Independent 6900 by Dac
Posted by nmsindy on November 26th, 2008
Harder than usual for Dac, I thought – two brilliant &lit clues involving anagrams and a great puzzle overall – solving time, 36 mins
* = anagram < = reversed
ACROSS
1 COLOURLESS (school rules)* less h = hard Excellent surface
6 GAFF Hidden (indicated by ‘housing’) – another great surface
9 TO (CAP IT AL) L last letter off ‘toll’
10 AC (H) E
11 OENOPHILIST (in lots I hope)* A brilliant & lit In the cryptic reading supply is adv (in a supple manner – anagram indicator)
15 NUN C(I)O
16 CARDIGAN Double definition
18 HARRID AN “harried”
19 SCROLL Double definition move text as on a computer
21 B (RINGING) OUT
24 IRAQ anagram of letters of ‘quatrain’ that are in odd-numbered positions
25 GRAND (OP) ERA Op = work in (arranged)* The second magnificent &lit
26 KLEE (E elk)<
27 D (E PRESS) IVE
DOWN
1 CAT O From ancient Rome
2 LUCE “loose”
3 UN PROM I SING
4 LIT ANY
5 SALOPIAN (Pianola’s)*
7 AC (CRINGe) T ON Stanley Football League club
8 FLEE TINGLY (feel)*
12 I N (DIC) ATIONS “dick”
13 ON THE BLINK (n thin bloke)*
14 IN OR (DI) NATE
17 R AIN TREE Aintree racecourse
20 JOINER Cryptic definition
22 LEVI Hidden
23 CAGE pun on ‘score’ = compose music Composer and ice hockey goal
November 26th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
I had trouble parsing 12D so thanks for that.
I read 24A as a reversal of the odd letters rather than an anagram.
I knew 11A would be an anagram but I’m not familiar with the word so struggled with that one.
November 26th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
Yes, you’re right about IRAQ, Testy. The letters are in correct order (reversed) so ‘about’ is a reversal indicator, not an anagram indicator.
November 26th, 2008 at 11:35 pm
Strange how it goes, Niall. Most days you are significantly faster than I am (today your time for The Times was half mine), yet this seemed to me to be one of Dac’s easier crosswords, and I was under 30 minutes.
But it was right up there with the best of his offerings: repeatedly lovely surfaces, and not a single clue was remotely dodgy. What a shame that such a beautifully-crafted thing will soon be forgotten.