Disembark: ‘to land from a ship, aircraft, etc’. The SOED supports this.

Still, welcome new Indy correspondent! I think you’ve inherited my slot, so a particularly warm welcome to you, and thanks for clearing up the two that I missed.

Um, disembark, or even debark involves boats and strictly speaking a particular type of boat at that.

Sorry, a bit tetchy

Time constraints mean I don’t solve puzzles on a daily basis but the Minx and myself were out Xmas shopping today and tackled this over lunch, solving time between us around 20 minutes. Excellent clueing as always, but the NW and SE corners took a long time to crack, not least because they were so isolated from the rest of the grid. I’d have welcomed easier clues here and much tougher ones elsewhere. Minx made the first breakthrough by spotting GAME PLAN, so the SE fell soon after that, and came to the rescue again in the opposite corner by adding JOHN to the DORY bit I’d settled for at 1d – of course, that all-important J allowed the corner to fill in soon after.

I can claim to have not fallen for DRAIN but spent a long time with D in place and a puzzled expression.

@ NealH on 13: yes, I’m sure you have parsed the clue correctly. It’s amazing how easy it seems when someone else explains it, which is what these blogs are all about, I suppose – we all learn from each other.

I was troubled by the position of the I, which made me try to explain soldiers as RO rather than the widely used, and doubtless intended, OR, which, incidentally, Chambers lists as standing for Other Ranks (military). When I googled the abbreviation RO, Retired Officer was listed as one of numerous alternatives, but Chambers does not list it. If only I’d seen that retired (=reversed) applied equally to soldiers AND I!

Second things second: this certainly wasn’t your average Wednesday Dac, as I think is apparent from the comments so far. TURN OF PHRASE, THE STATES, HAND OVER FIST and ROOM AT THE TOP are classic clues from Mister Smoothie. However … I’m mad keen on cricket, but Farokh ENGINEER wasn’t exactly that well known (he retired from Test cricket 35 years ago). And DEBUS, GIRLIE and ANALECTS?

The first of these reminds me of when I used to fly a lot in the USA. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, at this time we are ready for you to deplane.’ Translation: ‘Ladies and gentlemen, please disembark now.’

Third things third: I still love Dac and his puzzles in a special way.

And yes, I also ballsed up the SE corner by putting in DRAIN.