ACROSS
1 Most idiotic celebration cut short by lawyer’s force (8) DAFFIEST{DA}{F}{FESTival} (Correction - {DA}{F}{FIESTa} - See comments)
5 Relative endlessly caring for little bird (6) SISKIN {SIS}{KINd}
9 Animal eating away top of tree in clumsy act (7) GIRAFFE {G{fIR}AFFE}
10 Around early morning sees bats and cat (7) SIAMESE SIAMESE {SEES}* over {1 AM}
11 Talk of boy recalled route taken (9) DISCOURSE {SID<=}{COURSE}
12 Animal within becomes noisome (5) MOOSEnOiSOME* [CA]
13 Question asked about Erode’s top dairy byproduct (4) WHEY {WH{Er..e}Y}
14 In these babies have moving sleeping experience (9) CARRYCOTS [CD]
17 Wrongly use Sim? (9) MISEMPLOY {SIM}* [RA]
19 Bud is of almost easily duped sort (4) CHUM CHUMp
23 Where a sailor may not be easily confused (2,3) AT SEA[C&DD] (Correction - &lit - See comments)
24 In south Indian mantap at last, I would meet lady heartlessly and in a banal manner (9) INSIPIDLY {IN}{SI}{m...aP}{I'D}{LadY}
25 Avoid holding primarily old, terribly ghastly weapon (7) SHOTGUN {SH{Old}{Te...y}{Gh...y}UN}
26 Tell Nair there is not one to shed tear (7) NARRATE {NAiR}{TEAR*}
27 Place, ready at last, for regular date (6) STEADY {STEAD}{r..dY}
28 Secure again, hurry up without a bit of hesitancy after umpire (8) REFASTEN {hASTEN} after {REF}
DOWN
1 Is very generous — what an archaeologist does (4,4) DIGS DOWN [DD]
2 Predict for Oriental diocese (7) FORESEE {FOR}{E}{SEE}
3 Amount received is coming for ever and smoothly, apparently (6) INFLOW [CD]
4 “Pigs” — Cameraman’s botched plan to disgrace someone (5,8) SMEAR CAMPAIGN*
6 Furiously Cain hums to such an extent (8) INASMUCH*
7 Even if you ___ ___ of here, you've got the answer (4,3) KEEP OUT [CD/FITB]
8 Relatives play out Scene I (6) NIECES*
10 Er... he’s...(Result of absolute drivel) (5,8) SHEER NONSENSE {ER+HES}* [RA]
15 Mad, mad grandee finally rehabilitated (8) DERANGED {GRANDEE}*{r...eD}
16 Take me back to the limits of Puducherry — near intimations of heaven (8) EMPYREAN {ME<=}{Pu...rY}{NEAR*} Intimation/ANIND?
18 New input among transformed Tories is yet to come (2,5) IN STORE {N} in {TORIES}*
20 Monster and insect without a main outlet (7) HYDRANT {HYDRA}{aNT}
21 Drink stashed away by domestic assistant (6) CASSIS [T]
22 Tears up each plant (6) SPIREA {RIPS<=}{EA}
Reference List
Lawyer = DA, Force = F, South = S, Indian = I, Oriental = E, Diocese = SEE, New = N, Each = EA
1 Most idiotic celebration cut short by lawyer’s force (8) DAFFIEST
5 Relative endlessly caring for little bird (6) SISKIN {SIS}{KIN
10 Around early morning sees bats and cat (7) SIAMESE SIAMESE {SEES}* over {1 AM}
12 Animal within becomes noisome (5) MOOSE
13 Question asked about Erode’s top dairy byproduct (4) WHEY {WH{E
14 In these babies have moving sleeping experience (9) CARRYCOTS [CD]
17 Wrongly use Sim? (9) MISEMPLOY {SIM}* [RA]
19 Bud is of almost easily duped sort (4) CHUM CHUM
23 Where a sailor may not be easily confused (2,3) AT SEA
24 In south Indian mantap at last, I would meet lady heartlessly and in a banal manner (9) INSIPIDLY {IN}{SI}{
25 Avoid holding primarily old, terribly ghastly weapon (7) SHOTGUN {SH{O
26 Tell Nair there is not one to shed tear (7) NARRATE {NA
27 Place, ready at last, for regular date (6) STEADY {STEAD}{
28 Secure again, hurry up without a bit of hesitancy after umpire (8) REFASTEN {
DOWN
1 Is very generous — what an archaeologist does (4,4) DIGS DOWN [DD]
