Monday 18 September 2023

No 13973, Monday 18 Sep 2023, Dr. X

HAPPY GANESH CHATHURTHI

 

Artwork by Prasanna

 

Drawing by Bhargav

 

Rangoli by Gowri

Solution to 2D 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.

ACROSS
1   Flushed on ecstasy, go astray cuddling German model again (8) REDESIGN {RED}{E}{SI{G}N}
5   Read quickly about boy at university, devotee of a winter sport (3,3) SKI BUM {SKI{B}{U}M}
10 It's easy Doctor Watson, elementary to begin with (2,5) NO SWEAT {WATSON+El...y}*
11 Observes insect jumping over ball (7) NOTICES {N{O}TICES*}
12 Uproar about getting stumped in defeat (5) WORST {ROW<=}{ST}
13 Most irascible cry of pain by one during examination (9) TOUCHIEST {T{OUCH}{1}EST}
14 Dominate husband, utter loser fighting over nothing (4,3,5) RULE THE ROOST {H+UTTER+LOSER}* over {0}
18 Bond in a heliport, leaping to catch head of Spectre (12) RELATIONSHIP {IN+A+HELIPORT}* over {Sp...e}
21 Panther roaming over Greek landmark (9) PARTHENON {PANTHER*}{ON}
23 Drive around a country in Europe (5) SPAIN {SP{A}IN}
24 Mistake by clerk in building (7) CLINKER*
25 One helping to leak stuff at Centre rather craftily (7) URETHRA {stUff}{RATHER*}
26 Shelter outside cement plant (6) LEGUME {LE{GUM}E}
27 Isolate in cabin with first signs of another wave in state (4,4) SHUT AWAY {HUT}{An...r}{Wave} in {SAY}

DOWN
1   Compere now nicely introduces celebrity (6) RENOWN [T]
2   See key in flat (6) D?S?R? (Addendum - DESCRY {D{ESC}RY} - See comments)
3   Wife in house getting fit in exercise outfit (9) SWEATSUIT {S{W}EAT}{SUIT}
4   Visit rural area and call for general election (2,2,3,7) GO TO THE COUNTRY [DD]
6   Sailing vessel in Phuket, cheap (5) KETCH [T]
7   Cheat around, picking up smart liberal unmarried man (8) BACHELOR {ROB<=} over {ACHE}{L}
8   Pervert in art gallery following young lady (8) MISSTATE {TATE}<=>{MISS}
9   Retired individual crushed by huge housing crash! No more will be tolerated (6,2,6) ENOUGH IS ENOUGH {ONE<=}{HUGE+HOUSING}*
15 Vet again checks domestic animal having cold (9) REINSPECT {REINS}{PE{C}T}
16 Hot and popular, captivates girls at centre (8) TROPICAL {T{giRls}OPICAL}
17 Warning in beer bar inside arena (8) ALERTING {ALE}{R{T}ING}
19 Nut in jacket filming hot woman (6) CASHEW {CAS{H}E}{W}
20 Confrontation in New York after unionist gets reckless (6) UNWARY {N{WAR}Y}<=>{U}
22 Utter nonsense and croon, drinking Old Monk in the end (5) HOKUM {H{O}{monK}UM}

Reference List
Ecstasy = E, German = G, Boy = B, University = U, Stumped = ST, Husband = H, Key = ESC, Wife = W, Liberal = L, Cold = C, Bar = T, Hot = H, Woman = W, Unionist = U, Old = O

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45 comments:

  1. Padmanabhan18 September 2023 at 08:52

    Happy Vinayaka Chaturhi to all.
    Thank you Prasann, Bardhan & Gowri for brightening up the blog.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Deepak Gopinath18 September 2023 at 09:03

      Paddy, who is Bardhan?

      Delete
    2. Prasanna Rao18 September 2023 at 09:03

      Thank you Paddy sir....
      @Bhargav 'sir..well done.
      @ Rangoli was too good.
      Blog decorated with colors of Ganesha.
      My sincere thanks to Col. sir for posting Artworks.

      Delete
    3. Sree Sree18 September 2023 at 09:06

      Thanks to the trio for making this day bright and joyful.

      Delete
    4. Padmanabhan18 September 2023 at 09:14

      Col., unpardonable typo in Bhargav's name. My bad.
      Good leg pulling!

      Delete
    5. Padmanabhan18 September 2023 at 09:17

      Partly due to my typing on cell phone in place of laptop.

      Delete
  2. Padmanabhan18 September 2023 at 08:54

    'No Paper' notice in print edition for tomorrow. I am sure we will have a special.

    ReplyDelete
  3. C.G. BHARGAV18 September 2023 at 08:59

    Vladimir bribed some officials and avoided the court NOTICES.
    Thus the WORST part was over.
    "HOKUM. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. I shall no longer try for any
    permanent RELATIONSHIP. I shall SHUT AWAY from the public and
    GO TO THE COUNTRY in SPAIN.
    Let me remain a BACHELOR for ever."

