Wednesday 29 June 2022

No 13595, Wednesday 29 Jun 2022, WrdPlougher

Solution to 8A 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.

Yesterday's encomiums seem out of place today.

ACROSS
8   Count's rank — Earl without a least bit of nobility (4) ?E?Y 
9   For instance, mainly depicting one confused immature fool like Narcissus (10) EGOCENTRIC {EG}{d..iCt..g+ONE}*{TRICk}
10 Made soft by strange desire to follow nurse (10) TENDERISED {DESIRE}*<=>{TEND}
11 Coloured in — an odd fashion tip (4) CLUE CoLoUrEd What's the role of 'fashion'?
12 Cable bearing message centrally placed in winding rows of letterboxes? (9) CROSSWORD {C{RO{mesSage}SW*}ORD}
13 One sacrificing intelligence ultimately to celebrate ignorance? (5) BLISS  [CD?] Anno pending
15 Liked to argue about Sartre's case (7) PLEASED {PLEA{SartrE}D}
17 Caught error, abruptly rejected desolate complainant's right (7) CORRECT {C}{ERROr<=}{Co...nT}
20 Group of poor travellers returning in stealth (5) TROOP [<=] What's the role of 'in stealth'?
22 Bristly plant natural around western tip of Chadian wasteland (9) BROOMCORN {BORN} around {Ch...n+MOOR<=}ORN} 
25 Final piece of music drama retracting epilogue (4) CODA {m..iC}{ADO<=}
26 Intrigues curious user, coming first (10) ADVENTURES {USER}<=>{ADVENT}
27 Scaled reef, fighting fear (4,6) FEEL SCARED*
28 View tweet (4) PEEP [DD]

DOWN
1   Going upstairs as umpire makes mistake — short ball, no edges (8) REFERAL {REF}{ERr}{bALl} Makes mistake would be ERRS!
2   Sound (only OM) often echoing in ancient Turkish gated colony? (6) MYNDUS {SoUnD+oNlY+oM}<=
3   Plant that's precious yet unwanted? (9) PEARLWEED {PEARL}{WEED}
4   Monk's hairstyle in fashion — really? (7) TONSURE {TON}{SURE}
5   Poor Andy regularly taking drug, out of work (5) NEEDY {aNdY} over {E}ED Anno pending
6   Disciplinarian ticks off student, hauled up again (8) STICKLER {TICKS*}{L}{RE<=}
7   Third variable raises complications (3-3) MIX-UPS {MI}{X}{UPS} Third what? Is it third note?
14 Mark irrelevant data entries initially in row of columns (9) COLONNADE {COLON}{NA}{Data}{En...s} 
16 The explorer, perhaps overwhelmed by island, returning to darling (8) ADORABLE {DORA} in {ELBA<=}
18 Scolded harshly, felt concerned about temper (8) CARPETED {CAR{PET}ED}
19 Rave about Jeeves in the end, after tense Wooster finally gets to Aunt Dahlia's husband (7) TRAVERS {RAVE*}{j...eS}<=>{T}{w...eR}
21 A jaunty-sounding piano? (6) RHODES (~ Jonty Rhodes)
23 Banks starting to cope with recession cycles (6) CLUMPS {Cope}{(-s)LUMP(+s)S}
24 First name of this swimming pool game? (5) MARCO MARCO polo

Reference List
Caught = C, Umpire = REF, Drug = E, Student = L, Again = RE, Variable = X, Tense = T 
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51 comments:

  1. sree_sree29 June 2022 at 08:34

    13a celebrate:bless. -e +i

    ReplyDelete
  2. sree_sree29 June 2022 at 08:35

    5d drug:weed -w

    ReplyDelete
  3. sree_sree29 June 2022 at 08:48

    1d typo in anno

    ReplyDelete
  4. Vasant29 June 2022 at 08:56

    Eminently not doable crossword

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Padmanabhan29 June 2022 at 09:26

      Simply put.

      Delete
    2. Jacob Brahmakulam29 June 2022 at 10:09

      I found the clues hard and twisted. However the comments here from sree_sree et. al. clear the air about some of them.

      Delete
    3. Gowri29 June 2022 at 10:37

      I didnt fare too well yday itself. Today a complete fiasco. I feel like an LKG student all over again.

      Delete
    4. sree_sree29 June 2022 at 12:19

      You just entered a wrong examination hall

      Delete
  5. Padmanabhan29 June 2022 at 09:04

    11A- 'Odd fashion' to pick odd letters- I guess.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. sree_sree29 June 2022 at 09:05

      The whole "in an odd fashion". For simple odd.(ly)

      Delete
  6. Padmanabhan29 June 2022 at 09:06

    20a- could it have been sheath?

    ReplyDelete
  7. sree_sree29 June 2022 at 09:09

    7d x is variable?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Padmanabhan29 June 2022 at 09:18

      I think Col.'s guess is right- Do,Re,Mi

      Delete
    2. sree_sree29 June 2022 at 09:22

      Teh X after mi!

      Delete
    3. AJ29 June 2022 at 09:37

      In Mathematics, X, y and z are used for variables.

      Delete
    4. VMA Nair29 June 2022 at 09:58

      Don't see any issue with X = variable. As AJ said, x, y and z are mathematical variables. The definition is also present in Chambers.

      Delete
    5. sree_sree29 June 2022 at 10:19

      Really? Can you please post the entry.

      Delete
    6. Gowri29 June 2022 at 10:35

      variable, In algebra, a symbol (usually a letter) standing in for an unknown numerical value in an equation. Commonly used variables include x and y (real-number unknowns), z (complex-number unknowns), t (time), r (radius), and s (arc length).

