Dac is one of the 5 setters who appears in the Indy (including IoS) every week. One of the best clue writers around – clues always reading very well. Noting solving times over the year, he’s among the easiest. I’ve solved his 40-odd puzzles this year in 16 mins average, compared to 22 mins for the Indy as a whole.
I thought this was going to beat that with 2 left with 12 mins gone, but the last 2 took me 10 mins, in particular 17 down HOT ZONE which I’d never heard of, but confirmed in the end in Collins. The second clue (my favourite in the puzzle) was 3 down SOIGNEE – this is what’s known as a &lit clue and for new solvers might be worth explaining in full Model goes in with a touch of elegance, being this? The whole clue (“this”) means SOIGNEE (well-groomed). But, cryptically it is also telling you how to get to the answer. Model “goes in” means make a anagram of those letters “with” (a link word) “a touch of elegance i.e. its first letter e.
Across
1 EVER SO hidden
11 STOR(E) finally running out = last letter off + NO WAY = impossible
18 SHAKE = SHEIK “in speech”
24 PE R VERSE
25 SETTLER less L
Down
1 E + ST in ASIDE
5 FA = soccer officials + YET = still in LATE (former)
9 cf CHOW CHOW ( a dog)
15 END in DEFER “guarding” is containing indicator
22 NILE hidden reversal (“rises” because this is a down clue)
This is a test – real post would cover more clues.