    What happened next?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Prasanna Rao18 September 2023 at 09:04

      CGB sir well drawn. Blog lighting with colors.

      Delete
    2. C.G. BHARGAV18 September 2023 at 09:07

      Thank you

      Delete
    3. Padmanabhan18 September 2023 at 09:16

      CGB, good decision on Vinayaka Chaturthi- to remain bachelor forever!

      Delete
    4. Rao Pilla18 September 2023 at 10:49

      The MISSTATE of Vladimir's URETHRA, ALERTING to his CLINKER, made him REINSPECT the CASHEWs in his SWEATSUIT. In TOUCHIEST of moods he set off to visit the PARTHENON in a KETCH, UNWARY of the TROPICAL heat. 😁

      Delete
  4. Deepak Gopinath18 September 2023 at 09:02

    Holiday special at 7 AM tomorrow by Veeyares

    ReplyDelete
  5. Padmanabhan18 September 2023 at 09:19

    Felt good to have Dr.X on a holiday-more time to savour, though I missed a couple.
    Enough is enough stood out.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Padmanabhan18 September 2023 at 09:23

    One helping to leak!! Dr.at it again- so common for him, though we have to work at it. Good one.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Kolluru Koteswara Rao18 September 2023 at 09:44

    Greetings to you all on Vinayaka Chathurthi! Thanks to CGB, Gowri and Prasanna for the great art works.

    ReplyDelete
  8. AJ18 September 2023 at 11:42

    Happy Ganesh chaturthi to all! Thanks to Prasanna for a lovely artwork, CGB for beautiful drawing and Gowri for her nice Rangoli.

    ReplyDelete
  9. RR18 September 2023 at 12:20

    Lovely artworks by Prasanna, CGB and Gowri. Happy Ganesh Chaturthi to all!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Prasanna Rao18 September 2023 at 13:00

    2D - DESCRY - [DD]
    Def. is see - descry /sight / espy - perceive with eyes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rao Pilla18 September 2023 at 13:14

      2D See key in flat (6)
      I didn't get the anno.

      Delete
    2. D N M Rao18 September 2023 at 13:18

      2Dn DESCRY - {D{ESC}RY}

      Delete
    3. Satyen Nabar18 September 2023 at 13:18

      This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    4. Satyen Nabar18 September 2023 at 13:20

      Hi. Mr D N M Rao, your annotation is spot-on.

      Delete
    5. D N M Rao18 September 2023 at 13:21

      Thank you Doctor

      Delete
    6. Padmanabhan18 September 2023 at 13:41

      'Esc' is the key!

      Delete
    7. Prasanna Rao18 September 2023 at 14:21

      Just noticed your comment. key is inside ....Esc. is the computer key and Dry is flat. so
      {D{ESC}RY}. Tricky one.

      Delete
  11. Economizer18 September 2023 at 16:48

    This grid is a Dr. X classic, giving the solver a fair challenge, entertaining journey to the solutions and hardly anything to grumble about. A couple of tough charades (1D and 2D) were rewarding and last to fall in my case.

    GRID DESIGN. This is one of the very standard grid designs used in Guardian, etc., featuring 28 clues. It gets divided into 4 quarters that are connected by 4 long clues in a + formation across and down the middle. Given that the Doc frequently repeats grid patterns, we can expect to see more of the same later in the week. Another of the doc's designs has 4 long clues going along the outer edges.

    WORD SELECTION. The 4 longer clues tend to be mostly idioms that are fun to solve, and are probably also fun to set the wordplay for. 5A SKI BUM, 21A PARTHENON, 25A URETHRA, 14A RULE THE ROOST and 9D ENOUGH IS ENOUGH were memorable for being unusual words but satisfying to discover, one or two with a tinge of toilet humour. Some "re-" words appeared in the grid - 1A REDESIGN, 1D RENOWN, 18A RELATIONSHIP and 15D REINSPECT.

    CLUE SURFACES. The setter takes pains to write highly interesting surfaces that are delightful to read, grammatically inoffensive, thematically convincing and having a certain provocativeness or X-factor to them. There is usually some excitement felt when perusing sentences like 1A (involving ecstasy and cuddling German model), 10A (a sentence that could have been uttered by Sherlock Holmes), 13A (which could have described the actions of one of the Doc's patients), 16A (007-themed), 27A (in which someone is afraid of an infectious wave - or is it a tsunami?) and 20D (which could be a New York Times headline). The Doctor's trademark raunchiness appears in 14A, 3D, 7D, 8D, 16D, 19D and 22D. With such interesting clues, it is easy to forgive small grammatical issues as they reward the solver on both surface and cryptic levels. Even short and simple clues like 23A and 24A are worth mentioning as elegant examples.

    DOUBLE ENTENDRES. Dr. X is a master of changing the meaning of words change between the surface and cryptic readings. In 10A, "Doctor Watson" becomes anagrind and anagram fodder. In 12A, the definition "defeat" goes from being a noun to a verb, "smart" in 7D alternates between adjective and verb duties, while the same holds for "fit" in 3D. in 27A, "state" switches from noun on the surface to verb in the cryptic charade.

