Friday 3 August 2012

No.10532, Friday 03 Aug 12, Scintillator

Intoxicating puzzle from Scintillator even if a little heavy on the anagram count. I see a pattern with the down clues referring to a drink either in the clue or in the answer. This "down a drink" theme is perfect for a Friday.

ACROSS
1 Mangled customary attempt to excise membrane (6) MUCOSA (CUStMOrAy)*
4 Made a request — to Twinkle or Dimple? (8) IMPLORED (OR DIMPLE)*
9 Established crime becomes prevalent (4,2) SETS,IN (SET + SIN)
10 Congress leader withholds love for old European country (8) SLOVENIA (S{-o}{+LOVE}INA)
12 Secret affair to arouse one’s curiosity (8) INTRIGUE (DD)
13 Priest is near Gaya, westbound for Allahabad (6) PRAYAG (PR + GAYA<-)
15 Well, it’s OK (4) FINE (DD)
16 Soft belly is the setting for assorted assimilation (7,3) MELTING, POT (MELTING + POT)
19 A new judge misses imperfect justification that’s concocted (10) FICTITIOUS (jUSTIFICaTIOn)*
20 Generated livelihood for reporters (4) BRED (~BREAD)
23 Disgusting bridal make-up (6) RIBALD (BRIDAL)*
25 Assistant in laboratory decomposing yellow metal off (5,3) ALTAR,BOY (LABorATORY)*
27 A message from the skies? (8) AEROGRAM (CD)
28 Portion of Indian dish gets cut in half (6) DOSAGE (DOSA + GEts)
29 Hotels serve tea before one’s tasted some starter (8) EATERIES (TEA* + I inside ERE + S)
30 Takes control of Shylock’s secretary without hesitation (6) USURPS (USURer + PS)

DOWN
1 Mom’s pet dog (7) MASTIFF (MA'S + TIFF)
2 Tom has a medicine and bananas (9) CATATONIC (CAT + A + TONIC)
3 I strip out to show inner fire (6) SPIRIT (I STRIP)*
5 Whiskey mac at last, tea at first (4) MALT (Acrostic)
6 Forcing student constantly to take gin cocktail (8) LEVERING (L + EVER + GIN*)
7 Hot drink is uncorked (5) RANDY (bRANDY)
8 Auditor’s blueprint is current (7) DRAUGHT (~DRAFT)
11 Rum? Nice when brewed in discrete quantities (7) NUMERIC (RUM NICE)*
14 Resolutely lusty to change (7) STOUTLY (LUSTY TO)*
17 Prison city, harbour and British king’s home (4,5) PORT, BLAIR (PORT + B + LAIR)
18 He may be a rustic retard in more foul surroundings (8) VILLAGER (LAG inside VILER)
19 Abandon in favour of a cause (7) FORSAKE (FOR + SAKE)
21 Drought caused by Prohibition? (7) DRYNESS (DD)
22 Bans of very ordinary cricketer overturned (6) TABOOS (SO + O + BAT)<-
24 Cap taken off — beer and tacos to begin with! (5) BERET (BEER + T)*
26 Offer constricted by appraisal errors (4) SALE (T)
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29 comments:

  1. Col_Gopinath3 August 2012 at 08:53

    Unable to view my blog from my home, doing so from elsewhere. Anybody with any ideas on how to set it right? Obviously it has something to do with my BSNL Broadband net connection!!!

    Luckily today was Bhavan's day to blog, hope I can set it right by tomorrow

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Suresh3 August 2012 at 10:56

      BSNL connection was playing up wit me too in the past, with popular sites like yahoo mail not opening. Nobody there has a clue a to how to rectify the problem. So I had to shift to another service provider.

      Delete
  2. Chaturvasi3 August 2012 at 09:00

    Is it just your blog or the Internet connection in itself?

    Sometimes I have lost the Net connection without my doing anything. On such an occasion, by contacting my service provider (not BSNL) I have received instructions over the phone and by following the steps on my computer I was able to restore the connection.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Col_Gopinath3 August 2012 at 09:23

      It is only for my Blog page, I am able to go to the dashboard and make a new post, edit etc but when it comes to viewing the blog I am unable to do so

      Delete
    2. Col_Gopinath3 August 2012 at 09:24

      As a result of this I could not attempt today's CW, I was trying to view the blog from 7 to 8 AM !!!

      Delete
  3. Chaturvasi3 August 2012 at 09:05

    Mrs PP is reported to have kept herself away from the Down set of clues.

    Scintillator is advised to set one puzzle with tonics, malt beverages, energy drinks, fruit juices, etc. flowing in the grid.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous3 August 2012 at 09:18

      CV, Loved your ref to old Dombey...

