Tuesday, 1 August 2023

No 13932, Tuesday, 01 Aug 2023, Vidwan

Solution to 15D 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.

Open for anyone to answer, if not solved by 1 PM.

Grid with Unches.

ACROSS
1   Family and others checking one's mobile (7) KINETIC {KIN}{ET{1}C}
5   It can be green? Yes! (6) ENERGY {GREEN*}{Y} Semi&lit
10 Filled with amazement? Sounds disgusting! (5) AWFUL (~ awe full)
11 Continues to break down right in middle of deals (9) PROTRACTS {P{ROT}{R}ACTS}
13 Sharp sticky thing from tobacco on edge of tooth! (4) TART {TAR}{To..h
14 Gets around drunk, English writer - popular and rising! (10) STEEPENING {GETS<=} over {E}{PEN}{IN}
16 Irritatingly crib about incomplete house's shape (7) RHOMBIC {R{HOMe}BIC*}
18 Close neckwear or sleeping gown (7) NIGHTIE {NIGH}{TIE}
20 Publicity with zero fuss (3) ADO {AD}{O}
21 Learn actively about universal mass figure (7) NUMERAL {N{U}{M}ERAL*}
23 Being dependent, I learnt irregularly (7) RELIANT*
25 'Newcomer' writes with enthusiasm initially for reward (10) RECOMPENSE {COMER*}{PENS}{En...m}
28 Draft (not final) order (4) WRIT WRITe
30 Mothers to Mafia bosses! Ancient creatures! (9) MASTODONS {MA'S}{TO}{DONS}
31 What a book contains is forbidden! (5) TABOO [T]
32 Creative short-story writer? Jerk! (6) POETIC {POE}{TIC}
33 Permit top insurer to receive stolen goods without force (7) LICENCE {LIC}{fENCE}

DOWN
2   Understand! New love is wildfire! (7) INFERNO {IN FER}{N}{O}
3   Some well-educated girl (4) ELLE [T]
4   Occasionally sign-up just for data (5) INPUT {sIgN+uP+jUsT}
6   Either of the members of a bridge team and one of their opponents from Scandinavia (5) NORSE {N or S}{E}
7   One quietly replacing new, fresh delivery (7) RECEIPT RECE(-n+1p)IPT
8   'Arm' used for breaking open big doors in past (9,3) BATTERING RAM {ARM}* [RA]
9   Lord lording over North-eastern sector (8) GOVERNOR [T]
12 For example, workers in say Chennai Central division (12) SEGMENTATION {S{EG}{MEN}TATION}
15 Refuse (not very loudly) cab service on the way back (4) ?B?R (Addendum - UBER REBUff<= - See comment) Definition in the middle.
17 Took recourse to busy local den (6,2) CALLED ON*
19 Good life occasionally on course! (4) GOLF {GoOd+LiFe} Semi&lit
22 Membranes cause some bare shimmers (7) MUCOSAE {CAUSE+sOMe}*
24 Exercise : Penetrate into a spy agency from the South (7) AEROBIC {CI{BORE}A}<=
26 I roam around in New Zealand (5) MAORI* &lit (Addendum - MAORI<= &lit - See comments)
27 Mostly use headless fish to make this delicacy (5) SUSHI {USe+fISH}*
29 Small yet irksome inflammation! (4) STYE {S}{YET*}

Reference List
Yes = Y, Right = R, English = E, Popular = IN, Publicity = AD, Universal = U, Mass = M, Force = F, New = N, Members of Bridge team = N,S,E, Quietly = P, Small = S

42 comments:

  1. Some very nice clues. Spent an absorbing hour. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Simple elegant 'Nightie' in 18A.

    ReplyDelete
  3. 16a POS mismatch?
    Does shape have adjective sense!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Of course. Circular, spherical, conical, etc. are similar to RHOMBIC in this regard.

      Delete
  4. 9d sector (vs section), nounal indicator?

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  5. A grid with consecutive unches in the first and last places of 2 words! So much for the claims of a universal standard for cryptics in which this is disallowed, or the claim that The Hindu disallows this practice.