    SOME BLOOPERS. I had filled 24A as "crinkle" and had a hard time understanding how 4D GO TO THE BOONIES had anything to do with elections. Another error I had made was in the anno of 15D, in which I had identified "again" as RE, "checks" as link word, INSECT as "domestic animal" and was left thinking about how P = "cold".

    DIRECTIONAL "IN" LINK-WORD. Last month, the Doc responded that he does not see the use of the link-word "in" to be a problem in the case of clues that read "[wordplay] in [solution]". I beg to differ. I think it is a case of confusing subject and object in grammar. In my estimation, clues that read "[solution] in [wordplay]" are fine. They are like saying "the treasure lies in the contents of the chest". But "[wordplay] in [solution]" is like saying "the contents of the chest lie in the treasure", which may or may not be accurate, depending on the (unknown) contents of the chest. Ref: 3D SWEATSUIT ("Wife in house getting fit in exercise outfit (9)"). In the general case, the solution is always in the wordplay (by construction). But the wordplay may or may not be contained "in" the solution. As "in" is also a containment indicator, in such cases it can semantically misdirect the solver who is parsing the clue.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sree Sree18 September 2023 at 18:02

      I am wondering if there is a "settérs" Enclave somewhere.
      This "in" Wasnt that visible (ig ever used) 2 years or so back.

      Delete
    2. Satyen Nabar18 September 2023 at 21:44

      Hi Sree, I understand you have a pet peeve and you are welcome to stick to your point of view but factual inaccuracy will not do. Your statement 'This "in" Wasnt that visible (ig ever used) 2 years or so back.' is factually incorrect. This was visible 9 years back in 2014 with Sankalak Sir and 4 years back in 2019 with Gridman Sir. I am not going further back because what I see in 5 minutes of search should be enough to prove the point that it is not some 'new' thing.

      SANKALAK 2013, 2014

      https://thehinducrosswordcorner.blogspot.com/2014/01/no-10994-wednesday-29-jan-2014-sankalak.html
      1 Belligerent chap goes after cache of money in a landmark place in aviation (5,4) KITTY HAWK {KITTY} {HAWK}

      https://thehinducrosswordcorner.blogspot.com/2013/11/no10933-monday-18-nov-2013-sankalak.html
      29 Workers affected in penal colony (6,4) LABOUR CAMP

      https://thehinducrosswordcorner.blogspot.com/2013/11/no-10932-saturday-16-nov-2013-sankalak.html
      13 First of dogs as well as English cat in plant (9) DANDELION {D}{AND}{E}{LION}

      27 Indian story by goddess in a dance (9) KATHAKALI {KATHA}{KALI}

      GRIDMAN 2019

      https://thehinducrosswordcorner.blogspot.com/2019/09/no-12727-wednesday-11-sep-2019-gridman.html
      10 Went over a sailor, ill-mannered, in soldiers' training area (7,6) ASSAULT COURSE (~ a salt coarse)

      https://thehinducrosswordcorner.blogspot.com/2019/08/no-12697-tuesday-06-aug-2019-gridman.html
      19 Scent model left in bar (4) RAIL tRAIL
      28 Priest beginning to secure changes in church books (8) PSALTERS {Pr...t}{Se...e}{ALTERS}
      15 Rare art I found used in green houses (8) TERRARIA*

      https://thehinducrosswordcorner.blogspot.com/2019/08/no-12696-monday-05-aug-2019-gridman.html
      9 Upset, I'm leaving the other woman in tension (6) STRESS miSTRESS

      https://thehinducrosswordcorner.blogspot.com/2019/06/no-12664-friday-28-jun-2019-gridman.html
      11 Heart of cricket team is in art film (5) INDIE {wINDIEs}








      Delete
    3. Satyen Nabar18 September 2023 at 21:56

      Thanks for the detailed write-up, Mr Viswanathan! Glad indeed to hear your enthusiastic views and opinions about crosswords in general.

      Delete
  12. Ramki Krishnan18 September 2023 at 16:48

    Happy Vinayaka Chaturthi all. Thanks Gowri Prasanna and CGB for the lovely artwork, and Dr X for the enjoyable grid.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Prasanna Rao18 September 2023 at 17:36

    Thanks to AJ mam, sree_sree, RR, Sathia & Ramki for liked trio's artwork. Hope will decorate the blog in the near future. Thank you Dr.X for the enjoyable grid.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Gowri18 September 2023 at 21:43

    Thank u Doc for a lovely puzzle! After a hard days work (Puja & all) it was such fun to solve ur grid.
    As u correctly predicted long back - once the setter & solver are in sync - solutions come naturally & thrilled to have aced.
    Wish everybody here a very happy Ganesh Chathurthi.
    Thank you colonel for giving me a platform to display my art.,

    ReplyDelete

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