Saturday 14 September 2013

No.10878, Saturday 14 Sep 2013, Gridman

Gridman goes on a media trip today. Papers, papers everywhere, and some TV to boot ! There are so many themed words in the solution and in the clues, that I cannot do justice by highlighting them, so I leave it to readers to figure them out ! Probably easier to list the inverse set !

ACROSS
1 DD show allowed back extremely mediocre actors (8) TELECAST (LET< E CAST)
5 What a tabloid may do with news may cause a stir in the pool (6) SPLASH 2
10 Paper version recalls leader’s current movement (7) EDITION (NO.1 TIDE)<
11 Hard fruit, not soft vegetable (7) HARICOT (H ApRICOT)
12 Not starting funny visual (6) OCULAR (jOCULAR)
          Not ending something can also lead to funny results. "What a shame" can become "What a sham"
13 Talking about source of news, his is out to surprise (8) ASTONISH (AS TO N HIS*)
15 Requirement central to online editor (4) NEED (T at the centre of onliNE EDitor)
16 “Pillar in Honour” — a few words in the paper (6,4) COLUMN INCH (COLUMN IN CH, Companion of Honour)
18 Latest: Guru caught in New York — Press Service (4,6) NEWS AGENCY (NEW SAGE N(C)Y)
20 “Lawyer’s aide” — a few words in the paper (4) PARA (2, as in Paralegal)
          I am quite normal, but my aide is paranormal
23 Expert religionist, as one holding this paper might be (3-5) PRO HINDU (CD,DD)
24 Harsh review of American paper by city area (6) BRUTAL (L.A.Times URB)<
26 Begin, please, to appraise film event for critics (7) PREVIEW (P REVIEW)
27 Nothing to hook one on in a sort of piece in the paper (7) OPINION (O PIN I ON)
28 Theatre personnel to have rupees advanced for what a reporter does with news (6) RUSHES (USHERS with R advanced)
29 Prompt: I must convert learner to The Hindu (8) STIMULUS ((I MUST)* L US)

DOWN
1 What school examinees get before noonThe Hindu , maybe (3,7,5) THE MORNING PAPER (CD,DD)
2 A section of the paper lazy Eli’s certain to look (7) LEISURE (ELI* SURE)
3 High point elicits wild exclaim (Ecstasy free) (6) CLIMAX (EXCLAIM*-E)
4 Heads of Section at new Gazette confessed (4) SANG (S A N G)
6 Steals from small loop — centre of troika — with New Statesman (8) PURLOINS (PURL trOIka NS)
          The "Loin" reminded me of Hamid Ali Khan "Ajit"
7 Caution head of Classifieds pushed down to Sales (7) AUCTION (CAUTION with C pushed down)
8 Feature in papers: Chastise the principal’s imposition (3,3,9) HIT THE HEADLINES (HIT THE HEAD LINES)
9 So cut here to disguise where reporters get info from (3,6) THE SOURCE (SO CUT HERE)*
14 Moderates wild notes on Fellow enthralling bridge player (5,4) TONES DOWN (WILD NOTES)*  Correction NOTES* DON around W See comments

17 Make less offensive South Africa’s criticism by one limited set (8) SANITISE (SA NIT 1 SEt)
19 Solicit Financial Express readers’ banks for stereo components (7) WOOFERS (WOO FE Reader'S)
           For those who wonder why I did not give the highlighted grid, here's a bit of news. Even this word has a 
           connection with the theme. Look at THIS
21 Article by TH bills limited high-rise housing (7) ANTHILL (AN TH bILLs)
           These 'high-rises' can be dangerous in an airport area
22 Right, without any trace of exaggeration, one leading science magazine’s first bromide (6) TRUISM (TRUe 1 SM)
25 Assignment with a Washington daily? (4) POST (2), ref to The Washington Post

50 comments:

  1. Expressions of an Ex-Express-man! :-)

    Liked Gridman's copious tribute to his first love - journalism. Straight from THE SOURCE, one could say.

    (-j)ocular brought a smile.

