Thursday 14 March 2019

No 12573, Thursday 14 Mar 2019, Arden


ACROSS
1   Clothes are an impediment to lift — direction given (8) WARDROBE {DRAW<=}{ROB}{E}
5   Doctor uses another kind of gel (6) MOUSSE {MO}{USES}*
10 Level set, must catch rodent (7) STRATUM {ST{RAT}UM*}
11 I handle unstable stuff that’s gone into the lungs (7) INHALED {I}{HANDLE*}
12 Pries out from cruel exploiters, or is it praise? (5) EXTOL EXpLOiTers*
13 It shows you the amount of work done — so, setter's on a short stint (9) ERGOMETER {ERGO}{ME}{TERm}
14 Tablet from Kurukshetra, perhaps (12) BATTLEGROUND {TABLET}* [RA]
18 They're part of computer tables, protect them first (6,6) MOTHER BOARDS {BOARDS}<=>{MOTHER}
21 Spoke right, actually (9) DECLAIMED {DE{CLAIM}ED} (right in deed)
23 A timeless characteristic on top, part of our menu (5) RAITA {A}<=>{tRAIT}
24 Removal — it's time to be confident (7) ERASURE {ERA}{SURE}
25 Child's play — excluded old money (7) DRACHMA {DRA{CH}MA}
26 Required to be born, died later abandoning one (6) NEEDED {NEE}{DiED}
27 Henry loses heart, tries a reform — displaying frenzy (8) HYSTERIA {HenrY}{TRIES+A}*

DOWN
1   Woman in action — stops leakage (6) WASHER {WA{SHE}R}
2   Not common occurrence — giving right to replace a child (6) RARITY (-ch+r)RARITY
3   Song's uplifting and others join in, they regularly give it back (9) RETALIATE {R{ET AL}IA<=}{ThEy}
4   Two deliveries — went into maddening traffic (6-2-6) BUMPER-TO-BUMPER {BUMPER}{TO}{BUMPER}
6   Soar high, morning after with old Irish characters (5) O?HAM O?H{AM} (Addendum - OGHAM {GO<=}{H}{AM} - See comments)
7   I must commute, assuming cab aggregator gets compensation (8) SOLATIUM {I+MUST}* over {OLA}
8   Terrible ordeal for party in land of opportunity (8) ELDORADO {EL{DO}RADO*}
9   "Dylan, his legend" recreated by one person alone (6-8) SINGLE-HANDEDLY*
15 Spooner's take on what the doctor ordered for the bird (9) REDBREAST (bed rest to red breast)
16 Small fly on scintilla (8) SMIDGEON {S}{MIDGE}{ON}
17 Cattle handler regularly seen behind the fence (8) STOCKADE {STOCK}{hAnDlEr}
19 Shrink's humour has female following (6) WITHER {WIT}{HER}
20 Has stopped short of impounding a vehicle in the capital (6) HAVANA {H{A}{VAN}As}
22 Keen to see law allowing universal suffrage finally (5) ACUTE {AC{U}T}{s...gE}

Bhargav's Talepiece

Paul drank the remaining SMIDGEON of RED BREAST whiskey. He NEEDED more.

His WARDROBE was bereft of pants. He opened the WASHER-DRYER and pulled out a HAVANA pant.

He DECLAIMED unto himself that he will SINGLE HANDEDLY RETALIATE the wrong done to him.

Paul took out his Toyota and soon got stuck in BUMPER TO BUMPER traffic and was found in a state of HYSTERIA...

What happened next?

GRID

31 comments:

  1. 24A - Today's Guardian Cryptic Clue 21a CANCELLATION PERIOD DEFINITE(7). What a coincidence

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  2. 1A : WARDROBE {DRAW<=}{ROB}{E}
    Is 'lift' on double duty Sir?!

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  3. impediment- drawback > ward

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  4. 5a)....Mousse seems to be used in dish. but here given as medical word "GEL". confusing in annotation. doctor= MD OR MS. AWAITING FOR EXPERTS OPINION.

