Friday 2 May 2014

No. 11074, Friday 02 May 14, Scintillator

In Chennai, they might call Scintillator as poll-a-Dhavan (பொல்லாதவன்). 
And I am not sure if any other Dhowan/Dhawan/Dhavan (not Bhavan!) are connected.  Overall, I have several doubts ... (maybe I have missed to highlight some)

                                                                                               Cartoon by Rishi

ACROSS
1 Past income tax register is what a psephologist needs (4,4) EXIT POLL (EX IT POLL)
5 Orders online books to learn meanings in short (6) EDICTS (E DICTS.= dictionaries)
9 Everybody in church comprising a union (8) ALLIANCE (ALL IN CE around A)
10 Chemical compounds sourced from high-quality quarries (6) AMINES (A MINES)
12 Recluse with no set private space (9) ENCLOSURE (RECLUSE NO)*
13 Velocity possessed by dry wind (5) CURVE (V possessed by CURE)
14 Collective opinion suggests possible veto (4) VOTE (VETO*)
16 Send communication signal without medium to pass across (7) TRANSIT (TRANSmIT)
19 Bearing mark of social acceptance, work fast to get rich (7) OPULENT (OP LENT to get U)
21 Indian tennis player said to get benefits (4) PAYS (~PAES, Leander) Benefits are usually called perks, pays is what one directly gets and works for=benefits ?
          It certainly pays to play tennis!  And, I understand, in some parts of the country to vote!
24 I’ve New Delhi ideally administering as capital (5) INDIA (I N D I A) &LIT, but I think the initial letter indication is not clear, correct in number, and on double duty) But then capitals would be wrong def
25 Determine what’s spoken about polls (9) ELECTORAL (ELECT ORAL)
27 Holy man employed in Israel to teach (6) INSTIL (IN ST. IL) in on double duty
28 Voting right without trace of equality-be afflicted over a generation (8) SUFFRAGE (SUFFeR AGE)
29 Son not part of lineage that’s dignified (6) DECENT (DEsCENT)
         What this election campaign is certainly not!
30 In my opinion, it’s easiest to travel around Italy (2,1,3,2) AS I SEE IT (EASIEST* around I)

DOWN
1 Stationers are expected to stock up one (6) ERASER (T<) &lit?, but there seems to be an error ... Stock up on only one eraser?
          Some of you may wonder why this is highlighted as a themed entry.  Remember a leader who asked people to erase the mark and vote again?
2 Fortunate to be not present at UP’s capital (2,4) IN LUCK (IN LUCKnow)
3 Soft panties set out to be worn over (5) PIANO (PANtIes O)
          Interestingly, when I started learning to play the piano, I found that it was called Pianoforte, or rather soft-hard, as it embraces many octaves
4 Masterly speech? (7) LECTURE CD
6 See spirited protest fronting people’s rule (9) DEMOCRACY (DEMO is at the front of C=see RACY)
7 Assembly processing contents without support of private detective (8) CONGRESS (pROCESSiNG)* Processing on double duty as anagram indicator and fodder ...
          The various meanings this word has !
8 Upset about riots, army arrests possible criminals (8) SUSPECTS ((UPSET C)* in SS) SS was a police force, not an army, IMO
11 Raise a toast, having won constituency (4) SEAT (T)
15 Campaign to limit open quota (9) OPERATION (OPEn RATION)
17 Teenager, when God showed up, turned over a new leaf (8) MODIFIED (MOD(modern chap) IF DEI<) God=Deus, Dei is Gods ...
18 Having collected an order of dismissal, said to face dead end (3,2,3) CUL DE SAC (~CULLED SACK)
20 Bystander on roads targeted frequently (4) TREE (TaRgEtEd)
21 Supplement distributed without favourite columns filled (7) PLENUMS (SUPPLEMENT-PET)* Not very comfy with the defn.
22 Knight displaces diamonds from secret gallery (6) ARCADE (ARCA(nD)E) Either the substitution seems incorrectly indicated or the definition is wrong
23 Lawyer’s customer is right to be present in court (6) CLIENT (LIEN in CT)
26 Clusters of workers with newspapers (5) TUFTS (TU FT.S) The plural of Financial Times is FTS?
          Can you give me a few Financial Timess, pleez?