    The best part of THE MORNING PAPER today was the crossword. My association with the Fourth Estate helped.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kishore, there is a typo in your intro. A three-letter word in place of two-letter one. I leave it you to find out. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am sure you'll come out with something to do with Peter, Michael, Robert, Mona and the gang.

      Delete
    2. Over the years, we had enough of Ajitisms. Only recent members of this blog may like them. For the old members, it could be MONA-TONY.

      Delete
  3. 14 Moderates wild notes on Fellow enthralling bridge player (5,4) TONES DOWN (WILD NOTES)*
    {TONES*}{DO{W}N}
    wild notes -NOTES* = TONES
    fellow - DON
    bridge player W

    ReplyDelete
  4. Fitting commemoration of the upcoming 135th Anniversary of our paper next Friday. Kudos to Gridman.

    Some of the papers from which TH sources its regular columns (e.g., Washington Post and LA Times) have also been included. Missed The Guardian.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Could TH have jumped the gun and printed this prematurely? I wonder ...

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    2. Perhaps, this was intended as a curtain-raiser for the festivities.

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    3. ... and a NINA may be in store to surprise us next week.

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    4. Kishore, Ajit would have exclaimed, 'MONA toh hamari hi hai, lekin yeh NINA kaun hai'?

      Delete
    5. Actually Raabart would have asked, " Mona to aap ki moll hai, lekin yeh Nina kaun hai" and Ajit would have replied " Bewakoof, bhhol gaya kya? Dadamoni nay uski naani ki naav ke baare mein gaaya tha ..."

      Delete
    6. Here's the link:

      http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=fvwrel&v=vQkKK7nw1aU

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    7. The little girl in the clip looks is Sarika.

      Delete
  5. Wonderful one from Gridman. Could only find 11A which didn't have some kind of Media connection either in the clue or the solution

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ramesh, you're right! Thanks for your observation. On seeing Kishore's note in the preamble, "probably easier to list the inverse set !", I was wondering whether anyone would proceed to do it. Not a list but a sole entry!

      Delete
    2. Good observation.

      Haricot has figured a few times in the Food/Cookery sections of Metroplus and Sunday Supplements of TH. There was even a Japanese dish - Teriyaki(sauce)-glazed haricot beans (with white truffle oil, basil, peanut and coconut).

      Delete
  6. Liked the graphic for 14D. Reminded me of an observation on the steadily depleting rainfall over the western ghats and surroundings - 'Earlier rainfall used to be mentioned in inches, later on in centimetres and now only in millimetres'.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Kishore

    The word "purloins" reminds you of loins, as you have confessed.

    Now, what words remind you of 'bra'?


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not loins, only one: the one and only Loin.

      To answer your other question: Bra-Zen boldness ...

      Delete
    2. I wouldn't dare say, 'bra-vo!'...

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    3. A magical incantation comes to my mind where you have two of them! Ha, ha, ha.

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    4. Two of them, reminds not only of CV's abracadabra, but also of Zsa-Zsa ...

      Delete
  8. Enjoyed doing Gridman's puzzle. Smooth surface reading.

    In 29 A what is the 'US' and The Hindu conn?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I presumed it was 'Us' that is the paper/'The Hindu'

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    2. I thought so too, but was not convinced.

      Delete
    3. You know once upon a time newspapers used to have the royal pronoun 'we' while pontificating in their editorials.

      TH used to have it in one news item, apart from its editorials: "We record with deep regret the demise of So-and-so..."

      I have seen 'we' being used in crossword clues. I admit the use of 'us' is unusual.

      Delete
    4. We record with deep regret the demise of So-and-so, he had been working with us for the past 30 years.

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    5. I think the two contexts mentioned in 10:53 are different.

      When used as a subject it is 'we' and when it follows a preposition like on, in, of or with it should be us.

      Delete
    6. Much clearer now. Thanks, Richard. Now is US, OK in the clue.?

