Tuesday 16 August 2011

No 10234, Tuesday 16 Aug 11, Cryptonyte

ACROSS
8   - Not feeling well, treated when hue is changing? Right (5,3,7) - UNDER THE WEATHER*
10 - A note about a dance, not western, by performer (7) - ARTISTE {A}{R{TwIST}E}
11 - Observes how one begins to advise a junior (5,2) - LOOKS ON {LOOK}{S ON}
12 - Smile having drink around king (4) - GRIN {G{R}IN}
13 - Songbird's jolly measure (9) - CHAFFINCH {CHAFF}{INCH}
15 - Dreaming without limit? This may help reduce the pain (7) - ASPIRIN ASPIRINg
17 - Otrivin sprayed in artificial setting (2,5) - IN VITRO*
19 - What a timekeeper would do to pay attention (4,5) - KEEP WATCH [DD]
21 - Sign in to Internet Company from the east (4) - COME ? {COM<-}{E} Not sure of Anno
24 - Saying in favour of action word (7) - PROVERB {PRO}{VERB}
25 - Artist to draw — that's the daily grind (3,4) - RAT RACE {RA}{T RACE}
26 - Term used in Mac Pro group perhaps? (8,7) - COMPUTER PROGRAM* &lit Isn't Mac Pro a computer, rather than a Program?
DOWN
1   - Gold God's haloes (5) - AURAS {AU}{RA'S}
2   - View writer exposes tarot idea on return (6) - EDITOR [T<-] Not clear on the definiton in the clue
3   - Perhaps person in rigorous incarceration initially (8) - PRISONER {P{RI}SONER*} &lit
4   - Prime suspect to stall policeman (5,9) - CHIEF CONSTABLE {CHIEF} {CON}{STABLE}
5   - Final match without head produces fire (3,3) - LAY OFF pLAY OFF
6   - Church in the east has saint and devotee on a tree (8) - CHESTNUT {CH}{E}{ST}{NUT}
7   - Staff gives fifty for tandoori roast starters in meal (9) - TRUNCHEON (-l+tr){TRUNCHEON}
9   - Stroll late in the evening with leash, not new to undertake a precarious course (4,1,9) - WALK A TIGHTROPE {WALK} {A T}{nIGHT}{ROPE}
14 - Key to the dickey? (9) - BACKSPACE {BACK}{SPACE}
16 - Decides beforehand to make small change/changes (8) - PREFORMS P(-e)R(+e)EFORMS (Addendum - {P}{REFORMS} - See comments)
18 - Irritation not professional in line of work (8) - VOCATION proVOCATION
20 - We foul in a bad way. Deplorable (6) - WOEFUL*
22 - Just taking silver is insufficient (6) - MEAGRE {ME{AG}RE}
23 - Squads get break in play after midday session's start (5) - TEAMS {TEA}{M}{S}



28 comments:

  1. 21 - Sign in to Internet // Company from the east (4) - COME ? {COM<-}{E} Not sure of Anno

    (COM)(E)
    Defn: sign in to Internet COME (online)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Venkatesh @ 8:44,

    Looks likely but I'm not convinced

    ReplyDelete
  3. 26a: Without making any comment on the clue itself, I will only say that 'term' and 'Mac Pro group' yield the anagram COMPUTER PROGRAM.

    ReplyDelete
  4. 14 - Key to the dickey? (9) - BACKSPACE {BACK}{SPACE}

    I'd classify the first as a DD

    16 - Decides beforehand to make small change/changes (8) - PREFORMS P(-e)R(+e)EFORMS

    This is p+reforms

    small change = paise = p
    changes = reforms

    ReplyDelete
  5. I thought p stood for penny!

    CV

    More British than the British themselves

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  6. @CV : yes, going by the chambers xwd, p = penny fits. I just thought in the context of THC, paise made sense too.

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  7. Bhavan @ 9:32,

    Why I didn't classify it as a DD is because per se 'backspace' as a word does not mean the space at the back. Secondly though we colloquially refer to the 'boot' of the car as a 'dickey', dickey actually means 'a small third seat in the back of an old-fashioned two-seater'
    That is why I took it as {back}{space}

    ReplyDelete
  8. Doesn't 7D look like a clue for luncheon instead of Truncheon? The latter is a new word for me.

    Not sure about the &lits in 3D and 26A. In 26A, how does the setter convey (A+B)*? In 3D, isn't (person)* outside, rather than in RI?

    Loved others, especially found 14A amusing :D

    ReplyDelete
  9. 21 - Sign in to Internet // Company from the east (4) - COME ? {COM<-}{E} Not sure of Anno

    I think "internet company" is being used to clue .com (as in "DOT COM"). But is this accepted? What happened to the dot?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Of course, I knew you were nationalistic. I was just kidding.

