Monday 17 September 2012

No 10570, Monday 17 Sep 12, Sankalak

More trouble being heaped on us CW fans by The HINDU, the link to the CW seems to have been shelved since yesterday. I had to type out the clues!!

ACROSS
1   - No end of irony in "Why Another" edited by American writer (9) - HAWTHORNE {WHy ANOTHER}*
5   - They may be fired or called by those in power (5) - SHOTS [DD]
8   - Appearance in a second WW I battle site (6) - AMIENS {A{MIEN}S}
9   - Celebrity playing games with the sailor (4,4) - MEGA STAR {MEGA S*}{TAR}
11 - Return of sound from a female choir (4) - ECHO [T]
12 - A repast before an x-ray! (6,4) - BARIUM MEAL [CD]
14 - Lethal bit of rope from the east quickly sent westward (5) - NOOSE {NOOS}{E}<-
15 - Some Europeans who made a name in microbes (7) - GERMANS {GERM{A}{N}S}
16 - Huge creature but occupies just a millimetre within an insect (7) - MAMMOTH {M{A}{MM}OTH}
17 - Get up around noon and wash (5) - RINSE {RI{N}SE}
19 - O my! Charles becoming prone to weep! (10) - LACHRYMOSE*
20 - Nameless fliers (1,1,2) - U F O'S [E]
22 - Pompous senior priest, with difficulty in walking, loses work (8) - BLIMPISH {B{LIMP}ISHop}
23 - A diversion from French stretch of duty (6) - DETOUR {DE}{TOUR}
24 - Thin and weak like a grass beginning to yellow (5) - REEDY {REED}{Y}
25 - Wood work to provide a swimmer with ingress (9) - CARPENTRY {CARP}{ENTRY}

DOWN
1   -  Emotionally charged - in high temperature? (6) - HEATED [DD]
2   - Scale in an ageing mine which needs repair (8,7) - WEIGHING MACHINE*
3   - Some yarn which a Kushan king put out (4) - HANK [T]
4   - Formal wear but not for levelling scores! (7,5) - EVENING DRESS [CD]
5   - Cord flung around upset Emma, having trouble speaking (10) - STAMMERING {ST{AMME<-}RING}
6   - Film that got Warren on to theft, perhaps (2,3,5,5) - ON THE WATER FRONT*
7   - More than what is needed - that is almost certain, a positive sign (7) - SURPLUS {SURe}{PLUS}
10 - Accept the consequences, as does the conductor in front of the band (4,3,5) - FACE THE MUSIC [DD]
13 - Round figure in a sacred branch of optics (10) - HOLOGRAPHY {HOL{O}{GRAPH}Y}


16 - Exploit lawyers in a shop for a healthy drink (4,3) - MILK BAR {MILK} {BAR}
18 - The bird that was the undoing of the PRO, yes! (6) - OSPREY*
21 - Army officer beginning to exhibit hereditary factor (4) - GENE {GEN}{E}




18 comments:

  1. 8a Mien reminded me of Alfred Lord Tennyson’s Beggar Maid:

    As shines the moon in clouded skies,
    She in her poor attire was seen;
    One praised her ankles, one her eyes,
    One her dark hair and lovesome mien.

    And not of chow mein.

    Loved Carp-entry. This crossie was fun!


    Special thanks to Deepak for typing out in Orkut too!

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  2. Hi all

    Smooth one today. Liked BARIUM MEAL (the cluing, not the intake). A tough anagram like LACHRYMOSE failied short of bringing tears. CARPENTRY, WEIGHING MACHINE, FACE THE MUSIC, STAMMERING, EVENING DRESS (remember solving almost similar one in THC some time ago), SURPLUS, OSPREY and others were enjoyable.

    Just in passing - 9A Wonder how a word 'MEGA' which represents a specific number came to be the equivalent of 'super' or 'very great' over passage of time.






    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mega comes from the Greek μέγας, meaning great. It came to be used as a prefix in the metric system denoting a factor of million (M).

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    2. My post 8: 31 - second sentence to read "A tough anagram like LACHRYMOSE fell short of bringing tears."

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    3. Thanks Venky 8:35

      So the Greek 'great' gave rise to 'mega' for a million, and not the other way around.

      Just a question: If Tera equals 10 to the power of 12, how much is Mera? ;)

      Delete
    4. I bet someone is sure to bring in the Airtel jingle Jo mera hai woh tera hai aur jo tera hai woh mera hai...

      In modern days of avarice and greed, the anthem is jo mera hai woh mera hai aur jo tera hai woh bhi mera hai...

      Delete
  3. Just in passing - 9A Wonder how a word 'MEGA' which represents a specific number came to be the equivalent of 'super' or 'very great' over passage of time.

    I think the question should be put the other way about.

    Mega must have been first a combining form meaning 'very big', 'enormous'. When it was a combining form in words denoting units (megabar, megabyte, megabuck), it denoted 10 to the power of 6. Why, how - I don't know.

    In other words (megacephalous, big-headed) it simply meant 'huge'.

    Then in itself it became an adj meaning 'very big' (mega serial).

    Thus the adj was born out of the combining form.

    Still I may not have answered Richard's question.

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  4. I got the CW link yesterday (Sunday) from Arts->Magazine->crossword and uploaded the same. On Sundays this is the way to get the link. Of course, today there is no link even sitting in Kuwait.

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  5. It's fun & learning that I look forward to in Sankalak's CW and I was not disappointed. Loved facing the music!

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  6. CV,

    Did you see my comment at the Orkut group regarding speaking to someone at The HINDU to restore the CW link?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. To be frank, the last time when the image of a grid did not show an entire column, I called the relevant department and brought to their attention the problem. I asked the person at the other end whether they understood what I was talking about and they said 'yes'. But nothing happened and the defect was not rectified. All that needed to be done was recalling the image, placing it in the slot properly and uploading the page again.

      Anyone may try writing to the readers' editor whose address is in the Corrections and Clarifications column on the Op-Ed page, by specifying date of online edition.

      Delete
  7. Richard: Tera mera eda theda !

    So true of all politicians ! Sab Kuch Hamara ! Mega scandals. Tera kya hoga? aam aadmi? Easwar Allah Tero Naam! We shall continue with our tu tu mai mai in the Houses .

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  8. CV: Your comments on the wrong grid. As a journalist, do you think there is any method in the madness in dealing with the letters to the Editor? The Hindu at one time was known for its accuracy of grammar and placement of columns and 'go to page ' for continuation was scrupulously avoided. Speak of the paradox of Desk Top Publishing, Spell checkers , cut and paste and correction columns. Who cares for punctiliousness and proof-reading nowadays? Readers be damned , lets fill up our columns( and coffers) with ads and irrelevance elsewhere!

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  9. Another neat one.

    Today's crossword was :

    Blow back in support of the lowest sail is to be expected. (3,3,3,6)

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  10. hmm ..

    Blow back in support of the lowest sail is to be expected (3,3,3,6) [p.. .o. ..e .o...e]

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  11. Surprising that there was no discussion on Nathaniel Hawthorne (1 Ac)who wrote 'The Scarlet Letter' and 'The House of Seven Gables'.

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  12. Just got round to todays crossword - and found it was very smooth, and a good end to the day.
    I had to study Hawthorne at school and so have a (totally unjustified) hatred of The Scarlet Letter.

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