      Delete
    7. Seems Fine.
      Prompt: I must convert learner to The Hindu (8)
      If one were looking for a pronoun for 'The Hindu' in the above sentence, 'Us' would the natural choice

      Delete
  9. Really enjoyed solving today's puzzle. Great run from Gridman.

    ReplyDelete
  10. CVji, I saw your remarks in Orkut just now as I went to sleep immediately after posting the CW in Orkut. As you guessed correctly, it is a family visit only to NY to be with my son and daughter-in-law. My earlier 3 visits were all officials and at that time I used to visit bay area where my son was studying in UCLA, Los Angeles and later working in 'Frisco. So, I don't have California in my itinerary now. Only Houston and Dallas to see some of my friends and relatives. I do not have Gita's number. I'll email her if I can locate her email id from the mails received from Col.

    It was a very nice themed crossword by you and I could not find time to solve it. Your earlier two puzzles also mentioned a few clues about NY. Buffalo, Towering Rage etc.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Put in a comment at Orkut with your contact details as Gita is regular there and she will get in touch with you

      Delete
  11. PUNography:

    I changed my i Pod name to Titanic. It's syncing now.

    When chemists die, they barium.

    Jokes about German sausage are the wurst.

    A soldier who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran.

    I know a guy who's addicted to brake fluid . He says he can stop any time.

    How does Moses make his tea ? Hebrews it.

    I stayed up all night to see where the sun went. Then it dawned on me.

    This girl said she recognized me from the vegetarian club, but I'd never met herbivore.

    I'm reading a book about anti-gravity. I can't put it down.

    I did a theatrical performance about puns. It was a play on words.

    They told me I had type A blood , but it was a Type-O.

    A dyslexic man walks into a bra.

    PMS jokes aren't funny, period.

    Why were the Indians here first? They had reservations.

    Class trip to the Coca-Cola factory. I hope there's no pop quiz.

    Energizer bunny arrested. Charged with battery.

    I didn't like my beard at first. Then it grew on me.

    How do you make holy water? Boil the hell out of it!

    Did you hear about the cross eyed teacher who lost her job because she couldn't control her pupils?

    When you get a bladder infection, urine trouble.

    What does a clock do when it's hungry? It goes back four seconds.

    I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me!

    Broken pencils are pointless.

    I tried to catch some fog. I mist.

    What do you call a dinosaur with a extensive vocabulary? A thesaurus .

    England has no kidney bank, but it does have a Liverpool.

    I used to be a banker, but then I lost interest.

    I dropped out of communism class because of lousy Marx.

    All the toilets in New York's police stations have been stolen. Police have nothing to go on.

    I got a job at a bakery because I kneaded dough.

    Haunted French pancakes give me the crepes.

    Velcro - what a rip off!

    Cartoonist found dead in home. Details are sketchy.

    Venison for dinner? Oh deer!

    Earthquake in Washington obviously government's fault.

    I used to think I was indecisive, but now I'm not so sure.

    Be kind to your dentist. He has fillings, too.

    Never fall in love with a tennis player because to a tennis player, love means nothing

    ReplyDelete
  12. Rengaswamy @ 5:13,

    I have sent you via e-mail Gita's tel number.

    ReplyDelete
  13. CV-KISHORE & RICHARD:

    Ze- BRAS with black and white stripes !!

    Gridman gives us today very refreshingly NEW-sworthy Columns of acrosses and downs. Again, on the face of it, looked very alarming like all headline news but as one read through, words and phrases fell in the right columns.

    Clue of my day " PURLOINS-- a very unusual synonym for theft. What are the degrees of theft ? Begin with pinching, pilfering, purloining, stealing, larceny, theft, burglary, robbery, hold-ups, armed robbery, bribery and graft, fiddles, swindles, inside-trading and scams? In that order?

    Other bloggers can sneak in similar words, at the beginning, in between or at the end.

    ANTHILL reminded me of all those little insignificant ants that we humans are as seen down below from atop the skyscrapers here in NY !! Very humbling !!

    Just a passing whim of imagination !!

    ReplyDelete

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