Wednesday 11 September 2013

No 10875, Wednesday 11 Sep 2013, Gridman


ACROSS
1   At the present moment, perform with the third of youngsters and companion (8) ACTUALLY {ACT}{U}{ALLY}
6   Helps in dais reconstruction (4) AIDS*
9   Being in favour of selfishness, proceed ahead of everyone else (6) FOREGO {FOR}{EGO}
10 Greeting chap coming back with exotic teas (7) NAMASTE {NAM<=}{TEAS*}
13 These of medicines may be killing (9) OVERDOSES [CD]
14 Siren’s first light kiss leaves small spot (5) SPECK {S}{PECK}
15 See key agent (4) ESPY {E}{SPY}
16 Horseman netting a cheat terribly is the hired killer (10) HATCHETMAN {H}{CHEAT*}T{MAN} Second 'T' from ?
19 The deep self of ace spinner’s dirty (5,5) INNER SPACE*
21 Get in the way of second revolutionary (4) STEP {S}TEP ? (Addendum - STOP {S}{TOP} - See comments)
24 Army officer starts to imbibe impure spirits (5) GENII {GEN}{I}{I}
25 Sir said to rage violently for pajamas, for example (9) NIGHTGEAR (~knight){NIGHT}{RAGE*}
26 Stomach’s awfully bad. Not a good sign! (7) ABDOMEN {BAD*}{OMEN}
27 Devan venting on a U.S. state (7) NEVADA {DEVAN*}{A}
28 Ancient Sicilian city very xenophobic at heart (4) ERYX [T] This is not truly at heart!
29 Gains account with duties (8) ACCESSES {AC}{CESSES}

DOWN
2   Intimate view of drunk couples (5-2) CLOSE-UP*
3   You and I having inclination for pipe sections (1-5) U-BENDS {U-{BEND}S}
4   Make haste at needlework? (4,5) LOOK SHARP [CD]
5   Pulls New Yorkers? (5) YANKS [DD]
7   This moment each male’s having force (2,5) IN STEAM {IN ST}{EA}{M}
8   No actor in the silent films era had such a role (8,4) SPEAKING PART [CD]
11 Gathered a ship is in the sea (6) MASSED {M{A}{SS}ED}
12 A twinge Roger suffers; result: terrible anger (8,4) TOWERING RAGE*
Courtesy Kishore
17 Accountant, commanding officer, army man in-charge, are all causing degeneration in the offspring (9) CACOGENIC {CA}{CO}{GEN}{IC}
18 Trite remark about Russian caught in terrible mist (6) TRUISM {T{RU}ISM*}
20 Such a wonder doesn’t last long (4-3) NINE-DAY [CD]
22 Time to study the French crafter’s pedal (7) TREADLE {T}{READ}{LE}
23 Poles hail Saints outside (6) STAVES {ST{AVE}S}
25 Killer woman going around Jharkhand’s capital (5) NINJA {NIN{J}A}

25 comments:

  1. 21 Get in the way of second revolutionary (4) STEP {S}TEP ?

    Get in the way = S + TOP (revolutionary as in one that revolves)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nice cartoon, Kishore. Today (9/11), I am leaving for New York and will be back on 11/9. Don't know whether I'll be able to participate in this blog during its active time. Like Raju, I may post late in the night.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. All the very Best, Renga. An Apple you can get into, instead of the usual other way round.

      Delete
  3. Liked clue formation of 26A and 2D, in particular.

    ReplyDelete
  4. 16a: The original clue was defective. When it was pointed out to me, I did some quick-fix but in doing that I was again careless. Quite unusual and unbecoming of me. The word breakup was such that one could well get into straits. My apologies to friends.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I was rowet-ing my attention on the cartoon. Few years down the line we would like you to bring a book on your cartoons.

    ReplyDelete
  6. "Dr. Manmohan Singh - A Decade of Decay" by MR Venkatesh

    A book with the above title was recently released.

    ReplyDelete
  7. This person is a chartered accountant based in Chennai. I have attended a couple of lectures by him. He also appears on Times Now Newshour TV debates sometimes. He is not to be confused with his namesake here, I think.

