancer - Part 77

Let us look ACROSS and see what was happening at Shangri-la...

After sometime Clement felt that there was STILL ROOM for improvement. 

The present REVENUE did not meet his earlier GUESTIMATE. In the FITNESS of things the NIGHT life should be made more exciting thought he. It was with this intention that he had put up the BLURB about getting bare essentials. He WILL have to do something about it. 

By a strange coincidence a couple of EUNUCHS  arrived from INCOGNITA land. They approached him and started saying something like 'LONG TIME NO SEE' and wanted to dance in Shangri-la. They gloated about their earlier experience in the Alcazar cabaret.

Clement felt that such a move might make him COURT DISASTER. He was CURT to BRUSH ASIDE their request.

Somewhat frightened his reply was nonsensical: BEGONIA.

DOWN fall of Clement ? :

Clement later slept well patting himself for coming out with A CLEAN SHEET (he meant clean chit) and managing a VERTIGO. Thank God! He had used no SWEAR WORD while talking to them and hence no SLUR.

Some GO BETWEENS saw an opportunity. They were aware that Smith was also wanting to make his shows more OPULENT and EXCITABLE.  When they went to them with their proposal, Smith began with an IDIOM: You went barking up the wrong tree!

And thus Gemini came up with their new EDITION with the following additions: Two SUMOS, EriC RINGLE formerly of the Ringling Circus with his BAG OF TRICKS and another show named: O of the AA (to keep people guessing).

What happened next?

48 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. Thanks Prasad. That was the intention. As in staying even/ cool/ calm. Posting online link below for 'Even'.

      https://chambers.co.uk/search/?query=even&title=thes

      4 even-tempered, calm, placid, serene, tranquil, composed, cool, equable, unruffled, unexcitable formal unperturbable colloq. unflappable

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    3. Doctor, it is a great coincidence to see similar clue in the Sunday Everyman Crossword yesterday as 11AC.
      Well done!

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    4. What was the clue in Everyman?

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    5. Regret restricting equal income (7)

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    6. I don't know how far I am right in revealing this clue!!!

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    7. KKR:I dont think it is a problem sharing the clue..it is there for all to see..moreover it is highly unlikely for any of us here to win the prize cw as we have to post the solv3d grid before Saturday.

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  2. 1d “We haven’t met for ages,” perhaps; is the def, my understanding

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    Replies
    1. Yes...It is a bit unconventional clue for a change. "We haven't met for ages" is the defn. Centuries = Long time. Without C ~ see homophone (say)= No see. Perhaps just to indicate to solver that clue is unconventional and to think differently.

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  3. BTW its time for another bloomer, neel kurunji this august.

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  4. It is fitting to see Me! coming imm. after 'Long time no see'!

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  5. Doctor never fails to give a delightful start for the day. Thank You!

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  6. I was wondering about 'Incognita'- just learned that it is the feminine gender of our great setter.

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    Replies
    1. Our setter has love for one female in disguise!!!

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    2. Call Mrs Ggeta Kishore Rao as Senorita INCOGNITA !

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    3. I did have Incognito's better half in mind. Regards to Mrs. Kishore Rao! :)

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  7. CGB pulling a rabbit out of his hat.

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    Replies
    1. Very true! But I was suspicious too-whether it depicted any logo!

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  8. Delightful puzzle! 1A was very innovative. The long ones were very enjoyable. Alongwith the DDs and puns which are the trademarks of Dr.X, it made for a wonderful solving experience. Thanks Dr. X.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks a lot Vasant! Really happy you had fun :)

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  9. Had recently come across the words Grommet and Cringle in relation to work(Submerssible pump motor cable securing). Could get the answer without wp. New words when you meet them often stay with you forever.

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    Replies
    1. There was a time when we used to buy rubber grommets and stock them. These were used for the mounting of AC fan motors. Motors used to get burnt. We used to rewind them, replace bearings, oil the motor etc. Thanks to the Chinese invasion. Motors are now sealed and self-lubricating type. Only replacements! No repairing. Is AUE (American Universal Electric) still in existing?

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  10. Sending belated "red carnations" to doc.

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  11. A HT to Hugh Hefner by CGB in today's picture's hidden logo :)

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    Replies
    1. Now that you mention, the logo is pretty famous

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  12. Liked the clue for SWEARWORD. But Chathur Vasi may not agree with the def, he may argue it is not offensive as such, and offensive only when used at someone!

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    Replies
    1. I SWEAR !, not a WORD from me !

      I admire the formation of the clue for SLUR ! SLURP= noisily; SLUR (-P) softly ! Brilliant !

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    2. Thanks Esha. Had to keep the definition oblique in keeping with the surface reading of clue.
      Thanks Raju! :)

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  13. CLEAN SHEET: If one doesn't indulge in SLEEPING AROUND; Any connection between the two clues 10 &15 down? DOC: don't tell me: BEGONE _YEA !!

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  14. Connections are left to the imagination of solvers- cryptic.

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  15. 20D Cringle - Chambers Dictionary doesn't give a very succinct definition of Cringle. So looked online at Free Dictionary. Which defined Cringle as..
    'A small ring or grommet of rope or metal fastened to the edge of a sail'
    In retrospect, should have researched the word further.

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  16. Is 14A an &lit? I don't think so.

    Loved GUESTIMATE.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Srivathsan. No I didn't intend 14A as &lit.

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    2. If not an &lit, what is the definition then?

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    3. I meant I intended it to be semi-&lit. Surface reading leading to the definition of Fitness.

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    4. For sake of discussion. To give a similar example in an earlier crossword by me.

      Troubled atman achieves clarity essentially by chanting this?(6) For Mantra.

      Essentially in this type of clue, the surface reading has to be good enough to suggest the answer without specifying clear-cut definition. I do not know what specific category it would be classed under. Hence I look at it as semi-&lit. Not pure &lit.

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  17. Another enchanting spell by Doctor with spins and a doosra. Was able to use all across solutions in one portion and all down solitions in the other...

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  18. I have not really understood the difference between &Lit and semi-&Lit clue.
    See
    http://www.hoskinscrosswords.com/lit-and-semi-lit-clues.html
    The clue under discussion seems to be &Lit.
    Let's say Reread the clue for definition or Def is the whole clue.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for discussing CV Sir Similar to the Oceanariums clue on Hoskins crossword.
      In the clue..."Resolve stiffens to lose a bit of flab to achieve this?"

      "To achieve this" plays no part in the wordplay. Hence semi-&lit. In a pure &lit clue, every word used must play a part in the wordplay. At least, that is how I interpret the difference.

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