Prithwiraj
Ahmedabad
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Ahmedabad
One of the toughest, yet most beautiful Thursday puzzles in ages. Learnt two new things - "BY GUM" and "chiliagon" today (had to look it up). The 250,000 sheets clue took a while to register.
I don't know why someone in this day and age would write "untouchable" as a clue and have PARIAH as its answer. Untouchability is one of the worst crimes against humanity that has ever existed, and the p word is just as offensive to a large number of people as the n word is. Neither the p word nor the clue used belongs to a recreational crossword today.
65 Across is technically wrong. Zero raised to the zeroth power is undefined and not ONE. This is one of the considerations that leads to the concept of limits, and later on, differential calculus. Similarly, infinity raised to the zeroth power is also undefined.
@Dean untouchability is a form of segregation that is literally the root of most problems in south asia. basically, one group of people decides that another group of people are "untouchable" and thus should be excluded from basic human contact and rights. the word "pariah" is a literal british corruption of the hindi word "paraya" which means "other". think jim crow style racial segregation on steroids. also for what it's worth, the setter does NOT clue the word to reflect whatever non-problematic connotations you think it may have in your own milieu. they literally use the etymological and literal meaning of the word, which was intended to be, and continues to be the worst kind of slur possible.
The theme required very little effort to work out, but the cutting off two letters was just headache-inducing rather than challenging. Also, I did not get the logic for the SETI clue. Is this a short form of a subject? I only know of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, but that's more of an initiative than a subject. Had to look up BEER HAT and still not sure what two letters can be added to MEO to get the curved part of jewelry.
@Matt thanks bwana. i appreciate you putting me in my place, where i truly belong no doubt
@Sam Lyons try going to a taqueria anywhere within 1000 miles of New York and offer to pay them in pesos. I too am curious what the result would be.
Not sure if ANNAL should be considered a word in its singular form. It is almost exclusively used in plural form, and Webster's dictionary also considers the singular to be archaic.
The "dough at a taqueria" clue was unnecessary. I know it is clever wordplay and all, but sometimes you got to read the room a bit.
@jas my previous reply didnt go through so let me try again. taqueria = mexico is a bit of a stereotype. there are many in the US itself and none have a single peso. the last place you want such stereotyping is in a crossword you are solving for fun.
@sonnel it did not say "Dough in Mexico" - it specifically said "Dough in a taqueria." Big difference.
@JW why do you think the clue went over my head (i didn't). i am genuinely curious how you arrived at this conclusion.
@SP there are many parts of the world where the n word is just a spanish word meaning "black" and nothing more. but we read about its problematic connotations in other parts of the world and learn not to use it. shouldn't that be reciprocal? especially when this is the most populated part of the world we are talking about?
@Peabody I am aware of SETI and the app :) Still wondering how to study SETI as a subject, with telescopes.
@John i believe the spanish original word is a slur too in english
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