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    Replies
    1. From Free Dictionary...
      Pl see point 3
      mousse (mo͞os)
      n.
      1. Any of various chilled, airy desserts made with flavored whipped cream, gelatin, or eggs: chocolate mousse.
      2. A molded dish containing meat, fish, or shellfish combined with whipped cream or egg whites and often gelatin.
      3. An aerosol foam used to control and style the hair.

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    2. MO = Medical Officer. Anagram indicator for 'uses' is 'another'

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    3. Thanks Mr Mukund. w.r.to the puzzle I was trying the word for Doctor. you mean to say MO to be substituted for Doctor.

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    4. Yes. In crossword jargon Doctor = Dr, MB. MO. MD, MS, GP(general practitioner) etc! i.e. all in short form!

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  5. Nice tale piece and sketch

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  6. 14a) was nice one. BATTLE GROUNDS - Kurukshetra

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  7. Nice grid Arden. The RA (Battleground) and 24A were my CODs.

    Does the Spoonerism work? Won't the Spooner for Bed Rest be "Red Best" - How does it become Red Breast?

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  8. 18A. Mother = protect; tables = boards. Right?

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    Replies
    1. Protect them = Mother, first indicates that this is moved ahead of Boards. I believe that's what Colonel has indicated as well with "<=>"

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  9. What do you call a cryptic crossword which is complicated and at once simple ? Cryptic? ARDEN is an EMDEN in this fine art !

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  10. Hi, Sowmya, I think it works. Spoonerism is defined as a verbal error in which a speaker accidentally transposes the initial sounds or letters of two or more words, often to humorous effect. According to Wiki, most of the quotations attributed to Spooner are apocryphal; The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations (3rd edition, 1979) lists only one substantiated spoonerism: "The weight of rages will press hard upon the employer" (instead of "rate of wages"). Spooner himself claimed[3] that "The Kinquering Congs Their Titles Take" (in reference to a hymn)[8] was his sole spoonerism. Most spoonerisms were probably never uttered by William Spooner himself but rather made up by colleagues and students as a pastime.[9] Richard Lederer, calling "Kinkering Kongs their Titles Take" (with an alternative spelling) one of the "few" authenticated Spoonerisms, dates it to 1879, and he gives nine examples "attributed to Spooner, most of them spuriously."[10] They are as follows:

    "Three cheers for our queer old dean!" (rather than "dear old queen," which is a reference to Queen Victoria)[10]
    "Is it kisstomary to cuss the bride?" (as opposed to "customary to kiss")[10]
    "The Lord is a shoving leopard." (instead of "a loving shepherd")[10]
    "A blushing crow." ("crushing blow")[10]
    "A well-boiled icicle" ("well-oiled bicycle")[10]
    "You were fighting a liar in the quadrangle." ("lighting a fire")[10]
    "Is the bean dizzy?" ("Dean busy")[10]
    "Someone is occupewing my pie. Please sew me to another sheet." ("Someone is occupying my pew. Please show me to another seat.")[10]
    "You have hissed all my mystery lectures. You have tasted a whole worm. Please leave Oxford on the next town drain." ("You have missed all my history lectures. You have wasted a whole term. Please leave Oxford on the next down train.")[10]
    A newspaper column[4] attributes this additional example to Spooner: "A nosey little cook." (as opposed to a "cosy little nook").
    So, if the words are rhyming with the original sentence it could be considered a Spoonerism.
    If Spoonerism itself is a mistake, here we are trying to define a proper mistake.
    I would like to hear what others think'

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    Replies
    1. If Spoonerism involves only transposition of initial letters, red breast would become bed rreast (pronounced as bed rest?) Is that what you had in mind Arden sir?

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  11. Well rounded puzzle thanks to apt clues.My pick is 1A,5A & 1D 4D also.(covering cricket and automobile.simply superb) Thank you Arden sir.

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  12. From some of the examples above you can see it's not only the transposition of the initial letter/letters, but also the words are rhyming.
    Yes... regarding bed rrest(pronounced as bed rest), that's what I had in mind.
    I do agree that Spoonerisms and homophone clues always evoke some debate

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