Day 49 of 54 Stay safe at home
Solution to 8D has been deliberately left unsolved and is to be answered only by a non-regular/novice commenter, with proper annotation. Those who have answered earlier in the week, please give others a chance.
ACROSS
1 Labels grief, prepares law documents (5,6) LEGAL BRIEFS*
9 Salutation with regular bits of sausages? (7) SALAMIS {SALAM}{bItS}
10 Removes Shakespearean king in Calais limits (6) CLEARS {Cal{LEAR}aiS}
11 Sailor, purchased report from superior monk (5) ABBOT {AB}{BOT}(~bought)
12 Anon returns from pub to proceed to barrier (7) EMBARGO {ME<=}{BAR}{GO}
15 Fox-like animal found in Burmese settings (4) ASSE Looks like an error. It should have been 'Burma's settings'
16 Offer in-law faulty kitchen appliance? (6,4) WAFFLE IRON*
18 Patrician drunk actor astir (10) ARISTOCRAT*
20 Felines, from end to end, flee (4) SCAT (+s)SCAT(-s)
23 More dramatic one protected by tool (7) HAMMIER {HAMM{1}ER}
24 Factor in era of holy book (5) AGENT {AGE}{NT}
26 Pound alien for cereal (6) MILLET {MILL}{ET}
27 Bookworm houses new chandelier (7) PENDANT {PE{N}DANT}
28 Bond’s boss weirdly enumerates dimension (11) MEASUREMENT {M}{ENUMERATES*}
DOWN
2 Choice removed from atrocity by antagonism (6) ENMITY ENorMITY
3 Left out of mountain range, Oriental enters recess (4) APSE {AlPS}{E}
4 Engineer to arrive at apartment, lose sparkle (6,4) BECOME FLAT {BE}{COME}{FLAT}
5 Repeats knotting ties without value (8) ITERATES {ITE{RATE}ES*}
6 Hunter in favour of mature ringleader (7) FORAGER {FOR}{AGE}{Ring}
7 Bad salami manufactured in Pakistan city (9) ISLAMABAD*
8 Strident, all but two, return with excuses (6)?L?B?S (Addendum - ALIBIS SIBILAnt<= See comments)
13 United football team from UK city? (10) MANCHESTER [GK]
14 Establish academy (9) INSTITUTE [DD]
17 Trips, almost collapses, in ship (8) STUMBLES {S{TUMBLEs}S}
19 Envisage terrible migraine, without source of remedy (7) IMAGINE MIGrAINE*
21 Salad for Roman emperor (6) CAESAR [DD]
22 Priest hides new weapon (6) CANNON {CAN{N}ON}
25 Marks, send back junk email (4) SPAM<=
Reference List
Sailor = AB, Holy Book = NT(New Testament), Alien = ET, New = N, Bond's boss = M, Left = L, Oriental = E, Engineer = BE, Ship =SS
1 Labels grief, prepares law documents (5,6) LEGAL BRIEFS*
9 Salutation with regular bits of sausages? (7) SALAMIS {SALAM}{
10 Removes Shakespearean king in Calais limits (6) CLEARS {C
11 Sailor, purchased report from superior monk (5) ABBOT {AB}{BOT}(~bought)
12 Anon returns from pub to proceed to barrier (7) EMBARGO {ME<=}{BAR}{GO}
15 Fox-like animal found in Burmese settings (4) ASSE Looks like an error. It should have been 'Burma's settings'
16 Offer in-law faulty kitchen appliance? (6,4) WAFFLE IRON*
20 Felines, from end to end, flee (4) SCAT (+s)SCAT(-s)
23 More dramatic one protected by tool (7) HAMMIER {HAMM{1}ER}
24 Factor in era of holy book (5) AGENT {AGE}{NT}
26 Pound alien for cereal (6) MILLET {MILL}{ET}
27 Bookworm houses new chandelier (7) PENDANT {PE{N}DANT}
28 Bond’s boss weirdly enumerates dimension (11) MEASUREMENT {M}{ENUMERATES*}
DOWN
2 Choice removed from atrocity by antagonism (6) ENMITY EN
3 Left out of mountain range, Oriental enters recess (4) APSE {A
4 Engineer to arrive at apartment, lose sparkle (6,4) BECOME FLAT {BE}{COME}{FLAT}
5 Repeats knotting ties without value (8) ITERATES {ITE{RATE}ES*}
6 Hunter in favour of mature ringleader (7) FORAGER {FOR}{AGE}{R
7 Bad salami manufactured in Pakistan city (9) ISLAMABAD*
8 Strident, all but two, return with excuses (6)
13 United football team from UK city? (10) MANCHESTER [GK]
14 Establish academy (9) INSTITUTE [DD]
17 Trips, almost collapses, in ship (8) STUMBLES {S{TUMBLE
19 Envisage terrible migraine, without source of remedy (7) IMAGINE MIG
21 Salad for Roman emperor (6) CAESAR [DD]
25 Marks, send back junk email (4) SPAM<=
Reference List
Sailor = AB, Holy Book = NT(New Testament), Alien = ET, New = N, Bond's boss = M, Left = L, Oriental = E, Engineer = BE, Ship =SS
No Tale today as Dr RKE is busy with emergency cases
ReplyDelete8 dn alibis-excuses.strident-sibilant-NT.>alibis.
