Great puzzle from this consistently entertaining and challenging setter. Still don’t understand 28, 1, and 16 and not sure about the definition at 6.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 8 | L,EVERET[-t] – which is a young hare. The “wacky DJ” is Kenny EVERETT. |
| 9 | PE,VIS in EH – excellent clue but pretty tough I thought. VIS means force or power, which I didn’t know at the time. Not much doubt about the rest of the wordplay or the definition though. |
| 11 | DOC< – “grumpy companion” is the amusing and well-concealed definition. |
| 12 | SPRINGS,TEEN – tricky definition (“the Boss” is Bruce SPRINGSTEEN’s nickname) but fairly straightforward wordplay. |
| 13 | L[-ogi]C in (ERROR BE EXACT)* – CEREBRAL CORTEX. Another great clue, very well constructed. |
| 15 | CAR in BAD,I – more great phrasing here, especially “drinks in” as the containment indicator. |
| 17 | (SIN)* in PARP |
| 20 | STRAIGHT A’S ADIE – the “intrepid reporter” is ex-BBC journo Kate ADIE. |
| 24 | (EL PEE PIL D NZ)* – LED ZEPPELIN. Fairly easy anagram to spot once you’ve seen “band” as the definition. In case anyone was wondering what PiL is or was, it’s Public Image Limited, the band that John Lydon formed after the Sex Pistols. |
| 28 | SINCERE – don’t understand this one: “Heartfelt, because touching”. “Heartfelt” is the definition but I don’t see how the rest works. |
| Down | |
| 1 | BLACK CAB – can’t nail down the wordplay for this: “It takes London fares to an earlier state, about a pound up”. |
| 2 | E,VADER – a familiarity with the Star Wars films is needed for this one: Luke Skywalker’s father is Darth VADER. |
| 4 | ZAG in STARING – STARGAZING. |
| 6 | this looks like it has to be a partially indirect hidden clue as I think it’s hidden reversed in “heRESY EG”, with EG standing in for “for example”. I’m a bit puzzled as to why the definition is “spouter,eh” rather than just spouter. |
| 7 | NINETEEN – a prime number and a reference to 19d in the grid which is on the far right-hand side. |
| 10 | initial letters of “He’s Underestimated, Nobody Knows” |
| 14 | CAP,I,TALISM[-an] |
| 16 | CUT A DASH – don’t understand this one at all. I can see that the definition could be “make a stylish impression” but I don’t see how the rest of the clue fits in with this: “Here I am! Such tailored clothes make a stylish impression”. |
| 21 | ALE,SIX (going up) – a reference to the long defunct American soap Dynasty. ALEXIS Carrington was played by Joan Collins. |
| 22 | D,OCKER |
| 23 | hidden (going up) in “CanniBAL Fed” |
| 25 | R in P,OK |
SINCERE = SINCE RE (touching i.e. about). BLACK CAB reverses back c (about) a lb.
GEYSER is, I think heresy eg reversed without the eh
CUT A DASH is TA DA! in SUCH*.
Thanks for explanations all. Now that I understand it, I think that 16 is a fantastic clue.
CUT A DASH
Er, yes, perhaps, Paul. But why does TA DA mean Here I am! ?
“Ta-da” is in the OED (with various spellings), defined as “Used to accompany or draw attention to a dramatic entrance, announcement, etc.: ‘Here I am!’ ‘Here it is!'”. The most recent citation is from the TV series Gimme Gimme Gimme. And it’s a common colloquial expression (onomatopoeic for a small fanfare).
Ta-da – (Exclamation) An imitation of a fanfare (typically used to indicate an impressive entrance or dramatic announcement).
I had come across Ta-da before. I had some problem in posting my draft and Nestor’s explanation appeared in the meantime. Sorry for the duplication. The definition that I reproduced was in the article “Ta-da: a language’s new vocabulary” on a BBC website.
Er, the only one I couldnt parse properly was 3D: “CRUSH BAR” . Why theatre critic?
It was new to me but a CRUSH BAR is a bar in a theatre as I found when I looked it up.
In 21d, is “cardinal” SIX just because it’s one of an infinite choice of cardinal numbers, or is there some other association?