    ReplyDelete
  8. A nice puzzle. Enjoyed solving it. Thanks Gridman.
    Missed out 16A, 7D and 18D. Is Ru Abbreviation of Russia ?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Couldn't get on this blog in the morning. Did anyone else also have a problem?
    Gridman Sir - very enjoyable CW. Smooth as silk!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Coming in very late, and normally everything is done and dusted. There is an enumeration error in 27A,(probably a printer's devil), wondering why no one has either picked it up or commented!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Noticed it now ! Well, it seems, the moment you get the answer, everything is overlooked :)

      Delete
  11. I not only noticed, but was also stumped by it for a while until the crossings confirmed it.
    17D was a new word for me. Glad I was able to get on 'top' of 21A. Nice spinner!
    Welcome Renga, I will also be not far from you (NJ) for a few days- getting back to India by the month end.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Am confused about some of the clues, though I get them because of the crossings:

    1A.How is Actually 'At the present moment'?
    9A. How is 'proceed ahead of everyone else' FOREGO? This is a meaning that I have never seen.
    7D. Cannot understand the reasoning behind this clue at all.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 1A
      same doubt here

      9A Just read the dictionary.
      7D This moment=INST, each =EA male=M

      Delete
    2. FORGO and FOREGO are two words often confused with each other and intermixed.

      'I decided to forgo my lunch today' = to do without

      'As indicated in the foregoing paragraph' = previous

      Delete
    3. Foregoing is ok to mean the previous but forego? Please try and give an example to use this as forego to mean previous !! I remain to stand corrected before all the Wrenians and Martinians here !!

      Delete
  13. There's something elusive with Gridman's cluing at first cursory sight when one feelss: Ah ! here's a tough one , hope I can crack it !!". but as one goes along, the pieces fall in place like a magic square and bingo, one has completed the square.: Today's crossie is one of them. However, I have a few comments.

    Isn't it IN FULL STEAM usually? Isn't it NINE DAY(S) WONDER? FOR EGO, Forego -doesn't it mean to forsake, abandon or abdicate or give up? Have never seen the usage of cesses as it is usually only CESS ?
    Isn't TRUISM generally used as a word for axiom, shibboleth, a saying etc? Here, it is used in the context of a trite comment . I stand open for comments and corrections. ACTUALLY means in reality and I haven't known it being used for the present moment . Dictionaries and thesauri may have references to these words and phrases? I remain to stand corrected.

    ReplyDelete
  14. @Groucho and Suresh: Free online dictionary has the following (inter alia) for 'actually':
    3. actually - at the present moment; "the transmission screen shows the picture that is actually on the air"

    @Raju: extract from Oxford Dictionary:


    in steam

    (of a steam locomotive) ready for work, with steam in the boiler: both of the engines were recently in steam

    Re Nine day(s) wonder: I have also seen it as such, but having said that, I don't think it comes in the way of solving the clue. However the phrase 'nine day wonder' is recognised in Wiki and free online dictionary

    ReplyDelete
  15. I think that the 'a' in the clue (before wonder) makes it an obvious singular. There may be ambiguity otherwise- nine days/ nine day's.

    Raju to note Richard's reply reg. forego/ forgo. I have myself been guilty of frequently slipping up on this.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Thanks. As I said, I remain to stand corrected and commented upon. English is not our mother tongue and there are many interpretations to each word or expressions.

    Rengaswami:
    Welcome to the US. My sojourn terminates on 13th Oct and I'll be back to India.We continue to blog while the going is good, by late hours. Please do continue, despite our comments being passed over !!

    When you are in NY please send me a message ; maybe, when can have a two-man blogger meet?

    my email ID is sapraj2711@gmail.com

    Have a good stay. Do take a ride on the ferry to Staton Island by night, preferably before sunset, so that you can catch the glory of the sunset and sky line and after dark, when the whole city is resplendent with neon signs and lights. Sight for the gods !! I did yesterday and am still marvelling as to how they could give free service for such a wonderful ride and facility which is near perfection-- like that of any modern airport. Even JFK pales into insignificance compared to this Ferry terminal !!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Chambers gives forego as precede and forgo/ forego as sacrifice something.

    ReplyDelete

deepakgita@gmail.com