ReplyDeletePuzzles set by Incognito, lightning, Arden ( sometimes) Anon are relatively unconvoluted and less contrived and meets my need for challenge at base level. Gridman with his long anagrams or twisted idioms too are a bit more attractive to solve. Oh but I dread the days when I see XChequer, Dr. K.
ReplyDelete, Kriskross, skuldugger and since I have my personal superstition of looking forward to a good day when I solve at least 70 percent of the clues in the morning .
Who is Dr. K?
DeleteNothing said about KKR Avatar Hyptia the newbies setters
DeleteProbably Dr X
DeleteYes Dr X KKR, Avatar and Hypatia especially the last two are my bugbear.
DeleteSo true!
DeleteMe being a teenager, I love puzzles set by incognito because they actually encourage you to get the answers.
When I see Avatar, Hypnatia & so on , I just close the papers
If you just close the paper like that then there is no way in improving your Crossword solving abilities
Deleteyes and what does one say about the phenomenal Sankalak. I used to love his perfect smooth crosswords and wonderful surface reading of clues, flawless and perfect. Solving them was like cruising on the high seas with a forceful tailwind to reach one's destination. Those were the good days. Some of our coeval setters are more challenging and as colonelsaab said we have to prod on and pick up the gauntlet. Fun nevertheless.
DeleteI dread Gussalufz.
DeleteSome Setters test you for what you know. Others test you for what you don't know.
DeleteChallenging of course. But often leads to frustration/disinterest.
I endorse Ajay. Sankalak was a gifted crossword setter.
DeleteVery nice to solve.Did it in one hour.Thank you
ReplyDelete11.AC ABBOT sailor Ab
ReplyDelete18.Ac Aristocrat Anagram
7.Dn.Islamabad Anagram
13.Dn Manchester Dc
Today is not Friday. Please mention your name or else adde your name in blogger profile
DeleteEasy solve except that I stuttered a bit before 'stumbling'.
ReplyDeleteIt wouldn't be difficult for one to IMAGINE Bibek's plight. Yes, he had to BECOME FLAT.
ReplyDeleteThe AGENT who was to receive the loot was expected any moment.
A deck hand from ISLAMABAD who had remained in the MV ANTARES CLEARS the rubble in a dark area and STUMBLES upon a canvas bag.
On opening it he finds several LEGAL BRIEFS, a WAFFLE IRON and two packets of MILLETS.
What he further found surprised him beyond MEASUREMENT.
What happened next?
:-)
ReplyDeleteIn cryptic crosswords, never say die. It's a challenge between the compiler and solver and you have to go at it like a dog with a bone. If you want easier ones, then where's the fun? You learn by various methods , like visiting this blog regularly and also try a variety of compilers. Yeah, there are those who give you piles and you have to grin and bear it. You are lucky to get a group of eclectic compilers and if you think some are easy and some are hard to crack, take your time off to solve the hard ones later.it burns your calories. I have spent late nights solving the tougher ones.
