Saturday 19 May 2018

No 12321, Saturday 19 May 2018, Gridman

Across

1. Work hard to keep upper-class army limited in agitation (7) TURMOIL {T{U}{aRMy}OIL}
5. Yes, cocky kids I pushed out of boats (6) YACHTS {YA}{CHiTS}
9. Learners with us break quiet moments (5) LULLS {LLL+US*}?
10. Spirals he created are more impressive (9) SPLASHIER {SPIRALS+HE*}
11. Hint thrown back to expert to start publicising wooden beam (3,4) PIT PROP {TIP<=}{PRO}{Publishing}
12. Son. I'm back with clear returns in love (7) SMITTEN {S}{I'M<=}{NETT<=}
13. Beautiful bird doesn't start classic tune (5) OLDIE {gOLDIE}
14. Sort of writing you can't take it as read (9) ILLEGIBLE (CD)
16. Puree? Can I get a lot? I am fond of pleasure! (9) EPICUREAN {PUREE+CAN+I*} Anag ind ok?
19. Control European yelling (5) CZECH {~CHECK} Clue seems to lead to 'Check'
21. Open about stripped bear in gorge (7) OVEREAT {OVER{bEAr}T}
23. At start of the year, I get to right caretaker (7) JANITOR {JAN}{I}{TO}{R}
24. Found baltis he's repaired (9) ESTABLISH {BALTIS+HE'S*}
25. The Spanish measure on Indian resin (5) ELEMI {EL}{EM}{I}
26. Remnant from female's business list falls short (3,3) FAG END {F}{AG ENDa}
27. Thrill with the woman in hut (7) SHEBANG {SHE}{BANG}

Down

1. These restricted places of calling are scarce in this era of mobiles (9,5) TELEPHONE BOXES (CD)
2. Told a story about dead dead (7) RELATED {RE}{LATE}{D}
3. Watch old boy's tennis shot (7) OBSERVE {OB}{SERVE}
4. What you have to pay for newly split grain (4,5) LIST PRICE {SPLIT*}{RICE}
5. They finally have some measurements for shouts (5) YELLS {theY}{ELLS}
6. Choice of actors is enduring, though chief left for China's capital (7) CASTING {(-l+China)ASTING}
7. Time to get object back in washing machine (4,3) TWIN TUB {T}{WIN} {BUT<=}
8. Pair in church marching around for ideal suitor (6,8) PRINCE CHARMING {PR}{IN}{CE} {MARCHING*}
15. Yearns to find fellow in winter pants (4,5) LONG JOHNS {LONG {JOHN}S}
17. One cadet, tired, consumed drug and summer cooler (4,3) ICED TEA {I}+{CADET*} around {E}
18. American English, being clever, may be of service (7) USEABLE {US}[E]{ABLE}
19. Give up study on reported bird food (7) CONCEDE {CON}{~SEED}
20. Half of them in addition get points at the end (7) EXTREMA {EXTR{thEM}A}
22. Some mantri edged and made an attempt (5) TRIED (T)

Reference List
Upper-class=U, Yes=Ya, Learners=LLL, Expert=Pro, Son=S, Right=R, The Spanish=El, Measure=Em, India=I, Female=F, The woman=She
About=Re, Dead=Late, Dead=D, Old boy=OB, Time=T, Object=But, Pair=Pr, Church=CE, One=I, Drug=E, American=US, English=E, Study=Den


Colour/Font Scheme

DefinitionSolutionComponent lettersEmbedded links, Anagram IndicatorC/C indicatorReversal IndicatorHidden word IndicatorLetter Pick indicatorDeletion IndicatorHomophone IndicatorMovement IndicatorPositional IndicatorSubstitution, IndicatorLink/Connector, Extraneous

GRID
Bhargav's Talepiece

The bouncer and the dancer - Part 40

Scene shifts to DCC.