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    Replies
    1. I am just hopping its not a "bring your non-standard" Grid week.

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    2. Both 5a and 32a are 6-letter words with only 2 checks.

      Delete
  6. I'll take a stab at 15D:

    Refuse (not very loudly) cab service on the way back (4) UBER

    REBUFF - FF (Very Loud, fortissimo) = {REBU<=} (reversed, or "on the way back")

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I got the same, but the def (cab service) appears in the middle of the clue instead of at one end?!

      Delete
    2. @Ramki I don't think definition appearing at either end is a universal standard, although it is usually the case.

      Delete
    3. @Ramki, yes the setters intended def is in the middle but missing an indicator for inversion.

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    4. Except for a) &lit clues where the entire clue is the def and wordplay, and b) composite anagrams where the def could be something like "this" which appears in the middle of the clue, I think it IS a standard that the def has to appear at one of the clue. If there are any published examples to the contrary, would be happy to learn from them.

      Delete
    5. @sree_sree : "on the way back" is the indicator for inversion no?

      Delete
    6. I agree that the definition location is a small departure from convention.

      Delete
    7. @Ramki
      We have two seperate word plays. One is rebuff-ff. The other is uber<=.
      The clue would be complete when we have something indicating wp1 ("resulting in") Wp2. Resulting in this would be ideal.

      Delete
    8. Clue is pretty well worded for casual solvers.

      Delete
  7. I don't get the [RA] for 8D. Sure it was an easy solve, the letters ARM are clear enough... but I feel like I'm missing something - Is there something building "BATTERING" other than actual literal meaning?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Batter:thrash/damage as anagram indicator

      Delete
  8. Vladimir though full of ENERGY looked AWFUL in his rowdy attire.
    The TART wearing a NIGHTIE was nearing him.
    Vladimir's pulse rate was STEEPENING....Tension was WRIT large on his face.
    All of a sudden the GOVERNOR'S convoy came by.
    What happened next?
    Was it a case of much ADO about nothing?

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  9. Glad Vladimir & CGB are revitalised!

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  10. 14A "drunk" redundant in the clue? misdirected me for some time.

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    Replies
    1. Around is reversal indicator and drunk container indicator. Isn't it?

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    2. I think the clue is fine as it is. Sometimes anagram may turn out to be a plain reverse.
      Drunk is the anagram ind.

      Delete
    3. Reversal is a special case of anagram. I don't think "drunk" is redundant, as the clue involves reversal and containment operations. However I agree a more specific word could have been used instead of drunk to indicate reversal. For example, "Gets around reclining English writer - popular and rising".

      Delete
    4. Won't work. Drunk in this clue is being used as a containment indicator.

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    5. What if we consider "around" to be the containment indicator and "drunk" to be the reversal indicator?

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    6. How an earth can you consider 'Drunk' as a reversal indicator?

      Delete
  11. Yes, it should be drank or even drinks.

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  12. INPUT, SEGMENTATION, GOLF, PROTRACTS, KINETIC were some of the enjoyable clues today. Thanks Vidwan and Col.

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  13. Top row reads "KINETIC ENERGY" while bottom row reads "POETIC LICENSE".

    The wordplay was enjoyable for KINETIC, AWFUL, TART, NIGHTIE, POETIC, RECEIPT and GOLF.

    However I was not convinced by "FENCE" as "stolen goods". However Chambers lists the following definition for FENCE: "*slang* someone who receives and disposes of stolen goods". It would seem that FENCE refers to the dealer of the goods rather than the goods themselves.

    I am still confused as to which is the telescopic indicator in 9d Lord lording over North-eastern sector (8) GOVERNOR. What is the role of "eastern sector" over here? If "sector" can be considered the telescopic indicator then surely "eastern" is redundant.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fence as an intransitive verb means "To act as a conduit for stolen goods." I think that is the intended usage in this clue ("to receive stolen goods", not "stolen goods")

      North-eastern is to be treated as a single word (because of the "-") which is the fodder that hides the answer. But I agree that it could have been just "Northern sector" instead of "North-eastern sector"

      Delete
    2. When it comes to telescopic clues, the setter has a leeway!

      Delete

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