2 Predict for Oriental diocese (7) FORESEE {FOR}{E}{SEE}
3 Amount received is coming for ever and smoothly, apparently (6) INFLOW [CD]
4 “Pigs” — Cameraman’s botched plan to disgrace someone (5,8) SMEAR CAMPAIGN*
6 Furiously Cain hums to such an extent (8) INASMUCH*
7 Even if you ___ ___ of here, you've got the answer (4,3) KEEP OUT [CD/FITB]
8 Relatives play out Scene I (6) NIECES*
10 Er... he’s...(Result of absolute drivel) (5,8) SHEER NONSENSE {ER+HES}* [RA]
15 Mad, mad grandee finally rehabilitated (8) DERANGED {GRANDEE}*{
16 Take me back to the limits of Puducherry — near intimations of heaven (8) EMPYREAN {ME<=}{P
18 New input among transformed Tories is yet to come (2,5) IN STORE {N} in {TORIES}*
20 Monster and insect without a main outlet (7) HYDRANT {HYDRA}{
21 Drink stashed away by domestic assistant (6) CASSIS [T]
Reference List
Lawyer = DA, Force = F, South = S, Indian = I, Oriental = E, Diocese = SEE, New = N, Each = EA
Dr RKE's TalePiece
The Modern Animal Farm
In
a farm, run by the DAFFIEST DERANGED old fool Jones, are many animals.
Tired of their daily drudgery, they meet secretly at night, with a MOOSE
called Old Major as their leader. He would NARRATE a DISCOURSE on how
they are being MISEMPLOYed and the need to overthrow humans. The animals
believe that they would get EMPYREAN delights only when they KEEP OUT
humans from their soil. The SISKINS energize them with their chant, "
four legs good, two legs bad, two wings best". Two SIAMESE kittens,
named Snow-white and Napoleonette, who were NIECES, take over the
reigns when Old Boxer dies. They stage a successful revolt and drive
Jones and his men out. They formulate the constitution whose guiding
principle is "all animals are equal".
They
convince the animals that building a windmill to power the HYDRANT will
help them prosper. Snow-white, pure at heart, does INASMUCH as her
capacity to stick to the principles of 'animalism' while the cunning
Napoleonette becomes venal and fattens herself on WHEY, denying it to
all others, claiming that it is needed for her brain power to run the
farm. She FORESEEs that the idealistic Snow-white must be done away
with to further her ambition of being the undisputed queen. She runs a
STEADY SMEAR CAMPAIGN against Snow-white claiming that Snow-white
collaborates with humans. Napoleonette's faithful dogs, chase away
Snow-white and also force the other animals, especially the GIRAFFE, the
workhorse of the farm, in to more and more back breaking jobs.
Napoleonette amends the constitution, which now reads " all animals are
equal, but some are more equal than others". The rest of the animals do
not fall for such SHEER NONSENSE and feel that human rule was better.
They are AT SEA as to what could be done. Sensing their discontent,
Napoleonette symbolically DIGS DOWN her pockets but only doles out some
peanuts. While they wonder what lies IN STORE for them in their INSIPID
lives, sounds of a SHOTGUN are heard. Snow-white and her CHUM Mr.
Fredrick invade the farm and stage a coup to topple Napoleonette, ending
her tyranny.The royal store of CASSIA is distributed to all animals to
celebrate the victory of the masses.
Disclaimer: I am not responsible if George Orwell turns in his grave reading this tale.
1a fiesta!
ReplyDeleteThanks. Careless mistake by me.
DeleteHad to google for CARRYCOTS but otherwise smooth sailing. Thanks Gridman. SIAMESE and CASSIS were favourites.