    Incidentally, with autorickshaw men in Chennai demanding 40, 50, and so on in tens, and Rs 100 for distances that don't deserve so much even with high petrol prices, I have lost sense of paises.

    Incidentally, someone tells me that in posh malls, a trick is to confuse buyers while giving change, (e.g., give me five-rupees, I will give x), invariably the salesperson does not give x but x minus something.

    They think the consumers may not notice it, or even when they notice it they may think it's beneath their dignity to ask for it.

    And even otherwise, when the salesperson needs to return Rs 20 or Rs 30, they ask "Can I take this for x charity?". Evidently, for them charity does not begin at home!

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  11. @Colonel I see what you mean, I took 'dickey?' as a lateral definition and so counted it as DD

    @Sudalamani 7D is fine and unambiguous. 26A, it is not uncommon to have different parts of the answer anagrammed before putting the final solution together. So TERM* in MAC PRO GROUP* yielding COMPUTER PROGRAM is fine by me.

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  12. Varun,

    In .com, the 'com' is derived from 'Commercial' and not 'Company'

    ReplyDelete
  13. Bhavan@10:15

    To expatiate my doubt in 7D: I was confused because the idea that L is lost and TR is gained is not very clear. May be you are reading it differently and that aids you.

    But in 26A, how is used as anagrind fine? Moreover, even in your comment, you say TERM* "in" MAC PRO GROUP* - but that "in" is not happening. A 'with' or 'and' to indicate two fragments of anagram fodder would be fine. In any case, the definition is not convincing at all. Computer programs are much more ubiquitous than Macbooks.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Col @ 10:15

    Yes! That had skipped my mind!.. but can it still be used to clue "com" regardless? ie, if one were to find a way to remove the "dot" part?

    For example:

    Escort accountant to pointless Internet start-up with small change, we hear? (9) ACCOMPANY --
    [AC] [COM] dot-less! [PANY] (sounds-like penny)

    Forgive the amateur-ish cluing (I'm a newbie to THC and crosswords in general) - but would this work?

    ReplyDelete
  15. Staff // gives (L) for (TR) in luncheon

    is how I read it.

    Re 26A My point was about having multiple AInds. Now that you highlight it, both the AInds are weak - neither 'used' nor 'perhaps' suggest any movement/rearrangement etc.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Re:21A The intended annotation was COM + E, where internet company gives com and east gives e with sign in as the definition. Not the best clue, I agree.

    Re:26A Term used in Mac Pro group perhaps? (8,7)
    The anagram indicator is perhaps. The word term when added to (used in) Mac Pro group and anagrammed gives "Computer Program" which is possibly a term used in a group of Mac Pro (users). The term Computer Program is definitely not limited to Macs but perhaps it is also used in such a group.

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  17. 21a COM E

    A question would be how A 'from' B can lead to A + B.

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  18. Some really nice clues there - BACKSPACE, LOOKS ON, MEAGER...

    Liked the &lit though there were minor issues in each of 'em - nice attempts nonetheless. "Term used in Mac pro groups" is a pretty vague thing to define. And "initially" has no part in defining PRISONER.

    Didn't like COME. "from the east" for E is a bit long winded.

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  19. Welcome to CBE, Gopi-sir.

    Will you call me on arrival? Can we meet breifly, of possible at my place?

    Any one else available? Would like to meet all of you.

    ReplyDelete
  20. The word Dicky or dickey is given as the boot of a car and the origin is given as Indian in the Oxford online dictionary. So 14D could be a DD too.

    Actually I do remember reading somewhere nd I cannot locate it now that the word Dicky for boot of the car has a Welsh origin.

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  21. Some very nice clues and very enjoyable. Only gripe was "keep" actually appearing in the def of 19A

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  22. You are right David. But, I hardly noticed it. In fact only when you mentioned it.

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  23. Bhargav,

    We wish you Many Happy Returns of the Day.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Venkatesh
    I shall convey the greetings to CGB, who is not online nowadays.

    ReplyDelete
  25. 19a: I did notice the repetition of 'keep' in solution as well as clue.

    ReplyDelete
  26. 'Keep' in the clue is part of 'timekeeper' how can it be considered a repetition in the solution?

    ReplyDelete
  27. Colonel@17:18,
    Nevertheless that 5-character string appears in similar contexts in both the clue and the solution. If one had been a noun for instance -- in the surface, perhaps -- it wouldn't have stood out that much, I suppose.

    I don't have a problem with 26A as such. Yes, it doesn't have an ("acceptable") anagram indicator, yet I was able to solve it on first go so I don't feel the need to nit-pick in retrospect. ;-)

    ReplyDelete

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