Friday 4 March 2011

No 10093, Friday 04 Mar 11, Gridman

ACROSS
1   - Does it rattle as it opens the lock? (8,3) - SKELETON KEY [CD]
9   - Think umpire's reproof is far too short (7) - {REF}{LECTure}
10 - A bit of medicine in dirty porch is an insect repellent (7) - {C{A}{M}PHOR*}
11 - Clergyman's rule (5) - CANON [DD]
12 - Expert's song to be played out is forecast (9) - {PRO}{GNOS*}{IS}
13 - Before jaunt, I locked cases (5) - UNTIL [T]
15 - Cistern XI installed outside (9) - EXTRINSIC*
18 - Pleasure in possession (9) - ENJOYMENT [DD]
21 - Favourite Queen in prison (5) - {PET}{ER}
22 - Legal representation cut down by British party member (9) - {STATUe}{TORY}
24 - Give a hint to lack of head in extract (5) - pICKLE (Addendum - (-w)INKLE - See comments)

26 - Walk — holy man's hard walk (7) - {S}{H}{AMBLE}
27 - Malathi's refurbished chamber (7) - THALAMI*
28 - Not being here (11) - ABSENTEEISM [E]
DOWN
1   - Restrict universal adaptation of censure (9) - {STRICT(U){RE*}
2   - Child, somewhat self-interested (5) - ELFIN [T]
3   - Going on and on? Peter in rally starts not! (9) - {pETER}{iN}{rALLY}
4   - Having eight members — with Tamil leader emerging as cult poet (7) - OCTUPLEt*
5   - Dismiss 1000, 1, 100, 1000 completely (4,3) - {K}{I}{C}{K} {OUT}
6   - Desire to trap Gridman in foreign country (5) - {YE{ME}N}
7   - Small, small one finally found in box of games requirement (5,3) - {CHES{S} {S}{E}T}
8   - Fine pursuits, perhaps (4) - ARTS [CD]
14 - Model a card on big Indian land's original monument (3,5) - {T}{A}{J} {MAHA}{L}
16 - Incriminate mischievous fellow disturbing recital, not allowing it to start (9) - {IMP}{LICATEr*}
17 - Enjoy the present! Mad recipe has come out all right! (5,4) - CARPE DIEM*
19 - They intend to form a secret union (7) - ELOPERS [CD]


20 - Attempt to do something risky in a fitting room? (3,2,2) - TRY IT ON [CD]
22 - Castaway's message — nothing unexceptional (2-2) - {SO-S}{O}
23 - Doctor in old city encounters a shade (5) - {U{MB}R}{A}
25 - Sturdy material dacoits' leader looted out of Maharashtra town (5) - KHAdKI



25 comments:

  1. Blogger did it again, luckily I was at home so could see that it got published thought it's 3 minutes late

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  2. Hi,
    7D CHES(S SE)T reminds of the time when CV had asked for words continuously using the same letter thrice.
    (-p)ETER (-i)N (-r)ALLY my COD. Even after putting in the word, it took a little time for the penny to drop.
    As aside (literally, as it is printed next to the CW in the Bang ed), This Day That Age column talks of two CRs. One Rajaji’s comment on the governance and budget (quite valid even now) and promotion of cycle rickshaws (as against hand pulled rickshaws) in Madras.

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  3. Watterson is great as usual. Only, Deepak, I fear it is copyright material.

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  4. 23 - Doctor in old city encounters a shade (5) - {U{MB}R}{A}

    Hesitant supporter ?

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  5. Make it a full-fledged crossword clue:

    Shade of hesitancy shown by supporter (5)

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  6. Reverting to the redoubtable Calpurnia:

    M C X 1110
    D X I 511
    C L X 160

    1 1 1
    6 4 9
    0 0
    0

    Hence, she was 19. Oh the ides of March are approaching ;-)

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  7. Gridman's crossword is easier to solve than Kishore's Calpurnia.Too curious to understand the numerals (I could only follow the 1st part of Roman numerals).19,ides of march,Calpurnia,???-need urgent clarification!!

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  8. umbra=penumbra-pen.I am unable to convert this idea into a good clue.

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  9. 2 queries:
    ICKLE means little so how does the meaning fit or are there secondary definitions....
    Also could Khadki be strictly called a town...
    can anyone explain

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  10. Hi Ajay,
    Sorry about that, it should have been (-w)INKLE, I have since corrected it.