ReplyDeleteCouple of questions:
1) 26A is "shed" the anagram indicator?
2) 23A - I thought it should be "where a sailor may be easily confused" as a CD/DD. "Where a sailor may be" = AT SEA, easily confused = AT SEA. The "not" was a bit confusing for me.
+1 for carrycot.
DeleteShed light:cast/scatter
DeleteWhen a sailor is at sea he is not easily confused!
DeleteTo col's comment at 8:55
DeleteTrue - then the whole clue works as a def!
I spent considerable time on14AC as I thought it to be CARRIAGES [prams] and the entire area suffered.
DeleteI am confused with the presence of NOT in 23AC!
KKR ji, He cant be ATSEA at sea. can he?
Deletedont look it as DD, look at it as &litt.
DeleteAgreed Ramki
DeleteI dont see why every one at seaI see the clue clear as sea ! The clue says may not be easily confused. Means a sailor is at home at sea. You see ?
DeleteNice modernisation of Animal farm- Or well...making it more relevant here.
ReplyDeleteEmpyrean was also a new word for me.
ReplyDelete3d the second part is "in flow" (it is in flow). Amount received is inflow. Doesn't have to be smooth or coming forever.
ReplyDeleteI got stuck at the reverse anagram with SIM ,17Ac. I thought the solution was MISHANDLE
ReplyDeleteNo newspaper gives a template as to how the clues are to be constructed.
ReplyDeleteAny crossword setter is first of all a crossword solver. Most setters some five or six decades ago, were first of all solvers. Some of them began setting from experience gathered while solving. Some manuals were published in pioneering effort but I wonder if every setter had access to them. Some of the early manuals became out of print and rare. So for some years the setters would have gathered most of the conventions only from solving.
Who sets rules? The so-called leading setters?
Rules are there but all setters may not follow the same rules. Some may break rules knowingly on occasions.
Some may try out innovations.
Some may even deploy gimmickry.
If these are not done overdone, most solvers will accept them; some may not.
In recent years a setter has lot of material on the Internet itself about clue construction. These will give any prospective setter ideas of the art.
There are also manuals in print written by setters.
(Republished after fixing typos in earlier, since deleted, Comment.)
Who sets the rules ? Each setter.THcc setters are blazing new trails each day. Foreign setters go by conventions.
DeleteMore the merrier. I agree with CV. Avtaar and Guz are examples.
Lots of interesting comments and analyses in yesterday's blog for those interested.
ReplyDeleteToday, perhaps for the first time, I was stumped by several of Gridman's clues. I could fill in 7D: KEEP OUT, without quite getting it. I had 1D as DIGS DEEP, so couldn't solve 13A: WHEY. 19A, 20D, 22D also went unsolved. Maybe I was just having a dim day, but I missed the precision that Gridman's clues usually have: where only one answer is clearly indicated.
ReplyDeleteI should mention that I am a keen admirer of Shriman Gridman. My comment is in the spirit of friendly feedback.
ReplyDeleteShriman:nice one. Another feather in Gridman's cap😉
DeleteNo problem at all. My puzzle is in the public domain. It may be solved or not at all. Solvers are entitled to their opinions. Praise won't turn my head nor criticism make me too worried. Both will pass me by. One person's potion may be another person's poison.I do realise that critics may have their point but no two minds may see a thing in the same perspective. Setters are humans and they may be erratic at times. In 15sqd some clues come under criticism for anag ind or something else. Another comes saying the ind is innovative.
ReplyDeleteBTW Shriman is a honorific from Sanskrit and it was used in Tamil too in decades past. I was delighted to come across it in Tamil stories of Forties and Fifties that I read recently. The Dravidian parties drove it away.
ReplyDeleteIt is an honorific term.. I remember a beautiful Hindi movie of 1980s, Shriman Shrimati produced by B. Nagi Reddy and starring Sanjeev Kumar and Rakhi..
DeleteAnybody remember this?
Its Hyderabad to chennai via Mumbai. Sathya sundaram, shivaji G.
DeleteIt used to be a commonly used honorific in Hindi too.
Delete