1 At first, female invites gentleman home, then she attacks! (6) FIGHTS [Acrostic]
4 Woman, starting late, ran and ran fast! (8) GALLOPED [GAL +
10 A crime busted before a country (7) AMERICA [A + CRIME* + A]
12 Lock mostly traps warmth in cinema halls (8) THEATRES [TRES
13 Girl's former flame in adjoining building (6) ANNEXE [ANNE outside EX]
15 Beheaded mammals for breakfast item? (4) OATS [
17 Regularly scale peak, becoming most competent (9) CLEVEREST [
20 They remind you of champions, missing nothing while absorbing pressure! (9) PROMPTERS [PROMOTERS with P
21 Annoyance on missing tea turns into smile (4) GRIN [
24 Series result basically captured by call at the toss, perhaps? (6) TRAILS [R
25 Splinters from wrecked planes strewn around edges of hangar (8) SHRAPNEL [PLANES* outside H
28 Exact prices fixed while receiving drug (7) PRECISE [PRICES* outside E
29 Unlimited funds revolutionary extended (7) OFFERED
30 Left pen inside pen (8) RESIGNED [SIGN inside REED]
31 Plucked instrument softly with discordant delay (6) PLAYED [P + DELAY*]
DOWN
1 Small part of ring protecting small part of ring (8) FRACTION [FACTION outside R
2 We see good returns keeping birds (5) GEESE [T<=]
5 Swerves when winning race, every now and then (4) ARCS [AS outside R
6 Guiding light from tower in regularly cloudy environment (8) LUMINARY [MINAR inside
7 Academic poses for broadcast with king (9) PROFESSOR [POSES FOR* + R
8 Idles while moving, saving energy/fuel (6) DIESEL [IDLES* outside E
9 Orbiter positioned at the top, lander among A-list (9) SATELLITE [SAT + L
14 Dislodge or miss stumps altogether? (9) OVERTHROW [DD]
16 Cows aren't the mad ones at the end! (9) THREATENS [ARENT THE* +
18 Suggesting Spinner's not telling the truth about beginning of puzzle? (8) IMPLYING [I'M + LYING outside P
19 Inserted unfinished clue, didn't properly... (8) INCLUDED [CLUE DIDN
22 Pours liquid over cut, ultimately causing numbness (6) STUPOR [POURS* outside
23 Reprimand is heartbreaking as leader quits (6) EARFUL [
26 Anxious baron essentially consumed by unnatural envy (5) NERVY [
27 Just no money in wool! (4) MERE [
Re the question against 19d
ReplyDeleteAn 'unfinished job' is jo.
So unfinished something is one letter short f something.
Here 'unfinished clue didn't' is cluedidn, which 'properly' is INCLUDED.
BTW, the clue sentence is unfinished, it is intentionally left hanging.
What is the indcation that 'Unfinished' refers to 'Clue didn't' (as a whole) rather than Just clue? I think that is Bhavan's doubt as well.
DeleteThat apart, an excellent enjoyable CW. Took a while for solving. Spinner never disappoints. Several good clues- hard to pick.
+1 except for 19DN
DeleteCV's parsing was how it was intended :)
DeleteAnagram indicators are commonly used to span multiple words. There it is usually the discretion that comes into play based on the rest of the components to determine how many words or until what point in the clue it applies. Same goes for acrostic clues - There is no indicator to indicate where the acrostic stops (even if only part of the solution is acrostic). It's the same principle in place here.
DeleteIf your clue asked to delete a letter after anagramming the multi-word fodder, what you said holds. Instead you are asking us to specifically delete the last letter of the second word of a multi-word fodder before anagramming. I hope that clarifies the point I was raising.
DeleteUltimately it comes down to whether the answer needs to be derived from your wordplay or retrofit the wordplay after getting the answer.
Thanks for the views Bhavan - I understood the point raised, and I agree that there is potential ambiguity in the construction. But as in my previous comment ,I seek justify the construction the following way:
DeleteThere are 2 ways to interpret the clue -
1)multi word fodder is anagrammed and then last letter is dropped.
2)Last letter of multi word fodder is dropped and then anagrammed.
1 leads to a logical problem of which version of the anagram you would pick to drop the last letter and hence cannot be the correct order of precedence.
In a clue where 2 sets of indicators are acting on the same fodder, the precedence should be determined by which path leads to the solution without ambiguity.
I would argue there is no retrofitting here, just the choice of which indicator should act on the fodder first, which seems to be automatically decided because the other alternative leads to ambiguity.
I completely understand this is not intuitiveand may be construed as unfair, but I feel there is a justification for the precedence which makes it fair.
I wouldn't have a problem in your argument but for the comma.
DeleteThat makes it harder and not ideal, yes , but if it is acceptable to have a comma between two words that are operated on by the same acrostic or anagram indicator, why not, for a last letter deletion indicator?
DeleteI have signed up. I sign in but the one-month free trial does not kick in at TH site.
ReplyDeleteYes. Me too!
ReplyDeleteThank you Bhavan for nice blogging.
ReplyDeletePadmanabhan, You have not said if you are able to enjoy one-month free trial. Anone else?
ReplyDeleteThat is what I meant to say- I am not getting it.
DeleteHaving stopped buying the print edition, I subscribed for one month and am comfortable. Inclined to continue.
