Wednesday 20 November 2013

No 10935, Wednesday 20 Nov 2013, Gridman

5D seems to have been arrested by someone at The Hindu!
 
ACROSS
1   Bait GI makes in one of those no small errors (1,3,7) A BIG MISTAKE*
9   Two allowances ready as computer input (4,3) DATA SET {DA}{TA} [SET}
10 Carelessly untidy in Jharkand city, we hear (7) RAUNCHY (~ranchi)
11 Greek enchantress throws learner out of social group (5) CIRCE CIRClE
12 MRP register meets with Public Relations’reservation (4,5) LIST PRICE {LIST} {PR}{ICE} Ice from 'on ice'?
13 One caught by the fellow is a lifter (5) THIEF {TH{1}E}{F}
15 Broken, Melinda’s taking time to strip (9) DISMANTLE {DISMAN{T}LE*}
18 Small, empty talk-back for Western sack (9) SADDLEBAG {S}{ADDLE}{BAG<=}
21 Relative- one in France with measureless split (5) UNCLE {UN}{CLEft}
22 Declaration at once puts setter in hospital department (9) STATEMENT {STAT}{E{ME}NT}
24 Be reluctant to bring back the funny-peculiar journalist (5) DEMUR {DE}{MUR}<=
26 Powerful family sends troublesome Andy to a dirty place (7) DYNASTY {ANDY*}{STY}
27 Jack not part of joining King caught in noisy exchange (7) OINKING {jOIN{K}ING}
28 Be too late at the port of departure? (4,3,4) MISS THE BOAT [CD]

DOWN
1   Gives up- declines to hold the investigators up (9) ABDICATES {AB{DIC<=}ATES}
2   Old university exam starting late in cold season (5) INTER wINTER
3   Expert attack passes over preposterous worries (9) MASTERFUL {MA{FRETS*}UL}
4   Came to rest, having paid all the dues (7) SETTLED [DD]
6   Supply English joke (5) EQUIP {E}{QUIP}
7   Great circle puts summon up to catch piece of film (8) ECLIPTIC {E{CLIP}TIC<=}
8   Deputy to make half a trench (4) DYKE {DY}{maKE}
14 Bharat’s kin spilt writing fluid (5,3) INDIA INK {INDIA} {KIN*}
16 Sailor at a French party finds plenty (9) ABUNDANCE {AB}{UN}{DANCE}
17 A military command looks just (4,5) EYES RIGHT {EYES}{RIGHT}
19 Last words are extra, extra small (3-4) BYE-BYES {BYE}-{BYE}{S}
20 If you__ _, you require orientation and some directions (3,4) GET LOST [CD]
22 Single old lawyer gets Scotch mate (4) SODA {S}{O}{DA} Not for me I like it on the rocks!
23 Salt track? (5) EPSOM [DD]
25 Leading men all invariably knock off young geisha (5) MAIKO {M}{A}{I}{K}{O}

45 comments:

  1. Gridman tells me 5d was:

    5 Stops ugly stares, with redhead entering (7)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anyway, it is 1 Across by 'THE HINDU'. Possibly, GRIDMAN knew the error was coming.

      Delete
  2. 23D EPSOM
    This figured in THC set by Sankalak last Monday thus
    The salt of a racecourse! (5) EPSOM [DD]

    ReplyDelete
  3. Kishore,
    A nice & 'nasty' cartoon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This was a real incident in KL. Please do not see any political statement in it.

      Delete
    2. You know how politicians (of all hues) say:

      It is sub judice, I cannot comment on it (after talking for 5 minutes about it)

      It is not for us to interfere in the internal affairs of another party/country (after making comments like "Others may say ...")

      Delete
    3. Going by the reviews on the internet, looks like the neon signs got it right

      Delete
    4. That means you cross checked if such a hotel exists in KL !

      Delete
    5. Nah, I like checking out reviews of random hotels and restaurants on tripadvisor.

      Thanks for the material :)

      Delete
  4. Replies
    1. I mean it is indicated as one. But seems to be a reversal of Frets

      Delete
    2. 'Preposterous' can also be used a rev ind. Such a use is supported by Chambers Crossword Dictionary.

      Delete
    3. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    4. That is what I took as the rev indicator. But the solution given above
      Expert attack passes over preposterous worries (9) MASTERFUL {MA{FRETS*}UL}
      seems to indicate that this is in a indirect anagram and not {MA (STERF<=} UL}

      Delete
  5. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  6. 2 Old university exam starting late in cold season (5) INTER

    Reminded me of the time when CA had entrance, inter and final exams. After going through the entrance course, one needed to undergo ...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. One examination where everybody gets lucky

      Delete
    2. I really don't know what Gridman is upto. Apart from being RAUNCHY today, he is talking of 'knock off young geisha' in 25d.

      Talk of 'Love in Tokyo'

      Delete
    3. Remembered the song Le gayi dil, gudiya Japan ki...

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    4. My personal fav from that movie is

      O mere shah e khooban,
      O mere jaan e janaana ...

      Delete
  7. Kishore, what software do you use to draw these cartoons?

    ReplyDelete
  8. When we first came here, we too were ungarnished. Seasoning came later.

