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}
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!
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)
Reference List
Caught = C, Umpire = REF, Drug = E, Student = L, Again = RE, Variable = X, Tense = T
13a celebrate:bless. -e +i
ReplyDelete5d drug:weed -w
ReplyDelete1d typo in anno
ReplyDeleteErrs, short err
DeleteYes. We can't fit in 'short' any other way. Ref err al
DeleteEminently not doable crossword
ReplyDeleteSimply put.
DeleteI found the clues hard and twisted. However the comments here from sree_sree et. al. clear the air about some of them.
DeleteI didnt fare too well yday itself. Today a complete fiasco. I feel like an LKG student all over again.
DeleteYou just entered a wrong examination hall
Delete11A- 'Odd fashion' to pick odd letters- I guess.
ReplyDeleteThe whole "in an odd fashion". For simple odd.(ly)
Delete20a- could it have been sheath?
ReplyDeleteIn stealth/undercover/covered.
Delete7d x is variable?
ReplyDeleteI think Col.'s guess is right- Do,Re,Mi
DeleteTeh X after mi!
DeleteIn Mathematics, X, y and z are used for variables.
DeleteDon't see any issue with X = variable. As AJ said, x, y and z are mathematical variables. The definition is also present in Chambers.
DeleteReally? Can you please post the entry.
Deletevariable, 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).
Delete7d- 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.
DeletePrasanna 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.
DeleteBy 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.
Thanks sree_sree. noted your point. Glad to read your jokes.
DeleteHere is the entry under X in Chambers BRB
DeleteX 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.
I am wondering how and why shree-shree reads WP's mind so well!!!
DeleteDreamer ji, both knowns and unknowns are variables. ax^3 + bx^2 + cx + d = 0 has 5 variables.
DeleteMy 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.
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.)
DeleteI just did a Google search as "variable" fifteensquared. It has been widely used :)
DeleteThat's where the art of cryptics is being lost!
Delete13ac Ignorance is bliss is a saying . May be, ignorance is given as definition for bliss.
ReplyDelete+1; The surface has a subtle reference to the saying "When ignorance is bliss it is folly to be wise".
DeleteWe have to go with Prasad's explanation- Bless-E+I giving Bliss.
ReplyDeleteCelebrate giving Bless?
You are right. Celebrate has bless as a meaning.
ReplyDelete1d Referral must have 2 r's after fe.
ReplyDelete1d makes mistake: errs, short err
ReplyDeleteRef ( errs-s) (-b al -l)
role of 'least' in the clue ?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteTypo?
ReplyDeleteCould ne last bit of nobility for Y.
Idiosyncratic to setter: least is last.
DeleteIs 'y' the least bit of 'nobility'?
ReplyDelete(like in binary numbers, the rightmost bit called as 'least significant bit')
Typo in 22A annotation. BORN and ORN.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteCol's beginning remark:
Yesterday's encomiums seem out of place today.
🤓
Let us reverse the sequence and assume that yesterday's was latest after suitable change. This gives us hope for the next round.
DeleteI attempted one more round of solving & got a few more words. One doubt
ReplyDeleteBanks - CLUMPS? I didnt get this in Google.
Look under verb for bank.
Deleteso 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@Prasad - Please be honest! R the clues bad or are we (read that as me) totally out of sync with the setter?
ReplyDeleteBecos after visiting the blog - most of it seems clear & sensible. But on my own, I completed hardly 70% & that also after 3 rounds.
I don't attempt this setter. Don't think any other comment is required.
DeleteI think most of us need an immediate fix of Incognito to boost our morale & get our confidence back. Kishore! Where are you?? 😊😊😊
ReplyDelete