      Delete
    2. Anonymous3 August 2012 at 09:19

      You mean she could not Down a few drinks?

      Delete
    3. Chaturvasi3 August 2012 at 09:46

      Kishore

      Re your 9:18

      Not only I but Seshagiri Row too figures in that section. (Letters, today)

      I liked reading the editorial 'Tiwari & Son' yesterday and posted a Comment early in the morning.

      See first comment here:

      http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/article3713439.ece

      Delete
    4. Suresh3 August 2012 at 09:50

      All for Sake? Or is that a taboo?

      Delete
    5. Bhalchandra Pasupathy3 August 2012 at 10:46

      STOUT LY deny

      Delete
  4. Suresh3 August 2012 at 09:51

    Great puzzle. Always loved Scintillator.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Bhalchandra Pasupathy3 August 2012 at 10:48

    Nice one. Sparkled but didn't always get the buzz. Will take Bhavan's preamble to heart (and elsewhere)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Abhi3 August 2012 at 11:55

    In what context is ordinary, O? I find this usage in 22D

    A tough but nice one today

    ReplyDelete
  7. D.Srinivasan3 August 2012 at 12:07

    27A wow! what a picture! nostalgic .. an Aerogramme for 85p.. remembered my University days in Leeds in 79-80when we used to long for this from home. And today?

    ReplyDelete
  8. raju umamaheswar3 August 2012 at 12:36

    Chaturvasi: Moral Nudity of NDT exposed!! Thanks for the Hindu Ed page and your comments. I too have put in my two-bit comments as below:

    A very balanced Editorial.

    What a way morals have been degraded ! A cowardly old man, cowering under the cover of Law hoped in vain that he could escape his responsibility.Like that Tamil saying: hiding a white pumpkin inside a heap of rice !! How long?

    Now that justice has been delivered to the victims, though badly delayed but not denied, this must be a forerunner to all those other wily and corrupt politicians seeking refuge under the loopholes of the Law, basking in their inglorious short-lived freedom on bail. Taarikh pe taarikh,taarikh, pe taarikh , like the dialogue in a courtroom drama of a pathbreaking Hindi film. But the Judgement day does come, in one's own life time. !!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous3 August 2012 at 12:52

      Tongue resolutely in cheek:

      A time was there when NDT edged out Bill Clinton and Tiger Woods as the most envied man in the world...

      Delete
    2. RameshJ3 August 2012 at 13:22

      Oddly Nudity is NDT.

      Delete
  9. RameshJ3 August 2012 at 13:05

    Wish I had posted yesterday's view today. Would have gone down well with the theme.

    Today's crossword was :

    When nicely cooked, oil source is exhausted.(4,4)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Chaturvasi3 August 2012 at 17:24

    Re DS 12:07

    I have used aerograms but I don't remember the one in the picture. (Where did the Gandhiji pic come? Was it the back of the aero?

    I have seen only blue aerograms. I may have used the aerogram of the size shown.

    The longer aerograms in blue - of the size of the present day inland covers - must be the most number of this postal stationery that I sent.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Col_Gopinath3 August 2012 at 19:14

      I remember seeing this aerogram. It was like the inland with two folds

      Delete
    2. Anonymous3 August 2012 at 19:56

      I also remember only the long ones. This variety as indicated by the Gandhi Centenary tag was issued in 1959 well before I arrived on this planet.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous3 August 2012 at 20:08

      Regarding the origami poser from CV, the pic would come on the inside unless you decided to violate the folding instructions (remember it used to say First fold, second fold etc), in which case the sender's address would be undercover.

      Delete
  11. Col_Gopinath3 August 2012 at 19:15

    My problem with the blog persists. had to recharge my Reliance data card with which I am now able to view the blog!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Venkatesh3 August 2012 at 19:55

    Generally the setters use the conventional (British English) spelling and indicate if any variance is clued in. We are used to AEROGRAMME (as Bhavan's illustration shows!), PROGRAMME, etc.

    I wonder what others feel about the licence taken by Scintillator.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous3 August 2012 at 20:04

      Damme it, I was about to say that! :-)

      Delete
    2. Venkatesh3 August 2012 at 20:30

      I enjoyed the allusion to Charles Dickens' Dombey and Son. Its full title is "Dealings with the Firm of Dombey and Son: Wholesale, Retail and for Exportation"! CV's epistle made for a lively reading.

      Delete
    3. Richard3 August 2012 at 20:41

      I too felt we were long used to seeing AEROGRAMME printed on it.

      Delete

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