    - Kishore's post yesterday, welcoming Sujatha aboard. When the element of spice in your regular posts join in?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I meant - When did the element of spice in your regular posts join in?

      Delete
    2. Thanks. I got 3 right today. Little pleasures! ;-)

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    3. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    4. Thanks. I got 3 right today. Little pleasures! ;-)

      Delete
  9. When I discovered Baby, Ginger, Posh, Scary and Sporty

    ReplyDelete
  10. Orkut also did not show 5 down ! Same was the case on Sunday when a better portion of the down clues were swallowed !! Takes away the joy of solving .Today's was a predictable Gridman effort.
    Clue of my day: ECLIPTIC - well constructed.
    Kishore: You have gotten back to your element- You are very onservant with a cartoonist's eye for detail.- Sometimes when the lights konk off on the neon signs, the results are hilarious. We have one still unglowing tribute to IYENGAR BAKERY in MTP Road here. Looks like an old man having lost some of the upper teeth !! Such carelessness is unpardonable. I saw it also in NY- S? ATON ??IS ?AND on the ferry front at night, winking mischievously. A cryptic solver's delight . Otherwise, that Station is better than any International airport in its plush interiors and facilities. The ride is also free for all and I wonder how they manage the expenses.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Six years back I had made a series of puzzles based on this concept of missing letters in neon signs, billboards, name plates, visiting cards etc. Dynasty was the first in that series. Btw, it can not only become nasty hotel as shown above, it can be worse as sty.

      Delete
    2. Today's cartoon reminded me of the Neon sign for DOUBLE BULL SHIRTS over NSCI clubhouse on Worli Seaface, Bombay years back, where R in Shirts was unilluminated

      Delete
    3. DS,

      Did not see your comments for a long while?

      Delete
  11. An article in TH Metro Plus today on Krav Maga recommends use of pepper sprays and pocket 'teasers'

    ReplyDelete
  12. Loved the cartoon today!
    No 5D in the Delhi edition, either.
    Richard, you are a real aficionado of Hindi film songs! Always enjoy your comments..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Rita. I am a fan of all the all-time greats, Rafi sa'ab, Kishore-da, Manna-da, Mukesh-bhai, SP Bala, not forgetting Lata-didi, Asha-didi, Suman Kalyanpur, Krishna Kalle, Vani Jairam, P Susheela, S Janaki, ...right up to Shreya Ghoshal, Sunidhi Chauhan and others...

      On a personal note, while in school and college, I used to do a lot of mimicry of all the four first mentioned and had won prizes in college ( and a special prize for singing in the voice of Sharada duniya ki sair karlo from the movie Around the World and Tittli uDi uDi jo chali from the movie Sooraj.)

      We, bloggers from here, often meet under the banner of Sloggers and Bloggers (S&B). I would be too happy to join a meet some day, solely to discuss old Hindi film songs on the same lines. There are quite a few Hindi film music-lovers in this forum.

      Delete
    2. Thanks, maam. Is naacheez ko bhi shayari or purane gaanon ka thoDa bahut shauk hai

      Delete
    3. Bhesh, Risharada ! (or as Bengalis would say Richard-da)

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    4. Arabs used to call me phonetically, Ritshard, as they don't have the 'tch' syllable.

      By the way, Yeh toh zaahir hai ke aap baDe shaukeen hain...

      Delete
  13. Hi. I need help with the following:
    12 Across - I guess, register is "list," you get "pr" from Public Relations, where do you get "ice" from?
    24 Across - Didn't get this at all.
    1 Down - didn't get the "dic" part.
    7 Down - I got piece of film as "clip." But, didn't understand the rest of the clue.
    16 D - I got un from French, dance from party. Where does "ab" come from?
    Could someone be kind enough to explain? Also, I saw in some earlier blog posts about references to dictionaries. There is a dictionary for crosswords or you are talking about the regular OED kind of stuff where you can refer for abbreviations etc.?
    Thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. In reverse order, Ah- Taj, us -e these lists:

      http://groups.google.com/group/rec.puzzles.crosswords/msg/09ddc2e84abbe18a
      http://mythic-beasts.com/~mark/random/indicators/

      Please note, these are compiled by various people from dictionaries and usages, but some of them may be a bit iffy.

      The Chambers is usually preferred by most setters here, but some newspapers prefer others.

      16d AB is a standard usage for an (Able-Bodied) sailor.
      7d summon=cite, up indicates reversal. Please see the <= sign put in by the Colonel
      1d similar to above, investigators = CID <=
      24a 24 Be reluctant to bring back the funny-peculiar journalist (5) DEMUR {DE}{MUR}<=
      Be reluctant is the definition=Demur
      to bring back is the reversal indicator
      funny-peculiar journalist= RUM ED, rum as in odd, like rummy, and ed as in editor
      so RUMED<= is DEMUR

      12a This one is a bit iffy. Put on ice or simply 'ice' means put away, which can vary in meaning from 'kill' to 'reserve'

      Delete
    2. Thanks. Makes more sense now. I have a long way to go - before I sleep or crack some decent number of clues in crosswords. :-)

      Delete

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