Monday, June 06, 2005

The Hindu Crossword 2606 Solutions

Across
1 Frequent public house (11) COMMONPLACE (public=COMMON, house=PLACE => COMMON+PLACE)
7 Spring from rafter? Not quite (3) SPA (rafter=SPAR=>rafter? Not quite = SPAR-R)
9 For example, it may be served with piece of gammon (3) EGG (For example=EG, piece of gammon=G)
10 One bringing an action in court about flat in country (11) COMPLAINANT (court=CT,flat=PLAIN, country=OMAN=>flat in country=OMPLAINAN=>court about flat in country = C(OMPLAINAN)T)
11 Of incalculable value, diamonds left in cupboard (9) PRICELESS (diamonds=ICE, left=L, cupboard=PRESS=>diamonds left in cupboard = PR(ICE+L)ESS)
12 Greek character identified from epithet? Aristotle (5) THETA (Container => epiTHET Aristotle)
13 Sob, drunk, by counter, and disparage one's own products (3,8,4) CRY STINKING FISH (Sob=CRY, drunk=STINKING, counter=FISH??)
16 Bird deafening a pilot, when flying (3-6,6) FAN-TAILED PIGEON (deafening a pilot, when flying = ana. DEAFENING+A+PILOT)
17 Difficult and problematic drunk (5) TIGHT (Dbl Def)
19 Cartoon cat — terribly sly match, by the sound of it (9) SLYVESTER (terribly sly=SYL, match=VESTER??)
21 Comfort found by Saracen? Sure, in the wars (11) REASSURANCE (Saracen? Sure, in the wars = ana. SARACEN+SURE)
22 Bird, domesticated one with head chopped off (3) OWL (domesticated one=FOWL=>domesticated one with head chopped off = FOWL-F)
23 Pompous person in gas station (3) ASS (Container => gAS Station)
24 Be aware of Dutch painter going round steamship for no reason (11) SENSELESSLY (Be aware of=SENSE, Dutch painter=LELY, steamship=SS=>Dutch painter going round steamship=LE(SS)LY => SENSE+LESSLY)

Down
1 Contemptible fellow importing Ecstasy (5) CREEP (??)
2 One may help one get a better image (10,5) MAGNIFYING GLASS (Cryptic Def)
3 Its members should know the score (9) ORCHESTRA (Cryptic Def)
4 The plant associated with Blakeney? (9) P_M_E_N_L
5 Book, in the end reduced (5) ATLAS (in the end=AT LAST=>in the end reduced = AT LAST-T)
6 Novelist could make fortune penning one after end of course (5) ELIOT (fortune=LOT, one=I=>fortune penning one=LOT enclosing I(pen as in enclosure)=L(I)OT, end of coursE=E => E+LIOT)
7 Instructions produced since trio recast (5,10) STAGE DIRECTIONS (produced=STAGED, since trio recast=ana. SINCE+TRIO=IRECTIONS => STAGED+IRECTIONS)
8 Almost lost governor in Russian city (9) ASTRAKHAN (lost=ASTRAY=>Almost lost=ASTRA, governer=KHAN => ASTRA+KHAN)
13 Face irate criminal in self-service restaurant (9) CAFETERIA (Face irate criminal = ana. FACE+IRATE)
14 No decline, possibly, in sloth (9) INDOLENCE (No decline, possibly = ana. NO+DECLINE)
15 Piece written about one standing over grave, having lost son (legendary character) (9)
18 Jobs — first of tinkers seeks information (5) TASKS (first of Tinkers=T, seeks information=ASKS => T+ASKS)
19 Father given new alarm (5) SIREN (Father=SIRE, new=N=>Father given new = SIRE+N)
20 Runs over friend in motoring event (5) RALLY (Runs=R(from cricket), friend=ALLY=>Runs over friend = R+ALLY)

1 comments

Chaturvasi said...

Please see my posting in Ganesh's orkut group where you will find the correct answer to the first down clue and also to the one where you have put in the pattern from crossing letters.
Well, while I have given annotations (I won't say explanations) to most clues, I have glossed over two.
One was "vester" part of SYLVESTER.
Your guess that match = vester must be correct. Of course, we know 'vesta' means match. (Even in India we had this thin, shorter match using rolled paper rather than wood split. See whether there is any homophone indicator in there.
"Stinking fish" must be from "drunk, by counter" though I did not think about it thatearly morning when I was about to leave somewhere. The reference is to someone who is so drunk that he cannot even drag himself home but has fallen by the side of the bar counter. Don't we sometimes say "He has gone under the table"?