    Regarding Khadki(Kirkee)in Pune, strictly speaking you are correct, however if you go South from Pune on the Pune - Bangalore highway you will finda place called Khadki

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  11. Hi Colonel,
    Thanks a lot for the clarification. That means inkle is from inkling though the online dictionary doesnt categorically say that. Do u have any links to that possible form of the word or is it archaic.
    As regards, Khadki that set me searching for towns like pimpri,akola etc etc so completely eluded me.

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  12. Ajay,

    Inkling is from 'inkle' Origin ME: meaning 'utter in an undertone' as per my Concise Oxford Dict.

    Agreed, I too did not find it in the online dict which says 'inkle' is 'a coloured linen tape for trimmings'! However I now find that it is there on Wordnik as well.

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  13. Near Pune there is also a place called Nigdi. I visited it once several years ago. Kannadigas would tend to make a joke about it as the word sounds like a word that means 'cold' (as in URTI).

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  14. I lived in Nigdi for 3 years, yet couldn't get KHADKI!

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  15. Loved the Calvin cartoon :)

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  16. I found a dropped hankie,
    It was cute, odd and funky,
    Dreaming I went around,
    And to my chagrin found,
    It belonged a laDki from KhaDki.

    This was no ordinary coup,
    For her pop was in a troop.
    He was quite dapper,
    By profession a sapper,
    Of the Bombay Engineer Group.

    When he was on his Tatra,
    I gave my name as Batra,
    When we tried to elope,
    Riding a fast antelope,
    We found he was Sarvatra.

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  17. Hi, can someone please explain the answer to 21a? I understand that pet is for favourite but what does er stand for ?

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  18. Queen=Elizabeth Regina=ER

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  19. You can see the R clearly on this uniform (though unfortunately the E is covered by the sash)

    http://www.google.co.in/imgres?imgurl=http://farm1.static.flickr.com/107/267310191_cbe00b5e3b.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.flickr.com/photos/mchammer/267310191/&h=375&w=500&sz=177&tbnid=IIbSrwcvfjKKNM:&tbnh=98&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbeefeaters&zoom=1&q=beefeaters&usg=__tHiO5B2H5qzGuRToaAEKacgaRhk=&sa=X&ei=jclwTYPeF83QcdPR2fgC&ved=0CDEQ9QEwBA

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  20. This link has better pics.

    http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/questions/Beefeaters.htm

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  21. Thanks Kishore for the explanation!

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  22. Welcome, Smith123.

    Elementary my dear Paddy. The non Roman numerals give the value of the Roman ones,

    Rows:
    MCX 1110, a multiple of 37
    DXI 511, a multiple of 73
    CLX 160, a non prime factor of one down, ie,1600

    Columns:
    MDC 1600, a square
    CXL 140, a multiple of y
    XIX 19, Calpurnia's age

    Calpurnia was Julius Caesar's wife and was 16 when he married her. She is supposed to have had a dream of his body bleeding and Romans washing themselves in his blood and even tried to dissuade him from visiting the senate on the fateful day. The ides of March refer to the middle of March when Caesar was assassinated. Sometime next weekend would be about it.

    I quote Shakespeare:

    Brutus: ...Because Caesar was my dear friend, I weep for him; because he was fortunate, I rejoice at his good fortune; because he was valiant, I honor him; but--because he was ambitious, I killed him. There are tears for his friendship; joy for his fortune; honor for his valor; and death for his ambition.

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  23. CXL 140, a multiple of y

    Please read 7 instead of y in the above.

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  24. @Kishore: Enjoyed your poem :D

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  25. BTW, Sarvatra is the motto of the Corps of Engineers encompassing the Madras, Bombay and Bengal Engineer Groups, being the Sanskrit equivalent of Ubique used by the Royal Engineers.

    And Tatra is a truck of Czech origin used in the Indian Army.

    Not sure whether on or in is more apt in the first line of the third stanza. One can be on a truck and in a truck.

    BTW, it was an attempt to use the antelope and Khadki inspired by the laDki from Nigdi ;-). Khadki is the base of the Bombay Engineer Group. And an attempt to doff my shako at the resident Thambi.

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