Friday 1 June 2012

No 10478, Friday 01 Jun 12, Buzzer

ACROSS
1   - Financial institution, out of sorts, breaks even after end of quarter (7,4) - RESERVE BANK {R}{ESERVE BANK}*
9   - Food ordered for the audience (6) - CEREAL (~serial)
10 - Film converted to one CD-ROM (8) - MICRODOT {TO+1+CD+ROM}*
11 - This -3, is it a positive number? (5) - EIGHT
12 - Ordinary part of speech (7) - ORATION {O}{RATION}
13 - Concern for a boss perhaps (8) - HEADACHE [CD]
15 - Social pests stalk setter in retirement (6) - EMMETS {EM}{METS}<-
16 - Present movie shield (6) - SCREEN [DD]
18 - Give a name to devious snitcher (8) - CHRISTEN*
20 - Sweep about half the shed and another part of house (7) - BEDROOM {B{shED}ROOM}
21 - Flyer running between carousels (5) - OUSEL carOUSELs
22 - Barring the first sign they are authorised to witness signatures (8) - NOTARIES {NOT}{ARIES}
23 - Simple account describing popular hospital (1,5) - A CINCH {A C{IN}C}{H}
24 - A practical government is genuine, mostly civil, independent and heartily liked (11) - REALPOLITIK {REAL}{POLITe}{I}{K}
DOWN
2   - Reportedly plunged into water and surfaced (7) - EMERGED Anno pending (Addendum - (~emersed) - See comments)
3   - Drug powder kicking up a striking effect (5) - ECLAT {E}{CLAT<-}
4   - To flee is a move so pathetic (7) - VAMOOSE*
5   - In the main, he is a robber (9) - BUCCANEER [E]
6   - Element or segment of ESPN broadcast briefly (7) - NIOBIUM After cheating. Anno pending (See comments)
7   - Page missing in first choice reserve volume (9,4) - REFERENCE BOOK {pREFERENCE} {BOOK}
8   - O-T, 150-0-100-1000, 24-7 (5,3,5) - ROUND THE CLOCK {ROUND} {THE} {CL}{O}{C}{K} Definition? (See comments)
14 - Choirmaster's alto in car crash (9) - CANTORIAL*
17 - Finishing touches from a grandmaster (3,4) - END GAME [CD]
18 - Arrives at wakes (5,2) - COMES TO [DD]
19 - Obi: “I'm one Japanese speciality” (7) - SASHIMI {SASH}{I'M}{I}
21 - National roaming unlimited and free (5) - OMANI rOAMINg* This clue figures in today's headline in the Deccan Herald




40 comments:

  1. 21 - National roaming unlimited and free (5) - OMANI rOAMINg* This clue figures in today's headline in the Deccan Herald

    Also on Pg 9 of The Hindu, Bang Ed

    ReplyDelete
  2. 2 - Reportedly plunged into water and surfaced (7) - EMERGED Anno pending

    Put this as EMERSED (opposite of immersed) and had a bit of trouble till 8 emerged in the crossings.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Was it meant to be be EMERSED after all? ~IMMERSED (reportedly plunged into water)? But 11-3=8 seems correct too. A conundrum...

      Delete
    2. Colonel, you had the right answer in EMERGED

      (~Immerge)

      To plunge into, under, or within anything especially a fluid; to dip; to immerse

      Delete
    3. Surprisingly the words merge, immerse and emerge have the same etymons: the Latin mergere meaning 'dip' or 'sink'.

      In English, spelling variants are quite common, eg, ENQUIRE and INQUIRE. I'd say the homophone in this case does not offer adequate wordplay.

      Delete
    4. Also, Collins says the word immerge is archaic.

      Delete
  3. 8 - O-T, 150-0-100-1000, 24-7 (5,3,5) - ROUND THE CLOCK {ROUND} {THE} {CL}{O}{C}{K} Definition?

    I took 24/7 as def.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Just noticed that all the 4 long ones start with R

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks Kishore,

    I seem to have overlooked the 24-7 !!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Element or segment of ESPN broadcast briefly (7) - NIOBIUM After cheating. Anno pending

    Niobium is "briefly" part of ESP{N b}roadcast

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sort of ambiguous clue, Bhavan. Even 'Ca' is a segment, why not CALCIUM?

      Delete
    2. Sort of ambiguous clue, Bhavan. Even 'Ca' is a segment, why not CALCIUM?

      because ...
      ... Niobium is Nb and it fits the crossings?
      ... Calcium is Ca. Not ca, CA or cA?

      Delete
    3. Setters do use CALCIUM in their clues and expect solvers to write CA in the grid - the case is immaterial there.

