Wednesday 9 March 2011

No 10097, Wednesday 09 Mar 11, Gridman

ACROSS
1   - Not spoken about Nu coming back with objectionable video capturing Chinese leader (8) - {UN<-}{VOI{C}ED}
5   - Credit one check mark (not thousand) to the fault-finder (6) - {CR}{I}{TICk}
10 - Conceal group (excluding troop leader) on island (7) - {SEt}{CRETE}
11 - Book in French — “It's No Yolk” (7) - {ALBUM}{EN}
12 - Dull indifference shown by local supporter (male) (6) - {PH}{LEG}{M} Anno for PH not clear (See comments)
13 - Expert turned out wearing visor inexpertly (8) - {VIR{TUO<-}SO*}
15 - Wince as condom slips off: move slowly (4) - flINCH
16 - Not that these serve drinks in jails (6,4) - PRISON BARS [CD]
18 - Vehicle out on a trip: making arc (7,3) - {TOURING} {CAR*}
20 - Top account by Gridman (4) - {AC}{ME}
23 - Shrinking from Niger cow on the rampage (8) - COWERING*
24 - Dread of horse on road besieged by men from both sides (6) - {H>{OR)(RO}<R}? (See comments)
26 - Plague to royal guru who is left with no alternative (7) - {TO}{R}{MENTor}
27 - Charge international leader 1,000 paise apiece (7) - {I}{M}{P}{EACH}
28 - Stop fellow-countryman on street (6) - {DESI}{ST}
29 - Just leave the capital and take off — from here? (8) - {fAIR}{STRIP} &lit
DOWN
1   - Like country cousin or rude forefathers of Gray? (15) - UNSOPHISTICATED [DD]
2   - Articulated about village officer having unfinished material (7) - {VO}{CALICo}
3   - Super-cool time of one Oriental in prison (3,3) - {I}{C{E} AGE}
4   - More recent, uncapped pitcher (4) - nEWER
6   - Discounting Greg losing his head over cricketer still playing (8) -{gRE{BAT}{IN}G}
7   - Bingo! Tax officer and doctor stumble on palm leaf (7) - {TO}{MB}{OLA}
8   - Skill of well-informed person pincushions Rose's discomfiture (15) - CONNOISSEURSHIP*
9   - He may like to be with US city maidens, perhaps (6,3) - {LA}{DIES MAN*}
14 - Begin and speak about single drink (9) - {OR{I}{GIN}ATE} My COD
17 - They are boring tattoo parlour workers, perhaps (8) - PIERCERS [CD]
19 - How the successful move (7) - UPWARDS [CD]
21 - Reportedly more vulgar pirate (7) - (~coarser)CORSAIR 
22 - It's surprise to endlessly promote a body of writing matter (6) - {COR}{PUSh} Didn't know this meaning of Corpus
25 - In Bharuch I find a sound equipment (2-2) - HI-FI [T]



25 comments:

  1. 12 - Dull indifference shown by local supporter (male) (6) - {PH}{LEG}{M} Anno for PH not clear

    PH = Public House (Local)

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  2. Thanks Sandhya, don't know how I missed that

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  3. Drastic reduction in CDs from yesterday : )

    My CoD is 3D for it reminded me of the incorrigible Sid.

    Aside : (too many clues having parentheses?)

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  4. The cartoon under 21d is a grim reminder about the fate of Indian sailors held hostage by these pirates, with the Indian government doing precious little to save them. My heart goes out to mothers, wives and other relatives of the victims who have been languishing far away from their homes for months.

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  5. 24d is yet to be solved on the Orkut community: THCS. Even if solved it is unlikely to be justified. Here it is still to be fully annotated. Will wait until 8 p.m. before I step in.

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  6. Oh! I just assumed that the anno. was H{OR}R{OR} but now I see that the Col. has it slightly different.

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  7. I thought Colonel's anno was right ?

    24 - Dread of horse on road besieged by men from both sides (6) - {H>{OR)(RO}RO)R

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  8. Horse = H
    Road = R
    Besieged = C/C Indicator
    Men = OR

    H(OR<->RO)R

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  9. Hmm. I had interpreted "road besieged by men on both sides" to imply R had (was besieged by) men (OR) on both sides to give OR{R}OR, ie. R(oad) was contained by OR on either side.

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  10. in the case of the anno. provided by Bhavan and the Col., I think the word play phrase, "on both sides" would be doing double duty (indicating reversal of on OR as well as having two men (OR)).

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  11. Well, now that I have applied my mind to it, I have had to retrieve from my position mentioned above and withdraw the anno that I gave. It didn't work though I thought that was Gridman's intention. The question mark at the end of the Col's anno can be safely removed as it works better and approximates to G's original - by which I only mean initial and not in any claim to innovativeness - thinking.
    H[(OR)-><-(RO)]R

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  12. veer
    besieged is c/c ind
    'men' is content component
    from both sides is -> <- ind for the content

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  13. veer
    Your anno too fits well. It has no prob whatsoever.

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  14. in 0939 post of mine, read 'retreat' rather than 'retrieve'.

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  15. Veer, you anno is quite possible too.

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  16. While Vocalic is the answer for 2d, I don't think it quite fits the definition of "articulated". To the best of my recollection, vocalic is an adjective meaning "containing or consisting of vowels".

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  17. Vikram
    Yes, the meaning that you have recollected for 'vocalic' is right!
    But I believe it can also mean 'articulated', 'spoken'.
    As you say, it is an adj. The def in the clue for word required is also an adj. As in "His articulated response to the criticism of a clue was appreciated by readers."

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  18. My 2 bit:

    24a I took men=other ranks=OR
    9d &lit too, I can vouch for it, being one of the brigade ;-)

    The Sing-sing motif is there in both 3d and 16a

    After yesterday’s inner clue in 27a, Gridman delves deeper today with 15a. Of course he has got rid of the French lessor, who has let out his house.

    I am not sure if the US, after renaming French Fries to Freedom Fries, renamed these letters too.

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  19. Forgot to mention that 14d reminded me of the DGin.

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  20. Come to think of it (I have just come back home after a long journey by the notorious auto in Chennai and sanity could dawn on you even as your bones shake), Veer's anno is nearer the wordplay in the clue.
    H OR(R)OR
    Here road, R, is actually besieged (surrounded) by men, OR's.

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  21. I am with Veer's anno.

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  22. & CV was besieged by Otto Rickshaw-drivers, OR ;-)

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  23. 7d - Tamil 'Olai' is referred as 'ola' - may be Malayalam, I suppose.

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