Maybe some more words like Opulent can be added (as they may try to buy votes), Tree (since EVMs reduce use of paper)  ...
As CV's cartoon puts it, my cartoon department is closed for elections today!

84 comments:

  1. CV, Love the lungi in the toon!

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    Replies
    1. Kishore,
      That is attention to detail by CV since a lungi is part & parcel of the scene.

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    2. Nice cartoon by CV sir. Kishore's "Poll"adhavan made me chuckle:):)

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  2. Some definitions seem stretched a bit too far for me

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  3. 21 Supplement distributed without favourite columns filled (7) PLENUMS (SUPPLEMENT-PET)* Not very comfy with the defn.

    Will it help if you make 'columns' also as part of def?

    Is I code for Italy in International Auto Regn Code, or whatever the name is?

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    Replies
    1. Will it help if you make 'columns' also as part of def?

      To some extant, but not wholly.

      IT is for Italy, I, not sure ...

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  4. 7 Assembly processing contents without support of private detective (8) CONGRESS (pROCESSiNG)* Processing on double duty as anagram indicator and fodder ...

    Or is Assembly doing double duty? Or a semi & lit?

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    Replies
    1. Your guess is as good as mine!

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    2. Not semi & lit . Entire clue is not definition for congress. I think contents is anag ind

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    3. Aind no. 3!

      I almost feel like the Count of Monte Cristo, counting them off

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  5. The various meanings this word has !

    No prizes for guessing when it's Kishore's day out...

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  6. Kishore
    If your recall the caption that RD used to give their Word Power page, you will understand how pays = benefits. It pays to increase your word power.
    My memory is that they stopped using that title. Am I right? It's a long, long time since I read RD. The moment they started injecting Indian element/content in the journal, I stopped reading it.
    English English is one thing. Indian English is another. I am not using the latter term in any pejorative sense.

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    Replies
    1. With respect, Sir, as an accountant / income tax interpretor, pay is not the same as benefits ...

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    2. Chambers says

      Pay (transitive verb) To be profitable to, to benefit

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    3. IMO, gets is the verb in this construct and benefits is plural noun. Pays is a verb ...

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    4. While the surface treats "benefits" as a noun, I think the construction of the clue provides *some* leeway for treating it as a verb for the purpose of the solution: the last name of an Indian tennis player is "said" in order "to get" a word meaning "benefits".

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  7. Replies
    1. All the best Ajeesh. Did not know you've appropriates SR's nickname ;-)

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    2. Appropriated, not appropriates ..

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    3. Many happy returns of the day, Ajeesh!

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    4. Happy birthday, Ajeesh!

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    5. Birthday boy somehow has to overcome a tough exam (6)

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    6. I could cross only gate not mains of your tough exam :-(

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    7. Kyon, JEE?

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    8. Is 'Gate' a tougher exam?

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    9. JEEthne mushkil tha Kishore. God save hindi from me :-(

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    10. Yes, it had to be JEEthna.

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    11. Good one, Bhavan @9:31

      Ajeesh, Zindagi ki yahi reet hai, haar ke baad hi JEET hai - song from the movie, 'Mr India'.

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    12. Wish you wish you Ynam YppaH once more @Ajeesh mon

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    13. Kishore - appropriation is acceptable to me, when appropriate

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    14. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  8. C V Sir, I liked the omission of "k" {kudiyakk kedukkum)as generally done by the recent generation (Sandhippizhai yellam ippothu parpathey kidayathu - even newspapers, mags don't bother about vallinam migum idangal, migaa idangal)

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    Replies
    1. I fully agree with you.That coming from supposed experts in Tamil. TV news channels are the worst offenders.

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    2. Maybe DS can elaborate. Long tome no hear!

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  9. I suppose you could add 'suspects' to the poll theme as some of the candidates have that background.

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    Replies
    1. That's pointed out by Kishore. "Decent" seems out of place in the grid.

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    2. Descent fits better ;-)

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    3. For the first time we have a word which is anantithesis of a theme word!

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    4. You've aptly highlighted Poll-a- dhavan in your opening remark.