ReplyDeleteSo , Unknown , you are still young and there's a lot more variety these days unlike the days of yore. If I thought, I have wasted my money in books etc, today you have these excellent blogs and sites. Cryptic crosswords are not for those who tire easy and faint- hearted, and look for easy ways out. OR, just give up if you do not have an abiding interest
I agree, Raju. One has to persist. That is how I have reached a reasonable level of success in solving crosswords. One should never give up.
DeleteExcellent advice Raju. You have to solve all types of crosswords to become a good solver. If you are beaten by a setter on a day, work harder.
DeleteGood discussion. Surprised to see some youngsters find some of us tough. As setters we don’t necessarily make grids tough or easy. It is about getting a creative structure of each clue which has a good and smooth surface, misleading definitions and wordplay components and balance of clue types in the grid. One or two words which are new to the setter and likely to be so for many solvers will make it more educative. To add some variety an occasional tricky clue which calls for some lateral thinking adds to the fun of solving. Clues must be fair to the solver , avoid redundancies and try to avoid hackneyed wordplays to add freshness. One can “dumb down” the grid by just adding more anagrams - that is one of the most conspicuous indicators of how hard or easy a grid. Typically, 5-6 complete anagrams or more in a grid makes it “easy” while 2-3 images it that much harder. Misdirection is an inherent component of setting and it is when the solver sees through the mind of the setter that the Aha moment results. What is the fun if sailor is always “AB” or “tar” or model is always “T”? Setting a grid no one can solve is no fun for the setter either. Use of correct grammar with no redundant words and eschewing invalid connectors that ots modern setters aspire to. For those who find my grids or some of my co-setters difficult, my advice is to parse the clues from the solution, analyse the techniques and critically review them. Once you do it a few times, you will get the hang of it. Crosswords are fun and educative. It is not a competition and it is not necessary that one must fill the grid (though filling it is most satisfying ). Keep trying and you will get better.
ReplyDeleteI agree. But apart from anagrams,which many find it easy, Where it becomes difficult is when even the wp is not directly leading to the unknown word. I remember CV mentioning this once.
DeleteVery good comment from SSv from a Setter's perspective. "A setter always tries to be fair". That is the key. It is upto the solver's ability how he can match upto the Setter's constructions.
DeleteI started solving around 10 years back. And I can say that solving varied puzzles make you better. Blogs such as this, fifteen squared and TfTT greatly help you nowadays. The crossword community is the most helpful and you can get help anytime.
And THC has such a varied and talented Setter's team that you only can get better solving all puzzles!
Mention of Sankalak by Ajay brings back nostalgic memories. I remember TH publishing quite a few CW's under 'From the files of Sankalak' long after he passed away. Col. also ran a few of his old CW's as Sunday Specials. They were always a delight.
ReplyDeleteMaybe,Col. could consider allotting 1 Sunday every month for publishing of some of his old ones (which may be new to some and partly forgotten by otheres)
Why is Bond's boss M?
ReplyDeleteHaven't you seen any James Bond movie, Shrikanth?
DeleteJust now googled and got the answer. M is head of the British Secret Intelligent Services, also known as MI6.. Ian Fleming's creation.
DeleteI agree with Avtaar's comments. I don't think any setter wants to set an unsolvable clue. In fact, in the battle of wits between the setter and solver, the setter HAS to lose - personally I get quite nervous if I see my clue going unsolved for more than a few min (in the FB forums). However, the difficulty level is subjective. Compared to the veterans like Gridman, Incognito etc. I'm still finding my feet as a setter and probably am yet to arrive at the right difficulty level. But the intention is to set a mix of easy and hard clues using different clue types. If the answer is a difficult / rare word I try to make the wordplay more straightforward, and vice versa.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the feedback and discussions.
Saw this just now yesterday's crossword was easy but delightful. The previous one by lightning with so many cricket based solutions was also very nice. Each grid has a style and each setter an artist in their own way. Having moved back to solving cryptics thoroughly enjoy tge variety and am learning all the time. Best clues are the ones with great surfaces immaterial of whether one solves them or not. Keep the variety coming each finger is of different size and purpose and am putting all of them together to the wonderful setters! Hip hip hurray....
ReplyDeleteThanks Ramesh
Delete