DeleteSo the Hindu is succeeding in increasing its revenue by compelling subscriptions and raising the daily cost ( while the Times Of India is a available for half the price, with more coverage of news, views and articles( though no cryptic crosswords daily, except on Sundays , with supplements too). Moreover, the Hindu is having lots of ads and even the Metroplus is not inserted on certain days, thus depriving is of the Guardian quickies. We , as the readers are the suckers. The Hindu crosswords are mainly contributed by the bloggers in THCC. The least they can do is to let’s do it online, though they claim that it is available so, bu5 hardly leads to an access. Their editor , Panneerselvan wants interaction with the readers by organizing a weekly forum and even the Hindu wants us to share our daily routine wither, as readers. What feedback do they get? Their crosswords section ( except on Sundays ) are so small in size and the print quality and fonts cry for an increase! In these days of online e-readership , who would want to buy their print editions? But we are compelled to !
DeleteI suggest that after the Col returns to base, we initiate a crusade by writing a petition for the attention of Pannerselvan to restore status-quo- ante fo our bloggers at least with authentication by the THCC membership so that we can do the crosswords online. What do the other bloggers feel ?
Today’s crossie by srivatsan is a gem of strung ingenuity with pearls galore. Thank you, Spinner.
Overthrow as against overshoot is a bit ambiguous. Vasant is perspicacious to spot that Skinner is a cricket fan and hence chose overthrow. Myself, KKR garu and a few others overshot the runway !
I agree with the idea of a petition to the Reader's Editor. Have always felt that since all the CWs are contributed by THCC members we should have a reasonable say in the matter of crosswords.
DeleteThose who have grievance can write directly. I will not associate myself with any joint appeal. In fact, I would not suggest it.
DeleteAW !
Delete😥
My point is when I buy print edition I am able to do the CWd with pen/pencil. But when I buy epaper (I've subscribed) I am not able fill the squares of CWd with finger(touch). For that I have to take a separate subscription as I understand.
DeleteThe paper is hard of hearing. I wrote a letter to them recently pointing that the Hyderabad edition had to miss one crossword because there happened to be two consecutive holidays. I am subscribing to this paper merely for the sake of crosswords. How is it justified to drop one crossword? The paper should in stead have published two grids on the following working day to compensate for the gap.
DeleteI eternally wait for their response.
KKR SIR, That’s a fond hope ! I thought CV could act as our bellwether. He even discourages us that we shouldn’t send any such collective petition !
DeleteI’ll write to the Hindu, but the Coimbatore edition may publish my letters whereas, the Madras edition not only is choosy but also edits my letters! They also have a rider to say : more letters on our website !
Very unresponsive lot !
But we must find a way to beat them at their own game . Any more ideas.
Raju ji, I will take the duty of sending you an excel version by 6am if it's ok. Pls don't bother THC guys.
DeleteThanks, sree_sree. I get my print edition daily now. Do it while having bfast and come to thr blog. Even the print edition is annoying But my loyalty is to the compilers and the bloggers. Better days are yet to come
DeleteAny idea when our Col is back to bglore ?
Ut
29A. I feel it is cOFFEr + RED.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteSorry I was careless. Thanks for the correction.
DeleteThis is one of the most satisfying solves for me and one of the cleverest. Thanks to Spinner. I really enjoyed t.
ReplyDeleteme too sir....great puzzle.
DeleteThank you Prasad and Prasanna :)
Delete---13A....Anne will also be the annotations for girl!!!...we use to place...EVE,gal....
ReplyDeleteAnne is a common girl's name, whereas eve is a general term.
ReplyDeleteThank you Bhavan for the nice picture of Geese flying.
ReplyDeleteThey migrate seasonally over very long distances and when they fly, they do so in V formation. This helps them aerodynamically so that the followers get the advantage of the flapping of wings of the bird ahead and i believe they take turns to lead so that the strain is shared. Read about it here-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBxHQpWI97I
Vry interesting.
Truly fascinating. I visited vedanthangal bird sanctuary thrice and it was a beautiful moment to see the Siberian cranes nesting/brooding there. It is surprising how a small rivulet [can we call it so?] was found by these birds for their seasonal living. Actually, there was not much of water too there and to me it looked like a marshy soil. To fly a distance of over 5,000 KMs, it shows the grit of the birds to survive. God bless them.
DeleteAdmiral will be annoyed at 11A as he is senior to a Commodore!
ReplyDeleteAnd Admiral will be happy too to make the Commodore sit on commode!
DeleteSorry for breaking the hierarchy on that one!
DeleteIs there anyone with me on 14DN? I filled, closing my eyes, OVERSHOOT for OVERTHROW!
ReplyDeleteI noticed my mistake only now.
DeleteBeing accustomed to Spinner's Cricket reference, I immediately filled in Overthrow.
DeleteSeasoned to the possibility by now, I guess!
DeleteYour comment on 11A too witty made me laugh out, Kolluruji
ReplyDeleteNice puzzle!Some very good surfaces. Thanks Spinner.
ReplyDeleteThank you Vasant :)
DeleteExcellent puzzle, really enjoyed solving. SHRAPNEL, FRACTION, THREATENS were favourites. Thanks Spinner!
ReplyDeleteThanks Ramki
Delete+1
ReplyDeleteAs I said, very difficult to choose. Fraction is up by a fraction!
Raju,
ReplyDeleteIf you want to do Metroplus quick, you can do it on line on the Guardian site. Guardian quick 15337 dt.4.7.19. corresponds to today's TH. Much easier. I am doing it there in spite of getting the print edition.
I have already taken access and do it regularly. The paper version is for my collection. Thanks.Paddy
ReplyDelete