      Delete
    7. Prasanna Rao29 June 2022 at 19:34

      7d- setter mentioned as 'third variable'. usually in CW we use x,y substituted for unknown or axis. since specifically mentioned as third variable it must be Z. obviously the variable first and second has been considered as x,y. Def. is not clear.

      Delete
    8. sree_sree29 June 2022 at 20:53

      Prasanna ji. Algebra has knowns and unknowns. Not variables! The convention was to use starting alphabets for known a,b c etc and in reverse for unknowns.
      By the time of statistics and variables they had to resort to middle numbers excluding allready in use constants. So we find l,m,n as variables.
      (We actually had a joke in IIT in 90s that programming language was developed by someone with strong dislike to mathematics and made a variable anything and everything one defines so)

      Third variable is also known as confounding variable or simply confounder which translates to mix-up. But then i was lost to get the S.

      Anyways as ardent follower of THC if Chambers defines X as variable then i will take it. But it doesn't. Under variable, it's mentioned as an example. Not really a def.

      Delete
    9. Prasanna Rao29 June 2022 at 21:49

      Thanks sree_sree. noted your point. Glad to read your jokes.

      Delete
    10. VMA Nair30 June 2022 at 02:49

      Here is the entry under X in Chambers BRB
      X symbol: (as a Roman numeral 10; (also x or x) the first variable, unknown or yet to be ascertained quantity or factor (maths, etc.)

      Y
      A variable, unknown or yet to be ascertained quantity or factor, used as distinct from and in addition to X

      Z
      The third variable, unknown or yet to be ascertained quantity or factor in a series, after X and Y.
      Also listed under variable in Chambers crossword dictionary. So there is no issue in using 'variable' in clue to get x/y/z in answer. But x/y/z in clue cannot be used to get 'variable' in answer.

      Delete
    11. Col_Gopinath30 June 2022 at 02:56

      I am wondering how and why shree-shree reads WP's mind so well!!!

      Delete
    12. sree_sree30 June 2022 at 08:02

      Dreamer ji, both knowns and unknowns are variables. ax^3 + bx^2 + cx + d = 0 has 5 variables.
      My point in when I put a question was, with so many values (almost all alphabets except few like plancks constant) that mean variable, it would be unfair to use just "variable" to getx.whereas unknown narrows it down to the 3 usual suspects.

      Delete
    13. VMA Nair30 June 2022 at 08:52

      That's fine. But since it is there in Chambers (both BRB and Crossword dictionary), I don't find any issue. After all we have so many letters for man (from chess etc.)

      Delete
    14. VMA Nair30 June 2022 at 08:57

      I just did a Google search as "variable" fifteensquared. It has been widely used :)

      Delete
    15. sree_sree30 June 2022 at 09:26

      That's where the art of cryptics is being lost!

      Delete
  8. AJ29 June 2022 at 09:17

    13ac Ignorance is bliss is a saying . May be, ignorance is given as definition for bliss.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jacob Brahmakulam29 June 2022 at 10:00

      +1; The surface has a subtle reference to the saying "When ignorance is bliss it is folly to be wise".

      Delete
  9. Padmanabhan29 June 2022 at 09:20

    We have to go with Prasad's explanation- Bless-E+I giving Bliss.
    Celebrate giving Bless?

    ReplyDelete
  10. AJ29 June 2022 at 09:25

    You are right. Celebrate has bless as a meaning.

    ReplyDelete
  11. AJ29 June 2022 at 09:27

    1d Referral must have 2 r's after fe.

    ReplyDelete
  12. AJ29 June 2022 at 09:30

    1d makes mistake: errs, short err
    Ref ( errs-s) (-b al -l)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Ramesh Kosaraju 29 June 2022 at 10:26

    role of 'least' in the clue ?

    ReplyDelete
  14. Gowri29 June 2022 at 10:33

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Padmanabhan29 June 2022 at 10:36

    Typo?
    Could ne last bit of nobility for Y.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Ramesh Kosaraju 29 June 2022 at 10:37

    Is 'y' the least bit of 'nobility'?
    (like in binary numbers, the rightmost bit called as 'least significant bit')

    ReplyDelete
  17. Murali29 June 2022 at 12:31

    Typo in 22A annotation. BORN and ORN.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Ramesh Kosaraju 29 June 2022 at 12:41


    Col's beginning remark:
    Yesterday's encomiums seem out of place today.
    🤓

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Padmanabhan29 June 2022 at 15:03

      Let us reverse the sequence and assume that yesterday's was latest after suitable change. This gives us hope for the next round.

      Delete
  19. Gemini29 June 2022 at 19:24

    While i concede i am yet to get soaked 100 per cent in the CWs,but these clues really are frustrating no end, notwithstanding an elaboate anno. Even with the annos ,i must concede, i have difficulty in grasping. Philosophically i say," this also passes"

    ReplyDelete
  20. Gowri29 June 2022 at 19:31

    I attempted one more round of solving & got a few more words. One doubt
    Banks - CLUMPS? I didnt get this in Google.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Prasanna Rao29 June 2022 at 19:38

    so many speed breakers. couldn't complete. 2d. was too challenging one. I cracked it via Google and later done the annotation part...reverse engineering method.......

    ReplyDelete
  22. Gowri29 June 2022 at 22:37

    @Prasad - Please be honest! R the clues bad or are we (read that as me) totally out of sync with the setter?
    Becos after visiting the blog - most of it seems clear & sensible. But on my own, I completed hardly 70% & that also after 3 rounds.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. sree_sree29 June 2022 at 22:52

      I don't attempt this setter. Don't think any other comment is required.

      Delete
  23. Gowri29 June 2022 at 22:38

    I think most of us need an immediate fix of Incognito to boost our morale & get our confidence back. Kishore! Where are you?? 😊😊😊

    ReplyDelete

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