Wednesday 17 April 2013

No.10749, Wednesday 17 Apr 13, Sankalak

Sankalak is as entertaining as ever. A sub-theme seen linking 1,3,4 and 22d, read with a SPLASH at the BAR gain counter leading to reduction in 11a

ACROSS
1 Where to buy things cheap and cut out profit, contrariwise (7,7) BARGAIN COUNTER (BAR GAIN COUNTER) Ravana could buy 10 hats or toothbrushes here
8 Sensation created by a small, positive stroke of the whip (6) SPLASH (S P LASH)
9 The reach I’ve developed as a go-getter (8) ACHIEVER (REACH I'VE)*
11 Short supply of blood (9) ISCHAEMIA (GK) Bangalore's arteries are always clogged
12 Fibre, one kept by backward girl (5) SISAL (1 inside LASS<)
13 Working back, bird meets learner, so-called (7) NOMINAL  (ON< MINA L) I thought the bird was Myna or Mynah, not Mina. How many of us are a nominal "Head of the family" ?
15 The fault reflected in the entire medal tally (7) DEMERIT (T<)
17 Drawing by daughter found a place in … (7) FIGURED (FIGURE D) It took some time, but I figured it out
19 Henry with book — a stimulus for a rash man (7) HOTSPUR (H OT SPUR), OT=Old Testament, book
21 Haggard girl with record as a tame one (5) SHEEP (SHE EP) Haggard girl : Ref. to Rider Haggard's 'She'
23 Securely shut up are the old, confused and crowded all around (9) PADLOCKED (PACKED around OLD*) Graphic image of a senior citizen home?
25 Wicked behaviour puts vessel in distress (8) EVILNESS ( VESSEL IN)*
26 "I'll put a __ round about the earth in forty minutes’’ ( A Midsummer Night’s Dream ) (6) GIRDLE (GK)
27 Vets resented IT fiddle as being a concern motivated by personal gain (6,8) VESTED INTEREST (VETS RESENTED IT)*  I always thought those pawnbrokers wearing banians had a vested interest

DOWN
1 A defence for wine in good French packing (7) BASTION (BON around ASTI)
2 Note on insurers — something from the past (5) RELIC (RE LIC)
3 He doesn’t drink or eat in bars, oddly (9) ABSTAINER (EAT IN BARS)*
4 Housemaid and daughter go after gold in fruit garden (7) ORCHARD (CHAR and D after OR)
5 Fasteners — a byword for toughness (5) NAILS (CD,  as in 'tough as nails')
6 Where it is said girls go down to listen to what is not meant for them (9) EAVESDROP (~EVES DROP)


7 Band that a member rented out (6) ARMLET (ARM LET)
10 Radical mentioned in a dreamy letter (4) AMYL (T) Reminds me of the time when we had Radicals in Chemistry and Radicles in Biology
14 England and America are upset over location of mineral (9) MAGNESITE (AM< ENG< SITE)


16 Heavenly object repairs remote tie (9) METEORITE (REMOTE TIE)* "It fell to earth, I knew not where"-Longfellow
17 Speedy directions to tie up (6) FASTEN (FAST E N)
18 Gave evidence // and // got removed from office (7) DEPOSED 2
19 Conceal the identity sported by governor (4) HIDE (ID inside HE)
20 Revolutionary food but not suitable for the diet conscious (3,4) RED MEAT  CD(RED= revolutionary, MEAT=FOOD) If a person rebelled in a communist country, would the revolutionary still be considered 'red' ?
22 Grape wine, one new in the container (5) PINOT (1 N inside POT) You can have your choice, Noir or Blanc
24 Brisk and lively king is on the brink (5) KEDGE (K on EDGE)


27 comments:

  1. I liked the italicised comments where the blogger's kurumbu comes out.

    The Longfellow quote is "It fell to earth, I know not where".

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kindly look at the poem again

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    2. I did check it I did not check too carefully. And I was misled by the first result on top of so many hits in a Google search. The Intenet be damned. Oh for the days when I would rise from my computer chair and look anything up in a book.I should have known better. My apologies.

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    3. "And the song, from beginning to end,
      I found again in the heart of a friend." - viz., Kishore.
      '

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    4. This line is usually misquoted and possibly because of this, the counterfeit leads over the real Mccoy on Google. No apologies needed. After all what's a misquote between friends.

      Delete
  2. A woman confessed to me once that she put the girdle around her in just a few moments.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Full report, with RTC, please...

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    2. Send in an RTI application ...

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    3. Mrs. G will file it, if she hears random females have been apprising her husband about their timing.

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  3. Nice and smooth. Minor grouse I have is the use of unnecessary article (the) in clues esp in 9 AC.

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  4. Re. Kishore's comment on 13A, I was reminded of an one liner I read sometime back-" I am the head of the family and I have my wife's permission to say so"!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Why ! Even the Rashtrapati has to listen to more than one Mrs.

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    2. Maybe in due course

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    3. I am the head of the family and I have my wife's permission to say so"!!

      I have a permanent wooden plaque on my center table and it keeps getting hidden by my soul mate each time there are visitors in the house ! However, isn't it the story of every household?

      Delete
    4. Not exactly. Some do not have the permission

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  5. Nice and interesting exchange on girdles makes the blog as interesting as the CW itself!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Talking about girdles is a waist of time

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    2. Or those who tighten their girdles--- going to the waist?

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  6. 20D-"Red & white ready to fight". So why not call him white?

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  7. Nice cw typical of sankalak Nice clues like mathematical steps.1
    5,6d& 15a worth special mention. Overall a nice puzzle.

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  8. Trust all is well with friends in Bangalore after the bomb blast.

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  9. All is well.

    BTW, I was studying the glyph formation of various mathematical symbols and was surprised to see this article about Tamil numerals.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamil_numerals

    While I was familiar with the Telugu/Kannada numerals, which are in daily use, I had not come across the Tamil ones, even in Chennai. The Mauritius note shown in the article shows the Tamil 1 being used, but does any one in India use it ? I am sure some of my Tamil friends can amplify on this.

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  10. Seenon facebook

    "What happens if a politician drowns in a river? That is pollution. What happens if all of them drown? That is a solution."

    ReplyDelete
  11. and thus a dissolution of the Parliament? and absolution to the people?

    ReplyDelete

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