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  10. many happy returns of the day,Ajeesh.

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  11. I felt there were a few 'if'fy clues and some where one tried to justify after filling in.

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  12. I agree with most of reservations expressed over several clues. 1d (just about) works - weakly - if the "up" is intended to do double duty: "up" by itself to indicate the reversal, and "up one" to indicate that one letter (e) is moved up.

    In 8d, given that it is simply UPSET around C, to say "Upset about riots" is rather misleading - it is not really an anagram, just one letter housed in an otherwise intact word. Incidentally, the Wikipedia page on the SS describes it as a paramilitary organisation, so I guess the "army" part is alright.

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    Replies
    1. 8D seems fair. S USPECT S, except for SS = Army. If you see the content in SS is a proper anagram and not the way you've put.

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    2. Re 1 D you have brought in a new angle to annotate, of double duty (there's no shortage of it today it seems).

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    3. Sigh! My exasperation with other clues spilt over into this one. It is indeed an anagaram - apologies to the setter and the other posters.

      Note to self: check post carefully before hitting send!

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    4. I think the idea is fine, but there's an error in the fodder, which Scintillator prolly has overlooked. As per the clue, ERASRE should be the answer, but the intended one is ERASER. The fodder is "StationERS ARE expected" and the reversal indicator for hiding the answer is "to stock up," with one being the word to be defined. Semi &lit would have worked well if not for the mistake in the fodder.

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    5. My point is that "up one" *could* also be taken to indicate one word being moved up, so that ERASRE *could* be tweaked by moving the last E up by one place.

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    6. Hmmm, doesn't seem like a valid device

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  13. Replies
    1. Thanks Col, off to bangalore tonight ;-)

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  14. Cartoon by Rishi: I think the guy yesterday was asking for money for a shave which was denied. It looks like he takes money from his Dad for a shave and bolts to the TASMAC shop!!

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    Replies
    1. Cheers with high spirits!

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    2. But TASMAC is closed. You will have to hobnob with the local bootlegger

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    3. Reminds me of the time when TN was dry. I think around '79. I ended up at OlavokoDu (Palakkad) on a Saturday morning and took a room in a hotel. The first thing he asked me was what I wanted to drink. Coffee, of course, surprised him. And then I cottonned on. It seems the people from nearby TN towns (CBE being the main one) landed up on Friday evening/Saturday morning and toasted Bacchus till Sunday night/Monday morning before heading back with a full tank, as it were.

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  15. Had a doubt about the "I" in 30 A.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_international_vehicle_registration_codes. gives code for Italy as I.

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  16. I have just started doubting. Too many of them to be true!

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  17. I always associated doubting with Thomas. May have to add other names too!!!

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  18. Scintillator failed to titillate my grey cells today ! Rishi's cartoon more than made up for it. I'd like to know whether there is prohibition in Tamilnadu which makes no small beer out of the govt-controlled Tasmac outlets. I hate having to go to any of those shops,prowling like a thief and making you feeling guilty, as though you have strayed into a brothel !! Now they propose to open up for high end buyers in the Malls !!

    You buy and you take the stuff home to drink there. Restaurants and hotels have to be a licenced outlet.. What sort of prohibition is this?

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  19. Ajeesh, Wish you a very happy birthday.

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  20. Logging in late.

    Happy Birthday, Ajeesh.

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  21. Very happy today having been able to crack almost all.(17 d left out.)thanks to well scripted & well sculpted clues.5,16,25a 6,8,20d stand out from the rest.Really a scintillating puzzle.

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  22. Happy Birthday, Ajeesh ! May you live long for doing more and more crosswords !!

    Incidentally, Now that we are all part of the great THCC Family, with DG as the bossman of the house, lets greet each other with fellow feelings regularly. THCC can calendarize the birthdays of all the bloggers and it can appear in the blog.

    After all, who doesn't like to be made a VIP and a special person once a year at least? What say ye-all?

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  23. Happy Birthday Ajeesh .. Let God's blessings Rain on you Mon.

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  24. Many happy returns of the day Ajeesh

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  25. Ajeesh,
    All Joy & Every Endeavour Succes / Hit.
    SV

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