      The real point though, is not with CA, it is with the wordplay. Consider this clue:

      Say Subbulakshmi's company (9)

      This can't be a clue for MICROSOFT, though both MS=Microsoft and MS=Subbulakshmi is obvious. Reason? A two step jump. The same is the case here: you want solvers to pick some two letters, interpret 'briefly' in a way you desire and also know the element corresponding to Nb = Stretch.

      IMO, in general, the wordplay, if present, must be for the full word.

      Delete
    4. Setters do use CALCIUM in their clues and expect solvers to write CA in the grid - the case is immaterial there.

      How is that relevant here? I have given Nb and expect you to write Niobium. Writing CA and expecting Calcium as the answer would be wrong.

      Let's just agree to disagree on this one.

      Delete
  7. Loved 1A, 13A, 21D. Didn't like "A CINCH" as an entry and the connector at 12A - 'of speech' is ORATORICAL, rather than ORATION.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is not 'of speech'. It is to be read as 'part of'-ration. 'O' for ordinary.

      Delete
  8. Niobium is a good one, more in the line of Sankalak. Since it is such a rare element, it does not easily come to mind,esp. the brief version.

    A doubt about 8D- O-T for round? Never suspected Roman numerals and hence all at sea!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Replies
    1. Same doubt for me. T for the?

      Delete
    2. I have seen T being used for The in crosswords quite often. Don't know how.

      Delete
  10. Toughie, had to exercise the grey matter quite a bit. But some really lovely clues and wordplay.

    Col: you still have 'EMERSED' as the solution for 2D, but in view of the crossing, has to be 'EMERGED' only?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Bhala, I have since corrected that

      Delete
    2. You managed to correct it incorrectly. should be (~Immerge)

      Doesn't matter

      Delete
  11. 8D: I took O-T to mean 'one to twelve'. 24/7 is obvious. Didn't quite get the 150-0-100-1000 part

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you substitute the Roman numerals for those numbers, you get CL-O-C-K

      Delete
    2. Yes, rather obvious on reflection, and I can see that it has also been annotated in the solution. Thanks Bhavan. I suppose sometimes when the solution is clear, one (read 'I')doesn't do a deep dive thereafter

      Delete
  12. Repeating the question. How does 'the' become 'T or vice versa

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Like CV mentioned I looked it up in Chambers XWD dictionary. I told myself that T for The looks OK since it is used often in the game of dumb charades.

      Delete
  13. Chambers XWD: A Dictionary of Crossword Abbreviations gives 'the' (among others) for 't'.

    The BRB itself does not seem to have 'the' for 't'.

    XWD gives not only the abbreviations listed in the BRB but also abbreviations that are generally used in crosswords.

    If I am not mistaken, one other setter of THC (not Gridman) has indeed used 't' for 'the' but that person may have derived it from that looong list that you Suresh are quite aware of.

    AFAIK, standard UK crossword puzzles don't use 't' for 'the' but advanced puzzles (Listener, etc) do use or so I understand.

    However, I can't think of any context where the abbr. 't' is used for 'the' just as I know where o' might be used for 'of' and so on.

    Perhaps it is simply from the convention - not generally accepted - that 't' is simply derived from the first letter of the definite article 'the'.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thx. Loong list is the only place I found it. I don't think it is used anywhere in normal usage. It is not there in abbreviations.com, not in shorthand, not used in SMS's, telegraphy, or anywhere. So while Chambers may list it, is it a legitimate usage in Crosswords?

      If it is Chambers and used in advanced puzzles in UK, it is probably used in some professions, occupations or fields of work somewhere.

      Delete
    2. Ah! Dumb charades, Bhavan. Maybe it is used in sign language.

      Like it when loose ends are fully tied up.

      Delete
    3. Just to add another angle to this long discussion: T could stand for tea, which in turn becomes 'the' in French!

      If any of you are tempted to swear, spare the French!

      Delete
    4. I think once 'tea' was pronounced in a different way than how we do it now. It was probably closer to French.

      Consider Pope:

      Here thou, great Anna! whom three realms obey,
      Dost sometimes counsel take—and sometimes tea.

      Note: 'tea' rhymes with 'obey' in this rhyming couplet.

      Delete
  14. very good cw nice surface.liked 8d and 21d best

    ReplyDelete
  15. Thank you Bhavan . whose turn is tomorrow ? don't think I will be able to do tomorrow as I won't get paper at my calicut home :-(:-(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not sure Ajeesh. Yesterday and today should have been Neyartha's as per the last cycle. I don't know if it will be Scintillator or Neyartha tomorrow.

      Delete
  16. Isn't the set of Roman numerals infamous for not having a symbolic representation for zero?

    ReplyDelete

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