Monday 10 February 2020

No 12854, Monday 10 Feb 2020, Gridman


Most unlke Gridman to use a Grid with 'unches'? Has he used this grid before? Stumped by 18D.

ACROSS
1   Get on with winner, setter and dandy (3,2,3) HIT IT OFF {HIT}{I}{TOFF}
5   Stick with island politician’s drink (6) IMPALE {I}{MP}{ALE}
9   Model makes standard jibe in the morning (8) PARADIGM {PAR}{A{DIG}M}
10 Almost obstruct alliance (4) BLOC BLOCk
12 Issue that US newsmagazine recalled (4) EMIT<=
13 Where different cultures blend, there emerges top (7,3) MELTING POT {TOP}* [RA]
15 Long-suffering sort, gentleman is creative at heart (6) MARTYR {M{ARTY}R}
17 Three points awarded to May without a contender (5) ENEMY {E N E}{MaY}
19 Dangerous sub starts uttering bloody objectionable, atrocious threats (1-4) U-BOAT Acrostic
20 More rubicund international misses the steering aid (6) RUDDER RUDDiER
23 Nothing unusually posh in journeys made in these vessels (10) TROOPSHIPS {TR{0}{POSH}*IPS}
26 Reportedly unhurried in finding berry (4) SLOE (~slow)
28 Goa's roving guide at start is excited (4) AGOG {GOA}*{Gu..e}
29 Unfair arrangement in the tailor’s (6-2) STITCH-UP [DD]
30 Hate revolutionary journalist’s examination (6) DETEST {ED<=}{TEST}
31 Bold strip drawn over Indian press employee (8) SPIRITED {SP{I}RIT*}{ED}

DOWN
1   Mark takes part in face-off (6) HYPHEN Rebus
2   Trade Union’s rule to alternate guild is extended (6) TURGID {TU}{R}{GuIlD}
3   With time, it waits for no man (4) TIDE [GK]
4   Musical composition is limited enjoyment to way-out visitor (5) FUGUE {FUn}{GUEst}
6   Male edges to single cut fruit (5) MELON {MalE}{LONe}
7   Welcomed a duplicate record by Edward (8) ACCEPTED {A}{CC}{EP}{TED}
8   Understanding eastern master’s course to basic yoga (7) EMPATHY {E}{M}{PATH}{Yoga}
11 Celebrity hurls back expletive (4) STAR<=
14 Scurry by American lawyer extremely redundant (4) DART {DA}{Re...nT}
16 Fifty per cent of us heard a letter (3) YOU (~u)
17 Hardly bumpy match is pared down (4) EVEN EVENt
18 Boy has nil complaint against strength-increasing drug (8) ?O?O?A?T (Addendum - ROBORANT - {ROB}{0}{RANT} - See comments)
19 Said bishop left milk product for hungry Enid (7) UTTERED {bUTTER}{EniD
20 Russian company personnel in German industrial region (4) RUHR {RU}{HR}
21 Had lot to be thrown as outdated... (3-3) OLD-HAT*
22 ....Chief gathers tops of plastic empties in a pile.. (6) HEAPED {HEA{Pl...c}{Em...s}D}
24 Saintly one in terrible soup (5) PIOUS {P{1}OUS*}
25 Built in whichever direction (3,2) PUT UP<=>
27 Show sign of life — just fair by half (4) STIR {juST}{faIR}

Reference List
Setter = I, Island = I, Standard = PAR, Points = E, N, International = I, Nothing = 0, Journalist = ED, Indian = I, Rule = R, Duplicate = CC, Record = EP, Eastern = E, Master = M, Boy = ROB, Bishop = B


Dr RKE's TalePiece

Battle of Bosphorous

The ENEMY is about to strike the TROOPSHIP of the Allies from the STARboard side, unseen from a U-BOAT (the HYPHEN hides the German word for 'undersea'). Because of the TURGID waters of the returning TIDE, the ship has  PUT UP its RUDDERs and cannot steer clear of danger. To make it worse, the U-boat is made of the strong steel from the RUHR and it does not EMIT any signal being invisible even to the radar.

In the ship is a MELTING POT of navymen from different nations which have STITCHed UP an alliance to stop the Nazi BLOC from winning.The naval surgeon has fortified them with a ROBORANT made from MELON and SLOE and so they have become SPIRITED enough despite having only DARTs to IMPALE the enemy with and no other wortwhile ammo. The PIOUS among them pray for providence, the novices are AGOG with excitement and the OLD HATS in a FUGUE state but there is good EMPATHY among them and they HIT IT OFF well, sharing a common DETEST for losing.  EVEN before YOU have UTTERED Jack Robinson, they change their attack PARADIGM from the ACCEPTED one to something most unconventional and manage to overcome the U-boat, losing very few men. Those MARTYRed in this epic battle have praise HEAPED upon them by Rear Admiral Sir GRIDMAN SETTER, VC (CV<=)


21 comments:

  1. 18D boy = ROB
    Nil =O
    Complaint = RANT
    ROBORANT is a drug that increases strength

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is the first time I am hearing of such a drug in 43 years of a medical education and career. Hats off to CV

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  3. I did a bit of googling to unearth Roborant (struggling with Tom for a boy for a long time) and was ranting about it in my mind.
    Yes, looks to be a new grid.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks Dr.RKE relived a few daring moments of WWII. What an imagination- I remembered the expression 'Take a button and sew a vest on it'!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Paddy, I haven't come across that nice expression. But my late father has told me about his mate who went to the bicycle shop with a single spoke of a wheel and wanted the rest of the parts fitted to make a cycle!

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    2. +1 Paddy.
      Dr. RKE, I wished you would link some epic battle to my grid on Saturday!

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    3. Frankly I too haven't come across that expression before. Of course, I caught its drift at once. Dr RKE has come up with his father's version of waxing eloquent and asking for a full moon with a sliver of it. Wondering how I could have missed the expression, I did a quick Google search, but there were only mundane returns.

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    4. That is the U.S.based expression. I have come across that fairly frequently in Perry Mason novels (Vasant would readily confirm) and I liked it.

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    5. 'The Case of the Drug that Doctor had not heard'!!

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    6. Sure KKR next time but i guess that would be more than a month away!

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    7. On Saturday I could only make an Arctic Adventure

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  5. Didn't get 18DN.
    Tried to fit SONORANT without justification!

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  6. Col,
    You're right. This is a grid for the nonce. One of my regular grids altered. Goes against a rule in THC spec sheet. It's an occasional infraction. Pardon me.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Put RATS for the STAR and was groping at MARTYR and MELTING POT :-(
    Paradise Regained on solving Guardian's Cryptic in 23 mins flat. Very easy one

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  8. I too get into this reversal problem very frequently and I always double check with crossings before filling in.

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  9. When I saw the mangled form of Gridman'S 10 letter grid with 3 consecutive unches, I thought it was for a specific purpose (a Nina or a theme), but after solving didn't find either. Missed out on Roborant.

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  10. Nice puzzles by Gridman....esp.7d and 16d was impressed by me. 14d...I could not convice the anno. for American . I was trying Us +Rt....RUST. but the answer was DART....

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  11. 14d- American lawyer is DA- Dist.Attorney

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    Replies
    1. Thanks paddy for spending your precious time.

      Delete

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