A CZECH OLDIE who is running the SHEBANG opens the envelope and finds what is written is  ILLEGIBLE.

The few around TRIED their level best...

None could ESTABLISH what was written and had to CONCEDE.

The Czech who was in the FAG END of his career was in TURMOIL. He YELLS at all those facing him.

Finally they decide to get the cryptographist from Head Quarters.

What happened next?

Note: SGC / AAAAPRRKA / LTDOIIIF / UHXKNNN / RRRYASN / NNDETKRSE / ERVMSD / REDAR

(Eight setters. If you are able to decipher mail me at bharija@gmail.com)


27 comments:

  1. 19A) Possibly clue could be "European control yelling"

    ReplyDelete
  2. I don't agree with the edit suggested above. But the error in the clue escaped checks. Sorry.

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  3. 16a a lot ->(various) assorted. OK in my understanding.

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  4. 12a def "in love", my understanding.

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  5. Looks like CGB's list of setters needs a decoding expert. Still, I shall have a go at it later.

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  6. Thank you Ramesh for the blog.

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  7. sree-sree : Saw you answer in yeterday's blog. I was passing by the comments and glad to know that my commens gave you the Eureka moment ! Happy that you could submit . Wssn't it a beautiful and pithy clue ? I racked my brains and in a flash , at some point the answer bleeped !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes it was. And even then I had to wait for the beatles to fall in place before lightning struck to connect your comments and context.

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    2. I got the Pass by clue due to crossings & the question mark. I struggled in the NE corner. Only submitted now

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  8. Nice grid and clues.... The take piece was interesting...

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  9. The only one that got me foxed was 1D. I couldn't get Boxes. Could only think of booths, which couldn't fit obviously.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I also struggled with it. Booths was also my first instinct and it is quite common also. Crossings helped me.

      Delete
  10. Visited yesterday's blog late in the day. Re. 14A Girl's able to see — any number can be, by itself (9) DIVISIBLE {DI}{VISIBLE}. Visible is "can be seen" and not "able to see". Probably the clue needed to be reworded.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "Able to be seen" https://chambers.co.uk/search/?query=Visible&title=21st

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    2. Yes, I agree it is "able to be seen". My contention is that in the parsing "able to see" is taken as visible. The two are surely different?

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  11. CGB,
    About setters- CW setters,type setters or more likely four legged ones? All at sea.

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  12. Paddy, It was just off the cuff. Still let us try REDUCTIO AD ABSURDUM.

    (1) Eight setters - we know that.
    (2) Next we know the number of letters in each name.

    It is 3 x 1, 5 x 1, 6 x 1, 7 x 2, 8 x 1 and 9 x 2. (Total 54 letters)

    (3) 3 we have only one : Dr.x (strike off these letters)
    5 we have again only one: Arden (strike off these letters)
    6 we have Buzzer, Vulcan and Sunnet. (hint: there are no Z's.)
    7 we gave only two Gridman and spinner.

    Proceed further and you will surely get all!!
    Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was on the right track and I got Dr X, Arden, Gridman, Spinner, Incognito and Afterdark based on number of letters but got foxed with the 6 length option. Didn't think of deleting the letters from the 54

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    2. Good one Sir..and that too off the cuff!

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    3. The cuff must be pretty broad😀

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    4. Col:While discussing crosswords & THCC, one of my junior colleagues said, "Col. Gopinath must have worked in RAW as a cryprologist. He deciphers cryptics that easily!"

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  13. COLIN DEXTER

    He was an English crime writer known for his Inspector Morse series. In his novels, Dexter, a fan of cryptic crosswords, planted false clues and red herring with abandon, presenting Morse, and his readers, with fiendishly difficult puzzles to solve.

    He devoted a book to his hobby of crosswords "Cracking Cryptic Crosswords: A Guide to Solving Cryptic Crosswords" published in 2010.

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    Replies
    1. I have that book. He also wrote a Foreword to one of Tim Moorey's books.

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